My Indian Adventure...Day One

Well, I'm off. I had the normal procrastination about packing with the inevitable stress and mayhem at the end...but I'm here in OIA waiting for my adventure to begin. My plane takes off from Orlando to JFK at 11:00 and arrives around 1:30. I have a bit of a layover in New York and then we take off for London at 7:55 p.m. tonight. That will be a 7.5 hour flight to London with an 1.5 hour layover before we board our 9.5 hour flight to Chenai, India.....We won't be in India until 1 a.m. their time Monday, which is 12:30 p.m. our time on Sunday.

So many things are still up in the air about the trip so please continue to pray for me. I still haven't figured out the whole cell phone thing once I get there. T-Mobile wasn't at all helpful and I'm hoping that someone else on the trip knows way more cot to the airport to weigh my bags, after some juggling, one was 50 lbs exactly and the other was 49.5 lbs, so it looked like God had me stop shopping at exactly the right time! One whole suitcase is full of donations and gifts for Sanjay and I'm leaving it suitcase and all in India. I can't wait to give Sanjay all the presents I bought him. They told me to fill a backpack....they've never seen how much I can stuff!!!

Anyway, that's it for now. As I sit here and marvel at all the amazing things God has done just to get me to this place, it is certainly true that he can do "immeasureably more than we could ever ask or imagine".

Bye for now!

A New Adventure

Wow! I can't believe it's been a whole year since I blogged. Life has a way of just getting the better of you and suddenly time has passed you by. This past year has been full of ups and downs. We continue to learn and grow as a family and as individuals. There have been amazingly happy times and very sad times (like when my sweet girl got dumped by an evil man - mom's editorial!)

Both of my girls are in college and that makes me feel really old. Devin is in the 11th grade and is doing very well in school. We found a charter school for him that is an answer to our prayers. It's a small school and he's given any extra help he needs and is in an environment where he can thrive. We're so thankful for Legacy!

Anyway, what leads me back to the blogging is my latest adventure that I wanted to keep any interested parties updated on...

Our family has been involved with Compassion International for about 20 years now. During that time we have sponsored 4 children. Two of them we sponsored from the time they were children up through high school. One of our Compassion sons still keeps in contact with us even though he graduated from the program about 10 years ago. It has been such a blessing to get to know these kids and be a part of providing things in their lives that are routine for us, but unreachable for people in third world countries.

For about the past 13 years, we have been sponsoring a boy in India named Sanjay. He has always written the most delightful letters filled with drawings and stories about his life and family. For many years he's been asking me when I was coming to India. Being half-way around the GLOBE I never in my wildest dreams thought I would ever get to go. This past summer, God laid it on my heart to go and I told God that if he could raise the $4000 for the trip that I would go. As he often does, God provided the funds in the most amazing ways so that all the monies were there as I needed them to make the payments for the trip.

So now, here I am. I leave Saturday, February 5th for India and will return late on Wednesday, February 16th. I am traveling with a group from Compassion International made up of people from all over the U.S.

I'm asking you to pray first for the health and safety of our group as we travel and are in India. I've had so many shots I'm afraid I'll spring a leak soon! Most importantly, please pray that we will be able to minister to these people what they need and that we would develop hearts for people in need.

The very best part of the trip will be the day that I get to spend with my Indian son, Sanjay. When we started writing, he was 6 years old and now he's a man of 19! I'm so excited to get to talk with him and hear about his life and share stories about mine. I've packed so many gifts for him and his family I hope I don't tip the plane!

Well, that's about it for now. This will be the place to look for updates on my Indian adventure! Please remember to pray for us.

whitney

P.S. These photos are of Sanjay when we first started writing to him and Sanjay today. He's grown into such a handsome young man!

New Year's Thoughts

Disclaimer: This blog is my journey through what God is teaching me right now. I'm sure that there will be times when I am off or simply wrong. I am indeed a work in progress. So if you disagree with my blog or anything I say, please just pray for God to reveal wisdom to me, and resist the urge to write me nasty comments. This is just me, stumbling along in some tough circumstances, trying to see how God wants to change me.

A new year has begun -roughly to add. I think with the advent a new year there is the hope that this one will be different, this one will bring the change I've long for for so long. Sadly, most of the time there's little change, few milestones over the past year to look back on and feel a real sense of accomplishment for. For many of us, especially parents, the years seem to melt one into the next until suddenly you realize that a great portion of your life is a faint, however blurry memory. And like a person looking at a tremendous credit card bill with no idea of what he purchased for that great debt, we wonder if our lives have or ever will accomplish anything significant or memorable.

Now I'm not trying to be depressing. What I'm pondering is that a meaningful life is a life that is built on purpose. Great, long-lasting moments, achievements and those things worth remembering both my yourself and by others don't usually just happen or happen by accident. Purposeful life means putting yourself out there in places where God can use you.

This doesn't mean that it's going to be done without much fear and trepidation. I reminded myself of this as I walked into a party last night full of people and was seized with the fear that no one there would want to talk with me. I'll admit, I did go hide in an office for awhile, but then I reminded myself of my purpose went back out and did my best to build relationships. If things are to change, one must lean on the will much more than on the emotions. As I was meditating yesterday, I found a quote from Tozer that says it all for me.

"God never intended that such a being as mankind should become the mere plaything of his or her feelings. The only good that God recognizes is the willed good. The only valid holiness is a willed holiness."

Willed good. Willed holiness. A life purposefully lived. That about says it all for my goals for 2010.

Catching the Vision!

It upsets me sometimes how often I am surprised by God...how often I put Him in this little box, and in my mind seriously limit what I believe He can and will do. A voice deep inside me tells me that I should always expect the grand and glorious from God; things that stun and amaze me really shouldn't because that's what God is...stunning and amazing.

This might not seem big to you, but for those of you who have husbands like mine...it's a pretty big thing. Jay is the most wonderful man in the world, mind you, but he's very safe. He's not into risk taking; it's hard for him to take a step without a pretty good idea of where he's going. It took over 10 years of praying and (nagging) to get him to consider the road to adoption. I, on the other hand, don't think much before most things I do. I figure it will all work itself out somehow.

Since the adoption, I realized that I had found my cause. I have begun partnering with Family Services of Metro Orlando to help them promote adoption, mainly with older kids, and also mentor families going through the adoption process.

Yesterday we had lunch with a really special couple we've started getting to know. They have two young boys and are in the process of adopting a 15 year old boy. When they came, they also brought a 17 year-old boy who will age out the system in December. I immediately thought that there was something very special about this kid, but I have a social worker's heart and would bring them all home if I could. Jay spent some time with him talking and throwing the football around in the back yard. When our company left, Jay said to me, "I think I need to get involved in that boy's life." After I got up off of the floor, I told him that I agreed very much.

For so long I have been afraid that I would be pursuing my passion alone, not that Jay didn't care, but that it wasn't his passion too. A speaker at our church yesterday talked about finding your calling, and we talked that maybe this was ours as a couple, giving love and supporting kids around us that didn't have parents to do it for them.

I don't know where this will lead; more adoptions, mentoring, both...who knows? I just know that yesterday I received a very precious gift from my heavenly father and had to write it down to hopefully encourage someone else. God sure doesn't work on my schedule, but He hears our prayers and doesn't forget them and ALWAYS answers them. Sometimes we just need to be reminded...

Summer Wrap Up...

Wow! It's been awhile since I've gotten to sit down and just reflect on all that's going on. It sure has been a crazy summer, one that I would never have been able to imagine a year ago.

Devin's assimilation into the family is pretty much done. It seems like he's always been here. He continues to give me constant fits of laughter...what a goof. We've spent our summer at the beach, the Disney water parks, a little traveling, lots of baking and pretty much just hanging out together. Devin went to "cop camp" last week which I think solidified his resolve to become some sort of law enforcement officer. He bought a pair of police handcuffs and all of us have been cuffed to something since!

I've been asking God for an area of service to become involved in...an area that I could work at with passion because it was close to my heart. God has graciously let me become involved in Family Services of Metro Orlando. I have such a heart for foster children who are looking for forever families, especially the older children who know that they have very little chance of being adopted. Over the past few months I've been able to become involved in the journeys of a few families and offer guidance and especially encouragement to them as they wade through this broken system. It has been such a blessing to me to be able to give some of the support I wish I'd had while we were going through the process. I'm so excited that God has opened these doors for me. I'm anxious to see what the future holds.

I also have a new adventure for the school year as I'm going to begin a job as a substitute teacher at a Christian school. This opportunity came to me quite unexpectedly and I'm very nervous and excited about this new venture. I've really only taught adults before and wonder what classes of high school kids can do to me....pray for me!

Our girls both start college at the end of August. Erica will be studying grahic art at Valencia and Erin will be working on her biology degree at UCF. It still amazes me that I am the mother of TWO college students....where does the time go? Doesn't seem possible.

School starts back up in 8 days. I'm looking forward to days filled with routine, but have loved this lazy summer with my family. I'm ready and poised to take on the new challenges that God brings to us...and I'm excited!

Just a few pictures of what we've been up to...

Happy Anniversary!

I can't believe that it was a year ago today when we first met our son as prospective adoptive parents. In many ways it seems like years ago and then just yesterday at the same time. As I look over my blog from that day, I remember how filled with excitement, fear and hope I was all at the same time. What would he think of us? What would we talk about? I had so many questions but was so excited about what God may have for us.

Now, a year later, life is good....very good. We're preparing for a new school year at a new school. God has provided money and a job for me so that Devin can attend a local private school where he can get a really excellent education. Life is full of new things for him, braces, contacts and driver's license...he's enjoying being a teenager. My girls are college age now and it's very different having all these "adults" in the house. Our house is full of laughter and we're having a really good time.

God is good and knows what we need. It's seldom easy and without pain, sometimes significant pain, but I am learning that God's timing is perfect. God never wastes time, He created it in the beginning and still has ultimate control of it. What I may have wasted, God can redeem as well.

Today for lunch we will go back to Soprano's, the restaurant we first met at and celebrate all that God has done for us in the past year. This lunch will be a great deal more relaxed and I am excited for what God has both for Devin and the rest of us in the future.

Funny Story...

You might find this funny...especially if you know my son and how many "blond moments" he has.

Today he wanted me to teach him how to drive a stick-shift car. So, we headed out in my father's old truck for a few driving lessons. As you can guess, any of you who've driven a manual car before, there was a lot of stalling and jerking going on.

I really thought I had explained everything about the gear shift itself and how to work the stick but he was still having a little trouble knowing whether or not he had gotten the car into gear. I told him if he wiggled the stick back and forth he could tell if he was in gear or not.

After awhile, we decided to take a big loop of the parking lot. He got his foot on the clutch and put his one hand on the stick. I told him to "give it a shake" whereupon he proceeded to shake the steering wheel back and forth violently...

I'm so glad we were at a complete stop when it happened because who know what we would have hit and also because I couldn't stop laughing and when he realized what I was talking about, neither could he.

God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me." Genesis 21:6