Good Times with the twins. . .

This is my Great Aunt Bobbye.  Isn't she beautiful?  I just wanted to brag for a moment.  We have spent most of my lifetime in two very different parts of the state.  And she has come upon some hard times recently in her life.  Fortunately for us, it landed her in NW Arkansas near my family.  All of the sudden, I have gotten such a wonderful opportunity to begin to know better this twin of my grandmother.  Her soft-spoken words, the truth that rings from a place deep in her heart, and a spirited mind that won't let itself be missed.  I have been blessed already.  "The twins" as we often call them, have come up to our parts for a visit this week.  I'll let you know, but I think it's going to be a week of "spoiling" all around.

"Children's children are a crown to the aged." 
(and I would add children's, children's, children) 
Proverbs 17:6

Quote of the day . . .

I have a precious life.  Sometimes I remember that, and other days I forget.  This afternoon I had a sweet reminder.  My men, all three of them, were working in the yard picking up sticks so Daddy could begin the mowing season.  In the process they found some flowers, and my eldest came in the front door with something behind his back.  I was asked to close my eyes and hold out my hands.  I was quite obedient and opened my eyes to these sweet yellow flowers.  And a precious boy to go with them.  To top it all off, do you know what he said??  Completely UNprompted, by the way. . . .

"Mommy, do you know why I picked these flowers?"
"No, why?"  (thinking- of course, because they were pretty)
"Because I love you."

And with that he walked out the door to go get more sticks. 

How I love my life, and how I love my creator who was kind enough to put it all in front of me some days, so I don't forget how precious it is. 

Easter Fun. . .

 I don't know if you remember from last year, but we LOVE Easter around here.  This year was no different.  Our day started with the reading of the Resurrection- the women running, the empty grave, the doubting Thomas, and Jesus telling the disciples to "Go therefore. . . "  Then we rummaged through the mass sugar of the baskets, we went to church, and came home for the Easter egg hunting.

The boys had a blast, and when we opened the sugar-filled eggs, we also found small strips of paper.  We assembled the strips and had another rendition of the "hope to which we have been called."

Then we had some of the students come over who have no families locally, and we ate turkey to our hearts content.  Of course, following that we had to have some Resurrection Cake.  Seriously, I think this is my favorite of all the traditions.  Watching Jesus come up from the cake/grave is really cool!  :)

(I can't get the video to upload, so you'll just have to enjoy last years rendition!  So sorry!)


Anyway, after cake everyone had a seat in the living room and we watched the Gospel of John movie.  I helped clean up the kitchen (props and HUGE thanks to Chad) and then sat outside in the sun for a few minutes.  I was sitting and thinking on the day.  Not the silly parts, not the sugar, but the reality that for  2 millenia the believing church has been celebrating such a reality.  I wanted so desperately to sing an old school hymn, but at church's like ours we don't often sing hymns.  One of our favorite leaders was there and unbeknownst to the rest of his team, he belted out. . . . "Christ the Lord has risen today, al-le-lu-ia!"  Seriously, I started to cry.  I know, John looked at me like I was crazy.  But really, I was thinking about it this afternoon, and though none of us know all of the answers, as believers we have set our hope on the promises of the everlasting Father.  We have joined into a story that is so much bigger than our own lives, something that has been and will always be.  Something that does not change with the momentary whims of my heart. 

"One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong,  12 and that you, O Lord, are loving."   Psalm 62:11-12

New Camera. . . . old friends.

Okay, so I know I love to take pics and never really understood what I was missing.  My dear friend Candace got this really cool camera for Christmas, and the pictures I have seen from it are amazing.  So, I decided I would be a total copycat and get the exact same one.  Yes friends, exactly the same thing.  And yes, IT IS AMAZING!  I love it.  I never realized all the pics I had been seeing in my brain that were never being taken since my camera was finicky in all kinds of lights, really slow, and generally miserable if the subject was moving.  (let me remind you of the ages of my children . . . 3 and 5)  SO, here is a sampling.  We have been playing with our friends the Millers this week, and I'll do a post on that in the days to come, but that will probably be some of the kiddos below.  Talk to you later!

IT'S OFFICIAL!!!

So, here she is.  Little Bethany Joy.  As with any adoption, things can always change, but here we are and this time we think it will actually happen.  Here's the story. . .

Three weeks ago, on a Monday morning, I got up with John to see him off.  He was headed to the airport at 5am- he would spend the day in South Florida, and then head to Haiti the next day.  (without easy phone access)  He left early that morning, and early that afternoon I got a call from our dear friend and adoption consultant Tracie.  She said, "When exactly are you coming home from your trip this summer?"  Well, I said, "right now it looks like early July, but it's pretty flexible.  Why?"  

She said, "Can you come home early and be here for a baby due July 7?"   What????????

I QUICKLY said I had to call John- before he got to Haiti!  There were so many questions, so many thoughts all at the same time, I didn't know what to do with myself.  No word on the sex of the baby- only that the birth mother was from the Pacific island area and that this would probably be the first adoption to come through Hannah's Dream.  She was in KC on a student visa and was about 22 weeks along.  Well, I called John, we talked it through, and felt immediately that this was the right situation.  I called Tracie back, and said, "Let's go."

So, three weeks later, after John got back home, we went and signed all the papers.  We all decided that if the situation before was 95% risk (risk that the birth mother would change her mind) then this situation is like 1% risk.  Everything about this situation is different than before- the largest factor being that she is directly connected to the agency and the social worker.  They have a relationship- a friendship where the agency is now the support system for the birth mother.  It is such a cool situation.  I will tell more of the details later, but either way be praying for little Harrigan- growing and forming somewhere in the Kansas City area.  That the Lord would speak life over her heart- that she would know she was formed and made with a purpose, and that her forever family has been praying for and seeking after her for months!

We are praying for you and your birth mama in these next months- over and over, every day.  The Lord is mighty to save.

The Heart of the Father. . . for the African American Culture.

So, Monday night the boys and I went to what I mistakenly called, a "show." Not because it wasn't a show, but simply because the boys thought that meant movie. Oh well, another day I will expound on my boys love for movies and my utter distaste for that love.

The African American Forerunner Alliance is a wing of IHOP that is committed to bringing the African American community into intercession, before the Lord, and uniting with other ministries around the nation focused on the same thing.  "The African American Forerunner Alliance (AAFA) exists to serve and strengthen all who have a desire to see black believers walk in fullness." It is amazing, and having spent a year teaching and living with an African American poverty populations, my heart is connected to such things.  Knowing that soon, we will be having a child in our family whose skin is a different color than mine, pushes my heart to want to understand the plight of those in our country who have been enslaved and abused for generations.   see video. . .


One of their groups, the Heart of David, did a play this week that showed the history of blacks in America, and called them forward- that they would know Jesus fully and live for Him in the days to come.  It is a play written for and acted by African American men and women- and though we were slightly out of place, I couldn't help but think about the days to come- when one or more of my own children will struggle with serious questions of race and identity.  We live in a fallen world.  Jesus has not yet returned.  People will look at me and my family funny.  Sure, some people will tell me how wonderful it is that we are multi-cultural.  However, I know on the front end that it will not always be pretty.  Others will stare, and even others will scoff at me.  I know my daughter will ask, "Mommy, why is my skin a different color than yours?"  I want to answer that question fully and honestly.  I want to know the history of people in this nation who share a common genetic link with my adopted children.

The play looked at the role of significant Black Americans- specifically Martin Luther King- throughout history.    The impact they made, not on policy and politics, but on the heart and soul of African Americans around the nation. 

I leave you with the same question posed in the play.  Who do you put your hope in?  Who is my hope in?  There is one man, one person, ONE who can make all things right.  There is one alone who can vindicate the wrongs in our life, one who can heal the wounds, bring freedom, and guarantee equality.  The One who created us equal, the one who formed us in our mothers' wombs, and the one who sees us completely (good and bad!).  He is our hope.  He is our eternity, and He is the one who will fight for us. 

1 Peter 1:3-6   "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-- kept in heaven for you,  who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials." (bold mine)

Adoption anyone??

Since I know you are all ready to jump on the adoption rollercoaster with us :), I thought you might appreciate this video.  It's a great testimony about what is happening in the adoption movement around the church right now.  I read a statement from the director of the Zoe Foundation today that struck me,
     "If anything is going to move from being a blip on the radar to a full blown revolution, it takes many, many people saying the same thing.    The church is thinking differently about adoption because adoption ministries are springing up everywhere. The Zoe Foundation is not a lone voice calling in the wilderness – it is joined by other groups, large and small, that want to see adoption happen.
From the Abba Fund to Focus on the Family, all across the nation, adoption conferences and events are taking place…and it’s making a difference."

Everywhere I turn, I get to talk to wonderful people who are changing the face of adoption.  They share their stories with me, their reasons, their motivations, their testimonies about what the Lord is doing in their midst.  I am moved to be even a small part of this amazing thing the Lord is doing.  Enjoy the video and we'll have an update again soon!

My Samuel. . . . Happy 3rd Birthday!

Dear Samuel,

I remember well the night you were born.  You made me work hard for it, but all of the sudden it was over.  It was as if you wanted to make sure the timing was just right, your debut into this world was perfect.  The testimony of healing that you carry is powerful, and as you speak to me every day, I am reminded that the Lord healed you and gave you life.  He is such a good Father. 

You are becoming such an amazing little boy. You wear your heart so fully, and I am inspired and encouraged to see it. You love completely- your brother, daddy, and mommy. You say such amazing things. Just now I woke you up from nap and you said you wanted to go downstairs and play with brother. And in the van today, you said you wanted to tell me a story.  "Mommy I want to tell you a story.  Me and Brother went down the driveway to get a ball and then we came back up.  The End."  Fantastic!!  You go to Sunday School class with brother, and you love being there with him. You adore playing outside, and you don't even mind who is out there with you most of the time. Your heart is growing in depth every day,even as your pants are getting too short, and your words are forming into ones given by the Father.

My favorite thing about you lately is hearing the songs that are growing in your heart. You love to sing Misty Edwards, "You shall love me, You shall love me" and WaterDeep, "OH Israel, trust in the Lord" OR "He will come, He will come" over and over again. There may be nothing playing, or there may be other music playing, and yet the song that is in your heart will come out through your mouth. "This is the Day" is also heard often in our hallways. You, my child, are a singer and I love seeing it day in and day out. What a beautiful and sweet voice you have.

I hope you had an amazing birthday. You have talked about playing at "Mr. Richee's house" since we got home from MN, so I figure you aren't too upset that mommy spent the first part of the day welcoming Baby Sister Miller into the world. You two share a birthday, isn't that fun? You loved your Lightening McQueen cake and Gordon the train engine that you got. You couldn't stop talking about both of them for quite some time.

I love you sweet boy.  May you continue to grow in love and wisdom- learning the heart of the Father and the words of his heart, that you may share or sing them all the days of your life.

Mommy

The Olympics. . . among other things.

Okay, so I know. There are a lot of people who never watch TV. We are not that family. And thought I have a thousand conversations a week about HOW MUCH tv we are going to watch, and though it is a battle that I have thought long and hard about throwing the whole thing out the window-- we have had a BLAST watching the Olympics. There is something very innate in my boys that causes them to love the competition. In our hallway they LOVE to race. Whatever means by which they can do it. We get out the world map and talk about where all the competitors are from. We even watched figure skating. (not last night though and I am terribly sorry to have missed the american win!) We have also enjoyed watching our boys mesmerized by the men's halfpipe and the really fast downhill women's race. We even saw some curling one afternoon and though Benjamin kept asking me the rules, I couldn't for the life of me explain why they were doing the odd things they were doing. I couldn't even tell him who was getting points for what and how one country won and another lost. ANYWAY, all that to say it's been a fun week with more to come I am sure.

What got me thinking about it again, was Kelly Clark last night on the women's snowboard half pipe. I missed it then, but saw it this morning on the Today show- she was singing to the Lord before she went down. Loudly, for all to hear. Unashamedly. My friend Candace did an amazing post about her a few weeks back, you should totally check it out here. Then today I read someone else's thoughts about the same woman. Her heart for the Lord is infectious. She shares her testimony in such an open and genuine way that I can't wait to know her when Jesus returns. She is a testimony for the real gospel in a place where man is exalted above all in the spirit of competition. Lord, I want to live in such a way that you are exalted all around me- no matter what the other messages are, no matter what it sounds like, no matter how it is received. I want to be a voice in the midst of darkness that shares your heart for the lost.

Dear Birth Mother. . . wherever you may be.

Dear Birth Mother,

I am sorry that we never got to meet. I am sorry that our conversations were so short and so trivial. I wanted to meet you, to share with you, to raise and love a child together. I don’t know where your heart is right now. I don’t know if you are honest or lying. I don’t know if you will really love the little girl who is growing inside of you. I bet you already do. Maybe that’s why you changed your mind. Maybe you are wanting to live your life differently because of this little one.

Either way, I want you to know that we prayed for you. We will continue to pray for you. We pray that the Lord would encounter you. We pray that he would speak to you all the things in his heart. The way he loves you, the way he formed you, the way he longs to speak to you day in and day out. We pray that you would have dreams in the night about him. That in your sleep you would encounter the creator of the heavens and the earth, the God of all, the one who knows every hair on your head. That He would say things to you that your heart longs to hear, things that only you have whispered in your heart, things that have never been spoken. That He would answer the deepest questions of your soul and fill the void that has been empty for so long. We pray for you.

We prayed also for the little one inside your womb. We pray that she would be protected from the arrows of the enemy. That she would grow strong in mind and heart. That she would be healthy- with 10 fingers and 10 toes. We pray that she would be beautiful. We pray that the Lord would speak to her- even in the womb- of his undying love, His adoption of all of us into his coming kingdom. We pray that she would know the love of the Father in heaven at a young age. That she would grow in mind and heart quicker than those around her. We named her Bethany Joy- that she would live a life of radical love- as in the spirit of Mary of Bethany (Luke 10:42 - 11:1 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.") And that she would live fully- joyfully. That joy would follow her all the days of her life.

We will continue to pray for you both- and for whatever reason, the Lord wanted our paths to cross this winter. He knows all the plans of the world. He rains on the righteous and the wicked. He knows where the one is who is to come into our home, and though it is not the one in your womb, He knew that too. It is not a surprise to Him. Our prayers will continue to be with you both. Our hope is not in this age, our hope is in what’s to come. Our hope is when He will make all things right. Our hope is set on the age when there will be no more orphans. There will be none without fathers and mothers, and there will be fullness in the families of the earth. Thank you- for forcing us back into the arms of our own Father. Thank you for letting us into your life, if only for a moment.

the harrigan clan