U2 - I Believe In Father Christmas [U2's contribution to (RED)WIRE]

Yesterday was AIDS day around the world. This is U2's song to launch www.redwire.com

My Montage 11/23/08

I finally did it! thanks Nat! Fun to put pictures and memories to video. ;)

What a day!

All I can say is that it was a joy today. There are so many opportunities to love people. We met alot of hurting and lost people this afternoon at the Bridge. Our girls got a chance to shake hands and smile at those less fortunate. Thanks Lord for allowing us to participate, you are merciful!

WE'RE OFF!

This is the day the Lord has made!! Wow, it's cold. Just a thought. Our morning has consisted of alot of selfishness, fighting about what Cartoon saturday program to watch, who get's the markers, who get's to go first..Then there's the kids, just kidding. I myself started to complain and murmur. What's the cure? Off to walmart! let's do some shopping! not for us though! God has bigger plans today! pray the Lord brings some homeless in our path today as we drive around and pray that HIS seeds will grow today. Praising the Lord, for the Joy of the Lord is my strength!! As for Carly, hang in there baby, not too much longer!!
Praying for our son today, I long for him and pray he is well. Pray he see' Jesus today through the eyes of another.

Follow up with video

My heart just sinks when I watch this video yet i'm just as guilty of "feeling"the pressure to spend. As I think about what legacy I want to pass down to our girls and our son, it's that they would be fully devoted to the Lord in everything they do. Whether celebrating the the birth of Jesus Christ or walking in the grocery store that they would see to give God glory however and whenever they can! Man Lord your gonna have to really cover my sin on this one! Fill in the gaps where I fall short! I give thanks to the Lord for he is good, His love endures forever!

Praising today, praying for the orphaned,widowed, and the strangers out there! Praising God for what He is showing me this week.

Praying for our precious boy, where ever he is. It's been extremely difficult to pin point my emotions since we've been on the waiting list. Excitement when I sit still and reflect on what is about to happen. Fear of the unknown, will he attach to me? me to him? Sadness, where is he? does he have a family to hold him right now? Mourning, the loss that his parents endured or family..Inadequacy as a parent.

God is showing me alot of things right now with my parenting the girls..(search me God, know my heart) Basically how ugly my heart can be and self-centered I can be. How I can be more about serving me and less about serving others (see Philiippians 2:3-4). How my tone and words at times aren't gentle, how the patience is zapped out of me(my choice of course). Does that radiate the spirit of God? Yet I know it comes back to this truth; Deuteronomy 6:5-7 " You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which i am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up."

The first part of that scripture is where I desire to grow! to love! I am extremely disciplined. You give me a list I will do it. You give me a goal and I will seek to achieve it. I'm called to teach my girls, I am doing it. We are talking alright..Morning time, prayer, daily teachable moments with what happens at school. BUT, 1Corinthians 13 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. That is where I desire to grow and be stretched and take action! Our girls are watching every move we make. If I teach them daily the word(law) yet do not radiate the love and excitement of Christ will he be contagious?no! I praise God for how far he has brought me but see the deprivaty of how far I have to go. We met with our community group last night and asked the question, "what does it mean to be radical for Christ?" I think God speaks into each persons' life on that question if we truly ask it and if we truly want to hear the answer.

My friend Wes said this in so many words, " What we don't know is what it means to be radical for Christ, what we do know is that we are not there yet". sorry Wes if I butchered that. I just desire to live out loving the lost, loving my neighbor, loving the teachers,parents, kids at our school and exhorting Christ in our home so that our girls wouldn't want it any other way! not because they fear punishment but because they want to please their Holy Father and experiencce life and joy! and that they would want some of that! I'm not sure at times if they want some of that or if mom is exasperating them. Lord, that i would be excited about your word and your truths! That I would be obedient to love how Jesus loved, the fruit of the spirit, with humility and peace and joy. And that we would continue to serve outside our walls so that our girls and our son someday would desire to love those who are overlooked in this world. There is no other joy like serving the poor so why do I often choose comfort with my "own" family? I just started Fields of the Fatherless, this quote really hit me in a good way! "In this world you are an orphan-eagerly anticipating your adoption as God's child. In this world you are a widow-longing for reunion with your Bridegroom. In this world you are a stranger-a pilgrim waiting to become a citizen of heaven. And in this world, God has called you to care for the orphan,the stranger, and the widow." Lot's of stuff here, lot's of conviction. Lord you are using this waiting period to grow me like never before. Pray you have a blessed day. Love, Sarah

Advent Conspiracy Promo Video

This has really got me thinking not only for this time of year but throughout the year.

Let the Waiting Begin

We are officially on the wait list for our little boy......22 months - 33 months to be exact. We are so, so excited....yet, I think also a bit numb to the fact that we are this far along so quickly. Can't wait to get to Ethiopia and see our son, and for our girls to meet their brother.

One step closer

We received our CIS approval in the mail today......so exciting. One more big step taken....and after just a little more paperwork - it seems that we are down to the waiting....to be on the waiting list....and then waiting some more. But, I must say, I'm pretty stoked that I am done with paperwork!

Praise to the Lord, for He is good....and He is in complete control 100% of the time....and He is good.

Another step forward!

So exciting! We got news that all of our dossier documents have been authenticated (who knows what that means) without any glitches!! All we are waiting for is our CIS approval notice then we fed ex that and we are done!! Next step would be waiting list :) We have began to decorate our son's room! Next job, painting furniture!

First day of School!

Lord, they are in your hands! I feel like an empty nester (nope my girls did not go off to college today). Cary and I took our girls to their first day of school, 5 days a week ( i have been homeschooling). Caitlin was nervous and quiet until she got to school and saw some friends. Carly was teary eyed when I dropped her off. Mommy and Daddy were just trying to survive through the hallways of chaos. :) Kids everywhere. I have been pretty emotional all week. Looking back remembering them as babies. The toddler years and all that came with that. Eight years with my babies and today I dropped off my 1st and 2nd grader to a new season of life. Lord i know you have so much to teach us this year. I know challenges will come and circumstances will be difficult at times, yet i know that ultimately I can rejoice regardless. I know that you will teach us through many events and that my girls will have an opportunity to grow, be stretched, learn from mistakes, and to be salt and light.

Thank you Lord for the peace I have today, for guiding every step of this process. And the great reminders that ultimately our girls character will be shaped by what we teach them and that the teachers and the school are the educators alone. To those who believe that the school has more influence I would disagree. A quote from the book, 'Going Public', "The number of hours we get with our children compared to the classroom.. A student spends around 6.5 hours in school multiplied by 180 school days per year, that's 1,170 hours over a years time. Meanwhile, parents have access to the other 9.5 waking hours of the school day, plus all the weekends, holidays and assorted vacations, including summer- a grand total of 4,670 hours per year. Do the math: School recieves 20 percent of the "time pie", while parents control the other 80 %."

God is good. One day at a time. And I'll enjoy this small season until our son comes home and then start again :) Praising the Lord in all his glory and wisdom! Praising the gift of motherhood. Acknowledging I can do nothing on my own and that all Cary and I can do is continue to point our girls to Christ, the choice is theirs, in every decision they make, the consequence (good or bad) is ours to give.

Fingerprints and More

We have some exciting updates. We have received our home study approval! We have also received our form back from Homeland Security to go get our fingerprints for the I600A. We also have sent in our fingerprints for the FBI background checks. So - all in all; we have made a ton of progress. Our friends who have gone through this tell us that hopefully all will be going for us and we'll have our son spring to summer of 2009. Very exciting. Another exciting event that has taken place (pictures to come) is that a few of us that went to Africa together on discipleship trip have gotten tattoo's. Very fun stuff. I'm sure a few raised eyebrows.....but, it was a blast getting it with my beautiful bride in Austin on sixth street and hanging with my friends in Dallas doing the same.

More updates to come.

Gratitude

Lord, I'm so thankful. I'm so excited to share that we're closer to getting the shirts done! The girls and I applied for our passports, most of our paperwork is done (waiting on FBI prints). All I can think about is our child(ren) coming home! On our trip to Iowa, Cary and I had some wonderful time together (while the girls were at camp) talking about the Lord's Sovereignty and goodness. It has been a theme every since. A dear friend gave me a cd from John Piper on God's Sovereignty, my morning time; the Lord continues' to show me in the bible where God's goodness and Sovereignty is the theme throughout, pretty much anywhere I'm reading. As I continue to seek this truth, my heart is full of joy and peace. This morning I was reading Philippians 1. I truly think Paul is the man! His continued peace, even in the midst of imprisonment, yet spiritually he was free. In verse, 21 he says, " For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain". Wow I have been thinking about that verse through out the day. Paul had absolute Joy, nothing rocked his world, his eyes were on the kingdom alone therefore his joy was deep abiding, everlasting. His entire focus and desire was for the Lord, yet even if his life were to be taken(which eventually was) he looked at it as gain, life forever with Jesus! Talking about an attitude of gratitude. My desire is to thirst for the Lord to pursue him deeply and that my actions would be out of a response, pure and sincere! I truly believe gratitude, as I meditate on it daily, being thankful for the grace of God in my life in all things, that I wouldn't be able to hold back,to give back, to serve back, love back, to anyone! Lord, that in all and every circumstance that i would be in deep gratitude, in good times that i would never take for granted all and everything and that in hard trials I would look upon them as if a privelage and an opportunity to grow and glorify you! Praying for my children today, thankful for the grace that you continue to bestow upon us all. Can't wait to bring our new addition(s) home, to teach them about you, that they may know you in all your limitless love with no boundaries!!

Adoption Journey

Happy 4th of July everyone!

We continue to make progress on our adoption....lot's of paperwork getting done....and we have made one more step today. Our good friend Jon Flaming designed the logo to the right (the Adopted/Adopt Cross) after we shared our hearts with him. It is really neat seeing how God gifts people so differently. Best case scenario, I could have come up with a stick figure....maybe.

So, if you are interested in some shirts or hats for your own wear, or gifts for your favorite friends and coworkers...and loved ones and neighbors and people walking along the street...let us know! We'll start posting some pics of shirts and hats once they become available - hopefully in the next few weeks to month.

Thanks friends.

Cary & Sarah

Amazing!

Words cannot express the privelage I experienced in having the kidney transplant surgery! God is so good, thanks for all your continued prayers as Angi and I continue to recover. Angi is doing well! I am resting well. The body of Christ has truly surrounded us and loved us through meals and taking care of the girls; my heart is full. The amount of joy before surgery and after is indescribable, words fail to describe what I witnessed and the joy in other folks who took part in hanging out at the hospital before/during/after surgery was fun to witness. God has given me much and to HIM I am grateful. Praising the Lord for my husband who has stepped up huge and taken the task of mommy for two weeks! Praying for my sweet friend as she continues to heal!

Kidney Surgery

The kidney transplant has gone well. Sarah (donor) is doing great.....very sleepy so far. Angi (recipient) seems to be doing well. We are all so excited about the fact that the kidney began working immediately in Angi. Praying now for acceptance by her body. She is very sweet; and I'm thankful that Sarah had an opportunity to participate in such an awesome event and blessing.

thank you friends and family who have been praying for everyone.

Cary

Lot's of Exciting stuff!

Well for Mothers' day we went to Six Flags, as the Tuckers' would do, we got there when it opened and left the park when it closed :) What a wonderful to spend the day, Caitlin and Carly had so much fun! We also finished another year of school! I'm so proud of the girls, they truly worked so hard! I cannot believe they are now 1st and 2nd graders! WOW!! Tonight, Cary is sitting at the table and beginning the paper work! lot's and lot's of paper work :) I'm about to join in on the fun. It seems so far away, I can't wait to see our child in the near future, to be apart of our family and to be able to be apart of the wonderful memories that I feel so blessed to be apart of! God is so good, I am so thankful. Praying for our child today. Thanking the Lord for the children we have, what a gift!

FUNNY!

Can i get this right?? below was written by me, not above :) Cary is shaking his head right now, I just know it.. blogging is hard work.

Oops-see above

Sorry about that, above was written by me, although I know Cary would agree with everything i said :)

Meeting Faith

Lord,

Thank you for today. I had the privilege of watching a group of orphans from Uganda dance at our local Macy's. They call themselves, "The Spirit of Uganda", a group that travels the country dancing and then returning to their country to finish school. Lord, I did not know you would touch my heart today the way you have. The moment these children (ages 8-19) began dancing, and the boys began playing the drums I could barely hold it together. So many emotions, wondering what their life is like at home, what parent, if not both, killed to AIDS. I couldn't possibly know what they've experienced, yet there they were, dancing ,singing, smiling; an unexplainable joy.

But as tears came down my face, I tried to look in as many eyes as I could and say thank you with just a smile. Thank you for blessing me today. God's grace staring me in the face, such irony in the midst of wallet size purses the price of a steak dinner for two at a five star restaurant. I got to meet many of these sweet children afterwards and had them sign a book about orphans that I purchased. At first I asked myself, why would I have them sign this? am i wanting to glorify what they have been through? NO!! I want to remember!! Lord thank you for giving me that gift today, to remind me of the joy of knowing you, no matter what life brings my way( a perspective that is nothing in comparison to the orphans of Africa). Yep I hurt, I have pain, but the reality is, I have been given a life of luxury, I'm fed, I'm clothed, I live in a middle class home with a pool. Who's got it down more? who really gets joy? the most purest form, to have nothing yet to be joyful, to be able to smile.. My emotions are raw as I think about them, yet hopeful that they will know the Lord, if not already and be able to continue to be a voice for Africa.

As they had a intermission, a young 16 year old approached me and said hello and proceeded to hug me, her name was Faith. "Hello Faith" I said, What a sweet picture, as if God himself handed her to me to meet. A reminder of why Cary and I are pursuing a precious child across the world, our Faith. I left and picked up my girls from their private school, chuckled as we drove home, listening to them complain about being hot, thirsty, wanting a play date, wanting to swim in our pool. As I sent one to her room when we got home and the other to get her bathing suit, I got to reflect on today. As I watched my sweet young child swim, pretending to be mermaid, not a care in the world, glowing with a sense of security even though she doesn't even know it or can speak of it. I get it, I see it, she is deeply loved, her needs are met, even though she complains often. The true gift that my girls have received is the gift of knowing Jesus Christ, staring at Carly and reflecting on sweet Caitlin in time out, since day one, all they have heard come from our lips is about the Lord. Some day I know that they will understand that privilege and they will respond. I thank you Lord for the opportunity you have given us! The privilege of allowing us to parent another child, to love them, to care for them, to teach them your ways! I see your love for your children and it is intoxicating, I grasp your love for me, adopting me! Thank you for using me! I pray that our girls would understand your Grace more and more and that they would be grateful for what they have instead of complaining about that which they don't have..oh wait, i pray that for me too!

Ethiopia It Is!

We both have felt just a wonderful sense of peace about Ethiopia - and after some really great conversations with some friends who have adopted already (thanks David and Garth); gave us both some further clarity on the decisions that we have to make. So - we are very clear on Ethiopia....just in case it wasn't obvious from the Ethiopia flag to the time clock! We will be awaiting the clarity on sex and gender. It seems we both feel like it would be great to start with one child and see where God leads us to after that. Who knows....maybe another country in Africa, like Rwanda, or another child in Ethiopia. It is really just fun to think about it - with no stress knowing that God already does know.



Cary

WOW!

Here we go!! I'm so excited! I couldn't agree more with my sweet husband! There are so many thoughts going on through my head yet continuing to turn it all over to the Lord. Praising the Lord for what HE is doing. As we are being led in this direction I am being sifted like crazy. Amazing how the Lord can multi-task the way HE can. Thankful, praising the Lord today. Yes, i'm a bit anxious about all the paperwork, Cary it's all you babe :)

Sent off initial information to Gladney

I sent to Gladney our information sheet today.....very strange; I'm walking back from the post office, where I paid extra to get the info to Gladney hopefully no later than Friday, and as I'm walking back to my office, my stomach is really upset.......I'm nervous that something could happen to slow or delay or stop our adoption......man, this is weird. I go from saying "no way" to adoption no less than a year ago....to, now, "please God, don't let anything get in the way of our adoption". Thank you Lord for pursuing me.....as I once said "no" to You, and you graciously and lovingly moved in my heart to a "yes" to You. Thank you for doing that to me - and for our child(ren) that await us.....please, Lord, if it is your will, that this process would lead us to an adoption of a beatiful child(ren) of Yours......oh - and can you do it smoothly and quickly?.....if it is Your wil! Thank you for adopting us into your family through your Son!

Sharing with Family & Friends

We have now shared with a few people....but, we figured, that we would also use the blog as a means of communicating with others - and for future communication.

So, Sarah and I went to Gladney on Saturday - and really continue to have a tremendous amount of peace and conviction about what the Lord is leading us to.

Yes - we are starting the adoption process. What we are now praying about - and asking for is further clarity on country or for the Lord to make it evident if He wants another country (we believe it is Ethiopia).....it is 100% Africa - the only other option would be Rwanda - however, the country is new - and were not sure we want to be on the front end of the adoptions there. Also - praying for clarity on age and sex.

Thank you friends for praying for us - and with us - praying for our child, that is most likely already in an orphanage as I write....and praying that he/she would be cared for and loved...and given a sense of peace by the Lord that he/she will be coming to a family that will love them shortly.

thank you friends and family. We shared with my mom and dad yesterday - and so thankful for their loving and gracious response......thank you Mom and Dad!

Cary

First Post

Well, this is my first post to our new blog. We'll see how this goes. A lot going on in the Tucker world right now. We are walking through a bunch of really cool things:

1) Sarah is in the process of donating her kidney to a sweet friend from college
2) We are getting set for a fun summer that involves a church camp, sports camp, and hopefully, lots of swimming.
3) Sarah and I are having lots of discussions on the topic of international adoptions....and enjoying the discussions A LOT.
4) I continue to think a lot about my recent trip to Africa and what I learned about myself and about God.

That's it for now!