From God to Ghana

Quick update

2012-01-22T20:42:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a week!!! Bless' malaria became quickly better with many thanks to each of you for praying for our little guy.

Then, on Friday we read the words we had been waiting for: Your petition for Bless and Joseph has been approved!!!! We have I600 approval for our sweet sons. Now we wait for a visa packet pick up appointment. This can only be done on Wednesdays so our prayer is we can do that this week. Another HUGE step closer to our boys and bringing them home!!!

Lastly, as I was reading Jonah to the three little kids last night they were enthralled. Afterwards, Helen wanted to pray. Now, everyone knows she LOVES to pray and her prayers are MOVING!!! As she spoke these words, my eyes opened and the tears came. What a precious, sweet prayer and so, so true. Thank you, God, for the constant reminders you have placed in my life!

Helen: "Please, God, help the orphans. Please give them food and water. please give them what they need, God. And please bring the orphans into our home so we can love them." - from a 4 year old who lived it and remembers

Laughs and trust

2012-01-14T22:23:00.000-08:00

Today was full of basketball games for Keenan and Samuel and lots of laughs in the middle.

Our baby girl who is constantly "posing". She brightens each day and I cannot imagine a time when she wasn't here. Her girliness shines through and she LOVES to have Sissy (Sydney) paint her nails, which she does at least 5 times a week. Now that is a good sister!! Seriously, though, she is a ball of fire, but worth every second!

Samuel, who had never played basketball until he came home, has become quite the little player. Of course, he has a huge advantage because he plays with Keenan ALL THE TIME. How do you get better FAST??? Play against an older brother who shows NO MERCY!!! He is loving his season and can always be found dancing on the court. :-)

(BTW, this is his cool look as he waits for Keenan's game to start.)

Now, Aiden is a character in himself. As everyone took their turn for a pic, this is what I get. "Wait, Momma, take it like this," all while giggling so hard I thought he would fall flat on his face. That kid makes us all laugh so hard!! And to think how hard we fought just to get him here when I was pregnant with him!!

This morning as I woke I found two missed calls from our Feeding the Orphans volunteer in Ghana. My baby is sick. He has malaria, but thank God he is receiving the treatment he needs. Where did my heart go when she told me? To God. To how He loves him so much more than I do. To the spiritual warfare raging in our home as we follow Jesus. To prayer and to ask for healing over his little body. To the rest of the family that was gathered at the table eating breakfast this morning so we could all pray together. To a hug from Keenan as he told me how surprised he was that I wasn't crying. It is so hard to be away from sick little ones, but the greatest thing I have learned over the last two years and the adoption of these four precious, African children is they are not mine. They are His and I have been given the gift of being their mother. I have prayed over them, laid them in my hands and then laid them at my Father's feet. They are His and I trust Him at all costs. So tonight I pray for my youngest son, the caretakers as they provide what he needs and for my I600 approval that will get us one day closer to our two boys.

Sledding and lots of other fun

2012-01-13T19:56:00.000-08:00

What an amazing day with my kiddos!! Today was the refreshment and laughter we all needed so much. The kids went outside sledding for hours (and no, we didn't have tons of snow, but if the ground is frozen they are out there!!), they laughed, loved one another and just had fun. Their smiles were back. Their fear was gone. Thank you, Jesus!! And thank you, everyone, who has been praying for their hearts!

Tomorrow might be different, but either way we are going to see Jesus' face in all of it!! We are going to see His joy and praise Him through the attacks!!

For now, my babies are all sleeping and I'm going to bed, too.

The joy of the Lord is my strength. - Nehemiah 8:10

Bigger Picture

2012-01-12T23:30:00.000-08:00

The last few days have been difficult. Hard. Our family is under heavy spiritual attack. God has asked us to step out in faith. Again. What option do we have? None because we love Him so intensely. We are excited about the journey in front of us. At times like this, though, the enemy decides to go into overtime. He is working nonstop to deter us. And the hardest part? Watching my babies be under attack. We are speaking truth and love into their hearts, encouraging them to lean upon HIM as He will never leave them nor forsake them. He will stand beside them no matter what. What a beautiful adventure awaits us all!!!

On adoption news, we are still waiting for our I600 approval from the US Embassy in Ghana. We are reminded God has perfect, incredible timing. This precious face reminds me daily.

It is still hard and my heart aches to have them here.

And this sweet boy is having a birthday in February. By only a miracle from our God, he could be home for his 8th birthday. Pray with us, will you?

One more favor. Please join us in praying for our dear sweet friends who have been waiting so long that my heart hurts for them. They are waiting for a court date, for court decrees, for I600 approvals (with us). Please, please pray with us for these precious children who long to be with their forever families. Pray for mommies and daddies whose arms are empty and aching. Pray for brothers and sisters to understand God's perfect love in their wait.

Remind Me Who I Am - Jason Gray

2011-12-06T22:59:00.000-08:00

We were given free tickets to Andrew Peterson's BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD concert last night. What an amazing blessing!!! So Sydney, Keenan and I went while Dad kept the three little kids at home.

The first half of the concert was everyone playing two of their own songs. As the 2nd guy stood up and started playing, I recognized one of my favorite songs. (I am horrible at remembering who plays what and the names of songs.)

Sitting there listening to Jason Gray singing "Remind Me Who I Am", my mind went to the fatherless, to the orphan, to my sons who are orphans NO MORE, to my Heavenly Father who adores me and I was reminded of His great love for ME. And YOU. And each person on this Earth.

He sang the words, "I belong to you," and I saw my precious son running to me with the brightest smile on his face knowing in his heart he belongs to me.

I saw the empty, sad eyes of children just waiting for someone to say YOU BELONG TO ME. I was reminded of the millions of children sitting around the world waiting to belong, to be loved, to be held, to be cherished, to be told the name of JESUS!!!

My heart was overflowing and broken all at the same time. Thankful for a God who moves mountains, who changes hearts, who places the lonely in families, who gives me grace each and every day. Broken for the children who need someone to come, someone to be His hands and feet, someone to remind them who they are and that they belong to a Heavenly Father. Are you the one someone is waiting on?

Shooting Stars and Children

2011-12-05T13:08:00.000-08:00

When my wife came to me and told me she heard from God that we were to adopt two more orphans from Ghana, I thought she had completely lost her mind. (You can read her story here.) When she told me she knew exactly who they were, I was sure she had. She asked me to pray and seek the Lord on His will and I reluctantly agreed to do just that (as we had JUST brought home Samuel and Helen two months before). On a daily basis she would ask what God was telling me about the boys and on a daily basis I told her “I don’t know yet.” I was seeking and wanting to be obedient to what God wanted me to do, but I had to know for sure. This was not, “God, should I take this job?” or “God, should we sell our house?” both very critical things to seek the Lord on. But this was a HUGE decision and I had to be sure Kristie and I were on the same page and that page was ONLY God’s will.

I am a constellation man. Since a child I have thoroughly enjoyed the stars and spent countless nights staring up into God’s vast greatness in awe and wonder.

So one night as I found myself looking up into His heavens, I saw Orion the Hunter, and I heard the Lord say to me

“Happy is he whose quiver is full.”

And I replied, “Yes, Lord, but my quiver fills pretty full with 5 kiddos right now.” Then I started to bargain with God. I told Him if he really wanted us to adopt these two brothers, it would be great if He would send a shooting star across the bow of this constellation, Orion the Hunter. I waited in expectation, but nothing happened. Then I started to walk back inside and I heard the Lord tell me to come back and look up again. I obeyed, and as I looked back at Orion, a shooting star shot straight across his bow! I sat there in bewilderment for a moment, then started to rationalize what I had just seen.

“God, that sure was a small shooting star; and it sure did go fast. I was hoping for something a bit more substantial in the way of shooting stars.”

But no more came that day. As I told my family what had happened, they were ecstatic and confident in the Lord’s will, but Dad needed yet more confirmation from the Lord that this was indeed His will.

A week went by and I was again outside one clear cold night. I was talking with the Lord and telling Him that I was sorry I am like Gideon throwing out my fleece again and again, but I know He is a God of love and mercy and grace and forgiveness. I told my King that if He would just send another large shooting star right now, then I would quit trying to rationalize and understand everything and simply would obey Him and ADOPT the boys. As I said “amen” and looked right in front of me, a HUGE BRIGHT shooting star fell straight down exactly where my eyes were looking. And I could visualize the Lord flinging this star from His fingertip.

I hit my knees and wept. Wept at the confirmation of what I had just received after seeking so long. Wept over two orphans that would no longer be orphans. Wept over my God who is SO loving and faithful and powerful. Wept over my God who answers. - Righ

You can imagine my delight when the Lord connected our hearts, when He answered our prayers. And the excitement as my arms are even more full of joy in the form of 7 beautiful treasures that God chose ME to be a mother to. So if you are out there and you have a heart to adopt and your husband doesn't, it is ok. A little over two years ago, my hubby was adamant we would not adopt. 4 children that are orphans no more later and he knows we are not finished. So pray. Just pray. Pray for our God to intervene and to unite hearts. If you feel like you cannot be a good mother to the children in your home, it is ok. Our God will give you enough strength each day IF you just ask Him, if you lean on Him, if you fully depend on Him. So for Christmas this year all I want is for my boys to come HOME and a Memorial Box. The first thing to go in it? A star. An incredible reminder of how God spoke to my husband about our beautiful Ghanaian sons. - Kristie

This story is such a reminder of God's love for the fatherless and I have been waiting to make it a Memorial Box Monday.

And it began again....

2011-12-01T21:57:00.000-08:00

Twelve and a half months ago, I boarded a plane to Ghana with Sydney. We were on a mission. A mission to bring Samuel and Helen home. To bring them back to the States never to be separated from us again. Our 2nd mission? To love the fatherless, to provide food, clean water and medicine to the children left behind. You see, this is the mission statement for FEEDING THE ORPHANS, God's ministry.

If we give them food, but not Jesus, what have we done? If we give them clothes, but not our Savior, what have we done? Everything is in His name.

As we walked into one of the orphanages to be Jesus and visit Jesus all at the same time, a baby boy was placed in my arms. He stole my heart and I prayed God would provide him a family. I remember holding him, so small and happy, and pleading with God to bring someone to love him forever.....to place him in a momma's arms that will train him to be a warrior for JESUS!!!

I watched Sydney hold him and fall in love with him. And that night, I posted pictures to Facebook. One of my best friends in America saw his picture and her heart was broken, but her husband had not been open to adoption. He wanted to support others, but not put himself there. Yet. This is the same friend who had the dream about a baby boy. You can read that here. As I read her email, I could only think this is the baby in the dream. She emailed again and her husband wanted to know if he was adoptable. I was giddy!!!

We arrived back at the orphanage two days later to say goodbye to the children and give one last hug to them all. Once again, that sweet baby was placed in my arms. This time, all I could think is I will hold him again in America. He will live down the street from me. I will be a part of his life. Thank you, Lord, for giving him a momma!!

Six weeks later, I received an email from Ghana and the baby boy had a brother, a 6 year old brother. My heart sank. My sweet friend had three sons and one daughter. I knew God's plan was a sister for her daughter. I knew this meant they were not the family God had in mind. There truly are no words for the next few days. I mourned over these two boys. I pleaded with God to do something, to bring a family to love them.

As I sat in my chair one afternoon, I heard God say, "You are to adopt those boys." What???? Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute!!! We had gone from a family of 5 to a family of 7 just TWO MONTHS AGO!!! My hubby and I had just decided we would adopt again, but it would be a little while. Again, I heard, "You are to adopt those boys."

Now, I knew my hubby would say NO WAY!!! Don't ask me that, don't talk to me about that! I also knew what my Father was asking of me and I knew I had no choice. I want to live my life for Jesus to the fullest in complete and utter obedience. As I called him on the phone and explained it all to him he said, "Let's pray about it."

Shock, disbelief! God was speaking through him and leading him. I went on to explain it would be two weeks or more before we knew any details of the boys so we had some time. I sat down to pray and to seek His face. My specific prayer was over the oldest brother's name. We had no idea what it was. We only knew his age and had seen his picture. I prayed God would make his name so significant we would not be able to ignore it if he were to be our son.

Within minutes my phone rang. My contact in Ghana was calling with info on the boys. The same info I thought we would receive in two weeks. Oh goodness, I thought we would have more time. As I listened to their story, my heart was broken. Tears came and I prayed for Him to lead us. Or bring the family for the boys.

Then she said, "Kristie, his name is Joseph." This in itself was significant to us. You see, Samuel's birth name was Richard, but during our adoption process during Bible study one morning, God spoke so audibly we were to name him Samuel. I had prayed for a child and told my Lord I would give my child back to him, just as Hannah had done in the Old Testament. Joseph was another Old Testament name and my heart started racing. I felt the Holy Spirit prodding to google the Biblical meaning of Joseph (strange I know). The very first find was,

And she named him Joseph, meaning may He add to you another son. - Genesis 30:24

The tears came harder and faster. God answered my prayer. I asked specifically about the brother's name and He answered. He confirmed in my head what I already knew in my heart. Joseph and Bless were to be my sons. The baby in my friend's dream almost a year ago was my baby, just like she thought. As she scooped that baby out of the water and placed him in my arms in the dream, she is now doing that.

As I phoned my husband and ran through everything, he was not completely on board. He was amazed God had spoken so clearly to me, but now he wanted to hear. For himself. Over the next few weeks, I waited. Some days I was patient, others I was not. I needed my husband to hear SOMETHING. I was convinced maybe he wasn't even praying about it. I became angry with him for not believing me. In reality, he did believe me. He just needed to hear from God himself. As I look back I am so glad he was insistent. I am so glad he did not take my word for it because this was a HUGE step for our family!!

The next portion of the story is better told by him so hopefully he will be ready to share this weekend. God continues to amaze me. As I waited for my husband, continuously God spoke, "These boys will be for my GLORY and for my GLORY alone."

Lord, I thank you that I am given the gift to be the mother of these two precious boys from Ghana.

And how fitting that my dear, sweet friend, Paige, who had the dream of a baby boy almost two years ago was in Ghana with me when I met Joseph for the first time and cradled Bless once again!!

Meet Joseph and Bless O'Leary!!!!!

2011-11-22T17:19:00.001-08:00

Two weeks ago today our world changed forever....we "OFFICIALLY" became the parents to two precious boys in Ghana, Africa.

Meet Joseph who will be 8 in February.

And baby Bless, 17 months old

Every good and perfect gift comes from above. - James 1:17

A big day tomorrow

2011-11-03T21:33:00.000-07:00

We are waiting and praying for good news from Ghana in the morning. Please join us in praying our two boys home. I'm not sure I will sleep at all tonight. :)

Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

All I want is to go to school

2011-10-31T11:24:00.000-07:00

This morning as I woke, I checked FB after my quiet time, which I typically do not do. As I opened it up, our Feeding the Orphans volunteer had just posted this sweet picture.

Meet Lawrence. Here he is watching out the window, watching the other kids go to SCHOOL. He sits every morning and watches the other kids get ready and leave. His heart is broken. He has told Grandma (Lola) he just wants to go to school. He is praying for God to make a way for him to go. He knelt on the floor this morning seeking God's face. Pleading with God to send him to school. As Lola prayed over him with encouragement and the love of Jesus, he wept. How many kids CRY because they want to go to school???? Not mine!!!

Well, we are so EXCITED to announce Lawrence now has an education sponsor!!! My heart is so happy. I wish I could have seen his face when Lola told him today. He will start in January and I cannot wait to see him in his new uniform.

The kids and I talked about him this morning. We prayed for God to use Lawrence in a mighty way to further HIS kingdom. I watched the excitement of my little ones as they clapped and cheered knowing Lawrence's dream is coming true!! I pray our hearts will be forever broken for the fatherless, for the orphan, for the widow, for the least of these.

2011-10-19T17:35:00.000-07:00

Five years ago, our Sydney sat at the computer for hours watching adoption/orphan videos and prayed for a sister. Today she has her African sister plus a brother and 2 more brothers on the way! I thank God each day that He broke Sydney's heart for the fatherless and He heard her cry, her plea to break our hearts, too. Thank you, Sydney Grace, for being persistent and never giving up.

Even in the hard stuff, it will never outweigh the good. Adoption is life changing and SO WORTH IT!

In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. - Psalm 18:6

His Timing

2011-10-19T08:14:00.000-07:00

This morning I awoke to an email saying our court will not be this week, but in November. Trusting. I'm trusting. As I read it, though, disappointment set in. Another delay to our boys. I walked in the kitchen and was immediately drawn to a verse I put on my fridge a few months ago. Peace washed over me. As I opened my devotion and Bible for quiet time, the same verse was there. It was meant for me today and all the other families waiting for God to bring their kids home, go to court or whatever else you are waiting on. God knows our hearts, He hears them, and He is moving even when we cannot see it. So I encourage you today to pray for all the children and parents waiting, but also to trust Him. Wait on Him. Let your heart take courage and believe He is working and moving.

Psalm 27:14 - Wait for the Lord; be strong, let your heart take courage and wait for the Lord.

Will I have enough love?

2011-10-11T20:38:00.000-07:00

Almost two years ago I sat on my living room couch snuggled between my two oldest kids and my youngest in my lap. We had just started the adoption process for a baby girl and I longed to have her with us. We didn't even know who she was, but I knew she was out there somewhere. I cried at the thought of her being with all of us. I cried because of the unknown. I never dreamed God would give us a sibling set soon after. As time grew nearer and nearer to bring Samuel and Helen home, I started to doubt myself, my mothering abilities. Is this the best thing for my three bio kids? Will I have enough time for them? Will they know how much I love them or will I struggle to juggle 5 kids? The questions kept pouring in over and over through my mind. As I said goodbye to my two boys and boarded that plane to Ghana with Sydney to bring Samuel and Helen home, I was overwhelmed with emotions. Joy and fear. Joy that I would be with my Ghanaian children very soon. Fear that this would be such a huge mistake for my American children.

As I reflected on all of that tonight, I realized how wrong I was. I have so much more love. And that love comes from Jesus. My kids, all five of them, know I adore them. They adore one another and BEG for more siblings. They already have brothers and sisters "picked out" as soon as B & J get home from Ghana. Oh, how I love their faith, their love, their selflessness.

Tonight, as I sat on my couch, I reflected back to two years ago and how empty my couch seemed that night with three children sitting all over me. Now, it looks a bit differently. With five children sitting all around me, touching some part of me, I realized how empty it was. I realized I long to have B & J sitting with us, scrambling for a leg, an arm, or a neck that belongs to Mommy. And God will provide all I need to be what I need to be for my 7 beautiful children. Will it be hard? YES!!! The last 11 months have not been easy with Samuel and Helen, but they have been GOOD! I would not trade the sadness, the heartache, the anger, the fights, the hugs for anything in the world. It is worth every second of pain to get to the point of hearing Helen say, "Momma, I love you" one thousand times a day. "Momma, Momma, Momma," she will say. And Samuel, what an amazing journey of redemption he and I have been on. A hard road we have walked and will continue to walk, but he is trusting me more and more each day. I thank God for that and we give Him all glory, honor and praise for the good work He is doing in our children.

So for now, I long to sit with my five boys and two girls and watch a movie. I long to be dreaming of what our home will look like next. I long to give God all the praise for choosing me to be their mother. A beautiful, precious, priceless gift He has given me. Over and over.

James 1:17 - Every good and perfect gift comes from above.

One More?

2011-10-10T20:50:00.000-07:00

Do you have room in your heart for one more? Two more? There are precious children all over this world waiting, just waiting, for a mommy and a daddy. They are longing to have someone say, "I love you. I will take care of you. I will never let anyone hurt you again."

Seek God and ask Him what you should do. What does He want from you? Then watch this and be moved. Moved to action.

James 1:27 - Religion that is pure and undefiled is to care for orphans and widows in their distress.

The children of God

2011-10-01T19:46:00.000-07:00

Tonight at dinner, Samuel had chicken and french fries on his plate. Aiden needed to eat something different due to allergies so I saw Samuel lean over to Aiden and whisper (loudly), "Aiden, can I have your chicken and french fries after I eat all of mine?" And my heart broke. My sweet, little boy is ALWAYS talking about food. He is always concerned about what he will eat and how much of it next. He goes to bed asking what we will have for breakfast. He leaves breakfast asking what we will have for lunch. Heartbreaking.

Tonight, though, as I listened to him petition with Aiden, I looked at him and reassured him. I told him not to worry. He will never go hungry here. I will always give him food. My heart hurts that the fear of hunger haunts him, that there was a day when he would not get food. Lord, please, heal his heart and the hearts of so many children living around the world tonight who will go to bed hungry. I pray God will break my heart, your heart for these children and people and we will want to GIVE. Give of ourselves and what we have because we have so much. And not just food and material items. We have so much LOVE and that's what it truly comes down to. We have the love of Jesus that so many people do not have, do not know.

This week a precious little boy walked over to me (under 2) and held his arms up to me. I knelt down to his little face and he just wrapped his arms around my neck. That broke me. Completely broke me. I wanted to scoop him up and hold him forever. Whisper to him Jesus loves you. He will never leave you. He is beside you, ALWAYS.

The Lord is doing so much in my heart right now. He is breaking it like never before. He is calling me out of my comfort zone and showing me over and over again what I have known for years. He has called me to care for the children of the world, the fatherless, the sick, the hurting. He has given my family the ability to welcome other children into our home and love them like our own. And I have watched my children grow tremendously in Jesus' love through that.

Tonight, as you go to bed, ask God what He has called you to do. How does He want you to step out of your comfort zone? What is He telling you to do?

Hold them a little tighter

2011-09-28T21:05:00.000-07:00

Through our first adoption, I did not trust God very well most days. I was impatient, worried, fearful. I did not enjoy my three children in my home some days because I was so focused on getting Samuel and Helen home. Was that wrong? Well, I think there are two answers to that question. First, I learned on that journey that I must trust with every ounce I have. I must give my beautiful children living halfway across the world into my Savior's hands and TRUST Him. They are His children. He has only chosen me to be their earthly mother. He loves them....and more than I can even begin to imagine. So after walking that journey a year ago and now walking it again, I think I see things from a different perspective. I see His hand in the day to day. I want to enjoy my 5 children here and live life to the fullest with them as we wait. All 7 of us are waiting and what an incredible gift and example of God's love we are giving our children when we wait with a blessed heart, instead of an impatient one. Now, let me clarify, I have plenty of days where I am impatient, where I long to bring my boys home, where I cry at the thought of them not being here. However, I long to be an example to my children here and teach them of God's unfailing love and POSSIBLY teach them what it is to completely trust my Heavenly Father who knows all things, sees all things, and plans all things for His perfect purpose.

So tonight my prayer is when I wake in the morning, it will be with a smile on my face, a thankful heart that I am now one day closer to holding the boys God chose to be my sons, and another day to train my children in the way they should go, which is following hard after HIM.

Adoption update

2011-09-27T20:47:00.000-07:00

We started the process for 2 sweet boys in February of this year, just 3 months after bringing Samuel and Helen home from Ghana. Crazy? Yes, but crazy for Jesus. Longing to follow Him at all costs. Doing whatever He asks of us.

We sped through the first part of the process because everything was already current from our first adoption. We were able to bypass many of the steps the other families had to wait on. So we have been ready for court for months and months, just like everyone else. However, Ghana is trying to establish a way to protect their children better. Therefore, we are in a holding position.

Today we knew there was a possibility for some movement on our case. As I talked to my in country coordinator tonight and he told me it will be next week, I trusted. I trusted my Jesus to know EXACTLY what He is doing. He has a plan, a story He wants to write, but I need to wait for Him. All of us adoptive parents need to wait and be patient. We need to be still and know that I am God - Psalm 46:10. I know at the end of the journey it will be so worth it. Those little hugs will be worth the wait, worth the heartache and it will all go away once they are in my arms forever.

Yet those who wait for the LORD
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.

Isaiah 40:31

Correction on the shirts

2011-09-27T18:03:00.000-07:00

So there have been some minor changes on the shirts. We are still selling them and we have added sizes 2T, 3T, and 4T available any day now. However, all proceeds from the shirts will now only go to our dear sweet friends, the Bowlings. You see, the last few weeks have been tough. Actually, more than tough. Words cannot express what they have been through and my heart breaks each time I think of them. To read more about their story and how they have stepped out in faith, click the Bowling family. They are an amazing family and we are so thankful God brought them to our lives!!!

Anyways, they need to raise the remaining funds to bring their babies home, a 6 year old girl and a baby boy. So click the sidebar to order a shirt, or two, or MORE and help us help them!!! Be a part of helping two children find their FOREVER FAMILY!!!

(For those of you wondering, yes, we are still adopting our boys.)

Worth the Wait

2011-09-07T17:14:00.000-07:00

New shirts! We have new shirts to sell for our adoption and also our dear friends, Chad and Stephanie Bowling.

As all of you know, we brought Samuel and Helen home almost 10 months ago. It was a faith walk for us (as most of you know from personal experience). We watched God provide every penny for them. From fundraisers to garage sales to cutting off our cable and other budget stuff, God made it happen. He is faithful and He funds what He favors!!!

When we started this second adoption 3 months after bringing them home, my first question was, "How can I mother 7 children?" My 2nd, "How can we afford this?" A few months ago, I was out for a girls night out and expressed to a sweet friend of mine about my concerns. I knew God would provide, but had momentarily lost my focus. She gave me this awesome shirt design. As I thought more and more about it, I realized what an awesome idea it is.

You see, this sweet girl

and her brother were WORTH THE WAIT. What better shirt for her to be in??? And for me, it is so WORTH THE WAIT for my sweet children to come home from Africa.

By the way for those of you who are wondering, this is not me, but my Sydney with Helen.

So, we are selling these shirts for $22 each and that includes shipping. All proceeds will go to bring 4 sweet children home from Ghana, Africa. A boy and girl for the Bowlings and 2 boys for us. We will post pics of our treasures as soon as we all pass court. In the meantime, here's a "glimpse".

If you want to order, click the sidebar. We have youth sizes and unisex adult sizes. These shirts are a tri-blend so they are extra soft. If there is enough interest, I will order some onesies so please let me know if you would like one. The x-small youth runs a little big right now.

Thanks to each of you for being on this journey with us, but ALSO we are thankful to walk your journeys with you!!!

How can I?

2011-09-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

How can I tell these sweet faces "Jesus loves you", when they are hungry?

When they are thirsty? Will they even hear me? Probably not, because their tummies are empty. They are thirsty, they are hurting. For them to see Jesus and His love, we have to be Jesus and His love. We have to live it every minute. How? I ask myself that each morning when I wake. How, God, am I supposed to be a mother to 5 children here, waiting for my 2 boys to come home, homeschool all of them (which is exactly what God has called me to do), be a wife to my husband, a good friend, daughter, helper, and advocate for the fatherless of the world? I am not. That's just it, I am not. It is Him. This is His story, His life. I have to choose each day to give it to Him before I crawl out of bed. I have to die to self every morning. I have to reach out beyond me when there is nothing left. I have to seek Him and ask for His strength to be what He has called me to be. I have to rely upon Him for each breath. Only then is it possible.

And these faces keep me going.

They remind me of my sweet Savior who gave His life for me. They remind me of the joy that comes from Him. Pure, simple, childlike faith and joy. They encourage me to help more children. They tell me they want to adopt again once B & J are home. They are already deciding who will be next in our family. They remind me that I CAN DO THIS WITH HIM.

They make the waiting for their brothers a bit easier.

A bit. However, I long to hold them. I long to see their little faces, to hug them until it hurts, to tell them I love them over and over and over. Will they tire of it? Oh, I am sure because I am relentless!!

Today I pray for His love to shine through, for Him to receive all Glory and honor and praise. I pray for each hurting child around the world to be comforted by the Almighty Comforter. I pray for hearts to be completely and utterly broken for the orphaned child. I pray for the Church to be broken. Hearts physically aching for the children that need Him. And I pray that when someone sees my beautiful children, they will be moved. And not to ask me if I wake up each morning, look in the mirror and bang my head saying, "What have I done? What have I done?" (And yes, someone really did ask me this.) No, I pray they will be touched by the love of Jesus and they will see His strength shining through.

I can do ALL THINGS through Christ who gives me strength. Phillipians 4:13

If you would like to sponsor a child or make a huge difference in the life of a child in another way, please visit FEEDING THE ORPHANS.

Give.A.Way

2011-07-15T18:02:00.000-07:00

Check out this AWESOME Give.A.Way to help build a Safe House for the children of Ghana. There are a few ways to enter:

blog about it
for every $20 donated your name will be entered once
spread the word on Facebook or Twitter

Thank you ahead of time for helping us help the children of Africa!!!

Happy 4th Birthday, Miss Helen!!!

2011-07-05T21:17:00.000-07:00

Almost 8 months ago, we brought home this precious little girl who spoke no English. She was shy and withdrawn.

Today, she is an incessant chatterbox and full of life. She brings so much laughter into our home and is definitely "our baby". All the kids adore her!! She can make us laugh and also give the sweetest hugs at the same time.

Last week, the kids and I all went birthday party shopping for her. I put her in the cart at Wal-Mart and off we went to the party aisle. As she chose her Princess plates and napkins, Princess pinata, Princess wrapping paper, I put it all in the back of the cart. When I turned back around, I saw MY PRINCESS with arms overflowing. She had gotten everything out of the back of the cart, put it in her lap and her little arms were stretched wide open as she declared to everyone in the store, "I AM GOING TO HAVE A BIRTHDAY. I WILL BE FOUR. I AM ALMOST FOUR. I WILL HAVE A BIRTHDAY." Just picture her waving at everyone in Wal-Mart and declaring her birthday to them all. (Her first birthday even though she would be turning four.)

For those of you that know Helen, you know she LOVES to be held. She loves for one of us to be holding her. She loves to snuggle her face into our necks. She loves to just be close. Well, a few nights ago I was combing her hair and she stepped back from me, put her hands on her hips, and stated, "I'm almost 4 now, Mom. I think I'm almost too big for you to carry." Then she left. I chuckled to myself.

This morning when she woke up and realized it was her big day, she was glowing! She enjoyed pancakes for breakfast, pizza for lunch, special time at the gymnastics center and a whole lot of loving on her special day! Her siblings loved doting on her and giving presents and taking care of her. At dinner, we sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Then I told her that her special day would be over when she woke up in the morning. With the most serious expression she asked, "Can I have two days, Mommy?"

Every day is special with Miss Helen. Thank you, God, for such an incredible blessing in that sweet child!!!

Adoption Fundraiser

2011-07-01T11:24:00.001-07:00

Eighteen months ago, God started us on the most incredible journey of our lives. The journey to two of our children.

We fundraised and were able to bring them home 7 months ago.

Now, we cannot imagine our lives without them. It seems like they have always been a part of us. Before they came home, we longed for them to be with us. Every day I feel more and more blessed to see them walking through the house, giggling and playing with their siblings. God has shown us so much joy through these two children and taught us so much about life. I am just so thankful I didn't miss out on this. It brings tears to my eyes to think of the love God has shown me through all of my children.

The next part of our journey? Two boys that only He could choose.

We are saving to bring them home now. This is where you come in, though. We are doing our first fundraiser.

A 31 gift party! Click here for the catalog. Then click here to order OR send me an email to 4oleary@msn.com. You can either have it shipped to my house or straight to you. Just let me know what is most convenient for you! Don't forget to check out the great specials they are running for July here.

Thank you so much for being a part of this next journey God has brought us on and for helping us bring our boys home!!!

Be Still.....

2011-06-23T20:36:00.000-07:00

As I sit in the unknown of the adoption world this week, I am reminded to be still. Be still and know. Be still and know that I am GOD - Psalm 46:10

He is paving the way. He is writing the story. He is in control. Will you join us in prayer for our precious boys in Ghana and for all the orphans there tonight? Changes are coming. They are being made and it is up to us to FIGHT for them. Help us FIGHT. FIGHT with prayer.

Precious Hands

2011-06-12T20:47:00.000-07:00

These precious little hands run through my mind all day. I am anxious to hold both of our boys very soon. I am anxious to get my arms around my sweet baby boy again, to strap him on my back "Ghana style" and just take off. I am anxious to meet my precious 7 year old son who has only met his daddy. I am nervous about meeting him for the first time. I am anxious to hear his little voice say, "Mommy" in person instead of on the phone. These precious pictures

and my sweet Jesus keep me going every day. He gives me the strength to wait another day to see their little faces and hug them tight. He gives me all I need every day. Now the trick is learning to ALWAYS rely on Him. Still learning...still learning.

Samuel and Helen's adoption timeline

2011-06-04T21:54:00.001-07:00

11-30-09 international application approved

1-5-10 submitted agency fees to int'l agency

1-8-10 began homestudy

2-9-10 homestudy finalized

2-10-10 I600A mailed

2-13-10 accepted referral of siblings

3-8-10 received fingerprint appt. for March 22

3-10-10 walked into USCIS office and got fingerprinted (Praise God!)

3-25-10 mailed dossier to int'l agency

4-6-10 dossier arrived in Ghana

4-22-10 received I171H approval letter from USCIS

4-27-10 representative traveled to Volta region to try to schedule court

5-10-10 received new pictures of our sweet children

6-24-10 we were told we MIGHT go to court next week :)

7-21-10 granted a court date of Monday, 7/26

7-26-10 court postponed until 7-27

7-27-10 OFFICIALLY A FAMILY OF 7, We passed court! Thank you, sweet Jesus!

8-28-10 traveled as a family of 5 to meet our two Ghanaian angels

8-30-10 filed our I600 in country

9-8-10 took our sweet babies back to their foster home

9-9-10 arrived back home, but left our hearts in Ghana

10-18-10 I600 approval

10-22-10 granted a visa exit interview for 11-1-10

11-7-10 visas are ready!!!!!

11-9-10 Sydney and I fly to Ghana

11-10-10 Samuel and Helen in my arms FOREVER

11-16-10 reunited as a family of 7

Love Orphans - For Easter

2011-03-24T18:41:00.001-07:00

I was so challenged and inspired by a guest writer on this blog tonight. So here's the Easter challenge. Go to FEEDING THE ORPHANS to Love Orphans because He first loved us.

Will it hurt?

2011-03-19T21:07:00.000-07:00

Remember the post I did on whether adoption will hurt my kids or not? Click here for the story, but today I am reminded again of how AWESOME and INCREDIBLE adoption can be for our children. They learn to give more of themselves, love one another, be the hands and feet of Jesus. The list goes on and on and on, but this picture sums it up.

Two boys who met one another 6 months ago. Two boys who became brothers on American soil 4 months ago. Two brothers who are inseparable, who are crazy about one another. Two brothers depicting God's love in the love they have for one another. Each day I watch them and realize I can learn so much from these two brothers.

A Dream

2011-03-17T21:22:00.000-07:00

On February 26, 2010 one of my best friends had a dream. A dream of an African baby. This came just two weeks after we accepted our referral of Samuel and Helen. She dreamt Righ and I were bathing a baby and she came in to help us. As she awoke, she "knew" that baby was ours. As I listened to her tell me all about it, I "knew" it was her baby. You see, we had just accepted our referral and there wasn't a baby. Helen was 2. In my heart, I could see God writing this perfect story. A story of adoption for my friend. Her husband was all about supporting other families, but wanted no part of adoption for his family. So I just "knew" this dream was an indication that it would all change. God was going to change his heart and give them a baby.

Little did I know, God was writing a story so remarkable, so incredible that I couldn't even begin to imagine it. That precious baby would be ours and He would use my friend to lead me to him!!!

MIA

2011-03-14T21:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I have been MIA for so long. Truthfully, my life has been busy (aren't we all), but I haven't been able to find the time to blog here. However, we have some very exciting news! WE ARE ADOPTING! Yes, again! Everyone asks that question. :)

We have been home with Helen and Samuel for 4 months now, but God has led us so clearly to two precious boys in Ghana. We have finished our homestudy and are praying our dossier can go next week. I will share the story very soon. Only from the Lord, only from Him. People are accusing us of being crazy. Our answer is YES, WE ARE CRAZY, BUT WE ARE CRAZY FOR JESUS.

Adopted for Life

2011-02-10T06:04:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago, I was placing an order from Amazon. A dear friend and I try to save on shipping so she asked me to add ADOPTED FOR LIFE for her. As I read the summary, I was intrigued so I added one to my cart for me. Oh, I am so glad I did! It has been an incredible read. This is what I read this morning:

Think of the plight of the orphan somewhere right now out there in the world. It's not just that she's lonely. It's that she has no inheritance, no future. With every passing year, she's less "cute", less adoptable. In just a few years, on her eighteenth birthday (or 16th), she'll be expelled from the orphanage or from "the system". What will happen to her then? Maybe she'll join the military or find some job training. Maybe she'll stare at a tile on the ceiling above her as her body is violated by a man who's willing to pay her enough to eat for a day, alone in a back alley or in front of a camera crew of strangers. Maybe she'll place a revolver in her mouth or tie a rope around her neck, knowing no one will have to deal with her except, once again, the bureaucratic "authorities" who can clean up the mess she leaves behind. Can you feel the force of such desperation? Jesus can. She's his little sister.

Then my thoughts went to this could have been my daughter. What if my daughter faced this life? Look what I would have missed out on.

And hearing her say, "I love you, Mommy!" about a hundred times a day. I will never grow tired of those sweet words...

Or we would have missed the love these two have for one another. It is amazing, pure, and full of Jesus!

Everyone is called to recognize Jesus in the face of his little brothers and sisters when he decides to show up in their lives, even if it interrupts everything else.

I want to be interrupted for these little faces, these faces that NEED HIM.

Our Keenan is 10

2011-02-04T18:27:00.000-08:00

Ten years ago, God blessed us with our second (and what we thought would be our last) child. He was only 17 months younger than Sydney and threw us for a spin. He has always brought so much joy to our lives and still does today. He came into this world smiling, laughing and trying so hard to make others laugh, too. What a blessing and treasure he is to our family!

We started the day off at Dunkin' Donuts...every kids favorite, right?

Sydney, Keenan and his friend, Eli

Aiden savoring every second of his donut

Then, we were off to church and home to open presents.

Tennessee football calendar - he's our "organized" kiddo

Then, the big gift came, but it wouldn't be so simple as opening a gift. :) Dad is way more creative than that. SCAVENGER HUNT!!!

Almost to the gift (hiding in the woods)

This is what makes me smile every day - the love these 2 have for one another. They have no idea they were ever apart. True brothers - real brothers...

The whole gang minus Daddy

"Dad, I don't see it. Is it up here?"

And he found it!!

This year, Daddy splurged as Keenan hit double digits and found him his very own gun. Obviously, lots of gun safety (always locked up and never used unless Dad is around) and the best part is it will become a part of Keenan's family as he grows older. He will pass it to his son, then to his grandson, and you get the picture. :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KEENAN GANNAWAY O'LEARY!

On Monday, we went to everyone's favorite indoor play place, Tatarus' Gym. The kids had so much fun and burned a lot of energy.

Helen swinging from the rings

Aiden teetering on the edge

Sydney hanging from the rope

Now, it's Keenan's turn

And the day wouldn't be complete without Mom swinging from the rope into the foam squares. Oh, how I love my kids and am so incredibly thankful for each one of them in their uniqueness.

Ps. Some of you may be wondering why Samuel isn't in more of the pics! I couldn't keep up with him because he was having so much fun. :)

More of Him...less of me

2011-01-31T20:20:00.000-08:00

These last few days have been hard for me. Our family is turning a new corner. We have a new decision facing us and it is hard. I have cried out to God for guidance, for confirmation. I am fearful and excited at the same time. I have prayed for my husband's heart to be united with mine and vice versa. Our God is not a God of confusion. He will unite us because we are one in Him.

In the midst of this, though, I have doubted hearing Him speak to me. I have been reassured and then doubted again. Through all of this, I have realized He wants me to be so utterly dependent on Him that I cannot breathe without His help. He wants me to love Him with a reckless abandon. He wants me to depend on Him without thinking. He wants me to be completely obedient and never second guess myself or what He has called me to do. THIS IS HARD! He wants to live through me. I have always known these things, BUT they are taking a whole new life.

As I sit here I am listening to my new favorite song SWEETLY BROKEN.

At the cross You beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees, and I am
Lost for words, so lost in love,
I’m sweetly broken, wholly surrendered

I pray that I will be sweetly broken, wholly surrendered to Him. As I asked someone to pray this morning for my heart to be united with Righ's (she had no idea in reference to what), she started telling me the story about the widow and the oil. The widow went to Elisha and needed help. He told her to go get vessels to pour her oil into. This sweet woman this morning started talking about how those vessels would always be full based on God. He wouldn't let us be empty if we kept refreshing ourselves, if we relied upon Him. No one had ever told the story like this. It spoke to me, it was her interpretation for where we are right now. God will be my energy, He will be my strength and no matter what He lays in front of us, He will carry us. As long as I am obeying and seeking His face for refreshment each step of the way. God will sustain me. He loves me and wants to draw me gently to my knees. I am amazed at a God who loves me so much. I pray I will obey Him each step, that I will be sweetly broken in front of Him.

Only God....

2011-01-22T07:32:00.000-08:00

This post is written by an adoptive family awaiting their children. They are on this incredible journey to their children in Ghana. She was a guest writer for us yesterday on Feeding the Orphans. Too good not to share. Enjoy!!!

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:18

I’d love to tell you a story. It is the story of how God connected a couple in Plainfield, Illinois to a set of orphans half a world away and forever knit their hearts and lives together. It is a story that could only be orchestrated by God!

Only God, could break the heart of an 11 year old girl for what breaks His heart. It is thru her obedience that God raised up the funds to put in a well so that two small villages in the Lake Volta region of Ghana could have clean water to drink.

Only God could then send two of His servants to these villages to prepare for the well. During their visit God showed them that not only would these villages have clean water, but God had other plans too! He knew that 10 precious orphans needed someone to care for them, to provide for them, to love them. God had a plan for them!

Only God could provide the resources to bring these children in from this village to an orphanage in Accra. It is here that a pastor and his wife daily share with them not just food, clothing and care. They truly live out the gospel so that these kids can know and love Jesus!

Only God could prompt hearts half a world away to take a step of faith and follow His call to care for His children. Specifically for these children.

Only God could see the plans He had for each of these precious kids from eternity past. He did not leave them as orphans, He came to them in their village, brought them into His loving care. He knit their hearts together with couples half a world away so that someday soon they will have an earthly mother and father who will care for them and show them the love of their Father in heaven!

I am so thankful that my husband and I have been called by God to pursue two of these children. I look in awe at the way God has woven together His story of love and provision for these kids. We are so blessed that He is allowing us to be a part of His plan. I can already see how He is at work in my husband and I showing us how intimately He cares for each of the details of this adoption. He is also showing us as we prepare to bring them into our home that He cares for us and has made a way for us as His children. I can not wait to meet our son and daughter face to face. And I look forward to getting to share with them the story of how God knit our hearts and lives together for His purposes!

I leave you with one question to consider: Is God calling you to step out in faith and follow His call to care for His children? There are so many little ones out there who need to know that God has not left them as orphans. He will come for them too, just as He came for our two little ones and the other eight orphans in their village. A few of those eight are still waiting for the earthly mother and father that God has for them. I challenge you to prayerfully consider if it might be you He wants to send.

Will it hurt my kids?

2011-01-20T20:45:00.000-08:00

When we first decided to adopt, one of my greatest fears was HOW WILL THIS AFFECT MY BIOLOGICAL CHILDREN? How will they cope with extra siblings? How will I be able to express love to each child? Will they have to sacrifice too much? Am I asking too much of them? What if I cannot give them everything monetarily that I could before?

Two months after our babies have been home and all the answers I thought I knew were COMPLETELY WRONG. I worried myself sick over how our youngest would handle not being the baby anymore. My list of worries could go on and on and on. I knew adoption is what God was calling us to, but I still worried about my babies.

God has taught me so much over the last few days, weeks, months. He has shown me that it didn't hurt my kids at all. God has given them a chance to grow and learn so much! The other night, I was listening to Samuel cry because he didn't want to go to bed. I watched Keenan put a loving hand on his back and lead him to bed. Then, he tucked him in and covered him up. I was completely blown away!!!

I have watched all 3 of our biological children sacrifice for their new siblings. I have watched them learn to love like Jesus. I have watched them grow up in so many ways in the last two months. In ways they never would have had the chance to experience had it not been for our adoption. It is hard, don't get me wrong! Who said following God would be easy, though??? It is worth every minute, every second of "hard stuff" at the end of the day when I am huddled on the couch with 4 children sitting on 1/2 of our couch, while the other just fell asleep in my arms. This is pure joy! These precious children, precious gifts from my God have brought so much joy and so many blessings into our family. They have taught us all so much. So if you are asking HOW WILL IT AFFECT YOUR CHILDREN, just stop and do it. It will be the greatest gift and lesson you could ever give them.

A little Christmas cheer!

2011-01-13T21:28:00.000-08:00

New Christmas jammies

Momma and the two babies

My girls in their Ghanaian dresses

Flashlights in the Closet

2011-01-07T21:24:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning with such a tremendous peace. My babies slept well after they settled down last night so therefore Momma slept well, too. Thank you so much for the prayers you lifted up on my behalf. I truly felt each one of them. I hope my post last night didn't paint a grim picture at the O'Leary house Truthfully, it has been an AWESOME transition time for all of us. We went from 3 kids to 5 kids overnight and that will take some work. There will be personality clashes, but God has gotten us over the main humps. :)

As I woke this morning and we got started with our day, I walked by my closet and heard giggles. I hadn't seen the two "babies" in quite some time. I opened the door and found this

They were sitting in this itty bitty closet with one flashlight and having the time of their lives. Priceless!

Another favorite moment for me today and a gentle reminder of God's goodness were these two cuddled up on the couch this morning. Pure love! Love that is only possible through His love, through the adoption of our precious little ones.

For school, we have been studying the different countries/missionaries. Not long ago, we read Nate Saint. So tonight for family movie night, we watched END OF THE SPEAR. What an incredible movie and a great picture of Jesus' love. You see, our Bible lesson this morning was from Matthew 9:9-13: As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

The kids and I discussed how Jesus spent His time with the unbelievers. Well, our movie tonight was quite fitting. Nate Saint and the other 4 missionaries lived in the Ecuadoran jungle and longed to reach the Waorani people. They sacrificed everything for Jesus. They gave it all up. As Nate said goodbye to his son, Steve asked, "Dad, if they attack you, will you shoot them with your guns?" And his father answered, "Son, I cannot do that. They aren't ready for heaven, but I am." WOW! This is what life is all about. Living it to the fullest, to the extreme for our God. Am I doing this? No. Am I being thankful? Not nearly enough. I pray I will chase after Him with a new desire, that He will break my heart for what breaks His, that I will be completely obedient in each step. For right now, that means loving my kids with His love and teaching them to love others, while we build Feeding the Orphans for His kingdom. Click here for an incredible story from today. I just love the way God puts His hands over His children. Have a great weekend!!!

Overdue Update

2011-01-06T20:50:00.000-08:00

I have sat down to write this post for almost two months now. Each time I start typing I lose the words and just stop. So much has happened since we came home with our babies. It has been the most incredible days, but also some of the hardest all at the same time. Just a refresher, our bio kids are 11, almost 10, and 3. Our adopted children are 6 and 3. We all knew our baby would struggle and boy, did he ever those first few days. :) He has grown to love and adore his new siblings so much, though. On any given day, I can find Samuel and Aiden off playing dress up somewhere. And Helen and Aiden have the most unique relationship. They are both 3 and full of energy. Sometimes I will watch them jibber jabber back and forth. One speaks English and one Ewe, but you would think they both understand every single word. I LOVE IT! The next minute, they are fighting over Mommy's lap or Daddy's lap or the spot on the couch. A true love/hate relationship! In the end, love always wins.

Sydney and Keenan have struggled a bit, too, but we have made an effort to give them more freedoms after the 3 littles go to bed. This has been the biggest help. And generally, when I go on an errand without everyone, I take at least one "big kid". I have come to love and cherish this time with them so much!

There are so many stories I want to share in between, but first this is my heart tonight.

A few months ago, my husband's company told him they were dissolving his position. He would need to interview for a new job. Both options did not look promising. More travel, more overnights than he currently has. We have no family here so we were both less than excited about it. After much prayer, the answer was clear. He was offered the job with THE MOST TRAVEL! Really, Lord? Really? Not sure what you are planning here, but I am sensing I am not going to like it. It's not all about me, though. :)

So two days ago he started his new job. And I should note we are so incredibly thankful for a job! He found out today his travel (which was more than we would like) has now doubled. As I sat on the phone with him today and he told me he would be gone the whole month of February, I felt desperation setting in. This is not my plan. I have prayed for God's glory to shine through no matter what. I have prayed for the strength and peace to come for me. I have prayed for the hearts of my babies who will miss Daddy so much. I have prayed for my own sanity and also for God to bring some precious saint into our lives to help me when I need it.

Today I took Helen to her first sick dr. visit. She has a nasty earache so the dr. gave her a prescription. Does she have any allergies? I DON'T KNOW. So tonight, Righ went to Bible study and after I put Helen to bed she woke up screaming and scratching all over her body. She was having an allergic reaction to her meds. While I'm giving her Benadryl and consoling her, Aiden wakes up with severe pains in his legs. As I laid in bed with my two 3 year olds (both crying loudly) I prayed for God to help me. I prayed for strength and patience. I thought to myself THIS IS HARD. This is so much harder than I thought it would be and this is what it will be like when Daddy starts traveling more and more. I appreciate his extra set of hands so much and even take them for granted sometimes. But as I was laying there cuddling my babies, I was gently reminded this is all for His glory. It is for His name and He will sustain us. He will keep me going. And my thankfulness set in again. He chose our family to adopt Samuel and Helen. What a privilege to be their mother, to receive their hugs and their I love yous! Even in the hard moments, the moments where I can only do this with God's strength, it is so worth it. I am just so thankful!

And tonight as I typed this, I want to convey that I am not complaining. I am so incredibly blessed that my husband has a good job, that I can be at home with all of my children and homeschool them. I just want to share my heart. The heart that craves Jesus to be my strength and realizing (once again) that it is the only place to turn. On a last note, I am so thankful to all the soldiers and their wives who sacrifice so much to fight for our freedom. I am amazed by what they give up, on both ends. So thank you!!!

One more thing, Sydney's vision of feeding the children of Ghana has grown tremendously. It is so much more than I ever thought possible. The faith of a child is incredible, though, and it pushes me on. Click here to see how you can get involved. We are trying to update every day too, as things are changing quickly. Options are food sponsorships, mission trips, empowering the women, water for life, etc.

Our Homecoming

2010-11-20T18:56:00.000-08:00

I have so much to share about our time in country and our first days at home. First, I'll leave you with this video. My dear, dear friend took pics and put it together for us. Incredible and priceless! I am eternally grateful!

Click here to watch!

Words

2010-11-09T22:50:00.000-08:00

I walked in the door from running "Africa" errands today. My 3 year old looks at me and says, "MOM! Why are you here? You need to go to Africa and bring home my brother and sister!"

PRICELESS! Next week, his dream will come true!

This Time tomorrow

2010-11-09T21:16:00.000-08:00

This time tomorrow I will be sitting on an airplane headed for Ghana. Yes, HEADED FOR GHANA, GOING TO GET MY BABIES!!! It still seems so very unreal. However, it is very true. We got visa approval on Monday afternoon and we are on our way. Right now, my family is sleeping as my sweet husband prepares to fly to Boston at 6 am. He is headed to a job interview. The children and I will finish packing. Then, Marms (Righ's mom) and the boys will take Sydney and I to the airport. I am so excited I can barely stand it. Our God is so incredibly awesome that it is breathtaking! In 36 hours I will be holding my babies in my arms!

We are on another mission while we are in Ghana, too. We have 8 suitcases full of donations to be handed out to the children. Stay posted for updates on all the things God has provided. You will be amazed. :)

Strength

2010-11-08T06:03:00.000-08:00

As we drove home from church yesterday, I started feeling nauseous with the start of the week. Will this be the week we get our email? Will we wait longer? Only God knows. I am trying really hard to have complete trust and peace, but sometimes it isn't easy. I woke this morning and read my Jesus Calling book. God's words brought peace yet again.

Isaiah 41:10 - fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Peace again. A reminder that He will sustain us. He will deliver us soon. In the meantime, will you join us in prayer as we wait to be reunited with our beautiful children? Will you pray with us as many adoptive families across the world are waiting? And pray for the children waiting for a family. We are the Church and the Church is God's plan for the orphan. Let's step up and do something. Let's take that step of faith and love a child with no family. This doesn't have to be adoption, but it should be something.

GIVEAWAY

2010-11-05T11:43:00.000-07:00

My daughter, Sydney, is doing a giveaway on her blog, FEEDING THE ORPHANS. We have some really cool shirts that just came out. Click here for all the details. There is something for everyone. She is even doing a giveaway for CHILDREN MAKING A DIFFERENCE FOR OTHER CHILDREN.

Please repost for her. All proceeds from the t-shirts will help the children of Africa.

She will draw the winners next Thursday night, November 11.

National Adoption Awareness Month

2010-11-02T21:48:00.000-07:00

Most of you know it is National Adoption Awareness Month. Now I know not everyone is "called" to adopt, but we are all called to care for the orphans and the widows.

James 1:27 - Religion that is pure and faultless is to care for the orphans and widows in their distress.

Not an option, it is a requirement. I find myself asking, "What can I do?" Well, sometimes the answer isn't so easy and sometimes it is. Here's an easy way: buy these new shirts here to spread orphan awareness AND feed a child at the same time. Feeding the Orphans is the vision of a 10 year old girl (just turned 11). Her desire is to feed the children, provide clean water and medical supplies. Through all of this, she wants to help the women learn a trade so they can provide for their own family. She wants to help them keep their babies instead of feeling forced to give them away because of lack of food. There are so many different aspects to this ministry. One thing you can be certain of, all profits go to the children. Every single penny.

We are just a family trying to follow His lead one small step at a time. It just so happens our 11 year old daughter took hold of it way before we did. I love it when our children lead us, don't you?

So, click on over here and buy a shirt. These are a sampling. There are other color options.

It's the perfect month to LOVE ORPHANS BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US.

Pray please

2010-10-31T13:08:00.000-07:00

Our visa interview is early tomorrow morning our time. Please pray for it to be God-ordained, for the children to be reminded how much we love them and for them to know we are coming soon. We will update once we have info. :)

Exodus 14:14

2010-10-26T19:32:00.000-07:00

So a lot has happened in the last few days. We have a visa exit interview scheduled for next Monday, November 1. Please, please pray with us as we wait for visas. We will not be attending, but will wait for visas to be issued. We are very excited about this! Another step, another step!

I woke up this morning feeling very nervous and anxious about our kids. This is very strange for me, but I couldn't shake it. We couldn't decide whether to attend the interview or not, so this became our focus. A sweet friend prayed with me and mentioned the verse Exodus 14:14. I didn't read it once we got off the phone, but stored it away. Tonight I was chatting with a dear friend and all of a sudden I see Exodus 14:14 on the screen. Coincidence? No way. There are none. God gave this verse to me. I didn't heed him the first time so I got a 2nd gentle reminder. I opened my Bible and read:

The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.

He will fight for His children. It is not for me or for us. He has chosen our family to adopt our two children. He will place them in our arms in due time. Thank you, Jesus, for the gentle reminders.

No news yet

2010-10-20T05:15:00.000-07:00

We have been waiting for an email from the Embassy saying we can pick up our "packet" to move forward with our case. The other two families with us got theirs Monday. Us? Nothing. I woke up all night every 15 minutes checking my email since they are 4 hours ahead of us. If we don't hear today, it will be next Wednesday. Do you think God is teaching me something yet again??? Yes, patience and trust. Some days are better than others. To be honest, the thought of waiting another week to begin this next step makes me nauseous. As I was talking with Righ this morning he said, "I need to read this verse to you. God just gave it to me."

Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip. - Isaiah 60:4

Amazed once again! He will bring them home. I just need to trust my Father.

I600 is APPROVED

2010-10-18T12:19:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning with a true peace about our African babies. No uneasiness about when they will be here, just very confident in God's perfect timing. I sat down to read my Bible and God led me straight to Jeremiah 30:10 - Then fear not, O Jacob my servant, declares the lord, nor be dismayed, o Israel; for behold, I will save you from far away, and YOUR OFFSPRING FROM THE LAND OF THEIR CAPTIVITY.

Peace came even stronger. God is in control. He has a perfect plan. I do not understand it, but it is not for me to understand. I am to seek and obey anyways. Now, I don't think my African children are being held in captivity. They are being loved in Ghana, but God was telling me they WILL COME HOME.

As the day wore on, a friend received her approval (we filed the exact same day). Peace still. No uneasiness, just pure joy for my friend. Later in the afternoon while chatting with a friend, she got her approval. Still peace. Seconds later, I got an email. I had no words, only tears. My kids ran over to see what was wrong. They read the email and everyone started yelling! This is a huge step for our family and for us to be reunited. We give God all the glory and honor. He is AWESOME and ALL POWERFUL.

What now? We wait for visas to be issued. Almost there, little ones, almost there!

Update on the adoption front

2010-10-15T06:34:00.000-07:00

Day 46. That's where we are. We filed our I600 46 days ago and still nothing. Frustrated? Yes. Trusting in God? Yes. We are trusting, but it is hard. Our arms seems so empty without our children. We remember their smiles, their hugs, and their laughter. We also remember their sadness when we left. We remember the way our son felt abandoned. Over and over we have prayed for God to remind him of how much we love him. We pray God is reassuring both of them every day of our love and that we will be back. And that we are doing everything in our power to get back to them. We leave them in their Heavenly Father's gentle hands, trusting Him in all He is doing for our sweet African angels.

The last picture taken before we left Ghana. He is such a joy, always smiling!

She walked over and hugger her daddy's leg. Priceless. She stood there for a long time, both of them relishing in the love they have for one another even though they just 'met'.

Another God story from Africa

2010-10-13T04:54:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, our trip to Ghana was twofold. Mainly, to meet our sweet kids and bond with me. Secondly, to minister to the least of these. One day we were tired and just didn't know what to do. We felt like our African children could not handle running around Accra all day so we took a short trip to the mall. Very American mall! We were going to get lunch at the food court (with pizza!!) and get some groceries. Well, after finishing eating and it had been a very trying lunch, to say the least, everyone needed to use the bathroom. I took Helen and Sydney with me. Now, this is a really big mall, keep that in mind. When we were finished, Sydney and Helen walked out before me. As I came out the door, an American woman was standing in the hall. I noticed her, obviously, we stick out! She says, "Kristie?" Can you say CAUGHT OFF GUARD? I am in a foreign country and someone calls me by name? I said, "Yes?" She says to me, "I recognized your daughter, Sydney, as she came out of the bathroom." God has broken Sydney's heart for the orphans continuously and my new friend had seen her on FB raising funds to feed the children of Ghana. So we talk and hug and hug and talk! By this time, our husbands both arrive and her sweet friend that is spending a year with them. As we talked, all I could think of was how God had arranged our meeting. We were both in the same place at the same time. Coincidence? NO, ONLY GOD!

We stood in the mall and talked as God unfolded a beautiful plan. Stacey already knew Sydney had a heart for the street kids and wanted to feed them. Suddenly, she knew of the perfect place. And Stacey and Johnbull were offering to cook for the kids. They were going to help us make this happen. Before we met them, we knew we were going to feed the street kids, but we had no idea how. We needed a way to cook massive amounts of food. God made a way, He showed us His plan.

We arranged to meet them on Friday so Sydney could purchase the supplies to feed 600 children. On Saturday, we drove to the Freedom Center (their children's home) to package the food. The big day was here. The street children were expecting us to arrive at 4 pm. The food wasn't ready yet, so we didn't get there until 5 pm. Most of the children had gone home, but as we pulled up we saw a group of children dressed in their best clothes waiting for us. As we got out of the car, we saw children running down the streets. Running back to get food.

These children were waiting to be fed. Hungry children. Children waiting for God's people to help. It took about 30 minutes to pass out over 550 meals. (Part of the food was left at the Freedom Center for their children. Sydney insisted upon this.) Over 100 children left with nothing. However, these children didn't complain. They just walked away with empty hands. Very hard to watch. How we longed to have more food to pass out. Next time we will. A huge thank you to everyone at City of Refuge Ministries who were Jesus' hands and feet that day.

The plan now? Sydney has a dream, a vision, to set up a weekly feeding program for these kids. In order to do this, she needs financial partners. People willing to support this. For 70 cents, one child will have a meal. Will you help?

I'll leave you with more pics. If you want to see the entire album, go to FB - Kristie Clements O'Leary and click on Ghana Day 7. It is worth your time to see these precious faces. :)

I think her face says it all. The reality of so many children around the world.

Our team

The group waiting as we pulled up.

I'll leave you with one last pic. This young boy carrying my blonde-headed son was just rescued. His story is incredible. There are many children waiting to be saved just like him. Our friends, Johnbull and Stacey, run a ministry - City of Refuge Ministries- to the children of Ghana. Click here for their website. Powerful!

We love our agency!

2010-10-06T20:05:00.000-07:00

Our POA delivered our new court decree yesterday. He is fast and we adore him! Then, today we received an email from the Embassy saying they received our CLEAR court decree. They think they have everything they need and we should have an approval by mid-month. Can you hear me praising God from here? Closer and closer to bringing our babies home. Thank you for praying with us. We appreciate you so much!

On another note, our sweet Sydney made her goal! For those of you who do not know, she has a tremendous heart for the orphan. God has called upon her to take care of the fatherless and she is doing just that. She wants so badly to travel back to Africa to bring her brother and sister home when I go. We cannot afford that so she decided to raise the money herself. She had a birthday in August and asked for money to put in her PLANE TICKET jar. She dogsat, made bottle cap magnets and chokers, and put every penny she could find in that jar. God has blessed her tremendously! This morning she needed $200. A dear friend texted today and wanted to know what she needed still. I texted back the answer. Her response, "Done. I'll bring a check to her." WOW!! I cried as I read it. So many have given up for her to go back to minister to the orphans. As I told Sydney, she cried, too. She was so stinkin' excited I thought she would choke on her drink! Thank you, dear friends, for helping her live out God's plan for her life. She will continue to sell those bottle caps for the orphans. All money from them will now go into feeding the children and drilling wells. Clean water, food, medical supplies. These are her goals. And her biggest goal: a new orphanage with schools and lots of God's love. She prayed today for God to give her a new t-shirt design and He did. We are working on it and it will be out soon! I think you'll like it!

Update from earlier

2010-10-04T10:27:00.000-07:00

If you haven't read our post (below) from earlier today, do that, but since then we received word from our in country rep that he will deliver a new adoption decree tomorrow at 2 pm to the Embassy. Please pray it will meet the Embassy's requirements. We stand in awe of God and His provisions for our family. Once again, we are reminded of Proverbs 3:5 - Do not lean on your own understanding.

Where are we?

2010-10-04T06:51:00.001-07:00

We filed our I600 with USCIS in Ghana 35 days ago. Their "usual" approval timeframe is 30 days or less. You can imagine the anticipation every day to see if they will email us back. Well, this morning I woke up, opened my email and there it was. An email from USCIS, ACCRA. I opened the email and this is what I read, "The adoption decree you submitted with your petition is not legible. Please submit a new one so we can process your petition." Tears came! What, are you kidding me? I felt like someone had just punched me in the stomach. I was expecting an approval and I got this. I cried for over an hour. As my family woke one by one, this is how they found me. Not a good start to our morning! However, I have been gently reminded by my Heavenly Father this morning of His love for me, for us, for my family. I was reminded of the day He told me He had sent HIS ANGELS to watch over my African babies. I was reminded that we will not always understand His purpose, but it is His. (Thank you, Robin!) And God's word for Righ this morning? PEACE. He will grant us peace.

Proverbs 3:5 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. This is where we have to trust this morning because we sure don't understand this.

Romans 8:28 - And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.

I'll leave you with this video we made of our time in Ghana. It was finished last week, but I waited for Aaron Ivey's permission to publicize it. His song AMOS STORY has spoken volumes to me through the months. I think you will see why.

I cannot make it work so click here to watch.

No words

2010-09-27T21:05:00.000-07:00

Every night, I have thought I need to post, but I have no words. We have been home 2 1/2 weeks yet it seems like an eternity since I held our kids. I need to post about our trip. It was truly incredible and amazing, but I cannot find the words. Tonight I will share the most touching and most difficult part of our trip. Heartbreaking, really.

Two nights before we were to come home my husband told our sweet son he would have to wait for us in Ghana. He got very quiet, but said nothing. Later that night after Helen was asleep, the 6 of us sat on the bed, Mom, Dad, Sydney, Keenan, Aiden and Samuel Richard. I pulled Samuel Richard into my lap and he sat there. I told him how very much I loved him and how I wished we could take him to America with us, but we were not allowed yet. I couldn't see his face, but suddenly I felt tear drops falling on my arms. I cried with him. Tears ran down my face as they came faster down his. I rocked him back and forth while everyone else sat with us. I told him repeatedly, "I love you. I'll come back for you. I promise I'll be back." I cuddled him like a newborn baby and relished in the moment I never had when he was small. We stayed this way, crying silently for a long time. I held him as each child came over to him and hugged him. They told him they loved him. Priceless! This is what Jesus is all about. Love, unconditional love that is lived out by these precious children who GET IT!

Two days later we were scheduled to fly home at midnight. We didn't talk about leaving with Helen and Samuel Richard. However, that afternoon as we drove closer and closer to their foster home, I watched my sweet son's face change from a smile to an OH NO. He looked at Righ and said, "Daddy, you go in with me, right? Daddy, go in with me?" Righ assured him he would. We all got out to their "home" and their foster mom. Righ and I hugged her, prayed with her, and thanked her for loving our children. For taking care of them in their time of need. Samuel Richard climbed in the chair when he realized we were leaving and cried silent tears. I held Helen close to me. Then, I gave her to Righ and knelt with my son. He cried and cried. I tried to make him look into my eyes and understand I would be back. I'm not sure he ever understood me. I think he felt abandoned. His cries went from silent to loud. As I cried with him, I heard Helen screaming. Her daddy had left. He had gone to the car with our youngest, Aiden. Sydney and Keenan stood in the room, not knowing what to do or how to feel. They understand. They watched their brother and sister cry for us and their hearts broke. I gave my sweet boy a last kiss, told him I loved him and took Helen. I rocked her and she tucked her head into my neck. I kissed her over and over. I told Sydney and Keenan to give them one last hug and go to the car. I watched them leave reluctantly. Then, I handed my baby to her foster mom, hugged the mom, and walked out the door. All I could hear were my children screaming my name. They were screaming for their daddy. They wanted us to come back. As Uncle P got in the car, we were all crying. Righ asked him to get us out of there ASAP. As we drove off, we could hear them crying for us. That's the last memory we have of our children. We pray we will return soon. We pray for God to grant our petition and our visas. We pray for their foster mother as she nurtures and cares for them. And finally, we thank our God for her and Uncle P filling in for us while we are away.

About ten o'clock that night, Aiden, our 3 year old walked over to me. We were getting ready to leave for the airport, but he said he had something important to tell me. He said, "Mama, the woman who is keeping Helen and Samuel Richard just sent us an email. She said we can come pick them up to take them home with us." If only it were that simple. He is 3 years old and he understood. He missed his brother and sister already. This is what I am thankful for! Those precious 12 days we had in Ghana bonding as a family of 7. Thank you, Jesus, for choosing our family to be on your journey!

I miss my kids

2010-09-17T21:34:00.000-07:00

The last week has been okay. Today, though, the reality set in and I miss my kids. I miss Samuel Richard's beautiful smile. He loves to smile and he can light up a room. He is so loving and always ready to give a hug! I miss the way Helen runs into the arms of any of us. She brings such life to all of us.

Being in Ghana made me realize they are part of us. Things are not right without them. I cannot imagine life before this adoption. Our family is not complete.

What now? We wait. We filed our I600 20 days ago. We have 10 days left and then they'll start the orphan investigation process. Pray with us and several other families who are with us in the process. Pray the US Embassy will find favor upon our cases and families can be reunited with their children. Pray these children will find their way to the loving arms God planned for them.

Words

2010-09-09T18:44:00.000-07:00

Daddy with all 5 children the day after we got there

Our 3 boys playing futbol with a beach ball. :)

I love this! Samuel Richard is looking at Keenan with such admiration. Are you ready, big brother?

Helen's beautiful smile!

I treasure this picture!

While we were in Ghana, my computer time was limited. The time I spent was on putting our pics on facebook. So many people in the States were waiting for the daily update. And most nights I couldn't find the words to convey how I felt. However, now people have said I should try to put everything in words so I will try. We will try. God has laid our hearts in Ghana and the 12 days we were there was absolutely incredible and life-changing for all of us. We left a piece of ourselves with the children there and continue to pray God will show us our next step. For the time being, we wait for our I600 approval from the US Embassy, then for visas. Our babies are back in their foster home waiting for us to return. We pray the days will go by quickly and everything will be in God's perfect timing.

Ghana Day 2 - Our second day was spent hanging out at the hotel with two other families waiting for our Embassy appt. Righ went by himself and I stayed with our 5 children. Much less chaotic without them waiting impatiently. :) Our adoption responsibilities were over so our hearts and minds could focus on our children and the orphans we came to minister to. So many things we wanted to do and almost every day we had a project, but we walked away feeling like we should or could have done so much more. Tomorrow I will start recapping each day and posting more pics.

Our family

2010-08-29T17:39:00.000-07:00

Today has been incredible! We arrived in Ghana and that in itself, seems surreal. We traveled in with two families from Hopscotch. These are families we are walking this journey with, but have never met. Now we have and their kids! Adorable and sweet!

I am not sure words can express how I am truly feeling right now. I feel like I am where God planned for me all along. I feel at home. I have all of my children under one roof and my heart is happy. My heart is full of love for these children God blessed me with. I am amazed by that! God is so good!!! Percy brought our children to the hotel to meet us tonight and I lost it. Our babies we have prayed for and longed to see their little faces. Thank you, Lord! Our five children have played together and laughed together. It was hard to make them go to bed. After they were all showered, they laid together and watched a movie. It just seems right.

Aiden talked all day about when we would meet his new brother and sister. Right before they arrived, he asked me to walk him outside just to see if they were here yet. Keenan adores both of them. He just sits and talks with them. He even asked why we have to leave them here next week. And Sydney is in heaven. She is with the sister she prayed for three years for. The two of them were cuddled under the blanket tonight and Sydney was cupping Helen’s face. How I wish I had a picture!

All in all, everything is going great! Memories are being made and we are bonding as a family. Please continue to pray our Father will be glorified in it all!!!

(I couldn't get our family pic to upload! I'll try again tomorrow.)

Where do I start?

2010-08-28T18:28:00.000-07:00

This has been a busy, but awesome week! We are flying to meet our babies!! I cannot believe it. The day we have prayed for is finally here. We are so thankful to our God who has brought us thus far and we know He will guide us through the rest of our journey. Please be in prayer with us as we travel. Pray for our flights to be easy with our 3 children, for Aiden to not have any reactions to his many food allergies while there, for our bodies to be healthy in country, for God to use us as He wants to, for God to show us each step we are to make and for our complete obedience to God. Pray for our sweet African children, that our family of 7 will have an instant connection and bond. Pray for the people we will be ministering to while in country. Pray that the blood of Jesus will shine through us every day. And lastly, pray for patience for us as we parent 5 children in a foreign country.

Now, a little recap for our week. Monday I went to dinner with a group of girlfriends to celebrate a sweet friends' birthday. As I was walking to the parking lot to go home, you can imagine my shock as I saw my window had been smashed! Glass was everywhere, all over my car and the parking lot. I cried. The security guards came over and I cried harder. Yes, I was a little upset about the car, but that wasn't really it. I needed to be focused on our trip and Sydney's birthday, not some thug breaking my window to steal my GPS. Now as I'm typing this it is almost funny. The enemy tried everything possible this week to distract and discourage us. GOD IS BIGGER!!!! HE WILL OVERCOME!!!! And He did.

The rest of our week was spent packing and going to Wal-mart, packing more and then going to Wal-Mart again. Yes, we made multiple trips there this week. My kids are so tired of seeing Wal-Mart I thought they could scream. Honestly, me too, but we have everything (I think) and we are ready. We packed lightly so we could have more room for donations. We have had so many wonderful people donate to the mission. The greatest, though, came from the homeless of our city. Our good friend runs God's ministry, The Water Angels, in downtown Knoxville. So this week, they prayed for the orphans. Their hearts broke for what breaks God's heart. PEOPLE WITHOUT HOMES and they get it! They spent a day making goody bags for the orphans. They stuffed these bags with Bibles, snacks, homemade bookmarks, toothbrushes, you name it and it's in this bag. They prayed over each bag and for the child that would receive it. My friend shared a story of one of them as he was filling his bags. His prayer to our God was that he has everything (HE IS HOMELESS) and these poor children have nothing. He is so blessed and they have nothing. He cried out to our God on behalf of children living in Ghana, Africa and that God would bless them. I was amazed! I cried! These people gave of themselves. What a touching story! I cannot wait to distribute these bags that were made with so much love, made with God's love!

There are so many people praying with us and for us on this trip. Each prayer is heard and we covet them. This week we had the opportunity to have some of them pray personally with us. Our lifegroup at church was so touching. They prayed over us as a family, but then Thursday night I was handed a group of envelopes. They handwrote a note for each day we are going, each day we will be gone. How inspiring! And the day they were assigned for the note, that family will cover our family totally and completely in prayer! I am amazed at their love for us. Love they show us because God loved us first. Another friend brought me to tears as he prayed for Helen to find her voice and to know how much we and God love her. (Last time we heard, she doesn't speak.) And he prayed for our Samuel to be able to be a little boy, no longer responsible for taking care of his sister. He is a child. We want him to be a child. We want so many of the orphans living around the world to live a child's life, not an adult life. Let's step up as Christians and love these children. Let's give them a childhood. Let's love them the way God loves us, they way Jesus loved them when He was on this earth.

We will update as much as possible while we are in Ghana. We want each of you to be a part of this journey God is bringing us on. Sydney will update her blog, FEEDING THE ORPHANS, too. She has already told me, "Mom, you'll have to post for me. I will be spending every moment with Helen, Samuel and the orphans."

One last thing, our sweet 5 year old's birth name is Richard. We love this name and will be keeping it. The day after we received this referral as I had Bible time with the children, God led us to I Samuel. I heard God tell me our son's name is to be Samuel. You see, we prayed for him and before he ever joined our family, I told God I would give our child(ren) back to Him, just like Hannah. God gently reminded me of this and so our Ghanaian son's name will be Samuel Richard O'Leary.

Hope

2010-08-27T04:35:00.000-07:00

Last weekend my parents traveled to TN to celebrate Sydney's birthday a week early. We had lots of fun, cake, of course, and all the grandkids playing. My nephew didn't want his picture taken, but he was here, too. Before long, there will be 6 of them!!!

O'Leary kids with Pap and Gran

Sydney and Gran packing for Ghana

one suitcase full of clothes and shoes for the orphans

So sweet to see them working together

Now this one deserves a story. Wednesday morning I asked Aiden what he was going to say and do when he sees his new brother and sister. His answer was, "I'm going to hug them, tell them I have missed them, and tell them we have butterflies in our backyard. Mom, can we take pictures for them?" This has special meaning to me because it is a reminder of HOPE. God's hope for us. So this is our butterfly picture for H & S. We will take it to Africa. I love 3 year olds! He has not been excited about our trip UNTIL NOW! Every day he will say something new about it. He cannot wait to travel to meet his new siblings.

I have so much to share, but it is Sydney's birthday so I will post more tonight. I have so many pictures to share. We have been given so many donations to take to the orphans. One donation, in particular, though involves the homeless of Knoxville and their incredible giving. Details tonight!!!

This week has been an adventure to say the least. We are going to Ghana, though!!!!

This is Sydney's last post from her blog: Feeding the Orphans

2010-08-22T19:46:00.001-07:00

BOTTLE CAP MAGNETS AND CHOKERS!!!!!!

It is Time!

2010-08-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

Our African babies

Yes, it is true! It is time! God's time, His perfect timing for us to fly to Ghana to meet our children. I still sit in amazement. This has been an awesome journey, but a difficult one. Aren't all adoption journeys, though? In 9 days I will meet my babies, our little ones we have prayed for. The sister Sydney prayed for 3 years. I still am not sure it is even real. Is this normal?

We fly out of Atlanta next Saturday night. We will arrive in Ghana and hopefully we will be taken to meet our sweet angels. We will spend time in country while our dear friends take care of our home here and our dog. What are we going to do in country? Love on our little ones is our main objective. Secondly, Sydney will buy and deliver food to the orphanages with P's help. We will visit with John's orphanage and take lots of pictures for everyone. We hope to visit the villages that need water. We need to get this started. We have so much we want to do and are so excited to meet everyone! Mostly, we want to soak up every minute, every second with our children while we are there. We will not be bringing them home this time. We are filing paperwork with the US Embassy, then we will come home with our arms empty. We will wait for approval and visas and go back to get them. Already, I know this will be one of the hardest things I have ever done, we have ever done. Please pray for God's guidance and wisdom to be over us, for us to be completely obedient to Him, for our children (all 5 of them) to bond. So this is a family trip, all 5 of us will be flying to Ghana. It doesn't really make sense, but that's what God tells us. Sometimes He will tell us to do things that do not make sense to us. We are stepping out in faith here and being completely obedient to His call of our whole family traveling and staying 12 days. Huge step of faith here. Do we have all the money to complete everything? We aren't sure yet. We are waiting to hear about some of our fees. If we do have it, we will wipe everything out. All we know right now is God is asking us to obey, we need to do that and we know He will provide a way for everything.

On another note, I prayed months ago that our 5 year old would take care of his little sister, our baby, until we could get there. My friend who took this photo and spent time with him said while she was there he held her hand the entire time. That warms my heart! I cannot wait to scoop them both up. I'm not sure I'll ever let them go. :)

Really???

2010-08-16T21:03:00.000-07:00

This was an extremely busy weekend for us. Saturday our family spent the day at a ministry our friend runs for God, Water Angels Ministries. 600 backpacks were given away to children who cannot afford them, stuffed with school supplies. What a blessing!!! It was hot, hot, hot, but an awesome day. I loved watching those kids walk away with their backpacks. Now, they are all ready for school to start tomorrow.

On another note, last night I got a phone call from Beth Haynes, a news reporter for the local channel here in town. She heard about Sydney's Feeding the Orphans and wanted to interview her. Sydney decided to do it because it could help more orphans. Well, this morning she woke up and as the time approached for Beth and her cameraman, Tim, to arrive, the nervousness came faster and faster. We prayed over Sydney. We asked God to give her the words He wanted said. We prayed for courage for her, strength for her to overcome her fear of the camera. I thought she was ready. She seemed to have such a peace about her. Then, they arrived. It was time and she lost it! All of a sudden, she couldn't do it. Tears were coming in her fear. However, she overcame that fear and let God work through her. She did a great job. We are very proud of her, but also humbled at the same time. God doesn't need any of us to get His work done. He will find a way, but I stand in awe that He chose our family to adopt H & S from Ghana and He chose our Sydney to do His work for the orphans. I am so thankful we have been obedient. Tonight as we were getting ready for bed, Sydney seemed down, not herself. She and I talked and as I listened, I cried with her. You see, today as the news people were leaving, we received a much anticipated email from Ghana. Our court decree is ready and we can schedule an appointment with the US Embassy in Ghana. Really??? We have been waiting for this. Awesome! This is our ticket to our kids in Ghana. This gets us to their sweet little faces in person! Thank you, Jesus, for answered prayers! As I listened to Sydney talk tonight, though, for her it opens up something else. A fear that the 1 year old sister to our Ghanaian children might not be alive. She may be living with Jesus now. When we accepted our referral, we learned our little ones had a baby sister, but this baby was sick. Very, very sick. She was in the hospital and they weren't sure she would live. And we knew if she did survive, Mom wanted to keep her, to take care of her. This is a baby that has changed Sydney's life. I can't even explain it. However, now we are going to Ghana (yippee) and Sydney's heart is fearful. She is afraid of what we will learn when we get there. As I listened to her talk tonight, my heart broke for her. Her heart breaks for the orphans and I am thankful because this breaks our God's heart. I pray for God's continued peace and strength for our family. And for all the families waiting for their little ones. And for the orphans who do not have a family yet. Click here to read Sydney's last post. Touching. No one helped her write this. Actually, I should say God helped her. What can you do to help an orphan?

Click here for the video.

Praise Him in the Storm

2010-08-12T20:15:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite family movies is FACING THE GIANTS. Now, we are sports nuts and this is a football movie and it is Christ-centered so it quickly became a hit for us. Today I struggled a bit. I am just so ready (or as a friend said, PAST READY) that today I just sat and cried, several times actually. Not sad tears, just frustrated. I know God's timing is perfect and I am so thankful for this, but in the midst of it all, I am ready to hold my babies. I am ready to see their little faces, to tell them how very much I love them, to see my children here united with their African siblings and to watch them love one another instantly.

During one of my tear fests, I opened up my Jesus Calling book. Here's what I read: Come to Me when you are weak and weary. Rest snugly in My everlasting arms. I do not despise your weakeness, My child. Actually, it draws Me closer to you, because weakness stirs up My compassion-My yearning to help. Accept yourself in your weariness, knowing that I understand how difficult your journey has been.

These words were written for me. I felt weak and weary today. I felt like there was no end. I read these words followed by the Bible verses below and just cried harder. I realized more and more just how much Jesus loves me, little ol' me. I can run to Him in my sorrow and it is okay. And my neediness draws me closer to Him, as it did today.

This all reminded me of the Facing the Giants movie when the wife cries out to God, "I will praise you no matter what. I will praise you in the storm." Then, it hit me. I needed that reminder today. I need to praise God no matter what. I need to praise Him if it takes years for my babies to come home. I need Jesus and I choose to praise Him even in the storm.

Until our time comes to travel to Africa, I will try to praise our Savior for loving me, for choosing me to be H & S's mother, for choosing our family to be a part of His great adventure. I will fail at times, but that's okay because Jesus will pick me up AGAIN, over and over again.

Isaiah 54:10 - "For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed," says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

Romans 8:26 - Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words.

Update

2010-08-10T05:09:00.000-07:00

Nothing to update. We are still waiting for our court decree. This can be discouraging, but God is in it. He has a purpose for the wait. And I keep reminding myself of this, along with precious friends. Thank you for encouraging words!

On another note, God is in even the small things. I know that, but was reminded today. There are two boys who God brought into our lives ONE YEAR AGO. That is hard to believe, but true. Well, I posted about how one of them moved away a couple of months ago. The other one is still here. We are enjoying the last few days with him before he goes back to school. Anyways, the other night he was walking down the steps, stopped and looked at his socks, and was upset because he had a hole in one. Then, yesterday we were at Wal-Mart and I was talking with a dear friend while my two boys, Keenan and John, went to look at men's clothes. I didn't know what they were doing, but John was trying to buy socks with his $2 in his pocket without asking me. A man saw him looking at socks and talking to Keenan about how he didn't have enough money. This kind man walked over and said, "God told me to give you $10 to buys socks." Wow! God even cares about socks! Of course he does, but John needed to know this. He needed to see God in that and see how much God truly loves him and cares about him. Thank you, Lord, for caring so much about the little things! Now John has new socks and will be reminded each time he puts them on his feet. :)

Court decree

2010-08-04T20:09:00.000-07:00

We just received an email that our court decree should be ready by the end of the week. As soon as P receives it, we can schedule our appt. with the US Embassy in Ghana and travel to file our I600. We are ecstatic and thankful! Thank you for praying with us. Please continue to pray. We are uncertain about travel arrangements and want to clearly hear God's voice. We want His Name to be GLORIFIED!!!

The timing of this email is so perfect. Isn't God always, though? This morning I was unsure about what to do for Bible devotion with the children. I opened my Streams in the Desert. It talked about Lazarus' death and how Jesus raised him. You can read the whole story here or John 11:1-44. It is a beautiful story! In this story, though, Jesus thanked God for raising Lazarus before He ever did it. He gave this thankfulness first. The song of victory was sung before the battle was fought. Our lesson this morning was on being thankful first. Knowing God will deliver. Especially on our court decree. We know God will deliver it, but this morning the kids and I praised Him for that decree. I cannot wait for them to wake up and hear our news.

Hope

2010-08-04T19:40:00.000-07:00

My dear sweet friend came over the other day to deliver a gift. No special occasion, just because. As I read the card, my heart was moved and I cried (seems to be a common occurrence around here). These are the words I read:

I know it is hard to see the HOPE right now, while you wait in the darkness. I think that's why butterflies always symbolize HOPE for me. Little does the caterpillar know what God is forming in the darkness of the cocoon. After waiting in the tight, dark place, he finally crawls out as a beautiful butterfly. And, as each butterfly appears to reflect the amazing creative beauty of God, so must the circumstances vary that brings us the closest to Him. As you continue to wait in the cocoon that the Lord has knit together, trust in Him for the perfect time to release the beauty of all that He is creating. For if a butterfly is released too early from its cocoon, the wings will not form and it will never fly.

With our adoption we are in the dark. No news, just waiting. And this card is inspirational to me. I want to draw closer to Him and have through this journey. I want to become so totally dependent upon My God that I do not breathe without Him. I want to soak up every minute of Him. And I know He will release the beauty in the end and it will be far better than we ever imagined. I am so thankful for sweet friends, for encouragers sent by God and so thankful my God loves me so much.

Here are pics of the sweet 'BUTTERFLY' clothes that came with my card. A gentle reminder each time I see them in her room and will be when I see my beautiful girl wearing them. Thank you, Robin!

Father, Glorify Your Name

2010-08-03T19:58:00.000-07:00

I read a friend's blog the other day that was talking about people who had visited their children, taken gifts for them and brought back pics of them. She referred to these people as "angels on earth". How precious! I am so thankful for friends traveling ahead of others and loving on kids. However, this is something we have not had. Our kids are in a different foster home from the others. No one has been able to see them thus far. So even in my joy for others, sometimes this is really hard for me. Please do not mistake me! I am ecstatic for everyone else, just longing for the same thing for me. :) As I read these words the other day, tears starting flowing. I couldn't control them. I stood there and just said, "Why, God, why? Why haven't you sent angels to see my kids?" And ever so clearly, just like He was standing beside me, I heard Him say, "I did. I sent my angels. I did that for you." Oh, thank you, sweet Father! Thank you for loving me! Thank you for sending your angels. You see, this has been a prayer of mine for months, that God would send His angels to love my kids until I could get there. And He reminded me that He answered my prayer.

Adoption requires faith. God has grown our faith so much over the last few months. When I feel like I cannot do it any longer, He lifts me up and comforts me. Through all of this, sometimes I find myself asking God to help me, to save me. To bring my children home now. More and more lately, I have been asking God to fulfull His perfect timing, for His plan to be laid out, for everything to be about Him. Yesterday Righ (my husband) shared a chapter in a book with me. It talked about how every day, every minute we have two choices. We can say FATHER, SAVE ME! or FATHER, GLORIFY YOUR NAME! I was convicted of this. I cry FATHER, SAVE ME more often. I realize I need to ask His Holy Name to be glorified in everything. If it takes years for my babies to come home, that is okay, if it brings glory to His name. My life is about Jesus, nothing else. Living my life for Jesus, living my life how He wants me to, being completely obedient in everything. I want our lives and our adoption journey to glorify His name!

Awesome Giveaway

2010-07-30T05:56:00.000-07:00

Enter this incredible giveaway. You can read all the details here while helping orphans along the way. Kim has gathered 16 items to be included in this and has featured each participant. Check it out, enter the giveaway and you might even find a gift for someone special while helping the orphans. Blessings!

God is Good...All the time

2010-07-28T17:23:00.000-07:00

So most of you know our court date was scheduled for Monday. For us, it has been a bit of a wait (especially for Ghanaian adoptions). Needless to say, we were anxious, excited and totally relying upon God for strength Monday. We waited all day with no word. Finally, about 9:30 pm we got an email: Court has been postponed. I read it and truly had peace. Truly. You can read about it here.

Tuesday was our new day. I don't think I slept more than a couple of hours that night. I kept waking and felt like I was being reminded to pray, to seek His face. I did. About 2:30 the sweetest words I have ever read came across my email: CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! ADOPTION HAPPENED!!!! Of course, I cried. My babies are now legally and officially my babies. One more big step closer to them. Thank you, sweet Jesus, for granting this and for you, my friends, for praying with us and encouraging us along the way. I am so thankful God has chosen me to be their momma, chosen me to walk this faith journey with Him. I realize His love for me now more than ever.

What now? We wait, again. We pray for our adoption order to be handed to P so we can travel to Ghana to file our I600. We are praying earnestly for this. We are praying God will move this next mountain between us and our beautiful children. We know He will. I am so ready to hold my little ones, to see their faces and to tell them how much I love them.

Crazy Love Challenge

2010-07-28T17:04:00.000-07:00

Oh, how I love some Crazy Love. I read this book by Francis Chan months ago and just soaked up every word. Now Erica over at The Road Less Travelled is hosting a Crazy Love Challenge for fundraising families. Well, we are one of those! You can check out the other families here.

We decided to adopt from Africa about 8 months ago. When we began, it was supposed to be a 4-6 month adoption. We learned very quickly nothing is normal with international adoption. However, God has walked us through each step and we continue to have faith in Him.

Just a little bit of background, we started selling our shirts months ago, had 2 adoption garage sales, and cut back on our expenses. We thought, okay, our fundraising is over. We can do this! Guess what??? Not so. We have had a bit of a different month around here. Two hospital visits with crummy insurance adds up very quickly. Adds up to thousands of dollars!!! You can read our "GOD STORY" here. Really, you shouldn't miss it!!! He is a Miracle working God!!!

So, we are back in fundraising mode. We need to sell some more shirts. We are cutting even more expenses than we were. We are doing everything possible to get our kiddos home. :)

Our shirts are $15 each, unisex sizing. We have children's sizes and adult large and xlarge sizes in stock. These are ready to ship. And we are getting ready to place an order for the other sizes. Please spread the word about our shirts. You can pay on the donate button on the side or mail a check. We usually ship out the next day. Thank you so much for helping us bring our babies home! You can order by leaving a comment or emailing me, 4oleary@msn.com.

The children of Ghana

2010-07-27T06:44:00.000-07:00

What's on my heart? Orphans. What's on my mind? The children of Ghana, Africa.

Our daughter, Sydney, is raising money to feed the orphans of Africa when we travel to get our children. I thought she might raise $500. Guess what?? She has raised over $6000. God's plan! In praying how she is going to use that money, so many options have come up. What is God's plan for this?? Well, she is going to feed the street kids while we are there for 2 weeks, buy and deliver food to the various orphanages, and drill a well in a village that has no water.

In the meantime, we are looking for monthly food sponsors at one of the orphanages. There are 23 children and we need 12 additional sponsors. These children need you. They need you to help them eat. Isn't this what God calls us to do? James 1:27 - Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Will you help feed an orphan?

Postponed

2010-07-26T20:20:00.000-07:00

Well, we got an email a little bit ago that our court today was postponed. Our rep will travel again to the Volta region tomorrow. We pray our case will be heard and we will pass with a full decree and for us to receive word to travel soon.

Now some of you are probably wondering if we were discouraged when we got the news. I can honestly say no. I felt a peace and comfort that I can only say came from the Lord. HOWEVER, an hour later we received other news that was just plain old discouraging. We have waited for 3 months for a court date. Some people wait 2 weeks. Can I explain that??? No. Does it make me angry for others? Absolutely not! I am so thankful for 2 week waiting periods, just so frustrated with 3 month periods. We have prayed for these sweet children, we know they are our children, I have imagined holding their little faces and telling them how much I love them, imagined hugging them and not wanting to let go. I have pictured what it will be like when all 5 of my children are together. Last week, when we received our court date I let my mind wonder back there. I could almost feel them in my arms. Today we prayed for our court, we prayed we would pass, we prayed we would receive word.

When I became discouraged and weary about an hour ago, I cried. No, I sobbed. I totally lost it! I am tired and want to hold my children. To see their precious little faces for myself. Then, as I was crying and trying to update our friends on Facebook, God gave me a little gift. He is so good to me! I shared a story about a verse a friend gave me in the very beginning of our adoption here. Well, tonight when I logged onto Facebook a friend had posted this:

He is ahead of you as your shepherd. He is behind you as your rear guard. He is above you as your covering. He is beneath you as your foundation. He is beside you as your friend. He is within you as your life.

She posted this on her status, but it was the first thing on my screen when I logged in. Can you say, GOD??? It was a simple message, a simple reminder to me just how much He loves me. He reminded me that He is ahead of me and behind me. He is guarding our adoption and our children. Thank you, sweet friend, for posting something the Lord laid on your heart! Thank you, God, for sending me that encouragement. To top it all off, another friend emailed a verse to me: Deuteronomy 31:8 - It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. do not fear or be dismayed.

Do you see the pattern here? My God sent me a message. He is reminding me how He is holding me in the palm of His hands. Thank you, Jesus, and thank you for servants willing to encourage me and others around you.

Please pray with us tomorrow as P travels back to the Volta region for court. Please pray the judge will hear our case and we will pass court. Pray we receive a travel date soon. And pray for our hearts to find God, just like we did tonight. Pray for peace and comfort through the rest of our journey.

Our Emotions

2010-07-21T19:45:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been eventful for our family, to say the least. We have had a lot of "mishaps", but God has strengthened our faith through it all. And He has used our adoption to help that along, too. As of today, we have been waiting 3 months for a court date. It seemed like an eternity. There were times when I felt like I wouldn't make it any longer, only to find God picking me up. :)

I found reassurance in scripture, in God's word. Two months ago, this verse brought me peace: Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14 It reminded me to wait on my Lord, to wait on God. This is His plan for our lives and He will not lead us astray. Well, this morning I was on the phone with Righ (traveling Dad) and was so frustrated and discouraged. We finished talking and I hung up. I opened my email and I saw one from our agency director. It said UPDATE ON DATES in the subject line. I thought it was so odd, clicked on it and then read these words: Court will be Monday, July 26th. I will be power of attorney. They need to prepare to travel to file the I600 soon.

Oh, my goodness! I stared at the computer screen, re-read it, and cried. My three children just kept looking at me and saying, "Mom, what's wrong? What's wrong?" I couldn't even find words. I was so blown away. All of a sudden I could feel my little ones in my arms. We are almost there. We are so much closer. We called Righ and just praised our Lord and Savior. He is so awesome and incredible. He takes such good care of us. Me. I do not deserve it, but He still loves me. And I find it so powerful that He chose ME to be S & H's mom. Ultimately, they are His children. All of my children belong to our God, but He chose us to be their parents. To train them up to fight for Him, to tell others about Jesus, to love unconditionally. I am so thankful for this blessing of a court date. Please pray with us that we will pass on Monday with a full and final decree. Please pray we will travel soon after and that we will know God's plan for our travel arrangements. We only want to follow Him, follow His plan, walk in His steps. At times, today I have cried "just because". I think I will until my little ones are in my arms. I am so glad we decided to follow God on this journey. So glad we said yes to Him when He called us to adopt.

The part that saddens me are the 147 million orphans without a mommy and daddy. Without someone fighting for them everyday. What can we do to help one more?? What can you do??

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. - John 14:18

Let's Go To Court

2010-07-21T06:38:00.000-07:00

We just got an email from Ghana. We are going to court!!! I read that email this morning in awe and cried like a baby! Thank you so much for praying and walking this journey with us. Our God is so Awesome, Incredible, Amazing! Please pray we pass with a full and final decree! Our representative in Ghana will stand in for us. Thank you, Jesus!!!!!!!

A Miracle Working God - Memorial Box Monday

2010-07-19T17:21:00.000-07:00

Almost two weeks ago I woke up on a Thursday morning and just felt awful. I had a pain in my abdomen just below my rib cage in the center. It was nagging, but I've given birth to 3 babies so it was manageable. I left our three children at home with my husband and ran out to do a couple of errands. I got to one store and almost called my husband to come get me. I was unable to stand from the pain, but finally got back in the car and felt okay enough to drive myself home. I spent the rest of the day and night getting progressively worse. The pain was so intense I was in tears, begging, pleading for God to take the pain away. Two of "our" boys from Club 180 were spending the week with us so they along with Righ (my wonderful husband) and our 3 children prayed over me endlessly. They were all very concerned for me. The pain seemed to subside for a while, but about 9:30 it was intense again. I contemplated going to the emergency room. Now let me clarify something, I am not a doctor seeing girl and definitely not a hospital girl unless it is a true emergency. So at 11:00 I decided it could not wait any longer, but I was determined to drive myself so the kids could have Dad at home. Trying to be brave for my little ones!! I got to the ER and described my symptoms. The triage nurse was so kind and I asked her if she thought I could go home. Her response was, "Honey, if anyone needs to be in the ER, it is YOU!!!" So I stayed and my dear sweet friend, Robin, came to be with me. I was so insistent she not come, but she was way more insistent and I am so THANKFUL she won! Later on I proved to need her so much! They took me to the back and gave me morphine for the pain. Nothing, didn't touch it!! The nurse and doctor were so surprised. Okay, they gave me another dose of morphine. It helped that time. For the first time all day I was feeling so much better. Still a twinge of pain, but okay. The doc ordered a CT scan to rule out gallbladder issues or gallstones or kidney stones. It came back normal except for A MASS IN MY COLON. That didn't really explain the pain, but it was certainly something to be concerned about.

By this time, it was 7:00 am and the doctors were changing shifts. Dr. Bolin became my new doc and he was very concerned about the mass. He decided to admit me to the hospital. Let me add, we are adopting 2 precious children from Ghana, Africa and God has provided every penny for that. Well, our health insurance is not great. Actually, it is lousy so to me being there was ticking away at my adoption fund. I was very worried about that the whole time. Right about the time he decided to admit me, I became sick. Nauseous sick. Just felt sicker than I ever had with nausea. So here comes more medicine. This time it made me sleepy so the next few hours are a blur. I can remember glimpses of things. I remember my sweet husband walking in and I saw his worried face. (My parents had driven in from out of state to be with our little ones so he could be with me.) I remember my friend, Robin, hugging me and telling me how much she loved me. I remember several dear, dear friends being in my room. Later I was told they just stood and prayed and prayed. The love that was shown to me that weekend is overwhelming and makes me cry each time I think of it. To be honest, that whole Friday is blurry for me. I do remember our friend, Dr. Pete Sulack, coming in and praying with Righ. They prayed for complete healing over my body and for the mass to be gone. They prayed and prayed and prayed. Then he left, too. Now, it was just Righ and I. As I went in and out of sleep (drugged up sleep), Righ and I prayed and believed God had healed me. I still felt very crummy, but we knew our God was going to heal me.

The next day, Saturday, I was scheduled for an ultrasound and an upper GI scope with our new doctor, a gastroenterologist. My nurse forgot to call for my ultrasound so that never happened, but the GI scope was perfect. Still no answers. I was starting to feel better, but my bloodwork had come back. I was low on everything, iron, red blood count, hematocrit, B12. If it dropped any lower, I would need a blood transfusion. So we waited until the next day.

Sunday morning I woke up and felt better. My ultrasound looked awesome, but I felt well enough I could go home to my babies. I was still moving slow, dizzy, but ready to get out of there. That afternoon was uneventful. I slept a lot, but that night my pain returned. Only briefly, though. And it was gone again. I was scheduled for a colonoscopy on Tuesday because they really needed to check that mass. We had no other answers yet.

Monday I started my prep for the colonoscopy. It was awful! I kept begging my husband to please let me skip it. I felt better, just very weak and we both had faith that I was healed. In my mind, what was the point? I had already endured so much over the weekend. So many pokes and pricks and so many drugs and iron transfusions and on and on. I was weary of it all.

My husband won, though. He took me back to the hospital on Tuesday afternoon. As we were waiting for everything to begin I had my first thought of "Oh my, what if it is cancer? What if I have cancer? What will happen to my husband and how will he take care of our 5 beautiful children?" At that point, I began to plead with God. I pleaded for Him to take my uneasiness away, to take my anxiety away and for the enemy to flee. God was among us and He is all powerful! The next thing I remember is waking up to my nurse and asking for Righ. A few minutes later, he came back to me and said, "It's over! It's over, baby! No more needles (I have tiny, tiny veins) and no more hospital!" You see, when our surgeon did the colonoscopy he FOUND NOTHING! He told my husband I have the perfect colon! He took photos (yuk) and showed Righ where the mass was on Thursday night. He kept saying over and over how he couldn't explain it. He was confused, amazed. Righ wasn't. He told the doctor our God is bigger than this and He took care of it! He healed my wife. Of course, the doctor shrugged him off, but God did it. He took care of little ol' me!!!

People have asked us in the last week and a half if we were afraid. Honestly, no! We walked in faith and we just knew God was going to take care of it. So you see, I needed that colonoscopy (that I begged Righ to let me skip) so we could prove to everyone how BIG OUR GOD IS!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is awesome, incredible, awe-inspiring and He is a MIRACLE WORKING GOD!!!!!

So this is our Memorial Box Monday post compliments of A Place Called Simplicity. We know God has plans for our family to care for the orphans. He used our children in Africa to change our lives. We know these two precious orphans are only the beginning! He has called our family to take care of the fatherless, to speak up for the ones who cannot speak for themselves, to do whatever He calls us to do next. Thank you, God, for miracles!

Memorial Box Monday

2010-07-13T10:11:00.000-07:00

Linny over at A Place called Simplicity takes every Monday for Memorial Box Monday. You can click here for the details. Well, as I read hers yesterday I was inspired to share one of many, many God stories that we have.

You see, back in November when Righ and I were both on the same page to adopt (yes, it took him much longer than me :) ), we decided, on our own I might add, to adopt a little girl younger than Aiden. He was almost 3 at the time. So we filled out all our paperwork and as we were getting ready to mail it, a last minute thought came up. Should we check that we would consider siblings? We prayed about it and to be honest, really felt God saying yes. However, I talked us right out of that one. We convinced ourselves we could not adopt out of birth order, which meant we would have 3 kids 3 years and under. Also, this would be way too hard for Aiden, our baby. :) So 2 months later we really felt God telling us we were to adopt siblings. Remember our paperwork read 1 child and we were getting ready to submit our I600A to USCIS. We were down to the wire. It was almost too late to change our minds. God had a plan from the beginning, though. While Righ was in Atlanta working and I was home holding down the fort, we both agreed to pray about siblings. When we talked the next morning, it was so obvious to both of us what God had in store. He had a sibling set waiting for our family. I contacted our agency that day and was so surprised to learn they had just received a healthy sibling set with a 5 year old boy and a little girl that was 2. AHHHHH! Now that is God. We waited for medicals and photos and just prayed God would show us His plan. So these are the two sweet children that belong in our family, the ones God had planned all along, and the ones we are anxiously awaiting their arrival. Another point to mention, we "wanted" a little girl younger than our Aiden. Our African princess is only 6 weeks younger than him. Doesn't God have a sense of humor???

Every Child Deserves a Home

2010-07-13T07:23:00.000-07:00

Lyrics

To be remembered on your birthday

Feel a father’s kiss goodnight
To have a mother wrap her arms around you
And say it’s gonna be alright

These are the things we take for granted
That every child should know and love
It’s simply heaven’s way of telling them
They are precious in this world
Precious in this world

Every child deserves a home
Every child deserves to hear the words, “You are not alone.”
Every life on earth is sacred
Every heart is heaven’s own
Every child deserves a home
Deserves a home

They are out there by the millions
Hurting children without hope
Little boys and girls who need a family
That they can call their own

Now it’s up to us to help them
We can’t just close our eyes
Jesus loves the little children
And His arms are open wide
They are open wide

Every child deserves a home
Every child deserves to hear the words, “You are not alone.”
Every life on earth is sacred
Every heart is heaven’s own
Every child deserves a home

There’s something in their faces that tells us their story
There’s something in their cry that keeps calling out, “Don’t forget about me.”
Red and yellow, black and white
They are precious in His sight
Jesus died for all the children of the world

Every child deserves a home
Every child deserves to hear the words, “You are not alone.”
Every life on earth is sacred

Have you ever truly listened to the words of this song? Doesn't every child deserve a home? Doesn't every child deserve a mommy to whisper everything is gonna be alright as she hugs her child? We, as Christians, need to step up and care for the orphans. We need to be Jesus' hands and feet and love these children just as Jesus would love them. I'm not saying everyone should adopt. I am saying I BELIEVE everyone should do something, but there are so many ways to help. You can sponsor a child every month, provide an education for them, send the family money, the ways to help are endless. You can pray for them fervently. You can go on mission trips. And orphans are not just in other countries. There are so many here, right here in the United States. They just need to know someone cares, that someone loves them, that Jesus is their friend. And who better to show them than us? As you watch this video, I pray God will speak to your heart about how He wants YOU to help His orphans. Will you pray with me?

Faith

2010-07-10T19:00:00.000-07:00

Streams in the Desert - July 10

I called him, but he did not answer. Song of Songs 5:6

Once the Lord has given us great faith, He has been known to test it with long delays. He has allowed His servants' voices to echo in their ears, as if their prayers were rebounding from a contemptuous sky. Believers have knocked at the heavenly gate, but it has remained immovable, as though its hinges had rusted.

True saints of God have endured lengthy times of patient waiting with no reply, not because their prayers were prayed without intensity, nor because God did not accept their pleas. They were required to wait because it pleased Him who is sovereign and who gives "according to His good purpose". Phillipians 2:13 And if it pleases Him to cause our patience to be exercised, should He not do as He desires with His own?

No prayer is ever lost, or any prayer ever breathed in vain. There is no such thing as prayer unanswered or unnoticed by God, and some things we see as refusals or denials are simply delays.

Christ sometimes delays His help so He may test our faith and energize our prayers. Our boat may be tossed by the waves while He continues to sleep but He will awake before it sinks. He sleeps but He never oversleeps for He is never too late.

I read this tonight and it spoke so LOUDLY to me. We have prayed earnestly for H & S to come from Africa. We have waited so long for a court date that I lost my faith in the fact that they would ever come home. I gained it back only to find God never, ever left me. Then, I started questioning myself, "Am I praying hard enough? Am I not obeying Him somehow? Should I be doing something else so they can come home?" I know these are all silly questions, but honestly I was at a point of not knowing what else to do. Now we are being presented with this trial of me being sick in the hospital. No answers yet, by the way, so please keep praying for wisdom for the drs. and complete healing over my body. In the midst of it all, God never leaves us. He always stands right beside us, holding us in the palm of His hands. We just need to turn to Him instead of away from Him. We need to keep our faith in Him. Months ago (when we thought our adoption would be fast) a good friend looked at me and said, "Please be prepared for a fight. It may not be so easy. You may have to fight." The morning before he said that God gave me the verse - For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard. Isaiah 52:12 It all clicks now. Our "easy" adoption isn't happening, but we are willing to fight for our kids. We are not giving up on them. We know God will grant them to us ON HIS TIME, not ours. They will be placed into our arms and I'm not sure I will ever let them go. :) This waiting will make our story greater for our Heavenly Father. My prayer is people will be inspired and not want to give up, that their hearts will be burdened for the millions of orphans living all over the world when they see our diverse family. Our adoption will not be a secret, we will have dark skinned children and light skinned children. People will ask questions and I say BRING IT ON! I want to fight for the children around the world, here in America or Africa or Asia or Europe, wherever. These children need a mommy and a daddy, they need a home, they need to be loved, they need JESUS!!! So I am reminded once again that God will not leave me. He will not oversleep. We may have to wait, but that's okay. Just to clear up having faith doesn't make the waiting easy. It is still hard, but through this He is testing my faith (already did that) and energizing my prayers. He will wake up and deliver my children soon!!! I know it!

Isn't God awesome?

2010-07-09T19:07:00.000-07:00

The past week has been an adventure. First, Righ was rushed to the hospital for 12 stitches and a CT scan. In that, I realized (once again) how much I love him, how I rely upon him to live our lives together, and how when it comes right down to it he is my best friend. I cannot imagine my life without my dear husband. Now, it is my turn. Last night, I went to the ER suffering from severe abdominal pain. They tried different medicines, even morphine with no luck. The pain wasn't leaving. After a CT scan, they have a better idea. Tomorrow morning, they'll do an ultrasound and upper GI scope. Please pray for God's healing hand upon me, for my children to have peace with Mom being in the hospital. So in this my faith stands strong. I know God will take care of us and hold us in the palm of His hands. However, I cannot thank my friends and family enough. You have all been awesome, incredible, you bring tears to my eyes with your kindness. I love each and every one of you. My sweet friend, Robin, spent the night in the ER with me and I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you for being so persistent!!

Remember to enter Sydney's giveaway for her 2 tshirts. She'll draw Monday. Even a few dollars can do so much to help an orphan in Africa. Will you consider helping?

Where do I begin?

2010-07-07T21:03:00.000-07:00

This adoption journey has been so awesome and incredible. It is such a God story for us. 9 months ago Righ didn't want to adopt and now he wants to change the world for the orphans. Only God can change a heart like that. I am so thankful for all the times God has shown Himself in this adoption and for the way He is taking care of my sweet children until I can get there. On the other hand, this is the hardest thing I have ever done. I know all you adoptive mommas know what I'm talking about. You sit and wait and wait and wait. Sometimes not even knowing what you are waiting for. That's where I am now. I do not know what we are waiting for. We sent our dossier in 10 weeks ago and are still waiting for a court date. I know there is a perfectly good explanation for this wait and God's timing is perfect, BUT it is still hard. It is hard not being able to see them, hold them, tell them I love them. I just pray they know how much we all love them, how our home feels semi-empty because they aren't here, how our hearts ache for them to be with us. Only God can ease this pain and sadness and only He can move the mountains (or ocean) standing between us and our kids in Africa. Tonight when I read my Jesus Calling book it started with TRUST ME IN ALL YOUR THOUGHTS. Now I can ask myself? Am I trusting Him completely? I wish I could say yes, but I cannot. The next few lines said I KNOW THAT SOME THOUGHTS ARE UNCONSCIOUS OR SEMI-CONSCIOUS AND I DO NOT HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE FOR THOSE. BUT YOU CAN DIRECT CONSCIOUS THOUGHTS MUCH MORE THAN YOU MAY REALIZE. PRACTICE THINKING IN CERTAIN WAYS -TRUSTING ME, THANKING ME-AND THOSE THOUGHTS BECOME MORE NATURAL.

I think certain instances in your life require more faith than others. This is one of those for me. I need to practice thinking in certain ways, trusting Jesus and thanking Him. I need to trust Him in this adoption and I need to thank Him for those sweet children that He gave to me. I need to cherish the time before they come home and accomplish for His kingdom what He wants me to do. Right now it seems so easy, but tomorrow it might not. I just have to make more of an effort to remind myself and those thoughts will come more naturally. One of my favorite verses is "Walk by faith, not by sight" 2 Corinthians 5:7 Each step is a step of faith. Not knowing what is on the other side is scary, but it's all about the leap of faith. The leap into our precious Father's arms. Will you jump? Will I? I hope so.

I mentioned earlier that God has perfect timing and I have realized that more and more this week. You see, originally we should have already traveled and brought our kids home. That's okay, though. God laid upon our daughter's heart when she was 7 to help the orphans. In the last couple of months, she has started that into motion. In the last week, she found a village that desperately needs water, a village that needs medical supplies. God brought her and a man in Ghana together to work for His kingdom. If we had traveled a few months ago, where would His dream through Sydney be? I am so thankful for His perfect timing. You see, Sydney is getting ready to drill a well with the money God has provided through her t-shirts and donations. She is trying to gather vitamins and thermometers. And she will buy food for the orphanages when we travel. These are basic necessities and God is providing them. Please pray about how you can help with FEEDING THE ORPHANS. Maybe you are to be a prayer parter, offer financial support or God is calling your heart to Africa. You never know until you ask the Father. :)

Heavy heart

2010-07-03T20:52:00.000-07:00

Even in the midst of God's perfect timing, I have a heavy heart. I miss my kids, Righ misses them, we all miss them. We are so ready for them to come home, for us to have some news, anything really. Is there a reason for the holdup??? This will be 10 weeks since our dossier went to Ghana. Who's counting though? Please plead with our Lord for an answer soon. And pray for our hearts to remain peaceful and patient. Pray for us as we try to live our lives for Jesus. Pray we will know specifically what He wants us to do. Happy 4th of July to everyone!

Awesome week at Club 180

2010-07-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

We just got home last night from an awesome week in Cumberland, KY. Our week was full of excitement, lots of Jesus and lovin' on kids. Every time we go there I love those kids even more. I wonder how it is even possible. They are some of the coolest kids I have ever met. :)

So our mission team of 6 families spent Sunday - Friday doing a day camp for the kids of the area. Then, in the afternoons the guys did a football camp and basketball camp while the ladies hosted an INNER BEAUTY camp. I, on the other hand, watched our little ones and made sure the sports guys had enough water and a snack each day. The last day I got to play a little game, though. FUN! I love basketball!

One child gave his life to Christ and how sweet that was! He is an awesome young man and I cannot wait to see what God will do with his life. Of course, there is always excitement on a mission trip and this year, it involved my husband. He was helping with football camp on Wednesday when two of the guys brought him to the gym to me. "Get your keys and purse, we're taking Righ to the hospital," these were the words I heard. Not even sure what had happened I ran to get everything and yelled at someone to watch our kids. He and another guy, Steven (who I love to death), ran into one another and Righ cut his mouth open. Not only cut his mouth open, but gushing blood and cut really bad. So we spent the next few hours in the hospital getting 12 stitches and getting a CT scan. Both guys had been knocked out for a few seconds so we needed to check them. They are both free and clear. Thank you, Jesus!!! Please pray for Righ's lip to heal without too much of a scar and for his hands to lose the numbness and pain they have felt since the accident. I was so amazed by this experience. You see, I did not know our mission team very well when we got to Club 180. That has all changed now and I am so thankful! They were incredible to work with and watching everyone love on the kids was priceless. However, when Righ got hurt I watched everyone pull together and love our family so well. I literally ran out without telling my own kids anything. (When this first happened, blood was everywhere.) For the next few hours, our friends took care of my kids like their own. They comforted them, loved them and for this I am eternally grateful. That's just what Jesus would have done, but when I actually see it in action I am so amazed. God has given us a great group of people to serve this life with so thank you to everyone.

On the adoption front: nothing! We have not heard anything, but we are still praying. It was a good week. We were distracted from thinking endlessly about traveling. Now we are home again and the distraction is gone. Please pray for us to be patient in the wait, to not lose hope or faith, to have comfort knowing this is God's perfect timing!

On another note, awesome news for Miss Sydney!!! She has raised $3000 AND Righ's company will match $2200 of that. Total that up for yourselves!!! Isn't God awesome??? She said to me the other night, "Mom, I think I need a new goal." Yes, girl, definitely. Remember we still have our brown adoption t-shirts for sale and she still has her shirts for sale, too. They are $15 each. Can't beat that so leave a comment or send an email to 4oleary@msn.com.

Hope you enjoy some of our pics from this week. :)

Some fun pics

2010-06-26T19:45:00.000-07:00

From top to bottom: My boys sunning in the backyard, Raymond's 18th birthday party, "our boys" that God sent us about 9 months ago (It seems like they have always been here. We miss Raymond, though. He just moved to Nashville to live with his grandmother to finish high school.), Father's Day and Mother's Day.

Headed to Club 180

2010-06-26T19:27:00.000-07:00

So we are leaving tomorrow afternoon on a family mission trip to Cumberland, KY. It is in the heart of the Appalachian Mtns. and we will be hosting a day camp for the impoverished children of the area. One year ago we traveled to Club 180 and spent a week. It was life changing for us! God showed us so much through that week and has placed our hearts there. Since leaving last summer we have traveled up many weekends to hang out with the kids and have grown to love them so much! We are so excited about this week so please pray for our team as we minister to the youth through fun and activities. Here's a few FUN photos and click here for more info about this awesome ministry!

COURT MAYBE NEXT WEEK!!!!!!!!!

2010-06-24T20:19:00.000-07:00

We may go to court next week!!!!!! I am so excited I can barely contain it. You know, my last few postings on faith. Well, I had run out. God taught me a lesson this week, as He always does, but I am so incredibly thankful He never gives up on me. And He never tires of having to pick me up again. It has been a hard week, but I was finally able to find comfort in my Lord and look where He brought me! Thank you so much to everyone for praying for us. Keep it up! We aren't there yet. It is the rainy season in Ghana and travel to our kids' region is difficult. Please pray for the roads to remain open so P can travel there, for court to happen next week, for us to pass with a FULL AND FINAL ADOPTION DECREE, for H & S to have peace and know we are coming, and for P to be allowed to stand in at court for us. This would mean we would travel after passing court to file our I600. Still so many unknowns so we NEED your prayers. Thanks for walking this journey with us.

On a different note, would you consider making a tax deductible donation or buying a t-shirt to help an African child? These are children that receive one meal a day (not what my kids would call a meal, though), have no electricity or running water, struggle with malaria, among other things. When we travel we will be taking all money to help the orphans. Just think what a $10 donation could do for a fatherless child. Click here to go to Sydney's blog if interested. Details to donate are on her blog. Make sure to put PROJECT GHANA in the comments section so it will go to the African orphans. Thanks so much!

T-SHIRT GIVEAWAY

2010-06-24T20:07:00.000-07:00

My sweet friend, Robin, is giving away 2 t-shirts Saturday. Check them out here! They are awesome! The Beebe boys have a band called Perfect Aim. If you have not heard them play, then you should! Incredible!!! They play for the Lord and to please and honor Him. Their shirts will benefit their adoption and help them purchase new (much needed) band equipment. So check it out here and show your support for the youth rising up to serve our Jesus!!!

God sustaining

2010-06-23T20:08:00.000-07:00

Remember my last post about lack of faith? Well, I have been trying so hard to keep my eyes focused upon Jesus. I have been constantly reminded of when Peter walked on the water. Everything was good UNTIL he took his eyes off Jesus. Then, he sank. Without Jesus, I am sinking. It was so odd, actually just so God because this was the devotion in Streams in the Desert for today: Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink cried, "LORD, SAVE ME!" Matthew 14:29-30

You see, the adoption journey is just like Peter. You get out of the boat and say "I can do this" and make your way. Then all of a sudden you realize (or at least we did) what we are truly trying to do and how HARD it is. My eyes shifted so quickly off Jesus and onto my desire and longing to have my sweet babies home with me. That's not God's plan, but mine. I have to refocus my eyes upon Jesus and have complete faith that He will deliver us. This devotion was another gentle reminder from the Lord. He has been reminding me that I am making the same mistake Peter made.

So tonight I got an email from a friend who just returned from Ghana. She wasn't able to see my kids, but she delivered some very comforting news. P is working extremely hard on your case. The region where your kids are from is difficult to travel right now because it has been raining so much. P says your kids are in a very good foster home, with less kids and their foster mom takes good care of them.

These were such comforting words for me today. God delivered news to me of our children. I know they are being cared for and He will protect them until I can bring them home. So our new prayer request is for P to have safe travels as he tries to complete our case. For the rain to stop long enough for everything to get completed. And for our children to have comfort where they are, for someone to be teaching them about Jesus and for them to know we are doing everything possible to get to them.

Faith

2010-06-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

Faith is so needed and something I haven't had much of lately. Since we've been waiting 8 weeks since our dossier went to Ghana, I have been losing my faith. Are we ever really going to get to go to Ghana? Will we ever have a court date? Will I ever hold my little ones tight? God has been convicting me lately of my lack of faith. I woke up this morning to an empty, sleeping house so I grabbed my Bible and hit the porch. The first verse God took me to was Matthew 21:22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith. I have been asking for God to bring my kids home, but have not had the actual faith that He would do it. Next verse - Mark 11:24 - therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And the faith verses kept coming and coming. Jesus keeps reminding us to 'have faith'. I needed to be reminded of this and am so thankful for it. Now as I pray for our sweet children to come home, for us to have a court date, for me to be able to hug them and tell them how much I love them, I have faith. I know that my God will do this. I know we will hear news from Percy very soon. I know God will move those mountains out of our way to reach our children. Please pray with us and pass our prayer request along. We need prayer warriors fighting for our children. :)

Feeding the Orphans Update

2010-06-20T20:13:00.000-07:00

Sydney has raised over $2000 since she started selling her t-shirts. You can click here if you haven't read her story. Since beginning, she has sold over 170 shirts, had a garage sale, and been invited to put a display in our local chiropractor's office who is burdened for the orphans. God is blessing her mission, His mission that He is doing through her obedience. You can now make tax-deductible donations to her. Details are on her blog. Please pray for her heart as she goes on toward her goal of $3000 before we leave for Ghana. By the way, originally her goal was $100, then $1000. This money will buy a lot of food in Africa. Her next step is to reach the local churches and businesses and to contact local pharmacies to donate vitamins. If you have any suggestions for her, please let her know. :)

Calling all prayer warriors

2010-06-20T19:59:00.000-07:00

Please pray with us as we wait. God's timing is so perfect and I never want to be out of His will. However, our rep in Ghana traveled today to work on our case. My prayer is it is our TIME. That we will receive an email saying, "LET'S GO TO COURT!" Through this adoption I have learned so much. I realize just how much our family lives 'of the world'. It really hit home tonight after reading a couple of friends' blogs. They are also adopting from Ghana and I know the harsh reality of so many of the children there, but tonight as I read those words it hit even harder. A little boy who has been hungry, afraid he might not get food, thinks he needs to eat and eat so he won't be hungry later. This is real, this is true, and this is just down the street from where my sweet children are. We spend so much on groceries each month and tonight I realized (once again) that I can cut back even more than we already have. So every extra penny will go to the orphans. God has burdened our hearts for them and burdened our children's hearts. Pray for us as we try to obey. Some of you may follow our blog and wonder what we are sacrificing to bring our children home. Well, we turned our television off. We weren't really watching it anyways and paying way too much for it. That's extra money every month. We have cut back on our kids' activities to help bring our children home and eating out is a special treat. Tonight as I read about little kids picking up CRUMBS off the floor I realized going out to dinner is a treat for me because I'm the one who cooks. I feel that is something we need to give up. We need to eat every single meal at our house. Have you ever truly thought about the starving children of the world? I hadn't until a few months ago. Sure, I knew they were out there and my heart hurt for them, but not enough to do anything about it. These hungry children now have a face for me. I can close my eyes and see my two African children or children our friends are adopting. They are so real and we need to do something about it. Please join me in prayer for the Christians of the world to be moved, for God's people to open their hearts to the orphans, for our hearts to be burdened by our choices and how we can help. Thank you to each one of you. We are so grateful for your prayers. We know our God is a mountain-mover. We know anything is possible through Him and with Him. So pray with us as we pray our children home, but also pray for the orphans of the world to have an earthly father and mother to call DADDY and MOMMY!

Still waiting.....

2010-06-17T07:14:00.000-07:00

Not much to update here. We are still waiting on a court date. It has been 7 weeks since Percy traveled to the Volta region for us. Please continue to pray with us for some type of news. I know he is working hard on our case. I do not doubt that. Just pray some news will come through to us. The waiting is hard, not knowing when we will receive anything. However, my faith in God is keeping me going. My sweet friend Kathleen is in Ghana now with her three boys and they are officially hers!!! YIPPEE!!! She visited my children, which was so amazing for her to do. They are in a different home than her children were so she went to specifically see mine. Thank you, Kathleen! What a blessing! Little Helen has had a boil on her leg, but has seen the doctor and is getting better. We are all anxiously awaiting the day when we can meet our little ones. There has been a bit of a struggle for me and maybe I'll share it in a few days, but please pray for our children to be completely protected from evil. Pray for my heart to be eased and for my faith to remain strong.

The kids and I are camping with my family in KY this week and it's a nice distraction. I'll post more when we leave. I have lots to share!

And the winners are.....

2010-06-08T19:44:00.001-07:00

Lauren from Living by Faith and Lindsay van meter Cotton!!!! Ladies, send me your size and a mailing address. I'll get these out ASAP. Thank you so much to everyone for entering our drawing. It was so much fun putting all the names in a bowl!!! I love these things! We are still selling our shirts at $15 each with FREE SHIPPING until Father's Day for anyone who needs a shirt for Dad. I can usually ship them out the next day. :)

Second, my apologies on posting the winners late. The last few days have been hectic at our house. God led us to minister to the youth of downtown Knoxville a couple of years ago and in the process has brought some awesome children into our lives. They are such a blessing to me. Anyways, about 8 months ago our Lord brought Raymond and John into our home. They have spent most weekends since then and spring break, etc. in our home. Well, Raymond will be 18 on this Friday. Since he is an ADULT legally, but not truly, he is moving to Nashville to live with his grandmother. We had a farewell party/birthday party last night and it was incredible. So, the last few days have been spent enjoying him and getting ready for his big night. And oh how he was surprised! He had never been celebrated quite like that! Some of you may be thinking, what's the big deal? Well, this young man has been through things I can only imagine and survived them. He has poured his heart out to us and honestly, he is like one of our sons. So, it was bittersweet to see him off this morning. He will be living 3 hours away and I pray he will make good choices, that He will choose Jesus instead of the world. If you think about it, please pray for him. An awesome young man with a kind heart!

Lastly, we have no news to share about our adoption. We are still waiting, but finding peace in it all. God's timing is perfect and I only want it His way. Not my way, ever. In the meantime, we are staying busy with decluttering and dejunking our house. I have realized the last few weeks that this is my time to completely organize my house before our kiddos come home. Keep praying for our court date. It has to be coming up soon. :)

GIVEAWAY

2010-06-04T19:42:00.001-07:00

TWO MORE DAYS TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY. POST ON YOUR BLOG OR FB AND LEAVE A COMMENT. I'LL ENTER YOUR NAME. WE'RE DRAWING 2 WINNERS ON MONDAY. CHECK OUT THE DETAILS HERE. THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR HELPING US BRING OUR BABIES HOME!!!

The wait

2010-06-03T20:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we got news from our friend, Kathleen, that they will be traveling to Ghana next week to go to court for their 3 boys. This was such AWESOME news!!! My heart is so excited for her. She is waiting for her boys to come home and her dad has been so, so sick. This is truly an answered prayer. I met my new friend during our adoption. We are using the same agency and as we have walked through USCIS fingerprints and everything else, we have been step by step with one another. Until now. Yesterday morning we were both waiting on a court date. Now it's just us. SHE'S GOING TO GHANA!!!! Our news was very different. Our representative is still trying to work on our court date in the Volta region. Initially, I was discouraged, but I found God in it. He has given me peace. You see, everything is in His timing, not mine. As I prayed yesterday afternoon after knowing we are still waiting, God led me to this verse, "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you." Psalm 56:3

I read in Streams in the Desert about how great faith must endure great trials. This is so true for me. I have grown closer to God in the last 6 months than in my whole life. My children are sitting in Africa, I'm here and I cannot help them at all except to pray. I cannot comfort them, take their fears away, make sure they are being fed, loved, held tight, or tuck them in at night. I cannot teach them about Jesus, but my time will come. Soon it will be time for us to travel to Ghana and I have complete faith that it will be on God's time. His perfect timing! He has a perfect plan and I have complete peace. The uneasiness I felt yesterday afternoon is gone. Do I want to go to Ghana now? YES, but only if it is God's will. So we will pray for God's protection over my African babies until we can get there and we will pray for the courts to grant us permission and we will continue to pray for God's peace and comfort for us as we wait. Join me as I pray for Kathleen and Tim to pass court in Ghana. :)

Let's do a Father's Day Giveaway

2010-06-02T17:09:00.000-07:00

Okay everyone, we are getting closer and closer to our travel dates. A friend got her travel dates today. Yay for Kathleen! She leaves next Wednesday for Ghana. So we are next in line! In the meantime, we want to sell some of these shirts to help bring our babies home. We are going to kick it off with a FATHER'S DAY GIVEAWAY! So post about this giveaway on Facebook or on your blog, leave a comment or send me an email at 4oleary@msn.com, I'll enter your name and draw the winners, yes 2 WINNERS, on Monday. Help us bring our kids home! You can enter more than once! We're selling them for $15 with FREE SHIPPING! A great gift for Father's Day! Chocolate brown t-shirt proclaiming how our Heavenly Father did not leave us as orphans!

Adult sizes: small, medium, large, xlarge 2X

Child sizes: xsmall, small, medium, large, xlarge

2010-05-29T19:31:00.000-07:00

You have all listened to me talk about how our 10 year old, Sydney, has a heart for orphans. God has burdened her for them and I am so thankful she is following her dream. She designed her own shirt (with a little help) and just received them back yesterday. This is our 3 year old modeling for her. They are $15 each and all proceeds go to feeding the orphans of Ghana. We will be traveling soon (I pray) to bring our 2 angels home. When we go, Sydney will be taking all of the money donated to her to buy food and supplies for the orphans. Thank you to so many for supporting her mission and for praying for her. She needs you to pray. Some days she feels very defeated (thanks to our enemy) and needs encouragement. Each time someone sends an email to her or buys a t-shirt or leaves a comment, it makes her realize she can do this. She realizes she isn't too young. We are teaching her to put her faith in God, but she needs us to encourage and lift her up along the way. So check out her blog here and help her help the orphans.

The Fatherless on Father's Day

2010-05-27T21:31:00.000-07:00

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Father's Day is coming up and it reminds me of a few different things. First of all, my earthly father. He is so loving, caring, helpful and taught me how to love Jesus and follow God. I am thankful each day for both he and my mother. God truly blessed me. Next, I think of my Heavenly Father who loves me more than I can even imagine. He loves me unconditionally. He loves me so much He sent His own Son to die on the cross. I am amazed by the life He has blessed me with. I have 5 beautiful children, a wonderful husband and loving, supportive friends. I have more materially than the majority of the world and have never gone hungry or without anything a day in my life. I want to share my God and my Jesus with the world. I want the people of the world to know His love for them, for you and for me. I want the children of the world to know about Jesus and how much He loves them. I want the children of the world to have homes, to have food and clean water. I want to fulfill God's calling on my life. I want to do the mission He has given me. I want the world to know how many orphans there are and what we all can do to help them. Pray for them to find forever homes, pray for them to have food and clean water, pray for them to hear about Jesus' love, pray for the way God wants you to help Him help the orphans. Pray for the adoptive families across the world trying to bring little ones home. Or if you feel God calling you to adopt, let me pray for you and with you. This adoptive community is so incredible. I have met and made so many unbelievable friends and prayer partners. I am so thankful for that. What a blessing! Lastly, Father's Day reminds me of the fatherless. The children around the world who do not know their Heavenly Father, the ones who do not have an earthly father to hold them tight at night. I watch my own husband and the father he is to our children. I long for the day our African babies will be here and I can watch him hold them tight. I cannot wait for the day when I can watch our children wrap their arms around his neck and say "I love you, Daddy!" My husband and the men of the world are showing our children the love of our Heavenly Father. Let's step out for God and step up for the fatherless.

In honor of Father's Day, we are selling our brown adoption t-shirts for $15 with $5 shipping. Help us spread the word about our Father who did not leave us as orphans. He adopted us. Let's speak up for the orphans by spreading the word.

Adult sizes: small, medium, large, xlarge, 2x

Child sizes: xsmall(2-4), small(6-8), medium(10-12), large(14-16), xlarge(18-20)

Chocolate brown shirts

Front: I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. John 14:18

Back: Will you come? Yes, I will come because Jesus came for me.

This shirt is not designed only for adopting families. I know it says I will come because Jesus came for me, BUT anytime you help someone else adopting, you are helping an orphan.

All money raised from our shirts will go to bringing our children home. Once they are home, any extra money will go to another adoptive family, then another and so on. Let's pass it on!

Needed to hear this today

2010-05-26T05:29:00.000-07:00

This family serves in Northern Uganda. I love reading her blog. It is always so simple, but so powerful. Click here to see what she wrote today. Are you willing? And am I willing?

No news

2010-05-25T20:28:00.000-07:00

I have sat down several times over the last week to post and I keep drawing a blank. We do not have any updates. Our representative traveled to our children's original region 4 weeks ago today to try to schedule court. As of this morning, we have no news. So, we will wait and we will be patient and we will keep our faith in God for He has perfect timing. I know that, but sometimes it is hard. We long to have our precious children here. It seems there is nothing standing in the way. We have done everything we can. Now I am trying to re-organize the house, enjoy this beautiful summer weather with our children and finish up our homeschooling year. All of this while praying for my sweet babies to come home. Join me in prayer, please.

People always ask "Isn't it hard to wait?" Yes, it is hard, BUT through this adoption I have learned to trust my sweet Jesus sooooo much. I have turned to Him and put my complete trust in Him. Since receiving our referral three months ago, we have not had any true updates. We did receive new pictures from our agency, but nothing else. We were so thankful for these 2 photos. I can tell H is growing. Her little cheeks are filling out and it makes my heart happy. I'm not sure if she is talking yet. We probably will not know until we get there. There are people we have known that traveled to pick up their children, but they did not see ours. They were in a different foster home. All of these unknowns have just made me trust Jesus more. I know they are His children. He loves them more than I can ever imagine. We have just been chosen to lead them on this earth. So during this time, we find our peace in our Saviour. The one who came to die for our sins also came to rescue my children. I am so thankful God adopted me into His family and so thankful we have the opportunity to adopt these children into our family. We know this is just the beginning for our family. God commands us to care for the widows and orphans. He doesn't ask us if we want to. He COMMANDS it!!! And I know not everyone can adopt. I understand that, but I believe there is something everyone can do to help. Spread the word about someone who is adopting, donate $10 (or more), wear an orphan awareness t-shirt. The possibilities are endless! Let's follow Jesus into the homes of the broken and let's follow Him into the world!!!

And for anyone interested, our t-shirt sales have been AWESOME! You can click here for complete details. And don't forget about our daughter's vision to feed the orphans. You can help her by going here for details and her own t-shirt design. (They should be here on Friday so all orders will ship soon!)

Love is Not a Color Giveaway

2010-05-19T20:30:00.000-07:00

This video was designed by a family I have only met through the world of adoption blogs. They have a true heart for orphans and are in the process of adopting a little girl from Ethiopia. With the video they designed a new t-shirt, Love is Not a Color. Click here to check out their story. This shirt is fabulous and so, so true!! Love isn't a color and I am so excited to bring my two African babies into our home. People have asked, "Are you worried because they are a different color?" NO!!! God blessed me with these two children in the same way He did my 3 biological children! He chose me to be their mother and I am ecstatic. God sees no color and neither do I. That's a huge reason I love this shirt so much! It speaks truth! Well, Kim in her generous heart has opened her shirts up for other people to fundraise. As many of you know, our sweet Sydney has heard God calling her to care for the orphans. She designed her own shirt, Why do we eat like kings and queens when they have nothing?, and is raising money to buy supplies for the orphans. Initially, she will take her proceeds to Ghana when we travel. Yes, she will be going to Africa. She is so excited!! In addition to her own shirt, she is going to sell Kim's shirts. Check out this video then visit Sydney's blog. She is doing a GIVEAWAY for one of these shirts. Post this video on FB or on your blog, send her an email to kotasgo@hotmail.com or post a comment and she'll put your name in the pot. The lucky winner will be announced on Monday. In the meantime, order a shirt or two from her. All monies will go straight to the orphans. Unbelievably, she has sold almost 60 of her own shirts. Not really unbelievably, but God believably!!! Thank you to everyone for showing their support for her. Please continue to pray for her on this journey.

Sizes: Ladies M(4), L (6), XL(8), 2XL(10), 3XL(12)

Mens - Medium, large, xlarge

$25 each

You can order through her blog or me. I'll forward all orders to her. You can use the donate buttons on either blog, too, to pay for your order. :)