All kinds of Crazy

I have wanted to sit and write for the last week and a half!  I have experienced all kinds of crazy lately.

Crazy Awesome!

Crazy unbelievable.

Crazy discouraging :(

Crazy encouraging.

Crazy gratifying.

Crazy busy.

Many moments lately I can't imagine how I might be able to handle anymore crazy, and then I am reminded of the Lord and His sustaining power, so refreshing!
 

 

Last week we started home schooling, part of me still can't believe that just came out of my mouth!  If you know me I said I would never do that.  Little did I know the plan my heavenly father had for my family.  Schooling at home, Crazy right?  It's so awesome, the first week was great!  I would be so, so sad had I not chosen to do this with my kids.  It's nice to have day after day with purpose.  My relationship with my children has grown deeper and richer.  I ended the week, tired but feeling really grateful.

 

Week two, well this has been a little different, still really great but more teary moments from all parties involved.  This week does have some added stresses of trying to gather stuff for a garage sale Saturday and having more things on my too do list than I can count.  But this is where some of my crazy unbelievable comes from.  Can I just say that the Lord is so good, not because He cares for my every need but because He cares about details.  I want to share so I don't forget the ways I see the Lord's hand.

 

So as we move forward with adoption and fundraising to bring Davis#5 home it involves a lot, but that's OK.

We put out a request to all our friends, family, and they put a request out to their friends and family for garage sale donations and boy did they start rolling in! Crazy encouraging!  People started to donate large items and expensive items, I was shocked, some of these people don't even know us or our story.  But the Lord knows us and cares about the story we are a part of.  We started Craigslisting and praying that the Lord would bring people forward to buy and help fund this crazy adventure He has us on...It's happening...things are selling!

 

Along with all those Crazy good type moments we've also been experiencing the Crazy discouraging.  I had someone challenge us in not a very loving way of our choice of international adoption over domestic adoption.  That's a very personal choice and we have very clear reasons for us why Ethiopia, and love adoption from anywhere, they are all God's children, right?? 

 This week I have felt every ounce of stress that you might feel in the middle of being a new homeschool mom, fundraising and paper work that NEEDS to get done!  I feel like I have lost my cool with the kids more than once, I hate when my emotions aren't in check.  I'm so thankful that tomorrow is a new day! 

Today I was on the phone making the long needed doctor's appointment for myself, I get off and find Sam filling a cup at the fridge.  Most kids would stop when the water starts flowing over the cup, no not Sam!  He just kept filling the cup up, it was pouring out of the fridge!  There was water all over the kitchen floor it made it about a foot into my living room and pantry, I wipe it up and move on.  Five minutes later the kids let me know that water is pouring out of the ceiling in the basement, ugh SAM!  I guess I was on the phone longer than I thought because the water ran out of the ceiling for 20ish minutes slowing as time went on.  Before this happened I was already feeling like I had hit my breaking point for the day.  Do you ever turn circles trying to accomplish just one task?  That was me, dinner was started, in the middle of listing Craigslist stuff,  trying to read the last two chapters of a book that needed to be done tonight and then Sam happened.  What do you do?  How do you respond to the crazy discouraging?  Today wasn't my finest but I do know that it involves trusting the Lord's plan and that He has it totally under control, even when I don't. 

 

Thirty minutes after this water episode happens I walk to my neighbors to wash some veggies, we turned off our water just as a precaution in case a pipe busted.  On the way there another neighbor stops me, mind you they don't know were adopting yet or that we're having a garage sale, she asks if I would like a kid item she has brand new in the box $300 dollar value.  Ummm Yes, I was then able to share about the adoption and how we can sell it to raise adoption money, sweet!  I'm telling you this stuff has happened all week, something crazy discouraging happens and then it's outweighed by something that is way better!  So even though my neighbor had no idea of our need for stuff donated the Lord did!  He cares about the details.

The Lord is Good!

Picture update...

 

Sam and I each created a potato head version of ourselves.  Glasses were his thing :)

26 and counting.

Today was special, we got together with the families we grew up with.  I see most of these moms through normal life but rarely together.  I am so thankful that I got to see my parents make rich and deep friendships because it's given me a far better appreciation for keeping up with those I have history with.  We had fun we sat around and talked kids, life, ate and laughed.  Looking forward to the day I get to watch my children do this!

This a picture of all the kiddos...product of 10 moms.

        I count 26, but I think there will be many more to come.

Blessed

The Lord is so good and faithful!  

The Lord's spirit is actively working in my life, when I felt despairing and overwhelmed the Lord has shown Himself.  It's easy to feel alone in this adoption process and that is what I was experiencing, I think this was fault of my own of course.  Looking back I hadn't let many into our world yet,  the Lord has prompted us to share more about what is going on in our life.  He has shown up through others in many ways, and that is exciting!

My dear friend Cory is making a beautiful infinity scarf to help raise money for our adoption.  It was so refreshing and reassuring that the Lord plans on using others to partner with us in this crazy adventure!  Thanks Cory for following through on the whispers of the Lord to move on this idea. 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/107016674/mint-orange-floral-infinity-scarf-davis

I have countless encouragements from friends, family and neighbors who are excited and want to help. 

As I was thinking this morning a thought struck me.  I have been feeling burdened by the amount of paperwork that this process involves and honestly feeling sorry for myself, silly huh!  My thoughts often were..."why can't Ben take initiative and help more with this?".  Well this morning I was reminded that my dear husband is working on our adoption and very hard at that.  He is going to work everyday and bringing home a paycheck.  He is putting in extra time and aiming for his best fall ever to be able to move forward financially on this adoption.  Wow, I felt a sense of conviction that I clearly wasn't identifying this as helping and I wasn't showing him a thankful heart. 

Thank you all who are praying for us, helping and using their talents and gifts to bless God's kingdom and our family! 



One more week of Summer, it's really hard to believe!!  We start homeschooling August 20th.  People ask if I am ready and I wonder if I will ever be able to say I am ready.  I am really excited about teaching the kids this year! I feel terribly unequipped in one sense, considering my lack of training, but on the other hand I feel that I was made for this and will know my children better than any teacher could.  I feel very reassured that even when this gets hard that it is the right decision for now.

This past week has been exciting and eventful. 
We started our home study on Monday, which felt great to get it going and it makes adoption very real.  lately I have felt prompted to move faster on paperwork and to trust that the Lord will provide financially along the way.  My first fundraising endeavor will be a garage sale on September 1st and I will be asking for household items that people would like to donate and all the money would help bring Davis #5 home!  Ben's dad sent us a video this week I think this is where some of my emotions about moving the paperwork along came from.  If you have a minute watch it, remember not everyone is called or able to adopt but we all are called to have a heart that responds in some way to the orphans of this world.  OK enough just watch...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWHJ6-YhSYQ&feature=player_embedded

On Monday my mom also had a complete hysterectomy, she is hopeful that this will be the solution to some recent abdominal pain.  It's hard sometimes to know how to help a parent when they aren't feeling the best.  We are praying for wisdom and a speedy recovery.

We have been so excited all week about Crossroads Florence opening soon.  This week we had a dedication, the surrounding communities and the ones who have given to make this possible were invited. The evening was like nothing else, it's hard to walk into their doors and not feel loved.  It was so encouraging to hear more vision for the church and to know that the Lord is already using the people in this community to impact the city around us.  This past Saturday we had an open house to let those who are considering Crossroads take a tour around and feel comfortable to come on August 19th.  Ben and I gave tours and it was so neat to meet so many that have not been to church since childhood and have no church home.  We are pumped about where the Lord has us!

Last night we had a little drive way get together to send off our neighbors across the street who are moving.  We are so sad, we know the Lord will bring just the right family but it's hard to see them leave.

It's been a long day and now I need to go help Ben put the little ones down.