Time:
yes, I am still on that subject, sort of!!

Just when I think that I have "a handle on" the time frame for the next few months of our lives, a real curve ball is tossed at me.

In life, we usually go with what we know, or what has worked for us in the past, understanding how long things took in the past, judging on all of that for the future. You get the idea-
Well, this is our 3rd adoption. I thought I had a handle on it.... To bring home our precious son from China, it took from start to finish almost 3 years. Juan and I were newly married, he had just finished his grad school- it was a long wait, but we were very busy with life.

Our second adoption was from Ethiopia. Our "D" had been praying for a brother every night for months on end. We decided to adopt again Super Bowl Sunday - the end of Jan 2006. We went to Ethiopia to pick up our beautiful children July 8, 2006- YES, start to finish 6 months-- Feb to July.

So in my mind, I am thinking, "Ok, start to finish,6 months for this, our 3rd adoption". I know, I know- you adoptive parents out there reading this can pick yourselves up off the floor from your laughter!!-- Our Social Worker told us that things were taking longer this time around. So, I thought - longer i.e..- a week, 2 maybe, 3 for each step in the process--

NOT in a million years did my mind ever consider MONTHS longer for each step. Juan and I believed that we could bring the children home for Christmas. Well, when Christmas passed, we were thinking hopefully travel by the end of Feb.

We now realize that we will be lucky if we are traveling by June. Yesterday as I was being told this, I was just dying inside- I know that God is in control, and those wonderful kids that soon will be "Johnson's" are in God's hands. They will get here to the states in God's correct and right time. I am waiting on the Lord.....

But this is not my timing- I have given this over to the Lord, and I am sure I will have to do this everyday!- I want my babies home. I want to hold them, love them, comfort them, feed them, and most of all tell them all about Jesus.

This is in God's time table not mine.

Some might ask, is God punishing us, or is the devil trying to trip us up in this life? I don't think so, I think that it is God giving us the chance to show His grace, that He can hold us up while we wait.

I think it is God giving us and His people a time to pray for a miracle to bring the kids home sooner. To be able to show God's power, if it is His will for that to happen.

It is more time for Juan and I to be praying for our hearts, the hearts of our kids here at home, and for our new little ones hearts in Africa- for all of us to be ready to be a family.

It is more time for Juan and I to be praying for a miracle for the rest of the funds needed to pay for this 3rd adoption. WE still need our traveling funds +. There is a chance that because of timing of the trip, Juan will not be able to go with me.



We are asking for everyone that we know to PRAY for these miracles. For the children, both there and here, for the paperwork to go as fast as possible, for the right person to travel with me to Africa, and for the funds to come in.

WE know that we are doing what God wants us to do. So, we KNOW that all of the above things will happen in HIS time. I believe this and I am standing on this.


Please help us with anything that you can. PRAYER, prayer and more prayer, donations, funds, buying dolls, and most of all PRAYER.

Time is such a hard thing to give to God.

Blessings, Pam

For the Lord is GOOD;and his love endures forever, his faithfulness continues through all generations.. -- Psalm 100:5

MY PRAYER: In a world of change and undependability, thank you, dear Father, for being sure, steadfast, and faithful. In a time when everyone seems to want something from me or out of me, thank you,dear Father, for repeatedly and consistently blessing me. Thank you for being more enduring than the mountains and more glorious than the most beautiful sunrise. In the name of Jesus, your Son and my glory. Amen.

TIME

Time.

Time Lost.

Time wasted.

Time that is just gone and you can't get it back.....

Time- I got in the mail "The Houghton Academy News", the newsletter from the high school I attended and graduated from. Now, I have gotten these newsletters in the past, many times. I'm not sure what was different a few days ago- Maybe the theme of the newsletter- Thinking globally- It is a small world, after all...WOW- isn't that like my family?!- And like our lives. Maybe because it is my birthday tomorrow and "time" is just moving on so fast...What am I doing to Change My World??

With the Internet at my fingertips, I looked up Houghton- Great web site (anyone looking for a wonderful Bible believing high school- check it out ) and I had so much fun putting in my profile in my graduating class, adding pictures and my blog site. As I'm doing this, I wonder when someone from my class might be just looking at the site??? It was fun to catch up on the kids that I attended school with- the classes before and after my class.

Where am I going with the TIME LOST, just gone....

The high school I attended taught the Word of God, wonderful chapels, Christian teachers, Christian dorm parents etc. But I missed it- At that time in my life I played at being a christian, when the times suited me- I knew deep in my heart that I really didn't believe. I missed the boat in so many ways.

TIME- I found the Lord, The Lord found me- 12 years ago- I graduated from high school 38 years ago- --ALL THOSE LOST YEARS of time that I could have been praising, worshipping Jesus, my Saviour.

Now, I am not overly kicking myself- We can not undo the past- And sometimes we need things to be in our lives to be able to find Jesus in a real way.

I have TIME again now, as I am waiting for our precious new children to arrive. I am not wasting my time, this time. Now, I am worshipping, praising and working for the Lord as I am waiting. I am watching, to keep on catching the "waves" of the things that God wants me to be doing as we wait.

The Lord is so GOOD. He has not wasted any of the "times" that I have gone thru in the first 40 some years. He is using all of the things that have happened in my life to share with others on this path, this journey of life - to get us to the real life with Christ.

Blessings, Pam

Out of the mouths of babes

Six years ago we chose our son "D" from China. He was three years old when we brought him home so he has no memory of his birth home. Of course that's not unusual. He just knows what we tell him whenever he asks, or when the subject comes up in conversation. He knows that he had a beautiful mother who loved him so much that she felt that she would not be able to care for him as much as another parent (adoptive) could. You see, he was born with a cleft lip and pallet. This can be expensive to care for here in the US and nearly impossible to afford for the average family in China. "D" had lived in an orphanage from birth until he was over 3 years old. Our Lord brought this little angel (now a tiger cub) to us and He has been providing for us ever since.

Well, the other day "D" and "J", his little brother by 2 years, were being watched by a close friend of Pam's for the day. It was during the Christmas break and the girls were gone to Winterfest at Liberty University for the week. Anyway, Pam's friend happened by the room the boys were playing in and overheard a part of their conversation. What she heard stopped her in her tracks...

"D" was talking to "J"..."You're lucky, 'cause you had a mom and a dad before you came here and now you have another mom and a dad. That means you have two moms and two dads. I didn't have a mom and a dad before, just them. We have a great mom and dad."

THIS from a 9 year old! Pam's friend didn't go in or say anything to the boys about this. She just passed it on to Pam. Who then passed it on to me (through tears, of course).

Things like this gives us more strength and courage to go on and it provides yet another answer for that oft asked question...Are you crazy?!?!

why?

Why,
New pictures from Soddo, Ethiopia, our kids birthplace.

Why?

We are often asked WHY?

Why would we adopt FOUR kids, moreless adopt THREE kids more, making a total of SEVEN kids? A WONDERFUL total of twelve Children in all.

Why would we do this?

Why devote our lives to this "cause" (if you can truly even call it that, we do not).

Here's why:

BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT THIS LIFE IS NOT OUR OWN.

Because we believe that in the end, it won't matter what career ladders we climbed or financial investments we made or what gadgets we could afford.

It will matter that seven lives were saved. AND THAT IS THE BEGINING OF THE CIRCLE OF LIVES CHANGED

Because we have seen hopelessness firsthand in Ethiopia and China and elsewhere, but believe in all HOPE that each child is a child of God.

Because we believe that the orphaned street child who plays street soccer on the rough pavement of the streets of Addis Ababa is no less valuable to the Creator than the polished child on a suburban soccer team here in America.

Because we see nothing more worthy of our focus, time, resources, and lives.

BECAUSE INJUSTICE IS A WRONG WORTH RIGHTING.

Because the poor child is still a child.

Because we know that, while adoption is not the solution in and of itself to the orphan crisis 143 million times over, we have seen with our own lives how it rescues the lives of those who can be adopted.

Because we believe that Jesus died for redemption, not just for eternity, but for our lives on this planet and we believe we can be vessels of that redemption for children's lives here.

Because we know that, if it were our own flesh and blood, we would want someone to love them and be called to be their family,

Because, really, these kids are no different from your own. Not at all.

Because it's just not okay with us to say no to a child who needs a home when we have a home to give.

Because it's just not okay with us to say no to a child who needs a family when we have a family to give.

Because it's just not okay with us to say no to a child who needs room to thrive when we have room and can make room.

Because it's just not okay with us to do nothing.

Because it's just not going to be okay to do nothing.

"Rescue the perishing; don't hesitate to step in and help. If you say, "Hey, that's none of my business," [i.e. "that's not for me"] will that get you off the hook? Someone is watching you closely, you know— Someone not impressed with weak excuses." -Proverbs 24:12 (The Message)

Happy New Year!

New beginnings and all that stuff.

This morning I took the ornaments off of the Christmas tree (under Pam's VERY watchful eyes) and put the tree back in its box. As I was taking off the ornaments and setting them on the sofa for Pam to put away in their little boxes or whatever, I had a chance to reflect on the different ornaments that we've collected over our years together. Pam has made a lot of them, some soft stuffed kinds, some painted balls, some whimsical, so rather "traditional". She's one crafty little woman - I love her for that. We have ornaments that kids have made and have their names on them. We have the kind that we bought at art festivals and people painted our names on them. We have one with just me and Pam; one with us and our dog Cookie, then the kids start coming and they get bigger and bigger. I seriously doubt we'll be able to find an ornament with 7 kids on it, but we'll try. It'll be huge! LOL

Everybody should have a tree in their home with all the memories hanging from them. I'm not much into theme Christmas trees but a memory theme doesn't sound so bad.

We'll, I'm starting my obligatory diet - again. Over the years, I've probably lost a cumulative ton and gained it back. I'm going to start running as soon as I get over this cold (hey, I'm not procrastinating, really!). I want to run in our local marathon this coming November. I promised myself that I'd run one before I was 50. Times running out - fast. I ran a half marathon once and I didn't die, so I figured I could do this. I wish I had a running partner for the weekend long runs. It's hard to find a partner who's at a similar skill level as yourself.

We're still praying for a miracle that someone will "accidentally" send our dossier through to the courts way ahead of schedule. Pam keeps asking me to set up the kids' rooms to accomodate the new ones, but I don't want to do that because it will make the waiting that much harder. I'll do it as soon as we get a court date.

Well, I hope that everyone sets a goal of doing something new, daring, and exciting this year. Step out of your comfort zones, go beyond the norm, do more than what is expected. If you really want to make a splash - make a huge sacrifice for someone or some cause that will not be able to give back or even say thank you. Go beyond you, and make it about someone else.

God Bless!

HEART -- JOY

My heart is full of joy watching my children this Christmas morning. This year due to the next adoption, we "cut back" actually way back- our children however, had such JOY- they are very happy with what they received. I am praying each day that the Lord helps Juan and I teach our kids the joy of living, being content with what you have. Joy is not the next "gift" "thing" "toy" that we want. Joy is inside- and Once we accept Christ as our Savior, JOY is a choice.

My heart is breaking over the facts of this world. You know we all can do something. Maybe it is not for you to adopt, maybe you are past the stage in your life that that is what you can do. However you would be surprised how the older you are- the more calm, you are, with the kids- But it is true, not everyone can or should adopt. There are however so many other things that each one of us can pitch in and do. Just off the top of my head- I know of several orphanages that need supplies, babies are dying. There is a project in Haiti digging wells to bring clean drinking water to towns. There is a project that helps widows to be trained in a "job" so that they can support their children. (This is the project that I plan to work very hard on this next year- I so believe in helping others help themselves.) While I was in Ethiopia 2 years ago, I went and visited this project and plan to go again with our next trip. Hopefully SOON!!

IF anyone wants more information on any of the projects that I have just mentioned- or want to talk about other projects, please just email me. I can get addresses and more information to you, so that maybe you can start your "grass roots" project. EVERY single person that helps, even a little bit- Helps! It only takes one person to start the chain of events that can help the world. I CAN HELP.



My heart is breaking over the following facts.


What is the need?

Over 143 million children have lost one or both parents. 1
At least 16.2 million children worldwide have lost both parents. 2
Every 14 seconds a child loses a parent due to AIDS. 3
Conflict has orphaned or separated 1 million children from their families in the 1990s. 4

Where are they?

43.4 million orphans live in sub-Saharan Africa, 87.6 million orphans live in Asia, and 12.4 million orphans live in Latin America and the Caribbean. 5
1.5 million children live in public care in Central and Eastern Europe alone. 6
At any given point there are over 500,000 children in the U.S. Foster Care system. 7
In some countries, children are abandoned at alarming rates, due to poverty, restrictive population control policies, disabilities or perceived disabilities, and cultural traditions that value boys more than girls. 8

What about AIDS?

More than 14 million children under the age of 15 have lost one or both parents to AIDS, the vast majority of them in sub-Saharan Africa. 9
By 2010, the number of children orphaned by AIDS globally is expected to exceed 25 million. 10
AIDS is more likely than other cause of death to result in children losing both parents. 11
As the infection spreads, the number of children who have lost parents to AIDS is beginning to grow in other regions as well, including Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean and Eastern Europe. 12

What happens to the children?

Children are profoundly affected as their parents fall sick and die, setting them on a long trail of painful experiences often characterized by: economic hardship, lack of love, attention and affection, withdrawal from school, psychological distress, loss of inheritance, increased physical and sexual abuse and risk of HIV infection, malnutrition and illness, stigma, discrimination, exploitation, trafficking, and isolation. 13
Orphaned children are much more likely than non-orphans to be working in commercial agriculture, as street vendors, in domestic service and in the sex trade. 14
Unaccompanied boys are at high risk of forced or 'voluntary' participation in violence and armed conflict. 15
Orphanages, children's villages, or other group residential facilities generally fail to meet young people's emotional and psychological needs. 16

What about foster care?

On average, children stay in foster care for 30 months, or 2.5 years. 17
118,000 children were waiting to be adopted on September 30, 2004. 18
On average, those children waiting for adoption have been in foster care for 43.8 months, almost 4 years. 19
Each year, an estimated 20,000 young people “age out” of the U.S. foster care system. Many are only 18 years old and still need support and services. Of those who aged out of foster care: 20 Outcome 21 Earned a high school diploma: 54% Obtained a Bachelor's degree or higher: 2% Were unemployed: 51% Had no health insurance: 30% Had been homeless: 25% 22 Were receiving public assistance: 30%

Is there any hope?

Yes. There is One who infinitely loves each orphan and calls His people to join Him in caring for the fatherless. Each one of us can Show Hope to an orphan.

If only 7% of the 2 billion Christians in the world would show hope to a single orphan, looking after the child in their distress, there would effectively be no more orphans. We can each do something.
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I need Africa more than Africa needs me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAB-zJPsJjs

Merry & Blessed Christmas!

It's the day we recall/memorialize/celebrate the birth of our Christ, Jesus. We all do it in so many different ways. As long as we are alive we have reason to celebrate, but as humans we like to set aside particular days to celebrate and remember. Even in the Old Testament, the LORD God set aside particular days for us to remember and celebrate different events. So I take His example and follow along with the tradition of "observing" Christmas.

Yes, we do exchange gifts in our family and we buy gifts for friends, and we donate to causes for some. Yet, we never lose sight of why this particular day was set aside...to remember that our salvation came to this earth as a man child. He was born helpless but He was the only source of hope for all mankind. We also realize that it is man's idea to celebrate the memory of His birth, and it is Jesus' command to celebrate/memorialize the event of his sacrificial death and victorious resurrection for our sakes.

This morning we watched our children's eyes as they opened their various gifts. We bathed in the glow of their adoration (as long as it lasts). We made our traditional call to Grandma & Grandpa. We'll eat our traditional Christmas feast. We will pray for our sisters and brothers around the world who can not celebrate openly because they are being persecuted for Christ's sake. We will pray for those who have no earthly treasures to open this morning; while at the same time they have more to celebrate because their faith tends to be more real than mine.

Celebrate & Pray - Remember and never forget...Jesus is the only reason!
God Bless each of you with Love, Joy, Peace, and Prosperity.

We Finally Got It!

Yesterday, Pam called me at work to tell me that we finally got our INS approval letter. FINALLY! We're going to fax it, e-mail it and mail a hard copy to CWA - no excuses for losing it. :o) . Of course with every ray of sunshine seems to come a little cloud (one doesn't want too much sunshine at at once, we couldn't take it). The case worker at CWA told Pam that what would normally take about 3-4 weeks to get a court date will take about 8-9 weeks. So we're looking at the end of February for the court date and then who knows how long before we get a travel date. This is pushing us uncomfortably close to the "busy season" at both of our jobs. We both work in accounting in the tourist industry and it will be extremely difficult to get away, especially if it falls during month end time.

But hey, we got this step and I shouldn't complain. Please pray for good timing on all the rest of this journey. Thank you to all who are our prayer partners throughout all of this.

Monthly update

Our adoption agency, CWA has started something new; they will be sending out monthly updates of the children. This is a fantastic idea, even if they miss a month here or there, it is reassuring to get them. On the update is a picture of the child (separate from siblings), age and measurements. Of course the reliability of the measurements is very questionable. The one we received the other day has the two youngest growing an inch or two and the oldest losing almost two inches since that last update we received.

They also have each of them losing two years in age. Pam and I are hoping this was just a clerical error because that would put the youngest one in kindergarten - Pam has had enough of kindergarten, let me tell ya. We had each of our boys repeat kindergarten in order to gain both academically and maturity. This would be five years of kindergarten Mommy - not something she's looking forward to.

Then the shock of all shocks...they shaved our baby girl's head. I'm sure it done in order to help treat some type of fungal infection, but it was shocking none-the-less. She has about a quarter to half inch of hair on her little head. I was almost in tears imagining how she must have cried so hard when they did that to her. She's still the cutest little peanut with a precious smile.

The middle one, we expected to see a cast on his arm because his medical report said he had a healing fracture of the elbow. No cast. Shrug. Either the medical report was wrong, or they didn't put a cast on it for long. We'll have to remember to have an x-ray of both of his arm's when they finally get home.

We are STILL waiting for our I-171 form from the INS!! We've written twice and our social worker has written once, to no avail.

Merry Christmas!