Monday, June 21, 2010

It's a little sad to think that today I'm enjoying doing the laundry, all the cute things that peanut has worn the last week are coming through all clean and ready to be put back into the closet, just to dirty them up all over again, then to be washed.......... again.
Kinda like our sinful lives huh?
We mess them up daily then we can just easily ask God to forgive us of those sins, and he washes them away, but in his case we don't smell like tide, we smell like the Father.
Which brings me to ask you, would you like to go to Women Of Faith with me?
It's November 5th and 6th. I'm taking a group and already have seats reserved. I think as of today I have like 15 ladies joining me. I would not miss this weekend if I was on my death bed. It's just a time to get away with the ladies and live in the presence of the Lord, what can be better than that?
If you want to go you can go to womenoffaith.com and sign up under my group. The cost is $89, but you can set up a payment plan now and pay $10 a month if you want.
We are called "fragrance of love". I pray that as we live our lives day to day, that those that are lost can smell the fragrance of love seeping out of our pores and they want to smell like that too, better than the most expensive perfume you have ever had, better than a smell of a baby, and most of all..better than Tide :)

There are many verses on fragrances in the bible, but this one fits us for today sisters :)

Song of Solomon 4:10
How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much more pleasing is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your perfume than any spice!
Love you,
Shelley

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

I have had a great last couple days.
As soon as my eyes pop open in the am, I can't wait to look over and see if the little "peanut" is awake.
The last two nights she has went to bed before 8pm and slept til about 7am.
She has been awake both mornings I got up, she is just kicking her perfect feet in the air and talking to what I think is the butterflies on the bumper pad....lol
I can't wait to go in tell her good morning. She always greets me with a toothless grin :)
Weather she is here for a short stay or forever, I still thank God for letting us have her, in this moment, right now.

So I'm sitting here watching the discovery channel and my heart is aching for a lady I'm watching going through fertility treatment.
The fertility Dr Jamie and I went to in St.Louis is doing the show, his name is Dr.Silber.
I'm watching them have all this hope and spend all this money on fertility treatment, then the news is always the same. Negative pregnancy. I feel their pain,but I also wander, do they know Jesus? Do they know that he has a plan for them, something they never even could imagine?
I don't know when this show was taped, but I found myself crying out to God, to let them be parents now, whatever the way they became parents, that the hole that was in their heart is now filled with a child's love, but most of all with God's love and hope, and friends...that cost nothing.
Love you all have a blessed day
Shelley

Saturday, June 12, 2010

I was at the movie theater today with the family, we went to see karate kid (which was GREAT by the way)
Mason looked over and said "mommy look at that cute little boy,doesn't he remind you of Franklyn?" I glanced over, and he kinda did, cute big cheeks and great poofy hair.
Then as we sat there and watched the previews I started thinking about how old Franklyn would be now, and how it's funny that when I think of the foster kids, I think of them as the same age they were when we had them, when I do have that great moments of things that remind me of the children we have had in our care, I always think of them as they were here, not how old they are now. Maybe that is weird, but I also think that our heavenly father maybe feels the same way I do.
He knows how many hairs are on our head, he knows every tear that falls, he hears every prayer that we pray to him, but I kinda wonder that when we call on him in prayer, do you think he sees us like we are now?? I kinda think maybe he remembers us at the time when we invited him into our hearts forever. After you invite him into your heart and ask him for forgiveness of your sins, he never remembers those sins again, it's satan that makes us remember those bad choices we made,but when we cry out to him over and over again and say we are sorry for the sins that he has already forgiven us for, I can just hear him whispering right now "what sins?, I don't' know what you are speaking of?
Good to know huh?
So think back to the day that you asked Jesus into your heart, how old were you?, where were you? Who were you with and how different is your life now, from then?
And if you are ready this and don't know the answer to these questions,but you want to know, just keep reading, it's very simple.
To have Jesus in your heart

A admit that you are a sinnner
B believe that Jesus is God's son
C commit that there is only one God
right where you are right now, you can pray this

"Dear Heavenly Father,
I do admit that I am a sinner, I do believe that your son Jesus died on the cross for my sins.
I also commit to live as there is only one God, and that is you. I pray that you come into my heart and that I make you Lord of my life. I want to live for you.
Amen
If you prayed that just now, right it down, tell someone!! Your life from here on out will be changed. I did not say it was going to be easy, but to spend eternity in heaven, it's all going to be worth the life here spent on earth and that I can promise you.
I love you
Shelley

Friday, June 11, 2010

So, we got a email from a friend.
She said, well I saw you needed to raise money for your adoption again, if you do a fund raiser let me know we would love to help out.
So Jamie and I started talking....well what could we do???
We could have another concert, run a 5k??
Jamie said no, lets go door to door selling candy bars like we did in high school, this is how it would sound
" hi, we are the McCain's we are selling candy bars to raise money to adopt a child, would you like to buy one?
then as we walk off, great only 3999 more bars to sell.....lol
(ok maybe it was the face he was making that made me almost pee my pants)
love that God gave me a man with a sense of humor in a time of need :)
Well for being away from a computer for over 2 weeks, this may take awhile to type.

Jamie Mason and I have been visiting family in Texas, Louisianan and we went to the Lake of the Ozarks.
So, you would think that I'm refreshed and ready to be back, but before we even left I was hit with the thought of our adoption life is still going.
The night before we left to Texas we got a packet in the mail from a new agency that we were told about, I read it, but found out that they wanted $5000.00 up front and then if you did not adopt from them, well the money was non-refundable...ok that one is OUT!
Then we came home for one day to wash laundry and let Mason go to his baseball game.
There I ran into a family who last year adopted a bi-racial little girl.
The story of how we met is......
Mason and their son were on the same baseball team. I saw this man walk up with this beautiful dark skinned baby girl (that makes my heart skip a beat) she was so sweet. I went straight up to him introduced myself as Mason's mom and said, "can I hold your baby"
He did not even look at me weird, he just said "yes".
We talked for a moment about adoption and how they got this little girl. After baseball season we never saw each other, but.... Mason was playing basketball this past season and I thought I saw them sitting across the way from us, and it was them. Mason and their son were playing against each other that day. She had grown and was getting ready to crawl all over.
Well, the night that we came home for a little cleaning and a baseball game, Mason was playing against their son's team again!!! So of course I went over said hello and we just began to talk. They asked how we were doing with the adoption agency finding and of course I filled them in on our heart breaks but our perseverance to follow through, that God would leads to right were he wanted us. She started talking highly of the agency they went through, she gave me a web site and phone number and I checked it out that night. It sounded great, fast placements and even faster if you were open to bi-racial or african american. So I filled out the online application and we were accepted. They sent us a packet in the mail. I got this packet today, read every word in it. I called and spoke to a man about the agency and felt very comfortable with it.
But, there is more to this whole story and where we are needing prayers.
We were asked today to take on a foster baby full time (this is a sweet foster baby that we love)
She was suppose to be coming really for the summer so her foster mom could recover from foot surgery, but after a teary phone call, her and her husband have felt lead to ask us to take her.
This little one is not up for adoption, she is still in foster care, and so that means her future to us is a big question mark??
This scares Jamie and I," what if she stays for a year, then we have to give her back?"
"What if she stays 6 months and they pick another family to adopt her??"
These are fears of ours, and I know I could rack my brain with these questions, but really if I'm thinking of her only, she needs us now, I will always remember what God has told me..." love them and teach them to bond" we can not say no because of a fear can we??
What if we would have said no to Mason because they told us he had fetal alcohol syndrome,look what we would have missed?
and that's not all folks, we were let in on a lead to a baby who is due in 2 weeks, she's is not sure she wants to parent or not, so that is on the back burner, but does not mean we are not praying about her too.
So can you see where we might be feeling a little on the "WHAT DO YOU WANT US TO DO LORD?"
but so all of you out there know, the answer to our heavenly father is "YES" I'm not sure we even know the question to it is, but "YES".

Specific prayer would be:
For peace about our choices.
Finances (if we go with this other agency we will need at least $4000 more dollars!!)
Mercy for the Lord to be gentle to our soft hearts we have right now,
and guidance, let the doors fly open, and doors to slam shut according to his will.

Thank you, we love you all :)