encouragement

Pass the Tissues…

Posted on by kimnjed

So last night I laid in bed awake till almost 1:00am with a brain that wouldn’t shut off.  What was I thinking about, you ask?
-What will we do tomorrow?
-I have to take advantage of every moment.  What if none of my contact hopes works out for tomorrow?  Will it be a “wasted” day?
-Is Mission to Ukraine (MTU) expecting me to come in tomorrow?  Hmmm…I better check in with them first thing.
-There sure are a lot dogs barking.  Kinda makes me feel like I’m in Kosovo.  🙂
-I hope Jed gets to Zhitomir okay on Thursday.  He won’t have a phone…how will I know when to meet him at the city center?
-How will I fit all my kids on the tiny marshrutkas they have here in Zhitomir?
-I kind of wish I had ice cream right now. 
-How will my kids make friends here? 
-Will we be lonely? 
-What will we do tomorrow?????  Surely God has a plan, right?
Yeah, my mind was spinning and I was kind of worrying…about everything.  People tell me all the time that they could never do what we are doing, or getting ready to do.  How do we do it?  How are we so brave?  Hahahahaha!  Now you see.  🙂  We are nothing special.  Sometimes we look like deer in headlights.  We cry (well, not so much “we”, more “me”). We fret.  We keep ourselves awake worrying about things we can’t do anything about.  But, in the end we just put one foot in front of the other and praise God He’s not afraid to use cracked, imperfect vessels like you and me to be His hands and feet.    
It kind of reminds me of our time fostering.  People would always say they could never foster; that it would be too hard to let the babies go after you start to get attached.  Let me tell ya, it was too hard.  It was impossibly hard.  But, God called us to it and He gave us grace for what He called us to.  It doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt like crazy.  It doesn’t mean we didn’t ever cry ourselves to sleep at night because of the heartache.  It just means that when He calls you HE gives you every single thing you need to accomplish His purposes.  And because of that I would do it all over again in a second.  
This is scary.  This is wonderful.  This is exciting.  But trust me; we are not anything special.  Talk to our close friends and family.  Pass the tissues, ’cause we all got issues.  We worry about all the same things you would worry about if you were in our shoes, but we know He will give us every single thing we need to accomplish His purposes.  We just need reminders of that every 5 minutes or so.
That truth is not only for us!  I don’t know who all is reading this, but I know that God wants to remind someone about this truth today.  
He is enough.  He will make the way.  He will smooth the path.  His word does what it sets out to accomplish.  He doesn’t expect you to be super strong or super brave or even a little bit perfect.  He asks you to be willing, and the rest is up to Him.
Step out!  Act on the dreams God has planted in your heart.  Tell Him you are willing and watch what He does.  Don’t let fear hold you back.  Love fully.  Live fully.  Trust.  (I’m preaching to myself today too!)  
Isaiah 55:10-13 rocks my world: 
“For your thoughts are not my thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares The Lord.
As the heavens are higher than then the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” 

Oh, but it gets better.  Listen to what happens when we trust!  This is the best:

“You will go out in joy and be led out in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you and all the trees of the fields will clap their hands.  
Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree (Ha!!!  Yesssss!) and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.  
This will be for the Lord’s renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed,” 

It is my joy; it is your joy to partner with The Lord in His work.
Trees clapping, hills singing…bring it. 
It was sunny, but consider yourself winked at.  🙂

100

Posted on by kimnjed

Welcome to Post #100 for our wee little blog!!!

Hmmmm…what to do to celebrate the 100th post?  What I really need to do is write about money.  But, I don’t want to do that for post 100.  You’ll have to stay tuned for the big money post.  🙂  Watch out, it’s a’comin’!

The other day I was feeling all inspired to write about building altars in remembrance for all God has done on this journey, but at the end of the day when I sat down to write I just wasn’t feelin’ it.  The post was getting waaaaaay too long because God has just done waaaaaay too much.  I realize that’s a very good thing, it just doesn’t work to make a very long post.  Ha!

Then I thought maybe I would write a list of 100 of something…you know, like kindergartners take 100 buttons to school on their 100th day of kinder….something like that.  But, then I thought that would also make a very long post.  Annnnd considering my living room floor is covered in legos, my Hava-lu is sitting on the couch with the puke-bowl next to her after throwing up at least 10 times this afternoon/evening, the dishes are undone, and there is a new mountain of laundry waiting for my attention (thanks to my too late delivery of the puke-bowl), I really don’t have time for a long post.  Actually, I probably don’t really have time for a short post, but I’m resting my legs and procrastinating, and I’m the Mommy, so I can.  🙂

So….in honor of our 100th post I thought I’d highlight a few of my favorite posts along this journey.  It’s always good to look back and remember all that God has done.  Consider this a shortened version of my way-too-long altar post.  🙂   

Beginnings.  I love this post because it was the first.  I was heartbroken when I wrote it, but I can see God’s smile in it now.  We had lost our baby, our dream. But God knew all along what our true dream was.  I picture Him standing over my shoulder as I cried and typed, waiting on pins and needles to show us what He really had in store for us.  It seems like a lifetime ago!!

http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/images/jonah-1-cropped.jpg
“Jonah” the one who started it all.  We will love you forever sweet baby boy 

My Uncle.  I miss my Uncle Gary.  He was gentle, humble, giving, and loving.  I am so thankful God used what seemed to be an impossible situation to bring our hearts together.  Thinking of him makes me smile.

Foster Care Ponderings 1, Foster Care Ponderings 2, Foster Care Ponderings 3. – Writing this series on foster care and our experiences was super therapeutic for me.  Fostering was the best and hardest thing we’ve ever done.  If you have any interest whatsoever in fostering, please, please read these posts.  Read and ask the Lord how He would have you respond.  He is only asking for willing hearts, not superheros!  Do it! Do it! Do it!  (I get a tad passionate about fostering…)

Introducing…our Son!– This is a fave, for obvious reasons.  Seth changed our lives forever.  He was our unexpected bonus for staying in Salem when all we wanted to do was travel the world- and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. 

Romaniv.- I have no words.  Amazing day.  Amazing boys.  Even more amazing now that we know we get to back.  🙂

The Day We’ve Been Waiting For.- God moved mountains to make this day happen.  It was absolutely miraculous!!!!!  It just goes to show you that He is able to do more than we could ever ask or imagine.  Man does not have the final say.  God does.  Word.

We Had No Idea.- Seth’s story.  I pray as he grows he will understand how much he is loved, how many people prayed for him, and how hard we fought for him.  Love love love my baby.

Carried.- This post is a good reminder to me that God is there even in our darkest hour.  He speaks life and love into our hearts when we need it most.  He is our healer and His promises are true. Thankful.  🙂


Thanks to all of you for following our journey and encouraging us along the way.  It’s crazy to think about what we initially started this blog for, and what it has become.  His ways are sooooo much higher than our ways.  

I can’t wait to see what life will be like when we write post #200!

Christ is Risen: And Now Everything is Upside Down

Posted on by kimnjed

HE IS RISEN!


As I looked out at the amazing sunrise this morning, I was reflecting on what we are gearing up for this coming year, in light of Easter. This is the day God’s Kingdom made a definitive beach head into what we call the ultimate or final experience… death.

In N.T. Wright’s Lenten reading today, he highlights the issue with how Christ revealed his risen self.  The gospel accounts have him first appearing to Mary and Mary Magdalene.  He explains that women were considered an unreliable source of information in that culture, at that time.  They were considered weak.  But this was something new and God was turning our systems of thought and best ideas on their ear.

Paul reiterates this point in 1 Corinthians 1:25,   “For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

Wright said, “That is part of what Easter is all about.  God is doing a new thing, and, as Jesus said earlier in the story, the first shall be last and the last first.  Easter is a day to put everything upside down and inside out.”

This morning I am filled with faith.  I know, again, in my heart and mind that God has called us to serve these beautifully weak and poor disabled orphans.  We get to be a part of His Kingdom-Coming-to-Earth story, His Death-is-Not-Final story, His Wrong-Things-Made-Right story.  (See Matthew 5, blessed are the poor…)

I know that as we serve these precious children, God will continue to move on the hearts of the hopeless;  Hope has come, Love has come and He came for all of us.  Our work of saying “yes” is a tiny sign.  Your work of saying “yes” is a sign too.


As we celebrate the Risen King today, pray for those without hope to hope again, because Love has come for us all.

(He is Risen Indeed)

Jed

Images from The Jesus Storybook Bible, a big family fave.   


Encouragement from "Dietz"

Posted on by kimnjed

All along this journey we have moments where we feel like we are being unwise, foolish or just plain crazy.

Here are a few quotes from Dietrich Bonhoeffer that have brought encouragement:

“We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God.”
(When moving out of our house, selling most of our things and planning to move away from family and dear friends)

“Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility.”
(Lord, help us to be wide awake and on the edge of our seats)

“There is meaning in every journey that is unknown to the traveler.”
(We try to search for meaning instead of complaining or just reacting)

“We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer.”
(As we pray for the institutions, care takers and orphanage directors)

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”
(As we sit in fear of the unknown, this reminds us to not be silent)

Kim calls him Dietz, I call him brilliant. Many blessings as you say ‘yes’ to the next thing.