Faith as Small as a Mustard Seed

"'If You can'?" said Jesus.  "Everything is possible for one who believes." 

-Mark 9:23

I'm so very human, and God knows it.  I doubt, my faith wavers, and I question whether He will show up when I need Him most.  And I know I'm not the only one.  In Matthew 17 and Mark 9, even Jesus' disciples were rebuked for their lack of faith.  The guys who dropped their nets, left their lives, and followed Jesus without hesitation were rebuked for their lack of faith.  They were called a perverse and unbelieving generation. 

I think there are a lot of times when we believe so strongly that something won't work, that it just doesn't.  When our negative inner voice is telling us we're going to fail, we don't give 100% of ourselves.  I can imagine the disciples saying "I just don't know if we can get the demon out of this kid.  I mean, he's seizing, foaming at the mouth, and falling into the fire; that demon's really got a hold on him."

Even the boy's father says to Jesus "if You can."  (Mark 9:22) How many times have I said "if You can?"  Then Jesus tells his disciples "Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20)

Do you know how small a mustard seed is?  Here's a visual reference:

There are many days where my doubt screams louder than my faith whispers, but it's still there.  My little mustard seed, with which God can do so much.  I looked at this $9,675 mountain and, in my humanness, said "if You can" to the Creator of the mountains. 

I saw my mountain moving because of my tiny little mustard seed of faith.  Immediately, a very strong and faithful friend started the 1 of 1,000 event to raise the money we needed.  People were giving.  Then I got a phone call that we were being given a second prize, the YMCA membership, and then we were told that donations for that prize would be matched.  We received more money.  Another strong and faithful friend posted our need anywhere she could, and immediately someone responded that our vacation giveaway would be aired on radio in Tennessee, thanks to their friend, a DJ.  And we found out we could match $2,000 in donations for the vacation giveaway.  We were even given a third prize to give away, and we're hanging onto that one until we draw for our first two giveaways.  (Stay tuned, it's awesome!)  Yet another friend started a Couponing 101 fundraiser for us.

Let me tell you what God can do with a mustard seed of faith.  He can make it grow.  He can take a tiny seed and turn it into this:

Matching Challenge!!!

Hebrews 4:16 has been replaying in my mind the past two days, and I knew that I needed to "approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."  If there ever was a time of need, it is now.  Our daughter lives in an orphanage in Eastern Europe, and we received an approval from her country in only four days, when we expected 2-3 weeks to fundraise before hearing back.  We now have FOUR DAYS left to raise the funds that are due to the placing agency!

It's only fair that, since we were matched with our little girl, and we have an anonymous donor matching the YMCA Giveaway donations, that we would have a MATCHING CHALLENGE for the Vacation Giveaway, too!

The next $2,000 we receive for the Vacation Giveaway (through ChipIn or cash/check in hand) will be matched, dollar for dollar!  So that $10 just became $20, and that $50 just became $100!  This is HUGE!  We are watching God move this mountain, in a way only He can!

In case you've forgotten how beautiful this vacation will be, here's a fresh reminder:

For specific information on each giveaway, you can see more photos and get descriptions HERE and HERE!  The first ChipIn button is for the 6-Night Pigeon Forge, TN vacation, and the second ChipIn button is for the One-Year Membership to the Martinsville/Collinsville YMCA.

Thank you again for all the support and encouragement, and thank you for getting us closer to our little girl!

Thank You

I've said it before, and I'll happily say it again -- I love where God has planted our family!  This community, as small as it is, and as hard as it has been hit economically, is FULL of the hands and feet of Christ, people going the extra mile to do what is good and what is right. 

Do I believe that James 1:27 instructs everyone to adopt?  No.  But, but it does command us to care for the orphans.  Scott and I are being obedient to that command, and we are seeing the body of Christ move in obedience, rallying to support us financially, and that is just as much a part of that command as adopting.

I would be lying if I said that Scott and I can pull of this adoption on our own.  We're looking at a budget of around $27,000, and I'm not sure about you, but that's a little more than loose change for us.  It would take us years to save that amount of money, and I promise that, on our own, we'd be spending a big chunk on new flooring and (my personal lust) butcher block counters. 

We are trusting God to provide the money needed for this adoption, and we are seeing that provision grow each day, through the obedience and selflessness of others.  We are so, so thankful to those of you who are stepping out in faith with us, who are allowing yourselves to be used for His purpose.

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.

More to Give! Two Fundraisers at Once!

Yesterday on facebook, I wrote "To say I am blessed is such an understatement. I love my community, my church, and I have the privilege of going through life with some of the most incredible women I've ever known!"

Today, I stand firm by that statement!  We have more to give, thanks to some pretty incredible people!  We are giving away a One-Year Membership to the Martinsville and Collinsville, VA YMCA (about $400!).  On top of that, we have an anonymous donor who will MATCH any donations received for this giveaway!  Make sure you use the second ChipIn for this giveaway!

So, two giveaways, one great purpose!  All the money from the giveaways will go toward the big ticker, which is tracking all donations received, through the ChipIn, cash, and checks. 

Take a peek at the prize!

Both facilities offer weight and Nautilus rooms, and gymnasiums.  The Martinsville branch has an indoor pool and indoor track, and the Collinsville branch has an outdoor pool and outdoor track.  There is something there for everyone, and they're open 7 days a week!

Here's how to enter:

Just click on the ChipIn to enter online, or leave a comment if you'd like to mail in/hand deliver your entry, and I'll email you!

$5 = 3 entries

$10 = 7 entries

$20 = 20 entries

The more you give, the better your chances of winning!  You can also get 1 entry per day for sharing on facebook, so post here when you share!  Remember, all donations to this giveaway will be MATCHED, so your donation doubles!!!  

 

Donations received by February 13 will be entered in the giveaway, and we'll draw the winner on Valentine's Day!

This fundraiser is not tax-deductible, as we will personally receive all contributions and apply them to our agency fees.

Sadie is On Board!

Ayden and Elijah are way, way on board with this adoption.  It's evident from the two HUGE piles of toys that I need to price for a local consignment sale coming in March, from the change that keeps appearing in our jar, from the things they say.  As Ayden was going through her Barbie containers, she said "Mommy, I'll sell all of my toys if it means [my sister] can come home!"  Elijah even got out all the puzzles he's outgrown, including the ten or so Thomas puzzles, and added them to the consignment pile.  Sadie's so young, we just tell her she's getting another big sister, show her the photos, and leave it at that.

Last week I picked up a print of one of the photos we got from the agency and put it in a frame.  It took Ayden only seconds to spot it the following morning; she was literally halfway down the stairs after waking up and spotted the photo in the dining room.  "Look what I see!" 

I had a friend over for coffee one morning this week, and as soon as she walked through the door, Sadie grabbed the photo and took it to my friend to show it off, happily squealing "Baby, baby!"  Apparently Sadie is on board, too!

1 of 1,000

These adoption families amaze me, really, truly amaze me.  You have people who are in the middle of their own financial hurdles, trying to raise money to bring their own sweet children home, and they hear we need help, and all of a sudden, our need is on their front burner.  My friend, Mandy, created a facebook event called 1 in 1,000 HERE to get 1,000 people to give $10 each, to raise the $10,000 we need right now. 

When we posted that we were taking a step of faith, we were expecting a 2-3 week wait before we heard anything back from the country.  We just got the call from the placing agency that the country officially matched us with our daughter (in only FOUR days)!  Which means the placing agency fees are due in SEVEN days, and we need to have the homestudy started in the next two weeks to provide the country with that initial information.



I've got the fee breakdown on the "Priceless" tab at the top, and I'm adding a second ticker, because the ChipIn ticker only shows what we've received in online donations, and doesn't take into account the cash and checks we've received. 

Thank you all for your prayers, support, and donations!  Our vacation giveaway is still going, so anyone who donates will be entered to win 6 nights in Pigeon Forge!

Sophia's Heaven

There are some children who, for whatever reason, weigh so heavily on my heart and mind.  Sophia, who has the brightest blue eyes I could ever get lost in, is one of those children.

Ayden recently asked me to tell her about heaven.  My first thought went to Sophia.  A mother who did not care and tend to her unborn daughter, and sent her daughter to live in an orphanage because of HER mistakes.

Sophia shows the physical characteristics of a child born to drug and alcohol abuse - Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, almost total vision and hearing loss, missing and deformed limbs, hydrocephaly, cleft lip and palate.

My heart aches for her, and I imagine what heaven will mean to her.  It will mean no orphanage, no physical or mental disabilities, no loneliness, and best of all, spending each and every moment with the one who said "Let the little children come to me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven."

Oh, Sophia, my heart aches for you, and my prayer is that your family finds you and gives you a glimpse of what heaven looks like from here.  Maybe someone who reads this will call Sophia their daughter, is it you?