Our Garden

The orphanage grounds are filled with beautiful flowers, bushes and trees. We have been taking pictures of them because of their beauty and have been led to identify them with our garden. Our children are a HUGE blessing to us. Sure, there have been difficult times and trying days, months, years, but God is our glue and He has held us together. Being here and seeing children that have no family to enjoy the good times with or lean on in the hard times has made us even more aware of the blessing we have with our own family. Lord, that every orphan would have a family to love them, snuggle them, and teach them. An occasional squabble is even better than having no family. When you close your eyes at night, do you know that you are loved?  This orphanage does what it can, but they are not a family. The nannies or "mamas" go home and the next set comes and hopefully they are the nice ones. Every child wants a Mama and a Papa of their own. We see this every time we go to the orphanage. Add siblings to the equation and it's like getting a bonus!
When you think of us, please pray for all of the children at this orphanage. That they ALL will receive the blessing of a loving family. It will be difficult to leave any of them behind. And to anyone who says "Well, you can't save them all." I say, "Why not? We'll take these two. How many can you take?"


If God has been tugging at your heart about adopting, whether domestic or international, may we encourage you to listen. We thought we were ready several times and the answer was "no". Then He said "yes" at a time when we were not considering it. If you are unable to adopt, there is another option for you. You can bless another family who is called to adopt by donating to their adoption. International adoptions can cost a lot of money. Money or lack thereof stands in the way of uniting orphans with forever families. Don't get me wrong, God is bigger than a lack of money, giving is an opportunity to be used by God for someone else's miracle. Another way to help out would be to supply a need for an adopting family. If someone is adopting domestically and doesn't need a lot of money, but maybe a new bed/mattress/dresser for their new child. Or if they need a new carseat, high chair, or clothes. You could be the hands and feet of Jesus for that family.
We have a lovely friend who took me shopping for new clothes for Alina, you humbled me by your generosity. I will always remember that. Thank you. 
 

"He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge." Proverbs 14:26


Onto our Garden,

Ethan, We are very thankful for you, our oldest (and for a long time only) son. We are proud to see how you have matured and can't wait to see where the Lord takes you. Son, we pray that you will stand tall like this tree and never waiver in your faith of our Lord. Keep reaching for the Son. While you work on your outside muscles, continue to strengthen your heart with God's word.  Your gentleness (and rough and tumbleness) with your little sisters is great to witness. We love you very much. 

Psalm 18:32-33 "It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze."

Phoebe, Our oldest daughter,  You are beautiful inside and out. Like this rose, you have many layers that show at different times. There is so much that you can do with your hands, you are very talented and have the makings of a wonderful Proverbs 31 woman. Thank you for stepping up and helping out with your younger siblings and being excited for more! Your love for the Lord shows through your heart. Continue to persue all that God has for you. We love you Princess.

Mark 12:30-31 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this; Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these."

Leanore, Our soft hearted girlie. It has been wonderful to see you blossom. You resemble this beautiful orange Lily that one day is folded up and the next is in full bloom. You are so full of life and ready for the adventures God has ahead of you. Don't forget to enjoy the here and now. We want you to be open to the Lord's leading and find all of those adventures. You have the gift of prayer, keep using it! We love you  Lee Lee!

Mark 12:44 "They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything - all she had to live on."

Sophie, Our darling sweetpea, You make Mama and Papa proud everyday. You strive so hard to learn everything about everything! You are like this beautiful purple flower, a bright center with petals going out in all directions. Keep asking questions, and we'll keep pointing you toward Jesus. We love your love for Him and we love you Sophie Bophie!

Matthew 18:10 "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven."

Alina, Our newest flower, We are beginning to see you blossom already in the two weeks since we met. We know that there are more layers to you that we have not seen, we will face those together.  This flower represents you, it was closed and we watched it everyday unravel just a bit until it fully bloomed. We love you Alina Diveechka, our treasure from the East.

1 Corinthians 13:13 "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

Holly, Our little diva, You are just busting out all over with energy! That's why you resemble this lovely flower. It looks like there are too many petals for the flower to contain, but that's how God made it...and you. And it's pink and we know you LOVE pink. So, our beautiful wound up bundle of energy, use your power for good and further God's kingdom.  We love you Holly Beary.

1 Corinthians 12:4-5 "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord."

Vitaly, Our new little man, You are a wonderful gift. Your energy abounds, just like your "twin". God knew you two needed to be together. We look forward to a lifetime of loving you and watching you grow. You resemble this little tree, may you grow as big as your brother, ever reaching for the Son, the Giver of All Good Things. We are so happy to have you along on our life journey, we love you!

1 John 3:19 "We love because He first loved us."

Trudy, Our youngest blessing, You are such a joy and always have a smile on your face. You radiate love even when you wake us up at 6am. You are such a beautiful flower and we are so thankful for you. You roll with the punches so well, Praise God that you are flexible. We love your hugs and kisses and how you say "Diego". May you come to know Jesus as your personal Savior at a young age and grow up with Him in your heart. You are precious and we love you Trudy Patootie.

Ephesians 2:4-5 "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved."

We are more than joyful about our "garden of blessings" that the Lord has given us.

Thank you Lord for placing the lonely in us. Thank you for adopting us into Your family through the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus the Christ.  

Psalm 68:4-6 "Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds- his name is the Lord-and rejoice before him. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun scorched land."