Nora Joy

The kids have been passing around a head cold and in their generosity they even shared it with Birdie.  Thanks guys.

So she’s fighting that nasty old head cold too….and this morning I was trying to get her to smile at me while all cocooned in everyone’s big favorite chair.  Normally she smiles easily and laughs happily as she busily runs through the house.  But even though I tried everything, this is all she gave me.

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She actually was making me laugh!  She would not even remotely crack a smile.  Clearly, she was not impressed with my efforts.  At all.

But I had to take her picture.  She is just too beautiful, even smile-less and sick.   Posting it in our family chat, I knew her big sibs would all “awwww” at her stoic, sick little face  – since they all adore her!

While staring at her picture, I started thinking of all the orphans, all over the world, in orphanages, sick, even with just the common head cold and no one to pamper them.

I pictured Birdie before, if we had not gone to get her.  And all the times over her life, that she would have been sick without anyone to really care.

While thinking about her, it then made me think of all the orphans, waiting in orphanages for someone to say, “You are mine! We need you! In fact we can’t really live fully without you.”

I started to get emotional.  Friends, there are millions of kids waiting for you.  Kids just like Birdie.

Does it take work?  Yup.  Anything worth great value in life takes work!

Does it take time?  Yup.  Anything worth great value in life takes time!

Does it cost money? Yup.  But I know that God is a not a dead-beat dad and He has the resources to provide for every single orphan in the world to have a family.  Yes He does.  He really does.  He is not limited.  His resources are not limited! He’s just waiting for someone to say “Yes”.

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In fact just the other day I got an precious email from a sweet bloggy friend Melissa.  I asked her permission to share it:

Hi Linny!
 
It was almost exactly a year ago that I talked with you on the phone about adopting a little girl with Down syndrome. My husband and I were so scared and literally didn’t know how it would be financially possible to fund the adoption. You said something to me that will stick with me the rest of my life. You basically said, “God is for the orphan and He will make a way.”  Although I knew this – I needed to hear you speak it over me.  I just wanted you to know that last month we came home from China with our precious Nora Joy!  She is AMAZING! And God fully funded the adoption (including the 3 extra kids we took with us to China).
 
I know you’ve been really sick, but I just wanted to say thank you! A million times thank you!
The picture below is of our 3 youngest kids.
Melissa
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I mean seriously.  Are they not a darling little pack of three?

He is so faithful.  He gets all the honor, the credit, the glory and the praise!

Can you really imagine Nora Joy spending her life without a family?  Can you imagine her even having a simple head cold and not having a mama to love on her and a daddy to wrap her in his strong arms?

Yet they said “yes” even when they admittedly were scared and didn’t know how they would financially do it.  They had a choice:  Fear or Faith?

They chose faith and stepped out and said “yes” and our Miracle-working, Mountain-moving, Awe-inspiring, Gasp-giving God fully funded when they didn’t even know how they could possibly afford it!

They could have missed Nora Joy!

 

 

 “Religion that God our Father accepts

as pure and faultless is this:

to look after orphans and widows in their distress

and

to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”  

James 1:27

 

2 thoughts on “Nora Joy

  1. I sit here with tears streaming down my face. I don’t know if you are aware of this or not, but Lindsey only weighed 2 lbs when she was born. The doctors told us that she would be blind and mentally retarded with CP. As you know, Lindsey is none of those things and in fact has far surpassed their low expectations for her. God made Lindsey and Ruby “fighters”. As she begins her first internship (today) in Denver, I pray God keeps her in his loving arms and wraps her up tight. God has plans. Not just for Lindsey, but for Ruby too.

    1. Wow Laura! I’m not sure if Lindsey told me when I first met her or not but there is no doubt that God has amazing plans for her! Part of His plan was for her to minister to Ruby and to help ‘bring her out’. She is an amazing young woman and anyone who works with her is beautifully blessed! She is such a treasure! xo

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