Blessings and Raindrops

seeking joy in the midst of the ordinary

Archives for 2013

NWA Mini- Created for Care Retreat

Recently, another local adoptive momma contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in helping her plan a mini-Created-for-Care retreat for the moms in our area. I enthusiastically agreed without a moment’s hesitation! {Y’all know I LOVE Created for Care retreats…}

I had actually attended the mini-retreat planning break-out session at the Atlanta retreat earlier this year and wanted to come back and host one a weekend but felt overwhelmed by the idea because I thought S would have been home by now.

But, alas, here I am still waiting {and waiting and waiting} for our daughter to come home. So, I have to say that this retreat planning has been the perfect distraction for my anxious heart. Preparing a weekend of restoration, encouragement and spiritual nourishment for fellow adoptive mommas has been an incredible blessing.


Local mommas- find all of the event details and the link to registration HERE.  {I know there are many of you anxiously awaiting this post this morning so you can snag one of the 30 spots!}

I am so, so excited about this weekend. I hope everyone in our area that has adopted, is thinking of adopting, is a foster momma or is in the waiting stage with me will be able to attend.

Ladies – you can read more about my C4C experiences HERE and HERE. And, get excited for what God has in store for us this November!!

beautiful things.

I really don’t know how to put words to our experience in Congo.

Since we have been back home, we’ve been trying to see friends and family and catch up with everyone. It’s been busy since the moment we landed and I feel like I’m still processing everything we saw and felt and learned. I wish I could answer the question, “how was your trip?” with a simple tied-up-in-a-bow response. But, I can’t. Honestly, it feels impossible to describe our experience with words.

Congo is a place of extreme contrasts. 

The joy and love and gratitude were palpable in the home of Dr. Laure and her family. That home was a place of refuge and hope and peace during our trip.

The moments with S were surreal. Wonderful, magical moments learning about her personality and memorizing her features. And, moments where her fear was as real as her tears. It was so hard to want to hold her and comfort her yet knowing that my arms would not bring any solace to her right now.

The children we met were beautiful. We tread on holy ground in those orphanages. We felt hope rising out of these places of despair and gloom. Yet, we also felt such heaviness at the reality of day to day life for these precious, innocent children.

The landscape was beautiful past the smog and the diesel fumes and the dirt and the trash of the city. We saw small glimpses of the beauty of this country but we also saw the overwhelming need and anguish.

 
We sang Beautiful Things in church this morning and it was the exact reminder I needed today…

All this pain
I wonder if I’ll ever find my way
I wonder if my life could really change at all
All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found
Could a garden come up from this ground at all

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

All around
Hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found in You

“This song is an expression of hope that God will make beautiful things out of the dust in our lives, and God will somehow use us, use our obedience and love, our feeble human effort, and build Himself a kingdom. I see that God is using suffering to bring us closer to Him.” – Michael Gungor


He makes beautiful things. ALL things will be beautiful and made new. Even the chaos and the despair and the hurt and brokenness that we witnessed firsthand. And, I know with my entire being that He is drawing me closer to Him through this painful journey.


Revelation 21:4-5: And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”


I’ll have so many stories and moments to record from our time in Congo. I will share more in the coming days. I don’t want to forget a single memory from this life-changing experience.

Until then, enjoy this little glimpse into some of the fun we had with some of the most precious children I’ve ever met…

a weekend away.

There’s this girl I know that is on the crazy about to lose her mind and head straight to the loony-bin path. She may or may not have five separate check-lists on her phone and in notebooks and sticky-notes covering the countertop and the passenger seat of her car. She may stay up way too late every night over-analyzing the aforementioned lists and then drink way too much coffee in the morning to get through the next day in a caffeine-induced stupor.

So, let’s just say that this girl is about to go meet her daughter for the first time on the other side of the planet, send her little baby boys {aka- three-year-olds but they feel way too young to go on a plane without her} on a plane with her parents {no-they’re not going on the plane by themselves, she isn’t that crazy} and is trying to finish a bunch of paperwork that makes her eyes glaze over and causes her too many paperwork-stress-induced m&m binges. Oh, yes, and there are all of these amazing, incredible, generous donations to be sorted through and organized and packed leaving no room for cute outfits and hair dryers for the trip {that is a warning for the once-in-a-lifetime photos of meeting S for the first time…I know I’ll have frizzy hair and we’ll all just have to get over it, okay? okay}.

What is the solution to prevent the looney-bin check-in?

A girl’s weekend. Right smack in the middle of the crazy preparation {any logical person would say that there is no time to get away for the weekend}.

Yet, off this gal went for a full 48 hours of relaxation, laughing into the night, talking through all of the worries and emotions and fears and excitement… with some of her favorite girls for their 13th annual reunion trip in Denver.

This trip was planned long before I knew I was going to the Congo this summer. I debated whether or not to go. I seriously considered canceling many times.

And, I’m so very glad I went. I am back feeling a little lighter and a little less frenzied. As always, these girls lifted me up and reminded me that they have my back. They have always been a support system for me and I couldn’t be more thankful for our time together this past weekend. Even though I didn’t think it could be possible, it was the perfect time for this quick getaway. SO very thankful for each of them.

Because when it comes right down to it, there isn’t a whole lot that cannot be solved with good friends, champagne, guacamole and margaritas. Am I right?

I even got to squeeze in a visit with my pre-school bestie and her sweetie pie daughter. LOVE this little cuddlebug and am so thankful I got to love on her while I was in Denver!!

It was a really fun weekend and I received the BIGGEST hugs and smiles when I got home to my boys. I feel ridiculously blessed and am hitting the paperwork piles with renewed energy today.

Have a great week, all!

provision {spiritual markers}.

I’m human. I tend to forget. Easily.

I forget all that God has done. He has performed some pretty amazing, powerful, supernatural miracles on our journey to our daughter. And, I’m overwhelming grateful. In awe of His goodness. Even still, the fear creeps in. The worry, the doubt.

I need to record spiritual markers along the way. To remind myself of His faithfulness. Reminders to look back upon and rest in truth — He is on His throne and will receive the glory from our family’s story.

One of these reminders can’t be shared just yet. But, when I can tell you this story, you will see His hand in it. He answered a bold prayer in a way that we never imagined.  It was our prayer concerning the month of June. I knew that this month was laid on my heart by the Spirit and I just prayed that God would work in a mighty way. He did. He absolutely did. Oh, I can’t wait to share that story. It is truly incredible.

And, just this past weekend, we learned that {in less than one week!} our fundraiser for the orphans in the DRC was fully funded {we even exceeded our goal}!! We are going to be able to bless His beloved children with full bellies, fresh water and a soft spot to lay their weary heads because of the generosity of so many.

Then, another prayer was answered in an unexpected way. I have been praying about blessing our dear friend, Dr. L, with a vehicle. This would make her life a little easier. This would allow her to visit the orphanages that she serves out of love and compassion more often. This would allow her brother to use the vehicle as a taxi to earn additional income for their family. This would give her the opportunity to minister to many more little hearts in Kinshasa orphanages.

Dave had originally brought up this idea and we only shared with one other person, who joined us in prayer, knowing how this would indeed bless Dr. L and her family.

As the costs for our trip started piling up and the needs for the children were unending, I prayed a simple prayer. I asked God to find a way to provide this for her. I knew I couldn’t do it on my own and I told Him that I wouldn’t mention it to anyone {and I wouldn’t pester Dave about it again :)}. Knowing that if this was something that He wanted for her, He would provide.

And, He did.

An unexpected visitor arrived at our door just two days after I prayed that prayer. With a check to be used as we see fit during our trip that would cover most of the cost of this vehicle. I cried and explained what we wanted to do {this happened right as our fundraiser was fully funded}. Dave and I called Dr. L and told her the news. She cried. We cried. It was incredible. To be a small part of the story God is writing for His children on the other side of this earth is a beautiful, awe-inspiring privilege that I am, often times, unable to grasp.

Sing to God; sing praises to his name. Prepare the way for him who rides through the desert, whose name is the Lord. Rejoice before him. God is in his holy Temple. He is a father to orphans and he defends widows. {Psalm 68: 4-5}