This is an open letter of confession from both of us! Many of you can probably relate. We struggle with patience especially in the area of waiting to get to our babies in China. Struggle with patience is maybe not strong enough.... HATE TO WAIT is more appropriate! Oh.... we are learning so much through this adoption process. Below is a devotion from Streams in the Desert we thought might be a blessing to some of you who are a waiting season too. It really changed our perspective and openned our eyes to the amazing work of waiting with patience! We want so much to honor God with our lives. We want so much to trust Him in the biggest things and all the way down to the smallest of details. There is a lot of peace letting go and letting Him lead the way. Praying that our times of waiting will be peaceful giving way to praise & joy. Lord, help us to rest in that place!
We pray this encourages you too....especially the adoption forum friends we are coming to love & cheer alongside....
With joy,
Art & Jen
Wait With Patience
"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him" (Ps. 37:7).
Have you prayed and prayed and waited and waited, and still there is no manifestation?
Are you tired of seeing nothing move? Are you just at the point of giving it all up? Perhaps you have not waited in the right way? This would take you out of the right place the place where He can meet you.
"With patience wait" (Rom. 8:25). Patience takes away worry. He said He would come, and His promise is equal to His presence. Patience takes away your weeping. Why feel sad and despondent? He knows your need better than you do, and His purpose in waiting is to bring more glory out of it all. Patience takes away self-works. The work He desires is that you "believe" (John 6:29), and when you believe, you may then know that all is well. Patience takes away all want. Your desire for the thing you wish is perhaps stronger than your desire for the will of God to be fulfilled in its arrival.
Patience takes away all weakening. Instead of having the delaying time, a time of letting go, know that God is getting a larger supply ready and must get you ready too. Patience takes away all wobbling. "Make me stand upon my standing" (Daniel 8:18, margin). God's foundations are steady; and when His patience is within, we are steady while we wait. Patience gives worship. A praiseful patience sometimes "long-suffering with joyfulness" (Col. 1:11) is the best part of it all. "Let (all these phases of) patience have her perfect work" (James 1:4), while you wait, and you will find great enrichment. --C. H. P.
***
Hold steady when the fires burn,
When inner lessons come to learn,
And from this path there seems no turn
"Let patience have her perfect work."
--L.S.P.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
Our hearts ache for the orphan.....
http://vimeo.com/25816432
Typing this through tears.... we want to hold every one of them! Join us in praying God would rise up churches, parents, teams, prayer warriors, caregivers, ministries..... to care for the orphan!
Art & Jen
Typing this through tears.... we want to hold every one of them! Join us in praying God would rise up churches, parents, teams, prayer warriors, caregivers, ministries..... to care for the orphan!
Art & Jen
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
LOA LOA LOA!!!
We praise GOD for this answer to prayer!! We got our LOA (letter of acceptance) today for Jacob!! This is great news. We have been waiting for about 75 days now. What a great celebration! We are waiting for Bethany Joy's to come now too. Hopefully & prayerfully, it will be any day. There are times this road seemed so long. It is incredible to know we will be making travel plans soon.
Our next step involves sending paperwork to the US government (I800 approval). That approval will lead to documents over to China and US consulate in China. We will get travel dates to finally get to hold our little people.
The LOA marks another special step for us. We have permission to send a care package to our children. We can write a personal letter (will be translated for them) to our child and send photos of our family, house, doggie, & life here in Arkansas. We can send gifts and even items for their caregivers. We feel so grateful to China for allowing us to adopt these precious kids. We feel grateful to God for allowing us to walk this road of adoption. More & more it has ministered to our hearts...just how much God pursues each one of us, He paid a price for us, He draws us to Himself and calls us His own.
Incredible!!
Thank you for your faithful prayers!
With great joy,
Art & Jen
Our next step involves sending paperwork to the US government (I800 approval). That approval will lead to documents over to China and US consulate in China. We will get travel dates to finally get to hold our little people.
The LOA marks another special step for us. We have permission to send a care package to our children. We can write a personal letter (will be translated for them) to our child and send photos of our family, house, doggie, & life here in Arkansas. We can send gifts and even items for their caregivers. We feel so grateful to China for allowing us to adopt these precious kids. We feel grateful to God for allowing us to walk this road of adoption. More & more it has ministered to our hearts...just how much God pursues each one of us, He paid a price for us, He draws us to Himself and calls us His own.
Incredible!!
Thank you for your faithful prayers!
With great joy,
Art & Jen
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