Thank you to each of you who have helped us get this far! I feel like I'm falling behind with saying, "Thank you" and sending notes either by email or snail mail. But, nothing is going unnoticed. Of course, nothing goes unnoticed, as God sees all that you and I are doing to bring home our children. Nothing is going unnoticed by us either because we are so in need of encouragement that the smallest amount of encouragement makes the biggest relief in our hearts.
We're finished with our home study, nearly done with our dossier, have passports in hand, and are awaiting our USCIS approval! We're getting closer! Here's our page that was recently updated to show our progress on the Reeces Rainbow site: http://reecesrainbow.org/?s=lusher
Thank you to each of you who have helped us get this far! I feel like I'm falling behind with saying, "Thank you" and sending notes either by email or snail mail. But, nothing is going unnoticed. Of course, nothing goes unnoticed, as God sees all that you and I are doing to bring home our children. Nothing is going unnoticed by us either because we are so in need of encouragement that the smallest amount of encouragement makes the biggest relief in our hearts.
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Several weeks ago I felt God guiding me to read the book of John. Today I woke up later than I wanted, so I did my personal reading time with my blessings. In John 6 we read about the feeding of the 5000, the fifth sign. Then we read, "15 Therefore, when Jesus knew that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He withdrew again to the mountain by Himself. 16 When evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. Darkness had already set in, but Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 Then a high wind arose, and the sea began to churn. 19 After they had rowed about three or four miles,[c] they saw Jesus walking on the sea. He was coming near the boat, and they were afraid. 20 But He said to them, “It is I.[d] Don’t be afraid!” 21 Then they were willing to take Him on board, and at once the boat was at the shore where they were heading.
When I read this, I had to stop and share with you (and my blessings) how my eyes had been opened. Jesus asks us to get into the boat with Him. Sometimes we are afraid to go in because we know our sins, we've been called by our sins for so long, and we're afraid He doesn't remember our true name because we've been known by our sin for far too long. The disciples, without Jesus, got in the boat and started out to their destination. We do that, don't we? We have our boats, our lives, and whether God is with us or not, we set out to our destination. Then, the darkness sets in. But, we left Jesus, and He hasn't joined us on our journey, so we keep going. The raging storms of this life arise, and unwanted circumstances and unwise choices churn, along with our stomachs within. Then, we see Him. Is He really here in our madness? As He approaches our lives, we become afraid. In His grace, He says, "It is I. Don't be afraid." The storms rage around us, around our Lord. Even in our sin, as we run from Him, turn from Him, or simply travel our road of life without Him for a time, He has come to us, above the storm, above the raging waters, and He offers us peace. As we allow Him into our boats, into our lives, He proves to show us the worth of the storm. When the peace comes, and we look around, we realize that, though we were afar off, though the storms had taken us off our route, Jesus has redeemed us and used the storm to take us to our destination. One can ponder whether or not the storm was the means by which we reach our destination or whether it was purely a miracle. Either way, God has used the storm to bring us closer to Him. He has proven to be over the storm, over the rage, and the author of peace. Today, as choices arise, let us stop for a moment to check our boats. Is Jesus there? If not, let's take a moment to invite Him into our boats, for the journey, I am persuaded, will be far more peaceful with Him along for the ride. One Sunday in December we went to church to walk out with a $7,500 donation. How is that possible? God provides.
There have been several donations left in our paper box or on our door step with no notes specifying who gave. How is that possible? God provides. There have been several donations of clothes - I have 4 bags to go through right now. How is that possible? God provides. And, today, I met with someone who sent letters out this Christmas sharing how the Holy Spirit had put our adoption story upon her heart. Through her support of our adoption, we received a $ donation. How, you ask? God provides. Why am I sharing this with you? We're on a crazy journey that is obviously outside of the Christian "box." We will need $40,000 to adopt our sibling group of 5. We'll have 9 children in about 10-14 weeks. The next time God asks you to do something outside your comfort zone and outside your financial zone, just remember one thing: God provides! I just opened an envelope with $200 in it. It was cash with no note or return address....simply a loving contribution to our journey to adopt 5 kids from Eastern Europe. As I opened it, the following idea occurred to me...
You know how Christmas seems to be more hectic than peaceful with all of the purchases and running around trying not to forget anyone. It was like that when Jesus was born too, as the Inns were full of occupants and people trying to get settled in an overfilled city. But away in a manger was a tiny babe wrapped up and warm in His mothers arms with stars shining bright overhead and the gentle sounds of sheep close by. This, to me, sounds like a ride in the country - sure it smells of manure, but look at the land, at the natural colors, the trees and flowers, and all of the animals in their natural settings. No cramps spaces with honks of the many cars filled with people rushing, rushing, rushing around. It sounds better in that manger scene to me, as their focus was simple - Jesus. Tonight, I thought, what if other families were to take a moment before their meal to remember Jesus in a modern day manger. We are the Body of Christ, and there are some members of Christ's body in a modern day manger, we call them orphanages, and there are no rooms in the Inns (in loving homes of a mother and father) for these precious children. In this modern day manger scene, there's no Mary or Joseph either. There are approximately 153 million orphans in the world, and you may know of one that's about to be taken off that list. If not, in about 10-14 weeks, we will be traveling to remove 5 orphans from that list. But, this Christmas they will remain outside of the "Inn" crowd, they will remain unwanted (as they don't know we are here for them), and this Christmas, they will continue to think that because they are a sibling group of 5, they will never be adopted. For our modern day manger scene, we are the "Mary" and "Joseph", and we are fighting to get to our babies, but they don't know that. You may know of a "Mary" trying to reach the manger to hold her baby Jesus, but there are so many obstacles in the way. Would you take a moment to pray for our orphans before your family unwraps their Christmas presents or before the Christmas meal? Would you take a moment to pray for the "Mary" and the "Joseph" you know or would you answer the call to become the answer for one orphan? Would you take a moment to help others remember how blessed we are to have someone to call family? You can visit our site at Lusherfamily.weebly.com, or you can print and read this article on us for a more "real" story of adoption: http://www.southeastoutlook.org/news/features/article_70d2ca74-4c74-11e3-9453-001a4bcf6878.html We're not the only ones adopting, so if you know of someone who is, would you consider praying for them this Christmas Day? Let's also remember the many children who will age out this Christmas season (and beyond) and will never have the opportunity to call on a "Mom" or "Dad" for help. I'm so grateful to have been adopted by Jesus, and I'm so thrilled to be on this crazy journey to adopt 5 more children and to have 4 here with me now. Let's make this Christmas even more meaningful as we put the focus back on Jesus, who wasn't born to be a part of the "Inn" crowd, but Who has changed our lives for the better. Visit http://reecesrainbow.org/ for even more children who need your prayers. James 1:27English Standard Version (ESV) 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. |
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November 2017
AuthorI'm Brooke - Daughter of the King, Wife to a loving husband, mother to 10 sweet blessings, teacher, cleaning lady, cook, and COO of the Lusher Family. Categories |