Be still and know that I am God..

What does it mean to be truly still? I have never been very good at calming down and sitting still. Even as a child, I never wanted to sit still in fear that I may miss something important. Now that I'm an adult, even in my busiest times when all I want is a break, I don't know how to stop. I feel like there's always something to do: an email to send, a phone call to make, a dinner to prepare, a load of laundry to be done, or a bill to pay. Even the times when I think I'm resting, my mind is still going a million thoughts per second. I know being still doesn't just mean physically. It is so much deeper than that. It means resting in who God is. When we realize who God is it changes our whole perspective. When we are truly still, God speaks. When we are truly still, God moves. When we are truly still, powerful things happen because it is in that stillness that we realize, God is God and we are not.

He is calling us to Himself. Rest in who He is today.

Lyndsey Williams, Kentucky Case Worker

Summit VIII

 

Lifeline will be sending several members of our staff to the eighth annual Summit conference in just a couple of months!  This is a wonderful orphan care conference and we are honored to be apart once again.  It is an incredible opportunity to gather together with others who are passionate about bringing hope to orphans and also love our great God.  Summit: inspires, equips and connects for adoption, foster care and global orphan ministry.

This year's conference is held on May 3-4 at Saddleback Church in Southern California. For more information on how to attend and what Summit is all about, visit the Summit Website. Participation is open to anyone who hears God's calling to care for the orphan.  We hope to see you there!

What I Have Learned

My sweet friend Tera Melber, who is a friend of Lifeline, wrote this blog post on  the airplane on her way home from Ethiopia with their new precious son.  I wanted to share it with you!  May her words speak to you as they did to me.  

Lesley Scott, Kentucky State Director

"What I Have Learned":

This is what I have learned, not what I have mastered. I am utterly helpless. I could not blink without God causing me to blink. I couldn't take one breath of air without Him opening my lungs and filling them with the oxygen that He has provided. I am utterly unworthy. I am not worhty of being born in America to parents who love me. Not worthy of being introduced at a young age to the Gospel. Not worthy to be married to a strong, faithful, God-fearing man who loves me and cares for me. Not worthy of being a mom to six incredible kids; all who are so different with such different stories, hopes, and dreams. Right now, I sing in my heart, the old hymn....I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene and wonder why He would love me, a sinner, condemned, unclean....how marvelous, how wonderful, and my song shall ever sing, is my Savior's love for me.

This week we have watched God's hand guide every aspect of our journey. Lots of travel troubles, UGH. Through it all, when I would feel anxiety welling up in my heart, I would hear Him asking me, Do you trust me? Do you really mean all the things you say to everyone else? Do you trust me to work out circumstances according to My plan, not yours? Do you recognize that you are not in control? Over and over, I know that He was and is telling me that in good or bad I must choose to trust that this journey is HIS. This journey of the life that He has planned and intended. I don't always react the ways I should to difficulties.  I still get very anxious, want to control situations and people, but honestly....deep within my soul, I do trust Him. I may not like the plan, but I trust that He has ALL worked out. I'm on a plane right now on our last leg home from bringing home our boy. We are surprising the other 5 kids with an early flight home. Soon we will be the eight of us. Our boy is sleeping peacefully. He fully trusts us as his parents. We know where he is going. We know what is in store of the other end of this plane ride. We had a plan to bring him home. Everywhere we've led him, he has willingly gone with a smile on his face, hand held out to take ours. Fully trusting. May I be the same with my Heavenly Father who has the plan."

Psalm 34:8-11
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

Tera Melber

The Climate of Endless Possibilities

Having joined Lifeline just months ago, I was ushered into a place that held many unknowns for me. Though my husband and I walked through his adoption of our two oldest daughters, and my heart has always desired to adopt a sibling group into our family, what I’ve experienced in the adoption world in comparison to Lifeline’s range of outreach is only the tip of the iceberg.

I would expect to become moved– as I have – by the many ways that Lifeline has reached out to the needs of the orphan, provided safety and rescue to those involved in human trafficking. I would expect to become thankful that such an organization makes it their ministry to continue to provide education for individuals to make a better life for themselves and their children. I would expect to be amazed at the dedication of the staff as they have reached out to birthmothers who long to place their baby into a loving adoptive family, meeting the heart cry of adoptive parents all over the United States. 

What I didn’t expect was the way that the small things that seemingly slip “under the radar” so to speak, have made the most profound influence on my life and have become HUGE in the grand scheme of a day.  Small things become huge very quickly, such as a simple blog about a family who has held their long awaited child in their arms for the first time.  Small things – a simple prayer in the morning becomes an outpouring of love by staff members for a family in need.  Small things – the way detailed communication can embrace an otherwise frustrated situation and bring a peace and hope that have never been known before. Small things – the way that the tedious things we do each day can be used to create amazing, redemptive stories and meet big dreams with hope, love, and the gift of a new start for so many.

Lifeline, from the ground up, twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week, is striving to bring hope and the light of God’s provision to the orphan, the poverty stricken, the abused and neglected, the uneducated, and those who feel they have no hope and no future.  This ministry fulfills on a daily basis Christ’s desire to meet the needs of those in need everywhere with compassion, hope and a future.  Jeremiah 29:11 tells us the hope that God has for us… "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”  New Living Translation (©2007). Lifeline’s willingness to minister and meet the needs of those less fortunate, brings a climate of endless possibilities and allows us to reach out all over the world to people of all ages.

Ursula Wright, Georgia Case Worker and Birth Mother Counselor

You are the defender of orphans..

I was reminded of these truths when reading in Psalm 10 recently:  “You are the defender/helper of orphans” and “You will bring justice to the orphans”.

What a comforting reminder!  I have seen His faithfulness to this promise, and yet, how easy it is to forget when faced with a challenging or discouraging situation.  How easy it is to stress and fret instead of trusting in the Lord’s promises.  HE is the defender and the helper of orphans.  HE is the one who brings them justice.   All we have to do is be faithful to follow the Lord’s leadings and guidance, and then it is our responsibility to surrender the rest into His faithful hands and receive His peace.  We are called to trust Him to keep His promises and to fulfill them in the way that He knows is best.  His ways are higher than our ways, and His timing is quite often not our timing.  But He is always good.  He is always in control.  He is always faithful. 

Michelle Joy O'Malley, Georgia Social Worker

An Unexpected Gift

I am sometimes caught off guard by the grace extended to me by my own children.  Recently, when I realized I had been a bit harsh with my eleven year-old over some minor offense, I returned to her room to ask for her forgiveness.  Her response was unexpectedly gracious and convicting.  After I issued my apology, she, without hesitating, said “Of course I forgive you.  There’s no way that I won’t forgive you after Jesus forgave me!”   To put this into perspective, this came from the same little girl who, almost nine years ago, entered our lives through the foster care system.  At that time, I suppose there was a part of me that believed we were a gift to her.  However, watching God shape her heart and character has been the true gift of her adoption. 

Traci Newell, Education Coordinator

He Shares Our Burdens

With a heavy heart I sit to write this.  I have tried to think about something else that I could write yet my mind has been consumed by a few very specific thoughts, so please bear with me as I share from my heart.  Last week, one of my husband’s very best friends took his own life.  This was extraordinarily unexpected and has been the most significant loss my husband has ever dealt with.  His friend had an infectious personality that everyone instantly loved; he was a phenomenal musician, an avid fisherman, a talented photographer, and worked as a videographer for the discovery channel.  A very gifted and talented creation by God who, unbeknownst to even his closet friends, was apparently hurting deeply (As a side note from the counselor in me, depression is a very real and scary thing where Satan can captivate your every thought and lie to your innermost being.  Please, I beg you, seek help if this is a personal struggle of yours or if you know someone who is struggling!  Satan wants to rob you of your joy.).

            Over the past few days, I have thought a lot about how God created us to be relational beings.  God designed us all to have a deep connection with Him and to have a deep connection with others.  God designed us to walk through this life with other people, to share the ups and downs of life together.  Since I got married almost 4 years ago, there have not been many real “downs” that we have encountered as a couple.  The death of this friend has been the largest challenge thus far, but it allowed me to love and support my husband on a different level than I ever had before.  This was the kind of love where I took on his burden with him.  I wept with him, I wept for him (unfortunately at work one day), I hurt because he was hurting, my heart broke because of the pain he was experiencing from losing such a dear person to him.  My whole self ached on his behalf.  This is the kind of closeness, the kind of connection and relationship that God grants to us, and we serve a Lord who shares our burdens and shares in our suffering too. 

            It seems to me that our deepest joy, as well as, our deepest pain in life comes within the context of relationships.  We are designed to have lasting relationships with people and to not be isolated, so what about the orphans around the world?  Those who lack the relational depth that so many of us take for granted.  Satan and the world lie to them, telling them that they are isolated and that they are not loved.  God commands us to care for these children, to bring them into our families, not just through adoption but to bring them into the family of God, which supersedes any blood relation.  In the midst of tragedy there is still hope, hope that one day death will not have power over us, and children will no longer be orphaned, pain and suffering will be no more, and we as followers of Christ will stand as one large family worshiping the Lord forever. But until then, let’s love deeply, as if every day were our last—and let’s live life together in community, without regrets, and sharing fully the struggles and joys of our hearts.

Whitney White, International Education Counselor

Don't Forget Who I Am

{The Hord Family}

We have not been one of those couples who had to have their arm twisted by the Lord to get us to adopt.  It is something that we always wanted to do, something that we have delighted to do.  Growing up with three adopted siblings made adoption seem beautifully normal to me.   When our oldest son came home through adoption several years ago, it did not fulfill our call to adopt but only deepened it.  My husband and I anxiously waited for the time when we would be old enough to adopt from China.  

But even with all the excitement, experience and knowledge that this is what God had for our lives, there have still been times of relentless fear.   I did not expect this process to be such a time of emotional storm. 

I love to read the Jesus Story book Bible by Sally Lloyd Jones to my children.  I often think I get as much out of it as they do.  Close to the beginning of this adoption process, I read the story of Jesus calming the storm.  He does this simply by His word.  He speaks, and the storm obeys.  When the sea has settled back down, Jesus turns to his anxious disciples and asks, “Why were you scared?  Did you forget who I Am?  Did you believe your fears instead of me?” 

Filling out the special needs check list proved to be a much more daunting task than I had anticipated.  I found myself crippled with fear and anxiety over what the Lord might call us to do.   How would our life change?  What if God called us to love a very sick child?  What heartbreak might we have to face? 

When we found out who our little girl would be, all fears instantly vanished over how our life might change when we brought her home.  She was our daughter and we would do whatever it took.  But it is a hard thing to be in love with a child who is so far away from your aching arms.  I can find myself obsessively worrying about her precious little life.  Is she safe? Is she healthy?   Is she getting enough food?  Is anyone kissing her goodnight before she goes to sleep? 

{The Hord's waiting daughter in China}

And, then there has been the plight of the orphan at large, which has burdened me more than it ever has before.  I mean, I have always thought about orphans, but to know that I have a child out there who is being counted among them has been a hard thought to gnaw on.  It has made the countless faces come alive, the ones that I encounter day after day who are still waiting to be claimed by a loving family. Whenever I am in a crowd, I find myself estimating how many people are in the room.  As I sit in church on any given Sunday, the sanctuary feels full with around 300 people inside.  And while this feels like quite a few, there are comparatively over 147 million orphans in the world!  Why do there have to be so many?   How can we ever do enough to help make a difference in their lives?  What can I do with this burden besides feel overwhelmed?   Why do I often forget that these precious children weigh much more heavily on His heart than my own? 

All of these fearful questions have been hard to wrestle with.  I have found myself  ready to just be done with this process so I can get back to life as usual-  easy and comfortable, just thinking about myself and those closest to me.  Consequently, this process has brought to the surface more sin in my life than I ever dreamed it would.  Selfishness, jealousy, anxiety, doubt and impatience and that is just to name a few!  I have spent many days feeling like a spoiled brat who is pouting because I am not getting my way.  How in the world could God love a sinner like me?  How could he not treat me as my sins deserve?   Why is it so hard for me to simply rest in His goodness when He has shown Himself to be so very faithful? 

And so this simple story has replayed over and over again in mind as I have battled against my fear and doubt. Regretfully, I have found myself believing my fears instead of Him.   “Don’t forget who I Am” He whispers:   A great Redeemer (Gal 3:13).  The supplier of our needs (Philippians 4;19).  Our strength and refuge (Psalm 46:1)  Faithful when we are faithless (1 Timothy2:13)   The Bearer of our burdens  (Psalm 68:19) Father to the Fatherless (Psalm 68:5)

And by His Word, He alone can calm the storm.

Jenny Hord, Lifeline Family

Seeking Him

“The desire of the righteous ends only in good…” Proverbs 11:23

We can rest in His presence, knowing that He is in control.  He wants us to seek Him first, and things that matter for His kingdom, and He will make life so fulfilling for us.  We don’t have to chase and wait and pine over things to fulfill us, if we make our life about God, He will fulfill us so much more than ANYTHING we could have EVER attained in our own doing.

He loves giving us good gifts, but desires that nothing come in front of Him.  Let us be reminded today that seeking Him and His way is the most peaceful and rewarding place to be.  Thank you Jesus that You’ve got it!

Sommer Bradshaw, Reunion Couselor

Come to Me

"I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."  And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

Mark 10:13-16

Last Saturday, my husband and I were in our kitchen and suddenly we heard a loud scream.    We looked outside and a young girl, maybe 12 or 13 was on the ground screaming in pain.  My husband went over and I followed.  She had fallen off a golf cart and hit her head pretty hard on the asphalt.  I sat down next to her and held her hand.  She was saying things like "my head hurts so bad" and "why is this happening?"  I told her to look into my eyes and I looked deeply into her eyes and told her "You're gonna be okay."  When she would acknowledge the pain, I would tell her to squeeze my hand.  She then put her hand back to feel the knot and the surprise of how big it was she began to cry again.  I quickly reassured her by getting her to look into my eyes and telling her again "It's gonna be okay."  She again asked "why is this happening?"  I told her accidents happen and she was gonna be okay.   They lady that she was staying with came and got her and then we went back to our house, but I still haven't gotten this young girl off my mind. 

As I thought of this whole situation, I couldn't help notice the symbolism of Christ to us.  How many times have we had situations where we're screaming to God "why is this happening"  and "it hurts SO bad."  And oh how he gently takes our hand and reminds us that we're going to be okay.  "In this world you will have troubles, but take heart I have overcome the world" John 16:33 He gets us to look into his eyes of perfection and realize that we're okay as long as we're focused on him.  He has us transfer the weight of our pain onto him just as I had that young girl to squeeze my hand.  He also reassures us when we don't know why we're experiencing the pain in our lives.  Something about being the one comforting made me feel a little of what God must feel towards us.  I knew strongly that she was going to be okay and so when I looked in her eyes, I had so much compassion for her as I knew that it hurt so bad and was so scary.  God is there for us, to hold our hand and to reassure us.  He is our refuge in times of trouble and helps us get through the hard times with His compassion and understanding.

Melinda Crouch, Central Alabama Case Worker

The Lord Almighty

I am thinking about the first time I sensed that our four-month-old might like worship music about as much as his mama.

Wednesday nights at our church are loud, really loud and really good. You can feel the music right down to your core and Judah has experienced this feeling since day one in the womb. I lead worship and between the students' voices and the way the stage trembles from the sound of the base and drums, there is little doubt how music found a place in his heart hidden there in my womb.

Our Judah was born in September of last year and after we had been home from the hospital about three weeks, he had a particularly rough night. In the middle of the night, he woke very upset and we were unable to console him. Everything we tried failed so we eventually turned to a song my husband and I both love. Immediately, Judah was consoled as these words played loudly in his ear:

“Holy! Holy! Lord God Almighty.
There is no one like You!
You are Holy, Holy!”

I believe we have played that song about a thousand times since his birth four months ago and it never fails to soothe his soul, and mine too. Each time he gets upset and we play those powerful words, he is stilled. I am reminded of Psalm 46, particularly verses 10-11, “He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’ The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

Little ones can rest because He is almighty. Grown ones can rest because He is almighty.

I don’t know your story. I don’t know what wakes you up in the middle of the night. I don’t know what in your life grieves your heart and turns your eyes to tears.

I do know that our God is capable and strong and that He is ALWAYS with us. He is able and eager to work in and through every long wait, each silent season, every loss, and all of our fears. There has never been and never will be anyone like our God, The Lord Almighty, the God of Jacob who is our fortress.

Lauren Strickland
South Alabama Case Worker

The Light Shines in the Darkness

God recently gave me the privilege of spending 6 months in North India “living life” with 6 Indian women in their slum. These ladies became my family. They are my friends. They are my sisters. They are some of the poorest people I’ve ever seen. They live each day not knowing if they will have clean water and food to eat. On the outside these ladies and I are so very different. But on the inside we are exactly the same in our need for a Savior. I look at their lives and the world would tell us they are hopeless. They live in extreme poverty, surrounded by disease and filth and face unfathomable oppression on a daily basis. They live in a country with a population of approximately 1.2 billion. Less than 2% of those 1.2 billion are Christians. This means that the vast majority of these beautiful people face an eternity separated from Christ. And God gave them to me to love. Me? Not only did He place them in my life and allow me to love them, He created a bond between us that only He could create. There is no other explanation. Only He could do it. They are truly my family, my sisters, my friends. I want to share with you what it was like to say good-bye to these precious ones when the time came for me to return to America and how God reminded me of the hope and promise that the “light shines in the darkness.”

We all wept when it was time for me to leave them. It was terrible. Hard and pitiful and awful and painful and sad all rolled into one. There was so much to be said but words failed each of us and the language barrier was just too strong to communicate how we felt.

Amy Carmichael once wrote:

"…in the silence of a pain we cannot conquer we find ourselves just spirit-crushed, and with no language but a cry."

So there we stood, our little group. In a cloud of clasped hands and forehead kisses. Dupattas swiping, swiping, swiping away at black, eye-liner filled tears. With no language but a cry. The fear of never seeing them again filled my heart. The fear of leaving them in such oppression and poverty and complete spiritual darkness made me sick.

As I approached the airport the next night to fly home, I saw them. My heart stopped in my chest for a moment. Sitting on a curb just outside the gates of the airport, under a street light was a little bundle of sparkle and color and smiles. Precious, precious ones.

I climbed out of the car and was welcomed by the most beautiful sight. Each of the ladies – all 6 of them – had come to the airport to say good-bye. And they looked beautiful. They had worn their best clothes. Can a heart burst with happiness? Well, I think mine almost did.

We spent the next thirty minutes hugging and laughing and talking. I was so proud of them! What it took for them to be able to come to the airport, I'll never truly know. Bus money…approval of husbands...food prepared for families…courage. I was so proud of them. These ladies who never leave their slum, who were too afraid to go on a picnic just a few miles from their homes, had bravely come to the airport. I was humbled and amazed. Overwhelmed with thankfulness.

Then, sooner than any of us wished, it was time to say good-bye. We formed a little circle in the grass and prayed. Then, slowly we said good-bye. After many, many, many hugs and tears, I walked away. It seemed like I turned around and waved at them 100 times as I walked toward the airport. And 100 times the little, sparkly bundle raised their arms in unison and waved back. Oh, my heart was full.

As the plane rose higher and higher in the air and the lights of our city shone in the night, I couldn't help but notice the large patches of darkness where there was no light. I assumed these were the slums or power-cut areas. My heart ached for my ladies, knowing they were on the way back to their slum. To their patch of darkness. And I couldn't hold it in anymore. The tears just came and came and came.

So much darkness. So little light.

Then suddenly, out of the middle of one of those dark patches came a spray of fireworks. And another and another. That patch didn't seem quite so dark anymore.

Familiar and comforting words came to me:

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5

There will come a day, He promises, when the oppression and suffering and mourning will be no more for those who know Him.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
"Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.
He will dwell with them, and they will be His people,
and God Himself will be with them as their God.
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,
and death shall be no more,
neither shall there be mourning
nor crying nor pain anymore,
for the former things have passed away."
And He who was seated on the throne said,
"Behold, I am making all things new."
Also, He said, "Write this down,
for these words are trustworthy and true."
And He said to me, "It is done!
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.
The one who conquers will have this heritage,
and I will be his God and he will be my son."

Revelation 21:3-7

And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. Revelation 22:5

And I was reminded by the One who is Light, that it will not always be dark. He has promised. We put our hope in Him. We find comfort in Him. We trust His promises. We follow Him in obedience to shine His glorious Light into the darkness.

Jessica Dixon

Administrative Assistant

An Adoption Story

As this is my first official blog post since coming on with Lifeline. I thought I would take this opportunity to introduce my family and our adoption story.

It is amazing to look back at our lives and see how our God is a God who plans. He is at work in our lives long before we are even born. He knew that adoption was a BIG part of our story of redemption in His eternal family and so He teaches us that true religion is to care for the orphans! The adoption of our daughter was much bigger than “rescuing” her. Instead this is an even greater love story of Jesus.

Geoffrey was young when he first heard the testimony of missionary given at school. He thought to himself, “I will do this one day.” So when the opportunity arose to travel to Kenya, he went. That summer he spent days in the slums of Kibera. He did some door to door evangelism, but spent most of his time playing soccer with the children. The love for the fatherless was planted there in the dirt fields of that slum. Over the years, that love grew and he knew he wanted to love on the fatherless forever.

Junior year of college, he met Jama. It did not take long for both of us to realize that we wanted to spend life together serving the Lord. After college we had plans to go serve on the mission field, but God had a different plan. Surprise! We found out we were pregnant with our first child. So instead of traveling overseas, we began our family in Birmingham, AL and Geoffrey started seminary. Over the first year, we sold our house and made some money. Not long after that, the Lord impressed upon Jama’s heart that they were to save and set it aside. Over the next 5 years we prayed and searched for where God wanted us to give, patiently waiting. Meanwhile, God was making a way for us to adopt.

Adoption had not been a thought in Jama’s mind, but after struggling to have a second baby God began working. After a miscarriage, God did bless us with another baby, but the adoption seeds had been planted in Jama’s heart. Three years later, God placed the call on our lives to adopt, June of 2010. After praying, we felt that he desired us to adopt domestically through Lifeline Children’s Services.

It is amazing to see how lost fingerprints (the State Department lost Geoffrey’s papers), were all part of God’s plan. Our journey to our daughter, became very real when we got the call that a birthmother had chosen our family and that we would meet her soon! We never imagined how hard, but how wonderful the next 3 months would be as we awaited her birth. Initially being very closed minded, we didn’t want to have contact with her, but God changed our hearts and we decided to go and see our birthmother. I can remember walking into the room and thinking, “She is the most beautiful woman.” There is something special about that first meeting and we loved her already so much.

After that very long meeting our relationship began. We then came to doctor visits, heard heart beats, and lastly she invited us to be in the room for the c-section. Now I do not want to paint a perfect picture of a seamless or easy adoption. But it was in those moments that we stayed on our knees. God woke us up many nights, in the middle of the night to pray for our birthmother and our daughter. We were aware that we were fighting a spiritual battle that was very real and that God was using our prayers to protect.

During that wait, we attended our old church. It was Father’s day morning and before beginning any part of the service the pastor asked for all the families adopting or that have adopted to please stand. He shared scripture on adoption and then began to pray for us. So there we were standing among a crowd of 2000, with a few others, being encouraged our God through His church. It was at that moment, in our tear filled hands, that I knew He was going to take care of birthmother and our daughter. After the service, a sweet lady approached us and wanted us to know that God had impressed upon her to pray for us today. And that she wanted us to know that she was praying for us. Wow!

So we went bright and early June 20, 2011 where I watched the most amazing story unfold. There in the delivery room our birthmother instructed the doctors to take her baby from her belly and place her in our arms. It was that morning that I witnessed the most selfless, courageous women sacrifice herself for her child. It was in that moment that I witnessed the gospel and I gained a greater understanding of God’s adoptive love for myself.

While in the hospital, we spent long days and nights holding our daughter and loving on our birthmother. We would eat together, rock the baby, and hear her stories. It was an emotionally and very cherished time. I got to know our birthmother in a way that most adoptive parents never get and I am so grateful that I will get to tell her story to our daughter. One day I tell my daughter that her birthmother loved her so much and I know because she told me!

This adoption journey has changed our lives. It has taught us more about God’s love for us and more about His plan for our family. It was not long after this adoption, that God placed the opportunity in front of us to serve in the adoption community! January 3^rd, Geoffrey began his job with Lifeline Children’s Services, as their International Manager of Programs. We never imagined how our daughter would lead to a complete life change and that God would use her to begin our family’s life passion! We are so excited about bringing orphans home to Godly families, where they will hear about our heavenly Father’s love for them!

Too God be the glory,

Geoffrey and Jama

Geoffrey Ketcham

International Manager of Programs

No Other Name

...My heart will sing
no other Name
Jesus, Jesus
- Hillsong, Forever Reign

These closing words are rehearsed again and again in my mind. Unmatched joy is found in simply hearing His name, Jesus. What other name could a heart sing? Mine has sung other names, and the Father always draws me back to the name my heart is safe to sing from now until forever. How true and pure is the name of Jesus and what His name means in the lives of those who know Him? Doesn’t it make you long for others to hear the name Jesus, to know and believe what the life, death and resurrection of our glorious Savior means? EVERYTHING. Jesus, Emmanuel, GOD WITH US. What do we lack when the Maker of Heaven and Earth has placed His Spirit to dwell within us, to be with us always? In Psalm 103, David describes the love of the Lord being from everlasting to everlasting. I pray, today, you will find great joy in the one name, Jesus, the name you can sing forever and ever. You are His child and His love is yours from everlasting to everlasting.

Psalm 103

Praise the LORD, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the LORD, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.

He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children
with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.

The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.

Praise the LORD, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
Praise the LORD, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the LORD, my soul.

Krisha Yanko, Development and Marketing Coordinator

God's Eye Perspective

I know God is in control of all things, but sometimes it is hard for me to submit.  I like having a “to-do” list.  I enjoy the sense of accomplishment when it is complete.  Although I know there are a million things I need to do today, somewhere in the recesses of my mind and heart it is being revealed to me that they are not important. 

God brought me here in His Word this morning:

                "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."                                                             2 Corinthians 9:8

                "...Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you..."                      2 Corinthians 10:15-16

 As you look at that daunting “to-do” list sitting before you, ask yourself which ones will impact the lives around you for eternity.  Sometimes, just putting things in an eternal perspective removes some items from our list.  Do we still have daily responsibilities? Yes. Which do you think matters most to God--if we make it to the post office today, or if we don't make it because we use that time as an opportunity to share the Gospel or minister to a believer in need? To help me keep things in perspective and to remind myself to SLOW down in order to see these opportunities, I am reminded of Psalm 46:10.  It simply says, "Be still, and know that I am  God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."  My prayer for you today is Peace and a God's eye perspective when tackling your "to-do" list today.

Hazel West, Lifeline Village

Enough for Everyone…Exodus 16:16-20

The concept of “having enough” is a hard one to grasp. I can blame it on my consumer-driven American culture, the contagious nature of materialism, or the unceasing sin of self that draws me back to my own need over and over again. Whatever the root, the truth of the matter is that I often wonder if I’ll have enough. Will I have enough time to complete my “to do” list today? Will we have enough funding for all we have planned this year? Do we have enough staff to handle all the tasks that await us each day? Do I have enough gas in my car to make it home? Enough? Enough? Enough!

“Remember the manna”, I can hear my Dad’s voice saying those wise words as I type, “God always provides enough.”  When the Israelites gathered the manna in the wilderness, some gathered more and some gathered less, but whoever gathered much had nothing left over and whoever gathered little had no lack. Everyone had just enough.

Our good God still gives His manna in lots of different ways. One way that He provided for the Israelites in the Old Testament was through the generosity of others. If one family’s crops produced a great harvest and a neighbor’s crops were damaged by storms, the one with much would share with the one who had little so that everyone had enough. Giving was the glue and helped to hold the community together. The same is true today – and we have the joy of seeing it work itself out in the Lifeline family through the process of adoption. One family is called to adopt, another is called to give on behalf of an adoption. God provides for one, for the specific purpose of giving to another, drawing His people into His plan to accomplish His purposes. And everyone has just enough.

Amid grumbling, fear, and the sin of self, He still gives exactly what we need when we need it. He did in the wilderness, He does today, and He will give the future’s manna the same way. Praise Him from whom all blessings flow – and for calling His people to participate in the blessings He provides!

Kate Anderson, Development Director