This is a guest post written by a dear friend of mine who is seeking adoption of a little girl in need of heart surgery. Her family is in need of prayers and donations to help bring their little girl home. Please help spread the word by sharing with your friends and family.
Ten years ago my husband and I knew we were being led by the Lord to homeschool our children. This was a bit of a shock to us considering we are both products of a public school education from Kindergarten through 12th grade. However, the greatest shock came with the realization that we were led to homeschool our children before we even had them. Like many young parents we became extremely excited and determined our children were going to have the greatest, top-level, all-encompassing, pre-ivy league homeschool education we could muster. This education would come with detailed daily lesson plans and a comprehensive college preparatory curriculum that would see our children homeschooled in the most organized, efficient and thorough manner possible. Oh, the bliss of planning a homeschool education for your children we you have yet to experience the reality of having any! J
Fast forward a decade and my husband and I have four beautiful children I have the privilege of homeschooling each day. While our curriculum is great and we are in a constant state of learning, the blissful and idyllic setting I envisioned ten years ago is simply a fuzzy outline in the question filled and, sometimes, overwhelming journey that is homeschooling four small children. This truth turns my mind toward the story of God’s call on Abram in Genesis 12:1, “Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.’” God called Abram to leave what he knew and go to an undisclosed location and to do all of this in faith, simply trusting the Lord.
Homeschooling has been this Abram experience for me. We began homeschooling in faith, seeking to obey the Lord in what He has called us to do. In fact, many days that is what sustains me through children not listening, confusing multi-level lessons, sick little ones and the chaos of lunch time. I can now see that God has led into this journey for these last 9 years to prepare us for the endeavor to which He has now called us. The Lord laid international adoption on our hearts shortly after we were married and He has never removed it. Recently we have been placed with a precious 2-year old little girl from Bulgaria. Our little girl has some serious heart issues for which she must come to the United States to be treated and this must happen soon. Due to the serious nature of her medical needs her adoption has been expedited and we are waiting for the last portions of our paperwork to be completed and approved. We are super excited!!
However, the expedited process has made the financial situation difficult and we must raise a large amount of money in a short period of time in order to get our little girl home to take care of her medical needs. This is a very difficult endeavor and we are not sure what the Lord has in store only to say that, just like homeschooling, we know the Lord will continue to provide and guide as we seek to be obedient and have faith in Him. So, take heart, the Father doesn’t expect amazing ability or pre-existing knowledge but He does desire something far greater, a steadfast faith and a radical obedience. The truth is, whether homeschooling, adoption or any other endeavor the Lord places on your list know this: Just like Abram, God may call us to leave what we know and move into something we are completely unsure of but, just like Abram, He promises to lead us in the way He would have us to go and He will provide for our every need!
Here is how you can help and bless KatieJoy:
- We are selling t-shirts and would ask that you would consider purchasing one here.
- You can also donate directly.
- You can also follow our adoption journey.
We ask that you join us in praying for our precious little girl as she continues to heal from her first surgery there in Bulgaria.
What is her heart defect?
She has several, her heart is flipped as well as countless other things including pulmonary stenosis ,( her heart condition is an entire paragraph long) she is recovering as we speak from the first surgery but will require two additional when we get her home.
Our son was born with half a heart. He had three open heart surgeries, but he is five now, and thriving. God is so good. February is Congenital Heart Defect Awareness month. Thank you for sharing your story, we will pray for her!