NEW BLOG

I have enjoyed this process so much that I am hoping to bring more of Tim and the kids thoughts and ideas to it.  So my friend has recreated my blog and you can now find us HERE

See ya soon!

Can't Wait!

I have a friend currently overhauling my blog to give it a fresh, new look!  I can't wait - hopefully we'll be set up for you to hear from not only me but each of us from time to time.  I wanted to make it more of a family blog to get the kids in the habit of sharing.  Should be interesting.... stay tuned!

The Game

My girlfriend asked me today if I had any advice for her 7 year old who's got some neighborhood kid issues - like ever other kid alive, right!!?? We get this question a lot and with 3 kids already having gone through (and still going through!) this kind of thing, God literally gave me this conversation to have with Emma about 3 years ago when she was 7 - yes, 1st grade.  She had been having issues at school with a certain 'popular' girl and this particular day came home devastated saying, "Mom, **** said today that if I don't be her friend that she not only wouldn't invite me to her party but she would make it so every kid in class won't like me either.... and she can do it too! She's got that kind of power!"  That was it, this was a daily conversation in the van on the way home and I had been praying about it for a long time.  How on earth do you teach your kids about this stuff!??? And then it happened, like God does... this conversation flowed out of my mouth and I just sat back and let it roll.

My dear child, **** and the girls on the playground making your life miserable are playing a game. Its called the Drama Game and if you play - you loose.


It doesn't matter if you are right, sticking up for yourself or someone else or what... if you play, you loose. So here's what you do. Don't play, go play something else - hopscotch, jumprope, swing, anything! But keep these 2 things in mind as you do this.


1) The people playing the drama game most likely don't even know that are playing it and I'm certain they really don't want to play it either... they don't know what else to do. Its what they have seen or heard and its what they know. I'm just guessing that these are pretty good kids, they want to be nice, have fun and live a happy life but they *don't know what else to do*. So its up to you to be a leader. Be nice to them, why? Because thats the kind of kid you are! And if you change your behavior because of someone else then you are just as irritating as them. Thats hard to take I know, but its true. If I loan you $5 because you *need it (*need meaning a serious situation, not something silly) and next week I need to borrow $5 but you tell me no, what do you suppose I should do the next time you need $5? Well let me tell ya, I'm going to give it to you, why? Because thats the kind of person God created me to be, to do the right thing because its right, not because of what you might do for me.


The easy thing would be to say just don't play with them but its really not an option, right? Step up and suggest something else. Don't acknowledge the drama just switch gears. If you give a better idea of what to do I'm sure they will want to play that and if they don't - then just let them go. But I guarantee you others will want to play what you are playing, why? Because there is NO DRAMA there and ultimately nobody enjoys that!


2) Sadly, you've got to get this figured out now because as you grow older you will see that the same behavior happens in adults. But, because you are a Christian you are called to lead others in a positive direction - a direction that makes God proud and hopefully will direct others to want to know Him too.


 I'm so sorry that you have to go through this, I really am but I deal with this kind of stuff every day too.(this shocked her by the way) Its not easy, not fun - but God never promised us easy or fun, He did promise that He will be with us, always. This is hard stuff but I promise you that it is a worthwhile behavior to work on.


So my dear, the next time someone wants to play the Drama Game, I hope you know what to do! As soon as you identify it, pray. And I promise that God will help you.

My dear, sweet, precious 7 year old looked at me and said, "Oh, ok!" And that was it, it was over.  Now obviously this comes up all the time but the conversation goes much different.  It is more along the lines of 'so and so were playing the drama game and this is what happened....'  She identifies it and is approaching it very differently!

My prayer is that her life will be filled with way less drama and more with blessings that only God can bring from the yucky situations.  Thats not too much to ask, right?

Updates...

The Psychologist came by for a visit a couple of weeks ago and that was very interesting.  He and his wife have adopted from Ethiopia and hearing his experience was challenging and exciting at the same time.  He said he would need to come back a couple of more times (apparently Tim is pretty messed up, ha!) to complete the study but it seems to be pretty simple process.  We got to the 'sticky' part of the conversation concerning his fee and he stated that his wife really liked the tshirts we have for sale through a fundraiser. He wondered if we couldn't buy her a tshirt for his payment...Um, ok!  Everyone we have heard from says this process is anywhere from $1000-$5000.  What a crazy awesome blessing this has turned out to be!  And since they have already adopted we know that he is aware of how the process goes and what needs to be stated - that is invaluable!

Our Home Study Rep came a couple of days later to finish it up... only we weren't able to.  There was a small issue with bedrooms in the basement not having opening windows. I know, I know!  It was on our list, we just hadn't got to it yet!  But as much as she hated it she wasn't able to finalize the Home Study until the Egress window was installed.  It made complete sense but I was really bummed because Michelle, our rep from America World Adoption went to Haiti last week to visit the orphanage we applied to and I really wanted her to have this Home Study info on our family in order to possibly see what children would be a good fit for us.  It killed me but I realized my micromanaging was getting out of control so I had to step back and give the reigns back to the One who is in control and loves us, has faith in us, and is just as excited as we are! Even though micromanaging *is* my spiritual gift! 

Back to the window - boy, has that been an interesting process!  We decided on the location and figured Tim had to dig about 8 feet down in order to have room for rock under the window for rain drainage.  Boy that looked like a lot to dig!  We gave a call to a very good friend in the excavating business and sure enough they had a small digger and would be happy to come dig it for us = HUGE! When she got here last Friday she had a note in her hand.  She said she was talking with her family about Tim renting the saw to cut the concrete wall for the window and they all agreed it would be much.... 'better' to have it done! Mind you, Tim is amazing, very handy and can do most anything house-improvement related.  But this must be a major thing because literally 100% of the people we talked with suggested having it done but with the cost involved in that, Tim was willing to give it a whirl.  Well, Susie had already made the call and set it all up for us = $0. With an added donation for the window and whatever that U-shaped thing is called that goes in there too = $0 so far.  We will be bringing some rock in to put in the hole but I can't imagine that will cost much either.  Loving our family here thats for sure!  I'll post some pics at the bottom of the post, kind of interesting.

#haitianbycrofts puzzle has been such a fun thing.  We really didn't spend much time promoting it but the purpose really isn't as much for fundraising as it is for participation.  We have had SO MUCH love and support shown to us through this process that we are utilizing the puzzle for remembering.  For each $10 donation we put your name on the back of a puzzle piece. Once it is filled we put it together  and will frame it in between glass so that we can always see the names of our friends/family.  We just think it will be cool for the kids to be our age and have a tangible piece like this to reflect on.

In between all of the hubub we have begun our get out of school soon (June 11), wedding/graduation season. We even took the kids to Six Flags on Saturday and had a blast!  My mom got us season passes for Christmas last year so we will be utilizing those a lot! Yes, I am a coaster mom, I love it!  Living this close to Six Flags and Lake Michigan make for interesting day trips!

Here are some pics from the window project -

 
 

Are You Safe?

I was talking with my mom last night and so enjoyed the interest she shows in our journey.  The love and support shown by so much of our family and friends is amazing!

Mom stated how happy she is for me and how much she loves watching God work through us.  I said, "It is an exciting life, thats for sure!" And I forget just how she said it but it was something along the lines of acknowledging the fact that our life is one where you never know what God is going to do next.  To a degree I get that and yet the more I think about it, I wonder why it is that everyone doesn't have the same opportunities we have?  Or do they?  Do you have the same options each day that God presents in my life?  Technically, no but I do believe that the same opportunity *is* there for adventure, for risk, for God to challenge you to do something you never would have before - but now you can because you realize and understand more fully that He is WITH YOU and you trust Him.

Nothing gets me going more than that; seeing someone do something they never thought they would/could before!  But because they trust God they are moving!  I don't care if it is adoption, quitting your job and moving away from the only family and friends you have ever known in order to pursue a dream, running a marathon, leading a small group, sitting in a different seat a little bit closer at church, or whatever!  Ask yourself, what is God challenging you to do? Do something kind for your neighbor? Smile at someone at the grocery store?  Maybe follow her and when you see her add up her groceries and then place items out of the cart because she doesn't have enough to cover it, secretly pay the cashier for the items?  I love the drive through game where you get to the window and the person says your coffee is paid for by the person in front of you! For no reason...then if you realize it quick enough you pay for the next person :)

Life is so short, guys.  And from the very few experiences we have had and are in the midst of, can I please tell you - risk it!  Be wise, use good discernment, but do something bold for God that you never, ever thought you could or would and then trust Him.  There is no roller coaster to give you a bigger thrill than that. It definitely can feel like the very tip of the monstrous hill right before you plunge, you know where your tummy is not yet flipping - but almost!?? Nothing on earth will be a better feeling than at some point seeing someone in heaven that tells you that they are there because of something God allowed you to be part of.  I promise the opportunities are there, take them!

I've used this clip several times as an illustration in messages I've given.  I'd like to share it with you today and ask one simple thing,


how safe are you?

The Small Stuff

What a fun experience this is!  Very overwhelming, lengthy experience as well - but so much fun!  I absolutely *love* being in the middle of God's Will and in the midst of 'chaos' having Him show Himself in very specific ways.  I almost said mighty ways but sometimes it isn't really mighty - just obvious, ya know?  I have 3 stories to share...

1) We have been having a terrible time finding a Psychologist to take us on for the dossier.  Since we weren't patients anyway and have no plans to continue to utilize the service - they don't want to mess with us.  I had called close to 30 providers with no luck.  When we went to see our doctor in Zion (he and his wife are good friends of ours as well, Tim went to Haiti with them this last trip) Tim just happened to ask him if he knew a Psychologist in the area.  He immediately stopped what he was doing and said, "Uh, actually yes!  Some friends of ours adopted from Ethiopia about a year ago and he just happens to be a Psychologist!" Before I knew it he had Janet on the phone right there in the office and we exchanged info.  **Really cool tidbit - in our 2 minute conversation she mentioned that the upcoming Sunday (Mother's Day) they would be dedicating their kids at their church if we would like to come.  I just stinking love that.... I explained that we would have loved to but Sunday mornings are busy for us :) she had no idea - thats why it was cool!

That brings us to last Friday at our Rummage Sale (a big hit by the way! we are 1/2 way to our next goal!).  We put posters up  

of what we are doing so people could get an idea and early Friday a gal came and casually mentioned that she too had been on a trip to Haiti. We chatted awhile and it came up that the adoption agency we are going through, America World Adoption, we chose because some friends of ours went through them while adopting from Ethiopia. She said, "Oh, I know some people from my church who just adopted from Ethiopia." I asked what church... she told me and since it happened to be that same church Janet had invited me to, I thought I would ask the next obvious question of, "What is their name?" and sure enough - same family!  We thought that was pretty cool, had a good laugh and off she went.

About an hour later a lady walked up the driveway looking like she was definitely on a mission!  She promptly asked, "Who is Mindy?" When I stepped up she introduced herself as Janet, the gal I spoke to on the phone that day at my doctors office and had been emailing with! The lady that had been by earlier in the day left my house and went to the Post Office - only to 'coincidentally' run into Janet!  They had a fun 'God Moment' conversation and then Janet brought her beautiful kids over to meet us!  She gave her husband a call right there and we set up an appointment for them to come over to the house tomorrow night! Ladies and gentlemen, this is no coincidence! There are 100,000 people in Kenosha and we actually were in Zion, IL at our doctors office so this is just really cool!

2) Saturday a gal came to the Rummage Sale and brought up adoption because she too had adopted and was in the process of adopting again from Russia.  We talked awhile before she mentioned Russia again, this time my daughter picking up on the 'Russia' part and told her we too had friends who adopted from Russia, their son's name is Kolya.  The lady freaked out.  She said, "I was just listening to an author on the radio the other day talking about her son, Koyla that she and her husband adopted from Russia." I said, "Oh ya, that is Jill Savage, they are friends of ours." She was floored!  Not impressed that we know Jill but that it was the conversation on the radio show that inspired her to adopt again and here we were at a Rummage Sale talking about it!

3) May not seem like much but huge to me!  Kurt has been dog sitting for my girlfriend Amy this weekend and using my van.  Sunday morning as we went to get in the van I see a box that says, "Kurt, give this to your mom." and it had some magazines in it and some really cool, chocolate covered, decorated pretzels.  My first thought was, hey! those would be cool to sell at the cafe' at church (www.northpointchurch by the way) and then it hit me... today I was supposed to bring something for the cafe' and I totally forgot!  Holy cow, did God really just do that?  Remember something for me that I totally forgot?  YES!

I don't know about you, but I needed these bits of encouragement from God but I really didn't even know I needed it until it came!  I'll say it again and I don't care if you get tired of hearing it, I love my life.  I have the great privilege of being married to my best friend, amazing kids, a fantastic and supportive family, as well as extended (church) family here in Winthrop Harbor/Kenosha... and yet I desperately need to hear from God and these small things are just the encouragement I need at just the right time.   Friends, if you do not have this relationship - get it.  If you don't know how to get it, I'll stop my world right now and help you figure it out.  It is that important...

Chaotic Peace

Is there such a thing as Chaotic Peace?

I think so - I think that is exactly where we are right now.  Everything is spinning around me with a multitude of things to do but I am completely at peace.  Its a good feeling.  We are making huge strides and progress with the Paper Chase and are actually enjoying (some) of the process.  Its good to laugh and enjoy the time we are getting to spend together.

We have managed to get through our physicals (whew! finally Mr 'I love ham' got his blood pressure to a reasonable rate!), the kids will go this week, we are getting ready for our rummage sale this weekend with TONS of stuff people have donated - SO COOL! We have found a Psychologist!  That has been huge.  A really cool God thing, simply asked our doctor in casual conversation if he knew anyone and before I knew it he was on the phone calling a gal who's husband is a psychologist AND they just adopted from Ethiopia a year ago.  We have connected and are just needing to set it up.  Bam! Done... a huge piece of the dossier I was needing to finalize!

Financially, its fun to see how we have just to the dollar what we need for each step so far.  I do live in a slight panic of this but I continually let it go... I know it will be ok.  Another big thing coming up but I'm confident in God that He will provide! 

We are 2 visits in with our Home Study Rep, she comes to the house next Thursday - we have a few things to take care of there but not near as much as we had thought. And she's really cool.  I wasn't sure what to expect with this part but it has been a very easy process.  Lengthy, but easy :)

I spent some time with Tim last night going through the pics from his last trip and am as convinced as ever that we are on the right road.  I know it isn't for everybody and get that - but this is it.  I cannot wait to meet my kids.  I know God is preparing them as He is us for the time we will be together!

#haitianbycroft(s) update

Well, several weeks into the process and I am completely in awe at the peace that has come.  I've gone through a multitude of emotions and most likely - that will continue since I am me - so deal with it!  But I am appreciative of the ultimate peace that has come over the last couple of weeks.  So, here's where we are:

We have decided to adopt a sibling set for sure.  Not sure what dynamics play into that, we are working that through here in the next couple of weeks.  There are 2 orphanages we are looking at http://www.foyerdesion.org/FAQ.php  is a Haitian led orphanage and http://www.hishomeforchildren.com/  is American led.  Our rep didn't say that one over the other is better, they are both Christian based but the Haitian one has more options, she was leaning more towards the Haitian one for that reason.  She's been there and said she had kids faces in her mind as we spoke.  Ugh!  Then the very same day she decided to take a quick trip at the end of the month to visit each orphanage and invited the Haitian families along.  I'm trying to decide if it is beneficial to spend this kind of money on this end of it or wait until we have a recommendation to go.  We don't choose the kids.  Our Social worker coordinates with the Adoption rep and they work with the orphanage we choose and then make a recommendation to us.  But them getting to know us, seeing us with the kids - would that be beneficial now?  We meet for the first time tomorrow morning with our Social worker so that will be a good question for her.  We cannot afford a trip like this at this point unless it would greatly benefit the process somehow. My thought is that it would be brutal going before knowing who our kids are - I think it would completely mess with my mind and I'd probably come home with all of them!

We want to thank you so much for the support and input.  This is a fun process - lengthy... but we're enjoying it! 

Late Night Rambling - Just Wondering...

...if I could get some backup here from some families who have adopted that went through extreme anxiety over the expense.  I know, I KNOW! I am fully aware that God is in control and if He wants more children in our home with our last name He will make it happen but I am officially freaking out over the upcoming expenses.

Understand this, I am  - in no way, shape or form - expecting others to pay for this to happen.  But for goodness sake, HOW WILL IT HAPPEN!??  I'm pretty certain I have 2 functioning kidneys, maybe I sell one?  Do people do that?  Maybe I'll offer Tim's first!  Ha!  What on earth do people do?  I know we are very fortunate, my husband has a job he loves and we live very comfortably compared to most but the idea of 10's of thousands of dollars for this to happen is about to put me over the edge.

Here's the deal, we don't fish for handouts - we work... very hard for what we want that is considered 'extra'.  Kids want to go on Summer trips?  Oh, there are no letters going out asking for donations.  They may ask for *work* to earn cash but not a hand out, oh no... so thats where I'm at, what can we *DO* to earn what could ultimately be close to $60,000??? In the next year?  I'm totally open to ideas.  Keeping in mind that 1) God, 2) Family 3) Jobs (Tim's is very demanding *in a good way* and I am currently working 2 jobs) but for goodness sake, we are completely willing to work for the money, I just don't know how.  I feel very overwhelmed with the heaviness of this.

Just being honest here -

I get it.  I love God and I trust Him. But I'm a fool if I just blow it off and not do anything. I know this will be ok... but we have set high standards for how we live as far as debt is concerned.  What does this look like? 


...


...


Ok, I feel better - I just needed that off my chest.  I'm done now :)

Be A Piece Of Our Story!

After much prayer and consideration, we are certain that there is at least one Bycroft child from our family currently in Haiti. God has already decided who they are, we just need to find them and bring them home!

It is astronomical the amount of time, paperwork and MONEY it takes to make something like this happen. We need way more than we are listing here but eventually we can apply for grants and 0% loans but not until our Home Study is complete. We are working on that and the Dossier now!

We currently have a large puzzle of Haiti and are asking for $10 donations for each piece. 

We will then put your name on the back of the puzzle piece. A $50 donation = your name on 5 pieces, $100 = 10 pieces, etc. We will then put it together and frame it in glass so we will always be able to remember you!  You can do this here http://www.youcaring.com/fundraiser_details?fundraiser_id=2470&url=haitianbycroft

We are so grateful for the love and support that has been shown to us so far!  We can't wait for our family to be complete!

Sweet Blessings!

What an amazing past few weeks!  Since deciding to go full force into the adoption process our life has been filled with paperwork, online training, and amazing blessings!  Our kids are super excited and supportive which means the world to me!  Our extended family is on board and we could not have a better support system in place through our brothers and sisters here!  Loving it!

We had a unique opportunity come up this past week.  Some friends of ours went away a few months ago to a place in Michigan called Broom Tree ministries.  Since they went, they get updates as openings arise and this last week one came up - beginning tomorrow!  Since Tim is on sabbatical this month we contemplated going.  It is an all free (food and housing) opportunity to rest, regroup and reconnect with each other and God.  Wow, who wouldn't want to do that!!??  But the daily tasks and responsibilities seemed too much to overcome; the decision had to be made quickly so someone else could go if we weren't.  Having not finalized any plans we decided to go for it and figured it would just work out.  A short 24 hours later I was very close to flipping out when it hadn't.  Just the up and down emotion of it kind of took a toll.  The idea of getting away with my best friend for a solid week made me very happy, then it not working out made me crazy!  (no comments from the peanut gallery!)

The next morning I woke up to a text from my girlfriend saying there was no reason their family couldn't move in our house for the week and she take care of all 3 kids.  Can I tell you how much I love God?  Don't much appreciate His sense of humor sometimes but thats all good!  Yeesh!

So, please pray for us this week?  Tim and I as we get to take advantage of a fantastic opportunity, the kids that they will have somewhat of a normal week and for Amanda - Good Lord, thank you for AMANDA!  Their family of 6 plus dog, with our 3 kids and Weezie.  Ya, I think I'm glad I'll be in Michigan :)

Here We Go!

Tim and I just got back from a little get away with the kids. We met his sister and stayed at The Wilderness at The Wisconsin Dells. With my new job at the school in Illinois, my spring break doesn't line up with our kids so we won't be able to go anywhere. We thought it would be fun to take this opportunity and it WAS! Plus, we are a little disappointed we won't be able to make it to Holly's graduation from Drake in May but are so proud of her! The girl has worked her hiney off!!


As we sat in line on Wednesday waiting to pick up the kids from school we got it - THE CALL. A little over a week ago we submitted the first step of the adoption process, the application with America World Adoption Agency. I will refer to them as AWAA from here on :) It is basically an application asking the organization if they will work with us. It was a pretty simple process to submit and as we went through it we wondered 'who really gets told no?' We were still pretty stinking thrilled to receive a call saying "Congratulations to the Haiti Program with AWAA".


It just made it sink in a little bit that we are on our way. They emailed us a ton of information and stuff to do so we are sorting that out and are excited to get a move on! We were asked how many steps there are in this process... we don't know! But can definitely see that it is AOLT! And we covet your prayers as we plug away. We know this was a small victory in the grand scheme of this process but I get the feeling we may want to celebrate anything we can!


A real text conversation with one of my (dare I say oldest??) dearest friends, don't get to see/talk with her much but love her!

Her: Just wanted you to know I'm crazy excited about what you guys are doing. Can't wait to watch it all unfold!

Me: Ya... we're kind of bored and don't have much going on. We totally know what we are doing with this parenting thing and are freaking LOADED and don't know what else to do with all of that money. So, why not?? :)
Really, we are pretty excited. No clue what we are doing or how it will happen. Makes it fun when you know it can only be God.

Her: I hear ya, I hear ya. I think thats why I'm crazy excited...because its so crazy! Yet not.

Holy Cow!

Wow! It's been 3 years since my last post - YIKES!

I specifically want to address some cool things going on in the Bycroft home right now. Namely- adoption! I hate that this post will most likely be lengthy but there just is no way around it :) trust me, it could be worse!

A little background on us - many, many moons ago when we lived in Monmouth, IL and I got the very distinct feeling that God was going to ask something HUGE from me. It was a great feeling and helped me to be very open to God's calling when the rubber hit the road and He called us to quit our jobs, sell out home and move away from the only family and *awesome* friends we had ever known. It was a no-brainer, really. Go? Well, ya! Ok... duh! Of course I will also say that I realize I am oh, *so* very fortunate to have a husband who not only loves me but lets me know it and lets me know that he loves God with all his heart. That, and that alone helps me to completely trust anything that Tim throws out there. So, off we go to Lincoln - and an amazing time it was!

We spent right at 2 years there, yes my hubby completed a 4 year degree in 2-1/2 years.... boyaaaa! During that time we readily welcomed our Emma Grace and grew as a family in ways we didn't even realize. In the process of our move to Lincoln we lost our son, Benjamin. A loss that never truly makes sense but in our world, it doesn't have to. We loved him and miss him greatly. God gave us amazing strength and comfort - something hard to imagine unless you have experienced it.

We moved to Kenosha, WI in 2002 so that Tim could take on a position as "Director of Maturity" at North Point Christian Church in Winthrop Harbor, IL. Ok, High School friends, have a good laugh with that and then get over it because he totally rocked it! Tim was over all of the classes and Small Groups at the time. He was perfectly suited for it. Until... God decided different and worked through Tim to create in him a man perfect for Lead Pastor, speaking every week now. Great stuff!

I thought at the time that moving away from 'home' was exactly what God had been preparing in my heart. It was exciting to put wheels to what I felt God wanted from me. The interesting thing was that the feeling really didn't go away. It still felt like that was part of His plan, but there seemed to be more.

Shortly after taking the position at the church, I fell and broke my leg = met our insurance deductible = must be time to get my tubes tied! We felt that if God wanted more children in our family that He is pretty big, creative and industrious enough that He didn't need ME to make that happen. It was then that I realized that I may want more kids but definitely didn't feel the need to go through any more pregnancies. First hint of adoption inspiration....

Over the years the idea of adopting popped up here and there but Tim and I never really had an outright conversation about it. A few years back, we had a conversation at iHop over lunch one day that pretty much spelled out that we were both on the same page. We would be willing to adopt if God presented the right situation for us. Not that we would actively pursue it but would be looking for that opportunity. A couple of different scenarios came about where we actually said out loud, "Could this be our kid?" and pressed the situation coming out empty. Not a bad thing! Just not what God had in His plans for our family.

Tim recently traveled to the DR/Haiti on a mission trip with a few church friends on a 'discovery trip' with G.O. Ministries. Hands down a life changing experience for all of them! In more ways than one, honestly! But the most pressing is the distinct idea to actively pursue adoption. Here over the last few days we have shared a message with some of our close friends and family, I think I'll share it here - it explains alot about where we are.

Hey All,

Mindy and I are writing to you because you are friends and family that we trust will be praying with us over something we believe God is leading us to do.

As you may know or not know, I do not jump into or out of things quickly. I try to take my time and soberly consider why I would do or not do something...drives many people around me who are looking for the quick answer nuts sometimes, but I'm ok with that!

For quite some time we have been praying about having another child (Mindy would go so far as to say God has placed it on her heart). Clinically speaking this is virtually impossible…just sayin’. So we have considered many different avenues including, fostering, adopting, and kidnapping... Adopting seems to be what we always seem to come back to.

If you have been around us much you know that we simply try to allow God to use us wherever we are at. So, we have felt that we would simply wait for God to show us the right time and child. There have been a couple of times where we put ourselves into the lives of a couple of young pregnant teens locally and have given them the option to allow us to adopt if they felt they did not want to raise the child. The great news is that the mom's kept their babies and are caring for them...woo hoo!

All that being said, I (Tim) recently went on a missions trip and could not help but have my heart broken by some of the children I saw while in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. For those of you thinking that this may be some sort of rash decision let me just say, we cannot help but think that it is possible that God would be placing an opportunity before us...and we would simply hate to miss it if He is. I take seriously the sin of omission.

There was one little boy on the trip that in particular grabbed my attention. His name is Anthony (pronounced An-Tony). He was about 3-4 years old and he grabbed on to me as soon as we stepped into The Hole and literally did not let go. Why? Simply put, all he wanted was to be loved on…for someone to touch him and show him affection. You see, the place where he lives is literally a garbage dump that is controlled by a drug dealer. The men in The Hole are drug runners and the majority of the women are prostitutes. Drug trafficking and human trafficking are the main source of income in The Hole. The children are literally locked out of their homes every morning while their parents go to 'work' and are left to fend for themselves.

These kids are inundated with physical, emotional, and sexual abuse on a daily basis, while living in the only place they can…a garbage dump. NPC is going to partner with GO Ministries to minister to the people in The Hole. I cannot wait to see how God works this all out.

When I got home I began talking to my family about Anthony and some of the things I was able to witness in the DR and Haiti. After sharing a bit, Kurt asked Mindy and I to do something weird. He wanted to take the money we have been saving for quite some time for a family vacation (a cruise) and support Anthony somehow. I explained to him the system that GO Ministries uses to support the kids and what is in place that we could partner with to help out. He thought that was pretty cool.

Then Kurt said something else..."What if we adopted him?"
(Tim) "Now I am not saying we would have opportunity to adopt Anthony, maybe we would...not limiting God on anything. But that really pushed my buttons. What if we did adopt a child from the DR or Haiti? I kid you not, as soon as I began to process what Kurt said, passages of scripture about widows and orphans began running through my mind and thoughts of treasures laid up in heaven and not on this earth began to press in on me."
(Mindy) "Holy Cow, the kid read my mind! From the very minute I saw the boy on Tim's shoulders I thought, 'Hmm, is this our kid?' As I have a couple of times in different situations wondering what God might bring to our family."

Here is where the rubber hit the road, I later mentioned briefly to Mindy what I was thinking about this whole adoption thing. Her reaction was much the same as many times in the past, (her simplicity of faith blows me away) she simply said, “Yep, let’s do this.”

So we are here to ask for prayers as we begin this journey. We have no idea what God has in store for us but we are pretty stinking excited about the possibilities. What may seem absolutely crazy to some is absolute certainty in our minds. We know that we are getting ‘up there’ in age (well Mindy is anyway) but feel we still have a lot to offer in this arena. We truly love God with all of our hearts and love others, especially each other; that in and of itself these days seems rare.

We love our crazy kids dearly! Yet, on more than one occasion admit we have dreamed of the day when we will be 'empty nesters' but the adoption possibility far outweighs the thought of a *clean* house that stays clean, closets without empty pop tart wrappers and chicken bones, a clean refrigerator handle, no broken down (20-40 year old) beds from one to many jumps, and the back of the bathroom door with no boogers....

There are many things to do in the coming months, but we know that to rescue and possibly help redeem at least one child is something God wants us to pursue. And who knows, maybe in the midst of your prayers God may to challenge you to invest in the life of another who needs rescued and redeemed. You know, it’s an investment that far outlasts this lifetime…and rust and thieves and economic downturns can never take it away.

Love you all - Let's ROCK THIS THING! Love you all - Let's rock this thing! Tim and Mindy, Kurt, Lindsey and Emma

It wasn't clear here that we are not pursuing adopting Anthony - he isn't 'up' for adoption. We did toss it out there to some people close to the situation that we absolutely would be willing to. I'm hoping that God will abruptly close that door soon if that is His thinking so I can stop thinking about it! But if he is our kid, we'll just keep this whole thing simple and go get him! Ha.... I' think nothing about this process is going to be simple! But that is ok!

My final thought (for today at least) is this - that feeling, the feeling of God preparing me to do something HUGE... is normal! Or it is hopefully normal for everyone! It should be something that is in all of us. I.Love.God - its just an amazing trip I'm on! I'm constantly in awe of the life I get to live!!

I hope to keep updates going through the blog as not to inundate people on facebook - but I make no promises!

As of now we have submitted our application and fee to an organization and are awaiting approval. The next step is to set up a home study. Yesterday we took the kids to a seminar put on by the organization we are looking at. Very informative, yet not alot of new information - which is good :)

Right now we are looking at adopting from Haiti. A child 0-10 and we think its a boy - always have. Not to say it isn't a girl but this I know for sure.... God has at least one more child in mind for our family. Its already planned out in His mind, we just have to MOVE! We have no idea how or when this will happen but are very certain and confident that God is with us - that He promises us over and over. Thats enough for me.