Journey For Joelle

Then and Now: One Year Ago . . .

jenni — Tue, 08 May 2012 02:22:16 +0000

A year ago today, on Mother’s Day, May 8, 2011, we met Joelle for the very first time, and she became our forever daughter.

I cannot imagine life without her; it just seems like she’s always been with us: the bonding that has occurred between her siblings, our families, and us has been a miracle especially in lieu of the very exhausting two years we’ve had–we have certainly had our heart-wrenching trials. Somehow, though, above everything that has come our way, there has also been an overwhelming sense of peace that the Lord is in control and has our steps precisely numbered.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Joelle had a rough start in life–heart surgery at six months old, couldn’t walk without falling over, screamed at the sight of water, had to adapt to both a different culture and a new family, had both an eye surgery and her fingers repaired within a month apart.

Now look at what she can do!

Peeling carrots for the beef stew!

A love for learning, exploring, and participating in a field trip discussion!

And . . .

a wonderful sense of balance and joyful confidence

Somehow, somewhere, there was a red thread that joined our hearts to hers. Like a dear friend posted on Facebook, “Hard to believe that she was a Dream and here she is!”

“An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance.

The thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break.” -Chinese Proverb

Happy First Gotcha Day, Joelle! We love you, and you were “so worth” all of labor of love that many joined us in doing–all of our hearts have been joined by the red thread of grace and mercy . . . that can only be given by the Lord.

One China but Two Very Different Girls!

jenni — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:26:31 +0000

It is hard to believe that both girls, born in China, ages three and six can be so different. Joelle has only been with her forever family since May of 2011, and I have yet to get her to successfully play alone in her feminine pink and purple, flowery room that she shares with her sister. But today, something changed. “Joelle, why don’t you go in Jonah’s room and play with “his toys”. And you know what? I didn’t hear from her for a good twenty minutes–how she LOVED those action figures! Meanwhile, her sister was up on her bunk– pretend play with her stuffed animals. Later, though, Joelle came wandering out and asking for her Juliese; she climbed up and began to play with her dancing doll, yes a doll, and, believe or not, she had a smile on her face then, too! Love those girls!

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down

from the Father of lights . . . Jeremiah 1:17

The Truth in a Peanut Butter Jar

jenni — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:11:49 +0000

Like any type of teaching, we all fall short in some area. Unfortunately, for me, it has been in the Biblical training. And so, for Easter, each child was either given a Bible with their special name embossed on it or a new devotional to complete each day. Every morning, since Resurrection Sunday, we have made a point to have our devotions; the kids go into their rooms for a quiet Bible time After, we all reconvene to the living room to pray and continue reading from the book of Matthew–our goal is to read the four gospels before the end of the school year–well, I am hopeful, anyway! Sometimes, as I am reading about the Lord’s truths, I really feel like I am the only one getting something from it–sound familiar? My three year old will be trying to make everyone laugh while my youngest son is standing on his head. Of course, my type A children just sit there with glazed looks on their eyes; are they listening? While they are answering every question correctly, I have to wonder if they can feel God’s Biblical truth penetrate their soul? Only time will tell. Isaiah 55:11, So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Today, though, I was wrong about each of them. Jonah came in with an ordinary peanut butter jar that had been cleaned out. He was insistent on putting a note in it and sending it down our stream. The note said, “Dear friend, Jesus loves you and He made you. Please come to church and look for Jonah.” Below we included our church’s name and phone number. Jonah was unsuccessful in getting the jar to float down our stream, but was so persistent that I felt a tug on my own heart: I needed to surrender all of my “to do lists” and listen the Lord. We all then piled into the car to find a faster moving stream. After each of us prayed for God’s truth to be found by someone, Jonah tossed it into the river. I noticed that as we climbed back into the van; some were questioning if it would be even found. Juliese replied, “If the Lord can create the waters, He can certainly put the jar into the right hands.” Whether in heaven or some Sunday morning, we believe that the Lord’s faithfulness will come through.

WILL YOU HELP US PRAY FOR THE INDIVIDUAL WHOSE LIFE IS GOING TO BE CHANGED AS A RESULT OF ONE CHILD’S HEART WRITTEN IN THE FORM OF A NOTE, CRAMMED INSIDE AN OLD PEANUT BUTTER JAR?

Two More Boys Coming Home . . . with Your Help?

jenni — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 03:45:21 +0000

My last post was to challenge people to help the Sanders bring home two boys (Dusty & Jayden) from China. As I write this post, this family is on their way to China: changing lives for the Lord one boy at a time. Thank you all for making this possible; they raised all the needed funds. Now, two more families have stepped forward to adopt two more older boys,who were close friends with Dusty. Miraculously, these three boys (one being the Sanders’ oldest: Dusty) will be living within a fifty mile radius. Will you help? I am remembered how Jeff and I set out to show that even $10 makes a difference; in November of 2010, 911 people donated $10 which raised the needed funds for us to adopt Joelle.

http://www.losseisverhulsts.blogspot.com/

and

http://www.twochinadolls.blogspot.com/

You are the helper of the fatherless. LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear, To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, That the man of the earth may oppress no more.

Psalms 10:14,17-18

God’s Love Song for the Orphans

jenni — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 04:40:28 +0000

A new command I give you: Love one another.

As I have loved you, so you must love one another. -John 13:34

Please consider helping this family adopt two boys.

Every $1 does make a difference. Last winter, Jeff and I, with the Lord’s help, raised $9,110 in during November, National Adoption Month. We reached this amount by receiving 911 gifts of $10! Can you believe it?

http://www.sandersadoptionjourneytochina.blogspot.com/2012/02/courage-to-persevere.html

*This family is bringing home two boys from China:

Jayden, Age 3

Dusty, Age 13

Who Took That Honey!

jenni — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 02:42:38 +0000

Have you ever read Christine Moers’ blog: welcometomybrain.net? Well, she’s quite the character, and I had the pleasure of viewing her on the following Youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU_HJY8md-0 Basically, her six minute video was talking about therapeutic parenting and how to reach the traumatized child by helping them “find their silly”. What does this look like you may ask?

SNOW DAY DRAMA

Today, we did not do “homeschooling” because of the unwritten rule: if dad has a snow day, then, we do, too! Jeff, who still thinks he’s twenty and a professional ice hockey player, decides to take our boys and oldest daughter ice skating–IN A SNOWSTORM! Because we do not have skates for my youngest, I thought it would be a wonderful way for us to do some “more attaching and bonding”. WRONG! Our newest addition to the family wanted to go and threw a tantrum that made my ears ring–I have no doubt that these raging screams were heard two towns over where the family was skating! So, what did I do? Well, I first sent her to her room and left the door open. I needed to clear my head and not react to her emotions with my frustrations. Usually, I prefer to keep her in the same room, but I had a migraine--not fun! Shortly after, with screams bouncing down the hallway, I began to unpack the groceries and found a gigantic bottle of honey (See Picture). I, immediately, ran back into the room; our conversation went something like this:

MOM: “Do you want to help me empty the bear’s tummy?”

CHILD: She has stopped screaming to listen carefully at my quiet voice.

MOM: With intense excitement, I continue, “I’ve been looking for this bear EVERYWHERE, and I finally found him!”

CHILD: She is softly whimpering and whining at this point.

MOM: “Will you help me put the honey back where it belongs–in the honey pot? That bear should not have stolen the honey!”

At this point, my little firecracker agrees, walks down the hall, and helps me! Look at the picture! It worked! I felt compelled to share this because many of my friends either have adopted traumatized children or teach them. By doing something completely out of the ordinary and SILLY, you are really helping the child change their frame of mind, giving their emotions a new “adrenaline rush” of something new, and are taking them out of the pattern of emotional frustration. You will be pleased to know that after we filled the honey pot, we had a nice cup of strawberry tea with HONEY and played a game of Old Maid.

We Can Make a Difference

jenni — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 03:47:51 +0000

For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them. Matthew 18:20

You know all last year, while we were fervently fundraising to complete our Journey for Joelle, I felt like the Lord continued to press on my heart that this adoption was going to be bigger than I could every imagine. Several, including a friend and brother-in-law, told me that this was NOT our journey but one necessary for others to both observe and partake in.

My life changed for the better in July of 2008 when we adopted our oldest daughter Juliese (China). Little did I know that a chain of events would begin to unravel; my passion for adoption was out of control. I just could not stop talking about adoption! Of course, along the way, I had to be reminded that diplomacy and tactfulness were attributes that I was lacking in. Though I unintentionally made some very uncomfortable, I still felt an eternal urge that churches, including ours, must do more. Sadly, I could see the “American Dream” preying on Christians as well. I had even had people in the ministry tell me that taking care of the orphans was not “their thing”. However, I knew what the Bible had to say about this issue; there were no gray areas when discussing the widow and the orphan. The following Bible verses are imperative commands not questions requiring a yes or no response:

Never take advantage of any widow or orphan. If you do and they cry out to me, you can be sure that I will hear their cry. Exodus 22:22-23

When you are harvesting your crops and forget to bring in a bundle of grain from your field, don’t go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. Then the LORD your God will bless you in all you do. Deuteronomy 24:19

Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows. Isaiah 1:17

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice. Proverbs 31:8-9

At times, I was so frustrated with God’s people that I wanted to thrust my daughter into their arms, so that they could experience first hand what the Lord had done for each one of us. Those who ask Jesus into their hearts do become adopted into the kingdom of God. Some of us, like both myself and my two daughters, have been adopted twice: once by our heavenly father and once by our forever parents.

Through these growing pains that both our church family and myself were experiencing, one does need to wait on the Lord. God’s timing is everything!

Three years later, four families in our church have adopted (domestic, foster care, and international)

and several are in process of receiving their licensing to foster through our state or are waiting on adoption court proceedings. Above you will see a picture of a very large crowd . . . this was our Adoption Celebration, and five families, from our church, finalized their adoptions or were recognized for their recent adoptions. Prior to this grand celebration, an announcement was made on Orphan Sunday about an older gentleman who is using his retirement fund to build a house; once the house is sold and materials are paid for, the remaining funds will go to start an adoption fund. Our dream to see an adoption fund in our church is finally going to be a reality: more children, more forever families, and more souls for Christ!

The Journey for Joelle has ended, but there are many more adoption journeys to take? Every step of the journey is the journey. Where do you fit in? Is it fixing up a car to sell to help support someone who is able to adopt? Or maybe it is hosting a benefit dinner or just simply supporting those who are in the fundraising leg of the adoption journey. Maybe it is giving an adoptive family a call and asking how you can help support them? The Bible doesn’t specifically say that everyone has to adopt, but He does command us to make a difference in the orphans and widows’ lives.

And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. Matthew 18:5

Five Months Today

jenni — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 02:52:41 +0000

On Mother’s Day, this beautiful little girl finally became our daughter. Joelle had been woven into our hearts long before we met her; obviously, the Lord had already hand-picked her for our family– to love, to learn from, and to laugh! The below pictures say it all. Five months ago today, we traveled all the way to China for a comedian, an actress, a singer, a musician, and clown–combined into the one and only JOELLE- who we just simply adore and love! Our jolly and very silly Joelle has made our lives complete–thank you, Lord! Without a doubt, the Lord will continue to use both you and your sister to inspire others to adopt as well as challenge others to help “fund” other adoptions.

“We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, “What amazing things the Lord has done for them.” Psalm 126:2 (NLT)

Jesiah’s Angel

jenni — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 04:24:44 +0000

Our family is making these angels for the Sherer family. They are expected to travel to China in December 2011 to get their Christmas blessing: a son named Jesiah. For those who purchase the Jesiah Angel, all funds will go towards the Sherer’s travel expenses. All other adoption fees have been paid for-praise God!

Here’s how you can help us bring Jesiah home for God’s Kingdom:

1. Purchase an angel for a friend or yourself: suggested donation $10.

2. Make a craft that will sell–DECA Craft fair is competitive!

3. Come find us at the craft fair on . . .

Date: Saturday, November 19th

Place: Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School

Time: 9:30-3:00

**To find out more info on this family or to make a donation on Paypal, go to http://www.shereradoption.blogspot.com**

The Mirror to My Soul

jenni — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 03:31:36 +0000

Last week, Joelle had surgery on both eyes. There was some concern of whether or not she would need a second procedure to correct the strabismus. Thankfully, after Tuesday’s post-op visit, her eyes looked perfect! Adoption is full of surprises just like giving birth. You never know what will happen ,and it is very hard to prepare ahead of time. Joelle’s special need was postoperative ASD. However, her heart was excellent, but her eyes were not. And so, flexibility and packing away one’s preconceived ideas about adoption is crucial when considering this road. Mirrors do reflect what is on the outside of a person, but they do not reveal one’s heart, thought patterns, feelings, and emotions. Adoption is not glamorous. It is absolutely the most challenging thing I have ever done, yet I would not change any of it. Having someone who is afraid to fall asleep without you in the room, having a permanent shadow, daily language barriers, sibling rivalry, never-ending medical appointments and evaluations, and the frequent analyzing of whether or not a current incident is just an “adoption” issue or rather a “normal, three year old” behavior are all ever present in our household. Still, seeking the Lord constantly is the prerequisites to a successful adoption. I need to be reminded that the Lord does not just see my reflection in the mirror. But instead, He looks straight into my heart and knows my thoughts, and feelings, and . . . with great wisdom He slowly reveals His plan–one day at a time. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34

Check out Joelle’s eyes now!