Sanctity of Life Sunday

Today is a day set aside to recognize the sanctity of human life and to remember the more than 40 million tiny lives lost to abortion in the 33 years since Roe v. Wade. It was a special day for our family because today we celebrated Owen's baby dedication at our home church, along with several other families. In so doing, we publicly recognized the private commitment we had already made, to raise our son in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Another thing that made today special was briefly sharing with our church family that Sanctity of Life Sunday can be about more than just beginning-of-life and end-of-life issues ... it can also be about celebrating adoption! We shared a very brief Powerpoint presentation entitled "God's Heart for Orphans."

Many Christians, myself included, have looked at adoption as a wonderful way for infertile couples to start a family. But I believe God’s word teaches that adoption is not only for those couples who cannot have children biologically. Adoption is about the very heart of God! And if God cares for the fatherless, then we must all care for the fatherless. In our world today, that means 5.5 million orphans in Africa … 3.5 million orphans in Asia … 1.5 million orphans in Eastern Europe … and the numbers go on and on.

James 1:27 says, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction …” Children are afflicted in our world today. In the African country of Liberia, a little girl who is not adopted into a family will most likely enter a life of prostitution by the age of twelve, just to have food to eat and clothes to wear. Infant mortality rates are so high, and medical care is so non-existent, that adoptions of babies under a year old must be processed as quickly as possible just to give these infants a chance at survival. And in our own backyard, here in the United States, 135,000 children languish in foster care, just longing for a forever family. We have the chance to not only offer these children a family, but also the hope of Jesus Christ!

I close with this wonderful glimpse at the very heart of God, from the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 24 ...

"When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands.

When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow."

Adopting after Infertility

I suppose in all honesty, currently this blog would be better entitled "Stephanie's Ramblings," as it reflects those subjects which are on my heart rather than providing up-to-date information on the "Garcias2Chile." However, it is thrilling to think that one day very soon, we will be on Chilean soil and those subjects closest to my heart will be those that we live and breathe among the Chilean people and our ministry there! In the meantime, I hope those who read this blog will bear with me and possibly have their horizons expanded on other topics, such as this one today.

I did not write these thoughts, but when I read them they spoke to my heart because I, too, have passed through the deep waters which this woman has experienced. For those who know infertility firsthand and/or have adopted after infertility, maybe her words will speak to you as well. And for those who have not experienced this, perhaps you will gain a sensitivity to minister to women around you who are passing through this even now!

"Blessed [be] God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." 2 Corinthians 1:3,4

Thoughts on Becoming A Mother

There are women that become mothers without effort and though they are good mothers and love their children, I know that I will be better. I will be a better mother not because of genetics, or money or that I had read better books. But because I have struggled and toiled for this child. I have longed and waited. I have endured and planned over and over and over again. Like most things in life, the people who truly have appreciations are those who have struggled to attain their dreams. I will notice everything about my child. I will take the time to watch my child sleep, explore and discover. I will marvel at the miracle everyday for the rest of my life. I will be happy when I wake in the middle of the night to the sound of my child, knowing that I can comfort, hold and feed and that I am not waking to give myself another injection of profasi and cry tears of a broken dream, my dream will be crying for me. I count myself fortunate in this sense, that God has given me this insight, this special vision with which I will I will look upon my child that my friends will not see. Whether I parent a child, I give birth to or a child God leads me to...I will not be careless with my love. I will be a better mother for all that I have endured
I am a better Aunt
a better daughter
Neighbor
Friend and Sister
because I have known pain, known disillusionment, been betrayed by my own body, been tried by fire and a Hell many will never face, and given time, I stood tall. So now, when others hurt around me, I do not run from their pain in order to save myself from discomfort. I see it, mourn it and join them in theirs. I listen. And even through I cannot make it better, I can make it less lonely. I have learned the immense power of another hand hold tight to mine, of other eyes that moisten as they accept Harsh Truths, when life is beyond hard.

Nita

Adoption DVD

I mentioned in a previous post the family who adopted four Liberian girls last year ... Today I received a copy of the DVD they created from their video footage while in Liberia. I watched it twice with tears in my eyes, as it is very moving. Their purpose in creating the DVD is to raise awareness of the need for adoption from Liberia, as well as to raise funds for the organization through which they adopted.

The family's story can be read here (copy and paste):

http://www.liberianministries.com/OneTimeFiles/TheIowaGazette.htm

And another adoption story well worth reading can be found here (copy and paste):

http://www.christianitytoday.com/tc/2005/002/1.16.html

Today's Headlines in Antofagasta ...

Note: These are "internet" translations from Spanish to English so they can be a bit comical!


Sun hard punishes to the antofagastinos this summer

They request not to expose in excess during hours peak to come up the cancer to the skin. Solmáforo installed in the Prat Stroll registers discharges intensities of ultra-violet rayses between the 11 and 17 hours. The swimmers must take precautions.

A rollover of "extreme" indices of ultraviolet radiation - the maximum thing for this type of registries has been presenting/displaying Antofagasta for one week. These measurements reach ranks between 12 and 13 points, "something abnormal" after this time of the year.

For that reason, in the National Corporation against the Cancer (Conac) simply they called to avoid to expose itself to the sun between the 11 and 17 hours, in addition to the obligatory use of blocking lot. Even, this protector against rays UV must be understood not like a cosmetic, but that must get up to the daily use as the soap or toothpaste.

One More ...

Note: These are "internet" translations from Spanish to English so they can be a bit comical!


Unusual swell

Only lost it left this unexpected swell throughout the Second Region, the most harmed they were the small businesses of sale of fish and seafood in the Creek Colossus; in addition to the loss of some boats in Mejillones and the Hornitos Bath.

Photographies: Ricardo Of The Rock Toro.

Garcia PRAISE Update, Jan 7 '06

Dear Praying Friends,

We are excited to share our PRAISE update with you this month! God has been doing some exciting things for our family and ministry these past weeks. Our first item of praise has to do with Stephanie's upcoming trip to Peru to attend the international conference hosted by Baptists for Life and the New Life Prenatal Center in Lima. As you may remember, we had requested prayer that God would make clear to us whether Stephanie should attend, and that He would provide for the trip. Within 24 hours, we received word from a supporting church that one of their church families was interested in supporting the trip in full! Other individuals have also indicated a desire to contribute to this ministry opportunity, and we are praising God for His evident direction and provision.

Secondly, we have seen a significant increase in support recently! We are greatly humbled by the generosity of one of our faithful supporting churches which has raised our support for the third time. Three other churches have committed to begin supporting us for varying amounts, as well as several new individuals. We estimate that once all the figures have been processed, we will find ourselves at approximately 91%. This means a remaining need of only $475 per month!

Thank you for praying with us, and for rejoicing with us, as we continue to see God's hand at work in our lives and ministry!

Because of Christ,

Pedro & Stephanie Garcia
Missionaries to Northern Chile
stepega@juno.com
http://stepega.tripod.com
http://garcias2chile.blogspot.com

Late Night Thoughts

It is late at night, when the household is quiet and I can catch up with e-mails and friends in the online world. In this day and age, friendship is sometimes found in unexpected places and I have found many special friends through online adoption support groups. Though we do not all share the same backgrounds or even the same faith, we do share the common values of the sanctity of life and the love of family. Many times, our talk revolves around the mundane activities of our children and homes (although, those who have passed through the heartache of infertility to hold their children in their arms often find even the mundane to hold special significance!)

But then there are those moments when the opportunity arises to share God's truth in simple ways and trust He will bring fruit from it. Perhaps most often there are opportunities to simply shine His love in the midst of the pain that others are experiencing, whether through a failed adoption, health struggles, or even - as our adoption group discovered this Christmas - the loss of a beloved spouse.

Please pray for Lori, who unexpectedly lost her husband of 13 years at the age of 43. They adopted their first and only child, a son, at the same time we adopted Owen early last year (after experiencing a heartbreaking failed adoption around the same time we experienced our failed adoption with Caleb in 2004.) Please pray that Lori and baby John will know God's peace and through this tragedy, will ultimately know God Himself. Recently, Lori penned these words, an important reminder:

I am glad that we had the type of relationship where we expressed often to each other our feelings. No last words were necessary, I knew how he felt about John and I, and he knew the same about us ... For those of you that are married or have a partner in love, hold them close.

The "Big Picture"

I greatly enjoy reading the blog of a Christian wife and mother who, together with her husband, recently adopted four girls (including two newborns) from Liberia – in addition to the five young biological sons they were raising at home! What I appreciate most is how she manages to keep the “big picture” in focus, even in the midst of what must be an incredibly crazy household at times.

Recently, Jenny wrote:

Well I'm off to planting seeds of faith in the ecclectic soils of my children's hearts. My prayer today is that as I wait to see fruit I will not be waiting with my fingers drumming, feet tapping, constantly checking the clock and calandar and despairing of ever seeing a harvest. I want the waiting process to develop more passion for my Lord and His ability to bring forth the fruit in due season.

And then an earlier post of hers which really spoke to my mother-heart:

Then I look at my daily realities, and I see the piles of laundry and dishes to conquer, and I live with this tension between what I wish I could do and what I actually do. I know that raising these eternal souls for the Kingdom is no small matter, I really believe that a cup of cold water given in Jesus name has eternal significance. Yet I also have these other dreams, and I question if they are of God or just some grandiose idea I came up with. I heard someone say that the hardest part of the Chrisitan life is that it's so daily. The dailyness tends to shift me into "auto-pilot" when I need to be redeeming each moment, looking for Jesus in everything, advancing His kingdom in every choice I make.

I think we need to dream big, but we also need to live big. Like a little child who can't wait to be "all grown up" I don't want to miss out on the wonder of the process I am in, from glory to glory. I don't want to think that "real life" will happen someday in the future when Christ promised me abundant life now. When I had a half dozen kids in my bed this morning snuggling up to me, I thought, "This is the good life." Sometimes I am tempted to think "the good life" will happen once there is nobody in diapers in our home . Then I see those older than I am longing for the good old diaper days, and I resolve again to delight in today.

May I truly delight in Jesus Christ today and in the precious souls He has entrusted to our care, leaving tomorrow with all its joys and troubles in His capable hands!