American Orphans

*originally published on 07/10/2012
My heart is heavy. Heavy for every orphan in our world, but especially the thousands of orphans right here among us in our own communities! That is mine and Jeff’s heart…American orphans, broken-hearted children waiting for just one loving, caring family to step forward and make room for them in their lives. The amazing thing about love is this. It multiplies! You do not need to worry about dividing or splitting up your love, your time or resources! The more of you that you give away, the more God expands your heart and life…and overflows your cup! He has always taken excellent care of our needs…all ten of us!

This post is about precious children in our United States, hurting and waiting to see if someone can, or if anyone will take them into their family and love them forever and always and no matter what. It is not easy. It will challenge you like never before, but it is more than worth it!

*The following excerpt is by Focus on the Family and can be found here. I hope you will check out the chart they have posted.
[The chart found here at Focus on the Family shows the official number of children in your state’s foster care system waiting for adoptive families. The numbers in the chart reflect the numbers reported by states to the federal government. The powerful point illustrated in the chart is this: with the number of churches in the U.S., why should we have any waiting children in U.S. foster care?]

James 1:27

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this,

To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction,

and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

To view pictures of some of the waiting children and youth, please visit the Heart Gallery of America web site.

Will you please join us, the happy Scott family to plead and pray for orphans? Please ask God what more would He have each of us to do to visit the fatherless in their affliction, and to love and support families and children all over our homeland or right there in your own community?

[This photo was taken the Summer 2009, on our first family vacation right after the addition of 3 more sweet daughters. Oh my goodness! Can you stand it? Every one of them is so precious and adorable.]

We have promised the Lord we will follow Him no matter what. We are open for anymore blessings He may have in store for our family. My friend, is your heart burdened? You truly could dramatically change and bless the life of a child. And, you will be just as amazed by how God will change and bless you!

Micah 6:8

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good;

and what doth the Lord require of thee,

but to do justly, and to love mercy,

and to walk humbly with thy God?

Please, remember to click one of the links above to see the chart! Thank you so much!!!

Walking with Jesus & Growing in Grace,

Important Family Update: As of May 24, 2014 — we have two new additions to our family! After much prayer and paperwork to update our homestudy (to be prepared and open in case the Lord did plan to grow our family), God brought us two little boys. They are 4 and 5 years old. We are in love with our sons and the girls adore their little brothers. We are all adjusting nicely and the kids get along the same as all siblings, with fun and fueding. 🙂

Indiana Foster parenting faqs

Counter-intuitive Parenting (a re-post)

I don’t know why it still amazes me sometimes how God “sneaks up” on me! Out of “nowhere”, BAM!, there He is. I love that!

I was reading this post by Angela from Good Morning Girls and there He was in the comment roll following her very good article!

Kim Hall, I don’t know who you are, but, you said just what I needed to hear in exactly the way I needed to hear it. The right words are all there in the just-right arrangement so my brain can hang onto them. Thank you.

“When you feel like yelling, speak in a whisper. When you feel like withholding affection be abundantly generous with your love.”

When one of our sweet girls first came home to us at age 7, it quickly became clear that school had always been a huge challenge for her. Even now every setback she faces throws her into a talespin of irrational thinking and extreme emotions. I noticed that when she was struggling if I stood behind her and gently patted her back, rubbed her shoulders or stroked her hair she would calm down, her mood softened, her spirit lightened. It actually would completely alter her outlook. I learned that an extra measure of love and gentleness was just what we both needed to calm the situation and knit us together. On the contrary, when I did not or do not do this, the struggle like a forest fire would rapidly get hotter and hotter.

I had forgotten this. But God reminded me. Today through a simple comment left for another blogger He poignantly spoke to me. I’m so glad God is always present, always working on my behalf, in spite of my cluelessness! He. Is. So. Very. Good.

“Affirming words from moms and dads are like light switches. Speak a word of affirmation at the right moment in a child’s life and it’s like lighting up a whole roomful of possibilities.”
~ Gary Smalley

“If you want your children to improve, let them overhear the nice things you say about them to others.” ~ Haim Ginott

“A happy family is but an earlier heaven.”
~John Bowring

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted…
~Ephesians 4:32

Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation:
and thy gentleness hath made me great.
~2 Samuel 22:36

P.S.~ There are numerous verses in Scripture about gentleness, tenderness, kindness and love. Enjoy a time of looking them up.

Be Attentive, Alert, Available; We Are Created for Fellowship

source

Late Wednesday evening as I was praying for the Lord to help me serve as a committee member for the three day statewide RAPT Conference which began the following day, the Lord clearly impressed on me to be Attentive, Alert, and Available. “Okay. Yes, Lord, no problem.”…not knowing
what that would exactly mean.

I arrived Thursday morning and greeted a fellow committee member, (Hi, Erin!) who tells me immediately of a presenter’s unfortunate ailment and asks if I would take her place…(TO.DAY…right after lunch…as in, just share your story, some things you’ve learned, etc for a mere hour and a half)!

Oh boy. Ok.
Attentive.
Alert
Available.
I had already said “yes, Lord.”

Oh, a quick side note: I was scheduled and prepared to speak with a panel of others at this conference but NOT all by myself. I was not scheduled for that! Well, at least the committee hadn’t scheduled me for that.

I was so nervous. I prayed…even though I knew The Lord was already there. My friend, Erin, was sitting nearby to lend support (Thank you!). Then the time came, the room packed out, the room host brought in more chairs. These wonderful parents and child and family services workers had come to hear the professional foster/adoption workshop presenter, the one we hired.

I told a bit of our story, shared some things we have learned along the way (so far), answered questions the best I was able to and it turns out that I had, as my kids call it, “the best day ever!”.

I was so thankful for such a great opportunity. In my dreams I get to build up groups of foster and adoptive parents, encourage them and share with them things that the Lord has done and is doing for us to help us make it through. It’s tough. It can be lonely. It can be so hard to keep going. It’s so easy to lose perspective.

Foster parenting, adoption, all parenting…It is worth it all. Children are worth it. But we humans, whether we want to admit it or not, we are not always “okay”. I’m not always “okay”. Sometimes we’re at a loss. We need each other to make it through.

God created us to assemble together for fellowship. Proper fellowship can build people, can build families, can build homes, can build communities, can build futures and builds the Kingdom of Heaven. It’s a blessing and an honor – isn’t it? – to be both the encourager and the one being encouraged. Fellowship at its finest.

Walking with Jesus,
Melissa

” Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Jeremiah 33:3