Even though it is summer, spring has sprung!

 

“Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before him—his name is the LORD. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.” Psalm 68:4-5 NIV

This is the verse that I received in my email inbox from http://www.biblegateway.com/ .

We are singing to God, we are praising His name! He is the father to the fatherless and so much more! Spring has sprung in our hearts once again! Our dear Lord has matched us with a precious 12 year old girl, Abby. We are so thankful.

Abby’s story… (she has a different Ethiopian name that she can go by if she wants to… just not publishing her real name on the internet)  She is not living in a traditional orphanage, she is part of a Christian organization, Fields of Promise, who support a care system for children in Ethiopia that are “family-based care homes” – the kids live in homes with some other children and parent figures so they can function as a family as opposed to having to live in an institution.

Here is an excerpt from the Fields of Promise website and their link so you can learn more:

“Operation Rescue (ORE) focuses its energy on ministering “wholistically” to nearly 350 full and half-orphans in Mekelle.  These children attend a half-day program provided by ORE which includes a hot lunch, daily devotions tutoring, English classes, computer training, a library, and a recreation program.  ORE also offers a hygiene program with showers twice a week, and a social worker who visit each family-based care home monthly to ensure the kids are respecting the house rules, attending school, and that the children are benefiting from the program.  The children are well-loved in this program.”http://www.fieldsofpromise.org/1794/index.html

Our paperwork has been received and we are now waiting for the paperwork for Abby to be processed in Ethiopia and once it is completed we will be given a court date to travel.

Basically we are hoping that our paperwork can all be processed before the courts close for the months of August and September so when they reopen in October we may be given our court date for sometime in October or November so we can travel for our first trip. The leaders in Ethiopia are trying very hard to make sure they do all the things necessary for each orphan in their adoptions and because of this the process has had to slow down. We really have no idea of what the timeline for us will be. We know that we need to trust in the Lord that He will orchestrate it all. 

At the beginning of all of this we were told that adoption isn’t for the faint at heart; really no matter how God brings a child into your life there is no “guaranteed simple route”.  We are just putting each foot in front of the other as we follow Jesus in faith.

We are trusting Him

that Abby is the child He chose for our family,

that He will guide us how to navigate all of the unknowns (paperwork, travel, language, parenting etc.),

that He will somehow put the last $5,000 in our account so we can finish the work He has begun,

             that He will provide us wisdom, protection and guidance as we need it
                            on each turn.
Here is a song that I have attached that is really speaking to my heart about all of this…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjcRpDyUWbQ

One True God by Mark Harris

I don't have a God I can put on a stand
Or a God I hold in the palm of my hand
I have a God that's holding me

And I don't have a God that I can create
In the place I live with the money I make
I have a God He made everything

 So I don't need a temporary man-made deity
When I got the real thing, I got the real thing

He's the Lord of all the earth the maker of all things
He alone is the one true God

Kingdoms rise and fall but even through it all
He remains the one true God

I don't have a thing that I got on my own
I don't have a care that I carry alone
But I have a God who's carrying me

And I don't have sin that He doesn't forgive
And I don't have a heart that is worthy of His
But I have a God who still loves me

So I don't need a temporary man-made deity
When I got the real thing I got the real thing

Lord of all the earth the maker of all things
He alone is the one true God
Kingdoms rise and fall but even through it all
He remains the one true God

Who is this King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty
Who is this King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty
Who is this King of Glory? Who is this King of Glory?

 He's the Lord of all the earth the maker of all things
He alone is the one true God
Kingdoms rise and fall but even through it all
He remains the one true God

He's the Lord of all the earth the maker of all things
He alone is the one true God
Kingdoms rise and fall but even through it all
He remains the one true God
He is He is the one true God

I don't have a God I can put on a stand
And I don't have a God I can hold in my hand
But I have a God holding me

http://www.kovideo.net/one-true-god-lyrics-mark-harris-514479.html

After listening to this song these words continue in my heart even after this song has ended...

I don't have a thing that I got on my own
I don't have a care that I carry alone
But I have a God who's carrying me

He is the one true God and He is the one who we are looking to, watching and passionately following.

We lift up all of the orphans in the world and that God’s people who each seek Him how they are to serve Him to help these children . We thank Him that Abby is going to no longer be an earthly orphan… she has always been His daughter, now she will be ours too.

We so value each action step of prayer and support to help bring Abby home.

In Jesus love,
Donna, Chris, Daniel, Molly, Zayden … and Abby!

Father's day reflection...

Today being Father’s Day brought my mind to the great dads who we have and to the amazing father my husband is.  I was in church today, singing praises to God (along with the other folks in the church… no solos here J)… as I was praising God for Him being ourHeavenly Father my eyes glanced to a couple in front of me… she is a petite little gal who stood about a foot less than her husband and my thoughts were sent to Chris’s parents who are about that much in height apart as well.  The Lord sent my heart on a journey of gratitude… how He works things out ahead of time. 

Chris has shared with me over the years of his memories of going to church with his parents.  How his passion for Jesus began when they brought him to learn more about God at church.  Chris had the opportunities to hear of God’s promises and the true stories of how He has cared for His people.  These times were seared in Chris’s heart. That was when the foundation was laid for Chris to become the man he is today when his father decided to take his family to church.

I can picture it… the family getting ready… wondering what Dad is doing, where they all are going… each one following his leading.   Though at the time Chris didn’t grasp the impact upon his life, of that decision that his dad made, but today he treasures it.

To think that at that time I was a young girl living in Oregon, not even knowing of this family in Alaska who was doing something so simple yet so profound… something that would shape my life forever.

On this father’s day I am thanking God for the fathers He gave us and for each step that He took in shaping the father that my incredible husband is.  Watching Chris be a dad through the years has been such a wonderful reminder to me of who our Heavenly Father is… God is fun, He is a great listener, He is there to help us, to protect us and to care for us and He loves us like no other.

Happy Father’s Day to all those great dad’s out there. I pray that you are blessed by the little and big ways  you give to your family. I pray you are encouraged in your leading and that God is the one you follow. I pray God reveals to your heart the work He is doing through you.  You too are affecting many lives, now and in the future, as you lead your children.

In Jesus love, Donna J

Ephesians 2: 8-10

⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

As our journey continues Chris’s dad has a journey of his own…

Christopher’s dad, Mike, is in the hospital again this week. He has been diagnosed with Leukemia and has made such strides in his treatments. He has made it through the rounds of chemo, many doctor visits, shots and so much more. He has been given the word that his body is cancer free at this time ( J!!!) though he still needs to go through his last big hurdle. He completed his bone marrow transplant last weekend. He spiked a neutropenic fever this week (no immune system to fight off whatever comes along so he may have gotten something…). He is in the hospital, with his faithful wife right by his side (& precious daughter and caring son-in-law there to help at each step), spirits up and looking forward to this milestone being passed.

His bone marrow acceptance and healing journey should take about a 100 days; we are praising God for that light at the end of the tunnel. I pray that God reveals to Mike how much He loves Him and has a purpose for his life.

Please pray for him with us.

In Jesus love,

Donna J

As I was seeking for a verse in the Bible to pray for Mike I found these in Proverbs 3:5-10 (The Message Bible - it translated into "today's lingo") and is just struck my heart. I wonder if you see the same encouraging words jumping out at you that I did...

 ^5-10 Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
   don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
   he's the one who will keep you on track.
Don't assume that you know it all.
   Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health,
   your very bones will vibrate with life!

God knows the plan...

Our hearts are healing from not being able to adopt Sara. We are so thankful for the many ways God is providing for her.

We have been blessed to be able to send her a letter and a small gift. 

Please join with us in prayer for Sara and that everything works out for her to recieve what we have sent without any issues.

Since so many of you have prayed for her and have come along with us on this journey we thought we would share with you this letter that we are sending Sara so you too can experience the closing of the chapter that we get to see into her world and to trust in Jesus that He is in charge of the rest of her story.

 Dear Sara,

We are a family in America whose lives you have touched. We heard stories from the people at WACAP of what a sweet girl you are. You have a way about you that captivates those who meet you with the beauty and grace that you possess in your heart. You are a very special girl.

We have been praying to God for you for the last two months. We were hoping that we could adopt you but the paperwork couldn’t be done.  We see now that God had another great plan for your life. We understand that there are circumstances in your life that made it so you were going to stay there in Ethiopia. God has such a wonderful plan for your life. You are such a sweet blessing to the children there at the orphanage and it looks like God wants to continue to use you to love on them and care for them.

The nice people at WACAP told us that you will be part of a sponsorship program through their organization that will make sure your needs are met and that you will be able to go on to receive more schooling so you can also know a trade. God has many good things planned for you.

We hope that you know how very special you are to God. He has given you a hope in your life that through His son Jesus you will get to have Him with you always and that you will be able to be with Him in Heaven.

We are sending you this necklace that has a verse from the Bible on it. Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” We hope that whenever you wear the necklace it will remind you that God loves you and you are in His care. We pray that Jesus will be your very best friend as you go through your life. We pray that you seek Him.

You are a very special young lady who is loved and prayed for by people on the other side of the world that you have never met, but who know about you. You will always hold a special place in our hearts. We praise the Lord that you were born and that He is caring for you.

Love your friends in America,

Donna, Chris, Daniel, Molly and Zayden Robbins

In His loving hands...

Are you the kind of person who likes to wait until the end of the movie to find out if everyone is OK or are you the kind of person who asks folks the ending so you don’t have to suffer not knowing? Well with movies I like it for people to tell me how things end so I know how to brace myself. It would be nice if it was that way in life but alas it isn’t. Throughout our adoption journey there hasn’t been anyone who will let us know how things are going to play out, we need to go through each step… trusting God and putting one foot in front of the other.

Today our adoption journey took a twist. We found out that precious Sara is not adoptable. She will not be coming to live with us. Our hearts are aching and confused.  One of our teens asked me the question today “Mom, why would God not allow us to adopt Sara? Everything seemed to just be falling into place, it just seemed so right.” Another thought that was thrown out was “Did we choose the wrong child? Is this why this happened?” I believe in my heart that we followed God just how He wanted us to. We were right when we accepted this referral. God’s ways are not our ways. We cannot see the bigger picture of how God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). I can’t answer the big question of “why?”, only God can, though I can see some blessings that have come out of this already.

·         We prayed for Sara- Sara now has an American family whose hearts have been touched in a significant and life changing way because of her. This American family loves her, is praying for her and so are many of their friends and family members. She is a special young lady who is very cared for.

·         Her situation in life may very well improve because of all the attention she has received in this process.  People have taken notice of her. She is wanted. She is special.

·         She is going to be able to be in a sponsorship program  that makes sure her needs are met and she is able to go to a trade school so she has a plan for her future there in Ethiopia.

·         We are more compassionate to grief – As we have readied ourselves for adopting a child/children we have taken classes as well as read a number of books and articles in addition to interviewing adoptees and adoptive families. One of the themes that we have learned about is that adopted children at some point in time will experience grief. Often times this is an ongoing process of feelings they need to deal with. They may grieve the loss of their birth family, their way of life, their culture, their language etc. It can appear at any time. Little things can trigger those feelings and there is no set timeline for how long those feelings may last.  My heart has become more in tune to this because of going through this process of not being able to adopt Sara. I was brought to tears many times this week. One trigger was when I was at a store and I saw an organizing container.  It brought tears to my eyes as agonized if I could buy it for Sara’s room or not. Another moment was when I was watching a child, whom I didn’t know at Taekwondo perform; I felt a loss of potentially not getting to watch Sara master something she too has tried hard at.  As I sort of “watched” myself go through this process this week, I did have a sense of realization that this is the "heart of understanding" that I will need to have for our child that we are adopting. To understand that feelings come and go with no logic attached to them as to why and when but to understand that they just “are” and to accept our child and love them not matter “where they are coming from” in that moment. (I think it has also given me a deeper compassion of parents who have miscarried too).

·         We have been trusting in God and paying attention to what He is doing.  We have been seeking and trusting God to work out the details; big and small through this whole process.  Our prayer life and Bible reading times have improved as well. Our expectations were that this adoption would be rather smooth; we certainly didn’t expect our hearts to be broken or our ideas to be revamped (many times).  We know that our two months of caring Sara in our hearts was meant for us to be a special time. One when we got to love her and pray for her; so in that way we did get to parent her. We are confident that God will also use this time for us to be better parents and to know that we need to just trust God even if we are not privy to how everything is going to work out.

I love to go to the Bible to pour through God’s love letter for us to fill my aching heart. Tonight He gave me so much. Though I still am dazed and sad  I am able to take joy in what God is providing for Sara and for our family.  I have peace that we are in His loving hands; His love endures forever.

Psalm 34:18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

1 Chronicles 16:34 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Psalm 73:26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.

Matthew 11:25-30 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

So after my good cry I know I will sleep well knowing that Jesus has our burdens and He will give us rest.

Thank you for praying with us.

Please continue to lift up sweet Sara in your prayers that she would know Jesus.

Please pray for healing of our hearts, for discernment to know who God is calling for us to adopt, and an openness to embrace and love our child that God is sending to our family.

In Jesus love,

The Robbins Nest
Donna, Chris, Daniel, Molly, Zayden and …

The update today… perhaps tomorrow???

In the book of Esther, when it was clear it was her "calling" to go before the king on behalf of the Jewish people, so they could be saved from annihilation, she sought a meeting with him. Then when she met with him she simply requested that he attend a banquet that she had prepared for him. Then at the banquet she requested that the king attend the next banquet she had planned; at that banquet was when she made her formal request.

When I first read that I was perplexed by the timeline. At her first meeting she had found favor with the king, at her second meeting she had found favor with the king, and at the third meeting she found favor with the king and then is when she finally sought her real request.  I didn't understand the value of waiting, how God would use the progression of time to help fulfill His greater plan. From my view in the bleachers here in Illinois it looks like something similar is happening in Ethiopia with Sara’s case.  The WACAP staff member there in Ethiopia (who is an Ethiopian attorney who has been faithfully advocating for children for years) is well respected and liked in the Ethiopian adoption community. He has a very good working relationship with the officials there and when he brings requests they are open to hear from him.

I spoke with Megan today, the WACAP staff member whom I have been talking with this week, and she reported their staff member in Ethiopia went before the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MOWA – more information on what they do: http://www.childrenofallnations.com/ethiopia-ministry ) yesterday.  There was discussion if it is prudent or wise to continue to pursue Sara for adoption (I cannot share the details as to why – nothing unethical, just very unusual).  The WACAP representative communicated that his impression of the response from the MOWA was that it may be very difficult to process Sara's adoption. Basically where it stands is that if we choose to continue to pursue adopting her it may be a very long time before we are able to do so.

Her issue needs to first be approved by MOWA and then by the US Embassy. Since all three parties involved (WACAP then MOWA then the US Embassy) do a separate and thorough investigation, of all of orphaned children’s paperwork, it can take quite some time to accomplish.  In Ethiopia it can be very difficult to get and process information. Relatives of the children need to be located, visited and interviewed. Often times these family members are in rural areas, spread out over distances in remote areas that are difficult to reach.  It is quite an extensive process and it can take quite a bit of time. The age of a child may play an additional role as well depending upon how many people may have cared for them, the older the child the more complicated the situation can be.

This journey may take a long time and we have no guarantees how it will end. This is very similar to other walks we have been on with the Lord.  Jesus is our King and sometimes we have received “orders" or "our assignments”, being part of His army, that we neither like nor do we understand.  Chris has been deployed to Iraq twice and Bosnia once. We have lived through me having cancer. All journeys that God allowed us to be on so that we could learn to trust Him more and to share with others of the great things He has done, from the little triumphs to the big. He carried us through those times and we know that Sara’s situation isn’t too difficult for God to handle either. We know that we need to continue to follow His leading for each of our steps, all the while watching for the many ways He is showing His love, care and protection and then praise Him and share with others what He has done so He can get the credit for it.

WACAP wanted to know how we wanted to proceed. Did we wish to seek another child for adoption or continue to pursue to adopt Sara? I shared that just as if we needed to crawl 70 miles on our knees to get help for Daniel, Molly or Zayden we feel as though we need to do everything we possibly can to be there for Sara as well. We told them that we wish to continue to pursue adopting Sara no matter how long it may take.

So here is where things stand…

Yesterday the WACAP representative went before MOWA and researched their thoughts about Sara’s situation.

Tomorrow he will go in (if he is able to) to request that MOWA would formally look into her case and in order to give their approval so she is able to be adopted.

Our job is to continually pray and bring our petitions before the Lord for Sara and to faithfully wait for God to work in small and big ways.  We know God answers all our prayers and we are seeking for Him to say “yes” to us being able to bring Sara home and, no matter what, we pray for Jesus to be her very best friend, her family and her Savior.

We may not have felt Sara kicking inside my womb but we sure can feel her tugging at our hearts.  We long to hold her, tell her how much we love her and share with her how very special she is to the King.

Thank you so much for partnering with us on this journey.
We praise the Lord for you; for each and every prayer.

In Jesus love,
Donna and Chris

“...But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:33-34

"Seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness – Singly aim at this, that God, reigning in your heart, may fill it with the righteousness above described. And indeed whosoever seeks this first, will soon seek this only" - John Wesley

So much compassion

Thank you to each of you who are praying for and with us for Sara and this situation.  Please continue to lift the whole situation up before the Lord. As soon as we know something we will post it on our blog.

This is all happening when our normal wonderful WACAP representative, Patty, is out of town and in her stead Megan has been keeping us informed at each step.  Here is a copy of her note… (just love her heart…knowing that we are eager to hear news that Sara’s adoption can go through… she sent us this note just to let us know that she still hasn’t heard and to reassure us she will let us know as soon as she hears). We are so thankful for the caring people God has placed to help with each step in this process.

Hello Chris and Donna-

I just wanted to follow up and let you know that sadly, I have not been able to connect with our staff today but I do hope to be able to do so tomorrow!

I will touch bases with you again tomorrow.

Best,

Megan

We are praying for:

·         Discernment for the officials in the Ethiopian government to do what is best for Sara and to figure out all the information that they need in a timely manner.

·         If it is God’s will, that Sara would be able to be adopted by us.

·         That the timeline for Sara’s adoption would move smoothly and swiftly.

·         The US Embassy in Ethiopia would also approve Sara’s paperwork and all would move smoothly in the final step.

·         The Lord would help us with our final phase of adoption expenses.

·         The Lord would reveal to Sara how very loved she is.

·         The Lord would provide us patience and TLC for our hearts as we wait upon Him.

We thank each one of you for your amazing support. We know God is faithful and we are just taking this journey one day at a time with Him.

Here is an encouraging Bible verse that a dear friend, who is also in the process of adopting, sent to use today. 

“For the vision is yet for the  appointed time;
It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
For it will certainly come, it will not delay.

Habakkuk 2:3

New American Standard Bible (NASB)