Christmas

Christmas:

It is a time to remember and celebrate the gift of life that we have been given through the birth of our Savior.  Christmas is one of my favorite times of year but it is also a bittersweet time for me. I love the lights and how they remind me that the light of the world came down into this dark world and how we must shine that light of hope to others. 

The lights also remind my of the Christians in prison camps in China making those lights and of so many who are suffering around the world.

It can be a time of joy and hope but also full of past memories of loved ones that are no longer with us. A time to savor the precious new memories of new lives that are here this year discovering the amazing gift God sent out of love. Yet there are still memories of those precious little lives still waiting to discover Christmas.

This year as we prepare for Christmas we can see how God has been changing our hearts and lives over the past year. Last year we were praying and waiting for our gift to come home and this year we get to watch our gift discover the greatest gift.

We love decorating the Christmas tree with special memories. This year we had 3 little trees, one for each child to decorate anyway they liked.

Cargan was so excited to buy lights for his tree. He wasn't sure what all would happen but as decorating began he realized the others had ornaments for their tree. He was concerned what he would do. We assured him that we had special ornaments for him. His face lit up as he saw the Chinese ornaments and also his special dolphin.

 The most precious part of it all was what he wanted to put on top of his tree. He went off to make “Jesus” to put on top of his tree, not baby Jesus but “big Jesus because it is His party”.

Pierson was such a sweet big brother; he graciously shared ornaments with Cargan so he would have plenty on his tree.

Pierson was excited that he had his own tree this year and was determined to do it all by himself. He is the big brother now.

  

Sarah my creative one loves children and loves China and her tree spoke volumes to who she is. She decided she would make a prayer tree. 

She found pictures of children who still need families and made prayer cards and decorated her tree with people to pray for. She also made sure Cargan had all he needed for his tree.

As Christmas is quickly coming we keep looking for ways to point us to the meaning of Christmas. I just saw a great idea in a magazine to make a paper chain and put someone to pray for on each loop. I loved the idea but was having trouble deciding who to put on. There are so many we could be praying for but the Lord put on my heart all the families going to pick up their precious children this month. What an amazing Christmas gift to finally hold that child they have loved so long from afar. As you hold each of your children this Christmas remember how much God loved us and sent his greatest gift of love from afar so what we could know his abounding love so deeply now. May this Christmas find you celebrating and sharing God’s gift of love- Jesus.

Forever Family

This week we crossed the 6 month mark. So much as happened, we have traveled through so many developmental mile stones in such a short amount of time. It has been a hard but incredible journey. As we celebrated Thanksgiving we had so many new things to be thankful for, one being family. God has reshaped our family and blessed us so much with another gift of life. Cargan brings so much joy to our family. It has been a huge adjustment but things are beginning to settle and feel a little more normal. We have been taught so much through this journey. It has made us understand on such a greater level about how God has adopted us into His family. I still can not humanly understand how a perfect amazing God would choose me a very sinful selfish person to be a part of His forever family. I am so thankful He did and that He loves me and I pray that His love will be seen through my son’s eyes as we love him into our forever family. When Cargan was asked what he was thankful for he immediately said “God and Jesus Coming” I was really taken aback as I thought it would be food, family or something more concrete. God is so at work in him. What a precious gift I have been given to watch a child discover the greatest gift in the world- the love of a Savior. It brings me to tears to think of how much God loves each precious life, so much to being them across the world to learn of His everlasting love.  

Pray for those who still wait. Who wait to know what love is. Who wait to be a part of a forever family.