Hope---and a precious update

I have a great and genuine affection for singing beautiful songs to my precious Savior. 

Songs that are written in a way that focus on truly praising His character, His being, His mighty acts, His abounding love, His . . .you name it----telling Him how wonderful He is-----it just seems right.

So singing this song, Forever Reign by Hillsong United, brims my heart with praise because it is honest and true, and every time I sing it I can relate very intimately with the words on some level. Sometimes it is raw and painful. Sometimes it is soaring joy, shouting from the rooftops. Sometimes it is quiet, peaceful agreement about the truth of all the statements. Always, always it brings me to a great remembrance of Him who is "Holy, Holy, Holy"---and, therefore, I hope . . . in Him. Read these words and think about Him who brings definition to these phrases. 

Forever Reign

You are good you are good

When there's nothing good in me

You are love you are love

On display for all to see

You are light you are light

When the darkness closes in

You are hope you are hope

You have covered all my sin

You are peace you are peace

Whom my fear in crippling

You are true you are true

Even in my wandering

You are joy you are joy

You're the reason that i sing

You are life you are life

In you death has lost its sting

Oh i'm running to your arms

I'm running to your arms

The riches of your love will always be enough

Nothing compares to your embrace

Light of the world forever reign

You are more you are more

Than my words will ever say

You are lord you are lord

All creation will proclaim

You are here you are here

In your presence i'm made whole

You are god you are god

Of all else i'm letting go

Hallelujah forever

All the glory forever

All the praise to you

My heart will sing

No other name

Jesus jesus

Forever Reign (Hillsong United)---listen here: http://youtu.be/au3EGgISYMc

I had a wonderful opportunity to sing this song a couple times this past weekend at an event with our students. We spent the weekend reflecting on holiness and The One who IS HOLY.  I was blessed by the teaching of the Word and the ushering to the throne of grace in cooperate worship.

As I often do, my mind started going places and remembering things that our Lord has done and shown us as we journey. 

One thing I remembered: 

After having a miscarriage very early in our first pregnancy, I felt compelled to have a "stone of remembrance" of sorts. Something to look at to remember our child but also God's sovereignty. I came across a Willow Tree figurine of a little boy holding a balloon with the word "hope" written in it 

I know some of you may think that I am a little off the rocker, but this little figurine has become a picture in my mind of holding on to the One who can restore and truly bring hope in the midst of darkness and pain and waiting and silence----and in the great big middle of busyness, hustle and bustle of living every day. 

In those days, I was heartbroken and yearning. It was dark. I struggled with trusting and relying on God and His promises. I continually forced myself to go back to what I knew (and know) to be true of Him. Where my heart bled, the Spirit testified to my soul--bringing to remembrance all things of Him. 

I looked at it like this: holding on to the truth was like holding on to that string attached to the "hope" balloon-----even if holding on by the last thread hold on to the hope found in the Author of our Salvation.

Like, for instance,  the woman in Mark 5:25-34. She suffered years of pain and isolation. Her desperate effort to get to Jesus. Just to touch His garment---reaching for the threads---holding on to hope---of even just things she had heard about Him--not even things she knew to be true about Him . . . yet. She said, "If I touch even his garments, I will be made well." Immediately she was healed. Immediately Jesus knew that power had gone our from Him because someone had touched His garment in faith. How many people must have touched Him in that crowd. Yet her touch was different. Just grasping for the edge of His garment. Grasping for hope.

Cling to thread of hope that is the Holy One!

Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love, Psalm 33:18

Maybe this remembrance came to mind in my reflection because----well---honestly, because I needed to be reminded of this rather often. My God is hope-----He is the only thing that I can cling to to have hope. Even more, He is hope because He is Holy. He is not just Holy. He is Holy, Holy, Holy.

And in the words of Isaiah: "Woe is me, for I am ruined!" (6:5)

When confronted with His holiness----it automatically reveals my sinfulness----it brings me to an acute awareness of my need for Him every single second of every single day----and then it makes me marvel at His glorious grace and forgiveness-----and how He brings me hope.

Right now. I need to cling. To trust. As we wait to hold our little boy in Korea. This week I got a precious E-mail that looked a whole lot like a string dangling from above----with a great big invitation to grab hold and hope.

I know this has been a long post----bear with me a little background . . . 

We got to send Ye Chan a Christmas present even though he received it well after Christmas. We received some wonderful advice on what kind of presents to send him. We were encouraged to appeal to his senses. So we sent a baby album with family pictures in it, a little blanket that we slept with for a few nights before sending to him so our "smell" would be on it, a recordable photo album, and some clothes and toys. 

The recordable photo album we used to introduce ourselves to him. Each of us shared a message with Ye Chan and then shared a scripture blessing with him. Here is a little snip-it:

I am so thankful for those that have gone before us on this journey. For their wisdom and wonderful ideas.

The E-mail: We received an E-mail with an update on Ye Chan this week. We received new pictures. Including our first family picture:

How incredibly awesome is this?!!?!!! And so you might see why I need to be reminded to place my hope in Him who holds all things in His hands. My heart is yearning once again. Every new picture. Half way around the world our son is waiting---and so are we. My precious heavenly Father is in control of this too. He is sovereign over all things. I know this may seem small in the grand scheme of things, but the application is huge to any circumstance we face. 

Here is the little blanket. Look at that hair!

I promise-----there is nothing like Hoping in Grace----Oh, I'm running to Your arms!

It has been a long time . . .

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ. 

You have prayed and shared generously with us both in life and in giving. 

We are so incredibly grateful that you have joined us--and many times stood in the gap for us on this journey. God’s grace and love extended to us through you is overwhelming, humbling, amazing. 

Will you continue to stand? 

On December 22 we received the call--hearing the words we have been longing to hear--”we have a possible referral . . .” We could not believe it was happening. What a precious Christmas gift! Our Savior born to live, die, and rise again---so that we might be adopted as sons through Him--and through the miracle of earthly adoption--for us--a new son. 

Our minds can not even wrap around it. Our hearts are bursting--already yearning to hold this little man and look him in the eyes and tell him we love him. 

And this is where we ask you to continue to stand. 

This is where the most difficult waiting begins. Now we have seen his face. We know his background. Now we will wait a year or more to bring him home. It is the nature of adoption in Korea at this time. However, we are (and have been) praying for divine intervention--that He may loosen that which is bound--that children may be able to come home quicker.

Let us share a little about Ye Chan. He was born in Seoul, South Korea on May 19, 2011. He was born weighing just 3.5 pounds at 35 weeks gestation. He seems to have bounced back from prematurity quite nicely.  He has been very well cared for medically. He is currently living with a foster family. His birth mother is a Christian and said that she is, “hoping that the child would live his life praising Jesus.” We do too! 

Ways you can pray:  

PRAY for Ye Chan that God will prepare his little heart for our family and the challenges he will face being introduced to our culture. Pray for his health/growth/development. Pray for security and stability in his current home, for his salvation--that he may be a man who follows after God all the days of his life.

PRAY for Mrs. Kim--Ye Chan’s foster mom--and her family. Pray for strength and endurance in their caregiving, for their hearts as they take care of our son, and for their salvation.

PRAY for the duration of the adoption process. Pray for the immigration issues and quota system that regulates how many children can come home each year. We are praying that somehow we may not have to wait so long. We are praying for our paperwork to be processed with favor as it moves through the process. We are praying for God to move mountains. Only God can. His will be done. And we rest in this.

PRAY for us as we prepare for Ye Chan to come home, please pray for us in “the wait”---God is never inactive in the wait time. Pray for the adoption education that we will be utilizing to prepare for the unique challenges of adoption and international adoption. Pray for Nathan as he prepares to receive a little brother--that his love and anticipation for him will be a great joy. Pray as we continue to foster a (now) 10 week old baby girl. Pray for salvation for her and her family as well. 

Thank you faithful servants and prayer warriors for living for your Savior.

It has certainly been a long time . . . since we have updated our blog . . . waiting in the process . . . but . . .

in the months that have passed so many things have happened:

We have been able to secure capital for our immediate needs for the adoption process--through refinancing our home. An absolute blessing. It was a way for us to take out a loan at the lowest interest rate we could find and the longest term we could find. And it enabled us to have cash available for our International Fees that were due when we received our referral. 

Subsequently, we heard from Show Hope that we received a grant from them. Amazing!!! They will release the funds closer to the time we travel. 

We hope to work toward paying our mortgage back down on the back end of the process. It may not work out that way--and that is okay--it was very hard to come to the place of having to take this step of faith--realizing that God's provision looks different than we think a lot of the time. Here is what I do know: God is in control, He is faithful, He is trustworthy--and that is all I need.

We do have other grant applications out, but we have not heard back from any others. We are resting in His goodness right now. An amazing peace--it will work out.

We completed our DHS training at the beginning of October and have fostered two newborns so far. We are tired :). Something wonderful has happened, though. A whole new perspective to foster care---being as our son is being cared for by a foster family half way around the world. God is mysterious in His ways----and how grand His ways are!!!

¹ Praise the LORD!
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
   for his steadfast love endures forever! Psalm 106:1

I am here before you to proclaim the excellencies of His grace and the wonderful miracle of His love. 

I am continually amazed. 

How can the hearts of a family in Oklahoma be bound to a little boy in Korea instantly? 

Only God. 

How is it that this little boy's Korean (given) name means "praise Jesus"---and that is the desire of our hearts for him? 

Only God. 

We have already seen so many prayers answered regarding our adoption journey---prayers we have prayed for this little boy before he was born----for his birth mom and her decisions while she was pregnant, for her heart, for his health, for his care.

Only God.

I promise you God is good. Only He will sustain us to the time when we get to hold this sweet boy in our arms. Please join us as we continue in prayer, in faith, hoping in grace. . .