Category Archives: Love Big Today was the daddy daughter dance for my man and his little girl–and it was Loo-bear’s FIRST daddy daughter dance EVER. Sweetness. Of course procrastination mommy waited until today to buy her a dress…so after we finished our school work today, we loaded up and while the babes were in preschool–we hit a few stores. […] Do you know how good it felt to type that title? Blessed Be His Name. (A few of you who know my heart lately are already smiling reading this;). Three weeks ago tonight–was a tough night for this momma. Several dear friends who had lost little ones to miscarriage emailed me to send me a […] I understand your heart as we lost our first precious one 13 years ago. I still remember all the “firsts” and bursting into tears without warning. My precious one will always be in my heart and memory, and I have confidence that I will see my little one and have an eternity in heaven to spend with her. I do not claim to understand all of God’s ways, but I do have to trust that He works all things for our good. Blessings to you today. I do not want to take away from your pain, your hopes and your dreams you share on this blog. I just want to tell you about my neighbors child years ago when she and my kids went to high school. She had dyslexia and was put in “resource class” for all of her school years. She became the valedictorian of her class:). Dyslexia is not a big handicap, just another little bump to overcome. This post truly encouraged my heart. Thank you for being vulnerable and modeling faith and trust in all circumstances. We are currently waiting on news about the potential of twin girls from China (special needs). The road to children continues to be long, but so worth the pain to grow closer to God. Thanks for your blessing. I LOVE this post! Thank you for sharing your heart. Thank you for sharing your struggles. Thank you for sharing His glory! I love you! I love you! Thank goodness we have the Lord to steady our hearts. This journey of adoption or life may not be how we planned it, but He moves mountains and makes miracles. He will carry us through. I can’t wait to look back in 10 years to see how He ended up shaping our families and what countries we’ve lived in. Thank you for sharing your heart and life with all of us!! Covering you in prayers…….words just don’t seem to mean a whole lot. I do however love that song Steady my Heart! Beautiful! Just praying…… We too lost a little girl 6yrs ago at about 17 weeks along. Sometimes it actually takes my breath away that I can miss someome so desperately that I never even knew…. I too take comfort in knowing she is waiting for us in Heaven. I have been a Christian for a long time, but am ashamed to say I never longed for Heaven until we lost her. I think of her and miss her daily. Prayers for you, may peace that passes understanding surround you… Andrea – we sang this song by Matt Redman in church this morning. I thought of you. “Never Once” – Matt Redman  …all the while–as they were in Ukraine…their little girl from Ukraine…was just up the street from their home…surrounded by many they also know…who were praying for a miracle… When we decided to host in February–and we decided to host a child that was aging out…I had a feeling we’d all fall in love with her […] Oh my word… God is SO GOOD! I am in tears for T and her Momma and Poppa! I am in tears for you and your family and all those that had the chance to love her BIG this summer! I am in tears at just how gracious and powerful and merciful and loving our God really and truly is. What a miracle! I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to pray for all of you. Thank you. And I almost forgot… GO JACKETS! I have loved walking through this with your family via the blog!! Praying for smooth transitions and sweet moments and praising God for how His plans are so perfect! Do I foresee T’s story in book form to raise funds for your ministry? Amazing…simply amazing. Wish I could share this story with the world! I can’t read any of your posts anymore without crying!!! God is so good, and His plans for T and her family (and your family) are so perfect! Praising Him for His goodness and faithfulness!!! This has been an AMAZING blog to follow, and the story of Tetianya has been giving me goosebumps all summer. I’m so, so excited to see the work of God through people who are willing to follow Him. It’s always so encouraging, so thank you. Incidentally, I wonder if you would identify closely with the following post from Jen Hatmaker? http://jenhatmaker.com/blog/2012/08/21/the-truth-about-adoption-one-year-later based on some comments you’ve made throughout your blogging about adopting. I hold on to the truth-telling desperately as we are on the cusp of beginning foster care. Scared out of my ever-loving mind, when I hear the truth and see how God has worked in it, I feel more grounded to see exactly how He faithfully provides in every. single. situation. Thank you so much! Just keeps getting more and more wonderfully bizarre! I love this story because watching God pursue T has been such a reminder that He pursues me too. He lavishes love on us for no reason other than He delights in us. Can’t wait to hear more : ) No one writes a better story than God!!! Thank you for documenting this MIRACLE! I’ve read every word about this sweet girl and am jumping for JOY! God is so good! One of my dearest friends is adopting “Dz” and that’s how I found your blog. My husband & I are hoping to host in the future and we have a heart for these older children. Thanks for sharing your life and your little birds!! Wow. I have followed T’s story and fell in love with this precious daughter of the King. To see His miraculous plan unfold for her life brings me to tears. God is going to use this special girl…His hand is upon her life…no doubt about it! Oh my glory, Andrea! (I’ve been itching to write that :)) I was looking forward to following your story day by day this summer but we had a bunch of curve balls thrown in our lives and I didn’t end up with much computer time. I’ve seen snippits and hints here and there and was thankful to finally have a chance to catch up. I spent a good part of last night and this morning reading your blog. Andrea, I’ve laughed and I’ve cried and I’m sitting here with goosebumps as I see how God used you and blesssed you and how God’s plan for T and Andra and Travis unfolding. One of y’all needs to write a book! What a testimony of obedience and God’s faithfulness and goodness! Will definitely be praying this week. Love you and your precious family–and have fallen in love with T, too! xoxo Goosebumps!!! I have so enjoyed following your summer with T and am amazed at what is happening with her adoption!! Yahoo!!!!!! When you are called to just love big… I’ve been MIA lately sharing my heart–because much of what is going on in my heart and on my mind has to do with our being on our knees and daily updates really with T…that I haven’t been able to share. Much still has to happen, but […] I am wiping away tears!! I hoped this was your great news! I can’t wait to hear more!!! Praise God!!!! Amazing, just amazing! Only God! What an amazing start to my week, Andrea….time in the Word and then reading your blog. I have goosebumps and tears and I am so in AWE of our Father and His love! I can’t wait to hear the rest of the story. So VERY excited to read this. I have been checking obsessively all weekend 🙂 YAY! God is so good! (I only know you through this blog and I just fell in love with your family.) My husband and I actually looked into hosting this past summer because of your blog. We were unable to because of a mission trip we already had planned. We were in Mexico on this mission trip when the kiddos would have arrived. So we are hoping and praying that possibly next summer will be the time to do it! 🙂 I just have to say that I’m a teacher and today is my first day of work and your blog post is going to make me late! 🙂 Have a great day! So excited for T, her family, your family (especially your Dad, he’s amazing) and all of her friends! God is LOVE. WOW!!! So happy for all of you! We know T’s new momma! I am overwhelmed by your story….what can I possibly say here? I have a sense of a big hug for all of you…. not in a trivial kind of way but like a huge warm blanket. Much love to you all. Amazing. God is so good! What an amazing story!!!!! Only God! I stand in AWE! Love & Blessings, Kim Awesome! I’m thankful that T has a forever family! I wish all children did, and that the families they have will be Christians who love God and will share that love with the children. I heard just yesterday of an adopted child who is punished by being made to stand outside in the horrible weather for bad behavior! Why adopt, then, abuse??? I too have been waiting to hear this!! I am so thrilled, I really cannot express just how much and how moved to tears I am by this story! Glory to God!!!! It is also such an encouragement to me as I am also being told to Wait and Trust Me!!! Tears streaming as I read!!! GOD IS GOOD! What a beautiful, incredible story that ONLY He could write!! Amazing!! I cannot wait to read more!!! 🙂 AMAZING! So happy for T, her new family, your family and everyone involved! I’ve loved reading about your hosting all summer, and this is such a glorious ending! Weeping over here! Such wonderful news and tremendous evidence of the power of God! In the words of Paul Harvery, can’t wait to hear the rest of the story and see the homecoming pics! God is AWESOME! This is just wonderful! My heart is beating so hard for all of you involved! My family will keep praying for you all! I pray she makes it back here safely, and adjusts quickly! This is just one of the greatest stories! So wonderful! Crying my eyes out at the Lord’s love & faithfulness! x Totally blown away and amazed at the outcome of this story! Wow Princess T has an amazing story of God’s love! Wow!! Such great and amazing news. I’m so thankful that T will have a family and be so close to you and your family. I love it when God waits until the final hours (well, at least when I’m not the one waiting 🙂 to reveal the plan–that way, there is absolutely no question that it is HIS plan. Thank you so much for sharing. Jessica Amazing!!!! Praise the Lord!!!! T is coming HOME!!! Ah, Lord God! Thou hast made the heavens and the earth by Thy great power! Hi I can barely see the screen I have so many tears! Thank you so much for sharing T’s story and your summer with us! I love your blog and I can’t wait to hear the rest of the story. Praying hard for T and her forever family! Beauty out of ashes. He is SO SO good. Cannot wait to hear the rest of this story! Some times you go into something thinking you are going to make a difference…and instead–you come out being the one who has changed most of all. I know every person in our family would say this–we are forever changed by the little girl who lived in our home for 5 weeks this summer. We put […] Andrea, I am sure your heart must be grieving in many ways. Thank you for sharing every detail of this journey together. I have enjoyed traveling with you and witnessing God’s miracle from afar. He is not done with the story yet. I believe there is still another chapter waiting to be written……. Have a great loonngg nap!!!! Please tell me what song it is that is in this video. Who sings it? It is beautiful. I noticed it in another video you have of T. She was singing it and could hear you singing it as well. I thought of T, you and your family today. I am sure it was a sad day. I am very sure it is easier said than done, but try to think of it as more of a “see you later” than a “good-bye”. Blessings You have made a difference in this young girl’s life that will grow and spread to others in ways none of us can even imagine today. Thank you for sharing her with all of us. Praying for you all! Cannot wait to see what God does in this sweet girl’s life. What a blessing! I would love to get involved with this. |
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by admin
What a super sweet gift God gave you in unexpectedly sort of ‘shortening’ your time…not that it really is…but in making it feel like it is! That’s so cool! And He can absolutely do May, too!
And what a precious evening it sounds like you each had on your ‘dates’ – the one at school and the one at home!
I have 4 grown daughters and know those feelings that you experienced when dress shopping with them. My oldest daughter always picked out prints that contained the color black. I protested, but my husband gently told me to allow her to be whom God had created her to be. He was such a wise man!
All 4 of my daughters are unique and different in personality….lovely and beautiful inside and out. They are my greatest blessings!
I don’t think I’ve ever commented but I LOVE your blog and I follow you on Facebook… So excited for you! I can’t wait until we are there, our homestudy is done and we are anxiously awaiting our I800A approval. Eeek! Following you makes me realize that this will actually happen and all this waiting is worth it! 🙂 So thank you and keep the good news coming! 🙂
-Erin