Warrior Arrows

Some of you may have noticed a change in our blog.  Specifically, we have changed our name from "Boys in the Bulrush" to "Warrior Arrows".  Today, we'd like to explain the change.  When we began our journey on the path to adoption, we didn't know where to start.  We looked at dozens of options and agencies before deciding to pursue 2 special needs children from China.  Once on the path, we wanted to name our blog something that would reflect the idea of a journey that found 2 boys hidden in some disguised place, but nonetheless, there for us to find and welcome into our home.  The mental picture we had was of Moses in the Old Testament, when his mother floated him down the river and his floatation device came to rest in the bulrush where he was found and essentially adopted into the king's court.

As we have shared, for various reasons, we were unable to continue on the path to adopting these boys from China and we shifted our efforts to finding a sibling group in the United States.  Recently we were selected for a group of 4 siblings in the midwest and are now waiting to travel to meet them, hopefully some time in the next week or two.  The sibling group is comprised of a girl and 3 boys, so the mental picture of 2 boys in the bulrush began to break down a little bit.  This past week a new mental picture began to emerge in our mind based on Psalm 127:3-5 which says

 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth.

Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

We have always loved that verse and having our 'quiver full' of our own children. As we began to think of adding more arrows to our quiver through adoption, we felt like this was a perfect name for our blog. People have said that we are crazy for adopting 4 children at this point of our life.  And to that, we say, "yeah, we know.  We can give you a 1,000 reasons why we shouldn't adopt 4 children".  But then we continue..."we can give you 1 good reason why we should..."  Do you know what that reason is?  We believe that it is absolutely an honor and the most thrilling adventure that life has to offer to be a part of a child's life and have the opportunity to introduce them to the Kingdom of God and Jesus.  And here we are, totally blessed with 4 more!  Four more children that we can tell about God's love and the special place they hold in His heart!  Four more children in our quiver who are warrior arrows in the Kingdom of God.

Does life get any better, we ask?  What will it be like to stand before God our Father one day knowing that we had answered His call, sought Him for guidance, and introduced not only our biological children to Jesus, but these 4 as well.  Crazy?  Perhaps.  But life never really promised that everything would make sense...only that we would be accompanied by the King of the entire universe and that He desires to penetrate this world with His love.  We'll talk so more in the coming days about the thrill and why its so important to us.  Until we talk again...

Emotional Roller Coaster

The past six weeks or so of our adoption process have been a complete roller coaster ride for our family. Through the ups and downs we have had some major changes in our adoption. First off, We have exceeded our time frames for the China adoption and it seems that we have reached an impasse.  We will not be getting these two boys from China. That in itself was an emotional let down. Some where in China sit two little boys that have been a part of our life and thoughts and prayers for the past year. They dont even know it but they have a room here and a dresser full of clothes and tons of toys and decorations picked out just for them. They have been prayed for every day by us and our extended family as well. They have been named and thought of during family games and activities. They were truly a part of our family even though we never actually met them. They will never know that for the past year, they have had a family. Not being able to add them to our family is like having a miscarriage. It is heartbreaking and discouraging and even though we have had some down times and felt all these things we still have a peace and know that God is in control. For what ever reason this was not meant to be. Maybe our part was simply to pray for them every day for  this past year and we may never know what difference that may have made in their lives. As we have said before, our approach to adopting was simply to "take the next positive step that we knew to take".  While we grieve that we have reached an impasse for the China adoption, we rejoice that God is opening new doors.  To our surprise, the next positive step has brought us to exploring domestic adoptions.  Our homestudy is now complete for a domestic adoption and we are in the seeking phase.  We know God has kids out there somewhere that are to be a part of our family, our job now is to find them!  Pray for us as we take our next positive step!

July 4th family fun

Wow! What a busy week for us. We had 14 people and four dogs at our house for the 4th of July. Great fun with family! We dont get together like that nearly enough.
My sister and her two girls were up from Florida for the week leading up to the 4th. All our children were in at least for the weekend. My parents came down and my brother was here also.

When we do get together, we go all out and make some seriously fun memories. Every year we do a Mystery dinner and everyone dresses up in character and really gets into the game. This year the theme was Gone with the Wind. Looks like next year will be a roaring '20"s theme.

We also had a pig pickin' and family games and lots of fellowship and fun times.

Thank You!

We wanted to write a quick blog to thank everyone for their participation in the Father's Day weekend special to help with our adoption process.  It was very inspiring to see people willing to help and with a heart to help us provide 2 orphaned boys with a home.  All the donations helped us get closer to meeting the financial obligations involved to complete the adoption.  We are still gathering information from the weekend and will be posting an update on our progress very soon.  God bless and until we talk again...

 

Be a part of something special this Father's Day.

  As you know, we are in the process of adopting 2 special needs boys.  Both have spent their entire 7 years on this earth in orphanages.  Both want more than anything a family to call their own.  Both face prescribed, dismal futures should they not find their heart's desire.  But before this can happen, We must raise some $35,000 to finish the adoptions.  Of that, $7,500 is due immediately.  After much thought and deliberation, we've decided to appeal to each of you for help.  In exchange, for your help, we are making available a very special Father's Day offer.

Anyone making a donation of $10 or more will receive Dr. Thomas' Turbo Charged Childhood eBook (a $14.95 value) AND Dr. Thomas'Weekly Inspirational Thoughts for Parents & Teachers of ADHD Children eBook (a $9.95 value).

Donations of $50 or more will receive the gifts mentioned above as well as Dr. Thomas' NEW ebook entitled "12 Pillars and a Prayer: God's Secrets to Success, Prosperity, and Wealth".

Donations of $100 or more will receive hard copies of both "Turbo Charged Childhood" and "12 Pillars and a Prayer: God's Secrets to Success, Prosperity, and Wealth", each personally inscribed by Dr. Russell Thomas.

These books are valuable resources for anyone's library.  Turbo Charged Childhood is full of non-medicine interventions for those challenged with attention deficit.  
Written from a distinctively Christian perspective, 12 Pillars and a Prayer is for anyone who has ever had financial challenges, i.e., pretty much everyone!  In 12 Pillars and a Prayer I tackle the question of "Does God really you to be successful, prosperous and wealthy"?  I think you will find both books to be easy, enjoyable reading that stimulates you to think outside of the box for both attention deficits and your finances!
 

I would like to close by inviting you to be a part of something special this Father's Day Weekend.  Make a difference to 2 young boys' lives and at the same time enjoy 2 of my special books!  Won't you please go to:

http://www.simplesolutions4.com/

and make a donation today?  The need is immediate and with your help we can make this a very special father's day!  Please share this opportunity with anyone that you think might benefit from these books by forwarding this info on to them.

Happy Father's Day to each of you dad's out there!

Happy Father's Day to each of you dad's out there!  
I've played on championship athletic teams, walked across the stage to receive my doctoral diploma, and even jumped off a 40-foot railroad bridge into a Tennessee river (not smart, do not try this at home!), but nothing has ever been more thrilling than being a father...and I am serious when I say that, nothing!

I will never forget each time I first laid eyes on my children and felt the amazement of a new life.  The joy that I felt and continue to feel as they have grown is comparable to no other feeling in the world.  Baby's first steps, the first time they said that magical word (Daddy!), "Boys Club Weekends" and the annual Nutcracker recital are memories that, like the commercial says, "ARE PRICELESS"!

But what if?  Now that Karen & I are a little older, we have begun to realize that what we took for granted in our own childhood and what we've been able to pass on to our children, was not the life that every child has been granted.  Not every child has been fortunate enough to have a mom and/or dad to play with them, tuck them in at night, play ball with them or hug them when they hurt on the inside.  Unfortunately, there are some children who will never have a home and be a part of a family.

Some have fathered, but not all are fathers.  In my work as a psychologist, I often work with behaviorally troubled young adolescent males.  To my amazement, the modern day right-of-passage seems to be to father a child.  One 16 year old boy with whom I worked, had fathered 2 children already, had one girlfriend pregnant and was looking to find another willing partner at the time he was in my office!  He spent no time with any of his children, offered them no financial support, and provided no model of responsible living whatsoever.  He fathered children, but provided virtually nothing in terms of being a father.

The innocent pay the price.  While this boy was an extreme, who pays the price?  Unfortunately, it is the child who is left to face a world that offers very little support and personal care.  The foster care system is overrun with these children and orphanages all over the world are trying their best to provide for their basic needs. 

Be a part of something special this Father's Day.  As you know, Karen & I are in the process of adopting 2 of these children.  Both have spent their entire 7 years on this earth in orphanages.  Both want more than anything a family to call their own.  Both face prescribed, dismal futures should they not find their heart's desire.  But before this can happen, Karen & I must raise some $35,000 to finish the adoption.  Of that, $7,500 is due immediately.  After much thought and deliberation, we've decided to appeal to each of you for help.  In exchange, for your help, we are making available a very special Father's Day offer.

At the urging of our website and marketing manager, we are offering the following special offers for anyone making a donation this Father's Day weekend:

Anyone making a donation of $10 or more will receive Dr. Thomas' Turbo Charged Childhood eBook (a $14.95 value) AND Dr. Thomas'Weekly Inspirational Thoughts for Parents & Teachers of ADHD Children eBook (a $9.95 value).

Donations of $50 or more will receive the gifts mentioned above as well as Dr. Thomas' NEW book entitled "12 Pillars and a Prayer: God's Secrets to Success, Prosperity, and Wealth"* (see details below).

Donations of $100 or more will receive hard copies of both "Turbo Charged Childhood" and "12 Pillars and a Prayer: God's Secrets to Success, Prosperity, and Wealth", each personally inscribed by Dr. Russell Thomas.

These books are valuable resources for anyone's library.  Turbo Charged Childhood is full of non-medicine interventions for those challenged with attention deficit.  Written from a distinctively Christian perspective, 12 Pillars and a Prayer is for anyone who has ever had financial challenges, i.e., pretty much everyone!  In 12 Pillars and a Prayer I tackle the question of "Does God really you to be successful, prosperous and wealthy"?  I think you will find both books to be easy, enjoyable reading that stimulates you to think outside of the box for both attention deficits and your finances!
 

I would like to close by inviting you to be a part of something special this Father's Day Weekend.  Make a difference to 2 young boys' lives and at the same time enjoy 2 of my special books!  Won't you please go to:

 

http://www.simplesolutions4.com/

and make a donation today?  The need is immediate and with your help we can make this a very special father's day!  Please share this opportunity with anyone that you think might benefit from my books by forwarding this email on to them.

Until we talk again, have a great Father's Day and I would that you prosper and be in good health,

"Beam me up, Scotty!"

"Beam me up, Scotty!" was the popular quote from the infamous Star Trek TV series.  The words were usually spoken when Captain Kirk was in a quandary and needed rescuing before some alien being consumed him in one fatal swoop.  We can relate right now.  The seemingly endless run of documents, follow up phone calls, and fundraisers dominate our lives right now.  No more do we finish with one set when another is due.  There was a point this week where we thought we saw some daylight at the end of the adoption tunnel.  The only thing that we can do is put our head down and keep running.  So we take it one day at a time, one form at a time, one fundraiser at a time and all the while remember why we are doing this.  We can only say, "help us bring our boys home!"  Until next time.

Cruise Control

This week has been one of "cruise control".  We have completed many documents and are now waiting from responses from various agencies.  The home study site visit is completed and we await final production of the home study report.  There is much done but much else to do.  The reality of bringing these boys into our home is starting to become a part of life and we just wish it was sooner than it is.  But at least there is a sense that we are making some progress at this point.  We are putting together another round of fundraisers throughout June and July.  It feels like were at this long straight stretch in the road where we just keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep running for the prize!  Until another day...

Running the Race

This week has been a wonderful week!  The saying is that flowers don't grow without rain and people don't grow without challenges.  What that means for us is that we grew leaps and bounds this week!  The home study site visit is in the books and we completed a myriad of forms and paperwork.  While we are somewhat exhausted and weary right now, we also have the assurance that everything is as it should be and that God is in control of our adoption, not to mention lives!  We're at that point of the race where we've covered some ground, enough to feel a little exhaustion, but still have much race left.  If you look too far ahead there is a sense of being overwhelmed.  So the thing to do is to break down the race into smaller "chunks" of tasks.  This next week we accomplish several "next things" on the task list.  Then, this time next week those things are completed and we're that much closer to getting our boys.  When I (Russell) get to feeling a little exasperated with the process, I simply go into the boys' room that Karen has so wonderfully prepared for them,(see previous post) and I get a different feeling.  Its one where I imagine the boys being in there safe, happy and part of our family and I get a sense of peace and joy...until next time...

The room is ready for the boys!

If only the rest of the adoption process was as easy, or fun :-) Fixing up the room was so much fun!

I guess the first step in the process is preparing a place in our hearts for the children we are going to adopt, which we did and then came the legal steps to follow, now it is mostly waiting on paperwork to be approved and decisions to be made that are out of our control.....so what to do while we wait? Prepare a place in our home.

It was so much fun to go through toys and find age appropriate things to fill the room. We chose to go with a transportation theme b/c all boys love cars and trucks no matter what country they live in. We set up the train table and tried to make the room as kid friendly and inviting as we could. The map on the wall has a marker where each boy is from and where we live. The Bible verse above the map is Isaiah 43:5 in Chinese. It says "Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west." We felt like that verse is appropriate for our adoption.

Homestudy

Its been a long process and one that has required a combination of endurance, patience and focus.  Because we are adopting 2, basically all our paperwork has been doubled.  It seems like such a cumbersome process and we often find ourselves either overwhelmed or exhausted with the process. Its tempting to just take some kind of “lesser route” at times, but we know what God has spoken to our hearts so we ask for perseverance and strength to run the race.

This week we will have our long awaited homestudy.  We ask that you pray for us as we complete the homestudy and that the process may move forward quickly.  Our complete dossier must be to China by July 15th.  This is now a tight deadline.

DAY 21 FAST:

Today is the much anticipated end of our fast.  Its funny though, we have very much ambivalent feelings about it.  There’s no question that its been tough at times.  Accomplishment and achievement requires that of a man or woman.  The journey has been nothing short of spectacular.  Between the four of us, we have lost some 40 lbs and we feel great!   Mentally and emotionally we feel strengthened.  One of the major benefits of this fast is the restoration of will.  There is a renewed sense that we have the necessary discipline and strength necessary to move into the next phase of our lives.  Spiritually, the breakthroughs have come in the past 23-48 hours.  I (Russell) have been asking God for a “strategy” or a path in my work and career.  I feel that I have gotten that strategy and we are in full agreement as to how to proceed.  Our spirits are like spring plants that were parched from the sun but just got nourished from a refreshing shower. What was feeling wilted is now nourished and there are blooms on our vines just waiting to bring forth fruit.  So, our DANIEL FAST comes to end today with a “Daniel Friendly Meal” plus Salmon and/or a small portion of a New York Strip Steak. Nothing drastic, as we don’t want to return to the land of grease, sugar, and junk.  We will continue with water as the primary drink and establish a new eating habit.  But most of all, we will cherish the closer feeling that exists amongst our family for having done this together. 

And oh yeah, the adoption!  We are feeling the closeness of getting our boys as Home Study is scheduled one week from today. We are busy preparing for that event.  The expectation is that things will begin to pick up significantly at this point. 

We’ll keep you posted.  We’re going to continue blogging daily for a while to keep you up to date on the longer range results of our Daniel Fast.  We suspect that we have yet to realize all the impact the last 21 days have on our lives.  Until tomorrow…

DAY 20 DANIEL FAST:

  Today is Day 20.  One more day to go, but we find ourselves with mixed feelings.  The physical benefits of changed eating habits have been so profound that the idea of going back to previous ways is not a welcomed thought.  We have decided that we will not go back and that this fast has, in fact, changed our lives forever.  Emotionally, we are starting to feel the breakthrough as well.  Make no mistake about it, this has been an effort and a battle, a lot of which was fought in the area between the 2 ears.  And like any battle that you’ve won, there springs a new found sense of strength and confidence that is always the product of effort, self-control, discipline and team work.  Our family shares this journey together and we have become closer during this time.  Any time a group of people purpose together and then successfully journey together the relationships are enriched.  Finally, there is the spiritual dimension.  Things that we have prayed for are coming into perspective.  More on that tomorrow….

Day 19

DAY 19 FAST:  Today was a strange battle, a mixed bag of sorts.  We have to speak of the spiritual implications of this fast today.  While most of our posts have spoken to the physical impact and how we felt while dramatically altering the foods we eat, today the emphasis switches to the spiritual and mental aspects of our fast.  If any of our readers are not familiar with the spiritual roots of our fast, read Daniel 10.  The crux of the story is that Daniel was trying to understand something very important.  He was trying to discern the times and gain a greater measure of insight about his life and the lives of those people he cared about.  In essence, he was facing hard times and he was trying understand the way out.  What does he do to try to calm down the “noise” in his head and heart?  He “eats no pleasant food, no meat or wine…” for 21 days.  This is what we’ve been doing.  The process of adoption had become laborious and obstructed and we were trying to understand.  Now on Day 19, our focus has turned to more of a spiritual dimension.

Day 19 simply put has been a battle.  A battle defined by will.  Our minds and bodies grow weary of the discipline and there is temptation to “call off the dogs”.  And yet, the way is not yet clear.  It feels like there is tremendous fight, beyond just the temptation of breaking the fast.  The body grows week and there is a combination of weariness, sadness and irritation.  At any given point, we can be experiencing any one of these in full intensity.  But there is something inside that says the “Glory is in the Garden”.  Translated, that means that before Jesus was raised from the dead in all the Glory of that event, He first sweat drops of blood in the garden.  Today has been the garden and it has taken every ounce of energy we could muster to maintain course.  But there is a feeling that what comes after the garden is a clear path and an entering into a new, liberating life.  We’ll talk more in days to come about that part, but for now, I’m exhausted and need to lay down!...

Day 18

DAY 18 FAST:  Today is a different day.  We can’t believe that we have been abstaining from so many things that have been a part of our diet basically all our lives.  No meat, no sugar, no bread, and no dairy products or eggs for almost 3 weeks!  And the thing is, we feel healthy and sharp and good.  Yes, we miss some of those things, but the feeling of completing this fast for 3 weeks and exercising our will power over these things have given us back a sense of control and confidence.  Today, we begin to feel as though some of the things that we have been praying about are taking a perspective and a path is opening to us.  There is a renewed sense of purpose and, for lack of a better word, life that is operating.  The air has a certain crispness, there are brilliant colors and the season of our life seems to be pregnant with possibilities and hope.  For the first time, it seems that we are truly getting closer to having our boys home from China with us.  We are doing things daily to prepare for their arrival.  There is a wonderful atmosphere of anticipation today that we simply pause and enjoy.  Until Day 19…

Day 15

Today we write and feel exhausted.  We’re tired of eating rice, beans and bananas!  But we do it anyway.  I’m tired of not reading a good story from the sports page, but I abstain anyway.  We’re tired of filling out paper after paper for the adoption and feeling like Karen & I are all alone in this process but we take heart again anyway.  We’re tired of wondering where the money is coming from, but we keep believing anyway.  We’re tired of this whole Daniel fast thing, but I do it anyway.  We’re just tired of disciplining ourselves.  We are where Jesus was when he was praying in the garden.  Not the glory part, but rather the gory part. We understand though, without the gory, there is no glory.  There will be an end to this exhausting process and we know it.  But for the moment, we wonder why did this.  All that said and today, we look at each other for just a moment and notice that Jeffrey looks healthy and vibrant, Russell has lost over 10 lbs and Karen glows like a bride.  Karen bought some clothes for our new boys today and we got excited all over again about having them join our family.  There is something to be said for discipline and waiting…I just can’t seem to find those words right now though.  I’m too tired to think!  Until Day 16…

The Daniel Fast

Today we are writing about something that is happening in our lives that to us, is both unique and special.  No, its not about the adoption of our boys, although that certainly qualifies as unique and special to us.  This is a very unique experience in which Karen,  Julie, (our 22 yr old) Jeffrey (our 10 year old) and I have been participating for the last 10 days.  Its called a Daniel Fast.  Fasting is not new to us we have long used the practice of fasting to discern the times and seasons, as well as, provide valuable direction for living.   Its something Karen and I do when we need to calm our mind, emotions, body and spirit down when things in life are whirling too fast.  However, Fasting as a family and the Daniel Fast in particular is new to us.

 

Daniel, as you know, fasted all pleasurable foods and ate basically fruits and veggies or anything coming from a seed for 21 days.  The results were extremely powerful for Daniel and actually changed the course of a nation.  We weren't necessarily trying to change a nation, but we did feel some struggles needing a little extra to resolve.  So beginning April 19th, we began this journey. Eating only fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes and drinking water. Basically, fasting meats and sweets. What a journey it has been. 

 

We are now on Day 11 of our Daniel Fast.  It has been a huge blessing for us.  We feel better physically, mentally and spiritually.  There have been times when we wanted to take the easy way out and just order pizza, but Karen has diligently prepared foods each day that were consistent with our fast.  There is an excitement about what we're doing and more importantly, what God is doing in our lives that permeates our home.  We can sense that something special is happening and we look forward to completing the next 10 days strong, as our physical health is strengthened, our mental functions  made sharper, and our spirits being fine tuned to Heaven's frequency!  

Walk a Thon Fundraiser

It has been a while since we last posted.  We have been diligently fulfilling what seems to be an unending wave of paperwork.  We don't want to the belabor the point of paperwork, in fears that we might dissuade others who may be considering adoption, but keep in mind that many parts of our adoption are doubled because we are adopting 2 children.  Otherwise, we're making progress, having completed 10 hours of online parent training per Hague Treaty Agreement, gathered numerous documents and completed numerous forms.  

Yesterday was the Walk a Thon and it was wonderful!  Thank you Torie, who  organized, conducted  and raised money for us! It was wonderful to go to Wrightsville Beach and participate in the event.  It continues to blow our minds how God has brought so many others into this process to bless and encourage us.  We hope to have all of our home study  completed very soon.

Until next time...

Walk a Thon Fundraiser

We have been blessed to have a local high school senior choose us to participate in her senior project. She has been working on her project for quite some time. The project is on adoption and she is hosting a  Walk a Thon to raise funds for our adoption. We are honored and blessed to be a part of it and hope to get a big turn out for her as well. Here are the details:
Walk for Adoption! Torie's senior project.
Wrightsville Beach Loop
Saturday April 24th 9:00 AM
This is a beautiful walk on Wrightsville Beach, the weather will be perfect and this is a great time to get out and enjoy the area and the company. Come walk the loop with friends and help us bring our boys home! You can get sponsors ahead of time or bring donations on the day of the walk, or you can donate through paypal.

Adoption T-shirts

The New T-Shirt designs are available! Thanks to a dear friend who designed them for us! Check them out by clicking on our Cafepress shop at the right and then click on "Adoption Shirts" to see all the designs available. Not only will you have a nice shirt to wear with a great message that will help others understand adoption but you will be helping us bring our boys home as well. Thanks for looking!