Hearing my kids call something beautiful is one of my favorite things. We might be leaving the house in a rush, getting here or there, and as we navigate the steps from the porch, Ethan will lift his face to the sun and say, "It's a beautiful day, Mom." Or we might be walking somewhere and Abby will stop in her tracks, eyes transfixed on one small growth. "Look...look...look! Look at this beautiful flower!" And when they say it, the vowels are often elongated and the consonants are crisp, and it always makes me smile. I can't help it. There is a certain joy in knowing that I am doing something to cultivate an appreciation for beauty in my children.
We had a great weekend in a lot of ways. Mike had planned a simple project of repairing the screens on our back porch. Unfortunately, when he took off some screens, the frames weren't in the best shape. More unfortunately, when he stripped back another layer, he discovered that the wood of one whole corner of the porch was almost completely rotted through. Not good for structural integrity! So his simple project was transformed into quite a big job. Fortunately, he had some good help!
On Saturday, we received wonderful news in the mail. Shaohannah's Hope has approved our request for a grant! This money will cover a large chunk of our international program fee. How grateful we are for the Body of Christ's generous support of this adoption ministry. How we praise God for His provision -- whether it comes in big chunks, in small chunks, or in tiny trickles! A few weeks ago, we opened our mail to discover a little card from a family in our church. Inside was a brief note, stating that the family had received some unexpected money and wanted to pass it along for our adoption fund. A check, made out for some obviously unrounded amount, was enclosed. We continue to trust that God will provide all that we need!Finally, at church today, we celebrated Baby Day with two special dedications. As we celebrated our youngsters and recommitted ourselves to raising each one for God's glory, my heart was full.
Did I already use "finally"? Sorry. I have one more thing to share! I found this link on another blog recently and wanted to share it with you. It communicates well some of the reasons that we feel so privileged to participate in our the adventure of adoption! Check it out here: http://hal.systemmechanics.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.henryinstitute.org/commentary_read.php?cid=468
4 comments:
Welcome to the YG, Tappers!!! We are DTE 7/25/08 and hoping to adopt an infant (either gender) and an older girl (6 or 7).
I added your link to my rather extensive list of AWAA bloggers!
I saw Lenka's post about meeting you and I just wanted to stop by to hi. I am excited for you all and can't wait to follow the rest of your journey.
With Love,
Penelope
Hi Kristy! My mom actually did sew one of the "snugglies" with satin, as that was our original idea, but it didn't come out as nice (neat looking) and she took it apart and used the fleece instead! I will ask her if she thinks she might be able to give it another try :-)
I stumbled upon your blog today and wanted to say hi! I love hearing my 3-year old son say the word "bee-yoo-tiful" as well. Congratulations on your adoption grant! GOD is so good!
Post a Comment