Radical love

http://danandbecke.blogspot.kr/2013/10/radical-love.html




Click on the above link, for news about our Adoption Journey.

God's gift that keeps on giving

So today I started attempting to unpack the office, which is a crazy place. While sweating like mad, I came across the following item. Made me stop and praise God that Hope Haas is still out there. 

Thank you Hayden for being used again and again. 

unpacking hope

We got our household goods yesterday, and as I was going threw a box, I ran across an outfit I had purchased for our little one. Made me sad. 

Not sure what God is doing, but as  I have been reminded the past 2 days this is what I need to do. 

So, I am hopeful!

Last night in Bible Study we talked about Simon the fisherman and how God used fish to show him how great he is cause he was a fisherman and He knew Simon would totally get it.  What is it that would get your attention to know He is GOD! So the question was asked, what is your fish? 

prayed over

hey everyone. Its been a while since I have written.  We still are hoping for Hope. WE don't know what that looks like. We don't know what the Lord is doing, but we know He is doing something. 

Saturday night we have a lovely Korean couple over to our house, and they asked us about babies.  They asked if they could pray over us, and if they could be our super prayer warriors in that department. They mentioned they had done this with a few other couples while they were in Korea, and the Lord heard them, and gave the couples a child while in Korea. 

I don't know what this all means, but I love that they want to pray. We have hope that the Lord will be faithful to what we said to us. We just don't know what that is going to look like. 

Would you pray with us as well. 

Waiting in Hope in Korea.

Following God

So some of you already heard that our adoption is on hold at the moment.

God has moved mountains, and moved so mightily in both Dan and I's hearts separately and together.
The last week of October we found out that Russia was restricting access into the country for adoptions, and we had to get our stuff in to Russia by November 1. We did everything we could do, but Illinois did not play fair. But, that being said, this adoption road has been filled with bumps and bruises. When we first started we were listening and following God in where He was leading. Through so many turns we went from Country to country, but this time it was clear that now is not the time for us to adopt. It doesn't mean that is completely done, it means its on hold. We trust the Lord that the timing wasn't right.
I went to a women's conference the last weekend in October, and Dan did some solo time with the Lord. Right before the conference the Lord put a phrase of a song in our hearts (song is Blessed be your name) and the phrase was there is pain in the offering, and you give and take away. Wouldn't you know it at the conference they showed a video of some orphans and in the video was a girl dying in her bed, and two guys playing a song over her, and it was the same phrase, with no other phrase playing.
I thought, ok God. I understand. There were many confirmations along the way as I went to a seminar workshop called Barren Womb not barren soul. This was first hard to attend, as there were 3 ladies total along with the teacher. In this workshop we talked about all the passages the Lord was impressing on my heart for the last 3 months, but also added a Psalm.

Psalm 127:3-5

New International Version (NIV)

³ Children are a heritage from the Lord,
    offspring a reward from him.
⁴ Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
    are children born in one’s youth.
⁵ Blessed is the man
    whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
    when they contend with their opponents in court.

What hit me the most with this Psalm, was that not anywhere does it say natural born, or specific to giving birth, or adoption. This was life changing for me as the Lord revealed to me that not everyone can parent thousands of kids and when you get to Heaven, you will see all the kids that call you mom.


All that being said, the Lord confirmed in our hearts that it was time to move. He needed us to sacrifice our desires now for natural kids for His desire for the lost. While our desire for a family is huge, His desire to reach the lost is bigger. So, this is us walking in obedience to the Lord.  God's desire is so much bigger and we are not here on earth for us, we are on this earth to honour and worship the Lord.
He's in charge, so why wouldn't we follow where He says to go, if we don't who would want to be around us... (aka Jonah and whale)

We will be leaving Germany Jan 31st. We are still in need of about 800/month support but we are trusting that the Lord will provide. If He's called us to it, He will lead us thru it.

Last paperwork is sent

So Tuesday I sent the last of the paperwork before we get our referral to the states. I prayed over it, and my friend Evelyn was there when I did it. Now we wait to get a referral. Pray the Lord would reveal the child in HIS timing not ours.
I am nesting, trying to get things ready and fixed before the child comes. The bedroom is on hold until we know the sex of the child. We are praying for a little girl, but we don't know what the Lord is doing.

For now, we are praying and waiting.
Thanks for praying with us.

Hi ho, Hi ho its off to the Consulate we go!

Here we are in the car right before we headed in to turn our paper in. There were no electronics of any kind that you could take in, so we kept them all in the car. This is the lynch pin in the whole thing as this form will go to the Russian Government with our home study to make (Hope Haas) offical when we get there. Basically this form is claiming we are adopting an orphan from Russia. We then can get the passport upon receiving the child. So much paper work its crazy!

Hope we are coming.... in the mean time, we are praying like crazy for you! Can't wait to meet you!