Still Racing

Several weeks ago I shared with you about these two boys and the family who is RACING to go get them!

 

Joshua and David

 

 

 

Well... they are still racing!  In fact they are leaving in NINE days.

 

Unfortunately they are still many many thousands of dollars short.

 

Many.

 

Adopting two children from their country costs 40,000.  They heard about the boys in September and have been frantically trying to get to them ever since.

 

That is NOT a lot of time to raise 40,000.

 

This family knows adoption.

 

 

They understand special needs.

 

They have been there and done that over and over again.

 

I met them in real life and I was so impressed with their easy-going way of handling their children.  Each child is precious to them.  Each one.

 

I know that Joshua and David will be well-treasured.

 

The bare minimum of what they need to bring the boys home is to have their Reece's Rainbow Grant account read at least 10,000 and more realistically 15,000 dollars.  That's after emptying every single bank account, every penny bank, taking their credit cards to the limit and just about selling the shirts off their backs.  They are willing to give it all up to get their sons home.

 

Their grant account reads 5,161 now making them at least 5,000 short (and that's the bare minimum). 

 

If you didn't help when I yelled before... would you PLEASE help now?

 

Joshua and David have NO future where they are now.

 

 

 

Only by God's grace were they found and listed for adoption.

 

Let's be the continuation of that grace and help get those boys home where they belong.

 

 

 

SUPPORT THE MAAS FAMILY HERE

 

Panic Button

I don't know what happened but on Thursday afternoon while Rob and I were driving Aaron to Shriner's in Philly, someone out there hit my panic button.

 

It wasn't nice of them.

 

Since we finished writing our Year 3 we have been enjoying a little bit of a break these last few months.  Not that we have stopped working.  It will be a long time until we can truly stop writing for BiblioPlan, but we have not had a deadline hanging over our heads so our writing has been less intense and much more pleasant.

 

But riding in the car and articulating to each other all the things that need to be done in the coming months set off my panic button.

 

I haven't gained my calm yet.

 

We are adopting Harper at a rather difficult time of the year in terms of our business.  It will be Convention season and it is usually the time of the year when our phone rings off the hook. Back in the fall, we signed up to attend almost double the amount of conventions this year BEFORE we knew we would be adopting.  BiblioPlan is going to California, Texas, Colorado, Arizona, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia.... OH MY GOODNESS... Seriously???.... Ooops... forgot Missouri, New Mexico and Tennessee...

I'm not scheduled to go to all of them (Thank the Lord!) but I am going to a good many and some of them are right about the same time we may be heading across the ocean.  Yeah.  That's a little stressful.  We are definitely praying and considering how we are going to work out all those details!  Plus, I teach six classes a week so we have to find coverage for my classes.  Arranging for the conventions AND my classes is making my head spin.

Rob's to-do includes a ton of writing projects for BiblioPlan and rearranging the house so that our little girl has her own bedroom.  Aaron was perfectly willing to let Harper sleep in his spare bed but the Social Worker didn't like that idea.  So we are having to do some work in the basement for the older boys and then he will need to paint and arrange Harper's bedroom. 

We sat in the car on our way to Philly and talked through the lists...

It was sobering.

Despite the panic... our trip had some definite highlights...

GUESS WHO WE GOT TO MEET!!!!

I HAVE BEEN WAITING AND WAITING AND WAITING TO MEET THESE TWO BABES!!

Maddie


Yul

 

 

Remember the Boroughs family?? Two years ago we helped them bring Maddie home.... and then last year after they insanely jumped the cliff for Yul, my dear friend, Elizabeth Dehority, committed to getting them funded??

 

 

Well let me just tell you that all that yelling and all that fundraising was totally, most definitely worth it!!

 

 

I LOVE these two!!

They are precious precious precious!

 

 

They were absolutely the highlight of our trip.  Hugging and talking to Amy was sweet too.  I cherish each of the times we have been able to get together.

 

Our trip to Shriners involved Aaron getting fitted for new braces...

Did I mention that that we have traveled to Shriners 31 times since Aaron has been home.

 

Yeah.  Those long drives make all of us a wee bit crazy!

 

 

We go back in six weeks to get the braces.  Sigh!

 

 One more item on our to-do list!

My panic button has been hit!

 

Wednesday's Child

 

Monday's child is fair of face,

Tuesday's child is full of grace,

Wednesday's child is full of woe,

Thursday's child has far to go,

Friday's child loving and giving,

Saturday's child works hard for a living,

But the child who is born on the Sabbath day

Is fair and wise and good in every way.

 

 

WAIT A MINUTE!!!

 

Wednesday's child is full of woe??

 

Full of woe?

 

I have read that poem many times before but never really thought about that line. 

 

How sad! 

 

What a sad poem for the Wednesday Child.

 

 

Full of woe.

 

Sorrow. Misery. Distress.  Sadness. Unhappiness. Heartbreak.

 

Wednesday's Child.

 

 

I was so stressed yesterday morning.  After writing my blogpost and whispering prayers for Ten Thousand Tuesday we climbed in the car and hit the road for Alexandria.  I was a wreck.  The entire time Rob and Ben and I were talking in the car I was, in the back of my mind, rehearsing what I was going to say to the officer when I was asked why we had arrived 6 days early for our appointment.  By the time we arrived my brain was a muddled mess.  I had no idea what I was going to say.  Rob's sweet nature precluded him from leading the charge and Ben just laughed when I asked him if he wanted to take the lead.  So I took all of our papers in hand and when the time came... I said nothing.  At all. I handed the officer our paperwork and shut my mouth.  She looked at the papers.  Saw our appointment dates.  Rustled the papers a bit. Sighed.  Then she looked across the room at the waiting area.  There were actually two waiting areas.  The first waiting area had three rows of chairs that were half-filled with people working on the forms she had just given them.  Once those forms were finished they would bring them back to her to be checked and she would send them to the second waiting area.  That area was five times the size of the first.  It was that waiting area where I followed her eyes.  It was just about empty. Empty.  Only a few people were sitting in there waiting for their number to be called.  She looked. I looked.  She sighed.  I held my breath.  She stamped us through.  I looked at Rob and he looked at me and we grinned a thousand grins in that moment.  No words.  Literally. No words.

 

We were in and out within an hour. 

 

I danced all the way to the car.

 

Harper my sweet girl... we are one HUGE step closer to bringing you home!!

 

 

 

Once in the car I had the pleasure of getting updates on the babes who were dropping over the 500 wall on the Angel Tree.

 

 

 

TEN THOUSAND TUESDAY WAS AMAZING!!

 

Tuesday's child is full of grace.

 

By the end of the day all 86 babes dropped over!!

 

 

 

WOW!!

 

It was a day of GRACE for all those Tuesday Children!! If you were one of the many many who helped a babe over then consider yourself hugged by me! 

 

 

   

 

But it isn't over....151 children are still not over the $1,000 wall.

 

151 Wednesday children.

 

 

Children who HAVE experienced much woe in their lives. 

 

Despair.

 

Children who have lost everything. 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday's child is full of woe.

 

 

  

 

We cannot save every orphan in this orphan-filled world.  I get that.  But we can make a difference for these.  We can be their voice.  We can shed light in their darkness.  One solitary child at a time.

 

These Wednesday Children who have suffered so much.

 

 

 

We can make a difference.

 

Today is New Year's Eve.

 

 

 

If you didn't take part in Ten Thousand Tuesday... would you take part today?  Pick a Wednesday Child on the tree??

 

Whisper a prayer for them.  Ask the Father of the Fatherless to call out a family for him or for her.  Donate to their grant account?

 

  

 

Be their voice!

 

They don't have one!

 

ANGEL TREE

 

I have no idea if we will get all the Wednesday Children over the $1,000 wall.  It would be fun and amazing and I would have my Elizabeth Dehority socks knocked right off my feet.

 

What I do know is that each child matters. 

 

They are Wednesday Children and they matter.

 

ANGEL TREE

 

 

 

 

Ten Thousand Tuesday

I went to bed with my head filled with a thousand worrisome thoughts.  We are driving up to Alexandria today to get our fingerprints done for immigration.  Our appointment is actually next Monday but because I teach six classes on Mondays and Aaron has school and needs to GET there and all the drivers in the family have to get fingerprinted.... we are going early in hopes they will take us.  I'm nervous.  Driving 2+ hours to beg for favor from a fingerprinting officer isn't my cup of tea.  I would rather stick by the appointment date. 

 

I also went to bed worried about the Angel Tree.

 

 

Yesterday the day started with 128 babes under 500 and when I went to bed 126 babes were still under 500.  That was hard.  Really hard.  All day I watched and prayed and hoped.  I have to admit I was terribly discouraged. 

 

This morning I woke up and counted as soon as I came down...

 

40 BABES HAD BUMPED OVER!!

 

 

Only 86 babes left under 500!!

 

Oh how sweet to see the movement in the tree.

 

And this morning.... I find out that I get to announce this sweet piece of news...

 

Ten Thousand Dollars...

 

 

That's how much has been offered in a matching grant to the Angel Tree!!!!

 

TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS...

 

The goal...

 

 

Get those left-behind 86 babes over 500...

 

Every single time a babe bumps over the 500 mark... the donor will bump a babe from the bottom over the 500 mark...

 

That means that we only need to bump 43 babes and 43 more will bump over!!

 

Please... CLICK HERE.... pick a child who is under 500....  PLEASE... bump them up... You can bump them all the way over 500 or you can just bump them a little... If we all work together we can get them all over!

 

 

And don't forget that there is a HUGE Giveaway happening so once you give CLICK HERE to enter into that giveaway!!

 

I am going to be on the road today and won't be able to do more than watch from my phone.  I'm so hoping we get those babes bumped today!! Please join in!!

 

IT'S TEN THOUSAND TUESDAY!!

 

This is going to be fun!!

 

 

CLICK HERE TO GET TO THE ANGEL TREE

 

Join In!

 

PLEASE!

 

 

The Whisper That Changed Everything

(part of this was originally written December 29, 2010)

 

 

Just a whisper.  A Holy Spirit breathed whisper.  A longing.  A stirring that began years before but began to grow louder and more insistent as time passed.  Adoption.  One day we said.  One day.  Later.  Too busy now.  Our days too full.  Not enough money.  Not enough time.  Later.  Much later.  When the boys are gone.  When we finish our current projects.  When our bank account is above 0.  Another day.  Not today.

All good arguments but the whisper stayed.  The stirrings continued.  The voice wasn't silenced.  The God-ordained encounters with those who had gone before kept happening.  Consider.  Just consider.  Pray.  But... but...no... can't... not.... all the arguments.  Mental gymnastics.  The money, God.  Where?  It can't work.  Our boys.  It's crazy.  We are broke.  Our business is tumbling down.  We are consumed with our side projects.  Our schedule is insane.  Dear Lord, it's just not the right time. 

 

Louder.  No longer a stirring but a wave.  A push.  An emptiness.  A realization that we lacked.  Something.  Someone.  Our lives were full of nothing.  Crazy chasing after useless dreams.  Circling - protecting our boys from what?  Our spiritual lives - Church - worship - tithing - going through the motions.  For what?  Our passion gone.  Realization of our empty cup.

 

Then a picture.  A smiling face.  A helpless child.  The Holy Spirit whisper becomes a scream. 

GO GET HIM.  HE'S YOURS. 

 This child.  In that country. GO.  Now.  Say yes.  Despite the bank account.  Despite the schedule.  Despite the arguments.  Despite it all.  GO. 

 

Five years later.  Our 'whisper' celebrating Christmas with us.  Our son.  Our child.  Our little brother.  Ours.  But more than Ours - God's.  His child.  His son.  His treasure that He called out of darkness.  To our family. 

Aaron. 

 

And five years later. Another whisper.  Another child.  A little sister.  A treasure needing to be found.  Go get her.  From that same country.  Despite the turmoil. Despite the schedule.  Despite the bank account.  Despite the diagnoses.  Go.  GO!

 

Harper.

 

December 29, 2009 - five years ago - Just a whisper in our hearts. 

 

Five years later a second whisper has us waiting to go again.  Waiting and wondering and praying for our whisper across the ocean.  Waiting and hoping.

 

Just a whisper.

 

Are you listening??

Do you hear??

 

 The whisper that will change everything for you?  Despite the bank account.  Despite the diagnosis.  Despite your schedule.

 

There are 140 million orphans in the world.

 

We can't save them all.

 

But we can make a difference for one.  Or two. 

 

Listen.

 

Consider.

 

Pray.

 

There are 199 children on the Angel Tree this year who do not have committed families.

 

199 children.

 

That's 199 whispers.

 

Are you listening?

 

 Even if you can't right now..... Please.... go help a child over the $1,000 wall. Give one of those 199 children a greater chance of a family.  We can't let money be the reason why a child doesn't get a family! 

 

Please!!!

 

Go help someone's whisper.  Maybe, just maybe it will be yours.

 

 

ANGEL TREE

 

 

 

 

 

To Us...

 

For to us a child is born,

 

 

to us a son is given,

 

 

and the government will be on His shoulders.

 

 

And He will be called

 

 

Wonderful Counselor,

 

 

Mighty God,

 

 

 

Everlasting Father,

 

 

Prince of Peace.

 

 

 

Of the greatness of His government and peace there will be no end.

 

 

 

He will reign on David's throne and over His kingdom,

 

 

 

establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness

 

 

 

from that time on and forever.

 

 

 

The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

 

 

 ---------------------------------------

 

In the midst of our hustle and bustle and fun and laughter and pageants and travel and baking and presents....

 

Let us not forget that it was to US a Child Was Born!!

 

 

Isaiah 9: 6-7

 

Without Christ in our Christmas it would be an empty holiday for us!