"Becoming A Champion"

What a beautiful weekend we have had, even though we were inside a gym that smelled of "wrestling" all weekend.  We went to the Metro Championship.  This is the tournament that we have worked for all season.  My prayer is always for no one to get hurt and as far as I could tell, other than a few bloody noses, no one went to the hospital.  Thank you Lord!  Our coaches have been great.  They have challenged the boys and pushed them to their potential.  Without sounding like sour grapes, we won the tournament but we didn't get the trophy.  However, when you are on top, and our team has been for the past 7 years, everyone else wants your spot.  In one of our matches, one of our boys was disqualified based on a judges/referees decision.  The move our guy did was not an illegal move but we were disqualified.  We lost all of the points from this players wins for the entire tournament.  We were all very disappointed, shocked and surprised to say the least.  I have to give our coaches so much credit.  They coached like the champions that they have taught our boys to become.  The coach told them "It doesn't matter what the trophy says, ya'll won first place.  Well done."    For those of you that know me, I'm not a fan of wrestling.  But I have to say, the examples these coaches have been to Coleman and the person they have challenged him to become I am a fan of.  Wrestling has taught them to be their best even when someone's not looking. (Thanksgiving break workouts that we stressed over because we lost our workout sheet) Wrestling has taught us that conditioning is critical and it's not negotiable.  Wrestling has taught us to do your best and finish strong.  Last night, our boys learned that who you are in the world, isn't who you are in Christ.  A trophy doesn't make you a champion!   Training our faith should no less of a commitment than we train to wrestle.  The "things" of the world, the kind of house we live in, where we work, or what team you pull for doesn't make you a champion.  It's who you are in Christ that makes you a champion!  I was so proud of every player on the team because they handled a very confusing decision that was not in their control like champions!  What a great season we had!  Now, do I want Coleman to wrestle next year?  Absolutely NOT!  I think it's the most stressful sport I've ever watched.  But, if Coleman gets the chance to be "coached" by these coaches again, I will prayerfully consider this decision because the example those men demonstrated last night made my season GREAT!  Go Eagles!  There is really no new information from Joan and Derek this week.  I think about them all of the time and I wonder what they are doing.  I've had a little anxiety about "when" we can bring them home.  We are still in the process of the home study.  That should take at least 6 more weeks.  I started learning sign language this week.  I had a great time with Michelle, my teacher.  I went to Books a Million and got a book and some flashcards.  Laurel, Todd and I sat at Jim and Nicks one night and studied our flash cards during dinner.  Will I ever be able to learn it all?  I don't know.  I am still praying that when Joan gets here, God will heal her deafness completely.  I believe that He can.  It warms my heart that Todd wants to look at their pictures every night.  I'm sure after Spring Break, we will have more new photos of them.  I feel like we have memorized their faces.  We think we already know them.  We pray for their protection all of the time.  I go through a range of emotions from complete peace to complete anxiety.  I know the peace comes from God and the anxiety comes form Satan so I am learning to choose peace more often.  God is so gracious to me.  He is holding me accountable and I am thankful.  There have been some challenges that have been presented to me that I could have chosen fear but I chose to trust instead.   I have to give Him the praise for these victories.  I know that Satan is trying to get a foothold into this situation and he will try anything to ruin our joy.  I feel your prayers.  I feel the love of Christ.  I know that God's timing is perfect.  I know that He is in control of our family.  I choose to rest in His grip today.  I choose to trust Him with Joan and Derek because they are His children, just like Laurel and Coleman are His children.  He shares them with me.  I don't have to touch these children to love them and pray for them.  I don't have to see them to adore them.  God's love is powerful and complete.  God's love and timing are perfect. I am a believer!  I am going to finish strong, just like I've been coached!

Love,

Amiee

Phillipians 3:13 " I am still not all that I should be....but I'm focusing all my energies on this one thing:  Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.""

And then there where two!

Skyping is amazing technology.

See us in the bottom left corner.  Derek, Joel and Joan

The news of our new addition to the Reeves family spread quickly.  I can't tell you how many good wishes and encouragement we have received from so many people.  The kids and Todd were so excited.  I was excited too but I guess I know how many "things" have to fall in line for all of this to take place.  I know our God is big enough to get this done.  I know he is calling me to follow him.  I know he is teaching me to sit back and relax.   He has been asking me for years to "cast my anxiety upon Him".  I'm a slow learner.  Thankfully, our God is gracious and He has given me many chances.   Watching all of this unfold is more fun than watching any "drama" on t.v.  Suzanne had mentioned "skyping" the kids and the grandmother.  We were all very excited about getting to see them and get to know each other.  I still had "grandmother" on my heart.  I was getting anxious about meeting her.  What do you say to someone that is going to make the most selfless sacrifice I can imagine?  Thank you just doesn't seem enough.  We set the skype up for Sunday morning at 8:00 a.m.  That's 5:00 p.m. in Kabalagala.  We decided to ask some of our friends and their children to join us for a brief time of prayer before we called Joel.  I have to tell you, the presence of the Lord was with us in that room.  I prayed for the grandmother.  Another person prayed for adoption and what special meaning that has in the eyes of the Lord.  Another prayed for God to guide us in the process and that we would have confirmation with out doubt that this decision would be pleasing to the Lord.  At 8:00a.m., Suzanne called Sozo, the orphanage, on the computer.  Joel didn't have the capability to skype from Rays of Hope School so he picked the kids up in a taxi and drove them about 30 minutes to Sozo, just to meet us.  I was uneasy about talking to Derek.  We were still thinking we wouldn't take him because we didn't feel led by God to do so.   I wanted to take him but I wanted to be sure it was for the right reasons.  I can't imagine having to split Laurel and Coleman up.  But, God was clear to me.  It was time in my life to let Todd be the spiritual leader in our family.  I had to "submit" to my husband who is the love of my life.  Again I said to God, "I will".  Again, God was faithful.  Because of traffic it took Joel a little longer to get to the orphanage.  In the mean time, we got to talk to the 17 precious children that live at Sozo.  They were the most polite, happy, well rounded children of all ages I have ever seen.  I don't know what happen to their families but their hope is in the Lord.  They are happy because they have a safe place to stay.  They are happy because they aren't living on the streets with no food or shelter.  Again, God revealed my pride to me.  I was humbled.  Talking and laughing with these children helped my nervousness.  Finally, Joel arrived with the children but without their grandmother.  Joel sat down and Joan had the biggest smile on her face.  She seemed very comfortable around Joel and she seemed to know that something special was happening.  Joel said she was excited because she thought she was going to leave to come with us on that day.  Then, Suzanne asked Joel to put Derek in his lap too so we could see him.  My heart melted for that little boy.  He looked quiet and shy, just like Coleman.  Both of them were so well mannered.  They communicated with each other.  Derek would "sign" to Joan and they would nod their heads at each other and they always smiled.  They have no material posessions but they never stoped smiling and laughing.  Joan's laugh was contagious.  If you want to see the skype, you can go to my facebook page and it is listed as "skyping in Africa this morning".  I haven't learned how to get video on this blog yet.  Anyway, during one part of our conversation, Joan signs to Joel "is Derek coming with me."  My eyes filled up with tears and God just kept saying, "be submissive to your husband.  I am faithful."  I can say without doubt, my eyes were truly focused on the Lord during the exchange.  When Joan asked the question, which Derek could hear and understand because he speaks English, I answered, "we are still praying for Derek."  I couldn't make a promise that I might not be able to keep and I didn't want to put Todd on the spot in front of everyone in the room.  I would have done that back in "the day".  God is growing me in this area of my life and I am thankful.  When the skype was over, Suzanne asked us "What are your thoughts on Derek?"  I turned and looked at Todd and I said, "What are your thoughts on Derek?"  My heart was pounding.  He said, "We are not spliting them up."  I have learned after 20 years of marriage don't assume that he means what I think he means.  I said, "What do you mean?"  He said, "we are bringing both of them back."  Laurel had tears streaming down her face.  I tried to keep myself together and Todd was very emotional as well.  Coleman smiled the biggest grin. God confirmed his faithfulness to me by Todd's unselfishness to say yes to bringing Derek home.  He confirmed to me that I could be a submissive wife.  He confirmed to me that His ways our higher than mine.  Why haven't I been trusting in Him like this my whole life?  Because the world wants me think that "I" am in control.  The world wants me to think "I" deserve better. The world wants me to focus on myself and not on my Father.   After seeing these orphans, I pray that I will never look at "what I deserve" the same again.  Thank you Father for humbling me!

Love,

Amiee

"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

Joan, "God is gracious"

Praying for Joan

Joan's Home

God is faithful!  In November when Suzanne and some other special people from Asbury where in Kabalaga.  They felt lead to pray that Joan's "deafness" be healed.  They went to her home which was a "mud hut" and prayed for this angel.  What a beautiful picture of hope!  The pictures of her village are a constant reminder to me that I don't really have bad days.  I really don't have much to complain about.  The name Joan in Hebrew means "God is gracious".  From the outside, the situation doesn't look like God is gracious.   I have to confess when we first started considering adopting her my greatest concern was her deafness.  After I looked at pictures of her home, God revealed my pride to me again and humbled my heart.  I told my children that I truly believe that Joan's deafness may be one way God has protected her.  People in her village are afraid of her.  They believe that she has "evil spirits" and she is cursed because she is deaf.  I'm going to choose to believe they don't know any better.   Many deaf women especially are abused and they never get education.  They are looked down on and many of them are used for manual labor.   Joan isn't cursed.  Healing for Joan may not be having her hearing physically restored.  I don't know how God is going to heal Joan but I know how God is healing me through getting to know her... One day at a time.  Aids was another concern we had about adopting Joan.  Thank the Lord she doesn't have aids.  We were so relieved she didn't have that horrible illness.  We notified Suzanne on a Friday that we were interested in adopting Joan.  Of course she was thrilled.  She said she would contact Joel at Rays of Hope School that Joan attends to find out if Joan's grandmother was interested in pursuing this.  Joan's grandmother had 2 questions.  1.  Would she ever get to see Joan again?  2.  What about Joan's little brother?  Todd and I felt like this question might be coming.  We talked about it but we hadn't prayed about him.  At this point, we didn't feel like we would be doing good to handle Joan, learning sign language, teaching her sign language, and possibly surgeries to correct her hearing.  We also were concerned about Laurel and Coleman.  The last thing we would want to do is make the situation so hard on everyone that our purpose, our calling to adopt Joan, may be defeated if we over extended ourselves and our family.  We told Suzanne to tell the grandmother that yes she would see Joan again and we would pray about taking "little brother" but we didn't want adopting Joan to be contingent upon taking both of them.  We even talked about maybe waiting a year and getting her settled and going back and getting him.  We waited it seems like forever to hear if she would consider our decision to let us adopt just Joan.  This decision tormented me because all I could think about was if Laurel and Coleman ever had to be separated it would break my heart.  I felt so sad but 2 more seemed crazy!  We are almost to the simple part of life.  We have 6 years until we are "empty-nesters".  One Sunday, my curiosity got the best of me and I called Suzanne to see if there was any news from Uganda.  She said the grandmother wanted to talk to her more about the adoption when she was there for Spring Break in March.  This wasn't bad news but it wasn't the news we were hoping to hear.  I had decided to give it all back to God and "be still and wait".  We had only told a few people at this point because there was no sense in getting everyone all "worked up" about this.  Also, we didn't want our decision to be influenced positively or negatively.  We left it all up to God.  We had said "yes we will".  It's amazing to me all of the little things Todd and I can't agree on but when it comes to the big "stuff", thank the Lord we agree. (most of the time)  On Tuesday, the thought of adopting Joan hadn't crossed my mind.  Around 2:30 Suzanne called and asked me if I wanted another baby girl.  That was a special moment for me.  God confirmed me as obedient.  Not because she said yes but because I knew I really gave it all to him.  I knew my knees were at the foot of the cross and I was humble.  Laurel came in from school and I told her.  She was so happy she almost cried.  I called Todd and he was happy, relieved and ready to get the show on the road.  I told Coleman and he couldn't believe it.  By Friday, we had a letter from an attorney in Uganda.  It was time to let the cat out of the bag.  What would people say?

God is faithful!
Amiee

"whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10: 43- 45

"I will"

It's Saturday after noon around 4:00.  I'm so tired from hanging out at the "rastling" match for 2 days so I came home to take a nap.  Needless to say, I can't sleep.  It's 1:00 a.m. in Kabalagala, Africa where a big piece of my heart is now.  I wake up in the night and I wonder if they are at school.  I wonder if they are hungry.  I wonder if they are cold.  I wonder if they can even begin to comprehend how their life is going to change.  Then, I remember what God whispered in my ear one day in November before I even knew about Joan and Derek.  He said to me "you have obeyed your parent's, now obey your Father!"  The words were as clear as if someone had called me on the phone and said it to me in my ear.  That day I answered God and said, "I will".  I knew that I had not completely surrendered everything I had to Him.  I had fooled myself so many times.  By the worlds standards, that was good enough.  But that day when I was jogging, it was just me and the Lord.   After I said, "I will".  I thought okay, now what?  I began to feel a sense of peace and clarity.  I still can't really describe it but it was amazing and it was "certain".  We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and the feeling of "surrender" was still in my life.  The week before Christmas, Laurel, Coleman, and I went to lunch with Jon Brennan, a friend of Jon's, Carry and a friend of Coleman's, Marquis.  Coleman met Marquis at a youth retreat.  Jon introduced them, and Jon and I were trying to get the boys together over the Christmas holidays.  I think Jon knew Marquis from "Wilma's House".  Marquis' mom is a single parent and he has two sisters that live with them.  One of his sister's has a three month old baby.  It was 2:00 in the afternoon before we actually got to sit down for lunch.  Jon asked Marquis what he had eaten that day.  Marquis told Jon, "Nothing.  My mom told me not to eat her cereal."  I guess since he had been out of school, he had probably missed a lot of meals.  I told Jon that I could take Marquis home with me right now and never give him back if I didn't think someone would throw me in jail.  The thought of that precious child not eating breakfast or lunch made my heart ache.  Then I asked Jon when he was going back to Africa.  He said "Spring Break.  Do you want to go?"  I said, " Yes I would love to go but we already had plans."  I really don't remember how it came up...I'll have to ask him but he began telling me about a little girl that was 8 years old and she was deaf.  He told me that her mother abandoned her because she thought she was cursed.  I guess because she makes funny noises.  He told me that she had an amazing spirit and they had prayed for her healing when they were there.  I said, "Is that the little girl in the picture with Katherine?"  Jon said, "Yes".  I said, "I would take her, too."  Jon got out his cell phone and started texting.  I said "Who are you texting?" He said, "This is a God thing.  I'm texting Suzanne and we are calling Katherine."  Jon isn't married.  He's young.  I said to him, "Jon, I'm going to have to run this by Todd."  I think Jon knew and I think I knew that God was already answering the prayers for Joan from November.  I knew I had told God "I will" on that day in November.  Maybe the day they were praying for Joan was the same day God told me in the park to "obey".  After we left the restaurant, Laurel said, "Mom, what do you think Daddy's going to say."  I told her, "I'm not sure.  Let's pray about this before we ask him."  She agreed.  This was big and if there was a chance for Todd to say yes, it would take God  preparing his heart.   We prayed for a day before we mentioned having Joan come into our home, to live with us as a daughter and a sister before we asked Todd.  I prayed to God that I would be a submissive wife, not a manipulative wife before I told him what little information I had about Joan.  About 30 seconds after I finished my short story, Todd said, "I think we should look into adopting her."  We couldn't believe our ears.  He said he had one question, "Does she have aids?"  I said, I'll ask Suzanne (the youth director at our church that has one of the greatest servants hearts I know).  I hadn't even considered the possibility that Joan could have aids.  That's how disconnected I was from Africa and poverty.  She looked so healthy and happy in the pictures.  Reality started to set in.  I came down with walking pneumonia, and I continued to pray for God's will to be done in this angel's life and that I would be obedient to God.  I didn't pray that God would give her to us.  I earnestly prayed for God's will to be done in her life.  I thanked God that Todd said yes.  I thanked God that I had confidence in Christ to let Todd make the decision and I was going to support Todd no matter what he said.  I prayed that she didn't have aids.

Love,
Amiee

Acts 21:14 "When it was clear that we couldn't persuade him, we gave up and said, "The will of the Lord be done."

"Where do I begin?"

Thanks for coming to my "blog".  It's really hard for me to write all of this down because I don't know where to begin this story.  What you are interested in hearing started the week before Christmas 2010 at a lunch with some friends.  But, what God is leading me to share with you started a long time ago.  God has blessed me my entire life and part of the blessing has been that I know I am blessed.  But somewhere over my life of 42 years, without even realizing it, I began believing  that I deserved all of the blessing I was receiving.  I began to think that because I was a good person and made good choices most of my life, I deserved for nothing bad to happen to me. I deserved a nice house because I worked hard.  I deserved all of the "things of the world" because I was a good person and I believed in God.  We'll I have known for a while that I wasn't really where God wanted me to be with him.  I made many excuses and ignored God's yearning to know me better.  I became prideful and pride is not a pretty picture.  But, thankful our God is cleaver and relentless.  He does not give up on us.  Back in September,   God gave me the opportunity to have a relationship with a niece of ours that I really hadn't known very well.  Not only did I not know her very well, I had no desire to know her well.  My pride kept me from wanting to know her.  Nothing more, nothing less.  She came to stay with us for a couple of months while she was trying to figure her life out.  God revealed to me during the time she was with us was that He loved her as much as he loved me and she hadn't made good choices.  It didn't matter to Him that I was a good person or that she had made some bad choices.  He loves us both the same.  She thought I was there to hold her hand and really God used her to show me the sin in my life of pride and self righteousness.  She reflected God's love for me and she didn't even know it.  So, I began to pray for God to humble me.  When you pray for God to "humble" you, get ready.  You will begin a journey that you never dreamed would happen.

In Him,
Amiee

"For it is by grace you have been save, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. "  Ephesians 2:8-9