VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

I LOVE Vacation Bible School (VBS)! Always have and I pray I always will! Kev calls it my soapbox.
I remember as a child going to the one at our church and my parent's home church. I remember, the pledges, singing Fairest Lord Jesus, VBS cookies (you may know what I mean. The little shortbread cookies with the hole. We put them on our fingers.), and crafts, (One in particular was plates, cups etc made into a candle holder glued and painted a solid color. My first DIY project).

I'm sure VBS is one of the many places where my knowledge of the Bible grew. Being from the country, VBS was one of the highlights of the summer. I want children today to enjoy their time learning about Jesus and His wonderful love for them as I did as a child. I want VBS to be one of their highlights too.

Our lives are so busy. I'm sure my parents' lives seemed busy too with 5 children. But today just seems so different. We weren't part of Little League, Boy or Girl Scouts, a community pool, etc. We stayed at home for the most part. We had a park across the street. Mom and dad would let us go for an hour or two but we didn't spend all day. We truly looked forward to VBS. We went to a small country church. One of my favorite memories was the year that anyone present at VBS every night got to go to Hardees in a white jeep painted with red pocka dots. Number one, we very rarely went out to eat. Number two, there were no seat belt laws and I can't remember how many kids rode in the jeep but I'm sure it wouldn't happen today.

I heard many years ago that, "Parents use VBS as a baby sitting service. They just drop their kids off and leave."and "All the churches in this area should do VBS the same week. That way we just get our kids."

My response is, "YES, use us as a baby sitting service! Let the children have two or three hours a night for a week learning about Jesus, playing with others, singing new songs with motions, and being creative doing crafts." Instead of sitting in front of a TV, video game or even using a cell phone.

VBS crafts

VBS Song

And as far as all churches doing VBS on the same week. Oh NO! Think about this. If all churches did VBS the same week, the area children would have one week of fun with friends. And would hear the word of God for 4 or 5 days, according to how long the program lasts. Now let's look at if several churches were to do their program on different weeks. The children could have several opportunities to learn songs, motions and Bible stories. By the end of the summer they will have a better chance of having lasting memories and maybe just maybe understand the love of Jesus more than they did at the beginning of the summer. And if the churches did the same program, the children would have different teachers teaching the same lessons and songs. Children and adults learn from repetition.

For example, one year a neighboring church was doing the same program as our church. After their week was up they gave us some of their decorations. We heard of two other churches doing the program. One was doing it the week after us but their first day was our last day so there wasn't time to share decorations with them but the second church was several weeks later so we were able to share with them. We were very appreciative of the decorations and so was the other church. And I believe the people that made the decorations were so happy other children were going to be able to enjoy them.

Vacation Bible School to me is a mission field. I believe God lets us be missionaries right in our own backyard. We don't have to go to a foreign land. God brings the children to us.

Blessings on you,
Mama D

Matthew 19:14 NIV
Jesus said," Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

ADOPTION THREE

Father’s Day 2018, Kev and I were still at the beach with one of my sisters and parents. Kev and I were planning to start heading home. We would have normally gone home on Saturday night in time to be at church on Sunday. This Sunday was different. It was Father’s Day. The Father’s Day following having to take our first grandbaby back to the birth mom. After a few days with my family we were feeling refreshed but not really refreshed enough for Father’s Day and not wanting to have church family focus on our grief and not their fathers and families.

As we planned to leave the beach, we texted the kids to see if they wanted to meet for dinner. Arielle had said something about that a day or two earlier. At the time of the text, Arielle and Jaron had already started for home. We decided to meet in Emporia for dinner at Applebees.

Arielle and Jaron told us at dinner that they had decided to go ahead and put their names back into the list of prospective parents at Commonwealth Catholic Charities. We have been told of families that this same thing has happened to and it had taken another eight months to a year for their book to be chosen again.

Monday morning back to work. I seemed to have been stronger at the beach with my family than I was at work. I had to tell people that asked, “So how’s the new grandma” what had happened. Luckily I was so busy trying to catch up from a week away that as long as no one came by the office I could focus on my work. 

The next week was our scheduled vacation. Arielle’s Grandma Ann and Uncle Jack (Great Uncle) were coming for a visit from Washington State. We had rented a lake house near Arielle and Jaron so we could all four visit without them having to stay with us a couple of days and Arielle and Jaron for a couple of days.

Thursday, June 21, 2018 we got an emoji text from Jaron. It was a roller coaster. And then we got a text from Arielle that had a mother, father and little girl. Kev had sent a text with Uphill or downhill? He had started typing it before Arielle sent her picture but if you text you know how they can sometimes cross in the sending, the same thing with my Is it a girl? and Jaron's heart.

It was a girl! Arielle and Jaron said they don’t want to tell anyone. They weren’t even going to tell us at first. But because they thought they would be on the phone with their social worker during our week of vacation (Arielle and Jaron were not on vacation) they decided to tell us. She said they just couldn’t put family and friends through that again. As soon as they knew for sure the little girl was theirs they would tell everyone.

When was the baby born? FATHER’S DAY, the day they had told us they had decided to get back out there.  Can I just say, GOD IS GOOD!!!

We didn’t know how good until a little later. The mom had her and left the hospital just a few hours later. That’s called a stork drop. The next day, the birth mom came back and told a nurse she wanted her baby adopted and not put into foster care. The nurse must have given her CCC’s information.

My thinking was that at some point in the 24 hours after the baby was born someone had mentioned to the birth mom that her baby would probably be put into foster care. And that’s why she came back. (Remember this is all my thinking.) It’s a special kind of love that a mother has that allows her to put her baby up for adoption. This mother knew in her circumstances (not going to share her personal circumstances, they're not mine to share) her baby would have a much better chance at life with a new family.

Now for the rest of our miracle, after the mom met with the social worker she told her she wanted them to choose the parents. Now the policy is to start with the families that have been waiting the longest. There were two families that had been waiting for a mother to pick them ahead of Arielle and Jaron. The first family was out of the country on vacation, the second one said they just didn’t feel like this girl was the one for them. Next was Arielle and Jaron – YES please!!!

They were anticipating getting to go pick the baby up on Friday of our vacation. They were so excited that Grandma Ann and Uncle Jack were going to get to meet their baby. Wednesday they got a call from the social worker, “Would you like to come get your baby tomorrow.?” Oh yes!

Arielle had a chiropractor’s appointment in the morning. Jaron had a doctor’s appointment at 2:00pm. I’m sure your first thought is change them. Well, they thought about that but Jaron had already rescheduled his appointment once. This appointment was to update his CDL license. It had a deadline on when this could be completed.

Okay, so they made the appointment to pick her up.  Before the foster parents got there, the social worker gave them several papers to sign. She said it’s easier to stay focused on the paperwork if their new baby isn’t in the room. I’m sure she was right. 

 

The moment they (we) had been waiting for – THEIR NEW BABY and our new GRANDBABY!!!!

She was (is) beautiful. One of her arms was taped downed. Her clavicle was broken during childbirth. Of course that didn’t change the fact that she was beautiful!

Kev and I were there taking pictures. Arielle holding her, Jaron holding her, Kev and then me holding her. There were pictures of them with the foster parents, Arielle changing her, etc, etc.

We have a new beautiful baby girl. We couldn’t be happier. Arielle and Jaron wanted a baby that needed someone to love. And God gave them “Josie”. And loved she will be there's no question about that!!!

We would like to THANK EVERYONE FOR YOUR PRAYERS!!!

Blessings on you,

Mama D

1 Samuel 1:27 (NIRV)

“For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him.”

           

Josie loves to praise the Lord even when she sleeps!

Adoption: Two

I had decided to wait to blog on Arielle and Jaron's adoption story and then a funny thing happened. I couldn't sleep. My head was filled with thoughts and memories of what happened. Of how Kev and I felt and how Arielle and Jaron  looked. I kept closing my eyes, opening my eyes back up, typing into the Notes on my phone, closing my eyes then starting it all over again. I think it was after midnight before I could actually get some sleep.

I was talking to a colleague. I told her I know God wants me to share our story in my blog but I don't know just how to start. She suggested starting with a Blessing.

Blessings are God's favor and protection. I have for many years ended my emails with the phrases, Blessings, Blessings on you and Have a Blessed Day. Today I would like to ask God to pour his Blessings on birth moms that have made the hard and loving choice to put their baby up for adoption. For young birth moms that have decided to put their own lives (dreams) on hold or to change their dreams to keep their babies. For people that have made the choice to adopt a baby or child that isn't their own flesh and blood. For family members that choose to support the choices made by the birth parents and adopted parents. I pray that God will give His favor, love, strength and protection to us all. 

Arielle and Jaron had a young mother choose their book. We were all so excited! Kev and I went with Arielle and Jaron to go pick up our new Grandbaby. We stayed at a friend’s house that was only about an hour away from the hospital. They were told to go on Friday and wait for a call from the Social Worker. We went to the town closer to the hospital. Wait, wait and wait some more. A❤️J were told Friday afternoon to come back Saturday.  Saturday we waited some more, Kev had to go home because it was Saturday and Sunday was coming. And not thinking it could take several days he hadn’t made plans for someone to take his place at church. We thought maybe we can just sneak in and see the baby through the glass in the hospital nursery. We found out that this hospital like many others don’t have a central nursery anymore. All babies stay in the room with the birth moms. Arielle and Jaron went to the hospital Saturday afternoon.They saw the birth mom and her parent again and got to hold the precious baby boy.

Sunday they were able to bring him home. Monday they took him to the pediatrician. A little jaundice but perfect as we knew he would be.

They were also told the 10 day waiting period started at birth so he was already two days into the ten day grace period. Tuesday when Arielle got up with him, “ told her, "Go back to bed. I’ve got this.” We were leaving for home that afternoon so I wanted some time with him before we had to leave. I was on the couch holding the little guy with Kev beside me when Arielle came in talking on the phone. As the baby heard her voice he looked up and to me, the new grandmother that I was, it looked as though he grinned. I said “Do you hear your mama’s voice.”  I was looking at the baby and didn’t see Arielle’s reaction. Kev said “Somethings wrong” I said, “I'm sure it’s one of her youth not our baby.” 
  

When they came back in and told us, we all cried together. A❤️J sat on the couch. It was as though someone had sucked the life out of both of them. I walked the baby around a little. After a little while I asked, "When do you have to take him back." Arielle looked at me and for what seemed like a lifetime she finally was able to say - today. She looked like it took every ounce she had left in her to get out that one little word. I guess because the biological mama never wavered during the process the Social worker felt it was okay to send the baby home with A❤️J instead of getting a foster family to keep him for the ten days. 

As Arielle and Jaron were getting ready to take the baby back. I handed Arielle the blanket I had over his little legs. She said, "No mom. Not that blanket, this blanket." It was a blanket she told me a lady in her church had made him and she knew every stitch was prayed over with love. It was made especially for him and she wanted him to have it. After Arielle and Jaron left to take the him back, I started picking up their house. For a couple that didn’t put together the nursery until their book had actually been chosen the house had baby stuff everywhere. I put the glass baby bottles back in the closet.  I washed and put away the baby clothes. I hid the little Daddy’s first Fathers’ Day onesie Kev and I had bought Jaron. The baby blankets, baby seat, pacifiers, and the bassinet were put in the nursery and the door closed.

 Kev helped me get the bassinet moved and he took the trash out.Her daddy answered calls, texts and FaceBook posts from family, church family and friends while I was doing “my Martha thing” as Kev said.

God doesn’t promise  us smooth sailing, if he did people would accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior just to have an easy Life.

As hard as it was to see my “little girl”and her husband go thru this after years of researching, interviewing, choosing an adoption agency and then a year or more of waiting for their book to be chosen by the person God had for them, I think about the other grandmother. She will possibly have moments of grieving the loss of her “little girl”  now a mother. The loss of seeing her daughter go through school, cut up and laugh with friends her own age, taking her to ball games, dances and prom as it would have been without a baby. but if you had met and held the baby you would know he is worth the changes in their lives. And that grandmother I'm sure loves their new little grandson. I know this because Arielle and Jaron met the grandparents. And they believe he is loved.

Family

Everyone that has a baby/ child has changes in their lives. And what I've told teens that have or were becoming parents and others, "You may have decided what you did was a mistake, but that doesn't change the fact that ALL babies are gifts from God." 

In our time of grief, Jaron mentioned that we needed to get away. We were blessed with texts from two of my sisters and a cousin.  God is good! He had all this happen the week they were at the beach. 


While sitting on the beach watching the waves we started talking to a young father sitting next to us. He had heard us talking about maybe one day being able to retire to the beach. And that young father talked about the changes in his life. He had four children. The oldest I think was about thirteen and the youngest one was about three or four. He called the two youngest Irish twins because they were less than a year apart. He said birth control failed them. And now his early retirement plans were gone. You could tell he loved his kids but his life changed with the new babies. I would like to say, the way he played with, talked to and interacted with his kids, it was obvious he was at peace with having to change his retirement plans. 

I remember Kev asking me at eight months of our pregnancy, "Are we doing the right thing?" I looked down at my tummy and said, "It's a little late to be asking that, don't you think?" We laughed out loud! He had all of a sudden gone from over the moon happy to a moment of being scared. (News Flash - Parenting can be scary.) A baby changes everything. After just a month or so of having Arielle we couldn't remember what life was like without her, and didn't care. God is Good!

After the tears, Arielle said, "Mom we have always wanted to adopt to help a child that needs love. This baby is loved. He has gone back to his mama and grandparents that love him very much." 

And that's why new moms, parents get a ten day grace period, to make sure it's what they believe is best for their baby. Even with our grief, I can't let myself imagine how a family would feel realizing after the baby was born that they want to keep the baby, their baby, and be not be able to change their mind. To not have that grace period.  

There's no reason to hold on to the hurt. God has a baby for Arielle, Jaron, family and friends and we need to trust God for He is faithful.

As we are once again in the waiting stage, My prayer for a healthy, happy beautiful baby is renewed. Family and friends have comforted us with love and scripture to hold on to. And it is time to continue our prayers and trust in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

Blessings on you,

Mama D

Isaiah 41:10
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Update: Arielle told us on Father’s Day that they had decided to put their name back out there. And as we were grieving at the beach a baby was being born. (And the story continues.)