4 Feet in 2014

We’re ending 2013 with a bang!

Instead of focusing this post on all God accomplished in our lives, family, and ministry in 2013, we’re excited to announce His plans for our family in 2014…

Drumroll please…

God is expanding our family by FOUR feet in 2014!

Yes, you read that correctly!  We are welcoming two girls, who happen to both have Down syndrome, to our family in 2014!

Here’s the scoop:

Since May 2013, we have been in the process of adopting a precious baby girl who has Down syndrome.  She’s from India, with an amazing God story I hope to share soon.  She should be joining our family in 2014!  We would love for you to join us in prayer for her court hearing this Friday, praying the judge will have favor upon her and grant her permission to come to Texas!  This baby girl is an absolute doll, and we are so eager for her to join our family!  We look forward to sharing her picture with you once her adoption is approved.  Oh how we adore her!

As if the blessing of this baby girl isn’t enough, God confirmed to us on Christmas Day that we are to pursue the adoption of another precious girl who is in desperate need of a family, but this girl is not a baby.  She’s a beautiful 13-year-old girl in China who has Down syndrome who MUST be adopted before her 14th birthday, which is in early March, 2014.  You can read a little about her right HERE.  Her nickname is Daphne, and she is already dear to our hearts, but due to the rules of her country, we are not able to post her picture here.  She is simply precious.

We have not yet been officially matched with precious Daphne yet because we must first complete a Hague-accredited home study (which we are currently in the process of doing).  Our current home study and USCIS (immigration) approval are non-Hague (meaning we are approved to adopt from countries that are not part of the Hague treaty on adoption).  Our first adoption was a Hague adoption (in 2008 from Colombia), but all seven subsequent adoptions have been with non-Hague countries.  We have no preference in where God calls us to adopt, so we have no concerns in whether it is a Hague country or not, it just so happens that’s the way God lined it all up the last seven times.

On Christmas Day, God so beautifully confirmed for our family that we are to pursue the adoption of Daphne.  God collided ashes with beauty as we served the homeless in San Antonio on Christmas Day.  Amidst the ashes of homelessness, God miraculously guided our paths to cross with a little girl at the park in San Antonio who has Down syndrome (who was not homeless).  The epitome of beauty.  As we stood among the lowly on that Christmas Day, it was a glorious representation of Christ our King born in a barn.  He is beauty from ashes, a King born among the lowly. 

The little girl God used to impact our lives so greatly on Christmas Day just happened to be in our path because as she was traveling home from Seaworld with her parents, a huge inflatable slide caught her eye.    We are the ones who brought and set up that huge inflatable slide in a park in the lower economic area of San Antonio where hundreds of homeless people sleep on the streets and under the bridges.  God is the One who orchestrated the events that morning to bring this precious little girl to the park to deliver a message to our family simply because of her presence.  Full of joy, love, smiles, and hugs on that Christmas morning, God used this precious little girl to speak directly to my husband’s heart, confirming to Him that our family is to pursue the adoption of an orphaned girl overseas who desperately waits for a family with little time left to be chosen.  Just as He promises to not leave us as orphans spiritually, God impressed upon our family that we are not to leave Daphne as an orphan either.  She is a part of His beauty from ashes that He continues to build for our family after the loss of our precious daughter, Chrissie, in 2010.  His unfolding beauty never ceases to amaze me.

We would greatly appreciate your prayer support, as well as your financial support, in the adoption of Daphne.  Because she ages out in early March, 2014, we have very little time and resources to get this done.  If Daphne isn’t adopted before her 14th birthday, she will never know the love of a forever family, as China will not allow her to be adopted after she turns 14.

If anyone is familiar with Hague adoptions, most take a minimum of a year.  However, both agencies involved with Daphne’s adoption will be expediting her case, as well as our paperwork to get to her in time.  We’ve already started the process, so we’re working as quickly as we can to get to her.  However, we have to wait for government clearances and approvals that we have no control over.  But God does!  Pray, pray, pray for favor every step of the way in this process.  Each day that passes without something being accomplished is a day not in Daphne’s favor.  God hears our prayers, and Daphne deserves an army of prayer warriors lifting her up every step of the way so that before her 14th birthday, she can be in the arms of her forever family instead of being transferred to Beijing on a bus, no longer able to stay in her orphanage, no longer eligible for adoption.  God is able!

The situation is desperate and if we look at the obstacles through our earthly lenses, it seems impossible to complete a Chinese adoption in a mere two months.  But, when we BOSS OUR HEARTS to beat in sync with His, we replace doubt with TRUTH and claim His promise that with God, ALL things are possible!!!

It is our great privilege to share our adoption fundraiser shirt with you today, In honor of Daphne’s adoption, and in memory of Chrissie (this is her legacy!):

Click HERE to purchase your shirt today!

$14 from every shirt purchase will go directly toward the expenses related to Daphne’s adoption.  The total estimated cost of Daphne’s adoption is $30,000.  Please share this fundraiser with belief that with God, all things truly are possible.  Join us in bossing our hearts to beat in sync with His, replacing lies and doubts with His Truth and promises with every beat of our hearts, every step of the way.

Boss your heart! To donate directly to our family (instead of purchasing shirts), you may do so here:

We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

Team Boss Your Heart wishes you a very merry Christmas and a joyous New Year!

 

We hope to host you on our ranch in 2014!

 

Click HERE to make your reservation to stay with us.

21 Years

Yesterday Matt and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary.

We attended the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in Vegas.

Our 5-day getaway was wonderful.

Filled with rest and relaxation for just the two of us.

A rare opportunity for this mom and dad of 11 precious blessings.

We’re so grateful to everyone who served our family during our absence.  Without your help, this trip wouldn’t have been possible.  Thank you!

 

Our 21 years of marriage has been filled with highs and lows, mountains and valleys, but through it all, we’ve always had Jesus and love.  God has brought us a long way since the day we said, “I do.”  As Matt and I reminisced about our 21 years, we agreed the only thing we’d really want to change is not losing our Chrissie.  God has been so faithful to carry us through that valley, which is most definitely the lowest season of our 21 years together.  God has taught us that, indeed, with Him all things are possible.  We love because He first loved us.  He is the head of our marriage, and without His strength, I don’t know where we would be.  So we thank and praise His precious name for blessing us with the last 21 years, and we pray with belief, expectancy, and joy for the next 21+ years together.  Together, we’re better.

A Serial Killer

My friend, Jenni, is the executive director of Chosen Marathon, a fundraising race for adoptive families and orphans.  She’s an amazing woman of God who stewards His gifts well.  I enjoy Jenni’s Facebook status updates because she shares deep wisdom and truth from God’s Word.  Nuggets for chewing on throughout the day.

 

This was Jenni’s status update last night:

 

"There is a serial killer loose in the Church today and he must be stopped. He uses many masks, often masquerading as virtuous friends like wisdom, stewardship, thoughtfulness or peace to access the door to our souls. Yet once inside he begins to kill our dreams, paralyze our promises and derail our destiny. His name is FEAR and he is on God’s most wanted list. Many Christians harbor this violent fugitive by reducing their God given exploits to accommodate their fear. What these baffled Believers refuse to understand is that the dogs of doom stand at the doors of their destiny. There is always a strategically placed giant in our God-given promise land. When most people hear barking dogs or taunting giants they hide in the wilderness of mediocrity, perpetually wandering through slave camps like boredom, discouragement or meaningless living. It’s time to arrest this dream killer and apprehend our promises." - Kris Vallotton KVMinistries.com

 

While Jenni didn’t author this quote, she shared it with others, which is why I’m sharing it here today.  If Jenni hadn’t shared this, I would have never read these wise words written by Kris Vallotton of KV Ministries.

 

The serial killer of FEAR has been hovering over our home and family recently, trying hard to turn us toward the comfort of hiding in the wilderness of mediocrity, trying hard to convince us that we cannot do this life He has called us to. 

 

We rebuke fear in Jesus’ name.  We will NOT wander through slave camps of boredom, discouragement, and meaningless living.

 

While Satan has used discouragement heavily lately, we cling to the promises of Jesus.  We CAN do all things through Christ who gives us strength, and we WILL have victory in Jesus’ name.

 

For those who have a child or circumstance in their lives that is making life seem impossible, take heart.  Do not lose hope, no matter how difficult the circumstances.  Satan wants to win, but we know the end of the story.  JESUS WINS.

 

While Satan will try hard to convince to resign to the mediocre life and enslave us to discouragement, He DOES NOT and WILL NOT win.  Cling to God’s promises and BOSS YOUR HEART through the circumstances, no matter how challenging they feel.  The serial killer of fear has no place in our hearts, our families, our lives, our homes.

 

We can do ALL things through Christ who gives us strength.  (Philippians 4:13)

Join the Village

 

Village of Hope--Answering the Call from Adeye Salem on Vimeo.

 

I’m honored to know Adeye in real life.  She’s an amazing wife, mom, Jesus-loving, adoption and orphan care advocate.  I’m privileged to call her my friend.

 

Click HERE to read Adeye’s most recent blog post.  You won’t be disappointed.

 

Praying you’ll join the village today by supporting Village of Hope in Guatemala.  I’m also privileged to know Amy Block and her family in real life—the founders and directors of Village of Hope.  Amazing folks.  Please support Village of Hope and help them to help more kids know the HOPE of Jesus Christ and His abundant, unconditional love.  They’re desperately in need of OUR help.  Thank you!

Black Friday Boss Your Heart Shopping

Click HERE to avoid the crowds and shop from home on Black Friday.

Give gifts that give back.

$15 from every purchase goes directly to Boss Your Heart Orphan Ministries, to help orphans in memory of Chrissie.

Thank you for your support!

Blessings to You and Yours

Thanksgiving blessings from our family to you and yours.

 

Matt, Lorraine, Naomi (21), Parker (17), Meribeth (16), Mattie (15), Sawyer (13), Ella (8), Cooper (8), Conner (8), Kiefer (5), Selah (3), and Princess Chrissie (4) in heaven

 

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

~Ephesians 3:20-21

A Day in the Life

Thank you, thank you, thank you!  Boss Your Heart Orphan Ministries sold 50 fundraiser shirts because of your support!  We have until Dec. 1 to sell more shirts, so if you haven’t purchased yours, just click HERE.  We have short-sleeves, long-sleeves, and hoodies, and all shirts will arrive in time for Christmas.

 

And now, for some Friday fun, enjoy this little video of Cooper, a tiny glimpse into a day in the life of this precious blessing:

Stay With Us!

We are pleased to announce Boss Your Heart Orphan Ministries is now accepting reservations for guests to stay in the “barnominium” (think condominium above our barn) on our ranch!  Click HERE to view the website!

Click HERE to book your stay and/or view the Boss Your Heart Orphan Ministries reservations website.

 

God did a mighty work with the first guests to stay in the barnominium, and we look forward to seeing how He plans to work in the lives of each and every guest. 

 

 

The guests enjoyed the ranch amenities, such as horseback riding, but the greatest thing was to see God’s mighty work happening before our eyes within the lives of the guests.  Amazing stuff to witness, and we feel so very honored and privileged to be able to provide this experience for these very deserving guests.  We want to honor their privacy by not sharing photos and details, but we praise our Father for blessing the guests with this experience. 

 

 

We couldn’t have provided this without your support, so please know how grateful we are!!!  Because of your support, Boss Your Heart Orphan Ministries is able to minister to anyone who stays with us, for His glory.

 

 

Click HERE to view a full slide show of the beautiful accommodations.

 

Please spread the word about this ministry.  This is the link you’ll want to share with others, which explains more about the BYHOME ministry, experience, reservations, and opportunities:  http://bossyourheart.org/stay-with-us/.  Thank you!

Holding the Rope for the Jordan Family

My Texas friend, Amy Jordan, and her large adoptive family will be moving to Romania soon to serve as missionaries at Anchor of Hope.  Anchor of Hope’s mission is to share the love of Christ, the Anchor of Hope, in a broken world - with abandoned babies, orphans, and the Romanian people.

 

As you can imagine, it is challenging to raise the necessary support to move a large family to another country, plus sustain that family monthly.  But where God guides, He provides!  I admire the Jordan family for obeying His calling upon their family, regardless of the challenges and obstacles in their path.

 

I encourage you to read the Jordan’s story (below), and pray about how you might be able to support their family, as the hands and feet of Christ.  We are all commanded to care for the destitute.  The Jordan family is GOING to Romania to DO His work, but they cannot do it if WE don’t rise up and support them in their journey. 

 

I love one of Amy’s quotes she shares below, paraphrased from Paul Washer:

“we are either called to go down into the well, or we are called to hold the rope for those who go down”

 

Click HERE to support the Jordan family by “holding the rope as they go down into the well.   Be sure to read their story below, written by my friend, Amy Jordan.

 

And just another reminder to purchase your Boss Your Heart Orphan Ministries shirt today.  Deadline is December 1.  Click HERE to order your shirt (short-sleeves, long-sleeves, and/or hoodies).  Thanks for your support of our ministry, helping orphans in memory of Chrissie.

The Jordan Family’s Story, written by Amy Jordan (mom to 7):

I did not hear a voice boom from the Heavens, but God’s call on my life could not have been clearer. When most five year old girls were saying they wanted to be a princess or a ballerina when they grew up, I was walking around saying, “I’m going to have an orphanage.” What strikes me most about that was that my family did not own a television, nor did they have ANY friends who were adopted. They did not even know of one single orphan. I do not remember learning about the many motherless and fatherless children in the world in my Sunday school class or in devotions at home. It just seems I came out of the womb with ORPHAN CARE stamped on my heart, and my heart has pounded out a battle cry for orphans for as long as I can remember. A mental review of my life has been playing like a montage in my brain over the last few months and it has been amazing to reflect on all of the road signs in my life that have all been pointing to the same recurring direction of loving and caring for the orphans.

 

For the past eight years, our family has been involved with the foster care system. Through that process, we were blessed to be able to adopt our four sons. What a joy they have been to us! It is difficult to put into words, but the fierce battles that raged around us during this time kept us on our knees. We faced spiritual warfare in a way that we had never encountered. Many days I cried out asking God, “WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON?” We can look back now and see that we were in boot camp for the bigger journeys to come. I am so thankful for a loving Father who pushes us in our growth so that we will be prepared for the challenges we face – and push us He did!

 

After adopting our four boys, we began to ask the Lord, “What next?” For a time we settled into a normal routine and went about the business of living life, all the while waiting expectantly for our next mission from the Lord. This last year brought stirrings in our spirit and major hints that change was coming. In the early months of 2013, God began to lay “the least of these” on our hearts with a renewed fervor. Foreign missions began to consume us. One night we opened our Bible and turned to our reading for the day, which included John 20:21 - PEACE BE WITH YOU! AS THE FATHER HAS SENT ME, I AM SENDING YOU. That was a clarifying moment for us. So with excited hearts, we began to ask the Lord where we should go. We began researching and sending out letters of inquiry all the while asking God to work quickly on our behalf and show us exactly which door to walk through. Praise be to God, because He led us to an organization called ANCHOR OF HOPE. Not only did we receive an invitation to come and help, but the foundation director even said, “We have been praying for a family like yours to come.” As a large family, we rarely hear that! We knew then that we had found our next home.

Anchor of Hope is a group of people dedicated to going into government run orphanages on a daily basis to hold babies who would otherwise not be held, and to love and play with the younger children. The older kids/teens are mentored and efforts are made to build relationships with them and offer hope by presenting the Gospel to those who would consider abortion or prostitution as their only option. Many of the children have not had the opportunity to witness the love of a mother or father, nor have they been part of a family unit. Tragically, Romania has one of the highest abortion rates in the world, and even with the high rate of abortions, over 5000 children are abandoned every year. The capital city alone has 28 government run orphanages! No private facilities are allowed and the government places zero emphasis on their character, dignity, spirituality, or morality. They are herded through like cattle.

 

Sharing the love of Christ - The Anchor of Hope in a broken world - with abandoned babies, orphans, and the Romanian people.

 

We desperately want to be there to walk beside these children. We want to model what a family looks like. We long to teach young mothers how to hold their babies, as many have never even seen a baby being held. We desire to share with them the Good News of the Gospel. We want to wipe their tears and build healthy relationships, and ultimately lead them to The Savior, Jesus Christ.

“This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary” Hebrews 6:19

 

We feel that God has been equipping us for such a time as this. Sometimes God has us take time to test the waters- but not this time. When we returned from visiting Anchor of Hope in June, we felt God was asking us to jump right in. The next phase of our journey is to begin raising support. We would like to ask you to prayerfully consider partnering with us. As CTEN missionaries, we are responsible to raise 100% of the funds needed to accomplish the work God has called us to do. This includes a launch fund to help us with the cost of transitioning to Romania, as well as ongoing monthly support. In addition, if you have a church home that would allow us to visit and share what God is doing in our lives, please feel free to contact us.

 

Click HERE to support the Jordans in their journey as missionaries to Romania.

 

The evangelist Paul Washer has said that the concept of missions is very simple. Paraphrasing, he has said that we are all called to missions in one of two ways: we are either called to go down into the well, or we are called to hold the rope for those who go down. We need a body of believers to join forces with us - to hold the rope for us while we go. Might it be you?

 

Many blessings to all of you! Thank you for your time and support. ALSO, a SPECIAL THANK YOU TO LORRAINE PATTERSON for letting me hijack her blog!

The Value of One

Shortly after our precious daughter, Chrissie, went to live with Jesus, someone mentioned how much more we could have done for all humanity with the amount of money we spent on Chrissie’s adoption, medical care, and funeral expenses.

 

I was shocked to the core by this type of thinking. 

 

Every single life is precious.

 

There’s not any value that could ever be placed upon human life, whether it be ONE life or many lives, every single life is valued and worth it.

 

Jesus modeled this.  While He could have ignored the the ONE woman at the well, He chose to minister to her, as her life was precious to Him, regardless of how unclean she was, regardless of what she had to offer the world.  Simply because she was created by our Father, Jesus knew her ONE life was worthy of pouring into. 

 

No strings attached. 

 

No analysis of how her one life would affect all of humanity. 

 

No contemplation of whether or not Jesus would have a greater impact if He chose to ignore the woman in order to pour into the masses. 

 

Jesus modeled something at the well we need to always remember:  never ignore a single life, as every single life is precious.  Never let another person tell you who you should or should not pour into.  Every single life is precious in His sight.  Not one person is too great a loss nor too big a mess for the love of Jesus.

 

And let’s not forget the Good Samaritan and what lesson Jesus wanted us to learn there.  The power of pouring into one life.  Nuff said.

 

And let us not forget to turn the table and realize that to the world, you may only be ONE person…BUT, to ONE person, you may be the world!

 

YOU, just ONE person, has the ability to make a difference.  Yes, little ole YOU!  You CAN make a difference, even if it’s only ONE life you pour into.  ONE LIFE is worth it.  Jesus modeled that.  Let us model it as well.

 

The power of One.  The power of one.  Never underestimate the power of ONE.

 

PS  Don’t forget to purchase your Boss Your Heart shirt today!  Click HERE to order.  We need to sell 29 more shirts by Dec. 1 or the order won’t make!  Spread the word.  Thanks for your support!

18 Months of Redemption

We spoke at our church yesterday, in honor of National Adoption Month.  God did an amazing work, for His glory, opening eyes, hearts, and maybe even homes simply because He gave us the opportunity to share the testimony He’s writing in our lives.  To God be all the glory!

 

We are all orphans until we receive Christ as our Savior.  He redeems each of our lives, removing the old, replacing it with a beautiful new creation, for His glory. 

 

We’ve witnessed earthly redemption with several of the children we’ve adopted.  They’re a continuous reminder to us of how God has done the same thing for us, for we were once orphans, too.  He chose to adopt us and redeem us.  We are grateful there are no orphans of God!

 

Please watch the video below that chronicles the redemption of Cooper, with a photo montage of his first 18 months in our family.  God has done, and continues to do, a mighty work in Cooper’s life, as well as in our lives.  We are blessed to witness Cooper’s amazing progress and call him our son.

 

Happy National Adoption Month!  Boss your heart and care for orphans!  Click HERE to purchase your Boss Your Heart fundraiser shirt today.  Thanks for your support!

 

Click HERE to watch video if it doesn’t load.

Love this Video

Today I want to share a PRECIOUS video with you.  I watched this video last year, and LOVED it, but I never shared it here.  It’s now going viral, praise God, and I was reminded to share it on our blog for more people to get to see the blessing of adopting a child with Down syndrome. 

Click HERE to watch video if it doesn’t load.

 

Boss your heart during National Adoption Month and step out to do something to care for orphans. 

 

Purchase a shirt today to help Boss Your Heart Orphan Ministries help orphans, in memory of Chrissie.

Click HERE to purchase your shirts today, just in time for Christmas.  Give a gift with purpose.  Thank you for your support!

Called to Adopt?

“I always questioned if I was called to adopt, but then I realized no child was ever called to be an orphan.”  --David Platt

 

Grateful that God never questioned if He was called to adopt either.  He never planned to leave us as orphans, and He’s adopted every one of us who receive His Son as our Savior, regardless of age, gender, special needs, etc.  God’s model is perfect.

Happy National Adoption Month!  Just do it!

 

Don’t forget to click HERE to purchase your Boss Your Heart Orphan Ministries shirt today to help us help orphans, in memory of Chrissie.

Crazy Faces

Conner’s crazy faces keep us in stitches around here.  He’s really into creating some crazy faces to make us laugh.  This is his latest.

 

National Adoption Month—Just Do It!

 

Don’t forget to click HERE to purchase your Boss Your Heart Orphan Ministries National Adoption Month fundraiser shirt today!

BYHOM Fundraiser Shirt (Limited Edition)

We’re excited to share the new Boss Your Heart Orphan Ministries fundraiser t-shirt!

 

Click HERE to purchase your shirt today!

Shirts are available in short-sleeved, long-sleeved, and hoodies, too!  Perfect for guys, girls, and kids!  $15 from every shirt sale will go directly to Boss Your Heart Orphan Ministries, to help orphans in memory of Chrissie.

 

This shirt will only be available for the month of November, which is National Adoption Month.

 

All shirts are pre-order.  They will ship directly to you after the order closes Dec. 1. 

 

Orders will arrive in time for Christmas, so make your holiday shopping meaningful by blessing someone with a cute t-shirt that helps orphans, in memory of Chrissie!

I Am Loved—Orphan Sunday

I AM LOVED from Christian Alliance for Orphans on Vimeo.

 

Today is Orphan Sunday, a national day for Christians to stand for the orphan.

 

Please join us in praying that every orphan will know the love our Father has so abundantly lavished upon us!

Full

Life has been full lately.

 

The good kind of full.

 

The kind of full that feels so overwhelming because you know that you know that you know that you know that you CANNOT do this full on your own.

 

The kind of full that gives God the opportunity to shine brighter because when we are weakest, He is strongest.

 

The kind of full that magnifies how we CAN do all things through Christ who gives us strength.

 

The kind of full that also magnifies just how little we can do on our own.

 

The kind of full that shows how much He trusts us because He gives us so many assignments that there’s absolutely no way one human being, or even a team of people, can accomplish, but with Him, He shows us by actually demonstrating how the impossible is made possible.

 

The kind of full that leaves much left on the to-do list, so much so that the list seems miles long. 

 

But God.

 

He prioritizes and accomplishes the tasks He has ordered for us, even though other things are left undone.

 

He circumcises our hearts, removing more and more of ourselves, replacing more and more of our hearts with Him, even when we don’t realize He’s doing it.

 

When we fail to boss our hearts to beat in sync with His, He does it for us, even when we don’t realize it.

 

Our family and Boss Your Heart Orphan Ministries are grateful for your prayers and support.  God has used you to make the impossible possible.  We have hit the ground running, as God orchestrates His desires of our new ministry, the BYHOMExperience, where guests are invited to stay with us on our ranch.

 

Click HERE to watch video if it doesn’t show up on your screen.

 

We have our first overnight guests arriving this afternoon.  They will stay the weekend with us.  We would be most grateful for your prayers, as we know Satan is prowling like a lion seeking to devour the faithful.  He wants nothing more than to destroy everything God uses for His Kingdom, which often times means families, particularly adoptive families.  We’ve experienced the enemy revving up his attacks on our family as we embark upon this new mission God has called us to, but WE WILL NOT BE MOVED.  Get behind us Satan, for you will NOT win.

 

We also have our first group of BYHOME mission volunteers arriving at Noon today.  We have 22 students (grades 6th-12th) coming to serve this afternoon prior to the arrival of our overnight guests. 

 

Full.  Another demonstration of His fullness, without our efforts, for His glory.

 

God has completely orchestrated all of these guests coming today.  The details He has spun throughout the stories of the guests blows my mind.  He weaves His tapestry this way to not only make it more beautiful, but so we KNOW that He is the One in charge, so He receives all of the glory.  Nothing compares to Him and His beautiful plan.  Nothing.

 

I hope to share a few of those God details here soon.  Thank you for supporting and praying for our family and ministry.  We are truly grateful.

And the Winner Is…

Oh my goodness, look at all those pieces of paper!

Why, there must be at least 40 people represented in this basket!

 

And you’re going to let ME pick one?!?!  So exciting!

 

Hmmmm, now let me see how to unfold this piece of paper.

 

OK, now this is fun!  I love paper!

 

Ohhhhhhh, I’ve almost got it!!!

 

Oh, yes, yes, YES!  I KNOW her!!!

 

KARA STARR!!!

 

You’re the winner of the FREE 4-night stay at the new BYHOME barnominium!!! 

 

Contact us to reserve your dates!!!

 

Thank you all who entered this giveaway, in memory of Chrissie’s 8th birthday. 

 

Your prayers, gifts, and support are priceless to us!!!

 

Now, if only every single one of you could have been the winner!  We’d still love to have each and every one of you come stay with us.  Thank you all, again!

Love & Losses: National Pregnancy & Infant Loss Day

October is a hard month for us because there are several significant dates.

 

These dates signify loss to our hearts, but greater than the loss is the LOVE that these dates brought to our lives.

 

October 6, 2009, was the first date we held Chrissie in our arms in Serbia.

 

October 8 was Chrissie’s earthly birthday.  (Her birthday was 10/8/05.)  We only got to celebrate one birthday with Chrissie on this earth, but we are SO GRATEFUL we got to be in Serbia to hold Chrissie on her 4th birthday on October 8, 2009.

 

October 14, 2009 was the day Chrissie became an official forever member of our family.  This was the date of her official adoption ceremony in Serbia.

Chrissie and her Serbian speech pathologist (who is now a treasrured friend of ours), Sandra.

Chrissie’s orphanage van that blessed us the day of her adoption ceremony. An orphanage driver and Chrissie’s speech pathologist assisted us from early in the morning until late at night October 14, 2009.  They drove us all over Serbia, from Subotica to the town of Chrissie’s birth, all the way back to the capitol city of Belgrade.  Many hours of travel in one day.

 

October 15 was my mom’s earthly birthday.  Her last birthday celebration on this earth was October 15, 2011.

 

October 15 is also National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Day.  While we have not lost any pregnancies or infants, our hearts are full of compassion and empathy for those who have.  We have several nieces/nephews who went to live with Jesus while they were still being knit in their mommies’ wombs.  Our hearts ache for my sister and my sister-n-law who both have babies in heaven.  Our hearts ache for all those who have babies in heaven, not because heaven isn’t our eternal destination we all long for, but because of the separation between heaven and earth that we long to have the veil removed from.

 

A friend of mine’s son wrote and recorded this song, in remembrance of his daughter, who went to live with Jesus while she was still being knit in her mommy’s womb.  This song resonates with my soul, and I felt many of you would be touched by it as well.

Click HERE to view the song if it won’t play via this message.

 

I just wanted to let you all know that if you have a little one in heaven, we are praying for you on this day.  We know how hard it is to be separated from a loved one.  We pray peace that passes understanding for your broken heart on this day.  We cling to the hope we have through our Savior Jesus Christ and the promises of our Father that one day, there will be no more tears, no more separation.  Until then, we boss our hearts through the trials and challenges we face living life separated from our loved ones.

BYHOM Brochure

We’re excited to share with you the Boss Your Heart Orphan Ministries brochure, which includes more information on the BYHOMExperience, where guests come stay in the “barnominium” on our ranch.

 

We’re in the process of creating a website specific to the BYHOMExperience, complete with booking information.  We already have our first guests lined up, and we’re excited to host many more guests in days to come!  Keep praying and sharing this ministry with groups who fit into the categories of people we host (see brochure below for more info).  Thanks so much!