The Body

Proverbs 27:9 The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.

Healing. Praying. Crying. Listening. Thinking. Changing. Resting. Growing.

Words that describe the past few weeks for us. But there are many more words which have been written and spoken to us that have dominated this time thanks to many of you, our friends.  

The body of Christ. 

Without mentioning names, I want to share a few of the sweet, whispers of grace, love, empathy, and acceptance that people have given us over the last few weeks. These are more than words to us.  And we know they are more than words to you.  We have received correspondence from people that went far beyond simple "well wishing"  or "I love you's" (which are good too!).  We've read relevant and incredibly pointed messages by other Christians who were willing to make themselves vulnerable by sharing their own personal stories and struggles in order to comfort us.  The willingness to go deeper by a few people, some of whom are admittedly distant friends, shows the defining character of what being a follower of Christ is all about.  The words that many have shared have been incredibly encouraging during this season.  While we may be geographically isolated from all things familiar, we have been made to feel at home through the warm embrace of empathy, compassion and brotherly love bestowed upon us.  We are not "super Christians" for being missionaries in far off places; but are simply fellow brothers and sisters within the greater Church who, like anybody else, need to hear and experience the love of people during times of need.  

Job 4:4 Your words have helped the tottering to stand, and you have strengthened feeble knees.

A small sampling:

-regardless of mistakes made or things done - there should be no shame in what you have done. Remember to err is human and to forgive is divine! Give yourself grace and forgiveness in all of this - God already has!

-it would be easy to be prideful and just take the boys even though you know it's not right because you're worried about your reputation, but you guys are being humble and doing the right thing and that is very respectable.  God has a purpose for these boys, and He may have been using you guys as the tool to get it started.

-what I can tell you is we trust your decision and motives and you have our support 100%.  I know things didn't transpire as expected and there are things you regret but this decision takes much more guts to admit where you felt you didn't wait on God then the alternative and move forward on something because of pride when you feel it is not Gods will.

-We admire you for your courage to not only go over to Africa and adopt, but to stand strong when your plan did not exactly match God's plan. We admire you for realizing what was best for the boys, for listening to God, rather than relying on selfish pride. Thank you for your honesty...yet another thing we admire about both of you. 

-I wish I could give you a hug right now!! I have no doubt at all that the best decision was made. God is good, all the time. Can't wait to have you all back home to hear all the stories that I'm sure you have. You guys are awesome & we love you. Stay strong in Christ & everything is gonna be just fine.

-We don't always understand His ways, but they are always better than ours. You are listening to Him and that isn't just good, it's an amazing example to all who read about your journey. God is being glorified through this whole thing and that is pretty awesome!

-You are so welcome for the support & prayers... your family continues to be in my prayers!! I know others might not understand, but please know that I respect your family for making those choices... I pray that others understand too. Please don't be embarrassed about what happened. You listened to Him and there's no shame in that. We've been there...

-I shout from the roof tops to you and Mickey, I just want to give you both the biggest hug ever, no, this was not In your plan, but it was God's plan!! I just love how God works! He had decided to move you all the way to Africa to teach you two that God needs to come first and then each other! I love your story, don't be ashamed/embarrassed, nothing, you hold your head up, Girl!! You are a Jesus Girl and I love you so much for standing up for what is right for you, your marriage, your children and those precious boys and of course God!!

-Your journey has been a beautiful example of following Gods voice, stepping out and being ok when it doesn't work out how you/we thought it should, that that doesn't make u failures but actually humble enough to admit that it is ok to take another road, one that is in everyone's best interest. We have had many difficult decisions that we have had to make that left us feeling like failures, or not able to hack it, and in the last year God has been diligent in showing us his heart, and healing expectations we put on ourselves that were not from Him. Not sure if that makes sense, but seeing you handle the situation with such grace has been healing for us as well.

-What God did with us is so similar to your story that you will be amazed! I am just so thrilled that the Lord has united our hearts for such a time as this. I hope that brings you some comfort to know that someone else has walked this road and gets it. Know that I will be praying and know that His grace is sufficient. He will see you through all of this. So much love to you, sweet sister in the Lord!

-I want to start by thanking you for your honesty and openness.  We are not only not judging you for your choice, but would agree that you probably made the best decision for all involved.  Things don't always turn out the way that we think they will, and we can't always know what God has for us.  After hearing all that you have been doing in Zambia, I would say that God has been using you in a huge way.  It also sounds as though He has used you in the lives of these boys, even though it doesn't mean they will be a part of your family.  The fact that you have been obedient and endured through so much says a lot about your love for the Lord.  We can "somewhat" relate to all you have been experiencing these past months, and we know what a difficult process it is. When faced with huge decisions such as these, I think human pride would be the only thing causing you to push forward when you don't have a peace with it. 

-You are doing such great things in Africa. You are brave beyond our measure. We are so proud of what you are doing and even more proud that you could admit that this isn't right for your family. Such honesty is so rare in the world.

-I literally got chills reading this post! It is hard to accept our plan not being the best one sometimes. It takes courage and faith to understand and be patient while waiting for God's plan to be revealed. It is amazing how your connection with these two boys gave opened up another door with another couple. It is amazing how He works!

-We will continue to pray for you as you continue this journey. It is never over, and sometimes it takes moving away to a faraway place to be able to get away from the noise and truly listen to what God is saying.


This is just a small offering of the encouragement we have received over the last few weeks.  


Colossians 3:12-14
So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 


We say thank you to each of you.  You have put on love for us, and unified us together as fellow, broken people serving an almighty, perfect God.