Roller Coaster Adventure

 I keep wishing that I could post photos of the boys... of our family. You need to see how cute they are:) We are not allowed to put any pics online until they are officially ours. Until then you will just have to visit us!!!!
 


We have been blessed to have two beautiful boys in our home for 6 months now. I suppose every family experiences what we are experiencing in different ways. We are just finding our way through this new path. We love the laughs we have with the boys, the interesting answers we come up with to the difficult questions “D” (our 4 year old) asks, the dancing in the family room (and laughing at Chris’ moves that he is teaching D), the belly laugh that we love to hear from “T” (our 7 month old), the newness of the Christmas season through their young eyes. They are fun, inquisitive, lovely boys. We have found the tough part comes when we are told that they have found a new family member that has expressed interest in having the kids live with them. Selfishly, sadness sets in... then the next week the family member  declines... Joy fills our hearts. I know reunification with the biological family is the goal but my heart says different. The county has to keep looking for family members... nation-wide... and so we wait. So, we are asked a lot if we know if we get to adopt the boys and when it will happen and the truth is that we just don’t know. When I get anxious and want to know what the future holds, Chris reminds me that we are here to love them day by day and it is not our job to anticipate what will happen. This helps me focus on my calling to this ministry of giving my all to these kids, it helps me breathe again. Just as a wise friend told me,” Stay in today.” That is how I need to live each day... Stay in the moment, stay in today.

I wonder what it was like for the boy’s biological mom to have her children taken from her. Does her heart ache? Does she wonder? I pray for her that in this Christmas season she will know that her children are being loved and cared for and that Jesus loves and cares for her.

 I can’t imagine what some parents go through. I stared at the TV as we learned that those little children were tragically murdered in their classroom... I have held mamas weeping as their babies die of Malaria or AIDS... I watched from afar as my good friends in Arkansas walked on a painful road after tragically losing their 10 year old daughter... my younger cousin lost two young daughters due to a genetic condition. My mind cannot wrap around this immeasurable pain. I wonder how their lives go on. Maybe they are all clinging to the hope that God has promised us... a hope  that someday there will be no more pain, no more sorrow, no more children taken away... a hope that changes our hearts and sets us on a journey of being whole and loved by the Prince of Peace. That is our hope as we stay in today.



We love you, The Sahr family

Wow...

...And then there were 4... What just happened? This is something Chris and I ask each other while standing stunned and sleep deprived in the middle of a house strewn with toys, dirty diapers and baby bottles. This has been a whirlwind and we are loving it. Overwhelming but exciting.

We received Timmy, age 3 weeks, into our home on June 13th and just welcomed brother Damari age 3 and a half on Thursday July 5th. We consider ourselves so blessed as God has brought these kids into our lives and we have been given the opportunity to take care, love and nurture these beautiful boys. We have been having fun swimming, going to the park and  having visitors over. Damari’s favorite line is, “Chris, you are so funny.” He loves to laugh and ask a lot of questions.

 Our wish would be to adopt but the process will be a very long road of hearings, court dates and waiting. We want to love these boys as much as we can and hope it will be forever. We pray with them and for them daily and know this is out of our control. These are God’s kids and we put them in His hands every day. I go into their room at night and stare at them in awe as I think about how easy it has been to fall in love with them. This is an adventure that we don’t know where it will take  us but we hang on to the hand of Jesus knowing that this may not be an easy road. But Chris has said from the beginning that our lives were not meant to be easy but to be obedient to what God has for us. We are not in this to protect ourselves but to love these kids with abandon. Whirlwind, uncertainty, craziness... then I hold these guys... and I wouldn’t want it any other way. 

Team Sahr is growing!

When I was single I had to not only be at peace with being single but I had to come to the point that I was okay with being single for the rest of my life. I came to that point... soon after I met Chris.  We together have struggled through different phases of life: not getting pregnant, waiting for foster kids, disappointment with adoption, etc. Last week we were shown that those disappointments needed to be brought back into perspective. We realized how blessed we are with having such a great marriage and wonderful family and friends. We had to not only be at peace with not having kids but we had to come to the point where we were okay with never having kids.  We came to that point... and right now I have a 3 week old baby boy sleeping next to me!!

Yes, we were asked last night if we were interested in taking in a baby... he came this afternoon... and in the next week or so his 3 year old brother will also join us! We think this may be permanent. Our family is doubling in size!  We are so blessed.

 God has taught me time and time again that I can trust Him fully with my needs and desires. He promises that He will supply all our needs. I worry about situations but no matter the outcome I know that I can trust the Lord and give Him my heavy heart. He might not give us the result we thought He would but He will take care of us. Whether  I  get what I want or He gives me something different I give God all the glory!

   Come visit anytime. We would love for you to meet our little guys. Love you all!

Hello again...

People have been asking about what is going on with foster care. I have been silent because nothing has been happening and it has been a bit frustrating and disheartening. The longing is still there to have kids in our home so we have been pursuing international and domestic adoption as well as waiting for foster kids. The process is long and we keep running into bumps in the road due to our age.

I know!... we don’t think we are too old either. :)

Also we received a phone call telling us there is a baby for us and then it fell through around Mother’s Day. That was heart breaking. When discouragement creeps into our lives we know that God is bigger than any age limit or the cost of adoption or disappointment. If God wants us to have a certain child He will knock down any obstacle in the way. God is greater than any man made rules. I am grateful for my women’s prayer group, Hannah’s Circle, for that reminder. Also, the encouragement of 1st Peter 1:3-9... God has given us a living hope- kept in heaven for us...


We heard a wonderful sermon on Sun. about falling at the  feet of Jesus and shamelessly, audaciously and persistently praying about a desperate situation in our lives. We will continue to pursue God for our little family and trust that He will show us His big picture and that His plan is better than anything we could imagine. Thank you for standing with us as we continue to dream about becoming parents.

We have been busy with a big yard project and also tearing down walls in the basement. Chris and I love to work together and have so much fun while we work. We think we should start a landscaping/demolition business but we spend too much time getting into water fights or hysterically laughing from something Chris said or did.

We love you all and will keep you updated on any news happening with us. Please feel free to send us your prayer requests. We love to pray for others. You mean a lot to us.

A big decision...

We were presented with a big decision... one that became gut-wrenching to make. This decision was the most difficult we have made as a married couple. One that we wanted God to write the answer in the sky...”yes” or “no”.  (Hate when that doesn’t happen)
Foster care asked us to take an older child which would be a permanent placement. After agonizing, fasting, praying and talking with many people that are involved with the case we decided not to take this child in. There were many factors as to why we made this decision. But believe me, we didn’t say no lightly. Because we want to be obedient to doing God’s Will and we want to be available to what He has for us, we struggled very much with this decision.
Yes, we want a family and it is difficult that it is not working out yet but we trust God that He sees the big picture and we trust His Will. We need his peace as we wait. In Numbers 6:26 it says “…the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace…” This speaks of the contented fullness of a soul satisfied by the love of God the Father. We rest in this peace. Our prayer for you is that you experience the peace and joy from a Father that loves you so.

 “You have made known to me the path of life, You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
Psalm 16:11

  We want a home that is filled with joy and peace for all those who enter... young and old. The last 2 weeks were wonderfully exhausting. A whirlwind. And we loved it. We prayed with and for our little ones and considered them family. We counted it an honor to be given this opportunity to show them God’s love, hope and peace. We will continue to pray for them, they have been through a lot.
My friend Kris wrote on my FaceBook page “training wheels...soon you will be going on a long ride.” We can’t wait for our long ride to begin. May this ride be “filled with joy in God’s presence”... peace overflowing. Thank you all for praying for us. Thank you for stopping in, visiting, having play dates, meeting us at the mall, the zoo, welcoming the kids at Sunday School, going for walks,  cleaning our house when I was not feeling well, babysitting when I went to the doctor, writing encouraging notes on FaceBook. We anticipate this ministry to have its ups and downs with kids coming in and out, hopefully staying in. Let this new adventurous ride continue...

Kids in our home

  We are having a blast with these two little tornadoes that live in our home. We consider this such a blessing and honor to have them with us. They are wonderful children. I love taking care of these kids, messes and all. They love to sing and dance, color pictures and go for walks. We have gone on “field trips” visiting friends and family. The kids are outgoing and are enjoying meeting new people.

On Valentine’s Day I woke up to decorations of hearts all over the mirrors, walls and in drawers from Chris to the 3 of us. The kids had fun finding the special Valentines.

I haven’t been feeling well the last couple of days so that has put a lot more on Chris. He has done most of the work but the kids are in love with him. They laugh so much with him. Today our friend from our small group came over and played with the kids while I rested, she even brought us a delicious meal. Thank you, Amanda!

Wanting to put 100% into these short 2 weeks we have with them and not feeling very well has been frustrating for me. I struggle with not having the energy to play with them as much as I want to.

We are cherishing every moment we have with them. We will love them and pray for them while we have them in our home.

God's faithfulness and ... Big News!

    Sitting in the hospital not believing my dad had to have open heart surgery (Tues. Jan.31st)and still a little in shock made me contemplate life, family and health. After a test that showed 99% blockage in 2 arteries doctors stated that it is a good thing that dad is in such great shape and works out everyday because that is what kept him going with such clogged arteries. By the evening after surgery my dad wasn't responding enough for the nurses to take out his breathing tube so the family stepped in to help:) We all gathered around the bed in ICU and sang his favorite hymns and prayed for him. He finally responded with a quiet, "Thank you." We praised God for that. He told us later that he heard the singing but remembers nothing else. I considered that such a special bonding time as a family and I will always remember it. The nurses loved the harmony and dad's nurse sang along as she did her charting.

The week before the operation God had been teaching me how to trust Him more and more. I had been praying and realized that just maybe I had been praying wrong. I have been praying for a child to adopt through foster care and due to something someone said to me I started to think that maybe I would pray for families to heal and if they couldn't stay together then we are here to help in any way we could. Even though this is what I meant all along it helped me lay down any expectations I have and trust God's timing even more. After I released my hopes and desires to Jesus I had a real peace wash over me. It was soon after working through this we received a call that there was a little 3 year old girl that needed a place to stay. This is only for a couple of weeks but we accepted!! We were able to meet her last night and she is very sweet. We found out we might just be taking her 11 month old brother also.  So here we go. We will be foster parents starting next week lasting 2 weeks. Even though it is a short time we are excited for this opportunity. We cannot post photos but anyone is welcome to come over! You are welcome to stop by or plan a play date. I can't believe I am saying play date. That seems so foreign for that to come out of my mouth.

So a lot has been happening over the last week. God is faithful and good. Thank you for all your encouragement and prayers. I will continue to update as we learn how to do the parent thing. Any advice/helpful hints will be well received. Maybe we will still be able to sleep in, right??? Hahahaha, the Sahrs

Here is an old dresser that Chris's brother found for us. We stripped the paint, sanded it and I had fun painting it! Ready for our kids to use:)

Roller coaster

Emotional roller coaster. Trusting God will move in our situation. I think we get a child in our home... no we don't. Up and down. Not hoping for someone else's family to be torn apart in order for ours to be built up. Just wanting to be faithful in where God is leading us.  Trying not to be hurt by what others say. My husband came home just to pray with me.  My good friend John Ray IM'ed me today saying Breathe in the assurance and pleasure of God. Thanks. I needed that.

Getting ready

We are having fun painting an old dresser that Chris's brother found for us. Stripped the old paint, sanded it and now ready for some fun colors for the kid's room(whomever they may be.) I am spending my day off (thanks to Martin Luther King Jr.) getting the room set up and hanging up little girls clothes that a good friend was getting rid of. If we get girls... we are set! My mind wanders quite a bit imagining what it will be like to have kids running around here... or crawling. I think about a new excitement of little ones. God has given us a peace about waiting and wanting things to happen... now.

Another excerpt from a book I read daily: "I am able to do far beyond all that you ask or imagine. Come to Me with positive expectations, knowing that there is not limit to what I can accomplish. Do not be discouraged by the fact that many of your prayers are yet unanswered. Time is a trainer, teaching you to wait upon Me, to trust Me in the Dark. The more extreme your circumstances, the more likely you are to see My Power and Glory at work in the situation. Instead of letting difficulties draw you into worrying, try to view them as setting the scene for My glorious intervention. Keep your eyes and your mind wide open to all that I am doing in your life. - Jesus

Chris and I are so honored that God would use us in the ministry of foster care. This is a blessing that we are ready to take on with God's grace and leading. We sat on the couch on Sat. morning talking for a couple of hours about the future. We agreed that when we are down the road a bit looking back we will say, "That is why we had to wait... that is what God was preparing us for... now it all makes sense." Yes it is frustrating at times not knowing what is ahead but God has given us peace that surpasses all understanding, and for this very situation... we have Jesus.