Strong Enough

I'm not feeling very strong these days...the summer months are difficult as the wife of a youth pastor.  I will be a single mom for most of the month of July.  Plans have fallen through, hospital bills have started to arrive, it's adoption crunch time, and I'm feeling a little spiritually dry and overwhelmed.

So here I am, nearly at the end of my rope and my precious Jesus gives me a sweet word of strength through a song by Matthew West.

You must
You must think I'm strong
To give me what I'm going through

Well, forgive me
Forgive me if I'm wrong
But this looks like more than I can do
On my own

I know I'm not strong enough to be
everything that I'm supposed to be
I give up
I'm not strong enough
Hands of mercy won't you cover me
Lord right now I'm asking you to be
Strong enough
Strong enough
For the both of us

Well, maybe
Maybe that's the point
To reach the point of giving up

Cause when I'm finally
Finally at rock bottom
Well, that's when I start looking up
And reaching out

I know I'm not strong enough to be
Everything that I'm supposed to be
I give up
I'm not strong enough
Hands of mercy won't you cover me
Lord right now I'm asking you to be
Strong enough

Ten Things on a Thursday

1.  Today is Shane's birthday....he celebrated by cutting the lawn and vacuuming my van. Getting older is very exciting.
2.  Last day of VBS...awesome time, but glad to say goodbye.
3.  Raised about 600 dollars in first benefit yardsale....more to come.  Still accepting donations. :)
4.  Vacation was awesome with the Borchers....too short.
5.  Found a blackberry patch behind our fence....happy day :)
6.  Watermelons are growing much to the delight of my watermelon loving blondie.
7.  My beautiful sister-in-love is pregnant! So excited to welcome a beautiful person in a few months!
8.  Tomorrow we will have been married for 11 years.  I will celebrate by working at a restaurant to make tips for baby Song.
9.  Did I mention my vacation was too short?
10.  To relax in the evenings, I've decided to rewatch Lost.  Maybe not the best idea considering our LONG plane trip in the near future....oh well.

I hated to see him go, but I'm thrilled that she's getting closer.

Well, I broke down and just did it. I sold my entire Emmitt Smith football card collection on eBay, all 306 cards. Yes, 306 cards. And they were all different. I didn't think I could part with these cards because of there sentimental value, but it's even tougher for me to think about the absence of my little girl from our family. We're now $110 closer to getting her here! I wonder what else I can sell?!

-Shane

Shane's church newsletter article, April, 4th, 2011

Have you ever had one of those moments when a verse of scripture actually speaks to you? I’m not talking about it speaking to your intellect, but to your heart, to your inner most being. It is one of those occasions when God himself declares his desires to the soul of mankind. Well just this morning Matthew 6:25 injected an adrenaline into my spirit. I feel it was undeniably the Lord reaffirming a recent decision Ashley and I made. This is the question that was impressed upon me in this verse…Is life not more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? I felt God say to me, Shane, the life of another person far outweighs all the pleasures you could ever buy or own. Trade the burden of attaining your wants for the joy of giving a life to another soul.

As several of you have heard, Ashley is with child. However, it is not my child. Nor is it hers. It is the child of a mother and father who did not want it. It is a child whose parents are no longer alive due to war, disease, AIDS, or malnutrition. It is a child whose parents could no longer provide for her and chose to abandon her in the ally near an orphanage. Although she is not growing within Ashley’s womb, she is being wonderfully and fearfully made in the heart of our family. Aware of this child’s desperate need of a loving mother and father and strongly feeling called by God, we proceeded several weeks ago and began the journey of adopting internationally.

Over the past several weeks, I have naturally questioned myself as to whether or not this is truly God’s desire for our family. I have three happy, healthy children. Why would I want another one? There will be diapers to buy, diapers to change, and diapers to expose of. There will be another person to feed, another person to take to school, and another person to put to bed. I’ll have to wait longer to purchase that vehicle we’ve wanted for several years. I’ll have to eat more peanut butter and jelly sandwiches instead of the honey chipotle ribs at Chili’s. So do I need another one? Not really. But does that hopeless child need an amazing, caring mommy? Yes! Does she need a cool daddy like me? Totally! Could she benefit by being raised in a Christian home with three happy, healthy siblings? Absolutely!

Immediately after reading this article, I’d like to ask everyone to stop and simply pray. First pray for this child. Pray for her health, her safety, and her endurance. Pray for her care takers and for the orphanage where she lives. Secondly, pray for our family. Pray that Ashley and I have the wisdom, patience, and stamina needed to strongly complete this lengthy process. Pray that God provides all the grace and resources we’ll need to bring our little girl (or boy) home. Thank you in advance for approaching our Heavenly Father on our behalf.

Living in expectancy,

Shane

God began penning a story of adoption years ago

Hello everyone, Shane here. I've decided to finally begin contributing to our adoption blog. I thought it would be nice to disclose how this adoption all came about, to share some of the events that led up to this moment in the life of our family. The following remarks are found in my January 24, 2011 church newsletter article. I write one every week for church. If I ever become discouraged during this process, I remember moments like these...

I met my wife Ashley at Union University in the fall of 1998. We met for the first time through the Student Activities Counsel and I learned very quickly that she was very different from most of the girls I’d ever encountered. She wasn’t shallow. She had faith and character. She loved Jesus and was actually one of the funniest girls I’d ever met, not to mention she was a hottie.

I decided to randomly call her on the phone one afternoon. After finally figuring out who I was, Ashley chose to not hang up on me and our first real conversation literally lasted for two or three hours. We talked about everything! We were like reunited friends catching up on all that we had missed while apart. Above all, the thing I recall more than anything else was our discussion on international adoption…I told you we talked about everything. Ashley and I both felt strongly that at some God-appointed time in our lives we would each adopt a child of another nationality into our lives. I didn’t imagine then that God would lead us into marriage, but he did. And even now, after three beautiful children of our own, we both still have a desire to adopt some day.

As I drove my children to school this morning, my seven year old son Elijah and I talked about the importance of saving money. Emma, my six year old girl, joined in the conversation too. They decisively concluded during our commute that they wanted to save up their money to help mom and dad “buy a baby sister.” Now I can envision Emma wanting a little sister, a new playmate, an ally in her fight against her two brothers and their nerf guns, but Elijah! Wow, even as a young child he’s beginning to understand the value of life, the worth of a person created in the image of God. He’s seen the mission’s videos at church, the children that are plagued with poverty, suffering, and sickness. Ashley and I have spoken to him about his peers in other countries that are in need of a Savior and his love. And Elijah’s response…he wants our family to reach out and raise up one of those children. How cool is that!

Now the Groves’ won’t be filling out adoption applications this week, but there’s no doubt that God has given our family a common craving to embrace the addition of an international child. It may be a year. It may be five years from now. But I’m confident that God is close to opening this new and exciting chapter of our lives.

Thank God today for his sacrifice and that he made it possible for you to be adopted into his kingdom.  

Living in expectancy,

Shane

He is Able

I'm a little overwhelmed today.  The past few weeks have been in a word...interesting.  An unexpected hospital visit, plans falling through, expenses adding up more quickly than we can keep up.  However, He is able. I cling to the promise that He is able to provide all our needs...that He has called us to bring Lily Song home.  There are days I really don't know how this is going to happen.  But we pray...and we work...and we trust.
He is Able.

Perfect day

The sun was shining, kids were in a good mood...made for some pretty pictures. Enjoy!