I Have Been Reminded....

How blessed I am to have running water. We were without water for about 6 hours last night and it made me think of all the people around the world who don’t have access to clean drinking water.

I realized just how much I rely on the water that flows freely from my faucets. Last night I couldn’t go the bathroom (well I could, but I couldn’t flush), I couldn’t take a shower or a bath, I couldn’t brush my teeth, I couldn’t get a drink, I couldn’t give my dog a fresh bowl of water, etc. You get the picture. I told John we would just have to pretend we were in Ethiopia. It was just a small glimpse into what people around the world face….

When the faucets started sputtering about 11:00 last night, I reminded myself of the wonderful gift I have this Christmas – clean water!

Last night I was also reminded, once again, that this adoption journey is HARD. There is so much about the international adoption process that is completely out of our control. Some of our dear friends have hit a few bumps in the road with their adoption. My heart is breaking for them. This journey seriously takes every ounce of faith that you can possibly muster up. It takes an intense dependence on Jesus. There are so many things that can go wrong with international adoption, so many rules that don’t make sense and we can't fathom. As prospective adoptive parents we yearn to give a child a family, a home, security, love and hope for the future. It's silly the things that can so easily get in the way of that happening.

Please pray for our friends! I know that God is totally in control of their situation. I know that He has placed adoption on their hearts (especially adopting an Ethiopian baby). He has opened so many doors for them and I know that He will finish the plan He started. They are going to make amazing parents. They have so much love to offer a child.This morning as I was praying for our friends, I started to recite the words from Jeremiah 29:11. God HAS a plan for our friends. It is a plan to prosper them and not to harm them. Plans to give them hope and a future.

I was also reminded just how blessed John and I are to be a part of our church. Last night members from our church spent several hours wrapping gifts as part of our "Project Christmas" The gifts will be given to children and their families in our community who are facing hard times this year. It was a blast to help wrap more than 400 gifts for these families. I love our church! They GET what church is all about. It's about serving. It's about being the hands and feet of Jesus. It's not about flashy lights and multi-million dollar buildings. It's about spreading the gospel and the love of Christ with those who desperately need to hear it. Thank you Summit Church for being the true image of Christ!

Yesterday I was also reminded that adoption is a way that we can "Change the World for One" Check out this great Christmas ornament that I ordered. It supports adoption.