tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61935585394016289302024-03-14T03:31:45.466-03:00Coming Home For GoodThe story of bringing Baby Brewer home!!Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458410766423618696noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193558539401628930.post-57933273763626161962012-04-23T14:08:00.000-03:002012-04-23T14:08:11.813-03:00A prayer for our boy<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"May you be safe and sleep soundly through the night.</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>May you be safe as you wake to the morning's light. </i></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>May you feel our love from so far away.</i></span></span></div>
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May it comfort and protect you throughout each day.
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><i>We will pray for you my little one,</i></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><i>Until our time of waiting is done.</i></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i> </i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>We will pray that the Lord keep you safe from harm,</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Until the child of our hearts becomes the child in our arms." </i></span></span></div>
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</div>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458410766423618696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193558539401628930.post-91635129962735424872012-04-16T15:09:00.002-03:002012-04-16T15:10:29.547-03:00Grab a kleenex...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458410766423618696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193558539401628930.post-62146849163667048272012-04-13T15:56:00.000-03:002012-04-13T15:56:58.566-03:00Seeds Have Taken Root Part 2<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thursday Feb. 23rd 10:30 pm -- We receive a knock at our door, and right there in front of us was the answer to prayer that we had asked God for only mere hours before. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Earlier that afternoon I had felt prompted to <i>ask </i>the Lord for something HUGE and very specific. When it comes to praying and asking the Lord for things, I have no problem doing that. I love talking with Him, and going to Him on behalf of others, etc etc. But one thing I struggle with is telling the Big Guy how to do His job. Do ya know what I mean? Is this resonating with anyone else? Anyhow, on this particular day, I knew I was supposed to take my prayer a step further, go out on a limb, and in FAITH ask of the Lord to just make money appear out of nowhere for this adoption. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's backtrack again, shall we? Days prior, I had received an answer to prayer that I had been waiting for for 12+ years or so. Mark was ready! He was on board and eager to get the adoption ball rollin'. I felt as though my 'major answers to prayer quota' had been all used up that week. Surely, theres some kind of mandatory time constraint in-between majorly hearing from God, right? WRONG. In this particular case, that mode of thinking was way wrong. The Lord was just getting started. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I went to Mark that Feb afternoon and shared with Him what I felt we were supposed to ask of the Lord. To my surprise he agreed, and didn't think I had completely lost my marbles. He began praying with me for money to just show up. We then went about our day, never really discussing it again. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10:30 pm-- The girls are sound asleep, Mark is just crawling into bed and I'm veggin' on the couch soaking up the quiet. There's a random knock at the door. (Late night knocks at the door freak me out. I looked around for a bat, but in a house full of little girls the best I could come up with was a Barbie. She would have to do.) To my surprise it wasn't an axe murderer, but a trusted face. They needed to chat, so Mark and I were quick to invite them in. They begin to explain to us that about 7 weeks prior, the Lord clearly told them they were to give us money. "Uh, the Brewers? Seriously? You want me to give them how much? But Lord, so many others could use that money!" The Lord assured them He had a plan, they needed to trust Him, and WAIT until He said go! (**note: NO ONE KNEW WE WERE GOING TO ADOPT! At the time the Lord asked this person to give us money, Mark was not yet on board.**) Can you see where this is going? This trusted friend then went on to tell us that on that very afternoon--FEB 23RD--the Lord gave them the go ahead to give us the money! They handed us a check for a substantial amount. I began to sob, and then Mark proceeded to explain how we prayed for that exact thing mere hours prior. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">THAT my friends, is some serious hallelujah praise Jesus shouting ground right there! WOOT WOOT WOOT!!!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Would you believe that it's happened again since? Yes, more money just randomly showed up at our door this very week for Baby Brewer. PRAISE THE LORD!!! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is only the beginning of an amazing journey, friends! So glad to share it with each of you! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think." Ephesians 3:20 </span><br />
<br />Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458410766423618696noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193558539401628930.post-20291554167941047972012-04-11T10:24:00.001-03:002012-04-11T10:36:11.727-03:00Seeds Have Taken Root<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Let's backtrack, shall we? </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The year is 1998. I'm at a youth rally, and the Lord clearly planted the seed of adoption in my heart.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Fast forward to November 1999. I meet my Prince Charming. We fall in love and begin to plan our future together. I mention what the Lord had placed on my heart the year prior. He agrees--kinda.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Years pass.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now its February 2012. I've attempted on a few occasions to encourage my husband to keep praying and thinking about adoption. He nods and agrees but never seems to put much stock into the idea. Little did I know that the Lord had been quietly working on his heart over the past month or two.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">He had been praying and reading and praying some more about what it meant to really put his faith into action; it was a journey him and I had been sharing, specifically about what Jesus was asking us to do with our finances and our time, and where we could be contributing both globally and locally; very tangible and practical ways to do the things that Christ has called us to do. And Mark could no longer avoid the topic of adoption.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The more he prayed the more he felt very clearly that this was something the Brewer family was supposed to do. It wasn't just merely a good idea, or something to maybe look at down the road -- but a very obvious sense that God was calling us to adopt.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So, when the night came when I felt like I was supposed to bring up adoption again...I was shocked when he told me he was on board. And not just on board, but excited and eager. As most of you would predict, I cried. :)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We began to talk and pray about the details -- international or private or provincial or a closed 5-year fixed-rate; there were tons of options. It became clear to us, though, that this was supposed to be a leap of faith. It was supposed to be a risk, something that <b>we</b> wouldn't be able to pull off on our own. Like, say, a hugely expensive and time-consuming challenge like international adoption. We both knew and we both agreed that this was going to be our journey.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Yes, we know that many people will think we're nuts. "You already have enough kids! Where will you get the money? You don't even own your own house!" Yes, we know that it's expensive. We know that it's stressful. And we're well aware that we already have a busy house. We also know that God has very clearly called us to adopt, confirmed our decision, and put money in our bank. (Stay tuned for the 'money in the bank' story cause it's AWESOME!!!) </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>"</b>Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you." James 1:27</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To be continued... :)</span></div>
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<br />Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458410766423618696noreply@blogger.com5