What gifts has God given you and how are you using them?
I believe the Lord has given me the gifts of His love for others. I know this is from Him because it has not always been a part of my life. I was once a very selfish and self centered person even in the 80’s when my husband, we have since divorced, and I had a ministry in Chicago working with women off the streets, drug addicts, prostitutes, and alcoholics, and whatever other problem they had. I believed at the time I really loved the Lord and was committed to His work. I was dedicated to the girls in the house and also took care of our own children who were small at the time, however when we closed the house to move to Tulsa for another phase of the ministry everything fell apart and my heart became very hurt and hard. So I know the true love of God was not there or it would have sustained me no matter how terrible the circumstances of my life became.
Now things have changed, I have been in the word for myself and the Lord has been faithful to heal me from the bitterness and rebellion of the past years now I am again in the ministry, this time I call it my “mission field.” I now take care of my youngest daughter and her family. Holly works very hard to support her family because Wade, her husband, is chronically ill with asthma, o.p.d, and he also has had cancer twice and he is only 34.
In October of 2006 I left my home in Alabama and came to help out for a few months Wade was having a rough go of it and could not take care of the children. At the time they had Gabriel their 6 yr old boy and 2 other little boys 3 and 4 yrs old. They didn’t want to have to send them to another foster home or a group home so I came for a few months then in November Wade was diagnosed with cancer again this time it was much worse than the first time when he was 22.
Here it is 3 years later and i am still here.
I believe the Lord has given me the gifts of His love for others. I know this is from Him because it has not always been a part of my life. I was once a very selfish and self centered person even in the 80’s when my husband, we have since divorced, and I had a ministry in Chicago working with women off the streets, drug addicts, prostitutes, and alcoholics, and whatever other problem they had. I believed at the time I really loved the Lord and was committed to His work. I was dedicated to the girls in the house and also took care of our own children who were small at the time, however when we closed the house to move to Tulsa for another phase of the ministry everything fell apart and my heart became very hurt and hard. So I know the true love of God was not there or it would have sustained me no matter how terrible the circumstances of my life became.
Now things have changed, I have been in the word for myself and the Lord has been faithful to heal me from the bitterness and rebellion of the past years now I am again in the ministry, this time I call it my “mission field.” I now take care of my youngest daughter and her family. Holly works very hard to support her family because Wade, her husband, is chronically ill with asthma, o.p.d, and he also has had cancer twice and he is only 34.
In October of 2006 I left my home in Alabama and came to help out for a few months Wade was having a rough go of it and could not take care of the children. At the time they had Gabriel their 6 yr old boy and 2 other little boys 3 and 4 yrs old. They didn’t want to have to send them to another foster home or a group home so I came for a few months then in November Wade was diagnosed with cancer again this time it was much worse than the first time when he was 22.
Here it is 3 years later and i am still here.
We have had 12 other foster children come through the house and then we also got Gracie. She has just turned 2 .We got her when she was 4 months old, she weighed 5lbs, her birth weight and she had a spiral fracture of her left arm and they also thought she had a broken leg . She was about 1 week away from dying of starvation, her mother was afraid the baby would get too fat so she wouldn’t feed her. When her parents brought her in for her “well baby checkup”the Dr. called police. She was in the hospital for 2 weeks before we got her and she was “up” to 5 lbs. She was so small even “preemie” clothes were too big for her. Her parent were charged with felony abuse and felony neglect and the Case was classed as “hennas and shocking”. The Dept. of human services said it was the worst case of neglect they had ever seen.
We had a rough go of it at first as she was so weak she could only eat about 1 oz of formula at a time and she would be exhausted from trying to eat then she would have an upset stomach because her digestion was not working correctly she would sleep for about 30-40 minutes and then wake up again to eat more. This was our ‘sleepless” schedule for over a year. She would get to where she would sleep for an hour or two by the time she was a year old. Yet she still doesn't sleep all night most of the time.
Because the case was classed as Hanious and shocking the parent rights were terminated and soon Gracie will be ours officially.
We had a rough go of it at first as she was so weak she could only eat about 1 oz of formula at a time and she would be exhausted from trying to eat then she would have an upset stomach because her digestion was not working correctly she would sleep for about 30-40 minutes and then wake up again to eat more. This was our ‘sleepless” schedule for over a year. She would get to where she would sleep for an hour or two by the time she was a year old. Yet she still doesn't sleep all night most of the time.
Because the case was classed as Hanious and shocking the parent rights were terminated and soon Gracie will be ours officially.
Gabe, our 6 yr old boy was also adopted his mother put him in a freezer when he was 6 mo’s old. Thank God his grandmother was there and rescued him before he was injured.
At this time we have Isaiah he is six and has been the the system since he was three. His mothers rights were just terminated so he is going up for adoption and we are praying for his perfect “forever family”.
Sarah is 14 and will probably go back to her mother; this is her 2nd time with us. Her mother attends our church that is why we have her. So I have my own “small group” here in the house with three adults, four children and a dog.
I am also on the prayer ministry team at our church and I teach some on Wednesday nights.
So in all of this I have found the true heart of God; To forgive Gracie's parents because they didn’t know what they were doing.
I am also on the prayer ministry team at our church and I teach some on Wednesday nights.
So in all of this I have found the true heart of God; To forgive Gracie's parents because they didn’t know what they were doing.
To always believe the best, because we deal with state agencies with our children and Foster children. Oh yes and let’s not forget that we endure long and are patient……..
We have a lot of people tell us that they don’t see how we do it. How we bring these children into our home, love them, take care of them for months and then they go on to other family members or sometimes back home. To their forever families. My answer always has to be “I don’t do it for the children I do it for the Lord,” everything I say and everything I do is for Him, it is the only way you can truly love. For love isn’t love until you give it away. You can never out give God for He has given us Gabriel and Gracie.
We have a lot of people tell us that they don’t see how we do it. How we bring these children into our home, love them, take care of them for months and then they go on to other family members or sometimes back home. To their forever families. My answer always has to be “I don’t do it for the children I do it for the Lord,” everything I say and everything I do is for Him, it is the only way you can truly love. For love isn’t love until you give it away. You can never out give God for He has given us Gabriel and Gracie.
What perfect gifts He has given us.
Lois
Lois
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