What a beautiful day it was: Praising [loved that!], {Fasting}, Praying for each other….

Doing the He’s Not a Deadbeat Dad series, we finished up with remembering that the primary way the Lord provides for people to bring treasures home is simple:

through orphan-lovin’ people like you and me.

Since the Lord reminded us of that, we took Tuesday, October 23, to be PRAISE, {FAST} and PRAY before moving into our RESPONSE time.

A few posts ago we kind of divided up the people who stop by our Place Called Simplicity into categories:

1.  Those who have identified a child and are in the midst of an adoption.
2.  Those who have identified multiple children and are nearing travel to bring them home. 
3.  Those who have yet to identify a child/children but are in the midst of your paperwork {application/home study/immigration if adopting internationally, etc}.
4.  Those who are intending to adopt, but have not yet begun anything.
5.  Those who hope to someday begin an adoption
{but still are praying or waiting or both}. 
6.  Those who are not in any of the above five categories.
7.  They have already adopted and are willing to help others out.
And a precious bloggy friend, elizabethd, asked for an 8th category:  
those who are adopted and want to help others out.  
So we’ll add that as well:
8.  Those who are adopted and want to help others come home.

So here’s what we’re going to do.  

First let me explain:  
No matter what category you are in, there is a spiritual principle here that works 
for our family 
every.single.time.  


Here it is:


We share what we have with others and the Lord always meets our needs.   


How does He do it?  


Creatively.


Timely.  


Always, faithfully.  


I am crazy enough to believe that if we see a need, we are to meet it.  


Sharing what we have.  

It’s that Simple.

Now some may say, “Does that mean we are to help every single person who posts an adoption need?”  No, that’s not what I’m saying.   I believe that God will naturally draw some to one and others to another.  By the same token, being perfectly frank, there are many though who *could* help each person in need.   

One of my favorite reminders about our money:

“But keep on storing up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal, because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”   
Matthew 6:20, 21 isv

I remember a couple of years ago doing this same thing:  Having links for people with needs to link their blogs explaining their needs.  I remember one woman, in the midst of an adoption writing something to the effect:  “We have been having to dig into our savings….”

Ummmm, ma’am let me just be perfectly honest here:  “Bringing kids home is what you should be digging into your savings for.  Remember according to God’s word….treasures that last are the little ones that we can take to eternity with us…..and truthfully, I know, for a fact, that there were people blessing others who were giving “the widow’s mite”….and yet she didn’t think she needed to be dipping into her savings.” {*good grief!*}

So on that note:  If you have a savings account, please don’t link.  Dip into it.  Use it.   That’s probably why God richly blessed you with that money.    

Then there is this verse as well, which is another personal favorite:

“But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?” 
I John 3:17 nasb

So this is kind of where I’m at….if I know that there are friends needing money to go to get their treasures {child/children} and I am have money, then I am thinkin’ that I know what I’m supposed to do with said money.

I remember when we were taking the clothes to the street orphans for the Wedding Feast and a precious young woman named Piper contacted me and asked:  “I was given a gift card for my birthday.  Could I go buy all the necessary things to make boutonniers for the Street Orphans?”  I wrote about her amazing gesture of love here. 

Piper envisioned how special precious Street Orphans would feel wearing classy boutonnieres and decided that that gift card would be perfect for her to spend for the orphan. 

But ya’ know what stood out the most to me?  Was that Piper could have spent her gift card to buy herself something.  After all it was for her birthday.  No one would have faulted her for doing just that – but she  selflessly loved the orphans with her own gift card, her own time and her own energy.  I will never forget Piper’s gesture and I will never forget her generosity.  And God remembers as well.  

So whatever we have, we have the opportunity to bless others with.   Birthday money, Christmas money, ‘fun money’, savings, “foo-foo coffee money”, whatever.

We could actually opt out of “celebrating” stuff like Halloween and use that money to help bring orphans home.  Right?  I mean, we could – –  if we really wanted.  

We could actually decide to buy simple things for Christmas for those we love and instead donate to an orphan coming home and write a little note: 

 In lieu of a gift this year, the money that would have been spent on your gift
 has been donated to help bring a treasure home.    

Or it could read:  
In lieu of a gift this year, your birthday/Christmas money 
has helped feed ___ street orphans.  

Can you imagine if we did that?  

The world would be rocked.  

And I have to think that we would lay our heads down at night and sleep with peace, knowing we are doing EVERYTHING we can to help the orphans.

Ooops,  so stinkin’ easy for me to get side-tracked when I talk about
 the plight of the orphans…..
back to the McLinky post….

Anyway, the next post will have a McLinky on it which will enable you, our bloggy friends, to link up and share your need.   

As I stated the other day, this first McLinky will be for the “2” group.  

The “Rules”:

Folks who are a #2 = Matched with more than one child  
AND
are nearing travel, 
but are in need of finishing up the funds.

If you have already traveled, even overseas at this moment, this is not for you…


1. Each person will have the same questions to answer {just copy, paste and answer}. 
2. The questions are to be the body of the post that is linked.  
3. You must link back inside the post to our Place Called Simplicity as well explaining to your bloggy friends what we are doing over here. 
4.  Anyone who uses an old post will be deleted, as will anyone who fails to answer each    question.
5.  PCS reserves the right to delete any link that does not follow the rules set forth.
{I don’t want to delete anyone, so please follow along sweetly.}


Here’s the Questionnaire that must be copied, pasted, answered and posted.  
Each question must be answered honestly.  There is no wrong answer, the only thing that matters is truthfulness.   In the interest of most people reading your post, it would probably be best to be brief with your answers.   I have questions that I feel honor the Lord, promote stewardship responsibilities as well as obedience to scripture allowing those willing to share what resources they have to get to know the folks participating.   


1.   How many children are you adopting?
2.  What names have you chosen and what are their ages? 
      {Please post pictures if able.}
3.  Are any of the children you are adopting considered “Special Needs”?  
4.   If yes, specifically what Special Needs?
5.  What country or geographic area are you adopting from?
6.   Have you adopted before?
7.   How close to travel are you?
8.   Do you attend church regularly?   If so, what type of church is it?
9.    Do you tithe with each pay {at least the scriptural standard of 10%}?
10.  Yesterday, did you participate in any way with the day of Praise, Prayer by giving praise on the link and then posting your request? 
11. How did you hear about the Link up? 
12.  Is there anything, briefly, that you would like to share with our orphan-lovin’, God-honorin’, Jesus worshippin’ bloggy friends reading this?
   
****************
Finally, understanding that each gift received through this “Response Time” has been entrusted generously for our use from our loving Father, we promise, in the unlikely event that we would be unable to or decide not to adopt the children we are advocating for, we promise to return all of the money gifted to us as a result of this link to International Voice of the Orphan so they can, at their discretion, give to other families adopting.      


{Please place your initials on the line.} 
Yes, I will submit______             No, I am unable to submit to this ________

*****************

I will put up the McLinky post up later this today {Pacific time}, so please get your post ready by copying, pasting and answering the questions.  
We will limit the time McLinky is open.   
May God be glorified as we bless one another with the resources He has given us.