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Friday, December 27, 2013

Find My Family Friday ~ Lisa


Meet Lisa


Lisa is a beautiful girl with Down Syndrome. She is developing well intellectually and is described as a lovely child. She is active and sometimes will amuse her roommates and likes to stay with companions. She loves attention!
*Single moms permitted, only one parent has to travel.

And Lisa Already has $9115 in her Adoption Grant!!!



I can just see this sweet girl with pig tails & big bows twirling around in a pretty dress. 

Could you be her family?


Read More about Lisa

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, "Abba, Father."For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. ~Romans 8:14-16


Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Merry Christmas from The Harper's

Happy Birthday 
Jesus!

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel ~Isaiah 7:14

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.  Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.  But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:  "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."  When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. ~Matthew 1:18-24

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Twenty~one

21 years ago today I said "I Do" to this guy... 



We were young & we were in love and we had no idea what an adventure God was gonna take us on. Babe, I love where God has brought us. I love every trial, every struggle, every high & every low that we've been through. I'm grateful that God has used all of those times to train & grow us. I realize we are always still a work in progress, we will always have our crummy days, we will always have our fly-high that was totally cool days & we will ALWAYS have our crazy fun-filled gotta laugh so we don't cry days. I can not imagine anyone I'd rather do life with here on earth than you. I thank God every day that he brought us together. I Love you more than yesterday but not as much as tomorrow, and I am beyond excited to see what God's gonna do next!


Happy 21st Anniversary!!
I Love you!!!
Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart. ~Ecclesiastes 4:9-12


Monday, December 16, 2013

12K in 12 days ~ Gully Family Adoption *UPDATE*

Today is day 12 of the Gully Family Adoption Fundraiser. Two weeks ago 5 dreamer girls got together and prayed & believed that God did not want this family to walk this road alone, that God wanted a community to come alongside this family and LOVE them in a HUGE way. After 12 days this family's adoption has been "FULLY FUNDED." This local & online community has blessed this family above and beyond what they ever could have imagined and we thank God for speaking to so many giving hearts. Please continue to cover this family in prayer as their adoption of these 6 girls is finalized. We are thankful for them allowing us ALL to be a part of their story.

"Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.” ~Luke 6:38

UPDATE: 
On day 5 of this 12 day fundraiser, I am unbelievably in awe of what God has done! The immediate goal of 12K has been met!! Praise God!

Because 5 dreamer girls joined together to post about this sweet family a whole community of people have come together to bless them abundantly & to lift the burden of finalizing their adoption. We believe that God wants this fundraiser to continue for the entire 12 days & we know that their needs for the upcoming year are greater than just the fees owed for their adoption. So we have prayed and have decided to not put God in a box, to know that God may see unknown expenses in their future, and that this is His way of rewarding His faithful believers.


*This fundraiser will end on DAY 12 (Dec. 27th) Please continue to bless this family with what God has laid on your heart*


 


Oh. Where. To. Start...
We met this couple shortly after moving to Texas 8 years ago. We would bump into each other at summer track or church & then God placed them next door to my in-laws. Over the years we have seen each other at functions, passed each other on the streets, waved to each other from our passenger vans & had tons of phone & text conversations about our children's education, discipline, health, etc. They have truly been such an amazing example to our own children and to every person that sees them and their love for these children. We love this family like crazy & we are beyond thrilled that God has brought them to a place where the girls will become Gully's FOREVER!!! We want to support this family as they finalize the adoption of these 6 precious girls and we need your help. They need approximately $12K to finalize their adoption including legal fees, home study fees, insurance changes, etc. and we are believing that this can be raised in a matter of days. This family has acted in a BIG way, said Yes to an Almighty God that has entrusted them with 6 of His children & we NEED to lift the burden of funding their adoption. 


*Read their sweet story below of how God has blessed them in a incredible way*


"Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act" Proverbs 24:12

We have never publicly shared our story in 9 years.  Ever.  We have been asked many times to and have never felt it was the right time.   Honestly, I would be good to wait and share it once the kids are all grown up.  I am super protective of people knowing very much about them and it is such a hard thing to share.  And there are things about our situation that just aren’t picture perfect and don’t make sense to everyone. From the outside looking in, it’s hard to understand.  From the inside looking out, it’s hard to explain.  It’s just not an easy story to write, but I’m going to try.

In August 2005, I met our precious kids.  Ceree, Alajia, De’levyus, and Oceana came to Crockett Elementary to begin their school year as I began my very first year of teaching.  I had Alajia in my kindergarten class, Oceana and De’levyus next door to me in kindergarten, and Ceree a couple doors down from me in first grade.  Jeniyah and JJ were still babies at home and Gigi was three weeks away from being born.   I think it took me all about two weeks of school to know that Mike and I were supposed to be involved in their lives.  I’m not kidding.  I’m sure everyone thought that I had met some kids and this was just a “phase” that every first year teacher goes through of not being used to the poverty and sadness I felt everyday as I came to work.  Mike and I had been married a whole nine months and I was already formulating huge plans of what I wanted to do on a daily and weekly basis to help this family.  I have no idea why or how he jumped on board immediately, but he did and I am SO GRATEFUL.  So, we started taking food and all kinds of supplies to their house and staying over there to clean and organize and do homework and make dinner and run errands and anything else we could think of just to spend time over there to get to know their mom and the kids.  We just wanted to do anything we could to make their lives happier and easier and better.  That year, we continued this way.  We recruited my family and tons of friends to help us and we built a firm foundation that year.  

The next year, we decided to start doing more activities with the kids in our home and taking them places.  We were 23 and 24 at this point and we were learning how to do black hair, discipline some very rowdy kids, teach kids to read, homework,  take them to church, do black hair, teach them about the Lord, take them to soccer and basketball practices, and did I mention learn how to do six heads of black hair?!  We were falling in love with these children and beginning to see some progress as we spent more and more time pouring the love of Christ into them and into their mom. 

The next year, we approached their mom with the idea of getting joint guardianship with her.  Basically, she would still hold primary custody, but she would make us the temporary guardians so they could live with us and we could take them to school and to the doctor and make educational and medical decisions.  She agreed and I’m not sure we had ever been so ecstatic about something in our whole lives.  It was a complicated decision and we spent so much time trying to explain it to anyone who asked because it wasn’t something that many people ever do.  Our whole intention has been to help the children be close with their mom and to also help them have every opportunity and everything they need to be successful in life and to know the Lord fully and deeply. 

We renewed temporary guardianship 8 times.  During those 8 years, we have learned how to change diapers, potty train, crochet extensions, cook in huge portions, shop wisely, bought two twelve passenger vans, and renovated our house 500 times to try to accommodate so many people.  All 7 of the kids have asked Jesus to become the Lord of their life and to reside in their hearts forever which above anything is the only thing that matters.  We have been on road trips that I can’t believe we actually did.  We have had a precious baby who is such a joy in all of our lives.  We have gotten two crazy dogs that the kids talked us into. We have made some ER trips and we’ve had surgeries.  We have spent a ridiculous amount of hours listening to kids sound out words and learn to read and endless hours doing algebra and homework and I know there is so much more to come.  We had a fire in our house and we had to live in a hotel room for two months.  I’m telling you, we have lived a crazy life in the past 8 years with these kids and it has been worth every single minute.

There have been times that have been really hard to understand too.  So much communication has gone into our relationship with their mom.  We have had to work at a relationship that hasn’t come easy.    I have learned so much over the years about humility, grace, and priorities.  There are so many times she has been self-sacrificing in choosing this life for her kids because she has always wanted what is best for them, but there is nothing easy about the situation. She has seen such change in them and is always so amazed at where they are today.   We are truly grateful for a mom that wanted her children to succeed in life and wanted them to escape the cycle of poverty. 

The hardest decision we have ever made in our entire life was made four years ago when we all decided it was best for Delevyus to go back and live with their mother.  It is something I cried about everyday for 6 months.  It is what is best for him and where he is the happiest.  We still see him often and his sisters giggle with him incessantly when we are together.    He will always be my baby.

We have learned so much over the years of relying on the Lord for everything.  I have never had to learn this lesson so many times.  Like 500 times.  Like I am still having to learn it.  We have been so worried about providing for the kids so many times about a ridiculous amount of things, but every single time, HE provides.  People have brought us groceries, clothes, school supplies, furniture, and anything else we seem to need.  If we get low on money, a check will show up under our door mat or in the mail box or somehow something will get taken care of that we don’t seem to have the means for.  I’m telling you--we never would have been able to do this on our own.  There are a ton of people that have surrounded us and poured Christ’s love and generosity on us over and over to provide for these kids in so many ways. 

All of this to say-- we have made the decision, with their mom’s blessing, to adopt the girls.  We started this process 4 months ago after a year of prayer about it and some conversations with their mom.  Our prayer was that if she was not at peace with the decision that we did not want to push this.  When we approached her about it, she was ready and willing and we were all united in our decision.  I had no idea 8 years later this would EVER be in the Lord’s plan.  EVER.   We are so grateful. 

God has blessed us abundantly and we are honored to continue to parent these amazing children. We thank God for entrusting us with them & seek Him in every decision we make and everything single thing we do. Thank you ahead of time for coming alongside our family & being a part of their adoption story.

All for Him,
Mike & Jody Gully


Please pray about being a part of what God has led this amazing family to. It takes a village to raise a child. For you & I that sometimes means coming alongside a family that has said YES to God & loving them through our finances. This couple has devoted their life to raising these amazing children & speaking Life & Truth into their lives daily. Let's step up and bless this family as they finalize the adoption of these 6 girls.


Donations for $12k in 12 days 
Gully Family Adoption
can be made by:

*Checks made payable to 
Mike & Jody Gully
Re: Adoption expenses
(email me for mailing address)

OR

*Paypal Button 



"Forever Family"

"Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.   Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.  Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.  They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court." ~Psalm 127:3-5

Friday, December 13, 2013

Find My Family Friday ~ Pearl

Every Friday I place a child waiting for their forever family on my blog in hopes that maybe their forever family will see them, that God will speak to their heart & that they will GO and scoop them up. Every week it's a struggle to choose. Every child is worthy, every child deserves a family. Praying today for every child that yearns to have a Mommy & a Daddy & to be LOVED.

Meet Pearl


This beautiful little girl is about 7 years old. Unfortunately she drank some lye and didn’t get proper treatment. Until recently her tongue was stuck to the roof her of her mouth. She has had surgery but it is unknown if she will now learn to talk. She is described as a very engaging little girl with a big smile.



to find out more about this beautiful little girl



Thursday, December 12, 2013

Drink Coffee??? Need A Gift?

You are definitely gonna want one of these fabulous coffee tumblers. And if your not a coffee drinker they make great gifts for anyone.


Why You NEED one:
  1. This is my FAVORITE coffee tumbler. 
  2. It's LEAK PROOF!!!! 
  3. It keeps the coffee HOT for HOURS!!!!
  4. It has AFRICA on it!
  5. It makes a great gift!

**All proceeds from this Totally Cool fundraiser go towards our families upcoming move to South Sudan
  
All orders received prior to December 18th will arrive before Christmas!!! 

Ya know ya want one!!!



To order click on Paypal
$20 each + $5 shipping

*pick up or delivery if Local Midland, Tx






Wednesday, December 11, 2013

A Little of This. A Little of That ~ 14 days 'til Christmas

This week I have been spending time in the Word. Seeking out what God has for me right now at this moment. And, apparently I needed to dig into what He has to say about Fear & Faith. So amazing to see where God leads you as you open His Word & then find that it is just what you needed for the moment. Praying that each of you will have faith, believe that He is, and seek Him.

Currently...

appreciating ~ that God has provided so that I can stay home

watching ~ Duck Dynasty with the kids

laughing ~ at my son in shorts, no jacket & a snow hat in 20 degree weather

eating ~ Poppy seed Almond Bread *made by a sweet friend

selling ~ Totally Cool Africa Coffee Tumblers

dreaming ~ of a White Christmas...Still

waiting ~ for no school, sleeping in, sitting by the fire, snuggling time with my kids

planning ~ to finish my Christmas shopping before Christmas Eve. Ha!

wondering ~ How that is possible

brainstorming ~ the most organized way to purge, sell & pack for South Sudan

wearing ~  Minnetonka mocassins with socks *LOL

preparing ~ for Christmas with family

shopping ~ for cool stocking stuffers

making ~ more pumpkin bread & Christmas cookies

remembering ~  all God has done in the past few years

getting ~ better and prioritizing

loving ~ my crooked Christmas tree

wishing ~ I could spend more time writing


listening ~ to Tyler & Bailey Dodds ~ Songs of The Church

reading ~ Discipling Nations

enjoying ~ spending time with my BIG girls

loving ~ that I get to see my brother after 2 years

hoping ~ that my children remember that Christmas is about Jesus

missing ~ my hubby...4 more days:)

Praying ~ for Ukraine, Noel Orphanage & South Sudan

Knowing ~ That I have a God who has redeemed me



Friday, December 6, 2013

Find My Family Friday ~ Olen

Meet Olen


Okay, seriously if I had a baby picture of my Charlie I bet he would look just like this doll baby!

Olen is only 6 months old. How amazing it would be for this little guy to get the early intervention he needs to walk & talk & be independent. 


Precious boy needs a family!!!! Go. Get. Him!!!!

to read more about him:)

Thursday, December 5, 2013

A Little of This. A Little of That. ~ Snow Plz!

Currently...

appreciating ~ my washer & dryer

watching ~ Call The Midwife on Netflix

laughing ~ at with my hubby often

eating ~ out too much

selling ~ stuff that's not going to Africa with us

dreaming ~ of a white Christmas

waiting ~ for a kick in the butt to put my Christmas decor up

planning ~ another road trip

wondering ~ what laundry will be like for 10 people in South Sudan

brainstorming ~ how to convert an old ambulance into and immunization mobile clinic

wearing ~  An adoption T-shirt & TOM's

preparing ~ to wear cuddle duds & coat, scarf & gloves tomorrow

shopping ~ for rainboots, mosquito nets, choco's & stocking stuffers

making ~ memories & messes

remembering ~  very little

getting ~ to old for late nights early mornings

loving ~ change

wishing ~ some one would magically clean my house

listening ~ to girls giggle as they look through old pictures

reading ~ Where there are no doctors

enjoying ~ good friends

loving ~ hand-me-downs

listening ~ to Christmas music

hoping ~ the Christmas music will get me in the mood to decorate

missing ~ our sweet Toby dog while he's off training to be a service dog


"Whether, then, you eat or drink or do laundry whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." 
~1 Cor 10:31


Wednesday, December 4, 2013

~Oceans~

This song gets me every stinkin' time. Seriously it is hard to drive with tear-filled eyes.
Read & Listen. 
You will be blessed!



                                                                "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)"

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now

So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

I will call upon Your Name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine



Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Happy Sweet 16 Sydnie

SIXTEEN...

Oh. Yeah! My 2nd child has hit this mile marker. 16. It's just crazy how that number makes you wish you hadn't blinked. Just yesterday you were coloring your body with a sharpie and painting the cat. And then... You grew up into a beautiful young lady. I am so grateful that God saw fit for me to be your Mama. You are strong, intelligent, crazy, funny, weird, & beautiful inside & out. You make me laugh when I'm mad (which just makes me madder by the way), you lighten the room when the grumpiness has taken over, and you love love love to serve others. Thank you for helping people in our community, for loving people like crazy, and for thinking of ways to serve the people around us. You're always a step ahead, always plotting & planning, always keeping me on my toes. Ha! Your the master of baking, the master of wrangling a lot of kids, and the master of your heart. Thank you for everything you do to LOVE our family. We love you like crazy & love seeing God working in your life.


Happy 16th Birthday Sydnie!!!



Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. 
~1 Timothy 4:12



Monday, December 2, 2013

Welcome to the double digits Tate!

Happy Birthday to this Crazy Boy!!!

I seriously can't imagine what our family would be like without you. I love the way you make us all laugh, I love the way you want to know how every little thing works, I love how you ask a ba-jillion questions about EVERYTHING, and I love how fiercely you LOVE the people around you. You are a mighty young man of God & I LOVE seeing how God is using you!!! Thank you for putting things in perspective like you do so well. Thank you for showing us the funny in things when things don't seem so funny. And thank you for reminding us that love & laughter make things better. I pray that you continue to learn to love God more every day & that you always know you are loved by God & by your family.


Welcome to the double digits Dude!!!

Happy 10th Birthday!

Love,

Dad, Mom, Lacey, Sydnie, Baylie, Jonathan, Charlie, Emmy, Levi & Kenlie












Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.  Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth.  Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate. ~Psalm 127:3-5

Friday, November 29, 2013

Currently... Road Trippin"

We've traveled 1500+ miles with 5 adults & 12 children through 4 states, arrived in Cleveland Ohio to surprise Pop & Nana at the Cleveland Clinic for Thanksgiving. It's been a blessing to be here for the past 6 days. Road trips are ALWAYs an adventure, and I am super proud of our little tribe for going with flow & finding creative ways to entertain each other in a 15 passenger van trucking down the road. Here's a little peek at all the drama fun we've been having.
Music Therapy with the whole Fam

Late Night Popeye's Run ~ Shhhh!

Suprise ~ Pop & Nana

The Melt ~ Our new favorite grilled cheese restaurant 

These 2 crazies @ Jojo's 1st Professional game in 20 degree weather

Cleveland Browns v. Pittsburgh Steelers
St. Louis ~ Quick cold stop

Cleveland's Little Italy ~ Yum!

Nana & Sydnie:)

Sydnie & Baylie ~ Harper Thanksgiving 5K

Thanksgiving 2013 ~ Golden Corral Cleveland, OH
 We are thankful that God has provided so that we were able to travel to spend time with family. Thankful that we were able to all be together. Thankful that the hospital is so gracious to our family of 24. Thankful for the waiter at Golden Corral for serving us on Thanksgiving. Thankful to nurses and doctors to share our pumpkin pie & pecan pie with, who love our Pop & take such good care of him. And thankful that God has shown us its not about all the tradition, and all the festivities and all the stuff that goes along with it. It's about being with the people you love, loving people, and bringing glory to God through it all... even when it's hard, even when you're tired, even when you want to duct tape your children's mouth closed. Here's to another 1500+ miles home. Back to Texas we go.

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. ~Colossians 3:17