Humbled

Words cannot even express to you the emotions I have experienced over the last few days. I have literally been face down on the floor of my prayer closet weeping at the feet of Jesus. I am in awe of His goodness! When I wrote these words...

I am grateful for this situation! 

This is why our family has CHOSEN to be open advocates for our daughter.

YES, it comes at a price, but what Satan meant for evil God is about to use for good!

...less than 48 hours ago I had NO idea what God was up to! 

He has rocked me to my core! And you guys, who have read the blog, and been moved to share are amazing! Tools in the hands of the Father. He is SERIOUS about these children! His love for them is deep. He will stop at nothing to protect their hearts.

In less than 48 hours the truth has gone out to over 11,000 people! And it is still going! Conversations are being had! Questions are being asked! Truth is being told! Light is entering darkness! I am SO humbled to play a small part in what God is doing for His children, whom He loves so dearly!

Thank you! To all of you who have shared! Thank you from our family! We appreciate you!

God is good... ALL THE TIME!

UNvitation

So this post has been written and rewritten about 100 times in my head.

On Sunday we received an UNvitation in our email. What is an UNvitation you ask? Let me tell you.

We were INvited to a party and when the family found out (through this blog) that our daughter is HIV+, they UNinvited us through an email. 

They were angry at us for allowing their child to play with our daughter without us disclosing to them that she is HIV+. 

We responded with a VERY gracious email. We were very understanding that HIV can be a very scary thing when you don't have the facts. We gave them the basic facts of HIV and explained to them that we completely understood that this would be a process for them, as it was for us in the beginning, and that we were happy to continue this conversation with them.

Unfortunately we did not get a positive response from them.

I want to be clear that this post IS NOT to attack them! 

There are plenty of others in this world that feel the very same way. It is frightening!

They just don't know the truth.

The purpose of this post is to expose the ugly side of lack of education!

THIS IS WHY WE DISCLOSE! I am grateful for this situation! 

This is why our family has CHOSEN to be open advocates for our daughter.

YES, it comes at a price, but what Satan meant for evil God is about to use for good!

We have counted the cost of disclosure, and we are okay with it, 

because this ignorance HAS TO END!

IT IS NOT DANGEROUS TO INVITE HIV+ PEOPLE TO YOUR PARTY unless...

you are having unprotected sex, sharing needles, giving birth, or breastfeeding!

In that case, my 4 year old can't come to your party anyway! (thank you Deanna)

^{Timothy 1:7} for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
⁸ Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God

So what do we do when people REFUSE to hear the TRUTH, and they instead choose to live in fear. I love these verses from the book of Timothy. It is no coincidence that Paul encourages us not to fear, and attaches that to shame and then suffering for the gospel.

We LOVE this family! We will continue to love them, and be Jesus to them the best we know how. We are saddened by their choice to reject the truth. But that is their choice, and I believe that is their loss! Because my daughter is AWESOME, and so is the rest of my family!

AND the attacks don't end there either!

My 8 year old came home from school yesterday and said that a boy in his class told him

'black people are sh!t'

An 8 yr old, said that to my 8 yr old!

So my son got up in his face and said 'you should not have said that TO ME!'

He went straight to his teacher and told her. I am SO proud of him!

He told me 'mom, I wish we weren't in the classroom when he told me that. If we were on the playground I would have punched him in the face.' Again- SO proud! ;)

People Satan is angry, because GOD IS ON THE MOVE!!!!

God is rescuing orphans. God is bringing 'the most overlooked' into loving homes.

Families are looking more diverse, just like heaven! 

God is turning His peoples hearts toward Him, and the enemy doesn't like it!

I am SO excited that my family is on the front lines of this battle.

So I want to ask you to PLEASE share this blog post. PLEASE educate yourselves, your friends and family with the truth about HIV/AIDS. Please post the Truth Pandemic video to your walls. Throw up some HIV facts on your FB status every now and again! 

PLEASE support Project HOPEFUL and our work. It is important, and VERY NECESSARY!

To help us STOP this kind of injustice please VOTE for Project HOPEFUL to win a $50,000 grant from Cultivate Wines. YOU CAN GIVE $50,000 without it costing you a penny!
Just vote from you Facebook EVERYDAY from now, until June 30 2012.
VOTE HERE and SHARE the link! 
http://www.cultivatewines.com/cause/28670/

Lets do everything in our power to make sure that no child gets an UNvitation because of lack of knowledge about HIV/AIDS!

8 Months Home

Awesome Photographer! 

Sorry I have been MIA here lately!
The blog has been seriously neglected due to lack of time!
God has been stirring some things up in me,
and I am spending a lot of time with Him to process it all.
B is doing AMAZING in her adjustments. She is going to preschool 3 days a week, for just a few hours a day, and she LOVES it.

SHE HAS BEEN UNDETECTABLE SINCE DECEMBER!
WOOT WOOT!

I am in awe of God at the way He has knit our family together so tightly, and so quickly.
This is NOT to say there have not been struggles- there have been; A LOT!
But I have been able to step back and see that God is and will continue to work it out, in all of us.
This is why the disciplines are SO important! They don't let you get too far away from Him!
As long as I keep pressing in to Him, I am confident that HE, not I, will carry us through.
I am seeing more clearly as I pray, meditate, and trust God, the things that feel so HUGE and scary, are not really as big of a deal as I made them out to be.
Some of the more difficult adjustments have been both of our 'babies' fighting for their 'place', food issues, and control issues.

My 8 year old had a hard time having a new 'baby' in the house. He has been great at expressing his needs and hurts, and I think we really have come a long way. He and his little sister are the best of friends- and the worst of enemies, just like in every family! ;)

The food issues just really break my heart. If anyone in the house is eating she doesn't want to miss out. We have been talking to her about slowing down and 'listening' to her belly.
'What is your belly saying?' Is it hungry or full?
Most of the time she answers hungry! :) But she has actually begun to leave food on her plate and say she is full, so we are encouraged. And she is growing crazy fast, too!

The control issues are getting better, and I honestly think for the first few months, I was the problem.
So hard to admit, but looking back, I was just saying 'no' more than 'yes' and she really needed to hear 'yes' from me.
 I was the one who was with her all the time, and I was the one making boundaries that she never really had before, so I was the one she liked the least!
It was breaking my heart! I was getting angry right back at her... I know, real mature!
But it was HARD! She seemed to love everyone in the family, but me!
All of my 'rejection issues' came rushing to the surface... not pretty!
Once I began to go to God with my frustration and pain, and allow Him to give me a new perspective, I was able to respond in love, and not from a place of hurt, fear, or rejection.
I feel like we have really turned a corner the last couple of months, and we are really beginning to enjoy each other.
Adoption is healing and redeeming for EVERYONE! I can't wait to do it again! ;)

Outside of our home things have been crazy too, of course!
Since the end of last year, we began attending a new church, I went on 2 retreats! (I have the BEST husband!)
I was able to share about HIV adoption, and why we are 'fools for Christ' at Discovery church in Simi Valley. Such an honor!
I have started to teach a womens group on The Gospel of Ruth by Carolyn Custis James (highly recommend it!) with my mentor, which is such a blessing!
And I have begun to train for a half marathon for Project HOPEFUL! (i hate running)
We are going to run the Chicago Half Marathon in September to raise awareness,  oh and $ too! (click here to donate) For Project HOPEFUL's work for orphans with HIV/AIDS and other of the most overlooked orphans.

Now you are all caught up with us!

I have a few posts brewing in my brain, so I'll be back soon. (i hope)

OH MELT MY HEART!!!

HIV Adoption

This young woman is AMAZING!

I first met Selah in October 2010. She was instrumental in our decision to adopt B.

She has no shame in talking about HIV and sharing the truth with others.

AND SHE SHOULDN'T!

Her faith in God is inspiring.

This is a girl who knows her identity is in Christ Jesus alone!

SO proud of her!

She is a hero in my eyes, and I know B's someday too! 

She is a world changer! 

Please watch this video, and SHARE it!

THANK YOU SELAH!

www.projecthopeful.com

(mute the music on the bottom)