My Adoption Story

This is my adoption story. We all have one.

2012 Family Photo

            I have an older brother, Zac, and when I was four years old, my little sister, Beau, was born. My parents (yes, they are my biological parents) had three children and by most people’s standards (including their own at the time) they were done. My parents had been pastors since before I was born and my entire life, they have been “adopting” people into their lives. We have always had teen agers or college students living with my family and we still do currently. However, God had an even bigger plan for my family.

            I remember growing up constantly joking with my parents that they needed to adopt more kids, my dad did after all, want six. It may have been a joke but I was serious. My little sister was great but I desperately wanted a little brother and I do not remember a time

My mom, my sister Beau & Myself on the way to Colombia
in 2008

when I was not praying to God that my parents would adopt a little boy. At the time, I did not know where this heart for adoption came from. I prayed for years, and my parents knew I was praying too.  Most of the time when I told my mom she needed to adopt a little brother she would usually joke back that she had bought me a dog. My parents usually laughed off my comments or jokes or complaints or requests but God listened to my prayers.
    In 2006, I was a freshman in high school, my brother was away at college and my sister was in 5^th grade. My parents were actually getting semi-close to the finish line of parenting. We had a nice house, we all went to private schools and we were doing well. However, God began to stir my mother’s heart and eventually my fathers. I will never forget the day when my mom picked us from school and told us that my parents had applied to adopt internationally through Children’s Hope International. I instantly started crying, I couldn’t believe my prayers that I had prayed for so long were finally going to be answered. I was getting my little brother. 

Our 1st Meeting in 2008
Beau, Mayerly, Mom, Jhon, Dad, Erika and Myself

            Over the next two years, my parents filled out mountains of paper work, had home studies, finger prints, psychiatric tests, and a whole gamete of other things. For two years, we all prayed and waited as a family for the wonderful children that would soon be our own. For two years, we waited for the phone call saying we had been matched. For two years, I rejoiced and

prayed and waited for my prayers to finally be answered.

            Originally, my parents were only going to adopt one. However, being the 14-year old that I was, I told them that they would adopt three. In 2008, my parents received an email with a picture of three beautiful children from Colombia. They were gorgeous and they were waiting for us, just as much as we were waiting for them. In a whirlwind of events, my parents agreed and in November, we, my parents and my sister and I, hoped on a plane to head to Colombia.

            Looking back, we were not at all prepared for what was going to happen to us next. Sure, we had painted butterflies on their bedroom

My baby

walls and read books and done all of the paperwork but none of us were prepared for the heart changing first encounter. None of us were prepared for how much this moment would change our lives forever. None of us were prepared for the realization of God’s love that came with this adoption. None of us were prepared to have out hearts broken and our priorities change so drastically. We landed in Bogota and two days later, we met our family.

            We were sitting in an unair-conditioned room with a large round table surrounded by lawyers, judges and social workers, all dripping with sweat, talking about why we had decided to adopt these children. The whole room was in tears by the end of the

In Colombia, Erika and Mom

discussion as my dad shared his heart for his children and how much he valued being a father. And then, after what seemed like a ridiculously long time, three scared little Colombian children walked through the door. I will never, ever forget that moment.

            We cried a lot of tears that day and gave a lot of hugs. Erika, Mayerly and Jhon were finally home. Its hard to explain all of the emotions that happened. I just remember crying a lot, lots of hugs, lots of smiles, playing with dolls and cars. We spent a little over a month in Colombia, living in a hotel, while the adoption became finalized.

            The youngest of these children was a little five-year-old boy, named Jhon Jader. Here was my long awaited for little brother and we instantly became best friends. The month in Colombia was a crazy, fast, slow, overwhelming and exciting time. The city from which our kids came was not the safest place, especially for those from the United States so the sooner we could get out of that city, the safer it would be for us. On Thanksgiving Day, we got our flights so we shoved everything into our suitecases in about 20 minutes and went to the airport.

           

Maylee and Beau in Colombia

We landed in the United States and spent a few days with my oldest brother, Zac and sister-in-law, Mandy. We returned to our home in Alaska (talk about shock for these Colombian babies) in December. They had never seen snow before, they had never Christmas before and they had never received presents.

            There are so many things I have learned from this adoption. To say it changed my heart is an understatement. The reality is, we all have an adoption story, we just may not know it yet. We may have grown up with our biological parents, like I did, but something I have discovered is that God adopted us. I realize that this is something the Bible talks abot and preachers talk about but I don’t think I have ever understood it, really, until now. When we landed in the United States and were trying to go through customs, all hell broke loose! Mayerly (Maylee as we call her) ran away and started pushing buttons on some security door, Jhon sat on the floor and refused to move. While my dad tried to get Maylee, I attempted to pick up Jhon only to have him grab my hair at the roots with both hands and pull as hard as he could. When I finally got him picked up and through customs, he sunk his teet

In Colombia 2008

h into my shoulder. My mom had Maylee who after trying to punch her in the face, had calmed down enough. My dad took Jhon who flipped us all off. Erika and Beau just sat on the ground and cried. By the time we go to the car outside, we were all crying.

            After hearing this last paragraph, you might think that my siblings were crazy or not well behaved but that wasn’t the case at all. Look at it from their perspective, only a month ago, they were living in foster care in Colombia and now they were here with their new family who did not speak the same language as them (I knew Spanish but translating was still a major stretch for my 16-year-old self) and they had just flown for hours, they were in a crazy crowded airport, they were tired, they were hungry and they were scared. As crazy as that moment was for all of us, we never had the thought of “Oh my goodness, what have we gotten ourselves into”, there was never the idea that we had not d

In Alaska

one the right thing. They were our family and Jhon was my little brother even if he had pulled my hair and flipped me off.

            Our ability to love these children unconditionally was not because any of us are awesome people but rather because of the love of God that He has showed us. I love my siblings to pieces and even when they did crazy things or when there was not as much money to go around or we started wearing more hand-me-downs, I never once regretted or resented it. And if I, myself, can love someone that much, how much more must God really, really love me.

Erika, Maylee and Jhon with Zac

You see, I was adopted into His family. And when He adopted me, I was a mess, I didn’t have it all together, I didn’t speak His language, I was hungry, I was tired and I was scared. And yet, God, in His infinite mercy, love and grace has never decided that I was bad idea or regretted His choice to die on the cross for me. You see, He doesn’t see me any differently. He loves me, He knows me and He sees me for who I am, not for my dysfunction.

           

Jhon and Mandy

 It would be impossible to explain everything that has happened since we adopted them in 2008 but as we are coming on our five years as a family, I am so grateful for all that God has brought into our lives through this adoption, even the challenges and the struggles because there have been plenty. But changed my life when He adopted me and He changed my life again, when my parents adopted my siblings. They have our family so much more than we ever could have given them.

            So here we are, five years later. Zac and Mandy have two beautiful girls, I’m in college, Beau is 17, Erika is 13, Maylee is 12 and Jhon is 10, plus my parents have “adopted” one more, Blake, 19. The kids still speak Spanish, we still have to explain English, Gotcha Day is a huge celebration, we still all cry at Christmas and Jhon is still my best friend.

Beach Fun

 

Ice Cream on the Bayou

Fourth of July 

Forever my Best Friend

Houston Zoo

Parade in Downtown Flagstaff

A Pink One

I climbed the familiar steps, they had those grip strips on them and they worked too. I know because I had tried and failed to slide down those very stairs on my mattress. I climbed those steps with a beige colored file folder in one hand and a flower pen in the other. I knocked on the wooden door, it was answered by a nervous, quiet girl, Jenna. She was living in the freshman dorm in which I was an RA and I was meeting her so she could be moved to another room. I did my normal spiel about how I needed to check the room for damages, how happy I was she was moving to my floor, I prattled away and she quietly smiled out of politeness.

            We walked back down the steps and I showed her, her new room, only a few down from mine. The last statement I made was “Well, now that you’re on my floor, we’ll probably be best friends". Little did I know how true that statement was. 

My fantastic friend and wonderful small group co-leader, Sara.
She has always challenged me to give all that I  have to the Lord!

            It was my sophomore year of college and I was a Resident Assistant in an all-girl freshman dorm. I had applied for this job that last spring even though it had not been my plan at all. You see, I have a dear friend, Sara, who talked about becoming an RA in this dorm in order to minister to the girls there and to show them with the love of God. I remember practically staring at her and saying “God would have to specifically tell me before I ever did anything like that”. A week later, Sara and I were walking through the halls of that dorm praying for the girls, asking God to move in that place, asking for His love to reside there. I saw a poster advertising the RA position and something began to tug on my heart, I stubbornly ignored it, convincing myself that God just wanted me to pray for the RAs in that dorm. Right. The following Sunday, I listened to a sermon about reaping and sowing, the things we sow for the Lord we will surely reap. I responded to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, prayed and the next day I turned in my application for the RA position, one hour before the deadline.

            Truth be told, I don’t think I was actually qualified for the position. I transferred in half through my freshman year with enough credits to make me a sophomore so I ended up in transfer student apartments, I had never lived in a dorm before. I didn’t lie on the form, I told the truth and I knew God would open the door if it was supposed to be opened. When you applied, your name was put in for all RA positions, not one at a specific dorm. Again, I didn’t know what would happen but I knew God would open the door it was supposed to be opened.

            I went through the whole process, the group interview, the individual inter

Some of our small group girls!

view, the waiting time. I did not know what to expect and then I got the call that I had the position, as an RA in the very dorm I had spent the last semester praying in once a week. No questions were asked about my living in the apartment or about the fact that preference was given to those who turned in their application first and mine was last. God had opened the door.

            To say God burdened me for that dorm would be an understatement. I knew God had given me this opportunity and I wanted to honor Him in it. I began to pray for my girls that spring and I prayed all summer, praying that God would break my heart for the girls in my dorm, praying that I would see them the way He did, praying He would continue to open doors. And oh boy, He did.

            Sara and I started a small group in my dorm room. During move in day, I had met girls who loved the Lord and wanted to grow in Him. I also met girls who knew nothing about Him and they all became part of our group. Sara and I were part of a campus ministry called Chi Alpha. The first service, ten girls came with us. And it continued to grow.

            Honestly, I look back in amazement at what God did. Every week, more and more girls began to come to Chi Alpha and small group. Every week those who were coming continued to grow in Him. God moved so much and it is truly a miracle. Barely older than these girls myself, I had so much growing to do that year, I made a lot of mistakes, I overcommitted a lot, I was caring around my own wounds but God worked in spite of all of those things. Opportunities to share my faith came up like I had never seen.

            A few weeks into the school year, I challenged the girls to fast and pray for five friends who didn't know God. Jenna, had just recently moved in with one of my friends and small group girls, Julia. Julia began to pray and fast for Jenna. For five weeks, we prayed, we fasted, we invited. Finally, after receiving an invitation by one of her friends back home, Jenna came to a Chi Alpha service (if that’s not a set up I don’t know what is). God changed Jenna’s life.

            After that service, Jenna began to come to church, to small group, to Chi Alpha. She was quiet at first but I will never forget the day she sat in my dorm room and shared what God had done in her heart. I cried, a lot, which I’m sure freaked her out. As Jenna began to come to more and more events, I saw God completely transform this girl and she became one of my dearest friends. I was amazed at how quickly Jenna was accepting God into her life and with the maturity she was growing in Him. I had never seen anything like it.

Dear friends, Jenna and Julia

            In January, only a few minutes after Jenna attended her first Chi Alpha service, she came to a conference with all of us. At this conference, Jenna was filled with the Holy Spirit. It was one of the most powerful encounters I have ever experienced with God. When we returned from that conference, God did even more than He had already done. Our small group went form eight girls to 18 within one week. By the end of the year we were averaging 20 girls. Another Chi Alpha small group that met just down the hall had also reached over 20 and the two other small groups in this dorm also grew.

            Jenna began inviting her friends, telling everyone she knew what God had done in her. It was easy to forget that Jenna had only known God for a short time, she grew in Him so fast. Jenna and Julia soon became some of my dearest friends in the whole world. There room was only three doors from mine, which meant I was in their room everyday.

            When I look back at my sophomore year, I am utterly amazed. By the end of the year, I had personally seen 17 girls from that dorm give their hearts to the Lord for the first time, and Sara and I were leading only one of five small groups in that dorm. I don’t believe there was one week in which a new girl from this dorm didn't came to Chi Alpha for the first time. It was an absolute joy watching God move in the lives of the girls. I am even more amazed because despite all of this, personally, I don’t think I have ever struggled so much. I had to deal with a lot of my own junk that year, hurts I hadn’t let go of, fears that I wouldn’t surrender to God, trust that I wouldn’t give Him. God is so faithful that way and He knew I needed Jenna that year.

            Today, two years later, Jenna is a best friend. Now a small group leader herself, she shares God’s love with so much grace, compassion and wisdom. Her heart is so pure before the Lord, wanting only His will for her life, no matter the cost. Jenna is a huge support in my life and I frequently go to her for advice and prayer. I cannot even describe what a blessing she is.

            I learned so many things from Jenna. More than I can ever say. I have learned that we are never too old, or experienced or smart or “saved” to grow in the Lord. Her questions challenged me to dig deeper, to study God’s word and to really get to know the Savior I had served for so long. Her hunger for God is truly inspiring. Whenever I felt discouraged or thought of quitting being an RA (which I frequently thought of doing), God would remind me of Jenna. She had a child like faith, which is something I had forgotten to have. I got saved at a very young age and truth be told, I don’t remember it. I grew up in Sunday school and Bible camps and family prayer times. I had become so familiar with God, I had forgotten what my life would have been like without Him. After my sophomore year, I felt like God had saved me all over again. He gave me a new heart and I have tears rolling down my face now, just thinking about all He has done for me. Sometimes it is easy to forget that Jesus saved us and healed us and that we can do anything through Him. When I watch Jenna’s faith and desperation for the Lord, I am  reminded of what God has done for me and the life we are supposed to live with Him.

           

Jenna and I: Easter break of my sophomore year

One of my favorite stories from small group that year involves Jenna. She had been a part of Chi Alpha and church and small group for several months at this point and was growing so much in the Lord. We were all sitting in a crowded circle in my dorm room about to start small group. Like usual, we started off small group by asking a question and every girl took a turn answering. Tonight’s question was what kind of Bible did each girl have. What I meant by this question was what translation did each girl have (for example, NIV, KJV, ect). These beginning questions weren’t supposed to be deep but rather just break the ice questions (I usually asked things like “If you could be any fruit what would you be?”). It was Jenna’s turn first. She looked down at her Bible and back at us with kind of a confused look on her face. Then she answered “A pink one”. We all laughed, because although her Bible was indeed pink, that was not the answer I was looking for. Although this is a funny story, I learned something from this.  At this point Jenna was telling her friends about Jesus, was telling her family, was praying for people and reading her Bible daily. She was already being used by God.

That was one of the ways that I learned the incredible power of saying yes to God. Jenna had very little former Bible training and some may say she had little knowledge but she had said yes to God. The details didn’t matter and I have seen this girl share love with so many people. The next year, Jenna became a small group leader, less than a year after receiving God for herself and God has used her. It would have been easy for her to decide she didn’t know enough to begin sharing Him or she wanted to learn and receive more before she took on a role of giving. When I became an RA that year I was unqualified, broken and young but God opened every door. Even getting the position was a miracle but what God did afterwards was astonishing. I could have easily said no. I could have taken one look at those job requirements and said nope, obviously no one would hire me, I don’t qualify. Although in my case, I technically didn’t qualify, I realize there are so many times when I don’t step out in faith or say yes to God because I decide that I don’t qualify. I struggled with my relationship with God my sophomore year, it really stretched me, and yet, God used me anyway. Nothing can disqualify us from being used by God except ourselves. When God asks us to do something, all we have to do is say yes, and He will take care of the rest of it even if we don’t “qualify”. There is a strength to willingness that I have so often taken for granted. God doesn’t want our qualifications, He wants our yes.  I don’t mean that we should lead immaturely or without a lot of prayer but I do mean that if God is calling us, He will provide as soon as we say yes.

            Jenna is one of the dearest friends I have ever had. She inspires me daily and encourages me always. I can’t imagine my life without her now. Her friendship is a huge blessing in my life but truth is if I hadn’t said yes to God, would that even be the case? If Jenna hadn’t said yes to God, would we be where we are now? God has so much in store for us, so many blessings He wants to pour out on us, all we have to do is say yes, and He takes care of the rest. And its better than we could have ever imagined.

The Safest Place

My dear friends from Camp AN, Sabrina and Maggie

Three summers go, right after finishing my first year of college, I went on a missions trip to Camp Agaiutim Nune on the Yukon River near Emmonak, Alaska. Camp AN, which means Place of God, is an annual camp that serves the Native Alaskan youth and children of the Yukon River Delta. This was my second year going and I could not wait to be out there again. The youth of rural Alaska face enormous challenges everyday and for many of them, Camp AN is one of the few places where they are loved, safe, happy. Alcoholism, depression, suicide and drug abuse are problems that plague rural Alaska because of the seasonal darkness, isolation and lack of evangelical witness.

Fourwheeler with our team

Lauren riding on the Yukon River

To get to Camp AN, you first fly on an Alaska Airlines flight to Anchorage, Alaska. Then you hop on a 15-passenger plane to St. Mary’s, then six passenger plane to Emmonak. You land on strip of gravel, grab your stuff and jump on a trailer pulled behind a fourwheeler. Then you are loaded into small fishing boat and ride 45 minutes up the Yukon River to an island. This island holds Camp AN, a campsite without electricity, permanent buildings or indoor plumbing. You sleep in giant tents, eat in tents, have service in tents. Kids and teens ride up to 2 hours by boat to come spend a week at Camp AN to eat sometimes stale food, use outhouses and shower with river water but most importantly to have a life-changing encounter with the Holy Spirit.

On the plane to Emmonak, AK

Maggie once only dreamed of reaching 18 until she got
saved, delivered and healed of color blindness at Camp AN

God does miracles at this camp. Teens are set free from bondages, thoughts of suicide, drug and alcohol addictions and depression. I have seen blind eyes opened and deaf ears healed at Camp AN. These kids come with big challenges, deep wounds and hard walls. It takes a while to gain their trust, a while to hear their stories, a while to understand their hearts but when you do, you get an incredible opportunity to see God completely transform the lives of students, to change them from the inside out. By the end of the week their whole demeanors change, they smile, they laugh, they trust, they love. 
They begin to dream, to plan for the future which is something many of them don’t even believe they have. I met teens at Camp AN whose goals were simply to make it to their 18^th birthdays but end up graduating high school and pursuing college. For many of these kids this is the ONLY time of year that they get to hear the gospel, that they hear that they are valuable, that they are loved, that they are created with a purpose. Alaska is a mission field with a huge need and its in our back door. 

Camp AN breaks your heart and changes you. Working with the youth at Camp AN is one of the most challenging things I have ever done but one of the most rewarding. By the end of the week, you have made friends for life and you send them home praying desperately that what God did in them will continue to grow. Once you have been, you can never forget. 

Our team

Lauren and Karen

This particular year was my second year going out to Camp AN. I was going with a group from my college in the lower 48 (continental United States for all you non-Alaskans out there). They were all boys. In the airport on the way to Camp AN, I met two college age girls, Lauren from California and Jessica from Arizona. I got to know these incredible girls over the week of working with them. I got to see their hearts for the Lord, their willingness to serve and their dance skills that are just as good as mine ;). They were goofy and adventurous and fun. In the days that followed at Camp AN, the three of us came together. Being the only girls in a group of eleven college students, we bonded quickly. After heart-breaking goodbyes to the kids, we spent a few days hiking glaciers and falling asleep in Walmart. But more importantly we prayed. I will never forget one day in particular, we had just gotten back to Anchorage after the week at Camp AN was over, the boys were sleeping and we decided to drink tea and have a Bible study. We talked for hours, sharing our hearts, our needs, our fears, our struggles. We all shared from God’s word and prayed for each other, for Alaska, for our futures and for where God was leading us. I still have the notebook pages where I wrote down prayer requests for Lauren and Jessica. 

The Bible time that changed our lives!

When we all left Alaska, ten days after meeting, I knew that I was saying goodbye to some of the dearest, best friends in the world. Little did I know what God had for all of us, together and apart. 


Fast forward a year, Lauren was going to a university in Northern Arizona, Jessica had spent a semester in Spain and was now back in Phoenix and I had gone through a great but tough year and I knew God was leading me somewhere else. We had sort of kept up on Facebook but were all busy with our own lives. Lauren and I were sitting in the same room where the year before all three of us had sat, each of us with new teams that were heading out to Camp AN, even though I wasn’t able to join them. I sent Lauren a text that said “I might be transferring to your college next year”. 

If ever three people were meant to be friends :)

And I did. Although it was nothing that I had planned, I moved to Northern Arizona and transferred to the same university as Lauren (although when I picked that university I had completely forgotten that Lauren went there). In August, I moved to Arizona and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Over this past year, Lauren has become one of my biggest supporters, biggest encouragers and dearest friends. Jessica drove up from Phoenix to visit us shortly before she headed off to spend a semester working with missionaries in Peru, it felt like the three of us had never been apart. Our conversations are always deep, rich, filled with laughter and tears.

Lauren's Send off!

In May, both Jessica and Lauren graduated college, Lauren moved into my apartment and I headed off to Uganda, which was a life long dream fulfilled. I got back from Uganda in August, only days before Lauren headed off to spend a year serving God in Indonesia. The three of us all met in Flagstaff, had a picnic in the rain, took ridiculous pictures and celebrated where God has taken us. We all talked about what He has taught, the prayers He has answered and the dreams He has placed on our hearts. 

Flagstaff Renunion

Jessica and Lauren have become more than friends, they have become my sisters. Through some of the most challenging times of my life, these girls have prayed for me, supported me, encouraged me, blessed me. They have been listening ears, shoulders to cry on and incredible examples of following God’s heart and His leading NO MATTER WHAT. I marvel at God’s goodness and faithfulness. God knew way back then in Alaska that I needed these girls, He knew where I would be, the struggles I would have and I can’t imagine my life without these friends. 
Something I have learned from all of this as well as every other time I have followed God’s heart into the great unknown, whether that has been going to Uganda by myself, changing majors, or changing colleges, is that there is no safer or better or more fulfilling place to be than in the will of God. I’m not saying that is always easy, or even what we want to do but Jesus promises us that HIS burden is easy. Since we first met, I have seen Jessica and Lauren experience joys, victories and triumphs and I have also seen them experience difficulties, disappointments and challenges but they would both agree that God has blessed them abundantly and they wouldn’t have it any other way. 

We are called to die to ourselves and through doing so we gain a life with Christ that is richly blessed. When we give our lives over to God, He blesses it more than we ever could ourselves not because we have earned it but because that is the incredible, lovely God we serve. Why has God blessed our friendship so much? Aside from Him being a loving Father who wants to do good things for us, I think it because all of us have committed everything we have to Him. I know Jessica and Lauren, they have given their hearts, their resources, their time, energy and everything to God. They have literally followed Him around the world and we are all blessed because of it. So, even if it isn’t what I had planned or it doesn’t make sense at the time, I am learning that the BEST and SAFEST place for me to be is in the will of God, even if that looks different than what I thought. God knows what He is doing!

I am so proud of Lauren and Jessica and I cannot wait to see what God has in store in for all of us! I love you guys so much! Thanks for challenging me and blessing my life everyday!

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn for me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:30

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Philippians 1:21

"Then He said to them all: 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." Luke 9:23-24

For more information on Camp AN visit www.campanalaska.com

House of Praise

Beautiful smiles

A sea of smiling faces surrounded the car, outstretched arms, the car hadn't even stopped yet. Immediately hands, arms were seized by eager, happy children. Bright yellow and green uniforms contrasted the red dirt. It was a beautiful sight. As soon as the car doors opened we were bombarded with hugs and children fighting to hold our hands, wrists, arms. There were four or five buildings on the ground we now stood, some were finished and some were not. A simple school building, a grass field, women cooking on a charcoal stove. We stood on the grounds of a place affectionately known as House of Praise. 

There were many incredible and inspiring people I
had met while working in Uganda but the story I am  about to retell here by far impacted me the most. House of Praise was named after a young Ugandan woman, Praise. She was full of laughter, smiles, joy. The children all greeted her and called her mommy. I asked her when her story of taking care of children began and this is what she told me. 

The new house being built by International Voice of the Orphan

Praise lost her father at a young age and her mother was not able to care for her so she lived with her grandmother until she was 14 years old. At 14, Praise's grandmother died, living her alone, an orphan. Praise had given her heart to the Lord and was welcomed into the home of a family at her church. Before Praise turned 15 she met her first child, a 9-year-old boy named Stephen who was living on the streets of Kampala, Uganda. Like Praise, Stephen was alone. Praise took him home, cleaned him up, gave him her own clothes to wear. But despite her efforts Praise could find no one willing to care for the boy. Eventually Praise found a place for him to sleep and she herself worked to care for him, his food, his schooling, everything he needed. She fed him from her back window and eventually, Praise was caring for eight more street boys, all who found themselves alone and deserted. 

Such Joy!

The School House

When the family Praise was living with found out she was caring for these children, they kicked her out of the house. Praise and her children moved into a one bedroom house with her mother. Praise continued to work to provide and care for her children and continued to take more and more children in. She cared for them, protected them, loved them. Eventually Praise had twelve children and once again Praise found herself without a home. At 17 years old, she worked enough to find places for them to stay, moving from place to place, trusting and relaying on God to provide. 

Over time the children were adopted, two were adopted by families in the United States and ten were adopted by families in Uganda. And Praise, as she says it, was free, free to make her own choices, to live her own life, to ensure her own future. But God had a different plan for Praise. She had a dream. In her dream a man came to her with two children who were bloodied and beaten, alone and deserted. The man told Praise she needed to take the children. When Praise resisted, he told her that they had no where else to go. The next morning, Praise received a call from the police, when she arrived at the station, Praise saw the very children from her dream, they were bloodied and beaten and they needed Praise. Praise knew then that she had to submit to the plan God had for her and that's what she has been doing ever since.

Loved spending time with these precious kids!

Today Praise is 26 years old and is currently caring for 36 children. She was able to buy property, build a village school and a house. She gives thanks God daily for His grace, His provision, His faithfulness. International Voice of the Orphan is currently building Praise a new home for her children. When you talk to Praise about her story, all she does is thank God, acknowledge His goodness. When I told her she was inspiring, she told me the people who inspire her are the ones who move to Uganda from blessed countries such as America because they have given up so much to come there (talk about humbling). Joy bubbles from this incredible woman who tells stories of sharing her one pair of shoes with Stephen so they could go to school, each wearing one shoe and pretending their other foot was injured. 

One of the things that has stuck with me since meeting Praise and hearing her story was the incredible amount of faith she has, how she has trusted God, how she continues to. I am so grateful to  live in a blessed country but sometimes I think my blessings, my resources, my security get in the way of me really trusting the Lord. 

I think it is no accident that right after delivering His people from Egypt, the Lord brought them to the Red Sea (Exodus 14). There were in a impossible situation in which the ONLY answer was the Lord. They had no other options, He was their only lifeline, their only hope. I began to ask myself if I have ever really been in that situation in my life, where God was my only solution, my only hope. Believe, I am grateful knowing that there is food in the fridge and money in bank account. I am grateful for my house, washing machine, health insurance plan, my job. But I began to wonder if I really knew what it meant to trust God.

Praise, such an inspiring woman!

 See Praise was living a life of faith. God was her only solution, her only option, her only hope. And just like Praise chose to follow God's plan, so can we also. There is a passage in the gospels about the "Rich Young Man" and to me this title could be given to many believers in the United States (granted we may not all be Bill Gates rich but compared to the rest of the world, many of us are fortunate). This young man was devout follower, he practiced all the rituals, he followed all the commandments but when presented with Jesus and what is meant to truly be a follower of Christ, he was given a choice to continue as he was or to "go, sell everything you have and give it to the poor...then come follow me" (Mark 10:21). The man couldn't do it, he turned away with sadness.

We will all encounter this same moment that this young man had. We will come to place of making a choice of learning to trust God or to trust our own resources. I'm not saying we should all quit our jobs, sell everything and live on faith. Living on faith doesn't mean we live irresponsibly but I think that God wants us to come to a place where we are believing for things that are so BIG He is the only possible solution. Exodus 14:14 "The Lord will fight for you; you need only be still" (NIV). In the King James Version it says "ye shall hold your peace".  The thing is the Lord wants to fight for us, He wants to be our refuge, He wants to perform miracles on our behalf. Something that God has been showing me is that too often, I get in the way of Him doing that in my life. I call my mom, whip out my credit card and use my resources, blessings and wealth to keep me from seeing God do miracles in my life. 

The Lord performed an incredible miracle for the Israelites, one they never forgot. I think if that young man in the story had done what Jesus had told him, had sold everything, given it to the poor and followed God, he would have seen God do incredible miracles in his own life and the lives of others. Just like this man in the story and just like Praise, we are all going to encounter this moment. The moment we can choose to "only be still" let God fight for us, let God perform miracles, to give up our resources and learn to trust Him and see incredible things. The choice is ours. But this something God has been asking of me. He keeps saying to me, "Hope, are you going to stop doing this on your own now and let me take over? I want you to believe for big things this year because I have big things I wanna do". God wants me and you and all believers to do big things. It may not mean I sell everything, drop out of school and go on the mission field or I start taking in children or I stop using the blessings He has given me. But it might mean I believe that my entire city is going to get saved or I follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit and support a missionary even when the budget is tight or I step out and tell someone about Jesus and pray for the sick, knowing that without God I am powerless to change their situation. I'm realizing that sometimes to see God do bigs things in my life means, I've gotta let go, I've gotta go to place past where my resources can provide, I've gotta have faith for things only God can do, I've gotta hold my peace and let God fight for me. 

Few of the many children Praise cares for!