BIG NEWS!!!!

What a difference a week makes....a week ago I wrote how we are raising money to help put grants on three orphans to help families adopt them...well this week I'm writing that we have committed to one of them!!!!!!!

I've found when I listen closely to what God is telling me to do, sometimes it's shocking! I called the ministry on Monday or Tuesday and told the lady our plans to help out the orphans. She was happy of course. I told her several times we were NOT adopting just helping out.... By Thursday Jon and I were talking about adopting....I was scared, a few years ago we tried to adopt a blind baby from India. We had all the fees paid, waiting for travel when we found out she was completely deaf! At that time, Sam was still in and out of the hospital and we did not feel we could handle the situation so we backed out of the adoption. It was awful and I have ALWAYS felt guilty about it! All the fees that we had paid in remained on her account and one great thing happened, an English christian couple fostered her in India and ended up adopting her. Because we had started the process of adopting her, that agency had found a foster home for her to help her learn to live in a family. So I feel God used us to help her anyhow & it even paid some of her fees. But it was a terribly traumatic situation for us/me. It was like a miscarriage to me. So that has always been in the back of my mind.

Of course now as we have had more experience with Sam (who has some hearing loss) I feel that I could cope with whatever happens with this new adoption. We are assuming she will be as delayed as Sam is and are prepared for that. If she is not, then we'll be thankful. When we adopted Shad, we thought he was COMPLETELY blind. All the paperwork had that on it...then I got him at the orphanage and found he was ONLY blind in one eye. Big difference & what happiness we had about that!

International adoption is not safe nor is it easy. You don't know much about the child and just have to go on faith. We are committed to this child no matter what issues/diagnosis she has. I can't share anymore info about her until we have all our pre approval paperwork in so I'll soon be able to give her name and show her picture.

Please pray that God will provide the funds. We of course have no savings but God hears the cry of the orphans and I know we experienced miracles of provision in Shad's adoption and in the other adoption that didn't work out (but God still used our willingness) The funny thing is in that adoption, we actually had the money for it and some folks did give but we could have probably scrimped and done it ourselves- with Shad and this one, we have NO resources to do it!!! But God is able If you 'd like to give our address is Grace Church 7060 Berry Road, Zephyrhills, Fl 33540. You can give through our church just mark clearly it is for the Clanton adoption & you will get tax credit at the end of the year. thank you

Here are the three children

http://reecesrainbow.org/3145/dmitriy114



http://reecesrainbow.org/11275/genesis118
http://reecesrainbow.org/11275/genesis118


http://reecesrainbow.org/853/michelle-6


Sorry I can't get the pics to post but you can go and look at them. Please help these kids!!!!

Stepping out in Faith!

Since having Sam, my world has, been turned upside down in a good way! The reality of the sancity life is greater and the reality that life is precious for EVERYONE has been seared into my heart by this special and perfect little boy! I wouldn't trade this journey for anything in the world.

When Sam was little we came across a picture of the child that would become our newest family member, Shad. When we saw his sweet but sad picture we knew God wanted us to adopt him. Thankfully at the time, we didn't know how delayed Sam was going to be and we stepped out and adopted Shad. Looking back I think if we'd known all of Sam's issues, we'd probably been too overwhelmed to adopt another child. But thankfully we listened to God and moved forward & despite everything that was against us, in only 9 months, we had raised all the money, got all the paperwork done and had our son!

Again I feel God is telling us to step out in faith! Not to adopt ourselves but to raise money to help other families adopt. What is the one thing that keep many Christian families from adopting? Finances!

Yesterday was World Orphan Day. Our church took up an offering to give to a ministry Reece's Rainbow that coordinates adoptions & grants for special needs kids. So I spent the afternoon trying to figure out which child to put our $248 on....I couldn't pick just one, instead I picked THREE!!! Of course $248 is NOT going to go far on three children's adoptions! So as I was looking at the pictures, my heart heavy, my head throbbing, I felt God speak to my heart to raise the money for these three visionally impaired SN kids to get adopted AND to help find families to adopt them!!!!! The ministry doesn't raise money for some of the start up adoption cost like the home study so I'm figuring I'd need to raise around $60,000 maybe a little less. Two of the three children have already been placed in institutions, not orphanages so you can imagine how bad it is for them. They are all younger than Sam. How heartbreaking!!!!

So I'm ready to see God start doing miracles for these orphans! I saw what God did for Shad and I know he loves these three children just as much! Please pray and please consider giving. It doesn't matter if it's only $1 anything helps! God gave me so much faith when we adopted Shad and I believe He can do it again! I feel all trembly inside and rather foolish at this time BUT GOD is so much bigger than me or my silly pride of failing. I remember when we signed the paperwork for Shad accepting his file, I felt like a FRAUD! We had NO money and a sick baby BUT GOD came through in such a mighty way!!! I'm feeling kinda like a fraud right now...no money, lots of bills $60,000 is alot BUT GOD can do it! I'm just gonna do my best and let God work on the behalf of these children! They NEED homes!!!!! I think of how much we love Sam and how we want to meet all his needs and love on him so he knows he has a mommy & daddy and then I think about these lonely children, stuck in beds,in orphanages/institutions with no one to love them or to hold them....oh my God it breaks my heart!!!

So pray about how you can help these children. I will be putting up their pictures soon as well as figuring out the best way to send in the monies. I think at this point we'll just run it through our church, so if you want to give, please make your check out to Grace Church 7060 Berry Road, Zephryhills Fl 33540, mark Orphan ministry and you will get tax credit for it.

Please pray for them that God will soothe their hearts and keep them safe until their forever families come and get them! Dmitriy, Michelle and Genesis need someone to care for them!!!!

What is a child's life worth?????

Our first picture together




Shad on the day he was found abandoned & was taken to the orphanage...he looks so sad




The first picture we saw of Shad




Shad today surrounded by some of his birthday presents



Today we were driving home and swerved to miss a turtle. I wanted so badly to get him out of the road but it was too dangerous & it literally hurt my heart as I said a prayer for him to get safely across....ok I'm weird, I save spiders, frogs, all kinds of bugs....but I hate for anything to die!

So tonight again I read a blog of a family who was blessed with a daughter with Downs and is in the process to adopt another little girl from a country that has to remain unnamed at this time. The little girl they are adopting is 9 years old and weighs about 12 pounds. Yes you read correctly...less than 12 pounds!!! WHY??? Because she has been on a starvation diet for years. Not just her but many children in that country. I want to save children like that!!!!!

When we adopted Shad, he was not in good shape. In fact our pediatrician said he was the 2nd sickest international child he'd ever seen. Shad was 2 yrs old, weighed 19 pounds (that was after being fed by me for over 2 weeks in China), had worms & was in the beginning stages of malnutrition. Our peds said that if we hadn't adopted Shad, he'd probably would have ended up getting some type of sickness & wouldn't have had the strengh to fight it and would have died. That's an overwhelming feeling knowing that you stepped into a situation (God lead you into a situation) and a child's life was probably saved! It's very humbling.

So tonight I want to share with you this blog www.theblessingofverity.com Go there, let your heart be moved.....

Then go to http://reecesrainbow.org and see the pictures of some of these kids who need to be rescued!!!

I read a statistic somewhere that if every christian family would adopt one orphan, then there would be no orphans left in the world. Wouldn't that be a wonderful thing????

Some people ask me why not adopt from the USA? There are needy kids here BUT we have a social support group in place here that might not be perfect but I can promise you with 100% certainty, that chances are the child will not die here! Sure there are the weird foster family who are awful here & there but thankfully most of them get caught! In other countries .....you have no idea unless you've walked in to a dirty stinky orphanages in the middle of winter & you could see your breath in the air...INSIDE THE CHILDREN'S ROOMS!!!!!!!! That's where my son was living!!! And compared to some of the stories I've recently heard, he had it better than most....

When I hold Sam our biological son with SNs and I think of what his fate would have been had he been placed in one of those places....my stomach literally drops with fear! Oh my God...there are so many little Sam's & Shad's out there who need homes!!

So if you are thinking of adopting, think internationally. You can go back & read our story...we had NO money, God supplied everything! I believe when you obey God by trying to take care of the orphans...God will take care of YOU! And He will provide for their care! If you just can't adopt....give to someone who is. I can put you in contact with several wonderful families... What is a child's life worth??

So I still hope Mr Turtle made it safely across the road but I PRAY that God will touch hearts who will go and adopt children who need a mom and a dad!

Leave it There

Leave It There- thoughts on my 46th bday

Today our music minister sang one of my favorite songs. He sang it specifically because it was my bday. The words of the song's last verse had us rolling on the floor....

"When your youthful days are gone, and old age is stealing on, And your body bends beneath the weight of care, He will never leave you then, He'll go with you to the end: Take your burdens to the Lord & leave it there"

He realized it right before service as he was practicing it real quick. Thankfully it was before service & we were able to somewhat behave ourselves during the service LOL!

But to me the song "Leave It There" copyright 1916 speaks so loud to my heart!!! It was written & arranged by Charles Albert Tindley. Let me share the verses with you ....


"If the world from you withhold of its silver & its gold & you're forced to get along with meager fare. Just remember in His Word how He feeds the little bird, take your burdens to the leave & leave it there

If your body suffers pain & your health you can't regain, And Your soul is almost sinking in despair. Jesus knows the pain you feel, He can save & He can heal, take your burden to the Lord & leave it there

When your enemies assail & your heart begins to fail. Don't forget that God in heaven answers prayer. He can make a way for you & will lead you safely thro: Take your burden to the Lord & leave it there

When your youthful days are gone, and old age is stealing on, And your body bends beneath the weight of care, He will never leave you then, He'll go with you to the end: Take your burdens to the Lord & leave it there

Leave it there Leave it there Take your burden to the Lord & leave it there. If you trust & never doubt He will surely bring you out, take your burdens to the Lord & leave it there!"

Love that song! Doesn't it address almost every problem we have in life? Then it reminds us to take it to the Lord & leave it there. The writer wrote these words almost 100 years ago but they ring as true as something written just this afternoon!

so I encourage you to take your burdens, whatever they are, to the Lord & leave them there!!!!

http://youtu.be/Bpi0xw20isQ

Niagara Falls

I just love Niagara Falls & I love this picture of me & Jon:) I think it is one of the most beautiful places in the world. What a perk that we have to go to Rochester NY every year for Sam's eye check up... We've been to NF 4 times now & I just don't tire of it. It's magical to me...a preview of heaven. It's one of my favorite places on earth!