GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

This great hymn has been in my mind all week.

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!  Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed thy hand hath provided, Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

Truly we have seen God's great faithfulness as He has worked through our life and the lives of those who have surrounded us in love.  Recently I received an update for our LifeSong account and not only was our goal met, it was exceeded - to God be the glory!

In my devotion and BSF lessons, I have been studying about the power of God.  In the book of Acts, after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit following Jesus' resurrection, new believers were filled with joy and united in their faith.  Nobody was in need because the community of believers did what ever was necessary to take care of each other.  That same power of the Holy Spirit has been at work in the lives of those who have given of themselves to help our girls come home.  We have seen wonders and miracles as people with their own financial concerns have given generously from their hearts.  Here are a few examples that I am aware of:

• A small church (whose leadership has never met us) gave generously from their church operating budget to our account.  Since the church does not have their own building and shares with another church,  I see this as a big sacrifice on their part.

• Members of this same church rallied together to bring in their "spare change" after our friend showed a powerpoint presentation to them that she created on our girls and Ethiopian culture.  Somehow I don't think the amount of funds that were collected were exactly spare change!

• This same friend's family also had a lemonade stand to raise funds.  In addition, their children matched the money they raised selling lemonade with money from their personal funds.  What also makes this a sacrifice of love is the time this family has spent on both fund raisers when so much of their time has recently been taken up with two new toddler foster children and birth parental visitations required of foster parents.

• A family who has had numerous medical bills due to the mom's bout with Stage III cancer gave to our account and used their ingenuity to organize a baking contest to raise even additional funds.  This was at a time when the mom was suffering from fatigue and pain due to her radiation treatments.  What love!

• Another family who has been making do for some time with one car due to major repairs needed on their 2nd car, gave from their heart.

• A family who recently returned from Ethiopia with their own son and had their own adoption expenses also gave generously.

• Finally, a family who is self-insured and has also had some significant medical expenses blessed us with their gift.

I'm sure the list could go on but these are a few examples of the Holy Spirit at work.  It has been so exciting to watch and I can't tell you how much we have been blessed by all those who have joined with us in the journey to bring these precious girls home.  Your names have been written in their adoption story journal. Thank you and God bless you!

"All that we needed His hand hath provided."  Last fall when we answered God's call to adopt, He began His initial provision for us to adopt with a family gift that each of my siblings and I received last fall and a new job for David, enabling us to save more.  Now He has completed His provision of the estimated amount we need to complete the adoption through the LifeSong fund and an additional grant we recently received from a local Christian organization.

Matthew 6:33 - But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these other things will be added unto you.


Phillipians 4:19 - And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.

What is cool is that it is not just our lives in which was have seen God's faithfulness.  We have had the pleasure of watching His provision and the power of His Holy Spirit in the lives of others we have come to know on the same journey.  It is exciting and uplifting to read their blogs and their own testimonies.

When we began the process, we were told by so many people who had completed their own adoption journeys that God provides the resources to those who are obedient to His call and they were certainly right!

Hebrews 11:6 - And without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

What is the next step?  Painting the girls room a pretty light yellow and waiting for court to reopen in 15 days so we can get our court date.  The countdown is on......