Gamble Family Blog

New Blog - click here

2010-05-31T08:18:00.001-07:00

Hi There - this is just to let the few of you who follow this blog know that I have started a new blog site - a more complete blog with info on our family, adoption, homeschool, menu plans and more. I won't be updating this one any longer. Please feel free to pass the new link on.

Justine

An audio everyone should hear

2009-12-30T05:16:00.000-08:00

I was emailing an old friend today and came across this link to send him and his wife. This is from an amazing woman, Kerry Hasenbalg, that I had the opportunity to hear speak at a Christian Alliance for Oprhans conference that I attended a few years ago. I could not find the video for the web - but I did find the audio. My Husband thinks it is so good that he wants to make copies and send it to everyone he knows and even put it on the windshields of cars for those he does not know.

http://http1.christianvideochannel.com/cvc/shaohannahshope/kerrysummit.mp3

Year in Review - being faithful

2009-12-30T04:44:00.000-08:00

Well this has been a year of amazing change and growth. Over the past year our family has grown from five people to seven people. We have learned to love in the midst of great trial, stress and frustration. We have ultimately grown stronger as a family and in our relationship with our Lord Jesus.

This year we have gone through significant financial struggles, shut down a business, started another company, faithfully trusted God and moved across the country - knowing no one - but a few acquaintances, struggled making friends and relationships.

Now we are stronger than ever as a family, we love spending time together and are together ALL the time - as Bill now works from home. It has been such a blessing and I don't think I would change any of the trials we have been through. As some of you know - when we grow closer to God, the enemy attacks harder. Well, here we are heading into another year and that is just what he is doing. I realize I am being vague - but let's just say he is fighting hard again. I know this is him because we have been obedient, we have changed our personal priorities and as a result our marriage and family are stronger than ever and so is our relationship with God - all things that the enemy can't stand.

So I have been living faithfully - by that I mean not stressing out, trusting that our new company will pull through and all will be fine. Until just the other day. I found myself praying saying that I believe and trust you God, I know you can and will take care of us and all things work for your glory and for the good of those who believe in you. Then in the next breath I was asking him to please restore our business to where it was and beyond just a few short weeks ago.

Then I asked myself as I heard myself say these things - what kind of faith is that - really "I have faith - but could you do this please?" Ugh! I am sure some of you can relate - just put your own issues in the blank.

Anyway - new topic - The kids are all doing great - we are loving the Nashville area. We are excited about homeschool and I am really enjoying it far more than I ever thought I would - especially considering that I said I would never homeschool. We are in our second year of homeschool and I find myself looking forward and planning many more years with them.

We had a great Christmas - although different from what we are used to. It was relaxing and nice - the kids had a great time.

Madelyn is a great little fashion designer and has decided to make that her career (at least for now). Maraya is just about the happiest, most joyful child I have ever met - of course we are still working through a few issues - but with huge and constant improvement. Jackson is quite a character and loves to make people laugh. He beats to his own drum and loves his siblings. He tells me that I am his favorite thing in the whole world. Carter has a huge heart and is so encouraging - yesterday after getting home from being lost trying to find a doctor's office - he told me "I knew you could do it Mommy". Zoe is a sweet little girl and currently wants to be a "baby doctor" she loves to pretend to take babies out and make sure they are ok.

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas. I am making a goal to update my blog more often.

Getting Settled

2009-10-01T04:22:00.000-07:00

Well here I am months after my last post. In case you didn't know - we moved to Hendersonville, TN in mid August from Portland, OR. It will officially be seven weeks tomorrow that we arrived at our new home. I said I would never live in the south - but look at where God put me - and I have to say I am enjoying it - it is clearly where we are supposed to be.

Things are going well, kids are adjusting. I have to say though - making like minded friends is harder than I remember - for the kids and us grown ups. I forgot how much goes into investing in those kind of relationships and the time that it takes. Not to mention the fact that some think I am a little nuts when it comes to adoption and orphan care. Maddy needs a friend her age, Carter and Maraya are really wanting to meet some kids from Ethiopia and Zoe - well she wants China friends. Jack - he is doing well - he just rolls with it. I am plugging in where I can - but I find that as you get to know people - you may not be as like minded as you first thought -that makes it hard. Bill needs some guy friends, someone he can talk with, pray with, hang out with and just be a guy with.

I don't have pictures to share right now - but will as soon as I find my camera. Many things to put up - I probably won't post much text - but I will get birthday pictures and archery pictures up from before the move.

Will try to find the camera this weekend.

Today I am getting ready to teach my first class to 24 homeschool kids. Homeschool - something I never thought I would do - but I am enjoying it. Now the art class we are doing today - started out to be a few kids along with my five kids just doing some purposeful are projects - well it has grown to 24 kids - exciting - but oh my a little scary at the same time.

We will see how it goes - will try to find my camera and take pics.

More Aquarium Pictures

2009-07-09T06:34:00.000-07:00

The Oregon Coast Aquarium

2009-07-09T06:28:00.001-07:00

On the 5th of July we met some dear friends at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. It was a lot of fun (it took a lot less time to get through the aquarium than I remembered). It was a long drive for a short visit - but time spent with friends is always treasured regardless of the distance.

I think our favorite thing was the Japanese Spider Crab - it can get to be 100 feet in it's span.

Of course all the kids loved the "passages of the deep" tunnel.

Here are pictures of all my precious kids and our friends.

4th of July - After the Fireworks

2009-07-09T06:23:00.000-07:00

These are my favorite pictures!

More 4th of July pictures

2009-07-09T06:19:00.001-07:00

I should probably tell you we were at Rock Away Beach.

My favorite line from that night came from Jackson to his Dad.

"Do you want to come sit with me Daddy, it is a really great view!"

4th of July and the Aquarium

2009-07-09T06:12:00.000-07:00

This summer is full of fun, firsts and moving! We wanted to do as many fun things in Oregon as we could before we move to the great state of TN. We also wanted to make sure that Carter and Maraya got to experience things, like the beach, aquarium, the list goes on - I will post individual trips in the days to come.

This was the first 4th of July for them, and the first time in a long time that we did it at the beach.

We got there early to get a good spot, the kids played in the sand for at least four hours. Digging, making sand angels, covering themselves or each other with sand - they had a blast. They loved how the sand felt on their feet - and when we got home - boy we had sand in placed I didn't think possible!

More Date Night and Special Day Pictures

2009-07-09T06:07:00.001-07:00

Date Nights and Special Days

2009-07-07T19:46:00.000-07:00

I think individual time with each child is so important to build a strong and close relationship with them. We had started having "date nights" with our children when we first brought Zoe home, about four years ago. Once a month, either Bill or I would take the other children out individually for some one on one time. This is not a "hit the arcade or spend a lot of money" kind of thing. This is truly to spend some quality time with each other, learning more about each child, their interests, their concerns, what is important to them, also it is a great way to model respectful behavior - manners, holding doors, etc.

Last summer we also started having "Special Days". This is a day when one child gets to have mommy and daddy all to themselves for an extra special thing that the child chooses. Those are truly wonderful times, and I learn so much more about my children and who they are becoming.

It is during these times that Zoe shares her fantasies about China and her China mom - something completely age appropriate and expected. I am so glad that she talks about it with me. Carter and Maraya, recently had their individual dates with us - they both talked about Ethiopia. Carter even asked me on his date "why you brought us here?" It was a good opportunity for me to hear more about his memories, what he misses, what he loves and his thoughts and feelings about America and his new family. Of course we always talk about his Ethiopia mom and how wonderful she was, as well as his uncle and brother that they both remember.

Jack - what a great kid he is. He is really becoming a wonderful big brother - patient, kind, helpful and loving. He is my nature boy - loves bugs, trees, animals, science. His perfect date is walking around a nature park and talking - gotta love it.

Maddy - What a beautiful girl - inside and out. We recently went to get her nails done and then to Clair's for some "fun shopping" as she likes to call it. She tried on hats, glasses, held up ear rings, etc - she looked great in everything. Yikes - my tall, beautiful, blond girl with green eyes and a tan that looks great in everything - I am very afraid of boys in her teen years!

Maraya - she is such a joy, fills me love, reminds me of what is important. She loves to try new things, isn't afraid of much at all and is always so happy. She loves it when I do her hair, or really just spend time with her. Her and Bill recently went to a park, then the rose garden then some ice cream - a wonderful time.

Carter - he is ALL BOY - no nature walks for him - give him cars and sports! I took him to pump it up recently - he bounced all over the place. I bounced a bit with him - until I picked him up in one of those things and hurt my back - oh well - it was better in time for me to go down the bouncy slide.

Zoe - She is my thoughtful, caring, sweet as pie girl who prays for everyone - then on the other hand does everything to cover herself and get someone else in trouble. She has come a long way though - typical sibling behavior. She just wants to cuddle and have time with either Bill or I. Her favorite place to go is the zoo and then out for Chinese food. I have a special surprise though - for her next date - I am taking her to the Chinese gardens then to Chinese dinner. She is very China focused right now.

My Daughter - Broken, But so Beautiful and Inspiring

2009-05-30T07:08:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Maraya was having a hard time - pushing her boundries - normal for any kid - but especially so for an adopted child. This was a good sign. She needed to realize that her Dad and I have set boundries for her - and they were solid - there was nothing about that or us that would change - this gives children such a sense of stability. Likewise though - she didn't really appreciate the dicipline factor when boundries were crossed (some things are universal).

Well, after being sent to her room a few times, to the corner a few time, etc - it was now evening and we were on our way to night church - where the kids do choir and then Royal Rangers/ Missionettes. All the kids love those activities - especially Maraya. But on the way to church she started talking about how she missed Ethiopia and her Ethiopia Mom. Now I believe that to be VERY true - I also know that when one is having a bad day - the grass is especially greener. I never take offense to these comments - infact, I encourage her to talk more about it. So I asked her - to tell me more. She said, "In Ethiopia, no go to room, no corner, etc". I asked her what did she do in Ethiopia. "In Hosanna (where she lived with her other Mom), we walk and feet are hurt, no socks, no shoes, Carter is piggyback on my Mom and everyone says No Thank You" I asked about her Dad - "He no nice - he hit my Mom and push us out of house". Now was this her real Dad - I don't know. From what I can gather from other conversations, her other Mom was either looking for food, shelter, work or a combination of the above and was consistently told no thank you. She continued to tell me that the floor was dirt and her other Mom had no pretty dress, just one broken dress (I assume that it was ripped).

All of this she told me in the car ride to church. Once we got to church - it was obvious that she was very sad. I asked her if she wanted to spend some time with me and go to class in a little while - she said yes. We took the others to class and found and empty room for her and I to sit in.

This is a very important time, as her and I had been butting heads for about the last four weeks prior to this. We both sat down - I asked her if she wanted me to hold her - she said yes (I held back tears). I asked her a series of questions - some of them were - Did she like it in America Yes very much, but I miss Ethiopia.
So normal - I can't imagine how it feels to be so happy on one hand be sad and grieving on the other hand. I asked her if she was happy - she said yes, she "I so love you". Holding back more tears - I asked her if she understood why she was in America. She said - very sad and trying not to cry "I don't know why". Oh - my heart dropped - how could she not know why - she is certainly old enough to know something I thought. I proceeded to ask her about the last time she remembered seeing her Ethiopia Mom - all she could say is that she give them food and takes care of us, then they couldn't find her. What exactly does all of that mean. I don't know. I know what I was told, and I know other options in the back of my mind that could also be true. Because I was told that both parents had passed, I chose to tell her that if her other Mommy could take care of them she really would, that she loved them very much. I explained that she got really sick and could not take care of them anymore. God knew that and of all the children in Ethiopia he chose her and her brother to come to our family and that I was so lucky and blessed that he did. I also told her that I am so glad that she loves her Ethiopia Mom so much and that it is good to love both her and I - that she is so blessed to have two Mommys that love her. I told her it was ok to cry and she sobbed in my arms - something I am sure she needed to do for a long time. I expect things like this to happen every so often.

That was a long story to get to this point. My daughter is broken, her heart hurts, it will heal - but will always have a scar - however, she is so beautiful inside and out - so inspiring. She has faith - like no one I know. As a child she KNOWS God, she LOVES God, talks and sings of him always - she has walked with bare feet in the rocks, with no food, she has seen devistation that most in America will never see, yet she is joyful. She has faith - not the kind of faith that we have when we have faith for only an area of our life, or a certain issue we are dealing with - she has faith for everything in her life - because she "gets it". She is always telling me that it is ok when something goes wrong and always reminds me that we can try again later or something equally fitting for the situation.

Why don't we have that kind of faith - think about it. She is inspiring - I hope to one day be more like her. I am happy to say that we are no longer butting heads and have bonded amazingly since this night.

Hendersonville - God's Plan all along?

2009-05-27T07:33:00.001-07:00

If you haven't heard, we are moving to TN this summer - Hendersonville to be exact. My Husband went out to visit different areas in March of this year - seeing as neither of us had ever been - it seemed prudent to at least check out the area - not that we have a lack of faith - we just wanted to know what we were signing up for. Now the areas that I gave him to check out were Franklin, Brentwood, Hendersonville, Mt Juliet and Lebannon - with my hopes for Franklin. Well - he really did like Franklin and began to look for a home there for us. After a few days though - he decided to check out some other areas. His first day in Hendersonville - he came across a house - and by the next day - he leased it. From what I can tell, it is a really nice house, in a quiet, newer neighborhood, just four blocks from the lake.

Now - what I just discovered this morning. God really has a sense of humor. Our youngest son, Carter was wearing a Bible camp shirt that came with him from Ethiopia. He got toothpaste all over it, so I asked him to go change. When he turned around, I noticed the writing on the back. I asked him to come closer - would you believe that it said First Baptist Church - Hendersonville!!

I just spoke with a very kind pastor from this church last week. It sounded like it might be too big for us, and one or two other things that would not be a good match for us, but now I feel like we have to at least check it out.

Milestones - Tears of Joy for a Mother

2009-05-21T07:51:00.000-07:00

Adopting older children is so special and challenging in an entirely different way from adopting a baby.

Carter and Maraya did not have anyone to really turn to when they got hurt. So when they would get hurt here at home - they would not react as my other children do - running to me for comfort.

When we first came home - if I heard them crying I immediately ran to them to comfort and help them fix whatever the problem was. As time went on - I had to stop running to them. You see, at some point they need to choose to come to me for comfort. It was hard. I remember watching Maraya crying - usually not over something terribly big - a small scrape, or hurt feelings by a sibling - but she would just sit there and sob. When she was finished she would stand up, look around and then go about her business.

One day - at a park with friends she got hurt - again - nothing very big - but she came running to me crying and wanting a hug! This was so huge for me, as she chose to come to me for comfort - a big step in the bonding process. She hasn't stopped coming to me since.

Likewise, Carter would do his very best not to cry if he got hurt or was disciplined. You know that constant, can't catch your breath thing kids do when they are trying with all their might not to cry - Ya - that is what he would do. It was like he didn't feel safe letting it all go. This would be a big problem as he gets older and deals with his emotions if he can't even get it out now.

Well, one day he did a big thing that he admittedly knew was wrong. He was sent to his room and disciplined - and you guessed it - he tried not to cry. I left the room for a few minutes, really to see if he would cry by himself. He still would not. I entered the room, asked if he wanted to be held - he said yes. I held him tight and just told him over and over "It is ok to cry". He finally did and let it ALL OUT. He held on to me so tight - like a dam had been broken - he let everything out. He still holds back a little - but we just tell him it is ok to cry and hold him and he is fine. He is feeling safe with us - what a blessing.

I don't think they really understood what it meant to be comforted - They were likely too young to remember being really comforted by any family members - and with so many kids in the orphanage and transition house - it seems like they just figured out a way to deal with things on their own.

Don't we also do that sometimes with our Father - our God. Try to handle things on our own instead of running to him - but when we do run to him and let it all out it is always so much better.

More Christmas Day Pictures

2008-12-26T11:09:00.000-08:00

More Christmas Day Pictures

2008-12-26T11:06:00.000-08:00

Notice that Maraya had a little too much festivities

Christmas Day

2008-12-26T07:45:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas was a little different this year. Generally we all get up, open stockings while Daddy wakes up and comes down stairs. Then we all open presents, one at a time. We eat breakfast and Daddy plays with the kids (or with the kid's toys) until company starts to arrive - all the while I am making a big Christmas meal - I so love to do that.

Well, Oregon is having the worst snow it has seen in 30 years. Due to road conditions, company could not come over - so dinner will be delayed until the weekend. We spent the day together as a family, opened presents, ate breakfast, played with toys, baked a "Happy Birthday Jesus" cake, played games, etc - just us - it was nice.

After breakfast, Bill used his new family devotional Bible to read about the meaning of Christmas to all of us. Something hit me in a new way as he read it - besides the actual story of Jesus. In the Bible they track the heritage of the men - but not the women - Joseph was in the blood line of David - not Mary. However, Jesus was not born of Joseph. God does not look at a blood line as important, as many of us do. It is the spirit that is important to him - family has a very different meaning - it is a group of people connected by the heart, not by blood. The most important baby born to this world was, infact, adopted. Now, I knew that before, but I hadn't put together the heritage - of Joseph vs Mary - it has so much more of an impact on me, now that I have that understanding.

Another miracle revealed

2008-12-26T07:27:00.001-08:00

It just dawned on me the other day that God answered my specific prayer - 4 1/2 years later.

If you read previous posts, you will remember that I had cancer while pregnant with Jackson. Well, that very nearly cost us our adoption of Zoe. Infact, we sent off our initial paperwork in May of 2004. I received a phone call, while away on business, that we could not continue the adoption due to my cancer status and would need to wait at least one more year before we could begin again. Ugh! My heart sank - but if any of you know me, I do not take no very well - there is generally always a way to do something. I talked with Bill and we began to pray about a little boy from Africa, as I continued to also pursue our adoption for Zoe. The doctor was able to write a very specific letter tha allowed us to continue with our China adoption.

Now - what dawned on me is - Zoe was born - likely - in the month of May in 2004, Carter, was born the following month in June of 2004. We prayed hard for both of these babies - one was being born as we prayed, and joined us a little more than a year later. The other one was getting ready to be born and would join us four and a half years later. I prayed for these children long before we were married, long before I knew what country they would come from and continued to pray for Carter - even after Zoe was home - not knowing when we would start that adoption. (a previous post explains how God told me about Maraya)

More snow pictures

2008-12-26T07:23:00.001-08:00

Our First Snow

2008-12-26T07:14:00.000-08:00

It was our first snow of the year, and Carter and Maraya's first snow of their life.

Madelyn was so excited! Maddy, Jack and Zoe were jumping up and down - Carter and Maraya followed suit - although I don't think they really understood why - they just saw the others so excited - they felt they should be too.

I took Maraya to the window, pointed and asked her "Snow in Ethiopia?" She looked at me with the strangest look, held out her pointer finger and waved it back and forth as she said "Noooo!"

They had a great time, all of them. They took turns pulling each other on the sled, throwing snow and just running around.

One Month Update

2008-12-26T06:47:00.000-08:00

Well, Carter and Maraya have been home just over a month now and things are going great.

As an adoptive parent of older children there are quite a few things you miss out on - first steps, first words, etc. However, there is so much joy in watching them as they rediscover joy through their new family. Watching them get on an escalator or elevator is still so fun to watch! Everytime they use and understand a new English word - you can see so much pride and accomplishment in their eyes!

When we first met them, they called me "Mom" because that is what they were taught to do by their nannies. The last three weeks - they call me "Mom" because that is now how they think of me - and it is such a wonderful feeling.

It was about 2-3 weeks ago that I was taking Maraya to the doctor, the rest of the kids stayed home with Bill. Carter cried as I left because he wanted to be with me - that was the first time he cried for me - the bonding and attachment are very strong - what a wonderful miracle.

All five kids are playing and getting along very well - aside from the typical sibling stuff - some things are just universal.

Please don't misunderstand - of course there are some issues that come up - there always are, and should be expected. We did deal with terrible lice, I was sick for three weeks (not related to Ethiopia), and language is somewhat of an issue. However, these children have been taken from the only country, food, language, people, smells, etc that they have ever known - in my opinion, they are all adjusting amazingly well - they are doing far better than I would if I were in their situation.

Here are some pictures.

November 17th - The Day We Meet the Kids

2008-11-24T06:23:00.000-08:00

So it is Monday morning we had coffee at their equivalent to Starbucks. Everyone loved the coffee - I opted for strawberry juice - SO GOOD!

A few of us, myself included were not feeling our best - I think it was just the anxiety, emotions, lack of sleep and the altitude that was getting to us.

After coffee - we had an orientation meeting to help us better understand what to expect on the trip. Then we headed upstairs to lunch, we waited for another couple to arrive that had their flight delayed. The next stop - to meet our children. Later that evening we went to a traditional Ethiopian restaurant and watched traditional Ethiopian dancing.

Here are some pictures.

Our Journey

2008-11-24T06:20:00.000-08:00

We left Portland, Oregon at about 9:30 am on the 15th. We thought we had a straight flight to Washington DC, Dulles - but that got changed. We had to fly to Chicago first - no big deal - it was to be a stop only, and not a plane change.

Once we were on the airplane - we were told that we would have to have a plane change in Chicago.

When we finally did arrive to DC, we only had 45 min until it was time to board the plane for Ethiopia.

Due to all the changes, our luggage did not make it to Ethiopia on Sunday night with us. The luggage did show up on Tuesday morning.

The Day We Left for Ethiopia

2008-11-23T06:20:00.000-08:00

Early morning on the 15th of November, we took 8 18 gallon totes and 2 25 gallon totes, plus one piece of luggage each for my Mom and I.

When we got to the airport - a wonderful man helped us with all the luggage - we were so thankful for this.

No excess baggage fees were waived, but we did have one piece of luggage that was over weight - they waived that fee for us.

Here are some pictures of that day.

Today is the day

2008-11-15T04:21:00.000-08:00

Well here it is November 15th. I leave in about an hour and a half. Bags are packed, 10 rubbermaid totes with donations are packed, kids and husband are asleep - all is well.

Yesterday we had quite a scare, Duni, our family coordinator, called me in the morning saying "I have an urgent situation with your paperwork" - I gasped - immediate mama mode took over. She said that last week everything was fine according to the consulate, but today, they were missing our addendum - without it they will not release the kids to me.

After several phone calls to different government agencies, all is fine and the proper paperwork was wired to Ethiopia by noon.

I really feel that we all need to fight for these children, it seems - to me - that the enemy does not want these babies home, even to the very last minute he is fighting to keep them from their families - those that are in process - Pray, Pray, Pray for your kids, for the paperwork, for the government agencies - both Ethiopian and US, Pray for the adoption agencies and the employees, the care takers, etc. I truly believe that this is a spiritual war. Do not loose faith or hope - in all things praise God - that is what I had to remind myself yesterday while we were running around getting yet another document notarized.

This will probably be my last post until we get settled in Ethiopia.

Justine

Donation Update - 40 hours and counting

2008-11-13T13:55:00.000-08:00

I have to say that I am beside myself with the out pouring generosity toward these children. You are all angels!!

Here is the donation list so far:

264 cans of formula - more than 175 pounds
36 cans of tuna
pediasure
baby bottles
binki's
wipes
books
clothes
towels
baby blankets
baby cereal
jump ropes
rainbow parachute
baby food
MANY cans of protein drink mix
Tylenol
vitamins
Plus six more boxes coming from my Mom's elementary school in Tillamook.

Here are the pictures - enjoy.

Six days and counting

2008-11-09T05:46:00.000-08:00

Well, Yesterday was a long and exciting day. It was shopping day. So far I have 40 cans of formula, 32 cans of tuna, 36 bottles of pediasure, a few jars of babyfood and two big bags of protein drink mix. I have more coming from other places - once we have it all in one location - I will take a picture and post it. I have had to hold back money from the donations to help pay for the totes and the baggage fee.

After talking with a United International person yeterday, I found out that the baggage fees are going to be $180 for each extra bag - Yikes! Our church gave me $1200 to help cover this - Praise God - still needing $420. If I can raise more to go toward that $420, I will spend more of what I have held aside and get more donations to pack and take with us. If you want to donate, my paypal account is justine@bridalpeople.com

We are getting so excited. Last night at dinner we were all talking about what it was going to be like to have two new people in the house and two new faces around the table - oh - it will be so amazing, challenging, fun, confusing - and so many other marvelous things.

We also found out that one of our good friends will be joining us in Ethiopia to bring home their other daughter - so excited to have a familiar and loved face with us. Also, so glad that our kids know each other - hoping that will help them keep up their language some.

Well that is it for now - so much to do - so little time. Thank you so much to all of you who have helped or will be helping with Project Impact, painting my daughters room, helping me pack, childcare - oh the list goes on and on. You are so loved and we are so blessed to have you in our lives.

What are We Missing?

2008-11-01T14:23:00.000-07:00

I was on my way to get groceries this morning - without the kids - a rare occurance - when I heard this song - Give me your eyes. I am sure that I have heard it before - but I hadn't listened to the words.

You see I know that God gives everyone a passion - we each just need to figure out what that passion is. I am sure if you are reading this blog you have caught on to what my passion is. However, don't misunderstand me. Not everyone has the same passion - if we all had the same one then not all of God's work would be done. It takes all of us with many different passions, skills and talents. It does however, mean that we should not be limited to just our passion - we are after all brother and sisters and need to help and support each other and each other's passions.

So this song made me ask myself the question - what am I missing - not seeing. I don't want to miss a single opportunity that God has for me - whether it has to do with orphans or something else. So my prayer is this - Lord, give me your eyes so that I can see all that you want me to see and your heart and to love the way you love.

Here is the chorus to the song that spoke to me today.

Chorus:
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see

And the blessings keep coming

2008-11-01T07:45:00.000-07:00

Currently the situation in Ethiopia is making it very difficult to obtain formula for infants. Not just because the cost is insanely high - but is it difficult to even acquire. In our adoption group alone - there have been two deaths of baby girls before their parents could come and get them. This should never happen. Additionally, older children do not get the much needed protein in their diet.

Earlier in October, some dear friends hosted an auction called Project Impact to help with the future costs of formula, food, electricity, etc, of the orphanages and transition house that our adoption agency supports. However, because the cost is not so much the issue in getting formula, families are taking as much formula as they can over with them as donations, when they travel to pick up their children.

Currently I have been sent more than $800 to buy formula to take with me. I am so honored to do this. I am hoping to get some funds donated to help pay for the cost of excess baggage. The excess baggage will cost somewhere between $130 and $180 per bag - depending on whether I need to pay the domestic airline fee or the international airline fee. I am hoping to have 6-8 extra bags between my Mom and I. I will take as many as the airline allows and as many as it takes to get the formula and other donations over there.

Additionally, God was able to orchestrate a donation from Gymboree for new clothes for 350 children! This is wonderful - so many people take clothes for babies - but not for the older children - the clothes will be for children ages 2 and up. I will need to find a way to get this to Ethiopia as well. All donations need to be taken with someone as baggage, as shipping it there will have an expense in tax about 4 times the value of the goods being shipped. We are trying to be as financially efficient as possible.

I want to thank all of you who are donating! You are touching little lives across the world! I will continue to post as I have more info on this.

What the Lord spoke to me about adoption

2008-11-01T06:02:00.000-07:00

One night I was woke up around 2ish - completely unable to sleep, but I had all of this information repeating through my mind. You see I had been struggling with the lack of participation in various adoption and orphan care seminars that I had recently hosted. I believe God gave me these words to keep the fire in me going - because, to be honest, I was burning out.

I will warn you - it is preachy - but this is what God said to me and I know it is meant for someone to read and/or hear.

So here it is:

James 1:27 NLT
Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans.

To care for orphans:

What is the definition of care?
to watch over; be responsible for
protection; charge
nurture
to make provision or look out
To be concerned or interested
To provide needed assistance or watchful supervision
Watchful oversight; charge or supervision
Close attention
An object or source of worry, attention
feel concern or interest
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/care

You see, God is not here in the flesh to hold, feed, burp these babies, help the children with their math and grammar. If we are the hands and feet of God, then we must do these things for these children. These are God's children - the fatherless - if he were here in the flesh to hold and nurture these kids, he would - but he isn't and that is why he has asked us to care for them.

Here is an example.

If you and your spouse needed to go away and couldn't bring your children - wouldn't you ask someone to care for them - not just anyone - but someone you trust?

If I asked my friends and relatives to care for my children until I send for them - that does not mean to write a check and pay for a nanny or babysitter - No - it means to care for them personally - to take care of them.

Likewise, God has asked us, someone he trusts - Yes, God trusts us and he has told us to care for his children until he sends for them. That means until they go to be with him. - what an honor! To care for them when they are sick or scared, to celebrate their victories with them, guide them through their trials, give them support as they become adult children of God.

This is so much more than writing a check to support an orphanage somewhere - that is essentially a nanny or a babysitter. Now don't get me wrong - I am not saying not to give financially. There are millions of children who will never be adopted for many reasons - country policy, illness, mother still alive, etc. Indeed, we need to support them and support the ones that will someday be adopted, but need food and shelter until their family can come and get them. We need to financially support them, pray for them, go to them and minister to and hold them - be the hands and feet of God. But those that the world says are eligible for adoption - we must care for them in the way in which we would expect a friend to care for our current children - in the way in which God would care for them.

Here is another example:

If you have adult children and under age children and you and your spouse were to pass away - wouldn't your adult children care for those younger children - bring them into their own home, raising and guiding them in the same way you would have done?

God is not here in the flesh to do all of those things mentioned before - but not only are we the hands and feet of God, we are his adult children and we must take care of our younger brothers and sisters - What a disappointment to our Father if we don't.

Ephesians 6:1-3 NIV Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2"Honor your father and mother"—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3"that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth." - I believe these verses apply to not only young children and earthly parents, but to us as adult children to our heavenly Father. Do I do everything the Bible says? I am sure that I don't - but I want to know what I need to do so I can obey - just as any child wants to please their parents.

Luke 10:2 NIV The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

A dear friend of mine presented this verse to me in a way that really struck me, and then God added to it - here it is.

If you look into your neighborhood, church and the world you will see pockets of harvest ready - but if you look at an orphanage, at street children - you will see fields ready and waiting to be harvested.

Corn that is not harvested will rot, whither and die as the bugs, worms and birds destroy it.

In the same way children who are not cared for and taught about the Lord - will also be destroyed. Their spirit will whither and die, their bodies will follow suit as the enemy attacks through illness, starvation, abuse, drugs, prostitution, worthlessness and death.

Why are the workers so few if the Lord instructs us to take care of these children? It is not meant for just a few of His adult children to obey his words. The few cannot do the work of the many.

Something to consider.

Adopting from Ethiopia - a double blessing

2008-10-31T19:39:00.000-07:00

We began talking about adopting from Ethiopia in 2006. We knew we wanted a little boy, but something in me told me we should consider two children. After much discussion, Bill and I agreed that we would be open to a sibling group - we began the official process in September of 2007. It took me three months to put all of our paperwork together. We sent off our dossier on January 2nd. On August 19th of 2008 we received a referral for two beautiful children, a boy 4 years old and a girl 6 years old. His Ethiopian name is Meheretu - this means "The Lord's Mercy". Her Ethiopian name is Yenenesh - this means "You are mine". These are beautiful names that their birth parents chose for a reason - we will be keeping these names as their middle names. We want them to know that their birth parents loved them very much and those names are special. Likewise, we love them very much and want to give them a name special from us. Meheretu will be Carter Meheretu Gamble - Possibly Carter Jace Meheretu Gamble. I really like Jace for two reasons - 1st - It means the Lord is my salvation, 2nd - I like CJ as a nick name.

Yenenesh has a bit of a story with her name. It was August of 2007 - You see, before we settled on being open to two children, I had a dream. Now mind you, I generally dream about crazy things that make no sense at all, so when I have a dream that I can understand, I pay attention to it.

So picture this - An African woman is leading me into a room in an orphanage, and the dream starts up with her speaking to me mid sentence. She says "and this is your daughter, her name is Maraya and she is five years old." Well, I had never heard of that name before, so I googled it first thing in the morning - It means The Lord is my Teacher. From that moment on I knew God was telling us that we had a boy and girl waiting for us. Here is the kicker - It was one year later in Aug of 2008 that we received the referral for a four year old boy and a six year old girl - When I had the dream in Aug of 2007 - She was five years old - just like the woman in my dream told me.

Her name will be Maraya Yenenesh Gamble, Possibly Maraya Grace Yenenesh Gamble.

We were expecting to have our court sometime the end of Oct 2008 or beginning of Nov 2008, but we were so blessed - we received a phone call this week that we passed court and they asked if we could travel early. We were not scheduled to travel until 11/29, but we are now leaving 11/15!

Our Journey to Zoe

2008-10-31T06:40:00.000-07:00

Well, after going through all the surgeries and getting back to a normal schedule, we decided to begin the adoption process.

Here is a link to the blog I did for our adoption of Zoe.

http://zoegamble.blogspot.com/

You can go back to the first entry entitled Introduction.

Although adoption was always something I knew I would do - (the subject was even a topic while dating - if they weren't on board - they weren't for me) It was after this adoption that I really began to understand the need that these forgotten and discarded children have - children all over the world and in our own backyard. Our church asked me to oversee an adoption ministry, which I do now - it is called Orphan Aid and Adoption. I meet privately with couples to help them understand the adoption process, how to make it more affordable and help guide them to reputable agencies based on their desires.

I also do bigger seminars and conferences on both adoption and orphan aid to help all those children who will never be adopted.

How Jackson Riley Gamble became our Miracle Baby

2008-10-31T06:23:00.000-07:00

It was October of 2001, Madelyn would have her 1st birthday in a month. Bill and I started to talk about beginning the adoption process for our second child. Knowing it could take a while we wanted to plan the the time between our 1st and 2nd child to be 2-3 years. We decided on an agency, but thought it best not to begin any paperwork until the first of the year, as the holidays are always so busy.

Well in November of 2001, I was having "that feeling" and asked Bill to buy a pregnancy test - (I don't know why it is that he always bought the tests). It was negative - not a disappointment, but it was a surprise.

We traveled to North Dakota to visit my family - I still was not well. In December, I asked Bill to buy another test - he thought I was nuts. This one was so positive - it changed before I stopped peeing on the stick - and I did it in the afternoon.

Since I already knew the answer, I let him go in and check on it. Sure enough - we were having a baby! By the time I finally got into the doctor, we found out that we were pregnany all the way back in October - Before Maddy was even a year old.

It was during this pregnancy that we found out that Jackson was very sick, one of his kidneys were not operating and had not developed properly and there was a problem with his other one as well. We had ultrasounds 2-4 times a week everyweek.

Additionally during one of my visits we found out that I had cervical cancer - not something you want to hear, but certainly not when you are pregnant.

I was able to carry him to term. He was born July 16, 2002. He had a kidney removal surgery at nine weeks. He has since had 3 more surgeries and is doing great. I had to have a hysterectomy to cure my illness. But all is well now.

Praise God that we had Jackson when we did, had we not - he would never have come into this world.

We welcome Madelyn Darlene Gamble

2008-10-31T06:01:00.000-07:00

On November 10, 2000, we welcomed Madelyn Darlene Gamble into the world. I will save you all the nasty details. Let's just say that an 8 pound, 4 ounce baby coming out of a woman that was just under 100 pounds before pregnancy was not pretty - especially when the doctor said - "we won't let you deliver anything over 6 1/2 pounds - we think she will be less than that". Boy were they wrong!

Everything with us seems to be so fast and busy

2008-10-31T05:47:00.000-07:00

So, we left off with May 1st, 1999 - we were married. Four months later we broke our apartment lease and bought our first home. A month after that we decided to start our own internet company. It was to be more of a hobby for me really - so that once we had kids, I could stay home with them and do a "little" work from home.

Bill started writing the code for the website in Oct of 1999. In January, I was eager to start a family - I asked Bill when we could start trying - he really wanted to wait for at least another year. That was fine with me.

Valentine's day came around. Bill got us tickets to a movie, although I was not feeling my best - (can you see where this is going?). In fact, we went to Red Robin for a bite before the movie started, I couldn't even eat the french fries.

He returned the movie tickets and we went home. After a few days of, what I thought was a nasty sinus infection, I called my doctor - she suggested a pregnancy test of all things. Well I thought she was nuts, but Bill went out and bought one.

I took it the next morning. When the timer went off, Bill and I both walked as slow as possible from the bedroom to the bathroom. Everything was going in slow motion, we inched closer and closer to the counter, looked to down to see that yes indeed we were having a baby!

How we became "The Gamble Family"

2008-10-31T05:30:00.000-07:00

Being that this is my first blog entry on our family blog - it seemed appropriate to briefly cover a bit of history.

My name is Justine Gamble - this is how I met my Husband - Bill Gamble.

In September of 1997, I began looking for a church home. I had recently moved back to Oregon and had not attended church since being back. Needless to say - it was time to return.

My first visit to a church, was acutally to a college retreat with Beaverton Foursquare Church. It was getting late, most people had gone to bed. Seeing as how I am not the most social person, it was great timing - far less people to socialize with. (I need to preface the upcoming info with the fact that anytime my Husband tells the story of how we met, it is grossly exagerated - I will tell you how it really was)

I sat down at a table full of people playing cards - a game called speed, which I had never played before. I joined in the next hand and tried to keep up, when all of a sudden the word sh** came out of my mouth. ( Did I mention before that it was time to return to church?) Anyway, the game quickly went from speed to freeze. The person to my right was my future Husband.

Flash forward. April of 1998 - I had been attending Beaverton Foursquare Church for about 6 months, making lots of friends and keeping options open for "Mr. Right". Another retreat was coming up - It was the perfect opportunity to get away from everyday life and pray about what it was the Lord wanted for me, instead of what I wanted for me. The first night of the retreat, I asked the Lord to remove any desires from my heart that were not what he wanted for me and replace them with what he did want for me. Do you know that the very next morning I told my room mate that "I need to get to know that Bill guy better". She was pretty surprised, and to be honest so was I. You see, I tended to date men that were not on the tall side, as I am just barely 5 feet tall, and just under 100 pounds. Now Bill on the other hand, 6 ft 6in and 260ish pounds at that time.

Well that was mid April of 1998. We had our first date on May 1st of 1998 and by Fourth of July weekend that year, we were having a ring made. Now this is not something I would like to hear from any of our daughters, but it was what the Lord wanted for us. We were married one year from our 1st date on May 1st 1999.