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

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

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

Depraved Indifference

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

Where we are now.

Hope all is going well for those reading.  We’ve been busy the past few weeks, but things have been good, and we feel like things are finally moving forward.

We began our home study two weeks ago with our initial interview with the social worker.  Based on our first two meetings, we really like her and feel sure that she will do a great job in creating a fair assessment of our family to present to the immigration officials.  I just had my individual meeting with her (which lasted 2-1/2 hours, I might add).  Kimberly’s turn is next!  When it’s all completed (probably another month or two), we can file our I-600A to USCIS.  That will probably take a few months to process.

About a month ago, we received some information from a friend about a Christian orphanage in Guinea-Bissau, a Portuguese-speaking colony in West Africa.  We have since been in a contact with them and are excited about working with them.  Per Bissau-Guinean law, we cannot legally file anything in-country until June (when we celebrate our 5-year anniversary), but we can continue all the preliminary paperwork.  If all works out, their attorneys can begin the legal process as soon as we exchange our wooden gifts. =)

So based on that timeline (which, who knows what could happen between now and then…), we are looking at traveling sometime next fall!!  The total price will be somewhere around $15,000, and we have already raised almost a third of it.  (Kimberly will bring an update soon about the awesome Pampered Chef party we just had this past weekend.)

One great thing that is coming out of all the paperwork, questionnaires, and interviews is that we are facing many thought-provoking questions and topics.  Issues about family, race, parenting, health, discipline, and belonging that we haven’t really had to sit down and ponder.  It is leading us to all sorts of great books and resources as we try to form a Godly understanding of what all this means.  We can’t be so naïve to think that our lives will be a fairy-tale with no health concerns or attachment issues, and that life will continue as normal.  Our world will change (and is changing) quickly as our perspective grows beyond the microcosm of suburban America into a massive reshaping of what God means by loving the nations.

Here’s an encouraging word from our pastor:

Ten motivations for embracing the heart of God for the nations:

1. We are under divine mandate and commanded to go into all the world and preach the Gospel.

2. Become familiar with the Joshua Project and the Mission to Unreached Peoples websites (www.joshuaproject.net and www.mup.org).

3. Pray specifically that God will enlarge your heart for the nations.

4. Read great biographies!

5. Read David Platt’s book Radical!

6. Pray through the Scriptures.

7. Pray through the Valley of Vision.

8. Ask the Lord how he would use you in the great task of going into all the world with the Gospel.

9. Adopt children!

10. Pray for revival and reformation.

Thank you so much for all your prayers and support—while it doesn’t necessarily take a village to raise a child, we are thankful for the body of Christ around us for being such an encouraging village!

To God be the glory,

Nathan (and fam)

In Need of Clarity

I love rain...

watching it

listening to it

knowing that God ordained it.

It's raining right now and as I listen, it reminds me that He is in control. Truly, when it storms, that is what I think of: how neat it is that He is causing it to happen. Not a second too soon, not a second too late, but exactly when and how He wants it. The wind blows at the speed He calls it. The rain falls as much or as little as He wants. So neat, so neat that I can fully rest in His arms.. in the midst of any storm. Or presently, all the circumstances that make an adoption come together.

Oh, may I not be like the disciples- frantically waking Christ with worries that He was not taking perfect care of their circumstance. So often that's what happens, isn't it?

I have delayed writing because things keep changing and so far, by God's grace, I have had sweet peace, knowing He is in perfect control.  However, I have to admit that the past couple of weeks have been hard.

Lifeline let us know that we do not make enough extra income per month (in their opinion) to support another child. This was a let down, but just another door closed- one that God ordained. Though I was truly thankful He had answered (as I prayed He would), I was sad. This time was harder than the rest for some reason.

God has been teaching me something lately that I'm embarrassed to say I haven't quite looked at in the exact light before. He's been teaching me that it's not necessarily about the specific circumstances, but rather the journey. To read more about this, click here.

We do have some new doors that seem to be opening, but we are still waiting. Waiting to wake up and hear Him say, "Now." If and/or when that happens is for Him to know and us to learn.

Pray with us. Pray for clarity. 

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On a different note, I do have some good news! The ladies Pampered Chef Fundraising Event is October 22nd from 10-12pm. We are serving brunch, hot tea, coffee and juice! There will be door prizes too! Thanks to a sweet lady, Kimberly Pope, we have some fun things planned. 

Come, hear our story, eat, fellowship, shop for those soon-to-be-needed Thanksgiving and Christmas kitchen accessories as well as presents, and support the AMAZING cause of bringing an orphan home.

If you aren't in the Huntsville area, you can still order from this event and a percentage will go to our fund! If you are interested, go here and *be sure to look me up as a host* before placing an order.

Thank you in advance, for all of you who will come with loving hearts to this event (whether you purchase or not) to support us!

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Above all, please pray. Pray that our ears, eyes, and hearts will be open to what God is teaching us. Pray that we will know, beyond a shadow of a doubt the direction He would have us take (even if that direction is to take many roads before getting to the destination). This is the journey. May I persevere to the end; may I end well. I will say, no matter where I am, the journey is good. So, so good.

Thanks be to our God.

Kimberly