2 Tarps + 8 Bottles of Soap = 4th of July Family Fun!

Between the Beauty & Chaos

If you have known me for a while, then you have probably heard of Aaron Ivey. Actually, there is a good chance I have given you one of his CD’s (formerly of the band Spur58).

Aaron is one of the most talented “artsy” guys I know. The guy is a rock star with adoring fans everywhere. Come to think of it, some friends of mine call him Vibey Ivey…..the dude is flat out cool. But honestly, behind the rock star image, there are few people that have a heart for Jesus like Aaron. A true desire to love the things Christ loved, serve the people Jesus served, and generally give all of himself, his talents, and his family to our Lord.

We have known each other for about 5 years and in that short time, he has had a huge impact on my life and my journey to be more like Christ. Well, to keep this short and because I am getting uncomfortable with all this mushy talk about another guy, this is his latest solo project and it is really really good. And if my recommendation isn’t good enough to convince you to buy his record, it is also the #1 Christian and Gospel album on iTunes……so there, trust the iTunes majority since they will never lead you astray! (insert a wink wink and a comment about how Boom Boom Pow by the Black Eyed Peas is also #1)

What can you do?

Not looking for your money….just your prayers!

Word is our adoption advocates in Haiti are going to try to submit our dossier into IBESR this week despite the fact that we don’t officially meet the adoption “requirements”.  Just read through our newly updated (your welcome) Adoption Story if you are wondering what the “requirements” are and why we would be trying to adopt when we don’t “officially” meet them…….lots of “quotation” marks being used, huh?

Please pray that IBESR will take them.  And pray for something God sized to happen; not only will they take them but they will fly through the system in record time.  I believe, or at least am trying my best to, do you?  If you do, please pray.  If you don’t, please pray and let’s grow in this faith/trust thing together.

So is this an adoption blog or what?

Yes….or at least that is certainly why it was created. Adoption, more specifically our call to adopt from Haiti and the ensuing journey, along with information about the happenings of our family…the good, the bad, the beautiful, and the ugly. Since adoption activities are slow, it certainly seems like I blog more about God’s dealings with me. Interesting and inspirational….questionable. Real and authentic….definitely.

But, without further ado, an adoption update. Drum role please………

SLOW…that’s how things are going. Almost a year after taking this leap of faith, we are still basically waiting to get this adoption off the ground. That is NOT to say that MUCH (if much was ever an understatement it would be now) hasn’t happened over this past year. Our faith journey has lead us straight to Naomi. And what a blessing to our family she is. She has challenged and taught us, bent and broke us.

At this moment we are still waiting to get our dossier (collection of adoption papers) submitted into Haiti’s IBESR (basically Haitian Social Services). It remains one of the longest, most critical, and faith/trust testing steps in the entire Haitian adoption process. They are still operating under the 35/10/0 law (basically Age/Years Married/Number of children) but recent activity has shown that there is once again some leniency on the 10/0 part.

During our May visit to Haiti, I was able to sit with our orphanage director/crew and testify to them about our assurance of God’s calling and commitment to walk this path, no matter what, for as long as He commands us. Their response, “We will walk this path with you and take our direction from you as you take your direction from God!” They even committed to attempt to submit our dossier to IBESR even though we know fully that we don’t meet the current “law”. Their prayer, “Lord, place scales over their (IBESR workers) eyes, allow these papers to fall onto the right desk, and advance this adoption as only you can.”

Rest assured, we are committed to trusting God and testing His faithfulness. Not easy, not even how I would necessarily like it…but definitely required.

With that, please echo the prayers of our adoption advocates in Haiti. Pray specifically for our dossier, that it will be accepted into IBESR. Pray for wisdom and perseverance for our adoption advocates in Haiti and their willingness to continue to fight the system of corruption in the name of releasing orphans to their forever families.

Do something BIG today

Take four minutes and watch this video…..

…now take a few more minutes to click the Compassion International banner to the right of this post and sign up to release a child from the grips of poverty.

Today is your chance to DO SOMETHING BIG; serious KINGDOM work. Old school, straight from Isaiah 58 work; practical advice which liberates from churchianity and allows us to live exciting lives in the daily service of our God. The kind of work that God commanded to His people during the time of Isaiah and ultimately demonstrated for us here and now through the life of Jesus.

“And if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.” Isaiah 58:10

Then go smoke your pipe and start working on world peace….or at least that’s what I did.

Joy

Crazy Good

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan……Read It.

Seriously, go buy the book tomorrow today.  Download the audiobook tonight now.  It is worth your time.

IT. IS. WORTH. YOUR. TIME.

If you read one book this year, read the bible.  If you read two, read this one.

Mother’s Day Gift Idea

Sarah and I are proud partners with a microfinance organization named Opportunity International.  I first learned about microfinance organizations while reading the book, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger.  I was blown away by the enormous impact small loans have when put in the hands of entrepreneurial minded people living in the grips of poverty.  Here is a quick explanation from Opportunity International:

“The revolution of microenterprise development is built on the foundation of a simple truth: Many of the world’s poorest people are a good credit risk. A lifetime of struggling just for food and shelter fosters the kind of single-minded drive that it takes to start or build a small business. Rather than being merely victims, the world’s poor are the key to their own emergence from poverty. Given a working chance – just a start – they can begin to build their own future.”

Opportunity International has an amazing interactive website called OptINnow.  It is a website with photos and stories of women across the world working their way out of poverty.  You can read stories about these entrepreneurs in poverty stricken countries, see what kind of business they are starting, how much they need to get started, and distribute your contributions directly to their loan.

So as you consider a gift for your mom this year, how about honoring your mother with a tribute patch on their virtual Global Opportunity Quilt and get a gift card to help another mother in a developing country with a life-changing loan.

Here’s how it would work.

You buy a $25 quilt patch to honor your mom for Mother’s Day.  Opportunity International will send her an email with a link to view your tribute on the quilt plus a $25 gift card to fund a woman’s loan on OptInnow.org.

Your mom can use her gift card to fund a life-changing loan for someone on the site.  If your mom is not an Internet user, you can go on the site with her and help her choose an entrepreneur and use her gift card.  It can be an awesome opportunity for you to share with your mom the passion and concern you have for those that Christ lovingly referred to as the least of these.  If neither of those are options, you can memorialize your mother on the quilt and use the gift card yourself and change a life in her honor.

So Mom Hyatt and Mom Lord, if you are reading this……surprise!  You will be getting your gift card very soon.  Sarah and I hope you enjoy sharing our love for you with another deserving mother across the globe.

Friends and Family

God has blessed us with a great family to walk this adoption road with.  The trials and tribulations, the joys and celebrations.  We will share a lot with this family over the coming years.  Here is Naomi’s friend from the orphanage, Frankie Rhodes.  Their journey is definitely worth following as well.

A Family for Frankie

Life just got a lot harder…

We had to say goodbye to Naomi tonight.  I don’t really have words to explain how I feel. Not good; it is not well with my soul.  I have really struggled this weekend.  Life just got a lot harder now that I have loved on this little girl and convinced her to call me Papa.  Honestly, faith and trust when put in context of this adoption are words I really don’t want to hear, believe, or live right now.  I want assurance that it will all work out; assurance that in spite of the fact Haiti doesn’t think I am fit to be her father, God will somehow, someway, trump the system.  Suddenly it seems like a lot of what I have been saying about this adoption was just lip service.  The path seems narrower, miles longer, and much more treacherous than expected.