the further we go in our adoption certification classes, the bigger my view of GOD gets. tonight we talked about abuse and neglect and the immense hurt these precious kids in cps custody are tacked with. our case worker gave many specific examples and  the stories are beyond comprehension but they are real. the most heartbreaking thing is the way these tragedies find a way to scar these kids for life. we have a giant responsibility to love these children, to accept them as they are with these scars,and to beg GOD for healing and recovery. i am thankful that GOD is so much greater than me, that his heart…

its hard to say no when GOD tugs so strongly on your heart….i’m going to HAITI! i really don’t know many details yet but i do know that i said yes and will be using the gifts i’ve been blessed with care for the injured and sick in haiti. i have an incredible peace about this unknown and am so excited to see what the week will entail! here is a blog for the medical group i’ll be joining.

i’ve been saying lately that there seems to be a black cloud looming over the children’s hospital. i mean i see suffering everyday but those kids just can’t catch a break. it’s been a tough few months of losing kids, receiving new kids with new cancer diagnoses, and trying to alleviate nasty side effects we inflict on the kiddos by trying to treat their cancer. it’s wearing me down. i’m constantly thinking and praying about those kids. they don’t deserve that at all. with all suffering, we are not dealt it because we deserve it or not. i suppose we should take it and immediately look to God and ask…

the most common question i’m asked about my profession is “how do you do that?” well my answer has always been easy, i’m passionate about helping the kids and families and i feel that it’s a privilege to walk along side them during such difficult times. it’s the most difficult thing i’ve ever had to do and i do it everyday. i cry with families, i rejoice with families, i go home from work and worry about the kids but i don’t think i could make the same impact i do without being vulnerable to “feel.” after seeing the heartache and unknowns day after day i begin to think i’m…

matt spoke about the biblical implication of work this morning at the stone and i believe his words are worth repeating as we live in a material society and it is probably true for most that work is simply the means to make a living. here are some other ways to view the work we have landed into:1. embrace that you are doing 100% god’s will wherever you are; god’s will is not by accident. acts 17:252. you are working for God. col 3:233. pray for/look for internal purposes that god has for you. eph 4:28in viewing work through the lens of these truths, i believe we can restore joy,…

the haiti devastation has left me with an incredible passion to change the world! well i know that’s not a reality but i do know that i can strive to live my life to selflessly love others. i’m inspired more than ever to pursue adoption, although not directly related to the tragedy, i know that i am called to open my heart and home to children in need. i am encouraged that my husband shares the same desire as i do but am discouraged that it can’t happen by the snap of my fingers!click here to watch an inspiring video about our friends and their enormously huge hearts for adoption!

sadly, i witnessed another innocent child lose their battle to cancer on friday. my heart is completely shattered and i only knew the child for a few short weeks. i didn’t even have the chance to get to know him while he was well, i only knew him in the hospital; suffering. my heart hurts for the family as i cannot even begin to imagine the hurt they are experiencing. i am forever changed by each of these little lives that i am blessed to be a part of.

lately i have had an overwhelming craving to be a mom….I believe it is god’s answer to my prayer to shape me and prepare me for that opportunity. i have learned to trust his timing so i have very patiently waited for my heart to be “ready” but the desire is incredible. we have been exploring adoption lately as we learned of the daunting number of children in the cps/foster care system that are awaiting a home. i am broken because these kids don’t yearn for their own room with all the material “things” but they hope for parents that are going to LOVE them no matter what. we all…

“but blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. he will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. it does not fear when heat concerns; its leaves are always green. it has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” jeremiah 17:7 i desire above all else to be THAT tree.