What does it look like to be God's Hands and feet?

This is a picture of 5 moms who helped at this weekend's resale. They represent 20 adopted children. Isn't that awesome?


Be God's hands and feet. That's something we've all heard before, but what does it really mean? Many times it is used when talking about doing something grand like being a missionary in some far off land, or donating some huge amount of money to a good cause. This weekend, I saw people actually being His hands and feet and we didn't leave Joliet.
My dear friend Cindy and her husband are persuing the adoption of an 8 year old HIV+ girl named Irena who lives in Ukraine. They have stepped out in faith to be her family and bring her home. How is it stepping out in faith to bring her home? The day they said yes, they did so knowing that they had 0 of the $27,000+ that they need in order to make it happen. You see, they are opperating under the impression that if it is HIS WILL IT IS HIS BILL. That's right, God is never going to ask you to do something and not provide the way to do it.
This weekend, we saw God make good on this promise.
Tim and Cindy had a rummage sale. In three weeks time, they sent out a mass email asking their friends to donate any items they no longer needed. Her church, Harvest Bible Chapel Joliet, donated the use of their gym to hold the sale. Many, Many friends dedicated their time helping organize, lable, paint signs, handle the check-out process, baby sit children, boil hotdogs for hungry workers, deliver large items that had been purchased, etc.
It was awesome. In 2 days, the sale generated over $4000, an ammount we hope will be matched by a grant from Lifesong.
This is what it looks like to be His hands and feet. It is seeing a need and meeting that need. Meeting this need here, helping with this sale, meets a need far away, Irena needs a loving family and a home.
In about 3 weeks, everything that didn't sell at this sale will be used at another sale in Mokena. This one will be to benefit the Kocis family. They are seeking to adopt a sibling group of 3 from Ethiopia. Her future 16ish year old son has a prosthetic leg and hearing loss. He also has 2 younger sisters, aged 12 and 9. They also need a loving family and a home. The Kocis family needs about $30,000 to make it happen. The sale after that will be in Crown Point, Indiana, to benefit the Lewis family who hope to adopt 4 HIV+ girls from Ukraine, and so it goes.
These families adopting these children, these friends donating items and working at these events, this is what it looks like to be God's hands and feet!

If you live in the South Suburbs of Chicago and feel your hands and feet itching to work, contact me to donate items for the resale, or if you just want to donate some money, I can tell you where to send that as well.

Something to pray about

I had opportunity to make a new contact today. Her name is Becky and she works with the Russian Orphan Lighthouse Project. They regularly arrange trips for older Russian children to connect with American families who wish to adopt them. The recent H1N1 epidemic has temporarily halted the children's trips here, so Americans are traveling to Moscow to meet and spend time with the children. At the last minute, these children were added to Becky's list of children to place. They are the first HIV+ children she has been asked to assist, so she contacted Project Hopeful for some education and assistance. I was able to provide her with helpful information and she asked if there was anything else I could do.
It is my pleasure to share these deserving children with you. Will you join me in prayer and help advocate for them?




Meet Yuliana (girl) and Artem (boy). They are 5 and a half year old orphans from Russia. They are not twins, but are available to be placed together and are both HIV+. Aside from this health issue, they have no delays and are otherwise as healthy as can be expected.
They are yearning for a family.
If you have a passport and immediate time off, you could go to Moscow to meet them this March 25th through the 31st.

I am not kidding.

You can go.

NOW!

The cost of this first trip would be not more than $1600. I have included information from their flier at the bottom of this email.

I know it's short notice, but I also know we have a mighty Heavenly Father who delights in the unanticipated. What is miraculous to us is commonplace to Him.

I am not the only one advocating for these children. The team of people praying strongly believe that someone will step forward in the next 24 hours so they could make this March trip. If this doesn't happen, there will be a trip in June.
Contact me or Becky- her information is below.
What ever is on your heart, please be praying for these lovely children who need a family.

*****************************************************
This March, visit Russia and spend time with a Russian orphan! Travelers will choose a child, fly to Russia as a group, meet and spend time with the child in Moscow, sightsee together, and decide whether to pursue the child’s adoption. Travelers not interested in adoption are welcome to join us. Single boys and girls, ages 7-14, and sibling groups, ages 6-15, are available. The Lighthouse Project will arrange transportation in Russia, lodging, activities, and most meals. Sightseeing plans include Red Square, St. Basil’s Cathedral, and other culturally appropriate activities. Cost depends on which lodging option is selected, but ranges between $1250-1550 per person, including airfare, assuming double occupancy. This is more cost-efficient than making a “first trip” to visit a child in the standard, two-trip adoption procedure. Basic paperwork includes an application and a statewide background check. Those deciding to adopt will complete the requisite paperwork in the US, returning to Russia to finish their adoption in one trip six to nine months later. For more information, please contact trip coordinator Becky De Nooy at (616) 245-3216, or visit www.lhproject.com or www.RussianOrphanLighthouseProject.blogspot.com.

Visitors (also known as "The Madness Continues")

So we have some baby chickens. Only for one more day. They were visitors for a week. We hatched eggs at Classical Conversations.
It is a bit more madness, but really, who gets to have baby chickens?
Just another benefit of home school.

It kind of snuck up on me!

How did it happen?
This is certainly not something I planned.
Even my mom is shocked.
I woke up one morning to discover that I live in a zoo.
Not my kids behave like animals and this feels like a zoo.
An actual zoo.
Actually, it could be called a Rodent zoo.
It all started with a cat. For a very long time it was only the cat. Cats are normal. No one blinks at a cat.
Then we got a bird.
Still doing ok. It is a hand fed cockatiel. She is beautiful and funny and steals your breakfast. (it seems a little canibalistic that she likes eggs...)
Ok, some people are a little creeped out by birds, but still within the bounds of normal.
Enter the hamsters.
They are small- Russian dwarf hamsters, but there are four of them. And one got loose. And we have not yet apprehended the renegade rodent. And it has been replaced, so tecnically 5 hamsters, but only 4 are accounted for.
And then...

Bunnies.

Two bunnies.

I don't even pretend that they belong to the kids. They are mine. Well, mine and Scott's.

We love them. They are named Butterscotch and Smokey. They are soft and cute and have a hard time hopping on the wood floors and sure they are little poop machines but they sure do make me smile so that means there are 8 maybe 9 pets in the house. That is not so bad is it?