Sometimes you have to take a chance..

Well I have to say that I had a very emotional night. Donna, our Acres Of Hope contact person calls us last night and needs some of our paper work that has been held up for a couple of months now.
We call our social worker and she is super nice but says there is not awhole she can do.
I sleep until 2.00am and then I'm wide awake as the hours tick by.So many things going through my mind. What if Joesph dies while I'm waiting on paper work. Should we allow another family to adopt him so he is not held up by us....( keep in mind this is at 2.00am) I woke up with a resolve to go to our state capitol and stand on the steps of the capital building if I must with Joesph's pictures and try to get some answerer's....Scott, of course thought I had lost my mind..It's almost a 3 hour drive and I have five kids to drag along with me. I had no-idea who to talk to or even where I would go, I just knew I had to go. I had to able to tell myself I had done everything I could......I call my mom and tell her my plans and she says I'm going with you. I couldn't believe her dedication to me and to Joesph...I told her It may be a wasted trip mom because I don't know where to go or even if they will see me..She said that's ok at least you can say you gave it all..On the way, I called my social worker and asked her for any thing she could give me.She said It has never worked before but I will try and get a number for you. She called me back with a number and she said"you will not talk to her just leave a messages "..Keep in mind we are about 1 hour from the capital at this point. So with an anxious heart I dial her number. She answered.!
I bust out in tears and start telling her about my boy in Africa. How he NEEDS to get home so he can have surgery..She said "your going to Africa" I say yeah if I can get all of this stuff together..
She gets all our info and says to hang on.She comes back and tells me she has Scott's stuff and she is expediting it as we speak.She tells me that I need to come to the capital so she can get me a live scan. She tells me to come to her office first and then she will send me where I need to go.
We spend 2 hours at both places and I get several opportunity's to share about Joesph ...I hand out his picture so that they have a reason to get this done. I'm so grateful to God for giving me this chance to change something. They assure me that this will be handled and I believe them.
Sometimes you just have to step out there. It's not always the most popular thing to do but...you never know until you try. I have alittle fellow counting on me and I will not let him down... I will do whatever it takes to bring him To the United States and get him the surgery he needs...This may not be his first chose for a home but I hope we're a close 2nd......................

I love ya Joesph Turner hang in there and know that help is coming in the form of a crazy white woman..:)Soon to be your crazy mama........

A weekend update....

We had a very busy weekend. God is so good..On Friday night we had three couples over for alittle hospitality..It sure feels good to have good food and good friends.. These friends are some of the best...The kinda of friends that help you along this path we call life...
On Saturday we helped my mom move out of her house and she had given Taylor her bed-room suit. It was a great day for Tay. She got all new furniture and curtains and pillows and just everything..She was one happy girl. It took us all day to get all of her new stuff in her room but she is sleeping like the princess she is now on a very comfortable mattress....:) Thanks mom..
Her brothers helped put her bed up and everyone was happy for her..We went for pizza after that and then a movie at home and piled up like puppies....
On Sunday morning we got a call from some of our friends saying to pray because their prodigal came home...We were so excited to welcome him with open arms and love...at church. That was a high-light...Thanks for coming home Josh.:)
On Sunday night we went to our bible-study where we met with some great families.


They just posted on AOH about a boy who is 12 years old and he has heart problems. The father is pleading for someone to take him and help him....How must it feel to be a parent and to know that you can't give your child the medical help they need?He went as far as putting a plea in the newspaper for help for his child but no-one offered to help him. He took him to AOH and pleaded with them to help and they said they would...The more I find out about this family called Acres Of Hope I'm so thankful to be a part of it...If we didn't have our own special needs little man coming home soon who knows..

I can't give awhole lot of info but if you guys could pray for a mission trip to Africa and a a guy named Tim I would appreciate it. The Lord knows who and why we are praying so just lift it up to him...It has the potential to affect a few lives so just pray...I'll let ya know more when I'm able..It's always good to know friends in high places.....:)

Ok so tomorrow is AOH sewing day with some friends of ours who is making the kids out fits..
They are making the girls dresses and the boys shorts..I will post pictures after I get home...

Sleep tight love ya all...
Rob

Reasons to be Thankful.....

I have to say that these pictures really took me by surprise. This is a common home in Liberia.They still wash clothes the old fashion way.Since the civil war they have no power or running water. Please pray for the Liberian people and their nation that it may recover from the devastation of the war. May we never think we have it so bad...........

He has moved me!!

Ok so I thought I could handle waiting..I lied! I can't. This is one of the hardest things I've ever done. I'm very emotional and I can't seem to keep my mind from wandering. I keep telling myself that if I stay busy it will be better I have tried that and it doesn't work.I have tried not thinking of him at all but that doesn't work either..Everytime I go to eat I wonder if he is being fed. Everytime I buy the kids ice-cream I wonder what flavor he will like. I have bought him shoes but then wonder if he has any now? I go to sleep at night and dream about him. I have the most vivid dreams of his sweet little smile. I have only seen his smile once on one picture,how can I dream about it.How can my arms feel so empty when they are in fact so full with all the kids.
He is missing I can't explain the feeling of KNOWING he is out there and I can't get to him yet he needs me. I have such a peace about his health issues. One thing I know is #1 he has to be a tough kid. I love his spunk already. I keep going over in my mind meeting him for the first time. I will have had all this time examining his picture and he will have no time to take me in. I believe its hard also because my youngest daughter and Joesph are 18 days apart. So everytime I walk out of the room and she crys it makes me think of him.When she doesn't feel good and wants me hold her and comfort her I think of him. Where must he think his mother went. How can I step in and be that for him?Can I possibly fill that void? I know that the Lord will equip me and our family to be Jo's new family but I'm a thinker and imagine how he is going to feel. He is scared and sick and he is going to need an operation fairly quickly how do you prepare.......
I'm distracted He has driven me to Distraction and I can't wait until he is here and I'm able to feed him and keep him safe and make sure he knows that I may not look like his real mom but that he will see her in me when I hold him and rock him and feed him and tickle him and love him....Forever.(yes even when he is a 30 year old African man I will still call him my baby..:)

You move me.
You give me courage I didn't know I had.
I can't go with you and stay where I am so
you moved me.

Joesph you have moved me.

:)

A weekend full of memories...:)

Well another weekend building memories with my family. Here in the south every year there is the World's Largest Yard Sale..It goes through three states down one highway. You just yard sale until your heart is content...It was very hot but it was alot of fun giving the kids some money and seeing what they deemed worth a good buy..
We met lots of neat people and look forward to next year.:)
Channie has decided she does not like car washes..She gets pretty up-set when the lights start flashing and the big blue rollers come toward the car..I guess if I was 1 I would be scared too..Thank good-ness for her she has a brave daddy who will protect her from those big bad car washes.......I hope she realizes that he will always protect her and I hope she always feels safe in his arms....I know I do.
It's so much fun having the three little ones grow up together. They always have a friend to do something with and they never have to worry about being bored.I pray the bond between my children will continue to blossom and grow as the years go by..I hope they stay close and I pray they will never take each other for granted..(hey all things are possible with the Lord...:)
I hope their memories of growing up together will forever be with them and they will cherish this time they got to be so close.

Robin

When things get rough..

Hello all, we just found out that the person in Liberia who is responsible for getting
our children's visa is really holding up the process. She is new in office and apparently
is trying to make a stand on being in charge..Of course all of the families waiting on their
children are nervous and emotions are extremely high. We would ask that you pray for this particular lady. She is an American , pray that Acres Of Hope will find favor with her.

Rob

For all the wrongs made right....

This is my little gentleman. He opens my doors and sits me at the table when we eat.
He is such a huge blessing in our life. You see Cooper was our reversal baby. Scott and I had a vasectomy and after 5 years felt God calling us to have it reversed. After two weeks we became pregnant with twin and we lost them at 14 weeks.
The Doctors told us that we would never be able to get pregnant again because the surgery had reversed itself back..Needless to say we were devastated and heart broken. I can not remember feeling so low. We started the adoption process and spent ALOT of money and time...We were finally picked by a birth mom on one Friday afternoon. We were thrilled....On Monday morning we found out I was pregnant with This little miracle. We soon found out that the birthmom was not the one for our family..8 months later we had this little guy who gave me back what I thought I had lost. The Lord was telling me to wait on him and his timing but I was telling the Lord I had to do things my way. I'm glad he made me wait. I now know how precious the gifts these little blessings bring into your life. My heart breaks when I hear a couple say they are not going to have any more children so they do something permanent.. God uses children to bless us..He uses children to make us more like him.He will use these children to change the next generation, but so many Christians say they wont have any more because they can't afford them. When they have expensive houses and 30,000 dollar cars. What sense does that make. We can't afford to keep playing God..
I let the birth of Cooper change my life ..I let the Lord lead me to be a better mom, a mom that is so sold out to God and his plan for my family.
Now about Coop this is what I would of missed out on if we would of said no more Lord, we have enough...

His smile is contagious and it is so hard to discipline him. He is in training to be a wonderful husband and father ....He has had many first this year..He is 5 years old and has learned to ride his bike and swim...He has also learned to read..He memorizes Scripture with the best of them and loves to carry his bible around.He climbs anything, and I do mean anything.
He has alot of chores for a 5 year old but he does them all..He has to clean the living room, the sinks in the bathroom, the boys bedroom, and to clean out the van.He puts the trash in one bag and peoples things in another..He has to sit and play with his sister for 30mins each day while I'm doing other things with the older ones..This is something we have just always done..We all help with the house chores and we all help with the little ones. I taught him early on to change diapers and to change outfits...He is not afraid to be around little ones..He is a protector of his little brothers and sister..I encourage that as much as anything...We feel you have to start early to teach your children that this life is not about them..
It's so easy to raise up children to be selfish and to think that everything should revolve around them.It's alot harder to raise up children to lay themselves aside and to think about their siblings...It's a process...I believe when the bible says "Love thy neighbor" that your first neighbor is the ones you share a roof with....................................
The other day I said Coop how many kids are you going to have.? He said "I want two white babies and then I'm going to get a big van and have 5 black babies from Africa and come over to your house and let them play with your African babies." I hope you do son. Have a house full and we will always have your back...................................I say" I love you to the moon and back again" and he says" I love you to the stars and back". I know that God has huge plans for him and I pray for wisdom everyday to keep my self out of Gods way..........

On a personal note I just want to thank the Lord for giving me a 2nd chance..For making the wrongs right.....You are such an incredible father when I'm so undeserving.

Thank you for Life!

A weekend full of memories...................

We had a very busy weekend as you can tell..
I had to show you my three little ones all eating cereal and then Cooper started drinking his milk and Channie and Cullen started drinking theirs..
I train my boys early on to help around the house..Coop loves to mop.
The picture of Cullen I LOVE...Look at those eyes girls.....
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend of building memories with your family.
I have not heard a thing on baby Jo,please keep praying...

much love,
Rob