Category Archives: Day in the Life So–we started our day on such a GREAT note–and I truly feel it has to be linked on how we ended our day yesterday. Wow. I feel like my summer days are each a lifetime as we cover so much ground. If you have adopted a teenager before from another country, you know how hard […] I haven’t been able to blog the last couple of days–because honestly I haven’t known what to say or how much of any of our last 2 days I would want to document. They have been very stressful, and some of the more difficult days of my 8 years of parenting. And parenting a teenager […] Beautiful, Andrea!! Simply beautiful. May you find rest every night to start your new tomorrows. Praying for all of you for the most enriched and blessed summer thus far. I so enjoyed reading this post! We met at a dinner at Karen Lim’s house a year or so ago and you met my 2 Ukrainian miracles. They were younger than T when we adopted them, about 7 and 8, but wow! did we have some doozy days. The stories I could tell… I can now laugh at those stories, but at the time my husband and I were NOT laughing. As you described, they had NO boundaries and I mean NONE and did not speak one lick of English. But, they didn’t have the teenage angst going on, so I can only imagine how that adds to the difficulty! Anyway, I just wanted to comment and say that T landed in a wonderful home that will undoubtedly shape who she will become. You are her miracle! You are in my prayers as you walk through the next few weeks with her. Truly. Praying for protection for your little ones & T. T may be grieving as she sees the love that you shower on your children stirring up jealousy. Her reality may be rife with abuse & neglect so it is easier for her to create her own fairy tale. Her need to be close to you solidifies that she is feeling fearful & insecure. Praying for discernment so that you will be alert during her interactions with your little ones & yet be able to minister to her heart. Praying that God will give you a clear picture of how to fill her heart with the love that she may reject but so desperately needs. Take heart & stay strong! Just read this. So precious. Just wanted to encourage you to keep pressing on in the strength of the Lord. Love this Christy Nockles song. Hope it “revives” you for a new day! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsVd2LexR88&feature=youtube_gdata_player Wonderful post! She is pushing boundaries, isn’t she? Wondering how she fits into all of this? You are doing a fantastic job showing her Christ’s unconditional love. So many of us who have adopted “older” children can relate to your thoughts and emotions here. In all honesty, there were times that I wanted to RUN from the extremely difficult road I was on – that feeling is actually pretty common in all of us. But, when we persevere…with God holding us up…we grow into maturity. So many times God uses experiences to grow and love and shape many of us…He is pouring love into T, He is teaching your children what unconditional love looks like as they watch you, and He is growing you to look more like Him. So often, we as adodpted children, shout orders at God, pout, tell lies…and He patiently waits for us to crawl into His lap for a hug and a word of love. We are all like T…and He is using this experience to teach many of us. Thanks for so honestly sharing. We’ve adopted 3 children in the past 2 years. Our oldest child age 10 has been home for just a year and I can so relate to the walls you speak of. Our first days home were certainly a challenge emotionally–but oh the beauty of the break throughs. One year home and what a difference! One day at a time–keep giving love and keep praying. All things are possible for Him! Can I just say I.GET.THIS! I won’t go into detail but we experienced some of the very same things with our son from Congo. He WISHED so badly that some things were true that it took him a VERY long time to ‘come clean’ about his reality. Loving someone from a very hard place is difficult to say the least. Keep on keepin’ on!!! Blessings!!! I have been following your blog (because of god but found through pinterest) for some time but have never commented. I just want to thank you for sharing so openly and allowing me to be a part of what God is doing. I excitedly check for a new post every day! A few years ago, as a 28 year old single God called me to foster a 17 year old girl. I may not understand the language barrier but much of what you recount, I also experienced. The days are long and can be hard but God is so good. He works all things together for good. Just as I continue to love and pray for my “A” that she would understand and accept the love of our God, I pray the same for your T. Your family is a beautiful picture of God and you touch more lives than you could ever know. Continue to stand firm in Christ Jesus. God gave me a verse this morning and it was meant for you. Isaiah 42:16…good in every version, but most powerful in The Message! She’s lucky to have been chosen by such a loving family. Willing to sacrifice and DO the hard with her! I’ve noticed some of our other host kiddos have not been so lucky! Keep on keeping on Andrea! You and Richard are probably the only ones in her life that haven’t given up on her! You’re making a huge impact on her life!! You inspire me. I have a daughter who was adopted at age 8. She is now 16. She has her struggles as a 16 year old, but also has adoption issues. I often cry out to GOD and tell HIM I don’t know what to do, I don’t know how to best parent her, how do I take her pain away. And the answer is to just love her, tell her a million times a day how much she is loved and cherished~~even when she is being a pain and testing every ounce of patience I have. She still often lies in an effort to make the ideal life. She told one of her friends that my oldest was adopted (not true) and that she was my bio daughter. Keep loving on all of your children. It is the only way. There are just 2 things I will say… 1. Age appropriate. When you bring a 15 year old who has lived without parents, boundaries and love for 15 years–you should expect the behavior of a little/big one who has lived without this for 15 years. 2. Momma said there’d be days like this…so–stuff your face […]  Sooo…today we started our day by heading over to my dear friend Susan Hillis’s home. (That is AFTER we had our now usual–scrambled eggs and toast!) Susan is my dear friend who speaks fluent Russian–so I knew we’d get knee deep today spending the day really getting to know one another. AND we were planning […] Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!! So excited for her and the opportunity that she has to be with Christ-followers. And what a joy to be able to sit and share and pray with Susan. Blessings abounded today! Thank you for sharing. I feel your supermom pain!!! Love the journey you are on and thank you for letting us all be a part of it! What a valuable lesson for all! I see the touch of God all over this!! Each one of these entries has brought me to tears! What a precious girl! So amazing that you have Susan there to help all of you through this. Praying for you as you love on sweet t! Andrea, what a FULL day! In every way. This is an adventure of a life time in God– and you haven’t even had to leave your home! I just love this because I see that God is busy blessing and impacting Tatyana for eternity, but He is also clearly doing a really great work in your family as well. Think of how this summer will inform the way your children think about life– I just love that! So glad Kristina could join you all. She really enjoyed it and said that Tatyana is a very nice girl and that she is really happy being with you all. I pray now that all of God’s Good Purposes for your family and T this summer come to pass! I am loving the updates! And, by the way, as a piano teacher, I was a little miffed by the idea that her calluses would be from playing the piano. hehehe.  We started our day today by cracking LOTS of eggs. I felt pretty certain eggs are in international breakfast hit–and sure enough…pulled those bad boys out and saw a huge smile and a head shaking up and down. Score! Eggs and chocolate covered strawberries (Thank you Boyce family for surprising us with this package of […] I am a 7th grade teacher {near Seattle} I wanted to let you know of a GREAT app for iPhones called “Say Hi” I think I paid $1 for it after a new student came to my school speaking NO English whatsoever. It was a fabulous mobile way to communicate and has a large number of languages available. I’ve been a long time reader {this is my first time commenting, however} and I am SO glad to hear how things are working out with T 🙂 My husband and I worked in a Children’s Home for 2 years. I so know what you are saying about there just not being enough of you to go around and how your heart yearns to give out love to overflowing to every child. I always love to read your blog because you are so transparent in the way that you share your heart. Thank you for sharing T with us for the summer and yourself and your family with us always. As always Andrea, thank you for sharing your heart! And for continuing to inspire us to stretch outside our comfort zones. Your life is truly a beautiful example of a servant heart! Hi Andrea, I rarely comment but read often. I am so thankful you are sharing this experience with all of us. I wish you happy days and restful nights. Hey! We’re a fellow hosting family out in Lawrenceville! I started reading your blog after ordering a shirt from Wiphan for my sister-in-laws back in February when we signed up to host. It’s been such a blessing to read about your experiences. I’ve been challenged and moved by the Lord. This post really hit home. My oldest (6 year old son) was watching Toms and my husband throw the stick to the dog this morning when I realized that he was wiping away his tears. We’ve talked to them so much throughout this process about how the Lord has called our family to share what we have. As he was wiping away his tears, I realized that it was hitting his precious heart. My boy was sharing his most prized earthly possession with this sweet boy…his Daddy! Love and admire your willingness to do hard Andrea…it is beautiful. “To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.” Colossians 1:29 |
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Ive followed your blog ever since we purchased some material from created for care. Your heart is inspiring. I know that what Jesus calls us to do can be so hard at times. The Lord will bless your family through this amazing experience!! And He will especially bless her life!
Love your honesty and your heart! Praying for these next 4 weeks and that T finds a family to call hers forever-Amanda