When we love...

Every time I watch this video, I tear up. I have been incredibly stirred since we moved south three years ago. In more ways than expressed in this blog, God has challenged me to reevaluate my life, my priorities, my motives, my goals. It's so easy to have tunnel vision in our world, perhaps especially in our society. The day-to-day items consume our time and attention. In all of the chaos (and there is a lot of it if you're a homeschooling mom), I feel that God's vision for this world is lost. At least it was lost on me and is lost on me if I don't daily ask the Lord to shift my focus to where His is. We have been so incredibly blessed. Still, we feel like we need so much or are at least fooled into thinking that we need more than we have, especially at this time of year.

I challenged my boys today to a Christmas dare. I dared them to not talk about what they want for Christmas anymore, but instead to talk about the amazing gifts and blessings that they already have. Gifts that so many children around the world do not have. We're going to make a list everyday. I pray that they'll start to feel God's heart and His love for them, and see His incredible gift as more important than the "things" they desire.

I am so thankful that God has given us this opportunity with Mary. This incredible call to love someone that the world would rather forget. It has radically changed my heart and my life.  God's call to "love the least of these" used to overwhelm me. There is so, so much need. And, I'm sure it will continue to overwhelm me when we finally go to Malawi. However, I know that helping even this one, beautiful little girl will make a difference. If we all could only help one...

New picture of Mary.

On another note, we're almost finished with our home study. According to our attorney, that is all they require for our dossier in Malawi. If this is true, we are so lucky! All we'll have left to do is immigration paper work.  We're still in the process of double checking everything with the US embassy in Malawi, but are hoping that it's true. Once our home study report is received by our attorney, he'll be able to file with the court in Malawi to start the process of deeming Mary adoptable. Then, we'll be able to bring her home! We're continually praying for God's guidance and timing in all of this.

Recently, we've been challenged by God through a very faithful friend to pray about both of us going to get Mary. Originally, we had decided that just one of us would go with a friend so that the other could stay with the kids. Our thinking is that it would be a precautionary measure so that just in case anything happened, the kids wouldn't be left without both of us.  It was something we felt comfortable with and decided without much prayer. Then God prompted our dear friend to tell us to pray more about it. She said that she strongly felt that we both needed to go to bring Mary home.  "If you're willing to trust God with all of this, then you need to trust Him with the ending, too."  Love her.  We're really praying that God will give us a peace about this detail. Please pray with us.

Again, as always, thank you for walking this journey with us. Keep Mary and her grandparents in your prayers.  And, Merry Christmas!

With much love,

Brandie


P.S-  I'd like to encourage you to consider the following ministries as you shop for gifts for your loved ones this year or decide on the charity that you'll donate to.

A few that are dear to us:

Just Love Coffee
Buy coffee for your coffee lovers and support our adoption at the same time. 

Nancy Kilpatrick
A dear friend of ours who is going into full time medical missions with First Love International in Africa. She is raising monthly support and hoping to leave this summer. You can make a donation in her name by clicking on the donations tab on the home page of First Love International.

African Steps
Working to provide health care on Likoma Island, where Mary lives. This is a huge need.


Others that are absolutely amazing:

Amazima
Beautiful, handmade necklaces crafted by women in Uganda. Buying one helps feed their family and keep them employed.

World Vision
They have gift options ranging from $25-$300, e.g. educating a child, buying chickens or a cow for a family, etc.

Blood Water Mission
Give the gift of clean water. It all starts there.

Hands and Feet Project
Help build a home.

Toms Shoes
Get one, Give one

Incredible!

The yard sale was a raging success! It has been a long time in the making, with many of our incredible friends and family members consistently donating items over the past few months. When we finally had everything displayed all over the yard at 7am, we could hardly believe how much stuff we had. If we had had the yard sale this past summer, we wouldn't have had nearly as much stuff to sell.  Things started out pretty slow and by mid afternoon we were lucky to have 1 to 2 people there at a time.  We were doubtful that we'd make much that day. However,  the few people that did come to shop the sale were very interested in the adoption and were super encouraging.  Once we tallied everything at the end of the day, we were humbled to find that we had made more than what we had prayed for! More than what we needed (combined with other fundraising efforts by the awesome Chloe Parsons) to cover the cost of our home study and immigration paperwork! We were blown away!  God has continued to provide for Mary in so many ways.  We've done nothing. In fact, most of the time I feel like we're getting in the way with our doubt and impatience. We fail to trust Him as we should and yet, He is still so, so faithful.

The goodies in the front yard. The rest went all the way down our drive way!

We are continuing to raise money for airfare and for legal fees. If you'd like to contribute towards that, please visit our "How You Can Help" page.  Also, we do have another request from our friend Alex in Malawi. He contacted us the other day to say that they had to tear down the hut that Mary and her grandparents were living in. It was something that they were trying to wait on, but it couldn't wait any longer. They need to rebuild as soon as possible because the rainy season will be upon them very shortly. Presently, they are living in a storage room. Alex has never directly asked us for money in the year that we have known him, so we know that this is a serious need.  In order to rebuild, they need about $400.00.  We're asking people if they would be willing to prayerfully consider giving their tithe this month or next to help get a roof over their heads before the rain arrives.

Where Mary's home was. Phase one of reconstruction.

Again, thank you for your prayers and encouragement. We are humbled and amazed as we watch God in this whole process. When he has a plan, he gets it done, regardless of our plans. All we have to do is remain willing to be used by him; remain willing to walk that narrow, challenging path that tests our faith in him at every turn. He has not called us to live a comfortable life.

I love this quote from Katie Davis. She's a young girl who, at the age of 22,  left her "comfortable" life in middle Tennessee to live in Uganda and be a mother to 13 orphans and run an amazing ministry.

“Uncertainty is everywhere. But I am living in the midst of the uncertainty and risk, amid things that can and do bring physical destruction, because I am running from things that can destroy my soul, complacency, comfort and ignorance. I am much more terrified of living a comfortable life in a self serving society and failing to follow Jesus than I am of any illness or tragedy.”
― Katie Davis, Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption

Mary (with her grandfather) on her first birthday.

With much love and gratitude,

Wes and Brandie