Awards and the way God works...

Andrea bestowed this award to me the other day. I was honored to meet her at the CWA picnic along with alot of my blogger buddies. Of course, there are many out there who do a better job than I do, and I am humbled at the thought. Thank you, Andrea, for reading my blog and thinking of me:) You made my day!! On my next post I'll hand out the award to some well deserved people but I have some other pressing news that I would like to share.

Of all the awards to be given, there is a woman who helped my blogging possible, and will surely be awarded in eternity. She pioneered and opened up the way for many families to bring home their Kyrgyz children. Her story is very inspiring. Her name is Tami Snowden and her story indeed inspires. Here is the link to the newstory, don't miss it!

Tami Snowden's story

What is even more amazing to this story is the background she wrote to let us know what it all involved. Here is a clip from the letter she wrote to the Kyrgyz Yahoo board:

Hello all,
Thank you all for your kind comments regarding me and Tabi's story. I made my first trip to K-stan in the fall of 1999, and worked in the baby orphanage in Bishkek for 6 weeks. That is when I first met Kenny (Cindy LaJoy's son). After 6 weeks, I left to come back to America--knowing I would return after I finished seminary. The one thing I started praying in 1999, was that laws would change, and that in the meantime God would really work in the hearts of the workers to love the children. If the institution was to replace a family (can't really replace a family --but you know what I mean) then I wanted children to have the best love they could..and that the workers would become their "moms."

I prayed continually for changes in laws for adoption. When I arrived early Jan 2002, I immediately began my work at the Bishkek Baby House.
Once a month, other missionaries in town would meet at my apartment and we pray for laws to change. We prayed for 2 1/2 years. My other friend and I would walk around the white house in bishkek and pray for officials to be put into place that had a heart for the children and would allow foreign adoption.

When I left Bishkek in Jan 05, I was thrilled to have my daughter with me, but also grieved leaving all the other children behind. I begged God not to forget them, and to make a way for them to be homes like Tabi.

God is Faithful!!!

In your journey with your children, don't forget to tell them about the many missionaries who lived in bishkek, and our prayer teams back in America who prayed for years for laws to change so that they could have homes.

Exodus 22:22 says, Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry.

GOD DID HEAR THEIR CRY---They are not forgotten.

For the children,
Tami Snowden


Because of Tami, and all the others who pleaded with God, we, and many other families have beautiful children in our homes. She truly deserves and award for her courage and faithfulness, not listening to others, and choosing the narrow road. It makes me bow my knees before a truly FAITHFUL God.

And the amazing thing is that our God does not always work through feel good stories. He works through tragedy. And although it is painful to say, God is faithful even when He allows this to happen. The next is a story on Steven Curtis Chapman and the loss of his adopted daughter, Maria. As Christians, we do not have all the answers, and we do not have perfect lives, our lives are broken, yet God finds a way to help us in our grief, shares in it with the sacrifice of his own son Jesus and speaks volumes about Himself. Listen to what they have to say...

Steven Curtis Chapman Interview