FULLY FUNDED!!!!

Praising God this morning that we are MORE than fully funded for our adoption of Little Miss AnnaBella! What an amazing blessing from the Lord! Thank you Jesus! We got accepted last night by Gift of Adoption for an amazing grant, and along with VERY generous donations over the last 2 weeks, that puts us MORE than over the top which will allow us to get some important things we need to help get things ready for her when she gets home! God is good! ALL the time! ALL the time...God is good!

Good bye for now our little one...

Yesterday we said goodbye to our precious little AnnaBella. She blew us kisses from the doorway and waved to us as we got into the taxi. It was hard, but we are grateful for the 

wonderful care she will receive until we come and pick her up in a few short months. So for now our treasure:

обидам те

виждате много скоро
виждате много скоро

translation:  We love you! See you very soon!

God has truly added! To God be the Glory!

Our God is an awesome God! He is good, He is sovereign, and he truly has added an enormous blessing to our family in this little one. We have completed 3 days of visits with her and will have today and tomorrow as well.

Let me tell you a little bit about her. She is fiesty, she is full of joy, she LOVES to laugh and smile and run. She is determined, and she LOVES both Glenn and I as though she knows we are her parents, after only 3 days maybe a total of 9 hours or so of visits. She knows. She feels that there is something about us.

When we come in she runs to us at full speed with her arms in the air. She LOVES to be held. The first 2 days she truly favored Glenn. It was absolutely the sweetest thing. If he puts one arm down, she grabs it and puts it around her. She takes his hand and puts it on her face and makes it go up and down. She loves to be loved! 

She also LOVES to hold hands and walk. Here we had taken her out to get her visa photo taken.

Then yesterday, she wanted me to hold her, and me to hug her and she kept wrapping her hands around my neck and then placing my arms around her neck and squeezing me so hard. She is making up for lost time! 

Dear blog readers, she is in a wonderful place. She was moved there in November of 2014. When she came there, she didn't walk, and she didn't really make any sounds at all. Now she is running and jumping and communicating very well, not with words but definitely with gestures and sounds. She is ready to explode with learning! Of course it will be very hard to say goodbye for now to her on Friday morning, but we rejoice that her care is exceptional and she is LOVED here, she truly is. Of this we are extremely thankful! And so...we'll say our tearful goodbyes and then come home and wrap up the rest of our US side of things as quickly as possible and get the ball rolling back to Bulgaria for the final process. How long?? We don't know.

Would you like to help out? We sure could use prayers, as well as some additional funding, too! On the side of our blog are 2 ways to contribute. You could give a tax deductible donation to our Reece's Rainbow family support page, HERE or you could give to our You Caring Page  HERE. Either one is fine! 

You may wonder why none of the photos on the blog show her face?? That is because we are not allowed to show her face on a public media setting until after the court in Bulgaria declares her our daughter which will be in a few months from now.

Until then, please pray, and of course give generously, and from the heart!

Thank you all sooooooo much! 

For now, from Bulgaria!! Much love! 

This happens when we LOVE the least of these! Check it out!

Please watch this video, and ponder the lyrics! This is precious, and such a blessing! Would you consider helping us to reach our goal for our littlest blessing? You could give a tax deductible donation to our FSP on Reece's rainbow to the right on our blog or click HERE or directly to our checking account at our You Caring Page: HERE

Little hands, shoeless feet, lonely eyes looking back at me

Will we leave behind the innocent to grieve

On the road, on the run when their lives have only begun

These could be our daughters and our sons

And just like a drum I can hear their hearts beating

I know my God won't let them be defeated

Every child has a dream to belong and be loved



[Chorus:]

Boys become kings, girls will be queens

Wrapped in Your majesty

When we love, when we love the least of these

Then they will be brave and free

Shout Your name in victory

When we love, when we love the least of these

When we love the least of these



Break our hearts once again

Help us to remember when

We were only children hoping for a friend

Won't you look around

These are the lives that the world has forgotten

Waiting for doors of our hearts and our homes to open



[Chorus]



If not us, who will be like Jesus

To the least of these

If not us tell me who will be like Jesus

Like Jesus

To the least of these



Boys become kings, girls will be queens

Wrapped in Your majesty

When we love, when we love the least of these

Then they will be brave and free, shout Your name in victory

When we love, when we love the least of these

We will love the least of these

We will love the least of these

We will love the least of these

We will love the least of these

We will love the least of these

Keep Calm! We leave in 2 weeks from today!

Jesus Hears the Orphan

We have our referral of precious AnnaBella! We'll take our first trip to meet her March 19th-26th!!! We'd be honored if you would partner with us!!! Check out our blog side bar! You can give tax deductible donations to our FSP at Reece's Rainbow, or our You Caring Page!!!

Thank you! 

We sure do LOVE you!

Our little "son"flower!

Our JoyAnna LOVES to look at the sun! She can be really fussy and restless, and then when we sit her in the rays of sunshine, she calms right down and just seems to look up and soak it all in.       

What an encouraging example she is to me. 

At the Created For Care adoption conference that I went to recently, the focus was "SHINE". As in Isaiah 60:1-3. 

We also studied Psalm 119:130..."The entrance of Your words give light Oh Lord, it gives understanding to the simple."

It truly makes so much sense to look up, to look toward the Light, the one TRUE Light, the author and finisher of our faith. Just like a sunflower. Just like our JoyAnna.

Thank you for that reminder this day, JoyAnna, I truly thank you!

The value of a life...

This day, January 21st, 2016, our precious Rosalinda Marguerite Winslow turns 4. The photo on the left is when we first met her at the Elliot hospital in Manchester. She was 5 weeks old, and rejected. 

You see, sweet Rosie was born drug addicted. Her mama, (who had already had 5 other children before), had NO pre-natal care and came into the hospital on the 21st of January, 2012, had Rosie, and left the next day. Abandoned her to return to her life on the streets. So Rosie was loved on and cared for by the nurses in the intensive care unit. She had 5 hard weeks of withdrawing from the drugs in her little body. How horrible it must have been for her. She did NOT choose this, it was chosen for her.  Child and family services had stepped in and thought it would be very easy to find a home for this little one. One by one they called their waiting list people, and one by one they were told, "No"...Why?? "because she was drug addicted and because she was part Hispanic"...2 strikes against her. You see, everyone was looking for the "perfect white baby", and they didn't see the value of this little life.

Well, God knew one month before Rosie's birth, we would step out in faith and visit an attorney and start a private adoption process. This attorney told us that she NEVER gets NH babies, but that we should pray for one anyway, and so we did. Do you see the storyline developing?

You can read about it here at:  Rosie's Story It's really such a blessing! There are also photos of Rosie's first birthday with us.

God knew He wanted Rosie to be with us. God valued her life GREATLY!!! We are so thankful to her mama that she actually gave birth to her, and didn't choose to end Rosie's life.

We are so thankful that God chose us to be her family! 

Yes....my life is forever changed...and so am I...

I know I haven't written in a bit...I'm sorry for that. Let me help you to get caught up! ...

I was chatting with my Dad the other day. I was talking with him while here at the children's hospital in NH with JoyAnna. He wanted to know how she was recovering from her surgery. (she just had her first of several foot reconstruction surgeries on Friday) As I was sharing with him all that we had gone through in such a short time, and how hard it was for me to have JoyAnna in so much pain he said to me with tears in his eyes... ( he had such an incredibly tender heart toward our precious little girl!)...

"Mary....you life has changed so much, hasn't it?"

(tears are always in my eyes readily these days) "Yes, Dad", I answered, it has and I wouldn't trade it for anything! 

I'm writing this blog post from my little twin sized bed in the "insect" room at David's House. Each room has a theme and is decorated accordingly.

My home away from home right now while JoyAnna is recovering from her first foot reconstruction surgery. Jon and I are sharing this room, with butterflies and caterpillers on the walls, and pretty lady bug bed spreads.

 It's so peaceful and quiet here. It's absolutely beautiful, this home. Lots of love and caring here, and I am so very thankful for it. This home where you can stay as long as you need at no cost at all. This home that is run by volunteers. Sweet wonderful people who are so kind and caring, who come in daily to clean and make meals..  The other night I spoke with the program manager here for an hour or so. She was asking me about my family, and so of course I got out my i-Pad and showed her everyone and told her all about each one. (My husband has a joke with me....he'll start to watch the time when I start chatting with someone and he says it's just a matter of a minute or so before I get out a photo, and then hand out our business card, etc. I LOVE doing this! )So when I got to sharing about JoyAnna, and Jerry, and of course Zoey, and I shared with her where the girls had come from and how Zoey died before we could come and bring her home, she cried and just kept saying over and over..."I had NO idea, how can this be happening, this is criminal, I really had NO idea"....This is such a common answer. This is when I gently say to folks..."well, now that you know.....there are many ways to help and be a blessing"...and then I give out our family business card and share about our blog and such. Planting seeds...sharing truth...showing God's love. She cried when I showed her this photo of Jerry and JoyAnna at one year home! She was shocked and she herself said..."their lives are forever changed!"...yes, Susan, they are, but so are ours, too. So are ours...

This is the first time I haven't stayed right in the hospital room with JoyAnna. It was recommended that I sleep here since I'd have Jon with me to help for transporting Joy to the surgery and coming home. I'm thankful for the good night's sleep that I'm sometimes getting, but I sure do miss not being there with her. 

I'm remembering this verese..."I lift my eyes up to the Lord, where does my help come from, it comes from You Lord, the maker of heaven and earth!" Psalm 123:1

This has by far been her hardest hospital stay. I have NOTHING to compare in my life to the pain this little ray of sunshine has experienced in her life already, and NOTHING to compare to the pain she is having from her foot surgery. Bone surgery is the most painful surgery to recover from. The first 3 days are the worst, and we are just completing day 2.  I don't have any experience with this type of pain, but dear readers, Jesus sure does, doesn't He? And so does my Heavenly Father, too. 

Oh dear blog readers...Can I confess something to you....?? I'm struggling with such anger issues toward her orphanage, and those people to contributed to the reason why she even needs this surgery to begin with...I find this anger rising up out of seemingly nowhere...especially when JoyAnna is screaming out in pain......UGH.........but that isn't going to help JoyAnna right now, nor will it help those all around her. And so....I must nail that anger to the cross, and I ask Jesus day in and day out to remove this anger from me, and allow me to love these people.... I pray that God will give me a spirit of reconciliation...."that I will love my enemies, and bless them that curse me, and do good to them that hate me and pray for them that despitefully use me,.....that I may be a child of my father which is in heaven." Matthew 5:44-45 You know something, too, JoyAnna really has no anger toward her caregivers...maybe fear...but no anger. Maybe post traumatic stress related to medical care...but no anger. Lord, please do NOT allow me to teach this to her. PLEASE!!

We thought we'd be able to go home today (Sunday), but that was not to be. It's not looking good for going home tomorrow, either. Her pain needs to be under

 control, and she needs to be able to sit up and tolerate that for a good length of time.

She had about 3 good hours in a row today where she was comfortable.  This is progress, but it's not enough progress. Her night last night was really restless. She had many night terrors, my dear friend Chloe told me tonight. (Chloe is a nurse's aid we've had all 3 times we've been here overnight and we love her! She is like an angel from heaven just for JoyAnna!) 

This morning was really hard, too. And there have been many, many people that just don't understand what it means to not be able to have a voice like you and I have. JoyAnna isn't able to answer the question..."on a scale of 1 to 10, what is your pain like?" as we would answer it. Instead she indicates her pain level with the type of cry she has. I know her cries VERY well. I know when she's hungry, or tired, or frustrated, or grumpy, or even when she is faking it. I also know VERY well, when she's in pain. 

JoyAnna spent 7 long years with NO ONE answering her cries. Not many people caring enough to even determine what kind of cry it was. But I know, I know those cries  very well, and so does everyone in my family. And you know what?? The wonderful nurses at the hospital are beginning to know those cries, too. What a blessing it was for me to run into two of my favorite nurses tonight before I left. One of them came up to me and just hugged me and hugged me and said..."Oh Mary, she looks so good, she's doing so well! You have done such an amazing job with her!" This precious nurse has seen JoyAnna when she first came home, really at her worse since she came here! Thank you dear Chloe for your wonderful words, like a balm to my soul this night. 

I am clinging to this verse given to me by a dear, dear friend this week:  

"but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 4:31

Dear God, renew my strength, dear Lord...I am weary....I am so weary....But I have the power living within me that has raised Christ from the dead! For this reason I will NOT grow weary while doing good! I will NOT lose heart! I know that God promises that I will reap! 

So very thankful to have her big brother Jon here on this trip with me. What a wonderful young man he has become. So kind and loving and helpful to me and to JoyAnna. He's a HUGE blessing! Love you Jonnie, and so does Joy! Don't you think??

So to answer your question Dad....my life is NOT my own. This world is NOT my home. This life has changed so much, and therefore so have I, and because God entrusted us with this precious little girl rightly named Joy, I am forever changed and continually blessed. Trusting in the God who promises to restore what the locusts have eaten...

Good bye for now! 

A gift opens the way!!.....

I'm pleading with God to do what only He can do!

The count down is on! These are the final hours to give a tax deductible donation to help bring AnnaBella home! We sure do thank God for you! Look to the right of the blog. 

You can give a tax deductible donation in 2 ways:

#1. ---(most important!!)  Our Life song matching grant! This is a way to double your money! That's right! The money will be matched! Check it out: HERE Click on donate to an adopting family and then put in our account number which is 5534, and put in our name:  Winslow.  Right now we need $1,100.00 to meet our grant of $3,500.00. That's only 11 people to give 100.00!!! This will give us $7,000.00 which is what is due for our agency fees! What a blessing that would be!! 

2.  Our Reece's rainbow account.  This is money that will be used in traveling and in country. We'd love for that to read $4,000.00 before we take our first trip! That would be such an encouragement to us! You can check that out HERE

You can give to our You Caring Page HERE. This goes directly into our checking account and can be used for anything we need! This is NOT tax deductible! 

Thank you so much! We truly could NOT do this without you ALL!!! 

"A gift opens the way
and ushers the giver into the presence of the great." Proverbs 18:16

This is the heart of Jesus!

Have you ever found yourself longing to make a difference in the life of a child? 

 
Christians have a clear command to care for orphans, and there are many ways to get involved—praying, giving, mobilizing your church or adopting. Whichever you decide, you can walk down this incredibly rewarding path. Our hope is that you begin to see the face of Christ in these children in one way or another! 

We have been blessed with a really great gift! We have a matching grant with Lifesong for Orphans. That's right----matching!!! Lifesong will give us $3,500.00 once we raise $3,500.00! And you know what?? We are almost there! We only have $1,300.00 to go! We are just about 2/3 there! That's only 13 people giving $100.00, or 26 people giving 50.00, or 52 people giving $25.00!!

The end of the year is approaching, and ALL of these donations are fully tax deductible!!  The donation just needs to be post marked by December 31st!!!

Would you be willing to make a difference and help us to meet our grant?

That would be awesome! Thank you so very much! 

You could give in one of two ways....

1.  You could donate through paypal online. You can find the link HERE. Select “Give to an Adoptive Family.” Complete the online form and fill in “Family Account Number” which is 5534 and “Family Name” fields which is Winslow. Note PayPal charges an administrative fee (2.9% + $.30 USD per transaction). Your donation will be decreased by the amount of this fee.

2.  You could mail them a check, post marked by December 31st!! 

Checks should be payable to “Lifesong for Orphans. In the memo, note “family name” and “family account number” (Winslow / #5534) to assure it goes to the correct account. Please mail to Lifesong for Orphans, PO Box 40, Gridley, IL 61744. Lifesong has been blessed with a partner that underwrites all U.S. administrative and fundraising costs (TMG Foundation and other partners). That means 100% of your donation will go directly to the adoption. 

Truly, helping the orphan and helping us to rescue our precious  AnnaBella (listed as Claire on Reece's Rainbow) is  the heart of Jesus! He says so in His word!!!

We sure do love you! 

Philippians 1:3--"We thank our God upon every remembrance of you!"

 

1 day and 13 hours left to give!

Just a quick reminder that on the 5/5/5 Reece's rainbow, the link is HERE....there is just one day and 13 hours left to give to the 5 families and one of them is us!!! 

Please take a moment and consider giving to help these 5 families rescue their precious children! 

It's tax deductible and would be an amazing blessing! Please give and share!! 

Thank you!!

It truly is a way of storing up your treasures in heaven...where moth and rust will NOT destroy! And truly a wonderful Christmas gift in honor of our Lord and Savior! :) :) :) 

"Joyfully" blessed today!

Just had to share this video with you! Our precious JoyAnna has been home for 15 months now! Here is a side by side photo of her. On the left in the orphanage and on the right from last week!

This little gal has been through soooooo much! Unnecesary surgeries, tied to a crib, infrequent human interaction. 

The difference is astounding!

This video is from this morning:

Are you interested in helping us to make this kind of difference in the life of another little girl?? Check out the side of the blog. There are MANY ways to help!!! 

Thank you! To God be the Glory! 

I Got Mail!!!

Yesterday was a very hard day on many levels. VERY hard. Some days are just like that. That's the reality of my life here. 

But you know what?? God knows ALL of that, and His Grace is sufficient for me, and His power is made perfect in my weakness! 

And so I brought my weary body to my bed last night finally around 11:30 and found this card on my pillow. 

It's from my 16 year old daughter Elisha. We rescued Elisha from foster care when she was 10. She and her twin brother. She is an amazing young woman! She has an incredible gift of encouragement. You can ask so many people about that! She has over 35 penpals! Let me share with you what this card says:  On the front it says:  Praying for you, and then it says:  Sometimes it's hard to understand why God allows us to go through certain situations...

On the inside it says:  Dear Mom, I was just wanting you to know I'm praying for you. I was also just realizing how MANY things you do each and every day to keep this place running smoothly. So many things you do that go unnoticed, or unrealized. You are an amazing Mom. I honestly coudn't and wouldn't ask for another one! You've done so much to invest in my life. And not just my life...All of us! And you don't just teach me daily chores and things! You also instill in me Biblical character and qualities that'll last forever!! I'm so thankful for you and all that you've done to invest in me! I love you so much Mom! May the Lord richly bless you as you seek to serve, honor, and glorify Him! 

Little is Much when God is in it! I love you! Elisha Winslow

printed on the inside of the card is:  but please remember that no matter what, God is there with you through it all and that others who care are keeping you in their prayers!

Bible verse:  "Call unto Me, and I will answer thee and shew thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not!" Jeremiah 33:3

Of course I cried buckets, got down on my knees and thanked my God for giving us Elisha, and then went upstairs and woke her up to hug her and thank her! 

What a blessing! 

These Are The Heroes!

These are the heroes...

Just ordinary people....

Lying down their lives 

like angels in disguise.

They're weak but ALWAYS willing...

They dare to do the hard things...

And in the dark and desperate places

NO ONE else goes....

You'll find the heroes. 

These photos represent the real heroes! Let's love them, and support them! 

Want to know more? Want to help?

Help the Horton Family as they rescue their Victoria on in a few short weeks! 

They have a GREAT need! They need about $7,000.00 more to be fully funded! Their support page needs to read $25,000.00!

We can do this! I know we can! Let's be the hands and feet of Jesus and truly help this orphan in her distress! Please also pray without ceasing!

Thank you Lowman Family! Our new prayer warriors!

Rainbow Family Warrior for the Winslow Family

See this big ole family....they are our dear friends in
Real Life.

Doing life with this gang is always part of OUR
 adventure....
their daughter Grace teaches piano to our kiddos,
 some of their
daughters run Bright Lights that our daughter
Kiara is a part of,
camping trips, Alert Cadet trios together,
retreats, and even home
 school days together.  But.....
the coolest thing about their family
and ours is our LOVE for Jesus
and the Orphan!

Our journey began around those last two 
things and we have walked
 along side their family through 
all of their adoptions....
it has been fun to see them
 grow in size as well as experienc

What does that mean?

Our job is to support them in prayer...
.we are working 
on a prayer team right now to lift up their 
needs as they come in.

They have stepped up to bring 

home this little sweetheart

 and make her a part of their family.

We thought it would be fun to step up 
for them to be 
their Reece's Rainbow
 Family Warriors....

What does that mean?

Our job is to support them 
in prayer....we are working 
on a prayer team right now to 
lift up their needs as they come in.

We also put their financial needs out there....
did you see their blog?  
They have a matching grant 
right now from LifeSong...
.it needs some boosting folks!  
There is a deadline on that..
.what a GREAT 
way to double your money ...
more bang for your buck!

We are also working on a fund raiser.
...look for that soon.  

Check out their blog at .
winslowsix.blogspot.com

So....check back often for
the latest and greatest on this
 new endeavor at our home ....
so excited for the
Winslow Gang and their new sweetheart..
..oh, and
I thought I would add this
 photo from our camping trip
together this summer at Moosehillock in NH.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO??

Got this note today from my friend Elizabeth in Texas: 

This evening I got a phone call that changed my life. My sweet, precious Heavenleigh is dancing with Jesus. My heart is shattered, but she is whole and so very loved.

Last night, I posted a question about her on a baby wearing Facebook page, and since, my blog has had over 15,000 views. People saw my baby. People saw the darkness. 

She is a world changer and I am so very thankful for her.

I love you, baby girl.

Dear friends....she was in the same orphanage as our Zoey and our JoyAnna. Please read what another adoptive friend has said...it's the truth:

Heavenleigh died.

Unless you are part of a very small group of people, this probably doesn’t mean anything to you.

Heavenleigh died never knowing the love of a Mom or Dad. She died alone, without the comfort of a family, or a circle around her of friends and loved ones. No one ever got to tell her that someone, somewhere loved her so much that they were coming to take her home, forever.

The saddest part might be that there was a family desperately working to get to her in time, but that the process and the finances got in the way. Elizabeth Sherley and her family did everything in their power to bring her home in time, and are heartbroken at her loss. 

But I don't let this affect me. I’m too good at shutting things out to let it. I just do the same thing as everyone else – focus on the rest of my life: my family, my work, my hobbies. Because I know that if I think too much about all the children in need it will make me upset, and there’s no way to do anything about it anyway, because there are just too many of them. Besides, I’m too young to adopt, I can’t afford it, I don’t know anything about kids and I definitely don’t have time to take care of a kid.

At least, those were my excuses, but then I’ll also be the first person to tell you that I am a selfish, egotistical, arrogant jerk. I have a temper, I have a drinking problem and I have serious issues with authority. But none of those things disqualify me in God’s eyes from doing what he has called us all to do.

“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

Please, please don’t think that I am trying to hold myself up as an example of someone who is getting it “right.” The point that I’m trying to make is that if someone as screwed up as me could try get half of the first part of this verse right, then just about anyone could do even better than me.

To backtrack a little: there are too many. Way too many. Some estimates are that there are 130 million or more orphans in the world right now. So go ahead and insert your own Mother Theresa or Gandhi quote here, because we’ve all heard them. But it’s as simple as this: if it were your child, or your nephew or grandchild, wouldn’t you want someone to help them? Wouldn’t you give everything you had to keep them healthy, safe and feeling loved?

Heavenleigh didn’t die from medical complications, a disease or a chronic condition – she died from starvation and neglect, in an orphanage. She was 5 years old and weighed 10 pounds. 

Orphanages are not acceptable homes for children. They’re not a safe place for them to wait for years and years. They should be a temporary place for a couple of kids to be cared for and loved while their families book their flights to come get them. 

5 years old. 10 pounds. 

This needs to end. 

Get involved: Adopt. If you can’t adopt, Foster. If you can’t Foster, Sponsor. If you can’t Sponsor, Volunteer. If you can’t Volunteer, Donate. If you can’t donate, Educate.

This is a picture of my daughter Nicole when she first came to our home. She was 5 years old! She was 50 lbs! NOT 10 pounds! 

Dear, dear, friends...this is real...this is true...WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?? YOU NOW KNOW THE TRUTH AND YOU CAN NOT HIDE FROM IT ANY LONGER!!! WHAT, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?????? This is National Adoption Month!!! 

DO SOMETHING!! DO IT NOW!!!! 

This precious family...

We got this gift given to us at our little church today from a dear family who has loved us so much and been so very generous to us. And guess what?? It has put us more than half way to our goal for rescuing AnnaBella! Yes, you read that right!! Half way to our goal of $29,500.00!! 

Thank you dear family for "giving generously to us with a joyful heart and we are trusting that the Lord God will bless you in ALL your work and in everything you put your hand to!" Deuteronomy 15:10

Blessed Abundantly beyond measure this day!

A picture truly is worth 1,000 words! Today we got the sweetest delivery by the sweetest ever delivery girl. She had emailed me a few months ago and said..."Mrs. Winslow, I'm having a theater camp this week and on the last day I'd like to have a bake sale and take donations and I'd like to give the proceeds to your adoption!"  "Would that be okay?"...."Oh yes, sweet Alicia!  That would be awesome!", and so I gave her all of our info and pictures of AnnaBella and our new business cards and thanked the Lord for her.

A couple of weeks ago, she told me that she had the money and she'd like to drop it off. We finally made arrangements for her to do this today! This was the baggie of money that she gave us! And that is the total!! $472.43!!!! This precious girl with such a heart for the orphan gave us this HUGE gift today! God please, please bless her richly for what she has done! This isn't her or her sister's first donation to our adoptions! They LOVE to give and have often given their own change and hard earned money to us before! They are living out James 1:27!!! Thank you!!! We LOVE you! 

The Bible verse on my calendar today says:  "I will praise the Lord no matter what happens! I will constantly speak of His glories and grace." Psalm 34:1

Choose Joy!

Joy is a choice every day. 

JOY defined – the inner attitude of rejoicing in one’s salvation regardless of outward circumstances. One of the fruits of a right relationship with God.  

Be the sunshine …

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14 – 16)

The righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of the Father. (Matthew 13:43)

Go forth and share your joy!