Oh my. It has been quite a while since I have blogged. SO much has happened. I have been praying over this blog for days in hoping that my thoughts don't all run together too quickly and make absolutely no sense. I even made notes before so that I wouldn't forget something. The purpose of this blog is just to bring you kind of up to date on what all has happened in the past month. Sorry if it bores some of you. Some people tell me they like these sort of blogs, so here goes nothing.
First of all, we had 7 kids in our home. They were ages 13, 8, 8, 7, 6, 4, and 15 months. Folks, that is a handful. Totally and completely. We had two previous children return to us and the rest were all new. The 13 year old was a direct gift from God. Quite near to perfect and loved to help with the other kids. Without her I might have had to be sent to the looney bin.
In the midst of this many kids, we had to go to Montgomery for two weeks(in Mont. for a week, back home for a week, then Mont. for another week) to learn how to teach foster classes. We sat in classes for like 8 hours a day. While it was long, it was so very informative and we had a lot of fun. Dustin and I got to meet foster parents and social workers from private agencies and DHR that traveled from all over the state. We are now qualified by the state to teach people the 10 week GPS course that you must take to be an adoptive/foster parent. I am more than a little excited about this. Teaching is a "gift" that the Lord gave me. I have had a desire to teach since I was pretty much born. This is a way for me to be back in a classroom setting while also adding my passion of adoption/fostering to it. Isn't God just the coolest? **Side note-if you are even slightly interested in becoming a foster parent through the Alabama Baptist Children's Home contact us! I think we are going to offer classes towards the end of the year.
We returned home to long "on" work times. We also returned to a child who was throwing tantrums. And when I say tantrums I mean like 2 hour long screaming, wetting and messing himself tantrums. Add in a child who tends to lie a lot, a four year old who will defend himself of being the smallest by whatever means necessary in a game, and a 15 month old who is in to everything. I thought I was going to lose my mind at any time. But, God is always faithful. Everytime I thought I was at the end of my rope, God sent me some help to get through. One day it was in a song at church. I just sat and cried through it knowing that it was God directly speaking to me. Another day it was that our 13 year old came to know Jesus Christ as her personal savior.(our whole entire purpose here) Another time it was watching our very first group of sisters go home to a mom who is sober and been on the right track for almost a year. Part of our job here is to love kids and keep them safe and nurtured until their family can get to the place that they can do that for them. These sisters and their mom are a true testament to that.
There was heartbreak for us when our house cleaned out in the matter of a week. I will not lie, seeing some of those kids go was a relief. They will be getting the help they need and my mind can actually think straight now. Some of them are actually still on campus, so we see them almost daily. For me seeing the 4 year old go was the hardest. He was my helper for the whole 2+ months that we had him. He did laundry with me, helped me sweep, wanted me outside if he was out there, and had the cutest brown eyes I have ever seen. The foster home he and his siblings went to is great though. We got to meet the family and it set my mind at ease about their move. Dustin, on the other hand, didn't have it so easy. The baby had out of nowhere taken to calling him "Daddy". He was by far her favorite person. She had to be rocked by him and then laid down to sleep. She loved for him to chase her through the house. This month, I watched my husbands heart absolutely break. He cried for 2 hours after the last time he put her to bed. And I fell more in love with the man I married. To know that his heart can be moved as deeply by other people's children, to know that he feels that same bond with kids that we did not biologically produce, that moved my heart probably more than it ever has before. But, we recover. I think God gives us a special grace to heal our hearts. It hurts, but I don't always think that heartache is a bad thing. In Acts, Paul talks of being willing to die for Christ. That he is okay with it. I have resigned myself to the fact that God is not asking death of me right now, but he is asking a little heart break. God sometimes asks things that are not comfortable or easy or pleasant. The blessings that come from these situations far outweigh the heartache. So we cry. We hurt. Then we wake up and do it again. I do not regret it. Neither does Dustin. I am often reminded that JOY comes not from our circumstance but from Jesus. Everyday I think I get a little more of that joy and I am unendingly thankful for it.
The same day we said goodbye to those 3 kids, my dog, Roxy, went missing. I hunted for hours until finally it was apparent that she was not anywhere nearby any longer. I cried my eyes out. Almost made myself sick. Then I decided that while I love that dog more than a whole lot of things, she is just a dog. She is not a child. I prayed that if she was stolen that a precious little girl that was going to give her all the lovin' she had would be in possession of her. I also prayed that she would be taken to the dog pound so I could have her. I also was brought to my knees out of sorrow for parents of children who go missing. The not knowing what happened to her was the hardest part. I cannot imagine what it must be like to have a child missing for a short time much less be a parent of these kids who have been missing for years. Once again, God showed me some mercy, and my sweet Roxy was at the animal shelter. I cried. I cried when my boss's wife called to tell me she was there(who in the world besides me has a boss and boss's wife who would go look for your dog at the shelter?). I cried when I got to the shelter and they showed me my Roxy in a cage. Dustin and I bailed her out and equipped her with a tag saying where she belongs.
During all of this I have been reading. Reading is by far one of my very favorite things to do. I often get messages, calls, etc asking what I have read lately and what would I recommend. Sarah and I have done two bible studies lately by Kelly Minter. Nehemiah which was full of history and connecting the OT to the NT and to today. We are currently in the last week of Ruth. Ruth is my favorite book of the bible. Even more so now. I got full on blown over by God last week as He showed me how He chose me. I often see myself as a "lowly sinner" so very unworthy crawling to the feet of a majestic God. While I am that sinner and I do have to crawl to His feet so very often, I got a glimpse of how special God sees me as. That he thinks I am worthy and honorable and that He wants to take me by the hand and walk this life with me. That He doesn't see me as 'lowly' or 'despicable' like we often hear ourselves described as without Christ. He sees me as wonderful and beautiful and desirable and He hand picked me and sought after me and said "I WANT YOU, HALEY!!!" Yall, that had this girl in tears(shocker, I know) and in smiles. I have dwelt on it for over a week. Still trying to get a grasp on the concept and delighting in the brief glimpses the Holy Spirit gives me. I also just finished a book called Banished by Lauren Drain. She was a member of the Westboro Baptist Church. If you are interested in how people can twist the Word of God check this book out. I enjoyed it very much. I am currently reading Ava's Man by Rick Bragg. He wrote the book All Over But the Shoutin' which was about his life in dirt poor Alabama. Great read. The book I am reading now is about his grandfather that he never met. The man died before he came along and he had always heard how great he was. He decided that the man's story needed to be told. It's about depression era Alabama. Very good so far. I am also still journaling through the NT. I just finished Acts.
Whoa. If you are still reading, Thank you. That is my life the past month in a nutshell. And as I typed it I was once again in awe of the grace of God and how it is constantly all over my life. So good to know how faithful God is and to see that at every turn.
First of all, we had 7 kids in our home. They were ages 13, 8, 8, 7, 6, 4, and 15 months. Folks, that is a handful. Totally and completely. We had two previous children return to us and the rest were all new. The 13 year old was a direct gift from God. Quite near to perfect and loved to help with the other kids. Without her I might have had to be sent to the looney bin.
In the midst of this many kids, we had to go to Montgomery for two weeks(in Mont. for a week, back home for a week, then Mont. for another week) to learn how to teach foster classes. We sat in classes for like 8 hours a day. While it was long, it was so very informative and we had a lot of fun. Dustin and I got to meet foster parents and social workers from private agencies and DHR that traveled from all over the state. We are now qualified by the state to teach people the 10 week GPS course that you must take to be an adoptive/foster parent. I am more than a little excited about this. Teaching is a "gift" that the Lord gave me. I have had a desire to teach since I was pretty much born. This is a way for me to be back in a classroom setting while also adding my passion of adoption/fostering to it. Isn't God just the coolest? **Side note-if you are even slightly interested in becoming a foster parent through the Alabama Baptist Children's Home contact us! I think we are going to offer classes towards the end of the year.
We returned home to long "on" work times. We also returned to a child who was throwing tantrums. And when I say tantrums I mean like 2 hour long screaming, wetting and messing himself tantrums. Add in a child who tends to lie a lot, a four year old who will defend himself of being the smallest by whatever means necessary in a game, and a 15 month old who is in to everything. I thought I was going to lose my mind at any time. But, God is always faithful. Everytime I thought I was at the end of my rope, God sent me some help to get through. One day it was in a song at church. I just sat and cried through it knowing that it was God directly speaking to me. Another day it was that our 13 year old came to know Jesus Christ as her personal savior.(our whole entire purpose here) Another time it was watching our very first group of sisters go home to a mom who is sober and been on the right track for almost a year. Part of our job here is to love kids and keep them safe and nurtured until their family can get to the place that they can do that for them. These sisters and their mom are a true testament to that.
There was heartbreak for us when our house cleaned out in the matter of a week. I will not lie, seeing some of those kids go was a relief. They will be getting the help they need and my mind can actually think straight now. Some of them are actually still on campus, so we see them almost daily. For me seeing the 4 year old go was the hardest. He was my helper for the whole 2+ months that we had him. He did laundry with me, helped me sweep, wanted me outside if he was out there, and had the cutest brown eyes I have ever seen. The foster home he and his siblings went to is great though. We got to meet the family and it set my mind at ease about their move. Dustin, on the other hand, didn't have it so easy. The baby had out of nowhere taken to calling him "Daddy". He was by far her favorite person. She had to be rocked by him and then laid down to sleep. She loved for him to chase her through the house. This month, I watched my husbands heart absolutely break. He cried for 2 hours after the last time he put her to bed. And I fell more in love with the man I married. To know that his heart can be moved as deeply by other people's children, to know that he feels that same bond with kids that we did not biologically produce, that moved my heart probably more than it ever has before. But, we recover. I think God gives us a special grace to heal our hearts. It hurts, but I don't always think that heartache is a bad thing. In Acts, Paul talks of being willing to die for Christ. That he is okay with it. I have resigned myself to the fact that God is not asking death of me right now, but he is asking a little heart break. God sometimes asks things that are not comfortable or easy or pleasant. The blessings that come from these situations far outweigh the heartache. So we cry. We hurt. Then we wake up and do it again. I do not regret it. Neither does Dustin. I am often reminded that JOY comes not from our circumstance but from Jesus. Everyday I think I get a little more of that joy and I am unendingly thankful for it.
The same day we said goodbye to those 3 kids, my dog, Roxy, went missing. I hunted for hours until finally it was apparent that she was not anywhere nearby any longer. I cried my eyes out. Almost made myself sick. Then I decided that while I love that dog more than a whole lot of things, she is just a dog. She is not a child. I prayed that if she was stolen that a precious little girl that was going to give her all the lovin' she had would be in possession of her. I also prayed that she would be taken to the dog pound so I could have her. I also was brought to my knees out of sorrow for parents of children who go missing. The not knowing what happened to her was the hardest part. I cannot imagine what it must be like to have a child missing for a short time much less be a parent of these kids who have been missing for years. Once again, God showed me some mercy, and my sweet Roxy was at the animal shelter. I cried. I cried when my boss's wife called to tell me she was there(who in the world besides me has a boss and boss's wife who would go look for your dog at the shelter?). I cried when I got to the shelter and they showed me my Roxy in a cage. Dustin and I bailed her out and equipped her with a tag saying where she belongs.
During all of this I have been reading. Reading is by far one of my very favorite things to do. I often get messages, calls, etc asking what I have read lately and what would I recommend. Sarah and I have done two bible studies lately by Kelly Minter. Nehemiah which was full of history and connecting the OT to the NT and to today. We are currently in the last week of Ruth. Ruth is my favorite book of the bible. Even more so now. I got full on blown over by God last week as He showed me how He chose me. I often see myself as a "lowly sinner" so very unworthy crawling to the feet of a majestic God. While I am that sinner and I do have to crawl to His feet so very often, I got a glimpse of how special God sees me as. That he thinks I am worthy and honorable and that He wants to take me by the hand and walk this life with me. That He doesn't see me as 'lowly' or 'despicable' like we often hear ourselves described as without Christ. He sees me as wonderful and beautiful and desirable and He hand picked me and sought after me and said "I WANT YOU, HALEY!!!" Yall, that had this girl in tears(shocker, I know) and in smiles. I have dwelt on it for over a week. Still trying to get a grasp on the concept and delighting in the brief glimpses the Holy Spirit gives me. I also just finished a book called Banished by Lauren Drain. She was a member of the Westboro Baptist Church. If you are interested in how people can twist the Word of God check this book out. I enjoyed it very much. I am currently reading Ava's Man by Rick Bragg. He wrote the book All Over But the Shoutin' which was about his life in dirt poor Alabama. Great read. The book I am reading now is about his grandfather that he never met. The man died before he came along and he had always heard how great he was. He decided that the man's story needed to be told. It's about depression era Alabama. Very good so far. I am also still journaling through the NT. I just finished Acts.
Whoa. If you are still reading, Thank you. That is my life the past month in a nutshell. And as I typed it I was once again in awe of the grace of God and how it is constantly all over my life. So good to know how faithful God is and to see that at every turn.
Comments
Post a Comment