Crisp, Cool, Beautiful Fall!

   Welcome to my blog.  I love Fall!  It is my favorite season.  The leaves turning that crimson red, vibrant orange, warm yellow and still some bright green.   I like them so much that we've decorated our home in those colors. I can enjoy a rainy day but the cool, sunny days with bright blue skies....Lovely! Pumpkins of all sizes on porches, big, full chrysanthemums, fall wreaths hanging on doors.  I love the sound of crunching crisp leaves under my feet and I'm opening myself up to enjoying a little football - the announcer's voices, the cheers of faithful fans.  The aroma of pumpkin, cranberries and cinnamon, ooooooooo.  And, of course, the flavors that go along with those scents.  I can now pull on jeans and long sleeved shirts.  I love to sit on my back porch swing with a blanket and a good book or The Good Book.  All of it brightens my spirit!  I'm so thankful for this season.

   Our adoption has been on my mind so much lately.  Fundraising  brings out different emotions - feeling awkward to ask for help in raising money but feeling so grateful for all the support and encouragement we've been given. So amazed to see how God is providing.  I know adoption is about more than the family adopting and the children being adopted.  God brings so many people into the process to give, pray, teach, encourage, help and talk to.  He's brought kindred spirits into my life through adoption blogs.  We're adopting children who are 4-7yrs 11mo. old.  In the adoption world they are considered as "older."  I read blogs about families who are raising adopted children who have issues somewhat unique to this age range.  Our experiences in foster parenting have also contributed to the learning process.  I believe that God draws this team together to help prepare us and change us but also to do great things in the hearts of our support team.  He doesn't do anything without having a good purpose, whether we are in the giving or in the receiving.  Each gives us the priviledge of being a part of His plans, His movement, His body, His kingdom!

   Our Ethiopian children are also on my mind, all the time.  We are praying that God will bind our hearts together even now.  We don't have referrals yet so we haven't seen their faces and we don't know the details of their lives.  We ask God to heal their hearts, provide for all their physical needs, and to love them through their caregivers and little friends.  Asking Him to let them know they have a family.  God knows who they are and when they will join us.  He knows their future and He has great plans for them.  All of this gives me hope and such peace.  He may give us children that challenge our parenting skills like never before but hasn't He always given all we need for each challenge He allows us to face.  Hasn't He grown all of us in and through the struggles?  He is faithful, period.  That won't change.  That won't change!

   I'm excited about these children becoming a part of our family.  I'm reminded by young children that come into our home through foster care what joy their perspectives on life can bring.  How they simplify things and make a big deal out of the small, seemingly unimportant stuff of life.  In spite of hard times they laugh so full and so often.  It all makes me back up and take it all in.  They seem to take life at a slower pace and notice details and joys I tend to overlook like bugs, sticks, mud, long time swinging and hopping and touching everything.  You know I'm a kid person, always have been.  God's given me this gift to help me see and experience Him more.  It's about them and it's about what He wants to give me and teach me.  I know our Ethiopian kids are delightful too and I can't wait to meet them!!!  His timing is perfect, His timing is perfect, His timing is perfect... My timing is not.  I'd take them today but we still have so much to learn :)

Thanks for visiting and I hope you'll come back.  God bless, Tobi

Little Brown and Pink High Tops

  There's an extra little pair of brown and pink high tops in our shoe basket today.  We've had several kiddos come to stay with us for a few days at a time recently.  When school starts up teachers and school staff identify children who are victims of neglect and abuse.  They report it because they care and because it's required by law.  I'm thankful for people who make that call.  It gets precious children out of harm's way.  It gets police and social workers into gear to work out a better plan for protecting and providing for them.
   My heart is heavy.  Stories of the children who have come in and out of our homes (forever in our hearts) have left such an ache inside of me.  They are innocent, precious, loved deeply by God - children who deserve to be nurtured and snuggled and cared for.
   If you feel God nudging you to look into foster care please do.  I'd be glad to answer any questions and point you in the right direction.  Pray for God's leading.  He will provide all you need to minister to them.  We have been so blessed by being a foster family.  It's hard but good.  A little time with each one is an opportunity to pray for them, tell them about Jesus and His perfect love for them, and to show them they are so very special.  Foster parenting isn't something everyone should do.  God calls us to different things.  But if you think He's putting this on your heart I encourage you to pray.

Our family at River Commuity Church

Sunday we went to River Commuity Church like we always do on Sundays.  It was our last time to worship there since RCCs church plant, West Ridge Community Church, launches next Sunday, Sept. 2nd. We are following God's direction for our family and joining what He is doing in and through WRCC. Jordan will continue going to RCC for worship and Christian Challenge.  We enjoyed our worship experience and we were intentional about finding and hugging our friends that we usually only see on Sundays at RCC.  Saying hello to WRCC means saying goodbye to RCC.  But not completely.  We've worshipped with RCC for 22 years and we've developed close relationships that we hope will last a lifetime.  We have so many great memories of our years at River.  I was a little surprised at my tears and how hard it was to stop them.  I'm not really a cryer.  I guess that shows how deep the love goes :)  Thank you to all our friends at RCC who have loved us so well!

   We have 2 boys in our care as of last night.  I got a call to pick one up early afternoon and then another placement in the evening.  Occasionally, we are asked to take unrelated children.  The first boy was feeling sad and I thought it would be a good idea to have another boy his age to play with.  They became instant friends.  They play together well and are a good distraction for each other.  I'm praying for their families today.  So many families lack the resources to parent well.  I am not excusing abuse, neglect or abandonment!  My heart breaks for children who are not treated with loving kindness.  I'm praying for services to be implemented to offer their families support, provisions and resources.  I'm praying for jobs and for hope.  Ultimately, they need Jesus.  Some of them know Jesus.  It's a priviledge to pray for them.  11 children went into care through the Wichita Children's Home last night by the time we had picked up these 2  boys.  I was told later that 3 more were on the way.  I don't know what the total count was for yesterday.  When school starts there are more reports.  Teachers and school staff see the signs of abuse and neglect and faithfully call to report.   To preserve the families dignity we cannot post pictures of the children but we have pictures of many of them at home.  We remember many of their names and stories and we can pray for them.  We don't know what happens in their lives after they leave our home.  God knows.  He sees them and cares and works in their behalf.  I blog about foster care with the hope that other people might pray for these children and/or look into becoming foster parents.  It's been such a good thing for our family.  If you have questions, please ask!

   It's a beautiful day here in Wichita, Kansas and we're going the park to enjoy it!