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Thursday, September 17, 2009
He Will Never Leave You or Forsake You ...
Wow. We are moved by the overwhelming support from you all...the comments youve posted have lifted us up...we feel your prayers! Someone said it well...."terrified and humbled" is one way to describe our state of mind right now. It is Thursday evening and the last three days are somewhat of a blur. Suzanne is better as we are both realizing its not a dream....this is where God has called us to be....right here....right now. We'd be lying if we said there arent moments when we want to tap our ruby slippers together, say "theres no place like home," and poof...be back in Kansas. But we know we're not here by accident.
We have been reminded (by many of you) that God said many times "I will never leave you or forsake you." We know that He has promised us that but He has also promised that to Josephine....that is what keeps ringing in my mind. Because of her medical conditions, she would not be able to come back to the U.S. for some time (we are still learning what that looks like....how long it might be...what treatment will be like here, etc...), but we know we will not leave her or forsake her. God is in it and so are we.
Our main focus now is to do everything in our power to insure that Josie gets the best possible care while the things that are not in our power (International adoption laws, etc) get sorted out. Trying to pack months worth of learning about HIV adoption into a couple of days is pretty tough and tiring (thanks to those of you who have walked this road before us and are willing to walk with us....we will take you up on that).
Thank you all for your prayers!!
Mike
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About Me
- suzanne
- I am a lover of Jesus. I have the most fabulous husband that anyone woman could ask for. The Lord has blessed us with 7 beautiful children. I started this blog so that friends and family could follow our trip to Uganda to visit Katie Davis. I have decided to keep blogging to help bring orphan awareness to the world around me.
25 comments:
Mike and Suzanne, Chris and I just read your post and could not be more proud to call y'all our friends!! We want to be just like you, we want to parent Eliana and future kiddos just like you....and we want to live radically for Jesus just like y'all. We are PRAYING so much....for your family in TN, for precious Josie, for y'all. Thanks for giving us an update!!
We love y'all so much, Lindsey and Chris
We'll be praying you through your continued journey...
Blessings~
The Laubach Family
Suzanne and Mike,
You are "changing the world" here and there and we are amazed by the grace you're walking in. So proud of y'all for the difference you're making for so many. What a testiment of God's love. We are on our knees here.
Love and blessings,
The Kemp Family
Mike & Suzanne, What GRACE & STRENGTH, you have Blessed my own life more than you will ever know. You & your family are in my prayers, I love you and am praying everyday for you.
Love & May God continue to Bless,
Shirley Buchanan Payne
Dallas, TX
You are displaying true Crazy Love and are such a testimony of God's faithfulness and provision. May you continue to lift your faces to His as "the things of earth grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace".
Prayed for you Wed. night at our C-Group
Much love,
Florence
Mike and Suzanne, here from Lindsey Wheeler's blog. I'm praying for you all, that God guides you with His own hand. Josie is a beautiful child of God.
Mike and Suzanne,
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has ANOINTED me to bring good news to the poor, he has SENT me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives,and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengence of our God; to comfort all who mourn in Zion--to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called OAKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, the planting of the Lord that He may be glorified." (Isaiah 61:1-3)
Sweet Josie Love,
"...and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you..." Isaiah 62:2-4 (ESV)
Excited for you, for what God is doing in and through you! Praying, perseverance, strength and courage be your close companions. You have all my love!
Mandy
We are lifting you up to the Heavenly Father as you walk out what God has set before you. Please know we are here together lifting you up as you trust in the only One. As a mother of 6, 3 being adopted it is always different than you might think. God is a Miracle mover and a Mountain Mover and is all over your precious Josie. Just hope you feel God's abounding love for you all as you go thru this trial. Even when you don't know how to pray the Holy Spirit is interceding for you.
We are so proud of you and you have no idea what an amazing testimony you are to the world around you. Don't even know you, but yet see your HEART!!!!
God bless you as you travel this road. We will continue to lift you up to our precious Jesus!
Love, LIsa Kindred
Bloomington, Il
I am praising God for your obedience and your faith. And am praising God for how He has and will continue to move in your lives and RICHLY bless your family as you follow Him and love precious Josie Love. Thanks you for allowing all of us a window into your beautiful souls.
Blessings and Prayers,
Melanie Wolf
Suzanne, I met you at a GNO at Gwen's a while back (maybe 1.5 yrs). I just now found your blog and caught up. I'm praying for you, your family, and especially Josie. How difficult for any mom to find out her precious child is sick. I pray you will at least get to bring her home very soon so you can focus more on her health and not on getting home.
I can't wait to squeeze and love on that baby girl. Praying for healing in Jesus name.
We are praying many, many times a day for your whole family and we have our church in Spring Hill and all our friends in Knoxville praying. I can't wait to see how God uses you and sweet Josie to educate people and maybe spur more people to bring home their babies who have HIV. We are so blessed by your obedience to God and love for your daughter in this storm. Praying for her healing and for your hearts as you make decisions.
Nathaniel and Rebekah Wright
We're praying for you guys...Please know that we're all here in B-wood ready to support your whole family...In our constant prayers, kristi
Thank you so much for your powerful witness of His mercy, love, grace and power all rolled into one beautiful family! Josie Love is making all of us stronger and bolder for the fatherless! Praying for you all and believing His perfect will is being done! love you!
What a beautiful picture of God's unconditional love you are. We continue to pray for you all as the details get worked out, and we especially continue to pray for a miracle for sweet Josie! May God bless every step you take until you bring her home.
Thinking of you guys SO MUCH!!!!!!! We will be praying for you guys, your family and your sweet baby J! We serve a healing Father!!
Michelle
I just got linked to your blog and wanted to encourage you as you educate yourself about HIV. We are hopefully only weeks away to travel to get our little one and it has been a year of educating ourselves about HIV. Yes, you get to cram it in a short time, but God planned it in His timing. And once you become more familiar with HIV/AIDS, I believe you will understand, like I do now, that it is an honor and privilege to be found worthy to parent this special child.
Oh, and there are so many resources out there! Feel free to check out the HIV adoption yahoo group as one great place for support.
Take care!
Found your blog through the Oatsville blog, and I have been praying for you the last few days since learning about your situation. I keep praying for God's healing touch and the next test will be negative again!!! In the meantime, praying for God to continue to guide you and your family. Praying in MN!
Jenny
(waiting for Abby in India)
Mike and Suzanne,
Nothing is Impossible with GOD!! Sweet little Josie is already being used to touch so many. We are praying that God continues to use her, Praying for Gods strength , peace, and faith, as HE goes before you in this journey.
We love ya'll,
Allen and Jamie
Wow, just found your blog through another. Praying, praying, praying!!!!
Jenn & Yan
Mike and Suzanne --
We are praying for you here in Hendersonville. May God move mountains -- physical, spiritual, and political -- in order to bring about His perfect will for your sweet family.
Let us know if/how we can help.
Blessings,
Jason Egly
FBC Hendersonville
You are an amazing family. I am still praying for you and will do so while your story is unfolding. I have put you on my favorites so I can check in often. You are right, having been faced with HIV after you got there or having had month and month to prepare for it like so many of us is a very different story. And yes just with the HIV she could not come home because she has to undergo the sputum testing. Just know that I am here for you if you ever need to talk even though you don't know me. God most certainly is using Josie in special ways...
You continue to be in my thoughts and prayers. I can only imagine your mixed emotions, your faith, your weakness. In the past week, we received some unsettling news about our Ellie. Though not as traumatic as your recent struggle, I am learning to trust our Sweet Jesus more each day. Adoption a child with spina bifida took blind faith, but I would NEVER consider doing anything differently than we have done. Our Ellie is home with her family, being loved by her church family, with medical care she would never have had access to in China. God gives me strenght to do things I never thought I could do....I am NOT a nurse, that's why I'm a school teacher. But, her is teaching me, I can be a nurse, because I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strenght. His grace is sufficient.
I am amazed at the outpouring of love, support, and prayers for your family. Yet, I am reminded that this is what God so desires for HIS body, to be ONE in the Spirit.
May you continue to see His glory manifest. May you rest knowing that He has put all of your tears in His bottle, and written them in His book. Psalm 56 brought me much comfort last week. I pray you will find comfort there.
Prayers coming from far south in Georgia,
Robbie
So thankful to see this update post.
And so sorry to hear that she has to stay there awhile longer. Oh, I'm so sorry.
I don't know how you can do this other than with the power of the Holy Spirit. I am reminded of this passage in Isaiah 40:
25 "To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One.
26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one,
and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.
27 Why do you say, O Jacob,
and complain, O Israel,
"My way is hidden from the LORD;
my cause is disregarded by my God"?
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
And this one in Psalm 147:
1 Praise the LORD.
How good it is to sing praises to our God,
how pleasant and fitting to praise him!
2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the exiles of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars
and calls them each by name.
5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit.
PRAYING!!!
I am so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so glad you are coming home today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I missed you so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love,Annabelle
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