Part2

Well, I hope everyone wasn't hoping for some great revelation or announcement that I was flying off to Asia somewhere to help in child rescuing!  I've gotten nothing since Thursday night--nuttin!  My friend, Susie, wondered if maybe the dream was a confirmation for Katy--you know--how important this trip is.  Maybe it was a wake up call for all of us living in our safe bubble.  Maybe I will end up going somewhere in the next few months-who knows.  I'm open for whatever God sends my way.  In the mean time, here is a little more education.  Oh, I've mentioned it a zillion times on here, but please, read Jantzen's Gift by Pam Cope.  She was just an ordinary suburban mom whose life was changed and she got involved in rescuing children from slavery.

This is a video from Destiny Child Rescue(scroll way down to the far right to pause my music player so you can hear the words on the video)




Now, before people think "Ahh, that only happens in 3rd world countries", wrong!


Taken from trafick911.com
U.S. Scope
100,000-325,000 U.S. children trafficked each year within our country...and growing.
1 out of 3 homeless youth in the U.S. sold into sex slavery within 48 hours of running away or being kicked out.
The average age of entry into sex trafficking is 12-13.
 Domestic trafficking more prevalent in the United States than victims being brought in from the other countries.
Texas Is A Hub
The National Human Trafficking Hotline receives more calls from Texas than any other state.
Department of Justice designated the I-10 corridor as the No. 1 route for human trafficking in the U.S.
Breeding ground for predators thanks to numerous interstate highways, airports, malls.
Easy to market: Internet, truck stops, modeling studios, etc.
Demand skyrockets when major sporting events and conventions come to town.  Like the World Series and Super Bowl!!!!!!!!! 
So, be in prayer. Be educated.  Be aware.  Be an advocate.

Truth about Sex Industry Part 1

This is so weird and amazing.  As you know I'm reading a book about hearing from God.  I posted about it 2 days ago.  I'm tellin ya, last night God spoke to me in a dream.  Well, I guess you could say he gave me a vision.  It was so real and so awful.  I woke up with my heart racing and knew He was telling me something big.  My sister, Katy, is traveling to Greece(the center of trafficking in Europe) to work with the A21 campaign and fight human trafficking.  I've talked about that issue on here before.  Surely, there aren't still people out there who don't realize that human trafficking and children being sold into the sex industry is a huge huge business!  Well, in case you haven't heard about this problem, here are some facts:

Trafficking in women is the second largest global organized crime today, generating approximately US$12 billion a year(from theA21campaign.org)
A child sold every two minutes; 1 million children forced into the sex trade each year. (from traffick911.com)

Well, yesterday Katy emailed us saying she was freaked out because her trip is 2.5 weeks away.  This isn't a fly to a foreign country, paint a concrete building, hand out church invitations and call it a day.  They will be assisting in midnight brothel rescues.  She's nervous and excited at the same time.  I had been praying for her and the team during the day.  Last night God brought it home!  Here is my dream.

           I was at a large football type of sporting event.  For some reason I knew some of the visiting teams cheerleaders(teen girls).  Afterward the bus left 2 of the girls and they were lost.  They wandered the city streets alone.  Somehow I found where they'd gone. It was a shady row of store fronts that I've passed by in our city a million times.  If you live in a big city you know the kind--run down building, crappy signs for an odd business--like massage--no windows, not nice part of town.  There were several men standing around.  I told them I'd come for the girls.  Suffice to say, they did not cooperate.  I caught a glimpse of the 2 girls I knew inside.  Enter crazy super Libby.  I began bashing in the boarded window with a stroller(strangely appropriate for my weapon!).  After quite the fight, the girls who'd been kidnapped and forced to "entertain" men where brought out.  Here's the kicker.  When the door opened I saw them..... 2 little 6yr old girls, dressed in french maid costumes....hollow blank stares that spoke volumes of what they'd been forced to endure. 

Hold on a second, tears are coming and I may wretch! 

I'm not telling a bunch of internet strangers and blog friends about my dream to shock you and think my mind is warped.  I'm telling you this because it was a clear message from God.  GO GET THOSE GIRLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I couldn't sleep and got up.  I clicked on our email inbox and guess what?  There was our monthly newsletter from Destiny Child Rescue(destinyrescue.org)  It was no coincidence!!  Here is a little bit of the 2 stories they shared of recent rescues in Asia.
     Although Narm was barely 14 years old, she felt the burden to support her family and left for the city to try and make some money to send home to her mother. With only a grade 4 education and knowing what more than 90% of the girls in her village were already working as bar girls... Narm quickly found herself working in a brothel for little over $2 a day plus a free room in the brothel.
     Wai wanted to go to school but was pulled out in grade 4 to help her grandmother in the fields. Wai's cousin suggested that she came and worked in the same Karaoke bar (brothel) as she did to earn money for the family... so at the age of 15 Wai went with her cousin and started working in the brothel for a little over $2 a day.
On behalf of these girls we thank you for all you do to help rescue and restore these beautiful children.
Be sure to visit our website - http://www.destinyrescue.org/


This morning I relayed the message to Mike and told him "get ready, I think I'm going somewhere." Mike is totally supportive and said "Okay, that sounds good."

What does all this mean?  I have no idea where it will lead, the hows, the whos, the wheres.  But, I do know the WHYs!
Isaiah 1:17

 learn to do right!
Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow.

I need to think and pray for a day or so.  Part 2 is coming.  Stay tuned.

Is that you God?

 I'm reading The Power of a Whisper: Hearing God, Having the Guts to Respond by Bill Hybels.  Mike and I certainly have struggled with wondering if we were hearing God telling us something to do or if it was just our own imaginations or longings.  Tough question for sure.  This book offers some very practical tips for believers to discern God's whispers into their lives.  I talked with a close friend last night and she and her husband are trying to seek out the Lord's will for their lives regarding a leap of faith that could really blow some minds!  I'm excited for them and yet I certainly understand how hard it is for them to figure out if that is really what they should do.   Last night  these were the words I read in the book:
  Don't ever buy into the idea that everthing God prompts his followers to do will be uncomplicated or low-cost.  Sometimes God asks his children to carry heavy loads, as he did with the apostle Paul.  But even-and often especially-under those backbreaking burdens, God's purposes are fulfilled.

Another few nuggets from Pastor Robert Morris makes it even easier:
  When I believe I've heard a word from God He confirms it by:
        His principals(the Scriptures never contradict what He prompts us to do) 
        His people(godly counsel will pray with you and agree or disagree that you are hearing God)
        His peace(sense His calm---Just because it takes great faith to follow through doesn't  mean He won't give you His peace).

I hope that these words will minister to someone out there.  I've certainly enjoyed learning more about hearing God's whispers.

Rainy day and how I proved I'm the best mom....

Yesterday was great.  We were supposed to go to Dillon's soccer game, but that got canceled due to approaching thunderstorms.  We headed to the mall.  Abby and Carter had hefty gift certificates to spend at their favorite stores(thanks to Aunt Beverly!).  We hit my fav store, Old Navy first.  You wouldn't believe some of the deals.  We got Dillon a hilarious Halloween costume for 4.00!!  You will laugh hard when you see a  pic next week--it totally matches his personality.  Ab and Cart shopped with their cards and had fun getting stuff without spending "real" money.  Next, the big test!  How do you prove that you are the ultimate parent willing to sacrifice anything for your kid??????
                      Chuck E Cheese
Yes, Dillon had a birthday party invitation for noon at Chuck E Cheese.  I despise that place.  Oh, I know it is supposed to be fun and all....BUT... the carpet looks like food has been ground into it.  I always always get stuck watching strangers kids in the play area!  It is a huge money trap.  Despite all  these strikes against it, I took Dillon and Hudson for the party.  Dillon doesn't get a whole lot of party invites so it was big time fun for him!  He and another boy scampered off for fun.  Hudson, the little genius and stinker that he is, figured it all out.  You know how usually you can get away with no tokens for kids the first few times before they figure out the games don't work without money?  Not this brainiac.  He walked right over to the skee ball, watched another kid and started pushing the coin return button, then looking in the slot for tokens that may have been left.  When that didn't work, he began stealing kid's balls and rolling them up the ramp.  He enjoyed wandering from game to game, pushing buttons, stealing tickets and looking for coins.  Then.....the real fun started.  We were at the birthday boy's table having pizza.  In walked Chuck E himself.  Dillon jumped out of his seat, ran towards the back and began crawling under a table.  Sheer panic.  I went after him and that set Hudson to wailing!  The three of us hid behind a large trash can from the abominable Chuck E!!!  That's when I called it a day.  We didn't even say goodbye to the birthday boy--he was dancing up front with the giant rat.  At home Hud and I napped.  No nap is so great as a Saturday afternoon when it is raining.  FYI, yes, it was chilly and I broke out the hot pink fleece pj pants that have cupcakes on them!
Carter and his best buddy, Joel, hung out.  They got creative and wanted to make a contraption to ride down a hill in the rain.

Oh, just wanna throw this out there......IF you have extra World Series tickets for Arlington....and IF you wish to bless another person for free......Mike would looooove to take them off your hands.....just sayin!!!

Heard a funny comment

You adoptive families will get a chuckle out of this.
I was in town a few weeks ago for lunch with a friend and met a lady.  She had twin babies and I admired them.  Hudson was with me so I'm assuming she felt some kind of infertility connection or something.  Out of the blue she said "They are ours genetically but I didn't carry them.  We used a surrogate."  Okay, so I smiled and wondered what I was supposed to say.  Later in the lunch I mentioned my 4 kids.  The mom of the twins was astonished at me having 4 and said "We just have these 2, if we ever have more, we will just adopt.  Surrogacy is a long and strenous process!"  I grinned and said "Yeah, so is adoption."
In no way am I diminishing how difficult it is to bring children into the world via surrogate.  But, so many times it seems like people have the view that you go to a baby store and pick out wich version of kid you want to adopt.  Viola!  Kind of like a cabbage patch baby doll.  My friends who've been fostering 2 toddlers over a year and are fighting losing those babies to distant relatives who just happened to show up a year later would certainly argue that adopting is a long and strenous process!!

If life was more like Upward

 Dillon is playing Upward soccer.  Our church runs a big Upward soccer program.  There are no score boards.  Every child gets equal playing time and sportsmanship, Christ-likeness, and fun are celebrated.  There are no starters or star players.  Don't ya wish life was really like that!!??  They get to run through an inflatable to the Rocky theme song.  It is awesome for him and he loves it.

Alas, life isn't an Upward game.  We have struggles.  People love to keep score and win.  Bigger, better, stronger, faster, smarter, better-looking, richer......that's what is valued on this earth.  I think Heaven will be like an Upward game.  After all Jesus touched lepers, cared for cripples, held children, ate with prostitutes and crooks, washed feet of betrayers, called out the simple--not the wise, spoke of orphans and poor people over 2100 times in the Bible!

1 Corinthians 1:27  But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise;  God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 

some random updates and ramblings

This isn't a post about anything really, but my blog is kind of my journal.  I happen to have a few hours alone(whoohooo!).  I'm listening to Gateway worship and Hillsongs loudly while doing laundry---yippeeee!!!  A wonderful appliance repairman came out this morning.  You wouldn't believe how much laundry a family of 6 generates in 5 days.

I wanted to post about this yesterday.  As you know, Hudson has been home just over a year now.  We've adopted internationally 3 times now.  I think I'm qualified to say that it takes at least 6 months to a year to really get in the groove and feel bonded/attached/settled.  These things take time.  As I lay down next to Hudson yesterday at nap time and watched him sleep, I felt this huge momma bear feeling of love, wonder, and protection.  The words to Steven Curtis Chapman's song that he wrote after adopting from China played over and over in my mind....
     When love takes you in everything changes
     A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
     And this love will never let you go
     There is nothing that could ever
     cause this love to lose its hold

It would have been so easy to hit delete when we saw the email from our adoption agency regarding a waiting toddler boy who needed a family.   When we put him to bed at night he says "Good night, I love you, I love you best!"  Knife in heart--really---how precious is that???  I finished reading Choosing to SEE by Mary Beth Chapman(his wife).  Holy cow--that book about killed me!!!!  But, it was just what I needed;  a great reminder to cherish the moments with our kids.  She told a story of an orphaned baby boy she named Hudson.  It made me ugly cry, you know, the snot running out your nose kind of cry.  I'll share it soon.

I've been a tad sad over the pregnancy loss this summer.  I was bloated after dinner the other night and rubbed my belly.  Man, it really hit me hard--like I'd been robbed!  Like rubbing my belly triggered the reality of life and death that came and went--and I wasn't even happy about it when it was still life!!  Guilt, sorrow, pain, anger, reliving fertility crap that we'd worked through years ago--all comes bubbling up again.  I guess that is just how loss is huh?  You do fine for a while, then slap, hit with something that triggers it?  It also makes you kind of wonder "well, who's missing?"  Like there is supposed to be another little person here.  Don't worry, we are in no place to adopt again, and most likely never will, but your heart does wonder if there was supposed to be 5.  Even Mike verbalized that thought back in August.

And, how's this for awesome?  As you know, Mike is a Jr/Sr high school principal.  One of his former students called today and offered 1 ticket to the Rangers vs Yankees opener tonight.  LUCKY!  Or, I guess I should say blessed.  He hasn't told me if he accepted it or not.  He had to work out some details.  What a sweet sweet young man Josh is.

Go Rangers!

Splurged on sweet memories, could be once in a lifetime!  Father and son at a Ranger's play off game last week.  Wish I could get my hands on some Yankees vs Ranger's tickets!

breaking or broken

Ever notice how big things always break at the same time?  UGH, what a pain.  Our washing machine has been fighting for its life for 2 weeks or so.  It would stop mid cycle.  The only way to get it to spin again was to push on the lid really hard or, my personal favorite, to sit on top of the washer as it finished.  As soon as you let up--it would quit.  I would listen to my iPod. Then, Mike devised a scheme to keep it running.  See below

Unfortunately, the ole knife in the washer trick no longer is effective.  The washer is flat dead.  So, I suppose I'll be headed to the laundry mat for a while.
The other broken item is even a bigger problem.  We had a little leakage behind the shower and into Abby's room.  So, now we are down to one shower.

 We aren't getting things fixed immediately.  Two of the boys had ER visits this summer and then my miscarriage left us with alot of medical bills. Christmas is only 2 months away and sometimes you just gotta prioritize.  Heck, Im trying to keep a positive attitude. At least I'm not washing clothes in the river like the women did when I was in Haiti. 

And, I'm so thankful to have access to excellent medical care.  I could be seeking medical care for my child like the mother of this desperate child with hydrocephalus that I met in Haiti

I guess having only one shower right now and using a carting my clothes to a laundry mat isn't so bad after all.

And.....another book!

A friend lent me this one.  I will be buying it soon to add to my library.  Mary Beth Chapman has written her story in Choosing to See.  I'm half way through and it is great!!!!!  First off, she is so real.   This woman has been through the wringer.  She is honest and wise and I found myself relating to her on many many levels, including struggling with depression and perfectionism(there ya have it--I struggle too).  Yep, you will need hankies nearby.  I'll never forget the night when their daughter Maria was killed.  I felt like a friend's daughter had died.  When I moved off to college and was soooooooo lonely, it was Steven Curtis Chapman's album More To This Life that kept me going.  When Mike and I got married, Mike sang I Will Be Here(written by Steven) to me at our wedding!  When they adopted from China, it was about a year after Abby came home.  We saw him and his boys in concert in Dallas and they brought all 3 little Chinese girls on stage.  I cried then too.  I've heard their eldest daughter, Emily, speak at adoption conferences when she was in college. So, reading her story is much more than reading some celebrity who I don't know.  Thank you Mary Beth for sharing your heart.  Thank you for being a true champion of the orphan AND for being so real about your adoption experience.

There is no "winner"

    This has been on my heart the past few days.  There are no winners of the "big" prize in God's eyes.  No heavenly scale tipping one way or the other in favor of who does the most good works.  I want to be careful that nobody reads my exuberant passion for orphan care, adoption, missions, reaching out of our comfort zone and thinks that I'm belittling what others do.  Ephesians 2:8-10 says  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  You see, we are all in need of God's grace.  Adopting a zillion special needs children will never earn a better position in God's eyes.  The key is being faithful in the areas where God has called you to serve--and let me be clear here--everyone who claims Christ as Lord IS called to serve someone and somewhere!  Whether it is teaching 8yr old kids in Bible Study every week for 20 years, serving lunch with a smile at the local homeless shelter, mentoring and encouraging young mothers, volunteering at a crisis pregnancy center, fostering babies who've experienced neglect, teaching public high school kids with a loving attitude so they know someone cares, wiping spit off an 80yr old man afflicted with Alzheimers, giving sacrificially above your tithe so that someone can go serve orphans in Uganda, etc....  You get the picture.  Do whatever God calls you to do, faithfully and with love.  1 Corinthians 13:3 says If I give all I possess to the poor... but have not love, I gain nothing.     Great actions without great love equal great waste!!!!!!!!!!!!!

     As you regular followers know, my 7yr old has special challenges.  He'll be 8 in 2 months.  He can't tie his shoe, sing a song, or read independently...BUT, he serves up some good love.  God has gifted him with a love of his family-which he dishes out lavishly, love of worship with passion and abandonement.  He may never get a doctorate from Seminary and pastor a large church, but he can serve Jesus with his whole heart.  And that my friends, is what loving Christ is all about :)
Blessings,
Libby

Conference Reflections

     Here is my update from togetherforadoption.com conference. Disclaimer....I unapologetically am going to state what is going on around the world and why people should care.
     First off, the numbers are truly staggering and horrifying! The newest statistic estimates that there are 163million orphaned and at risk children in the world(including 500,000 foster children in the US). Obviously, we are not making good ground in our efforts.  Every Bible believing church body should be involved, somehow, in the global orphan crisis. It is absolute fallacy for people to say things like "well, that is for infertile people and missionaries to worry about."  The Bible mentions caring for the poor and oppressed 2100 times. Caring for orphans and the fatherless is mentioned 60 times. James 1:27 says Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
118,000 kids in the US foster care system are legally ready to be adopted--waiting--for a family.  What if your church made the decision to empty out your city of children in the foster system--desperate for a family? 
1/5 of foster kids who age out of the system, who never got adopted, will end up homeless before turning 19yrs old
Within two years of leaving a Russion orphanage-~15% of all orphans have committed suicide while another ~60% are involved in criminal activity (gangs, drugs, prostitution).

Most conservative, Evangelical Christians are more than willing to picket abortion clinics and campaign to vote prolife, BUT, how many are willing to take care of the children born in difficult circumstances who can't be parented by birthparents?

     One of the keynote speakers was David Gibbons, pastor of Newsong. He talked about a story that Francis Chan tells. Chan gives a great story to illustrate how we ignore the Bible's mandate to care for orphans. For example, he tells his daughter "I want you to clean your room." She is gone for a few hours and comes back saying "Daddy, I know what it means to clean my room and I memorized what you said about cleaning my room". Yet, she did not clean the room. A few hours later, she comes in and says "Daddy, I know what it means in the Greek to clean my room." Yet, her room is not clean. A few hours later his daughter comes back and states "Daddy, my friends and I have prayed and talked about cleaning my room." Yet, she never actually cleans her room. This is a poignant illustration of how churches read the Word, memorize verses, preach sermons and have Bible studies, prayer at prayer meetings and yet never actually do anything about it!  I'm certainly not saying that if your church doesn't have an offical orphan ministry that it isn't obeying God's word. But, every church should be supporting and caring for orphans somehow.
Here is a short video that documents what happens to the children nobody cares for.  Pause my music player far down to the right to hear the kids.




As for me, what did I learn?  I went to the "launching an orphan ministry in your church" track.  It was led by the truly amazing staff from Hope For Orphans. Click Here for their website.  All day I was mesmorized by these brilliant men who are passionate for the orphan and adoption.  I had the overwhelming sense that "This is what I was made for."  My nurse job provides insurance for our family and helps pay bills, but someday, Lord willing, I believe I'll work for them.  I've been praying about going back to school to begin working towards becoming a nurse practitioner.  After the conference, I have little desire for that.  I really feel that full-time orphan and adoption education and ministry is my calling.  I'd like to travel around the country educating and inspiring churches to get involved.

So, how do we help these children?  Glad you asked!  Buy an awesome shirt, like mine, from 147millionorphans.com.  Each purchase feeds an orphaned child in Africa--and they look super cool

Open your heart and begin praying about adopting or fostering.  Give money and emotional support to another family who is adopting by donating to grants like Show Hope(click HERE).  Have an Orphan Sunday even on November 7.  ClickHERE for resources.  Launch an orphan care ministry at your church.
Sponsor children through various organizations like World Vision and Compassion Int.  Gather shoes and toiletries and take them to an orphanage in a 3rd world country.

So, as you can see, it was just an amazing time.  We cried, worshipped, prayed, made friends, got educated, networked, shopped for cool shirts, and yes, if there had been a booth to sign up to bring more kids home--I'd have signed up for a bunch! :)

Together For Adoption Conference

INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!  I need some time to digest before posting.  The conference was dynamite.  It is in Phoenix next year so make plans to join me.  I was in pure heaven being surrounded by rocking worship, champions of orphans, and adoption advocates---all who really get it!  I'll post a pic of me wearing my new shirt.  It says in huge letters on the front   147 MILLION ORPHANS,   then the back says FEED  1.  I'm wearing it to church tomorrow. 


So, in a few days I'll post a good synopsis of what I learned and what I think God is speaking to me about my life.