New Name Love Name

A few Sundays ago our pastor spoke about how when we accept Christ, we wear His name. It's like we wear "Christ" on our chest. A few minutes later when I went into the nursery to pick up my girls, the Holy Spirit brought my eyes to the stickers stuck to their backs. Their new names were printed on them. Not their old ones that they were born with. Not the old life that they were born into with no father in poverty. No they have a daddy now that loves them so much he gave them his name to wear. The names we chose for them are blessing names, names that carry joy. Their birth names spoke of heaviness and grief.
What a picture of what Christ does for us when we accept Him. I get to wear His glorious, LOVE name.

Vision of Birth

Our adoption journey was filled with miracles. This is the story of one that often raises my faith and that of others.

We had been waiting for our referral for a number of months and was expecting a call soon. I was at church March 1, 2009.

 The worship time was lovely and I was concentrating on God and His goodness, raising my hands slightly with my eyes closed.  Suddenly and unexpectedly I saw in my spirit an outline of the continent of Africa. Then zoom, to an outline of Ethiopia. Zoom again to a small white house. All of a sudden I saw inside the house. There was a woman giving birth and holding a child to her chest. It was just a few seconds. Immediately the thought came that that was my child.

I told my husband about it and wrote in my journal: " I wonder if our daughter is going to be born the first week of March."
We were quite encouraged and excited to find out over a month later, when we did get the exciting call that yes!

Our girls were born March 6th, the Friday after I saw the vision. 

Rwanda: God Places the Orphans in Families

I am overjoyed about hearing of the Rwanda adoption program just starting through All God's Children International. These children are victims of extreme poverty and most have been abandoned. Many are dropped in outhouses when they are born and saintly people rescue them and place them in bags in front of a St. Theresa's orphanage. The sweet nuns from India tirelessly love and care for these sweet innocent ones and nurse them sweetly back to health. There tough beginning makes the start of life very difficult but love is so powerful. All love comes from God. God bless these sweet women making this their life's work. Saving these precious children. More information can be found in this beautiful article: Rwanda's Orphans . Pray for these babies.

"Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world." James 1:27

"I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you." John 14:18

Must Read Books: Adoption and Orphans

This is not a big list (just two books), there are so many great books on this subject out there but I will share my absolute favorites. The MUST reads.

"The Strength of Mercy: Making a Difference in the World One Child at a Time" by Jan Beazely

link to book on Amazon

This is a beautiful true story of the first adoption from Romania that started the agency: (the one we went with to adopt our twins) All God's Children International. It is so beautiful and is such a perfect example of an adoption journey where God was the author and brought them through incredible odds. I have bought and recommended this book to friends and relatives and all say they could not put it down. I read it in an afternoon. It is inspiring and amazing.

"There is No Me Without You: One Women's Odyssey to Rescue her Country's Children" by Melissa Fay Greene

link to book on Amazon

This book is so wonderful that it is hard to describe. The subject is the orphans in Ethiopia caused mostly by the AIDS epidemic. The author brilliantly goes from micro to macro describing the personal lives of peoples involved and then the societal causes and political debacles that cause and effect such anguish. She focuses on what one person can do when they choose a life of love and sacrifice, even if the person is not perfect, just doing what is in their power in love. The writing is top notch which is a huge plus. I gained a vaster perspective on the world and a greater education on the issues that face our world. Most of all it enlarged my heart for the orphan and the suffering ones.

What does it mean to live a prophetic life?

First of all it is anything but boring! Living a prophetic life means being open to adventure, realizing nothing is coincidence. Most of all it is being in a consistent state of expectation stemming from a life of prayer and trust in a personal creator. It is exciting! God warns me or should I say counsels, advises and alerts me of what is to come. He gives me little hints. I often wonder, was that God? It this really going to happen? But then when it does I am in awe. Our Creator is an Almighty One that is in the details. Little details add up to unmistakenly know:

God is here.

In the photo above I am meeting one of my two little twin girls in Ethiopia for the first time. Just a few years before I would have never have dreamed I would be doing this great adventure and being part of such a grand plan. My family's life being linked and sewn together with little ones in Africa needing desperate help.

Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think- according to the power that works in you- to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ephesians 3:20