Memorial Box Monday Tuesday ~ They held up his arms!

Welcome to Memorial Box Monday,
as hosted by Linny @ A Place Called Simplicity!

I know it is Tuesday, but Linny did not post before I went to bed last night, and I just saw this early this morning! I've missed doing one of these the last few weeks, and I've been preparing this one for a little while, so here goes... :o)

Exodus 17:12
But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; And his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

Do you know this story? It is the one where the children of Israel are in a fight with the Amalekites. Moses stands on the hill overlooking the battle. As long as he holds his hands up, the children of Israel prevail. But... when he lets his hands down, the tables turn, and the Amalekites prevail. Naturally, though, his arms get tired. So, Aaron and Hur hold up the arms of Moses, one on each side, until the sun goes down and the Amalekites are defeated!

I find two things in the rest of this passage very interesting:

1. end of v. 12 ~
his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
2. v. 14-16 ~
And Jehovah said unto Moses,
Write this for a memorial in a book,
and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua:
that I will utterly blot out the remembrance
of Amalek from under heaven.
And Moses built an altar,
and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi;
And he said, Jehovah hath sworn:
Jehovah will have war with Amalek
from generation to generation.

Okay, I'll admit... I thought the memorial book reference was cool in light of Linny's Memorial Box posts. It really is scriptural to remember what God has done in your life... to remind you... to teach your children... to encourage others. Beyond that, though, I love that the Scripture notes that Moses' hands were steady as long as they needed to be because others were holding him up.

Throughout my entire battle (yes, it has been a battle) in desiring a child, I have recognized the intercession of others who have prayed for me when I have not known how to pray for myself. There are a handful, in particular, who I know have consistently prayed for me and some who I don't even know about... but somehow, I know they are there. Does that even make sense??? An even smaller number of people are still praying for me, even though I have shared with them where I am. That I recognize this might not be God's plan. That I am at peace with that. Persistent little buggers, aren't they! :o) There are those one or two... maybe even three... who believe God is going to do something incredible in our lives. They are believing for me at a point where I am unable or unwilling to believe for myself. They are holding up my arms. Do you know what that feels like???

This Memorial Box Monday (or Tuesday :o)) I wanted to share with you about one special woman who is believing for me. I met her... ~ooooh, I am SO excited to share this with y'all! I've been saving it for a few weeks now!!!~ I digress. Back to what I was saying. I met her on April 23, 2008 when she found my blog, quite by accident (or not) and felt led to post a comment on the guest book I used to have. She was looking for some statistics about infertility and wanted to encourage me. We chatted back and forth via email and she sent me some material she had produced based on her own experience. I read it, gave her some feedback, and that was that for the most part. She and her husband were then missionaries in Belize and occasionally they would send out an update and we might chat again briefly by email.

Once or twice, I casually mentioned that it would be nice to meet if they ever traveled back this way again. Imagine my surprise when their most recent update told of their plans to finish the work they had been doing and to return to the United States to await the next thing God had for them. Several months ago, they came back to Raleigh, NC... where they were originally from... only a hop, skip, and a jump from where we live! We chatted via email a bit more and arranged to meet one evening for dinner!

It was fabulous! For one thing, we ate at my newest favorite restaurant ~ California Pizza Kitchen! Haven't tried it? You should! :o) Even more than that, though, the fellowship was amazing! Have you ever met those people that you just feel like you have know them your whole life? This was them.

"S" & "R"

They really were incredible. We had so many things in common... places where our stories coincided in a way that only God could have orchestrated. I am excited to see how each of our experiences will glorify God one day! As "S" reminded me that night, God has declared the end from the beginning.

This week, I am opening up my virtual Memorial Box and placing inside a napkin from the California Pizza Kitchen to remind me where our Miracle-working, Mountain-moving, Awe-inspiring, Gasp-giving God joined our hearts with new friends! Is it crazy that I am filling up my Memorial Box with items from restaurants?!?!? Hehehe! :o)

Thank you, "S," for praying and believing for me. Thank you for holding up my arms. I look forward to seeing the end God has had in mind from the beginning of time and this battle.


Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

Memorial Box Monday ~ Sole / Soul Protection!

Welcome to Memorial Box Monday,

as hosted by Linny @ A Place Called Simplicity!



I really liked Linny's post earlier today, because it is a perfect lead in to the thoughts I was already thinking and writing about! :o)

I think that God's protection doesn't just always come in a physical form like keeping you from an accident or providing enough money to meet a particular need, although it often does. I also think that God's protection can come in the form of living, breathing people and can be aimed directly at one's soul. For me, I believe that this, in fact, has been my sole protection throughout this entire journey of infertility and our pursuit of adoption.

There have been many, many, many (I thought it deserved a third many :o)) people who have been my protection through their prayers, presence, and encouragement. I think about C*****, who has been my email encouragement partner in adoption for many months now. I especially like that I got to meet her in person and have lunch with her, her husband, and their fabulous son! I REALLY like how God brought her to me through my blog and my willingness to share! I think about J***, who I only met because we were willing to open up our home to someone we had never met, who was willing to share my pain with her presence, even though there was no way for her to personally understand it. We have said that one day, we are going to open up a counseling practice together and all of our clients will just have to wait while we counsel each other in the back! LOL!!! :o) I LOVE that we were able to visit her beautiful home, her husband, their dogs, and her very spirited little girl! I LOVE that D.T. was able to cook dinner for them in their home! It's the time together! It's the willingness to share!

On to the actual story... just as an example...

This last week, we were SO pleased to receive something very special in the mail.


A response for some feedback very politely offered...




...from one of our favorite date or any occasion places! :o)





...with Hospitality!



Seriously?!?!?!? We were very excited, and decided to make an evening out of it this past Friday. I even said I would cheat. Unfortunately, my appetite does not usually agree with me on the quantity of food I can consume anymore. I didn't fret over what I ate, though. I had my usual. Made with Orecchiette. Lunch size (Good on the wallet)! Half (Good on the calories)! I also sipped a bit of the *NEW* lemonades D.T. ordered... YUMMY!!! We definitely had dessert, too! It was a very special night. Very relaxing.

Then, God orchestrated another bit of soul protection for me. We were sitting in a side booth. The last one in the row. Here and there, people were being seated, and as we were nearing the end of our meal, a couple was directed to the little two-seat table perpendicular to ours. As they passed by our table, D.T. obviously recognized them and introduced me. The man was a third-generation Romanian and could have been D.T.'s brother, if I didn't know any better! They stood by our table and chatted for awhile, and every few minutes, a waiter would glance over at their empty table. After about 10 minutes passed, we decided that they weren't ever going to be able to sit down and order, so we slid over for them to officially join us! We had the best waiter, anyway! :o)

The rest of the evening went by slowly and quickly at the same time. I had never met either of these people before that night, but you know me. That just doesn't matter. I am an open book. It was kind of funny. After D.T. gave his usual menu advice, :o) our conversations diverged. The husbands talked about who knows what while us wives shared our lives. We laughed (so did the guys!)... I cried... what's new?!? LOL! She prayed for me. God knew the decisions I am struggling with and gave me His best advice possible through the lips of this sweet woman.

Now, I have lots of friends. Many old, and some new, but all have been blessings, given to me by our Miracle-working, Mountain-moving, Awe-inspiring, Gasp-giving God! I am so grateful for each person He has put in my life! This week, I am opening up my virtual Memorial Box, and laying inside a drink coaster from our special friend-and faith-filled time at Olive Garden!

Who has God given to be a blessing in your life?

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

Memorial Box Monday ~ Ice, Ice, Baby!

Welcome to Memorial Box Monday,
as hosted by Linny @ A Place Called Simplicity!

Today's memory takes us back to sometime in the winter of 1995 / 1996. At least, I think that is when it was. My 34-year old brain can be kind of fuzzy these days. That is why it is good for me to write these stories down. It is really cool how God continues to bring them to my mind at the oddest times. Like this morning. I was in the bathtub, thinking... God, what should I write about for Memorial Box Monday?... and it came to me as quickly as that!

D.T. and I were dating at the time (at least that is what he told me when I asked him), and we came home from school one weekend to visit my family. The drive is a little less than six hours. It is also important to note that D.T. was working for our campus police department as a security guard...

Well, that night, not long after we got to my family's home, D.T.'s roommate Sergio (there's an international name for you! :o)) called and asked D.T. if he had the master key ring for campus. Can you just feel the sinking feeling that began to form in the pit of his stomach??? So, he quickly checked, and yep, there it was! Of course, if a woman had been in charge of the police department, I am sure that there would have been a duplicate set locked up somewhere on campus. However, that was not the case. D.T. had the one and only master set of keys, and the department needed them. Right then. Six hours away. We hoped that we could send them by overnight mail the very next morning, but nope.

So, we all packed ourselves into the van (me, D.T., my dad, my mom, and my Gram) and off we went. Since we had just driven six hours, my Dad drove us back. He's good like that! I slept. I'm good like that! LOL! :o) At least, I slept until a jerking motion woke me up! We were making pretty good time, and we had made it somewhere into the mountains of West Virginia. Did I mention that it was winter?... and there was snow?... and ICE?!?!? We weren't going all that fast, but you really don't have to be going fast when you hit a patch of ice in the dark mountains. Back and forth, back and forth, the van wove, and I thought we were going to die! I know, though, that angels watched over us as my dad masterfully manipulated the steering wheel until he regained control of the vehicle. We were safe, although a bit shaken, to be sure. Well, we continued on, and safely arrived on campus to return the keys. Then, we immediately turned right back around (finally with some daylight!), and returned to my family's home for the weekend. Wow. 12 hours... actually 24, if you count our initial drive and our return drive after the weekend!!! What a trip!

This week, I am placing in my virtual Memorial Box a key to remind me to be grateful for a dad who was willing to get us out of a jam, who was an incredible driver, and for the angels of our Miracle-working, Mountain-moving, Awe-inspiring, Gasp-giving God who protected us!

So, when is a time you can recall that God physically protected you or your family? Do share! Let's all give God the glory He deserves!

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

Memorial Box Monday ~ God's checking account!

Welcome to Memorial Box Monday,
as hosted by Linny @ A Place Called Simplicity!

Do any of you have a problem trusting God to provide for REALLY BIG things? Well, I do. I am a worrier and a planner by nature. You know. Type A. Yada, yada,... So, if I can't plan how it's all going to go down, I just worry about it. That's how it started out with our adoption.

I guess it's been a few years now since we really started thinking about it, and back then, my excuse for not adopting was always... We'll never be able to afford it. Um, sorry Linny. I know that is one of your pet peeves. Just keepin' it real, here.

So, the cost of adoption just seemed to be SO far out of our reach. We couldn't imagine having that much money all at once. Of course, different people encouraged us in different ways that God would provide, so we decided to step out in faith and go for it. After all, it cost us very little to put in our application. We figured we would just take it one thing at a time, and we did.

Sometime around then, D.T. was blessed to be able to begin teaching classes online. The opportunity was certainly something we had hoped for, but never in our wildest imaginations did we think it would ever really happen. Of course, God is good like that. Providing in ways we cannot comprehend with our finite human minds. Well, this certainly provided. A lot... and all of a sudden, the big ticket price didn't seem quite so big anymore.

So, we continued piece by piece with the adoption. A set of fingerprints (or two... or three...) here. A medical form there. Then, there was the homestudy. That was the first big chunk of money (you know... not $50 or $100...) we were going to have to pay. We weren't entirely concerned because we knew we had money coming (Isn't it interesting how when God starts to bless you with some money, you stuff it away, begin to rely on yourself, and start to feel good about how much money you have in the bank?) from D.T.'s teaching. It just wasn't coming for a little while longer. So, we figured we would just wait. But, no. God had bigger plans. Quicker plans. Although, I do wonder what the big hurry was since we are still waiting now. Oh, well. I digress.

Some people from our church knew that the next step of our adoption was to complete the homestudy, and they asked us when we would be doing that. Did I mention that the wife half of this couple took it as her personal mission to push me through this process and to keep me from procrastinating? So, we told them that we would be doing the homestudy as soon as we received D.T.'s next teaching paycheck. Well, I guess that was not soon enough to suit her. Not long later (literally minutes), she came back over to me and slipped something into my hand. She told me not to worry about it. That we could just pay them back whenever. To start the homestudy the next day. She turned away, and I looked at the piece of paper in my hand. A check for the entire cost of our homestudy. I mean, who just walks over and gives someone a check for that much money??? It is interesting, though. I don't know if we would have had the courage to spend the money later on, even after we would have gotten his paycheck. There is definitely something to be said for the accountability of friends... and God's unique provision.

Someday, I will have a Memorial Box, but until then... today... I will open up my virtual Memorial Box and safely tuck inside... a blank check to remind me that God's bank account is never overdrawn! His available balance is always MORE than enough to meet our needs! His loan department never closes, either. After all, everything we have is on loan from Him! We are merely His stewards to do His will.

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

Memorial Box Monday

This evening, I am linking up with Linny
@ A Place Called Simplicity.

I have been thinking about doing this for a little while now. Last week, when I visited her blog on Tuesday, I was disappointed that I had missed my opportunity. So, I tucked away the memory I wanted to share and thought I'm going to do one next week for sure! So, here I am.

The idea of Memorial Box Monday is to remember and share the many times that God has worked miracles in our lives. To recount His goodness to the next generation.

Waaaaay back in 1994, I had just graduated from high school, and I was looking forward to my first semester of college. I had it all planned out. I knew where I would be attending, and I had my dorm assignment and my class schedule.

That summer, I attended a youth conference with some friends from the church that was associated with the Christian school I attended. The conference was held at a large, Christian university... one that I did not want to attend. In my mind, it was too big and too far away from home. The recruiters for this particular university were known for being quite persistent with their phone calls to prospective students, but I had no interest whatsoever. I was just there to enjoy my time with friends.

Well, the week went by, and I did have a good time. Then, on the afternoon before the last day, someone told me they had seen my name written on the message board. I was supposed to call home. Now, I don't know about you, but when I get a message to call home, my immediate response is "What's wrong?!?" In this case, though, nothing was wrong. It was right. Very right. When I got my mother on the phone, she told me that she had been trying to get in touch with me for days. Yet, for some reason, I never got the message until our time was almost ended. She told me that I had received a letter from the university where I was staying, offering me a scholarship which exactly met my financial need for college. She told me that I did not have to take the scholarship because where I was going to attend was my decision, but she asked me to at least go in to the office to see if the offer was really true. I thought that was fair, so I did. Now, you have to understand that the timing was critical... and designed by God! I walked in to the admissions office that afternoon, and told them why I was there. I didn't have much time. Had I gotten the message any later, it would have been too late. It was getting close to the time for the office to close, and we were leaving early the next morning. If I had not physically been there, I think I would have ignored the offer!

The admissions counselor was very friendly (and eager to make a sale!). He told me that the offer was indeed true, and he had me fill out an application on the spot. Two weeks later, I returned to the campus, not where I had intended to go, but where God intended for me to be. Where I would meet my husband. Where I would live. Where I now work. Oh, and the eager admissions counselor? He became my boss for four years! He still claims responsibility for the fact that D.T. and I met, but we all know better! As Linny says, that was the working of our Miracle-working, Mountain-moving, Awe-inspiring, Gasp-giving God!!

Now, I don't have a physical Memorial Box like Linny does, but I will someday... and if I did, I would put a marker inside to remind me of the time God's hand wrote the name of D.T.'s wife on His message board!


Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...