A Blessed Mom

After barely recovering from Summit 9, I had to jump into a rather busy week.  Thankfully Monday was a pretty calm day, but I was so tired and my allergies were acting up, so I rallied the troops to help me with dinner.  With the beautiful weather we finally got some steaks on the grill.  

Sierra - the grill master!

 While Sierra was grilling, Andrii was doing some yard work, and the little boys were actually playing together!

 Maybe we won't show this one to Dr. Carl either!  

 On Wednesday Mary & I had the privilege to share about Justice For Orphans with 13 pastors from the Fellowship of Christian Assemblies.  Our church hosted this event and our Pastor allowed us to share about orphans, JFO, and Orphan Sunday.  Out of the 13 churches represented, none had ever done an Orphan Sunday service.  And there was one pastor their who is the dad to 7 adopted kids!  We challenged them to pray and consider doing an OS service.  We feel very strongly about pastors having the Father's heart for the orphan.  If a pastor reflects God's heart then his congregation will follow.  I am so thankful that I am in a church where the pastor has modeled a heart for the orphan.  According to the Word of the Lord in James 1:27 it is the Church's responsibility to care for orphans.  It's not a suggestion, it's a mandate from God.  We know that not everyone is called to adopt and/or foster (but if each Christian asked the Lord about it we'd have way less orphans in the world and way more sons and daughters in Christian families) but everyone is called to do something!

Me and Dr. Karyn Purvis

 Suzanne d'Aversa, Slava's social worker, told me about Dr. Purvis coming to an adoption/orphan conference in Albany.  I was amazed that she was going to be in my own backyard, not to mention that there was an adoption conference I'd never heard of!  NYSCCC (NY State Citizen's Coalition For Children) hosts an annual conference in Albany every year.  Since my hero, Dr. Purvis, was going to be there and since I wanted to check out this conference, I braved it alone.  It can be a little disconcerting to attend an event knowing as a Christian I would be a minority.  After all, this was a secular event compared to the Summit.  On the way I asked the Lord to help me to make some connections and I reminded Him that I'd love to meet Dr. Purvis.  I highly respect Dr. Purvis.  Her life's work has been to help kids from "hard places" and their adoptive families.  She is the Director of the Child Development Dept. at Texas Christian University and has traveled the world teaching how to connect with traumatized children.  She offers hope to struggling families.

The conference was a blessing.  As I was browsing the booths, wearing my Orphan Sunday t-shirt of course, a woman asked me what OS was.  She was going to be visiting 3 churches in northern NY to talk about adoption/foster care and was thinking of calling it "orphan Sunday".  She had never heard of Orphan Sunday, so I had the opportunity to hand her my card and share about JFO and OS.  Then Suzanne d'Aversa introduced me to 2 women she knew who were adoptive moms also.  They wanted to know how their churches could get involved in helping families....2 more JFO cards handed out!  Then, as I stood in the buffet line for lunch, who do you think was standing in line directly behind me???  Yup, Dr. Karyn Purvis!!!!  I thanked her for coming and for the hope she brings to families.  I shared that my husband and I had attended her Empowered to Connect event last September in Nashville and that I was just at the Summit last week and sat in on her workshop there.  And hoping to not sound like a stalker, I mentioned that we were going to do ETC's Train the Trainer program this fall.  She was so nice and genuine.  I sat through 3 of her workshops and her keynote address at lunch.  Her teaching is so understandable even though she gets into brain function, brain chemistry, and human development which shines so much light on why kids from hard places do what they do.  And she does it all with her Christian faith shining through.  Like I said, she's my hero.  I'm so thankful for how the Lord heard my prayers and very specifically answered them!

Wayne Jr. & Kerri Graduated!

The kids just completed their first year study at a satellite school for the Global Awakening - School of Supernatural Ministry.  Here Wayne Jr. is getting prayed for and prophesied over.  The words spoken over him brought tears to this mama's eyes.  I am so blessed to have kids who love the Lord and are filled with His Spirit.  God is so good and so faithful.

Today was another busy day, but Wayne and I brought Andrii, Jordan, and Slava with us to the graduation.  I didn't have the heart to leave the little boys yet again.  They keep asking me when I'm going to another conference.  Slava woke up at 1:30am, came into my room, and told me his ears hurt really bad.  This was a moment of victory actually.  I felt bad for his little ears, but this was the first time in almost 3 years that he has come to me telling me that he hurt.  It was a little miracle.  Kids who do not get their needs met during the first months of life, stop crying and asking for help since they learn that no one can be trusted to come and meet their need.  Slava's actually coming to me in the middle of the night reveals that he is beginning to know that he is safe, he has a voice, he can trust us, and we will come and meet his needs.  Praise the Lord for this victory!  On the way to the graduation we saw the doctor.  The poor little guy has a double ear-infection.  Tonight we just cuddled and met his needs, and he was soaking it up!  It was a good day for this blessed mama!

Happy Mother's Day!!!