We can make a difference!!!!!!!

Please read the following post from my friend Amy!!! Let's make a difference.
Also, to learn more about my friend and her awesome family visit her blog at www.buildingtheblocks.blogspot.com


One Day~One Lunch
“There’s a young boy over here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?” John 6:9

Often times we are guilty of doing nothing because we can’t do it all. Often times we excuse ourselves from doing God’s work because we don’t believe we can make a difference with the little we have to offer.

On February 3rd marks 100 days of my 15 year old daughter, Addisyn, eating a small bowl of soup and piece of bread for lunch, like the children at the feeding program receive. Addisyn decided to do this so that she can donate her lunch money to Lifesong for Orphans for the children at the Adami Tulu preschool. You can read about what God taught Addisyn through our trips to Ethiopia here and here.

What to some may seem a small gift, God see’s the heart behind her efforts. He sees a child who is willing to give up the little she has for others who have nothing at all. He sees a child who did something for them- and in essence-did something for Him- with what she’d been given. Through a simple bowl of vegetable soup God has taught Addisyn so many lessons- in sacrifice and in integrity. He also blessed her efforts through a friend who decided to join in- doubling the gift.

As I was praying the other morning and thanking God for working in Addisyn's life- God brought to mind the little boy with five loaves of bread and two fish…. and how He took that child’s gift of giving what he could and multiplied it.

If you are reading this today- yes YOU… I’d like to ask you to be a part of something big. God usually preferred to work through His people. People just like you and me-and my 15 year old daughter. You have two choices right now. You can click off this page and pretend you didn’t read this and go on with your everyday life- or you can choose to see that God brought YOU here- to read this- for a purpose- to be a part of something big.

Do not worry, I am not going to ask you to do something you can’t- I am asking you to do something you can. The Average American spends between $2.00 and $8.00 a day on lunch. If everyone who reads this blog post would simple choose- on February 3rd to give up their ‘lunch money’ and then donate what they would have spent on lunch that day to Lifesong for the Adami Tulu preschool - can you image what Jesus could do? A mere $3.00 feeds a child for ONE MONTH. Can you imagine the impact we could make- simply by giving being willing to make a small sacrifice for someone else?

But more than that… can you imagine how it would affect those around us as we say ‘enough’. Enough of over abundance. Enough of the waste. Enough of going on with our lives like we are the only ones that matter. Enough of turning our back to the needs of others in this world. Enough of pretending we don’t know what to do. If a 15 year old can think of something to give, then so can you and I. No more excuses- all it takes is one day and one lunch.

So mark your calendar for Feb. 3rd and spread the word about the One Day- One Lunch Project. Put it on Facebook, add it to your blog- ask your friends, coworkers and church family to join in. Let’s make a small sacrifice- to make one big difference.

"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love."
~ Mother Teresa

Online donations: http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/donation.html
**indicate for the Adami Tulu Preschool.

Mail checks to:
Lifesong for Orphans
PO Box 40
Gridley, IL 61744
For the Adami Tulu Preschool

Two more makes Seven

I want to tell a little story...
Once there were two families who lived in different states. One family was in the process of adopting a little girl from China and another a little girl from S. Korea. Well, as they were waiting to be matched their agency sent an email stating that they had two toddlers waiting for families in Guatemala. Both these families decided to switch to the Guatemalan program and adopt these toddlers.
The families were told the girls should be home in 4-6 months. Unfortunately, the process dragged on and on. These two families connected with each other since they were using the same agency and the girls were in the same orphanage. It started as support, but quickly grew into a friendship. This friendships is one of the biggest blessings to come out of our crazy Guatemalan adoption!!!!
Our girls came home just over 5 years ago. At that point, we were pretty sure we would never adopt again. We were emotionally drained, but God had other plans. Five years later we went from 3 kids (our two bio boys and their bio girl) to 11 kids (Guatemala - 2, Vietnam - 1, S. Korea - 3, Ethiopia - 2). We are truly blessed, but the story doesn't end there.
While our friends were in Ethiopia adopting their infant son, they met two special girls. These girls are around 8-9 years old and deaf. They couldn't get these beautiful girls out of their mind! So...they are bringing them home. They are now waiting for a court date in Ethiopia.
Adoption is expensive, but so worth it. In order to help out with the costs they are selling t-shirts. Please consider being a part of bringing these precious girls home.
Here is the letter I received from them:
As you know, my husband, Al, and I have both been blessed with big hearts for orphans. While in Africa this last year, finalizing the adoption of our new son,Will, Al and I had the opportunity to meet and spend considerable time with two young girls living at the orphanage. These two girls are older (estimated to be 7 and 9 years old), they have no known family and they are both deaf. These two girls are also both bright, in need of a family to love and care for them, a home to call their own as well as the appropriate educational resources.
In an effort to raise some much needed money to help with the cost of bringing these girls home and - at the same time - raise some awareness about the simple things we can all do for orphans every day, Al and I are selling t-shirts. Please see the information attached and consider buying a shirt . . . or two . . . or three . . . We expect to mail out shirts for delivery in time for Valentine's Day!

Also, I have this form in pdf format that I can email to you if needed. The shirts are nice, and I can't wait to get mine.

So cute!

Three of my kids are doing Upwards at our church. Two are cheerleading and one is playing basketball. They are all having fun and working hard.
I was never a cheerleader! I played sports throughout school and even college (ie. volleyball, basketball, softball, track, etc.) So I wasn't sure about the whole cheerleading thing, but I have to say I think my little cheerleaders are the cutest and my basketball player is very handsome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A New Year

Well, it is hard to believe that it is 2011!
We are looking forward to all that God has in store for us this year.
The holidays were very enjoyable! We had family over on Christmas eve. It was so fun. We just had pizza and opened gifts, but it was nice to relax and enjoy each other's company.
Christmas morning was spent opening gifts and just relaxing. We then headed out to visit more family that afternoon.
On Sunday morning, we were blessed to hear Chris' brother preach about compassion. Then we went to his house and spent the whole day with the rest of the family.
Chris has been home most of the time the kids were off - so we had a lot of fun together!
Yesterday we went to the movies and watched Megamind. I wasn't sure how Riley and Ruth would do, but they did just fine. Riley ate a majority of the popcorn. The boy loves to eat.
Ruth did great during the holiday considering she hasn't been home too long. She had a few meltdowns, but did way better than expected. She loved being around all the family.
Enjoy a few more photos from our Christmas celebrations.

Christmas Programs

We have had our share of Christmas programs in the last couple of weeks!
Ethan had a band concert and Isabelle had her preschool program on the same day. Chris went to Ethan's concert and said it was very good. I went to Isabelle's and Chris and Ethan joined us towards the end. Isabelle did a great job singing. She also had a speaking part - she was so adorable! I am a little biased!


On Sunday, Heidi sang with the choir at church service. Then in the evening, Heidi, Isabelle, Riley and Ruth were part of the kid's choir performance at church. They all did an outstanding job, and Isabelle was part of the live nativity. She was an angel. Ethan was very sad after the program because he forgot to push play on the video recorder. OOPS! Luckily, we can get a copy from someone else
.
Tonight was Devin's school concert. He was really excited about it. It was very cute, and he did a great job singing.


Also, Heidi and Isabelle started Upwards cheerleading. It was so cute to watch. Devin should have started basketball, but it conflicted with the school program tonight.

I will leave you this little story: Isabelle's teacher asked "Why do we celebrate Christmas?" Isabelle said "because Jesus love us."

Look who is 10!

I can't believe Devin is ten. It just seems like yesterday he was a tiny baby.
We celebrated on Tuesday, but tomorrow he is picking where we eat after church. He still hasn't decided where it will be.
We are so proud of you Devin. We love your honesty and how you always say what you think! You are a good student, and we hope you continue to love learning.
Here are a few photos of the birthday boy!

A must see video!

Happy Thanksgiving

I can't believe it is already Thanksgiving!!

I really enjoy this holiday. It is a great time to reflect on all the blessings God has given me and give thanks to Him.

I am so thankful for my wonderful husband who works to hard to provide for our family and loves me so much. He is also a great father who loves spending time with our kids.

I am very thankful for my children! I still can't believe that God has allowed me to parent such beautiful and wonderful children. They are definitely blessings from above.

I also really enjoy getting together with family. It is so much fun to see everyone!! I am thankful that I have such an awesome, supportive, and loving family.
This year we are thankful for two new additions to our family. My brother and his wife just had a beautiful baby boy. He is definitely a blessing to our family.
Of course, Ruth is getting to spend her first Thanksgiving with us.
I know I have said it before, but she is just an amazing little girl. I can't believe all she has accomplished, learned and accepted in 3 months. We are so very proud of her.

It has been busy around here. I had a Thanksgiving lunch at school with Heidi and Devin. I also got to enjoy a Thankgiving feast at Isabelle's preschool.
Ruth was dedicated at Church on November 7th and that same day we celebrated Riley's two year "gotcha day". Riley sure keeps us busy, but he is extremely sweet!!!

Also, I went with the 4 biggest kids to see the musical "Grease" at the high school. It was a lot fun.

Here are a few recent photos!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

National Adoption Month

I have been pondering about what to write about for National Adoption Month. We have a small adoption/orphan care ministry at our church, and we usually have some sort of spotlight. This year we are going to do it in the spring so I don't have anything ready, yet.

Adoption and orphan care is our passion. My husband and I truly feel that God has called us to be a voice for the fatherless. This is not how we envisioned our life, but it is way better and blessed than we imagined!!!!!

We have done about 5 spotlights on adoption and orphan care, and several general presentations. We spend many hours trying to find the perfect words to promote adoption/orphan care, make the best heartfelt video and information sheets - you get the idea. We go in on Sunday morning, and we are pumped. We know that this time we are going to change lives! However, each time the group or church body tends to honor us. I want to scream that it isn't about us!!!

It is about 147 million children who may never experience a family!!!!!!

Don't get me wrong - our family, friends, church body love our children! It doesn't matter what they look like or where they are from. They are treated with lots of love and respect. We are so blessed. We just want them to know what we know. That, yes, these children need homes, but they will change your lives more that you will change theirs!!

What I can't understand is why Christians are not standing up for these children and making a difference. I seriously don't understand!
There are so many verses in the bible that reference orphan care/adoption. If Christians are using the bible as the guide for life then why are there orphans and children dying from hunger, disease, etc?

If 7% of professing Christians adopted a single child, there would be no more orphans.

Can you imagine?

Yes, adoption can be expensive! It takes a lot of budgeting, creativity and prayer. There are also adoption grants and low-interest loans.
I think we are just an ordinary family. My husband works two jobs, and I get to stay at home with the kids. We live on a pretty tight budget, and we do not and have never had a huge amount of money stashed away in savings (that would be nice, though). We do not own a huge home, but it works for us! The kids do not have their own rooms. They have everything they need and most of their wants, but also have learned to save their money for expensive items.

Did you know God uses ordinary people? He used us. He could use you, too! We had never considered adoption prior to a 20/20 documentary, but it has changed our lives. Not only do we have 4 beautiful children through adoption, but we learned about what was most important in life. We learned that fancy cars, houses and clothes were not that important. We learned how to budget better, trust more and love unconditionally. We have learned more about our world and our family. We also made some very special friends!!! God used adoption to teach us more about Him. Our faith has grown and our family is stronger. So many lives changed - WOW!

This month, think about what God has in store for you! Everyone can make a difference. What will you do? Foster care, adoption, sponsoring a child, donating to an orphanage, taking a mission's trip, praying daily for waiting children, helping out at a Boy/Girl's club...there are so many ways to help!

Several years ago, Steven C. Chapman made a video about the adoption of his daughters. In the video he said something like "the thing that scared him the most is that he almost missed it". He worried about so many worldly things that he almost missed the blessings of his daughters.

We can not imagine our life without any of our children. They each have added so much laughter and joy to our family. So many times we doubted our choices and worried about finances, room in our house and vehicles, what others would think, and so much more. We are so so so glad that we decided to trust God, because what we would have missed is beyond words.

Are you missing it?

Happy Halloween and 4 years home!!

We had a great weekend dressing up for Halloween. On Saturday we went to the school's Haunted Hallway and on Sunday we went to two Trunk or Treats!!
You would not believe how much candy we have - it fills a paper grocery bag!!!!!




Not only is October 31st special for Trick or Treating, but Chris and I started dating on Halloween 19 years ago!!

It was made even more special 4 years ago when our little Isabelle arrived home from Korea! She is such a special little girl, and we are so happy that God placed her in our family.

So Funny!

I just watched the funniest video. It was on a blog that I love to visit. Anyway, it is a little video about large families and adoption. We have heard almost every comment. Enjoy!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJojUMl3OWc&feature=player_embedded

Bike Day and cute hair

Isabelle's preschool had Bike Day this week! She had so much fun riding around the parking lot. Ruth and Riley also got to be part of the fun. The weather has been so beautiful this week.






Riley started running a fever on Wednesday, but seems to finally be feeling better today. He seems to be catching all the viruses the last few months.
Most of our family got to enjoy the great weather at the Renaissance Festival yesterday. They said they had tons of fun. I stayed home with Ruth and Mr. Sicky! I did not have tons of fun. Ha! Ha! They did bring me home a Reuben sandwich - that made me happy. Lesson learned: Don't buy tickets to any event in advance.

Also, I been trying new styles on Ruth's hair. This is one of them. I thought she looked adorable!!!

Branson and Noah

Last weekend we had an exciting adventure to Branson. Thanks to Grandpa and Grandma M. the whole clan was treated to the musical Noah! It was a wonderful show, and it was so neat to experience it with the whole family.



The Whole M Clan


On the way there we stopped at Lambert's. This is a very yummy restaurant, and the kids had a great time watching the waiters toss the rolls. Too funny.



We stayed at a hotel that had a waterpark indoors. All the kids had a great time, but Ruth loved it. She went up and down the toddler waterslide non-stop. Finally, we had to get her out of the water because her teeth were chattering.

On the way home, we stopped at the Bass Pro in Springfield. We also drove through Warrensburg where we bored the kids by telling them all about our college experiences and how we met. It wasn't near as exciting to them, but I loved reminiscing!!!

Feeling Good!

I am so happy to report that we are ALL feeling better. That was one contagious little virus. Ruth completed the illnesses by getting an ear infection that turned into an infection of the lymph nodes. It is good to see her happy and feeling good again.
We had our first post-adoption placement visit last week. It went well! Ruth continues to thrive and be a happy little girl.
Here are a few recent photos. There are always more photos of the little ones since the older one are at school!!

Look who is 8...

Happy Birthday to our sweet Heidi! We can't believe you are already 8 years old. You are such a sweet girl with a big heart, and we love you very much.
For her birthday Heidi went to American Girl with her sister, Isabelle! She also decided to eat at Applebee's and had her usual (Mac and Cheese).
It was a great day!

Ruth continues to do great! She went to the OT this week since she was unable to eat solids. We have a little bit of work to do with her, but she is already eating graham crackers. Wow!!! The reason she had issues with eating is because she had been on the bottle for so long she never learned how to move her tongue. She only sucked back and forth like a baby will do with a bottle. So we were taught how to stimulate the tongue to go side to side and to start weaning her off the bottle. She has been a great sport, and we feel so blessed that she is our daughter.

First Day of Preschool and more

Isabelle had her first day of preschool this year. She is in the 4 year old room. She said she had a great time, but couldn't do math yet. I said that was ok - that is why we go to school. She is so funny!

Devin came home from school sick, and Riley is recovering from his Labor Day weekend illness! I am hoping it doesn't work itself around the whole family.

Ruth is doing great. We have seen a lot of improvement in her attitude and behavior in the short time she has been home. She can keep up with the rest of the kids and is trying new things all the time! We are very proud of her.