Jake made it to Peru

Jake made it to Peru. He is having a great time. He is eating some great food. Jake loves the Spanish language so he is loving being around it. Yesterday Paul preached at church and Jake said by God's grace he was able to understand some of it. They are headed for the jungle today. I will not hear from him until he gets back to Lima. I will let you know how the jungle was. Pray for them not to get eaten by bugs.

Azariah Clay Barry

                                         I had the great pleasure of being with Holden and Rachel when Azariah was born.  I was not in the room with them but I was waiting just outside.  Rachel was a trooper through the labor and Holden was a great support.  It think Rach was made to have babies.  She is one beautiful mama, filled with so much joy.  What a miracle, What a gift!!!!  All of you that have children never forget the miracle of it all.  It made me want to have another baby so badly, but then I remember our calling to adopt.  If I could be pregnant while adopting I probably would, but there is a reason why they will not allow it.  Please pray for the Barrys as they step into parenthood.

Running with a purpose

Working out has always been a priority of mine.  I now want to run with a purpose beyond just doing it to do it.  I want to run for Christ.  I want to run for my husband and my children.  I want to run for our children in Africa.  As I run I want to meditate on the truths of God, listen to worship music and be so thankful for the ability to run.  i desire to put my flesh into submission like never before.  

1Timothy 4:8  For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

I love that scripture.  There is value in physical training but it does not compare to godliness.  I have always loved to work out and push myself.  As a teenager it was all to beat my body and make it look the way I wanted.  After God saved me it turned more to the purpose of health after I had my babies it was to help lose the weight.  Now I want to run to glorify Christ in my body.  As a mom, sometimes the last thing I want to do is work out but I know it makes me a better mom and wife. I will be writing about my experiences with all of this and if there is anyone that wants to join me I would love it!!  I ran this morning and I made it up the big hill at the end so Jake took a picture of me, first happy i made it and then dead at the end. As I ran up the hill, it hurt and I wanted to quit but I made my flesh do something it didn't want to do.  I am making my body my slave, so  I am not enslaved to my body and want it wants.  Examples: laziness, stopping when it gets hard, eating all I want, you get my point.  Join me in the challenge!!!  My main commitment is that I am no going to go out and run until I have had some time in the Word so I have something to meditate on.  I will never let working out come before the most important thing, growing in godliness.

Ten reasons I run:

1. health

2. to look good for my husband!!

3. to get rid of some of my crazy aggression that causes me to pick fights

4. because I love it

5. to exercise our dogs

6. to clear my mind and sweat out the toxins (get some good BO)

7. to put my flesh into submission (when you don't want to run do it anyway!!)

8. Romans 12:1-2

9. to spend time in prayer for my family

10. to Glorify Christ in my worldly body that I might not be enslaved to laziness

The Call to Adoption!!!!

Gal. 4:4-6

  But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so the He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.  Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son in to our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"

  When I was very young one of my mom's good friends adopted a little boy.  For the first time I was learning about what it meant to adopt.  God put a desire in me to be a mother to orphans at a young age and it never left.  When Jake and I first got into a relationship one of the first things I asked him was, do you feel called to adopt?  He was not sure but he would pray about it.  He soon said he would love to do that and then I knew our relationship could continue.  A day does not go by that I don't dream about, think about, or pray about this calling.  When my children run to me and say mama or mommy I dream of an orphaned child running into my arms calling me mommy and I wrap them in my arms and do my best to show and teach them Christ.  There are times when I am running and it is hard and I want to stop and walk but I push through and as I continue to run I feel God saying, this road to adotion will not be easy and then I say, God I will not give up, and He says, it will not be comfortable, and I say I will not give up and then He says to follow me will not be easy and I say I will not give up!!!  As we have this conversation while I run I often start to cry and then run harder until I have finished.  IT is a great symbolism of so many things, our walk with Christ or motherhood.  We can not give up!!!   There are many desires in my life that have come and go through the years but this desire has come to stay.  I don't know the road ahead but I do know I want God to lead the way because HE does know.  I do believe that God has put this desire of adoption in me but above this desire, I simply desire Christ!!!