We Have Room

GUESS WHAT?!?

2012-02-07T14:00:00.001-06:00

I can finally announce that we are getting a niece or nephew from UGANDA!!!!

Been holding this news in and can FINALLY let the world know that my baby brother, Micah, and his wife, Ashley Huebner, are adopting!!!

Check out their blog for more and encourage them on the ride of their lives!

http://a423family.blogspot.com/

Jesus Doesn't Call Us to be Radical: How our addiction to the radical can cause us to miss Jesus in the mundane

2012-01-07T18:05:00.006-06:00

If you have hovered anywhere near or within Christian circles in the past couple of years, you no doubt have seen a call to being Radical. David Platt's enormously popular 2010 book of the same name beckons Christians to forsake the American Dream, the ordinary, the expected, and instead follow Jesus into the extraordinary, out-of-this-world, and unexpected (and rightfully so). By its very definition, living "radical" lives requires us to buck the traditional. In that regard, perhaps every God-seeking character in the Bible could be classified as radical: Abraham, Moses, Deborah, Esther, David, the twelve disciples. And of course Jesus Himself was radical. In fact, He was the epitome of all things radical, right?

So, what then, you ask, is so wrong with being radical? If Jesus Himself was radical, and we are to emulate Him, then is He not calling all of His followers to radical living? Well, yes, in terms of results and how we live compared to the rest of the world. But are we to set out with the expressed goal of being radical? I'm not so sure. Here's why: As a side effect of this whole movement toward being radical, I'm afraid we have a tendency to put our spiritual carts before our horses. To seek the end instead of the means. And, in doing so, we miss the point entirely...that radical living is not about what we are doing, but instead about whom we are following. Think about it: The very essence of being a Christian means that Jesus is your Lord...that you will follow Him anywhere spreading His name for His reknown for all the world to know this Savior. If this Christian life is just about doing radical things, instead about whom we have pledged allegiance to, well, I know a good number of nice people who don't follow Jesus but live pretty radically. So, there must be more to this whole Christian life than just dreaming up the next radical thing in the name of Jesus. (And I'm certain David Platt would agree.)

Being radical is what happens when we follow Jesus into the unknown, step by step, day by day, even hour by hour, so that after months and years of reckless abandon following Jesus, we look back and say, "Wow, what God has done through me and in me and around me is pretty different from what society expects. It is pretty radical." And then we see that it's worth it and set out to keep it up.

There is a sort of addiction that comes with living life radically. Once you have tasted a bit of the seemingly radical, it is truly hard to sip the ordinary brew of life. I have actually heard several Christians recently say that they are in a "lull" in life, that they are bored, that they haven't done anything "radical" in quite awhile. Here they are, having accomplished great things for the Kingdom, whether through adoption, mission work in foreign lands, or evangelizing an entire neighborhood. And they are now unsettled, bored, and uncomfortable because they cannot detect a great Kingdom project on their life radars. Truth is, I COMPLETELY understand that feeling. In fact, I probably embody that feeling! Oftentimes I am that very person...wanting to save the world with gusto and instead "stuck" for the present at home in the "mundane" (a word I absolutely abhor yet know I must sometimes embrace): homeschooling nine kids, chasing around a tenth, doing laundry, washing dishes, ~~cooking~~ attempting to cook meals for a dozen hungry people, being a chauffeur, restocking the pantry, cutting coupons, and on and on and bloody-heck on. Can I get a witness?

To be fair, once you've witnessed the indescribable and unexplainable work of God in your life, once you have had the humble privilege of being used as a vessel to accomplish acts of redemption in this world that you never would have dreamt up yourself, nor ever been successful to carry out on your own, there comes a sense of dread when living life in the ordinary. Surely God must have something more exciting for me to be doing right now, right? Surely He will be more pleased with me if I seek the extraordinary and trample the mundane, right? Surely this normal suburban life is not becoming of a radical follower of Jesus, right?

Hmmmmmm...Well, if life with Jesus is supposed to be radical, then what is wrong with seeking the next radical thing? Well, there is a LOT wrong with that.

For one, we miss Jesus in the present. Instead of dwelling in Him daily, we can easily find ourselves discontent with "just a relationship" with Him. We are on the lookout for the next great thing. The next big problem to tackle for Jesus. The next faith-demanding adventure in our lives. And these are all great things. But Jesus is also in the small. He is in the mundane. He is in the ordinary. He is in the lunch-making, shirt-ironing, bill-paying, errand-running, diaper-changing, snot-wiping, laundry-folding. He is in it all. And, He demands that we be faithful in those things. Are we missing a spiritual need right in front of us at the sandwich shop while dreaming up how to save orphans in Timbuktu? How can we expect God to deliver the huge when we aren't even obedient or content in the little? There won't always be a grand Kingdom project on your present plate. And that might be precisely the point.

Second, us dreaming up the next big thing "for Jesus" might not require the Holy Spirit at all. In fact, the Holy Spirit might be beckoning us to do the exact opposite of what we are dreaming up. We can easily step out and say YES to something that the Holy Spirit isn't even prompting us to do at all. And, isn't it far more dangerous to step out of line with the Spirit than it is to sit and listen and wait?

Third, when we are so busy saving the world, we never allow God the chance to clean out our spiritual closets. To sanctify us. To make us holy for His purposes. Joshua 3:5 addresses this, telling us to “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you.” Seasons of consecration must come before God will use us for the supernatural. We must remember that doing something radical for Jesus does not excuse us from regular heart-cleansings. (In fact, it probably demands it all the more.)

And fourth, when are so discontent with the ordinary, we risk stealing another believer's opportunity to fill their purpose for that time in history. If we feel the need to be the perpetual hero, or never temper our addiction to the excitement that comes with such adventures, we will say YES to an opportunity when it was destined by God Himself for someone else to step up. That is a risk we must not take.

So, how do we live radical lives without missing the point entirely? How do we truly follow Jesus without treading on "trendy" territory at the cost of missing the Holy Spirit?

First, we stay in the Word. Daily. Hour by hour even. Continually filling our minds with Truth so that we don't fall victim to our own mindsets, all the while thinking that it's from God. Paul tells us in Romans 12:2 not to "conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind," for then and only then will you "be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." STAY in the WORD. We cannot be "anorexic Christians," as my mom would say, and expect to please Him or accomplish much for Him.

Second, we pray. Always. Continually. Never-ceasing. We cannot possibly determine our next steps without devoting ourselves to prayer. When Jesus DOES call us to do something insanely radical (adopt? move overseas? start a Bible study with our unbelieving neighbors? move to the inner-city? quit our jobs?), we need to know that it's HIM and not our own imaginations. We cannot discern that unless we are bathing ourselves in prayer...and waiting to hear from God.

Third, we surround ourselves with all types of believers...not just those who live "radically," but also those who seem a little too ordinary for our liking. We give grace where needed, love to all, exemplifying a life of faith without minimizing others' own journeys with Jesus. Remember, God is ultimately in charge of who has "more noble" purposes in this world and who has "less honorable" (Romans 9:21).

Fourth, we remember that everything in life is for a season, as Ecclesiastes reminds us. God knows we need seasons of normalcy sandwiched between seasons of insanity. He knows there are lessons we can learn only in the ordinary, so that when faced with the extraordinary, we are prepared. Even Jesus did not spend every single day blowing people's minds. No, He was a carpenter. I'm sure most days of His life on this planet seemed rather ordinary.

Finally, we remind ourselves that this life is not about us after all. It's not even about our amazing dreams for the Kingdom of God. It's about Jesus. When I remember that my life is not my own, I am forced to accept the mundane parts of it as well as the more exciting. It's all His.

So, perhaps Jesus isn't calling us to look for ways to be radical. Instead, as He has done from the beginning, He is calling us to dwell with Him, to live in relationship with Him, to abandon our own dreams, thoughts and plans for His.

What's so radical about our lives as believers, then? Well, it's our radical devotion to a radical Jesus. That's what will get the world's attention, after all. Even in the midst of the mundane. Or, perhaps most especially. Because the truth is, when people's hearts begin to change in the middle of the mundane, well, that's pretty radical after all.

-heidi, one restless woman who is trying her darnedest to contentedly live out the ordinary parts of life while following a radical Savior.

His Story. His Glory. Period.

2011-12-28T22:59:00.006-06:00

My life is not my own.

For nearly five years now, that has been both our mantra and our testimony as our family has followed the heart of Jesus to the heart of the orphan. [Well, to six of them, to be precise. Exhibit A: Gorgeous kids on right-->.] Those five years encompass a book's worth of adventures (both the highs and lows) all their own, triumphs and tragedies we could not and would not have written into our lives had we attempted to do so.

We are thankful for the sweet, intimate way God has carried us through it all. We have witnessed the wonderful. Walked the unimaginable. Experienced the painful. Praised Him for the provision. We have rejoiced in the miraculous. We have been filled only to then be poured out. We have given our all, only to receive His all. We have been broken, and we have been mended. We have been horrifically hurt and wounded, but also deeply loved and defended. We have celebrated and we have mourned. And all along the way, we have beheld His glory. His indescribable, unmistakable, irreplaceable glory. (We might even be a little addicted.)

During both of our adoption processes (see www.blessingsfromethiopia.com to read from the beginning starting in February of 2007), I have blogged our lives away, shared our story when asked and even (or especially) when not, shouted out loud for the sake of the orphan, and publicly documented our personal lives for all the world to see. So much good, so much fruit, so many Kingdom ripples came from it all. A documentary (We Have Room) in the works. A book on the very edge of being written. And all of a sudden God said "Shhhhh." Literally. He told me not to speak yet. To hunker down. To turn inward. To sanctify myself. To clean out the closets of my heart. To quiet myself. To listen. To hear. To stop.

And so I did. For nearly two years now, I've virtually stopped putting myself out there. In fact, I have hit the backspace more times than I can count, knowing that–though I have much I want to say–God hadn't released me to write again. God has taught me, ever so gently, to stay in step with His Spirit. He has shown me that a real danger of the social-media-driven blog-addicted world we live in, for better or worse, is that we live life in virtual fishbowls, swimming around as if no one is watching, while all the while many are. Pretty soon we realize we have an audience (how did that happen?), and instead of writing about our lives to an audience, we might unknowingly live our lives for the audience. And so, I knew I had to be obedient to God. At any point along the way, God could remove His favor from me, so I purposed to be extremely cautious about taking a single step outside of His will for me. And for this disciple of Jesus, it meant being quiet in the blog world. Not an easy thing for me to do, but the wealth of wisdom and healing and insight I have gained in return has been invaluable.

Truth be told, as much as I used to blog and am passionate about the written word, I've always been a reluctant blogger. I still crave anonymity and the privacy that comes along with it, but admittedly and paradoxically appreciate the opportunities that come with putting oneself "out there." At the end of the day, though, I realize that this is not my story; this is God's. When I have much I can say, but He says "not now," who am I to pick up a virtual megaphone and loudly blabber on? And when He says "Speak now; it's time," who am I to shut up, no matter what privacy must be sacrificed on my part?

And so, here I am. Nearly five years after my first blog post was ever penned. Five years after God first spoke to me and said "Speak now" for the glory of the Kingdom, for the story He was about to write. For the story and the glory that are His alone. Who knew then the story He was writing? And who knows now the story that will come? Only He does.

And so I will write again. Because He has released me to tell the story of His greatness and His glory and His power. Of His redemption and unfailing love and steadfastness to us.

True, it is not the story I would ever have written for my life (trust me on that), but I am so humbled that God chose me to be part of it. I'm thankful that this is my life's story after all, for all it was, all it is, and all it will be. And I'm honored that He wants me to tell it.

My life is not my own.

“Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing (!) things among you.” -Joshua 3:5

Merry Christmas!!!

2011-12-24T16:23:00.001-06:00

~from the Weimer Dozen~

The Weimer Kids on Adoption

2011-11-08T23:29:00.001-06:00

What does adoption mean to you?

"God calling me from brokenness to life. It is hope for new life." -Bereket, age 16, adopted at age 12

"Adoption means the world to me. I think of the words love, faith, and courage. Without adoption, I think of discouragement, no faith, and always looking down on myself. I wouldn't be so happy and enjoy life." -Eden, age 15, adopted at age 13

"Adoption means giving up and sacrificing a part in my family so that somebody else can have a family." -Brandon, 12, our oldest biological child, who at the age of 8 gave up his position in the family so that other kids could have what he has

"Changing a child's life to become a part of a family. When I think of adoption, I think that God is calling Christians to do it. Christians should adopt because you're changing somebody's life and because you will be following Jesus. When I found out I was going to be adopted, I knew my life was going to change and I was excited. Before that, I felt alone and without a family." -Bethlehem, age 12, adopted at age 8

"Adoption = life + awesomeness. Adoption rocks. When we adopted, I got a bonus because I got sisters!" -Isabella, age 9, biological daughter

"When missionaries came to the orphanage, we wouldn't eat anything because we were so sad that they left us. When people came and brought me home, and didn't just visit me, I was so glad and thankful. If I never got adopted, I would have been so sad and lonely. I would be scared that nobody would ever adopt me and I would have to get out of the orphanage and never have a family. I would have to make my own decisions and that would be really hard." -Selam, age 9, adopted at age 5

"People should adopt because people are homeless and they don't have food and very much homes and they don't have a family. They need to let them have a chance to live and have food and live in a home and be with their parents and be taken care of." -Joseph, age 7, adopted at age 5

"Adoption means that you take care of others and you try to bring home kids that don't have parents and then you teach them English. People should adopt because some people have leprosy and if their skin falls off we can bring them home and give them medicine. I'm glad we adopted because I get to have new people in our family. It makes us more happier to have more kids in our family. When you just play with other kids all the time, it's so boring, like it's like how the Israelites got bored eating manna every day. When we adopted, I finally got new kids to play with and I was so excited." -Justice, age 6, biological son, who always puts things in just the right words

"When you get adopted, you don't get to be alone anymore." -Micah, age 5, adopted at age 3

"It's the coolest thing having 9 older brothers and sisters who think I'm the best and cutest thing in the whole, wide world." -Dominic, 14 months old, biological son, if he could put his feelings into words

Need we say more?

Lest Orphan Care Become Our “lowercase g” god

2011-05-13T13:43:00.001-05:00

While I have always had a burning passion for social justice (yes, I was "that" kid way back in the 5^th grade), it wasn't until the last four years—when the repercussions of social injustice were up close and personal in my own home after adopting six kids from Ethiopia—that my lifelong passion transformed into a zeal much like Jeremiah described in the Scriptures as "a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot" (Jeremiah 20:9). [Those of you who have ever followed my blogs or Facebook are probably nodding your head with gusto right about now and thinking that is the understatement of the year.]

Thanks in no small part to social media, the adoption community has grown rapidly over the last few years. The evolution of blogging, tweeting, and Facebooking has proven absolutely invaluable for the sake of the orphan, both in simple awareness and in fundraising. In turn, the adoption community has exploded online into a mighty force for the Kingdom as well as a unique support network for adoptive families. For all of the evils and annoyances of social media (and there are plenty), these are the things that make it worthwhile as a redemptive tool in the Kingdom.

During the last couple of years of watching this virtual adoption community increase exponentially, I have noticed that the collective passion has transformed into a collective zeal for the sake of the orphan. The Church, slowly but surely even if still with a long way to go, is awakening to God’s heart for the most vulnerable. THIS IS A GREAT THING and particularly refreshing for those of us who tend to feel like the social justice oddballs in the Church. I believe that God must be incredibly pleased with this awakening. In fact, since it is HIS movement in HIS Church for the sake of HIS children, I am sure of it.

While observing and cheering on this movement for the orphan, however—and particularly during extended quieted seasons when the Lord has asked me to turn inward and sanctify myself for Him—God has been gently showing me that we can very subtly pervert this miraculous movement of God into a ministry that misses both the point (serving Jesus) and the target (the lost world). We can very easily veer from the precipitating Person of our passion until we are no longer following Jesus into the world, but instead building a ministry to others as a cloak for making a name for ourselves—even amidst all of our so-called self-sacrificing. It is a fine line, yes, but one that distinguishes between serving our Savior because of His righteousness and serving our self-righteousness in the name of our Savior.

This is not a new danger for Christ’s followers, for it afflicts ancient and modern believers alike. Christ’s own disciples were scolded on more than one occasion for turning their commission from Christ into their own ministry, albeit all for the Kingdom, or so they were intending. After Jesus sent out the seventy-two to go two-by-two in His name throughout the region, Luke writes that they returned “with joy,” thrilled that “even the demons submit” to them (Luke 10:17). Jesus didn’t exactly holy-high-five them and express His prodigious pride in them for “getting it” (a phrase us adoption/orphan advocates use frequently when describing ourselves vs. those who haven’t jumped onboard the orphan bandwagon). Instead, Jesus reminds the seventy-two of Satan’s fall from Heaven (remember that ugly sin of pride?) and told them, “Whoa, slow down that kind of talk. Don’t go around jumping for joy that you’re some mighty Kingdom force. No, just be thankful that you’re Mine. Period…” (Luke 10:20, my translation). In other words, we are to “fix our eyes [only] on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:2, NIV). Seem simple?

It’s easy to look around and point out the idols of our surrounding Babylon, but it’s a bit trickier (and far less pleasurable) to reflect inward on our own hearts and honestly consider that we might ourselves have turned a gospel of redemption for the orphan into a platform for our own righteousness (and thus an idol). We can fall into the temptation to compare our own passion for justice for the poor with the “little” that others are doing, and suddenly we feel a little more than righteous. Remembering that “our acts of righteousness are filthy rags,” we ought to steer very clear of any such comparisons to others (Isaiah 64:6).

I often hear adoption and orphan advocates talking in terms of those who “get it” and those who don’t. On the surface, I understand, and I’ve been guilty of the same chatter (probably in the last 24 hours, if I’m guessing). But maybe, just maybe, in the midst of us “getting” this orphan thing down right, we’re not actually getting it. Maybe we—those of us who claim collectively to “get it”—are treading dangerously close to missing the point entirely. If we’re not extremely careful, we can pervert the “true religion” of James 1:27 into religious legalism, holding up a religious measuring stick by which we judge others who aren’t in our “camp.” (Does the label Pharisee scare anyone?) Let’s check out this parable together and refresh our collective memory:

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14, emphasis mine)

Ouch.

Would not the saddest irony be for believers in the orphan movement today to get “true religion” but become true religious Pharisees in the process? Church, let us be so cautious. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, not on ourselves or on others. Let us not pursue adoption or orphan care because it is the newest, trendiest stamp of righteousness in the Church. Let us not become advocates because so-and-so did and “has such a great story” and we want to be just like them. Or so that we can proudly wave our own banners and get some attention in the Kingdom. We serve but one Master, and “no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him” (John 13:16). As Jedd Medefind reminded us at Summit VII, we cannot truly reflect Jesus “if we aren’t hungry for Him and in love with HIM.” We will instead reflect our own selves and our own zeal from a dimly lit bulb, all the while foolishly screaming the self-righteous message “My light is brighter than yours.”

There is one Great Light of the world that we are to reflect. Church, it’s time to check our motives. What is fueling our passion for the orphan? Have we gotten off-target? Have we made an idol of adoption? Has our own passion become our precipitator? Have we begun to serve a cause instead of our Christ? Have we made “true religion” our own “little g” god? Don’t think that it’s not a possibility. Just ask the Pharisees. After all, they thought they “got it.”

If we truly want to impact our world, as I believe those involved in orphan care earnestly desire to purely do, let’s bow at Jesus’ feet and serve Him alone. In turn, the orphan gets rescued, the lost found, the imprisoned set free, and the abused redeemed, and Jesus alone will get the glory. Isn’t that what this is all about, anyway?

Praise Him. The Capital G God. Hallelujah forever.

Orphan Summit VII, Louisville, KY, May 12-13

2011-05-10T11:12:00.000-05:00

This weekend I will be attending Christian Alliance for Orphans' Summit VII conference in Louisville, KY. I will be guest blogging during the event, so check back in over the week and see what God is doing in His people on behalf of the orphan!

And, if you're going to be there in person, be sure to look for me! I'd love to meet you in person. I'll be the crazy lady with a nose ring and a 9-month-old baby. (I'll also have my mom with me! YAY for that!) In fact, Thursday evening there is a blogger meet-up during dinner. Grab your dinner and come and join us!

See you soon!

Choosing Sasha Faith!!!

2011-05-09T17:43:00.002-05:00

Though we are grieving the loss of Amara for our family, we have decided to move forward to adopt Sasha Faith, a precious HIV+ 7-year-old in Eastern Europe. Sasha caught our attention early on, before we initially chose Amara, so we are thrilled that this sweet one will be coming home in a few months, God willing!

Please pray with us as we move forward, as we remember Amara, and as we act on behalf of Sasha and her future in our family!

God is good, friends. He loves the orphan. He loves Amara. He loves Sasha. And He loves His people.

Sasha means "defender and warrior." Appropriate, don't you think?

Sweet Sasha Faith,
We can't wait to know you. We will fight to the finish for you, and we love you already.
Love, Your Family...All 12 of us!

"Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
   I will bring your children from the east
   and gather you from the west.
I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
   and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
   and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
everyone who is called by my name,
   whom I created for my glory,
   whom I formed and made.”

-Isaiah 43:5-7

UPDATE 9/2011: Since our house still has not sold, we have had to release "Sasha" back to the agency. So, we are officially no longer in the process to adopt. Our hearts are extremely sad, but we are trusting God. We are eager to add more children to our family, to share our love with those kids who so desperately need to know love, but we have no choice now but to wait for God to act. Until then...we will press forward in faith!!!

Losing Amara

2011-05-07T23:53:00.002-05:00

Not exactly the news my mother heart wants to hear on Mother's Day weekend...

We've lost our sweet Amara. A relative came back for her. We are heartbroken. Absolutely broken. Please pray for us. And please don't share any platitudes about God's plan or His timing. That's not what this grieving mother needs to hear right now. I am in pieces over losing her. I love her so.

Please pray as we consider other waiting children. Seeing Amara's face by chance is what led us to adopt again. We won't stop now. There are more children waiting.

Blessed be His Name.

Amara, I will always love you and I will always pray and trust that God will finish the good work in you that He began. You are a Weimer in our hearts forever. We love you.

xoxoxox always,

Your Once-Upon-a-Time Mommy

PS-When I see you in Heaven, please wrap your arms around me as I so dreamed you would one day.

Karis Gig

2011-04-19T09:53:00.000-05:00

Check out a relatively new faith-based magazine called Karis.

I'm chronicling our adoption journey each month in Karis. You can read more here:
http://www.karismag.com/online-exclusives/out-of-the-ordinary.html

RIPE for GLORY!

2011-04-18T23:23:00.004-05:00

Whew! It's been awhile since I've blogged. And I mean, REALLY blogged. After our two back-to-back Ethiopian adoption processes, I was all blogged out. That, in addition to the fact that I am not too keen on blogging my kids' everyday life for the world, means that I've had a good year and a half of blog near-silence. And I must admit, it's been nice. Really nice.

But, alas, here we are again, at the beginning of another adoption process, this time of a beautiful 3-year-old HIV+ daughter from Eastern Europe. [<------- See photos on left!!! Isn't she amazing???] So, here I go, blogging away the journey to Amara. While I can't believe it's been four years now since we started our very first adoption process, it has gone by rather quickly. [If you want to read all about the amazing journey we've had, go HERE and start at February 2007.] And for all of the glory God has displayed through every inch our faith has been stretched along the way, it has ALL been worth it. (Obviously. We are at it again!)

I don't know what you know about our family. I don't know what you know about our journey. But what I can tell you for starters is that we have spent the last four years of our lives on the edge of our seats (or on the edge of a cliff, or whichever overused metaphor you prefer), living by sheer faith that God will do what He says He will do. Our road has been marked by one crisis of belief after another and God showing up just in time to deliver what He has revealed to us.

Today we had our first home study visit for our journey to Amara Faith. [It only seems fitting that we give her that name.] Our social worker is fabulous (we've used her before), but we knew that our financial situation could be a factor in whether or not we would be approved. You see, besides the fact that we have ten kids and live on one income, we also have a house that has been sitting for sale for eight months. When we bought our current home, we stepped out in faith, following Jesus to a house that we know beyond any shadow of a doubt is for us and our family's mission. We had simply run out of room in our last house, and for a family whose motto and ministry are We Have Room, we had been praying for more space...more bedrooms to add more kids! God has given it to us. And we couldn't be more grateful and in awe. However, part of that "gift" required that we purchase our current home before our former home had even sold. And, to this day, it still hasn't. On paper it somehow worked; in reality (seeing as our kids have this thing for groceries) it doesn't make any sense. Regardless, God has taken care of us thus far.

However, in order to be "officially" approved for our home study, we are certain that we need our house to sell. And soon. Now, we have NO question whatsoever as to whether or not Amara is meant to be a Weimer. That's a given. The uncertainty is us waiting to see how God is going to work this out, how He is going to perform on our behalves so that He will get the most glory possible. I spent this morning crying (having faith can be emotionally draining, y'know!) and left for our home study meeting with a puffy face and bloodshot eyes, looking like a bad celebrity mugshot before court-ordered rehab. The meeting went GREAT. God is already all over this adoption, people!

On the drive home, feeling relieved, renewed, and reinvigorated by Him (blasting some old school Crystal Lewis helps), I began to look back and remember all of the glory He has displayed over the last four years. I realized that, it was ALWAYS bleakest before God moved. It was ALWAYS when we were most desperate that God showed up. It was ALWAYS when it looked to the world like we were perfect fools that God's hand delivered that for which we were believing and hoping and praying. ALWAYS. (The name Lazarus ring a bell? Remember...the dude was D.E.A.D. And why did Jesus wait? An opportunity for God to show His glory!)

In the summer and fall of 2007, when we spent months virtually fighting our first adoption agency for the right to adopt our first three kids, God waited until we were on our faces literally crying out to Him; He waited until it looked to the world as if we would never be bringing our kids home, until one afternoon changed everything and within weeks our kids were OURS. When the time was ripe for His Glory, He showed up.

When we were raising funds for our first adoption and all financial hell began to break loose for us, God didn't come in and save the day...until the time was ripe for Him to get the most glory. For Him to prove to all who were watching that this was His story and the His purposes alone would prevail. That no matter what our bank account looked like, how many appliances died, how many cars kicked the bucket, how many unplanned for medical bills came in, God would get the glory for the provision.

When we brought home our teenaged daughter, Eden, nearly two years ago and spent the next year in a living hell dealing with her trauma and violence and ultimately fighting off DCS and the courts for the right to send her to get treatment (see www.findingeden.org), God waited until we were literally about to lose everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) before He showed up and slayed the enemy. He waited until we were face to face with false allegations, lawyers, law enforcement, and extreme invasion and violation into our personal lives, that He showed up. And if you know even half the story of our precious Eden, you can testify! He waited until the world was literally watching us and our story, until it was the worst of the worst, until all hope seemed lost, before He moved to swift action. He waited until the time was ripe for Him to show His glory!

We know He is doing the same now with our house situation. We KNOW He is. As emotional as the roller coaster has been, we stand on that truth. We know the world is watching. Though we look like perfect fools in nearly every way to those who don't know the tasks God has assigned to us as a couple and as a family (and we know that dear Dave Ramsey would have a field day with us), we know that the situation is ripe for Him to show up and SHOW HIS GLORY.

So, even IF we can't see how He will do it, we trust that He will. Even IF what we see on paper doesn't make sense, we trust that He will do what He says He will do. Even IF it makes no logical sense for us to embark on another adoption when we have ten kids, one in treatment, a house to sell, and a meager income, we trust that He is ALL OVER THIS. The burden is on HIM, not on us. And because it is, the Glory too will be His and not ours. And then the watching world will see HIM. They will know HIM. And, at the end of it all, isn't that what it's ALL about? It's not about us. This is HIS story. Not mine. My life is not my own.

The time is ripe. His GLORY IS COMING. We trust. May you as well. May you see His glory. May you not give up. The time will soon be ripe. And then He will show up. And you will see His glory. The world will see. Amen?! AMEN!

But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD. -Exodus 14:4

The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen. -Exodus 14:18

Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. -1 Chronicles 16:24

Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. -Psalm 115:1

I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another. -Isaiah 42:8

See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. -Isaiah 60:2

So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it. -John 11:3-4

Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God? -John 11:40

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. -1 Peter 1:6-7

Here we go again!!!

2011-04-13T23:24:00.004-05:00

...but this time on a different continent!

Our family of 10 kids isn’t exactly new to the adoption world, having adopted twice before, but we actually never set out to have a huge family. Kirk had always wanted only two children, and Heidi was okay with three. However, after having three biological kids, we felt something was missing. Through a series of God-ordained circumstances and encounters, we set out to adopt a baby from Ethiopia. However, during a mission trip to Ethiopia with our oldest biological son who was 8 years old at the time, we met a sibling group of three children, mutually fell in love, changed our adoption plans, and returned just six months later to bring those three home forever. Just six months after that, with no plans to adopt again, we “met” our next sibling group of three while perusing a waiting kids list for Ethiopia. Having realized that it was as simple as the fact that "we have room" in our home to add more to the family, a year later we brought kids #7, 8, and 9 home. So, in just 1.5 years, we went from 3 kids to 9. [You can read about our entire Ethiopian adoption journey here: www.blessingsfromethiopia.blogspot.com]One year later, God blessed us again with another (surprise!) biological child, bringing our total kid count to ten. “We Have Room” has become not only our motto, but also our official ministry. (You can find We Have Room on Facebook.)

Over the past year, God laid HIV+ adoption on our hearts. While perusing the Reece’s Rainbow HIV+ waiting children photolists out of curiosity (famous last words!), we couldn’t take our eyes off of 3-year-old Amara. After many weeks and weeks of praying about her, we decided to inquire further, and so began the next adoption to Weimer Kid #11. While we hadn’t ever planned on an Eastern European adoption, we know that Amara is meant to be our daughter and our sister.

The entire family can’t wait to meet her and bring her home to a house literally full of love. We sincerely appreciate all of the support, donations, prayers, and encouragement as they once again embark on the journey to adoption, believing that every single child’s life is worth redeeming.

Go directly to the Reece's Rainbow page to meet little Amara Faith!