O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have set Your glory above the heavens!

 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have ordained praise,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, 

 What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him? 

 For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,

All sheep and oxen—
Even the beasts of the field, 

 The birds of the air,
And the fish of the sea
That pass through the paths of the seas.

 O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth!

Psalm 8 

What a mighty and gracious God we serve! What does one say when their hearts are overwhelmed with praise? Often times when I feel words are inadequate in expressing my gratitude to the Lord I will do one of two things: sing a worship song or echo the words found in Scripture. How excellent, majestic, worthy is your name in all the earth! Over the past month I have found myself overwhelmed with the desire to praise, thus I have found myself whistling, singing, and reciting Scripture. Why am I overwhelmed with praise? In God's sovereignty and grace He has allowed us to be apart of His plan, specifically His plan for all four of our children! What an awesome privilege, what a heavy responsibility, what a mighty God we serve!

A month ago tomorrow we picked up Kiah and Jenessah from the orphanage in Ethiopia . Those of you that do not know, after much prayer we decided to shift Kiya's name to Kiah which mean's Salvation and change Semira's name to Jenessah which means God's Grace. There are many reasons why we decided to do so, but ultimately it came down to the reality that we believed the Lord desired for us to do so. God is into redemption and often times redemption comes with a name change (i.e. Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, Simon to Peter, Saul to Paul). We were a little nervous how our girls would receive their new names. Yet, when God leads He always prepares the way. Both of our girls, without a doubt have embraced their new home, their new family, and their new names. If we accidentally call them the wrong name, they will get a smile on their face and quickly correct us. Even if their siblings call them by the wrong name, the correction is quick to follow. This is just one of the many miracles in how the Lord is working in Kiah and Jennah's heart!

There are many questions we have received since being home. I will try to answer some of the most common questions.  First, how are all four of your kids adjusting? Short answer: they are all doing really well! Surprisingly well! We very well may be in what many people call, "the honeymoon stage." We know parenting is a challenge and we have done much parenting in the past month (for all four of our kids). Each one of them seems to be receiving the parenting and adjusting to the new normal. Tiffany told Luke the other night, "Luke, I love you." Luke's response, "Mommy, I love Jenessah." Before each meal Kiah and Jenessah  often times are the first to remind us we need to pray. They do not fully understand our prayers, but while we were in Ethiopia some of our dear Christian friends would pray in Amharic. From the first day we picked up the girls we have prayed over them and with them. They know prayer is important to our family. They now are the one's who will make sure we pray before meals, bedtime, etc. Just today at lunch Jenessah was singing phrases of Jesus Loves Me. I am amazed at how the Lord is already growing the seeds that we are striving to plant. Their hearts are soft and have absorbed everything we have invested. What a privilege to be apart of God's story in raising our children in Him. 

We had planned on an extended time of "cocooning" when we returned home, to help with bonding. Our extended stay in Ethiopia served as an initial "cocooning" and when we got home we limited activities. Shortly after staying home, it seemed our daughters were ready to begin trying and experiencing new things (as long as we were close by). We started with a quick trip to Costco, all six of us. We did not know what to expect and were ready for anything. They did great! They were wide eyed and active participants in choosing our food. Since then we have brought the girls to church, which has been awesome worshiping together. It is a blessing having the support and love of our church family! We believe the prayers of our family and friends has been the reason our family has transitioned so well! Thank you for you prayers, thank you for your support! We are blessed because of God's love for us. We count it a privilege to share that love with others!

Let not your heart be troubled

Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know...I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. 

-John 14:1-4, 18

I have always loved the context in which Christ told His disciples, "Let not your heart be troubled." They had just found out that Jesus was going to be leaving them, how could their hearts not be troubled? It was at the point of potential heartache Christ told His disciples He would be preparing a place for them. Christ offered comfort as He presented the hope of glory.

Two weeks ago we heard from a dear friend in Ethiopia who was our driver while we were in country. He told us he had been able to visit our girls and asked them if there was a message they would like to send to their family. Kiah's message to us was, "Mom and Dad Come quickly." The restlessness we have felt reminds me of the context of this passage found in John. I can't help but imagine Christ's desire to be reunited with the church, His bride. The feast described in Revelation depicts great anticipation on both the bride and the grooms part. (Revelation 19) I can only imagine what it will be like when this day comes! It has been through our circumstances God has made this passage and many others come to life. Across the globe the church has cried out, "Father, come quickly." Yet, the Lord continues to tarry (wait). Their is still work to be done, and it is through Christ's bride, the church, that this work is to be carried out. The challenge as one waits, is to remain focused on the task at hand, to not get sidetracked from that which must be done. The Lord's patience in His return is not because He does not desire to be re-united with the church, but rather, "He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9) The Lord desires the feast described in Revelation 19 to include many more. He is not sitting by idle, but actively working in and through His people preparing for the day of His return. We too should not sit by idle, but participate in the preparation of this feast inviting the lost to know Christ.

There are many things that are being accomplished for our girls while we wait, rooms are prepped, car seats are bought, but the most important thing we are waiting for is citizenship. As we wait for our daughters to receive citizenship in the states, Christ waits for many more to find citizenship in heaven. This citizenship is permanent being established only through the person and the work of Jesus Christ. Waiting is not easy, yet for the believer waiting is always done while resting in the promises of Christ.

My message to my girls, is similar to Christ's message to His disciples, "Do not be troubled, we have so much room for you. We have a special place for you in our homes and hearts. We will come to get you soon and you will never be orphans again!!"

Adoption Video

Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,
    extol him who rides on the clouds;
    rejoice before him—his name is the Lord. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
    is God in his holy dwelling. 

 God sets the lonely in families,
    he leads out the prisoners with singing;

Psalm 68:4-6a

   
There are many things we would like to share with you, but it is impossible to adequately express all of our emotions and experiences. We would first like to share how faithful God has been to us through this whole process, and we are confident His faithfulness will be what carries us through the years ahead. His faithfulness has been seen through the support and prayers we have received from so many! His faithfulness has been seen in His timing, from the beginning! His faithfulness has been seen in the quick bonding we experienced with our girls! His faithfulness has been seen in the care Luke and Miah received while we were gone, and their strength as it was the longest we had been away from them! It is an understatement to say God is good! Yet, we find ourselves constantly sharing this truth, God is good!

Some stories from our trip (there are many more, we we would love to share with you in person if we get the chance):
We met our girls the Sunday before court and were able to spend about 3 1/2 hours with them in the morning and about 3 1/2 hours with them in the afternoon. It was awesome! When the girls walked into the room where we were waiting, they came right to us and gave us hugs and kisses. They sat on our lap and looked at us with sweet, curious faces. The rest of the week they were either on our laps or playing with us. It was incredible! They both called us mommy and daddy in Amharic, and they loved seeing pictures and videos on our phones of their brother and sister (Luke and Miah). The following day we were able to make our court appearance, which was less intimidating than I could have imagined! The judge was gracious and granted us custody of the girls at the end of our interview (the paperwork still had to be processed, but the verbal affirmation did our hearts good). We were allowed to see the girls every other day for a few hrs. This was a special and unique opportunity which we are so grateful for!

Mid-week, after watching many videos and pictures of Miah and Luke, Kiah asked us, "Can I go into the phone?" Our translator told her that she was going to live where the videos were taken, that it was her home and she could go there soon. You could see her little brain imagining what this meant. It was amazing to watch her imagine what her life will be like in our family. She called Luke and Miah her brother and sister and gave there pictures kisses frequently. Both of the girls loved wearing Tiffany's necklaces and when asked what they were wearing they replied, "It's my mommy's necklace." It was precious and priceless to see our girls so ready to accept us as their parents. We believe our prayers were answered as so many sleepless nights we would pray, "Lord allow us to grow in our daughters hearts as they have grown in ours." This prayer has been on all of our families hearts and minds. We saw and experienced the answers to this prayer! God is good!

We are praying and hoping we will be able to go back to get the girls in the next couple of months. When we received custody we were able to start the citizenship process for the girls. Until this gets done we will not be able to go back to bring them home. Every day we are away is harder and harder. We had tried to prepare ourselves for this break but the past couple weeks our hearts are divided. We do not, and will not, feel like we can settle in until all of our children are together in our home. We appreciate your continued prayers and support as we await the timing to go back. We trust the Lord will continue to provide all of our needs, knowing He is our great provider. We look forward to the day our girls get to meet all of our friends and family who prayed them home. We love you all and are glad that each of you are forever a part of our families story! Thank you!

In His Timing!

 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,  to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”  Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. Galatians 4:4-7

Scripture clearly describes God's sovereignty and plan for humanity. There are times in history where the Israelites questioned God's timing and plan, nevertheless God was rightfully seated on the throne. Paul describes God's perfect timing in Galatians 4 writing, "the fullness of time had come." Many scholars speculate "why" this was the perfect timing  for Christ's birth. Hindsight has given scholars some great indications on why this may have been God's perfect timing. Yet, without all the answers Paul understood Christ's birth as God's timing because of God's sovereignty.

As we have walked down this road of adoption there have been many times we have prayerfully sought God's timing. At times we even questioned God's timing. To recap the past two and a half years...we initially began our adoption journey pursuing a infant domestic adoption. Yet, we felt called to adopt multiple children. A year into this journey we transferred to international adoption. We do not always know the answers, but I (Will) wondered why we began our adoption journey domestically. The answer (at least in my mind) is now evident as we have accepted a referral for two little girls. Although we are unable to share detailed information about these two precious children. There are a couple of things I do want to share that point that reflect God's sovereignty and plan. Within days of us initially walking down this adoption journey our youngest daughter was born. We have been praying for both her and her sister all of her life. God had placed these little girls on our hearts from day one. I will be the first to admit, starting an adoption domestically and then switching to international did not help with the speed of our adoption. Yet, God allowed us to take the "round-about" way so our timing would align perfectly with these two girls. Had we been any faster or any slower this referral would not have taken place. Have I mentioned God's timing is perfect! The morning we received our referral Luke and Mya had the day off of school. They were playing in the backyard and I was listening to them talk. Luke yelled across the yard, "Daddy, Mya made a birthday cake for my sisters." I said, "What are you talking about?" He responded, "Not this sister my other sisters." I tried to correct him saying, "Son, we don't know if you are going to have sisters or brothers. You could even have both." Like many other times, he shrugged off my comment and continued to play. Little did I know, the Lord was impressing these little girls not only on mine and Tiffany's heart, but also on our children's hearts. Within 30 minutes we received a phone call that has changed our families life. We were introduced to two precious little girls. Needless to say, we are so excited!! Many of you have been praying for us and have supporting us...Thank you! We are praying that our first trip to Ethiopia will take place sometime this summer. If all goes well our second trip could be as early as next fall/winter. There are many variables in adoption, these variables can increase in an international environment. We covet your continued prayers and trust in God's perfect timing!

Work to do!

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going. -Ecclesiastes 9:10

         Have you ever had the Lord teach you the same truth time and time again but each time you learn through a different process? It seems each time the Lord re-teaches me a truth my understanding is more comprehensive and the practicality of the truth becomes more obvious. Since the passing of Tiffany's grandpa, the Lord has been getting my attention as a parent. The beginning of this month my family had the privilege of going back east to visit my brothers and parents for a late Christmas celebration. While we were there I was able to take a course at Liberty titled, Family Discipleship. As you can imagine this course was very practical in both my home life and ministry. I was, again, challenged to be the father and husband God has called me to be. Let me assure you this is not a call we should take lightly! God has called me to disciple my children and train them in the fear and admonition of the Him. This is not a passive call but requires me to be intentional in everything I do. As parents we have been called to be the primary spiritual influence in our children's life! What a privilege! There should be an urgency in the believer's approach to parenting. My once infant daughter is now 5 1/2 (I include the half because she will graciously correct me if "accidentally" leave this off her age). Luke just celebrated his fourth birthday. This means I will have, at least (the ages of our children in Ethiopia is unknown until we receive a match), two school age children in under a year!

              Over the past few months as Tiffany and I have been awaiting the match of our two children in Ethiopia (which we are still awaiting), I have constantly been reminded of the opportunity I have right now. I do not have the luxury to wait to disciple my children. If I wait, I better be sure that someone or something else is influencing them. Passive discipleship is unacceptable and ultimately ineffective. My children are growing up and there are too many negative influences in the world for me to passively "hope" they figure it out. Ecclesiastes, along with many other passages in Scripture, calls the reader to do their very best at whatever they put our hand to. This exhortation is not limited to parenting, but surely it does not exclude it. God has graciously given me two children and I must do my very best in training them to know and grow in Him. I do not need to wait until all four children are in my home to disciple them, but I am called to disciple them now. In fact, I believe if I do not intentionally disciple my two children who are currently in my home, it will be far more difficult to disciple all four children when that time comes. I am committed to doing my very best for the Lord outside the home, this should be no different than my influence inside the home. What a privilege to be able to influence the next generation! What an even greater privilege to influence my children who are a part of the next generation! May the Lord graciously give Tiffany and I conviction and wisdom as we seek to fulfill our responsibility in training our children to know and grow in Him.

Generational Faith

As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.  For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, And its place remembers it no more.   But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children's children.

Psalm 103:15-17

 I [Paul] have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

2 Timothy 1:5

This week I have been reminded of the most important call in my life, to pass on my faith to my children, so it might be passed on to my children's children. This remembrance has come because of the passing of a Grandfather. Tiffany's grandpa, Clinton, passed yesterday morning. I am always amazed at the realness of life when one is found so close to death. For some this realness causes fear and trembling, as one look's back upon their life they might be filled with remorse and regret. Yet, this was not even remotely the case for Tiffany's grandpa. A godly man he was and a godly legacy he left. Over the past few days family and friends filled his hospital room sharing great memories and stories. Just yesterday morning a gentleman that attends our church stopped in my office and shared of how Clinton picked him up when he was a young married so he might be able to attend a bible study.Years of life, years of love and years of ministry. This life has left his children and grandchildren holding the faith he so faithfully passed on. Tiffany is one of the many testimonies of her grandpa's faithfulness. Her love for the Lord and her family has been passed on to her by her grandpa and dad.

As a father of four (two of whom I have never met...but am anxiously awaiting), there is no better example to look to. How can I pass my faith on to my children? I am privileged to look at Clinton as such a man. Clinton demonstrated his faith in both word and deed. The demonstration of his faith allowed children, grandchildren and great grandchildren to see the tangibility of being a Christ follower. Whether it was caring for sick children and grandchildren, serving at rescue missions, advocating for those less fortunate, or just doing want parents and grandparents do; Clinton's faith was seen. Likewise, Clinton had the ability to advise children and grandchildren. His advise was driven by his love of the Lord. This is the example I have to look to as I strive to pass on my faith to my children's children. Sometimes parenting can be so narrowly focused addressing the actions rather than the issues. I am reminded from Scripture and through Clinton's great example, parenting has the ability to influence multiple generations. May I be reminded of the great ministry and privilege God has entrusted to me as a parent. Understanding the biblical perspective of generational faith, influence my children and children's children. I am grateful for such a great God who allows Himself to be seen through His people and am blessed to have witness such faith.