Celebrating Orphan Sunday

Today is Orphan Sunday. 

 I could give a lot of stats about why this day is so important and I wish it would get a lot more attention than it does.....but I decided to just give a piece of our story and why I love Orphan Sunday.

I love orphan Sunday because I have 2 children that were once orphans and now they are a son and a daughter.   

James 1:27(NLT)

²⁷ Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

 This was the very first time I had ever met Esther.  It was in February of 2011.

  Our lives are forever changed for the better, since meeting this daughter of mine.  This journey has been the messiest hardest work I have ever known.  There are parts of my heart that I had no idea were even there, they were ugly and hard and hidden and dead.  Being given the privilege and responsibility to parent Esther has exposed some things in me that needed healed and changed and also brought to life and used for the glory of God. 

 

 When you open yourself up in a new way to an "orphan in their distress" it exposes some real truth about what is going on in the heart of all the people involved.

  The circumstances that claim a child as an orphan, however that may have happened, is painful and brokenness and loss across the board.

 The reason I think the verse in James talks about pure religion is visiting the orphans and widows in their distress is because there is nothing that can replace or fix the loss they feel and have experienced. 

 The only healing that can truly be done is the healing work of Jesus in their broken hearts... and that's truly all we can hope for, for ANY of us in this life. 

 Jesus is our only HOPE, we are all orphans in need of adoption by our FATHER.

He told us he would not leave us as orphans, that He would come to us.

  He knew nothing could fix us except HIMSELF.

John 14:18 (ESV) 

¹⁸ “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

 This was the first day we met Mikiyas in May of 2013.

We adopted Mik thru a totally different set of circumstances and process.  But it's the same heart, we are broken people living in a broken world, and some people, especially children that don't have a voice, are usually the victims that suffer the most loss and pain.  We have gotten the blessing and responsibility of parenting this kid and being part of the healing and growing process.

I learn from Mik every single day.  He has a way of communicating that doesn't take very many words.  Mik kinda "gets it" more that most people.  The most beautiful part about Mik, is he has learned the value of forgiveness in his own heart and life more profoundly than anyone I've ever encountered.  He truly knows what it means to forgive and be forgiven.  He lives it  out every day and it has been a life changer for him, for the rest of his life on this earth and for eternity.  I have always said that Mik has more reasons to be angry in life than anyone I know, and yet.....he is not. 

 He is far from perfect but I can't even tell you the growth and healing that has taken place in his life. He has taught me so much and continues to on a daily basis.

Mik also brings a lot of laughter.  He has a great sense of humor and he can make me laugh like nobody else.

 This picture was taken May 2016.

  God has done a mighty work and we have gotten to be the ones blessed to the heart because we said yes to Jesus when he gave us the chance to adopt; and He has BLESSED us beyond anything we could have imagined.

Genesis 32:24-28 (ESV)

²⁴ And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. ²⁵ When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. ²⁶ Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” ²⁷ And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” ²⁸ Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

 October 2015.

  I love this picture of Esther and I. 

 We work very hard to figure out how to be the best mom and daughter we can be to one another.  We love each other like crazy and we are both very stubborn and passionate.  We are stubborn enough to hang in there together thru all the stuff that life throws at us. We will never give up on each other, we know at the end of the day, that God put us together and we wouldn't have it any other way. We admire one another, but it has been hard work and continues to be.

   We both blow it a lot, but we always come back knowing that OUR LOVE IS STRONG and love covers a multitude of sins.

1 Peter 4:8 (ESV)

⁸ Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

  

We have a different Suburban now, and it seats 9.....we only have 8 peeps in our house right now....I keep telling Charlie we had better fill that seat, there's a lot more kids in this world that need a family and a seat in our suburban.