Serving with Saint Nicholas

This morning we visited a convalescent home along with family members and friends. It was a precious time to serve together and remember those who are often forgotten during the holidays. Our dear friends, Irish and Judy Kane, serve the Orange County elderly community throughout the year through their organization, Amazing Grace Ministries. "Uncle Irish" always dresses as Saint Nicholas and shares the true Christmas story with all who will listen. I was so blessed as our boys mingled and gave gifts, hugs and smiles to the men and women in the home. Jordan even played a Christmas carol on the piano... his first time playing the piano in public!

I always love to remind our boys of the true histories of the saints. Saint Nicholas was a tremendous hero of the faith and his life should be an example to us all. I hope you are encouraged by this article during this Christmas season...

“Tell Them the Truth About St. Nick”
Article written by Paul Thigpen

Come December, there’s simply no way to avoid him. With “cheeks like roses” and a “nose like a cherry,” his smiling face meets us everywhere we turn. Jolly old St. Nicholas. What should we tell our kids about St. Nick? Why not tell them the truth? I don’t mean a somber lecture about how reindeer can’t really fly. I mean the inspiring story of the historical St. Nicholas – a real person whose life pointed beautifully to the Lord he served.

We don’t know a great deal about Nicholas for certain, but what we do know should make us glad his memory has been preserved. Born in Asia Minor more than 16 centuries ago, he gave his life to full-time ministry, serving as the overseer of a church in the town of Myra. There this saint engaged in signs-and-wonders evangelism, bringing many to faith in Jesus.

The people revered Nicholas for his personal holiness, kindness and generosity. But his zeal for Christ got him in trouble with pagan authorities and he was tortured and imprisoned by the cruel Roman emperor Diocletian.

Nicholas survived the ordeal and lived to take part in an important council of church leaders, where he spoke out bravely against the false teachings infiltrating the church of his day. Afterward, he remained busy with the Lord’s work until his death many years later.

Some ancient biographies of Nicholas say much more, telling vivid tales of how he shared his wealth with the poor and took special care of children. We don’t know how reliable these stories are, but this much is certain: St. Nicholas shone so brightly with the love of Jesus that the church has never been able to forget him.

Over the years, Christians found various ways to honor him, including dressing up like him and giving gifts to children. As his inspiring example spread across many cultures, his costume and his name took many forms. The Dutch called him “Santa Claus” and introduced him to America. Then, in the 19th century, Clement Moore wrote “The Night Before Christmas,” a popular poem that gave American children the picture that’s common today: a red-suited Santa with flying reindeer.

Whatever those recent frivolous additions to the Nicholas story – and however they may be manipulated by Madison Avenue – they shouldn’t prevent us from telling our children the truth about a great servant of God. If we share with them the story of the real St. Nicholas, we won’t be turning their attention away from Jesus. Instead, we’ll be showing them how the Child of the manger can shine even now through a heart that’s devoted to Him.

And the iPod Winner is...

The Thomas & Ramsey cousins in Laguna Beach two years ago...

The Thomas family! Mike's sister and her family are the BIG WINNERS of the iPod contest! We were thrilled that they won since their adoption journey in China inspired us to begin our adoption four years ago.

We raised $2,740 in 3 weeks through the iPod contest as well as donations that were sent directly to All Blessings Intl. We are humbled, thrilled and grateful to be able to pay the agency costs required to send our home study to Korea. Thank you so much for your support and encouragement!

Our family had SO MUCH FUN preparing for the drawing today. The boys learned a lot about probability as they hand wrote the "tickets" for each donor. At 7 pm, Jordan and Aidan prayed over the tickets. Then they each drew a name. I drew the winning name and was thrilled to see the Thomases written on the ticket. We truly wish that we could give an iPod to everyone who donated. Thank you again for being part of our amazing journey and for helping us to get one step closer to our little girl!

Our Adoption Fundraising Chart...

It has been such a blessing to include our boys in the fundraising process for our adoption. They have waited for their sister for so long and pray for her to come home every night before going to bed. They love learning about Korea and are excited to travel with us next year to bring their sister home.

We decided to make a chart so the boys could record the financial gifts and provisions from God as we trust Him daily for the finances. The boys trade off recording our donations each morning. Thank you, thank you, thank you for being part of our journey!!!

2 Days Left Until the iPod Giveaway!!!

We have received a wonderful response to our iPod giveaway with donors from 7 states as well as Guatemala! We feel so supported, humbled and encouraged!

There are just two days left until the winner is drawn and we have almost reached our goal of $2,000. Please let your friends and family know about this wonderful opportunity to support an adoption and enter the chance to win a brand new iPod! We will draw the winner at 7 pm (CA time) on Wednesday, December 15th and will post the winning name on our blog.

Here are the donors who are in the running:

Mike Ramsey Senior..... Nevada
Barbara Lange.....Orange County
Bryan & Amber Booy.....Orange County
Jacob & Dawn Coleman.....Orange County
Irish & Judy Kane.....Orange County
Art & Lisa Camarena.....Guatemala
Mark & Susan Smith.....LA
Tim & Cat Ailanjian.....Orange County
Luke & Melanie Sunukjian.....Washington DC
Emily Matthews....Missouri
Christophe & Brooke Charpentier.....Arizona
Brian & Katie Thomas.....Oregon
Ellen Burany.....Virginia

Thank you for your support and for being part of our daughter's incredible journey home!!!

HOW IS GOD MOVING IN HAITI?

I have just posted a video which was filmed in Port Au Prince in February, 2010, at the bottom of the blog. Please take some time to watch it. You will be amazed...

Heading to Haiti!

I know we've all heard horrible reports about the ongoing devastation in Haiti. But God is moving in powerful ways in this beautiful land and I can't wait to be a part of it. I have boxes of shoes and candy in our garage that I'm planning to take with me. I can't wait to see the kids' faces when they receive these gifts! Free WheelChair Mission has also offered to send wheelchairs with our team. So awesome! Consider joining us!

Home Study Update

Big news!!! Our home study was finalized and emailed to our adoption agency (AIAA) on Friday, December 3rd! It is now under review by the AIAA social worker. Once we receive the final approval from AIAA our home study will be mailed to Korea. It is an estimated 4-6 month wait for a referral of a child once the home study is received in Korea.

It is so exciting to be getting closer to the "finish line" on this long and amazing journey! Thank you so much for standing with us and for supporting us as we prepare to bring our little girl home! We will be moving all of Jordan's clothing and toys into Aidan's room over the holidays. We hope to start preparing the baby room in the New Year! I can't wait to "think pink" and start decorating!

Giving Up Their Christmas Gifts...

Last week I had one of those proud mommy moments when I thought, "It doesn't get better than this!"

Our boys had never seen our blog and asked to see it before bedtime. It was so fun to show them the photos and teach them about blogging. They wanted to watch the videos (at the bottom of the blog) and I regretted forgetting to pull out the tissue. We were all humbled by "True Religion," a sobering video which lists haunting statistics on hunger and poverty. As I read the statistics out loud to the boys, I was brought to tears. How do you explain world hunger, abandonment and suffering to children who've always had a warm home, cozy beds and an overabundance of food, toys and unending comforts and love? I tried my best and somehow they got it.

As we snuggled into bed, I asked the boys how they felt about the video. They had just made their "Christmas wish lists" that day and I had also told them that we could not afford to buy Operation Christmas Child gifts this year. Our funds are very tight in light of the $3500 in adoption fees which are due later this month. The boys began to share their hearts and I was deeply touched by what happened next.

Aidan told me that he really didn't need the Lego set he was asking for. Jordan agreed and said that he didn't need the Wii game on his list either. They started to get excited as they realized that they could give up their "wish lists" to help others. I told them that we could go to the store this week to buy Operation Christmas Child gifts and they were thrilled! Aidan was offering to take more gifts off his list in order to help other needy kids. It was incredible! Aidan also talked about buying gifts for his baby sister and how he would share with her. Needless to say, I was blessed beyond belief!

On Friday afternoon we shopped for the shoe boxes. The boys had so much fun picking out gifts. We delivered the shoe boxes to the Operation Christmas Child West Coast Processing Center (which happens to be right next to our church). The boys told the staff how they gave up their wish lists to fill the shoe boxes. The staff members were touched by their stories and gave them free t-shirts and a tour of the facility. It was incredible to see thousands of boxes being prepared to be shipped to children around the world. Most of those children would not be receiving Christmas gifts this year if people like Jordan and Aidan had not made sacrifices to purchase them. I'm so proud to call our boys my sons!

The Grove Church Adoption Fair

Two weeks ago I was invited to represent All Blessings Intl. Adoptions at an Adoption Fair at The Grove Church in Riverside. It was an incredible service and I absolutely loved the heart of the church for orphans. The pastor gave a moving presentation on the international orphan crisis. All of the families in the church who have adopted were invited up to the stage and introduced. He also invited those of us who were representing agencies to the stage and introduced our ministries. I felt honored to represent All Blessings and was able to talk with many people about our 2011 opportunities to visit and minister to orphans in Haiti, Guatemala and El Salvador.

My close friend Susan Clark came as well. Susan and her daughter Julia were part of our El Salvador team this past July and have become very special in our lives. Susan and her husband Randy have five beautiful adopted children and their three girls joined us (Julia - age 10, Marissa - age 8 and Sophia - age 4). They are all great reminders of the miracle of adoption!

The All Blessings International Adoption Blog...

If you would like to read more about Jenni's trips to El Salvador and Guatemala, please visit our adoption agency blog at www.allblessingswest.org. The blog is filled with amazing stories, photos, videos and information on the international orphan crisis.

Why Korea?

Jordan and Aidan were so excited when we sent in our adoption application (Aug, 2007)

Many people have asked us why we picked Korea. It's a great question! When we started our journey (in June, 2007), we felt led to adopt a child from El Salvador for many reasons. Since that time, God has led us on a long and emotional journey which has allowed Jenni to travel and minister in orphanages in El Salvador and Guatemala. Throughout this process, our hearts have become broken for orphaned children all over the world. When we began to face the unending delays in El Salvador this summer, we started to become open to adopting a child from somewhere else in the world.

We began to seek counsel from our adoption agency and from close friends who have adopted. We began looking at the Philippines, Ethiopia, Haiti, China, Korea and local foster/adopt agencies. Over and over again, we were strongly encouraged to consider Korea. After speaking with the AIAA Korea Program Director a number of times, we started to sense that this was the right program for our family. Here are a number of things which attracted us to Korea:

(1) Minimal updates were needed for our home study
(2) We qualified for a girl because we only have boys in our family
(3) Babies are referred to adopting families at the age of 5 months old
(4) Korean babies are cared for in foster homes
(5) The wait time is VERY fast for international adoptions (other programs would have been a 2-3 year wait)
(6) It is very difficult to get accepted into the Korean Adoption Program and our family qualified

As we began to read and study about orphans in Korea, our hearts became more and more broken. Unwed mothers in Korea are culturally shamed. They are often rejected by their families and their children are shamed as well. Last month I read "I Wish For You a Beautiful Life" while travelling to Guatemala. This touching book is a collection of letters written by Korean birth mothers to their children. It gave me a deep insight into the difficult journeys they experience in relinquishing their children. Here is one quote from the book:

"Bearing a child outside of marriage brings shame to the birth mother, her child, and her immediate and extended families. The deep embarrassment that accompanies pregnancy and parenthood outside of wedlock is not just about immoral conduct but about disrupting traditional Confucian family bonds and a male-centered lineage. When a child has no legal father, a fact easily discerned from the all-important family register, both birth mother and child face social discrimination throughout their lives."

After reading this book, I realized that the Korean birth mothers are the true heroes. It is clear that these brave women are making tremendously difficult and painful decisions purely out of love for their children.

Here are two quotes from two different birth moms:

"My baby, you were born after eleven hours of labor, and you were the most adorable princess to me. How I wished to be with you until the end of my life. But I couldn't do that because I didn't want my princess to live with constant rudeness from others. Also, I couldn't provide a good home for you, and I didn't want to transfer my poverty to you. I wanted you to grow up full of love. My sweetheart, I went out today in a gloomy mood. I watched happy women along the streets holding their babies. I envied them and burst into tears from missing you so much."

"I decided that placing you for adoption was better for you than suffering from hunger and poverty with me. I thought you could be happy if you met wonderful parents through adoption. I do not regret my decision. I always pray that you will know God's love and be happy and wise. I pray that you will be spiritually happy, place others' well-being ahead of your own, thank and glorify the Lord, and share your love with your neighbors. Although there is nothing I can give you, I give to you all of my love."

Wow. I have gained a deep sense of awe and respect for these women and my heart aches for them. I continue to ask myself, "Why me? Why has God allowed our family the blessing and privilege of adoption? Why do I get to be this little girl's mommy?" I don't have all of the answers, but I do know that God works all things together for good. His plans are higher than ours and He can redeem even the most heinous of evils. He is a healer and for some reason, He has called our family to love, nurture and pour our lives into one of His precious little ones who will be born in Korea and raised in our hearts and home.

Why Korea? Because God has called us to do something way beyond ourselves. God has led us into a journey that is teaching us about His deep Father's love for each of us. His love is unconditional and never ending. Our family has loved this little girl for three and a half years before knowing her name, birthdate and even her birthplace. It is so strange to wonder if she has been born yet, where she is, who is caring for her... But we know that God's hand is covering her little life and we can't wait to meet her!


Mike's sister Katie and her daughter, AnnaGrace (born in China in 2006)

Amber Booy and her daughter Eleora (born in Ethiopia in 2010)



Building our dossier for El Salvador was a labor of love (Feb, 2008)

An "Aha Moment" in Waiting and Trusting God

Last month I had an unforgettable "Aha Moment." Our boys desperately wanted two things: a new puppy and a trip to Disneyland. And guess what? Mike and I knew that they were getting both! They had no idea what was about to happen...

We had just gotten a call about Rocky from a friend. We knew that he was available to "foster/adopt," but we didn't want to tell the kids until we confirmed with our landlord. We also knew that our close friends, the Justines, were coming that week and we had saved enough money to go to Disneyland with their family. The boys had no idea that THEIR DREAMS WERE ABOUT TO COME TRUE! They would get a new puppy and go to Disneyland in the same week!

Aidan was the "star of the week" in his class that week. His teacher let me come to hear his presentation about his life, talents, dreams and passions. As I sat in the chair and listened to Aidan, I was so proud of him. He is an amazing young man who proudly shared about his baptism this summer and his faith with his class. Then he told his class about losing Toby, and how desperately he wanted a new dog. I WAS ABOUT TO BURST! I knew that we were probably getting a dog (2 days later), but I couldn't tell him yet. I also knew we were going to Disneyland 4 days later. I wanted to tell Aidan all of the amazing plans we had for him, but it wasn't the right time yet.

Suddenly it hit me. My "Aha Moment." God must feel this way about us. He looks down on His children with amazing plans that are way beyond our imagination. He whispers into our ears, "My child. Wait. Trust. I have an incredible plan that I am perfecting in this very moment." Yet we kick, cry and scream. "Why aren't things working out the way I want them to? Why is this taking so long? Why do things seem so unfair?" The truth is that HE HAS IT ALL FIGURED OUT. And His timing is perfect. That's right, perfect. Absolutely perfect.

God has had an amazing adoption plan for our family since the beginning of time. He knew it would be Korea, we thought it was El Salvador. He knew it would be in 2011, we thought it would be 2009. He knew that He would open doors for me to travel to El Salvador and Guatemala this past year. He was calling me to work with All Blessings Intl. but we had never even heard of them. God allowed me to meet Carmen Elena in Washington DC (while meeting with America World). Carmen is the contact who made our "divine appointment" with the Procuradora (Attorney General) of El Salvador. Our contacts in El Salvador needed to fall through so that we could connect with Lucy Armistead (the Founder of All Blessings Intl.) and Lucy escorted us to the Procuradora's office. Lucy just "happened" to be in El Salvador when we needed help. And she just "happened" to need a new staff member with a background in missions.

God allowed all of these painful situations to bring us into relationship with Lucy and All Blessings. And He allowed our pain of waiting for a child to cause a deep burden and passion in our hearts for orphans. It has all been for a purpose.

God is so good. We simply need to wait and trust. Easier said than done for us mortals, but I hope to never forget this incredible "Aha moment."

"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him! " - Matthew 6:9-11

KOREA!!!

We have been officially accepted into the AIAA (Americans for International Aid and Adoption) Korea Program! We are thrilled beyond belief and hope to bring our little girl home in 2011! We are currently updating our home study and hope that paperwork will arrive in Korea by December, 2010. Stay tuned for more details!