adopted

I've mentioned many times on here before how much I adore Russell Moore's book, Adopted for Life. Really, it is a must read for everyone!

One of the things that really struck me (although it seems obvious in hindsight) is the connection between earthly adoption of orphans and my own spiritual adoption into the kingdom of God. I may not be able to relate to an earthly orphan's adopted identity but I can connect the dots as a person adopted into the kingdom of righteousness. Just as many orphans today are taken out of desperate & dark situations, I was taken out of spiritual darkness and sin and adopted into light and salvation.

That's why it was a no brainer when we went to design our new fundraiser t-shirts for Sparrow Ministries. Any believer can wear this shirt and in doing so, show the world that he/she has been adopted by God! And what a conversation starter, too! We want to make even the word "adopted" more familiar and accepted. Our churches are filled with adopted people - maybe, like me, they just didn't realize it!

I hope you'll consider buying a shirt or passing the word on to someone who may be interested. They're just $15 and are made of quality cotton. Sizes run big and are available S-XL. All the profit goes to the Orphan Care ministry at our church which helps families pay for their adoptions and serves the needs of orphans locally and worldwide.

You can see more pictures and get ordering information at our website: Made for Orphans.

Or email us at madefororphans@gmail.com. Sparrow Ministries is also on Facebook! :)

Broken

A first for us last Sunday... Nate broke his arm! He was on the playground at Awana and fell off the top. Mark & I were at home and got the phone call no one wants to get! But we were so thankful he was in good hands while we rushed to get him!

After a looooooong night in the emergency room (actually 2 emergency rooms as we were told to leave and go to the pediatric ER at another hospital) and a few days of pain/discomfort, we are now in the new normal of having a one-handed child!

He has done really well with it all although gets a little frustrated and forgetful at his new limitations. Every time I have told him that he won't be able to play on the playground, he looks at me incredulously like, "What? Why not?". Today he told me, "Guess what, Mom? My arm is all better now." I said that was great and he said, "So we can take this cast off now!" Oh, poor baby, if only it worked that way. We are looking at 6-8 weeks in the cast and then a brace afterwards.

In the end of a not fun situation, there is so much to be thankful for.

1. The break, although bad and full, was not on the growth plates and will heal easily.

2. It's not his leg! As cumbersome as a broken arm is, I can't imagine dealing with a leg.

3. It will heal. At the ER, they put him under to set his arm back in place and it was so awful seeing him with oxygen in his nose and an IV in his arm. But you know what, it was temporary. We left the ER and will have a healed boy in no time. I couldn't help but think of the families in that building that wouldn't have it so easy.

4. It happened in a public place. In this day and age, it's nice there were witnesses to his accident. Sad to even have to consider that.

5. At the church where it happened, there happened to be a pediatric nurse in the lobby who helped wrap his arm. Also, the care of his teachers was above and beyond.

6. Wonderful support and care since. Nate has gotten care packages, cards with stickers and lots of lovin' from friends and family. (I think it has made Lucy wish she broke her arm!)

7. The time of year. Summer is over so he won't miss out on swimming and winter is yet to come so we won't have to worry about fitting a big, heavy coat on.

I could go on...in the end, it was just another life situation where we experienced God's faithfulness, care, provision and mercy. And besides a few alterations to his Halloween costume, life will go on as usual and we can certainly count our many blessings!

Out of the Nest

Nate with his first day of school prize
Nate had his first day of preschool today! It was a late decision to sign him up and thankfully, we got the very last spot! He will go 2 mornings a week and will have so much fun with other kids his own age. This helps us out at home for one of Cole's therapy sessions (Nate will be home on the day we have the other) .


He went for 45 minutes yesterday with me and then 45 minutes by himself today. Didn't even turn around to say "Bye!" Tomorrow he'll go for the full 2.5 hours and he is so excited! A little disappointed that he doesn't get to ride a bus or take lunch to school but those things will come in time.

His teacher asked him yesterday if he had any brothers or sisters at home to which he quickly replied, "No, but I have a Tole-y at home." (He calls Cole "Toley). And so I said to him, "Nate, Cole is your brother. And what about your sister?" And he looked at me very seriously and said, "Mom, Lucy is not at home. She is at school." Oh, the teachers are going to have fun with this child!

The entire 45 minutes this morning Cole kept asking, "Where's Nate?". He will learn to love the one on one time though - no 3rd child syndrome for a few hours each week!


In other news, we just discovered these great toys that help with fine motor skills. Cole's occupational therapist brought some to the house and we went to the store to get our own. They are as low as $4.99 for one and then of course they have elaborate play accessories, too. I'm thinking Christmas for Cole!!

Lucy's Fundraiser

Lucy is raising money for her elementary school this year by selling Entertainment books for $30. Half the proceeds go directly to her school! These are available for most major cities in the U.S. and feature hundreds of money saving coupons on dining, shopping, travel and of course...entertainment! If you'd like to buy one, please email me. This offer ends Friday, Sept. 10th!
To order directly online, go here and enter 484449 in the Seller Section.

Thanks!