Don't You Hear His Tapping?

It's Friday. It's beautiful outside. The Lord has been blessing us abundantly with donations for our Mary. I could sit here content and enjoying my first day off in a very long time.


But then I would miss the amazing opportunity of sharing with you about four familes.


Four crazy, what we saw changed our lives, we have room at the table, adoption-loving families who are either across the ocean or packing their bags because they are leaving in a matter of days...

Three families have adopted and adopted again.  Some have adopted and adopted and adopted etc...

In the eyes of the world - they are nuts!!

Truly!

In the eyes of the One who matters most... they are doing exactly what He has called them to do.

Of course they are not fully funded.

Yet, they are still going.

Trusting. Believing. Relying on the One who has called them.

Four families.

The Steinhoff's are adopting these two lovies.... They have children from every part of the world and have no problem finding room at their table for two more. I love this family!! I've had the privilege of meeting them at the reunions!! They are about $2,200 short of funds. Their grant account needs to read $5,200 to be fully funded.

The Hefner Family is adopting this precious little lovie and I can't wait to see her.  Rob and I had the privilege of spending time with the Hefners on their last adoption. They are the sweetest family in the world!! They are still 5,000 short of being funded but it hasn't stopped them. They are currently IN COUNTRY and are getting to spend time each day loving on their new lovie!!  Their grant account needs to read $7,000 to be fully funded.

The Thorp family had their hearts broken when they brought home two treasures a few years.  It was the kind of heart breaking that is calling them to go back to rescue a sweet girl from a life on the streets.  I haven't had the privilege of meeting the Thorps but they are doing us a great kindness by carrying some of our precious documents across the ocean for us!!  They are leaving on Monday and are still $3,600 short of funds. Their grant account needs to read $6,500 to be fully funded.

The Thomas family is adopting a precious little girl they were able to host last summer. She stole their hearts.  Pure and simple theft.  They have been racing like mad since she left to bring her home for good. Doesn't she fit quite nicely between them??? They are leaving next week!! They are still $3,000 short of being fully funded. Their grant account needs to read 6,600 to be funded.

All four families are responding to the Lord's tapping on their hearts.

God calls some to adopt.

He calls the rest of us to come alongside those families.

He taps on our hearts to give.

On this Friday... will you pick one, two, three or four of these families and give? They are all at the end of the process.  Every single donation - whether five dollars or five hundred - is a gift. Money is not stopping them but it is also a huge huge stress for each of them.

If I didn't share about them... you wouldn't know... now that you know....

Don't you hear the Lord tapping?

And here's a special incentive...

If you give within the next 48 hours - whether five or five hundred - to any or all of the families - let me know because I have a sweet little gift I want to send someone.

Donate and leave a comment either here or on facebook or e-mail me at covenantb@yahoo.com and on Sunday I will pick a name and send this sweet chocolate to one of you!

It's my way of saying thank you.

Aaron's Tower

Aaron's Tower...



Created using his feet and his hands.

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John and I traveled to Shriners on Monday for brace adjustments...We went up on Monday and came back early early early Tuesday morning so John could go to school.

Early early early tomorrow morning I'm off to Ohio for the Great Homeschool Convention in Cincinnati. Poor John drew the short straw and is traveling with me. We will be home Sunday afternoon.

On Friday, Rob and Ben are doing the MACHE convention in Frederick, MD and Aaron is going with them. 

Then on Monday morning Rob, Ben, Elijah and I will leave early early early in the morning for Washington DC to get our immigration fingerprints!!  One step closer to Mary...

On Tuesday... I will be face planted on the floor!!! 

Then They Remembered His Words...

What happens when the BIG BROTHERS hide the eggs for the LITTLE BROTHERS??

When they hide the eggs so hard that little brothers can't find them???

Mama and Papa help.

And Gran too.

And all is well!

Fun times at Grans on a beautiful Easter Day!

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He is Risen.

Just as He said!

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On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.  In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” 

Then they remembered his words.

I'm Leaning

When we sat down in January and shared our hearts about adopting a certain little girl... when I laid out my fears and struggles and resistance - my two biggest struggles were the paperwork and the fundraising.

I could not see how in the world I could ever find the energy to do all that paperwork for a third time. I know there are many families who have done the paperwork three, four and beyond times but me... I couldn't do it. It was a mountain I did not want to climb. It was the draining force that kept me from committing in December when I knew Rob was ready to jump. It was the thousand pound weight that kept me from saying yes in January after I read his dedication in our newest book. It was the barrier that had me face planted before the Lord. I didn't want to do the paperwork.

God lifted the weight.  He removed the barrier.  One minute I am praying and fighting like a mad-woman and the next - total peace. It was nothing short of miraculous.  I went from feeling like a weight was drowning me in the ocean to a deep-sense of God's presence and a light-hearted peace that the paperwork was not only doable but easy.  Adoption paperwork is NOT easy, and in reality it hasn't been all that easy, but the entire time we have waded through the bulk of the paperwork, I did it with a peace that passed all my reasoning.  I had one meltdown in a six week period. One time in a six week period I had a stomping fit over a set of papers we had to do. One.  I can guarantee that when I did the other two sets of paperwork that I had way more than one meltdown.  Ask Rob. Ask my sons.

My other barrier and one that was even bigger than the paperwork barrier - I didn't want to fundraise.

It wasn't just that I didn't want to fundraise - it was that I really did NOT want to fundraise. 

When I sat down with Rob and I laid out my fears and struggles and resistance... I told Rob point-blank that I didn't want to fundraise.

I did NOT want to fundraise.


I just did not have it in me.  The thought of asking again for the funds we need to ransom a child was something I just couldn't bear to do again.

He looked me square in the face and said okay.  We don't have to fundraise.  He set me free.  He meant it. I meant it.

We agreed in that moment of our 'Yes' that we would just trust God to provide. If that meant selling everything and anything then okay. We would sell.  If that meant borrowing then okay. We would borrow. 


For us, it meant leaning into the Lord and letting Him carry the financial burden.

The peace that washed over me in that moment is again - beyond words.  I was freed from a burden I didn't want to carry this time.

No letters to friends and families.

No auctions or giveaways.

No active, open fundraising.

I'm not against doing our own private selling of stuff, which we are doing. I'm selling quietly on e-bay and other venues. I'm not against having an RR FSP for donations or a You Caring.

But this time around, we are not actively seeking donations.

This blogpost is it.

I needed to share my heart on this subject because many have asked when I am going to do a giveaway. 

I'm not.

I will gladly and lovingly raise money for other orphans or other families.

I will not be doing that for us.

This is not a backward attempt to get donations.  I am not writing this as a manipulation tactic to raise funds.  I am sharing the very depth of my heart.  This time around we are just leaning into the Lord that He is going to provide.

I KNOW He will provide.

He's already providing. He has graciously allowed us to cover the 7,000 + we have paid out for all of our state-side expenses. Yes. We borrowed for part of it.  And that is OKAY.

He has tapped on hearts and in little acts of kindness - donations have been quietly coming in. I cannot begin to express my gratitude and awe over those quiet acts of love.

He has filled me with a peace that is beyond my understanding.

I'm a doer.

I'm a planner.

I'm experienced in fundraising and I could easily whip myself into a frenzy to get us funded.

I'm the calculator.  The strategist.

This time I'm the leaner. The weary Mama who doesn't want to ask one more time, but who wants her little girl home and is trusting that on every realm - God is going to move the mountain.

I'm leaning.  In His arms.  Trusting and believing.

The peace I have - it's unreal.

For Aaron and John we bought puzzles and wrote on the back of each puzzle, the names of everyone who dropped into our bucket for their adoptions. My dad had both of the puzzles framed and they hang in our living room.

Dad wanted to do a puzzle for Mary. So I did buy a puzzle.

Songbirds. 

We will write names on the back.  But I will not seek out donations.  Mary's puzzle may not have the mass of names on it that Aaron and John have. That is OKAY.

I'm leaning.

And I'm at peace.

Am I saying fundraising is wrong? Absolutely not!! I guarantee I will be helping fundraise for other families and for orphans in the future. I believe that it is often in fundraising that hearts are moved towards adoption.  I believe that fundraising not only brings relief to a family but brings awareness to the orphan crisis in this world. I believe fundraising allows the church to come alongside those who are stepping out in faith. I believe it is one way we can easily get involved.  Rob and I give whenever we can to families and orphans.  We will continue to give even while we set out to cross the ocean ourselves. 

Responding to the orphan crisis by giving is what God has very often called us to do and we will continue to respond to that calling each time He taps on our hearts.

But this time around we are not going to fundraise for ourselves.

We are leaning.


And I am at peace.


And that is the sweetest feeling in the world.

For Mary.

“Forget the former things;
    do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland."