Africa is Silent, but God is Not

Just an update to let you know what is going on with Africa. NOTHING. That is ... as far as the human eye can see. Now, My spiritual eyes see passports and wait in hope.
I will admit, waiting is hard, hard, hard. I don't like it, and it really stinks. One thing I have learned for sure is perseverance. I think I have it down pat. LOL. So... time for passports!
Seriously, I don't understand the holdup. it makes no sense to me whatsoever. Now, I have my theories but they are just speculations why these are being held up when I see so many others come home from Uganda.

I honestly do not believe God is holding up these passports for "His Perfect Timing" because EVERYTHING about God is good. He doesn't keep orphans from their home and family. The separation is not good for either one of us.
He has declared in His Word that He has put orphans in families. That he wants the orphans to be taken care of.... He has matched us as a family and therefore His plan is in place. His goodness is working. BUT... The enemy is fighting God and His plan. He is the one holding this up. I know God is fighting for us because it tells me in Romans 8:"If God is for us, who can be against us? " That tells me there is victory in the end! God then takes Satan plans and uses them for more good and grows us and draws us closer to Him.
So, I guess I am sort of preaching to myself this morning to remind me that God is Good and His mercy and Love endure forever!

INNER STRENGTH

I finally finished my painting I had been working on for months! I've only been able to work on it for one day a month when I go to art class but found some time at home here and there last week to get it completely finished. The painting started out really not knowing where it was going but ended up beautifully. I love it when God brings something together like this. Much prayer and thought go into my paintings as I ponder what message I want to give.

ABOUT THE PAINTING: This painting reflects two Ugandan orphan girls who have nothing left, not even a strand of hope. They represent the girls who are child heads of households with no parents alive to care for them. The ones who fear being raped and violated by those who don't care and see them only as a means of being healed of AIDS in their ghastly belief that virgins will heal their AIDS. The ones who watch their families die off because of malaria, starvation and AIDS. The ones who feel the pain of hunger in their stomachs and see their siblings wasting away. But somewhere deep inside, there is an inner strength, an inner beauty. There is the Dignity of a Lion, the Strength of an Elephant and the Steadfastness of a Rhinoceros that perseveres and plunges through it all to Live. TO HOLD ON until help comes. Somewhere deep inside they DO HOPE that life will change and that help will come. That the Lion of Judah will roar and awake his people to come to their aid. Do you hear the roar? "INNER STRENGTH"
copyright melissacartercreations.com 2009

Duane wrote this poem about the painting:



The Strength Within

All of the world sees us as weak, sick and poor
In fact, we are not even within their view
We cannot even enter into the door
Of happiness and dreams, of goodness and new

Everything rages against us: our age, our gender, our color, our tribe
No one can see what is truly inside
A place where the Spirit of God Himself resides
His colors so rich and majestic they glide
Their mists go forth with a wind and a pride
That draws us up close to the Great Lion’s side

He dreams for us.
He shows us the way.
He puts us forth as beauty in His great work’s display
And no one cares to see it

DARE TO HOPE

I wrote this in pondering about the news we got the other day that Isaiah's passport could be ready this coming Wednesday. I've been struggling as to whether or not to really get my hopes up only to have them dashed again as they have been over and over before. Many of us as adoptive parents, go through this emotional roller coaster during the process of our adoptions and to others it seems crazy to keep hoping again and again after we are diasappointed many times over. But when something or someone is worth it, Hope is what pushes us forward and makes us stronger. It is what causes us to be idealistic. It actually is a facet of God's heart and character that we are eminating. We learn perserverance. We learn to cling to the Rock of our Salvation.
Really, Hope is about Salvation. Being saved from demise and despair.
Keep Hope. Live.

Do I dare to hope again? Do I dare to believe that this time it can happen?
Do I dare risk being disappointed and crushed again ?
I've heard the words before that set my spirits soaring in hope but then I remembered the last time and the time before that
I was knocked out of the sky and I plummeted into a deep dark cave.
Into disappointment, into sadness, into heartache realizing that my dream was crushed.
Sitting in a daze of hopelessness because once again my children would not soon be in my arms.
How can I believe that this time will be any any different? Why should I risk the hurt that I know will engulf my heart?
But then, I know the answer already. It is ingrained deep within my soul.
Of course, I will dare to hope again. I will make the choice to give in to Hope. I will rise out of the crumpled heap that hopelessness has dropped me into as my Hope scoops His Hand under me and tosses me into the bright blue sky and says "Soar!, Soar!, Dream!, Dream!, It is near! Chase it!, Hold on to it!. Always Hope, Always Believe, Always Trust Me!
I never leave anything incomplete. Hope for that which you do not see."
So, I will dare to hope that this time, promises will be fulfilled.
That my children will be free,
That my family will be united
That we will see dreams come true,
That we will dance to Hope's song and keep the beat.

My Blog got listed in Serious Life Magazine

I wanted you to know about this publication I’m a part of called Serious.Life Magazine. They just published the March issue today, and I am in their Featured Blog Directory. It’s a very high quality magazine… you’ll really like it.

The magazine includes a lot of great content from bloggers you’ll appreciate, as well as great features, photos and other content. The magazine is owned and published by a family who have seven kids, three adopted and one who has Leukemia (www.riggsfamilyblog.com). The magazine gives away a bunch of ads to charities and ministries. Besides great articles on interesting people, there is a lot about family, adoption, personal finance, spiritual life, humor… all sorts of “life” topics.

Again, the subscription is FREE, and I know you’ll enjoy the magazine, so take a minute to check it out and sign up to get future issues. www.seriouslifemagazine.com
Check it out. Thanks Melissa




Signs given by God as Reminders of Hope

March 1, 2009
Remember how in several posts back I had asked God for a sign to just give me hope to keep hanging on to the belief that my kids would be released to come home?
Well, he not only gave me one sign but several to let me know that He was in control and that I could still hope in those things that I was not seeing.
The most important sign, I can't explain about here as it is more of a personal matter but there were a couple of others that came my way and I knew it was God.
#1- Personal

#2 - One morning I got up to find snow on the ground, about 3/4 inch. We rarely get snow and looking out my back window brought me a beautiful view.
I was praying, thanking God for the beauty and looked down towards my diving board and there someone had already slipped out in the early morning and wrote FAITH on the diving board two times. Later, When I questioned my kids later on who had done it, and what made them write the word, Seora simply said, "Well, I like the word, because it means to Believe." WOW!!!! Was all I could think. Thanks God.

#3- The other was a card that I received from my friend that read,
"HOPE IS A DANCE.... KEEP THE BEAT!"

#4 - I felt in my spirit, that God was telling me to go online and look up the Ugandan Constitution and lo and behold I found some legislature that could possibly help us regarding the citizenship of Allenni and Andrew. It may help us prove that they are indeed Ugandan citizens as the judge decreed.
#5 We received an email telling us that Isaiah's passport could possibly be ready by Wednesday of next week.