Investing In Our Future

Nate ~ You know.......I have been thinking today about investing in our futures.  Usually, you think "financial investment", and that does count.  In fact, that is an important way of investing in our future.  I was, however, also thinking of the other investments.  You know.......How did I invest in my future with Pam today?  (Did I remember to tell her I love her this morning or thank her for working on XYZ?)  How did I invest in the future of my children today?  (Did I remember to pray for them?)  How did I invest in the future of my career today?  How did I invest in the future of my (God's) ministries today?


Then it struck me.  The habits we have and the things that we do every day are either investing or making withdrawals on our future.  We are either putting things away, saving them for the future, or we are removing from our "future bank".  An example.  When I spend time on a computer game, I am not in any way investing in my future.  On the contrary, I not only lose the time I could have been investing, but I also am establishing habits for the future that may (if unchecked) take away even more from my future by not allowing me to focus on what IS important to me.  So, do I mean that if I play a game today I will neglect my wife and children tomorrow?  No.  Do I mean that if I play a game today, and tomorrow, and every other day without any checks or balances that I will neglect my wife and children in the future?  Yes.  That means that my actions that are not investing in my future, are taking an active role in withdrawing from the bank of my future.

I don't know about you, but that is both humbling and humiliating.  It shames me to see the sin that is in my life that is actively withdrawing from the futures of my wife and children for a short moment today.  How did we become so selfish that our own personal choices become more important than another person and our relationship with them?

I need to close this off, but I want to add one more thing.  If you are not sure what you "investments" are, here is a working definition from a dictionary.

An Investment: a thing that is worth buying because it will be profitable or useful in the future.

What are the things that will be important to you in 5 years, 10 years, etc?  Those are things that we cannot neglect today, or we risk emptying our account and we will not have the means to purchase them when the time comes.  Will I have that important relationship with my kids in 10 years, or will they not care what I have to say because of XYZ that seems so important today?

One Day Without Shoes

Pam ~ Tuesday, April 10th, was "One Day Without Shoes".

I had heard about this special day last year, but didn't hear about it until the DAY OF so I didn't participate.  And then it crept up on my again this year and I didn't remember until the day before!!!!  So I quickly did some research, "checked in" with my school administrator for permission, printed up info to post on the front door of the school, "talked it up" with my associate teacher, and set out on my own personal adventure of a "Day Without Shoes."

(If you want more specific info about this special day, click HERE to go to the "official" webpage.  My purpose in this post is to share MY day with you.)

The commitment that I made was to spend one day without wearing any shoes (or socks).  I was not going to "veer" from my regular schedule, but I wanted to have the opportunity to share with my co-workers, students and students' parents about the need there is world-wide for shoes.  There are people all over the world who are unable to go to school or work jobs, and who often contract one or more of the many diseases which are "caused" by bare feet.

Our weather has been unseasonably warm for most of the winter and Spring came early.  However, Tuesday morning was a cool 30* when I left home.  The quick walk to my carpool friend parked on my driveway was easy.  The drive to school left my feet cold (draft from the car door).  The walk over the gravel and COLD cement sidewalk was a little rough.  And so my day began.

I had forewarned my students' parents via e-mail that I was going to be shoe-less on Tuesday, so a few of my students came into class knowing that Mrs. Maxwell was going to be barefoot, but for the students who didn't know, it was something of a shock.

We had a very good discussion about WHY Mrs. Maxwell (and Mrs. Kaldenberg, my associate) were not wearing any shoes.  Four and five-year-olds often "get it" more quickly than many grown-ups that I know.  I shared with them that there are many boys and girls around the world who are living without ANY shoes and how we need to be praying for them and be THANKFUL for the many pairs of shoes that God has allowed us to have.  We need to be thinking of things we can do to help boys and girls around us who do not have as much as we do, and we need to NOT COMPLAIN about what we don't have.

I have shared bits and pieces about the fact that Mr. Maxwell and I are going to be adopting one or two children to come be OUR kids and that we will be their mommy and daddy to love them forever.  I shared with them that my child/ren might have lived for a while without any shoes, and I saw tears in some of my students' eyes.  They "get it".  And when one of my students was praying for snack, he prayed "God, take care of Mrs. Maxwell's kids, and help them not be cold or scared until she can go get them."  Bring on the tears!!!!!!!

So, bringing awareness to others was one reason that I chose to not wear any shoes.

The second reason, and really the biggest reason for me, that I chose to not wear shoes was to give me a physical reminder to be in prayer for MY child/ren.  Every time I took a step that hurt, or my feet were cold, or a child stepped on my foot, or my ankles ached from no support, I remembered to pray for my child/ren.  It was an incredible day :-).

I posted on Facebook and had a few friends who took the journey with me.

Tonya

Gretchen

Kristi

Karen

Heidi, Greg, Esther, Jenna, and Chloe

Grandma

15 Months DTE

Nate ~ Some of you probably noticed that this is our first post since last month's update and this is just another month update. In truth, it is hard to know what to say sometimes because we are just waiting. It's hard to describe waiting....yet, here we are. We know that God has us waiting for a reason and we are learning (patience) and growing (in patience) during this time, but it is still hard to enjoy waiting indefinitely to bring our child(ren) home. We still appreciate those of you that ask how things are going, though it is hard to answer...."we are just waiting" but that is the only honest answer that we have. 

 

"God, we know that your plan is a much larger plan than we can see. You know our hearts and our desire to have our children here with us. We know that you are their ultimate protector and provider, just as you will be once they are in our home, but you also know our desire to have them here with us. Please give us the strength we need as we flex these "faith muscles" during this waiting time and please be with our children tonight."

Thank you everyone for your love and prayers.

Siblings 0-5 years

Child 4-years and older

Boy 19-47 months

Girl 19-47 months

14 Months DTE

We have gone "backwards" in all of our top three placed categories this month, but isn't it good to know that we have not gone "backwards" in God's plan?!?!?

Siblings 0-5 years

Child 4-years and older

Boy 19-47 months

Please keep praying for US and for our CHILDREN during this long wait!!!!

Emotions

Pam ~ I find my emotions ALL OVER the place lately.  Most of the time I am honestly at peace with our wait.  I KNOW that God's plan and time are perfect and that nothing I can do will speed up the process.  One day I know that we will look back and see God's timing in all the details.

But....................having said that..............The tears catch me off guard sometimes.  I think I'm doing fine, and then, all of a sudden, I feel ready to have a complete melt-down.  {The last HUGE melt-down occurred at school. In the middle of the day.  Not a good place/time.  Oh well.  My co-workers told me they understand.  I'll choose to believe them.  And not think about what a mess I was.  And my red swollen face.  I digress.}

Sometimes it's just the little things.  Holding a baby.  Listening to my pastor use a newborn baby as a sermon illustration.  Reading Isaiah 40:31.  Walking by the children's clothing section in WalMart.  Reading an encouraging e-mail from one of my student's parents.  Getting a hug from a friend.  Going to a wedding.  Watching NCIS {that should not be making me cry!!!!}.

And so the list goes.  I have heard other adoptive mamas talk about "adoption hormones".  I have even joked about them myself.  But, as each new day comes and we are still waiting, I find myself more and more emotional.

I can't wait for the day that my tears flow as I stare at a picture on the computer screen.  A picture that will be etched into my memory for the rest of my life.  The day that I finally get to see my child(ren)'s face(s).  

{I'm tearing up as I type this.  Trying to not have another melt-down at school.}

Fundraising Friday

Just Love Coffee ~ Click here to go to our "Just Love Coffee" fundraising store.  We receive $5 from every bag of coffee sold to put toward our adoption expenses.  And I've heard that it is YUMMY coffee!!!!

Valentine Earrings ~ Well..........they really can be "anytime-of-year" earrings :-).  Click here to go to my previous blog post which includes pictures and info.  We still have 7 pairs of the purple earrings left, and 6 pairs of the red "crystal" earrings.

Faith and Grace Quilts ~ My friend, Karen, has been diligently working to have quilt blocks sponsored to make our child(ren) a quilt.  The money raised will go directly toward our travel expenses.  Click here to go to her website and sponsor a quilt block.

New Fundraiser ~ Valentine Earrings!!!!

Thanks to Nathan's sister, Heidi, we have a new fundraiser!!!!  Heidi loves to make jewelry and she has graciously given of her time to make some beautiful earrings for us to sell.

I love hearts, and I LOVE these earrings.  They would make a cute Valentine's day gift OR simply a fun accessory to a favorite outfit.

4 pairs available

Sold Out

4 pairs available

Aren't they adorable?!?!  Each set of earrings is approximately 2 inches long and they hang very nicely.  (My ear lobes aren't the greatest models, but oh well.)

We are asking for $10 per set of earrings OR you may purchase two sets for $16.  The proceeds from these earrings will be put towards our adoption travel expenses.

If you are interested in ordering, please contact me via e-mail (hearts1982@gmail.com), or leave a comment.  If you are ordering from out-of-state, we are asking for an additional $1 to help cover mailing expenses.  You can pay via check, cash, or PayPal (just let me know which payment method you will be using.)

Order yours NOW as supply is limited!!!!!  Happy Valentine's Day shopping!!!!

13 Months DTE

Here are the places we are in the top three categories............

Siblings 0-5 years

Child 4-years and older

Boy 19-47 months

We have not moved up the list in any of these three categories this past month, but we are confident in our God's perfect timing.  Will you join us in praying for the safety, protection, and comfort of our future child(ren)????

Fundraising Friday

I thought that it was about time to give you, my readers, an update as to our adoption finances :-).

We are "sitting" on the money we have saved to accept our referral.  I'm not a "spender".  However, I am READY to spend this money!!!!!

Our most recent adoption financial goal has been to save the estimated amount of money that we will need for our first trip to Ethiopia.  We have been working towards this goal for the past 9 months.  It's taking a while, but God has been good to help us save the money a little at a time.

Here is a quick reminder of how the estimated expenses break down for our first trip to Ethiopia.

Airfare (2 adults) ~ varies ~ $4,000 estimate
In-Country Travel Package (2 adults) ~ varies ~ $2,500 estimate (this will include our housing, transportation, food, etc. for the time we are in Ethiopia)
Visas (2 adults) ~ $40

Our thermometer (look to the sidebar) has been set to this total of $6,540.  We currently have just over $5,000 saved to put towards our first trip.  Praise the Lord!!!!!!!

We have not been actively fundraising over the past few months.  We still don't know when we will get our referral, so we haven't felt the "urgency" to push to raise the remaining amount we will need.  However, we do have a few on-going fundraising opportunities for our friends and family to help us in, if they feel so led.

Soda Cans/Bottles
We are continuing to collect soda cans/bottles and redeem them for the nickel deposit.  We love to have our family and friends tell us that they have a bag or two of cans for us to pick up :-).  A few of our church's college students (who we work with) have been collecting them in the dorms for us (which, btw, contain some of the disgusting things I have ever seen!!!!).  Our dentist office is saving them for us :-).  And more!!!!

If you live in central IA and would like to help with our adoption via giving us your empty soda cans/bottles, just leave a comment.  We would be happy to take them from  you!!!!!

Handmade Cards
We still have many beautiful handmade cards left.  You can click HERE to see photos of the birthday cards we have available.  We also have packets of a variety of special occasion cards.  (I need to take individual photos of the special occasion cards as well, but that just hasn't happened yet.)  We are selling the cards for $2.50 each OR five cards for $10.  If you are interested in purchasing some cards, please e-mail me at hearts1982 @ gmail.com (no spaces).

25 Christmas Memories

Memory #1 ~ Diamonds!!!  My loving husband surprised me with tiny diamond earrings and a certificate to get a second ear piercing.  Something that I have wanted to do for a long time but never took the time and money to go do it.  He also got me a beautiful heart "diamond accented" necklace (I LOVE hearts!!!!).  I got him a game w/expansion; which we promptly played as soon as we were done opening presents :-).

Memory #2 ~ ROAD TRIP!!!  We love taking road trips together.  Hours in the car together with no distractions, no one else around, just the two of us and hours to talk, laugh and just be together!!!!

Memory #3 ~ Spending the night in a motel with my sister and her family.  Getting to run around outside in the cold morning to help my nephews run off some of their energy.  Watching them find the one patch of ice in the parking lot and slide and fall down MANY times because they thought it was fun!!!

Memory #4 ~ Pulling into my parents driveway and seeing a car parked with an Arizona license plate.  Wait a minute!!!!  My brother and sister-in-law aren't supposed to have been able to make the trip!!!  Guess what???  They surprised everyone and drove through the night!!!!

Memory #5 ~ Seeing my dad stand in the living room with tears in his eyes (and some escaping down his cheeks) as he realizes that ALL of his children and grandchildren will be together for Christmas for the first time in SEVEN years!!!  My eyes tear up every time I think about how happy my dad was!!!  What a special moment!!!!

Memory #6 ~ Sitting around my parents table.  They bought a large table as an anniversary present to themselves several years ago with the future dream of having all their children w/spouses and grandchildren come visit and having room to all sit at the same table.  This is the first time that we have all been together at their house to sit around that table.  We enjoyed the wonderful meals my mom prepared over the weekend and we enjoyed the blessing of being together again!!!

Memory #7 ~ Sleeping on an air mattress that we "filled up" with a blow drier.  {btw.  I don't recommend the blow drier method.)  Waking up twice in the night to refill it.  Grateful for a room to sleep in :-).

Memory #8 ~ Christmas morning breakfast of my mom's Danish.  Yummy!!!!

Memory #9 ~ Playing Away in a Manger on the piano while my 3-year-old nephew, Ben, played the kazoo.  He learned to play it on Saturday night and was enthralled with it.  He's actually really good!!!!  (I have a video of this posted on my Facebook page, but because it's my sister's recording, I can't share it here.  Sorry!!)

Memory #10 ~ Attending my parents church and getting to meet many of the people they are now ministering with there.

Memory #11 ~ Getting to see some long-time family friends that I hadn't seen in probably over 8 years.

Memory #12 ~ Having a family picture taken.

Memory #13 ~ Taking TONS of pictures in front of the Christmas tree while my nephews Ben & Joseph try to patiently wait to open all the presents.

Memory #14 ~ Trying to get a nice picture with two squirmy 3-year-olds.

Memory #15 ~ Listening to my daddy read the Christmas story.

Memory #16 ~ Watching Ben and Joseph learn how to pop the bubbles on bubble wrap :-).

Memory #17 ~ Eating the Spritz cookies my mom made.  Double YUMMY!!!!

Memory #18 ~ Lying lazily around the house.

Memory #19 ~ Watching my husband and my dad play a baseball game together on the Wii.

Memory #20 ~ Sleeping in and then staying in my pjs for most of the morning (Dec. 26th)

Memory #21 ~ Driving to my in-laws house and having Nathan do the driving among those CRAZY Colorado drivers!!!!

Memory #22 ~ Playing Slamwich with my 10-year-old nephew Greg.  (He was better than I was!!!)

Memory #23 ~ Opening presents with Dad & Mom Maxwell.

Memory #24 ~ Watching my hubby cuddle with our nieces and hearing him say "If we get a girl, I think we're in trouble.  I'm going to be such a sucker!!!!" :-) :-) :-)

Memory #25 ~ Driving to my favorite place.  Home!!!!