Spokane Orphan Summit (April 21st in Spokane WA)

www.SpokaneOrphanSummit.com 

An upcoming Conference in Spokane for people in every walk of life who want to serve the Lord, live out James 1:27.

Holding Babies is Spiritual Warfare

Some friends of our recently were licensed for foster care here in Spokane, with the hope and intention to adopt when possible.

I went and saw them at the hospital last week and was struck by the beauty of the foster parents holding, gazing, feeding and nurturing this newborn child.

It struck me, Satan wants nothing more that this child be abandoned, discarded, left to cry without someone to care and nurture the child. Holding babies is spiritual warfare for believers. In such a simple act there is worship if attention, prayer goes to our maker and creator. The fact that this or any other baby makes it outside the womb is a miracle from above and another stage of spiritual warfare enters as we nurture young infants.

This couple does not know if they will be able to adopt this child. They might have this care in their care, custody, love, care, and protection for months or years and not be able to finalize the adoption...the Lord only knows. Yet, their confidence is not in 'a system' or 'a program', but in the good and perfect plans from the Lord. They are confident the in the Lord, in His purposes, His plans, and His ways. My faith is strengthened, stretched, exhorted as I see them walking in God's will for them.

Over the Thanksgiving time, I told them it is such a joy to have friends who are waging spiritual warfare and entering this hard road of life and ministry, especially with so many unknowns ahead.

Their response  to this encouragement was so biblical and God-centered. "We are confident we are in the will of God when He led us down this road. There is no real risk when you are walking down the road God has for you. We are so grateful He has called us to ministry." Preach it, declare it on the mountaintops. O what a great God we have!!!!

'His Purposes are Right and Will Stand'...especially during suffering

Below is a wonderful video a family who is spreading the love of Christ in the midst of cancer, foster care, adoption. Let this be an encouragement and know that what the Lord is teaching you in these moments of life He has purpose for His glory in them.



The Watters' Story from Children Desiring God on Vimeo.


Desiring God is hands down one of my favorite ministries. God exalting, Christ-centered, and full of great resources.

Blessed by Local Churches in Spokane & Beyond

These past few weeks we have been so blessed by so many. I thought I'd share a little.

1. We have a dear friend who is a student at Whitworth and this past Sunday, she had been given some $$ to serve others with. She wrote us a gracious note and wanted to help toward the cost of bringing our son home. We were so blessed by her and her church as a result of this.

2. Heidi and I went down to the Tri-Cities and attended an adoption/foster care conference at the Calvary Chapel in Kennewick. Though we weren't able to get to all of it because Heidi and Camille were both kind of sick, we were blessed by this event and the people we met. (I'll post a bit more about this soon).

3. Some good friends of ours, who are also in the process of adopting from Ethiopia, invited us to come to their local community of believers, Vintage Faith, and share a bit of our story regarding international adoption. Though we were only there for a little while, we were so blessed to hear how they are starting an adoption fund for families within their church who are being called by the Lord to pursue adoption. We look forward to see how God work mightily

4. Christ the Redeemer, another local body of believers in Spokane, also had an adoption/orphan care kickoff on their Sunday morning gathering this past Sunday. I have yet to hear how that went, but looking forward to hearing about it. They set up a blog, it is worth checking out. I love the name of what they called it, 'Off the Wall Ministries.'

5. Faith Bible Church, the local body of believers that our family is a part of has started to connect families who have experienced adoption, foster care, etc. with new families that are starting down that road. We have some dear friends who just got their foster care license a week ago and one of the other families who has adopted once through the foster care system and hopefully will be completing their second adoption shortly had them over for dinner to help encourage and prepare this couple for the road ahead.