Thankful for my parents and siblings.

Today, and everyday, I am thankful for my siblings and parents.  I have 3 brothers and 3 sisters and a mom and a dad.  I love each of them.  I get together regularly with them.  I am so proud of who we have all turned out to be.  I pray that I can provide my children with as much love and good guidance as my parents gave all of us.  I think we are kind of like rocks in a stream.  We bump against each other and wear off those rough parts so that the world gets to see the shiny smoothness.  We are each others' greatest fans and I wouldn't have it any other way.  This picture idea I got from Pinterest.  My mom free cut the letters and then my sister set it up (she's the awesome photographer and her label thingy is on the picture).  I love it!  Don't you?

Psalm 105:8
He always stands by his covenant— the commitment he made to a thousand generations.

Thankful for Orphan Sunday

Today was Orphan Sunday around the world.  Unfortunately our church didn't have anything special for Orphan Sunday, but I still think it is so important and I am so thankful for it.  I think it serves a purpose because God has called us as Christians to support the widow and the orphan.  This won't mean through adoption for most families.  However, if God has placed this call upon your heart and then you go to church and hear/learn more about it it might be that nudge you need in order to follow God's plans for your life and your family.  I know that God had placed adoption in my heart long before we started the process.  I know that the process has been way too long by my estimates and will be just exactly the right amount of time in God's, but I also think that without exposure to adoption in my life (I nannied for a family with 3 beautiful, wonderful boys fro Guatemala), I might not yet be following God's will.  Adoption is hard and scary, especially for people with no history of interactions with adoption, perhaps through Orphan Sunday God can help people to overcome their fears and take that first step that completes their families.  Praise God for such an opportunity.

James 1:27
Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. 

Ps.... Once I actually move my church membership and this adoption thing finally works out, I do plan to bring up Orphan Sunday to my church :)

Thankful for my treadmill

  Today I am thankful for my treadmill, it looks something like this only without the weights.  We bought it several years ago in loo of another gym membership that we wouldn't get enough use out of.  In its life with us it has had seasons of use and seasons of unuse (although never has it been a clothes rack).  Right now it is back in use.  I used it to prepare for the last 5k I ran and today since it is cold, wet, and yucky outside I am gonna lace up the sneakers and head down to the basement to show a little love to the treadmill and my body.

Proverbs 4:12
When you walk, you won’t be held back; when you run, you won’t stumble.

Thankful for my small group.

Kinda a rough last two days at work, but small group was tonight and it was nice sitting and talking with people and digging into the Word.  Last year Josh and I started looking for a new church and one of my criteria were small groups to get involved in.  It's taken awhile but now I am in a small group and I really feel like it is a gift from God to me to help me along my journey.  Thank you Jesus for fellowship with believers.

Acts 2:42
All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals, and to prayer.

November Thankfulness

I'm going to try to write each day in November at least posting what I'm thankful for.

To start the month, I am so so thankful this year for our new house!

God has truly blessed us.

Psalm 101:2
I will be careful to live a blameless life— when will you come to help me? I will lead a life of integrity in my own home.

Beginning

I saw this idea on Pinterest to use these as motivators on a weight loss journey.  Each rock represents a pound that you need to lose.  When it's gone, the rock gets to move to the lost vase.  I like that my "to go" vase is short and fat but my "lost" vase is tall and skinny.  It's the goal :) I made them then almost took them to my master bath but decided instead to leave them on the kitchen counter to help motivate me not to have that extra food I don't need in the kitchen.  So far I've been losing pretty consistently which is great.  I ran my second 5k last month.  Didn't run as much as I had during the first one but two of my brothers and one of my sisters ran it with me.  And when I wanted to give up near the end my brother came back and finished it with me so I could finish strong!  I love the feeling of accomplishment I get when I finish so I need to get back into training so that I can do another one. Since then I haven't done as well on getting my exercise in but have done really well on eating appropriately.  I have gained and lost weight several times in the years since high school and even won a weight loss competition a couple years ago with Josh and some siblings.  But I haven't been consistent and I don't want to continue the unhealthy cycle.  Right now Josh is once again in a competition but I chose to not join because I need to make it just a part of my life.  Eating healthy foods and exercising regularly need to be just something I do and not something I do because if I do I can gain money.  More than money I need to be in good health, happy, not spending money on unhealthy things (it adds up) and able to be the best mama I can be when God finally grants me that desire of my heart.  So I guess I also need to have some accountability and that's why I'm writing this.  I also need some accountability to writing on this blog so I'm going to try to do them both.  No promises.

In other news last week marked 1 year of officially being on the list.  We started at 85 and after a year...Hopefully referrals pick up and we move many more than 25 in the next year.  I so cannot wait to see their precious faces.


1 Peter 1:13 So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world.

African

So we continue waiting.  And with the recent updates from CHI and the continuing lack of referrals in 2012, it seems that we will be waiting a long time more for our children to find us.  Last weekend our town had its annual "Ethnic Expo" and we were able to go on Saturday.  It reminded me of a regular "market" that we might encounter on our travels because mostly it was shops of things to buy from different countries and food prepared by people from different countries.  There were no Ethiopian shops or food but there were a couple from Ghana.  We saw these cool djembes at one of the shops.  The one we really liked had a lion carved into the base.  We talked to the guy and then walked around more.  The other Ghana shop had some pretty cool carvings and paintings that we were interested in but we just looked around and didn't buy anything.  Then we had dinner. I had jollof rice and chicken stew from the Ghana tent and Josh had some meat from the Brazilian tent.  We saw a couple of different dancers and listened to some music.  It was an enjoyable experience.  Then we went back to the original Ghana shop and got ourselves a little piece of African decor.  The lion one was gone so we got this one with a gazelle on one side and a tree on the other.  Waiting is difficult but getting new things like this excites me.  During this time I am trying to depend more on God because without Him the wait would be impossible.   I looked for a verse with drums and found this: 1 Samuel 10:5-6
“Next, you’ll come to Gibeah of God, where there’s a Philistine garrison. As you approach the town, you’ll run into a bunch of prophets coming down from the shrine, playing harps and tambourines, flutes and drums. And they’ll be prophesying. Before you know it, the Spirit of GOD will come on you and you’ll be prophesying right along with them. And you’ll be transformed. You’ll be a new person!

I pray that God uses this time of waiting to transform me. To make me the person that my children will need. God is in control and today I am depending on Him for endurance during this wait.