It has been a while since I have posted anything. Lots of thing going through my head...
I'll get to that in a minute. We have "officially" started school. We did a week in July, Then there was camp and grandparents houses and now we are back into it. We actually started back last Thursday. I was supposed to work Saturday, but they canceled me, so we did school instead. Last night the girls all spent the night at Mom's because our AC upstairs died. Aaron and I slept in the extra bedroom downstairs and brought the boys down with us. So Mom is fixing to bring the girls over here and take the boys with her. So much smoother to do school without the boys. AC man to be here between 10-2. Thankfully, we bought a warrenty, and that should cover it!
Here is my delimma that keeps me up thinking.
I see these kids in Ethiopia that need homes. There is one little boy on the waiting list that I would love to adopt. Or even to put our name on a list for a girl.
On one hand, I think that I need to work as much as possible on paying off the rest of our adoption debt. (which is now down to 2 interest free loans) Then if we were out of debt, we could adopt again. I guess we could adopt again now, but then we would have such a large amount of loans that it would put me where I would HAVE to work a ton just to pay bills and that would not leave me time to homeschool or spend time with a new child.... and all of my other children. And we would need a bigger vehicle since ours is completely full. Plus it would be hard to add another child. But isn't that like saying "sorry kid, no home for you, I want some time alone" I keep telling myself I can relax in Heaven.
Ok, then I think it would be great to go on the mission trips like Aaron did. Taking Madelyn this year, since she will be 12, the minimum age. That would have a lasting impact too and it is cheaper than adopting and if we can get others from church to go with us, that would have an impact on them, hopefully prompting them to adopt and then more children would be helped.
Thirdly, there are some things we need to take care of here. There are some things we want here. Little things... But should we spend money on them?
I know that most people reading this will think...
Hey, you have done enough. You did adopt 2 children. You have done your part, the rest is up to the rest of the Christians.
I know that I am saved by grace and I know that I am not working my way to get salvation.
However, when can we stop? At what point can we "retire" from doing good and live for ourselves instead of others? I believe that we can't retire from that. God never tells us to take it easy. Actually, seems like the Bible tells us over and over again how hard it will be.
I LOVE this country, but going to another country is such an eye opener. Living in this country enables us to help others. However, it is really hard to ignore the dream of more stuff and what I want when I want it.
The Ethiopian man that translated for Aaron's trip to ET is in the states for the first time right now. He put on his facebook status
"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Luke 12:48b
I tried to imagine America from the eyes of someone who grew up in a trash dump. And I bet he wonders why more people aren't helping.
James 2:
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that —and shudder.
20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless[d]? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”[e] and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
Wake Up Christians!!!! There is a whole world out there that needs to see Christ in us. That needs their basic needs taken care of. That need a family!
Matthew 20:1-16 This compares God and us to a vineyard owner hiring workers. I think this shows that God expects us to work until he returns. Whether he returns 1 year, 1 day or 1 hour after we become a Christian. He expects us to WORK for Him. Not work for ourselves.
