so what's this new idea????

Jared and I have been praying very hard. My husband is a Youth Pastor, I am our church secretary, we have a two year old(!), and we are preparing to adopt. We have much to pray about. When you add to that mix the fact that I almost always have a new idea, our prayer notebook just gets fatter. I thank God for this. I have an awesome God who not only hears all my prayers, but also asks me to pray. His answers may not always be what I wanted to hear, but they are always what is best for me.

As we continue on this adoption journey, Jared and I realize being called to adopt is truly a calling sent from God. While I believe many are being called, and all too few are willingly answering, I still believe being called to adopt is an amazing privilege. What a wonderful way to bring honor to God and show a child that I too am adopted…I was adopted by God.

We also know that many of you have been praying for us, and we thank you for that. We have been in this process two whole months and have already seen doors open and shut. I am grateful for shut doors; they keep me on the right path.

Ok, so what is this new idea??????

While we wait, we walk. And while we walk, we work. There is an orphan crisis out there in the world we live in. It might be taking place in your back yard. My prayer was, “Lord, open my eyes to the need, and then help me do something about it.” I have seen the need. Remember I mentioned JUMPING out of our comfort zones? Here is how we are going to do this: Foster Care.

We are becoming Foster Parents. Wahoo! Doesn’t that just make you so happy for us that you want to rush out the door and sign up too? It should! We are extremely excited. (Please don’t feel the need to quickly submit the worst foster care story you ever heard from so-and-so.) Please believe me when I say we have heard the stories, read the reports, seen the pictures, and know how terribly hard this can be. But there is no place I would rather be than smack-dab in the middle of God’s will…and this is it. That is why we are so excited. This is yet another opportunity to bring glory to God, so yes I accept with a smile on my face and joy in my heart. The best part about it: my hubby feels the same way! The Lord is so good.

So there you have it. That is the latest news going on in the Kidder household. Do continue to pray for our adoption process, and please keep my little ones (my Sawyer and ones to come) in your prayers.

"Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, KNOWS that we know, and holds us responsible to act." Proverbs 24:12

Calling All Kiddos

We are all set!

The Cupcake Kids Fundraiser will take place on

Saturday, April 16th

at

10:00am-till we are out of cupcakes

in

Lafayette, CO--Our Church Office

and

you and your family are all invited.

If you live nearby, join us!

If you live farther away, join us!

My mom in NJ is hosting a cupcake sale for her friends and coworkers. Here is everything she has planned: she will bake some cupcakes, and...sell them! It's that simple. Then 100% of the proceeds goes to orphans in Uganda through SixtyFeet. I truly believe this is a simple way for all of us to get involved in helping others...around the world! Their goal is to host a cupcake sale in every state and I'm the only one in Colorado. Check their map; you might be the only one in your state too. If you have any questions, shoot me an email at mariakidder17 at gmail dot com.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." - James 1:27 NIV

News, Updates, and More News

I’ll start with the Open Our Eyes Conference in Loveland, CO. It was great! Jared purposefully picked two seats with a tissue box in front of them. Their band opened with worship music that melted my heart in preparation for what was to come. We saw a video of an adoption story straight from the adoptee’s mouth that would break the hardest heart. This young girl was working with the children while we were watching her story; amazing. Then we listened to the main speaker. He told us about his journey to his daughter in Russia, how the Lord opened and closed doors, and the picture this adoption showed. You see, all adoptions have one thing in common. Adoptions are a picture of what God did for me, and if you are a child of His, they also show what He did for you. He called me by name, when I had nothing to offer, and adopted me into His family! I pray that I never get over how amazing this truly is. When he was done speaking we sang some more, which meant I required more tissues. There were 35 different organizations present there and as much as I wanted to go talk to them, I’ll be honest, I didn’t know what to say!!! Don’t you hate that! Well, after Jared and I went through the usual, “You talk to them,” “No you talk to them,” we were ready to go talk to them! I knew God had something special there. He had been brewing something in my heart for a few days, but I needed a confirmation.  After the conference I shared my heart with Jared. You see, I wanted Jared to attend this conference and see the need before I brought ANOTHER idea to the table (because I always have some new idea!) and it worked! God worked! All my wonderful husband said was, “Hmm, I’ll pray about it.” That was all I needed. I knew he truly meant it, would pray, and get back to me. As usual, I can’t share exactly what my NEW idea is just yet, but please, please, please be in prayer for us!

Update on Ecuador: This is also an area where much prayer is needed.

I heard back from Ecuador. I spoke with our contact, and honestly did not hear much new information. If we pursue an adoption from there, we would really be taking a leap of faith. She gave me some advice, information, and encouragement.  I know the Lord is going to stretch us and mold us through this journey, and I am super excited about what He will accomplish in and through us…but It. Is. Not. Easy. I believe God speaks to us while we walk. So we will continue walking in Him, listening for His still small voice, casting our burdens on Him, and working to spread His Good News.

More News:

Today I will be working on organizing my cupcake sale. For more info on what this is, visit The Cupcake Kids. It is scheduled for Saturday, April 16^th. All funds raised will go towards helping orphans in Uganda…and you can get involved! If you live in the Denver area, we need helpers! I will have all the details ready by tomorrow morning. Something I haven’t mentioned is this is usually a kid’s activity, but my two year old will probably only help by eating a cupcake. This is a great opportunity to get your kids, nephews, cousins, friend’s kids, involved in a ministry opportunity. If you would like to join me in this effort, shoot me an email at mariakidder17 at gmail dot com or leave a comment. Thanks to those you have already stepped forward.

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” –Luke 11:9-10 NKJV

Jumping Out of Our Comfort Zones

No news from Ecuador…is making me understand that in waiting, I have work to do. There is nothing I can possibly do to get my adoption process moving, so I won’t try to. Instead, I am trying to figure out how to show God’s love by loving others. Well, since I posted about this here, I have been bombarded with ideas, ministries, events, organizations, fundraisers and many more things! Before I tell you about some of them, here is the progression we are trying to follow:

1. Focus on God, through worship, prayer and discipleship. This way we can always remember why we are doing what we are doing: to bring glory and honor to God.
2. Pray that our eyes would be opened to people and needs around us. How can we serve others in our community, country, and world?
3. Get involved. Now that we have seen the needs, it’s time to take action. What efforts should we join forces with, or what ministries should we start from scratch? What skills, assets, and burdens has God given us that will help in this endeavor?

Once our eyes began to open we started hearing and seeing things for the very first time…that were there all along. It just so happens that,

A blog I follow is joining with The Cupcake Kids to raise money for orphans in Uganda.

A blog I follow is partnered with Wiphan, a widows and orphans care ministry.

Another blog I follow is planning on donating some of their hard earned funds, to help others in their adoption process.

Wow, others are really getting involved! So what can I do? Well, we are starting by going to the Open Our Eyes conference in Loveland, CO this Sunday, and I am super excited. (I have a feeling something special is waiting for us there.) I plan on sharing what we’ve learned with all of you. Then, remember those blogs I mentioned above, we are planning on joining with some of them in their efforts (which I will absolutely blog about too), starting with The Cupcake Kids. Here is where we jump out of our comfort zones. It seems simple to hold a cupcake sale and send money to Uganda, but it’s much more than that. It means spreading the word, getting to know our neighbors, sharing the cause, encouraging others to participate, realizing the world does not revolve around us, comparing our needs with an orphan’s needs, etc. I can’t wait! What a way to share what God has done (adopted us into His family!) with those around us! I will have details about our cupcake sale soon.

Ok, so lately it has been all about the music videos…and I have one more to share with you. This song makes me cry when I hear it on the radio, so I won’t even tell you how I got when I saw the video! Hope you enjoy it.

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.  –Romans 8:15-16

Are They Crying For You?

I read this post this morning and knew right away I had to share it. It's found at one of my favorite blogs,  http://weloveourlucy.blogspot.com/. Please read this and share it if possible. Every child should have a family of their own, and that just might be you.

They Need Us NOW More Than EVER....

I want to tell yall a little story....When my little sister arrived home on Saturday from Ethiopia...she came straight to Hal's bday party at the park and PULLED OUT HER LAP TOP to show us all the pics from her trip...I got to see NEW pics of my sweet Wes...I saw pics of my new Nephew...BUT..it was the pics of this SWEET sibling group that broke my heart:This sweet set of girls are thought to be about 11 and 7!! They have an incredible story of survival and THEIR ONLY WISH is to find a family!! My older sister met them in July...and they were waiting...I met them in December..and they still waited...NOW our younger sister meets them in March..and they STILL WAIT!! This time though, I guess the waiting got to them...cause as my sister entered the gate for her new son...the older sister of this pair BROKE OUT CRYING!! Crying a REAL cry that would break any parent's heart!! Why was she crying so hard?? Because ONCE AGAIN, NO ONE was coming FOR HER and HER SISTER!! The entire travel group ran to her side to console her, offering her suckers and such to make her feel better. All their hearts were breaking for her...YET she was OVER the suckers and candy...SHE WANTED A FAMILY...SHE WANTED IT TO BE HER TURN!! SHE WANTS PARENTS TO WALK THROUGH THAT GATE EXCITED TO MEET HER!!! As I heard this story, I KNEW God has me here for a reason...AND it's to ADVOCATE for these children that wait!! They are healthy, happy and well behaved children!! 3 out of 4 of my sisters have met them now!! TOGETHER...lets find their mom and dad!! Lets find those parents that are LOOKING for these two!! THEY DESPERATELY WANT THIS!! AND, i know we can make a difference!! Please pass this, share this, pray for these two to find a family. I want them to receive a care package..and pictures..and such to show off!! They've waited long enough!! I have so many pics of these girls!! They were so sweet and kind! Lets replace those tears with SMILES!! I know we can do it!!!! And, with all the Ethiopian changes POSSIBLY taking place..THEY NEED US NOW MORE THAN EVER TO ADVOCATE FOR THEM!!! Email ME at Kristi@ordinaryhero.org to view more pics and read about these girls.

 

"God sets the lonely in families." -Psalm 68:6

Loving the Least of These

“Sometimes I would like to ask God why He allows poverty, famine, and injustice in the world, when He could do something about it…but I’m afraid He might ask me the same question.” –Anonymous

I have wanted to share this quote for a long time, but have been too scared to post about it because I would be publicly saying that I would “do something about it.” The more Jared and I work towards our adoption, the more we realize the need out in our community, country, and world. I believe the biggest need people have is coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus as their Savior, but how do you show (not just tell) someone who is suffering that God loves them? I would like to tell someone whose child is dying, someone who is homeless, someone who just lost their husband,  a child dying of starvation that my God loves them, but how can I show them God’s love? A song that came to mind was "Change" by Carrie Underwood. Her first lyrics talk about the homeless, then she moves on to talk about the starving orphans of our world. It made me think: what can we do here in our community and then also in our world?

I have a thought. You are probably much smarter than me and already know this but sometimes it takes me a while. What if I showed them God’s love for them by the love I have for them? This is obviously not an original thought! I have read this countless times in God’s Word but like I said, sometimes things don’t hit me right away. I’m too concerned with the struggles going on in my own house to realize my neighbor’s pain. So in an effort to be more loving, Jared and I have started brainstorming: how can we genuinely love the people around us?

We are preparing to jump out of our comfort zones to reach a world in need, in small ways. I’ll share what some of those very small ways are in my next post. Enjoy what has become an eye opening song in the Kidder house.

…for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.
Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, “Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?” And the King will answer and say to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”

–Matthew 25:35-40 NKJV

A passion for...

Most of the time I’m hoping to share where we are in our adoption process. Unfortunately, right now we are in the waiting phase, so today I’ll share with you a challenge:

See if by the end of this post you know what I have a passion for.

I’ll be honest, when I read some of my favorite blogs, the best part is always the included media. I enjoy pictures and videos. I feel they bring a story to life. I also know I’m not the world’s greatest writer nor most interesting person, so I have set aside a day where I will point you to someone who is. I will be mentioning an “Ordinary Hero” every now and then.  

What is an Ordinary Hero (besides a great blog, with an exceptional story)?

Ordinary-of no special quality or interest; common; unexceptional.

Hero-somebody who commits an act of remarkable bravery or who has shown an admirable quality such as great courage or strength of character.

www.dictionary.com

I am fortunate to personally know an Ordinary Hero. She’s from back home, married to my Pastor’s son, and has committed an act of great bravery. Her name is Taryn, and I would like to share a very special video found on her very sweet blog, One Less Broken. She knows her story of international adoption is what inspired me to even consider it, but I think the rest of you should know that too. I especially love the song she picked for her video so I thought I would have you read the lyrics first and ask you to let God speak to you.

Do You Want to Know

by Josh Wilson

If you want a heart of sympathy
Then pray to God to help you, please
See the world that Jesus sees, yeah
But be careful what you ask Him for
Cause if you’re gonna open up that door
There’s no going back to before

Cause once you see a mother who can’t feed
The baby that cries in her arms
Your heart will break and you’ll lay awake
No, sleep won’t come quick anymore
So do you want to know?

You pass him on the way to work
He holds a sign beside the curb
You look away and avoid the hurt
Cause why should you be held responsible
Besides, he’ll probably just spend it all
On cigarettes and alcohol

But once you see that the man on the street
Has a name and a family like you
Your heart will break and you’ll lay awake
Cause you’ll understand God loves him, too
So do you want to know? Oh, no

If you want a heart of sympathy
Then pray to God to help you see

But once you see a world that’s in need
And a sorrow you just can’t ignore
Your heart’s gonna break and you’ll lay awake
Cause you’ll know you could do so much more
Do you want to know?

Do you know what I have a passion for yet? Is it orphans, the needy, adoption, charities, etc.? No, it’s none of those. It’s my Jesus, and loving him more every day. That same love for him is the reason I want to love others. It’s because nothing good comes from me, but from the love of Christ in me.

Orphans are what I’m burdened for, because I have a passion for my Jesus.

Adopting is a privilege I cherish greatly, because I have a passion for my Jesus.

Spreading the Word is important to me, because I have a passion for my Jesus.

"For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." Philippians 2:13

Jared said, "Go for it."

I had daddy's permission and ran with it. If you read my previous post and saw the pictures of my son, you know why I don't have to say much about the two pictures I'm posting today, ha ha.

I'm still not used to seeing his forehead.

Tomorrow I have a challenge and yummy recipe to share with you. Stay tuned. 

"Children are a heritage from the Lord." -Psalm 127:3