We recently got an email from a friend of ours, a domestic adoptive family from Nebraska, that said the following, "I love roller coaster rides, but the ride you guys are on is a little much sometimes!" Another adoptive mom, waiting on her Ethiopian kids said this today: "You are on the ultimate of life roller coasters. Isn't it cool how God orchestrates life as one big amusement park? We just need to learn to see the joy in all the little things. Who needs 7 flags?! "
We just crept up a tall hill of this roller coaster and now God has sent us sailing down the hill in a wild turn, our hair blowing, our adrenaline rising..a thrill and bone-chilling scare all at once.
As you know, we lost the referral of the five-month-old baby girl that we fell instantly in love with. We grieved that loss and still feel the hint of pain upon thinking about her. We told God we would surrender to whatever His plan, whoever He wanted us to love and embrace, however we could minister to the orphan. We have been praying for a week about a seven-month-old baby boy. We were just trying to find that open door to bring home the second child we knew God had spoken to us about. We truly felt it was a girl, but were willing to love whomever. This morning, I (JoLynn) was praying about this baby and felt prompted in my heart to email our agency and say, "Just checking one last time about a baby girl birth to age 5". The response we got sent us sailing down the hill.
A toddler girl was dropped off at one of our agency's orphanages. Because she was abandoned, her information cannot be released for two months to ensure she is abandoned. Her medical condition is also unknown. Our agency told us we could be referred this baby if all goes well in the next two months.
This will mean we will not bring Israel home this summer, however, his paperwork has been delayed anyway and it was looking like he would not make court before it closes in July. This seems to be God orchestrating an amazing story to bring home the two children He spoke to us about in the January. It breaks our hearts to make Israel wait for four or five more months, but this seems to be God's plan.
Thank you for praying. Here is how you can pray specifically.
* Pray for this baby girl's little life, her health, her status with her family, etc. We need God's best for her life, whatever that may be.
* Pray that if it is God's plan for her to be our little Julianna Kay that God orchestrates both children's court dates together and that we can bring them both home as soon as possible.
* Pray that God would provide for the extra $9000 we need for our second child's adoption along with the remainder of the finances for our travel, now including Bethany's airline ticket.
* Pray for the heart of Joshua to be strong as he waits. Pray that discouragement and disappointment do not overwhelm him as the other children leave before him with their new parents. Pray for God to encompass his heart with peace.
Thank you for your prayers. What a ride, huh? What a story it will be in the end! If only these children knew how deeply God loves them at this very moment, moving heaven and earth for the orphans He so loves.
God has placed the most amazing book into our lives that we highly encourage you all to read. "Dangerous Surrender...What Happens When You Say Yes to God" by Kay Warren (of Saddleback Church). It has rocked my(JoLynn) world and caused me to bend a knee to a God who doesn't always do things the way I want. The Kingdom of Kurt and JoLynn is now crumbling as we truly surrender to the Kingdom of God.
Kay has this prayer pasted on her desk and reads it every day. It's a prayer of death...dying to yourself and dying to everything we insist we deserve, giving our lives completely in surrender to God. There's nothing easy about surrender, nothing easy about dying...but the end result of walking the path God has planned is so amazingly worth it in the end.
Praying for you today as you surrender to what God has in store for you!
Pastor Kurt and JoLynn Coleman
The Covenant Prayer
I am no longer my own, but yours.
Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will;
Put me to doing, put me to suffering;
Let me be employed for you or laid aside for you;
Exalted for you or brought low for you;
Let me be full, let me be empty;
Let me have all things, let me have nothing;
I freely and heartily yield all things to your pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
You are mine, and I am yours.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
Let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.
Puritan Prayer of 1600
Friday, June 20, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Bethany to Ethiopia!
We have been dealing with the sadness of saying goodbye to the dream of adopting the 5 month old baby we fell in love with and God has led us to a new adventure.
Our daughter, Bethany, is twelve. She is a great girl and just entering the difficult years of adolescence. We were praying about her the other day and God prompted our hearts to take her to Ethiopia with us. We talked with her and asked her to make it a part of her prayer time. She was fearful at first, but with time and prayer, she has heard from God herself and is very excited about this plan. Bethany will be raising her own money for her ticket and we will now rush to get her passport and shots so she can join us.
This will absolutely be life changing for all of us, but will alter the young life of Bethany in a profound way. She is intensely spiritual and we know God will speak to her as she observes with her own eyes the affects of the horrible famine and drought and need of the beautiful Ethiopian people. She wants to pursue the Miss Kansas pageant, starting in Miss Teen next year and wants her platform to be Africa/AIDS/orphans...something in that area. This will deepen that passion and cause her to truly become an advocate for her brother's homeland.
Thank you for praying for Bethany. Pray for protection, health, favor, and provision on her life. Pray for revelation and life change as she goes with us. She will be a great help to us too.Blessings,
Pastor Kurt and JoLynn
Monday, June 9, 2008
Adoption Miscarriage...
Often in the adoption world, you experience loss.. We have lost the referral of this precious baby girl. The details of why are policy related and regarding us adopting two children at the same time who are unrelated. The news hit hard and broke our hearts. We know this baby will receive a wonderful family and we will always pray for her, but we won't be her parents.
Please pray now that we are able to get Joshua home quickly. We need to hear of a court date this week.
We love you all...thank you for your support and prayers.
Kurt and JoLynn
Please pray now that we are able to get Joshua home quickly. We need to hear of a court date this week.
We love you all...thank you for your support and prayers.
Kurt and JoLynn
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
New Prayer Focus
Friends and Family....Prayer Partners!
Now that God has blown our minds by placing Julianna in our lives, our prayer list is now revised. We have more specific prayer needs regarding both Joshua and Julianna.
1. Speedy paperwork for Julianna: We are adopting Julianna through a different agency and we will be redoing some paperwork...some will transfer over. Pray that we have favor with this agency and our dossier.
2. Finances for Julianna: We have paid all of Joshua's fees and were doing well on our travel expenses. Tickets went up, so we had extra need there and now have all of Julianna's fees to pay quickly.
3. Safety and health for both children: Famine is hitting Ethiopia hard. Pray for health and safety both physically and emotionally for our children while they wait to come home.
4. Divine Timing: We would absolutely LOVE to bring our children home at the same time. This truly would take a God-orchestrated miracle. Please pray for favor and timing and that both kids would come home together.
5. Joshua's Court Date: We are still waiting to hear on Joshua's desertion paperwork and to get a court date. We need favor with the judge whenever God arranges that court date.
6. Direction and Provision on a Vehicle: In these days of high gas prices, we are praying for direction in what kind of vehicle to purchase. Obviously, what would be ideal for size...a Suburban...won't so ideal for gas prices. We are looking into vans and just need God to show us what would be the wisest choice. We also need provision in this area.
7. The fun basics for Julianna: We are now looking at purchasing all the fun stuff we will need for Julianna...crib, high chair, car seat, stroller, etc. Just need the favor of God here!
8. Bonding between our entire family: We already are in love with these children. God has already sealed our parents hearts for them. Pray for bonding in their hearts for us and for each other and their other siblings.
We are absolutely overjoyed and overwhelmed with excitement over all that God is doing through our lives. We heard very clearly on these adoptions, but today God blessed us with the most unexpected, amazing confirmation. Kay Warren, wife of Rick Warren, author of the book I am currently reading, "Dangerous Surrender" emailed me (JoLynn) to encourage me with these adoptions. She is a warrior woman for Africa and AIDS and her email cemented our call to rescue at least these two!
We couldn't be more blessed! Thank you for standing with us and praying for these two children of destiny...future world changers.
Love
Pastor Kurt and JoLynn Coleman
Now that God has blown our minds by placing Julianna in our lives, our prayer list is now revised. We have more specific prayer needs regarding both Joshua and Julianna.
1. Speedy paperwork for Julianna: We are adopting Julianna through a different agency and we will be redoing some paperwork...some will transfer over. Pray that we have favor with this agency and our dossier.
2. Finances for Julianna: We have paid all of Joshua's fees and were doing well on our travel expenses. Tickets went up, so we had extra need there and now have all of Julianna's fees to pay quickly.
3. Safety and health for both children: Famine is hitting Ethiopia hard. Pray for health and safety both physically and emotionally for our children while they wait to come home.
4. Divine Timing: We would absolutely LOVE to bring our children home at the same time. This truly would take a God-orchestrated miracle. Please pray for favor and timing and that both kids would come home together.
5. Joshua's Court Date: We are still waiting to hear on Joshua's desertion paperwork and to get a court date. We need favor with the judge whenever God arranges that court date.
6. Direction and Provision on a Vehicle: In these days of high gas prices, we are praying for direction in what kind of vehicle to purchase. Obviously, what would be ideal for size...a Suburban...won't so ideal for gas prices. We are looking into vans and just need God to show us what would be the wisest choice. We also need provision in this area.
7. The fun basics for Julianna: We are now looking at purchasing all the fun stuff we will need for Julianna...crib, high chair, car seat, stroller, etc. Just need the favor of God here!
8. Bonding between our entire family: We already are in love with these children. God has already sealed our parents hearts for them. Pray for bonding in their hearts for us and for each other and their other siblings.
We are absolutely overjoyed and overwhelmed with excitement over all that God is doing through our lives. We heard very clearly on these adoptions, but today God blessed us with the most unexpected, amazing confirmation. Kay Warren, wife of Rick Warren, author of the book I am currently reading, "Dangerous Surrender" emailed me (JoLynn) to encourage me with these adoptions. She is a warrior woman for Africa and AIDS and her email cemented our call to rescue at least these two!
We couldn't be more blessed! Thank you for standing with us and praying for these two children of destiny...future world changers.
Love
Pastor Kurt and JoLynn Coleman
Monday, June 2, 2008
Julianna!
God is the most amazing, sovereign, creative Father!
Obviously, this blog talks about praying for Joshua, whom you all know about, and Julianna, whom you don't. We began this adoption journey in August of last year as God stirred our hearts toward the orphan and toward Ethiopia. We saw Joshua on a photo list and immediately knew he was the child God had planned for our family. We began the process with him.
In January of this year, God began to speak to us again...stretching our faith a little more. He spoke to us of a daughter we would adopt...at the same time as Joshua. We thought one child and one set of paperwork and one large sum of money to raise was requiring a whole lot of faith, but God wanted us to believe for one more. God spoke to our hearts about a baby girl, gave us her name, Julianna....and even gave us a glimpse of her in a dream.
We immediately contacted our agency about it and they began working on finding a baby girl. Baby girls, for some reason, just weren't coming into the orphanage. Baby boys and many older children were. We prayed about both...a set of older children, and a baby boy. Although it broke our hearts, God had already given the vision...we had a baby daughter in Ethiopia...so we prayed for those children and tearfully declined them.
Thursday night, we got a call from a different orphanage we had talked to. They had a baby girl, five months old, they wanted us to pray about. Our hearts leaped with joy! God had spoken to us in January, five months ago... and so right around this child's birth, God knew who she belonged to and began to speak to us about her. Pictures came by email and only confirmed what our hearts already knew. This was our Julianna!! Today, we sent in the initial paperwork and fees to begin our journey for Julianna.
We cannot tell you how precious and beautiful this child is! We cannot show her picture or share her birth name until after the court date, however, we can promise you this..she is breath-taking!! She looks much like Joshua with big, olive shaped eyes, and a wide beautiful smile. We are absolutely smitten with this baby already. Joshua will have a sister from his homeland and our family will be complete. We are moving paperwork through quickly as the orphanage does not want her delayed. We see the providence of God as He allowed Joshua's case to be delayed in order to make time for Julianna to join him!
We are now praying that God moves along Julianna's paperwork swiftly and that the funds come in miraculously so that we can bring both children home together. What a day that will be!!!
Thank you now for adding Julianna to your prayer list. She needs to come home to her family. Pray for her heart as she is missing her birth mother now and pray for her physical body as she waits for us in Ethiopia. Famine is hitting the country hard and both of our children need prayer over their physical health.
We are overjoyed. God led me (JoLynn) to a book to begin just before we got this call. "Dangerous Surrender...What Happens When You Say Yes to God" by Kay Warren (Rick Warren's wife). It is a life changing challenge...saying yes to God no matter how impossible the task appears, saying yes to God no matter how unequipped we feel, saying yes to God when the future is unknown, the provision is by faith, and the path only lighted with each step taken with dangerous surrender. What an adventure this life with Christ is!! By the end of the summer, we could be a family of eight...with two new amazing children of destiny in our arms. We are blessed beyond words.
Often it is said that those adopting internationally are saving children. That may be true in many ways, but we truly feel these children are just as much saving us....rescuing us from a life of self-centeredness and self-absorption, bringing depth and perspective and utter joy to our journey.
Thank you for praying for both our children on the other side of the globe! Pray for safety, pray for favor, pray for finances. How precious it will be the day they become Colemans and we can show you the faces of the children you have faithfully prayed for.
We love you! Dare to say YES to God today! Whatever He is asking from you is big! He's a big God, needing a big work done on this earth before He returns. Don't run from challenge, don't run from what seems impossible. Just say yes..and watch miracles begin to unfold in and through your life.
We love you!
Pastor Kurt and JoLynn
Obviously, this blog talks about praying for Joshua, whom you all know about, and Julianna, whom you don't. We began this adoption journey in August of last year as God stirred our hearts toward the orphan and toward Ethiopia. We saw Joshua on a photo list and immediately knew he was the child God had planned for our family. We began the process with him.
In January of this year, God began to speak to us again...stretching our faith a little more. He spoke to us of a daughter we would adopt...at the same time as Joshua. We thought one child and one set of paperwork and one large sum of money to raise was requiring a whole lot of faith, but God wanted us to believe for one more. God spoke to our hearts about a baby girl, gave us her name, Julianna....and even gave us a glimpse of her in a dream.
We immediately contacted our agency about it and they began working on finding a baby girl. Baby girls, for some reason, just weren't coming into the orphanage. Baby boys and many older children were. We prayed about both...a set of older children, and a baby boy. Although it broke our hearts, God had already given the vision...we had a baby daughter in Ethiopia...so we prayed for those children and tearfully declined them.
Thursday night, we got a call from a different orphanage we had talked to. They had a baby girl, five months old, they wanted us to pray about. Our hearts leaped with joy! God had spoken to us in January, five months ago... and so right around this child's birth, God knew who she belonged to and began to speak to us about her. Pictures came by email and only confirmed what our hearts already knew. This was our Julianna!! Today, we sent in the initial paperwork and fees to begin our journey for Julianna.
We cannot tell you how precious and beautiful this child is! We cannot show her picture or share her birth name until after the court date, however, we can promise you this..she is breath-taking!! She looks much like Joshua with big, olive shaped eyes, and a wide beautiful smile. We are absolutely smitten with this baby already. Joshua will have a sister from his homeland and our family will be complete. We are moving paperwork through quickly as the orphanage does not want her delayed. We see the providence of God as He allowed Joshua's case to be delayed in order to make time for Julianna to join him!
We are now praying that God moves along Julianna's paperwork swiftly and that the funds come in miraculously so that we can bring both children home together. What a day that will be!!!
Thank you now for adding Julianna to your prayer list. She needs to come home to her family. Pray for her heart as she is missing her birth mother now and pray for her physical body as she waits for us in Ethiopia. Famine is hitting the country hard and both of our children need prayer over their physical health.
We are overjoyed. God led me (JoLynn) to a book to begin just before we got this call. "Dangerous Surrender...What Happens When You Say Yes to God" by Kay Warren (Rick Warren's wife). It is a life changing challenge...saying yes to God no matter how impossible the task appears, saying yes to God no matter how unequipped we feel, saying yes to God when the future is unknown, the provision is by faith, and the path only lighted with each step taken with dangerous surrender. What an adventure this life with Christ is!! By the end of the summer, we could be a family of eight...with two new amazing children of destiny in our arms. We are blessed beyond words.
Often it is said that those adopting internationally are saving children. That may be true in many ways, but we truly feel these children are just as much saving us....rescuing us from a life of self-centeredness and self-absorption, bringing depth and perspective and utter joy to our journey.
Thank you for praying for both our children on the other side of the globe! Pray for safety, pray for favor, pray for finances. How precious it will be the day they become Colemans and we can show you the faces of the children you have faithfully prayed for.
We love you! Dare to say YES to God today! Whatever He is asking from you is big! He's a big God, needing a big work done on this earth before He returns. Don't run from challenge, don't run from what seems impossible. Just say yes..and watch miracles begin to unfold in and through your life.
We love you!
Pastor Kurt and JoLynn
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