Reflections

I decided this week that blogging is much harder than it ought to be.  It seems to come with some sort of pressure to always include something insightful, motivating or meaningful.  Most days, I'm not sure what that might be.  Today, I might be on to something.

I went to a funeral tonight.  It was for the father of one of my childhood friends.  He was an awesome man.  Really.  In fact, they were an awesome family.  I listened tonight as people told of how he impacted their lives.  The story was the same over and over again.   Whether they knew him from work, church, community service, political arenas or his family, the story was the same.  The consensus was he was a man who loved God, his family, his community and who treated others, no matter who they were, with the kindness and respect they deserved.  He was a man who used his talents, wisdom and humor to impact his world in every way.  What a legacy.

It was a reminder to me to live life.  Live it with eyes wide open looking for opportunities to serve and to make a difference.  Live it with my heart wide open, loving my family deeply and honestly and looking for opportunities to love others.  Live it with open arms so that I can reach out and impact the lives of those around me in tangible ways.  Live it speaking truth and humor into the lives of those I come in contact with.  Live it willing to cry because it makes me human...touchable...real.  Live it loving my spouse and my children all out all the time.  They are my greatest gifts in life and I need to remember to treasure every moment.

My daddy was at the funeral too.  In fact, a good portion of my family was there.  We were invited to sing in honor of David.  It was a pleasure to do so.  But my daddy spoke as well.  He's always been a gifted communicator and he was rock solid this time.  One thing he said that I have attempted to live by and needed reminding of was that we should never wait to let someone know the impact they've had on our lives.  He was privileged to have the opportunity to share that with David and to tell him he loved him before he passed.  I wonder if any of you have someone you need to share that with too?

I am so blessed that so many of you have chosen to follow us as we embark on this mission.  Some of you are old, dear friends, some of you are family and others are new.  All of you are important to us.  We are so grateful for the stories we share and for the ones that have yet to be written.  Thank you for loving on our family, for caring about our mission and for praying for us.

Updates from just last week:  We will be Dogwood Ranch.  We are working on our website and will let you know when it's up and running.  We met with an incredible group of ladies who are part of an organization called Bloom (look them up on facebook) and who are excited to be a part of this vision as well.  We were blessed beyond measure and completely overwhelmed as a result of our time with them.  God totally ordained that meeting and we are excited to see what will come of it.  One thing we have scheduled is an informational meeting on January 20th.  It will be our first opportunity to cast vision to a group of people.  Please pray for those who will attend and for us as we prepare.

Please know that we are praying for you as well.

Have a VERY Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas

I can't believe it's almost Christmas.  Just 12 more days.  My son reminds me every morning that my shopping days are numbered.  I think he's just a little worried because I haven't wrapped any presents yet and he's afraid maybe I've forgotten.  I love it.  Nothing like a little suspense.  Next, he'll be dying because I've learned not to put names on the presents, but to identify the owner with either a particular kind of paper or color of bow.  That way, the shaking of gifts and temptation to open one a little early is lessened.  Who wants to get excited about what might be someone else's gift?  (Tough part at my age is remembering who gets what.)

I have to confess to you that I had a mini-Christmas meltdown tonight.  I was in a bit of a funk missing my mom.  For those of you who don't know, she died 13 years ago from breast cancer.  Christmas was one of her favorite times of year.  She would start looking for the perfect gifts long before December.  The house was always decorated with something special in every room.  We had a tree full of ornaments that her mom and grandmother had made.  Then there were ceramics and hand sewn "extras" here & there.  There was something about tradition and memories mixed with anticipation that she could capture perfectly year after year.  I still have some of those items and have a specific group of decorations that she collected herself.  I have them up.  They are my favorite part of decorating.  It's like having a piece of her with me and it makes me warm inside all month long.

I have to tell you that I just keep thinking about the kids that don't have those types of memories.  Where Christmas was just another day of disappointment instead of a day of joy and blessings...and I do mean blessings way beyond gifts.  My grandfather reads the Christmas story for our family every year.  Every year I cry.  To see his kids, grand kids and now great-grand kids gathered around him is as sweet a moment as anyone will ever know...and so many won't.

This time next year, I pray that a host of kids will know it for the first time.  I pray that we will have the privilege of buying 20 different kinds of paper and funky colored bows and that I will need a spreadsheet to remember which combination goes with which child.  I pray that many of you will be involved in mentoring, tutoring, teaching and giving.  I look forward to seeing Frank read the Christmas story to a room full who might be hearing it for the first time.  It's going to be so awesome.

We are continuing to move forward, talking with an attorney about our 501C3 status, assembling a Board of Directors, looking for the person who has the land/home to donate to make the dream a reality.  In the coming weeks/months we will have our website up and running so that you can begin to making financial contributions if you feel so moved.

Please pray for us.  Pray for all of the above details.  Pray for our hearts to be continually stirred and our feet to follow closely as He leads.  Pray for the name of our Ranch...it's hard to get a status and a website without a name.  lol.  Pray for the kids and the families that will bring them.  Sometimes I feel a little like Kevin Costner in "Field of Dreams".  I know, if we build it, they will come.  I don't know how or why, but I know it just the same.

Thank you for your partnership!  We value you and covet your prayers.  We pray that you and your family will have the Merriest of Christmases and that you will know the sweetness of the sacrifice of the Christ child. 

The Widow's Mite

You've all heard the story before.  The widow, as an offering to her God, gives a mite and is scoffed.   It's value is less than that of a penny today, but it was all she had.  It was sacrificial and because it was, it was a fragrant aroma before an almighty God. 

It's been a while since I've posted.  In part because I felt I only had a mite to give and didn't feel it was enough.  I know I was wrong.   God has continually been reminding me of the story of Jesus and the little children.  Luke 18:15-16 tells it this way:
     People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them.  When the disciples saw this, they   
     rebuked them.  But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do
     not hinder them, for the kingdome of God belongs to such as these."
I am as amazed by the passion of those who were bringing their children just to be touched, as I am by the image of Jesus calling them to him, not just touching them, but forever impacting their hearts with his tenderness.  What about the others?  What about the children who didn't have parents to take them to see Jesus?  What about the ones who were hindered?  How will they know the love and compassion of a Jesus who would call them to come and know him?

If I close my eyes, I can see them.  I can see the little ones, and the big ones, that will come to the Ranch.  I can feel their hurts.  I can feel their need to trust, to feel loved and accepted for who they are.  I know their anger towards the ones who have betrayed them.  Most importantly, I know the Jesus who will heal it all and who will wrap his arms around them and show them love like they've never known.  It's our privilege at the Ranch to be the hands,  feet and arms of Jesus for them.  We get to be the ones to bring them to him so that he can touch them and forever impact their hearts.  We get to bring what might seem like a mite and watch it be multiplied by the One who is pleased until lives are changed, hearts are mended and hope is restored.

I recently heard Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife tell their story.  Their hearts for orphans is an inspiration to the world and they touched my heart in a way I can't really express.  I've said it before, and I will certainly say it again, God continues to confirm our journey and our desire to pursue this dream.  I have heard Steven's song "When Love Takes You In" many, many times.  I've never heard it like I heard it that day.  I want to share the lyrics with you:
I know you’ve heard the stories
But they all sound too good to be true
You’ve heard about a place called home
But there doesn’t seem to be one for you
So one more night you cry yourself to sleep
And drift off to a distant dream

Where love takes you in and everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
When love takes you home and says you belong here
The loneliness ends and a new life begins
When love takes you in

And somewhere while you’re sleeping
Someone else is dreaming too
Counting down the days until
They hold you close and say I love you
And like the rain that falls into the sea
In a moment what has been is lost in what will be

When love takes you in everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
And this love will never let you go
There is nothing that could ever
cause this love to lose its hold

When love takes you in everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
When love takes you home and says you belong here
The loneliness ends and a new life begins
When love takes you in it takes you in for good
When love takes you in

You can hear it here:  http://s0.ilike.com/play#Steven+Curtis+Chapman:When+Love+Takes+You+In:195332:s33877826.9505109.9599630.0.2.120%2Cstd_7cbe41795f2647e489660346e8a92d2a

Our desire is that the Ranch will be a place where they know they can belong.  A place they can call home.  A place they will know the love of family and will come to know the love of Jesus.

Please continue to pray with us.  God is moving.  We are ready.

My 25 cents worth

I realized tonight just how extremely blessed I am.  I went "back home" for two days and spent them surrounded by family.  I was blessed to see my dad, a loving step-mother, one of my two sisters and her husband.  I am beyond blessed to still have both of my paternal grandparents and to have them in relatively good health.  While my mom and her parents all passed away many years ago, I have my precious Aunt Nancy and her family.  We were able to celebrate my Uncle Tim's 50th birthday with a surprise celebration that only Nancy could've pulled off.  I was already a little emotional when we arrived, but I was taken by surprise when we started to eat dinner.  Nancy had catered in a delicious meal of barbeque pork, ribs, chicken and all the fixin's.  The smell was everywhere and the taste was there to match it.  I have to say, in all honesty though, that it was the chicken that made me cry.  My "Big Daddy", my mom's dad, was the king of barbeque chicken.  It was his specialty.  No one else had ever made it like he did...until tonight.  I took one bite and as the taste filled my senses, the memories flooded my mind.  I was taken back to dinners around his table.  Watching him clean a chicken leg like a pro, and I cried.  I cried in part, because I miss him...I miss all of them, and in part because I realized, in light of our current journey, just how blessed I've been.

You see, most of these children that we are praying for have never had a Big Daddy to cook for them.  They don't have an Aunt Nancy to go out of her way to make them feel special.  Many of them have never known a loving daddy and step-mom, an aunt that dotes on them or a Granny and Pawpaw that have shown them what family is.  I've had all of that and so much more.  I think that is part of what makes this Ranch so important to me.  I want those precious kids to know it too.

Many of you know that Frank and his brother and sister came out of an orphange scenario.  They were blessed to be able to stay in touch with their other siblings and Frank and Dale were doubly blessed to be adopted by two people that understood the importance of family, both old and new.  His desire is like mine, to be able to be the hands and heart of Jesus in the lives of children who, through no fault of their own, have had their lives torn apart.

Our vision is not just to have homes for them, but to have grandparents, aunts and uncles as well.  To have people come in and "adopt" them, spend time with them, take them shopping or fishing or to come to their special events and cheer them on.  Do you remember looking into the audience and seeing your parents there for you?  How cool would it be for them to look out and see you, or someone like you, smiling, nodding and clapping their approval as they do their best?

What about teaching them skills like how to change the oil in a car?  How to tend a garden and can what you grow?  What about teaching them to build things with their own two hands or how to play piano or guitar?  We want these kids to do everything they've ever dreamed about and to grow up to be everything God Himself dreamed they would be.

That can't happen without you.  Please be in prayer for each of them.  We don't know their names... we haven't seen their faces... but we have heard their stories for years.  Please pray for those who will come to nurture them.  Pray for us as we continue to seek His design for this Ranch.  We have continued to feel confirmed in this endeavor.  We have met people in the last two weeks that could be instrumental in helping us move forward.

Continue to pray for a team of advisors, for our location, for the finances and for wisdom and patience.  We don't want to take control, we just want to follow His lead.

If you haven't already, please take a moment to click the "Follow Me" tab on the left side of this page so that our updates will come to you automatically.  We truly covet your prayers as we move forward.


 

This article was shared with me by one of our prayer team members.  It is just one of many things that God has used to move us along on this path.  I trust it will touch your heart, and perhaps make you a little uncomfortable, like it did me.

October 7, 2010
Most conferences speakers are asked months ahead of time. I am sure that was the case for most of the very excellent speakers I heard at Together for Adoption. But the talk that most touched my heart was given by a substitute, asked two days before when someone else got sick.

Substitute he was. Unqualified to speak he was not. Robert Gelinas is first of all a father. He and his wife birthed one little girl, then adopted 3 kids born in America. A perfect family, they thought: two girls and two boys.

Then a woman in their church sent him a picture of a little girl named Mihret in Ethiopia who needed a family. He prayed for the little girl and then deleted her picture, thinking he’d done his duty. The next Sunday the woman asked his wife about the picture, and his wife thought their duty might go beyond just praying. They began paperwork to adopt her.

And then came the piercing question: How do you go to Ethiopia, a country with half a million orphans, and only come back with one child?

They had their homestudy written for two children, and came back home a few months later with Mihret and her brother Temesgen.

And then, after telling his story, Robert Gelinas had a question for us: How do you live in America, a country with a half a million children in foster care, and not do something?

He said, maybe Pharaoh’s daughter didn’t just go to the Nile for a bath? Maybe she knew what her daddy was doing to all those boy babies. Maybe she went to save one. Maybe she wanted her life to make a difference. She couldn’t save all the baskets floating by. But she could save one.

These days baskets are still going down the river in the U.S. foster care system. Most of them are safe for now. But they’re floating down the river, growing up, 19,000 of them aging out of the system every year without ever getting chosen by someone. Without ever having a family to call their own.

We the Church are letting those baskets go right on by. Psalm 68 says God is the Father to the fatherless, placing the lonely into families. He claims them all.

If He is the father to the fatherless, who is His bride?

The church is. We are. We are to be the mothers of these children. We can’t let those baskets keep going by us. If only the church would come together.

God has been waking up the body of Christ. Churches all over are getting more serious about caring for orphans. Possom Trot, TX is a town of 300. Pastor Martin’s wife said there are kids in foster care. We should do something about it. He said, we can’t. She said, I know we ‘can’t’ but it’s the right thing to do. He knew she was right and he told the need to his church. There are fifty families in his whole church and they took the message to heart. In that little church they adopted and fostered 130 kids.

The bride of Christ is waking up.

Six years ago Robert Gelinas took a challenge to the 1500 churches in the Denver area. At that time there were 875 kids legally free to be adopted in the Colorado foster care system. He challenged the Denver churches to commit to adopt 10% of those kids. So began Project 1:27.

Money should never get in the way of getting families for kids. When we say we can’t afford adoption, we’re saying the Father won’t provide for the fatherless, that He’s a deadbeat dad. Untrue. Our daddy is a really good daddy.

Project 1:27 set out to find families for orphans. Families would pay no more than the $50 it cost to fill out the application. For every one family willing to adopt, 3-5 other families were needed to come around that family and help out.

Right away amazing things began to happen. One man said he couldn’t adopt, but he pledged to buy bunk beds for every family that did. Another man finished basements at cost. Another person started college funds. You see, not everyone can adopt. But everyone can help. Everyone can be part of the solution. That is the body of Christ in action.

Since 1:27 started, 136 children have been adopted. 71 children have been placed in families working towards finalization. There are currently 163 more families lined up applying to be part of this program.

The number of kids in foster care in Colorado right now? 365.

The eventual goal? Zero.

They are well on their way.

Pray for our future "baskets" and for those who will be an integral part of plucking them out of the water.

Blessings,  

Miki

The Journey Begins

Dear Friends and Family,

I have invited you to be a part of this blog because I know, already, that you will pray for our family and the vision we've been given.  I am so excited, and perhaps a little scared, to share this with you because I know that having people moved to pray will be the first step in making this a reality.

In the ten years that Frank and I have been married, we have had many people in and out of our home.  We have enjoyed the challenges and the blessings that have come from being a part of their lives, helping them through a variety of situations, and watching them grow.  In fact, I LOVE having a table FULL of people!

We have always wanted to adopt or foster children without parents.  We just didn't know when or how that would ever happen.  For the last two or three years, we have taken a sabatical of sorts from "fulltime" ministry and have concentrated on refueling ourselves for whatever might be ahead.  Recently, Frank and I have sensed a significant stirring in our hearts to begin fostering on a large scale.  We have been both challenged and inspired by The Big Oak Ranch in Alabama, http://www.bigoak.org/, and are praying to see whether or not the Lord would have us bring something like this to the Charlotte area.

We are in the VERY early stages of this, but it seems God has been working ahead of us.  Today, after church, we heard a story about a man we have yet to meet, but already shares in our vision.  While leaving a local coffee shop to go on a prayer walk, he found a penny on the ground.  He picked it up and remarked to the friend accompanying him that "Orphans are like pennies.  They are overlooked and seen as unimportant."  They continued to the neighborhood they had planned to walk and, on entering, found a circle of 8 pennies.  "Look!  Our first group home."  They picked up the pennies and noticed that the sidewalk in front of them had pennies all along.  By the end of their walk, they had picked up over 1400 pennies.

If those pennies represented the number of orphans in the Charlotte area who could be impacted by this ministry and come to know and fall in love with the Jesus that loves them more than his own life, would you want to be a part of it? 

Thus, we have Orphans Are Like Pennies, a blog who's sole pupose is to be a place where prayer warriors can come to gather information on what God has done, is doing and how they can pray.  We invite you to be a part, to share this with others and to be encouraged.  We know that God is moving and we are thrilled to be moving with Him.

Our first prayer request would be for the assembly of a board.  We need to have people in place who know business on this scale and how to put systems into place.  Second, would be a team of people who would want to love on these kids, either as house parents, mentors, tutors, grand parents or servants to just help make things run.  Of course, location and finances will be key, but we're not there ....yet.

Thank you for your time, for your prayers and for being such vital parts of our lives.