Tuesday, November 13, 2012

And They Were Called...

"For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.  My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.  Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them." Psalm 139:13-16 (emphasis mine)

As I sit here, thinking of how God led us to the names of these precious babies, I am in awe that He is concerned with every detail of our lives. He is a great God who designed and wrote our stories before the foundations of the world, yet He cares for us in each moment of each day.

I have wrestled whether or not to share the names that the twins' biological family gave to each of them, and have decided against it, as to keep their identity hidden until they officially become Neelys. We want you to know that we kept these names and they will come first. Therefore, the names the Lord led us to give them will be their middle names, officially, but they will likely be called by them.

When we found out we were matched with twins, a boy and a girl, we were overjoyed and shocked and super excited! Honestly, it wasn't for a few days until we really started discussing/praying about names for them. We didn't know their names, nor did we have pictures, and that was reason enough for us to wait.  However, once we saw them and learned their names, we began talking among the three of us, throwing out different names we all liked.  In some ways, this is a great way to "narrow down a list.." find out which names the other parent (and kid, to a degree) doesn't like and they get crossed off. I was hoping this would lead us to a small list of boy names and girl names that we each liked and could begin praying about. Well, our list of boy names had 6 or 7 names on it, but our list of girl names had 1 name. Haha. Clearly, this time we agreed on many more boy names than girl names!

For the next few days, we thought about them and prayed about them. Had our 3 year old daughter been a boy, Nathan and I both agreed he would be named "Josiah." We've always loved that name because of who Josiah was. However, neither of us felt Josiah was the appropriate name for this little boy. We were shocked a bit after having talked about this name through the years, but I thought that it was pretty neat that we felt the same way.

In further discussing, we found we both really liked the name Judah for our son. So, I began praying that God would lead us to scripture or meaning for Judah that would speak to our heart something about Him and this precious boy. It took a few days, but during a Scripture reading at church, Isaiah 40 was read and one specific verse jumped out at me. Verse 9 says, "O Zion, You who bring good tidings, Get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, You who bring good tidings, Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, 'Behold your God!'" My heart leaped as my prayer for this little boy is that one day, he will passionately follow God and will return to his "city" and say to them, "Behold your God!" Oh how I long for the people of Guinea Bissau to know Him and walk in His ways. This verse was precious to me, and a great conformation of the name God was to have us name him: Judah.

As for our daughter, we all three liked one certain name. However, after some thought and prayer, it didn't quite "settle" right, so I began praying specifically for God to lead us in another direction. A few days went by and still no direction.  Then, we got an email from the missionary at the orphanage asking for the names that we would like on their birth certificates. I panic-ed *a little* and told Nathan right away. We both were searching the internet (him at work, me at home) for girl names in hopes that something would stick out to us.

That morning during breakfast, I read Psalm 40. Verse 8 jumped out to me; it says, "I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart." I prayed this for her and noticed the word, delight. I wondered if there was a pretty girls name meaning "delight." I did, yet another, internet search. Nothing jumped out at me.  SO... alas, I typed in, once again, "biblical girl names." I scrolled alphabetically through all these names for awhile and then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw "meaning: delight." I looked next to it and the name written was Jewel. Precious. Next to me was my bible. I quickly turned to the concordance and found "jewel." There were two references. One was Malachi 3:17. It reads, "They shall be Mine, says the Lord of hosts, on the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him." "Jewels," here, literally means "special treasure."  Precious, once again. It was very clear to me in that moment.. her name will be, Jewel. This verse just grabs deep down in my bones every time I read it.. there is so much there. God is talking about His people. I pray that Jewel will be His. That she will know Him. She is a special treasure and delight. God saved her life and placed her in this orphanage. There is even more that has been confirmed to me (that I may get to share on this blog one day) concerning this verse and her situation. God is good. He led us and we are grateful.

What is funny to me is that their names both start with "J" and actually sound a bit similar. We had no necessary intentions of this, God just led.  I think it's pretty neat.

Judah and Jewel.

Please join us in praying for them, by name.

As always, thank you for loving us.

In Him,

Kimberly

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Mere musings

Dear friends,

It's been a while since I've written on here--I've let Kimberly handle most of the more recent blog posts.  It's been an exciting few weeks with the news of the twins, and we are just praying that everything moves rapidly in both governments so we can fly over there soon.  We picked out names this week, and we'll share them with you soon.

The direction of this post will be more centered on a blog post I read from desiringgod.org this morning. While there was nothing necessarily new or profound that was presented, it was a sweet and timely reminder of the impact that we as leaders/parents/teachers have on our children/students/pupils.  So often, as that article explained, we are encouraged to focus on how much we are growing individually, and as long as we feel like we are moving forward, or standing our ground against sin, etc., then that's enough.  However, the truth is that faith is so much more than me or you getting to the end of our lives and feeling good about what we've accomplished (or even what God has done through us).  What legacy did we leave?  What advice or truths did we instill in the people that continue living out the faith after us?

That's the challenge for me as I chew on these questions.  Yes, my faith is important for me, but it's so much bigger than that.  If I do nothing to pass on that faith intentionally to others, then am I giving up before the job is done?

Oh, may we not waste the opportunities.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

"Expecting Adoption" Photo Shoot


We're clearly getting really excited about our adoption of these two sweet babies! C is more than ready to be a big sister and we are working on the nursery! So fun.

In our excitement, we got to do a photo shoot with the amazing Cindy Shaver over at Life's Captured Moments! She was so sweet to do our shoot-- even in the rain! That was a first for me :). Head on over to her site and take a look! She's been super kind to us throughout our adoption journey. Thanks, Cindy!

Here are a few of the shots:





 Growing in our heart!



 She's SO excited!! =)



We had a blast!!

Stay tuned.. I'll be writing about their names, and meanings. We're excited to share!

Until they are home,

Kimberly

Monday, November 5, 2012

Journey to the Finish Line: 10 TO THE END!


"Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of His name; give to Him glorious praise! Say to God, 'How awesome are Your deeds! So great is Your power that Your enemies come cringing to You. All the earth worships You and sings praises to You; they sing praises to Your name.' Selah. Come and see what God has done; He is awesome in His deeds toward the children of man. He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There did we rejoice in Him..." Psalm 66:1-6

We received pictures this past week!! Wow. Can I just tell you these kiddos are PRECIOUS. Seriously precious. They are beautiful. They look so much alike, too! We are in awe of our great God who has caused this journey and willed it to be. He chose for us to walk it and I am overjoyed/nervous/excited/reserved/passionate all at the same time! I know that if He has begun it, He will complete it, according to His will.

I want SO MUCH to show you their pictures, however we have chosen to wait until they are officially Neelys to do so. (so, a couple/few more months) BUT, I can't leave you without anything, so here is a crop of our son's hands and a bit of our daughter's forehead. See.. precious!!







Notice the bears in the background!! It's just so exciting that they can hear our voices. I hope the orphanage workers won't be too annoyed by them. Haha.

Our sweet friend over at gracenotwasted was so kind to take video and pictures of our precious babies. She held them and loved on them we will be forever grateful!  She also has had some crazy/amazing things to say about her journey so far! I encourage any of you who want to know what our journey might look like to head over to her blog and read the past 4 posts. WOW. Needless to say I know specifics to be praying already!! I spent two months in West Africa and it was life changing. Many of the things she mentions reminds me of my journey, however I can definitely say it was not as dangerous!! Check it out.. but be fore-warned.. it's a difficult read (emotionally!).

Now that we have a direction in which to go, we've been surveying our finances and are excited to share with you all that we've raised $16,000 of our (now) $20,000 goal!!! PRAISE OUR GREAT GOD! He truly owns a cattle on a thousand hills.. and all the hills the cattle stand on! (Thanks, Dr. Robinson at UM for always reminding us of this!)

SO .. we are on the Journey to the Finish Line.. of the start line (haha!). Seasons, seasons. We are thankful that we are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel for this season, however we are SO very grateful for this journey of waiting. It has been hard, so hard. I love how each season of life and sanctification brings about a different, but deeper (in ways) faith journey. God is so faithful! We know we still have a few months to go, and let me tell you, after seeing pictures, it will be a looong few months. =)

This "journey to the finish line" led me to think and pray about how we might raise this last $4,000 that will allow us to travel to bring our babies HOME. Remembering an idea from the adoption conference I attended back in March led me to the launch of our next (and possibly LAST) fundraiser:

10 TO THE END!

We are asking each family that feels led by the Lord to click our "donate" button on the top right side of our blog and donate $10 to help bring our babies home! 

Also- if you would like to go further, please share this vision with others that might be interested in supporting us!

If you feel led to help us to this finish line, we want you to know that we are so very grateful to you and your family. We pray God's richest blessings on you. 

Please remember that we covet your prayers most of all! Please continue to pray for us and for our babies that are many, many miles away. We cannot thank each of you enough for your love and support. 

Blessings,

Kimberly




Thursday, October 25, 2012

We've Been Matched!! To God be the Glory!



We have BIG news!

We have been matched with TWINS from AFRICA! HA! Only God knew... :-).

We got an email from a missionary at the orphanage on Wednesday saying there are twins waiting for us! (Totally not expecting this..!) A boy and a girl, about 5 months old. PRAISE OUR GREAT GOD! We were all home, as we got the email before Nathan left for work. (So early....!) Thankfully, at the orphanage, they are 5 hours ahead, so the news was waiting for us when we woke up. We read it together and were just overwhelmed with excitement!

We honestly have no other details about them.  However, a good friend is leaving THIS SUNDAY to go get her little girl from the same orphanage! We were super excited to find out before she left. Now, Lord willing, she gets to take pictures AND video (!) of our babies!! She will hold them and tell them we love them and are coming for them! ALSO, we (very) quickly, mailed her two "stuffed-animal-blankies" with our voices on the inside to take with her and give to them. When the bear's noses are pressed, there is a message with all three of our voices!! This way they can get to know the sound of their family until we can get to them. :)

For those of you who might wonder, we bought the blanket-animals and then went to Build-a-Bear to get a "record-able-sound" to put inside of them. We had 10 seconds to record and this is what we said, "(Nathan) This is your daddy! (Kimberly) This is your mommy! (C) This is your sister! (Nathan) We love you (Kimberly) and can't wait to meet you (C) one day!" We had SO. MUCH. FUN. recording it!

Here are pics of C with them:



Many of our friends and family have asked, "What's next!?"

Here's a quick low-down:

The lawyer in Africa will begin all the paperwork for the twins (gathering birth certificates, death certificates (if applicable), signatures of any living family members, health tests from the doctor, etc) and file that, along with our paperwork in the courts over there. Once we "pass court," the babies will *officially* be ours. At this point, they will get new birth certificates with the "Neely" name on them and passports with their new names. An EXCITING day that will be!

Next, the paperwork will be mailed to our house. Upon receiving it, we will *immediately* =) scan it and send it to get translated into English.

Once we get the translations, off the paperwork will go to USCIS and AL DHR for US/State approval.  When we get their approvals, the information will be sent to the US Embassy in Africa and we can make Embassy appointments. Once we have the appointments, we BOOK FLIGHTS AND TRAVEL!

There is no possible way to know how long this process will take, but it can take as little as 3 months (VERY unlikely) or as long as... well, our guess is 6 or 7 months.

I would love to share more, but I am currently being "dressed up" by a very active 3 year old who *desperately* needs a playmate right now. Haha!

We're so excited and praising God! Praise God with us! To Him be the Glory!

Quick prayer requests:

*The courts will STAY OPEN in Africa (as the government is very, very "shaky" right now..) and our paperwork can be processed quickly.
*DHR will be easier to work with than they were with our friend.
*Our hearts will be content and we will "worship while we wait!"
*Our babies' health, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

THANK you, friends and family for praying for us, being excited with us, and praising our GREAT GOD.

By His Grace,

Kimberly

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Gearing Up for Change

...[He] rules by His might forever, [His] eyes keep watch on the nations. Psalm 66:7b

I've been pondering this blog post for a while- as some things have "changed," and others are still in "limbo." I feel as if I need to have an update to give, instead of saying, "still waiting.........."

So the update is: We're still waiting! Ha. But in all seriousness, we have had one semi-change.  We heard from Africa recently that, though they have many kids at the orphanage, the families are not willing to give them up for adoption as of now. [There has to be signatures and statements of living parents and/or death certificates of parents in order to adopt a child. If both parents are not living, extended family members must give their consent by way of signature and statement.] What blows my little mind in regards to this, is that because there ARE so many children (100+), I would think we should be able to find at least one who's family would "sign off" to allow them to be adopted, and two if possible! However, so far this is not the case.  Of course, I fully believe it's God's sovereignty holding these family member's "yeses."  This is all going to happen in His timing and the child/children we will adopt will be perfectly and distinctly placed into our family.

Once we heard word that the missionaries are having a hard time finding a match for us (we turned our "letter" into them one year ago this month), we decided to put in our application and send our homestudy, etc to a local agency in Alabama. This was a tough decision, in a way, as we have such a heart for the nations.  It was hard because we know there are many children who go to sleep in orphanages night after night with no mommmies and daddies to tuck them in, who have one set of clothing, few, if any toys, and sleep in rooms with many other children or babies.  Of course, there are many orphanages with great workers who share Christ with these children, love them, comfort them when they cry, however the ratio of workers to children just cannot provide adequate love and comfort to each child. (Of course, we trust God to bring families to these children to be His hands and feet, or comfort them and love on them in supernatural ways that He is clearly capable of.) So it just made sense to us to go get one (then two!) of these children.  They are there, many in need, many waiting for a family.

However, we had no idea it would be this hard, no idea of the doors God might open, and then close.

So, we are currently in "limbo" as we have no idea if the situation in Africa will change in the near future or if the agency in Alabama will have a child for us soon either. What I do know is that God has given both Nathan and I a complete peace about the domestic agency, while not giving us a peace about shutting any doors in Africa.

If I can be completely raw here, this is a bit unnerving to me to say the least. (AKA, a perfect opportunity to "work my faith muscle." Haha)  The domestic adoption, if it works out would cost $22k+ and the Africa adoption, travel and all would cost about $18k+ (for two kids). I do not foresee (though God owns it all!) us having enough money to do both. Also, I have absolutely no idea how to plan, how much money to raise, or which to be excited about. But, what I do know is that God will completely take care of us and provide for all of our needs right on time. He has never left us, nor will He now.

The timeline for the domestic adoption looks to be from about 3 months up to a year from now. We will not know if we've been chosen by a birth mom, or anything until we get a phone call to come pick the baby up.  This usually happens 5 days after the baby is born because in AL, the birth parents have 5 days to change their minds.  The agency we are working with chooses to not let the adoptive parents know until they are sure the child is "adoptable."  Therefore, we would get a phone call one day (any day) and would drop everything, travel to the agency and pick up our new baby! Exciting, yet a bit crazy for me, as I'm a big planner. Haha.

There isn't, nor has there ever been a timeline for the Africa adoption.  We could get an email any day- on. However, what is important to note here, is that our homestudy and paperwork will expire in June of next year. It will be a big pain to deal with updating it, as everything will have to go back through two systems, USCIS and AL DHR. No fun, I tell you, no fun! Oh and not to mention the money that would go into this.  We prefer to not have to do this, however, if we have children waiting for us, we will do everything humanly possible to get to them!

All this to say, I feel confident (*Though feelings are not everything! God could have other plans..) that we are within months of bringing a child/children into our home to love.  Therefore, (especially due to the chance of a domestic phone call at any time) we are "gearing up," making sure we are stocked and ready for a baby.  Our daughter is almost 4, so it's been a while and it's amazing how much I have forgotten! Diapers, bottles,... what else?!

I know that a domestic adoption can seem to be a bit of a drastic change from what we've been moving towards for the past year and a half, but our hearts are still for the nations, and always will be. All the nations- including America. It's the heart of our Father, and now ours, as He promises we are being sanctified daily.  We will be grateful if one day He sends us overseas to share the gospel with those who haven't heard, or encourage and help to support our brothers and sisters, or to adopt. If and when that will happen, we do not know, but for now, we will, by His grace, abide.

I am thankful that His eyes are keeping watch on the nations! I am thankful that He is God and I am not. We get to trust that He's watching over all the little ones in orphanages.  And we get to trust that, in this season, we may not be the hands and feet He chooses to hold, love on them, and bring them home.  We get to trust that His ways are perfect.

Here we are, hands open. God, it's Your move. Show us, lead us.

He will.

Thank YOU for being apart of this journey. We could never fully express our gratitude for your giving, your prayers, and your love.

Please pray with us and hope with us... for all the waiting children... and the GLORY OF GOD.

With a heavy, but satisfied, heart,

Kimberly, for the Neelys

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Worship While We Wait

"..godliness with contentment is great gain..." 
1 Timothy 6:6

For us, 2012 has been a year of waiting-- waiting on God to move, speak. Waiting. It seems to me that in our American culture, we expect things to happen yesterday. Things/life move(s) so fast. It seems there is never enough time, never enough to satisfy. I struggle with looking with anticipation to the next thing to be excited about, sometimes even before the exciting thing I am doing is even over. If that makes sense. Well, circumstances, along with a good friend, began to challenge me to take a few steps back and wait. Wait on God. At first, waiting a week was really hard for me. Now I think I can honestly say, waiting 6 months or longer is not nearly as hard as it once was. I think if I had known a year and a month ago (at our first fundraiser for this adoption) that we would not even be matched with kids over a year from then, I would have BEGGED to go in a different direction. However, the beautiful thing is, is that God is in charge and not me.

I am learning. I am learning to trust Him in ways I didn't know how to a year ago. I am learning patience (sadly, many times while complaining and dragging my feet, begging for another way). I am learning to listen. I am learning stillness. I am learning contentment. I am learning how deep sorrow can lead to joy. I am learning love. I am learning to be thankful.

There are times when God (painfully) uses almost every circumstance to lead me to what He wants me to learn. The past couple of weeks have been this way. I am currently reading the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I have been very encouraged while reading. It has challenged me to be thankful in every circumstance.

Our pastor has been preaching through Luke (although the past 3 months he has been cross referencing the beatitude "those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be satisfied" with Psalm 60-69). This morning, he challenged us to "say to God- How awesome are Your deeds" (Ps. 66:3a). He cross referenced in Ps. 106: "they forgot His works.." (v 13). They forgot and rebelled (v 43). Forgetfulness.. unthankfulness.. discontentment. This led to rebellion. Again, I was challenged to be thankful.

At one point, as an introduction to the beatitudes, he talked about the word "blessing(s)" and how we often use this word to refer to things we want or want to happen. However, for believers, the word actually should be used in every circumstance, good or seemingly bad. This is because we are blessed: accepted, approved by God (saved). It is not often that we hear, "I am so blessed that my house burned down," or "I am so blessed to have lost someone I love," or "I am so blessed to have cancer." ..."Blessed are those who mourn.." This brings me to the last, obvious thing God has put in my path. A song. 

You may have heard it. If you have or haven't, I recommend that you take a moment to listen and read the lyrics as you do. I hope it "blesses" you as it has me.

"Blessings" by Laura Story:


I feel as if on this life journey of sanctification until glory, I have been learning so vividly about God's sovereignty. I have been learning about His love. But what He is teaching me right now is to be thankful in every circumstance.

So here we are. Waiting. Learning. And being thankful.

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" Jeremiah 29:11

What a journey.

Until they are home,

Kimberly ~for the Neelys

Sunday, July 22, 2012

APPROVED!!

"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

We are praising God for His sweet grace to allow USCIS to approve us to adopt TWO babies/kids from Guinea Bissau! This is a huge step forward and we are dancing with joy! After a few "hiccups" and further paperwork by us and our amazing social worker, we have finally been approved for two. There were many moments of laying the concern of not being approved, or not being approved for two, down before the throne, knowing that God would cause it to happen if it was His will. We knew that He birthed two children in our hearts and continued to make provision for two with things like: someone giving us a van (Seriously!! Thank you-- you know who you are!), someone giving us an amazing double stroller (I can't imagine trips with two more kids without one! Thank you!), financial provision as our fundraising has continued to be blessed, etc-- but we knew that if USCIS approved us, it would be a HUGE conformation that He wanted us on this path. We are very grateful that this hurdle has been jumped and know there are many more ahead. Pray with us!

In other news, a government has been restored to Guinea Bissau. Not the government many of the people were hoping for, but at least things are up and running again. This is good news. Praying God works in the hearts of those in government as well as these corrupt military men. Oh God, have mercy on Guinea Bissau! For those of you who read our last post and prayed, thank you!

Lastly, I want to share that our yard sale in June was HOT, but successful nonetheless. We raised $700 in all (including donations). We are so thankful. $700-- in 2 days(!!), hot ones at that. God is faithful. Thank you to those who donated. You will not be forgotten!

Next up: "Around the World" Jewelry Party. We will be selling jewelry from around the world and most items will have a description of the people who made them and how we can pray for them. So neat. With each purchase, you will be helping to provide an income to those in third world countries as well as supporting our adoption. Contact us if you are interested in coming!

Here are some pictures of a few of the items we will have:








 To God be the Glory!

- The Neelys

Saturday, May 12, 2012

God is Sovereign.

“..He works all things according to the counsel of His will..” Ephesians 1:11
Well.. it's been a while. We haven't yet shared that Guinea Bissau is going through a rough time. Some of you follow the news and may know, but here are a few of the recent updates (from someone we work with in Guinea Bissau) over the past month:

April 12th: "THERE IS POLITICAL TROUBLE RIGH NOW IN GUINE,GUN SHOTS DOWNTOWN AND THE PRIME MINISTER APPEARS TO BE MISSING WE ARE TOLD TO REMAIN IN HOUSE AND NOT TO VENTURE OUT, WE ARE ALL FINE, ORPHANS AND MISSIONARIES OK,PRAY FOR GUINE ...PHONE LINES ARE NOT WORKING WELL"

 **Prime Minister and President captured by military**


April 14th: "THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE MILITARY ARMED FORCES ARE PRESENTLY IN A MEETING TRYING TO DECIDE WHAT DIRECTION THE NATION WILL FOLLOW. THE COUP IS BEING DENOUNCED WORLDWIDE. THE NATIONS ARE REQUESTING THAT THE PRESIDENT AND PRIME MINISTER WILL BE RESTORED TO THEIR POLITICAL POSITIONS, NO ANSWER HAS BEEN GIVEN BY THE MILITARIES. WE ALL WAIT TO SEE WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN, PRAYING AND TRUSTING FOR A SMOOTH TRANSITION, BUT WE KNOW THAT WILL BE A MIRACLE, AND WE BELIEVE IN MIRACLES, DON'T STOP PRAYING"


April 15th: "Bissau shuts down private radio stations. The Military Command on Thursday that seized power in Guinea-Bissau have returned today to close down private radio stations"

April 23rd: "Guinea-Bissau's military junta says it would not accept the presence of U.N. peacekeeping troops in the country, rejecting a proposal from the ousted ruling party. A spokesman for the junta, Daba Na Walna, told reporters Friday that Guinea-Bissau does not need peacekeepers because the country is not at war. He said any foreign troops sent to the country would be considered an invasion force. Thursday, the foreign minister of the ousted government called on the United Nations Security Council to authorize the deployment of peacekeepers. Mamadu Saliu Djalo said the force would stay until civilian rule is re-established, following last week's military coup."


April 24th: "WORKING AT SCHOOL , ALL THE KIDS ARE PRESENT...A PARENT JUST CAME IN, HE IS CONCERNED , HE LIVES NEXT DOOR TO TWO MILITARY FAMILIES, ONE HOUR AGO, THE MILITARY MEN CAME HOME, BROUGHT IN A TRUCK, LOADED ALL OF THE BELONGINS AND TOOK THEIR FAMILIES OUT OF BISSAU. THIS MAY MEAN TROUBLE IS IMMINENT OR LIKE THE REST OF THE CITY THEY ARE JUST MOVING OUT TO THE VILLAGES TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE SAFE. (JOINING THE MORE THAN FIFTY PERCENT OF THE PEOPLE OR MORE WHO HAVE LEFT THE CITY ) "OUR HOPE IS IN THE LORD WHO MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH" HE IS TRULY THE ONLY ONE TO LEAN UPON !!!! GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND THANKS FOR YOUR PRAYERS. PRAY THAT THE MILITARY WILL HAND THE GOVERNEMENT OVER TO THE PEACE KEEPING TROUPS WITHOUT BLOODSHED, IT WOULD BE AWESOME ,IT WOULD BE A MIRACLE !!"

April 27th: "good news , great joy in Bissau, the prime minister and the president have been set free and flown out of the contry for medical help, keep on praying we need a miracle in regards to a peaceful transition, I hope the miracle has started , thanks for your prayers"

May 8th: "WENT DOWNTOWN TODAY, SOME STORES CLOSED , AND THE AREA CALLED THE BANDIN OR MARKET IS QUITE EMPTY, I WAS TOLD AT THE GAS STATION THAT THERE WILL ONLY BE ENOUGH DIESEL FUEL FOR 15 DAYS, AND THAT PERHAPS THE UN NATIONS MAY DONATE DIESEL JUST FOR THE CITY TO BE ABLE TO PUMP IT WATER , THINGS ARE ABOUT THE SAME. JUST WAITING TO SEE WHEN THIS NIGHTMARE WILL END. OUR CHILDREN ARE DOING WELL, NOT ABLE TO UNDERSTAND OR KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING, WE THE ADULTS . SIT WAIT AND PRAY , PRAY FOR A MIRACLE."

May 10th: "UNITED NATIONS WANTS THE GOVERNMENT IN GUINEA BISSAU TO BE HANDED OVER TO THE RIGHTFUL ELECTED OFFICIALS. PUTTING PRESSURE ON THE MILITARY."

We are praying for the people of Guinea Bissau. We are trusting that God is working. In these things, I do have some good news! God is good. =) Here's more good news:

God is faithful.
God is just.
God is righteous.
God is love.
God is kind.
God is everlasting.
God is immutable.
God is Salvation.
God is Healer.
God is Father.
God is sufficient.
God is gracious.
God is awesome.
God is Warrior.
God is Advocate.
God is SOVEREIGN.

Amen? Wow. We serve a great God. And those only vaguely describe Him- the great I AM. God works all things together for our good and His glory.

You see, I've been on this "faith journey" as I call it. A journey of learning that God is sovereign (aka- all things He ordains and happen according to His will) AND, further, that He loves me.

In college I learned and came to believe whole-heartily that God is 100%, fully sovereign- good, bad, pretty, ugly. In the past year, I've began to really believe that He loves me, though He is sovereign. And can I just say that *WOW* what an amazing comfort it is knowing these two specific truths and learning, daily, how they work together? It is a HUGE comfort.

We have peace with the situation in Guinea Bissau. Will our children come from there? I don't know, but God does. When will they come? I don't know, but God does. Will they be sick? I don't know, but God does. Will they have a terrible, horrific past? I don't know, but God does. Will they be little? Big? Girls? Boys? I don't know, but God does. He knows. He wrote it. He allowed it. And, He is so, so good.

I really believe this in the depths of my heart.

I am human and I have plenty of moments where my mind wanders to the questions above. But what overshadows is this overwhelming peace that "God is not walking the floors of Heaven worried about these things." (Thanks, friend- you know who you are.) He has them taken care of, already. PRESSURE IS OFF of me. Whew! It sure feels good. It feels good to know that I don't have to figure out all the answers. I get to rest in the arms of a sovereign God who will open and close doors. He will direct me and speak to me about when and how. He will lead me. He won't let me "miss" anything. Kimberly: STOP TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT. Rest.

Also, I've come to understand that the stronger my faith gets, the more I surrender. The deeper I'll go. Am I scared to go to Guinea Bissau? Scared that this kind of thing will happen while I'm there? No. If it does- God has a plan. He's got this. He's got me. He's got Nathan. He's got Caitlyn. He's got our other kiddos.  FOR HIS GLORY and OUR GOOD. Whatever happens, we are blessed.

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." -Jim Elliot 

Praise Him! Praising God for His work in my heart. This was not me even 1 year ago. Praying my faith continues to grow. That I will go deeper and deeper and deeper. That I will love God more than my life, my family, my stuff, my dreams..

When faith is deep, when God is cherished above all, things like this happen:

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/the-story-of-ian-larissa

It is worth 9 minutes of your time.

To Him who is able to do more than we ask or imagine, be the glory forever!

Thanks for reading- and thanks for praying!!

Kimberly

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

This is the Kingdom

Psalm 146

"Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.


Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.


Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.


The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.


The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.

Praise the Lord!"

Recently I did a search for "fatherless" in the bible. I was interested to see, first of all, how many times the word was mentioned as well as some of the contexts. In doing this, I couldn't help but notice that many, if not most, of the time the word is mentioned, so are the words "foreigners/sojourners/strangers and widows." At one point, I looked at Nathan and said, "It's like they're God's favorite or something." Haha. Of course, I was kidding.. we're all His favorites!! ;) He loves His kids. It seems obvious, though, that He calls us to have special concern for these. I just couldn't help but think that if my heart looked like His, I would care SO much more for these. What a blessing and a challenge it was to me. 

Another blessing and challenge came through an appointment God had for Nathan and me at the recent pancake breakfast- that was given in our kids honor. There was a man and a beautiful little girl, both of whom we've never met, sitting with a family we knew. Nathan was already talking with them and as I made my way around, I saw her. She is from India and had recently been adopted! She was precious. Then, immediately when I walked up, her dad started talking to me. Now, when I say "talking," I mean shooting straight to the point. There was no watering down.. he was sharing the tough and glorious truths of adoption. I could have listened for hours. He shared about his journey of God calling him and his wife to adoption (he's 51 and a grandpa!). I learned so many great things during our conversation, but one specific one I'd like to share. He was describing the scene when he arrived at her orphanage in India and he saw her in person for the first time. He began to cry as he shared that when he laid eyes on her, God said to him,

 "This is the Kingdom." 

Wow. I really have no words for how this impacted my heart. This is it.. how have I missed it for so many years as a believer? There is no condemnation... my heart has just been awakened and I feel as if I am starting to see and feel so much of a deeper love of my Father God than I've ever seen or felt before. I'm at a loss for words, even as I write this. 

Oh God, will You open our eyes and hearts to see and feel what You do? 

All I know, is I want more. I want to go deeper.

147 MILLION ORPHANS - 2 + the heart of the Father and His Spirit + my hands, arms, feet, eyes and mouth = Love deeper than I've ever known.

My heart is jumping out of my skin, ready for this love adventure. I know it'll be hard.. but who ever said it would be easy? Not God. His promise is His grace. And it's sufficient.

Hallelujah!

By His Grace,

Kimberly

Friday, February 17, 2012

Hurry up and wait!


Well, our dossier is complete.  Sitting next to me is a stack of papers about ¾” thick, waiting to be shipped to the orphanage in West Africa.  Each Portuguese copy is stapled to its English equivalent, and anyone who speaks either Portuguese or English could learn just about anything they want to know about us with a few quick glances.  The home study and our petition to adopt an orphan are in the hands of our government’s immigration office and Alabama DHR.  We are patiently waiting and praying for them to stamp their approval.  We know it didn’t get lost in the mail because they’ve already cashed the check. =) 

About 3 weeks ago, we sent our letter of intent to Casa Emanuel, the orphanage/school/hospital with whom we will be working.  They are currently matching us with two children there.  We could get pictures of our kids today or in two months, so we are just patiently anticipating that email (or trying to, anyway).  We have requested one boy and one girl, but we are ultimately leaving it up to divine providence and the wisdom of the orphanage staff.  It is exciting to think about.

Next Saturday, 2/25, the CCA Student Council will be throwing a pancake breakfast for us at the Applebee’s on South Pkwy.  Tickets can be purchased for $5 from us directly or they can be bought at the door.  It will go from 7:00-9:30am.  We are so grateful that God has laid this burden to help out on the hearts of these students.  We hope to see you there!

Specific prayer requests:
  • That we will find favor with USCIS, and they will approve our I-600A
  • That DHL will deliver our paperwork safely and promptly to the orphanage
  • That we will trust God when things look promising or doubtful
  • That God will provide in terms of money, airline miles, and most importantly, faith
  • That next week’s pancake breakfast is an encouragement to everyone involved, and that it will lead others to pray
  • That we as parents will know the right things to say to Caitlyn through this entire process


“But he is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season, and whose leaf does not wither.  Whatever he does prospers.” James 1:3



Serving Him,

The Neelys

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Republic of Guinea-Bissau





Here are some quick facts about our future children's birth home, Guinea-Bissau.

- Located on the West Coast of Africa and is wedged between Senegal and Guinea
- Slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut
- Gained independence from Portugal in 1974
- Tropical climate, mostly hot with a rainy season
- Portuguese is the official language, with various tribal dialects
- 50% muslim, 10% Christian, 40% indigenous beliefs
- 2.5% HIV population (26th in the world).
- There are 2 airports with paved runways in the entire country

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Exciting News!!

"Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." James 1:27

Hello faithful friends! It's been a while since our last post, but please know adoption stuff is moving forward. Over the past two months, we've been finishing up all of our paperwork and our last couple of meetings with our social worker to have the homestudy complete. We should have it mailed off by the middle of next week, I'm praying! Also, before I forget, I realize I never gave the update on how the pampered chef fundraising party went. We sold over a thousand dollars worth of merchandise and, after receiving our promised 10%, we held a check of $175! Praise the Lord! Every little bit counts and we are thankful for each $1 given toward bringing these children home! Thank you to all of you who hosted, prayed, and gave to make the Pampered Chef Fundraising Event a success. We are forever grateful!

Now, onto some more exciting news!! We received an email this morning stating that we needed to send our paperwork to the country as soon as possible! AND that we could possibly be traveling in October! That's definitely earlier than we were planning. To be completely honest, I'm not sure I've felt my heart leap this way in quite awhile.. maybe since I found out I was pregnant with Caitlyn. Seriously! I truly believe God has been preparing my heart in VERY specific ways this week so I would be more than ready to say what was needed to the orphanage regarding the number of children we hope would be chosen for us. **I need to say that Nathan's faith is so continuously strong and I learn from him daily. He has not once seemed the least concerned about bringing more than one child home. I cannot say the same for myself.. hence this story!** One specific way God has been preparing me this week is through a book which many of you have heard of, if not read, called Kisses from Katie. There is no doubt God kept me up reading this book last night in order to help me get ready to hear His call this morning. I praise Him for His plans are perfect. His timing is perfect. He is so good. In the midst of excitement or in the midst of heartache, He is good. Today it is excitement! Pure, raw excitement. I have just been giddy.

Last night, as I was reading Katie's book, I saw more of my heart which still holds selfish, American priorities.  Thank you, Jesus for pointing out my sin. Katie is from Brentwood, TN (a couple hours north of here), 22 years old, living in Uganda, started a non-profit ministry to sponsor village kids who don't have enough money to attend school (let along enough food, most of them), and has since adopted 14 girls. I can't do her story justice without typing up the whole thing, but I'm sure I will share some bits and pieces that have touched my heart at different times along this journey. Last night, after reading more about her life I was once again brought to a place of surrender. Who am I living my life for? Me or Him? Oh, Lord, may it be You. May it be you every moment of every day.

So, Nathan and I said.......... TWO. Lord willing, two beautiful children, made in His image for us to love and cherish. For us to teach and share the love of our Savior. How great it is to be loved.

Two! Some moments two sounds crazy to me, others it sounds like not much. Especially when you think of the need and when you think about Jesus. ;) If Katie can care for 14 of her own, invite more than 100 kids over each weekend to feed, have bible study, shower, and sleep.. among the many from the villages she helps nurse back to health in her own home- SURELY I, living in America with tons of resources at my fingertips, can care for two children who don't even know what it's like to be a kid, let alone have a mommy or daddy to hold them when they're scared or have a boo-boo or to even put food into their mouths. See, the great thing is, is that He is sufficient. I hear Him saying that I don't have to be afraid; that He sure isn't pacing the floors worried about it.. Just obey Me. Show those kids My love and I'll do the rest.

Therefore, would you join with us as we pray fervently for the funds needed to bring two children home? We need around $3000 per child ASAP ($3000 by April, the other $3000 by June) to send for the lawyer to process the paperwork overseas. In addition, we still need around $7,000 for travel, shots, passports, more paperwork, etc.

Stay tuned for updates about fundraisers! I think I see a pancake breakfast in our near future.... =)

Thank you again and forever for your wonderful, consistent support! We learn from Acts 2 that the body of Christ is one of God's ways of tangibly providing the needs of His people. By His grace, we can accomplish great things together!!

I will leave you with a quote from Katie:

"Adoption is wonderful and beautiful and the greatest blessing I have ever experienced. Adoption is also difficult and painful. Adoption is a beautiful picture of redemption. It is the gospel in my living room. And sometimes, it's just hard." (emphasis mine)


Until they are home,

Kimberly on behalf of the Neelys