Amazing gifts

This Christmas is a bit different for us...we don't currently have a home (we just relocated across the country and are staying in a basement apartment of a kind family), half our belongings at least are in storage, and after an adoption and a move and various medical bills, our resources are drained. Our time and energy has been drained as well in looking for a home for our family....the children dread having to get back in the car to drive all over, poor things.

It will be a simple Christmas here but blessed.We have received some amazing gifts this year in these challenges. We have two precious children with us that were not here before. Last Christmas Joshua lay in his crib all the day hearing little ones around him. Now he is in a family and the people he hears talk to him and hold him and love him. Last year Lily spend her time in a stroller and now she is held and carried around and has discovered CLIMBING! They are about to have their first Christmas in a family. Last Christmas was when we committed to adopt Lily...what a blessing that she and Joshua are here with us. Two lives being changed...what an amazing gift.

One of our favorite little boys on Reeces Rainbow since we first looked into our adoption (of Sean), is Victor... he was in a different region than Sean so we couldn't adopt him ourselves but we've been praying he would find a family... this Christmas he is with his family after just coming home in the past month! You can read about him and his precious little sister here!

We recently found out how other families --who read our story in "Above Rubies" are now adopting special needs childen! One family is getting their homestudy done to adopt Priscilla ...she emailed me a few months ago and we were so excited.
Just a week or so ago, another preciosu family contacted us that are in the Ukraine right now adopting a little girl named Alice. They just had court today and now she is their daughter!! Praise God. Here she is....isn't she precious?


Emily, Alice's mother, also wrote that 2 families in her church are also adopting special needs children after hearing their story too. Wow.
(you can go to the blogs of Alice's family and Priscilla's family on the sidebar by clicking on their beautiful picture buttons)

These are amazing gifts...Lives are being changed. Our lives, their lives....5 orphans will be orphans no more. I wonder what other gifts are going on from the Lord that we don't see or know of yet. Isn't it amazing how the Lord works and how He interweaves our lives? God's gifts are far greater than those in packages under the tree.

Lets think about gifts the Lord gives us, whatever our situation, and thank Him this Christmas.

"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His love endures forever.
To Him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever."

Psalm 136:1-4