Have you ever had a full plate–and it just seemed or felt like it was just too much? Look at the portions individually…and each looked exciting and tackle-able. (Is that even a word?) But all together–it would take a miracle to handle well. God will never give you more than you can handle is a […]
The Young Family Farm »
Author Archives: adminit’s been a full january…and we have 1 of 2 created for care adoption momma retreats under our belts. IT WAS ANOTHER AMAZING RETREAT! we had tona ottinger, carissa woodwyk and amy monroe share during the main sessions and about 20 AMAZING mommas come share for breakouts. it really was an amazing retreat. the day […] Believing with you for a miracle! Can’t wait to ‘meet’ sweet little Zeke! Oh how you sweet boy touch my heart today! My husband and I are awaiting the birth of our sweet boy in May through adoption. Thank you for your blog and the song …MADE MY DAY!!! I have been reading your blog for over 2 years, but never taken the time to comment, though often I am blown away by what we seem to have in common. So, today I end my blog-stalking! I remember laying on the couch in pre-term labor with my twins and my 2 year old daughter got her plastic guitar and started singing that song to me. It was God’s perfect message for me that day. Just wanted to let those of you praying for the host children I recently posted about know some BIG, EXCITING news! Edgars now has a family!!! I’ve been communicating with her–and we are going to help them fundraise as they recently just completed another international adoption and will need support from others to make it […] Of course I’ll pray for a May homecoming!! I know God wants us to pray boldly!! With man these things are impossible, but nothing is impossible with GOD!!! Hey Andrea! Joli here (mama to 5, going on 6 – 4 of whom are from China)…I’ve always heard that it is fine to post pictures after you receive PA. ?!?!?? hi andrea, i just LOVE your blog and have actually been following for a couple of years now. 🙂 my husband and i are adopting a little girl from Uganda. right now, we are waiting for a court date to travel. our girl turns two in June. I too want so badly to meet her before her 2nd birthday!! I share your heart, and just wanted to tell you. 🙂 hannah I sink my heels in and move the dirt back and forth. I press the weight into each foot as I slowly grind my feet back and forth. The waters have come–there’s no doubting from where–and while I’m tempted to cover my eyes and scream, “Just tell me when it is over!” or run and […] Thank you, Andrea! This really ministered to my heart this morning. We feel God calling us to say “yes” to something that is yet to be a reality. Our hands are tied right now. We are on the bench, ready to play, and but begging God to say “it’s your turn!” Just having to wait on His timing right now and His will. It is hard, but so good to be reminded that He’s got this and He goes before us and hems us in behind. Have you heard the new Chris Tomlin song, “Whom Shall I Fear?”. Stop what you are doing and listen right now! Here is a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOkImV2cJDg Allison 🙂 I’ve never met you, Andrea, but I’m cheering you on! I pray you feel encouraged and energized as the Lord walks you through each trial and strengthens you to do His work. You’re an inspiration! praying praying praying!!!!!! <3 <3 <3 Just wanted to say thank you for your honesty!!! My husband and I have had a tough two years but God was always there even when I wondered why he was silent. The week of Christmas we were matched with a amazing birthmom in our adoption process. With our sweet boy due in May I cannot wait to sign up for the conference for next year and I am praying I will have several other mamas with me who are feeling the call to adopt. Thanks for your continued encouragement…you are AWESOME:) Oh, friend, I am sobbing reading this. tears of JOY over what God is doing through you, tears of felt pain, because I feel that same struggle here too, tears of hope!!! Praying over you now more than ever as I know personally how C4C has changed my life and I am forever thankful! Thank you for allowing God to use your struggles (and triumphs) to speak truth into so many others! I needed this word today! Praying for God’s provision … can’t wait to see how He shows up at the retreat in less than two weeks! Ohh how beautiful!!! Thanks for sharing your heart!! Lots of love! Today, I worked out for the first time since my Lyme diagnosis (after 7 months of being misdiagnosed). This month, my husband and I are dedicating ourselves to praying specifically and seeking God’s plan for how to start our family. My heart longs to adopt, even if we can beat the infertility odds. PRAYING HARD for your family! Again I say REJOICE because the enemy has reason to attack you. He has seen your coach and HE WILL WIN!!!! Just what I needed-a true message from God. When we follow Him, He will almost certainly lead us where the water is too deep for us to tread alone so that we will depend on Him. Let us not listen to the enemy’s lies that we are in too deep for Jesus, but instead, cling to the one that has already one this battle and will keep us afloat. Yes, STAND FIRM! Andrea, your words have resonated so deeply with me today! I’ve been journaling about this very thing lately and am so encouraged by this post!! thank you for sharing! As Rachel said, we are so blessed by your obedience! Thank you, sweet sister, for sharing these powerful words. I am praying for your family- standing with you and rejoicing that we are more than overcomers in Him who has overcome the world. The same power that raised Christ from the grave dwells in you! I am excited to follow along and read about all the beautiful things our Father does in and through your sweet family! Blessings!! Oh Andrea, LOVE this post! Needed your words today. I’m not a tattoo kind of gal–but if I ever get one it would be this post (in a really little font). Okay, perhaps just “I will not be moved” in a really pretty script. 🙂 We are also adopting (from China) and are feeling a bit beaten up. There are days that I want God to let me rest on the bench a while, days that I wonder if I’m cut out to play at all. Spiritual warfare is real–I have seen it, I have felt it, I have fought it. I’m standing with you now–ugly high tops and all. Yes, game on! I’ll be at C4C next week and can’t wait to give you a hug. Thank you for your courage and your obedience. I’m praying for God’s provision in all situations and healing for your son. Much love to you!  As the New Horizon for Children hosting program comes to a close, these precious children are preparing to return to their orphanages in Latvia. MANY of the children hosted by their families will be adopted, but there are several whose host family’s new they were unable to adopt–yet they felt called to host them over […] I did notice that you put (even bolded) – There are no requirements other than each parent must be 18 years older than the child….but that is just it…you are missing one…you said “each” and in other parts of this and another post about adopting..you said “both”…meaning you have to be married. You can’t be a single parent. So that would mean there is more than just the “age” requirement. I think it is awesome that many of these kids are finding their forever families, but I really hope that the only reason the other children aren’t being adopted is because the family hosting them is homeless, and jobless. Otherwise, I can’t understand how these children, who need parents, could possibly be sent back. Jesus never sends us back ever. I really hope that every single one of these children end up with a family!~ Marie–singles can also adopt from Latvia!! So you are also eligible!!! I have sat on the phone for an hour today with one of these precious host moms who put her host son back on a plane for Latvia today. She is heart broken. She is grieving and hurting. However, she heard the call to LOVE on this child – she begged the Lord to make it clear if they were to adopt him – and neither she nor her husband feel they are being led to adoption. Should that have kept them from hosting? Absolutely not! They gave the child a trip to remember, precious memories, planted the seeds of Jesus in his heart, invested in his life, told him that he was LOVED by God, showed him the love of a family. Now today, they sit in Virginia with a little boy that changed them forever heading back to Eastern Europe. She will advocate for him to find her forever family. She will fight for him. She will stand in his corner. She will pray for him and cheer him on. They only signed up to be a host family. The Lord is writing this story – not us – if it had been us, there wouldn’t be a need for hosting or orphanages – because the kids would be with their first families. Jesus in on the pages; the story is being written. He has a plan – and it’s bigger than what we might expect. All of these children are precious, but that sweet Viktors has a place in my heart. He has captivated me. His host mom and I have hearts that are intertwined and committed to finding this boy his forever family – may Jesus’ Name be written on the pages of the stories of every one of these kids. May God allow my words to be perceived with the humility, love and tenderness I intend to convey. Respectfully, I mean no harm to Lynn, but I’m shocked and sad to read her statement, “I have other adopted teens and I wish I could switch out for this guy!”. Children are people. People are not objects or possessions for which we can trade in. I don’t know Lynn, so I realize it is possible she was teasing. I am an adoptive mommy of 8 blessings, including 2 teens and 2 preteens. We have fun and tease and joke around with each other alot, but not about our love for or devotion to each other. Speaking for our own children, they have been through so much doubt, rejection, insecurity and hurt in their past. There are areas of their hearts and minds that I think will always be fragile. They don’t need to ever wonder about their parents’ love or their commitment to them. Thank you for listening. ~Growing in grace, Melissa *Ps 113:9 * II Cor 9:6-8 * […] I am sharing a wonderful, important post from, Babe of My Heart, that can change lives forever!!! Please click, read and share on Facebook, Twitter, email, […] Just letting you know I’ve linked up with you here, http://bonesinmyheart.wordpress.com/2013/01/12/will-you-please-help/ and also shared your post on facebook and twitter! Yay! Spreading the word! I would definitely be interested in this. Not sure how to go about doing this. We are in process of completing our homestudy for domestic foster/adopt, because out of country adoptions were just very pricey and I do not have the budget for the travel time and expenses to go back and forth and back and forth through all of the red tap and such. How does this work? Is it easier to adopt through hosting? What joy filled my heart when I saw Maija posted on here! She was my host child this Christmas and what a blessing she was to our family. We are not in a position to adopt, but have prayed daily for a forever family for her. She has been so tender and sweet to my 5 and 6 year old with amazing patience. My daughter adored having her in our home and will have a forever big sister. There is so much love in my heart for her and I am so blessed to have been a part of her life for 4 weeks. I have daily contact with her through email and skype. She wants a forever family so badly. I pray there is someone out there that feels the Lord’s calling to choose her! If you are interested in her and have questions, please let me know. She is a remarkable young lady with a bright future ahead. Terina – I know your heart was in the right place when you made those statements, but it is not that simple. I do as the Lord calls me to do. I walk in obedience with Him. He did not call me to adopt my host child. I will NOT do as I please, but as the Lord calls me to do. I prayed every day before, during, and now as to my role in her life. The world will always have their own opinion, but I only worry about what God thinks of me. I can not make decisions based on what others tell me to do. I am hoping and praying that her forever family is out there. Maybe it’s you! That would be wonderful! I pray that you are open to God’s calling in this. |
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by admin
So glad this song speaks to you too Andrea! I love the picture of God shaping the portions we have, rather than ourselves or others. It is so true that He is right there when we fall– we don’t have to clean ourselves up first, or “get our act together.” So good! I think you are carrying your God-shaped portions beautifully!
Thank you so much for posting this message today! You have no idea how bad I needed to hear it today! My daugther is almost four weeks old and I am loving every minute that I am able to be home with her while on maternity leave. That being said I am feeling extremely hormonal and exhausted and was having just a rough day until I read your post. God knows what we need even we don’t. Have a blessed day!
Mimi
I love this. I admire the way you handle your portions. I can relate to how others try to shape them. Lovely post Andrea.
I couldn’t agree more!! I used to love that quote “God will never give you anything you can’t handle”…. Until I really thought about it! I think He wants to give us all sorts of things we can’t handle, so HE can show Himself mighty on our behalf!! On our strength we can do nothing…. but we can do ALL things through HIM who strengthens us!
Thanks for sharing your heart on this blog- He is definitely using your words!
I’ve been coming to the same realization lately. It came on so slowly that I didn’t even realize it was happening – taking on everything all by myself and feeling hopeless and helpless all the time. What freedom comes when we hand the heaping tray over to Him. Lovely post. Thank you. 🙂