Well, I never thought I'd be out asking my friends to join my journey to adopt. With Maliah, I didn't take this step of faith of reaching out. In fact, on the contrary, Doug and I both felt that the Lord had something for us to learn along the way ... and it started with learning about finances.
During that time (2004), we put ourselves on a strict budget and began to live the Dave Ramsey way of life ... yes, cash only friends! Living like no one else! Doug and I had never had debt with exception to one car payment and house, yet I think the Lord still had a lot for us to learn about the provisions HE was providing. We began to really watch our pennies and lived below our means and I worked real estate part time. Along the way, the Lord threw in a few surprising gifts to show us that this was all him! I will never forget the day some precious friends showed up with a gift of $1,500. We were blown away by their gracious donation. They shared that the gift was out of obedience. The Lord had told them to give and they did! WOW! Little did they know, $1,500 was the EXACT amount we needed to make our last and final program payment. Indeed, God brought home our baby girl with cash ... but all by God's Glory!
SO, now here we go again. 6 years later we still live on cash - yep, loving life and living like no one else. We have no car payments, only a mortgage. If we can't pay for it, we don't buy it! BUT, the Lord has called us to adopt again. This throws a curve ball in the budget. The math on what we need just doesn't seem to add upYIKES!!
I don't know why any day I would hesitate or fear he won't provide what is needed, but I will humbly confess, I do on some days.
This time the Lord is really showing us that adoption isn't just about our family, but about a community. Over the past 6 years we have had the pleasure of speaking on adoption at events here and there and sharing our stories with families and groups within our community. Each time, our message has always held one key concept. Adoption and Orphan Care is a mandate ... we're all called to it. I'm not saying that everyone I know is called to adopt, but I do believe that the Lord wants each of us to be involved in some way to care for orphans - his children! Maybe he's calling you to adopt. Maybe he's calling you to sponsor a child, foster a child, go on missions and be his hands and feet (If he is calling you to one of those, please ask me, I can connect you). Maybe, he's simply calling you to help someone else adopt financially and through prayer. Whatever it is, he wants all of us involved. James 1:27 "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.
Yep, I have given that message. It's easy to say from a stage ... but it isn't so easy to put into practice - letting others help! I can't tell you how humbling it is for any family to say "can you help us"? It's not easy to say "We can't do this alone". I think the Lord is teaching me and Doug though that we (or any adopting family) can't and shouldn't do this alone. He is delighted in community. He is delighted when he sees us work together for the sake his children. So, we have surrendered in saying "Can you help us"?
In advance, THANK YOU, for being a part of the Lord's plan to bring Levi home!
AND OF COURSE .... Your prayers are the first importance!
P.S. When you wear your T-shirt, indulge in your coffee, and "Chip in" on our blog, I hope it reminds you to pray for our Levi ... and the other 146,999,000 orphans in the world!
