The First Three Months

I am finally going to post my Day One to Day 90 pictures, BUT hear me out first!! 

I hesitate to even post pictures because this is not about weight loss! This is not a diet...I am losing weight as a side benefit to getting healthy! 

Some people using this program need to gain weight and they do!! Some people need to lose weight and they do!! Some are serious elite athletes looking for the energy, performance, and muscle building and they find that! But the real point is that our bodies are healthier. Once your body is detoxed, alkalized and craving only what it really needs, the body knows what it needs to do!

I began this journey because I knew this was going to be a really busy school year between bringing all 5 kids back to homeschool them, volunteering with Project HOPEFUL, working Brian's second job with him, trying to restart Antiquity Gamecrafters, being a tutor at Classical Conversations....you get the idea! I needed energy and a LOT of it! 

AND I needed to get rid of my Migraines which had become far more life-interrupting than my Ménière's disease was! My Ménière's episodes were pretty rare, although I still dealt with loud tinnitus  most days and poor equilibrium at night. My migraines were a much bigger problem. I 'managed' them....by filling myself with ibuprofen almost daily.

There were lots of other little things that never seemed like a big enough deal to see a doctor about but all converged to make me feel about 20 years older than I really am.

It wasn't just about being 'out of shape'...Last winter I was running three times a week, and living on a juicing diet when I did this:

Running a 5k with my brother

But all that running and all those power-veggies were not dealing with how toxic my cells were, how much inflammation I was dealing with, how little energy I had, nor how much I wanted to eat a bag of chips and drink a Pepsi.

But that is all changed now. I am a completely different person from the inside out and I never want to go back! 

This year is going to ROCK!!!

Changing the Face of Orphan Care, Adoption and Missions: Commission to Mission

Having a passion for orphan care in all it's forms and in missions have something in common that we would all really like to not have to think about....they are both fueled to one extent or another by funding. How many of us have wished that we had the means to fully fund an adoption that has become close to our heart, or felt the desperation of trying to adopt a child who needed to be home and safe immediately, but have to wait and wait because the funds just are not coming? How many of us would love to take away the financial burdens of missionaries so that they could simply focus on the needs of the people they are called to and never spend a moment's concern about whether they have to return to their homeland to find more support?

I think, too, about all of those families in these types of situations who forego taking care of their own health, or taking much-needed vacations because of the concern that their donors may not approve of how they are spending their money! What if you could relieve that worry because you had the means to do so?!

This is, in part, why I have become so passionate about joining the Adoptagenix team - a group of families using Isagenix products for their families while earning commissions that they can use to bring better health to their adopted children or to children left in orphanages, to fund missionaries, to pay for their own adoptions or those of other families. The compassion and the passion we already have for people all over the world who need Christ's love, the love of a family, and/or nutrition for the millions of needy individuals everywhere can be harnessed to help others - the very best reason to become millionaires: to turn your commission into mission!

Our AdoptAgenix Team has begun podcasting on this very thing and I'd love for you to listen and share this today! You can contact me at jennifergetshealthy@gmail.com if you are ready to learn more!  http://cl.ly/QjjN

Divine Sovereignty: The Fuel of Death-Defying Missions

It's been awhile since I posted anything about missions.  Tonight I was too sick to attend prayer meeting, so I re-listened to this David Platt sermon from last years T4G Conference - I highly recommend it!!


Divine Sovereignty: The Fuel of Death-Defying Missions from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.

Which way is this plane flying?

You've probably had a few of them...those moments when you think "Oh yeah, weren't they adopting or something? I wonder what ever happened to that?"

Excellent question.

Well, what happened was a couple of things, but mainly this: we put it all on hold. We needed to step back and breathe for a little bit.  When we took the PRIDE classes last winter, we knew that foster care was the wrong direction for our family. It was such a relief to know there was a direction we were NOT to go, even though there were still so many directions we COULD go.

That same week we were made aware of a little guy in Burkina Faso who needed a family and thought that we might be it! But we pursued that route only to find that another family was also pursuing his adoption, and since BF really dislikes allowing families our size to adopt from there, the other family was much more likely to be given approval. No problem - another door closed just meant one more direction we were not to go!

But around the same time as this direction-change there were some big-time concerns going on right here at home...it looked like a very strong possibility that the Mister was going to lose his job. Scrreeeeeeeeaach - halt! The children we have been considering have been special needs kiddos and no job means no insurance!  So we decided that it was time to take a break from the crazy adoption train and wait.

Well, surprisingly, I was able for awhile to really let it go, relax, and wait patiently.  Then the crisis passed and God preserved the job! But summer was.....well, summer. There was a lot going on, a lot of other big decisions and stuff going on in our little world.

By the end of summer, when a conversation was taking place in one of my FB groups about adoption and waiting kids, I typed "...still in a holding pattern and it's time to tell this plane which way to fly!"

Well, I had prayed just a day or two before that "Lord, I wish someone would just hand us a picture and say 'this one's yours, now go get him (or her)!' "  So you know what God did? After I typed that comment, a friend (not knowing what I'd prayed, of course) posted a picture in the group, tagged me and said "...GHANA! There's a little boy named Calvin... who needs a family!"

Since that day there have been lots of moments where God has made it so clear that THIS is the direction we need to go right now. My heart is officially four time zones ahead, staring at every picture we have of him and studying every precious little inch of his face. I did a crazy laugh-cry-hopenooneislooking thing when I got new pictures of him a couple weeks back.  I'm smitten ♥

So which way is this plane flying? Well, at the moment, all indicators say GHANA! Time to renew my passport!

You have $50,000...

...well, you have to power to give it and to do so without spending one single cent of your own money!

Cultivate Wines is giving away $100,000 per quarter to non-profits via a democratic voting system. The winner will receive $50,000, and the five runners-up will each receive $10,000.  Project HOPEFUL has been privileged to be chosen as one of the potential recipients! To vote, you can either register or login through facebook. Once you’re logged in, you will have 1 vote per day. 

We’re sure you can imagine what this much money could mean to Project HOPEFUL’s ability to fulfill our mission to Educate, Encourage, and Enable families and individuals to advocate for and adopt children with HIV/AIDS and other of the MOST OVERLOOKED children for adoption! So be sure to come back and vote for Project HOPEFUL again each day!

Please consider printing off our Get out the Vote reminder card and placing it in a place you will remember every single day from May 1 through June 30.  Every vote is going to be absolutely crucial! Also, every time you vote, would you please tell all of your contacts and ask them to vote, too? The power to multiply votes with these very simple actions is enormous!

Here are the rules:

1.  You must be 21 years old to vote.  If you aren’t, ask your friends/family who ARE.

2.  NO gifts; contests; give aways.

3.  You must sign in using a FB account to vote.  If you don’t have one, would you consider registering for one just for the next 60 days?  You can take it down thereafter….

4.  Absolutely no use of voting companies who do all the work for you.

Thank you so much for your help and support!

Voting Reminder Card

HIV/AIDS Adoption: Teen Selah Twietmeyer Gives Her HIV Adoption Testimony

I just love this girl!!! Please share it on your blogs and social media:




From the description of the video:" HIV/AIDS Infected teen Selah Twietmeyer from Project Hopeful http://www.projecthopeful.org tells how she was adopted from Ethiopia into her family and talks about disclosure...she said "I am not ashamed and not afraid to tell the Truth"...Incredible testimony...repost this link http://youtu.be/sRxDRzZxDbI Tweet: http://clicktotweet.com/020db subscribe http://www.youtube.com/mothertheworld"

Faith - and the ones who love her

Every human life matters to the One who formed each one and numbered their days and lit the eternal flame of their soul.

This one matters....and her family is ready to bring her home and show her that beautiful truth: Her name is Faith

Posts and other things I love on this sunny Monday

Challenging thoughts about requesting 'Healthy' kiddos in adoption: http://5millionminus1.blogspot.com/2012/04/each-one-of-them-is-jesus-in-disguise.html

Some very special sibling love: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10100480867824196

This list of Fundraising families: http://www.projecthopeful.org/waiting-kids/matched-children-and-families

Adoption encouragement from Jen Hatmaker: http://give1save1.com/2012/03/05/guest-post-by-jen-hatmaker/


What links do you love today?

Who do we love?

"God's love is perfect love. It drives out fear, it doesn't expect anything in return..." It's so easy to worry more about protecting ourselves and our families from grief than the fact that a child may die without ever having been loved, and belonged to a family, or heard the gospel from the lips of loving parents who care about his never-dying soul. My heart is shattered daily, I tell you. :(

"Cautious Love"



Can we love the broken, dying, rebellious, forgotten? Who will we allow ourselves to love?

Updating the Timeline

Fost-Adopt can be a short process. Unless you are a procrastinator like me.

Since adoption is something that I have wanted SO badly for so many years, you would think I would be whipping out paperwork and checking off boxes like a Type A Superstar.  Seriously, what is my problem?!

I could blame the 'system' for taking so long between steps. I could even leave it as chronic procrastination, but I know it's more than that. It's fear.  I'm terrified about a whole laundry list of what-if's. I know so much about adoption and the good, bad, and the ugly, and I'm terrified that we will only experience the bad and the ugly and none of the good.

It gets harder and harder to hold on to our resolve to 'get our hands dirty' when you start to see the mud puddles. Intellectually, I believe that we are not in this world to have everything easy and that eternity will be worth any pain, suffering, rejection, and grief that we experience in this life.  But signing up for all that FOR REAL is just plain scary.

But,

" For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline."
 2 Timothy 1:7
New American Standard Bible (NASB)

So today, I am going to look to Him for the power, love, and discipline for each new task on the adoption process timeline and pray for the wisdom to do the same each day for all my days. To God alone be the Glory.

(Be sure to check for updates to our timeline HERE)

Mere Days to Find a Family!

Hello again!  I know; it's been far too long since I've posted anything in here, but before I get back to updating the blog, there is something far more pressing I need to share with you.  There is a young man who MUST find a family to commit to adopting him by next week or he will be forced to leave the orphanage and survive on his own at the tender age of 16!  This is unacceptable! We need to find him a family!

Please read the post below and share it in every way you can until his family is found!


No Greater Joy Mom: URGENT***URGENT***URGENT!!!

Interview from Christian Alliance for Orphans Summit VII with Carolyn Twietmeyer broadcast today

This was an awesome, awesome interview about Adoption and the power of our Mighty God!  Don't miss it!


Welcome Home!

Are you attending? Together for Adoption Conference 2011 in Phoenix, AZ

Only a little over a month from now, people from all over the country with a heart for orphan care and adoption will be gathering for the Together for Adoption Conference.  There will be some wonderful speakers and amazing breakout sessions, and all my Project HOPEFUL peeps will be there, too! I don't know that I'll be able to go, so I may have to live vicariously through those of you who do <grin> .  Don't let me down; I want pictures, video, tweets and FB updates all weekend long, people! Lots. Of. Updates. 

So who's going?

Fundraiser: Infant with Down Syndrome needs a family to adopt him. Let's take the financial hurdle out of the decision process!

A family is urgently needed for a bi-racial little boy who was born last week.  He was released from the hospital 48 hours after his birth and showed no other symptoms of syndrome. His heart was also fine at this time and now he desperately needs a family!  I want to make sure that his future family doesn't have to take the adoption fees into consideration when deciding whether or not to bless their home with him!  Please spread the word and use the Chip-In Widget to donate to this cause! ((took the chip-in down temporarily while I wait for confirmed permission to accept them - will update asap!!))



If you would like more information on adopting him, please contact me! 

Here is a video to help you pray for him:  

The Farmer's Wife Tells All Blog "Girls Only" Project

Do you remember how awkward the early years of womanhood are? I know they're burned into my own memory and I can't imagine having to go through that as an orphan, can you?!  Here is a fabulous project for us all to find a way to help with:

http://www.thefarmerswifetellsall.com/2011/07/girls-only-project.html


Please consider taking part!

~Jennifer

Dispelling Myths about Foster Care and Adoption

Two links to share with you today~

http://www.thespectrum.com/article/20110707/OPINION/107070302/Don-t-fall-for-the-myths-about-foster-care-adoption

and

http://ezinearticles.com/738641

Anyone else read some good articles this week that you'd like to pass on?

~Jennifer

SO cute! :)

My kiddos loved this one~

The Timeline Post

Since I know that there are some people reading this blog in order to keep track of our adoption process, I wanted to have a permanent post where I will continually edit updates to the timeline.  There isn't a lot to it, yet, but hopefully it will help people to understand our particular process.  Our sincere thanks to all of those who are praying us through it! I'll put the official steps in bold as we complete them.

First discussed adoption as a couple - Fall 1991 (while we were dating)
Finally decided that it was time - November 2010
Agonizing over who, what, when, where and how - November 2010-June 2011
Finally fill out the first piece of paperwork for an adoption agency May 6, 2011 (for domestic infant adoption)
Foster Care/ Adoption Orientation Seminar at our Church - June 11, 2011
Convinced that God has called us to adopt from the Foster Care system instead of domestic infant - July 4, 2011

The Official Process:

Orientation:    June 11, 2011

Application Rec'd: July 29, '11

Application Turned In: August 29, 2011

FIngerprinting/Background Check: October 5, 2011

Homestudy Visit #1: November17, 2011

PRIDE Training #1: February 18, 2012

PRIDE Training #2:February 25, 2012

Learned about a child available for adoption: March 13, 2012
Program-changing decision month: March 2012
Saw his picture for the first time!!: August 31, 2012

Examining Motives

This post is a brilliant treatment of all of the reasons for adopting, right ones, wrong ones, misguided and naive ones.  The further I dig into the contemporary adoption world, the more heartbroken I am for children and how serious the need is.  Adoption should certainly not be entered into lightly, naively, or for any 'trendy' reasons.  Every child who is ever adopted has trauma and grief as a part of their past; even the newest of newborns. 

Please take a few minutes to read this:

http://rachelsblatherings.blogspot.com/2011/06/so-you-want-to-adopt-please-dont.html

Excuses, excuses...

My blogging has all but disappeared.  I keep having ideas and start typing up a post and deleting and typing and deleting, then I move on to something else and don't come back.  It's just sad.  But, I do have a nice little list of excuses:

• I became the Communications Administrator for Project HOPEFUL about a month ago and it has almost completely taken over my computer energies
• I recently organized a giant (for me) yard sale to raise money for three families who are adopting and became re-acquainted with the fact that my skills lie in being an idea person, not an implementer.
• I organized a three hour orientation seminar at our church about foster care and adoption and actually implemented it - the same week in which I implemented the yard sale...simply amazing.
• We went public with the fact that we have officially taken the first steps toward adopting domestically.  We're only in the early 'Papercut Stage' of adoption.  The stress of sharing that information with certain people made me physically ill. I cried off and on for days. We seriously were going to wait until we were further into the process, but we can't get further into the process until we do some fundraising, so.....we just had to do it.
• My kids just started summer vacation and we're trying to get into a good routine (and I've been sharing the computer with 5 other people...even if they only get half an hour per day, that's a lot of time!)
• My parents are moving next week and I've been helping with painting and landscaping.

So, bloggy peeps, I'm sorry, but I just about fell off the map.  Thankfully I grabbed the edge and hopped back on, so let's just get back to it, shall we?  Here is my blog post recommendation for the day:


"Christians Should Put Up of Shut Up"


~Jennifer