It Is FINISHED!!

 

 My Sweet, Sweet Myla,

When our adoption was finalized on Wednesday, my heart rejoiced!  So many thoughts poured through my veins.  I couldn’t believe that exactly one year and one week after our home study was completed our adoption was final…finished…over.  We had nothing left to do but proclaim to the world that you- our amazing little bundle of joy is ours forever! The whole day the phrase, “It is finished"  rang through my mind.

 

Myla, you are our joy.  Daddy and I cherish you each and every day.  I can honestly say that I forget that you didn’t come from my womb.  I have learned so much from you, sweet girl!  You have taught me that love goes so much deeper than blood.  I have learned that the months I carried you in my heart are just as bonding to a mother’s heart as carrying a babe in the womb. 

 

MyMy Girl, I have to be honest with you.  I trusted God to start the adoption process; however, not long after I allowed the voice of man to push fear into my heart and mind.  Many said we would never be chosen due to the fact that we already had 6 children.  It was also a common occurrence to have eyes bug out when we told people we needed $30,000. 

FEAR!  FEAR!  FEAR!!

 

There were days that I allowed dark clouds to hover over me.  I should have just called on the Father more instead of listening to man.  He had a plan!  Why did I doubt?  He knew you were ours!  Why didn’t I just trust more, pray more, and hope more?  But through it all, you have made me a better person.  I needed to go through those days of fear so I could be more like Christ.  I had to face the days of doubt so I could be the momma you deserve! 

 

You melt my heart!  I know that you feel the abundance of love this family has for you!  I can see it in your actions.  I can feel it by the way there are just times you want Momma more than anyone else!  I love those moments.J



Well, pretty little one, it is finished!  The adoption process is anyway, but for us it is just the beginning.  I love you from head to toe and can’t wait to see what the Lord has for us!



 

 

No one loves you as I

Momma

SAFE?

 

Is God a safe God? 

Do you try to make the life he has for you safe?

Can one honestly follow the Lord and still live a “safe” life…a life where you are free from having to overcome fears, free from uncomfortable situations,or free from following an uncertain calling.

These are questions I keep trying to push to the back of my heart and brain.  I want it to be possible to live comfortable with out the probing from the Lord to step out on the boat and walk on the water to him.  I know his arms are out stretched.  I have visions of him waiting to take my hand as my wet feet, but dry body approach him.

I really think we try to make God a safe God when in reality he isn’t in anyway shape or form safe.  This allows us to stay in control.  I see myself and others around me make excuses as to why we take the easy road. 

We need to look deep into the scriptures.  There we will find a God that is anything but a God who provides comfort to his people in this way.  Don’t get me wrong.  He longs to love, provide and care for, but he also desires to use us.   In doing so, he must push us to go places we would never go on our own.

Did he bringing forth comfort when he told Abraham he was to leave his home and follow him to an unknown location?  Yes, unknown!! 

Was he playing it safe when he told Moses to go back into the house of Pharaoh and demand that he let the Israelites go?  Safe…yeah, right!!!

Did the disciples’ surroundings look plush when they follow Christ during his years of ministry?  I don’t think so.  They didn’t have a place to lay their head.  They didn’t know where their next meal would come.  They didn’t get to take their family with them.  Call me crazy, but I wouldn’t advise someone to live such a life, but it is the very life the Lord called them to live.

See where I am going?  Life with God isn’t and dare I say shouldn’t be safe.  I am going to be so bold as to proclaim that if you are living in a comfortable spot than you are probably avoiding a calling.  You may be running from the plans he has for you. 

Search deep.  Pray hard.  Listen for him as he calls you to take a step out of the boat and walk on water. 

Miracles can't be performed unless common people wildly follow an unsafe God.

Our Easter Blessings

Does it ever seem wrong to you that we get to be the ones to receive blessings on days that should be a time to worship, adore, and thank our Savior, Jesus Christ?  Today was a special day for us just the same. 

 

It was a time of complete peace as we worshiped together with our Brothers and Sisters in Christ.  We were reminded today that the Savior is still waiting to once again drink of the cup.  He is waiting so that he can partake of it with you and me for eternity. 

 

  Praise Him.  Praise Him.  Praise Him.

 

I went a little picture happy today.  It was difficult to weed through so many pics of my beauties so I grabbed some of my favs to share:



The girls wanted to have curls for the Lord's day:) 

Myla is at that "eat mama's face" stage.  Love it. 

Isn't purple her color?

Drew's first egg of the season.  He was a little backward at first.

Libby loves holidays.

Grace with her cousin

What a team.

While the kids were hunting for eggs, Myla was entertaining Daddy with her bubble act.

I think she likes Easter too.

Zeke being a dork.  Grandma made the older kids hunt for just one egg with their name on it.  If they found it, they received a cash gift.  Funny Stuff.

They searched

 high and low.

Grace even stopped long enough to pose for a pic while searching in a tree.

Our beauty-Hosanna
 

Myla wasn't sure about the wrapping on her basket. 

She took her time to discover this new material. 

How cute is she.

She even posed with her new headband. 

 

I just had to end our picture time with my dorky

but lovable guy.

 

Chore Time

In order to have our family life run smoothly, Bryan and I have assigned daily chores or tasks for each of our children to accomplish. 

The Elliott children who help run the ship by carry out their jobs

It is funny how during the chore times the children will often become distracted.  It could be the desire to go potty, the need to instruct someone younger, or selfish hearts who argue over who gets the sweeper first.  Regardless of the cause, the distraction prolongs the assignment and creates interruption in the vision we desire for our family to have. 

Isn’t it the same with the work the Lord has for us?

I am a child of the King!  He has given me a calling…chores…assignments for me to live out for I am a member of HIS family.

I am called to be a minister’s wife. 

The man I walk  through ministry with

I am called to be a mother of seven children.

I am called to homeschool the arrows he has placed in our quiver. 

It has become very apparent to me that I also get distracted in my “chore time”.  I allow Satan to grab my attention and persuade me to focus on things with little to no importance.

 Don’t get me wrong.  The items, events, and issues that rob me of accomplishing my assignments are real.  Some are even painful…aching the core of my heart, but they are not the works of the Lord so they shouldn’t have a hold on my life, heart, and mind. 

Why does Satan and his army work to distract?

Simple…we are powerful members in the army of Christ, but we are only powerful and affective when we are fueled by his word and ways...not Satan's!  If he can distract us, less will be done for the KINGDOM.  Less will come to know the saving power of grace given by the Savior, less will have a spiritually mature mother to guide them through life, and less will build up the body of Christ.

I am learning that I need to pray for the Spirit to help me ward off the attacks of distractions.  I need to be on my knees more as I live out my callings. 

Will you join me in prayer as you fight to live out yours? 

Sickness, Anger, and War

My Dear Friends,

I have been silent due to the fact that the sickness  I had rocked my world.  I am still not 100%, but I am trying to get back my life.  The illness that plagued me brought forth pain that I can’t remember having before.  It took its toll on my everyday life.  If it wasn’t for my sweet, older children and my loving husband, I would have had to call in outside reinforcements.  As always, they pulled their weight and helped me keep from drowning. 

In my state of sickness, I also had a week of anger.  Yes, anger!  The enemy is real.  The lion is pacing back and forth waiting to devour the King’s children.  The king of lies has been working overtime to destroy churches, marriages, and friendships.  This reality makes me angry at times!  Why does it seem that Satan is winning so much?

We have had friends fired from their church positions out of the blue leaving a part of Christ's body in suffering.  I have witnessed the devastation that couples experience when one is swayed to look outside of the act of marriage to gain self-fulfillment.  My anger flared up as I saw more fingerprints of Satan; however, just when I think I am going to drown in the deep in the Lord shines through as I experience friendship strengthened when friends handle things as the Lord instructs. 

We all need to stand stronger on the Word of the Lord.  We all need to be prepared to do the right things even though they appear harder for in the end the Lord’s ways are the only ways to live a life of peace.  We can’t allow the fingerprints of Satan to be the only evidence of a battle. 

We need to sharpen our swords, shine our armor, and prepare our shields. 

We need to do our part!! 

It is time to turn my anger at satan into motivation to win the war. 

P.S.

In my time of recovery, I also missed sharing some sweet times in my children’s lives.  I will be posting them soon so that someday my kiddos can look back and remember their days of old.

She Believed

I don’t know why, but I have found that I go through times of intense feelings for our birthmother.  I think of her each and every day.  We even pray for her during our family morning prayer time; however, some days are just plain intense. 

I wish I knew if she feels our love. 

I wish I knew if she feels the Lord wrapping his arms around her for he loves her more than anyone.

The only thing I do know is the Lord created me for such a time as this.  He made me to have feelings of love that I never dreamed I could have.  It is Him that works in my heart to love the women who gave Myla life and then lovingly chose me to be her Momma.

 

She believed that I was the one to love Myla and guide her in life.  And I am!

She believed I would love every moment of being her mom.  And I do!

She believed that the most important decision was for Myla to grow up knowing the Lord.  And it is!

Thanks, dear birth mom, for believing!!

Set an Example

 

Dear Isaiah and Caleb,

You know that the Lord instructs you to:

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 

I Timothy 4:12



Drew trying to be like the BIG BOYS

Remember that even though you are still young at least one child who is younger is watching your every move.  Set an example for him as walk through life. 

You are what he dreams of becoming.   

Loving You,

Mom

SHINE

My Sweet Children,

Do you remember the evening you yelled at me to grab my camera so we could capture the beauty of the lights in the sky?  These are the pictures I was able to capture.  Look at the beauty of the glowing light breaking out of the dark. It is powerful.  It is majestic.  It is a beauty so captivating that it reminds every one of the Creator. 

Matthew 5:14-15

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house

Don’t forget that we are called to be a light as well.  It is our calling to let the power, love, and grace of God to shine out of us.  As it radiates the darkness, Satan will have no hold.  If we allow the Savior to radiate through us, we can pass the light to the lost around us. 

Acts 13:47

For this is what the Lord has commanded us:

“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’

 

 My children, shine as you live each day

Shine for the Savior. 

Shine for the lost. 

Shine to defeat Satan. 

Don’t settle for a mire candle light. 

Be a torch. 

Be a raging fire.   

Be it is for the King in a dark land.

I love you,

Mommy

Watch How You Live...

I am a firm believer that

more is caught than taught!

Happy Birthday Zeke!!

My Dearest Isaiah,

Happy Birthday!  It was eighteen years ago that you caused my body to experience my first contraction ever as it prepared to push you out into the world.  It seems as if I am once again having my first contraction as I prepare to launch you out into the world. 

Isaiah at birth

The pain of knowing my little boy is now a man is real, but the joy of seeing who you will be is greater than the pains within.  I am proud to be your mother.  I am proud of the ways I see you seeking the Lord for your future path. 

Isaiah at 3 months old

 

One of the greatest gifts that the Lord has created within your soul is the gift of generosity.  I have never seen anyone give as you have given.  It is a joy to know that blessings have fallen on individuals all over the world due to the sacrifice you made to follow the Lord’s prompting and be a cheerful giver.  Do not let the world take the spirit of generosity from you.

Isaiah at 2 1/2 years old

I have also seen you love on those who are less fortunate.  It is a spirit that many children don’t act upon.  Don’t ever stop fighting for those the Lord puts in you path.  He has a work for you to do.  Live it out!

It is not a secret that you are a momma’s boy!!  There is nothing you wouldn’t do to protect me, love me or, provide for me!  I cherish that spirit!  I also cherish the fact that one day the Lord will give you a little lady to call your wife.  With the same passion, you will be a wonderful husband who protects, loves, and provides for his family!

As you journey into this new chapter in life, I want to leave with you is a word from the Lord that is found in Isaiah 26:3-4:

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you.

After studying the Hebrew words in this passage, I feel that is could also be read as:

You will guard in complete safety him whose frame is leaning upon you because he is secure and confident in you. 

Be secure and confident in nothing but the Lord!

Lean heavily on the Lord for He is the only one who can hold up your frame and guard you in life!

I love you,

Mom