Thursday, January 31, 2013

Helping Adoptive Families

An adoptive mom wrote this and I am in wholehearted agreement:
 
When a family seeks help in raising funds for an adoption, it's not like asking people to pitch in toward a new boat, or help pay for a vacation. What they are doing is committing to heal, with God's help, a child who has suffered the profound damage of being unwanted and unloved. They are obediently living out the command given in James 1:27 to care for the orphan, clothing the gospel of Christ's redemption in flesh and blood and now. When they ask for the body of Christ to come alongside them financially and prayerfully, they are giving us the opportunity to be a part of the miracles God works through obedience.
 

Thank You!
 
Thank you to each and every person who donated, who has prayed with and for us, and has been with us along this journey.  You have given us courage, encouraged us, and have made it possible for us to bring Hannes home.  
 
We fly in 8 days!!


Sunday, January 27, 2013

Aunts, Uncles, and Nephews...




Aunt Julia, Uncle Jacob and Nephew Noah
all having a great time playing together...

Just 11 days until we fly to Hannes...

Looking forward to adding another Uncle to the mix,
Uncle Hannes

who will be younger than his nephew...

yeah, it's odd.

That's what happens
when you have kids from 2 to 25...
and a grandson who is 3...




Friday, January 25, 2013

Speechless...

I will give thanks to your name,
O Lord,
for it is good.

Psalm 54:6

I am speechless at
the generosity 
of people
who 
love
a stranger,
an orphan,
a little one with a defect,
a boy that has nothing to offer,
but
YOU LOVE HIM
and 
make it possible for us
to go to him
and 
become 
his family!

I cannot express my thanks in
mere words
it is not enough
to say
Thank You
but all I have are words
and the love
that I will wrap 
around this little boy.

 You have been a part of 
redeeming this little one
bringing him home
giving him a life 
he wouldn't have otherwise had.

Thank You
for growing
our FSP 
to an amazing
amount!!

We are speechless...

 

 

 

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Three Weeks...

Three weeks until we fly...

Getting a bed ready for Hannes...



Toddler bed?
Crib?
Twin Bed with a railing?
Co-sleep with us?

All are options for a bed for Hannes.

Pray that we have wisdom 
into what his needs are
and then we can
meet them.

We have set up a toddler bed 
and will readjust with whatever
Hannes needs.

Getting closer...

There is still time to help us bring Hannes home.

Donations can be accepted for Hannes until we return home.
If you would like to be a part of bringing an orphan 
into a family, you can do so here...



Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Julia

Today Julia got her hair braided!

She has been asking for long hair 
since about a week after we met her 
and
today she got her long hair...

She is just beautiful...


Tuesday, January 15, 2013

God is moving...

God is moving hearts...
and our FSP is moving...
we are so grateful for
every dollar sacrificially given
so that a little boy
with a broken heart
can come home
to good medical care
and love
and family
and hugs
and a repaired heart

Thank you for helping us give Hannes
a home
and a
family.

He is chosen.
He is loved.
He will be redeemed from a life in a crib
to a full life in a home.

God sets the lonely in families.
God will not leave him as an orphan but will send us for him...

Our adoption is expected to cost $25,000 so your support 
is so appreciated!

Thank you for helping to make this possible!

Monday, January 14, 2013

Joy in the Journey

Giving Thanks to the Lord for all things - 
daring to find joy in 1000 things in 2013

3 yellow gifts of fresh mercy

31.   lemons that take the marks away
32.   sunlight kisses on my face
33.   yellow note reminding me: The Word of God is my sanctuary

Something above, below, and beside

34.   Thankful for the crisp air that makes all things fresh
35.   The rag rug that was made with love, warm for my feet
36.   My husband, beside me in all things

Things about yourself that you are grateful for

37.   My love for all things Jesus
38.   My heart for the children, little and big
39.   The wisdom gained from struggle

3 Startling graces of God

40.  to love me in spite of who I am
41.  to give me children I love wholeheartedly
42.  to make all things beautiful




Find the Joy Dare at www.aholyexperience.com


Sunday, January 13, 2013

If not us...

I found a song I am loving:  Audio Adrenaline's Kings and Queens - check out the song...



I picture all the little lonely ones in cribs in orphanages around the world, just waiting for God to bring them someone to love them, to be precious to someone...  
if not us, tell me, who will be Jesus to the least of these...

If not us, oh but why not us?  We will bring another one of these precious children into our home to love them both AS IF they had been born to us...

You may not be called to adopt, but there are things you can do to be Jesus to them:

Sponsor a child:
 World Vision and Compassion are two places you can do that...

Give to Reece's Rainbow:
they advocate for and give grants to some of the least of these...

Become a Foster Care family:
good, loving homes for children in your neighborhood are desperately needed...

Help Hannes come home where he will know that he is LOVED!

These could be our daughters and our sons...

they ARE our daughters and our sons - this rejected daughter has BECOME my daughter, this rejected son will BECOME my son... 

Break our hearts once again...

The ones we left behind in South Africa, the ones we will be leaving behind this time too...they break my heart...

Every child has a dream to belong and be loved...

Oh yes they do - they crawl into your lap, they hug you, they want any affection they can get - to feel loved and like they belong even for just the length of a hug...

...these are the lives that the world has forgotten

Pray about what you can do...


Lyrics:

Little hands, shoeless feet, lonely eyes looking back at me
Will we leave behind the innocent too brief
On their own, on the run when their lives have only begun
These could be our daughters and our sons
And just like a drum I can hear their hearts beating
I know my God won’t let them be defeated
Every child has a dream to belong and be loved

Chorus:
Boys become kings, girls will be queens
Wrapped in Your majesty
When we love, when we love the least of these
Then they will be brave and free
Shout your name in victory
When we love when we love the least of these
When we love the least of these

Break our hearts once again
Help us to remember when
We were only children hoping for a friend
Won’t you look around these are the lives that the world has forgotten
Waiting for doors of our hearts and our homes to open

CHORUS

If not us who will be like Jesus
To the least of these
If not us tell me who will be like Jesus
Like Jesus to the least of these


Boys become kings, girls will be queens
Wrapped in your majesty
When we love, when we love the least of these
Then they will be brave and free shout your name in victory
We will love we will love the least of these
We will love the least of these
We will love the least of these
We will love the least of these
We will love the least of these
We will love the least of these

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Sour gifts...

Today's Joy Dare...

Counting 1000 gifts in 2013 with just 3 a day...

Today's gifts are:

28.  sour  -  people in broken communion...



29.  sweet  - sugar cookies in the shape of a heart...


30.  just right - giggles at the end of the day...





Wednesday, January 9, 2013

30 Days and Counting...


Until we board the plane to go to Hannes...

If you would like to help us bring Hannes home,
there is still time to make a tax-deductible donation:
http://reecesrainbow.org/47351/sponsorvanheerden

 
Counting 1000 gifts...

22.  Dusky light - the sunset pink atop the mountains
23.  Surprising Reflection - my words out of the mouth of my child
24.  Lovely shadow -  the cross made by the street signs on the corner
25. Held - a little hand
26. Passed by - flowers peeking out
27. Sat with - cuddle time for my little with a fever

Monday, January 7, 2013

Joy on January 7

Today's Joy Dare... are you following along?  

Counting God's gifts to me and my thankfulness for what He has given me.

 Today is for counting 3 graces from people you love:

19.  Breakfast on the bed
(i do love that cinnamon butter!!)

20.  I'm sorry Mommy
(said the new one)

21.  I just love you Mom said this one:



Sunday, January 6, 2013

Plane Tickets!!

We have booked our plane tickets!!

We leave for our little ones country 
on 
February 8
(that's 33 days from now)

We have one stop in the US
one stop in Germany
and then we get to our little ones country 
the next day... 

6 time zones later
and since I have had zero success sleeping on planes in the past,
I'm sure I will be very tired...

we have a day to rest
before we have our appointment
to ask permission to adopt him.

Thank you to all of you who have helped us get to this point!
There is still time to help us out.  We can accept contributions until we return home, so if you haven't been able to help and are wanting to - you can contribute to bringing Hannes home at the link below:



Today's Joy Dare: 
(counting 1000 blessings in 2013 just three a day via www.aholyexperience.com)

16.   In my Bag -
So thankful for The Valley of Vision,  prayers of wise ones who have lived before me.

17.   In the Fridge -
So thankful that God provides all that is in the fridge...including that amazing cinnamon butter!!



18.   In my Heart -
So thankful that God has shaped my heart to be more like His over these past few years  - my love for my children has grown, my heart breaks for the orphans who have nothing and noone, and He is giving my husband and I heart vision for tired, stressed, and hurting people. 

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Joy in the Journey

Our Journey to Hannes...

in just 5 short weeks
we will board a plane
and fly
and fly
and fly
until we get to the capital city in his country...

and we will ask permission from his government to adopt him.

And he doesn't know.
He doesn't know we are coming
He doesn't know what a mommy and daddy are
He doesn't know how to play with his brothers and sisters
He doesn't know a life outside his small room...

And yet - that doesn't change what will happen for good in his life.
Because we love him.

It's like that with us, isn't it? 

Oftentimes we don't know the future.
We can't tell what will happen.
We don't know what is coming.
But that doesn't change what will happen for good in our lives.
God is there.
Working everything out according to His plan.
Which ultimately results in our good.
 Because He loves us.
 

Today's Joy Dare...

13.   Reading  -  
thankful for a book about how to Simplify by Joshua Becker
14.   Making -
Decisions, thankful for wise counsel on what to pack for our trip...
15.   Seeing - 
Thankful for seeing my children and my child's child feeding the ducks today...




God is so good...
 
So grateful for all who have supported and encouraged us 
in this adoption for Hannes...
our FSP (Family Sponsorship Program) Grant has grown in an amazing way!
We cherish the love that you have shown to us and more so to Hannes.  Helping us to bring him into a family so that he can thrive and grow and receive the medical care he so desperately needs.  What an amazing display of the love that you all have for him.  Thank you so much!!




Friday, January 4, 2013

They are home...


One of the things I have enjoyed most these past few months is to follow along on several families journeys to their kids.  Every single one that I have followed is now back home with their new children.  The joy that I feel in my heart every time I look at the photos of those kids now laughing, playing, the wonder in their eyes as they take in all the new experiences, their new brothers and sisters delighting in them, their smiles!!!  Oh, to see the body of Christ, joining with God on His mission to redeem people.  We get to know just a bit of how God goes about taking the unloved and loving them with wholehearted, selfless, unconditional love!!  He really does set the lonely in families!

We are now preparing to do this again.  To travel across the world, on three REALLY long plane rides, to get to another country, to meet a child we don't know - and promise before God and a judge that we will LOVE this child AS IF he were born to us.  Forever.  No matter what.  A stepping out in faith.  Trust in our Father.  We have done this once.  God has asked us to do this again.  So we go.  We trust and we obey.  Because we love God and He loves us.  And the result of trusting and obeying?  We get to be blessed with another amazing child - watching him grow, flourish, and delighting in who God has made him to be.  Just like we are doing with Nate, Lydia, Jacob, Julia and Noah.  We are SO very blessed!!



Today's Joy Dare:

A gift old, new and blue...

10.  reclaimed fabric turned something old into a new thing
11.  a new leather journal waiting with blank pages for new prayers
12.  those blue eyes that sparkle with joy
 
 

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Just over a month...

Still giddy from getting the travel date!!

Counting 3 graces overheard today...

7. listening to friends happy chatter in a language I don't speak
8.  a heart conversation about God's grace to us with a friend I met today
9.  prayer for our adoption and upcoming travel overheard tonight


We have just over a month until we travel,
the list making has begun,
the gathering to take,
and the preparing to leave,
God give me the grace 
to do this well
for Your Glory...


Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Travel Date!!

Yippee!!

We got our travel date!  

Our appointment at the government office 
to request permission to adopt Hannes is

February 11!!

We are really excited - we cannot wait to meet him!

We will spend approximately 2 to 3 weeks 
visiting him in the morning and the afternoon
until we get a court date to finalize the adoption. 

Hang on little man, Mommy and Daddy are coming soon!!

We are nearly there...
if you would like to help us during this last push to bring Hannes home, 
please contribute at:

http://reecesrainbow.org/47351/sponsorvanheerden

 



Counting Gifts for today, January 2: 

4.  a gift outside... the wind that blows hard
5.  a gift inside...  the Holy Spirit blowing truth in my soul
6.  a gift on a plate... the dinner my husband prepared and served




Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Counting 1000 Gifts...

I'm taking the dare... 

the Joy Dare... 

and counting 1000 gifts in 2013

dare to follow along?


January 1: 3 gifts heard

1. giggles of the little ones
2. chorus of His Word sung softly
3. the bells that signal connection from the grown up ones reaching for Mom

What are you thankful for today?


Source: aholyexperience.com




My One Word - 2013


Lot's of folks are tossing out the New Year's Resolutions 
and choosing one word for the year.

After some contemplation, I am too.

With prayer and thought, I have chosen
my word for 2013:





Join me and pick a word (and a bible verse to reinforce it)
for yourself...
Make 2013 all about your word

Then go ahead and write your word all over your life -

Deuteronomy 6:9
You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.


Soak in your word this year
daily
weekly
monthly
at home
at work
in the car
at your desk
at the sink
while brushing your teeth
while brushing your hair
while cleaning
while reading
while resting
while running

And see if spending time in His Word with your word
changes your heart this year...

for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks... (Luke 6:45)

How will you change once your heart has changed?

Resource:  myoneword.org