Doing a HAPPY DANCE!

Time for a HAPPY DANCE!

Well, for those of you who read the blog yesterday and my struggle and battle with the lies that Satan likes to whisper to discourage me, I got to give him a huge SCREW YOU today:)

Michelle Reed, our fabulous Family Coordinator at American World, emailed me and said that she sent our profile to an orphanage director (OD) in Haiti. This way they can be thinking about matching a child with our family while they wait on the rest of our paperwork! This will (hopefully) make the referral and waiting time for the child much quicker if they are already on the lookout for our little Oscar!!!!

Satan can try all he likes to discourage and dissuade us from moving forward, but God has other, greater plans! He put our family on the orphanages RADAR and things (even if it's a small thing) are in motion! This OD now as our names and faces in their hands and Oscar is one more small step closer to coming home.

God is good. All the time. Things sometimes look bleak, but He is there to keep moving us forward!

Thanks to my prayer warriors!

Terry

Lies the Devil Whispers

'Why are you stressing yourself doing this?'

'So much of your time is being diverted from your family, and your husband and kids need your attention so much more right now.'

'You can't do this! You don't have the drive to see it through.'

Lies.

Each one being whispered in my ear almost daily it seems now that we are full swing into paperwork and building the dossier. The deeper we get into this adoption process, the more fierce and frequent these lies become.

And to be honest...some days I almost want to believe the lies. I almost want to just file the folder and papers away and go back to my easy life. The easy life....sounds so appealing at times. One with no tracking down of certificates, photos, emails and digging up finance and employment information. The easy one where the kids and I just kick back and have a relaxed Christmas break.

Then like waking from a dream, I realize that Satan is working hard to lure me from what God has planned. I asked my friend, Angie, one day if it was rude to tell the Devil to screw off, because that is exactly what I do when I see the tricks he's trying to pull on me. I set my mind and determination on what God wants me to do. He has a greater plan and when I think of the strongest lie the devil has told me yet...'He (Oscar) won't know you if you stop right now,' I dig my feet in, drop on my knees and give the struggle to God. He is far stronger and has been carrying us through this.

Lies only destroy. They destroy what the LORD wants for our lives and Satan is happy to dish them out. Jesus promised us new life through faith in Him. This life is one with my Oscar in it. I know it. So I place my faith in Him each day. I battle the lies Satan throws at me by thinking and praying the Word.

I know Oscar is waiting for us, his family, as we are waiting for him. So, screw off Satan. God's got this battle already won for me!

Prayer for continued strength and deeper trust is always welcomed!

Thanks and God Bless,

Terry

The Special Needs Child

The link that I provided below is to an article on the website, Rainbowkids.com. It is about what one mother learned from her 2 year old daughter who her family adopted from China. This is a cool site because you can actually see pics of kids all over the world waiting for homes.

After working with Special Needs kids, reading up on different conditions and seriously contemplating bringing one home, I have learned that there is a reason that Special Needs are called that. Not for their benefit, but for ours. They teach us to love and accept on a different level. The Special Need is to change the hearts of the 'normal' to love those who already love unabashedly.

http://www.rainbowkids.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=693

Great Article on Waiting...not just for the adopting family!

http://www.awaa.org/downloads/China/Gods_Will_for_Your_Wait.pdf

Waiting strengthens our faith and I believe it also helps us to trust that God will work all things our for good and His glory.

God Bless,
Terry

A Note from Tayler

Hello this is Tayler Lacey and I just want to say that Hatian kids are cool.




But for real, when this kid comes home I'm gonna be like 17 so I'm gonna be the one that doesn't live with this child (Oscar) as much, but yet it seems I'm the child with the biggest problem with the whole thing.




But I realized a couple days ago that this isn't only God calling my parents to be parents to Oscar He is calling me to be a brother to him too. I'm not into the whole deep emotional description of my feelings but I just wanted to say that God has called us as a family not just Terry and Daniel.




This has been a public adoption announcement.

My Conversation With God This Morning :D

'So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God....' Isaiah 41:10

Wow, God, really? Do not fear? Do not dismay? Um, did You see that stack of attachments I just printed off from the adoption agency?? Did You see that all my documents have to be less than a year old? I'm 38! My birth certificate is 38 years old too! And when all these documents reach Haiti they cannot be older than 6 months! That puts me on a time frame crunch!

I have to simutaneously do my dossier AND my home study...really? I have 3 kids, 2 dogs, 2 jobs, 1 husband, 3 church group studies and 0 time on my hands. I am on my knees begging Your forgiveness when I am not spending my daily time with You like I should. How am I supposed to fit this in too?

'I will strengthen and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.' Isaiah 41:10

Oh.....yeah....

You squash my feeling of being overwhelmed with peace and joy. You are moving my feet, because I can't move them on my own. You give me glimpses of my 'Oscar' who is in Haiti and needs to come home. You uphold me with Your righteous right hand. You are the strength during my weakness.

Pressing on is the only option. You have instilled me with determination and love for my Haitian son. No amount of pressure will dissuade me for You are my help. You have called my family (and I know you are calling others as well) to adopt. You will open doors and provide ways. Help those of us blessed enough to venture out on this path called adoption, to keep our eyes pointed upward towards You and lean into Your righteous strong hand.

Thanks God, You are the best listener.

Your daughter,

Terry

The Sharing of some pics...

Some fun pics of the 'packed house' fundwareness dinner that we had Dec. 2nd and a pic of the cool kids who helped paint the Adopted t-shirts for the human skit performed at my home church, Shadow Mountain, in November for Adoption Awareness Month. I'm sure Angie, Carrie and Lisa agree these youth rock:)

Love those kids (Jared, Josh, Nash, Brookie and Tayler aka Vectron) and the support they show!

Prayer Request

Now that our paper work is in process and our first large payment has been made towards our adoption, I've noticed (within the last 24 hours) a sick feeling growing in my stomach and heart. The feeling that comes when you want and have to do something, (holy discontent maybe???) but your hands are tied.

I read articles about Haiti. My son is in Haiti. Many children are living in conditions there that are unimaginable to most Americans. Poverty, death caused by curable sickness, child slavery, lack of education...my son is living among these conditions. No parent can or should have to imagine their child in these circumstances, yet those adopting from impoverished countries must face that their children are. It's horror.

I know that God has drawn a line from us to our son. That He will work all things out. I trust Him implicitly. But I am a broken-hearted mother, as I think of what conditions my son may at this moment be living in or being exposed to.

So, my prayer request today, is that God hastens our process. That He works all this out smoothly and beautifully. But also, that if He deems I must wait and be patient, that I can do so with a willing heart. I also ask that if you've been thinking of adoption or even fostering, to remember that even if you think you have little to offer, it is still so much more than what that child may ever know.

God Bless and thanks you to all who have been prayer warriors through this journey with us.
Terry

And We Are Off!

Today, December 6, 2011, my family broke from the starting gates! Our paperwork and 1st initial installation payment to American World Adoption Agency for their Haiti Adoption Program is sent!! (applause, cheers and popping corks in the background, please!)

Here are the kids and I holding all the paperwork I faxed in today. One more step towards bringing home our son:)

God is Working...He just uses my hands and feet

'but you received the Spirit of adoption BY WHOM we cry out, 'Abba, Father!' Romans 8:15 (captials mine)

Well, our first fundraising dinner went down last night. I can't even begin to explain how deeply moved I was to see 150+ people turn out to support the Hendrens and our family on our endeavors to adopt. We had a great homemade dinner, we had a great response to the silent auction, we had great raffle ticket sales for the TV. We got to give the TV away to my good friend Lisa Jensen, who won the TV drawing. We (the Laceys) made a grand total of $1800 last night at our dinner!

We planned, we worked, we did...?

As I reflect today on last nights event, I have to admit that 'we' didn't really do anything. Yes, I made some arrangements. Yes, Angie came up with an awareness speech. But I don't believe those things in and of themselves are what brought people out in support.

People came to support us because God is stirring up something deep within. He is working in the midst of this and I cannot take any credit for what is happening. I can only say that I am receptive to what the LORD wants of me. He has placed a holy discontent within me to care for an orphan in their discontent (James 1:27). He is moving me. Using me. I believe that He is using my entire family. I get thrilled when I think of the future. What does God have planned for our Haitian son, that He has called us to bring him into our home? What great things will He create for us and for him?

Yes, God is at work. He uses human hands and feet like mine and Angies. But He also used a room full of people last night. People who, I believe, want to be used by God to help bring home children who may never know a better life.

So now as I fill out our paperwork and prepare to send in our first payment this week to the adoption agency, I extend thanks to all who let God use them last night. I thank you all who are as excited as I am to bring home our little boy.

I praise God for His goodness and look expectantly to Him to continue to guide us through our adoption journey.

God Bless and my love to you all!

Terry