Advent, Adoption, and Waiting

And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
My hope is in you.
Psalm 39:7

There are many reasons to love Christmas. For me, one of those reasons, is the preparation that goes into it. Christmas is a season not just a one day event. I realize that very fact can be stressful as well with all the time and effort we put into celebration preparation. But, that is a whole other discussion.

I just love being surrounded by Christmas for weeks on end. Some of that probably comes from the fact that my mother loved Christmas. In our house, the tree and decorations went up Thanksgiving weekend and would often stay in place until deep into February!

For Christians, Advent is to be a season of spiritual preparation to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Advent means "coming". For me, part of that preparation is reading Advent-focused devotions. This morning's devotion convicted me which is why I am writing.

The focus verse is Psalm 39:7. The devotion is from "The King is Coming" found on the Bible App from YouVersion. The writer spoke to the fact the Israelites longed for centuries for the Messiah to come and to deliver them. They just didn't know when.

We have record of His coming. His birth. So, we celebrate it!

But, as the author noted, we share common ground with the Israelites. You see, Advent for us is meant not just to be spiritual preparation for Christmas celebration but, also a preparation for His Second Coming.

We've been waiting. And it is a looooooong wait!

And like the Israelites, we can be encouraged by the fulfillment of God's other promises. Christmas is a reminder that He came once so He will come again!

Here is where it gets personal...... and real.

I am patiently impatient.

What???

I can project patience....and sometimes its legit.....and sometimes its not. There's alot of anxious and wondering thoughts rolling around.

The devotional writer ended with this question: "In what small ways could you alter your attitude about waiting....shifting from impatient to expectant?"

What????

Why not just swapping impatience with patience???

Expectant???

My mind immediately went to our adoption process. Formally, started January 2015. Paperwork filed October 2015. Still waiting December 2016. What are we waiting for right now? A piece of paper called a license to be issued to RLMI so we can proceed. Government bureaucracy. Third-world (some call it Fifth) government bureaucracy.

I've been patiently impatient. That seems good enough.

Expectant???

That's where Advent gets hard. Each day that you are expectant and the day ends with the promise unfilled seems like disappointment, doesn't it? I am sure it was hard for the Israelites just as it is for us. And whether we are talking the Coming Messiah, adoption or a desired change in our circumstances, being expectant is hard because its mixed with disappointment.

Shifting my attitude from impatient to expectant? This is a lesson I need to learn in this adoption. Being patiently impatient is not enough.

I'll close with this final thought from Mark 9:24: Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

Missionaries To Haiti

We are becoming a Missionary Family with Real Love Ministries International!  In 2017, I will be assuming the position of Ministry Catalyst and joining the team with Michael Sineus, Executive Director and Jonathan Reece, Executive Pastor. I will be leaving my position as Associate Pastor at my church ending 12 years of pastoring the wonderful people there. We are excited that God is leading us to this new adventure, the great work that we are joining and that we will continue to remain in the place we call home! 

A "catalyst" is a spark or impetus to change. In this new role for RLMI, I will be working with Michael and Jonathan to bring about "next level" impact in Haiti. Specifically, I will be tasked with growing the organization, communicating its story, and developing partnerships; all to increase RLMI’s effectiveness in ministering to the widows and orphans, providing medical care to the sick, educating the youth, proclaiming Jesus Christ, discipling His followers, and providing economic  and sustainable opportunities.   Our family will continue to live here, with travel to Haiti, as much of the work will be accomplished in the United States.

We are very excited about our new adventure and we invite you to join our team!

The story really begins early in our marriage, when we sponsored a child from Haiti through Compassion International.  He has been living in the United States for the past 20 years, is happily married and is a proud father.  Our relationship with him developed our heart for Haiti. 

While at a denominational conference in 2013, I met with Jonathan and some of the other pastors he serves with.  As the conversation went along, I felt God pressing upon my heart that this was the time for me to pursue my long-held dream of taking a mission trip to Haiti. 

While it was never about just one trip, little did I know that God was calling us to even greater things!  Looking back, I know God was leading us to adopt and now to serve the people of Haiti.  Following the trip, I prayed about joining the RLMI Board of Directors.  However, I knew I needed to offer more to this great work.  Joining the team was God’s answer.

The Adventure Continues!!

This is the announcement that was posted on social media on May 20 2016.

It's not official until it's FACEBOOK OFFICIAL!

Lori and I would like to announce our newest adventure; we are becoming a Missionary Family with Real Love Ministries International! In 2017, I will be assuming the position of Ministry Catalyst and joining the team with Michael Sineus, Executive Director and Jonathan Reece, Executive Pastor. I will be leaving my position as Associate Pastor at Faith Country Chapel on Oct. 16 2016 ending 12 years of pastoring the wonderful people there. We are excited that God is leading us to this new adventure, the great work that we are joining and that we will continue to call New Castle and FCC home!

A "catalyst" is a spark or impetus to change. In this new role for RLMI, I will be working with Michael and Jonathan to bring about "next level" impact in Haiti. We have spent this week in the Carolinas together to plan for this next step. Specifically, I will be tasked with growing the organization, communicating our story, and developing partnerships; all to increase our effectiveness in ministering to the widows and orphans, providing medical care to the sick, educating the youth, proclaiming Jesus Christ, discipling His followers, and providing economic and sustainable opportunities.

We have had a heart for Haiti that dates back to the early 1990s. This is just another expression of our real love for a beautiful people. We will be sharing more details in the days to come. We would welcome you to join us in this adventure! We need people to become a part of our Vision Team to raise up Real Love Ministries International. We need partners who will pray, encourage and fund us. We need people who will listen to the stories of what God is doing and be moved to pray and do more. We need people who will travel to Haiti with us on a mission team to serve and be blessed.

Please begin asking God now what He would have you do and be watching for adventure updates!

PS. We continue to wait patiently in our adoption. RLMI is waiting for its new license as an adopting orphanage. Then a partnership with our adoption agency (Children of All Nations) will happen and together they will recommend our match. Once the match is made, which we pray is very soon, it will be another 4-6 months to complete the legal process in Haiti and the US. Please join us in praying for her to be with us this Christmas!