your eyes

your eyes
they tell me all the words you cannot say
how your heart breaks because of what you've seen
because you feel unwanted
because you feel alone

your eyes tell me of a child who needs a mom
and a dad
and a family
someone to kiss them goodnight
someone to hold when they're scared

your eyes look to mine
for comfort
for love
for rest
for friendship...

those beautiful eyes
i see a twinkle in them when we hug
and laugh
and then you smile...
oh those smiles I wish I could keep ingrained in my memory forever...
smiles of hope...
and of joy....

but then it's gone....
in an instant
as you remember that we'll be gone soon
and you'll still be longing for a family
and for somewhere to belong

please see in our eyes
see the hope
the love
the joy
the peace
that only comes from Jesus

the father, and family, and belonging

the mender of broken hearts

He can make your eyes shine again -- and forever
and they're so beautiful when they shine...

Playlist

So... we are not ready to be home, yet ready to see our families.... it has been am AMAZING 9 days... I can't even explain it....

It is 1:37AM here now, and we are leaving for Moscow for the airport at 4:00AM... so we're hoping to get a few hours of sleep before then... then we have a 3 hour drive to the airport, then we fly out at 10:15AM Moscow time.... with an 11 hour flight that puts us back in good ol' Houston at 2PM. So, we'll see ya then and say 'yeehaw'..... please stay tuned for more updates from the trip... I realize they'll come after we're home, but there was just so  much and so little time to write... thank you all for praying... we definitely saw evidence of it!

Just a little playlist we'll be listening to with some songs about serving the least of these, and about kids who need homes, and some of them are just plain great songs about Jesus.... check 'em out... this is what I'll be jammin to to pass the time on the plane.

1.) All I Have Is Christ - NA Band
2.) Always - Building 429
3.) Antidote - B.Reith
4.) Background - Lecrae
5.) By Your Side - 10th Avenue North
6.) Hope Now - Addison Road
7.) Lead Me - Sanctus Real
8.) Ooh Ahh - Grits
9.) Glory To God Forever - Fee
10.) Open Hands - Matt Papa
11.) Tears of the Saints - Leeland
12.) Temporary Home - Carrie Underwood
13.) Turn Down the Music - Shane & Shane
14.) Won't You Be My Love - Mercy Me
15.) Your Hands - JJ Heller

Let the Lord speak to you as you listen...

Thank you again for all of your prayers! See you in the США....... Пока!!!!!

As if serving Jesus

So, today is Thanksgiving... and we are about to head to sleep! I have so many things to be thankful for... being in this place, with all of these sweet children who don't have families really reminds me of how much the Lord has blessed me.

Remember that all we have has been given to us by the Lord, and that there are so many people and children around the world who do not have the blessing of a family.... man... I am so thankful. Be sure to thank the one who is author of it all today...

I think I'm a few days behind, but it's just been so crazy!

Wednesday:

Wednesday started a little slower than all the rest of our days. It was really much needed! We slept in a little bit, had some breakfast and Viktor met us to take us to his dorm.  He toured us around his dormitory where him and our friend Vanya live. They have 1 boys shower and 1 girls shower per floor and 1 kitchen per floor. Viktor's room is so cozy, and you can tell the boys have tried to make it home! They have pictures of friends and albums. After that, we went to meet our friend Keith Doyle at our most famous 'Coffee Bean'. We LOVE this place :) Keith flew in from Boston on Tuesday and we are now partnering with him in the rest of our time here. It is amazing how the Lord works because Keith said that seeing that Erin and I were here is what gave him confirmation that he was supposed to come this week! Also, because Viktor and Slava left for Finland, it really is amazing that Keith is here to help get us around the city!!! What an amazing provision from the Lord! Then Viktor had to leave us to go to driving class, so his roommate Vanya (who speaks little english) was our 'tour guide'! Viktor made sure that we had someone to take care of us in his absence! lol Vanya took us to the store where we got some juice and things and then we headed to their wednesday night bible study! Erin taught a bible study on John 15.... Love God & Love others -- having unity.... it was a great night with some great spirit lead conversations! We met some new friends, and heard a story about a sweet couple named Gayana and Artur (more on that to come later... I'm sure that will be its own post)... but man, it was a great night talking to our brothers and sisters in Christ about how we are called to serve others as if serving Jesus...

It's amazing to see how much the enemy is trying to ruin what God is doing here... we have been seeing God do some AMAZING things... but in the same way... we also see the enemy attacking in specific ways as well... please just continue to pray!



***So, it's amazing how American music comes on so much here... and for some reason we have a specific connection with a certain song.... SO ... Viktor, me, Vanya and Erin were in a taxi and all the sudden we hear... "It's too late to apologize.... It's too latteeeeeeeeeeeee"  Oh man, after laughing hilariously we sang (horribly probably).... along together. Again, Russian Taxi driver probably thinking he's picked up some crazy americans.... what is it with us and taxi's??!!?!?!******

God Ordained...

So, yesterday (Tuesday) was a crazy day filled with LOTS... I feel like I've said that about every day... but oh well :)

We started out by going to get registered..... the process is the most ridiculous thing filled with minute details to make it miserable and take up travelers time lol.... First, you must make copies of all of your documents, then you must go to the bank and pay 2 rubles per person per day for the amount of time you will be in Russia.... for each of us it ended up being 18 rubles.... which is not even a dollars worth... so its kind of silly! Then we go to the registration office where they tell us that we need 2 bank documents instead of just 1 receipt of payment.... oy! anyway- finally we get done and are ready to start the day!

Viktor met us after he got done with his university classes, and we headed to the church to go with one of the local pastors to a new orphanage. It took about an hour and 20 minutes to get there, and once we got there, we only had a short time to stay because we had to have Viktor back in Ryazan for his driving class.... BUT we definitely were supposed to be there... The director was on her 'rest time' but she came back just to meet with us. She was so inviting and welcoming. The pastor even told her that we are Christians and that we love to work with orphanages... she said that the kids love to have visitors.... and even invited us to come back next time! So many more details, but not enough room to write them all! :) We then go to go meet some of the kids.... the people from this church come and work with the kids once a week... they had 3 different bible classes (OPENLY) and they were doing studies and things with the kids that we have only dreamed of doing!!!!! AMAZING! We were so excited to make this connection and so excited to see what the Lord has in store for the future.

After that, we headed back to Ryazan and headed to the Ministry Center. We had called some graduates, and the ministry center had tried to get in contact with some as well, but we weren't even sure who would show up.... on the way, Erin called Lonya (a boy she'd become close to the first few years) and he said that he couldn't come because he didn't' have the money for transportation. He said he may hitchhike from his village, but didn't know... so - Erin just started to pray.... pray that somehow he could come and that she would get to talk to him.... we called him back in about 45 minutes, and he said he'd be there! Praise the Lord! He answered her prayer! When we got to the ministry center, there weren't many kids there, but soon enough the place was jumping with familiar faces! Slava and Keith Doyle (our friend from Boston who decided Sunday to come to Russia and arrived yesterday!!!!!!!!) picked up 'german hamburgers' for all the kids! We were able to hang out and talk with lots of our fav Russians... and then some of them left because they have to get back to their dorms before they close. After that, we were sitting with some of the boys, and crazyness started an amazing God-ordained conversation..... I can't even explain the depth of it, but they were so involved, and they were so interactive -- One thing I remember is asking them, "So, who is Jesus to you?" and Zhenya (that went to the army) said "Savior" ... man, what sweet words. Also, a few said that they knew Jesus died for them, but "what do we do now?"... AMAZING! Erin was able to share her testimony and Sergei (Viktor's brother) said that it was actually a lot like his... By the end of the conversation, you could see the difference in his and Zhenya's countenance.... it was as if a burden had been lifted... they looked encouraged and joyful -- what a great conversation! Man, I can't even explain.... God is so good. That's all I can say.

The cool thing is that Viktor was translating for us this whole time... he was doing such a great job... I cannot imagine how stressful and tiring it is to translate such crazy conversations, but we are SO proud of him. He has been our 'tour guide' thus far on our trip, and we are so thankful for him. God has huge plans for him.

We are seeing the results of your prayers, we are seeing God move, and we are SO thankful for all of your support!!!!!!

Prayer Requests:
- we are leading a bible study tonight... pray that the Lord would direct our words
- today is our last day with Viktor... pray that the Lord would use this time to continue to encourage him
- pray that we would be able to go back to our orphanage tomorrow
- Erin is feeling a little sick... pray that the Lord would guard her from illness
- that we would have some more time with Nastya P.

Слава Богу!!!!!!! (Praise God)

I am so thankful for notebooks... seriously, I am a journaling person... and it's at times like these that I remember why I love it so much! I feel like we've been here for a week! We have done so many different things and seen so many different kids that I feel like I could write 10 posts and not give you all the details of the past 2 days!

I'm going to give you the short(er) version!!!

Sunday:
The day started with Nastya (one of the graduates that we came to see) meeting us at Slava's house. We took the trolleybus (bc we're so russian), and met Viktor and then went to the Baptist church. The service was long, and we couldn't understand..... BUT the reason I love going there is because of what comes after the service... I have made some great connections in the past with some college age people there, so we stayed and hand lunch at the church with them. They are always so welcoming! It was a great time of fellowship and encouragement. Also, at this church there is a rehabilitation center for boys/young men that are struggling with alcohol and drugs. We met a young man who is living there and heard his story of redemption through Christ.... it was great to hear what the Lord is doing there. After that we went to the Coffee Bean (be jealous Ricardo!!!!) and got our traditional cheese sandwich and cappuccino and had a great talk with Nastya about the Lord. She had a chance to tell us her story and it was great to get that time with her. We then went to Slava's church (the pastor that we are staying with). Many of the students from our orphanage have started to attend this church, and so it is so amazing to walk in and see faces of students that we already know and love.... and they are sitting in a place where they will here scriptural truth about Christ. I am just SO amazed! After a great service, we were able to get to talk to Valdemar and his friend Ruslan. Ruslan is living in a transition home for orphan graduates, and he shared about his experience so far with that. The pastor of the church with the transition home took us on a tour of the transition home... and it was there that he told us that in the Ryazan Region alone there are 3,000 students living in orphanages.... how heartbreaking. Finally, to end the night, we took some of the kids for dinner and then went bowling! Some graduates from the orphanage, some girls from the baptist church, some from Slava's church...... it was great to see the Lord making connections between all the different church bodies represented there..... also that night, Nastya spent the night with us and we were able to have some quality time just hanging out with her! What a day... and God provided us many opportunities to talk about His Son!


Monday:
Monday started early again... we realized that we hadn't registered here yet (this is a very big deal.... when you leave Russia, they look at your visa application and look at the place where you registered upon arrival and they make sure that you came to the place where you said you were going -- a person may run into problems if they do not follow protocol). After running errands, we headed out to the orphanage. We were prayerfully approaching the situation of going to the orphanage but we'll just say this --- the Lord completely worked out EVERYTHING! We met with the director and then when we left her office, all I saw were sweet little faces RUNNING up to us to hug us and say hello..... man, my heart is breaking for these kids. We ended up spending 4 hours there!!!!! We sat in the craft room with kids of all ages coming in and out, but we were able to spend some time with them...... and see them smile. I fee like it's not that often that they smile.... i mean really smile... anyway; one of my favorite parts was seeing Zhenya (a boy I met when he was 12)... for some reason God has drawn me to him... he has been one of the ones I've had a huge burden for... and I got to talk to him for a good while.... and I saw God make a connection between him and the pastor that went with us.... man, God is SO good... I can't even do justice to what He is doing with this little (yeah, ok, not so little) blog post. After leaving the orphanage we called some friends and decided to take some graduates and some friends/translators to a pizza place for dinner... what a GREAT time of fellowship, laughter, and conversation.... man, GOD IS GOOD!

I feel like there is so much more... but if you want to hear, trust me we'll be happy to tell you when we get home!:)


Prayer Requests:
- that we would have another chance to go to the orphanage
- get the graduates connected to local believers who can pour into them
- continue to be aware of opportunities to talk about the Lord
- that the Lord would give us energy & rest in the midst of our crazy schedule! (we have had full days and not full sleep :)
- we would be able to get in contact with graduates that we have not yet seen
- for our friend Keith Doyle as he travels to Russia and arrives Tuesday!!!!


*** Funny story to follow.... disclaimer.... if you're tired of reading.... you can skip this part..... it's of no spiritual significance or really important at all.... but it sure was funny!!!!*****

(Pause for Background: At the orphanage, Erin's camera battery died, then my camera battery died, then on the way home, our phone battery died.... so when we got home, I was going to post a blog before going to pizza... but our laptop was dead.... so....)

Resume story...

Charly: 'ugh! it's dead... like everything else'
Erin: 'yeah, like your attitude'
Charly: 'bahah, that's not nice'
Crazy laughter ensues.......
(10 minutes later in the Taxi)
Charly: 'You know, I was talking about electronics, not life in general'
Erin: 'Ok, so you either just said, 'My elctronics are not life eternal' or 'my electronics are not a live turtle'
Charly: 'bahahahhahhaah'
Erin: 'bahahahahaa'

I'm sure this Russian Taxi driver is thinking he's driving two crazy americanski's around!!!! Man, can you tell we're sleep deprived!!?!?!

We're HERE!!!!!

So, after waiting a loooong few months, making about a million necklaces to raise funds (Thanks again to all those who supported!!!!) and finally fitting all of our gifts for our sweet friends into our suitcases (needless to say this took quite a long time.... who knew Peanut butter could complicate things so much lol) we headed for Houston on Thursday!

We arrived at the airport a little late, and saw the line for security and thought OH NO! but, we were able to go through the 'first class' line which was much quicker. We had a minor setback while waiting for the plane -- at one point I remember thinking, "We're not going to be able to go...", but God worked out EVERY detail (Even our flight was delayed... I believe without that we would not have had time to get everything resolved!) ... God put specific people in place at the exact right time... and obviously we got on the plane and are now in RUSSIA!

We landed in Russia, walked through customs and got our baggage the fastest that we have EVER done! We walked out into the airport looking all over for Viktor (all the while we are trying not to look at all the cab drivers offering us a ride... yikes!) .... and all of the sudden someone comes up behind us and scares us to death!!!!! Viktor!!!!!!!!!! We are so happy to get to spend some time with him this trip! Yay! We went out to meet Slava at the car, and then headed to Ryazan! It was a great drive... the weather is a bit rainy... but not as cold as we thought it would be... maybe in the 30s/40s!

That night when we got back to Ryazan we went straight to a 'party' at Slava's church... One of the first faces that we saw when we walked in was Valdemar! He is a great young man, and close to our hearts -- he graduated from Solotcha this year, so we were so excited to see him at the church! Some missionaries from America were sharing about their experiences, and also some students from the international church were there as well -- one that I met was from Zambia!!!! (shout out to my friend Katy!!!!!!!!!! :)

One of my favorite parts of these trips is to hear everyone singing praises to the Lord in their own language... I think it is one of my absolute favorite sounds... and it was a great night of worship Friday night!

This morning (Saturday) we got up and headed to the church and sat in on their 'leadership meeting', after that we went to the orphanage where Viktor coaches soccer. It was Erin and I's first time there... the orphanage is larger than I would have expected. We went in and went to the gym where some of the boys were practicing with Viktor. We hung out on the sidelines and cheered them on, and watched as the little ones that weren't playing at the moment did flips and took pictures with our cameras..... it just breaks my heart to meet more and more kids that don't have families. It really was a fun afternoon with them, and we're hoping to return.

We came back into town, and had a small girls bible study. The american missionary from seattle fixed lots of fun snacks, and we talked with the girls about the story of the woman with the alabaster box...

A great few days coming to an end.... its 1: 28 AM here and we're about to go to sleep.... we're so excited to see what the Lord has in store for the next week!!

  Here are some ways you can pray...


- focused/purposeful conversations with all we come in contact with
- that God would work across the language barrier...
- that God will helps us connect with kids that He has put on our hearts to get in contact with
- that we will be allowed to visit the orphanage and see our kiddos
- encourage the local believers 
- ultimately that we would be sensitive to the spirit moving and be able to share the good news with all we meet

*countless*

I am recently finding that when the Lord is teaching you something, He gives you many opportunities to put into practice that character skill that he is teaching. He has designed it lately in my life like this... I am struggling with something right now, and this week alone, I have had countless opportunities -- *and when I say 'opportunities' what I really mean to say is super tough/hard situations that make me realize all I can do is trust in my Savior* -- anyway- countless.... I mean countless opportunities to look to the cross instead of worrying or being discouraged....


I must confess -- I am still working on this... but I'm thankful that the Lord gives many chances because if He only gave me one opportunity to show growth in a specific area, I would, in all honesty, screw it up. When He gives multiple opportunities, I hope with each situation that I can grow closer and closer to having a complete Christlike reaction -- again, I am still working on this... but I am beginning to see a pattern in some recent happenings and some things that the Lord is obviously calling me to 'work on'... Have you noticed any 'patterns' in your struggles? Do you think that these are something that the Lord is trying to teach you? Here is the kicker.... are you being a good student? (Again, I must admit -- I haven't been... I don't listen very well... but I am now trying to have my eyes & ears on my teacher alone...) 


I know that the Lord is at work... Russia in 2 weeks... and I know that He has something big (mostly b/c I've seen the enemy up to no good more recently than in a looooong time...) I just want to trust.... I want to trust completely

Tug of War

Lately, my heart has been pulled in so many directions. It's this constant tug of war between my flesh and my spirit. I seem to struggle constantly with the same things over and over... The Spirit reminds me of who my Savior is, and that my God provides for every need, and that He ALONE satisfies.... that tells me I am created in the image of God and that He has a plan for my life. Yet, the enemy tells me that I am insignificant. That I am incomplete in certain areas in my life. That I, because I am different from other girls, am not 'good enough'. My flesh desires certain things so much..... so much it is overwhelming. And lately in those overwhelming moments, I seem to hear the lies of the enemy over the truth of my Savior.

I need help. I need the Lord to come in and renovate this heart of mine... I need to listen to the Spirit and to combat the lies of the enemy that come into my mind, and that come from the lips of others. 

I think the root of the issue is my selfishness, and that when it all comes down to it, I focus on 'me'. I was reminded tonight, that when we pray and seek the Lord for who He is, His power, His will, His glory, then it gives us such a different perspective on out 'needs' an 'desires'. I need and want to lay aside 'me'.... 

I know that while I am still in this flesh, there will always be struggle... but I know the Lord is calling me to trust and be satisfied in Him no matter what.... rich or poor, single or married, healthy or sick, living in the states or living across the globe.... He is calling me to trust that His way is better... I want to live this daily .... because I am so tired of this tug-of-war. 

The Lord is good, and He alone satisfies. I must fight my fleshly mind & the enemy that tells me otherwise. 

Background

Lecrae is one of my favorite artists..... his lyrics convict me in so many ways. He released his new album last week titled "Rehab" - and I've been listening to it constantly since then. I really love it.... that being said, this is the one song i'm stuck on at the moment... I want to share it w/ you b/c I think it's awesome -- and so true.  Check it out.

Always - Always!!!!!

This trip in November will be my 6th trip to Russia to work with the sweet kids I've come to love. That means 6 times of 'Fundraising', and MANY times of seeing God's provision. I can't begin to tell you all of the stories of how the Lord has provided for me and for our teams over the past few years... but I'm sure if I really sat down to write it out it would take ALL DAY! 

That being said, God has completely blown my mind again! Erin and I have been making necklaces for the past few months to raise funds for our trip, and a friend of mine gave me the idea that we should have a table at Fair on the Square this year to try and sell some necklaces. My first thought was, "What!?!?!? Maybe, but I'm not sure if anyone will buy them!!" haha.... But after thinking about it, I thought it was a great idea! 

Bert let us set up in front of the Facemaker, and we had a table today! Let me tell you - God never ceases to amaze me...... we went in today having just enough for one plane ticket.... (last time we counted what we had, it was $642 exactly - one round trip ticket to Moscow!!) Anyway- we set up today.... we had our necklaces, and then some amazing hand made stuff that my dad's sweet friend donated to our cause.... and through all of that, we raised enough money for both of our plane tickets, our visas, and enough for some expenses while we are there! God is SO GOOD! His faithfulness to us is SO good, and I love that it is continued confirmation that He is behind this! We could not do it with out Him! 

So, THANK YOU THANK YOU to all of you that came out today, we SO appreciate it, and we are SO excited to make this journey with you.

The rest of the funds that we raise will go to expenses during the trip (hopefully taking some of the orphan grads to dinner, coffee, helping those who are in need to get some things for their dorm rooms [specifically a sweet girl named Nastya (see Nastya's Apartment , etc and maybe even buying gifts for the children at the orphanage!) We are so excited to see what the Lord has in store in the next months as we prepare to go! 


That being said.... God is FAITHFUL! 


Always - Always!!!!!!!

Just some examples!

Hey guys, I figured it would be good to put some examples of different styles of necklaces that we've been making! There are numbers to the left of each design, and if you want that specific type, you can put that in the 'comment' section of your order! Also, we've been making some "Hornet" ones, some "SHSU" ones, some aTm ones, and some "AOA" ones!!! :) We can do names, initials, etc! :)

We really need your support, so we'd love for you to order! 

Here are some of our designs!

Order below :) 

bucket list

So, my dear friend Katy posted a great blog the other day... and it really got me to thinking! It was her and her husband's 'bucket list' .... and I thought it would be fun to do the same.... and I'm not going to lie -- I stole some of hers b/c she gave me some great ideas hah :) 

here are just some things that I would like to do eventually in my life.... 'desires' of sorts! :)

in no particular order:

- graduate COLLEGE! ( if all goes according to plan - SOON!)

- speak Russian (fluently)

- learn to play the guitar

- adopt a sweet child from Russia

- go Skydiving!!

- be a barista at Starbucks

- go to Hawaii

- be a stay at home mom

- go to Israel (funny story about almost going in 2006!!)

- catch a fly ball at a major league baseball game

- create an organization & raise awareness for orphans in Russia/sex trafficking 

- marry a man who loves Jesus more then he loves me (if that's the Lord's plan - that is!!)

- see Reba in Concert (*check!!! - went in April from my sweet friend Dee's birthday!)

- see George Straight in Concert!!! 

- rack up enough frequent flyer miles to get a free ticket :)

- go on some sort of "name that tune" show and win!!! (I have a crazy memory with lyrics! hah!)

- sing! 

- ride in a hot air balloon!!!!!

- go to Alaska and see an igloo!
- go to a Jonas Brothers concert (go ahead and laugh!!! haha :)  

- actually finish all the books that i start to read (that's a pretty big task... lol)

- write a song

- know scripture inside and out

- make up a really cool recipe 

- work with habitat for humanity 

and the one I will always be working on...

- be a proverbs 31 woman

of course-- i realize some of these are completely random, and i'm sure there's more to come - but would be fun!!! these are only desires that I have, and it's the Lord who puts things into motion... so who knows what He has... but I'm excited to be on board! :) 

Again, thanks Katy for the inspiration! Hope you don't mind my 'copy-catting' you! :) 

God's purpose or mine?

This is a devotional from Oswald Chambers from July 28th... it's really stuck with me... and I think it's something that God is really teaching me...

'We tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God’s purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.


What is my vision of God’s purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish— His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see “Him walking on the sea” with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see “Him walking on the sea” ( Mark 6:49 ). It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God.

God’s training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself.

God’s purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious.'

I think that so many times I get caught in the mindset of an 'end result'... It's so much our culture to want instant answers.... But in our life with Christ we are called to walk day in and day out.. we are called to 'run the race with perserverce' (Hebrews 12:1) and to persevere through trials of many kinds (James 1) and to be patient [long-suffering]  in all circumstances (MANY places, but in 1 Cor 13 recently)...
 
I just wonder why I keep looking to the next 'step' or 'end result' or whatever you may call it, when all of those things above talk about something that takes time? Perseverance isn't short-lived... Long-suffering is named for the time it takes to execute.. The ultimate call on my life is to bring God glory, and to do that, I must become more like His son...and God molds us to be more like him in the 'process'... it's more about the process than it is about the goal.. since I'm in transition -- this makes me think of school (i finally graduate in December... ) now -- the goal is what I'm looking toward (graduation) but I can't help but think that if I didn't have *cough* 5.5 years *cough* of 'process' (learning/growing/falling on my face and getting back up/etc) then my degree would just be an expensive slip of paper... I want to seek Christ for the sole purpose of seeking Christ--growing in Him--not just pushing toward a goal and not using the time that it takes to get there to fall more in love with my Savior
 
So - I am embracing the 'process'... whatever that means... whatever life stage I may be in, I want to grow more like Christ and bring Him glory now... I want to embrace that His purpose is for me now... Whatever He has for me will come to pass, but when I think about His 'purpose' for me... I want to be continually molded, shaped, and 'prepared'..... and to let each moment be a moment that I may fulfill God's purpose for me -- may He be glorified.

so much on my mind...

Have you ever had one of those weeks? Or few weeks? Not 'bad' necessarily... but just super challenging? 

That has been my life for the past few weeks. I know that it is because God is really challenging me, and wanting to mold me into a woman who knows His love more... 

but -- it's still super hard. It seems like every time I turn around, the Lord is revealing another flaw and insecurity... and giving me another opportunity to rely on His love and not the love and acceptance of others... I'll be super honest... I'm the kind of person who likes to 'fit-in'... but God is really revealing to me that I depend on that feeling of acceptance to give me worth...

I want to be a woman who gets her complete worth and value from her Savior -- not from friends, boys, parents, etc... although God can use those people to encourage you and affirm you... we shouldn't rely on what they say or what they think to make us who we are... our value is found in Christ... and that He loves me so much that he laid down his life for me.

Here is just one of the many verses I have been trying to dwell on lately...

I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. - Psalm 139:14

what faith can do...

I had the opportunity to go camping with several families from our church this weekend -- and it was SO much fun (I mean HOTTTT lol)... and it actually turned out that 6 of the kids that were with us had been adopted from Russia... and our friend Viktor who is 22 and grew up in our orphanage is here to visit to so he was with us as well... that made 7 out of 17 people on the trip Russian! And the family who planned the trip actually got their call for their court date about a week before the camping trip, so they were actually in Russia in court during the trip! [side note: the Judge said YES! So sweet Vanya will be home in August!!!!] It was amazing to look around and see these sweet kids. We were all roasting marshmallows and watching the kids run around like crazy -- and someone made the comment.... "Sometimes I just think about what they would be doing right now... what they would be thinking, how their life would be if they were still in Russia." The fact is that they would probably never have had the opportunity to experience a lot of the things they are experiencing if they were still in Russia growing up in an orphanage. It is just amazing to think how much God has rescued them from... things we don't even know.





That being said, I want to share this video with you. God has really been moving through families in our church for the orphan. These families are either done with their adoption process, or are right in the middle. I love watching this video and seeing all of the sweet faces that God has rescued out of orphanages or from hard situations and placed in families!

That being said, I want to encourage you to pray. There are still tons of kids around the world that are without families tonight... and as they their head down, they wonder why... pray that God would wrap his Daddy arms around them and comfort them... and pray that God would continue to break families heart's for these children, and that He would place them with a forever family. 

We know what awaits these kids if they are not adopted.... we have seen it first hand... even just recently with Nastya's apartment. BUT - they CAN come to know Jesus and make a difference... that is why we go to Russia... to share with the children that they are important to our Father whether they are ever adopted or not... they can have a forever family in Christ.

this is reality...

So, I want to share some images with you... and I would love for you to pray for this sweet girl, Nastya... I shared a little bit of her story earlier this month, and we were able to get some pictures of the apartment that was left for her from when her parents passed away. Right now the conditions are [to say the least] unlivable -- so we are praying about what our next step can be in helping the sweet young girl get on her feet... please pray with us...


We have been able to form a relationship with a local pastor in Russia, and he picked up one of the care givers from the orphanage and then went out to the camp where Nastya is and picked her up to take them to see Nastya's place... it has had boards over the windows/doors so they haven't been able to see it... but we wanted to know what condition it was in so we would know how to help her... and these are the photos they sent us...
This is just one story, but sadly this is a reality that some of these orphans face when they leave the orphanage... 

Please pray for resources, and for some people that can be Christ to Nastya and help her get this place in order to be a home... she has to leave the orphanage by the end of August...

Abba changes everything...

My dear friend Nicole came by the church office the other day, and wanted to share an article with me that she found in this month's Christianity Today magazine. She obviously knows me very well, because the article is about adoption -- and the church's call to serve the orphan and fatherless. 


Of course, I copied the article, and it has been nicely placed in the back of my notebook since Tuesday. (These are the kids of things I like to be able to sit down and really read... ) So I finally had some time last night -- this article blew me away... Russell D. Moore wrote the article, and he also wrote the book Adopted for Life (which I am now going to borrow from a friend -- I've been meaning to read it for a while but just never had the chance...) 


That being said, this article speaks to the core of who we are as the church... it talks about how the topic of adoption can't be merely a 'theological' statement and way to explain our adoption into the body of Christ, and it cannot be merely a 'mission' statement of how we are to love the fatherless and defend the orphan....


It must be both. Because that is the foundation of our salvation -- it is also the foundation of our call. Are we not to be Christ-like? Are we not to strive to be more like him? How close to His heart is adoption -- because I am an adopted daughter.... I would say very close, and for that I am SO thankful. 


This is not an article telling everyone to go out and adopt a child -- but it does speak of ways that the whole church can get involved.... my best suggestion for you would be to read it, because my little synopsis can't do it justice... Abba Changes Everything 


Please read, and pray about how the Lord would have you be a voice for these sweet children... 

feeling crafty :)

So, I've been feeling super-duper crafty lately (thanks to my friend Katy Stone - who introduced me to the world of craft-blogging... SO FUN by the way!!)


Sooooo -- I found an idea online that I've been working with... basically they're glass tiles that you use different scrap-booking paper with and then make them into necklaces. I've been using ribbon as the 'chain' because you can accent with different colors!


I have made quite a few different ones in the past month... we made about 50 to take with us to Russia and give as gifts for the translators, and girls that we met! I think they enjoyed them!!


One of the couples from our church that is adopting from Russia asked me to make some for them to take as gifts to give on their upcoming adoption trip... so of course my answer was YES :) Another excuse to craft! haha!! Here are the ones that I picked out for their trip...

There are SO many different styles to chose from, and here are just a few that I've done! :) the one in grey says 'любовь' which means 'love' in Russian :) 


I think I may have some fun ideas for these in the upcoming months... I will probably use them to help raise funds for my next endeavor to Russia!!!

Here are a few closer shots :) Hope you like!

The ones with Russian writing are my favorite ;)

If you're interested in a necklace -- let me know! I can pretty much customize them in any way possible :) 

FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!

Our friend, Viktor, from Russia has been wanting to come visit the states for a few years! He grew up at our orphanage, and He came to California when he was 16 to stay with a family... he became very close to them, and even talked of the possibility of being adopted. He ended up staying at the orphanage,until he was 18, graduated, and is still going to school at a University in Russia. He trusted Christ when he was 16, and has definitely been growing in his faith these past few years!

Keith and Erin met him about 4 years ago on their first trip to the orphanage -- and then I met him a year later on my first trip to Russia. Since then, he has become like part of our family... and this past trip, he was definitely a part of our team as we shared our faith with those we came in contact with!

He really has a heart for kids, especially kids that are growing up in orphanages -- because he knows what it's like... He has started working at a different orphanage teaching the kids to play soccer and building relationships to be able to share Christ with them!

We are SO excited for him to be here... He'll be here from July 9th (that's THIS friday!! woo hooo!!!) to August 27th!!!!!!!!! So I really want you guys to meet him... be praying for his time here, that it will be a time of rest, and a time of growing in the word... he really thrives of off fellowship with other believers, so I'm so excited for him to get to do that while he's here. I know God will continue growing him so that he can go back to Russia and be a light to the people there!!

We're trying to figure out some fun things for him to do while he's here in Tee-has (Yee-haw!!) lol... so let me know if you have any ideas :)

what an awesome reunion that would be..

Our church sponsors our orphanage through Children's HopeChest... this organization strives to meet the needs of orphans across the globe...

That being said, when you sponsor through Children's HopeChest, you get the opportunity to write to your sponsored child. They have made this process very easy, and all you have to do is go to the HopeChest website. Write

If I am honest with you, I must tell you that I do a horrible job of writing consistently. There are so many kids that I want to communicate with, and usually I get in the trend of writing about 10 letters in 1 day, and then I won't write again for a few months. I have made a commitment to try and be better about this. If I write a few letters a week, I can correspond with all the kids...

Let me tell you -- sometimes, our letters are the ONLY time that these sweet kids hear about who Jesus is besides when our teams are there (and that is maybe once a year)... so I would say this is VERY important...

One of the tendencies I have is to only write again once I get a letter back. And the kids are not good at writing back -- either time constraints, or they don't feel like it that day... they just don't write that often. After talking with some of the Russia staff, I realized that it's really not about whether I get a letter back or not, but it's about these kids knowing that they have someone that cares for them. The discipler for another orphanage said that when she goes, the kids ask her if they received any letters, and it breaks her heart when she has to say no...

Let me tell you a story that one of the HopeChest staff told me... it totally put a new perspective on writing letters to these kids...

There was a sponsor that faithfully wrote her sponsored child once a month for about 3 years... she NEVER got a letter back. As far as she knew, the girl didn't get her letters, or didn't care.... but she wrote. What a faithful woman. The little girl ended up getting adopted to America. Her new family contacted the woman that had sponsored her, and told her that the only thing that the little girl had wanted to bring from Russia was a pile of letters from this woman. Of course, the woman had no idea that they meant this much to this child, but she knew God was calling her to just be faithful.

What a beautiful story... I think it speaks to all of us (not only about writing or sponsoring a child through HopeChest) but about being faithful to what God has called us to... even if it seems like it's not making a difference -- you never know what God is up to!!!

If you are interested in sponsoring or writing a child, please get in touch with me... and if you already do, please write.... write.... write and write some more and write about Jesus!! -- you never know what little heart God is touching through you... even when you don't hear back.... what an awesome reunion that will be in the heavenly Kingdom one day...