It is simply what it is, whether i like it or not!

Well i guess you've been waiting on the same thing we've been waiting on... the decision of the vote taken July 25th by the South American Government for our adoption approval.  Well here it is...
It NEVER happened!  They postponed it until August 12th.  So we will continue to wait. 

A couple of years ago i was treking in the jungles of Asia with a group of women.  One particular lady from Ohio, a Godly woman who was years ahead of me in wisdom, was talking about a particular incident that had happened in her life.  After she finished i asked her, "So how did you react to it?"

Her response has stuck with me for years... She said, "What do you mean?  I reacted just like one who believes God is in control.  What happened is simply what it is, whether i like it or not.  I either trust Him with childlike belief or i don't.  My belief in God is that He is who He says He is and He can do what He says He can do whenever He wants. Therefore He is on the throne and knows the circumstances before me.  So... i can choose to accept what comes good or bad and lean in to Him with complete trust or i can choose to disbelieve.  It is my choice,  therefore i choose to believe."

That is my choice today as well...  simple childlike belief.  i don't have to have an answer or a reason, i simply choose to believe God.  i don't like the delay or understand it, but it is what it is! 

Loving Him and you today, LeAnn

"A cheerful heart is good medicine..." Proverbs 17:22

Laughter is what i needed after i looked over the expectations of yesterday.  As you know, we were waiting to hear something about some movement yesterday, but we didn't, and still haven't.  So we are doing today just what you would be doing, the next thing as we are TRUSTING Him. 

i know in Isaiah 55:8-9 it tells me that Gods thoughts and ways are so much higher than mine.  So whatever is holding us up is exactly as it should be.  It doesn't change the ache in my heart, but it does help me focus on the ONLY ONE who can ease the pain. 

I am so grateful that He is faithful to meet me where i am in all my frailites, brokenness and sin!  That He loves me despite my failures and complaints and constant weaknesses.  And that He brings laughter just when i need it for my soul. 

I'll share a couple of good laughs i've had today, however you may not find them funny at all:

If you remember Jordan's arm injury from camp three weeks ago; Skyler decided she felt sorry for her last week at camp and would JOIN her:

i've spent the day buying supplies and preparing for our "new normal" this year for school...  did i REALLY say i'd homeschool them all?

How many times can the dogs chew up the SAME column??  And we be dumb enough to fix it... YET AGAIN!

I absolutly do not bake, i rely HEAVILY on Publix bakery, however it is Scott's birthday, so we will see if it is edible :)

And last but not least, what has given me the greatest chuckles of all is... the wait to arrive in South America has been pending since February 24, 2010.  So we are rolling into our 18th month now. 

However as we await our paperwork to go... God has chosen to place Jordan there in Costa Rica today...

as part of a mission team and is sending Scott to Peru within weeks for the same :)  We are all over the South American map, JUST NOT IN BRAZIL!!   

God has quite a sense of humor and knows exactly when i need to enjoy it!  His Word tells me that laughter is good for the soul.  So... as we wait and continue doing the next thing, we will choose to BREATHE deep, LOVE hard and LAUGH much because God is in control!  Thanks for joining us!  LeAnn

ain't no mountain high enough...

"Don't measure the size of the mountain, talk to the one who can move it." 

i read this on my desk in my home office first thing this morning and have been trying to focus on the truth of it all day. 

However i'd be lying if i didn't tell you that today has been one of those days, you know what i mean, those trying days we all have.  I am fully aware that God is in control, but as a human it is easy sometimes to get caught in the moment and act as if someone else is holding the control strings. 

So amidst the chaos of running one child here and another there, folding the clothes, preparing food, answering the same question for the billionth time and... the dog did what this time :), i've tried to stay focused on the adventure of adoption that God has allowed us on and not the size of the mountain we are trying to climb. 

But at one point today i had focused for a moment too long on the reality of the date and the fact we still didn't have the boys and began to get frustrated.  I began to repeat the above saying over and over but i could still feel my frustration mounting.  So i called it for what it was....  i asked the Lord to help me fight the feelings that the enemy would love for me to succumb too, but that i didn't want to feel and the truth that in my power i am just too weak to overcome the enemy but not in His. 

And... I JUST LOVE IT WHEN THE LORD SHOWS OFF!!  Within seconds the words from Marvin Gayes song, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" were pouring through my head, and minutes later i was dancing around singing the chorus at the top of my lungs...

There ain't no mountain high enough

Ain't no valley low enough

Ain't no river wide enough

To keep me from you

So here is what i believe, God is on our side, He has this!  Whether we have one more month to wait, or three more, He CAN move any mountain He wants, WHEN He wants and HOW He wants to move it. And...there is absolutly no mountain high enough to keep us from our boys when GOD SAYS it is time! 
This truth puts a smile on my face and a dance in my feet!  LeAnn

Waiting for confirm...

Before i go any further let's establish this truth:  communication is a FRAGILE thing.  Now with that said, i am absolutly beside myself excited to share :)

IF i am understanding the process correctly (hence waiting for a confirm), we could possibly have our approval from the South American government as early as July 25th.  So what does that mean?  Well we are closer to take off for starters!

Actually it means that both governments will have signed off and given thier stamp of approval to the adoption of our boys.  We still can't go just yet though :(.  There still remains some paperwork sharing and swapping that has to take place between the two governments, the orphange and the judge presiding over the boys cases, which can take several weeks.  BUT... it does put us very, very close!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for continuing to journey with us!!  I will let you know the plan as i find out!  To God be all the Glory, LeAnn

A little news is better than none :)

So the boys are doing great.. they played baseball for the first time on Saturday.  We are told they are quite the atheletes.  You know this made thier daddy smile when he found out, since he loves sports :)

However, i would be lying if i said anything other than they are getting anxious to come home!  As much as my heart aches, i cannot imagine theirs!  They've known a while now... and yet they've seen no movement.  I wonder in thier little hearts if they wonder if it is all true? 

So as much as my heart aches (and it is more than words can articulate) i can't imagine theirs.  They are finally told of their "forever family" and then we don't come.  They hear of a family and siblings coming and yet another night turns into day.  I cannot imagine!  Please pray for them!

i truly don't understand all the delays, but God does.  i don't understand the magnitude of what is going on behind the scenes as we sit in "the wait" but God does.  So... we will trust and wait! 

Yesterday i went on a walk (yes in the heat of the day, not so bright) and the words from John Waller's song, "While i'm waiting" brought tears to my eyes, but a strengthened resolve to my heart.  Here is what it says:

I'm waiting, I'm waiting on You Lord and I am hopeful.

I'm waiting on You, Lord though it is painful.

But patiently, I will wait!

I will move ahead bold and confident, taking every step in obedience.

While I'm waiting... I will serve You, While I'm waiting... I will worship,

While I'm waiting... I will not faint, I'll be running the race even while I wait!

I'm waiting, I'm waiting on You Lord and I am peaceful.

I'm waiting on You Lord though it's not easy, but faithfully I will wait.

Yes, I will wait!

We definitly continue to sit in a "waiting period".  But we are confident that in God's perfect timing we will get word it is TIME TO GO!  In His perfect timing we will wrap them in our arms.  In His perfect timing we will tell them of His great love for them and ours!  And in His perfect timing we will introduce them to you!  I can't wait for the day :)   

If i've forgotten to tell you lately, I cherish you!!  LeAnn

Also... Please don't forget our girls in your prayers, we are praying that God will make a way for us to meet them while we are in South America...  I am believing Him for this miracle!

God is in all the details...

i think it so cool how God orchestrates all the details, down to the fine print. i love the way He intertwines our hearts to others. i love the way He pushes us SO FAR out of our comforts we believe we will break. i love the way He challenges us to a higher calling and a life abnormal to those looking on. i love the way He meets us where we are and whispers over us blessings. I LOVE HIM!! And i love to be around those who are just as crazy as i am.   i love how He sends those sisters to us that really get us, here is a pic of a couple of my favs!!

Ok, so Gracie wanted to pose too :)

So between my reading yesterday afternoon and before bed last night, my quiet time this morning with Him and then the labor of love called laundry :) God began to weave together a thought i wanted to share... however, first I must share the words i read that have been swirling in my head...

From today's devotion by Oswald a question he posed jumped off the page at me, he said, "Are you relying on yourself in any manner whatsover regarding this new proposal or plan which God has placed before you?"  I have been pondering this question as i share each reading below!!

As i was studying God's Word in Matthew 5:14, this verse kept creeping to the forefront of my thoughts, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden."

From Love has a face by Michele Perry, this statement challenged me: "A good plan will never change a nation, but a life possessed by God just might."

From Too small to ignore by Wes Stafford (the head of Compassion International), in one particular chapter he was talking about gettting to the root of poverty.  He first quoted words spoken by Henry Ford when talking about the poor, "The only thing you can give a man without hurting him is an opportunity."  Dr. Stafford then goes on to explain by saying, "He knew that no amount of handouts or doing good things on a person's behalf gets to the heart of the matter, which is the inner, destructive message of 'Just give up!'  When a child in poverty says, 'I matter', he has just taken the first teetering step out of poverty.  This all begins with that powerful and underutilized thing called love.  God's love for the individual is displayed by those people who reflect His love in thier words and deeds.  It ultimatly gets understood and accepted by the child in poverty, and through that individual's love for others, the world gets changed.  One changed child eventually changes a family.  A changed family will influence change in its church.  Enough changed churches will transform the community.  Changed communities change regions.  Changed regions will in time change an entire nation."

So now here is my thought: 

I as a believer am called, commissioned and commanded by God to be the light of the world.  And one place i know for fact that the enemy is reeking havoc is with the children who are caught in the traps of poverty, where they find themselves many times neglected abandoned, and abused.  And statistics show that without the light of God dispelling thier darkness, without Him as thier hope, without the love of God within them, they will then just reproduce themselves as they have been taught with the next generation of children. 

So i as God's servant, possessing the light of the world, am responsible for becoming involved in this battle on thier behalf.  I can sit and plan on paper all day what to do, but that won't change thier reality today, but loving them will.  I can't expel the darkness of every child but i can begin one child at a time, as can you.   

If we all join in together we can each begin to change the life of a child through God's love, which then can lead to a changed family, community, city, state and nation!  All it requires is loving them the way God has loved us.  It is an incredible calling... bring light into the darkness!!

So since God is in the details and He is always working behind the scenes, He knew you'd be here reading today so i pose the question from Oswald above to you as well:

"Are you relying on yourself in any manner whatsover regarding this new proposal or plan which God has placed before you?" 

What is it that God is asking of you to do today to show His love to another?  No you can't do it alone, but whatever it is you can ABSOLUTLY do it in His power. 

I wish i could tell you we were leaving tomorrow to get the boys, but we are not, however, i know God is in the details.  So in the meantime i will continue to strive to be a light in some really dark places, and love the children one at a time.  Want to join me?  The decision is yours!  LeAnn

The will of the majority...

There is a plaque in our home office that says, "Never confuse the will of the majority with the will of God."  I don't know about you, but... i know for me that can be a very easy thing to do because if i were honest i'd have to say in the neck of the woods i live in the majority gets the attention.  So i have to be resolved to go before my daddy daily to seek my marching orders; to make sure i am in 'His Will' not following the words and advice of the many. 

This morning as i was having my "date with my daddy" (this is what i call my personal and intimate time with my heavenly Father), the place i found myself in Scripture was Zechariah 7.  I want to share with you what i read and the feelings i experienced, however, understand i am no Bible scholar, nor theologian, nor do i claim to be :), however, something about these words leapt off the page. 

Let me first explain who Zechariah is: he is a prophet during the Jewish restoration from Babylonian captivity; and then where do we find him:  he was among those that returned to Judah under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua to rebuild the temple that had been destroyed.  So with that said, here is what i read in Zechariah 7:8-13:

'And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: "This is what the Lord Almighty says: Administer true justice, show mercy and compassion to one another.  Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor.  In your hearts do not think evil of each other."  But they refused to pay attention: stubbornly they turned thier backs and stopped up thier ears.  They made thier hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by His Spirit through the earlier prophets.  So the Lord Almighty was very angry." 

"When i called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen, says the Lord Almighty."

There is message after message throughout scripture to reveal the Father's love for those most vulnerable and His call for us, "His disciples" to look after them.  Scripture said the Lord was angry that the people of the day turned thier back on them and stopped up thier ears. 

God just gripped my heart this morning with the sad truth that today isn't much different than then.  That what goes on here among us holds some of the same truths.  This morning as i read a blog about what is happening in the Sudan (www.kimberlylsmith.blogspot.com) as i ate my bacon and drank my tea, i wanted to stop reading, but the Spirit of the Lord compelled me to STOP turning my back.  I have spent many years in my COMFORT turning my back or plugging my ears; as if the cries of orphans and widows wasn't all around me.  How?  The same as many others...  i am blessed to live in a place that i can come into MY house, and close MY blinds and turn off MY tv and radio and act as if bad is not happening.  But what i am afraid of, is that what i have chosen for years to do with my blessings is not pleasing to MY GOD!

I want to be a blessing to my Father today, i want to bring Him Glory at all cost.  I want to see with His eyes and Act with His Compassion, I want to love those He loves.  To do this just might mean to go against the will of the majority!  It might even mean being ridiculed and singled out but... I think it sounds adventurous and i know from experience that going with God is always the MOST AMAZING trip...  So... I think i'll go, You up for it?    LeAnn

Summer Fun :)

Fun in the sun with friends!  

 

 Even Cookie hung out with us! 

 Jordan on the other hand is out of the pool for a little while. 

We are definitly enjoying the Summer and all the good ol lazy family days!  We are Summer kind of family!

I am so sorry i have been so weak in my updates, but i have had to process all the set backs and take time to let God heal my heart. 

I wish i could say i knew when we would be traveling but i honestly don't.  It is completely in the government of So America's hands now.  And everything seems to be a slow process :)

I continue to focus on the sovereignty of God and that His timing is perfect!  He is never in a hurry and has all the time in the world, so... i will just have to rest in the truth. 

We are completely ready for the boys whenever God allows us to travel to get them.  In the meantime He is doing some pretty cool stuff within the orphanage there.  Can't wait until i can share!!

As we are in the wait, we will continue to enjoy the Summer Sun and lazy days by the water.  It thrills my heart to say that the boys are spending this month with families so they too are having Summer fun! 

God is continuing to mold and shape us all as He prepares us for thier Homecoming.  I am not exaggerating when i say He is ROCKING our world. 

i will share with you when i get to a place that i can articulate what is going on within :)  Please bear with me!

I love you friends, and am so thankful for your prayers!  LeAnn

He is preparing us all...

The term "anyday now" has become quite a laugh around our house.  We have had alot of "anyday nows" as we've sat in a wait for a long period of time, however, God has done a work in our hearts.  Not one of the Newsom clan is the same. 

As God has opened our minds and hearts to the cry of orphans, we do not ever want to go back to who we were 16 months ago, 8 months ago or even 4 weeks ago.  As we have sat in the wait, God has impressed His word upon our hearts about His love for the widows, orphans and oppressed.  As i have cried out on behalf of my children all the way across the ocean, the Lord has placed the sound of many more in my ears. 

Knowing what i know now, understanding the statistics i now understand and seeing God's Word for what it means in my life, i can no longer be silent as millions of kids go to bed every night with NO earthly mommy and daddy and NO voice.  It is a blessing to live where i live with an undeserved privilege of being able to speak freely for those who cannot.  So i will not take it for granted.   He has been preparing our family our whole lives for "such a time as this". 

This week in Bible study i shared a saying i read in the book "A Hole in the Gospel" by Richard Sterns that said, "It's not the size of the dog in the fight that matters; it's the size of the fight in the dog."

Well i can guarantee you our household has gotta lot of fight!  Hope you'll join us!  LeAnn