Gratefulness

With gratefulness I update this blog.  My intention is to update it weekly, but I guess I have so many things to be thankful for that there just isn't time to actually post as often as I'd like to. 

Slava & Sierra 

 Where did November go?  It was a very busy month for our family.  We celebrated the wedding of a dear friend, Thanksgiving, Sierra's 16th birthday, and National Adoption Month!  I cannot believe my baby girl is 16!  We celebrated with a lovely sweet 16 party where her brothers were the DJs and family & the entire youth group showed up to party!  And she got her permit, so watch out, she's driving!

Slava & Jordan at the Adoption Rally

 November was National Adoption Awareness Month.  I took the kids to Albany for a rally organized by Albany County  Dept. for Children, Youth and Families.  We had a good time.  But it was the 2nd time in one week that I attended an event where, as a Christian, I was in the minority in the adoption community.  It is very disappointing to realize that the Church...the very people the Lord mandated to care for orphans in James 1:27, is actually asleep on this issue.  My pastor's wife and I attended an adoption fair in the Capital District area and realized that people were looking at us as a "couple" interested in adopting.  When we explained that we had an orphan ministry through our church we got some strange looks.  While the Church sleeps the enemy has invaded our territory and is stealing our children!  Yes, children need homes, but God designed the family to be a place where children are brought up learning about Him.  This is the Christian community's responsibility!

Thanksgiving Day

 We had a lovely day for Thanksgiving.  Wayne Jr. & Kerri and Missy came, along with Kerri's family and Missy's God Parents, Jean and Earl.  My parents came for dinner and Wayne's parents and brother & sister-in-law came for dessert.  It was a full day.  Around the table we all shared what we're grateful for.  I couldn't help but tearfully express my thankfulness for all of my children present around the table, for I am painfully aware there was a table with a very important person missing.  Our hearts still ache by the loss of our nephew, JC.

Orphan Ministry banner!

 Some exciting things took place in November in our ministry.  Mary and I spoke at a local church and we held a foster care focused event called "Faultless - The American Orphan".  It wasn't attended as well as I'd hoped, but the Lord reminds us to not despise small beginnings.  Our family was also the feature on The Sound of Life's morning Cup of Joe show.  They came to our house and did a live broadcast to celebrate Adoption Month.  All of the kids participated.  It was very exciting and a great way to share God's heart for the orphan.  Another radio station approached me with the idea of Justice For Orphans hosting our own 30 minute, weekly radio show.  This too would be a great way to rally the Church for the cause of the fatherless, but it also comes with a price tag.  We're praying about whether it's something we should do.  If it is then I know the Lord will provide the $300 per month we'd need to do it.

My end of the kitchen table!

 Life is so busy with homeschooling, raising kids, keeping our home, running 3 teenagers around, and orphan ministry that unfortunately this is typically what the kitchen table looks like.  My desk is in the background and it's overflowing too.  I try to sit down to pay bills and do paperwork, but I always get called away to do something.  I'm thinking I need an assistant or a secretary or another me!

Wayne Jr. & Jordan face-timing each other!

Wayne Jr. and Kerri came over the other night for dinner.  It's always a blessing to have them over.  The little kids love it when their big brother comes to visit.

I'm sure there are tons of things I've forgotten to post.  November was a blur.  Now it's December and Christmas shopping and decorating is added to an already overflowing to-do list.  Next week Slava will begin Occupational & Physical Therapy at the local elementary school.  We had him evaluated, and thankfully the Lord showed us favor with the school district.  I knew going in that even though we are home schoolers, we still are entitled to special education help if it's deemed necessary.  The school did not make it difficult at all.  They really want to work with us.  Slava's been labeled "Other Health Impaired" because fetal alcohol, sensory processing, and ADHD make it a bit challenging for him to learn.  He can learn and is learning, but it's a challenge.  I will take him to the school Monday afternoons for an hour and Thursday mornings for an hour.  In February he has an appointment with a developmental pediatrician.  This is the doctor who will officially diagnose the things we already know he has.  This little boy is a lot of work, but he is so precious and we are thankful the Lord placed him in our family.  What a privilege it is to be his mom!  When he strolls into my room in the morning he usually announces, "I love you."  The other morning I beat him to it and said it first.  He then said, "I love you back....And I love you front."  I guess he was paying attention when I was teaching him opposites!

We are working on a website for Justice For Orphans.  Once it's complete I will post the address here on the blog.  You can check us out now on facebook - just look for Justice For Orphans!  Make sure you "like" us!

Until next time, may your blessings over flow!