The precious gift of life

Life is fragile, a gift from the Lord...no matter how many days we have! This is such an amazing video. What a great reminder for me today to hold my children a little longer, a little tighter. Children truly are a gift from the Lord!

Scroll to the bottom of the page and turn off the music before you watch the video.

His timing is perfect

I know it's true...I know the Father's timing is perfect, I know He knows best. But still my heart is longing....longing to go and get Haven! I feel so close, but yet still so far. We should have Travel Approval any day now. I feel like there are so many obstacles in our way before we can even consider going to bring her home. There are so many things we still need to take care of, so many things that can cause even more delay. But yet...I KNOW my God! I know that every mountain in our way will be MOVED in the name of Jesus. I KNOW that before we know it, she will be home....safe forever!

Please pray with us that we use wisdom in every decision that needs to be made in the next few weeks. The airfares in July are ridiculous due to the Olympics. Do we wait until September? My heart breaks at the thought of Haven staying in an orphanage one day longer than she needs too...but I know that we also need to use wisdom. We really appreciate your prayers.

He makes ALL things beautiful in HIS time!

Unexpected Blessings

We live in a very small mountain town (about 7000 people). So, when a Christian Artist comes to town...you go! Last Sunday night we went to see Geoff Moore with our precious friends, Chris and Elizabeth (and mommy, Suella). It was a small, outdoor concert. Beautiful! I have heard his music over the years, and really loved it. But, his concert was awesome! I don't think I saw him stop smiling once. The guy absolutely loves the Lord.

I did not know that Geoff is HUGE advocate for adoption. He has two daughters from China. After the concert we were so blessed to be able to spend some time chatting to him. He was so gracious, and was so interested in our lives and the journey's to our adopted children. During our sweet converstaion he said "I am on the board of a ministry called Shaohannah's Hope, they give financial aide to families adopting children"....YES...we know them well!!!! We told him how we had received such a generous grant for Hannah-Claire's adoption and were waiting to find out what the outcome of our application was for Haven. I was so amazed...Geoff took all our contact details and promised to check in on our application :) How sweet is that???? He is a NICE guy, the real deal. We were so blessed, the Lord encouraged in a way we never imagined.

Change

Okay...so here's a fact! I LOVE change :) My dearest husband can testify to the fact that things don't stay the same around here for very long! Either I get bored too quickly OR it's just my way of spicing up life a little...I have no idea! Whether it's my ever-changing hair color and style (he never knows who is coming home from the hairdresser)...or the paint on the walls...if it can be changed, it probably will.....several times a year :). So, now that I figured out how to change my blog...yip...FUN!!!!!

Surrender!

The Salem's are on a journey! You know, there are times in my life when I have felt like I have had things all figured out...all my ducks in a row. I love feeling that way...I love feeling organized and having everything the way I want it to be :). The last three months have NOT been that way. There have been times I have truly felt that I have died to self....you know, crucified the flesh and layed down my desires to follow Jesus. But recently....God has taken that to a whole new level!!!! Anthony and I have found ourselves in a place we have never really been before, if we are very honest. The place is one of complete and utter dependence on God! For years we have told Him "we will go where you send us" and "we will do whatever you want"! Now...He is testing us on that! Are we really willing to lay down our desires and follow Him, no matter where that leads us? Are we really willing to give Him our dreams, and trust Him with them? Are we really willing to do extra-ordinary things for Him, things that may be uncomfortable? Are we willing?????

I think that for the first time in our married life we are at the place God wants us to be.....fully dependent on Him and Him alone! While NOTHING is making sense and every door before us seems to be a CLOSED door....we know that God is quietly going about His business....calling us to TRUST Him with our lives...COMPLETELY! Just as Elijah stood out on the mountain (1 Kings 19:11-13) and waited for the Lord to pass by...we are NOT seeing Him in powerful winds, great shaking earthquakes and amazing fires....we are sensing Him in the quiet winds, the gentlest of whispers.

We are willing, Lord Jesus!

What a treat

Whoooohooooo...on Saturday my special friend, Cris, stole me away from my family for the day:). She drove me to Denver and took me to see Mercy Me in concert. WOW! It is the first time I have ever been to a big Christian concert. I LOVE Mercy Me! Oh my goodness, what a blessing. The whole concert was an incredible time of worshiping the Living God!!!!! I was blessed beyond what I ever imagined. I came home refreshed and encouraged, ready to tackle whatever lies ahead for the Salems.

Thanks Cris, you totally blessed me. Thanks for allowing me to drag you around the waterpark on the thrill-seeker rides :). I got my adrenaline rush. (Too bad there was no "Soaring" for me to take her on, Rach :) ) And...the girl from the Southern Hemisphere LOVED being out on a HOT day! Thank you!

Hannah-Claire has blossomed in 2 years!

I took this picture of Hannah-Claire yesterday and compared it to the day we adopted her, just 27 months ago. I was amazed at how much she has blossomed in a relatively short period of time. She has grown into a beautiful young girl, full of life and INCREDIBLY talkative :). She is such a joy and a blessing. I cannot imagine our lives without this sweet child. Thank you Lord Jesus that you sent us!!! My heart longs to see more families experience the miracle of adoption. It truly is a life-changing experience, not only for the chld, but for the adopting family. Such joy!

A Blessed Time

Last week I had an amazing opportunity to attend a large church in Colorado Springs. I went specifically to listen to Christian Author and Speaker, Lisa Bevere. It is not too often that I have time on my own. I just felt like it was something I needed to go to. I'm so glad I did.

It was wonderful. They brought in a Worship Leader from a huge church in Texas. Some of you may know of Kari Jobe. Wow! What a blessed time. It was just what I needed in this crazy season of our lives. Anthony and I are at crossroads...seeking the Lord on many things. The worship was incredible, she truly is annointed at ushering people into the presence of the Lord. Lisa Bevere shared a message that challenged and encouraged me. Women rise up and fulfill your God-Given destiny!

I know that so often we, as women, wonder in the wilderness, trying to find our destiny and purpose in this life. I have done it. But, the truth is that God NEEDS His women. He NEEDS us all to be fulfulling the unique gifts and abilities He has placed in each one of us. I don't know about you...but I don't want to miss out on the blessing. I long to be right in the center of His will....I don't want Him to use someone else to do the things He told ME to do just because I was not listening. I don't want to miss His voice speaking to my heart!

Seeking His face always!

A fun day at the park

Spring is FINALLY coming to the mountains. YAY! Yesterday was 38 degrees, today is so much warmer. After a very long winter, you kind of long for warmer weather. Today we got it! So, the kids and I headed out for the day. There is a gorgeous little village near our house, it has a nice play area and a lake to fish. We had so much fun. I actually felt nice and warm :)

It's funny living up here in the mountains...when the warm weather comes (not hot weather :) ), you just have to get outdoors...you know that summer is short and soon the cold will return. I guess that once you have lived here for years and years, it kind of becomes normal.

Anyway, here are some pics of our day. Lots of love and blessings.

Our journey to a special little girl in need

So many new friends have asked me how we found Haven. Here is a newsletter I wrote for our ministry.

I have come to the conclusion that life in the Lord makes no sense at all sometimes (actually, it feels like most times for me!). Just when I have life all figured out and everything is planned according to the way I want things to be—yes, I do like being organized—the Lord gently reminds me that I am not the one steering the ship. He and He alone determines the course for my life.

For years I have longed with all my heart to know what it means to truly surrender my life to the Lord. I have longed to live a life of complete abandonment to His will, not mine. Well, this has certainly been the year the Lord has asked me to do that. With homeschooling our four children, ages three through eight, my life is certainly not boring or uneventful. In fact, “free time” for me is a quick run to the grocery store without children. Still, the Lord brought a little girl across our paths last August whom, before the foundation of the world, He had destined to be part of our family.

Our journey actually began twenty months ago. One little girl on a waiting child website caught my attention. She had the most angelic face and just pulled at my heart. I could not understand it.

Soon after this, we left for South Africa and, upon returning to the U.S. three months later,  the little one was still waiting on a waiting-child web site. Five months after that, I noticed an urgent appeal by the adoption agency for this child. She needed to find a family in just two weeks, or her information would be returned to China and she would be unadoptable for the rest of her life. The Chinese government felt she had had enough time to find a home in America; they demanded her file be returned. Our hearts broke! How could it be that this little girl could not find a home? We called the adoption agency that had her information because we had to know why.

Her story is heart wrenching. The agency told us she had been waiting more than two years to find a family. That in itself is amazing. Generally the Chinese government only allows an adoption agency a few months to find families for their orphan children, after which time they are never given another chance. They are destined to a life in a Chinese orphanage, on the street, or in a sweat shop. Many of these children have special needs that could be so easily be taken care of in this country, but sadly, many never have the opportunity.

It turns out that the little girl who had captured our hearts was adopted in July 2006. An American family did all the necessary paperwork and traveled to China to pick up their daughter. What an amazing time that must have been for her, knowing that at six, she finally had a family. Sadly, that dream was cut short.

Soon after getting their daughter, the family realized that something was “not right” with her. She was non-verbal, showed symptoms of being very withdrawn, and threw tantrums.  She was very delayed.

They took her to a state-run Chinese hospital for evaluation. After some very basic tests, doctors diagnosed her with autism. The family felt that it was more than they could handle. After just four days of having her, they disrupted the adoption and returned her to the orphanage! We have since heard from a caretaker that she took it very, very hard. First abandoned by her biological mother when she was five months old, then having a family for just a few days, only to have that come to an end all too soon.

On hearing this, I wept. Many other families asked about her after this incident, but as soon as they heard the word “autism,” they said no thanks! Both of our hearts broke, knowing exactly what the future of a child diagnosed with “mental issues” held in China. When old enough, she would be put to work in a factory, making toys or something similar. Oh, God, in heaven!

We knew from the Lord that we had to do something to help. But what? We knew we couldn’t possibly adopt from China again. They recently implemented new, rigid restrictions on adoptive parents. Many of their specifications we did not meet, especially the financial requirement. We also knew that China did not bend their rules, as we’ve learned from other families who were turned down.

As we hung up the phone that day, I literally cried out to the Lord for this sweet girl. I came up with every reason why we could not consider another adoption: We really do not earn enough money, Lord; We can barely make it month to month; Our family is big already; We have just moved to a new place and are trying to get settled; How on earth are we going to put all these kids through college? Can I even consider trying to homeschool another child? Can I really handle an autistic child? On and on I went with the Lord. Oh, God, send someone else to do this.

Then a voice from heaven spoke to my heart: "Stop being like Moses, Adeye. Stop making excuses! Have you not been seeking to abandon your will to me? As I gave Moses the words to speak, so I will lead and guide you and Anthony in this. Trust me!"

God led me to Exodus 4:10-13: Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue."
The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it."

I knew we needed to do whatever it took to bring this lovie home and allow God to either open or close the door. He was calling us to surrender to Him. The following day I told the adoption agency we would do whatever it took to adopt her. I explained our circumstances and how we did not meet the Chinese requirements. They agreed to allow us to fill out some basic paperwork to submit to the Chinese government to see if they would approve us. The agency, too, knew it would take a miracle of God. On paper, things did not look good. A week later we got word…China would approve us!

It was a miracle!

And so, here we are, journeying in faith to bring a little seven-year-old girl home. She will soon be named Haven because the Lord told us she would need a “safe and sheltered place.” The Lord promised us that He will keep her safe under the shelter of His wings. We truly do not know what the future holds for Haven. The most recent update we received from the orphanage said that she was still not speaking, saying only one or two words to the caretaker to whom she feels close. We know that she does not interact and play with other children and prefers to play alone. She displays symptoms of frustration and anger. We know all these things. BUT, we know too that she is our child. We know that her Father in heaven promises her hope and a future, a bright and beautiful one.

We are so blessed and excited that when the Lord said “Go,” we heard the call and are going to get this special little girl. Even when, in the natural, it makes no sense at all.

I recently came across a quote by A.W Tozer that really ministered to us:  God is looking for people through whom He can do the impossible. What a pity we plan only the things we can do by ourselves. When I think of Haven and contemplate what lies ahead for our family, I realize that this is not something we can do by ourselves. It is truly impossible to do alone, but it totally is something we can do with the Father by our sides. What a burden lifted to know that we do not walk alone!

We are so excited to be adding Haven to our family. We cannot wait for the day when we can hold her in our arms and promise her, “You are part of our family forever; you will NEVER be abandoned again!”