Mother’s Day

I know that this should probably be a post about my mother

and how amazing she is (because really, she is) but I have found my heart heavy today for the kids in the world who do not have a mother to celebrate.

As we have been going through the foster care process I have been getting more and more anxious to have a child in our home. I believe that as a Christian I was adopted into Christ’s family, and He commands us to care for orphans and widows, and I long to fill that command with my whole heart. 

Quick story, and a little background on one of the many reasons fostering is so important to me. 
I used to know this beautiful little girl and she had a sad and long story that I will not tell on here for confidentiality reasons, but I fell head over heels in love with her the day she asked me to be her mommy. 

I cried.

I don’t cry. 

And out of a heavy heart I wrote, as I often do when my heart is heavy:

There’s a little girl holding brothers hand
She lifts a weary arm to wipe the tears away again.
She has a heavy heart and a lonely soul
And she’s only 4 but she’s lived enough to know

That she’s living in a fallen world full of broken dreams
A world so weak that it’s ripping at the seams.
She wishes things would change and that someone would see
She just wants to be loved,
She’s so tired of being lonely.

She’s been tossed from home to home
a burden to those around her
she’s dying to leave this place.
It’s a place of fear and of doubt
She’s begging for someone to figure love out.

She needs a strong hand to hold and a place to call home.

She needs to feel safe and secure and certain that there is hope

But she’s living in a fallen world full of broken dreams
A world so weak that it’s ripping at the seams
She wishes things would change and that someone would see
She just wants to be loved,
She’s so tired of being lonely.

Oh little girl of simple faith Jesus has already taken your place.
He knows your name and your beautiful face
And in his arms you are always safe

God can fix your world and he can fix your dreams
And he will always tighten every lose seam
And little girl you will never be lonely again
Because Jesus has already taken you in.

 

I was way too young to be a mommy, and she had a family, however nontraditional it may have been, and they truly did care for her. I would have taken her in a heartbeat had the opportunity presented itself, and the law not prohibited it due to my age . I still pray for her on a regular basis, that God will intervene in her life and let her understand just how precious she is. 

She is one of the many situations I believe God placed in my life to mold my heart toward foster care.

If foster care or adoption is something you have thought about I would genuinely encourage you to pray about it long and hard. If it is not, I would still genuinely encourage you to pray about it long and hard, you never know how God will change your life from one day to the next.

 

~Kels

 

Good Days

Ok, so it’s been too long. 

I am in my second semester of being a Social Work student and I think I have written more papers than my entire life combined . I have 3 weeks left in the semester and 2 and a half papers left to write. I just keep telling myself, one more year. 

Jesus, please please give me the energy and motivation to finish strong. 

That being said I want to tell you why it’s such a good day. 
It is a great day because I got to sleep in, and when I woke up, the sun was shining. 
It is a great day because I have amazing friends, one of whom brought me coffee to class, she knows me.
It is a great day because I am getting a new dishwasher, AND I have a handy husband who can install it. Aren’t handy husbands the best? 

Thank You Jesus for my husband

It is a great day because God inspired someone to create Pandora, and Pandora makes every day better.
It is a great day because I went to Hobby Lobby and, will be rewarding myself with a new project to complete after I am finished writing papers. When there is no motivation, make your own. .

(Future Project)

It has been a great day, and I pray that every day I will find the things that made it great instead of thinking that all things in life are ordinary. 

P.S. Click on this link and read, it is inspiring and I felt like it needed to be shared. (I hope this is allowed in the blogging world, I don’t really know….)

(Impromptu Coloring Project)

*Kels

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Keeping the Faith.

We have another foster care training tomorrow night. It’s nothing huge, just first aid and CPR, but I know that before or after the meeting we are probably going to be met with a few questions we can’t answer like, “do you have a childcare plan written up?”
I know that God is going to take care of it, but waiting for his timing can be so unnerving. The truth is, I have no clue what we are going to do about childcare or where we are going to get the money to pay for it. It makes me antsy. I am just going to keep going with the process and trust that God is going to take care of it in His timing, which, I have to keep reminding myself, is better than mine =). 
In the mean time, I have started gathering things for the Gender Neutral Room (that is the foster kid’s room, since we don’t know if we will get a girl or a boy.) Want to see?!

 

So originally I wanted a daybed with a pop up trundle so when we have visitors we have a couple more beds for people to sleep in, however; I found these at Walmart and am very excited about them. They are twin-over-twin, so essentially the unstack and make separate beds. I thought this was ideal for when parents come to town (you’re welcome mom(s) and dad(s) ). 

I have had a hard time figuring out how to decorate a room that could be for a 1 year old, or a 10 year old, and could be a girl, or a boy.. So after a little bit of research I decided green was a good color and that the one thing that people like to put in a foster kid’s room is a cork board. It’s perfect for him/her to hang whatever they want without adding holes to the walls, and they can switch it out as they want SO I found a $10 corkboard at walmart and added a little color

 

I didn’t have painters tape so I used duct-tape to make straight lines… Don’t do that if you are going to paint a cork board. It was a very bad idea, which I kind of knew going into the idea, but I was being very impatient..

 

We already had this shelf in the room

 

 

I bought the lamp at Target, on sale, for $3 =). I know, BARGAIN.

My favorite part so far are the books!! These are some of my favorite children’s books and I bought BOTH of them at Half-Price books a couple weeks ago when I was in Dallas for UNDER $5!! woo! Love that place, unfortunately I only get to visit like every other month. Oh the joys of life in a small town . 

I know they are blurry, but we have already established that I am not patient, so I only took one, also, I can’t figure out how to rotate the photo on wordpress…. Surely there is a way. I’ll work on that. 

So if you have any suggestions for cheap, DIY, gender-and-age-neutral decor, please leave a comment! I’m allllll for suggestions! =)

Kels

 

As Sweet As Honey

This post is kind of a sequel to a previous post I wrote about taming the tongue. 

So after the conviction of watching what I say a couple of weeks ago, God decided to remind me today. I am reading Ezekiel 3. 

 

 

“And he said to me, c“Son of man, eat whatever you find here. tEat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” uThen I ate it, and it was in my mouth vas sweet as honey. 4 And he said to me, w“Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them.”

This is going to be short and sweet, but God is really reminding me that not only should I censor what comes out of my mouth, but He is also reminding me that He has already equipped me with the words I need to replace what I used to say. He is reminding me how important it is to spend time with Him every single day, and more than that to meditate on his words every minute of every day. 

 

I promise my next post will have pictures .

~Kels

To The Parents.

So, I’m reading through Proverbs 31 right now.

In case you are wondering, I have an incredible husband. My mother-in-law always tells her boys to treat their women like princesses. =) And they do. Usually . Clint is fantastic. He is patient, he is kind, he is strong, he is wise, he is compassionate, he is responsible, I don’t even have to glance at our bank account because I know he has it under control. He is a fixer when I want to quit. His faith is astounding. When I feel like things are hopeless he is always the one who reminds me that God has it under control, and I know he believes it by the way he acts.

I. Love. My. Husband.

(Photo credits to nicolethephotographer.com )

It is my love for Clint, and more so my love for his Maker that moves me to learn more about what it means to be a Godly wife. So here I am, at the chapter everyone points to when they want an example of a Godly woman, and this is what I am learning:

Proverbs 31:1-9

The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him:
What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb?
What are you doing, son of my vows?
Do not give your strength to women,
your ways to those who destroy kings.
It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
it is not for kings to drink wine,
or for rulers to take strong drink,
lest they drink and forget what has been decreed
and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
Give strong drink to the one who is perishing,
and wine to those in bitter distress;
let them drink and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more.
Open your mouth for the mute,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Open your mouth, judge righteously,
defend the rights of the poor and needy.
(Proverbs 31:1-9 ESV)

Isn’t it funny the things our parents teach us as children that pop up in our adult lives?

My parents taught through action usually. My mom taught me strength (is still teaching me strength) and compassion. My dad taught me integrity and faith (and is currently teaching me what it looks like to praise God in any situation). 
Last week on my quest to tame the tongue (still a work in progress btw) silly phrases that my dad uses would pop into my head. Phrases I used to make fun of like, “Oh fiddle” instead of “crap” or “dang-it.” It really is a much more positive way to express frustration. 

When you look at the beginning of this Proverb you see that it is written by a king (we are not entirely sure which one, but some believe it is King Solomon) who is reciting what his mother taught him, probably years before he ever became king. 

The wise words of a mother: Any woman is not good enough son, choose her wisely. Strong drink will cloud your judgement, you have responsibilities. Speak for those with no voice, be righteous, and take care of those who cannot care for themselves. 

Look at the kind of man this mother is training. Wise. Strong. Responsible. Compassionate. 

Lord, 
Thank You for parents that cared enough not just to teach me, but to show me what it means to follow You. Thank You for in-laws that raised the kind of son that You talk about here. Help Clint and I to someday be like the loving parents that we had. 

  

<3

 

Taming the Tongue.

I am embarking on a new journey.

Taming the Tongue. I am aware that this will be a never ending journey, for the Bible says that it is impossible for man to tame the tongue, if he did he would be a perfect person.

I do, however, want to make a conscious effort day-in and day-out to make sure the things coming from my lips are positive and encouraging, building others up and never tearing them down.

Today, during the day my goal is going to be to realize key phrases or words that I use regularly that need to be omitted or modified from my daily life.

 

I am telling you this to invite you to join this journey with me.

I am telling you this for accountability.

I am telling you this for prayer, that God would change my heart, my attitude, and the words that pass from my lips.  

Lord, take my lips and let them be filled with messages from Thee.

~Kels

Faith and Works

We are making progress in our Fostering journey little by little. 
Who knew all the thing that would go into caring for a kid in need would take months and months? Not to mention all the paperwork and house preparations. Oh, and rules.. lots and lots and lots of rules.

For example: 
All medication must be placed in a locked box (including vitamins, tylenol etc..)
All ointments but be placed in a separate locked box.
House rules must be on display
If you have a trampoline, foster kids are not allowed to jump on it
Just to name a few…

I asked Clint about a week ago if he would mind if I called our social worker and ask her to put our application on hold for a couple of months. With my mom at MD Anderson, 15 credit hours, an internship, and everything else that goes with day to day life I was feeling overwhelmed and like I needed to take some things off my plate. 

Clint didn’t really respond, which I knew meant he didn’t really want to (I’m kind of a master at reading between the lines ) I love him so much. 
One of the things that he brought up that has been a constant source of anxiety for me is childcare. If we are placed with a child in August, what are we going to do with the child during the day while I’m at school? We can’t afford daycare and student loans. It was another reason I wanted to put off the process, but do you know that God is a constant source of encouragement? 

I am reading in the book of James right now before bed, and when I wake up in the morning and this is what I have been reading (over and over lol).

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves… Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” (James 1:22,27)

Confirmation. Thank You Jesus. Even more, thank You for not stopping with confirmation.

“What good is it brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?… For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” (James 2:14,26)

Conviction. Thank You Jesus for conviction. 

 

Have a wonderful day!

Kelsey

Houston

Ok update on mom real quick.
She had her transplant this morning, it’s done! It has been a bit of a roller coaster ride though, you never know when she is going to be feeling great and when her body is going to react to something and make her sick. 

Ignore the fact that our eyes are scary in this one…

Her transplant was finished by 10 this morning and we went to see her, she looked the best she has all week. I think she was ready to go home . By 5 she was running a fever and had chills. Don’t worry, this is a normal reaction for her body to have. They also had her on oxygen this evening because of how her body was reacting to a medication they gave her to combat the fever. They are moving her to a new room so they can hook her up to a heart monitor, just so they can know what’s happening all the time. 

On the plus side, we all get to wear really fun outfits when we go see her The nurses were laughing at our train…

 

We left the hospital to let mom get some rest, plus, no one wants a room full of people when they don’t feel good! We went to the Galleria, and the WaterWall, it was a fun adventure.

                         

 

                   

Don’t worry, Zach didn’t really jump off of there… =). 

Please pray that mom’s body will accept the new blood and that we will all get the rest we need, physical and mostly spiritual. Also, when you’re praying, thank Jesus for everything He has done so far! He is amazing. My family is also amazing. I love them all SOOO much. =). 

Have a great night!

~Kels

Life Update!

So life has been pretty crazy this month.
Here is what my mont has looked like:

My mom (for those of you that don’t know) has a bone marrow disease called Meylodysplastic Syndrome ~yes I did just spell that without looking it up, go me!
Today she was admitted into the hospital to begin chemo. It’s going to be a long process, but she is doing great and we are so thankful for the staff at MD Anderson!
Next week she will get her transplant, we will all be in Houston for the week, I’ll update on that next week!

In the mean time, I have started classes again! It’s busy, but it’s good, the sooner I’m done the better!! This semester I am taking a practicum class and today I got my placement. Let me tell you about it….
There is this place in Lufkin that makes me nervous every time I drive by. It looks like an old abandoned hospital wing that probably has ghosts that come out at night.
I called my contact to set up an interview and haven’t heard back, so I decided to stop by today and see if she was there, much to my surprise my trusty GPS took me to the ghost building. Neat.
I’m sure it my second impression will be better than the first, because it wasn’t any better on the inside. Maybe God placed me there because they just need a little bit of sunshine once a week, and I’m pretty good at that. Pray that I keep a good attitude, and remember who I belong to!

On the Foster Front

We have started our trainings for foster care! 2 down, I don’t know how many more to go haha. I am so thankful we decided to go through a third party instead of directly through CPS. Buckner has been great! We are hoping we will be licensed by July.

I’m going to do some homework now, my next post will be more interesting, I promise!

~Kels