Blessings and Raindrops

seeking joy in the midst of the ordinary

praying for Congo.

From what we have been told, there is a big meeting taking place today in Kinshasa. I, along with hundreds of others, have been praying fervently since we heard this news on Friday. There is no way to know what will come of this meeting but we are praying boldly for the outcome to bring families and children a step closer toward joyous homecomings.

As I sat quietly before the Lord this morning, asking once again for a miracle, I was led to my prayer journal. These verses. Reminders of His goodness, His faithfulness, His Truth even in this unrelenting storm.


He is near. 
He is still on the throne. 
I will wait in expectant hope for the miracle on the horizon. 

Lamentations 3: 23-24
Great is his faithfulness, his mercies begin afresh each day. 
I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance, therefore, I will hope in Him!
1 Peter 5:7 AMP
…casting the whole of your care (all of your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all) on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. 
Ephesians 3:20 AMP
Now to him, who by the power that is at work within us, is able to (carry out His purpose and) do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes or dreams].
Isaiah 30:18 AMP
And therefore the Lord (earnestly) waits [expecting, looking and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who (earnestly) wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him (for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless companionship)!
Psalm 130:5
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.
Revelation 3:8
I see what you’ve done. Now see what I’ve done. I’ve opened a door before you that no one can slam shut. You don’t have much strength, I know that; you used what you had to keep my word. You didn’t deny me when times were rough. 
2 Chronicles 14:11
Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come agains this vast army. Lord, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you.”
Hebrews 11:1
What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. 
It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. 
Beth Moore, Believing God
“Our toughest battles will invariably concern matters of faith — times when we’re tempted to think God’s word and His ways won’t work for us, that HE has abandoned us, let us down, or failed to come through for us.”
Psalm 77:14
You are the God of miracles and wonders!
You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations. 

Will you join me today in praying these words of truth over the vulnerable and orphaned children in Congo? Praying for God’s arms to cover these precious ones in mercy and love. Praying for families waiting and aching to bring their beloved ones home. Praying for a mighty movement that will bring goodness and shine God’s glory.

let it go. for His glory.

I’ve been going through a process of simplifying {purging is a better word} trying to get a handle on the never-ending piles of stuff cluttering up our home.

Lately, I’ve been ruthless with my “organizing.” I’ve forced myself to let go of sentimental value and attachment to things. I truly believe that the less stuff I have to manage, the more time I’ll have to devote to the people I love.

I decided to go through the house, room-by-room, and let go of anything that I haven’t used in the past year. Oh my word. It was embarrassing … the amount of extra stuff in our home that we are not even using is just crazy. We even cleared out some extra storage out in our barn. You guys, we have been storing furniture that we haven’t EVER used in our home. Just storing it…you know, in case we need it. This is the epitome of first-world-problems.

I desperately want a home OVERFLOWING with joy and love, not possessions.

As I look back at journal entries from the past month, I see a clear theme: let it go. 

…What is God trying to teach me in this wait right now? I’m trying to trust and remain still but I am so impatient…

…I’m praying now that my heart is open to what God has in store for me and for our family. He is wanting me to learn something. Who He is. Faithfulness. Trust…

…Feeling overwhelmed with my “to-do’s” and everything around me. Piles of stuff with no place to be put away. A possible move. A garage sale {?}. Photos to be organized. So much “stuff” – none of it is of eternal importance, yet it consumes me… 


…I get grumpy and anxious and short-tempered. I miss moments. Instead of focusing on Him, I focus on the things of this world. I say I want to just sell everything, give it away…but, then, I’m overwhelmed with the prospect. What stays? What goes? Where do I start? I become paralyzed and do not act when I know the Holy Spirit is saying “This. This is what you should do. Let it go. Let go of your stuff. Your possessions. None of this defines you. I define you. You are a daughter of the King of Kings. Your riches in Heaven shine for eternity. Free up space around you. Declutter your things, your mind, your spirit…”


…I’m scared. We will have FOUR kids. Lots of stuff – gear, toys, clothes, mail, papers… I can’t just step away from it all…

Yet, today. Today, He showed me that each step forward in faithful obedience will be rewarded. Not rewards of earthly value, but a far greater reward – rewards of eternal significance.

After a couple of weeks of keeping my head down and taking one step at a time – one cabinet, one closet, one box – purging, simplifying, gathering donations and organizing…

Organizing all of the stuff…so thankful for all the helpers:)

He reminded me once again that joy is found from listening to His voice.

He loves so abundantly and wants good things for us all. What a joy it was to be a part of this small thing – a garage sale. Not a huge undertaking by any means. But, it will change lives in the Congo. 54 lives to be exact. 54 children that will now have full bellies for one whole month. In one day – God provided enough for one month of food for these children. And, we still have another day of selling tomorrow.

One month of full tummies and tangible love. All because I {and lots of friends – thank you all for the donations!} let go of a few dishes and chairs and clothes that haven’t even been used in the past 365 days.

Let it go, friends.

Breathe it out … let it go. Let go of what is holding you down and inhale His love. It really is a beautiful trade-off.

“…sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” {Matthew 19:21}

thank you for feeding their tummies!

Sweet friends, I wish I could hug each of you and thank you personally for blessing these children so abundantly by giving to our Feed Their Tummies fundraiser. The past few days have been full of rejoicing and tears in our house, as photos have poured in of these precious ones being fed and loved on.
 
Yesterday morning, when Dr. Laure delivered the food to one of the orphanages, she entered the gates to children calling out {in Lingala} ”Maman aye nzala esili“, which translated in English means, “mom comes, finish hunger.”
 
Thank you. Thank you for giving.
 
Even when it seems that the need is too great. Even when the enemy whispers, “you are only one. what good can one person do? it’s not worth it to even try. you can’t make a change.”
 
You did it. You made a difference for these children. They now know that someone, somewhere cares enough to send life-saving resources. And, in my opinion, that is worth it.
 
Each and every one of these children are worth it.
{please take two minutes to watch this video of the food delivery photos!!}
 
 
I love the quote at the end of this video:
 
“If you can’t feed a hundred people then just feed one.” – Mother Teresa

feed their tummies update and more…

First of all, I have to just say, from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

151 precious kiddos whom have stolen the hearts of so many will be smiling and eating a nutritious meal for two months!!!!!

You guys! Truly incredible!

We raised $4630 to Feed Their Tummies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What started out as an effort to raise a few hundred dollars, turned into a challenge to raise $2,000. And, then, God DOUBLED our goal. Doubled it. I’m just blown away.

I promise to post photos of the food deliveries and the kiddos smiles. So, stay tuned!

In other fun news, I need to announce the winner of the Noonday Collection giveaway. We had 284 entries to win!

Drum roll, please…

#59 is…Meredith LaGorga!!!

Congratulations, Mere!!! (This makes me happy! I wish I could send something to each person who gave but know that this is going to a great home. Sweet Meredith has had quite a journey on this crazy rollercoaster called adoption and I’m thankful that this little surprise will be arriving in her mailbox to bless her)!

Thank you all again for being so generous and loving these orphans alongside us mommas!!

If you are still feeling generous and want to find other fun ways to help DRC orphans, I have to share a few really, really awesome fundraisers happening right now that you won’t want to miss…

Let’s start with a shameless plug…this is the last weekend to pre-order our adoption tee’s. Order HERE. All proceed’s go toward funding our travel to DRC to bring home “S”!!

Next up, you just HAVE to check out my friend, McCall’s, bundle giveaway. All proceeds go toward bringing home their daughter from the DRC.

Oh my word. I will fight someone over the Spoil Yourself Bundle. {Just kidding. Or am I??}

 
I’m still on Dave’s computer while mine is in the shop so I apologize for the funky sizing of photos, grab a magnifying glass {because everyone has a magnifying glass lying around} & forgive me for making you squint. 🙂
 
Next up, my dear friend, April. She is raising funds to get her daughter, Addison Grace, home from the DRC. Addi lives at the same orphanage where our daughter lived. I had the privilege of loving on her while I was there in August. She snuggled with me all day long during our visit. She loved rubbing the hair on my arms … she would laugh and laugh … it was the sweetest thing.
 
I can’t post Addi’s picture but I can tell you she is one of the cuties in the photo above. 🙂
 
April is hosting an auction on FB, you can bid on all of the really cool stuff HERE.
 
Lastly, my friend Olivia is hosting a HUGE giveaway to bring their daughter, “W” home from the DRC. Prizes are INCREDIBLE — we’re talking Ipad’s here, people.
 
 
Check out Olivia’s giveaway HERE.
 
This is better than Black Friday shopping — Christmas gifts purchased and former orphans coming home to forever families!!! 
 
Have a wonderful weekend, all! I’m headed off to our mini- Created for Care retreat. I CANNOT wait for this weekend. Will share all about it next week. 🙂