Happy Resurrection Weekend!

Alright, alright.  So I know I'm a little late in the game, but we JUST pulled out our Easter stuff at the beginning of this week.  With normal housework, homeschooling, testing last week, and just LIFE in general, Easter kind-of snuck up on me.

But it's Friday, and Sunday's coming!

So here's a look back at this week and all the fun things we have done to prepare for Easter:



Seriously.  2 dozen hard boiled eggs.  Eaten up in 24 hours.  Crazy!





Sophie was so happy to be dyeing her own eggs!



I just couldn't resist this sweet, sweet smile from Joseph!



Why Easter eggs?  They represent new beginnings.  A new life transformed by the resurrecting power of Jesus.





Out came the books.  The Resurrection Eggs.  The Jesus Film movie.  My kids LOVED reading, and telling (and retelling!) the Easter story.  Even Sophie.  Too cute!



Every year we do our own Passover dinner with our family.  It has become something our kids talk about all year.  We retell the Exodus story, letting the kids act it out as we go.  Waving the palm branches, painting the doorposts, and parting the Red Sea with a staff.  We talk about how each part of that familiar Old Testament story points to the New Testament Jesus. 



Making Resurrection Rolls!



 

And......eating them. :)



The kids put together a little Easter basket to take to Mimi this morning.  Cute little Easter bunnies making a delivery.  Made alot of people smile. :)



Love this picture!





I so, so badly wanted to make an Easter garden with the kids this year.  Wasn't on the ball enough to plant early though.  Instead, they collected sticks today and made these for our front planter.  Love! 



The eggs, the books, the baskets......they're are well and good, but it's all just a means to an end.  To point to Him.  Traditions that we've created for our children in hopes that they will lead them to Jesus, our risen Lord, who conquered death and rose again on the third day.

Our family has had a taste of this death-conquering Jesus this year.  There IS power in His name when we cry out to Him.  Power to heal the sick.  To make blind men see.  Even to resurrect from the dead.  All we must do is believe. 

Believe in the One who created the universe.  Who spoke life into being.  Who sent His only Son to die on a cross.  For our sins.  For my sins.  Whose blood was spilled, so that I may have life eternal.  And who, on the third day rose, in all power and glory. Conquering death once and for all, for all who believe.

That is what Easter is all about. 

"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

~Romans 10:13

I'll leave you with a song I've had stuck in my head all week (you will have to pause the music player at the bottom of this page before playing the video).  Happy Resurrection weekend!

                       






Kirsten

Moving on DOWN!!!

Yes, that's right....we are moving on DOWN!!  Down the list, that is. :)

The end of March brought in slightly cooler weather, but it also meant an update from our social worker.  As of last month, we had dropped down to #80 - a HUGE feat, considering we hadn't moved much at all in about five months.  Today??

Let me give you a couple hints......

It's an important year for our country AND it also happens to be the name of the professional basketball team here in Philly.  Give up?

This month we moved down FOUR SPACES to.....

 

Woohoo!!!!!  So excited to see ANY movement at this point.  Well, any movement in the right direction, that is. :)  Each month as we've moved down, I've seen my faith increase.  Last month I shared about audacious prayers.  Just the other day I read this and I was nearly doing backflips on the inside:

 

"Then Jesus said to them, 'Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.'  And suppose the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me.  The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.'  I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity, he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.  So I say to you:  Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened.  Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?  Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?  If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"'

Luke 11:5-13

Jesus WANTS us to audaciously, in faith, approach his throne.  Not from a "name it and claim it" standpoint, but as a child approaches his/her parent with complete trust that they have their best interests at heart.  So thankful that we serve a God whose attention to detail is unmatched.  Whose hand is guiding our adoption process from beginning to end and sees each day before it ever comes to pass.  Whose very heart is for the orphaned and the widowed and the down-trodden.

So thankful that He has led us on this journey and has brought us to this point.  Continuing to pray audaciously that He would continue to bless our journey, leading us even closer to bringing our little one home.  All glory and honor go to Him!




Kirsten

Movie Review!!

Looking to head to the movies this weekend? 

Maybe you would consider supporting this film?



                  




I went last weekend with a couple of friends (first time I had been to the theater in a LONG time!!) and it was WONDERFUL.  October Baby is a beautiful celebration of life - ALL life.  Whether that life is 9 or 99....or still in utero.  I thought the writers did a great job of portraying all sides fairly, without villainizing any one person.  The movie is rated PG-13 due to the subject matter, so use caution with young children.

So, find a couple friends, call your local theater, FANDANGO....whoever!  And grab a coke and some pretzel bites (and maybe a few tissues!).  You're in for a treat!




Kirsten 

Classic Re-post: One Small Act

Classic re-post from March 2011.....A look back at our journey to Ethiopia....

One comment that we’ve heard over and over by people as we’ve told them about our plans to adopt, is, “Wow!  What an awesome thing you are doing for that child!”

Years ago, I would have thought the same thing.  After all, isn’t it noble to provide a home and clothing and food for a helpless child without?  Isn’t it admirable to love on “the least of these” as Jesus commands?  Isn’t it the responsibility of the church to “help orphans and widows in their distress” (James 1:27)?  While obviously, all this is good, I am struck by the fact that it is a view that places us as the rich westerner riding in on our white horse to “rescue” some poor, helpless, forlorn child from poverty and what we deem unacceptable.   In reality, instead of God using ME to “rescue" this child, I believe that God is using THEM to rescue me. 

Rescue me from what, you ask?  The idols of materialism, “The American Dream”, etc…  Their presence in my life and in the lives of the people they touch, is doing much more for us, then we could ever possibly do for them.  Already I have seen how God is using this one child, a child whom we have never met….a child whom may not even be born yet, to impact a community.  To stir hearts.  To change lives.  This child, by simply being whom God created him/her to be, is allowing us to catch a glimpse of Jesus. 

Now, understand when I say, that adoption is a beautiful thing.  It is a beautiful picture of how God has rescued us all from our spiritual “orphanages” and made us a new creation in Christ.  Just like a bride and groom depict Jesus (the bridegroom) and the church….or how the love of a parent for a child models the agape love that God has for His people.  Adoption portrays how God has loved us, pursued us, and given us an inheritance far greater than what we were destined for.  It is a picture of the place we hold in the family of God.  But God is at work, and He is doing something even bigger.

So how did we get here?  Honestly, we just felt that God was calling us in this direction.  We felt that we wanted to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.  Right now, there are 145 MILLION orphans in the world.  We are hoping that when we return from Ethiopia, there will be one less.   But sadly, that will still leave 144,999,999.  We are but one.  And so, some may wonder (quietly, to themselves), “So, what’s the point?”  The point, for us, is to in some way inspire others to follow God’s leading.  That may look differently for you, than it does for me.  God may not be leading you to adopt at this time.  But certainly He is leading you somewhere?  How can we climb out of our comfort zones to truly be the hands and feet?

Many of us are looking for Jesus in the churches.  We are looking for him in Christian books and theology.  In worship music and Christian radio.  And while all these things are well and good (and necessary!!), I can’t help but to remember that that is not where Jesus hung out.  He hung out with the prostitutes…the tax collectors…the blatant “sinners”.  He was more commonly found amongst the poor and the needy, than the rich and the affluent.  So while I do recognize that adoption is a beautiful thing, a noble act that mirrors how God has taken us, and adopted us as His sons and daughters and bestowed upon us all of His inheritance, I see how this “thing” is so much bigger than us.  It is so much bigger than this one simple act.  God is using it, and HAS used it already, to reach others.  To show His glory.  And He’s doing it through one small child.

I’d love to hear how God is revealing Himself to you.  How is He using “the least of these” to make Himself known to you?  God is constantly at work…often times we are too busy doing “His work” to notice though.  But HE is there…in the face of a homeless man who climbs into your dumpster at work to collect scrap metal…..in the face of a single mother who is working two jobs to support her children….in the face of a small Ethiopian baby who has already captured the hearts of so many.  He is there.  Will you see Him?  Or will you walk right past?

So what small acts are YOU doing today??  Might I interest you in running/walking a 5k and/or a 1 mile walk to raise money that will build an orphanage in Kenya??  My parents and brother are heading there in a couple months with their church to do just that.  They'd LOVE your support!  Check out the link here to register for this event.



Visit here to register.  Scroll to 4/14/12 - Jamison, PA: 5k for Kenya Kids and 1 mile walk for more details.

                                                             

And.....here is Kaya working on one small act of her own.....



Joining us for a girls-night-out to help sew dresses for little girls in Kenya.  So proud of her!!!



Right now as I type, a group of guys are playing poker to help us raise money for our adoption. I have said it before, but we are truly blessed with some GREAT friends. 

So, SO many ways to get involved and create some small acts of your own.  What is God laying on YOUR heart?? I guarantee that what you intend as a small act to bless someone else, God will use to bless YOU. 




Kirsten                                                  

It's Spring!!

It's Spring!!  Or at least it feels like it!  And what better way to celebrate Spring, and the new beginnings that it represents, than with a couple new fundraisers!!??!!

GUYS POKER NIGHT

A good friend of ours is organizing a poker night for guys in the local area. 

Friday, March 23rd
7:00 pm

If you're in the area, enjoy a good game of poker, and are interested in helping us reach our goal, let us know!!!  I know Charles would love to have you join them.  Email us at ckgregoire2@yahoo.com for more information.

Pokers not your thing?  Me either.  But what about cupcakes?  Now I KNOW this is something you can get on board for!

SISTERS' SWEETS

And they don't just LOOK good, they TASTE delicious too!!  What started as a hobby of my talented sister-in-law's, has turned into a cool little side business for her.  Of which, she's offered to donate HALF of her profits to our adoption! 

Every order is custom-made using fresh, made-from-scratch ingredients.  And OH!  the varieties!

~ Vanilla ~ Vanilla Bean ~ Chocolate ~ CHOCOLATE MOCHA ~ Pound ~ Banana Pound ~ LEMON POUND ~ Lemon ~ Key Lime ~ Spice ~ Fresh Strawberry ~ Coconut ~

And DON'T even get me started on the fillings (can I say Chocolate Ganache, Triple-Berry Preserves, and Lemon Curd!?!) and the delicious homemade frostings such as, but not limited to, Vanilla Buttercream, Salted Caramel Buttercream, and Peanut Butter Buttercream.  And SO MUCH MORE!!

Cookies and scones also!

Email Sarah directly at sisterssweetsphilly@gmail.com to place an order!

 

And as always, we also have some of our old fundraisers still in effect.  Photography, Real estate, Book Sales, Wooden toys, Coffee.....  Just click on our fundraising tab to check those out! 

Don't we have just about the greatest bunch of friends and family EVER??!!?  Since the moment we announced that we were adopting, so many of you have rallied around us with your time, talents and resources. We are so, so blessed!! 

Thanks for loving on us!!

Kirsten

Survivor

So many of you have faithfully continued to ask about my sister-in-law Anna and how her recovery has been now that she is at home.  Here is a little something that her husband Brian posted to his FB page yesterday:


                                                    

Survivor-Woman. Had a great appointment with one of her surgeons from the January Journeys. Dr.'s words, "you almost died...twice. I didn't think you'd survive the second time.".

But here she is 2 months later. Crazy.

 

Isn't she beautiful???  Thanks for all your continued prayers for Anna.  My mother and father in-law finally left to head back home to Florida yesterday after spending the last 65 days in California by her side.  Brian has not yet returned to work, but eventually he will.  Each day Anna is getting stronger and stronger.  Praise be to God alone!

Thanks for your continued prayers!

Kirsten 

Our Monthly Update :)

The past few weeks, God has really been stirring me to begin praying for our adoption. Not simple, "Bless our adoption" type prayers; but bold, specific, faith-filled prayers.  He's awoken me in the wee hours of the morning to pray, roused me in the shower, and kept it at the forefront of my thoughts for days on end.  I know He is moving, even when it seems like not much is happening these days.

Specifically, I had been praying that God would allow us to be encouraged this month.  That there would be SOME movement in the right direction.  Over and over this month, God has reminded me that HE alone causes governments to rise and fall. That HE is in control of ALL things.  That HE is good, and we can trust Him.  Time and time again, I have had to allow myself  to be comforted by these truths.  Strengthened.  Emboldened even.

Well, the end of the month brought our monthly update for our adoption.  Honestly, given the past few months, and how it has seemed like we have BARELY moved, our expectations weren't too high, despite specific prayers to the contrary.

At the end of January, we were holding steady at #85.  Today?



Surprise!  We moved FIVE spots!  That is the most movement we've seen in months. We'll take it. 

This morning, our pastor talked about praying audacious prayers.  It's been on my heart all day.  Are my simple-minded, faithless, rote prayers insulting to the King of the universe?  Isn't He capable of so much more than I even dare to ask for??

So, for next month, I'm shamelessly asking God to move us down another five spots.  Charles told me to ask for 20.  I'm not quite THAT audacious yet. ;)  Baby steps people!

In the meantime, I'm thinking through some other areas in my life where I could afford to ask more boldly.  What about you?  What has He put on YOUR heart lately??  What is He waiting for you to pray specifically about today?





Kirsten