A Hart for Esther - Leaving my Pride

Please click on A Hart for Esther if you are looking for details concerning the raffle to bring our daughter home.

This post is going to be rough and raw and jumbled, so hear my heart. This raffle has been amazing in so many ways; one day when I was praying and asking God to please provide the funds to bring Esther home, He very clearly brought the Hart trailer to mind. I had no idea what this would look like. We have tried to sell the trailer a couple of times throughout this journey and nothing has happened. It is a top of the line horse trailer in hard economic times, so not something that is flying off the market. Anyway, we talked about it and prayed about it, and the raffle is what God laid on our hearts to do. He has blessed A Hart for Esther in so many ways. We have had good sales and countless prayers and support in every way imaginable. We have had the kindest things said to us and posted about us, we have had encouraging notes from people we do not know, and many that we do know. It is so amazing, but we are NOT worthy of all this...I CAN PROMISE YOU THAT!!!

We are NOT worthy, of anything, there is not a person on this planet worthy of what Jesus did for us, but we all have the opportunity to accept the gift of salvation, and that is what it is, it is a gift. Well I have had to also accept gifts from people in order to bring Esther home. Gifts of encouragement, gifts of prayers and gifts of money.

This has been a time of refining for me. I have been humbled and loved on and held up in ways I never thought I would need. It's NOT easy dying to self and getting rid of pride. With each gift and ticket and donation and prayer I have to graciously accept. I have to because I want to get our daughter home and this is the way the Lord is providing for it to happen. I feel overwhelmed with gratitude, but it is not easy to my prideful self to just reach my hand out and say thank you. I want to do it on my own, I want to just do it myself and kind of be proud of my accomplishment and to keep to myself and just handle it as a family, privately. But the Lord is teaching me how to depend on HIM and the family of God. I can do NOTHING on my own. I need Him for EVERYTHING and I need His people. I need to accept the help the prayers the financial support. I need to fully understand and participate in the concept of a BODY OF CHRIST.

Everytime I begin to get prideful and think I just can't do this, it's too hard to need everybody, it's too hard to ask for help, it's too hard...I think of Esther, and I think if it were one of my other children I would not hold back, I would not stop for one second, I would not let my pride rule, I would ask everyone I knew, I would sell the clothes off my back to bring my child home. Well, Esther is my child, I just haven't had the pleasure of knowing her or holding her or bonding with her, but she is mine and she has been concieved in my heart and I am going to give my all, and leave my pride and accept all the beauty and help and support that people are so willing and abundantly giving.

I humbly and graciously say thank you!!!!

A Hart for Esther - Details

A Hart for Esther Details:

We are raffling off our 4 horse Hart trailer as a way to help with the costs associated with international adoption. We are raising money to travel to Ug*nda and to keep things going at home while we are gone. In order to bring Esther home, both parents, Charlie and Jenay will need to travel to Ug*nda to appear before the Ug*nda courts.

Please click on the video on the right to see our story, and click on the pictures on the right to see more pictures of the Hart trailer.

The raffle begins on January 17. If you would like a ticket please e-mail me at brewerbunch6@msn.com. If you could leave me your:

Name
Address
Phone number
e-mail

If you can also call me at 541-420-5265. If you are mailing a check please make it out to: Charles Brewer and then in the memo write: A Hart for Esther. The mailing address is:

PO Box 1935
Redmond, OR 97756


We will send you a ticket in the mail, and also a confirmation via e-mail. We will not use your information for anything else. We will be very sensitive to your privacy.

Ticket sales are limited to 110. They are $250.00 a piece. We will keep this site updated as to how many are sold, and we will post the video of the actual drawing on Feb. 14!

We will draw and announce the winner of the Hart Trailer on Feb. 14, 2011. We will deliver the trailer to the winner anywhere in the continental U.S. by the end of February.

Teachable Moments

If you are wanting to get A Hart for Esther raffle details please click on A Hart for Esther.



The Lord has shown me over and over again, especially through this journey of adopting Esther...that I can do nothing on my own. He is the provider, He is the Creator, He is the Way the Truth and the Life. One of the things that I struggle with is I get EXCITED and go off on my own...with very good intentions, but ON MY OWN...so He reminded me again the other day that He is the Source of EVERYTHING and I'm to just abide in Him.



John 15:4-5 (English Standard Version)
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.



A couple of times throughout this adoption I have wanted to PUSH and MAKE IT HAPPEN...get on with it already. That's NOT the way it works, and soooo in the midst of it God is teaching me some valuable lessons.



One of those reminders came when Paypal called me and said we needed to discontinue using them for our raffle because they do not allow raffle tickets to be sold through them. Oh my goodness the panic button was hit in my stomach....WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO???? I had some creative thinking going on, and I prayed about it, and this is what I came up with....I'm not going to to ANYTHING...I'm going to take paypal off and I'm going to trust the Lord! I'm going to trust that every ticket that He wants sold; He will see to it that it is sold. He reminded me that youtube, facebook, paypal, blogging are all TOOLS and He has allowed us to use them, but those tools are not what is selling tickets. The Lord is in total control. So I rest in that and I rejoice knowing it is NOT up to me to MAKE IT HAPPEN, it is up to me to do what HE has laid on my heart and to do it with EXCELLENCE, but to trust in Him alone.

A Hart for Esther - testimony

I can't even express what God is doing. It's so beyond my comprehension or understanding that I'm just having to trust Him and rejoice. I want to share how EVERY ticket that has been sold has a story or a connection or a blessing attached. And isn't that how our God is...He is all about the relationship He is all about the Glory and He is the Creator...so please click over to this blog of this lady that calls herself Big Fat Mama. I do not know her, I have recently gotten aquainted with her through blogging, but have never spoken to her and I do not even know where she lives. But I can tell you she has blessed my ever-loving socks off, and I can tell you that she is a woman of prayer, and the Christ lives in her, and this is one example of what the Lord is doing. I do not want any of these stories to lift us or our family or any person up, it is strictly God and the things HE DOES. He is the one and only true God that is worthy of our praise and our trust!

Why He has chosen us to walk this journey, I will never know, or understand, or deserve, but He is allowing us a front row seat through this adoption journey to show us His Glory and the mighty work He does through His people. Please click HERE to go over to Big Fat Mama's blog and read one testimony of what God is doing through " A Hart for Esther".

One more bit of news***we can not use pay pal anymore***, I will post more about that tomorrow, but if you are buying a ticket please let me know your information via email at brewerbunch6@msn.com and then you can mail the check. And you can mail to Charlie Brewer PO Box 1935 Redmond, OR 97756...memo....A Hart for Esther.

A "Hart for Esther..A Day in the life of the journey

If you are looking for details about the drawing...keep scrolling...it's at the end of the post. :)

So here's how my day goes according to my emotions these days....

4:30am get up...spend time with the Lord, everything feels good, this is my favorite part of the day.

5:30am run with friends, everything feels good.

7:30am take a shower, a few tears usually, just overwhelmed with all that is going on, anticipating everything coming up; travel, leaving the kids, leaving the business, having Charlie not working for several weeks.

8:30am check computer, usually more tears, just tears of gratefulness because someone wrote a note of encouragement, or we find out one more box has been checked and we are closer to bringing our Esther home, or anther ticket has been sold.

8:35am next e-mail read...fear creeps in, this could happen anytime...am I ready? Can I leave my other children in the USA while I bring home their sister??

8:45am I'm ready..put me on the plane right NOW!!! Just ready to bring Esther home.

9:00am I'm off the roller coaster for a few minutes and have to attend to other duties of life.

9:30am I've hit another low point. I'm trying to figure out finances, balancing checkbook, paying bills, opening mail. Fear and anxiety are gripping me.

12noon I'm struggling with my 3 year old who won't nap and won't poop in the potty...is God sure I can handle another child, because I'm having my doubts.

2:00pm I pick up the mail and get more unexpected encouragement. People I don't even know are supporting us,rooting for us and praying for us.

3:oopm I check the computer again...nothings happened for several hours...fear creeps in...Dear Lord,we have it ALL on the line.

4:00pm I'm preparing for dinner and listening to praise music...all is well again...feeling confident that we are going to walk this thing out, and God is walking us through every single step.

6:00pm Charlie comes home and tells me about someone he's talked to on the job, and they are buying a raffle tkt, they just want to see us get our daughter home..**more tears**. Grateful, overwhelmed with blessing for a man that talks about God and adoption on a building job site, and co-workers that are right along side him. Big strong men with tender hearts and glassy eyes.

8:00pm Feeling tired and thankful and frustrated. The kids are home *joy*...they day is ending *thankful*....the house is a wreck *frustrated*.

9:00pm Praying to God I see the bed soon so I can get off this roller coaster for just a few hours.


I just want you to see the truth of how this goes. I've heard others refer to it as the end of pregnancy...I feel like I'm pregnant with my 6 th child at 40 years old, and she is 9 years overdue. I'm so glad she's coming home, I'm grieving the years we've lost with her. I'm emotional and touchy and wondering how this is all going to work. Child birth is right around the corner and I'm excited and nervous.....but ultimately TRUSTING IN THE LORD. He has been so faithful, and He has just shone on this family through this journey.


Proverbs 3:5-6

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

A Hart for Esther Details:

We are raffling off our 4 horse Hart trailer as a way to help with the costs associated with international adoption. We are raising money to travel to Ug*nda and to keep things going at home while we are gone. In order to bring Esther home, both parents, Charlie and Jenay will need to travel to Ug*nda to appear before the Ug*nda courts.

Please click on the video on the right to see our story, and click on the pictures on the right to see more pictures of the Hart trailer.

The raffle begins on January 17. You can click on the donate button on the right. Then please click here brewerbunch6@msn.com and leave me your :

Name
Address
Phone number
e-mail

If you perfer to send via regular mail, please email me or call at 541-420-5265 and let me know you are wanting a ticket. And you can mail the check to:

PO Box 1935
Redmond, OR 97756

Cks payable to: Charles Brewer and in the memo please write: A Hart for Esther

We will send you a ticket in the mail, and also a confirmation via e-mail. We will not use your information for anything else. We will be very sensitive to your privacy.

Ticket sales are limited to 110. They are $250.00 a piece. We will keep this site updated as to how many are sold, and we will post the video of the drawing on Feb. 14!

We will draw and announce the winner of the Hart Trailer on Feb. 14, 2011. We will deliver the trailer to the winner anywhere in the continental U.S. by the end of February.

A Hart for Esther - update III

Romans 12:9-11 (The Message)
9-10Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
11-13Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.

This is what I feel so many have done for us, our entire lives we have had the love and support of family and the most amazing friends. But through this journey to bringing Esther home it has taken on a whole new level! I want to be a person that takes action when I see a need or feel a tugging in my heart. I am humbled and in awe of the people that do this so freely. This journey has shown me over and over how people so willingly reach out to one another.

We are blessed!!

A Hart for Esther Details:

We are raffling off our 4 horse Hart trailer as a way to help with the costs associated with international adoption. We are raising money to travel to Ug*nda and to keep things going at home while we are gone. In order to bring Esther home, both parents, Charlie and Jenay will need to travel to Ug*nda to appear before the Ug*nda courts.

Please click on the video on the right to see our story, and click on the pictures on the right to see more pictures of the Hart trailer.

The raffle begins on January 17. You can click on the donate button on the right. Then please click here brewerbunch6@msn.com and leave me your :

Name
Address
Phone number
e-mail

If you perfer to send via regular mail, please email me or call at 541-420-5265 and let me know you are wanting a ticket. And you can mail the check to:

PO Box 1935
Redmond, OR 97756

Cks payable to: Charles Brewer and in the memo please write: A Hart for Esther

We will send you a ticket in the mail, and also a confirmation via e-mail. We will not use your information for anything else. We will be very sensitive to your privacy.

Ticket sales are limited to 110. They are $250.00 a piece. We will keep this site updated as to how many are sold, and we will post the video of the drawing on Feb. 14!

We will draw and announce the winner of the Hart Trailer on Feb. 14, 2011. We will deliver the trailer to the winner anywhere in the continental U.S. by the end of February.

A Hart for Esther - update II

Have you ever felt so overwhelmed with thanksgiving you can hardly keep yourself together??? That is where Charlie and I are at right now...the outpouring of love and support, and prayers has just been overwhelming. We can hardly allow ourselves to talk to one another about it throughout the day because everytime we do, we both end up tearing up and then it's down hill from there. The stories, the people, the hearts of the people is overwhelming. It's not about the money or the trailer, it's about God and His people and what He is doing through them.

It was risky for us to put ourselves and our stuff out on the line, but when it comes to your kids (as all parents know), you just DO whatever you have to, no matter what. I'm not saying that to glorify ourselves; what I'm saying is we put ourselves out there because we were desperate and needed help getting our daughter home and this is what God layed on our hearts to do.... and so we took a step of faith, and offered up what we had, a trailer, and we have been blessed and blessed and blessed and blessed!!!! I want to thank every person that has left me a note, reposted our video, PRAYED for us and our family, bought a ticket, loved on us, looked out for us, and encouraged us.

To God be the Glory!

A Hart for Esther Details:

We are raffling off our 4 horse Hart trailer as a way to help with the costs associated with international adoption. We are raising money to travel to Ug*nda and to keep things going at home while we are gone. In order to bring Esther home, both parents, Charlie and Jenay will need to travel to Ug*nda to appear before the Ug*nda courts.

Please click on the video on the right to see our story, and click on the pictures on the right to see more pictures of the Hart trailer.

The raffle begins on January 17. You can click on the donate button on the right. Then please click here brewerbunch6@msn.com and leave me your :

Name
Address
Phone number
e-mail

If you perfer to send via regular mail, please email me or call at 541-420-5265 and let me know you are wanting a ticket. And you can mail the check to:

PO Box 1935
Redmond, OR 97756


Cks payable to: Charles Brewer and in the memo please write: A Hart for Esther


We will send you a ticket in the mail, and also a confirmation via e-mail. We will not use your information for anything else. We will be very sensitive to your privacy.

Ticket sales are limited to 110. They are $250.00 a piece. We will keep this site updated as to how many are sold, and we will post the video of the drawing on Feb. 14!

We will draw and announce the winner of the Hart Trailer on Feb. 14, 2011. We will deliver the trailer to the winner anywhere in the continental U.S. by the end of February.

A Hart for Esther - update

I've been struggling with this update, because I can't put into words how amazed I am, and how God is using this raffle. It's not that sales are skyrocketing, but I just have faith that however many tickets we are supposed to sell that is exactly what will be sold. The thing that has me so amazed is the people that this has gotten me in touch with. Of course our friends and family are always supportive, always loving, even when we go off the deep end...yes that happens occasionally. But the thing that has me in awe, is the people we don't know, and how they send me a note that says they saw our video and they are praying for us. WHAT???? How cool is that. One gal today wrote me such a cool note, that they are adoptive parents and they do not need a horse trailer, but they bought a ticket, and thought that if they win the trailer they would do the same thing, raffle it off and adopt again. WHOA, how cool is that??? That is a heart for the orphan. I'm loving the testimony that God is building with this adoption. I'm blessed that He can use anyone and anything...a family that is FAR from having it together and a horstrailer. I'm blessed and I'm humbled and I'm scared and excited to see what the Lord is doing.

A Hart for Esther Details:

We are raffling off our 4 horse Hart trailer as a way to help with the costs associated with international adoption. We are raising money to travel to Ug*nda and to keep things going at home while we are gone. In order to bring Esther home, both parents, Charlie and Jenay will need to travel to Ug*nda to appear before the Ug*nda courts.


Please click on the video on the right to see our story, and click on the pictures on the right to see more pictures of the Hart trailer.


The raffle begins on January 17. You can click on the donate button on the right. Then please click here brewerbunch6@msn.com and leave me your :

Name
Address
Phone number
e-mail

If you perfer to send via regular mail, please email me or call at 541-420-5265 and let me know you are wanting a ticket. And you can mail the check to:

PO Box 1935
Redmond, OR 97756


Cks payable to: Charles Brewer and in the memo please write: A Hart for Esther


We will send you a ticket in the mail, and also a confirmation via e-mail. We will not use your information for anything else. We will be very sensitive to your privacy.

Ticket sales are limited to 110. They are $250.00 a piece. We will keep this site updated as to how many are sold, and we will post the video of the drawing on Feb. 14!

We will draw and announce the winner of the Hart Trailer on Feb. 14, 2011. We will deliver the trailer to the winner anywhere in the continental U.S. by the end of February.

A Hart For Esther

We are raffling off our horse trailer!!!

We are clinging to the scripture that says:

God sets the lonely in families Psalm 68:6.

God has already placed her in our hearts, now we are anxious to bring her home.

Tickets for the trailer go on sale on Jan 17. For anyone in bloggy land please feel free to post this on your blog and share our story, so we may spread the word. We will be drawing on February 14. We will deliver the trailer anywhere in the continental U.S. - How fun is that??? So, anyone in Florida, Texas, or Arizona...somewhere warm... needing a trailer....I'd love to visit your state and bring you a trailer!!!!

My 40th Birthday

Yes indeed, I turned the big 4...o....yesterday. I had a very blessed day. My friends and family showered me with love, food, gifts, phone calls, faceb**k messages. It was a good one. I ate good all day, I was spoiled and loved on. I feel so blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life.





My day ended with a text message from one of our dearest friends, a text that said that their mother, Donna, had gone to be with the Lord. These are the close kind of friends that we share life with....the good the bad and the ugly We rejoice together when kids are born, when kids graduate, when kids go off to college or whatever, you laugh and you cry together, you grieve together when there is hard times, when there are trials, or when there is a loss in the family We know each other's family...all the parents, the cousins, the brothers, the sisters....we know all of it, because we've spent time together and you get involved, and then you become closer and you become friends with the family, you ask about them, you exchange cards, you get health updates...that's the kinda friends I'm talking about.



Well, those friends lost their very precious mom on my 40th birthday. I know it is not about me, but I'll tell you, WHAT AN HONOR to share a day with a saint going to heaven and meeting her savior on my birthday. She was such a dear, and she loved the Lord and I can tell you when she got to heaven the angels went nuts with praise!!! So on earth we are missing a precious lady, a mom, a grandma, a wife, a friend, but we know where she is and we can't help but be happy for her.




Our friends are grieving but they have no doubt where she is, and this woman did not waste time on this earth, she glorified God in everything she did. She raised a beautiful family who has gone on to raise beautiful families. So she leaves a legacy of love for her Lord, and love of people. Everyone who came into contact with Donna was blessed by her.

A "Hart" For Esther - rules

Mark 10:21 (English Standard Version)
21And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."

We just feel like this is LITERALLY what God is asking us to do right now to bring Esther home. He has given us the vision that if we offer all we have He will provide the miracle. We are feeling like the little boy that offered his lunch when there were thousands needing fed, and all he had to do was offer his little lunch of 5 loaves and 2 fish and Jesus supplied all they needed from that to feed thousands. We are believing for a miracle!

A "Hart" for Esther - Rules

1.) Raffle tickets go on sale on Jan. 17.

2.) You may pay via pay pal or send a check. Please tell us before you send a check so we can put you down...we are limiting sales to 110 tkts.

The address to send cks to is: PO Box 1935

Redmond, OR 97756

Please make cks payable to: Charles Brewer...and in the memo put...A "Hart" for Esther.



3.) When you enter you will get a confirmation along with your drawing number! We will need name, e-mail, phone number, and delivery address.



4.) We will be drawing on Feb. 14...Valentine's Day...we will post actual drawing via u-tube...so everyone may see the number that is drawn. We will also contact winner on Feb. 14!!!!



5.) We will deliver trailer ANYWHERE in the continental U.S. by the end of February.

A Hart For Esther - Share her story

Psalm 68:4-6 (New Living Translation)
4 Sing praises to God and to his name! Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds. His name is the Lord— rejoice in his presence!
5 Father to the fatherless, defender of widows— this is God, whose dwelling is holy. 6 God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

Details are coming soon! If you want on an e-mail list with updates and more videos please put your address in the comments or e-mail me at brewerbunch6@msn.com.

A "Hart" For Esther

We've been praying about the "funds" it's going to take to bring Esther home. None of this expense is a surprise, we have known all along what the costs were involved in bringing home our girl from Uganda.

We have just known and believed and prayed all along that the Lord would provide. We had NO idea how, but we knew that He is the one who called us to this and He would provide. He has been so faithful, we have never waited on a deadline due to money on this journey.

We have mulled over a few fundraising ideas, we have prayed about a few ideas, and nothing really took hold or felt right. There was one thing that kept coming to mind when I would think about this; this is bigger than us. The Lord wants to use this journey to get Esther for many reasons and to speak to many people. God wants to show us His Glory bigger than we can imagine. And one way of spreading the word on a journey like this is...fundraising.
Also, when God calls us to something it is not without sacrifice. He then blesses us beyond our sacrifice, but we must trust Him enough to sacrifice and step out in faith on whatever He has laid on our hearts.
We just kept saying God is going to provide.........so on Jan. 6, I was praying about this and I got this "crazy" idea. Now, to clarify, I get ahead of myself OFTEN, so one of the reasons I'm posting this is so people will pray, and if this is something the Lord wants;...I pray that He will bless it wildly, if it is another "idea of Jenay's" help it to crash to the floor RIGHT.NOW!

We don't own much...we either still owe on things or we have already sold them recently....we are in the construction business, and times have been SLIM!

We do, however own a beautiful 4 horse Hart Horse Trailer. We have tried to sell it a few times, but it is fancy and expensive and it's hard to get what it's worth in this economy.

Here's the idea....we take the Horse trailer, sell raffle tickets...100 of them, sell the tickets for $250.00 a piece...and on Feb. 14, we raffle off our horse trailer.

The raffle is called:

A "Hart" For Esther

We will make videos and all kinds of fun stuff to get the word out about our girl and the raffle......we are just "crazy" with fun ideas right now.

So pray with me that if this is something we are supposed to do...we do it with excellence...if we are NOT supposed too; help it to crash to the ground and we don't waste another minute on it.

New Year 2011

I was planning a post of New Year's Resolutions....but instead I'm just going to post what is on my heart and share some of my prayers for 2011. I pray that the big ole question mark leaves our heads and we have some CLEAR direction of what to do next. We have been feeling a stirring for awhile that there will be a change and we have been praying for an opportunity, so we are praying that 2011 is the YEAR of clear direction!!!





We are also planning and praying about bringing our daughter home from Uganda. We are praying that when we go it happens in a way that the Lord can bring THE MOST glory to His name through our journey. Our current prayer on that note, is WHO WILL GO WITH US. I have felt for awhile like there was going to be more than just Charlie and I....that the Lord has plans to bring someone else along, to maybe just SEE, and PRAY, and be SUPPORT, and maybe fall in love with a child. Who knows???? So if you feel the Lord tugging at your heart and you just don't know yet....get your passport, we are planning a trip soon hopefully!!!



And the prayer that covers all those above prayers are....Lord, help us to bring GLORY to your name. Help us to love those that you put in front of us....help us to be good stewards of everything you have entrusted with us and help us to love the Lord RECKLESSLY and step out in FAITH.

Reflecting

Reflecting on 2010!!

I'm amazed at the year we have had. It's amazing to me how it seems like this year we have LACKED the most....and yet we have been blessed the most ABUNDANTLY in this year.

We have felt the most lost and the most confused by what to do in 2010. We have also had the most direction we have ever had. I know that statement is such a contradiction, but we feel like we are banging our heads against a brick wall in many respects, but the Lord has provided and leads us to more than we have ever imagined or even prayed for.

We have given out of our LACK, we have given more prayers, more time, and more resources to God, and He has blown us away with His faithfulness. It is not easy, and honestly it is not fun, it is hard work, just work in a different way than we are used to....constantly depending on God and never knowing what is ahead and never knowing the PLAN, and waiting on the Lord and praying and trying to be still, and not panicking or giving up, but just moving ahead, GETTING UP and looking UP seeing what the Lord has in store. Acting when we have an opportunity and handing it all UP to Him and giving Him the Glory and the thanks for EVERYTHING. The tough times and the good times. God has totally shown Himself more faithful and more abundant and more gracious, in our LACK and in our time of need than we ever dreamed.

We have done some things this year that we could have never planned or dreamed possible, and apart from CHRIST it would not have happened.

Lashae and Charlie got to go to AFRICA....life changing to the whole family.

We got to celebrate Lashae's graduation in a big way. Most all of the family and many wonderful friends got to attend and we were soooo blessed by everybody and the celebration of such a beautiful daughter and a wonderful accomplishment. We basked in the glory of that day for many weeks. We felt so showered by love from our family and friends and from our Lord Jesus Christ. It was a total blessing.

Our family got to go to the beach and hang out and be a family. Man did we have fun, and we didn't DO much, but play on the beach, eat, and enjoy each other.

Charlie and I got to go to Texas for adoption conference....life changing.

We have fallen in love with a daughter that the Lord has placed in our hearts and soon in our family!!!!

So all in all it's been a great year. We have seen God move mightily, we have also been more desperate for God and His Word and His working in our lives, and He has delivered!! NOT in the way that we think or ask for, but so much better. We are not out of the woods in our confusion or desperation in many areas.....but I know that I know that He is working and I know He has already gone before us and made a way, and I must just have FAITH and BELIEVE that He is our loving FATHER and He gives GOOD gifts and He is FAITHFUL, and He is Sovereign, and We are LOVED by HIM! I know He has a plan, and His plans are so much higher and greater and more beautiful than ours.