This weekend I attended the funeral of an old friend. He was 38 years old, married and had 2 kids. He was the type of guy that knew everyone and made everyone feel like they were his best friend. He just had that type of personality.
Last I heard there were over 800 people that attended his viewing and funeral. He had recently gotten his 1000th friend on Facebook and I guarantee he knew every single person, most of them were probably at the funeral. He was loved by so many. That was evident. All you had to do was look around. Every single one of us had a story to tell.
There were 2 things I learned at the funeral yesterday. 1. I don't have enough pictures of my family. 2. I want to love people where they are. I don't want to take my relationships for granted. There were so many people at the funeral that I had not seen in over 15 years. People I didn't recognize and those that didn't recognize me. People who have been a huge part of my life yet I never took the time to tell them.
If nothing else, Darrin's death brought us all back to the place we began this journey. The kind of place where time stands still. The place where we pick right up as if we had never left. There is a bond that holds us together. A bond that has kept us together through the years. We may even bleed blue and gold. Who knows?!
So, even though I don't make it home much these days, and even though we have all grown up and have lives and families of our own, I love you all. You all have made an impression on my life in one way or another. Let's not wait so long to get together next time.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
Concert!!!
The Ascension Quartet
Saturday, January 15, 2011
6:30 pm
Hope's Point Baptist Church
1703 Miller Avenue
Shelbyville, IN 46176
Tickets are $10 each. Children 5 and under are free.
Tickets can be purchased on the right hand side of this blog.
Call 317-512-5600 or email thejourneyhome.todd@gmail.com for more information.
All proceeds will go to the Todd Adoption Fund.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
God is Still Working
Last week we received an email from a family that wanted to give $500 to our adoption fund. I am super excited that God keeps providing. He continues to confirm that what we are doing is right. It does my heart good to know that I am in the center of God's will.
Yesterday, we were approved by our agency for the country of Honduras and siblings. I am really excited because I now feel that we have a few things set. It was really exciting to receive our approval letter. I can't wait to see what else God has in store.
Make sure you check in tomorrow!
Yesterday, we were approved by our agency for the country of Honduras and siblings. I am really excited because I now feel that we have a few things set. It was really exciting to receive our approval letter. I can't wait to see what else God has in store.
Make sure you check in tomorrow!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
It will be Worth It
I have been sitting here with all this paperwork trying to figure out how in the world I am going to get it all filled out! There is paperwork for the agency, for grant organizations and for the government. When you look at it all it can be very overwhelming. BUT I have my handy dandy notebook divided into categories and I think I may be as organized as ever!
Scott was signing papers the other day and asked if we would own a house when it was all over! I wish! The paper trail can be overwhelming but the end result will be worth it all. When I hold my 2 new precious children in my arms I will no doubt be ready to start again (Sorry if that makes you nervous babe!) What's a little paperwork when so many children need a loving home?
The other part of adoption that can be overwhelming is the financial. I have tried not to worry about that one too much. I know that money is what keeps so many people from adopting. I have heard over and over again "I would adopt if it didn't cost so much." In all honesty I don't know why it costs so much. You would think people would want children to be placed in loving homes and would do whatever they could to make that happen. Instead WE (adoptive parents) are the ones that have to do whatever it takes to make it happen. But, I'll say it again, it will be worth it.
If you have ever considered adopting, don't let anything keep you from doing so. Money can be raised. Paperwork filled out. You just have to have this deep burning in your heart to keep you going day after day. When you see the little face of the one God has chosen for you, you to will say "It was worth it."
Scott was signing papers the other day and asked if we would own a house when it was all over! I wish! The paper trail can be overwhelming but the end result will be worth it all. When I hold my 2 new precious children in my arms I will no doubt be ready to start again (Sorry if that makes you nervous babe!) What's a little paperwork when so many children need a loving home?
The other part of adoption that can be overwhelming is the financial. I have tried not to worry about that one too much. I know that money is what keeps so many people from adopting. I have heard over and over again "I would adopt if it didn't cost so much." In all honesty I don't know why it costs so much. You would think people would want children to be placed in loving homes and would do whatever they could to make that happen. Instead WE (adoptive parents) are the ones that have to do whatever it takes to make it happen. But, I'll say it again, it will be worth it.
If you have ever considered adopting, don't let anything keep you from doing so. Money can be raised. Paperwork filled out. You just have to have this deep burning in your heart to keep you going day after day. When you see the little face of the one God has chosen for you, you to will say "It was worth it."
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Choosing a Country
I don't think choosing a country was hard. The hard part was finding a country that we felt could move quickly and meet our family needs at this time. We had narrowed it down to Honduras and Nicaragua. We chose these two because they are closer, Scott can speak the language and we have friends in both countries. They both have their pros and cons but in the end I wanted the opinion of our agency worker.
In all honesty, I was set to go to Nicaragua even with their 8 week stay. We figured we would take the little man and live there until the adoption was complete. 8 weeks is a long time to be away from home and it just sort of bothered me. We have friends in Nicaragua so we were hoping we would be able to be near them.
In the end we chose Honduras. The agency worker believes that this country will move quicker. She does fear that our being so specific on age and gender could make our wait longer but we know that God is in control and He knows exactly what we need. I know that with any adoption flexibility is key. However, I want my little man to remain the oldest. This is very important to me. I also want a boy and a girl. I know that God knows my heart but I know that if it is not His will for me to have the children I specifically asked for it is ok. He is God and He knows best and I will count on that.
In all honesty, I was set to go to Nicaragua even with their 8 week stay. We figured we would take the little man and live there until the adoption was complete. 8 weeks is a long time to be away from home and it just sort of bothered me. We have friends in Nicaragua so we were hoping we would be able to be near them.
In the end we chose Honduras. The agency worker believes that this country will move quicker. She does fear that our being so specific on age and gender could make our wait longer but we know that God is in control and He knows exactly what we need. I know that with any adoption flexibility is key. However, I want my little man to remain the oldest. This is very important to me. I also want a boy and a girl. I know that God knows my heart but I know that if it is not His will for me to have the children I specifically asked for it is ok. He is God and He knows best and I will count on that.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Time to Prioritize
I have been thinking lately about how my life will change when we add 2 more children to our family. I know that I cannot even begin to realize the difference, but change is coming ready or not. This change won't just affect me but it will affect Scott, our dog and especially my little man. He will suddenly have to share Mommy and Daddy with two new people.
My little man is used to being the center of attention. What only child isn't? We get to do so many fun things now that there are only three of us. It isn't that we won't get to do fun things later, they will just be different and cheaper! I cherish the time I have with that little guy because I know it won't last forever.
I have always worried about having more children. I wonder if I can love them as much as I love my little man. It seems that my heart is so full all ready that I think it will burst when the other 2 come home. Other mothers tell me I have nothing to worry about. That my love will just expand. I am thankful that love has no limit. I am thankful that love just keeps growing. At least I plan on it because we don't plan to stop after we adopt these two!
In all my thinking I have realized that it is time to prioritize our life. Time to write down the goals we have for our family and our kids. Time to discard of some things and either replace them with others or remove them all together. I guess that means learning to say no. I am not very good at that because I never want to say no to anyone. I like being busy all the time, but being busy takes away from my first job: being a wife and mother. I have to learn to say no even to the things I want to do. It isn't that the things I do are bad, they just don't seem to be helping us reach our goals. I guess it is like a church. You can have so many programs and they aren't bad, but are they really helping you reach the ultimate goal? (insert soapbox!)
Over the next few weeks things will be changing in the Todd household. The change may be tough but it will be so worth it when we bring our other 2 home and we are able to focus on all 3 little lives God has placed in our care. So please, don't be offended if we tell you no. We just have to do what is best for our family at the time. It is no reflection of you or what you ask. We just have to make our family a priority because that is what God has called us to do.
My little man is used to being the center of attention. What only child isn't? We get to do so many fun things now that there are only three of us. It isn't that we won't get to do fun things later, they will just be different and cheaper! I cherish the time I have with that little guy because I know it won't last forever.
I have always worried about having more children. I wonder if I can love them as much as I love my little man. It seems that my heart is so full all ready that I think it will burst when the other 2 come home. Other mothers tell me I have nothing to worry about. That my love will just expand. I am thankful that love has no limit. I am thankful that love just keeps growing. At least I plan on it because we don't plan to stop after we adopt these two!
In all my thinking I have realized that it is time to prioritize our life. Time to write down the goals we have for our family and our kids. Time to discard of some things and either replace them with others or remove them all together. I guess that means learning to say no. I am not very good at that because I never want to say no to anyone. I like being busy all the time, but being busy takes away from my first job: being a wife and mother. I have to learn to say no even to the things I want to do. It isn't that the things I do are bad, they just don't seem to be helping us reach our goals. I guess it is like a church. You can have so many programs and they aren't bad, but are they really helping you reach the ultimate goal? (insert soapbox!)
Over the next few weeks things will be changing in the Todd household. The change may be tough but it will be so worth it when we bring our other 2 home and we are able to focus on all 3 little lives God has placed in our care. So please, don't be offended if we tell you no. We just have to do what is best for our family at the time. It is no reflection of you or what you ask. We just have to make our family a priority because that is what God has called us to do.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Fundraising
Fundraising seems like it should be a dirty word. However, when it comes to adoption there is just no way to get around it. Unless you win the lottery, have been saving for years or someone gives you a large inheritance, the kind of money that is required of an adoption is almost nonexistent.
Coming up with fundraising ideas is even harder. You have the old stand-bys of bake sales and car washes, but cars can only get so clean and people can only eat so many cookies. Finding a fundraiser that is more community focused rather than church family focused can be difficult as well. Your church family, no matter how much they want to help can only give so much. I have really tried to come up with other ideas because I don't want people to run the opposite direction every time they see me coming!
We did the Chili Dinner and Silent Auction and had great success. It was a lot of fun to watch people bid against each other to win the prize they wanted! People were so generous and I would never want to take advantage of that. I am so thankful for the people that God has used so far on our journey.
While searching for ideas I have come up with a few:
1. I am working as a Premier Designs Jeweler. I am donating 20% of my sales from now until the end of the year to the Adoption Fund. If you are interested in scheduling a jewelry show, catalog show or are interested in becoming a jeweler then please email me at thejourneyhome.todd@gmail.com.
2. We are having a concert!! The Ascension Quartet from Lebanon, Missouri, will be doing a benefit concert on Saturday, January 15th at 6:30 pm. The concert will be held at Hope's Point Baptist Church in Shelbyville, Indiana. Tickets are $10.00 each and will go on sale November 21st. You will be able to purchase tickets on this blog. You can also email me for more information at thejourneyhome.todd@gmail.com.
3. We will be having a Craft Show in March. If you would like to purchase a spot, you can email me at thejourneyhome.todd@gmail.com. Date and time have yet to be determined.
I would love to hear other ideas for fundraisers. If you have done something unique in the past let me know! Those of us who are raising money for adoption are ALWAYS looking for new ideas.
Coming up with fundraising ideas is even harder. You have the old stand-bys of bake sales and car washes, but cars can only get so clean and people can only eat so many cookies. Finding a fundraiser that is more community focused rather than church family focused can be difficult as well. Your church family, no matter how much they want to help can only give so much. I have really tried to come up with other ideas because I don't want people to run the opposite direction every time they see me coming!
We did the Chili Dinner and Silent Auction and had great success. It was a lot of fun to watch people bid against each other to win the prize they wanted! People were so generous and I would never want to take advantage of that. I am so thankful for the people that God has used so far on our journey.
While searching for ideas I have come up with a few:
1. I am working as a Premier Designs Jeweler. I am donating 20% of my sales from now until the end of the year to the Adoption Fund. If you are interested in scheduling a jewelry show, catalog show or are interested in becoming a jeweler then please email me at thejourneyhome.todd@gmail.com.
2. We are having a concert!! The Ascension Quartet from Lebanon, Missouri, will be doing a benefit concert on Saturday, January 15th at 6:30 pm. The concert will be held at Hope's Point Baptist Church in Shelbyville, Indiana. Tickets are $10.00 each and will go on sale November 21st. You will be able to purchase tickets on this blog. You can also email me for more information at thejourneyhome.todd@gmail.com.
3. We will be having a Craft Show in March. If you would like to purchase a spot, you can email me at thejourneyhome.todd@gmail.com. Date and time have yet to be determined.
I would love to hear other ideas for fundraisers. If you have done something unique in the past let me know! Those of us who are raising money for adoption are ALWAYS looking for new ideas.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Thank You Jesus
"That you Jesus for the brother and sister that I am going to get." ~Trent
I really don't know what to say about yesterday except "Thank you Jesus." Yesterday morning in the service we focused on orphans. Pastor announced that we would be having Orphan Sunday every year from now on. He also wanted an Orphan Ministry formed in our church. Scott and I were so surprised. We had no idea that Pastor had made these decisions. I am so excited to see how God is going to take care of the orphans in our community and around the world through our people. I am so excited about what the future holds. I bet you can't guess who is going to be heading up this new ministry!!!
The service was amazing. God really moved in the hearts of so many. People are all ready talking about becoming foster parents and learning about what they can do to help the orphans. I truly believe that God broke hearts yesterday. People are beginning to get it! They see a need and they want to fill it. That just makes my heart jump for joy!
I must admit that Satan worked overtime yesterday. He has been working in people's lives to cause division and question our motives. There has been a lot of negativity and I must admit I was blindsided. It really hurt me to know that people we thought were our friends were badmouthing us. God has called us to do this and they don't have to understand, but they DO need to understand that we are going to do what God has called us to do with or without them. I have had so many emotions run through my heart in the last 24 hours concerning this matter and I could go on and on, but I will end with this...Satan is going to do whatever he can to keep people from doing God's will. Satan uses Christians because they are often the easiest to be used in causing destruction. Don't allow Satan to use you to disrupt the plan that God has clearly set out for someone else.
Last night was amazing. We ran out of seats and tables. We had 53 items to auction off. Empty Tomb sang and testimonies were given. Scott was really able to share our heart for orphans in our country and all over the world. I hope that people truly saw our heart and will change their original opinions. We had so much help and food that I wanted to cry with happiness. People just stepped in and took care of every little thing that needed to be done. God's love soared through our church without any hindrances.
Our goal last night was not just to raise money, but to educate people about the need for foster and adoptive parents. Not only do we need these types of parents but we need others to come along side of those and support them. Those parents need encouragement. We need people to rise up and believe that these children have suffered long enough. Scott made a great point last night. Not only are we taking care of orphans but we are taking care of souls. We are teaching these children about Jesus. That is more important than any fundraiser we will ever have.
Please pray for us as our journey continues. Please pray for our church as they walk this new journey. Pray that God will open the hearts of the people. That we will step out of our comfort zone and experience God's love fresh and anew. Pray as we lead our AWESOME people.
I believe that God answered the skeptics and critics last night. Between last week and last night, God provided over $2000 toward our adoption fund. He confirmed in my heart, yet AGAIN, that this is what we are supposed to be doing. What an amazing God! Thank you Jesus!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Tomorrow!
I spent the last 3 days in Missouri at Baptist Bible College. It was so great to see what the Lord is doing there. I can honestly say the Spirit on campus is something I have never experienced before. I loved sitting in class listening to the hearts of the soon to be teachers. They love Jesus so much and want Him to shine in their classroom. It has been amazing to see the change that has taken place there. God is really doing something BIG and I can't wait to see what it is.
We got back late last night. It was so nice to be back in my own bed. I don't really miss dorm life! I did notice that every year the Youth Pastors get younger and Scott and I are getting older. I didn't think that was supposed to happen yet! I haven't been out of college that long! Only 10 years! Oh well!
Tomorrow is the BIG day. I am really excited about it. I have been working to get things ready and I really hope we are able to bring in the money we need. I am just going to leave it at the feet of Jesus and walk away. I hope to see many of you there!
We got back late last night. It was so nice to be back in my own bed. I don't really miss dorm life! I did notice that every year the Youth Pastors get younger and Scott and I are getting older. I didn't think that was supposed to happen yet! I haven't been out of college that long! Only 10 years! Oh well!
Tomorrow is the BIG day. I am really excited about it. I have been working to get things ready and I really hope we are able to bring in the money we need. I am just going to leave it at the feet of Jesus and walk away. I hope to see many of you there!
Monday, November 1, 2010
He Supplies My Needs
The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of activity concerning our Chili Dinner and Silent Auction. I wasn't really sure when I could talk about this, but I guess now is as good a time as any!
I had really been struggling with the amount of money we need to complete this adoption. $30,000 is a TON of money! I know this is what God wants us to do and I know He will supply our needs. I think I know this in my head and it is the "christian" response, but I don't know that I truly believed it in my heart.
My Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills. $30,000 is nothing to Him. One night I was praying, "God, YOU PROMISED you would supply all our needs. YOU PROMISED!" The next night we were in a car accident. Um, how does having to buy a new car help us in our adoption journey? How does it supply our need? Well, the money we received was enough to buy a used van AND pay off our remaining credit card balance. Paying off our debt was something we felt needed to be done. Now I can happily say all we have left are our student loans. God supplied in the craziest way!
A month or so later a friend came up to me and told me the Lord had really been blessing her financially and she wanted to help out our fund. She wrote us a check for $500!! I pray the Lord just blesses her socks off for helping us out! He supplied again!!
Last week, my husband handed me a card. Someone had given it to him before the service. I had no idea what it was, but inside was another $500 check! I was told later that they truly felt impressed of God to help us out. I was amazed! I just cried because look...God supplied again!
This past week our van broke down. Thankfully we had some money set aside so we would be able to pay for the repairs. A few days later we got our van back, fixed and ready to go. When we went to pay we were told that a third party had anonymously paid for the repairs and wanted it to be an adoption gift. How awesome is that?!?!? God supplied our needs.
I am so thankful that I can look back over the last few months and really see God's hand in all of this. He has made it clear that He wants us to adopt again. There is no doubt in my mind that He will supply every penny that we need to make this happen. I know that He is working on people's hearts and that just thrills me! I pray that He will uniquely bless those who allow Him to use them in our adoption journey. I am so thankful that people's hearts are open to His plan.
I had really been struggling with the amount of money we need to complete this adoption. $30,000 is a TON of money! I know this is what God wants us to do and I know He will supply our needs. I think I know this in my head and it is the "christian" response, but I don't know that I truly believed it in my heart.
My Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills. $30,000 is nothing to Him. One night I was praying, "God, YOU PROMISED you would supply all our needs. YOU PROMISED!" The next night we were in a car accident. Um, how does having to buy a new car help us in our adoption journey? How does it supply our need? Well, the money we received was enough to buy a used van AND pay off our remaining credit card balance. Paying off our debt was something we felt needed to be done. Now I can happily say all we have left are our student loans. God supplied in the craziest way!
A month or so later a friend came up to me and told me the Lord had really been blessing her financially and she wanted to help out our fund. She wrote us a check for $500!! I pray the Lord just blesses her socks off for helping us out! He supplied again!!
Last week, my husband handed me a card. Someone had given it to him before the service. I had no idea what it was, but inside was another $500 check! I was told later that they truly felt impressed of God to help us out. I was amazed! I just cried because look...God supplied again!
This past week our van broke down. Thankfully we had some money set aside so we would be able to pay for the repairs. A few days later we got our van back, fixed and ready to go. When we went to pay we were told that a third party had anonymously paid for the repairs and wanted it to be an adoption gift. How awesome is that?!?!? God supplied our needs.
I am so thankful that I can look back over the last few months and really see God's hand in all of this. He has made it clear that He wants us to adopt again. There is no doubt in my mind that He will supply every penny that we need to make this happen. I know that He is working on people's hearts and that just thrills me! I pray that He will uniquely bless those who allow Him to use them in our adoption journey. I am so thankful that people's hearts are open to His plan.
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