Two Big events

Sorry I have not posted in a very long time!!!!!!
Life is so busy with 5 kids and God has been doing so many things but I will just share two for now.

Winston had hip reconstruction surgery in November and he is now ready to start strengthening his legs so he is in rehab hospital receiving hours of therapy a day. Please Pray for strength and endurance for Winston and the rest of us.

While I sit at the hospital God has been doing huge things in my Sarah's life. After graduating from high school  a year and a half early she then went on a week trip to Haiti in December where God began working His plan for her return. Here is what she has to say.

I am going back to Haiti! I am so excited to share that God has been doing some amazing things, and during the second week of February I will be headed back to Haiti until the beginning of April, and after returning home then for a short break, Lord willing I will be going back for a few more months. On this past trip God made it so very clear that serving the kids and staff at the GVCM orphanage was what I was supposed to be doing these next few months. I am so excited to be able to work alongside the missionaries there to be able to accomplish projects to help the kids and the organization as a whole that wouldn't be able to be done without an extra set of hands, as well as love on the kids who desperately crave love and attention. I am so thankful for all of the support I received from so many of you on past trips, it has meant so much. Here are a few ways you can help with this soon approaching trip: #1 Pray! Prayer is so powerful and I will need lots of it. I have prayer postcards, if you would like one please message me your address. #2 financial support, doing a long term trip is definitely not cheap, but I am trusting that God will provide a way for me to get there. The cost of my living expenses is $30 a day while in Haiti. Would you consider donating a days worth of support towards my trip? There is a place on the right hand side of my blog to donate online. #3 follow along! I will be posting updates, prayer requests and more on my blog, make sure to enter your email so you will be updated when I post: www.thiscrazybeautifulbrokenlife.blogspot.com
Thank you so much for all of your love and support, it means the world to me!
-Sarah

Please take a moment to go to her BLOG ( https://thiscrazybeautifulbrokenlife.blogspot.com/ ) and sign up to get updates on what God is doing through Sarah and how you can be praying for her. We covet your prayers. The first half of her trip will be 50 days and it costs $30 a day for her to be there. We would love if just 50 people would each sponsor a day to help her serve the orphans in Haiti. Thank you all for the blessing and encouragement you have been to our family but most of all for being the hands and feet of Christ.

Broken hearted

Broken hearted! Today was really hard, all I could do was cry. 

Precious Philip  aged out today and will never have the opportunity to be adopted. This picture is hard to look at because Philip didn't want to see us or say good bye to Winston because he longed for a family of his own. I was out in the hall crying. And today the tears flow again.

There is only one more foster brother of Winston's that can be adopted and Winston asked about him today. He wants his foster brother to have a family like he does.We told him we will share his picture and pray for him to get a family. 

 Sarah and I have had very heavy hearts since coming home and it is hard to put into words. Here is what she was able to capture;

"This is something that has been on my (Sarah's)heart for a long time, and I still don’t feel that I have the adequate words to say want I want, but I am going to try because its better than not saying anything. I don’t understand how we as Christians can move through our daily lives without a second thought as to what is happening in our world. We as a culture have become so numb to everything that we don’t see what’s going on around us. The are 153 million orphans in the world. I as type that I cant help but start crying. Just let that number sink in 153. Million. Orphans. How can we just sit here and not do anything? There is something you can do, I promise you. This is not me telling you that your family has to adopt this is me telling you that as Christians we are commanded to help the widows and the orphans. I don’t understand how we can just sit here and do nothing. It breaks my heart. See, we get to make the choice to look at the statistics, pictures, the opportunities and move on. But the children don’t have that choice. They are orphans whether they want to be or not. When you walk into in orphanage it breaks something in you, something that can never be fixed. Something that I never want to be fixed. When God opens your eyes to see more then just the little bubble you live in you never want to go back to the way it was before. But yet you do, because no one gets it. Constantly your thoughts are filled with the ones you left behind, what you can do, when you can go, and no one else understands. You sit in church and look around to see people nodding their heads when the preacher says go and do. But what are we doing? Just coming to church is not actively living out the gospel. Jesus’s ministry here on earth was not spent sitting with people who already knew about him. He spent his time with the least of these. How can we as Christians not stand up and do something when the word of God clearly commands us to do so. God will show you clearly if you’re not supposed to be doing something, so instead of sitting and waiting for him to show you want he wants you to do, start doing something. You might miss what he is trying to show you if you’re just sitting in a pew. Find something that God has given you a passion for and chase after it whole heartedly. God gives us passions for a reason! Please don’t read this and just move on. Read God’s word and let it change you. If you don’t know where to start, look around I bet there is something that you can do if you just start actively looking. You see, I have learned in my own life that I am not waiting for God to show up and do something big, I am expecting him to do so because I know that he is a big God who will do big things. I was not called to a life of sitting on a pew. I was called to a spirit lead life, in which following after Gods heart is my desire. And I’m not saying I am perfect, in fact I’m far from it. But God uses the most unworthy, broken people too do the most amazing thing for his kingdom if they just listen, and go.
Thanks for listening,
The broken hearted, Jesus crazy girl, who is ready to change the world for even just one."

HOME!!!

Precious moments!!! This is the first time they met. Winston could not wait to get to America to meet his Daddy. His dreams and prayers of having a family have come true. That smile says it all!! God is so good. We had a great trip and could feel the prayer coverage!! So far Winston is doing well. Tomorrow Peter goes back to work and I expect some hard days as this boy loves his "baba" daddy! We did not have very good internet connections and still need to transfer pictures to the computer so I hope to have more soon but I wanted to thank all of you for being a part of this amazing journey God has taken us on. All  I keep thinking is we could have missed this. There are no words to express how thankful I am that God allowed us to have a part of this amazing young mans life. There is so much on my heart and I have not had time to even process all this trip held but I look forward to writing more soon when I get a moment to sit and am not falling sleep. (Jet lag be gone!) Please keep praying!!

Getting ready to GO!!

Sorry we have been quiet. We have been busy getting everything ready. I can't believe we will be on a plane soon!!!

Please keep praying that the Lord will prepare the way and all of our hearts. Pray for safety and good health for those going and at home. Please especially pray for Moriah as she still has severe anxiety especially anytime I walk out of a room and pray for C as he is excited but really going to miss us. Pray for Peter, Pierson and my Mom as they hold down the fort at home! People ask how they can help and honestly prayer is HUGE. There are so many little things to get ready and so many emotions flying around. We will really need prayer coverage at home and over in China. Below is a brief itinerary of what is happening.

China is 12 hours ahead so I will put this in US time.

1/25 leave Newark 3:00pm

1/26 arrive in Hong Kong at 8am

1/26 fly to Changsha, Hunan 8:40pm arrive 10;20pm

1/27 adjust to time change

1/28 late that night get Winston!!!!

1/29 finalize adoption

1/30 visit orphanage

2/1 adjusting

2/2 fly to southern China

2/3 medical appontments

2/4 sight see

2/5 US consulate appointment apply for Visa your pm

2/6 pick up Visa Lord willing and drive to HongKong

2/7 Leave for home arrive in Newark

2/8 arrive in Newark 1:45 pm

HOME!!!

Keep praying!!!!

We are so thankful for all of you. Your prayers covering us during this journey are so important and we can feel them there in the darkness of the country.

We are going to CHINA!!!!

Our flights are booked.!!!! Sarah and I will Lord willing  be leaving on January 25th and meet Winston on January 29th. We will return home on Feb 9th. We are so thankful and praising the Lord for all he is doing. We have in-country details to work out and to get everything ready here for family and for traveling. Sarah and I have our packing lists ready. We still need items listed below for the orphanage so let me know if you would like to pick up anything.

Today we were blessed with a picture of Winston in the shirt we sent him for Christmas. So here is a little late Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from our family!!

Got It!!

We just got our Travel Approval today and tonight we got our second choice of appointments, so we will Lord willing be traveling on January 25th and meet Winston on January 29th !!!! Please pray for all the final plans to come together and that our estimated financial goals will meet all the needs!  We are so excited and praising the Lord for all he has done. Thank you for all your prayers and support we could not do this without all of you. Please keep praying!!!

Anytime!!

We are just waiting for the word that we have our travel approval and appointment in China and then we will be booking flights!!!! We just heard tonight that our Christmas package finally arrived!! We can not wait to hug this boy!!! Please pray for God's perfect timing and for God to prepare all our hearts for this huge change. While we wait we are making our packing lists. We did get word that the orphanage could use some things. If you would like to pick up anything listed below to donate please let me know which items and the quantity right away. We will need them by Jan10th. Please keep in mind our space and weight is limited. 

liquid iron
vitamin drops
miralax
diaper cream
sippy cups
youth plastic paint smocks
pool floats/rings
small push button toys or sorting
( for cause and effect)no soft toys
good quality lightly used kids shoes any size
(Stride Rite, Keen etc)

Thank you!!!