Our Adoption: Day One of "Real Life" Survived!

My Friends,

Thank you so very much for your prayers. There were definitely some trying moments during this first day with Mr. Beaver's full-time return to work and the departure of my wonderful mother-in-law, Jane, and her sister, Jean. But, we made it through the day, and, really, with God's sufficient grace we made it through this first day well.

As the day progressed, I kept saying to myself the same thing I did in the Russian courtroom last month, "Jesus is in this room with me. I'm not alone." I felt His presence and help so powerfully as I faced the adversarial judge who could have denied our petition to adopt. I'm not sure I've ever felt so fearless. So today the same thought, "I'm not alone. Jesus is in this home with us" brought strength and comfort. I had the help of that the same rescuing Saviour was in this tough situation also.

One of the sweetest moments of the day was when my dear friend, Heather, (Room for More) stopped by. She and her husband, Russ, are waiting (and waiting and waiting and waiting...) to adopt a 2-5 year old little girl from Ethiopia. Heather brought giant muffins and an offer to clean toilets or to help me with whatever I needed. Now that's friendship! Her help with our mounds of laundry and subsequent prayer over me really lifted me up mid day.

As I look back on  the day I can also see several lessons I learned that I think will help tomorrow go more a bit more smoothly. Throughout the day, I had the long-distance support of my WONDERFUL husband. Mr. Beaver must have called or texted a dozen times to make sure we were doing okay.

Again, thank you for your prayers. The Lord used your cries on our behalf in very tangible ways. If you wouldn't mind, we'd be grateful for continued prayers, especially that I would be a Christ-like mother no matter the circumstances.

May God be Glorified,
Denise

Taking Time to Be Family

Our family attends an amazing church. We're blessed with solid biblical teaching from our pastor, elders and Sunday school teachers. We're also remarkably blessed to have a church family that really interacts like family, supporting one another...rejoicing with those who rejoice and weeping with those who weep.

One of the events that contributes to the strong fellowship in our church is a family retreat each fall at Twin Lakes Christian Center in rural Iowa.

Last weekend about a hundred of us reveled in the opportunity to carry on this tradition.

Much of the great fellowship took place at meal times.

There was also plenty of time for outdoor activities, like walks in the brisk morning air. Tessa's friend, Aaron, joined our family for this year's retreat.

Joe can make a friend anywhere!

Four times during the weekend we gathered to be taught by one of our missionaries on the theme "Dying to Live" based on Luke 9:23 (see the verse at the top of our blog). Each time we gathered, we sang.

The many kids in our church were a great help in leading the singing.

Between teaching sessions there was a wide selection of recreation options, including tackling a climbing wall in the gym.

Some preferred to watch.

Water fun was another option.

Again, some preferred to watch.

A highlight of the retreat was the baptism of five of our church family by Pastor Dave.

Each them shared their story of having been saved and rescued by Christ.

For our family, our church family is a source of strength, stability and support. We love these people and relish this opportunity each autumn to renew our friendships while focusing on the greatness of our glorious God.

~Mrs. Beaver