Friday, May 28, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JADEN !!!

happy birthday Jaden! You are just the sweetest kid :)





Jaden is 9 now! Here he is when he was 5-- My little guy is just growing up!


Thursday, May 27, 2010

Hard to Believe!

WOW- It has been a whole year- The kids have been home now a year! Doesn't seem like a year most of the time- and sometimes it feels like they have just always been with us!

We have definitely have had our ups and downs this year. Each of the adoptions have had their own different struggles.

Zoe and Davis's English is really good for a year home. Justin is struggling with his. Justin's soccer has been his saving point. And he is good at it.

Juan and I are going to put Zoe and Davis into the 3rd grade next year. We put them in 1st as they had really never been to school and could not read or write. As they were so small, it worked out OK- However they have grown this year- so, we are putting them in grades for they age. (Zoe should be rising 4th but that is just too big of a leap- we may jump her another grade next year) Justin will be going into the 6th grade- Middle school will be so hard for him- we are really praying on what to do.

Juan and I had our date night last Friday night and after a wonderful dinner, we went to Barnes and Noble- my favorite place! We found some wonderful math and reading work books for each of the kids to work on this summer.

In just over a month, the middle adopted kids will be home for 4 years! And Joey in Sept will be home for 8 years.

Each of our children have a wonderful story to tell. ;)

Blessings, Pamela Dawn

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Guarantee

Risk your life and get more than you ever dreamed of.” Luke 19:26 (MSG)

Risk is the substance of our faith because it requires us to take Step 1 before we see Step 2.

Risk means we’re compelled to action, even when there seems to be no guarantee of what will be on the other side of our choice of faith.
But it’s risks, large and small, that God uses to stretch us from living by sight into living by faith.

The irony is, as we concentrate on the risks associated with faith, we fail to understand we’re taking a greater risk by remaining independent of God.
If we believe what we say we believe, then, regardless of what we see on the other side of faithful risk, the reality is God is there.

What seems to be a no-guarantee situation actually comes with the greatest guarantee of all—a God-guarantee—that he’s working it all out (Romans 8:28; Jeremiah 29:11).

With a God-guarantee, you can enter into the risky obedience of attempting things that are impossible unless God gives you his strength to do them.

With a God-guarantee, you can enter into the risky obedience of loving other believers so deeply and so richly that you prove to the world you are a Jesus-one bearing God’s fathomless love.

With a God-guarantee, you can enter into the risky obedience of loving your unlovable neighbors just as you love the unlovable you.

With a God-guarantee, you can enter into the risky obedience of changing your priorities to match God’s priorities, sacrificing, in faith, what you cannot keep for the things that can never be taken away.

With a God-guarantee, you can enter into the risky obedience of going to make disciples of all peoples, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them the risky obedience of following what Jesus commands (Matthew 28:19–20 NIV).