Now to Him ...

As I was sitting here about to leave for Ethiopia ... the Lord dropped 3 words into my heart. "NOW TO HIM". I looked it up:

... For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the LOVE OF CHRIST, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

NOW TO HIM who is able to do IMMEASURABLY MORE than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to HIM be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  Amen

The Lamb Project

You have helped fund 110 Lambs for the Orphans of Gojjo. We believe this LAMB PROJECT will have a HUGE impact on Self Sustainability and now we need to look for land and how we will care for and feed them. I think we did not realize how fast the Lord would provide!

So now THE LAMB CHALLENGE will become THE LAMB PROJECT. Future funds will go towards an ongoing program, including the purchase of lambs and their feed and care.

Thank you so much for being a part of this life changing project!

To donate to The Lamb Project go to www.rivers-of-living-water.org/lamb.htm

Do not wish me "Happy Holidays"

OK, brace yourself .... 

Please do not wish me "Happy Holidays".  I will have to restrain myself from hurting you. Although the word "Holiday" does comes from "Holy Day" and that is what these days are.  These are the days that we celebrate that lead up to one of the most important days in the history of the world.  The day Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah or Chosen One, was born.  And yes I know that December 25th is not really his birthday but some pagan day from the Celtics or something. 

To me "Happy Holidays" is like a slap in the face of Jesus.  They have taken Christ out of Christmas. It is no longer Christmas Vacation, like when I was a kid, it is Winter Break. Some groups fight to keep manger displays out of parks and other public places. Large retail stores tell their employees not to say "Merry Christmas" so that they won't "offend" people.  

OK .. let me say this ... if you don't believe in Jesus, then you have no business celebrating Christmas!

How many people will feed the system and go into gross amounts of credit card debt, only to have those things be in the next garage sale or trash can?

 "Do not lay up for yourself treasures on earth where dust and moth destroy ... " 

The phrase has become so cliche' but is still true, that Jesus is the reason for the season. The world wants to distract us from that truth.  America has literally bought into the lie that the day we celebrate Jesus' birth, is nothing more than another generic holiday to spend a crazy amount of money on STUFF.    

At our house, we don't do Santa ... I gave up the whole commercialized Christmas thing in my late teens/early twenties and decided that Christmas is Jesus' birthday and not mine. So I began giving presents to people about Jesus. This carried over into my marriage and now our family. For Christmas we give presents about Jesus ... like a Bible, a worship CD, a Jesus Tshirt, A Jesus video, or Veggie Tales, etc. and keep all the toys, electronics, gifts and STUFF for a birthday present. It has worked out so far for the first 13 years with our kids and I hope that they carry it into their own families some day. ♥

I have this idea ... lets turn it back around!  Why not send a message to America loud and clear, that Christmas is about JESUS.  Not Santa Claus, and toys and electronic gadgets, and STUFF and going into debt.  

Could I make a suggestion?  Keep it simple. 

Put Christ back into Christmas.  Celebrate it for what it is.  And everytime someone says "Happy Holidays" smile and say,

"Merry Christmas ... it's all about Jesus."

Here we are Lord, Send us . . .

Once our eyes are opened,

we can't pretend we don't know what to do. 

God who keeps our hearts and weighs our souls, 

knows that we know and holds us responsible to act."

Proverbs 24:12

The Schilling Family

     

In 2010, along with thousands of other families, we adopted 3 children from Ethiopia. 
                                                

Little did we know where this journey would lead us to.  We now find ourselves being drawn back to Ethiopia but not only to adopt kids ... but to serve.

Our heart's desire has become to help orphans and widows in need, wherever the Lord leads us.  Right now, the Lord is leading us back to Ethiopia, Africa.  We began seeing  little notes He was leaving everywhere.  Until finally, it became so obvious we finally got it.  The Lord has invited us to come to Ethiopia and join Him in His work there.  
                              

My husband and I both knew we were called to missions years before we were ever married, so this has come as no real surprise except for the timing.  We are older, we now have 6 children, 3 adopted from Ethiopia and we are in the process of adopting 2 brothers.  
                                           

But our hearts are bent on following the Lord wherever He leads.  This is not an idea we made up inside our heads, it is the God of the universe speaking to His children like the Father that He is.  
                                       

"For I know the plans I have for you." says the Lord.

"Plans to prosper and not harm you.

Plans to give you a hope and a future." 

~ Jeremiah 29:11

                                         

So now, here we are.  In order to go, we have some major decisions to make ... do we sell our house, do we rent it out.  What about finances, my husband's job, insurance, what about our animals.  But in all of this, we are laying our lives down into the hands of a loving Father and trusting Him to take care of all the details.

If you feel lead to help us, we would greatly appreciate it.  We will need start up money in order to go.  Airfare for 8 people, initial living expenses, possibly a vehicle, as we will be living 3 hours from the city.  After setting up camp, then we will need monthly support.  We know and have faith that God is able to provide all of our needs, but we make them known because we also know that he sometimes uses people.  But most of all, really, we need your prayers. 
                                               

This will be a huge transition for all of us, especially our kids.  We homeschool, so we can go anywhere, but it's so much more than that.  We are a Christian family going to a place where Jesus loving Christians are not always welcome.   There are opposing beliefs, practices and religions.  We need your prayers for protection, for us and for our children.
                                             

We have a good idea of what we will be doing there although all the details will not be worked out until we arrive, I am sure.  We feel called to go to the village of Gojjo.  Our friends have an organization there called Living Water Orphan Ministry.  There are over 1000 orphans in the village.  A Child Sponsorship program has been started there.  We feel called to go to Gojjo to help with the administration and hands on work of the organization.  

It is also our desire to help the widows in the village by starting up small entrepreneurial businesses, such as jewelry and basket making, making soap and skin care products.  Some of this is what I already do here in the states.  See my website www.wildprairiefarms.net.   
                                         

Our hope is also to organize short term mission trips to Addis & Gojjo.  We will be there to meet our guests and to invite them to catch the vision for orphan and widow ministry.
                                              

It is also our desire to acquire land and raise up a flock of sheep and cows as an ongoing feeding program to help feed the orphan kids of  Gojjo. 
                                

We are visionaries and have many ideas on how we hope to serve the people of Gojjo, but most of all we want to be the hands and feet of Jesus and show them the love of God. 
                                         

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? 
And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?
And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?

And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? 

As it is written:

“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
~ Romans 10:14-15

Will you help Send us?

You can donate here towards

The Schilling Family's

Missionary Support Fund

 

 

This will enable our family to

accept the invitation to go to Ethiopia

to serve the Lord there.

Thank you.

                                              

Gallon Gifts

Dear Rivers of Living Water Supporters and Sponsors ...

On Monday, a dear Christian sister came to our house and delivered a gift from the Lord to us. It was a check paying our way to go on a mission trip to Ethiopia for Ethiopian Christmas, which is January 7th. We will be going to the village of Gojjo, where not only your sponsored kids are, but a total of 1000 orphans! We will have the great honor of serving them Christmas Dinner, with the money that you helped us raise for FEED 1000.

If you would like to participate ...

We will be bringing over as many donations and gifts as we can possibly fit into our 200 pounds of allotted luggage. All child specific donations need to go into a Gallon Ziploc bag, meaning If you want to send your sponsored child a gift, please put it into a Gallon Ziploc bag with their name and ID number on it or in it, so that we know it goes to a specific child. It would be great to also put a photo of yourself or your family in there so they can see their sponsor. It would be great to be able to bring each sponsored child a gift!

Introducing “Gallon Gifts”...

When we were adopting, the director would allow us to send gifts in gallon Ziploc bags. We got this great idea from Ordinary Hero who is doing something similar with their “Blessing Bags”. Each bag has a specific size and gender on it for example, “boy size 3”, or “girl size 6”. Included in the bag is a complete outfit to fit a child of that size. So for example, for a boy, you would put in a new shirt, pants, underwear, socks, perhaps a toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste, a bar of soap, maybe crayons, coloring book, or a pencil with a sharpener and a small toy or gift ..... Anything that can fit into a Gallon Ziploc. (But nothing that needs batteries since they wear out.) For a girl, you could put in the same items, or perhaps a dress with leggings.

If you'd like to participate, please send your Gallon Gifts to:

Rivers of Living Water

PO Box 802

Whitehall, MT 59759

We will need them to arrive no later than Monday, December 26th. Thanks so much!!!

Bonnie Schilling
Rivers of Living Water ~ Helping Orphans and Widows in Need
www.rivers-of-living-water.org

Amazing Grace . . .

We serve an AMAZING God. 

How do I write this ... for once in my life I am speechless.  It has taken me a few days just to be able to write this out.  I have been walking around like I am stunned.

OK ... let me give you some background information. A few weeks ago, by God's grace, we were able to raise the $2000 to feed all 1000 orphan kids in the village of Gojjo, Ethiopia a special Christmas Dinner.  As I talked about the dream of doing this, our partner said, if you are able to raise $2000 for this ... I will be there in the village that day with my family serving dinner.

And I thought "I want to be there in the village that day!!"  So I began organizing "Make a Difference for Christmas Mission Trip."  About 15 people said they were either going or interested in going.  But as the time grew closer, little by little people, were unable to go, for one reason or another.

This last week, we still had 2 ladies who REALLY wanted to go ... and me.  I was discouraged to say the least, plus we did not have enough money in our organization's account that I could even go, so I was about to call off the mission trip until next year.  After all it was kind of a spur of the moment trip.  Not a lot of time to plan and fund raise.  I needed about $3000.

Saturday, I found out one of the gals was in my good friend's home fellowship group.  She was saying how excited she was.  I felt bad, cause it did not look like we could go after all. 

Monday this same friend called me and said how the Lord had woken her up at 3:00 AM.  So she prayed about me and our trip.  Then in the morning, she called and said, is the money the only thing that is stopping you from going?  I said yes, and to be honest, some fear of going without my husband!  She said that the Lord has woken her up and that she felt lead to make some phone calls to see if she could raise some funds for us to be able to go.  I was in awe of how God would speak to her about that.

My husband and I sat and prayed about the whole thing.  I told him that this felt like another time, when God made plans for me to go on a mission trip and that I really did not have a choice ... that I was just going.  The Lord had put me on the hearts of some missionaries to Czech Republic and they invited me and before I could say no, or actually as I was saying no, $1000 showed up in an account at church for me from 2 anonymous donors.  This was starting to feel this same way.

So we left our prayer time and I went out to make food for the family.  While we were just about to eat, the kids said a car was driving up our driveway.  We live out in the country so not many people ever drive up our road, except for UPS and the occasional person who was lost and asking for directions. I said, joking, if someone drives up here and hands me a check for $3000 I just might faint.

I went out to see who was there, and it was a lady from our own home fellowship group.  As soon as I saw, her I knew.  She had a troubled look on her face.  I said hello and she apologized for not calling first.  This lady lives in Butte about 30 minutes from our house.  I said .... what are you doing here?   She said, the Lord told her to come over to our house and write us a check for $5000.

I just lost it.  I started bawling .. loud.  I ran and got my husband and told him what was happening.  Just so you know ... these ladies do NOT know each other.  But they do both know the Lord.  And why after all this time and all the ways I have seen the Lord move, why does it surprise me so that he hears our cries and tells other people what ours needs are?  She said, I don't know what this is for, but I know I am supposed to give this to your family. 

And as we knelt down together and prayed, she said the Lord told her to write us a second check for $500 dollars to buy clothes and shoes for our kids, and maybe a little toy.  Wow.  I am a very frugal mom.  I know how much I have to spend, and many times with 6 kids, there just is not enough to buy new shoes this week or ... I know you need some jeans but lets look at Goodwill first.  So we really wear out our stuff and wait until we really NEED something.  And here was a check for $500 that we were supposed to go use for clothes and shoes.  It was like early Christmas!

He knows our needs.  He not only gave us the $3000 but $5000, so now it looks like my husband can go with me!  And guess what ... both those other ladies now have decided not to go.  So this trip has completely changed.  If all goes well we will still go to help feed 1000 orphan kids for Christmas.  But we now see this as a vision trip.  We get to go and check out Ethiopia and the village without court dates or embassy dates, and pray and ask God if this is indeed Him calling our family to GO. 

He is an AMAZING God. 

The Invitation . . .

A lot of time has gone by since last I posted ... a lot has happened.  And I can't go back and try to capture it all.  So I guess I'll have to just start where we are.  We have been watching the Lord opening doors before us.  Seems as tho just because we are willing, He is giving us more opportunities to be part of what He is doing.  We have become aware that there is a standing invitation. 

A few months ago we started up our organization, Rivers of Living Water ~ Helping Orphans and Widows in Need.  We thought we'd only be raising funds for water wells, but the Lord had other plans.  We partnered with an organization in Ethiopia that plants churches.  We then partnered with Living Way Orphan Ministry.  Within the first week, sponsors were found for the first 51 orphan kids in the village of Gojjo, Ethiopia by a church in Colorado.  So I asked them to get me the names and photos of the next 51 kids.  We began a campaign to find sponsors for the next 51 kids.

Through Facebook and church the Lord found all 51 orphan kids sponsors.  When that was finished, I thought ... OK what's next?  I was thinking about the fact that there are 1000+ orphans in the village of Gojjo.  What could we do for them?  Then I thought, Christmas is coming, why not raise funds to feed all 1000 kids a Christmas Dinner.

Then I thought .. I want to be in the village to serve the kids.  So we also posted and began to plan a mission trip for the end of December so that we could be in the village that week and serve the kids dinner for Ethiopian Christmas, which is January 7th.  We've had a few people sign up and we are still working on the details. Praying it can actually happen.

FEED 1000 was a great success and within a short time we were able to raise a little over $2000 so that we can feed all 1000+ kids that day.  Now we're working on raising funds to purchase 102 lambs to raise for an ongoing food source for the kids. But somewhere along the line, we realized something else was going on ... there was a deeper call.  An invitation ... to go deeper.  We felt Him taking us to a different level ... And then we knew .. God's asking us if we would be willing to go to Ethiopia .. as a family. Whoa.

My husband went off on a hunting trip and prayed and God spoke to him and confirmed what I was hearing.  Suddenly I was afraid. The very thing my heart longed for was actually happening and I was scared!  I found myself bargaining with God telling Him I wasn't ready to sell my house but I'd be willing to go for a year.  What about our kids?  WE HAVE 6 KIDS and we are in the process of adopting 2 more!   I felt scared of what we would encounter there.  Then I got this revelation .. He was not asking us to GO ... He was inviting us to COME ... come to where He already was ... to join Him there.  Then the peace came ... 

So now what?  We are waiting.  We will need funds to go.  He knows that.  We have nothing.  Our first adoption of 3 kids He paid for completely.  I have total faith that He will fund the current adoption, and when He's ready we will get fully funded to be able to leave and live in Ethiopia for our year.  My gut feeling is though .. it may not just be for one year. 

Here I am Lord ... Send Me!

Ruined for Africa . . .

I love my country with a patriot love, but I love Africa with a love from God.

You shot an arrow into my heart.   It burns deep and it can't be quenched. A groan rises up from deep in my soul.   I'm crying out Lord ... Don't put this in me just to make me burn. Set me on fire ... let me DO something. 

In my town, my voice falls on deaf ears, blank faces. They think I'm obsessed, and wonder when I'll talk about something different. You've ruined me for Africa.

My REAL Feelings EXACTLY . . .

Months ago ... September 27th, 2010 to be exact, I posted a long time coming, heart felt post, describing what I had been going through the past 6 months, after adopting 3 children from Ethiopia.  I was actually doing great, yet upon feeling wonderful, I realized I had been just coping for 6 months.  It was like being in a fog or a storm for so long, you just adjusted to the weather and it was normal.  Yet when the sun appeared I realized, wow, I guess I've been in a storm, cause this sunshine is wonderful!  Kind of like when we lived in Washington for years and it rained for months.  You just coped, adjusted, adapted.  Then we moved to Montana ... Big Sky Country and ... Oh. My. Gosh.  How did I stand it for so many years with the dark and dreary skies?  I felt like a mole emerging out of the ground.  I could see the light!  It was like taking a breath of fresh air!

So, back to my post ... at the time, the Lord had just starting to talk to us about adopting again.  I recognized his voice.  It was the same as when after 9 months of my first pregnancy, and me wondering "How does ANYONE do this twice!!"  I felt the nudging of the Lord to have another baby.  Thus my son.  But then again .. I had always said I will have 2 children.  It was a vow I think I had made as a youth.  But never more than 2.  One for each parent to deal with, right? 

So for a year ... literally, the Lord would talk to me ... urging me, asking me ... "Wouldn't you like to have just  one more?  Just one more?"  "NO, LORD!!!"  I can't believe that was where I was at back then, 10 years ago.  It took a year of nudging, of pressing me, wooing me.  And finally I gave in and said "Yes Lord."  And this time, without months of trying and false pregnancy tests .... BOOM . I was instantly pregnant... with Anna, sweet spirited Anna.  She was prophesied over and it was said that she would be like Anna in the temple worshipping God day and night, and her spiritual beauty would draw many to God.  It is all over her.

OK, so now I was on a roll.  God had changed my heart.  Years later after much grief and many failed attempts at more pregnancies, we began our adoption journey and brought our 3 children home from Ethiopia.  One boy, Gezaw Joshua, and 2 sisters, Bethlehem Hope and Zakeya Joy.  We read all the books, did all the research.  All about the children and how their lives are affected.  But NO ONE told us about the aftermath, what WE might go through!  About what happens after you bring them home and all the waiting and hoping and praying was actually over.  And real life begins and now you try to find what we called, "The New Normal".

So we muddled through it.  For us, really it was not that bad.  My new daughter tried to bite me once or twice, but I think that was the extend of the uglies.  Thank God for Facebook Friends and online Adoption Groups, because really no one we knew had any good things to say to encourage us.  No one had a clue.  And if they did, they weren't talking.  But Praise God, we made it through with his help and one day I was feeling extra wonderful and I realized ... wow, I just made it thru the dark season and now I'm beginning to see the light of day again!  It took about 5 months.

Right about then, when I was just catching my breath, I heard God say, there were two little boys that needed to be added to our family.  I could not believe it.  No way. Not happy God.  But true to form after getting over the shock I jumped and just embraced it and started moving in that direction.  We called our homestudy agency and told them the great news, and when they came to do our homestudy update, the gal broke the news to me.  We were not ready to adopt yet.  We needed to stop pursuing this until one year had passed.  Huh?  I had a Both Hands Widow Orphan project scheduled for the next month!  We knew we had heard God.  This was a bitter pill. I found out later she had read my honest blog post from September 27th http://wildprairiefarms.blogspot.com/2010/09/are-you-sure-you-dont-want-just-one.html and decided if I had gone through all that, perhaps I was not ready to adopt yet.

I WAS FURIOUS!!!!  I was trying to be transparent about what adoptive parents go through, and I was even sharing it AFTER THE FACT, and I was being judged.  People, don't you realize what you do to others when you judge them when they are honest about their wilderness experience.  When they get REAL and honest about how it REALLY is and you blast them?  I makes people quiet.  It's not acceptable to say what's really happening.  We have to smile and say things are great and suffer in silence.

Adoption is wonderful.  And hard. And glorious. And exhausting. And enriching. And draining.  And God is all over it, loving every minute of it as he changes us into the likeness of His Son.  It is like a picture of marriage,  joining lives together from 2 different worlds, with one common purpose.  To be  family.  Why do we make it NOT OK to talk about it and be REAL???? 

So, the other night on Facebook, someone posted this AWESOME blogpost from Jen Hatmaker

http://jenhatmaker.com/blog/2011/09/06/after-the-airport

When Love Takes You In . . .

Rivers of Living Water ~ a Reality

Well that dream I had back on Feb 15th is becoming a reality.  http://wildprairiefarms.blogspot.com/2011/02/rivers-of-living-water.html
We are in the process of starting a Non Profit Organization, called Rivers of Living Water - Helping Orphans and Widows in Need. 

Our desire is to help place clean water wells in orphanages and villages of adopted children.  Our first project is to place a well in The Kamashi Orphanage in Kamashi, Benishangul-Gumuz region of Ethiopia.  This is the orphanage that our daughters came from.  For more information, take a look at our new website.

http://www.rivers-of-living-water.org/.

Please pray for us as we begin this new adventure!

Children of God

A Day of Fasting and Prayer for the Orphans of Ethiopia

Hi Y’all ... and I’m not even from the south ... it just seemed appropriate.

We are declaring a fast.  At our house we fast from sundown to sundown, therefore it would be from sundown tonight to sundown Sunday night. If you care to join me, do it whenever you want.

This article was posted on Voice of America yesterday concerning Ethiopian Adoptions.  They are about to cut adoptions by 90%.  A very sad day for the estimated 5 million orphans of Ethiopia.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/-Ethiopia-to-Cut-Foreign-Adoptions-by-Up-to-90-Percent-117411843.html

Let’s pray for the captives to be released...
For the devil’s hands to be bound ...
For the schemes of the enemy to fail ...
For there to be confusion in the camp ...
That justice will be done for the children who wait now, and the ones who are coming ...
That compassionate leaders will step up and step in and put an end to these plans ...
that children who need a home will have one ...and not wait any longer ...

The Lord is TOTALLY for the Orphan and the Widow. So, none of these wimpy “if this is your will, Lord.”
Justice and compassion for the Orphan are completely in His will. Pray with faith that the walls will come tumbling down and these little captives will be set free.

Will you join me?

Quoting 2 Chronicles 20:6-23

“LORD, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. 7 Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? 8 They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, 9 ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’

10 “But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. 11 See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance. 12 Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

13 All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the LORD.

14 Then the Spirit of the LORD came on Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly.

15 He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. 17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.’”

18 Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the LORD. 19 Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the LORD, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

20 Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” 21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his[c] holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:

“Give thanks to the LORD,
for his love endures forever.”

22 As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. 23 The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another.

Amen.

The Alaska to Africa Project - March Blitz for Schilling Family and Drawn from Water

During the month of March, The Alaska to Africa Project is donating all the proceeds from their sales of beautiful hancrafted artwork, their Africas and Crosses, to both The Schiling Family Adoption Fund and Drawn From Water.  Please check out their website for samples of their pieces.  They are beautiful and would make an awesome gift to anyone who has a heart for Africa or for the cross of Jesus. 

Thanks for your support!

http://alaskaafrica.blogspot.com/2011/02/march-blitz-for-schillings.html?spref=fb

Even YOUNG men will dream dreams ...

Last night my Ethiopian son, Gezaw had a dream ....

"The whole family was walking, taking a LONG walk, trying to go somewhere.  And we saw HUGE water coming.  And we looked and we saw Noah's boat was coming for us. And then we get on it.  And then after that, we get on it and we have animals, too.  Our animals get on the boat, too.  And then, one day we saw no more water and we saw land and we come out of boat."

I believe this is a dream from the Lord.

Rivers of Living Water . . .

I had this dream yesterday morning. 

We were invited on a vacation with some old church friends of ours, who live in Oregon and have just recently adopted an adorable, baby girl from Ethiopia.  When we got there, we were all sharing this HUGE room, that was like, 30 feet long, and had partitions in it.  Along the one wall was this 30 foot long picture window, floor to ceiling, that overlooked this huge, wide, white-water rapids, gushing river. We were about 5 stories up overlooking this river, but it still looked violent and ominous.

Both of our families were there.  They now have 5 kids, we have 6.  I went and looked out this other window on the corner and saw a red suspension bridge, that resembled the Golden Gate Bridge, then on the other side I saw this huge mountain/rock.  Masses of people were climbing up the side of the rock and were hanging on by holding on to the rocks jetting out from the wall.

Then suddenly, like someone turned on this huge faucet, water gushed out over the mountain like a mighty, rushing waterfall.  The people hung there, reveling in it.  Then after about a minute or so, the water turned off again.  The people were laughing and thoroughly enjoying the fresh, cold water.  It happened again and again, like someone was turning on and off a huge faucet, a massive waterfall of white-water.  There was a huge pool at the bottom and people were swimming and playing in the pool, in the cool, clean, fresh water.

Then I woke up.

I've been waiting to blog about this .. but I feel like I might just burst if I keep it in any longer.  We believe the Lord is birthing a ministry through our family.  We have this strong desire to place water wells in the orphanages of, not only our adopted children, but in those of other families who have adopted from Ethiopia.  In the orphanage where 2 of our kids are from, they take a truck into the river a mile or so away, and hand fill big containers full of the dirty river water.  Then they haul it back to the orphanage.  The ones who have been adopted are the blessed ones, but still they come to us with parasites and worms, skin disorders and malnutrition.  The ones who remain still continue in this life ....

"Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God who keeps our hearts and weighs our souls, knows that we know and holds us responsible to act." Proverbs 24:12

We have been doing a LOT of research in the past few days.  Asking LOTS of questions and knocking on LOTS of doors.  There are many wonderful Water Organizations out there, even some doing water campaigns to help villages in Ethiopia, but they all have their own partners and work in their own specific areas, and are unable to help us fulfill this vision we believe we have from God: water for the orphans.  I am beginning to get discouraged.  But as my friend, JT told me today, "Keep on asking ... all you need is one 'Yes'." 
 
Seems like we will need to start a non-profit organization, or perhaps partner with an existing organization who might want to help us fulfill this vision from the Lord.  Please pray for us as we continue to look for that one, open door.  If you are an adoptive family and are interested in our project, please let us know!
 
Thank you and Blessings

Asleep in the Light . . .

The Lord is birthing something ... deep within me ... there is a crying out for justice for the orphan and the widow, for the oppressed ... 

"Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God who keeps our hearts and weighs our souls, knows that we know and holds us responsible to act."  Proverbs 24:12

I'm feeling like Keith Green when he sang the words of this song ... 

WARNING:   This song will either convict you or offend you.

Do you see, do you see, All the people sinking down
Don't you care, don't you care, Are you gonna let them drown
How can you be so numb, Not to care if they come
You close your eyes, And pretend the job's done.

"Oh bless me Lord, bless me Lord", You know it's all I ever hear
No one aches, no one hurts, No one even sheds one tear ...
But He cries, He weeps, He bleeds, And He cares for your needs
And you just lay back And keep soaking it in,
Oh, can't you see it's such a sin?

Cause He brings people to your door, And you turn them away
As you smile and say, "God bless you, be at peace"
And all heaven just weeps, Cause Jesus came to your door
You've left him out on the streets

Open up open up, And give yourself away
You see the need, you hear the cries, So how can you delay
God's calling and you're the one, But like Jonah you run
He's told you to speak, But you keep holding it in,
Oh can't you see it's such a sin?

The world is sleeping in the dark, That the church just can't fight
Cause it's asleep in the light
How can you be so dead, When you've been so well fed
Jesus rose from the grave, And you, you can't even get out of bed

Oh, Jesus rose from the dead, Come on, get out of your bed
How can you be so numb, Not to care if they come
You close your eyes, And pretend the job's done
You close your eyes, And pretend the job's done

Don't close your eyes, Don't pretend the jobs done
Come away, come away, come away with Me my love,
Come away, from this mess, come away with Me, my love.

Pretty harsh, right?  Or is it?  

Relationship Not Behavior

This post was taken from another source ... 3rd Degree Parenting

I am reposting it here because I think it is an excellent reference for adoptive families. Read on:

By Claudia

October 6, 2009

In retrospect, I have one major regret in my earlier parenting. For the first two placements of older children, I focused on behavior -- attempting to modify it, change it, fix it -- instead of attachment. And the results have been less than satisfactory.

When these particular boys moved into my home my immediate reaction was, "Oh My Goodness!!!! i have so much work to do to prepare them for adulthood." I needed to get busy and fast because their behaviors were completely unacceptable.

Imagine if this was the approach of someone who had begun to get to know a person they thought they wanted to marry. What if on the first date, a woman said, "Welcome to my life. I can see right now that your table manners aren't appropriate, so let's begin working on that right now. Let me show you how to hold a fork." How long would the relationship last? It would die before it began.

Since my first placements I have learned that my first task should be to be the kind of person my child can fall in love with. I need to do and say things that will make them feel good about me. When they do make a mistake, or break a rule, I need to remind them lovingly that this is not how we do things, but that I am still committed to them and love them unconditionally.

This is one of the most important things I have learned as a parent who adopted older children: No child is going to attempt to please or obey an adult to whom they are not attached. When I was growing up, I didn't want to disappoint my mom and dad. I wanted to please them. This was because of our relationship which was healthy, attached, and foundational.

Demanding that children obey us while they are basically still strangers simply because someone has told them that they have a new parent is downright ridiculous. And yet I did it and many parents do. The focus is all on behavior and the child or teen moves in thinking "wow, did I end up with a witch for a mom."
A couple things about behaviors: First, some of them never go away. Mental illness or organic brain damage due to prenatal exposure to alcohol will not go away just because a child is placed in a loving home. And secondly, they'll be around later and you can deal with them then.

When I was a college administrator responsible for discipline I learned the concept, "Get them to respect you first, and later worry about them liking you." I took this principal into adoption and parenting and it ABSOLUTELY DID NOT WORK. Some of the kids never really came to love me as their mom and respect never came either.

Focus that first year on getting the kid to fall in love with you. If you do, you can worry about behavior. I'm not saying to ignore rule violations, but under-react. Keep the focus on the child, on attachment, on learning to understand your child and years down the road you'll be much farther ahead than those who started tackling behavior the day the kids moved it.

The voice of wistful experience, combined with regret, has spoken.

From 3rd Degree Parenting

Time to Worship

This video is from Woliso, Ethiopia at Emmanuel Orphanage where my son Gezaw was living for over a year until he came home to be with our family. Just thought I'd share. This is church, and they are singing about Yesus. Love it!

Matching Grant Update - Only $216.09 Short

Thank you to those who recently sent us a donation towards our Adoption!

As you know we are in the fundraising stages of our next Adoption, of 2-3 Orphans from Ethiopia, Africa. A while back we were offered a $3000 matching grant during our Both Hands Project from Lifesong for Orphans. So far, we have raised $2,783.91.  Praise God!  Again, thank you so much, to all who have already contributed.

We are still $216.09 short of reaching our goal for the full $3000 grant.  So close ... yet so far!

If you haven't already, would you please consider making a generous donation, or ANY donation, to our Both Hands/Lifesong for Orphans account?  It's tax-deductable and you would be following James 1:27:

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress ..."

In order to make a donation, please go to:

http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/bhProjComp.html
and scroll down to 11/06/10 - Charles & Bonnie Schilling
and click on DONATE.

Thank you SO much!

Love & Blessings

I'll Follow You

Another video and song that has touched my heart. 

I'll follow you into the homes of the broken ...
Follow You into the world.
I'll meet the needs of the poor and the needy, God.
I'll follow You into the world.

"What Made You Choose Ethiopia?"

I had someone else ask me today, in a dry, tone of voice ... "What made you choose Ethiopia?"  (What she really meant was, why didn't we adopt from the United States.)

There was this long silence as my mind raced through all the thousands of reasons why ... Ethiopia.

The question really should have been "WHO made you choose Ethiopia?"  I did not choose Ethiopia. The Lord did.

We were thinking Domestic Adoption, but the Lord said, "What about Ethiopia?"

Then we were thinking, Nicaragua, but the Lord said, "What about Ethiopia?"

Then we thought, anywhere in Latin America, but the Lord said, "What about Ethiopia?"

So finally, as every other door quietly closed, we turned around and saw the doors for Ethiopia opened wide before us. "Then you will hear a voice behind you saying, 'This is the way ... walk in it.'" So we did.

And now, my heart burns for the Orphans in Ethiopia and other countries in Africa.  I have been ruined.   I saw where they live, what they have and don't have, I feel the burden for them.  I carry it in my heart.

So then this same person asked, "When will you know that you have enough children in your family?"  I wanted to slap her.  I wondered about the motive of this question, in this nation of house, 2 cars, 2.5 children and a dog.

And I said, "I thought with this last adoption that we had enough, but the Lord keeps telling us there are more out there, so after we bring these next ones home ... I guess we will see what the Lord has to say."

I then asked her if she had ever been out of this country. She had not. 

We live in such an abundant of blessing.  It's all around us.  We have SO MUCH STUFF that we have to rent storage units to put it all in.  We have 2 or 3 car garages, (well actually we don't) that are bigger than 2 or 3 whole houses in many other countries.

So "Why Ethiopia?"  Because we told the Lord a while back, "My life is yours. Do what you will.  I will follow You."  And we meant it.

We followed Jesus to Ethiopia.


                 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I found this video today from another family who are in the process of adopting a child from Ethiopia.  Take a look ... it may help answer the question, "Why Ethiopia?" 

$3000 Matching Grant . . . Can you Help?

Dear Friends and Family,

As you know we are in the Fundraising stages of our next Adoption, of 2-3 Orphans from Ethiopia, Africa. A while back we were offered a $3000 matching grant during our Both Hands Project. So far, we have raised $2540.44 !  Praise God! Thank you so much, to all who have already contributed!

But, we are still $459.56 short of reaching our goal for the full $3000 grant. So close ... yet so far!

If you haven't already, would you please consider making a generous donation, or ANY donation, to our Both Hands/Lifesong for Orphans account? It's tax-deductable and you would be following James 1:27:

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress ..."

In order to make a donation, please go to:

http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/bhProjComp.html
and scroll down to 11/06/10 Charles & Bonnie Schilling
and click on Donate.

Thank you SO much!

Love & Blessings

The Least of These . . .

I am feeling bothered tonight ... there is a burning deep inside my heart.  These scriptures, and what they say ... what about the orphans?  Why are there so many ... still?  Why does there seem to be so few who are "called" to adopt.  Isn't it a calling for all of us to care for the least of these?  And if not to adopt them ... to do SOMETHING?  Check this out from God's Word ....

James 1:27
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

What part of this scripture don't we Christians understand?  It says if we call ourselves Christians we should be taking care of orphans and widows ...  it's right out there, in black and white, no hidden meanings.  But how many of us do?

How about this one ....

Matthew 25:31-46
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,  I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

This is scarey stuff.  But I didn't say it ... God did. Why then, does there seem to be only a few families scattered here and there who have a heart for the orphan?  And when we talk to other Christians, most folks, their eyes just glaze over .... like we are speaking a different language .... they don't get it ...  They are thinking about where to go out to lunch after church. 

My heart is heavy ....

Depraved Indifference - Eric Ludy

Why Ethiopia?

This video was posted by a friend on Facebook. I thought they did a great job on answering the question many of us hear, when we say we are adopting from Ethiopia. "Why Ethiopia? Why not from the United States."

At first you see the history of Ethiopia which might not answer your question ... but keep watching ...

Melkam Ganna - It's Christmas in Ethiopia!

Hi all, a few folks have ask me for the recipes I used for today's Ethiopian feast. They each were very easy, the only thing I did wrong was try to make them all in one day in 3 hours time!!! I found these online so I will just post the links to the websites.

I made fresh Berbere Paste to use in the other recipes:
http://www.whats4eats.com/sauces/berbere-recipe
I did replace the chiles with Paprika as the recipe suggested ...
... tasted great to me and the kids!

Niter Kibbeh - Spiced Clarified Butter for the recipes:
http://www.whats4eats.com/sauces/niter-kibbeh-recipe

Doro Wat - Spicy Chicken Stew
http://www.whats4eats.com/poultry/doro-wat-recipe
I recommend doubling the chicken for a big family.
(We have 8 people so I tripled it.)

Beef Tibs - Sauted Beef & Vegetables
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=466545
I would say this would have been better to put in a slow cooker after sauteing to get the meat really soft.

Quick Injera:
http://www.whats4eats.com/breads/injera-quick-recipe
I would add the 2 1/2 to maybe 3 cups of the club soda, as mine came out very thick like a pancake not a crepe. I added 1 cup white flour, 1/2 cup teff flour, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour. Also I added the lemon juice right to the recipe instead of brushing it on later.

I also made White Beans, which did not want to be ready in time for the meal so we will have them for dinner. Recipe for that is 2 cups small white beans, cover it with about 6 - 8 cups hot water and soak OVERNIGHT. (I forgot to do this) Next day drain of water and recover with 6 - 8 cups hot water. Bring to a boil then simmer until beans are soft. Never add salt to any beans until the end or they will stay crunchy. I added chopped then pureed sweet onions and minced garlic, then salt, pepper and garlic salt and some of the berbere paste. Going to be VERY yummy!

All in all, the kids LOVED it and I did too. I really did not like the injera in ET but this one was OK, cause it was not so sourdoughish.

Enjoy and Melkam Ganna - Merry Ethiopian Christmas!