In the meantime, I have attached a couple of very good, and powerful, videos about Orphan Sunday and helping the orphan.  You might need to have a tissue handy for the second one.

- Mark

Things got personal this morning.  Adeye, the author of the blog, has shared OUR story – Faith In The Fire.  I am so humbled by her words, and so thankful that she has opened her heart as she shared our story.  I am moved to the point of tears by this wonderful act, and by her amazing love for the orphan.  Please read our story on her blog by clicking on the above link.

Eliza                                         Evangeline

Thank you so much, Adeye, for your kindness and desire to help not only our girls, but orphans everywhere.  The Body of Christ is indeed amazing!

- Mark

“As many of you know, we are adopting two young girls from China. We’d like to share briefly how God brought us to this point, and then share a little about our girls. I will begin with the beginning, about how God called us to adopt, and then Mark will tell you more about China and the girls.

I always knew there were orphans in the world. I knew they were there like I know the dinosaurs lived or that there is global poverty. But until a few years ago, I really did not comprehend our part in the world orphan crisis.

We have a big family. Early in our marriage, Mark and I decided we would allow God to determine what our family looked like. There were times that was scary for us, and there were many who criticized us for that choice, but we never bought into the modern day, secular world view that promotes the idea that there is lack and not enough to go around. We knew that God was a big God, and that He knew far better how to grow our family than we did.

Our children came so fast that we never really spent much time considering adoption. But when our youngest daughter Olivia, was about three months old, God began to break our hearts with the fatherless.

We became aware of many children who are waiting for families to love them. Seeing the need was easy, but coming to accept that at 46 and with nine children, we were called to step out in faith to meet those needs was huge.

At first, all we could see were our weaknesses. And let me tell you, we have many. But we came to see, as I have written before, “If our lives only take us to a place where we can manage everything in our own strength, then how have we walked by faith? If we will not allow our minds to explore possibilities we have absolutely no clue how we would ever accomplish, then we are reducing God to a limited God who can only work within the blighted scope of His finite creation. It is our own lack of faith that limits God’s miraculous work in our lives, not God’s lack of ability to take us beyond ourselves. And it is Society’s lack of faith that causes it to fear growing a family beyond its comprehension.”

So, we searched the scriptures, and found verse after verse that indicated that God’s heart is for the orphan.

I’ll share a few of the verses here.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. ~James 1:27

Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow. ~Isaiah 1:17

And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. ~Matthew 18:5

There are many more. God is referred to as a Father to the fatherless frequently through out the Bible, a defender of the needy, and of “the least of these.”

In the end, we came to realize that we are all called to care for the orphans in some way. Some are called to adopt. Some are called to fund adoptions. Some are called to give financially for their care, but we are called.

As we became a part of the Christian adoption community, we began to see God move huge mountains on behalf of the orphan. We watched story after story of how God resolved impossible situations on their behalf.

We could share many accounts of Christian families who are traveling all over the world to meet the needs of the least of these, but there isn’t time today.

What I do want to say is that children are grieving the lack of parents in their lives. There are children who desperately need surgeries that only can be performed in the United States. They need medical care. Many are sick and cold and alone, and dying without the love of a mother and father, and without ever knowing the Savior.

We live in the wealthiest country in the world. We are among the wealthiest people. And yet we think we have nothing to give. We take care of our own, and we give a little and believe we are walking with JESUS. We spend our resources amusing and indulging our own children who are among the world’s most privileged, and close our eyes to the lonely and hurting children who want only to belong and to know love.

Jesus poured out His life for us, and we are called to nothing less. If our children were on the other side of the world, alone and starving, NOTHINGwould stop us from going to them.

God’s children are alone and needy and dying.

We are His hands and feet.

We must go and get them whatever the cost. ”

Please follow my wife’s blog at http://MyLifeInGodsGarden.com.

- Mark

There’s a song by Jeremy Camp called Walk By Faith that’s been playing in my head a lot lately.  Although the experience behind his writing of the song is very different than anything I’ve experienced (he had just lost his young bride after only a few months of being married), the words, the emotions and the meaning can apply to so much in our lives.  The basic theme of the song is whether or not we’re going to trust God, to go forward in faith even when we aren’t sure how we’re going to do something.  Are we going to follow God’s leading in our lives, understanding that His ways are not our ways, and that His plans are to bless us, even when we don’t see how?  Are we going to trust that His reasons for taking us through sometimes difficult times are actually for our benefit, that He’s preparing us for so much more than we can currently see or understand?

It can be very hard to step out in faith, especially when we don’t know why we are doing something, or how we are to accomplish it.  All we know is that we feel compelled or called or driven to do it.  We might feel that God is calling us to do something, but when we look at it in the natural, it seems like it’s not possible, or, if it is possible, it appears overly daunting and difficult.  It’s then that the doubt creeps in, and we start to question whether we “heard” God correctly, or if it was His nudging to begin with.  As you go over it in your mind, and pray about it, and check the Scriptures, the picture can clear up, especially if you can see that you would be following His command.

“Help me to win my endless fears 
You’ve been so faithful for all my years 
With one breath You make me new 
Your grace covers all I do”

This was (and continues to be) my experience when it came to the decision to adopt internationally (to adopt at all, really).  When the subject was first broached, I wanted nothing to do with it.  My life was already too hard, I already had 9 children, and I was certain that God was not and would not ask me to go halfway around the world to take on even more responsibilities. Besides, it’s too expensive to adopt internationally, and, being the lone money earner in the family, there was no way we could come up with the $25,000 – $35,000 needed to adopt an orphan from China (or anywhere else, for that matter).  A funny thing happened along the way, though.  I started to wonder if we, or I more specifically, could actually do it.  My wife and daughter shared with me this verse from James 1:27 – 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.  Wow.  That’s pretty straight forward, if you ask me.  What finally pushed me over the edge was when they came to me with a picture of a 13 year old girl who desperately wanted a family before she aged out of the system on her next birthday.  Why did she have to wait this long?  Why did she have to live in an orphanage all those years, without a mother and father, and watch as other children were adopted and left with their forever families?  Why did she have to wonder why no one wanted her?  I guess the answer to all of these questions is that she was waiting for us.  Waiting for me to stop and listen to that still, small voice that asked me to stop thinking of myself, to stop making excuses, and to trust the One who never fails us.

So we took the plunge and decided that we would stop living timid lives and that we would obey God’s command to care for the orphans.  Does it take a leap of faith?  Yes.  Is it scary?  Yes.  Do all of our friends and family support us?  No.  Do we really have all of the financial resources to cover this adoption right now?  No.  We have decided to act on God’s calling anyway, “praying in the funds” as we go.  And when God finally does place this precious child (or children) in our family, all the glory will go to Him for making a way where there did not appear to be one.  In the natural, it seems difficult, and perhaps not even possible, but God is not bound by our limitations and our lack of vision.  If we are loving His children, and allowing Him to place the lonely in our family, then surely He will bless our efforts.

“Well I will walk by faith 
Even when I cannot see”

We can’t worry about what the world thinks.  It doesn’t matter if people think we’re crazy for doing this.  It doesn’t matter if people are angry that we’re doing this.  What matters is God.  It can’t just be about us anymore.  It’s got to be about so much more.

- Mark

While I am absolutely tickled pink over my wife and kids, having 9 children can seem overwhelming at times.  And, given the fact that I am no longer in my 20s, having 9 kids can feel overwhelming as well.  I had been known to mumble that I was “too old for this,” or “I can’t keep up,” or “#@*&!”  Just kidding about that last one – this is a family blog, after all.  It was in this setting that my wife and daughter first brought up the idea of adopting an orphan from China.  Actually, our daughter is the one who first became interested in international adoption, and once she learned of the overwhelming need to find families for so many orphans, it became a passion.  She convinced her mom that we should pursue such an adoption, and after showing her countless pictures of sweet little faces, Diane relented and embraced the idea.

That was the easy part.  The knew that the hardest part would be somehow getting the father (that would be me) to agree to such an undertaking.  Well, let me tell you, I was not at all happy with the prospect of adding to my already seemingly insurmountable responsibilities.  No sir, I had done all I could do, and I could not emotionally or physically (or financially) handle bringing another child into our family.  Needless to say, I did not please my wife and daughter with this response.  But, for some reason, the two of them continued to dream about adopting a little girl from China.  I would walk into a room, only to see the two of them huddled together, grinning at the computer screen as they searched through the far too many waiting children.  This annoyed me.  Hadn’t they heard me the first time?  How dare they not respect my wishes to avoid any further burden in my life.

This scene repeated itself over and over again over the course of about a year.  One day, Diane and Victoria came to me and wanted me to just look at one more picture, even if we weren’t going to adopt.  I relented, and they showed me the picture of a 13 year old girl in an orphanage in China.  She, like many other children, would “age-out” of the system on her 14th birthday, and would never, ever have the chance to be adopted or to have a family of her own.  Once a child ages out, their future prospects are very dim; they often end up on the fringes of society.  When Diane told me that, right then and there I knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that we had to do everything in our power to go and get that little girl.  She had to be our daughter.  She broke my heart and made me fall in love with her.  What a sneaky trick!

So, Mr. Grumpy Pants had a change of heart, and I’m so glad that I did!

- Mark

P.S.  If you’ve ever considered adoption, please don’t wait any longer to “take the plunge.”  These children can’t afford to spend another day without the love and nurture of a forever family.  And if you haven’t considered adoption, might I just say, “Snap out of it!”

It’s all too easy to believe the limitations.  After all, it seems like so few people are ever really happy, or spend their time doing something that they love.  Most of us dread Monday mornings because we have to go back to work.  We get excited on Wednesday because the week is half over, and we get downright giddy when Friday comes along and we get a whole weekend to do whatever we want (which too often means sitting around doing nothing).  Growing up, I never heard anyone say that they loved – or even enjoyed – their jobs.  Yet they continued to stay in that job, year after year, simply accepting that work was supposed to be just that – work.  So it’s ingrained in us that working a job is a necessary evil that one needs to do in order to survive in this world.  It’s something to be tolerated, but not something to look forward to.

Why?  Why do we allow this to happen?  We are God’s highest creation!  The human mind is amazing, and we are capable of unbelievable things.  But they should not be unbelievable.  The simple fact that one person has ever been able to successfully follow their dreams is all the proof that we need that we can achieve our dreams as well.  Maybe we can’t be a professional quarterback, but that doesn’t mean that we cannot achieve a level of success that allows us to create the kind of lives that would make professional athletes envious.  We need to “unlearn” all of the harmful, limiting beliefs that have been foisted upon us by society, and embrace the fact that we are capable of so much more.  But the first step is believing that we can be, do and have much more than we are currently allowing ourselves to believe.

My wife and I have 9 biological children, and we are in the process of adopting a teenage girl from an orphanage in China.  We have been criticized for having so many children, criticized by people we love.  I honestly can’t remember the last time people seemed genuinely excited or happy for us that we were having another child.  I’ve had people that I only casually know tell me that I needed to stop having children.  I understand that most people think that they don’t have the money, or the space, or the patience, or fill-in-the-blank-with-any-other-excuse-you-can-think-of, but just because they have chosen to limit themselves does not mean that I accept their limits for my life.  I don’t say that with an air of superiority, or that I think I’m better than anyone else, because I’m not, but I cannot live my life based on others opinions or limiting thoughts.

No one should allow others to steal their dreams.  I know we’re fighting an uphill battle on this front, because, let’s face it, we aren’t taught to think in these terms.  We’re taught limits.  But if God has not seen fit to place such limits on us, why should we let others?

I want to thrive, not just survive.

- Mark

God bless you all this Christmas season!

- Mark

- Mark

URGENT****URGENT

A couple of mornings ago I woke up to an e-mail in my inbox.  “A boy needs help!” I read through the information and my heart broke.  Not really knowing what my role was at that point, I prayed and trusted the Lord that He would send the right family.

I prayed the entire day on Monday for him.  I checked in later that night to see if the many prayers being prayed on his behalf had been answered yet.

No, they hadn’t!

Tuesday morning came and all I could think about was this poor young man.  I started thinking about when I was a teenager, and what a blessed life I had–a warm bed, food in my tummy, the opportunity to go to school, and people who loved me.  I put myself in his position and I felt physically sick.

You see, life as this one young man knows it is about to change.  Drastically!

It was then that I knew that I knew that I needed to come to you, the amazing readers of my blog, with another rescue mission.  I realized that, knowing all I know about him, if I choose not to advocate for him, well, I may just regret it for the rest of my life.  I knew I had to try to help, and I also knew that you guys would be so faithful to rush in and help.

Friends, this time a young man, just fifteen years old, is literally on the brink of an absolute catastrophe!

This is Jonathan.  I don’t know anything of his history, only that he is an orphan in Eastern Europe.

On December 31, 2011, Jonathan will turn sixteen.  A huge birthday for most teens.  But a dreaded day for this young man. Soon after the day of his sixteenth birthday Jonathan will be given the “gift” of his freedom.  Together with a small bag which contains all of his earthly possessions and about $30 in cash, he will be set free–no longer to be taken care of by a state orphanage.

Freedom?

Sadly, not!

Unfortunately, most of the children like Jonathan who “age out” of the system literally have nowhere to go.  They are left on the streets to fend for themselves. With nowhere to turn, and no one to turn to, many end up in the trafficking industry. The majority never make it past their teen years. It is the sobering reality of most orphans who are forced to leave the only place of safety they know.  The statistics are staggering.  It is one of the many reasons adoption advocates fight so very hard to get children out of orphanages before it is too late. They know.

Here’s the thing…

Jonathan has a matter of DAYS to find a family.  Mere DAYS!

In order for this boy to be rescued from a life that few of us can even begin to imagine, a family needs to step forward in the next few days and commit to him!  I’m told that as long as there is a commitment and the I600 visa is applied for, he will be kept where he is, and the adoption can be completed later.  That’s the good news.

Right now what is needed is a family who has adopted internationally before.  From the contact I have been given, “He needs a family that is married, can travel, and has a homestudy that can be used for immigration approval and is willing to apply for immigration in the next week.  If a family is ready to apply they will work directly with the facilitator who knows him.”

One week!  A visa HAS to be applied for in the next week in order to save this boy!

Here’s a little we know about Jonathan:

“Jonathan is apparently a very, very good boy. He has a great sense of humor which has been confirmed by other kids in his class and two children who were recently adopted to U.S. He loves to work on a computer, takes part in virtually all theatrical performances organized at the orphanage, just a great actor, very calm when not on stage, never gets in trouble, loves sports and plays soccer, played basketball and trained in light athletics, studies at good level. Jonathan is respectful to adults and older children. He is obedient and always ready to help. NEEDS A FAMILY to file for immigration ASAP, can adopt later. BEGS translator when he visits if he has found his family yet, desperately wants to be adopted. Can be chatted to on Skype as well as email.”

Oh, God in heaven, surely someone can go for this precious young man before it is too late?  Surely he can be rescued in time?  My heart cannot even bear the thought of what the alternative is.

Many, many people have joined in to spread the search for Jonathan’s family as far and as wide as is possible.  Many are praying and interceding on his behalf.  Will you please join in?  Would you use your blogs and your social networks to share Jonathan’s desperate need for a family?  It is only going to take ONE family to rise up and say yes.  Just one. Surely between all of us we can help one boy to be united with his family…and spared the future he is rapidly heading toward?  I have to believe it.

I believe with all my heart that we serve a God who LOVES to show His miracle-working power through seemingly impossible situations.  He loves to show His power, His glory, and His faithfulness when all the odds are stacked up against us and things seem so dismal.  Of course He can do this!

Thank you so much for joining us in the search for Jonathan’s family!  I appreciate it more than you will ever know.

Please, I’m begging you to share his story wherever you possibly can!  It is the only way his family will find their son.

If anyone would like more information about adopting Jonathan, please contact Amy at waitingchildren@gmail.com

Now comes the sometimes lengthy process of filling out all of the paperwork and all of the other things involved in such an undertaking.  Your continued prayers until we bring Bi Lu home are greatly appreciated – and vital!  I’ll keep everyone posted as to our progress until we bring our daughter home!

Thanks again to all, especially to Jesus, through whom all blessings flow!

- Mark