Catching up...

It's been several days since I've posted anything, but that's because I've finally moved to the new house!

I LOVE IT!!! It's SO nice to be able to be anywhere in the house - living room, kitchen, bedroom, laundry room, upstairs, downstairs - and be COMFORTABLE! In the other house, I pretty much spent all of my time - teaching time as well as personal time - in the two rooms on the 2nd floor. In other words, I was spending about 95% of my time in about 25% of the house, due to the extreme cold in the rest of the house. There's also really bad mold in the crawlspace and in the kitchen. That didn't help matters any.

That house was literally making me sick! I fought (and sometimes lost) against the "bug" that's been going around, and this past weekend, it turned into a bad sinus infection and I've had to cancel lessons all week. I was finally able to get in to see a doctor today, so now I have some good antibiotics & will hopefully be on the mend soon!

I also got some exciting news today... My Mom is coming to visit me next month! She'll be here for my 40th Birthday Celebration, and also for a concert I'll be playing in. She always asks, "When am I going to get to hear you play??" Well Mom, here's your chance! :-)

The latest on the adoption process...

I wrote last week about the brother & sister in Mexico City... I don't think that I am the one to be their mommy, BUT I do think that it was Providential that my student's mom told me about them, since I have friends & friends-of-friends who are looking to adopt. So I'll definitely be passing the word!

On a related subject, I have begun to "subtly worry" about where the money is going to come from for the adoption, and also if I will be able to bring my business to a point of being able to balance being a good mom with my work schedule. And then, just a few minutes ago, I read through my pastor's most recent blog post, and I am reminded that it's not MY job to do the whole thing! This was GOD's idea in the first place, and HE will bring it to pass! I have only to bring my little offering, keep close to Him, watching what He's doing & where/how He's working, and jump on board! Whew! What a relief!

"When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, 'Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?' He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, 'It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!' Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 'Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?' Jesus said, 'Have the people sit down.' There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, 'Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.' So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten."

(John 6:5-13)

Thanks for sharing in this journey with me!

Til next time...

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I Love Encouragement!

Just got this incredibly encouraging note from a dear friend that I've known for a looong time...

"...it sounds like the church you are at and your heart for adoption go hand in hand.

It's wonderful how God placed you there! I loved the article about being single and adopting.
If anyone can make that happen it would be you. You are so good with kids and given your personality I think you are perfectly gifted to handle all the juggling that goes with running a studio, homeschooling and the like. You would make a wonderful parent. I know that you would have a great support system in your church."

Thanks, my friend!!! You're an amazing example of a Godly woman who loves & supports her awesome husband, and who takes her responsibility seriously to raise children who love & honor God above all else! I will always remember our first "hanging out times" together, right after you became a believer, and how you have allowed God to mold & shape you into the image of His son. You're awesome! Can anyone say "Proverbs 31 Woman"?!?!  ;-)

Now, lest the rest of you think that I posted my friend's quote out of vanity or any kind of ego... May it never be! First, my love language is "words of affirmation", and my dear friend's words absolutely made my day! Second, I have this sneaking suspicion that I am going to need that kind of encouragement many times along the road to adoption, as well as after the adoption is finalized & I finally have my child(ren) home with me! Tell me moms, which of you wouldn't LOVE to read those kind of encouraging words every time you struggle in motherhood?!?

To all of you moms out there (especially MY mom!)... Keep up the great work! You have the most important & treasured of jobs in the world, and you are awesome!

Til next time...

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The 2nd Step... oh my goodness!

After submitting my application yesterday, I started printing out & reading all of the information on schedules, fees, etc. Whew!

I knew going into this that it would be quite an involved process, but it's another thing to actually read through all of the details one by one! And it's definitely humbling to add up the total cost & try to figure out where all of that money is going to come from! I'm so glad that this was God's idea in the first place, because that confirms that He'll be the One to provide EVERYthing that's needed along this journey...money, patience, debt-payoff, details of my business, etc, etc, etc!

"Do not fear, for I am with you
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God
I will strengthen you, Surely I will help you
Surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

(Isaiah 41:10)

Being the planner that I am, I started thinking of what avenues I know of to come up with the moulah. Raise funds...have a garage sale...play a benefit recital (or 2 or 3?)...look for grants...take the tax credit.... Any other ideas??

Then there was another possible "curveball" thrown at me today... I was talking to the mom of one of my students today about Durango's Shared School program (her 7-yr-old son participates in it 2 days a week & is homeschooled the other 3 days). She asked me why I was asking, and when I told her that I've started the adoption process, she AND her son got excited & told me that I'd be a great mom! (I LOVE encouragement like that! But I digress...) Anyway, then she told me about a brother (7) and sister (4) in a Mexico City orphanage, who are doing very well behaviorally & developmentally, but who will likely be on the streets soon because the orphanage where they are living is going to close. The caretakers of these children are desperate to find a home for them, so there may be a possibility of greater financial assistance and/or other assistance with the process.

I've never felt led to consider Mexico before - not against it, but just didn't consider it - but when she told me about those kids possibly having to be on the streets, something inside me "woke up". I don't know if it's because I'm extra emotional these days just thinking about finally being a mom in the relatively near future, or if it was truly the Holy Spirit pricking my heart for these kids.

One thing that I DO know for sure... If God wants me to take these two into my heart & home, He's going to have a lot of work to do to prepare me, my home, my finances, my business, etc, etc, etc!!!!!! But to quote my pastor's wife, He is "the Miracle-Working, Mountain-Moving, Awe-Inspiring, Gasp-Giving God!!!" What I see as incredible OBSTACLES, He sees as OPPORTUNITIES to show His power, ability, sovereignty, and just overall AMAZINGNESS! (Is that even a word? Well, it is now... :-)

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,

according to His power that is at work within us,

to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations,

for ever and ever! Amen."

(Ephesians 3:20)

One thing that we both thought of is that since her family will be in Mexico City for a year starting this summer (her husband will be working there for a year), I could have a place to stay with them, have help getting around, translation, etc... if/when I would have to travel there to pick up the kids. (There's also the prospect of her son having a few extra violin lessons with me too!)

At this point, I got a bit overwhelmed, feeling like we were getting the cart before the horse, and I suggested that she get additional info to me, and I have committed to pray a LOT about it!

Maybe it's that the Lord wants ME to be the mom to these little ones, but maybe He used this conversation to prompt me to "take up the banner" of prayer & bringing these kids to the attention of someone else who may be the one(s) to provide a family to them.

Will YOU pray with me?

Til next time...

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The First Step!

I submitted my adoption application today!

It's the first of many, MANY steps in a loooong process... but I'm SO EXCITED!

I've been picturing a little Uzbek girl in my head all day. I don't see her exact features, but in a way, my heart does see them. Does that sound weird? Maybe it is, but that's my reality right now!

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Getting this thing started...

I've been meaning to get this blog started for a while, but this last year has been one wild ride! I moved to Durango (CO) one year ago, jumped right into starting my music studio/business, had my identity stolen in August, had a supposed "piano teacher" present a serious safety threat to my home & music studio in October (and stole my credit cards in the process!), had a fire at my house in November, and am now having to move to yet another house due to extreme cold in my current house! Life is sometimes quite crazy, but God has shown me His faithfulness through all of it, and is so gracious to allow me to see how much He's blessing my socks off in the midst of it!

I mentioned that I'm moving soon... I can't wait! The house I'm moving to is very well built, much better than where I am now, and it's WARM! There's plenty of space for the dogs to stretch their legs, and there's also a small orchard and a rather large garden area which has been amended annually for over 20 years! I can't wait to start getting plants into the ground & then harvesting later this summer! (Canning party, anyone??)

I have found a church home (yay!), and am getting involved with the Missions Team (big yay!). The River Church in Durango is a special place filled with people who love the Lord & encourage each other to continue seeking to honor Him in all aspects of life.

My music studio is doing well, and I absolutely LOVE my students! They are awesome kids, and are growing into amazing musicians as well! I'm getting ready to set up shop in the Smiley Building in downtown Durango (as opposed to continuing to teach in my home), and this is turning out to be a great business move... SO many calls since people have found out that I'll be in the middle of town! I'm also starting an Early Childhood class in a few weeks, which is going to be great fun!

I'm sure you're wondering about the "ADOPTION" part of my blog's subtitle...

For several years, God has been moving my heart towards adoption. The seed was planted when I visited an orphanage on one of my trips to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan in the late 90's. But it began to bloom a few years ago when I found out that I have PCOS (and therefore probably can't have my own biological kids), and also as I thought about nearing 40, with no husband prospects in sight & the clock ticking quite loudly! At that time, I began to be more seriously open to adoption, but I felt strongly that I needed to have more stability in my life before bringing a child into a single-parent home. I had just moved back to Portland, and was definitely not anywhere near being settled yet. Then I got laid off from my job, and a year later, I got laid off from another job. Then a year later I moved to Durango. Somewhere in there, God moved me to apply to be a foster mom, and I was actually just a few weeks away from being certified when I moved to Durango to start my business.

In this past year, as I am even closer to 40, I have been evaluating much in my life, and goals I want to attain - or be actively moving towards - by the time I get to "the big 4-0". One of those goals is taking more serious & active steps towards adoption.

At this point, I am targeting being able to bring my first child(ren) home sometime in the 2nd half of 2012, but will submit to the Lord's timing. I am in the process of choosing an agency to work with, and hope to start putting together my dossier later this spring or by the beginning of this summer. I would love to adopt a sibling group as young as possible, and am even open to kids with certain special needs. Eventually, I would love to bring home as many kids as my house & heart will hold! I am taking steps to get my business set up in such a way that I will be able to balance everything. Ideally, I want to homeschool my kids, have them be "helpers" with the Little Rosebuds classes (and learning along with the other kids!), and probably have them participate in Durango's "Shared Schooling" program.

Also, there are several in my church who have adopted - or are in the process of adopting - including my pastor's family, with 7 out of their 10 kids being adopted! So I think that there could be a good network of us that encourage & support one another.

Yeah, I've put a bit of thought into this...

As I think about where I would want to adopt from, my heart first goes to Central Asia (Uzbekistan or Kazakhstan), then Caucasus (Azerbaijan or Georgia), then Russia, then Ukraine. I feel that having the language skills & cultural understanding from my years of living in and traveling to the Former Soviet Union will help me to help the kids retain their origins. I don't want to bring home a "Nikolai" and change his identity to "John". I want my children to have all of the opportunities that I can give them, yet not ever forgetting where they came from. And wouldn't it be great if someday they wanted to go back to their birth country to serve the Lord there?!?

Some of you may be wondering why on earth a woman would purposely bring children into a single-parent home... I am of course still praying for God to bring a Godly man my way who would want to share in this journey with me, but in the meantime, there are 163 million kids out there who don't have any family at all.

Here's a great post by my pastor's wife: "Should A Single Woman Adopt?"

Would YOU like to be the one to tell that child in the orphanage that they should just keep waiting there until there is a two-parent family available, when there is a Mommy over here longing to give them a home, lots of love, and countless opportunities to reach their full potential?

'Til next time...