What a wild ride. Seriously. This has been a year. Looking back - Oh My Goodness. What an unbelievably wild ride.
It has changed us. Caused us to re-think our lives, our priorities. Given us a renewed love for what we had...
AND WHAT WE GAINED....
Our hearts have been broken by the things that break God's heart. We have seen much and learned even more.
Through it all - God has been good. His mercy has covered us, His grace has carried us through.
Looking ahead - There is no going back. We can no longer just live our lives, protected, careful. That much is clear. The reality that three year old boys are laying in cribs in a mental institute presses us forward. They need a voice.
We choose to yell.
If you haven't given to the Angel Tree to help rescue one of the babies there - today is the last day. There are over 150 babies on that tree. Each and every one of them face transfer if they are not adopted.
If you are wrestling, struggling, praying, fighting and losing sleep over whether you should or should not adopt one the 'least of these'... Let us know... We will gladly lift you up to the throne. Even if the door is shut, even if this is not the right time for you and your family, yelling beside us is just as worthy a calling!
P.S. - For ALL those who are wondering how you can donate to Alyona and Slavik's ministry... I am working on it. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST AND DESIRE! We are trying to come up with a way to make donations easy. Bear with us as we work out the details. Dumb me - I was not prepared for the outpouring of e-mails, comments, messages and requests for how people could give. I forget that people actually read my ramblings.... LOL! God is SO GOOD and His Church is ALIVE and WELL.
Keep us posted as to how to donate to Alyona. We definitely want to keep "yelling" beside you. Hoping that you & your wonderful family have a Happy New Year! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful to see that the church is alive through the blogging world. Can't wait to see what you come up with. When I showed my dh the post yesterday, he just stood there and was appauled. It still has my heart shattered.
ReplyDeleteWanting to wish you and your family a Happy new Year. I'm so glad I found your blog.
Feeling blessed by being just a small part of our year. Isn't our God AMAZING?
ReplyDeleteThere are so many people yelling about this that the noise is being heard loud and clear. And it´s wonderful. I´d love getting informaiton on how to support them financially. Sending things off is a problem but I´d be able to financially support :) And to imagine how much God has used 2010 to change the lives of thousands of people.
ReplyDeleteI received an email from Alyona today - she said to donate to Harvest International and designate "Slavik and Alyona ministry in Odessa, Ukraine". Harvest International keeps 10% of all donations to cover admin expenses, but Alyona and Slavik and THE LOST BOYS will receive 90%.
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to let you know that we donated to the angel tree today!
ReplyDeleteGod Blessings on you and your family today and throughout the New Year!
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