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