Impact Zambia 100, Join With Us to Support Zambia!

 Join us to IMPACT lives in Zambia...   

    

"Hi.  My name is Richard.  I am in grade 7.  I stay with my sister, Josephine.  I have three brothers and two sisters.  My other sister attends Lifesong and is in grade 5.  Her name is Emelia.  My mother stays in a village far away.  My father died in 2006.  Thank you for supporting me and may God bless you and add more days to your life.  My favorite subject is art."

Richard is just ONE of the 253 students that we are blessed to serve at Lifesong Zambia.  He is also one of the students that will be moving on to grade 8 this fall.  

Without the construction of new classrooms, Richard may join the 95% of Zambian children that are not able to attend High School. 

Will you join us in impacting the lives of children like Richard?

To add to the excitement--thanks to a generous donor, all donations will be matched up to $225,000!!

  

To join the Impact Zambia 100 team, email info@lifesongfororphans.org! be sure to mention Abba CCBC or Nuckels if you decide to join with us to Impact Zambia

While I'm Waiting

These past few months have been very hard. Waiting, more paperwork, waiting and some very difficult challenges, more paperwork...and still more waiting.

There have been some times where I've allowed my joy to be stolen and my hope to wither. I'd forgotten how dark and lonely it can feel when the light of hope fades...especially when I choose to look away from My Daddy and big brother and start to try to fill up with other things or busyness.

 I am struggling to keep my focus intentionally on Christ and obeying whatever I have been asked...regardless of the present circumstance. Contentment in the present season has been nearly impossible. Not because I don't understand the truth of Philippians 4 (I once made a photo movie for a friend about that particular chapter when she was in need of hope and humor) I just didn't want to keep applying it. Intentionally choosing to be content when part of my world seems to be crumbling in a semi-public way is impossible on my own. That's why as an adopted child I am not required to.

My Daddy has asked me to love Him the most with all of myself and to love others...particularly the vulnerable. While I am in plenty or in want. While I am waiting or gazing at His glory from the mountain top.

He has His joy for me and true contentment too. My heart has wavered, but my mission has never been more clear. I do not understand why, but I am intentionally yielding my desire to have these answers...daily. And it is very hard to tear my focus back to my Daddy...but slowly and as I am waiting He has shown me a few more things.

The hope of His grace and lessons learned in some hard chapters of my past is still hope to share and grace to encourage others in their hard chapters today. Hard to read Hebrews 4 or Romans 15:13 without flashes of My Daddy's goodness in the past. A goodness that recently was my blessing to share for encouragement to another.

My Daddy's love for the world, His heart to serve and privilege to allow me to learn from those that He has called to full-time ministry. Our Daddy has seemed to ask us to go and we will obey...excitedly:) A pull towards other parts of the globe that will take Brian to The Dominican Republic and me to Zambia this summer. Hearing His heart for places we've read about, and now the experience of seeing our Daddy. Echoes of Job 42:5

Loving and praying for a boy in need while my heart aches for my son that I cannot reach. A few days ago we started sponsoring another precious child. A boy about the same age as our big girls. Using how our Daddy provides for us beyond our needs to love those with needs we cannot begin to imagine.

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.) 

Asking for my Daddy to fill me to overflowing with His joy and peace to encourage others and to keep obeying ...while I'm waiting. 

The Race Marked Out For Us

...and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith...
from Romans 12:1-2

I've often compared this adoptive journey to running the marathon. God sent encouragement when I was needing it then and He is sending encouragement today.

This week is an important one and we are asking for your prayers. If you'd like to let us know you're praying we'd LOVE to hear from you so post a comment or email me here.

I will run with His perseverance the race that He marked out for us.

Hope in the Hard Chapters

Recently I heard someone talk about hard chapters--parts of the story that were difficult or things he'd rewrite...or omit. He also reminded us that God is writing a story with our lives, one that was planned with Hope and for His Glory.

There are hard chapters in my story, events and things I cannot change. In 2003 when we were going through our first homestudy process to become foster/adoptive parents we were required to discuss openly and honestly examine those hard chapters. Our worker was wonderful and supported us through the process. I struggled at times and I saw it incredibly unfair to have to talk about things with our social worker when the years of fertility treatments and loss, my past, or motives for wanting to become a parent were never discussed.

I didn't understand before our first foster son, the practical reasons for discussing my hard chapters. I didn't see how events so long ago shaped my responses. Those first few weeks siting in a chair next to our foster son's bed, hearing him struggle with both night terrors and cries of utter agony from the depths of his grief. His confused and hurting little three year old heart just broken...his hard chapters. I was there to walk or sit beside him and offer hope as he began to heal. This experience would help me as there were many others that God would lead to our home that were also in the middle of hard chapters.

Through the years our family has gone through some hard chapters. It can be incredibly painful to walk with my children as they struggled for answers that I cannot give about some of their hard chapters. There are times that hard chapters have to be discussed openly and honestly examined. The hope and grace that I have been given through Christ is what sustains as we walk with our kiddos through hard chapters.  I am incredibly grateful for our social worker and agencies that have supported us through our current homestudy and international process.

Not everyone can understand or extend grace and hope to those of us with hard chapters. Maybe that's why Jesus came and lived some hard chapters too.

Thank you God, for not abandoning us and for giving us grace and hope in our hard chapters.