Week in Review: 2014 {Week 18} Reflecting on a Week in Haiti

May 13, 2014May 14, 2014 / Sara Vincent / 1 Comment

Sometimes we go some place hard and we see miracles. My husband gets to see them almost every time he travels to Haiti. Sometimes we go and we just quietly serve and God meets us there in small, secret ways. That is almost always my experience in Haiti. And I’d lie if I said I wasn’t ever envious of his “Wow, God!” trips but there is simple beauty in the “wow, God” moments I have as well.

This trip to Haiti was stocking the clinic and counting pills. It was cards with my dad and several nights of heavy rain. It was getting to know old friends better and making new friends. It was cleaning toilets and wiping tables and washing dishes. It was being made less, while God became more. It was medical clinics and the Creole word vagen (lots of female issues treated on this trip). It was holding sweet brown babies and watching tweens braid hair. It was ten year old boys who look like they’re eight and some seriously impressive Haitian futbol (barefoot, no less).

It was watching an adoptive grandpa bond with his future grandson. It was devotions on Heaven and one day being invited into the homes of those we were there to serve and sermons on the dying, conquering sheep. It was Psalm 23 said simultaneously in English and Creole. It was worship and being prayed over by a beautiful teen girl in a language I could not understand but deeply stirred my soul.

It was diesel smells and unbelievable dust and drought conditions. It was mountains and trees and fresh mangos. It was food distributions and Pastor Daniel guarding the door and thoughts of Teddy Roosevelt’s exhortation to “walk softly and carry a big stick”. It was a day at the beach and watching these children whose lives are anything but normal be normal for one whole day.

And it was watching two precious boys be united with their forever family. It was seeing the huge, unbreakable smiles on their faces when their parents arrived, and remembering that exact.same.look on our own Amania’s face just a year ago. It was their unspeakable joy as they said farewell to their friends, and it was their friends’ returned joy for them. It was hope and beauty and a reflection of Heaven.

This Haiti trip was like going again for the first time. Without Amania there, I was free to experience a team as a team member, not an adoptive parent. I was able to spend time with any and all of the children. And I was able to walk away and not feel guilty if I wasn’t “bonding” with my child. It was a gift and a privilege to be there again. It is a hard, messy, special, wonderful place, and it gets in your blood and gets a grip on your heart and you can’t ever forget. You don’t want to ever forget. These kids, this place, they are all amazing. God is here.

For His Glory ~

The Day After Mother’s Day….For When You Don’t Feel Like Mom of the Year

May 12, 2014 / Sara Vincent / Leave a comment

While it’s welcome and appreciated, if you’re honest there are some days, most days maybe, you don’t feel like you deserve the praise or recognition that comes on Mother’s Day. You feel like most days are a total crap shoot and in spite of your best laid plans, you have no idea what today is going to bring, and it makes you crazy sometimes. And some days you look in the mirror and wonder what happened to the woman who used to know about fashion or business or politics and when did she disappear exactly and will you ever see her again? And you look at the gifts and talents God has given you and this deep drive to be excellent at something, anything, all while feeling like you’re flailing through each day just hoping to raise children who don’t end up in prison. And sometimes you wonder what on earth God was thinking when He gave you these children.

Do not resist or run from the difficulties in your life. These problems are not random mistakes; they are hand-tailored blessings designed for your benefit and growth. Embrace all the circumstances that I allow in your life, trusting Me to bring good out of them. View problems as opportunities to rely more fully on Me.

When you start to feel stressed, let those feelings alert you to your need for Me. Thus, your needs become doorways to deep dependence on Me and increasing intimacy between us. Although self-sufficiency is acclaimed in the world, reliance on Me produces abundant living in My kingdom. Thank Me for the difficulties in your life, since they provide protection from the idolatry of self-reliance.

from Jesus Calling, May 10

Oh, how great the temptation is to despair at times! Our soul becomes depressed and disheartened and our faith staggers under the severe trials and testing that come into our lives… We may come to the place where we say, ‘I cannot bear this any longer.’

What have you done in the past when you felt weak physically? You could not do anything. You ceased from doing. In your weakness, you leaned on the shoulder of a strong loved one. You leaned completely on someone else and rested, becoming still, and trusting in another’s strength.

It is the same when you are tempted to despair under spiritual afflictions. Once you have come close to the point of despair, God’s message is not, ‘Be strong and courageous.’ He knows your strength and courage have run away. Instead, He says sweetly, ‘Be still and know that I am God.’

That is all God asks of you as His dear child. When you become weak through the fierce fires of affliction, do not try to ‘be strong’. Just ‘be still and know’ that He is God. And know that He will sustain you and bring you through the fire.

from Streams in the Desert, May 10

And sometimes you fall on your face and you cry out and you realize that God often calls us to serve in obscurity and that He doesn’t always call the qualified, but He qualifies the called, and that all of this is a preparation for something else, something we can’t see yet, maybe even something eternal. And so you put your head down and you push through, and you choose hope and you choose joy. And the labor pains continue long after the child is born, but it’s all becoming something glorious.

I would have despaired unless I had believed I would see the goodness of the Lord….Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage.

~ Psalm 27:13-14

For His Glory ~

Weeks in Review: 2014 {Weeks 13, 14, 15, 16, & 17}

May 3, 2014 / Sara Vincent / Leave a comment

Whoops. A whole month got away from me again, didn’t it?

April was a wonderfully full, fun, whirlwind type of month. Emma and Amania kept us busy with their soccer schedules, and the unpredictable Kansas weather gave us rain outs (and snow days) that offered much-needed reprieve (even though we are all still so done with cold weather, yet it just keeps coming). We finally processed the paperwork for Amania’s name change (now it is actually, legally spelled the way we’ve always spelled it). We celebrated Easter. We forgot the frock. We had out of town guests for a weekend and I slept through my alarm for a half marathon that I trained for. We had the girls’ spring choir concert and art show at the beginning of the month. We finished the school year (almost- one week of outside classes remain for the oldest, so we’re not “official” yet). And I was blessed to travel to Haiti for a week (more on that next week).

And now we settle in for summer. I’m soooo looking forward to some organizing and creative projects around the house, pool days, dining al fresco, and time to just relax. For now, some photos from the past month….

new friends

new shoes for a race I didn’t run

way too much money spent at Starbucks in an effort to just.keep.moving

calendars for each girl to inspire us all to finish the school year strong (and quickly)

we are all adopted

a pile of human puppies as we attended another soccer game

and spring flowers that survived the interminable winter

Next week will hopefully bring stories from Haiti and the next few months will hopefully bring many posts that have been on my heart but not yet ready to share. Until then, have a wonderful weekend, friends. May you know your God and enjoy Him.

For His Glory ~

Adoption – One Year Later

April 4, 2014 / Sara Vincent / 2 Comments

A week ago we quietly celebrated the one year anniversary of Amania’s homecoming. And when I say quietly, I mean by cleaning out the garage and going to soccer and otherwise living normal life. Because it was needed.

Fifty-four weeks ago we were making plans and preparations for our quick trip to Haiti to bring our girl home. Fifty-four weeks ago we were worried about parasites, language barriers, bed wetting, night terrors, RAD, food hoarding, and a dozen other worst-case-scenarios we had read or heard about along the way. Fifty-four weeks ago, we had no idea what the next few days would look like, let alone the next year. And a one year anniversary seemed a million years away.

We came home and she settled right in and all those things we worried about turned out to be nothing. Parasites were treated. Her English skills grew overnight it seemed. Bed wetting, night terrors, RAD….all those things were non-issues, needless fear. Praise. The. Lord.

And yet the past year hasn’t been without struggles and tears and wrestling. And there were struggles we didn’t expect. Struggles not directly related to our new addition, and yet connected.

There were the unexpected opinions of others who suddenly felt they could (and should) weigh in on how we run our family and our lives. There was the Mama Bear reaction in me as I watched the world swarm around our newest family member (for months after she came home), all the while ignoring all of our other children who are all old enough and smart enough to know what was going on. There were the struggles of our bio girls as they adapted and accepted this new family member – helping them feel valued and loved, while helping her assimilate.

And then there were my own struggles. Some I’ve shared here, some I haven’t. And those I haven’t are simply because I just haven’t had words. I do not understand my own struggle to connect with this child, how she has what appears to be a perfectly natural and healthy relationship with everyone else in our family circle, except me. How our relationship is still so stiff and forced and awkward. How I’m not a kid-friendly mama. I love love love my kids, don’t get me wrong, but I’m very German and we are utilitarian, functional, efficient, not particularly cuddly (at least that’s my impression of us). Unless of course you like cuddling with porcupines, which is what I often feel like around small children. (True confessions, right here, friends!) And the level of guilt and shame that I feel admitting all of this because Godly Christian women are all supposed to think young children are the best things since Jesus Himself, or so it would seem.

There has also been the unexpected toll taken on our marriage because of my unexpected and unexplainable reaction to Amania’s home coming – the depression, the disconnect. And I feel like our marriage has been through the ringer and there are days I wonder if it will ever be the same.

And I haven’t said much here about our journey with her home because I honestly haven’t known what to say about the emotional places we’ve been. As someone in our family reminds me, she is doing so much better than we ever expected and things could be so much worse. But the fact is, this is my reality. This is where we live. And while I’m thankful we don’t live in “worse”, this is by no means easy.

I have been praying about this post for weeks, maybe months. Because I don’t want it to be about me, but I am, without a doubt, the one who has struggled most since Amania came home. And right now, I don’t know if I will even hit publish, because I feel so vain, so shallow, so dysfunctional for these struggles I’ve had. But as I prayed this morning, asking God for words that were transparent yet redemptive, He reminded me that this too is redemption. This process is His continued refining of all of us. This struggle has been a struggle for our whole family and He is working out something good. I don’t know how long it will take for Amania and I to have a “normal” relationship, but I do believe with all of my heart that one day we will because our God is a God that redeems the broken. He makes beauty from ashes. He restores the years the locust has eaten. And I think about how our adoption, my adoption, cost Him everything and why should I expect that this adoption would not also cost me more than money, time, and energy, but also a greater breaking of my heart, that I would know Him more and be more like His Son.

And I don’t know how long this process will take, but I will wait quietly on the Lord to restore and renew and make us all whole again.

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So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten….
You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
And praise the name of the Lord your God,
Who has dealt wondrously with you;
And My people shall never be put to shame.

Joel 2: 25-26

For His Glory ~

When You’re Feeling Desperate

April 2, 2014 / Sara Vincent / Leave a comment

I’m not sure what happened today. We survived our version of March Madness, which ended last night with the girls’ choir concert and art show. And apparently my brain knew that was as far as I had to make it, because today I crashed. We all crashed sort of. It didn’t help that we woke up to cool and grey and rainy. (Dear Lord, please, please, please, can we have a handful of consecutive days of sunshine and seventy and no wind? Please? Many mamas I know would rejoice and sing praises, which I know we should be doing anyway, but still.) It was a day that would have been good for everyone just staying in bed. And it was the first day, all year I think (which would definitely be a new record), when I honestly wished I could go enroll all the kids in school. I fantasized about full days at home, in the quiet, cleaning, writing, reading. I know that’s not at all what it looks like when your kids are in school, but let me enjoy my little fantasy for now, please. Really, I just want to deep deep deep clean my house. And that can’t happen during school. And it’s starting to make me batty. We only have a few weeks left, so I really should be thankful, happy, and content. But for some reason, today, I just couldn’t do it. I wanted to hide in my room. But you can’t hide in your room when kids need to be driven all over town all day long. And it could be the mouse droppings I keep finding all over my basement that are driving the urge to deep clean and the twitchy feeling inside because I just.don’t.have.time to do it. That could definitely be contributing to this sense of overwhelm and that my house is gross.

And last fall I read this book and it’s been sitting here waiting for me to share my take-aways and today seems like the day I need a good reminder of all the goodness inside that points to the goodness of God. So here we go….

Desperate by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson – My Take Away

My kids don’t need to see a supermama. They need to see a mama who needs a Super God. That maybe being the mama I wanted to be wasn’t so much about being more but believing more; believing and trusting more in the God of Hagar and Ruth and Hannah, the God who sees me, who nourishes me, who hears me and answers.

That godly parenting isn’t ultimately a function of rules but having a relationship with an ultimate God. That godly parenting is fueled by God’s grace, not my efforts.

That maybe it all comes down to this: if I make God first and am most satisfied in His love, I’m released to love my children fully and most satisfactorily.

Above all, I need to remember that ‘good’ motherliness has nothing to do with how God sees me. Nothing. I am pleasing to Him on my good days and my bad days. His love for me never wavers…and never will. Because I am His.

Remember, a woman who is alone in motherhood becomes a target of discouragement for Satan.

It is vitally important for women to learn how to think biblically for themselves instead of being enslaved to other people’s thoughts and opinions. To truly follow God with everything in our lives, we must learn to develop discernment.

A happy mom who is secure in herself and at ease in her life is a rare gift that children love and appreciate.

Determine for yourself what you hope to be the outcome of your family. What legacies do you want to leave for your children?

So….all of you precious moms who will read this, be yourself; be the best and most excellent and most righteous self you can be, but live in the freedom of God’s call and design on your life.

All soldiers are trained to expect and anticipate war, so they are not surprised when the battle starts. Moms need to understand that this is the reality of life with children in a fallen world. Getting angry and upset for children being selfish and demanding creates stress and havoc in the mind, emotions and body of a woman. Prepare yourself for the battle and accept the limitations of your husband, children, and home – and of yourself. And then determine that you will, in time, subdue your home, overcome in the fight for the hearts of your children, and find God’s joy and blessing through your obedience.

The ability to last in motherhood requires giving up expectations for our own lives, deciding that sacrificing our desires and wants for the sake of our family is our gift of worship to our heavenly Father.

Voices of culture and expectations of others will always lead you to a feeling of inadequacy or a need to perform. Either they give you permission to compromise ideals or cause you great stress by not being able to accomplish unreasonable and impractical ideals. God has never required more of you than you can possibly accomplish. So if you feel overwhelmed, it can often be because you are living by someone else’s expectations.

There are countless other snippets of wisdom I could pull, but I will close with these quotes from Chapter 13 in the book, words I needed to see again tonight….

Enjoy yourself. Cook food that you love. Play music that inspires you. Buy flowers and candles because they please your heart. Celebrate life in your home in the ways that bring you pleasure. Cultivating the art of life in your home not only brings you happiness, but it makes your home a lively, fun, fulfilling place. Most of all, enjoy life and celebrate it every day. God created pleasure just for us, so live in that blessing.

I can get so bogged down in all I have to do that planning beauty and adventure is just another thing that takes work and will exhaust me. And that might be true, but it’s better than drowning in the mundane. It’s better to put some energy into getting into life than letting life just happen.

Lord, I crawled across the barrenness to you with my empty cup uncertain in asking any small drop of refreshment. If only I had known you better I’d have come running with a bucket. (Nancy Spiegelberg)

Don’t neglect to see the beauty of the life around you while being overwhelmed by the duties of life.

[God] is wild, way beyond our control, and more interesting than we can imagine with our limited minds; but far too often we live in the mundane and don’t see the miracle of the moment because the eyes of our hearts have become blind to His reality.

If every morning you look at your child as a gift from God, a blessing that He has bestowed today, and thank Him for that blessing, you will approach your children with love, patience and grace

I often see women who have become so used to a substandard life that they cannot see that they have become empty, shallow, and impatient with the real live human beings right in their midst, who are longing for love but are also so ready to give back generously.

Learning to be patient and really listen to them when I was exhausted was a commitment I had made long before finding myself in such situations. I had resolved beforehand to focus on saying words of life and encouragement when I really wanted time alone; to use a gentle and respectful tone when I was tempted to express anger. It was out of the belief that these commitments mattered to God that I made them.

It was as though God gave me these children, so that I could grow up and become all the He had designed me to be.

And I really could quote pages and pages and pages more. This book was a balm last fall and has been again tonight as I flipped back through it. If you are a weary mama who desperately needs hope to breathe, I highly recommend this one.

For His Glory ~

Throwback Thursday Post – Reflecting on a Hard Season and a God in the Details

March 27, 2014 / Sara Vincent / Leave a comment

So, I busted out my spring purse today. And I couldn’t help but think back on the storied life of this little bag and how thankful I am to have a God who cares about our small stuff and our big stuff. Reposting from the archives, these two stories on His faithfulness in the hard times and how sometimes He loves to surprise and delight us just because He can.

Post 1, from September 24, 2010:

Downer Warning: It’s been a week, and I am just starting to really “feel” the events today. This could be a very crabby post. Feel free to flee now, or read on at your own risk. 😮

On Wednesday of this week, I had my SUV broken into and my purse stolen. My brand new purse and wallet that I had only had for one month. Exactly.one.month. On a day that started out well and in the middle of what I hoped was going to be a drama-free week, everything was turned on its side. I tried to do school with the girls, but they were clearly disturbed by what had happened and I was so distracted by phone calls to be made and trying to find somewhere to take my window-missing truck before it started to rain, we ended up only getting about half of our stuff done. I spent most of the day numb and somewhat disoriented. Thursday felt about the same.

Today I’m just mad. I’m mad that my whole week got jacked up by someone’s selfishness. I’m mad that everything cost just enough to be a giant nuisance, but probably not enough to make it worth submitting to insurance. I’m mad that we haven’t even gotten the credit card bill for the dang purse yet and it’s already gone. I’m mad that Matt had to take money out of savings so that I could go get groceries (because I was trying to be “good” and use cash and that was stolen). I’m mad that I had to put groceries back today because I had to save money to go replace my driver’s license. I’m mad that I have to make a bunch of phone calls this afternoon to change our auto-pay information from our checking account, because we had to open a new one. I’m mad that when I went to order new checks today, I got all the way through and realized I had no way to pay for them online. I’m mad at the inconvenience it is causing Matt to be without any of his business credit cards for the next couple of weeks.

None of this is a big deal. It really isn’t. But it’s been an entire summer of this.kind.of.stuff. Unplanned, unbudgeted inconveniences. Matt and I laid in bed on Wednesday night and began to count up how many unexpected expenses we’ve had just this summer:

my truck window

my purse, wallet, and cash

his truck totaled

flat tire on his truck led to getting four new tires

two weed whips gone

one lawn mower dead

tool theft

roof repairs

broken rear hatch handle on my truck

broken antenna (not a cheap fix)

both air conditioning units at the house needing repairs

two speeding tickets

There were a few more, but they’re not coming to mind. Needless to say, we’re worn down by the financial blood bath that this summer has been.

On the other hand, God has been more than generous with us this year. It’s been a good year for the business and He’s been prompting Matt to work hard on saving money. It’s just that Matt thought he was saving for the future, not for right now to just replace all our broken or stolen stuff.

I know God hasn’t changed. I know He is still good. I cling to His faithfulness and His promise to carry me. There is still much to be thankful for and at least one beautiful story has come out of this, which I will share on Monday. But today I feel a little like I’m going insane. I told a friend today that I’m not even sure if this is Biblical, but I’m just going to go ahead and start “claiming” a drama-free week next week. In Jesus name.

Now that I have written all of this down and looked back through it, I’m actually laughing. It’s all just so ridiculous. I wonder what could be next?!?!

Have a fabulous weekend, friends. I’m sure going to try to here!

Only By His Grace ~

~ Sara

Post 2, from September 29, 2010

Last Friday, I was angry. I was angry about my purse. I was angry about how life was going. Our insurance was willing to cover the loss, but it wasn’t worth filing the claim with what it would do to our rates. I appealed to the buyer’s protection with our credit card; they wouldn’t cover theft from a car. I felt like everything was going wrong. And I was mad. I worked my way through that anger, enjoyed a relaxing drive and laughing with my husband, and then danced the night away with friends. By Saturday, my soul was at rest. I had reached a point of accepting where things were at in life and was “claiming” a drama-free week for our family. And I still had hope for my purse and wallet. In the back of my mind my only thought was, maybe none of these other avenues are working because God is going to give it back to me.

In spite of my “claim” for a drama-free week, Monday morning started with one of our favorite red glass lamps being shattered while the children built a fort on the couch. One of those mother moments when I looked and thought, This is a really bad idea. And then I also thought, No, Sara, let them do this. Say yes. So I let them and went upstairs for a bit. And then I heard the shattering thud and knew instantly what had happened. 😦 So, before lunchtime I had given up my hopes for drama-free this week.

Tuesday morning, Matt found himself in a ditch in his truck. *sigh* I laughed. I couldn’t help myself. He was fine, just terribly inconvenienced, and I couldn’t help but laugh. So, so ridiculous it was.

So Tuesday afternoon when the city services truck stopped in front of my house I honestly wondered what the next thing would be. I wondered if something had happened with our payment and now our water was being turned off. It just seemed like the next ridiculous occurrence in this series of unfortunate events.

The men in the truck sat out there a bit, so I went on and forgot about them, until one of them came to my door. “I’m looking for Sara,” he said. “I’m she,” I responded. “Did you lose a purse?” he asked.

I gasped and my eyes had to be as large as saucers and I replied, “Did you find my purse?!!?”

He led me out to his truck and there it was sitting in the back, dirty and crumpled, but completely intact with my wallet inside. I hugged him. I couldn’t help it. I told him I had been praying for it and that my friends had and that he had made my day.

I asked him where he found it. He said it was in a trash can at a local park, about two miles north of where my purse was stolen. He said they find them there all the time.

The smell on the purse is indescribable. I took it to a local cleaner’s yesterday because I couldn’t even bear to have it on my front porch. As best I can tell, the thief only took my money. Every last penny was gone out of my wallet, but nearly everything else was there. A few random items are missing from my purse, but my guess is that they fell out in the trash can because it’s silly things like lip gloss and fingernail clippers.

I knew my money was gone as soon as the purse went missing.  All I asked of the Lord was that I could have the purse and wallet back. I didn’t care about any of the rest of it. I have seen God in so many little details throughout my seventeen year walk with Him that I never doubted His ability to bring that purse back, if He was willing. (And after all this, I’m also confident He can get the smell out of it! 🙂 )

Matt and I have been asking ourselves for weeks, but especially the past several days, Is this God? Is this Satan? What are we supposed to be learning? And those thoughts continued to roll through my head as I processed the excitement of the afternoon.  What was God saying by giving this back? Had we done something right? What was it?

As I drove along, my soul knew it wasn’t anything we had done. It was just God. He gave it back because He’s God and He can and He chose to.  It’s grace. Simply grace. And really it’s His grace that leads us through the trials that bring us to our knees. For if grace means undeserved gift, then the trials of life that make us more like His Son are surely also grace. It’s all grace. Every moment. Every breath.

And I’m so thankful for His endlessly abundant grace and His concern for the details of this day-to-day life. Oh, how deep is His love for us!

For His Glory ~

~ Sara

And so, even though this bag is really too small for this season of life, I keep it and I carry it as my very material, very first-world reminder of His goodness and that He delights in us as a father delights in his children and He loves to give us joy gifts and glimmers of hope in the midst of this crazy world.

For His Glory ~

2014: Week in Review {Week 12}

March 24, 2014March 24, 2014 / Sara Vincent / Leave a comment

Here I sit on this March Monday, watching the snow fall once again outside the window. And I could complain because we are all more than tired of the cold, but today I choose to give thanks. This snow has taken a manic Monday and turned it into a mellow one. One that was much needed.

Last week was characterized by dragging ourselves through another week of school. This week is half days of testing/half days off, a full day off, and a day of fine arts in KC. This is what we count as our spring break (snow and all) and we’re all so happy for the change of pace.

We had the privilege of hosting Amania’s friend Shela for her spring break week. She did lots and lots and lots of hair braiding. 🙂 She was also a wonderful blessing in many other ways, including cooking a real Haitian dinner for all of Matt’s family (approximately 30 people) on Wednesday night. She did it all with grace and a smile.

We also had round one of MAACS competition on Friday in Kansas City. Emma and Chandler performed with the choir. Grace competed in art, with her acrylic taking first place.

Amania celebrated her first birthday with us on Friday. It was an exciting time for all of us and for the first time in about a month (or two), I haven’t heard how many days until her birthday since then. 🙂

Our week in photos….

the cat that thinks she now lives on my truck…

Starbucks that keeps me going through our own version of March Madness…

Shela doing her thing with all the hair…

an Ellie sandwich…

Chandler after her braids were taken out. We said we should have dyed her purple so she could be an evil minion….

three of my favorites and me after a long / fun day at MAACS…

this beauty and her first place acrylic painting…

and this beauty turning seven…

and these two up early on a Saturday to build…

and some Discovery Center fun for everyone….

and one to remember that week that we had six girls….

2939. a multiplied Monday

2940. tired legs – ten miles, slow and steady

2941. first day of spring

2942. girls with braids

2943. the start of “spring break”

2944. littlest one turning 7

2945. a day in KC with my bigs

2946. beautiful music, excellent speeches, incredible art

2947. oldest with her 1st place painting

2948. presents, cake, and ice cream for one very grateful seven year old

For His Glory ~

First and Seven

March 22, 2014 / Sara Vincent / Leave a comment

Yesterday she celebrated her first birthday at home and there’s a certain bit of irony that it came while Mom and three sisters were out of town all day. But still she celebrated, we all celebrated, because she is here, she is home, and she is seven. And because we’ve only been counting down to her birthday since about a week after she came home a year ago. 🙂

When she entered our hearts and our hopes over three years ago now, she was one of us, yet unknown to us. And God has worked in each of us to make her part of our family and make us part of hers.

I think of how far she’s come, how much she’s grown, since that first meeting. And I think the same thing of my heart.

And I think of how far we have to go. I pray that the coming year brings her more security and a true knowing she will never ever ever again be left or abandoned. That this truly is her forever family.

I pray there will be a better understanding of her story and how she came to us, because there are so many questions.

I pray she will continue to grow in humble confidence in the beautiful and talented girl God created her to be.

I pray she will know that she is loved exactly how she is, regardless of how she looks, how she performs, how she speaks. And I pray she will never stop trying to be more like Jesus.

And I pray hard that she’ll never lose her joy. I’ve never seen a child so characterized by happiness. Yes, she cries and she pouts and she asks for things she doesn’t need. But her default mood is happy. And content. And I think deep down she realizes the blessing she has that the rest of us take for granted. And I feel my heart stretched even farther as I think about that. Because this child who has had her family taken from her seems to know instinctively this gift we all take for granted….a family, imperfect and impatient and mundane and weird as they maybe, a family that loves us is a priceless gift and something to be happy about every day.

Happy “First” and Seventh birthday, Amania. May you never lose the hope you have in Jesus.

Love,

Mama

Why We’re “Forget(ting) the Frock” Again This Year…

March 18, 2014March 17, 2014 / Sara Vincent / 1 Comment

Last year was the first time I had heard the term “Forget the Frock“. Always looking for a way to simplify life and help the less fortunate (and a bonus if we can do both at once!), I immediately jumped on board. A shirt was designed and promoted supporting Haiti Lifeline Ministries, starting an adoption fund within the ministry.

And as Easter came closer this year and I knew we needed to start planning for Forget the Frock if we wanted to do it again, I wrestled a bit. Because Easter feels like such a slighted holiday anyway, yet it is one of the most important. I don’t want to participate in hijacking the resurrection of Christ in the name of raising money, even for such a worthy cause as adoption. But on the other hand, we (as Americans) can spend so much time, money, and energy on clothes that will be worn one day, fussed over for pictures, and then stuffed in closets and sold next year at garage sales, I decided maybe this wasn’t really hijacking anything, but maybe taking it back. Because Christ came to seek and save the lost, to lead the charge to care for the orphan and widow, and if we are adopted in Him then we are commanded to do the same. So maybe a simple shirt that can be worn year round, proclaiming His name and the good news, that helps put orphans in families….maybe that really is the best way to dress for Easter.

So we are excited to do this again, with some great new shirts designed just for this event.

Click here to order yours. And then feel free to share with your friends why you’re simplifying your Easter by sharing this post.

Forget the frock. Help an orphan. Buy a shirt. Change a life.

For His Glory ~

* Special thanks to the Fox Family for starting this movement and letting the rest of us be part of it!

2014: Weeks in Review {Weeks 10 & 11}

March 17, 2014March 17, 2014 / Sara Vincent / Leave a comment

The past two weeks have been the normal blur. God has worked on my heart regarding our schedule and our season of life and we plow onward learning to go slow in the midst of the busy.

sunshine and blue skies

We have done school, gone to a Young Life banquet, and had new friends over for dinner. Grace and I have cleaned a couple of projects for Matt and we’ve had a birthday party or two (or four….I don’t know, but it’s been a bunch). We went on an awesome field trip to visit the Trash Mountain Project Aquaponics facility. They’re doing some really fantastic stuff out there. We’ve worked outside and enjoyed open windows and doors and the coming of spring. We’ve figured out how to use essential oils to manage our allergies. I was able to have some ladies over for some good, low-key fellowship, and I was able to enjoy fellowship with a completely different group of women at an IF: Tables gathering.

aquaponics

I’m continuing to train for my half marathon next month. I’m doing this one solo, so I’m also doing the long runs solo. Nothing makes a long run seem longer than running 10 miles alone. On a treadmill. But at least I have Jack Bauer and season one of 24 to help pass the time. That is, when our internet isn’t buffering. I’m praying about whether or not this will be my last half for a while. I love/hate them so much. I love that they scare me into getting my miles in (except that January one, it certainly didn’t have that effect). I love how I feel **after** a really long run. I love being able to eat whatever I want and not having to think about calories (not that I think about them a whole lot anyway….but today, as I snuck a brownie before lunch and one child caught me I honestly looked at her and said, “I just ran for nearly two hours. I can have a brownie.” She wisely agreed.). But I hate how much they cost (how much to torture myself for three months???). And I hate how much time they take. I don’t mind the normal length runs in the mornings, but setting aside two hours for a long run plus another hour to get cleaned up and recovered afterward…it’s just a big chunk out of an already full day and as I’ve been examining our schedule and praying about the best use of my time, this is one of those areas I’m on the fence about. That said, six months from now I may be telling this same story all over again. Those races have a way of sucking you back in.

skies that demand a road trip and a dog that really misses her people when they’re gone

We also launched our version of Forget the Frock with Haiti Lifeline Ministries (a post on that tomorrow). I’m super-excited about this year’s shirt and about taking back Easter for a cause close to the heart of Christ.

a little teaser for this year’s FtF shirt

And as we head into a new week, I want to start again with recounting the gifts….

2924. cardinals on bare branches, red on a backdrop of grey

2925. nurturing my marriage

2926. Lent and reflection and seasons of pause

2927. seeing God at work in the lives of teens

2928. nights of no sleep; leaning on God for strength for the day

2929. long dates

2930. sunny Sunday and kids outside

2931. a long forecast of better weather

2932. 8 mile run

2933. repentance

2934. practicing flexibility

2935. a grace that chases, pursues

2936. birthday parties, sleepovers, time with friends

2937. working through issues with little ones

2938. IF: Tables and thoughts on friendship

Oh restless heart – beating against the prison bars of your circumstances and longing for a wider realm of usefulness – allow God to direct all your days. Patience and trust, even in the midst of the monotony of your daily routine will be the best preparation to courageously handle the stress and strain of a greater opportunity, which God may someday send.

~ Streams in the Desert, March 17

For His Glory ~