On life as a foster parent:)

So the Christmas story is all about interuptions:) Mary and Joseph's lives were totally interupted by God. They weren't planning to have the son of God. But they said Yes. They said I am your servant. I will do as you say....I just taught my kids sunday school class about saying yes to God. Then God asked me...Will you say yes...Will you say yes to a beautiful boy named Matthew. 4 years old with developmental level of one year old. a cute little boy partially paralyzed. ONe who has seizures. Who is so funny. Loves to smile, giggle and clap. Loves to dance..Loves to get into mischeif:)Will you say yes to interuption during the busiest time of the year:) Will you say yes...or be the inn keeper and say there is no room in this inn.Well God alone gave Todd and I the grace to say yes. We got little matthew on tuesday night. Wow! OUr lives have changed over night. But boy do I love this little guy. HE is so precious, snuggly and hilarious. I believe God for big plans for this boy no matter what medical doctors may say...And wow. Alex has said yes too. He has been amazing. HE loves little matthew. HE has been so flexible in getting a little brother overnight:) He treats him like a little brother. Now I have two little guys running around, wrestling, fighting over toys and getting into mischeif:) Wow! Alex was even in the back seat telling matthew about jesus yesterday:) WEll life has changed for me. I don't sit down. No rest.....Chasing two little ones around. Bed times and meal times have been a process. Nap time..non existant:) but through it all God has been so so faithful. I know his grace is the only thing getting me through. THe only thing giving me the strength is Jesus. I know he has called us to this. and I am clinging to the promise. FAithful is He who called you and He will do it. That is somewhere in 1 thess. Wow. Now i am off too more chasing around:)Believing God to pour into this little guy and my little guys. Merry Christmas!

HOPE

I LOVE Christmas. I love all the cheesiness about it. I love decorating the tree. I love cold weather. I love hot chocolate. I love Christmas music.....espicially the Alabama Christmas cd:) I love christmas lights. christmas cards. christmas gifts..And now I add to that. I love Alex in his footie christmas pajamas. I love watching him look at the tree and lights. I love hearing him see the tree every morning and say Lets celebrate Christmas mommy. But most of all I love teaching him what Christmas is all about....Jesus....I have done a homemade advent calendar with him this year, so todd and I have tried to do fun activities with him every day to teach him the real meaning of Christmas. Yesterday we were really brave. We did an art project..WITH PAINT!It was a blast. we had him paint all over letters that spelled hope. ANd he can already tell us..we have hope at christmas because Jesus sent a savior. Glory Glory...!

I am trying to remember that in the busyness of the season. It is all about the HOPE of Jesus. Saving me from my many sins. A baby..Alex's age when the wisemen came to visit...SAved me from my sin. WOW. This year has been long in many ways. Me wishing and hoping for another baby...But I want to remember my HOPE IS NOT IN ANOTHER BABY but THE BABY.The baby who died on the cross for my sins. Jesus Christ.....He has given me so much hope this year. ANd his HOPE does not dissapoint! Check out Romans 15:13! Have a hope filled Christmas

Like a two year old child.......

I will start this post with some deep thoughts from my time with Jesus this week. And if you make it through all that finish it with some fun details from my time in Missouri(for those of you who care..which is prob just Jenn, my mom and TJ:)).
I have been reading the Psalms of Ascent and it has been awesome. For the past few days I have mediated on Ps. 131! REad it. It describes my 2010 year to a tee! The first part is david saying...I am not going to get involved in matters too difficult for me....Basicaly he is saying. Hey, I"m not going to try to figure God out and what God is doing. Sometimes He is just too big for me to understand and figure out. The next part says..My soul is quieted like a weaned child with his mother. A toddler. .Which happens to be what I have in my little Alex. A weaned child:) So I can totally relate to this word picture. When Alex is really tired and really grumpy and is refusing to sleep, I will hold him in my arms and rock him until he finally gives in and rests on his mommy. That is the best time. To hold his sleeping, finally calm self in my arms. Well...I do this same with God. I spend time trying to figure out why..And God what are you doing? And can't I do things the way I want to do them.And He lovingly gently holds me as I wrestle in his arms..untill my soul is quieted within me!Glory. What a loving abba daddy we have! The last verse reminds Israel..ANd now us. to Put our HOPE In the Lord. Our hope. ...The Hebrew says our waiting.Our patience. Our expectation in him.
I have spent much of 2010 waiting, losing patience and wrestling with God. But I want to trust him, stop wiggling and let my soul be quieted by him. What about you?Is He calming your soul today? Or are you like me...(and Alex in my arms) doing everything you can to get out of the grasp:)
So now for the not deep stuff. I have had a blast in Missouri. Yesterday todd took me to a bakery for lunch and I had homemade donuts to die for. I have swung outside with Alex for a million hours. Alex and I have had a blast with his playdough and train sets. Last night we had family movie night which makes alex very happy. Todd and I have run together, and played cards together. It is nice to be somewhere for 2 weeks where you don't have a to do list. I am having fun just playing with my fam:)
Love you all!

Blessed are those who mourn

Not a fun way to start a title huh. but I have been itching to write down and share alittle that has gone on in my heart this year in 2010! And just had a minute to sit down at my computer and write. But don't worry, if you perservere untill the end I am also going to add some fun pics of me and my little fam:)(esp for Nana, since I haven't since June). So this year has been AWESOME and TOUGH. I am not one who mourns very often. I am a Joy filled...Lets be happy and enjoy every bit of life person. So I am not always in touch with all my emotions very well......But this year. God has exposed me to some grief and allowed me to experience it, not just brush it away...And I have found the bible verse..Blessed are those who mourn is Real....Because my brush with grief and emotions of sadness has drawn into a deeper, more meaningful REAL relationship with my wonderful Jesus. You see, in February of this year I had a miscarriage. I lost my little baby Joy as I named her(yes, I am sure she is a gal, even if I dont really know)...I had never understood people with miscarriages. I thought it must not be that big of a deal...You don't even know the baby yet....Boy was I wrong. I loved this little gal...and still love her....And I grieved....Little by little it has come to me. Different times. Random times. Oh I wish I was still pregnant. Oh I would be huge with Little joy now.....Oh....why am I surrounded by so many newborns. But I have also experience God in new ways. God teaching me to give him my hurt and let him heal it. Learning to trust and to question. To cry and to laugh....I am so thankful for this time in my life.As this season has caused me to be blessed. To press into Jesus. to believe him and be honest with him.

What season of life are you in? It has also caused me to be very thankful for the little man I do have.

Long overdue pic post(at request of nana to Alex:)

Picture of two of my favorite people in the world, my sis and mommy. Not sure when this was taken.
Aunt Nenn made him very happy by buying him this huge sucker. He loved every bit of it. This was at cracker barrel the other day when we went to GA. Love you my extended fam!
This is from a birthday party for TJ at Red Robin. It was so much fun...I think we almost got kicked out of the restarant. I love those hamburgers!
Alex loves TJ...That makes me so happy. And I love you too TJ
I was glad TJs wheelchair wasn't on. It would have sent her flying!
Sorry for the randomness of the photos, but I promised my wondeful mother in law I would put pics on here for her. I have been so bad at posting. It is my new years resolution(in June) to update more often! Life has been so busy but so fun! These pics are random because I only have JEnn's camera here to put pics from. My more recent pics are on my camera which I will post...
I have been busy with youth activites, church..and FUN. I love having Jenn not working right now. We plan fun activities all the time...Going to the mountains ect.
I am working right now on sining my new song to Jesus every day. (Check out Ps. 41) That is my year theme. He put a new song in my mouth a hymn of praise to God. May I sing loud and proud each day a new song of what Jesus is doing in my life.
Big news for those people who read my blog...and aren't my friends and fam(which are none). Todd and I just finished all the classes to be certified as foster parents. Exciting huh. That deserves a whole post, but I will just say I am very passionate to provide a stable Jesus loving home for these kids as long as the Lord blesses me with them. Whether one night. or a year. God wants to use Todd and I too love these kids to Jesus. We still have some details to fall into place. Please pray for us through this process! I love you guys

Jesus brings LIfe when we expect death!

First of, I start with an apology. It is now March I realize....And I haven't posted since November. Way too long. Not sure if anyone reads this anyway:) But I have some time at the computer while my hubbie studies at child evangelism headquarters and thought I would share something I have been blessed with this Easter.

I listen to a noon radio show called midday connection on Moody radio. I heard a speaker a couple weeks ago talk about Mary and Mary when they came to the tomb in Matthew 28. It has ministered to me greatly. They came expecting death. With questions fresh in their minds. Why did God allow this to happen. What will happen next? Who were we really following....They came with their expectations of death and dissapointment. Then something totally shocking happened. He wasn't there! Jesus wasn't there. Now not only were they afraid of where there life was going now, they were afraid of what happened to Jesus....
However they came expecting death...And Jesus showed up ALIVE....ANd the first thing he told them was DO not be afraid.
That just does something for me. Jesus spoke to their hearts and fears. This EASTER season, I want to bring my fears and questions to Jesus and know that whatever I believe is dead...Or I am struggling with..He brings LIFE too. And the closer we draw to Jesus, the farther away our fears go.
This Easter What do areas of your life do you need Jesus to bring life to? What areas of your life are you thining are just dead, you have just given up on....God will bring life to those! I am pondering that and praying through that and wanted to share!

God Moves Around the World

What a privledge to be sitting in the Most home in Nicaragua writing a post About God. It is such a blessing to get out of our American Box and see what God is doing around the world. I am so thankful that our wonderful church sent us here to Nicaragua. We have been beyond blessed, and challenged by the work God is doing here. We in the Estados Unidos(US) could learn so much from Karl and kathy and their ministry here. They have been the most gracious hospitable people to Todd and I. We feel sometimes like we are staying at a Bed and Breakfast:) It is weird to not be chasing after little man all day too. We were supposed to come here to be an encouragement to them, but they have encouraged us and challenged us by watching their lives.
Todd and I were privledged early sunday morning(5:30)to travel with Karl and his national partner their monthly training in a city an hou, evr from Managua. What a blessing. Karl's main ministry focus here is to train National nicaraguan youth leaders to reach their country for Christ. It was a blessing to see that in action. We were there all day, listening to this training which teaches the youth leaders to get out of their church box and into affecting the community for Christ. They have the same problem our american churches have. We go to the church all the time and do the church thing but we aren't reaching into the community. it was so neat to watch these Nicaraguan leaders learn new things and participate in group learning about how to impact their community. They were so hospitable to Todd and i, even though we struggled greatly to communicate. They speak much faster than my college spanish teacher:)hehhe. But what I did catch was amazing. Todd and I learned alot. Monday was spent learning aboutt eh Nehemiah center, which Karl works with. It is an amazing mixture of national Nicaraguan leaders and other mission organizations, all different denominations working together with one goal. To traing Nicaraugan Christians to reach their people. What an empowering ministry. It was so cool to see how they all work together. It is a picture of what heaven will be like, I believe.People of every tribe, tounge, and nation. It wont just be white baptists in heaven:) It is so incredible to see the vision of Karl and the Nehemiah center, and how it is actually happening and making a difference. What a mighty God we serve! I was convicted by my lack of impact on the community around me. Karl and his Nicaraguan team are willing to get involved in the messiness of true discipleship. One of those ways is reaching out to street gangs. Todd got to go and meet them and see the difference Christ is making in their lives. Glory. I am just taking it all in. We think God needs us, Americans. We are the ones to change lives. God doesn't need us. He allows us to be a part of what he is doing.
Besides all of this we are learning, we are just plain enjoying ourselves. It is November and I have been swimming every day for exerise. Glory. They gave us a tour of Managua yesterday. Jenn, Todd and I drank some coffee at a coffee place just for you. And it was amazing.We have laughed with karl, kathy, jared and corey,, and enjoyed being a part of their family. Please pray God would show us how we can best be an encouragement and blessing to them! I love seeing God work here, and knowing that our tiny little church in East Branierd has a part in that.