What if......

Before, during and even after Samuel's adoption people, mostly people who don't know us well, frequently asked us "what if" ......
- he does have heart problems like most DS children have;
- he is developmentally further delayed than initially thought;
- he has other health issues that were not picked up in Ghana;
and the list continues.
Together with the "what ifs" went a "Would you give him back - if the "what if" is to difficult?"

Our response to the above and "why Samuel, not another child?" had always been that God knitted Samuel together and He will grant us strength to deal with any "what ifs".
God also knew why Samuel had to be the one specific child to stir our hearts in terms of adoption, yes we had encountered many orphans BUT God placed Samuel in our family.
We love him and there is nothing we would not do for him and his sisters.

This past week I have been "witness" to a family's love for their daughter. On their blog http://allarepreciousinhissight.blogspot.com/ they share the story of Chrissie, their "Serbian princess", who has a serious heart condition.
In a time when negative adoption stories are making headlines, this adoption story is a testimony of God's amazing grace, love and strength. This family's obedience when God called them have changed lives across the world - God has definitely used them to touch my heart again & again. They are rooted in God's love.
As I pray for Chrissie's heart, my own heart overflows just thinking of how amazing it is to know that she is loved abundantly - in heaven & on earth.

The "what if" is there regardless whether a child is biological or adopted. However we serve a mighty God and through Him all things are possible. Step by step, daily He will lead us.

Urgent prayer request

Tim's recovery after the removal of the tumor on his adrenal gland had been miraculous.
Tim had already been back on the golf course and was actively involved in the Zimbabwe Open last week.
However he had a seizure on Thursday night which landed him in hospital.
Subsequent scans revealed a tumor pressing on the left lower portion of his brain.
The neurosurgeon have requested more detailed brain scans
(to be done on Tuesday) where after Tim & the family will decide on the way forward.
At this stage Thursday has been provisionally earmarked for possible surgery.
Tim's initial radiation therapy in South Africa due to start in May,
will then be postponed as well as "expanded" to include the new tumor.

Lord, together with Tim's family we specifically pray :
- for complete healing of Tim, that no tumor will be visible on Tuesday;
- that Natani (almost 11 years old) will be able to understand / cope with the new situation especially since she witnessed the seizure on Thursday;
- that You would grant the doctors wisdom in treating Tim;
- that You would grant Tim & his family peace & strength for the way forward;
- that they as a family will be able to see & hear God in all of this;
- above all they proclaim the Blood of Jesus over Tim,
he belongs to King of Kings & stands under His protection no matter the worldly circumstances.
Amen

We know that God is 100% in control of this situation.

We know that no matter what, when we look back we will be able to see

God's fingerprints all over this time of Tim's life.

We know that we serve a loving God, a Father who wants

only the best for His children.

We trust Him - always!

April update

The past 3 weeks had been somewhat crazy, disorganised, chaotic, whirlwind and anything else that might fall into that category would pretty much cover it. We spent 2 weeks in South Africa and most of the above occurred in the first 10 days of our stay.

Our Easter weekend was spent surrounded by family, this included celebrating my sister's birthday on the 5th.

Somehow this trip home involved a lot of ice-cream and where there was ice-cream, there was Samuel. A sugarcone left unattended was snatched up & yes, he did try to hide it behind his back :)

Samuel even made friends with Marica's "new babies" - he was a little apprehensive at first.

We also had our furniture taken out of storage in order to make sure our "house is in order" for future holidays down South. Yeah, 2 truckloads with lots of hard work stored up on the pallets. After a week of choas, I had not even made a dent in the unpacking - it will have to wait until the next holiday :(

Despite Samuel having his own "big boy" room, he still prefered to spend time in Yvonne's room. On our first night in the house, we could not get him off her "bed" - she was half asleep when he decided it was playtime :)

The girls were so excited to meet up with one of their best friends from Ghana.

Olivia, we just loved seeing you!! :)

I must admit that in the midst of unpacking and sorting out, I realised what a blessing our move to Ghana had been.

Yes, we did sacrifice a lot - family, friends & comfort zones - BUT we gained so much more.

We had grown spiritually, emotionally, our family had grown closer than before and our family had been blessed with a son. We had become more aware of the world around us and the needs of others and we became involved. We learnt that God asks us to be servants and that sometimes it will cost us to serve and at times it will even hurt.

Samuel loved playing in the empty boxes - we pretended they were trains, cars, planes, you name it - BUT for some children this box is all that they have..... their place to sleep, their place of safety....

God has blessed and continues to bless us beyond belief on our journey away from home.

Love me

Samuel is at that very inquisitive / experimental stage.....

He is at the stage were he experiments with words - more like playing charades with lots of pointing & "grunting".

He likes to experiment with various household items - can a whole toilet roll flush down the toilet? / if the dishwasher light goes on, it means its working even if its empty or only has some toys in it / can a feather duster work even if all the feathers have been "plucked"?

He prefers to feed himself, even if most of the food is on him / Mommy / every where except where it should be - his tummy!

"No" only means that I lovingly look at Mommy and try again.

And gaining access to his sisters' bedrooms is like hitting the jackpot :) - treasures in the form of phones, bangles, ipods, anything the results in a "EEEEEhhhhh"

Do we want it any other way? NO WAY. Just one look at this little face says it all. After being "busy", he always comes for a kiss...........

We are incredibly blessed with an inquisitive, busy little boy.

September 11th

"I'm sure all of you can remember exactly where you where on September 11th when Twin Towers got hit. About 3,000 people lost their lives due to this tragic event. But this was not the biggest loss of the day..... Did you know that about 30,000 orphans / vulnerable children across the world lost their lives that day(still do daily), many dying of preventable causes?"

These words were part of the opening address at a networking meeting for orphaned and vulnerable children I attended last week.The speaker continued with statistics about new HIV orphans per day, children out on the streets due to hunger crises and many more. The first question already had my heart in pieces and from there on it felt heavier by the minute.

The speaker called us fanatics for being there and that God wants us to be fanatic about each child out there. The word "fanatic" has such a negative connotation, yet the dictionary states "a person who is very enthusiastic or too enthusiastic about something". He also touched on Exodus 22 : 22-24 where God warns Israel about their social responsibility towards widows and orphans.

Whilst we were praying for Samuel, about this time last year, George & I listened to a Joyce Meyer session on TBN. We were asking God to provide us with a "clear directive" regarding adoption - yes, I know looking back I can't believe we still needed to hear a specific word :) - when Joyce said there is over 2000 verses in the Bible about widows & orphans and our responsibility in caring for them.

By the end of the meeting I felt drained yet positive. The majority of the role players who attended the meeting testified to God's provision in trying times and His power in making a way where there seems to be none. I can't wait to see what God has planned for this group of believers and their work with the children.

The past month has not been the easiest emotionally & spiritually for us. Many issues were brought before the Lord in prayer and we still don't have all the answers. I do know however that God does provide "clear directives" and even a push in the right direction when needed.
We just need to be still, listen and be obedient - God will take care of even the smallest detail.

"Thank you Lord

that You love each orphan / vulnerable child out in the world;

that You love us just as we are;

that You want to use us in Your kingdom;

that You bless us abundantly each day.

Help us Lord

to love others unconditionally;

to reach out and touch someone in need each day;

to share abundantly as everything that we have is from You."

Water fun...... & so much more :)

As I "might" have mentioned before, Samuel loves water -

any kind that gets him soaking wet.

From a bath after trying to feed himself.......

To trying to wash something, anything as long as it means water in a bucket.......

After waterplay, sound asleep by Mommy.

And then he found a "water source" in the house -

that he can reach :)

What alerted Mommy, was the alarm that went off

because the deep freeze had been left open too long-

way too long!

This activity has since gone a step further.........

he has found a way into the fridge vegetable draw

and plums are his new favourite fruit...........

Not a day goes by that we don't learn something new from this precious little one.

His sisters think he is the best "stress reliever" around - his antics keeps us smiling.

53rd Independence Anniversary of Ghana

Samuel had his 1st official Ghanaian function :)

We received an invitation from the Ghanaian Ambassador to join them

in celebrating Ghana's 53rd Independence Anniversary.

Samuel looked so smart - he had on his 1st formal pants (yes, a zip & belt).

He is still not sure what happens to his legs when wearing long pants,

even his jeans - its to cute to see him checking that they are

still there underneath the fabric.

As the youngest Ghanaian there, he had everyone dotting on him

and he loved the attention.

Our little man walked around as if he was royalty.

Everyday we fall even more in love with this special little boy.

We stand amazed at the work God does in him and

the way God uses him to touch the lives of other people.