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Fingerprints (adoption update)

Today Jake and I traveled to Birmingham to get fingerprinted for the immigration for the adoption. This is the last thing we are waiting on for our dossier to be ready to send to Ethiopia. We waited for a long time to get this done so we are pumped. This morning I was up at five and so excited to get this step done but I was also in prayer for this process and these children. We are one step closer to bringing home our children!!!! This is the part of the process that is a lot of waiting. At first you are bombarded with paperwork and then you have to wait, wait, and wait. God has been so faithful to teach us about Himself every step of the way. HE is our guide into the unknown.
Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path

I have moments of fear and I say to myself, what are we doing? Then I go to the word of God and God gives light to our path and the fears fade away. AS we go through this the doctrine of being adopted by God becomes more and more clear.
Ephesians 1:5
he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will
PLEASE PRAY FOR US

My love made it home

I was going to write an update about Jake's trip but I thought it better if he did, so I am turning the keyboard over to him. Take it away babe!

hey ya'll ... glad to be a guest author here on this world-famous blog.. now about the trip:

The trip to Peru was life changing, but not in a selfish i-went-on-a-mission-trip-to-change-my-own-life kind of way. It did change my life, but the fact that the Gospel of Jesus Christ was taken into the jungles of Peru means that lives were impacted in an eternal way.

Not only did we see God doing a genuine work in the hearts of not-yet believers in the jungle, but we were able to train and equip many pastors and leaders in a way that will impact the area exponentially. Many pastors in the jungle have little more than their Bibles in their libraries (No Christian bookstores in the jungle.. the potpourri would draw out too many wild animals) so we were able to provide them with Study Bibles and other resources, along with instruction on how to use them in their study and sermon preparation. These men were some of the humblest men I have ever seen... and they are hungry for truth. Some of them traveled 3-4 days to get there.. a lot of them traveled with their families. It was convicting to see the sacrifices they will make for the sake of the Gospel.

After the jungle, we traveled back to the city of Lima where another conference was held. Again, pastors traveled from afar to hear the Word of God preached and to learn theological truths. Again, resources were provided and these pastors were able to purchase many new theological resources that have been recently translated into spanish.

Overall, it was a blessing to see what God is doing in Peru and to see how He has a people everywhere. Praise be to His Name!

Jake

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!!!