In a nutshell

well there is some good news to report! Out provincial authorities agreed to give referrals prior to the CIC reopening. I definitely see this as a positive as there are children - in person not just in theory- that can be advocated for! We have been waiting 14 months and at times, has been tough to believe there is light at the end of the tunnel. But God has been so faithful and we are confident that all of this waiting will come to an end soon.
We pray & think about our little one often... The kids often ask if we have had heard anything- they are so excited for another brother/ sister to play with! We are praying that even with our family's transition, that all will happen at the right time.
On Monday, I felt strongly that I was supposed to fast and so for the day I did. I definitely felt that God was asking - Do you trust me? Does ALL of you trust me? WIll you lay down your worries and let me love you? With the move, selling, finding a job, daycare, RUN 143, adoption, saying goodbyes and jumping into a new adventure- the only answer I could give is yes. I am not able to carry this- but " I can do all things through Christ who gives ms strength ". So amidst waiting and the good small steps of our adoption and amidst the chaos of the move I choose to trust!

And speaking of trust and faithfulness - we are so excited to let you know again that the 3rd annual RUN 143 is set to take place on July 12-14! It is an ultra marathon that is raising awareness and money for adoption and orphans. we will be supporting 2 families , 2 baby homes internationally and our local adoption support centre. We have9 runners doing the whole thing and 4 bikers!!!! our biggest yet! if you are interested in supporting us, check out www.run143.com. Our blog (www.run143.blogspot.com) will be updated frequently as well! We continue to be amazed at how God has used this run to bring hope and joy to families and children!

I think that is all for now. My thoughts in a nutshell.
Blessings,
Candra

And the beat goes on....

It's Riley again (that's my gift to you today - a 'head's up' so you can save time by not reading what follows!).

Every few months I find myself asking 'Is time a blessing or a curse?'  I didn't come up with the question, but I think it's an important one.

In the midst of saying goodbye to a dearly loved church, wrapping up the kids' school year, waiting for our house to sell, worrying about our unmet son/daughter (no great news to share about the program fully functional yet), Candra applying for jobs, looking for daycare in a new city, moving out of our rental soon with nowhere to move to, etc..... it's too easy for time to seem like a curse.  Too often we are worrying that we don't have enough time or that it's moving on too rapidly for what we think should get accomplished.

But maybe each tick of the clock could remind us that there are seasons & rhythms & progress & cadence arranged by God even when we just want to shut down, complain or zone out.  Maybe it's a reminder that everything has a place for redemption - even the moments we fail in or want to forget or just escape.

Time is a gift. Even in some of Jesus's first words to his disciples he said 'The time has come...'

I find myself often being aware of what time it is in #5's country and praying for what they might be doing.  It's the weird kind of thing that you don't think about unless you have been in (or thru) an adoption process.  I'm trying to remind myself that every minute we wait for our next child or our house to sell or _______ is not another waste but another minute closer to seeing a slightly better glimpse of God's unfolding plan.  And I've been learning how time is even a tool in the hand of Almighty God to shape us, prepare us, and draw us closer to the best (not easiest) things of life.  In His hands he uses time to heal, soften, arranges pieces in new ways, and deliver.

Time is a gift.
Unless you forget sunscreen while working on a ladder on a day that felt like +37.... That was me today installing cedar shakes on our build.  Having time to work was a gift - sunburn was not!
R

Following

“Following God’s call isn’t easy. He expects us to trust Him explicitly, and yet He doesn’t ask our advice on decisions that may impact us dramatically. He doesn’t tell us His specific plans at any given point in our lives. He doesn’t always shelter us from adversity. He tests our faith to produce endurance and spiritual maturity – tests that are sometimes painful. He makes some promises that we’ll never see fulfilled in this life.”

Can't remember where I got this quote from but it has been waiting in my draft box to post. This quote exactly quantifies what I have experienced and felt over the last almost 6 months. 6 months ago we decided to take a complete step of faith and follow God's call to move provinces. My husband has accepted a position as a Dean of students at a Bible College and we are excited about the opportunities that are ahead of us!

To get to this point hasn't been easy and many moments of each day are still not easy. in amidst this decision lies a lot of uncertainty and sadness -

Leaving the most amazing church we have had the privilege of being a part of!
Never getting to live in our dream house that we built for our ever expanding family(which you can pray will sell soon!)
Having to uproot our kids from their new school
Not being close to my parents and sister who now would live in the same area of the city as us
For me, I have the most amazing job as a pediatric physical therapist.
And a great group of friends that we have made over the last 13 years

So we have been asked over and over again if we should just stay. It seems to make more sense. And as much as we have had moments of questioning, when God calls you, you just know that you have to follow. And it isn't always supposed to make sense. The part of the quote that says that He doesn't shelter us from adversity has been especially true since we have made this decision...

My husband had emergency appendix surgery
My son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes
Two rounds of sickness
our van died and needed to be fixed
Our other van was stolen and totaled
Our house hasn't sold
Our adoption is still on hold
We don't have a house yet in our new city.
there is not a new pastor for our church yet

So what has God been teaching me through this season? These experiences and moments have tested me and my faith. I have been angry, sad, confused, and have asked many times why. But i have grown in my understanding of my faith and my relationship with Jesus. So here is what i have learned and am continuing to learn(with some that I will probably forget!)

1. That I need to give up control - this happens over and over again in a day and I need to be reminded that God is in control and will provide and lead me
2. that amidst the adversity and craziness of the season, there is and will continue to be joy and hope! we have had so many good times as a family complete with a family holiday ( more to come on that- it was a blast!)
3. to be thankful for the blessings in my life - I have the most incredible husband, four great kids who are happy ( mostly!) , great friends and we are all healthy and provided for
4. that He provides- not always how I think it should happen ( in fact almost never!)

For the last few weeks at my job, I have begun to tell the families that I will soon be done. Although I rarely talk about it, my job has been a wonderful ministry for me. I pray for these kids and their families that I work with, bring hope and joy to many of them (hopefully) and develop relationships! How cool is that? Anyways, after I told one of the families that I would soon be gone, the next appointment they brought me a gift - with the verse Jeremiah 29:11 on it. Because I had told them my husband was a pastor. Again, how cool is that? It has been on my desk ever since and had been running through my head before then.

"For I know the plans I have for you" declares the Lord " plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

God's call isn't easy. At least ours hasn't been. But he promises hope and a future. And I will keep holding onto that. Everyday.

Blessings,

Candra