Something Crazy

This blog was originally begun to share the experiences of our family while living and working cross-culturally.  We certainly attempt to provide insights into that unusual lifestyle on a regular basis.  However, currently, we are embroiled in quite a drama regarding the adoption of two precious boys. (See earlier posts for details.)  So, I suppose, naturally, many of our current posts focus on the place where we find ourselves right now.

We send out semi-regularly, updates to people personally about what we need pr*yer for and what "mountains" we're currently facing.  Yet, as we're staring down a massive mountain right now...and knowing that there are many of you who I don't know personally or have your contact info...but who would be faithful to lift up our current situation...I'm going to post the details here.  Although it is with an ounce of trepidation, because I know that there will be some with their  heads shaking as we share these details...but I want you to know how GOOD He is when He fulfills these needs...so that you might believe, too.

Perhaps we will move our adoption journey to another blog at some point...but maybe not.  We're not traveling anywhere (only across town) to get the boys, and since this blog is about our life here...maybe we'll just include it all here...but, I digress...

We have, in the past done our best to follow Him wherever He leads us.  This "leading" has manifested in many ways: job changes, adoptions, and moving Here, for a few examples.  Each time those experiences in "leading" shared a common thread...generally it wasn't "our" idea at first (that is we didn't think up a great plan for our next step in life and simply ask Him to bless it), in most cases it was 180 out from what most people would have considered wise/reasonable/respectable.    Most of our experience in following Him often seemed, well, crazy.

In fact, last week, Magpie (10 yrs) and The Bug (8 yrs) said that they have determined that it is time to change our "Family Theme Song."  For the past three years it has been Steven Curtis Chapman's "Divin' In."  ...I'm divin' in, I'm goin' deep, in over my head I wanna be, caught in the rush, caught in the flow, in over my head I'm gonna go, the river's deep, the river's wide, this river's water is alive, SO SINK OR SWIM, I'm divin' in...I know there is no turning back once my feet have left the ledge...

That song's lyrics have certainly seemed appropriate as we attempted to let go of everything we thought was reasonably important...our geographical proximity to beloved family, friends, community, jobs that we loved, a house that we built, cars that drove us everywhere at ANYTIME we wanted to get there, food that we enjoyed...but we, as a family, were Divin' In to the living waters that carried us far away from all those things we held dear...to this place. 

But now, as our oldest two (who are at home right now) have rightly discerned...it's time for a new Theme Song.  They suggested last week that our new theme song is another Steven Curtis Chapman song (yeah, we listen to his music quite a bit) called "Something Crazy" ...It's crazy when Love gets ahold of you, and it's crazy things that love will make you do, and it's crazy, but it's true, you really don' t know Love at all, till it's making you do, something crazy...I know a lady in Uganda, 40 kids call her Momma, and everybody thought she was "crazy", she used to drive a Beamer, but I've never seen her any happier that she is now, I've seen them all around the World, their the boys and the girls filled up with the love of the Father, and they know it may look a little strange, but they just smile and say 'that's alright, 'cause Love puts things in a different light'...

So, we are definitely in the realm of "Something Crazy."  Just ask anyone on the street what their comment would be about adopting "twin", two-year old boys as your 8th & 9th children in your 40's and 50's!  They'll tell you "that's crazy!" 

In fact I suspect that a great deal of this journey to the boys is about leading us further into the realm of faith and is an invitation for us to believe MORE about what a massive, compassionate, personal, mountain-mover that He really is...

I just received an email. 

It was the e-ticket receipts of the plane tickets back to the US that we just bought.  We have to bring the boys back for their US Citizenship and we have only 6 weeks available for us to do such a thing,  The only problem was that, it didn't look like we had enough money to buy all the tickets (think HIGH FINANCE), and we don't have finalized paperwork on their adoptions (in fact we're FAR from it!)  But we cannot "wait" to buy those tickets because seat availability is going quickly for seats this summer!  So we were in a quandary.  Do we "play it safe" and wait for more of the paperwork to arrive in our hands before buying the tickets (for Graham & Silas, too)?  Or do we step out in faith and make the purchase?  After several weeks of prayer and a time of fasting...we believed that He was actually bringing everything together for us to buy those tickets NOW....to extend WAY OUT THERE in faith...and to TRUST HIM for the favor we need to see those final papers for the boys.

The purchase of those tickets was really exciting.  We had just enough (within $170) to purchase those tickets.  We used ALL of our resources to do it...quite literally.  But, we saw that He had moved in some miraculous ways to provide the funds to do it.  In fact, two weeks ago, we were SEVERAL thousand dollars short of being able to purchase them.  But, as of Sunday night, He had provided just the right amount for us to purchase seats (for 10 of us, our oldest daughter will be with us, AND for Graham & Silas, too) to depart here on July 1.  That is a tiny bit over 8 weeks away, I believe.

Do I find myself battling anxiety from time to time?  YES.  Do I know that He calls us to follow Him by faith and NOT by sight?  YES.  Is this a major time of growing into more faith?  YES.  But, the Word is FULL of stories of those who walked with Him who simply had to extend themselves in faith to see the mountains in their lives move.  We're in excellent company, in that regard.  Will most people believe that this is "something crazy?" YES.

So we'll appeal to you, our blog readers and friends...will you join with us in lifting up our current situation?  We're letting it all hang out there on the blog so that we can all see together how He does it!  I pray that your faith will increase with ours during this time!

Please, lift these three main issues up with us:

1)  That we would have FAVOR with the national government Here.  In fact we need two rounds of paperwork to be pushed through their offices that will enable us to finalize the adoptions before July 1.  Some would say that is impossible...but we know our Father is the one who knows nothing to be impossible.

2)  That we would have FAVOR with the US Immigration officers handling Silas' paperwork.  We found out 2 weeks ago that paperwork we'd filed to "pre-approve" Silas some 7 weeks ago was REJECTED due to a simple error.  We didn't know for 5 weeks (no contact from the government) and then finally we were told that we need to START OVER.  Our paperwork was received TODAY to start that process over again.  We need two rounds of paperwork to process through those channels so that we can obtain the Immigrant Visas for the boys and they can board the plane with us on July 1.  Some would say that our time frame is impossible...but with Him, ALL THINGS are possible.

3)  We have applied for Grant money to assist with the major price tag of these adoptions.  Pray for His will to be done and FAVOR to be given in the form of Grant money...so that we have the resources needed to complete the adoptions.

Please, if you are so inclined, lift these matters up with us...we're excited to see, and for you to watch, just how He is going to accomplish these things.  No doubt about it, when we're all on the plane on July 1...He gets ALL THE GLORY...for we know that it had nothing to do with us.

Sorry for this, yet again, long winded post.  You know, I used to talk 3 hours a day on a talk radio show though...so, maybe I just have more words to get out that are bottled up now that I live in a land where I speak the local dialect like a two year old!?

Something Crazy.  Yup.  Good call Magpie and Bug.  That's us.