Jaynie's Departure

Mrs. Beaver:

We went to sleep early last night, thinking we'd be rising before the sun to take Jaynie to our local airport for a 7 am flight. Despite the early hour, we all planned to see her off (with the exception of Mr. Beaver who had an unavoidable business meeting in Florida).

However, about 11:30 Mr. Beaver got a call from Delta Airlines telling him Jaynie's first flight on her long trip had been cancelled. Mr. Beaver scrambled with the agent and was able to get her on a flight out of Omaha in the early afternoon, that would still allow her to connect in Atlanta with the family with whom she's traveling. She'd also still make her connection to her flight to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, where she'll stay for a couple of days before heading on to her final location. Mr. Beaver got a very groggy wife when he called me to tell me of the change, but I went back to sleep grateful to God that the travel glitch had been no worse than a slight inconvenience.

So, this morning we got to sleep later than we anticipated. Then, however, we had to make rapid the preparations for a full day traveling to and from Omaha. We arrived there with plenty of time to spare. When Jaynie checked in, God was gracious to us, and the airline over looked the extra three pounds in each of Jaynie's suitcases.

After we ate lunch, I asked the kids for a group photo--the last one that would include Jaynie for four months.

We then headed to Jaynie's gate, all of us experiencing heavy hearts at the thought of the goodbyes that were now inevitable.

Before the individual goodbyes began, we dropped our belongings on the ground and joined together in a prayer huddle. God blessed Jaynie "above and beyond all we could have asked or thought" (Ephesians 3:20) on her previous trip to that dangerous corner of the world. We pleaded with Him once again for mercies in her life.

After the prayer huddle, many hugs took place and a few tears.

Just before Jaynie made her way down the ramp to the security line I asked our first trio of older Russian adoptees for a photo. When we celebrated their tenth anniversary with us last September, Jaynie was gone and the photo op was impossible.

Mark (16), Jaynie (18) and Cassandra (17)

Then it was time.

Jaynie couldn't resist turning around a couple of times as the distance between us grew.

When she did, we loudly yelled, "We love you, Jaynie!" Okay...I loudly yelled that, but I'm sure the others were feeling the same sentiment!

In some ways the photo below captures what I will miss the most while Jaynie's gone--her enormous grin that gives evidence to a heart filled with peace and joy.

She's not the same child we adopted 10 years ago. That little girl was sullen, distant, rebellious, and even belligerent at times. God has truly healed her orphan hurts. When we adopted her she was in serious need of love. Now she's fully ready to pour out love among the least of these. God is so good.

As the rest of us headed back the way we'd come, we saw Jaynie's plane arrive.

Her siblings watched the jet with sober faces.

After the plane rounded the corner, we continued our march through the airport, knowing Jaynie was going exactly where the Lord was calling her--a central Asian country which is poor in so many ways.

For those of us left here, we had to redefine family yet again.

Give Us Strength, Lord!

Mrs. Beaver:

Tomorrow at 7 am Jaynie begins her long trip back to the Central Asian country where she serves as a home school teacher to two American families, who serve in aid jobs. While there, Jaynie will also be teaching English and Art to a group of street children between about 7 and 11 years old. What a long way this former orphan has come as she seeks to impact her remote corner of the world! Now she's a Pied Piper with an incredibly open heart for children whose families suffer heart-wrenching poverty.

Jaynie loves the local people, thrives in her work and truly adores the family for whom she will be teaching (the other family is in the US to give birth to their fourth child.) Mr. Beaver and I are utterly confident that she will be exactly where the Lord her. As we've prepared for her departure, we've been blessed once again with the "peace that passes all understanding."

Jaynie will be traveling back with the family for whom she will teach, and they have a wonderful way of keeping her laughing. I know the Lord will sustain her, but tonight Jaynie's tears have already begun flowing over having to say good-bye to her family. She just crawled in bed with me, and we cuddled and talked and cried for quite a while. But its hard knowing this will be our last opportunity until June.

These photos were taking at the airport when she left last August. Please pray for all of us as we separate tomorrow!

Six Helpful Words

Mrs. Beaver:

For the past few weeks, Mr. Beaver has been using our evening Bible time to teach us how to get more out of our individual daily reading. He's adapted material from a book by Howard Hendricks called Living by the Book, which he first read about a decade ago. He'd tell you the book significantly altered his relationship with the Lord by increasing his ability to understand and apply God's word to his life.

On Friday he taught the kids that when reading a passage something as simple as asking six questions can significantly improve your grasp. To help the kids remember the questions, he had them write the six words on their hands. They are:

• Who? (Who is involved in the passage?)
• What? (What's happening in the narrative?)
• When? (When is the narrative happening? Time of day, year? Historical timing?)
• Where? (Location of narrative?)
• Why? (Why do you think God included this passage in the Bible?)
• Wherefore? (How might this apply to my life?)

Give it a try! I think you'll be amazed how these simple questions can enrich your time in the word!

She's Going back

Jaynie's visa arrived last week. She's eagerly looking forward to returning to the central Asian country in which she served two American families as a home school teacher from August to December. With nearly her first step on the dry, dusty soil of that nation, Jaynie fell in love with the people of the area. She was especially enchanted with the local children, and enjoyed spontaneous opportunities to teach them English and drawing. Some of these children's families are so impoverished they live in the city's dumps.

Here are some photos as she transitioned in August to the country in central Asia in the company of her dad and brother, John. This hotel would be the last bit of anything approaching luxury and even comfort they would see.

Hotel in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on the Persian Gulf

The Arabs love their Arabian horses and statues of them were all over the hotel grounds

Before night fall, Jaynie, Mr. Beaver and John would have entered the capital of Jaynie's new country. All signs of civilization would have disappeared.

The first morning Jaynie was required to purchase and don a burqa. At first John helped her navigate because she lost her peripheral vision. All the women in the city in which she lives are required to wear a burqa as soon as they leave their own compound (walled area around their home). Within their own home and in the homes of friends and relatives, the women are required to keep their heads covered with a scarf.

Jaynie will be returning to Central Asia in mid-February, traveling with one of the two families she has been serving there. We will miss her dearly, but know that she is going where the Lord wants her. We will look forward to her return in early June, Lord willing.

Video: Beautiful Jesus

Leading the Home: Quotes from Doug Wilson at Desiring God Conference

Mr. Beaver - Just a quick post to encourage and point my brothers in Christ to some vital truths being shared at the Desiring God conference. I'm not there, but am benefiting from a report by Jonathan Parnell dated January 30, 2012.

I'd encourage everyone to go to the website to see the live streamed presentations or to look at more detailed reports, but I just had to share these few quotes that hit home and my brief thoughts regarding fathers leading in the home:

"Begin with gospel, walk in the gospel, end with the gospel." This is what our parenting should be all about. It's not about shaping our kids to fit our ways... it's about asking God to use us to reach them for Christ and His glory! Our goal in shaping them should be to do whatever we can to help shape them into the image of Christ!

"In the gospel, the fatherless no longer are." God, our Father, is the perfect Father. With respect to our own children, our goal should be to point our children past our own flawed image to the image of our perfect Father in heaven. With respect to the fatherless in this world, our responsibility is to step into their lives and do the same. We don't have to be perfect to point them to the perfect Father, but we do have to make a choice to do so. He is the perfect Father of all His children.

"Masculinity is the glad assumption of sacrificial responsibility...If you want to preach the gospel to your wife and to your children, then die." It all begins with denying self, taking up our cross daily and following Him. Real men don't lead by lording their authority over their families... they lead in sacrificial love... in dying to self.

"When men take up their responsibilities to provide and protect it resonates with their being. When men walk away from their responsibilities, they walk away from their assigned masculine identity...Men don't carry things because they have broad shoulders; they have broad shoulders because they are meant to carry things." God's design for the family is perfect. What a tragic mess we make of it when we look to selfish desires or any other excuse to step aside from our God-given responsibilities as men. The mess we find ourselves in, both in society and sadly in the Church as well, all starts in the home.

Men, let's "man-up", take responsibility and enjoy the blessings of living according to God's plans. 

433 Moms

Mrs. Beaver:

When Mr. Beaver and I launched into adopting our first older Russian child 11 years ago (yes, at first we set our sights on one older child--but the Lord had vastly other--and more wonderful--plans), we knew of NO ONE who was considering adopting for the sake of Christ's name. We were ALONE. We were utterly alone. And we often felt LONELY and MISUNDERSTOOD, even by Christians...even by friends.

How things have changed! This weekend my friend, Heather Nordstrom, and I are surrounded by more than 400 adoptive moms and women waiting-to-adopt at a conference in northern Georgia. These women (and the husbands they represent) share a heart for seeing that the least-of-these are cared for, just as Jesus commanded.

I wish I had some pictures to share of the long registration lines. I could have easily taken photos filled with the bright colors of the t-shirts and jewelry and other items that vendors are selling to raise money for orphan care. I had hours wandering the conference center hallways with this opportunity. However, I didn't take a single picture of those sights.

Instead, I walked around in a awe-filled stupor. I was overwhelmed by the change in the adoption landscape since we began our first Russian adoption just a little more than 11 years ago. I stood amongst the crowds of women and quietly wept over God's goodness in answering our family's many prayers that He would raise up His church to provide homes for at least some small portions of the staggering 147 million orphans globally. He has done just that. Mr. Beaver and I are no longer ALONE.

Interestingly, it hasn't been our peers who have answered God's call. Many, if not most, of the women at this conference were in their twenties or early thirties. I'm old enough to be the mother of many of them! These couples, who've had their hearts moved by God and have said, "Yes!" to His call to "deny self and take up their cross daily and follow him" Luke (9:23), aren't the same generation as Mr. Beaver and me. They're the next generation. Often they already have three or four very young children in tow. Despite the heavy demands on their lives, they are ready to make a difference for orphaned children, to make a difference for Christ. Our prayers of 11 years have been answered; the Father of the Fatherless is on the move!

Since I don't have photos of first-day conference sights, I'll post pictures from a walk Heather and I took this morning on the beautiful lodge grounds. Georgians probably wouldn't have considered the weather balmy, but it sure felt good to two women from the upper mid west.

My friend and fellow-adoptive-mom, Heather

Why Adopt a TEEN?

Mrs. Beaver:

Mark, Samuel, Alexander, Tatiana (hidden) and Daria (left to right)

My title is too big for what I can accomplish tonight. In fact, this title is too big for a post of any length. After 14 months of parenting a teen who most Americans--most Christians--would write off as too damaged, I could write a passionate book on "Why Adopt a Teen?" In my few words here I can only say that our God IS big enough! Our God provides grace freely but only once we trust Him and thrust ourselves into a vulnerability that demands we depend fully on Him. The Lord has amazed Mr. Beaver and I at every turn as we've been blessed beyond measure to parent Daria.

Some day I'll try to tackle "Why Adopt a Teen?" in a more concrete manner, although the subject is so beautiful, so well--magical--so "of God" than I'm not certain there are words equal to the wonder experienced.

For now please read the post of my dear friend and co-adopter, Jamie. Her insight about teens who are seemingly unadoptable carries an profound insight about OUR adoptability by God.

We spent Thanksgiving with Jamie and Marcos and their son of four months, Samuel. Mr. Beaver and I first met Samuel in Moscow two years ago on the trip which allowed us the chance to meet our children-to-be Daria, Alexander and Oksana. All four kids were in the same orphanage in rural Russia.

Above, I've included three favorite pictures from our Thanksgiving vacation in Minnesota. Please follow their sequence carefully to get the full impact of Samuel's act of kindness. To me, the pictures seem prophetic of the role God will grow Samuel into--reaching out and helping others in need.

Our couragous, faith-filled friends on their family's first Thanksgiving together -- Praise God!

And just to think, Samuel could have easily aged out of the system, lost to crime, desperation and possibly even suicide.

Knit, Pray, Love

I was sitting in the car this afternoon, waiting as Alexander and Mark finished up their guitar lessons inside their teacher's little blue house. Since I was working on some school, I paid little attention to the murmur of the radio...until the male DJ started talking about his new hobby: knitting. I had to smile at the thought of Scott of KLOVE taking up the rather delicate craft generally reserved for women.

          However, when he went on to explain why he had, I was all ears. He spoke of the partnership Klove and CURE International had formed, allowing Klove's listeners to knit baby hats and send them to newborns in Afghanistan. As I heard Scott describing the plight of the many needy and oppressed women and children, it rang true with the stories Jaynie had shared with me of her time in Central Asia. I felt a wave of sadness, not just at the many physical trials of the Afghani moms and babies, but also at the fact that they know fear and turmoil, instead of peace and joy. They are imprisoned by the rites and rituals of their culture and religion, instead of being freed and empowered by eternal life in Christ Jesus.

         Nevertheless, I couldn't help getting excited as well, because I knew "I can do that too!" So tomorrow I will begin my first baby hat. And as I work my way through stitch after stitch and row after row, I can pray for the little head that will make use of it. I can pray for the worn and weary mother who will receive the hat for her child. I can pray that they too can come to know the peace and love that can only be found in Jesus.

Anybody want to join me?

~Lissie


CURE Knit Pray Love from CURE Video on Vimeo.