With God all things are possible!

I had a little trouble writing this week. Not too long ago I heard from my book publishing company that there was an opportunity for my book to be at the Women of Faith Book Gallery in Kansas City, Missouri on November 2012. I was asked if I would like mine to be in it. Just imagine the joy that filled my heart with hope. I was so very excited! For a year has passed and as a self published author, I have had very little exposure for my book. I just knew it would be awesome for me to bring my book to the Women of Faith audience! I have been going to the Women of Faith conferences for years. My book was born because I entered it in the Women of Faith writing contest! So I knew all about how many Women of Faith would be there! There was only one catch. It cost something. It didn't matter to me! I was willing to pay any price! Only things didn't work out and we ended up not having the money for this opportunity. Right before this phone call, God blessed us with a van instead. We need to make ends meet and have just enough money to make it pass inspection so we can keep it on the road. Our family will have transportation to get places. We have two special needs little girls who have many upcoming doctor appointments and it is necessary to keep up with them. Along with them, we have typical kids in our big family. I really don't know how we lived without for so long, but we did. God is good! :) I should be happy and I am. There are so many other things to be thankful for. But my heart breaks for orphans. My book was my offering and I hoped by writing it, word would get out about the children in Ukraine and the orphans we saw and left behind in Lera's orphanage in Druzhkovka. We even got to visit the Donetsk baby house Lera lived in at first and I met a sweet little girl with Down syndrome. I am told she has a family now, so that is good! But there are so many others...

It's okay we don't have the money for my book to be in the WOF Book Gallery, but it's not okay for orphans to not be in a family. I must keep telling our story. Along the way we have met so many wonderful people who are doing great things to take care of orphans. Like His Kids Too! www.hiskidstoo.org. And Bible Orphan Ministry www.bibleorphanministry.com. My heart is especially drawn to children with special needs. I know God has a plan and a purpose for each of them and it is my desire to help look after them.

Maybe one day God will send me back to Ukraine to look after orphans and I would love it! But for now, I am keeping them in my prayers. If you would like to help me look after orphans, here's how you can help. Please look for my book, Chasing A Dream Where The Sunflowers Grow on the WestBow Press Website www.westbowpress.com. For every book sold, $3.00 comes back to me. It is my desire to use my earnings to help His Kids Too!, the ministry that looked after our daughter in the baby house and found her before being transferred to an adult mental institution. Of course you don't have to buy my book to help orphans. You can go directly to either of the websites I mentioned to make a donation and I will be just as happy! Or maybe share my book with a friend who you think might enjoy some encouragement for adoption.

Please let me know if you adopted. I would be happy to know another adoptive family. Or if you plan to adopt, I will be happy to pray for you. Be blessed! :)

I linked up with Ellen Stumbo's writing prompt: A truth I live by
http://www.ellenstumbo.com/a-truth-i-live-by/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EllenStumbo+%28Ellen+Stumbo%29

Amazing! at OneTrueMedia.com

Different than what I expected...better than I asked for or dreamed, but nonetheless, exactly what I was missing! I love you Hannah and Lera! XOXO

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The Gate

Life is good! God is blessing my socks off. Our older kids moved back home. It is hot. Our air condition is broke. We try and cool off with random fans throughout the house. It is still hot. But I am happy. It feels good to have our son back home. He moved his wife and our grandson with him. The house feels alive with excitement and new beginnings. We bought a van. It is blue, pretty and it feels good to know we will be able to go places in our own vehicle again. Life is good!  Did I mention the kids are back in school? Time for me at last, so here goes a blog I have been thinking about writing...

just the other day I was reminded the gate to our own backyard did not have the board between the fence when I heard a knock on the door. It was my friend, Paula, from the pool standing there when I opened it. Before she could get the words out, in stepped our dog and Hannah.  Paula was an angel that day. God sent her just in time as she drove around the corner and met these two runaways. But they were home with one knock and I was glad...

It had me thinking about another gate, just around three years ago, when I stood in front of it. Behind it was the place where our God led us. The place where a little orphan lived. She hadn't been there long. She grew up in a baby house, but she was a big girl at five years old and was moved to this place. The place where all the big kids go with special needs, if they are chosen. I don't know why our baby girl was spared going to Torez. But I was glad she did not go. I was glad she was here and we could adopt her. Many children lived here. Children between the ages of 5 to 18, and if they were good workers, they were kept on. Some became permanent residents and worked in the garden, swept the floors, then mopped them, even tended to the younger children. We met one boy who worked hard. He didn't seem to mind, but rather enjoyed his job. He had Down syndrome. Why do you want to adopt a little girl we were asked by one of the caretakers? Why not a teen and they will work for you! Our interpreter tried to explain when they asked...why did we want to adopt our little blond angel? Was it for body parts? That's what they thought when they heard we had another daughter the same age with DS who was sick and God healed her. How sad. I'm sure to them, we were taking away one of their own and they loved little Valeria! They wanted to protect her! They were a family! We were intruding!

Over time, we made daily visits. Everyday we went through the gate, down the path and past the teens sitting outside. They watched us as we continued past the windmill, down the driveway, up the stairs, until we found our angel among all the other little angels starting out their day.  We always stayed until lunchtime, knowing our daughter would take a nap after that and in keeping with her schedule, we would go until the next day and start over again.  As the days went on, the kids grew accustomed to our daily visits. Many would call us mama and papa in hopes of being loved the way every child deserves.  We became part of their family. We loved interacting with all of the kids we saw and dreamed for each of them to have a home.  They were all so beautiful! It was hard to say goodbye! We were the first couple to adopt from this particular orphanage in its entire existence. But after three months we were headed home...

So thanks to Hannah for finding the open gate and running free with her dog, early on a Saturday morning.  I am reminded of where we have been and a place I never want to forget.  Always in my prayers, just like the daughters we gained, one through many operations, the other through many obstacles, just so they could grow up together. Spared to teach us more about God than I ever knew. Forever changed for the better. I will not give up! Many more orphans need to be rescued. They have my prayers. God opened the gate to my heart, the hope is there. From the last time we stayed in the hospital to the last time we stayed in an institution for special needs. There's a big world waiting to love and be loved, an orphan changed my heart and our ninth child changed our course so we would want to adopt her. I pray it is not the last time God uses me before He welcomes me through the last gate. Here I am Lord, send me! Send me! 

The Gate 2009