Chances in the Will of God

Just when you think that you have things figured out, God pulls a fast one on you and you are blindsided! Well, this is not how it really is, but it certainly can feel like that sometimes, can't it? He has a plan for all of us and sometimes we think that we have it figured out, but then BAM, and what we thought was so concrete is now flattened. And He begins to build what He desires now that our plans are out of the way.

I have intentionally not wrote much on our family and process since returning from the Congo. I wanted to keep the blog all about Mercy's Mission and focus on orphan ministry while I figured out what God was up to in our own personal family.
Leaving my kids in that orphanage in Congo still burns my heart in the deepest way. I cannot express the bond I have with those children, not those children, my children! As much as God broke my heart for the orphans in general and how they live day to day, He broke my heart for mine. He has started a passion for orphan ministry deep within my soul because I looked into their faces and heard their stories and I will never forget them. They don't deserve that, they did nothing to be orphaned!
So, when you have asked about my trip, and I shook my head and began sobbing...that is why. I will never be able to put into words the brokenness that I witnessed.

Most of you know that when I arrived in Congo, I was under the assumption that my two kids, were cousins. But then after talking with the pastor, I realized they were brother and sister, and not only that, but there was another sibling. The other sibling is an older sister who is about 11-12 years of age.
When I asked why we weren't told this, he simply said..."she is too old, no one wants the older children" How sad that is! Once the orphans reach a certain age, they know that there is a one in a million chance that they will ever have a family. The whole time I was there, she had the saddest look on her face. She knew she had not been chosen. I wanted to tell her that we didn't know anything about her. That I would love to have her, but we are already adopting 3. And 3 was a stretch for us. "We" had only wanted two children from Africa. But GOD had another plan and I am so glad He did.


Once I returned home, Ray asked me about the older sister. I explained how helpful she was and that she was basically their mother. She did everything for them. He then wanted to know if we could get her also. WHAT? He had just opened a place in my heart that I dared not go. Even though I was with her alot. I let the thoughts that she "could be" mine go in my mind one minute but quickly dismissed those thoughts, because it didn't fit with my plan. 4 kids! There is no way...I couldn't do it.
So I just kept praying for her and even offered to help find her a home around here, so that she would be close to her brother and sister! Then Carter and Camron fought for her. They couldn't stand the thought of her being left at the orphanage without her brother and sister because that was the only family she knew. I have to admit that my boys and my man had more faith than me that we would be able to raise her as well. They begged, they prayed, they cried! "OK, I will check into it" I gave into the thought that, what is one more! My boys amaze me, I know I would not have been so accepting of my family adding 4 kids to our family when I was their age.

So last week, I began making phone calls to find out what would be required to pursue her in adoption as well. I know that most are thinking, we have lost our minds, and you are probably right. But I could not have come up with our crazy adoption journey if I tried. All I can say is God! Blame Him :)

As I checked into amending our home study to approve us for four children instead of three and also amend the ages of the children we are approved for, I hit a roadblock.
There is a Congolese law that states a family can only adopt 3 children. So I call and have people check into it to see if we can get around it, but no. For now, the law states only 3.
Well that stinks, because we are now left with a choice. Do we leave older sister over there alone or do we give up the referral that we have had since November? "This is our Kaleb and You gave us his name", I tried to tell God. We have his name on the wall in the room that Camron is planning on sharing with him. He has pictures all over our home. I have video of him laughing and sticking his tongue out and he is so stinking cute:) So, after thinking and praying about this hard decision, we have decided that adoption is about keeping family together and not ripping them from the only family they have.


I don't have any idea how a child that is 11-12 and has grown up in Africa will adjust to our culture. I have so many questions. But I know that God is in this. We, of course, still have to have our home study approved by our government, so there is a chance if we have heard God wrong on this...He can stop it.

So, we covet your prayers. We just want to do His will for our lives and the lives of all 4 of these children as well as for Carter and Camron.

Allow me to introduce to you :)
Alina Chance
I about fell out when I profiled her at the orphanage and found out her middle name was Chance as well! But of course it is, because God wants us to be the family of second "Chances"

Oh, how I miss them:(

Meat is a Treat!

I just wanted to give you a quick update on the children at the orphanage in Congo.
Our National Director visited one orphanage 2 times last week. He was able to buy food for the orphans to last around 2 weeks. This food was purchased from many people who gave generously last month. He filled up a rented truck with huge bags of beans, rice, maize flour, cooking oil, sugar, tomatoes, bread flour, powdered milk, sorghum flour and yeast. I had asked him to please buy meat for the orphans because people in Congo only eat meat for special occasions, like holidays.
My desire is that the children will start  to celebrate when our National Director comes to town with food as a "special occasion". He is teaching them that God is providing the food and meat for them through people in America that love them and are praying for them personally. I want them to be able to connect God with the food that is provided and how He is a Father to the fatherless.
He was unable to buy meat on his trip that day because the meat is fresh (and I do mean fresh as in hanging on the animal at the butcher's shop and you pick the parts you want to purchase:) and it was raining very badly that day. Once you buy the meat, it must be cooked that same day because they have no refrigeration to keep the meat good. So they weren't able to cook the meat so he asked if he could go back to the orphanage on Easter. I thought that was a great idea, so he went back to Congo and bought meat and the children had a feast while celebrating our Lord's Resurrection Day! They wore their best clothes and praised our Lord for hearing their prayers.  Isn't that awesome! While Easter candy is a treat for most of us here , meat is extremely rare for them to be able to have. It is a most treasured treat! And the children were able to praise God for providing them with food to last them a couple of weeks but also have the joy of eating meat!

He told me that the children are much happier and seem to be healthier after just 2 weeks of having more than one meal a day. They are not only receiving 2 meals a day but also porridge in the morning, which is very nutritional for them.


We still have plenty of available children for you to sponsor and depend only on donations to keep up this ministry.  Please email mercys.mission@yahoo.com if you are interested in sponsorehi. You may donate online right here on the blog using Paypal or send a check to :
Mercy's Mission
C/O Morningstar International
PO Box 1111
Columbus, GA 31902

Delivery of the food:

Praise You God for providing this treat for them! All things come from You and we bless You for how good You are!

I could not get the pictures from the Easter celebration to post:( They are in a zipped file and would not load onto the blog. Sorry!

The faces of Mercy's Mission

Great news about Mercy's Mission.  The profile cards are being printed and the children are ready for sponsorship. A huge thanks to Jenny Williams and Tracy Kash for all of their hard work in creating these cards! They look awesome ladies!
If you are interested in sponsoring a child, simply email us at mercys.mission@yahoo.com and provide your name, address, contact number and email. And we will mail you a profile card which includes a picture and brief history on the child. For $33.00 a month, you will provide a child with 2 meals a day as well as an education. $3.00 out of your $33.00 monthly support will be used for wiring fees as well as  paying our African National Director and covering his expenses. The National Director is our Rwandan friend and brother in Christ and he has a big job.   He will be travelling to Congo every 2 weeks. It takes 4 hours for him to get  into the Congo. He will be responsible for buying  the food and delivering  it to the orphanages as well as paying the children's school fees. Please pray that God will be with him in a mighty way as he has agreed to take on a special ministry for the "least of these". We could not carry out this ministry without his help.
For security reasons, I cannot post what orphanage these children are living in or the area of the Congo that they are located. Please take my word for it, you will be changing lives when you sponsor a child. I don't believe that every family is called to adoption, but I believe that most Americans can spare $33.00 a month in order to change a child's life.

Another thanks to Barbara Milam, Deanna Fowler, and our Saturday night Bible study for the awesome Carmel/chocolate apple fundraiser. There are so many who helped out with this project and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We raised over $1900.00 to help out with the food costs until these orphans are fully sponsored.

A look at the children you will be helping:
They range in age from 2-17. We have 2 orphanages that we are trying to get complete support for. There are about 185 children total.

 

May these children find mercy in Jesus Christ through His servants!

Hardest day ever

Congo: Day 6

Warning: bare and raw emotions ahead...

This morning began wonderfully  as I was able to just hang out with my babies. This is our  last full day in Congo. Tomorrow we will cross the border and drive to Kigali to go to the airport.So  we let Gary go shopping for food as Patti and I were able to have some time to love on some kids. 
We drew and colored. I taught Moses how to write his name...well his old name anyway with his new last name. Mubaba Cummings. I am struggling so hard with changing their names because it is all they have and I don't want to rip what little identity they have from them. So please pray for wisdom in this decision. I am known in this orphanage as Mubaba Mama and Florance Mama everywhere I go. He calls her Flora in his sweetest African accent. I know Mubaba is different for an American name, but it is cool and I think it is quite catchy after hearing it all week. People have told me that if we left it the same, he would for sure be made fun of in America. Bottom line is... They are not American by birth and I do want to keep some of their Congolese culture. I try to my best not to Americanize the 2 children that we have now that was born in America. We are known for being very materialistic in our country and that is not what I want for any of my children.  So prayers will be appreciated on this because it involves such an important part of their life...how they will be recongnized the rest of their lives! 

Today was by far, the hardest day of my life. I never could have imagined the bond that formed this week. I knew I loved them without even seeing them because God grows that love in your heart during the long process of adoption and especially since we have looked at their sweet pictures for 6 months. But nothing could have prepared me for the attachment that I feel. I don't want to go home. I wish that I could bring my family here and live until this never ending process is over. Hint hint, Ray :) I know God has purpose in the waiting time, but I'm not going to lie, it stinks. Tell me I have shallow faith if you want, but I don't want to leave my babies here. I am ready for them to come home, I just don't understand why God isn't.  My heart is broken into a million pieces as I have to leave this country. Mubaba asked through a translator how long until I come back for them. He just looked up with those beautiful eyes and just wept. She just kinda looked at us and smiled. She isnt at the age to really understand. But he is and he was broken hearted. I told him that we will pray everyday that the judge will let it be soon, in a couple of months hopefully. I have so many questions answered though. I had fears that they wouldn't like me or that we wouldn't bond. And now I know we are going to blend well as a family. They are as close to perfect as you can get. They have the sweetest smiles and the cutest giggles. They love to be tickled! I was able to meet the pastor at the church service yesterday  who brought them to the orphanage and ask him questions about them. He is a special man that has a true heart for the fatherless and was able to thank him for taking care of them after their parents died.  I was able to get a bird's eye view of how they live so that I can help them adjust to the new life they will move into. I was able to see how big they are and what size they will need. I was able to find out that I need to buy some cool boy light up shoes! But most importantly, I learned about their personalities and was able to see them interact with other children. They love Jesus and are always praying and singing to Him in this orphanage. So even though my heart just about burst when we hugged and cried for a good 20 minutes together, I wouldn't trade my coming here for anything. 

After this, I had a good 30 minutes drive to pull myself together until we reached the small orphanage that I mentioned in an earlier blog. Patti and I profiled these children here just in case we were able to get enough support for 2 orphanages. I know it is a big vision, but when you see the need, you cannot sit by ignorance. Gary went shopping again for us because we had to get a big load for the first orphanage and now we needed another big loadfor this sweet home.  Thanks to so many of you, we were able to buy food for 2 places. You were the answer to many prayers. They have to truly depend on God here for that next meal and He used your gifts to bless them today and for many days to come! While  we were profiling, Gary went shopping and while he was out, his backpack was stolen in the market. His passport was in his backpack and we are suppose to be leaving early in the morning for the border! Good thing we know a good lawyer here that helped us understand the depth of the corruption here (more about that in a later blog) We come to find out that thieves work with the police here so that if they get something you need back, you will have to pay them both off to get your belongings back. Our lawyer friend is working through the night to try to find the passport and see how much money is required. Please pray that he can find it or that the AmericanEmbassay in Rwanda can help us tomorrow. 

Congo: Day 4

Our goal was to finish profiling today, however a lawyer friend that we have became close to had other plans. He wanted to take us to lunch and to visit some other orphanages. You cannot come over here with a plan and accomplish in the time that you wanted. When you are here, you are in African culture and go by African time. Flexible is the key word for each day :) but we had such a good time. 
Moses was very quiet today when I saw him and wouldn't look at me in the eyes hardly. When I asked through the translator what was wrong, he said he had been wondering what kind of food he would be able to get at my house. These children are going to have major food issues here. I am trying to feed them constantly because I want them to connect the abundance of food with mamma. I told him once he gets to my house, he will never have to be hungry again and that we have lots of food at our home.  He looked up and smiled. Every time I give them something, Mercy quickly eats all of hers, but he saves some of his and loads his pockets up. I went to change his shorts today, but realized that he liked the cargo type pants he had on because they had lots of pockets, even zip up kinds. They were too big for him, but I couldn't take them off of him, he wanted a safe place to hide his food and hot wheel car and bouncy ball that Carter and Camron sent him. Once they are home with us, it is going to take quite awhile for them to get used to having food around the house 24 hours a day. Once home though, my children will be taken care of, but there are so many children who will never be able to have a family to call there on.  Pray for God to make Himself known in special ways to these special children.  There are so many sweet children here that are longing for families. 

Nothing is your own in an orphanage. You have nothing to call your own. All of the clothes are stuffed into a potato sack in the corner of the room. They don't have anything on the less than twin size beds that they share with 4 kids. They put my kids pillow pets up by the clothes sack. If you leave anything out, it will be taken.  I can't imagine living life like this. 

We were able to take Moses and Mercy to lunch with us and visit the other orphanages. So many firsts for them today....first time to a restaurant, first time to eat with a fork and spoon,  and the first time to sit on a real toilet.  They ate way more than I did. I loaded their plates up and they ate almost all of it : fish, potatoes, cabbage, fried bananas, rice and pineapple juice. 

We then visited  an orphanage that is here in town. It is very well taken care of with assistance from Europe. It houses lots of kids and they even have a soccer field and technical school on the compound. We then visited a small orphanage that is not so blessed. They are desperate need of funds. They have needs of food, medicine, and schooling as well as the one we are working with. The need in Congo is overwhelming. 5 million orphans in Congo alone!

Congo:Day 3

Today was a very busy day as we began profiling the children for sponsorship cards. 
I heard each ones story of how these children became orphans. Some were abandoned, some lost their parents due to malaria and other illnesses, some of their mothers committed suicide because they were raped. However, most have been killed as a result of civil war in Congo. They have been brought here by pastors, priests, neighbors, doctors, and parents who have remarried and the new spouse doesn't want the child. Such hard stories, but such is the life of those in Congo. 
You would have thought that we were giving out money as each one waited to be the next one in line because after they were profiled, they got to visit Patti. Patti runs the store and gets to clothe each one with the clothes that you donated. They needed clothes desperately. Everyone here wants and needs shoes also. The problem Is that we didn't bring nearly enough shoes with us. Hopefully, we will be able to find good shoes at a local market. They need tennis shoes because of the rocky volcanic ground on the compound. Please remind me next time to have shoe drive:)

I do have to share something funny, I had brought shoes and clothing for mine, but when I got here, I figured out that I planned on them  being bigger than they were. I pulled out some shoes that I had brought for Mercy, but noticed they were way too big. But Moses quickly took a liking to the pink and white ones because they had lights on them that lit up when he walked. Worse than the shoes, was the Hello Kitty socks that were tucked in the shoes. He didn't think twice about putting them on. I just laughed and let him go. The whole day, he kept stomping his little foot just to watch them light up :) priceless. I later found him some nice Nike shoes, but he still choose the light up ones to save  as his nice Sunday pair. Anything goes here, the kids wear whatever they can. Today I saw a 2 year old boy in a dress. 

Today we started worm medicine for the entire orphanage. They almost all need it and for simplicity's sake, we lined them all up and treated them all. 

Great news: we gave the children 3 meals today. Thinking they will sleep well tonight.

I have fallen head over hills in love with my two. I went to tell them goodbye and goodnight and started crying. Moses looked at me in the eyes and dropped a tear as well, but quickly wiped it away. He broke my heart. Please pray this adoption process moves quickly. This is so hard...to see where your children are living and not be able to get them out. 

Congo: Day 2

Today we spent time loving on the children in the morning, Patti was able to feed a small girl who is literally skin and bones from our bread leftover from breakfast at the hotel. We had a long meeting with the pastor and his wife,  then we watched the children eat lunch. We asked if they could prepare lunch with the food that they were planning to use for dinner. And assured them, we would buy food for the next meal. Watching them eat is an experience, they sit all of the small children down first and served them hot milk. I'm talking boiled milk! Then once everyone is done drinking, they slopped maize and cassava down on a huge pan and have about 15 kids surrounding the 4 or 5 pans. Then it is everyone for himself. They dig in with their hands and go to town. They eat every last drop and eat it as quickly as they can. I have pictures to prove they sweat like crazy at meal time because they don't even allow the food to cool. As a treat, they put a serving of beans on each plate and the kids devoured them in a matter of seconds. Then group 2 sits down to eat and the whole process starts over again. And lastly the oldest children. My heart goes out to this age because they are last in everything. Everyone always pays attention to the small ones while they are turning flips literally for your attention. Some of them are good at somersaults! They love when we clapped for them :) The pastor told me that no one ever wants to adopt older children, only the younger ones. Once you reach the age of about 3, your  chances drop significantly. And after age 5, it would be a miracle. No one chooses the 8 year old or 10 year old or would dare choose a 12 year old or older. Please pray for these in particular. I can't imagine the feeling of hopelessness they must feel after years of no one choosing them. 

 Then we went shopping for food, we spent the entire afternoon shopping for food. You cannot just go one place and buy everything that you need. We had many places to stop, and getting around here takes forever. The roads are horrible, but I was fine because my children were able to go shopping with us. They walked around quietly absorbing everything. Im sure they never leave the  orphanage compound. Our last food stop was the butcher, which is a huge deal because the children only receive meat on special occasions, which isn4 times a year. Well, we wanted to ensure that they felt special today :)

There are about 150 kids here, if not more, we haven't profiled them yet. 
They are starving for attention. There are small children who just kinda wonder around the compound which is on about 3acres of land. They are left to themselves. With only about 5 caretakers, it is impossible to properly care for these children. 

Almost of all of the children have worms! Their tummies are huge. I stopped while shopping and started mine on treatment, but the pharmacy didn't have enough for all the children, so we will pick up more tomorrow. 

Poverty is such a real issue here, parents cannot afford to feed their children, so their only choice is to leave them at the orphanage. I cannot imagine that kind of desperation.  Since we have been here, 3 have been left. 

Not only is this place an orphanage, it also houses widows and rape victims. Some of the widows and rape victims also have children. This can seem like an overwhelming project, but it can be done with Christ's help.