The Gift of Adoption

Most of you know my life story about being adopted & all the things I have been through and overcome. If you are not familiar with my story, go to www.agapecares.org and click on "Gretta's Story". That gives you a very brief idea of my testimony. I also enjoy motivational speaking & sharing my story. So, if any of you would be interested in having me come speak at churches, womens events, to youth groups/teenagers, pro-life events, etc. please let me know! I would love to come share my story! I am also in the process of writing a book about my life story and maybe by the end of 2009 it will be done! I have always considered adoption one of the greatest gifts God gave me. I was raised knowing from an early age that I was adopted & knowing that I wasn't supposed to be alive & doing all the things I was able to do. Some people shy away from adoption and some people consider it a "last resort" when it comes to having children. One of my friends, Rebecca Kiessling, wrote an incredible article about adoption. She is another incredible adoption story and an advocate and voice for pro-life. She gave me permission to post her article for you to read. And after you read it, take time to listen to "Orphans of God" on my playlist on the right side of my blog. You can just double-click on the title "Orphans of God" and it will start playing. Listen to the words of the song & not so much the music .....

THE CENTRALITY OF ADOPTION FOR CHRISTIANS

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after the orphans . . . .” James 1:27. This verse has meant so much to me personally. It is one of the verses in the Bible which has made me realize that orphans are a priority to God and that adoption is not second-best/last resort/only for the infertile, but is God’s first-choice, one of His highest priorities, and meant for the Body of Christ to demonstrate the ultimate picture of His love for us. I’d like to share a little more Scripture with you which demonstrate why adoption is so vital to the Body of Christ. I’m certain that I have just barely uncovered what God has to say on the subject, but I hope this will be meaningful to you.

"A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling, God sets the lonely in families." (Psalm 68:5,6a) He does not set the lonely in institutions, in orphanages, in schools, in refrigerator photos or in prayer lists. All of those things are important and have their role in the process, but God sets the lonely in families. My children grieve and pray for other children who are left in orphanages, that they may each have a family of their own. Having been adopted myself, with two adopted children, I cannot fathom living the life of an orphan in an orphanage, without a mother and a father -- no matter how much of a Christian education they may be receiving. My heart not only goes out to them, but I feel I must advocate for them.

Romans 8:15 says that we won’t be slaves again to fear because we have “received a spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father!’" In Isaiah 66:13, we are told, “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.” 2 Corinthians 6:18 promises, “I will be a father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” There is something very special about being able to be called a son or a daughter, which, for an orphan, comes only through adoption. “In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will -- to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” (Ephesians 1:5,6)

In Galatians chapters 3 and 4, Paul speaks about what this adoption is really all about and what it means to be called “sons of God” (3:26), to “receive the full rights of sons” (4:5), and again, being able to call out, “Abba, Father” (4:6). When you are adopted with the full rights of a son, “you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.” (4:7) Being adopted through Christ has meant that “we are God’s children. Now if we are God’s children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.” (Romans 8:16, 17) Throughout the Bible, you will find that there is great significance in being an heir and being eligible to receive an inheritance. It’s the difference between being a “legitimate” child or the child of a slave. “(T)he slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” (Galatians 4:30) When we adopt, we are telling our children, “All we have is yours. You are our child forever, you belong to this family. God has a plan for you, He loves you and He set you in our family.” Our adopted children’s chores and responsibilities are not
as slaves, but as members of a family and they will reap the benefits of our collective labor with the right of inheritance. They are not just earning their keep when they do their chores, as it is with a slave. And they can cry out “Daddy!” and “Mommy!” when they desperately need us.

In Romans, Paul goes on to talk about the freedom involved in being God’s children (8:21). He relates the pains of childbirth with that of waiting for adoption: “(we) groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we are saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?" (8:23, 24) The Bible sure makes adoption sound glorious! But how are orphans who have neither a mother nor a father to relate to these verses when they are given no hope for adoption? Instead, they are still in the pains of illegitimacy, without the full rights of adoption as sons and daughters, aliens in a foreign household and slaves to the master of the house. If the Body of Christ were truly mobilized according to James 1:27, there would be a family available for every orphan in this world and all of the funding for it would be available. There may still be societal reasons that orphans may still exist (being able to identify them and get them off of the streets, terminating parental rights, governments which obstruct adoptions, etc.). But Christian families
who are unwilling to adopt and churches which are unwilling to actively promote adoption should not be part of the reason why there are still orphans.

Jesus said to his disciples, "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." (John 14:18) Why would Jesus say such a thing? Clearly, it’s because there is something awful about leaving children as orphans. It’s the ultimate abandonment. He also said, "And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.” (Matthew 18:5) And the Psalmist wrote: "Though my mother and father forsake me, the Lord will receive me." (27:10) The Body of Christ is to welcome these abandoned children, to receive them into our families and to definitely not leave them as orphans. When you study the totality of Scripture on this subject, you can see that this is the fulfillment of James 1:27. Isaiah writes that we are to "Defend the cause of the fatherless." (Isaiah 1:17) That is the responsibility of the Church. “(F)or in you the fatherless find compassion." (Hosea 14:3b) We are to do His work.

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after the orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” If this is true, then shouldn’t looking after orphans and widows be an integral part of every church’s mission statement, and more importantly, shouldn’t it be reflected in what we do?

For the orphans,

Rebecca Kiessling

After the Holidays....

Christmas is officially over and our family has been so blessed! We have enjoyed spending time with our families and celebrating the birth of Christ. The kids have been thoroughly spoiled by "Santa", grandparents, family & friends! They received a Wii this year for Christmas and it has provided HOURS of fun together and David & I have enjoyed it after they go to bed at night as well. One of the sweetest moments on Christmas morning was when Abbey had opened all her gifts (which was 5 presents) and she came running up to David & I with a huge smile on her face and said "Santa got me everything I wanted. I got everything I wanted for Christmas this year!" Oddly enough, "Santa" had not got but one thing off the list she mailed to him but she didn't seem to care. I am so thankful that our children still believe in the "magic" of "Santa" and my favorite part of Christmas is seeing their little faces when they walk in the living room on Christmas morning & realize Santa did come. For the past few months, Wyatt has watched in amazement as David would shave his face. He would beg David to let him shave with him but David explained he couldn't because the razor could hurt him. Well, "Santa" must have sent some elves to Target because Wyatt got a Transformers razor set for Christmas! It has a lathering brush, mirror, kid-friendly (no blades, all plastic) razor, shaving cream & shampoo. He was SO excited when he saw it. He begged us all morning to let him "shave". We finally caved in and went in the bathroom. David taught him how to squeeze out the shaving cream, use the brush to apply it to his face and then how to shave. He loved it. He was very serious throughout the whole process and refused any help from David...he was a "big boy' that could shave by himself! (See pictures below)
I go back to teaching PreK Monday and I am so thankful to be returning. I have really missed the kids in my class and missed being in the classroom teaching. I am also thankful that my mouth is healing so well and that even though I still have lots of stitches in my mouth, they will dissolve over the next few weeks. I can't wait to get back in my classroom and start having fun with my 26 four & five year olds everyday! I hope you have enjoyed a wonderful Christmas as well. No matter what, we are all SO blessed and God is SO good!

Wyatt practices shaving his face & neck. He had to go through the entire "shaving" process three times before he decided his face was not "scratchy" anymore! :)

Wyatt loved lathering his face! He thought that Daddy using the brush
to lather his face was the funniest thing ever!

The Past Few Days....

First, I wanted to say thank you to all of you who have prayed for me & my family, made food for us, sent cards, called and encouraged us as I recovered the past few weeks from surgery. We are very appreciative of each act of kindness, each prayer that you sent up on our behalf and the generosity and love you showed to our family. We feel very blessed to have such wonderful family & friends to go through life with us & love us.
Our family is busy preparing for the Christmas holidays & going about our everyday tasks. With the economy & my surgery, Christmas has really been scaled back for us. However, I think it presents a great opportunity to really teach our kids the true meaning of Christmas. Of course, Santa will still come but in a more simpler style! Also, we will share the birth of Jesus with them & celebrate Christ birth. Our kids love the book "This is the Stable" and we love to hear our kids re-tell the story of Jesus birth. With a 3 year old, the story usually has some "comical" moments!
On Friday, we found out that the father of some of our dear friends (that live in Canada) has heart cancer. He went in for surgery to have a lung removed (because he had lung cancer) and during surgery they found out it had spread to his heart. He is still in the hospital & he will be undergoing chemotherapy & radiation treatments to try to prolong his life somewhat. Our hearts ache for them so greatly. We pray that they come to know God in a more real & personal way, that through all this they cannot deny God & the need to have Him in their lives and that they will turn to Him and find hope, strength & comfort in His arms. Please join with David & I and pray continuously for Mr. Gilberds, his loving wife, son Kevin, daughter Heather & their other daughter as well as their entire family.
And finally....My Mom bought the kids a Gingerbread House Kit. I decided yesterday afternoon would be a great time for me & the kids to assemble & decorate the house. Plus, since Christmas is just a few days away, I figured it might last until then! So, we sat down at the kitchen table. We emptied the contents of the box & I read the directions. The kids were already using their "kid scissors" to open the candy packets long before I even had read the first direction! I opened the bag of royal icing & began assembling the house. Mind you, this was no easy task with a 7 year old, 5 year old & 3 year old! Every time I would get a piece iced and stick it to another piece someone would bump the table in their quest for more candy and everything would shake or fall. The directions said "Hold each piece together for 1 minute to adhere bond". I don't know what timer they used but it was more like 10 minutes per piece for our house to adhere! Meanwhile, the kids were growing impatient to start icing & adding candy (which was dwindling by the minute!) Finally, I got the shell of the house assembled & started piping the icing. I let the kids choose where everything went, what candies they wanted where & what colors icing to use. They even got to help ice & decorate parts of it themselves! They had a blast and learned to share & be patient in the process. However, we did have a few "reconstruction" moments where the table bumping caused pieces to collapse again! In the end, with the few pieces of candy we had left to actually decorate the house, a beautiful little Gingerbread House had been built! (See picture below) When it was all done and everything was cleaned up, Abbey said "Mommy, can we leave the Gingerbread House for Santa to eat?" So, maybe Santa will be excited to see a Gingerbread House instead of the traditional milk & cookies!
We hope the next few days before Christmas are wonderful for you & your family and we hope that you each have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

PS: Ignore the date on the side of the picture....my camera will not hold the correct date/time anymore & even though we have the date/time feature turned off on the camera...it somehow manages to still come up (with the wrong date) on every picture! :-(

The finished Gingerbread House!

First Christmas Celebration

We celebrated our first holiday gathering with the Latham family Christmas at my parents house this past Saturday. This is my Mom's extended family and we always have a wonderful time with all of them. We ate way more than we should have, played Dirty Santa, enjoyed watching all the kids play together and most of all, enjoyed being with each other as we are not able to be together very often. We are looking forward to more holiday gatherings in the next week. Several of our friends are traveling or flying home for the holidays and some cannot even be with their extended families due to the miles that seperate them. We feel very blessed to be able to celebrate Christmas with David's family, my family & with our children in our own home. Here are a few family pictures that were taken Saturday.

The Devil Stomp

One of my Sunday school teachers in a small group Bible study a few years ago was Tammy Haden. If you don't know Joe & Tammy Haden, you are missing a true blessing! They are currently serving in the mission field in Zambia, Africa and although we miss them dearly we know they are fulfilling God's calling in their lives. She taught a lesson one Sunday morning about the Devil that I will never forget. She was teaching us how Satan likes to come into our lives & attack us & make us doubt the will of God & the ways of God in our everyday lives. She said that when she could tell the Devil was trying to mess with her she would literally stand up, stomp the floor & tell Satan to "get back down to hell where he came from, that he was beneath her and that he was not going to be victorious in her life". I can remember thinking "What?? Are you serious?" As I have grown more spiritually and asked God to give me a more personal, real relationship with Him, I have found myself doing that exact thing at times in my life. I have literally stomped on the ground and screamed at Satan that he was NOT going to steal my joy or make me lose faith in God or doubt God. I like to call it "The Devil Stomp" and let me tell you. It works! One of my favorite Bible verses reads:

"Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." Mark 8:33.....

How many times in life do we go through a trial or a test and let Satan become victorious by allowing him to create doubt in our minds, we begin to lose faith, we can't see the light at the end of that tunnel, etc? I am just as guilty as you of letting Satan into my thoughts when the trials come. There have been so many times I should have been doing the Devil Stomp and instead, I am wallowing in self-pity! Today was one of those times....David & I have been doing a lot of praying & trusting lately concerning some issues. I am off work basically the entire month of December and he has been off for 2 weeks to take care of me while I recover. We both knew each other was praying & trusting God for certain areas of our lives. David kept reminding me that God never leaves us out to dry & He will come through some way, some how. Don't get me wrong...I totally agreed and knew He was capable of doing just that. But as Christmas creeps closer and the end of the month draws near, I started letting Satan get the victory. I began to question, start getting upset about something I can't change & worry about what we would do. David just reminded me all day that God is going to take care of it and to keep trusting. So, here I am, upset, worried, beginning to despair (letting Satan come alive) and at the same time saying "God, I know you are going to take care of us & I trust you. I really do!". At one point today, I felt like the cartoon character that has the devil on one shoulder & the angel on the other. My mind was filled with such mixed emotions. As always, God came through with flying colors and perfectly took care of us. Tonight, God brought me to my knees & reminded me that He is perfect in all of His ways & He never leaves us. He knows our every thought and our every need. It also proved to me that I HAVE to do the Devil Stomp more often and not allow him to even get above my feet!

Merry Christmas from David & Gretta

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

The Gift of Marriage

There are some things in life that happen & because of what you go through, you are more appreciative of those around you. This surgery has made me so thankful & appreciative of David. Not that I didn't appreciate him before, but this experience just showed me what a gift from God he really is! Times for us have not always been easy & those of you who know us, know that we have gone through some hard times. After surgery, the first thing I remember was a nurse telling me "ok, Mrs. Johns, we can take to your room now since you are awake". The first thing I actually saw after surgery, was the sight of David standing at the end of this long hallway waving & smiling at me as I was being rolled to my room. He kissed me on the forehead & reassured me that he was there & that I was going to be just fine. He was amazing during those first 24 hours. He stayed awake and was constantly at my bedside even if I just glanced his way. He asked the nurses questions about things that I was experiencing & answered all the questions they asked me since I couldn't talk. He didn't sleep that entire first night because he was afraid I would need something & he wouldn't wake up since I couldn't talk. Even after we got home, he didn't sleep much because he wanted to be there for me. Finally, he crashed from a lack of sleep (but it was several days after my surgery). He has done everything....literally! He has cooked every meal for the kids & whatever I felt like I could eat (which hasn't been much). He cleaned the entire house & does a little cleaning everyday to maintain it. He has done laundry, gave the kids baths, done homework, done our bedtime routine with the kids, played with them, reassured them Mommy is o.k. and will be able to talk again soon, kept my spirits up when I was getting down from pain, kept me hydrated when I didn't even want to swallow, answered the phone, talked for me while I can't speak, encouraged me, reminded me that this will all be over in a few weeks and so much more! He has been amazing!! He really stepped up to the plate and has not complained at all. He gets tired & worn out, I know. I used to get tired by the end of the day just doing my day-to-day routine. However, David has not complained. He just takes a little rest & gets right back at whatever needs to be done. I am SO thankful to God that He gave me such a wonderful, loving, committed husband. When I look at David, I know we will grow old together and be sitting in our rocking chairs on the front porch of our dream home reminiscing about all the things we've come through! Thank you David for being the most incredible Christian husband a girl could ask for! Thank you God for knowing exactly who I needed in my life .... for the rest of my life!

Prayer Warriors for the Gunns

I am calling all my prayer warriors to pray for Wes & Amanda Gunn. Their little girl, Lily, was born with some heart problems and just undergone her 2nd heart procedure yesterday. Amanda keeps a wonderful blog that tells all about their family & about Lily's progress. In her blog, she said "God can heal her if I ask". (http://www.motherhoodonamission.blogspot.com/ ) Most of you know, our Sidney was born with a heart condition that we were told would require heart surgery at age 1. We prayed for God to heal her everyday & He did in His own time. David & I know that God is still in the modern day miracle business and we are asking you to pray along with us and Wes & Amanda and claim a complete healing and restoration in the life of little Lily. I posted a couple of pictures. The first one is me & Sidney in NICU. They would let us take her off the machines for about 5 minutes each day so we could hold her without the cords & machines. That picture was one of those precious moments. The 2nd picture is Sidney a few months ago being a "fashion rockstar" as she called herself. She is now 5 years old & does anything & everything she wants with no restrictions. Please join with David & I & become a prayer warrior for Lily, Wes & Amanda. They will appreciate your prayers & they need them right now.

We're Home!

We got home from UAB around 2:30pm today. The surgery went well with no complications (other than he had to cut away & reconstruct more than he thought he would). The entire palate of my mouth if full of stitches & is severly bruised. My right arm is sore from Heparin shots & a bruise from where they moved me during surgery I guess. My left arm is sore from Heparin shots & a flu shot. My jaws hurt to open them, the top of my mouth feels like it is raw & at times it feels like chunks of skin moving around, my tounge is real tender and burns touching my palate and my throat is real sore from the tube they put down me for surgery. I knew all this pain was to be expected though. Yesterday & last night, I had lots of morphine through my IV and some nausea medicine. In the middle of the night, I got so sick at my stomach. They decided it was a combination of anesthesia, blood I was swallowing from my mouth & all the antibiotics they were pumping into me. Today, I feel some better but am still having lots of pain. It was SO good to get home though to my own bed & couch. David has been great through it all and was there for me everytime I even looked at him. I am so blessed to have him as my husband. To look at me, I look pretty good considering I've just had surgery but on the inside I am in an enormous amount of pain. I got good pain medication (liquid) to use at home and am happy to be back with the kids & David in our home. Please continue to pray for us all. I have 2 weeks of no talking and soft food diet. Then I go back for a follow-up visit to find out about the next phase of recovery. Thanks for all the prayers & encouragement. I am very thankful the actual surgery is over and I am ready to recover & get back to normal.

Pre-Surgery

Well, it's officially here...my surgery is tomorrow! Since I will have some no talking restrictions after surgery, I am going to use our blog to talk! Most of you know my nickname "Little Miss Chatterbox" so you know I am going to find a way to talk! So, you can check back here for occasional updates on how things are going post-surgery for me & my family. I am so thankful to have wonderful parents (both mine & David's) who are willing to jump in and help us with our kids while I am in the hospital. My parents are taking care of Abbey, Sidney & Wyatt and David's parents are taking care of Jessie. Of course, once I am released from the hospital they will come home and David will take on the role of "Mr. Mom" (which may produce some funny moments to blog about later!). This is the first surgery I've had since we have had children. I must admit I have some anxiety about this surgery. Not the surgery itself or being put to sleep, or even recovery...but how it will affect my kids for Mommy to be out of commission for awhile. I don't want it to affect their normal routines or schoolwork, etc. I know God is going to see our entire family through this from beginning to end and He will make the recovery a smooth process for us all. So, tonight I am standing fast on His promises and trusting Him to see us through these next few weeks as I recover. Thank you for all the prayers that will be lifted up for me & my family tomorrow & in the days to come. I promise you that we will literally feel your prayers & support and we appreciate your love, encouragement & concern more than you know. We feel very blessed to have each of you that are reading this in our lives. Check back in a few days for post-surgery update......