Sweet friends – here ya’ go:
Feona, that post is coming!
Lisa and Allison – the amount of time “in-country” definitely depends. Dw found our Elizabeth and Elijah and started the paperwork while there. He came home and we updated our home study and did the immigration on the US side. Then I went back {with Emma and Graham} to bring them home.
I was gone to bring them home from December 1st to December 18th {going to court and doing VISA and passport stuff in Uganda}. On the 18th they came home with Emmy, Graham and I.
Our daughter Abigail was in Uganda with her hubby Ryan meeting and bonding with Finn. Ryan eventually came back to the states to work and Abi and Finn stayed on to complete everything and get Finn’s US VISA. They were there about a month {I think}. Everyone’s experience is different. But that was some of our experiences.
“Our family” – I will definitely do what you asked!
love and Janet – Thank you!
Susan, Staci, Chastity, and Marci – You’re all welcome!
Susan A….seriously, if you were there with me at Redeemer House {so wish you were!} you would be amazed!! These kids are treasures and they are getting grounded in God’s word – it’s simply beautiful!
Lara – super fun to meet you in the mall in Kampala – what are the odds? Love those little God surprises!
Becky Ryder – you are so right! Out of the millions of orphans around the world, many of them are considered “older children”…and they need homes! Desperately!
Christina – take heart! He who has promised, is completely faithful and trustworthy! Your aching arms will soon be embracing your treasure!
aroundtheworldin40weeks – I hope so too!
BWF – Yippee Jesus! You guys rock!
And lastly – Sleepy-knitter and Chan-luna….girlfriends, listen up: Almighty God is definitely NOT a deadbeat dad! He owns the cattle on a thousand hills and the wealth in every mine. He will bring your sweet treasures home…if you trust Him!
I think sometimes people run out and get financing or take a loan because they can’t see how it’s going to happen if they don’t “step in”! But I am convinced that when we wait {really hard to do} and trust {just as hard to do} we will “see the salvation of the Lord”.
The other day a sweet bloggy friend wrote me. They are in the midst of doing their ‘umpteenth’ adoption and were leaving in less than three weeks to get two treasures from Eastern Europe. She wrote asking me to pray for the last $8,000. to come in. Well I prayed. I actually stood in my kitchen and thought, “Okay Lord, how ya’ gonna’ bring in $8,000 in three weeks?”
{I wish I had asked her permission to share her story, but since I haven’t I will leave it anonymous. You’re just gonna’ have to trust me on this one -her family is absolutely beautiful – filled with smiles from around the world and she is close to my age. Forgive me you-know-who if you are not my age – LOL.}
Anyway, I prayed hard for that $8.000. And as I prayed I wondered, “How Lord are you gonna’ show up?” They have brought bunches of kids home in the last few years. They had done every fundraiser possible.
Two days after FB’ing me and asking for prayer she emailed me and said this:
Linny
Wow-the power of prayer is amazing. We received a sizeable donation today that will completely fund our adoption! Our God is a mountain moving God!
Thank you for your prayers,
Feeling so blessed in {her state}…
Wow-the power of prayer is amazing. We received a sizeable donation today that will completely fund our adoption! Our God is a mountain moving God!
Thank you for your prayers,
Feeling so blessed in {her state}…
Seriously sweet friends – ONLY GOD.
He just stinkin’ must get a gigundo kick out of surprising us!
Remember in the Old Testament the Jewish nation would learn God as something new, like their “provider” and so they would call Him “Jehovah-Jirah” meaning “God our provider”.
Well Dw and I long ago, began to refer to God as “Jehovah of the Last Second” because it seems to us that He just loves to come through at the very last possible second.
In fact we actually more recently started referring to Him as “Jehovah of Over-time” cause there have been a few times when we thought {foolishly} that the Last Second had run out
and He shows up.
Now {at times} we refer to him as “Jehovah of Over Time”.
So girlfriends, He is the provider. When you say, “God, help us bring some of your treasures home” do we really think that He will say, “That’s nice. Thanks!”
NOT A CHANCE!!
We must understand that He will say,
“Watch what I’m gonna’ do to make that happen!!!”
Seriously, think about the Isrealites {we are currently studying Moses} and how many times God allowed them to be in very tough predicaments and every single time He would show up to rescue them or protect them or provide for them!
Every.Single.Time.
THEN when He shows up for you you will know Him {once again} as your Miracle-working, Mountain-moving,
Awe-inspiring, Gasp-giving God!
All praise and honor and glory will go to HIM and Him alone.
Completely faithful.
100% trustworthy.
Jehovah Jirah
YOUR provider!
No.Matter.What.
Get on your garments of praise and start rejoicing – He’s the provider and He’s gotcha’ all covered!
Linny–your faith is so pure, so encouraging, so very true—I love how you share it with the world. May you be blessed. Hugs and love!
This post is soooo inspiring and just.what.I.needed.today. Totally a God thing. Just at the right time. We just started our adoption about a month ago…with nada in the bank. He asked, we stepped out, and now we're beginning our fund-raising. HUGE garage sale in a month! 🙂
Thank you for this post, especially the last part about God's provision. We know that He has a daughter in store for us . . . but it's not time yet for us to know who, or when, or where, or even how. And often when I run through the possibilities from my narrow view, it seems like there's no way. But this isn't our idea . . . it is God's. And this was a great reminder that HE works in the big ways that glorify HIM.
Oh Linny, I LOVE this post because it is sooooo true! I sit here in tears because God does provide if we allow him to do so.
When God brought Jaxson into our hearts we had to learn to trust him. I am so thankful that God taught us what trust was then or we would have missed out on so much.
I know I fail everyday but I also know that God has my back and even on the days that it's scary to follow him that he is right there for us.
Another thing I have learned (I think I learned this from your blog) is to thank God for every little way I can think of when I see him provide even when it's teeny tiny. It's easy sometimes to see God when big things happen but sometimes we forget to notice the little things that add up to the big things.
Oh how I needed so desperately to read these words tonight. I am missing my little one something fierce and praying so hard that God will help me be ok in this time of waiting He has for me. I've literally gotten to the point of asking Him to carry me for a while, because otherwise, all I have in me is to just plop down on the path and stay there for a good long while. And so far, He has been more than faithful. Anyway, thank you for your words, sweet Linny. Blessed to know you.
you are so encouraging. My husband and I both want to adopt and have a commitment for me to be a stay-at-home mom. wWe have 4 children of our own and e live on less than $30,000 a year. We wonder how we'll ever feed another child let alone raise the money to adopt another, but God just won't let us go. We are excited to see what He does because it certainly won't be because of us!
Jehovah Jirah indeed ♥
I just emailed you at your blog email address. Please check and respond asap- it is regards to Ugandan adoption. 🙂
Thanks Linny!! I can't wait for that post.
Such encouraging and powerful words for me. It's almost a whole new way of thinking for me in regards to the financial part. We took lines of credit against our house for our first two adoptions. It just felt like something we needed to do ourselves. Of course now were in a position of paying them off and we feel so behind…we are so behind. you are teaching me so much about what it means to be truly faithful. Thank you!!! You always speak right to my heart. 🙂
Linny,
You have my permission to share our story of our journey to our 2 precious girls. We are leaving Monday for our first trip. Our God is truly amazing but can cause me to get nervous as he can be the last second God as you said. Each adoption has been that way. With Gracie we were given a grant to cover what we needed just 2 days before we left. With Gideon our church and church family came through again just days before we left with the funding we needed and then this time for our girls just 2 weeks before we are to leave we receive an anonymous donation to cover more than we needed. When God calls you to rescue one or more of his treasures he will provide a way for you to get them home every time. Never stop believing=our God will do what He says He can do! I have seen this over and over! I'm Believing God!
Jackie-mom to 3 bio treasures, 4 adopted treasures from China and now 2 treasures from Eastern Europe!
Ran across your blog……LOVE IT!
This post is awesome! I have to say that our family is in the process of adoption from Uganda and too didn't have the money. We gave it all to God and laid it on the alter. The week we fully gave it to Him I had a family walk up to me and hand me an envelope telling me "God has asked them to give this to us after much prayer, and we can't say no." In that envelope was $25,000!!!!! Our lives have never been the same and we hope to bring our two little ones home very soon. To God be the glory….He is always faithful!
Amen Linny, Amen.
Our God is so darn incredible and we sometimes sell Him short by not allowing Him to do His amazing works in His time… Praying now for His precious children to be adopted from every corner of the earth into good christian homes!
Love the story you shared! So exciting! I hope you can share more of her story. We're in the midst of our own 7th adoption journey and we have needed to rely on Him for the finances. Our baby is our last frozen adopted baby. God miraculously placed this baby in our lives. People are questioning if we even need to give this last one life. I say, God gave us 10 adopted kiddos (3foster and 7embryos) not 9! We are trusting Him in the future of this little life!
Reading your blog…I so want to run to Ethiopia (God put that on our hearts at the same exact time He put 7 frozen babies in our lives). After reading today's post, I can't say NEVER! All I know is God is not done with our family and I pray and hope my kids will have a heart to bring me adopted grandbabies someday!
God's richest blessing to you and your beautiful family!
It's awesome about the needed $8,000 coming just in time for this family, yes, He is amazing!!! 🙂 I love it when things like this happens 🙂
Thank you for sharing about Redeemer House 🙂
Linny,
Just curious..did you have a home study already completed before God lead you to Elizabeth and Elijah?
Hugs,
Robin
Linny,
I am a new reader. Lovelyn sent me your way because we are praying about adopting from Uganda. I really needed this post, because there are times I don't trust God and the fact he will provide every cent for our adoption. Shame.on.me. We adopted twin girls from Ethiopia in 2009 and we really thought our family was complete, but God has showed us otherwise and I am so excited to see what He has in store for us!
Thanks again for being so faithful!
Once again, another encouraging post!!! Thank you so much–you (and your readers who leave such wonderful comments) are a blessing. I've been lurking on your blog for nearly a year — and probably started this third adoption last fall in part because of your blog — and have so appreciated your teaching and your heart.
I loved that in your response to Chan.Luna and me you used the words, "He owns the cattle on a thousand hills." Those words have sustained me in many "impossible" situations over three decades and are special to me as a reminder that God is my Jehovah-Jireh.
I learned those words in 2nd or 3rd grade in a vacation Bible school program back in the 1970s, from a song by John W Peterson:
"He owns the cattle on a thousand hills,
The wealth in every mine;
He owns the rivers and the rocks and rills,
The sun and stars that shine.
Wonderful riches, more than tongue can tell –
He is my Father so they're mine as well;
He owns the cattle on a thousand hills –
I know that He will care for me."
I believe we have at least two more older children to adopt after the little girl we're trying to adopt now. I have no (earthly) idea how that could happen for people in our income bracket, but God isn't in our income bracket, so I will just keep trusting Him.
Blessings to you and your family!
Sleepy Knitter
Thank you…I needed to be reminded of God's amazing provisions for our children today. After the fire, losing part of my wedding ring, and the regrigerator going out…I wasn't overwhelmed (God is AMAZING), but the fear started just sneaking through the cracks today concerning our adoption. Thank you so much for this reminder.
Thank you Linny for the encouragement. I know God is going to move in a huge way to provide adoption funds for my next daughter. I am almost as excited to see the miracle of how He will do it as I am excited to go get my daughter. Know in my heart that God will astonish me in ways that I could not even imagine. Fully anticipating that God will be glorified and that even non believers will see his power, magesty, and love for the orphan.
To God be the glory for the great things He does through you and your posts! Thanking Him for you…for your words of encouragement and truth! This post was such a balm to my heart…thank YOU! Praising and rejoicing in Him for the great things He is doing! He is so awesome! Thank you Linny! Special blessings upon you! <3
Oh, Linny! Not long before I commented on your post this evening (Sunday), my 67-year-old parents' home was completely destroyed in a tornado in Joplin, MO! I learned about the tornado about an hour later but didn't hear from my folks until nearly midnight. They had survived by hiding in a closet that fell apart around them as their house was ripped apart. The lovely young Christian couple across the street was killed when their house was flattened, and I think many of the homes in their neighborhood (a block or so from the hospital that was hit so badly) were flattened — we've seen pictures on the news in which no visible landmarks in the neighborhood remained except the hospital. My parents are pretty beat up (Mom has a fractured ankle and has been in shock, etc) but not enough to receive medical care due to the amount of more serious injuries in town, so my folks are staying this evening at a friends' house. My little brother went to the rubble of my folks' house and looked for them but couldn't find them, though he could see that both cars were in the garage! He was crying when he managed to get a cell phone call through to us. My folks had already somehow managed to leave for their friends' house before my brother arrived, but for part of the evening, we three kids in KY, MO, and AZ, all thought my folks were dead under the rubble. My little brother had to return home to his wife and kids, but he was planning to go back to Mom and Dad's at daylight tomorrow (Monday) to search for my folks. It has been such a horrible evening for us, but far worse for many other families who have lost family members, homes, businesses, church buildings, schools, and more. My heart is breaking, and I'm praying Phil. 4 and reminding myself that God is in charge, that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and He can take care of my parents in spite of what has happened. Please pray for the people of Joplin, MO!
Yipee Linny, I am singing Joyfully today !
Also, can't wait to report about answers to prayer from the last prayer and fasting day you had…. It's been one noisy battle, but He promised to deliver us from the noisesome pestilence – and He has done it… x
Hi Linny, I love reading your updates, but I can't unfortunately. The background on your blog makes it almost impossible to read. I'm not sure if anybody else mentioned that already. I hope it isn't just my computer. Thanks! 🙂
If I am the Janet you Said Thank You to, You are very welcome,Would like to see Memorial box were people brought Treasures home from Uganda!Janet