to my dear readers

My dear blog friends and family,

I love blogs.  I don't think there is anything else that has educated or enlightened or challenged or encouraged me as much as reading other people's blogs this past year.  I've learned about health, and illness, and courage, and hope, and homeschooling, and parenting, and living life more fully--just to name a few things!--all from reading the blogs of strangers, almost all of them fellow moms.  They write about things I want to know, or need to hear.  They share their stories, bare their hearts, and sometimes through what they share, I get to view the world just a little bit more like how I think God views it, seeing people the way God sees them.  And sometimes, through my reaction to these stories, I can even be part of making our crazy, messed-up world better. 

I want to share two stories with you today, to get your attention, in case you sense God desiring you to move, to be part of His miracles:

The first one is just tragic.  A beautiful loving couple completed all the necessary paperwork and jumped through all the hoops to adopt an abandoned baby in Russia.  After arriving in country and getting to the local court for the official approval--they were not allowed to take their son home, because he has Down Syndrome.  The judge said they were clearly a good family and they could adopt any other healthy Russian child, but they could not take home this little boy, because--basically--he is not worthy.  Please go here to read an overview and see sweet pictures, and then if you want to, go here to read the details from the family's own blog.  I don't know what we can do for this family except pray and get the word out, so that it reaches the ears of those who can help.

The second one is just pure hope.  There is another family who is adopting another special needs child from Eastern Europe, and are supposed to leave on this Sunday to bring their daughter home, but much of the financing they had been assured would come through has failed, and they are desperately needing a miracle to get the remaining funds for the adoption before they leave.  Is God calling you to be part of His work to bring this little girl home?  If you feel led to make a donation, there is currently a giveaway going on--every donation enters you to win a new iPad, and if you do it through this blog, you can also enter to win a new Kindle!  If you don't feel led to give, please consider passing this story on as well to the people you know who have a heart for special needs children, or adoption, or just miracles in general!

I love hearing these stories of people trusting God to provide, and have just recently read of several gorgeous stories of God actively at work to bring "the least of these" to loving families.

Here is one that is just simply beautiful, and leaves no room at all for doubt at God's plan and provision.  These people are either crazy (imagining things) or lying--or God is so Real you can almost see His hands at work.  Here is Part 1, and Part 2. 

Same with this story from Keri, whom I have written about before.  God is just everywhere in her life story--you could not explain it to anyone and omit God, He is so woven into its threads!  (I want to be able to say the same about my own story--food for thought.)  This one is also unfolding as we speak--Keri is now completing her paperwork and hopes to travel back to Russia to bring her son home in a few weeks!

Finally, remember Davids?  I have been following the new blog of the family who is adopting him and another boy from Latvia, and it is just so sweet to see the photos and hear the stories of these boys and their new parents.  They are actually in country now, and will be for a few more weeks as their paperwork is processed and final approvals are made. 

And these is just a few of the wonderful stories going on all over the world right now.  Right Now.

My prayer for us all today:  that we hear God whisper, and our hearts leap to answer. 

With love,

blessed