Praising God as we enter a new year

 I want to consider what God has done in this past year, and share the latest updates of encouragement.  Maybe the best way is to look at what we were believing and praying into that would happen in this year:

We had detailed out in January a house that would fit our growing family, believing that God would not only bring us to it, but show us how He would provide for it.  I still can't explain it, other than God brought the area to my mind, but we were most interested in the area beyond Lacey Springs.  

As we continued to look for a house, pray, and write out what we felt were needs as well as wants, I started digging into starting a non-profit to help other foster and adoptive families who were experiencing the squeeze of space and provisions.  Much of the "bones" of "Our Village Hands" has been set up, I'm now just praying for God's "Go".  I am so excited to help others experience what I believe we are in the throws of experiencing.

Shortly after adopting Jaxon at the end of 2023, we heard rumor that he was going to have a sibling.  We prayed and prayed for a healthy baby, and please a sister?  We brought her home shortly after her birth in May of 2024.  Fully expectant to go through the normal process of fostering and family reunion, we continued to pray that God's will be done.  In August of 2025, we adopted Elizabeth Joy Brown into our family.  Adoption has been bittersweet as we recognize the brokenness of a mother and father who are struggling, and give up their rights, willingly or because addiction and life choices has gotten a hold of them.  And because of that addiction and life choices, we know the children will not be able to continue to see their parents.  It's deeply- sad.  The question haunts me, "will I /we be able to replace them and understand these kids' needs at every level?"  I can only cling to their Maker, who knows even the areas that will forever be scarred by their parents' addictions and the hole left in their absence.  We celebrate these little lives that will grow into worshipers, made whole by God alone.

So, after a summer of searching, studying, and praying, a house came up in Union Grove.  I had been praising God over the "mini-mansion" He gave us, and Chris and I had transformed over the years we inhabited it.  The house we now have has so many of the characteristics of the sweat we put into our other house, just larger, and meeting the other "needs", that it will probably never cease to amaze me.  From the layout, including what would have been our next steps in an addition at our old house, to the kitchen that is like our old remodeled kitchen, to the cross that is on the chimney in our vaulted ceiling living room, it's like the builder saw our plans and made it happen before us.  We have the extra room in rooms we needed, and a larger living room to praise God in.  The porch and yard beckon us to spend more time outside, and the kids love exploring the woods.  We also have a larger, better parking to accommodate guests and as our kids get their own vehicles!  This was way-over what I had imagined I could call my own, yet if I could have imagined it, it is so perfect.

We are praising God for our home, and have been praying for a renter in our previous home.  We are now believing for a buyer, and that it was God's provision that a renter never came through.  

We also had on our radar that our vehicles would need to be replaced.  Chris's primary vehicle is a 2003 Highlander, which we all love, but only has 5 seats in it, has several dents from our adventures, is on the 2nd "AC outage", squeals when we start it, and the engine light is "probably just a sensor that we don't need to worry about...."  Well, over the summer someone hit his vehicle on the passenger side (while it was parked), adding a new dent to the door that allows rain to come in.  The driver had no insurance, and ours wasn't worth enough to insure it beyond making sure everyone would be cared for.  So now, without AC,  the windows fog up when it rains, which is the primary time Chris needed it: otherwise he would take his motorcycle to work (a cheap way to have a gas-saver).  A few months later, while I'm driving it, another parking lot collision occurs, but it's still driveable.  I think God's telling us our time for new vehicles is soon!

Our 2011 Odyssey, which also had dents and scratches from drive-by collisions, is our family vehicle, accommodating the 6 of us, 8 when we had 6 children, and friends or parents, who otherwise didn't drive.  The electric went out on one of the sliding doors, and after a year of wrestling with it, a friend gave Nathaniel some ideas on getting it to slide smoother (disconnect everything and grease it good).  Whew- praise God, I could open the door and it no longer got jammed stuck!  The only problem now was if I was parked on a slant, the door would close on us while we were trying to buckle littles in.  So, though I felt like I was blessed again, and it had a 2nd life, we still wanted to find something better.  It has over 200,000 miles on it, had been revived from several engine issues, and would likely start having more.

We received a gift from our church family in September- a complete blessing- that we are looking to use on our family vehicle.  Even as we wonder how God will provide, and if it's really all on us, He's showing up.

I have been seeking the extra help our littles need for the delays and behaviors that are a result of their parent's choices, but have been limited by the inability to pursue diagnosis by doctors and because of a hang up in insurance post-adoption.  Praise God, this week things are finally in process: State DHR is coming through with the insurance pursuit, and the doctor would finally see my kids and help us get the process started for the extra help they, and we, need.

 As we pursue the call God set before us in fostering, adoption, and caring for our family as it has grown, we are seeing again and again that prayer, alignment, and submission is our rhythm.  We're believing that through our house sale we will be able to get a better grasp of living as a larger family with the larger expenses and vehicles that come with it.  I'm believing this is a way that God used Chris's obedience and skills in remodeling our old house, and his diligence in research to "promote" us to this new one.  I'm believing He's got our children in His hands, because they are not a mistake, but created for His purpose.  

I'm excited for the testimony ahead, as even though it may be years before we see how our kids "turn out", we are encouraged by what we see God doing along the way.

We're continuing to pray over the house sale (just put on the market this week), our vehicle purchases, and God's provisions.  We're praying for our big kids, who are past halfway, the plans God has for them to be revealed, and for them to follow Him.  We're praying for our little kids, and ourselves as we parent them, for new revelations.  I'm praying for the next steps in 2 books that I felt strongly about writing, for the process and publication as well as distribution.  I'm praying for Our Village Hands, the non-profit, that it would help many and go nation-wide and do all the things I felt God was telling me.  I'm asking God to reveal to me what I'm supposed to do in each day, as we consider ministry and connection in our new "community", which has much bigger borders.  Even as I write this, I am amazed:
we asked God to increase our borders, and it makes me laugh that people who are 20-30 minutes away would now consider us neighbors, whereas when we were living in the metro- neighbors were only those that were 5-10 minutes away.

We're praying over our siblings and parents, and for our friends who have become family.  We appreciate the support we've received in all the ways, and know also that we are a part of the body- to be givers, conduits of God's grace and abundance.  I am so excited for each day, the work God lays before me and the ways He shows up.  I'm excited for the ways we're going to get to be on mission this year, the ways we'll be able to give, and even for the challenges that will come- because I believe He has a plan of victory for each one.