I don't care about your comfort

That just sounds so harsh and by all means, it might very well be.  That is, if you don't understand the context by which those words are written.  Our comfort is not guaranteed.  We see several examples of this in the bible as Christ followers were persecuted.  Paul was thrown in jail.  John the Baptist was beheaded.  Stephen was stoned.

However, the one thing that the Lord cares about is our character.  How will I react under pressure?  How will I react when others persecute me?  What will I do when nobody is around?

How does this all relate to adoption?  Well.....it does because my biggest concern when adopting children is how we can build their character.  I don't care to buy them lots of toys.  I don't care to take them on extravagant vacations.  As a matter of fact, even if we were to end up homeless and living in a homeless shelter....they will have more than they do now!  I want to train my children up in the way of the Lord (Proverbs 22:6)....I want them to grow up to be men and women on fire for God.  I want them to care more about how they can live for God than to worry about what college they will attend.

We have one precious child living at home with us right now.  He has grown up so far to be a child with great character.  He wants to do what is right.  He wants others around him to do what is right.  He chooses to make the right decisions and is even learning to make tough decisions that are unpopular because he knows they are the right decisions.  One example is recently his friends were talking about girls and dating.  He spoke up and said, "I won't date until I am at least 18 years old and then it will only be to find my wife".  He said that to his peers....without even thinking about what they would think of him.  I care what his peers think of him because I love him and I do not want him to be teased, like I was growing up.  However, on the other hand, I really don't care what his peers think about him because all that matters in the end is what God thinks about him. 

We have two precious children in an Eastern European Country that we want to bring home and raise up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).  We want them to Love the Lord their God with all their heart, all their soul, all their strength and all their mind (Luke 10:27).  That is the most important.  They are in an orphanage where the popular thing to do is to pick on the younger children.  To tease them.  To beat them up.  To smoke.  To have sex.  The easiest thing to do in this situation is for them to "fit in" to avoid the consequences of being teased and more importantly to avoid being beat up.  However, as much as I do not want those things to happen to my children, choosing the narrow road and saying "no" to teasing others, sex and smoking is the right decision....even if in the end it means that they might not be so popular!  So, my dear children......I don't care about your comfort.  I care about your character.  I care about your eternity. This is all because I love you.  Because God Loves you!

I don't believe in coincidences

Straight out of the chute, I know some people will think I'm crazy.  Maybe I've lost my marbles.  Or maybe I'm one french fry short of a Happy Meal.  That's OK because I believe that the Lord can speak to us in ALL things...we can't just put God in a box.  We can't just say that God only speaks to us through His Word.  Although, I do believe that when He does speak to us, it will never go against His Word!  Here's why I say this:

For the past long while I have randomly looked at the clock when it is 11:11.  And it doesn't just happen once in a while....it happens all of the time.  Sometimes not even just when I look at the clock to see what time it is....sometimes I will just happen to glance at the clock for no reason at all and see that it is 11:11.  It got to the point where in July of 2011, I wrote down every verse in the Bible that was 11:11 to see if maybe I could find something that the Lord was trying to tell me.  Nothing really stood out.  If Danny was around I would say, "guess what time it is" and he would respond with, "gee, let me guess....11:11".  For a short while, it stopped.  Then, all of a sudden it started again.  And when it starts....it happens so frequently, that it is almost scary!

I saw someone post on their FB page the other day that she looked at the clock and saw that it was 11:11 and heard that means you are supposed to make a wish.  Other people replied with what they heard that means.  I don't believe in superstitious things because I don't believe in "chance happenings", "coincidences" or "magic".  But I do believe that the Lord can use anything to get our attention or speak to us.

So now that brings us to the day we drop the kids off at the airport.  Aug 2, 2012.  A very sad day in the McLaughlin family!  Just sayin'.  Anyhow, we are sitting in the car talking when Danny asks me if the kids get to keep their passports.  A very random question but let's go with it.  So, I tell him that yes, I believe they do get to keep them and he asks me how I know.  Well, I just happened to take a picture of their passports before they left and I showed him the picture and I said, "Well, the reason I think this is because their passports were issued in November of last year.  So, I can only assume that if they've had them for this long, that they will keep them until they expire".  Then, I showed him the picture and I said, "See, they were issued 11 Nov 2011".  Danny replied, "You've got to be kidding?"  I said, "What?"  He said, "11 11"! Wow, I didn't even catch that!!  And had I not taken a picture of their passports, I would have not shown Danny and we would not have realized that their passports were issued on the 11th day of the 11th month in 2011.  WOW!!!  I really do not believe that is a coincidence.  Not one bit.  For over a year, I've been seeing the time as 11:11 and now I find out that the kids we want to adopt had their passports issued on 11/11/2011.  I have prayed that the Lord would reveal to me what 11:11 means and I do believe what He is trying to tell us is that He's got this thing.  Because you see.......when Danny and I were in the car talking, we were sad, very heartbroken and longing for the day we get to bring the kids home again.  When we realized the kids passports were issued on 11/11, it gave us this overwhelming peace.

Philippians 4:7  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

That's what we got....a peace that transcends ALL understanding!!!  Because most people wouldn't understand.  Instead, they will think I am crazy.  They will think I'm off my rocker.  Maybe that I'm not playing with a full deck.  That's ok...think what you want....I completely understand that you may not understand because I was there once.  

From the Broken Hearted

So, I have been waiting for the right time to blog because I am just not a writer and it does not come easily for me.  I am sitting here at the computer going through a wave of emotions and tears start streaming down my face.  Now is the time to blog?  Really?  But I felt the nudge and so here I sit, blogging.  Once I read this over tomorrow, I may realize that I shouldn't be blogging, especially when I am so emotional but I always promised that I would be transparent and would write exactly what is on my mind, without holding back.  So, maybe now is the time to blog!

We have had two precious children in our care for the past 5 weeks.  We weren't planning on hosting this summer.  As a matter of fact, I even told my friend Nicole (she volunteers for the hosting program) that we were not planning on hosting.  But God had other plans for us.  When Nicole and her husband, Joe, went to the Ukraine in February, they interviewed some children at one of the orphanages for the summer hosting program.  After they interviewed Lilya and Alex, they both said that they thought those children would be perfect for us.  So, even though they knew we didn't want to host, she still emailed me a photo and profile of these children.  She is stubborn, ya know!  And thank God she is!!  So, Danny and I prayed about it and we realized that He wanted us to host these kids.  I am so glad that we listened.  Had we not listened to Him, we would have missed out!  Oh the things we would have missed out on!!!

We would have missed out on hugs, kisses, "I love you's", attitudes, silliness, playing UNO and Jenga, watching "Pink Panther" 500 times, riding bikes, picky eaters, a noisy house, a big hole in our backyard, a cookie baking partner, 16 hours at the dentist and eye doctor, lots of appreciation and so much more that I can't even begin to write it all out.

Now, I sit here with less than 30 hours before these children get on a plane and head back to the Ukraine.  To a place where they are going to lay their head down on a bed with a crappy mattress in a room with many other children and will probably cry themselves to sleep for the first week or so.  They won't have anyone to tuck them in and tell them it's going to be OK.  They won't get much to eat and most definitely won't get the nutrition that they need so desperately for their growing bodies.  They won't get to ask for seconds and they won't get to have an apple every day.  They might get beat up, they might get teased and they won't have a mom or dad their to protect them.  They might get their toys taken away by the older kids.  They will have to wash their underwear in the sink and wear the same outfit for an entire week (or more).

Could you just picture your child in this situation?  Just for a minute....imagine your child crying themselves to sleep in an orphanage because they miss you so much.  Imagine your child only getting bread and butter for breakfast (maybe porridge on a good day), watered down potato soup for lunch and bread and butter for dinner.  Imagine your child not being able to change his clothes every day and having to wash his underwear in the sink.  Imagine having to put him on a plane to go all the way to the other side of the world to live in those conditions.  Just imagine.  I don't have to imagine because that will be a reality for me in less than 30 hours.  My son clung to me tonight sobbing and saying "Mama, no Ukraine" over and over again...."Mama, Alex No Ukraine, please".  And all I could do was to hold him and cry, too.

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.  James 1:27

I can't get the paperwork for this adoption done fast enough because if it were up to me, we would be going back to Ukraine with them on Thursday.  I just pray that the next 4 or 5 months don't feel like 4 or 5 years and that we will be rejoicing before you know it!!  And I have to remember that while I consider these my children......they really aren't mine at all........they are God's children and I may just have the privilege of caring for them.

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Psalm 127:3

Will you please pray for us because these next two days are going to be very hard for us.  We are going to send our children back to a place that is a place I wouldn't send my worst enemy!  My heart is going to be ripped out of my chest.  I can't even explain what I am feeling right now....I am just sitting here typing through a stream of tears.  However, through all of this, I know I need to lean on my Lord and Savior Christ Jesus.

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.  Psalm 34: 17-20 

Will you also consider donating to help us reach our goal of bringing Alex and Lilya home by the end of the year?  It is a very aggressive goal that we have been told is nearly impossible but something tells me that nothing is impossible with God.

For nothing is impossible with God.  Luke 1:37

http://www.eliproject.org/families-in-process/the-mclaughlin-family/