Saturday, March 10, 2012

Sunday Snapshot - Change - part 2


So sorry to keep you all hanging...

I have been just a little bit busy the past couple of days.

getting ready...

for change.

If you need to catch up a bit go to my last post

if not, on we go!

So, about a year after we returned home with our precious Lizzie...


after the jet lag and the eating problems and the tantrums and the speech therapy and the OT and the PT and the 18 clubfoot casts and the hand surgeries

AND THE INDESCRIBABLE JOY....

that came along with our wonderful Lizzie

I began to slowly inch my way back into the adoption world

much to the dismay of my wonderful hubby – heh!

I knew that the Lord was doing something in my heart but had no clue what was to come.

It all started with one little advocacy post about one beautiful child who happen to find her family

and – I – was – hooked

it grew from there and now... 

here we are.

Where you might ask?

Well, I have to go back a bit first to introduce you to an amazing friend of mine who just so happened to bring home not one but TWO aging out kiddos within months of each other.

Angie R and her hubby Tom are just incredible.

Not only do they love the Lord but they TRUST Him and Angie knew that the Lord was leading her and she was following.

Again, after the jet lag and well...

um

hmm

huh

that is about it!

I know - she is just sickening that way! Hehe!

She asked me...

Angie asked me to consider what the Lord might be asking of us,

she asked me to contact an adoption agency

and not just any agency

MY agency

the agency that helped us to bring our precious Lizzie home.

I will never forget seeing Lizzie's sweet face on one of Lifeline's waiting child lists


it was love at first sight and through the efforts of my incredible and incredibly patient social worker, Karla and this wonderful agency

we brought our Lizzie home.

And now, Angie was asking me to contact them and not to bring another child home...

noooo

She was hoping to talk to Lifeline about the possibility of opening a satellite office right here

WOW

and she wanted my help

WOW

so I emailed their international director

and waited

but not for long

early the next morning, through bleary eyes

I saw his reply

YES

He would be very interested in talking to us about a satellite office!

WOW

So, after introducing Angie to Lifeline...

and before we could exhale

The director and the international director were here

exploring where they felt the Lord was leading them

cause ya see, unbeknownst to Angie and myself

Lifeline had been praying about where to expand and...

guess what state kept coming up????

yep

our state

so they wasted no time

after receiving our emails

and now...

Angie and I have just returned...

from Alabama and the Lifeline Children’s Services Office...


as official employees!


Angie as the Director of our state's new office and I as Lifeline’s National Adoption Advocate!

There is no way to describe in one post how much this is an answer to prayer,

a purposeful vision and provision,

a way for Angie to utilize the talents the Lord blessed her with while helping her family and the precious children who so captured her heart,

a way for me to be able to continue to advocate for those precious children and not just any kiddos but those who have my heart, those who have more significant needs or those who just happen to be older, those who are listed with Lifeline AND those who are on the shared list...

and all the while, helping to provide for my family,

a way to be able to give Him all the glory because only He could have been able to do something like this and do it so well.

So...

change

not always easy for me

but

this change...

I can do and will do because I know without a shadow of a doubt that the Lord has been working for me, He has been working for Angie and He is working for these precious children and the families in this community who have waited so long for a wonderful Christian agency...


for Lifeline...

and now it is time for me to get to work for HIM!

To read more Sunday Snapshots go here

Sunday Snapshot

17 comments:

  1. Congratulations! I am happy for you and Angie!

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  2. Awesome!!! I LOVE to see God at work, and LOVE to see his loving children responding in such obedience!!! I will start praying TODAY for your new endeavor!!

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  3. I'm happy for YOU, but sad for all the children who now WON'T be listed on your site anymore.

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  4. So happy for you and your family and all the children who will go home because of your work!

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  5. You brought tears to my eyes; it is TRULY from the Lord.

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  6. Thank you all so much!!!

    MC, I totally understand your concern. Honestly, I had mixed emotions about it as well - until I had my training this week. Lifeline truly cares about these kiddos and does not want to tie my hands in any way. Yes, the other agency kiddos will be removed from my site. However, I get to really concentrate on the shared list kids and older, more significant needs children, which is what I wanted to do. The other agency children will get exposure, whether they are on my site or not, but these children who are buried on the shared list, may not. The kids that you see on agency list are kids that come from the shared list anyway and I am hoping to be able to get 5 to 10 more shared list files EVERY WEEK!!!! I was also reassured that I will still be able to share the kids' information to any family - Lifeline or not. They truly want to see these children come home! So, I hope you will pray for the Lord to continue to work through my site and that these harder to place children will find their families!!!!

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  7. Such awesome news! Congrats! Can't wait to see and hear what God accomplishes through this.

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  8. That is so wonderful, Annie! You are such a blessing to the adoption community.

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  9. Congratulations my friend!! We love Lifeline too! They did our home studies for all 3 of our boys. I wonder if there is another advocacy site that could sort of take over for the agency specific kiddos that you have listed? You have been a blessing to so many and I can't wait to see what more is in store!

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  10. Oh how wonderful, what an amazing blessing!!! Sometimes ... change is just an AWESOME thing! He is so good!

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  11. This gives me chills! I love the way God works!
    Congratulations!! You are such a blessing and I can't wait to see what ELSE God has planned for you!
    Blessings

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  12. Congratulations! That is so wonderful! You must be thrilled!

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  13. I COULD NOT BE MORE HAPPY FOR YOU RIGHT NOW ANGEL GIRL. Thats me screaming from my roof top..he he...YEAH for you pretty lady... GO do what you do. Your faithfulnes has been rewarded...
    Blessings

    Tammy

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  14. Congratulations Anne! I had no idea all this was happening in your life as I moaned and groaned about soccer yesterday. I am so happy for you and know that you will love your new job and be such a great advocate for them! Congrats again!

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  15. First time by your blog! It's so awesome to see the heart your family has for adoption! My wife and I live in China and are wanting to adopt one of our foster children. Hope you have a great day! -Matt

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