Summit 9

Well hello!  It's me here! Yea, the one that used to post here at least kind of regularly for the last few years.  I've been a bit absent from bloggy land lately.  It's not that I don't want to be here.  It's just truly that I have not had any time. Really, none!  

The last  9 months have just about kicked my butt. Having 9 children at home is busy, and the 5 girls really keep me going.  All of the girls except Madalyn are in school, and I thought that would make it a little easier, but it has almost made it busier.  The good news is they are all doing well and enjoying school a lot. We are super happy with Anna and Victoria's school, and Ruby is actually over there with them now.  Emmee is attending school about 25 miles away, which makes for a long day for her, but she is doing pretty well with it.  Still, getting everyone dressed and fed and ready in the mornings is alot of work and I'm almost ready to go back to bed by the time I'm done.  Lol    

I'm sitting here in Nashville waiting to board my flight back to Colorado.  It is delayed (but thankfully not cancelled which is how I started this trip), so I thought I'd write a few things.  

I was blessed to have the privilege to attend Summit 9 for the last 2 days, which is put on by the Christian Alliance for Orphans.  This is the 9th summit conference (hence the 9), and there were over 2500 people attending!  It was AMAZING!  What's really cool is that the first Summit had only 39 people in attendance.  How amazing what God has done in just the last few years!  God is moving friends!  God most definitely has a heart for orphans and it is so wonderful to see how many people are responding to His call.  

Just walking into the church sanctuary the first day getting to worship the Lord you could just feel the presence of the Holy Spirit and knew He was there.  And in a big way!  Got to listen to people like Peter Eide, Stephen Curtis Chapman, Jimmy Wayne, Nicole Mullen, and David Platt! And more!  Everyone had their own moving story concerning orphans or adoption or the like.   

Hopefully I can share more about what happened there and what I learned.  I especially enjoyed spending time with my friend Wendy and meeting new people like Amy and her beautiful family who were so hospitable and let us invade their house!  Love Love Love seeing other adoptive families and especially their sweet kiddos.  

Nashville and the surrounding area is truly beautiful as well.  My pictures aren't the greatest but I will leave you with them anyway.  Fixing to board my flight.  I would appreciate any prayers for safety and a smooth flight.  Thanks!

 Coming into Nashville

 Brentwood Baptist Church - this place is enormous!

 Stephen Curtis Chapman

David Platt

Did You Know

Christ has no body on earth but YOURS.

No hands but yours.

No feet but yours.

 Yours are the eyes through which... 

Christ's compassion for the world is to look out.

 Yours are the feet with which He is to go

 about doing good.

And yours are the hands with which He is to 

bless us now.

Saint Teresa of Avila 

How will you be His hands 

and feet today?

World Down Syndrome Day 2013

Today, March 21st, is World Down Syndrome Day.  March 21st was chosen because of the numbers 3/21.  People with Down syndrome have 3 copies of the 21st chromosome.  This is a day to raise awareness for people with Down syndrome and inform people what Down syndrome is really all about.  

There are many stereotypes about Down syndrome.  Most are myths and just plain not true.  I want to help people understand that my daughters are more like everyone else than they are different.  They have hopes, desires, and dreams just like you. They have a broad range of feelings and emotions just like you do. How I wish the world could see our children the way we do!  That they are beautiful and amazing and loved tremendously. They may seem different. But aren't we all different...each in our own way?  

My girls are just regular little girls. They play, laugh, cry, throw temper tantrums, and get into trouble. They like cookies and pizza, jumping on the trampoline, ice cream and playing at the park among many other things.  :) This is who they are...

Precious and tiny and sweet.  

I AM HERE!

Kissable.  

I AM LOVED BY MY COUSINS!

The baby of the family. 

 I AM A LITTLE SISTER!

Red, white and blue. 

I AM PATRIOTIC!

Many surgeries.  

I AM A SURVIVOR!

Afraid of loud fireworks.  

I AM A NORMAL LITTLE KID!

Get into things I'm not supposed to.

I AM MESSY!

Hard work to reach my developmental milestones.

I AM DETERMINED!

New sisters.

I AM WORTH TRAVELING 10 THOUSAND MILES FOR! 

Abandoned, neglected, alone.

I AM STRONG ANYWAY! 

Orphans no more.

I AM NOT ALONE ANYMORE!

Sisters

I AM ADORABLE!

Funny faces.

I AM SILLY!

Adoption

I AM CHOSEN!

Giggles

I AM FUNNY!

Sightseeing

I AM A TRAVELER!

More beautiful cousins. :)

I AM AN AMERICAN NOW!

Big brother.

I AM HUG-ABLE!

Family

I AM HOME!

Signing "bird".

I AM SMART!

Highest slide at the park.

I AM DARING!

School

I AM A STUDENT!

 

Creative

I AM FUN!

Sad...tears

I AM FULL OF FEELINGS!

Hmmm...

I AM FULL OF ATTITUDE!

 My lil' sis.

I AM SWEET!!!

Pretty girls.

I AM LOVED!!

Our children with Down syndrome have been one of the biggest blessings in our life. I hope you can see a little bit more of why now.  :)  

Happy World Down Syndrome Day 2013!!!!  

Are You Blessed?

  

Do you have a warm house to live in?  Do you have food on your table? Do you have a vehicle or two to drive around in?  Do you have family around and people who love you

If you answered yes to any of those questions, I would venture to say you have been blessed, and abundantly. Most of the people in this world live in poverty...on less than 2 dollars a day!

Wouldn't you like to know how your family could be even more blessed?  Way more than you could ever imagine?  I thought so...  :) 



We are very rich here in the US.  Little things like indoor toilets, clean running water, and pre-packaged convenience food that we take for granted every day would be luxuries to many people in the world!

In ancient Israel, the people worked hard all year long, planting and taking care of their crops, so that when harvest time came, they would be able to reap an abundance and have what they needed to take care of their families.  It was an important time, and there were God given rules about the harvest and what they were to do with it.

There have always been orphans, widows and homeless people.  And even in ancient Israel, God told His people to take care of them.  He even told them exactly how.  

When you reap your harvest in your field, and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the stranger, the orphan and the widow, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.

When you beat your olive trees, you shall not go over the boughs again; it shall be for the stranger, the orphan, and the widow.

When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not glean it afterward; it shall be for the stranger, the orphan, and the widow.  Deuteronomy 24:19-21

...that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.

Wow!



There are many verses about orphans and widows in the Bible that I love.  We know God Himself deems caring for them so important because He mentions them so many different times in the Bible.

God's own definition of religion is to care for orphans and widows in their distress (James 1:27).  If that is God's own definition, then we must also take it very seriously. 

Considering there are close to 143 million orphans in the world today...not to mention widows, we have a lot of work to do.  Don't you think? 

Have you ever thought of what that verse means to you?  

I mean really, seriously, considered it? 

I invite you to do just that today. Then see how the Lord  blesses you.  

Whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. Matt 18:5