Please PRAY BIG for our court date which will be happening in Ethiopia tonight. We hope to find out tomorrow-- June 11, the outcome of our court hearing!!! Thanks all!
Here are the scriptures I am pondering today as I pray.......
Exodus 19:5 "If you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the nations of the earth; for all the earth belongs to me."
James 2:8 " Yes indeed, it is good when you truly obey our Lord's royal command found in the scriptures: "Love you neighbor as yourself."
1 John 5:14 "We can be confident that He will listen to us whenever we ask Him for anything in line with His will."
Blessings---
AMY
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Delayed Flights and Divine Appointments
I am home from El Paso Texas. It has taken me a few days to recover from my sleep deprivation but I came home from my trip with an amazing testimony. I have already shared my testimony with MANY of my friends and last night Joel said--- "Amy--- you have to blog that story.....it's amazing!" So here I am and here I go.
I have never fasted much. Over the last several months the Lord has been teaching me about fasting and praying and there have been several times that I've fasted through a meal to pray over our children or certain situations, but never longer than one meal time. Well-- God impressed upon my heart that I should fast and pray over our upcoming housing at Ft. Bliss. So I began fasting on Monday night and had committed to fasting and praying through Tuesday and until Wednesday when I met with the housing office at Ft. Bliss to determine our upcoming housing plan. BTW--- self denial does not come easily to me and it is even harder in an airport with tons of time to kill and lots of restaurants right there! I struggled and prayed and really struggled and really prayed and God was so good to me!!
I woke at 600am on Tuesday to go to the airport. I got a call from the airline at 700 that my flight had been cancelled and I was being re-scheduled! I was grumpy about it but also thankful they had called me before I arrived to the airport! So I spent the morning with my family :) and then went to catch my flight. I ended up having a 4 hour lay-over b/c of the airline issues. Again-- I was a little grumpy about this (and also hungry because I am fasting) but I spent this time praying and reading scripture and seeking God in the USO at the Denver airport!! I got on my second flight and was seated next to a young black man who looked of Ethiopian descent to me. Now- I didn't want to ask-- "Are you an Ethiopian?" As that might have been offensive to some but I did want to know!! After initial pleasantries, I did ask him if he lived in El Paso or was just visiting. He said that he did live there but only for the last year. "Oh--- well, where did you live before that?" Las Vegas for two years. "Oh--- well, where are you from?" He said, "CHINA" with a big smile on his face. I laughed and said, "No really-- where are you from?" He said, "Ethiopia."
Wow.
WOW!
Can you believe this was a DIVINE APPOINTMENT? Isn't it just AMAZING that God placed me on a delayed flight so that I could have a seat next to an Ethiopian man on a flight going to El Paso, Texas? And can you believe that I had been grumpy in spirit about it but God loves me and blessed me anyway???
Well--- this man was so kind and my entire flight was filled with heart-wrenching, amazing and inspiring life stories from this 26 year old Ethiopian named Israel. IT WAS A DIVINE APPOINTMENT. For privacy sake, I won't go into all the details of Israel's life story on this blog--- but I will share that Israel was an orphan since he was 9 years old. He lived with extended family for awhile, but ran away after a year of abuse. He travelled and worked and travelled and worked for 11 years trying to make his way to America. After his parents died, his destination had always been America because he had met one American woman in Ethiopia who had shown him kindness and told him the God loved him and had a purpose for his life! Isn't it amazing to see how ONE person's kindness gave this little orphan boy HOPE and a dream??
Israel shared the intimate details of his life story with me on a very crowded plane. A lone tear ran down his strong cheek and his voice quivered when he spoke of the loss of his parents and that memory of being alone in the world. I was given the opportunity to share our faith and love in Jesus Christ and our adoption story of Nahom with him. I told him of my vision from God of Nahom in my hallway and how God had opened doors and miraculously worked to care for and love this orphan and give him a home and a family. I told him that God had spoken to us and shown us that HE loves the orphan and that as a family we were called to love orphans also. I shared that throughout the Bible, God shows his love for the poor, oppressed, and lonely and that God had used those scriptures to bring us to Nahom. His voice cracked as he said, "I am that orphan boy you are adopting. That was me, 17 years ago. Nahom is a blessed child and I hope to get to meet him and also adopt him as my Ethiopian brother. Your God is good." During our visit, Israel offered to help with translations for Nahom when we get moved to El Paso and is excited to introduce his son, Gideon, to another Ethiopian child.
I was also very blessed to meet Israel's family at the baggage claim area of the airport and after many hugs and exchanging of phone numbers and emails, they invited me to come to their home for dinner. Unfortunately, I already had made arrangements for each of my evenings in El Paso, so we parted ways with plans to introduce our families to one another and have an Ethiopian dinner together at our new home when we get settled in middle July. Israel did have one special request for our Ethiopian meal together....he asked if I would teach his wife to make injera bread! YEA!! God is so good- I'm so thankful that I've learned to cook Ethiopian and hope to learn more during our trip to Ethiopia!! What a neat thing to be able to share with this family! :)
I am soooo thankful that I met this wonderful Ethiopian man and his family. Some people may say that it was just a coincidence, but not me.....friends, I was seeking God, fasting and praying on that very day and HE WAS THERE in a mighty way! God blessed me in a way I could have NEVER imagined or thought of! The 3 days I was in El Paso were ALL blessed. Amazing. There are more stories of God's faithfulness, his provisions, his goodness....but I'll save them for another post- this one is already quite lengthy!! I will tell you though that my house hunting was successful and we found a place to rent after we get home with Joshua Nahom and do our Army move in July. It was the very last house I looked at and is absolutely perfect for our family! :) Thank you Lord!! YEAYEAYEA! Here's a snapshot of the house we'll be renting in about a month or so from now!!!
Joshua 1:9 "I command you be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
Psalms 32:8 "The Lord says, I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you."
Blessings to you,
Amy
PS--- OUR COURT HEARING IN ETHIOPIA WILL HAPPEN this THURSDAY- JUNE 11, 2009. Please pray for us during the night, WEDNESDAY NIGHT our time(CST) when they'll actually be hearing the case in Ethiopia! Please PRAY for us!
I have never fasted much. Over the last several months the Lord has been teaching me about fasting and praying and there have been several times that I've fasted through a meal to pray over our children or certain situations, but never longer than one meal time. Well-- God impressed upon my heart that I should fast and pray over our upcoming housing at Ft. Bliss. So I began fasting on Monday night and had committed to fasting and praying through Tuesday and until Wednesday when I met with the housing office at Ft. Bliss to determine our upcoming housing plan. BTW--- self denial does not come easily to me and it is even harder in an airport with tons of time to kill and lots of restaurants right there! I struggled and prayed and really struggled and really prayed and God was so good to me!!
I woke at 600am on Tuesday to go to the airport. I got a call from the airline at 700 that my flight had been cancelled and I was being re-scheduled! I was grumpy about it but also thankful they had called me before I arrived to the airport! So I spent the morning with my family :) and then went to catch my flight. I ended up having a 4 hour lay-over b/c of the airline issues. Again-- I was a little grumpy about this (and also hungry because I am fasting) but I spent this time praying and reading scripture and seeking God in the USO at the Denver airport!! I got on my second flight and was seated next to a young black man who looked of Ethiopian descent to me. Now- I didn't want to ask-- "Are you an Ethiopian?" As that might have been offensive to some but I did want to know!! After initial pleasantries, I did ask him if he lived in El Paso or was just visiting. He said that he did live there but only for the last year. "Oh--- well, where did you live before that?" Las Vegas for two years. "Oh--- well, where are you from?" He said, "CHINA" with a big smile on his face. I laughed and said, "No really-- where are you from?" He said, "Ethiopia."
Wow.
WOW!
Can you believe this was a DIVINE APPOINTMENT? Isn't it just AMAZING that God placed me on a delayed flight so that I could have a seat next to an Ethiopian man on a flight going to El Paso, Texas? And can you believe that I had been grumpy in spirit about it but God loves me and blessed me anyway???
Well--- this man was so kind and my entire flight was filled with heart-wrenching, amazing and inspiring life stories from this 26 year old Ethiopian named Israel. IT WAS A DIVINE APPOINTMENT. For privacy sake, I won't go into all the details of Israel's life story on this blog--- but I will share that Israel was an orphan since he was 9 years old. He lived with extended family for awhile, but ran away after a year of abuse. He travelled and worked and travelled and worked for 11 years trying to make his way to America. After his parents died, his destination had always been America because he had met one American woman in Ethiopia who had shown him kindness and told him the God loved him and had a purpose for his life! Isn't it amazing to see how ONE person's kindness gave this little orphan boy HOPE and a dream??
Israel shared the intimate details of his life story with me on a very crowded plane. A lone tear ran down his strong cheek and his voice quivered when he spoke of the loss of his parents and that memory of being alone in the world. I was given the opportunity to share our faith and love in Jesus Christ and our adoption story of Nahom with him. I told him of my vision from God of Nahom in my hallway and how God had opened doors and miraculously worked to care for and love this orphan and give him a home and a family. I told him that God had spoken to us and shown us that HE loves the orphan and that as a family we were called to love orphans also. I shared that throughout the Bible, God shows his love for the poor, oppressed, and lonely and that God had used those scriptures to bring us to Nahom. His voice cracked as he said, "I am that orphan boy you are adopting. That was me, 17 years ago. Nahom is a blessed child and I hope to get to meet him and also adopt him as my Ethiopian brother. Your God is good." During our visit, Israel offered to help with translations for Nahom when we get moved to El Paso and is excited to introduce his son, Gideon, to another Ethiopian child.
I was also very blessed to meet Israel's family at the baggage claim area of the airport and after many hugs and exchanging of phone numbers and emails, they invited me to come to their home for dinner. Unfortunately, I already had made arrangements for each of my evenings in El Paso, so we parted ways with plans to introduce our families to one another and have an Ethiopian dinner together at our new home when we get settled in middle July. Israel did have one special request for our Ethiopian meal together....he asked if I would teach his wife to make injera bread! YEA!! God is so good- I'm so thankful that I've learned to cook Ethiopian and hope to learn more during our trip to Ethiopia!! What a neat thing to be able to share with this family! :)
I am soooo thankful that I met this wonderful Ethiopian man and his family. Some people may say that it was just a coincidence, but not me.....friends, I was seeking God, fasting and praying on that very day and HE WAS THERE in a mighty way! God blessed me in a way I could have NEVER imagined or thought of! The 3 days I was in El Paso were ALL blessed. Amazing. There are more stories of God's faithfulness, his provisions, his goodness....but I'll save them for another post- this one is already quite lengthy!! I will tell you though that my house hunting was successful and we found a place to rent after we get home with Joshua Nahom and do our Army move in July. It was the very last house I looked at and is absolutely perfect for our family! :) Thank you Lord!! YEAYEAYEA! Here's a snapshot of the house we'll be renting in about a month or so from now!!!
Joshua 1:9 "I command you be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
Psalms 32:8 "The Lord says, I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you."
Blessings to you,
Amy
PS--- OUR COURT HEARING IN ETHIOPIA WILL HAPPEN this THURSDAY- JUNE 11, 2009. Please pray for us during the night, WEDNESDAY NIGHT our time(CST) when they'll actually be hearing the case in Ethiopia! Please PRAY for us!
Monday, June 1, 2009
Finding a house for all my TREASURES
I'm on my way (very early!) in the morning to go to El Paso, Texas to check out the area and try to locate some housing for us to move to in July when we return home from Ethiopia. Please pray BIG for us folks.....please pray BIG. Our hearts' desire is to live on-post there and we are praying the MOUNTAINS MOVE and hearts are softened, and that we can live on Ft. Bliss. Please pray that God puts us EXACTLY where he wants us to live. My specific prayer tonight is that God would OPEN and SHUT doors for us and show me exactly WHERE the home is that we should bring our family to live in when we move in July. Please pray for me during the next few days as I travel and search!! Pray for our transition with Nahom in a few weeks and pray for our Army MOVE that will happen RIGHT AFTER we return home with him!! Pray for mercy and peace and GRACE!
We're over the top excited about our adoption of Nahom and I made YUMMY Ethiopian food again tonight! My sweet neighbor and her children joined me this afternoon to cook Ethiopian and share our dinner and it was just delightful!! What a special time! Loved it!
Remember.....Only 9 more days until we pass court and Nahom is a Newsom! PRAY BIG!! PRAY BIG!!
Read this cool scripture about building our homes......
Proverbs 24:3-4 "A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense. Through knowledge its rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables!"
Friends, God has already been filling our home with TRUE riches, valuables, and treasures....OUR CHILDREN!! They are precious riches! Madilyn, Jackson, Hannah, Joshua Nahom, and Joel Daniel! Thank you Lord for the sweet TREASURES you've given us--- please help me use wisdom and good sense to find the right house over the next few days for these amazing treasures to fill up its rooms and grow up in! :)
Blessings,
AMY
We're over the top excited about our adoption of Nahom and I made YUMMY Ethiopian food again tonight! My sweet neighbor and her children joined me this afternoon to cook Ethiopian and share our dinner and it was just delightful!! What a special time! Loved it!
Remember.....Only 9 more days until we pass court and Nahom is a Newsom! PRAY BIG!! PRAY BIG!!
Read this cool scripture about building our homes......
Proverbs 24:3-4 "A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense. Through knowledge its rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables!"
Friends, God has already been filling our home with TRUE riches, valuables, and treasures....OUR CHILDREN!! They are precious riches! Madilyn, Jackson, Hannah, Joshua Nahom, and Joel Daniel! Thank you Lord for the sweet TREASURES you've given us--- please help me use wisdom and good sense to find the right house over the next few days for these amazing treasures to fill up its rooms and grow up in! :)
Blessings,
AMY
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Preparations, Provisions, and Praises!
It really has been an absolutely amazing few weeks and I feel super blessed!!
Our last update on Nahom was a few days ago from another adopting mom, HollyW, who is currently there in Ethiopia, going to the care center every day loving on her little one and sharing hugs with all of the other sweet kids waiting, including Nahom!! She said Nahom is amazing and adorable--- and yes, she has lots of pictures of him to share when she returns!! YEA!! Our court date is in a mere 12 days. Wow. Parents to 5 children in only 12 days! In less than a month, we hope to hold him in our arms! It's absolutely amazing what God is doing to prepare our hearts!
In fact-- I have to take a side-bar here and tell you a story about God's work in our family. God's Preparation for even Joel Daniel, who is only 3! His understanding of adoption is beyond what I ever dreamed it would be! Last night I was lying in bed with him and we were reading a book that has pictures of farm animals in it and Joel says, "I want to go to Mama Carr's house and ride a tractor with Papa Carr." I said-- "That will be fun! We will get to go there in a few weeks and then Mom and Dad are going to Ethiopia" He said-- "I want to go to Mama Carr's and you and Daddy go get Joshua. Joshua is my brother. Joshua come back with you."
Big tears just filled my eyes at that precious moment.
We've been praying for Joshua Nahom. We've been praying for the new relationships between our children! We've been talking about Joshua Nahom every day. We have pictures of him all around the house. BUT-- I have not said "Joshua Nahom is your brother!" BUT JOEL DID-- without a prompt! Isn't that cool!! AMAZING!
Just as God knit each one of us together in our mother's womb and knew us before we were even born..........I know that God is also knitting our hearts together before we even meet Joshua Nahom in person!
Just as God adopted each of us into HIS family to be HIS heirs, we are adopting Joshua Nahom into the Newsom family! Can you tell--- I am really ready to bring this bundle of joy home!
Oh---and now speaking of our "HOME"...... after our trip to Ethiopia to pick up Nahom, we will be moving to El Paso Texas. We have been anticipating moving in July into a house on-base there- but we got word this past week that the "only" housing they can offer us at that point will be a 4 bedroom, 1400 square foot house, with no basement, no garage, and very little storage. Hmmmm...... 5 HOMESCHOOLED children into a 1400 square foot house that does not have great storage capacity. We CAN do it-- but it would be really nice to have a little more space! We are PRAYING BIG for better housing options once we move. Our God has shown us that he moves mountains and this is our new mountain! We LOVE living on post and hope that the housing office finds favor with us and can help to accommodate our large family in slightly larger quarters or at least in housing that has better storage capacity--like a basement or a garage. Please PRAY BIG folks! Lord, MOVE THE MOUNTAIN!!
In fact-- as we've been praying BIG over our housing situation we have felt more and more that I need to make a trip to El Paso this next week to visit the housing office in person. Perhaps this will help MOVE THE MOUNTAIN-- and if God says "NO" to the other/larger housing on post, and He has other plans for us- then I'll be able to determine what area of El Paso we need to live in, if we do have to rent a home there. We know it is IMPORTANT that we do our research and planning NOW-- we don't want Joshua Nahom to be uprooted and unsettled for very long at all after he becomes a part of our family (we want to be able to come home from Ethiopia and move quickly to Texas and offer him stability and routine and structure as soon as possible)! So, I'm going to El Paso on Tuesday morning to see what God has planned for us there!
I'm not really excited about travelling to El Paso alone but God has been so faithful to show me AGAIN that He is with me ALWAYS! This time in a totally random way! Last week I got a forwarded email from a friend here at Ft. Leavenworth that was from her friend that now lives in El Paso. Now this El Paso friend is part of a Christian Homeschool Ministry there based out of a Baptist Church. I sent out an email introducing myself to this group and was overwhelmed with tons of great emails that showed a VERY active homeschool group!! (YEA!) Last night, Joel and I were planning my trip and since we are in the middle of our adoption and funds are TIGHT--we were discussing ways we could make this trip less expensive! He asked "Do we know ANYONE there that you could stay with?"
hmmm.....NO.
I boldly said to "I don't really feel comfortable about this and it is WAY out of my comfort zone for sure--- but God's really stretching us right now. I wonder if I sent out an email to this homeschool group asking for a place to stay for 2 nights next week if someone might open there home to me!" So-- that's exactly what I did and less than 6 hours later-- I have been personally "adopted" by an elderly couple that are the parents of a homeschooling mom that all go to this certain Baptist Church. I have a private bedroom in their home they are already "conspiring" to find us a house to rent close to them!! LOL!! :)
Now the most amazing part of this story is still to come!!! We've told MANY people over the last few months that we've been talking about and praying for an "Abuela" to be part of our family while we are in El Paso and friends.... "ABUELA" means grandmother in Spanish!!! I want to share just part of the email I got back this morning with you because God amazes me and goes before me!
"......My Mom lives right next to the airport and has a huge house. You would have a room of your own and my mum is the best cook in El Paso. (She's 75 and still cooks breakfast for the entire church at her house Christmas morning - this last Christmas we had 97!) ....My Mom and Dad are the homeschool ministries "counselors" - we ask them before we make a move. And they teach for us a lot. They are also very adoptable as temporary "mom and dad" (because this was the military way - to be family to one another when far from home) and they are also pretty good surrogate Grandma and Grandpa's. The first thing Mom said when I called to ask was "Well, we need to find them a rental on the EAST side." And I laughed and said I would only send you the ones near by our house.... Just kidding! "
CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS? WHAT A BLESSING!! I am so thankful and blessed by this provision from God and I don't even know these people yet!! God loves me so much and He knows my fears, my weaknesses, my anxieties, and He knows exactly what I need at exactly the right moment! ---Oh ME of little faith! God is so good!
Hope the sharing of MY blessings has blessed you today!!
Please keep PRAYING BIG for our family--- for Nahom, for his transition into our family, for our housing and upcoming move, and also for my trip next week!
With Love and Joy,
Amy
Psalm 78:4 "We will not hide these truths from our children but we will tell the next generation about the GLORIOUS deeds of the Lord. We will tell of His power and the mighty miracles He did!"
Psalm 31:21 "Praise the Lord, for He has shown me His unfailing love."
Psalm 106:2 "Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord? Who can ever praise Him half enough?"
Our last update on Nahom was a few days ago from another adopting mom, HollyW, who is currently there in Ethiopia, going to the care center every day loving on her little one and sharing hugs with all of the other sweet kids waiting, including Nahom!! She said Nahom is amazing and adorable--- and yes, she has lots of pictures of him to share when she returns!! YEA!! Our court date is in a mere 12 days. Wow. Parents to 5 children in only 12 days! In less than a month, we hope to hold him in our arms! It's absolutely amazing what God is doing to prepare our hearts!
In fact-- I have to take a side-bar here and tell you a story about God's work in our family. God's Preparation for even Joel Daniel, who is only 3! His understanding of adoption is beyond what I ever dreamed it would be! Last night I was lying in bed with him and we were reading a book that has pictures of farm animals in it and Joel says, "I want to go to Mama Carr's house and ride a tractor with Papa Carr." I said-- "That will be fun! We will get to go there in a few weeks and then Mom and Dad are going to Ethiopia" He said-- "I want to go to Mama Carr's and you and Daddy go get Joshua. Joshua is my brother. Joshua come back with you."
Big tears just filled my eyes at that precious moment.
We've been praying for Joshua Nahom. We've been praying for the new relationships between our children! We've been talking about Joshua Nahom every day. We have pictures of him all around the house. BUT-- I have not said "Joshua Nahom is your brother!" BUT JOEL DID-- without a prompt! Isn't that cool!! AMAZING!
Just as God knit each one of us together in our mother's womb and knew us before we were even born..........I know that God is also knitting our hearts together before we even meet Joshua Nahom in person!
Just as God adopted each of us into HIS family to be HIS heirs, we are adopting Joshua Nahom into the Newsom family! Can you tell--- I am really ready to bring this bundle of joy home!
Oh---and now speaking of our "HOME"...... after our trip to Ethiopia to pick up Nahom, we will be moving to El Paso Texas. We have been anticipating moving in July into a house on-base there- but we got word this past week that the "only" housing they can offer us at that point will be a 4 bedroom, 1400 square foot house, with no basement, no garage, and very little storage. Hmmmm...... 5 HOMESCHOOLED children into a 1400 square foot house that does not have great storage capacity. We CAN do it-- but it would be really nice to have a little more space! We are PRAYING BIG for better housing options once we move. Our God has shown us that he moves mountains and this is our new mountain! We LOVE living on post and hope that the housing office finds favor with us and can help to accommodate our large family in slightly larger quarters or at least in housing that has better storage capacity--like a basement or a garage. Please PRAY BIG folks! Lord, MOVE THE MOUNTAIN!!
In fact-- as we've been praying BIG over our housing situation we have felt more and more that I need to make a trip to El Paso this next week to visit the housing office in person. Perhaps this will help MOVE THE MOUNTAIN-- and if God says "NO" to the other/larger housing on post, and He has other plans for us- then I'll be able to determine what area of El Paso we need to live in, if we do have to rent a home there. We know it is IMPORTANT that we do our research and planning NOW-- we don't want Joshua Nahom to be uprooted and unsettled for very long at all after he becomes a part of our family (we want to be able to come home from Ethiopia and move quickly to Texas and offer him stability and routine and structure as soon as possible)! So, I'm going to El Paso on Tuesday morning to see what God has planned for us there!
I'm not really excited about travelling to El Paso alone but God has been so faithful to show me AGAIN that He is with me ALWAYS! This time in a totally random way! Last week I got a forwarded email from a friend here at Ft. Leavenworth that was from her friend that now lives in El Paso. Now this El Paso friend is part of a Christian Homeschool Ministry there based out of a Baptist Church. I sent out an email introducing myself to this group and was overwhelmed with tons of great emails that showed a VERY active homeschool group!! (YEA!) Last night, Joel and I were planning my trip and since we are in the middle of our adoption and funds are TIGHT--we were discussing ways we could make this trip less expensive! He asked "Do we know ANYONE there that you could stay with?"
hmmm.....NO.
I boldly said to "I don't really feel comfortable about this and it is WAY out of my comfort zone for sure--- but God's really stretching us right now. I wonder if I sent out an email to this homeschool group asking for a place to stay for 2 nights next week if someone might open there home to me!" So-- that's exactly what I did and less than 6 hours later-- I have been personally "adopted" by an elderly couple that are the parents of a homeschooling mom that all go to this certain Baptist Church. I have a private bedroom in their home they are already "conspiring" to find us a house to rent close to them!! LOL!! :)
Now the most amazing part of this story is still to come!!! We've told MANY people over the last few months that we've been talking about and praying for an "Abuela" to be part of our family while we are in El Paso and friends.... "ABUELA" means grandmother in Spanish!!! I want to share just part of the email I got back this morning with you because God amazes me and goes before me!
"......My Mom lives right next to the airport and has a huge house. You would have a room of your own and my mum is the best cook in El Paso. (She's 75 and still cooks breakfast for the entire church at her house Christmas morning - this last Christmas we had 97!) ....My Mom and Dad are the homeschool ministries "counselors" - we ask them before we make a move. And they teach for us a lot. They are also very adoptable as temporary "mom and dad" (because this was the military way - to be family to one another when far from home) and they are also pretty good surrogate Grandma and Grandpa's. The first thing Mom said when I called to ask was "Well, we need to find them a rental on the EAST side." And I laughed and said I would only send you the ones near by our house.... Just kidding! "
CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS? WHAT A BLESSING!! I am so thankful and blessed by this provision from God and I don't even know these people yet!! God loves me so much and He knows my fears, my weaknesses, my anxieties, and He knows exactly what I need at exactly the right moment! ---Oh ME of little faith! God is so good!
Hope the sharing of MY blessings has blessed you today!!
Please keep PRAYING BIG for our family--- for Nahom, for his transition into our family, for our housing and upcoming move, and also for my trip next week!
With Love and Joy,
Amy
Psalm 78:4 "We will not hide these truths from our children but we will tell the next generation about the GLORIOUS deeds of the Lord. We will tell of His power and the mighty miracles He did!"
Psalm 31:21 "Praise the Lord, for He has shown me His unfailing love."
Psalm 106:2 "Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord? Who can ever praise Him half enough?"
Friday, May 22, 2009
Summer plans......
All is well in the Newsom home. We have been blessed beyond measure, every single day. We've had a busy week wrapping up sports activities and finishing up our school work for the year. It's been a fun season of baseball, softball, and swimming. Joel is now in the final few weeks of his Army school and the kids are really excited about being done for the school year also!! I must admit that I'm ready for a summer break too!
It will be nice to be able to fully focus on all the extra projects that need to happen before we bring Nahom home and then before we get moved to Texas. I've honestly felt like I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off these last few days and I'm really longing for some time to get things in order for our summer adventures! 3 more days of school and then we are going to conquer the "TO DO" LIST!!!
Our summer is going to be an exciting adventure for sure! Several months ago we were wanting to go to a family camp in the mountains of Colorado but because we were unsure of our adoption timeline, we couldn't commit. The family camp waiting list filled up and we had resigned ourselves to the fact that we just weren't going to be able to do it this summer. Well-- on Tuesday-- (yes, the exact SAME day we got our court date!) we got a phone call that there was a family that was unable to attend the week long camp and they had a spot for us, AND- they'll give us a 50% discount because it's our first time there!! The next miracle--- it is the week after Joel graduates from this Army school and (*we think) it will also be two weeks before we travel to pick up Nahom in Ethiopia. We are totally AVAILABLE to do the camp that one week and God opened the doors and has given us all the desires of our hearts plus some more! YEA! We've never been to this kind of thing before and know that God will be glorified as we spend time together as a family in a Christian setting, seeking to learn and grow in Him! We'll then come back here to Kansas and get ready to go to Ethiopia for Nahom. After we recover from the jetlag and spend a few days settling in as a family of 7, we'll do the standard Army move to Ft. Bliss, Texas! There is lots of good stuff happening for us this summer! We are super excited to see God's plan unfolding and are so happy that HE is guiding our steps!
Please take a few moments this weekend to celebrate and remember those soldiers/veterans who have given the ultimate sacrifice for the cause of freedom. Freedom that we so often take for granted as citizens of the United States of America. Let us not forget what these men and women have done for us and please pray that God continues to bless us as a nation and sends a great revival to our country!
Our court date is in 19 days! Please remember Nahom in your thoughts and prayers, too. :)
Have a great Memorial Day Weekend-
AMY
This scripture spoke to me today as I was thanking God for revealing His plan for our summer and for working out all the details so perfectly..........wow.
Psalms 138:8 "You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am."
and I just love this one......
Joshua 22:5 "Be very careful to obey all the commands and the law that Moses gave to you. Love the Lord your God, walk in all His ways, obey His commands, be faithful to Him, and serve Him with all your heart and all your soul."
It will be nice to be able to fully focus on all the extra projects that need to happen before we bring Nahom home and then before we get moved to Texas. I've honestly felt like I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off these last few days and I'm really longing for some time to get things in order for our summer adventures! 3 more days of school and then we are going to conquer the "TO DO" LIST!!!
Our summer is going to be an exciting adventure for sure! Several months ago we were wanting to go to a family camp in the mountains of Colorado but because we were unsure of our adoption timeline, we couldn't commit. The family camp waiting list filled up and we had resigned ourselves to the fact that we just weren't going to be able to do it this summer. Well-- on Tuesday-- (yes, the exact SAME day we got our court date!) we got a phone call that there was a family that was unable to attend the week long camp and they had a spot for us, AND- they'll give us a 50% discount because it's our first time there!! The next miracle--- it is the week after Joel graduates from this Army school and (*we think) it will also be two weeks before we travel to pick up Nahom in Ethiopia. We are totally AVAILABLE to do the camp that one week and God opened the doors and has given us all the desires of our hearts plus some more! YEA! We've never been to this kind of thing before and know that God will be glorified as we spend time together as a family in a Christian setting, seeking to learn and grow in Him! We'll then come back here to Kansas and get ready to go to Ethiopia for Nahom. After we recover from the jetlag and spend a few days settling in as a family of 7, we'll do the standard Army move to Ft. Bliss, Texas! There is lots of good stuff happening for us this summer! We are super excited to see God's plan unfolding and are so happy that HE is guiding our steps!
Please take a few moments this weekend to celebrate and remember those soldiers/veterans who have given the ultimate sacrifice for the cause of freedom. Freedom that we so often take for granted as citizens of the United States of America. Let us not forget what these men and women have done for us and please pray that God continues to bless us as a nation and sends a great revival to our country!
Our court date is in 19 days! Please remember Nahom in your thoughts and prayers, too. :)
Have a great Memorial Day Weekend-
AMY
This scripture spoke to me today as I was thanking God for revealing His plan for our summer and for working out all the details so perfectly..........wow.
Psalms 138:8 "You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am."
and I just love this one......
Joshua 22:5 "Be very careful to obey all the commands and the law that Moses gave to you. Love the Lord your God, walk in all His ways, obey His commands, be faithful to Him, and serve Him with all your heart and all your soul."
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
GOD ANSWERS BIG
Thanks for PRAYING BIG everyone!! I am so excited to tell you all that our God ANSWERED BIG yesterday!! We received a call yesterday that we had a court date!!! Amazing!! Thank you Lord!! He can move the mountains, our God is mighty to save!!!
JUNE 11.
That's the date--- 3 1/2 weeks away. Not very long. We are so super thankful to BFAS for really really working hard to get this court date! God did indeed move mountains on behalf of our family and for sweet Nahom. BFAS has been aware of our pending Army move this summer and I'm not sure how God did it-- but we were given a court date, extremely quickly and will be able to travel to pick up Nahom before our family must move this summer! YEA JESUS! YEA BFAS!
So, I must tell you there was another amazing testimony of God showing Himself to us in getting the phone call yesterday of this court date!! Around 1000 am, I was speaking to a dear friend and neighbor on the telephone and she was being so gracious in letting me vent about my concerns, prayers, frustrations, and weariness in waiting for a court date! All other plans for our move have been hinged on the possible court date and travel of Nahom. We needed to schedule our moving dates with the Army but before we did this we really needed to know whether we needed to move sooner or later in the summer depending on whether we could/could not pick up Nahom before our move. SO--- I asked her to please pray for me and she said, "We are praying and in fact, we already prayed this morning that you would get a court date today so you will know what to do about scheduling your move." We chatted a few more minutes and then hung up.
Only FIVE minutes passed before my cell phone rang. "BFAS" on the caller ID. :) THEY were calling me, not the opposite-as per usual!! :)
The next few minutes are surreal as Haile told me that we had been given a court date of June 11. Wow. IS THAT AN AMAZING GOD OR WHAT????
I am so completely humbled. So completely amazed. So completely thrilled.
If I had picked all the perfect dates and perfect plans--- it would not have worked out more perfectly. GOD IS GOOD!!! His timing and His plan is so much better than our own! I am soooooo thankful that we've waited on the Lord and God has been faithful to us!
We are now praying BIG for a positive court outcome on June 11 and we are tentatively planning and hoping to travel for an Embassy date of July 2. That means we will travel around June 26- 27 and return around July 4-5. We will THEN move to El Paso, Texas the week or two after we return home with Joshua Nahom Newsom!
I am again reminded of this particular scripture today......
Ephesians 3:20 "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen."
Blessings today,
AMY
JUNE 11.
That's the date--- 3 1/2 weeks away. Not very long. We are so super thankful to BFAS for really really working hard to get this court date! God did indeed move mountains on behalf of our family and for sweet Nahom. BFAS has been aware of our pending Army move this summer and I'm not sure how God did it-- but we were given a court date, extremely quickly and will be able to travel to pick up Nahom before our family must move this summer! YEA JESUS! YEA BFAS!
So, I must tell you there was another amazing testimony of God showing Himself to us in getting the phone call yesterday of this court date!! Around 1000 am, I was speaking to a dear friend and neighbor on the telephone and she was being so gracious in letting me vent about my concerns, prayers, frustrations, and weariness in waiting for a court date! All other plans for our move have been hinged on the possible court date and travel of Nahom. We needed to schedule our moving dates with the Army but before we did this we really needed to know whether we needed to move sooner or later in the summer depending on whether we could/could not pick up Nahom before our move. SO--- I asked her to please pray for me and she said, "We are praying and in fact, we already prayed this morning that you would get a court date today so you will know what to do about scheduling your move." We chatted a few more minutes and then hung up.
Only FIVE minutes passed before my cell phone rang. "BFAS" on the caller ID. :) THEY were calling me, not the opposite-as per usual!! :)
The next few minutes are surreal as Haile told me that we had been given a court date of June 11. Wow. IS THAT AN AMAZING GOD OR WHAT????
I am so completely humbled. So completely amazed. So completely thrilled.
If I had picked all the perfect dates and perfect plans--- it would not have worked out more perfectly. GOD IS GOOD!!! His timing and His plan is so much better than our own! I am soooooo thankful that we've waited on the Lord and God has been faithful to us!
We are now praying BIG for a positive court outcome on June 11 and we are tentatively planning and hoping to travel for an Embassy date of July 2. That means we will travel around June 26- 27 and return around July 4-5. We will THEN move to El Paso, Texas the week or two after we return home with Joshua Nahom Newsom!
I am again reminded of this particular scripture today......
Ephesians 3:20 "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen."
Blessings today,
AMY
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Nahom's Song: Some Day Soon
Our Bible Study group here in Infantry Barracks has been super amazing and has really ministered to us this year in a huge way, especially concerning our adoption. They have been our prayer warriors and mentors and when the precious time comes, they will have played a huge roll in bringing sweet Nahom home.
Dan and Joanna are members of this group and Dan wrote this song for us and sang it for us last night at Bible Study!! The song is called "Nahom's Song: Some Day Soon" and was written from Nahom's viewpoint and references Nahom's place in the vision (from God) that I had of him standing in my hallway several weeks ago. WE LOVED IT and want to share it with you, our sweet bloggy friends!! Enjoy!
BTW--- thanks Dan and Joanna- you guys are truly great friends and we are so happy our paths have crossed here, at this very moment in time!
Blessings,
Amy
Dan and Joanna are members of this group and Dan wrote this song for us and sang it for us last night at Bible Study!! The song is called "Nahom's Song: Some Day Soon" and was written from Nahom's viewpoint and references Nahom's place in the vision (from God) that I had of him standing in my hallway several weeks ago. WE LOVED IT and want to share it with you, our sweet bloggy friends!! Enjoy!
BTW--- thanks Dan and Joanna- you guys are truly great friends and we are so happy our paths have crossed here, at this very moment in time!
Blessings,
Amy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
