God, Jesus, and Ms. Ange

I got a great crack up while doing devotions with the kids before starting our school today. We were talking about Noah and one of the discussion topics was about how he was doing what God told him to do even if other people didn't understand him and some even made fun of him. After talking about Noah I mentioned to our boys "We are doing something that a lot of people don't understand, do you know what that is?" (of course I was thinking about adopting 5 children). Kyle answers first with "I know... Home schooling." I laughed and admitted that it was not what I was thinking of but that he was right about that. Could they think of something else? Turns out adopting 5 kids to suddenly be a part of our family does not even occur to them as something out of the ordinary (How cool is that?). So, I had to be the one to bring it up and talked about how a lot of people don't understand it, and some people have even told us we should not do it, or we are doing it the wrong way. However, we were told to do it and to do it the way it's being done. Then I asked them if they know who told us to do it and Johnny raised his hand and then yelled out "God and Jesus". Then Kyle raised his hand and answered "Ms. Ange!" I laughed pretty hard at that and thought you would get a kick out if it Ange!

For anyone who does not know why this is so funny, or who this Ms. Ange is that gives us such commands: Ange is a very precious friend of mine (we have decided we are sisters by adoption actually- since our children are birth related cousins!) who I admire and respect so much! I have had the great joy of knowing all of her family very well. I met her at a women's bible study years ago. When we met she had two bio children, and a son they adopted from Haiti and were in the process of adopting two siblings from Haiti. I had the great joy of watching her bring home those 2 siblings. These siblings had a little cousin still in the orphanage that had just had a stroke at 10 months old and Ange made "the call" one day asking us to pray for this little girl. My heart hurt for her but we were certainly in no situation to adopt! We began to pray and through a series of unbelievable and undeniable confirmations from God we realized WE were indeed being called to adopt her. After we agreed to adopt her we learned she had two older siblings and again God clearly called us to adopt them. Then (a couple years later and still waiting for them) God began to put a 15 year old on our hearts and again confirmed it in amazing ways and we called the director to ask to adopt him as well. We had just recently heard that the 3 siblings we are adopting had a baby brother now too. Sooooo.... We went from not looking to adopt to adopting 5 children now and, Lord willing, more later on! I guess it did all start with that "call" from Ange but our ultimate calling has so clearly been from God! :)

Ange is one of my hero's. I admire her strong faith, her gifted mothering, her kindness, and her unbelievably big and generous heart! They now have home their 2 bio children, and 3 adopted from Haiti. They are also at the end of adopting 3 more adorable girls from New Life Link, and are praying about what God has in store for their future. I can't imagine anyone knowing her and not being changed and inspired by her!! If you would like to read more about her amazing adoption journey, sweet family, and strong faith-- She also has a blog at http://havingfunservinghim.blogspot.com/ . Her whole family is just so wonderful and we love them very much! Thanks Ange for making that "call". :)

Another little funny thing is that the kid's memory verse for today was: Children are a reward from Him. Psalm 127:3. I've never heard them learn a verse so fast before! Then any time they would goof off during school and I would start to get frusterated with them they would call out that verse to me and I couldn't help but laugh.