12/28/2007 - Friday

• 12/28/2007 1:23:06 PMUnder $3,000All praise to the Lord God Almighty!  Nothing is beyond His power.  He owns all the cattle on a thousand hills.  He finishes the work He starts.  He provides everything that is needed and above and beyond.
  
  

  Holy Cow!

  
  

  Thank You Lord!

  
  

  You da Man!

  
  

  You are so much Much MUCH  M O R E than "da Man"!

  
  

  You Are God!

  
  

  You are from everlasting to everlasting

  
  

  You are the beginning and the end

  
  

  You are the Alpha and the Omega

  
  

  You are Jehova Jira - my provider.  Your grace is sufficient for me.

  
  
  I am your servant and your child.  What an awesome thing.
  
  
  
  
• 12/28/2007 10:31:10 AMTNT Fireworks OpportunityIf you are looking to make some extra money this summer and like working with people, there is an opportunity available with TNT Fireworks at the tent in the parking lot of Wal-Mart on the East side of Green Bay.  If you are interested in this, please contact me and I will direct you to the area sales manager for more details.
  
  
  
  This is a great opportunity for families or church youth groups to raise some additional funds for their personal projects, vacation, missions trips, vacation... what ever!
  
  You can also visit the TNT Website for details.
• 12/28/2007 10:08:43 AMGood news for AlexSome time ago, we had been considering adopting another boy along with Yuri.  Based on the results of prayer and other factors, we decided not to proceed with his adoption...  Enter the Chase family.
  
  Since Alex's first visit to Wisconsin, many of the Lighthouse families have been praying that there would be another family with heart for adoption and an empty spot just the size of one Russian boy.  I have been writing to Mr. Chase for the past several weeks and want to express several things to them.
  
  First of all - C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S!!!
  
  Secondly  - Welcome to the growing number of Lighthouse families!
  
  Thirdly - Prepare your fields for the coming rain.  (See the movie: "Facing The Giants" for the explanation)
  
  If you are a reader of this blog, I would encourage you to visit their website - "The Adoption Chase" and send them an encouraging note.  

12/27/2007 - Thursday

• 12/27/2007 10:29:57 AMEnd of Widows and Orphans FundDecember 31st, 2007 will be the last day of the Widows and Orphans fund at our church.  In November, the Governing Board voted to close the fund at the end of the year.  The last day they will accept donations to it will be the 31st.  Anything that comes in after that will be directed to the church's Benevolent fund.
  
  We can still receive donations for the adoption in other ways.  People can still contribute by sending gifts to:
  - Community Bank Financial
  - Through the website via Pay-Pal
  - Sent to us directly
  
  Go to the the Donate page for details.
  
  While I am sad to see this end, it does not mean the end of ministry opportunities to widows or orphans.  Since our adventure to bring Yuri began, many hearts have been turned towards the Lord and new ministries sprung up.  People that used to stand on the side-lines and watch have pursued opportunities in their own circle of influence and done wonderful things in the name of God.

12/23/2007 - Sunday

• 12/23/2007 11:08:35 PMA Home For The HolidaysI saw an interesting adoption special on TV the other night.  It was about foster care adoption and was sponsored by the Dave Thomas foundation.  Dave is the founder of the Wendy's franchise and was himself adopted as a young boy.  He has a heart for orphans and this program was an outreach of the foundation he started.
  
  As I began to watch, it became clear that it was a very secular production.  Sheryl Crow came on and sang a song that went similar to the following:
  Peace be upon us
  Peace be upon us
  Peace be upon us
  If you know what I mean say yea
  
  There were other artists that had a similar message and it got me thinking.  What they are after is a world that embodies everything that Jesus stands for but with out the "baggage" of religion.  What is the so-called baggage you ask?  Heaven is often referred to as a "kingdom".  As such, it is ruled by a King.  If you want to reap the benefits of the kingdom, you must submit yourself to the authority of the King.  A lot of people have trouble with that.
  
  When they sing, "Peace be upon us" are they singing to some supernatural warm-fuzzy entity that has magical power and is floating around in space from an old Star Trek episode?  Of course everyone wants peace, but why not appeal to the only One that can bring true and lasting peace?  Peace between the Creator and the creation.  Between God and man.
  
  In a little over 1 day from now, we will celebrate Christmas.  The day when God became a man and brought with him the gift of reconciliation for some long outstanding issues.  Jesus paid a price I am not capable of paying.  The Holy Spirit is actively working to restore what was damaged from sin.
  
  May the peace, grace and mercy of the Lord, Jesus Christ be upon us.
  
  A Home For The Holidays
  
  Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption

12/19/2007 - Wednesday

• 12/19/2007 11:45:43 AMAll is quietWe're preparing for Christmas as usual this year.  In the extra moments of each day, Peggy packs and organizes our luggage for the coming trip to Moscow.  Earlier in the month I had spoken with Lisa Smith of Lighthouse and then again later with Val the adoption coordinator.  It looks like the earliest we will know of our appointment will be on January 8th.  That doesn't mean the appointment will be on the 8th, just that this will be the earliest date that we will be notified of the actual date.  I wish I had more news than that.
  
  As I said, Peggy is packing the luggage and looking for appropriate gifts for the people in Russia.  I am keeping my eyes on news from the Homer's adoption adventure and the Wagner family via email.  Between those two and the Frank family, it seems that every one has a very different story to tell.  What will our trip be like?  I am afraid to pray about it.
  
  One time we had a missionary come to our church.  She told of how she resisted God's calling on her life to be a missionary until one day she came to the place where she agreed - but on one condition.  She told God, "I'll go if you promise to make it very interesting".  Later she said, "I didn't realize how dumb that sounded.  God must have been laughing and thinking, 'I'll make it interesting alright... don't you worry about that!'".  Then she went to Africa and ate all kinds of things she said she would never eat.
  
  If I pray, "Lord please help me to grow in my walk with you on this trip to Russia" - what kinds of things will God use to make me grow?  Will he take all the things that I fear and throw me in the middle of them?  It makes me think that when I pray, I need to choose my words very carefully so that my desires are not misunderstood.  But perhaps that is just foolish thinking on my part.  The Lord knows what is on my mind even before I speak it.  The Holy Spirit will interpret my words and emotions into their true meaning and God will hear and know clearly.  The God I serve is not one who tricks people, manipulates their words and uses what they say against them - that is something that humans do to each other.

12/15/2007 - Saturday

• 12/15/2007 12:05:43 PMChildren of LeningratskiThe first time I became aware of this documentary was on the Homer's blog.  Recently, Tracy updated again and got a first hand - up close look at the plight of the orphans and homeless children living in Moscow.  She writes:
  
  I don't think I adequately have the words to express what I'm feeling.  We've seen homeless in the underpass the whole time we've been here, but today there was a group of children. They were younger than Andrei. We were on our way to dinner and I left Brent and Andrei at the restaurant and ran to the grocery store. I got two heavy bags of food that I thought might last a few days and handed them to two tiny dirty children - girls - who were begging at a food stand.
  And then I went home and cried.
  More...
  
  
  Children of Leningradsky
  

12/12/2007 - Wednesday

• 12/12/2007 11:49:05 AMFeet and InchesToday, another donation came in through the website.  Peggy called and asked me to update the chart on the front page of the website.  The chart shows that we are approximately 7% away from our financial goal.  It feels like we have stood at the foot of Mount Everest and the summit is within throwing distance of a snow-ball.
  
  Just a few more steps...

12/10/2007 - Monday

• 12/10/2007 9:41:58 PMInteresting QuoteThis blog is not meant to be a commentary on politics, but when I read this quote from Mike Huckabee, I thought it was pertinent to the kinds of things we've been battling over the last few months.
  
  This quote comes from Arkansas Online:
  
  Huckabee said ungiving individuals are responsible for higher taxes.
      "I'm often asked why taxes are so high and government is so big. It's because the faith we have in local churches has become so small. If we'd been doing what we should have -- giving a dime from every dollar to help the widows, the orphans and the poor -- we now wouldn't be giving nearly 50 cents of every dollar to a government that's doing ... what we should have been doing all along."
  
  
  Amen to that.
• 12/10/2007 1:53:13 PMYuri UpdateYuri has been diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and he is currently in the hospital.  This is his second stay since fall began.  I just got off of the phone with Lisa Smith - director of the Russian Orphan Lighthouse Project.  She said that the Russian courts are pretty backed up right now and there is very little chance for us to get an appointment for December.
  
  Apparently from around December 15th to January 15th, most government places are closed down.  She said if we could secure a court date, the Lighthouse project is ready to go but unfortunately it is not up to them.  So for now, we will continue try and secure a court date and prepare for travel as best as we can.
  
  At this time, I guess we're hoping for an appointment some time around mid-January.  Until then, we will pray for Yuri's health and try to find a pediatrician who specializes in Childhood Rheumatoid Arthritis.  If you know anything about this or know a good Doctor in North East Wisconsin, drop us an email.
  
  
  
  

12/3/2007 - Monday

• 12/3/2007 3:15:29 PMUnder $4,000The Lord has opened the flood gates and the remaining amount has dropped to just under $4,000.  WOW!  Praise God!
  
  My beautiful wife called me at work today and said that Pastor Kuhn called about a very generous gift that came from a far away land.  This amount, combined with the income from the final fund raiser has put us in excellent shape financially speaking.
  
  In earlier posts, I had mentioned that each blessing from the Lord was followed by some of Satan's handiwork.   This time, the handiwork came first.  As we inch closer to our court date in Russia, it becomes even more important to keep our eyes focused on the Lord.  It is too easy to become distracted by things that do not glorify the King.
  
  Lord, please clear the way.  Just as you did in days of old with Daniel and the Lions den, please shut the mouths of the lions.