He is Alive!!!

Today as we should everyday we celebrate our Risen Savior!  Church service was so amazing today and all the songs the choir sang was amazing and soul searching!  The Pastor delivered a wonderful to the point message about what we should be living for each and everyday of the year and for those who are only going to church on the holiday's, well that is simply not enough nor are you living a life for a savior who should be living and dwelling inside of you!  I have a friend who used the term CEO christians which means Christmas, Easter and Other holidays Christian.  It is very sad to only acknowledge our Lord on those holidays because He lives and breathes inside of us each and everyday and if He isn't then we need to be soul searching so we are His hands and feet here on this earth until we are living eternally with Him!!!  I use to go to church on those holidays or most of them at least and I would pray when "I" needed Him to do what" I "needed to done or to help "me" through the day.  Do you see what "I" was focusing on- ME and that is not what being a Christian is about or should be about.  We should live and work for our Savior-being his hands and feet-teaching others about Christ and serving other's for Christ and taking care of the least of these.   ⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’  Matthew 25:40 NIV    We will be face to face with God one day and I want Him to say those words to me!  I need to be doing more and God is calling me to do something and I am still not completely sure what it is, so until He reveals that too me-I will be praying and working for Him. 

Through this adoption process our Lord has been so gracious to show me how much we are "not" doing to help the least of these.  We get so comfy cozy in our own little world and what we "have" that we forget to have the spirtual wealth we so desperatly need.  I read those words in a book "Kisses from Katie".  A great book which is helping me see more and more what we allow to get in the way of hearing God and being obedient to Him because our material wealth makes our ears and hearts more deaf so we do not hear God when He is speaking.  We are commanded to take care of those in need and yet we don't, why?  I know me and my family have just been too selfish and our needs seem to come before those who truly desperately need help and I think by paying our tithe at church is enough and yet it is not (or at least this is what God is pressing on my heart).  We should tithe and we need to tithe and I am grateful to give to God to help the gospel being spread, but I need to do something more and what that is at this very moment-I do not know, but I am preparing my body to listen to my Lord and awaiting the answer He is going to give me.  So as we continue to wait for His answer and  for our  precious child we will prepare our hearts and wait upon the Lord for His guidance in our lives.  We can not wait to hold our little one and to teach them more about our Lord-the one who loves them so much that He held them in the time of waiting for us as He is holding us and we will be forever changed through this process and I pray we can be the hands and feet of the Lord so that other's may know Him and follow Him and grow in Him each and everyday not just on the days we as human's deem the "most" important-everyday is important in working for the Lord!  May we all truly know that He is Alive!!!!

What we have been up to....

Again, I lag in the time between post, but not much is happening.  We have been enjoying the spring weather!  It is so great to see how God has designed the season's right off of a brown dead winter time to seeing the new life grow on the trees, grass and flowers!!!  It is always refreshing and amazing to see how God has orchestrated every single tree bloom, flower petal-I can get lost in the details and am always in awe of His creation.  To just think that he designed all of this for us and that we are His prize creation!!!  Gives me God bumps, as my sister calls them!!!  God has been working in our lives as well with our adoption.  We are now at 6 months into our wait and a long wait is still ahead of us, but in this time of waiting He continues to work in and on our hearts for the orphan and the widowed.  We are called to take care of them and I am waiting for His instruction to see which avenue He wants us to go down.  He moves my heart in so many ways with the information He is allowing me to see and I am ready to see where He takes us.  He has also been working on our hearts to change or increase our adoption request and we are currently working on that as well.  It is amazing, even though we or I may be scared, He gives us the information we need to calm our spirit and to trust in Him.  My husband is a constant and such a strong man and is willing to do whatever God wants, it is me He is constantly pursuring to just give in and to trust His perfect plan for us and so I am taking another step of faith in God's provision to provide for our family and since I have said "yes, Lord" I feel so at peace.  I love when I feel that amazing peace that can come from no where else but our God.  It takes all the stress away and tension away better than a wonderful massage!  :)  Our God is an awesome God and He reigns!!!  We continue to seek His guidance in and for our family and I pray you do too!!!!

Way too long

First off, I apologize for not posting in such a long time.  It has been busy and I just haven't made posting on here a priority.  On our adoption front we are now almost 5 months waiting and at times it doesn't seem like it has been 5 months and other times it does.  I know we are ready to have our child in our home and being a part of of family on a daily basis.  We pray for them all the time and pray God is holding them through this until we can all be together and He holds us as a family!  I just love that thought!!!  There has been some movement over in Ethiopia with other families getting referrals, court dates, being submitted to Embassy and being cleared by Embassy and bringing their children home.  It is so awesome to see the emails on those embassy clearances because it means another child is joined with their forever family and they are making their way back to their home TOGETHER!  I just love that news and I can't wait until that is our news and we never have to be seperated again! 

On to what has been in my heart:

Enjoying this Moment in your Life
Life is so short and we never know how long we will have each other, so cherish THIS day with your husband, children and other loved ones because only God knows what tomorrow will bring!  I pray that I do that each day and not get bogged down with all the have too's of the day.  Take that time when your husband calls to focus on him or when your child says let's play hide-n-seek-just do it.  House cleaning, chores etc can usually wait so you can make a sweet memory with you loved one.  I am writing this because just last week a friend of mine's brother lost their baby before he was born and it shakes you and it can destroy you if you do not have God as your center.  It also makes me think of all of the orphans-some are orphans because they are just given up, but others are orphans from poverty, disease, terminal illness and I know it has to break those momma's hearts to give their children up because they can no longer take care of them and don't you think they relish those last goodbye's, last kisses, last hugs and hang on to those memories for the rest of their lives.  I am forever grateful to those women and men who make this difficult choice for their children.  So whether a sweet precious life is way too short or they are givin up for adoption we must relish in each sweet precious day with our loved ones because you will never get this day back!!! 

I thank God for His loving grace that is there for all of us, if we chose to take Him into our hearts!  I pray God is leading you in your walk in this life and I pray you are enjoying and making memories in the journey He has you on at this moment in your life!!!

What happened the day after Prayer and Fasting

Jeremiah 29:12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  God is so good to answer prayer!  The day after our group prayed and fasted about areas of the Ethiopian Adoption process several people were submitted to Embassy, some cleared Embassy and get to go pick up their babies and some passed court!  God is so faithful to answer when we come whether alone or as a group.  God so loves to hear from His children and we are so thankful for a God who takes care of us and all of His children!!!  A lot of times we are meant to just wait and learn through the time of waiting and in this time of waiting we not only grow closer to God if you allow yourself you learn more than you ever could if your prayer was answered immediately!!  At least that has been my case! :)  So treasure the times of waiting-God hears the crys of His children and He will answer with the right answer whether it is yes, no or maybe-God knows what His children need each and everyday like we answer our children.  We are able to see what is best for them because we see things differently than they do, just as God sees things differently for us!  Take time today and everyday for the blessings He has surrounded you with and praise Him daily for these blessings!!  In His Love, Cindy

Prayer and Fasting

Starting after dinner this evening several other adoptive families and us will be fasting and praying for the adoption process in Ethiopia.  Over the past year the process has slowed down quite a bit and a lot of that has been changes in the adoption system in Ethiopia and for the protection of the kids (which is so important).  It seems as if they are still trying to find their rhythm with the process or that is what it seems like to me. :)  The referrals have slowed, the court process seems to have slowed, and the Embassy process has certainly slowed which is holding up a lot of families from going to pick up their kids.  If you read this please say a prayer for the adoption process in Ethiopia and the families hearts that are waiting to bring our children home.  I know God is creator of all and in control of all, but there is power in prayer!!!!  God answers prayers and sometimes we just need to come together collective and cry out to our Lord for guidance and for movement!!!  God knows each and everyone of us and knows our needs, especially all the orphans around the world and I know He wants them to be taken care of and there are many ways each of us can take care of and help orphans.  We are not all called to adopt but we are all called to take care of the widowed and orphans: "learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow."  Isaiah 1:17 I only wish I had realized the extreme need for our help much earlier in my life and maybe I can share with you what we are commanded by God to do before you get to my age! :)  You may feel called to help here at home and there is a great need here as well in other parts of the world.  You can sponsor kids through some great organizations.  I have a link at the side of the post for the blog family-from-afar and she has some great information and some amazing stories of the kids and what sponsoring them does-it is an amazing read.  You can also donate items to pregnancy resource centers and many other organizations that raise awareness about children in need.  Anyways, I don't mean to harp, but there is a great need.  My husband and I were talking recently and we started this adoption process to add to our family and little did we know God had something else in mind as well and that is showing us the great need for these kids.  It is heartbreaking and just thinking about now, I have tears in my eyes.  I challenge you to just take some time and look into the faces of the fatherless and widowed-God wrote His words for a reason-He knew their need before any of us would ever realize it.  It is so easy to get caught up in what is going on within our own lives that we/I fail to look at what is around me and that saddens me that I have done that for so many years.  But there is always hope and faith in our Loving and Amazing God that He provides enough for some and even more for others so that we can help as much as we can.  God will provide for our needs and theirs and maybe today the need of an orphan will be meet by you!  Pray and see where God leads you and pray with us as we pray for the Adoption process to help some of the orphans be members of a family!!!  With Gods Love, Cindy

Thirty-One Fundraiser ends Jan 29

We are currently doing a fundraiser with Thirty-One.  You can order online by going to www.mythirtyone.com/tracyboren go to my events and click on Cindy Montoya and start shopping.  I decided to do the fundraiser this month for the awesome sale that is going on with their Thermal Totes only $10 or the new Cinch Tote only $15.  I wanted one of each so I thought why not have a fundraiser.  You can get the Thermal Tote personalized if you wish and it can be sent directly to your home.  You get a great product from a great Christian based company (based off proverbs 31 woman) and you also get to help raise funds for us to bring our child home.  It is a win win! :)  As always we so appreciate all you prayers, we couldn't do our adoption without you all praying for us!!!

Tuesday was a Great Day!!!!

Tuesday was a very busy day!  It started with hurrying out the door to get Isabella to school, heading to Church for Bible Study and then back to school at noon to pick up Bella and then we brought her friend home with us but first we had piano lessons, lunch finally got home so they could play and I could clean.  When her mommy got here to pick her up all the girls played for a while and then they left, grabbed our mail threw it by the door and started getting Bella ready for gymnastics on the way out the door I saw the mail and flipped through it and saw the envelope from Show Hope.  I paused should I open it now or wait until we get home?  If it is good news, I want to know now-if it isn't good news I never want to know....  I took a deep breath and opened it and started reading the first paragraph which said --First I should tell you what/who Show Hope is-they are a company who care for orphans through special care centers, impact projects and mobilizing churches to help.  They provide awareness and help and adoption aid.  Back in October we filled out all the paperwork to apply for a grant and the decision were due out this month, so you might understand better now why I was excited and nervous when I was picking up the letter.  So, now to what the letter said:

On behalf of Show Hope and the donors who make our grants possible, we rejoice with your family as you step out in faithe to experience the miracle of adoption.  Thank you for allowing us to be a small part of your adoption process.  We are pleased to inform you that you have been awarded an adoption assistance grant in the amount of $4000.

Needless to say I was bent over and crying big tears!!!  Poor Bellas says, "mommy what's wrong?  are you ok!"  I told her yes, I am just so overjoyed that God continue to provide for us for our adoption!  I said I am so happy and so grateful and humbled!  I can not tell you what a big relief that was to see those words and to continue to see how God is providing the way spiritually and financially for our adoption.  " For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11  This scripture has been on my heart for about a month and this one has been in my head and a friend of mine posted it on my FB page "Philippians 1:6! He who began this work in you will finish it to completion."  God is so good to take each of us through our journeys, no matter how long or short or tough or easy.  He will always finish the work He has started in you, in each of us!!!  Praising our Lord for awesome news and He is working in our adoption yahoo group with bringing 2 referrals this week one to a family that has been waiting for 17 months.  What a great day to celebrate orphans being brought to their forever families!  God is good!!! 

Monday, Monday

Monday's are always such a hard day.  Trying to get back into the rhythm of the week.  Why is it so hard to get out of bed?  Maybe because we enjoyed just having family time together and hate to get back to the day ins and outs of what we do each day.  Oh well, it is here so we will conquer it with everything that we have and look at it as a new beginning to a week that awaits us! 

Not a lot going on on the adoption front since we are in the waiting stage, but I did finish up my Hep B series of shots last week and today I got my tetanus and then over the next few months we will all get our yellow fever, typhoid and menigitis and then I still need to get my polio and then I will be done besides finishing up my Hep A series in Feb.  Isabella hates getting shots and she gets so anxious about it-it is hard for a momma to see her child so nervous about something that you wish you could just get double and they would be protected.  So, daddy will be going with us to help out a little.  Good ole' daddy to the rescue- although I think it may be a little harder on him seeing his baby girl so upset, but we will get through it because it is for a great cause to give Isabella a little brother or sister that we all so desperatly want!!!  Anyways, I am off to fold the mounds of laundry my hubby did yesterday, thank you sweetie for you help, and then off to pick Isabella up from school!  I pray you all have a great day and enjoy this first day of the week because you never know what tomorrow will bring!  :)

This upcoming year!!

As we celebrated the New Year, so many thoughts ran through my mind, mostly will our child be with us this next year and I am believing that he or she will be here celebrating with us.  We can not wait, but know God's timing is always perfect even when it doesn't fit in with our plan. :)  I could not imagine going through this time in our life or any other's without our Lord leading and guiding us- I just don't know how people do it that do not have faith in Him???  I look forward to this year because each new year that comes is another year we have to strive to do better, be better and enjoy this time/moment in our lives.  Each day is a blessing, even though some don't always feel like it, but even those days are probably even more of a blessing because we made it through!

 This year we will be making a move to Texas and at some point be bringing our child home and although I get anxious with all the timing of everything all I have to do is pray and I find comfort in God's plan and know that even if it doesn't seem right to me-it is always just the way He planned it for us!  The scripture that I am continuing to find comfort in is:   For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Jeremiah 29:11 NIV    This scripture pops into my head several times a day and has been for the past month and I find comfort in- I feel God is putting this on my heart so I know that He is there and that He is in control of everything and with that I find much comfort and I pray you do as well!  I pray that this year will bring lots of growth in the areas each of us needs it.  May God bless you this year and may everything we do bring Him the glory!  Here is to 2012!!!!