Our Boatload of Dreams.....

Welcome to Our Place Called Simplicity.

We invite you into our lives with one goal in mind: that you would be encouraged to live simply and truly love one another.

Married for 33 years, we are the parents of many. Eleven {so far} children. Eight of whom are adopted. We also have four sons and a daughter that we are parents of in Uganda as well. They were raised on the streets and had no parents until we "adopted" them 3+ years ago. So we really have sixteen children total {with more on the way}.

After 7+ weeks in Uganda, Emma {18} and I recently returned to the United States with our newest addition - a baby girl named Ruby Grace. Dw and Emma were leading a missions team in June 2011 where they had the privilege of meeting Ruby - a tiny 11 month old gem weighing only 6 lbs.

Our oldest daughter Abigail and her husband finally{!} allowed us the privilege of being Mimi and Jaja by bringing us our very first grand baby {from Uganda}...making us now, officially, a multi-generational adoptive family. Proof that adoption is a very, very good thing!

We've had the privilege of adopting our treasures from all over the world, some dubbed "special needs" we are convinced that the only TRUE special need a child has is to have a family.

Our peers are empty nesters, but we are certain that given this option to any orphan - "old mom and dad" or "no mom and dad", all would still vote for the old ones. So here we are - the old ones....doing it again....

If you are need of encouragement or wonder if God is able to move your mountain, please head over to the sidebar where Special Posts are listed. Start at Our Wild Adventure Part 1. You will be reminded of Almighty God's deep love for the orphan and how He will move mountains on their behalf....we call Him the Miracle-Working, Mountain-Moving, Awe-Inspiring, Gasp-Giving God!! Yippee Jesus!!

I am humbled beyond words and ever so grateful that the Lord is fulfilling a promise He gave me way back in 1982..."making the barren woman to be at home - the joyful mother of children" (Psalms 113:9). How I praise His name!!

Friday, October 22, 2010

Yesterday

Yesterday I was sitting in my comfy bear chair working on inventory from the fire.  Yes, I am still doing inventory. We have turned in 4,000+ items but these are the last 1,000 or so. These are some of the most treasured items that we just put into boxes cause I couldn't bear to write them down and,  worse yet, pitch them in the garbage.  But time is running out with the insurance so I'm forcing myself to get 'er done.

I had gotten up in the early hours. I've renamed my Quiet Time....it's now  my "Confiding Time".  {Psalms 25:14 says "The Lord confides in those that fear him."}  I got a new phone recently and it has a feature that allows you to give the alarm you are  creating a name.   When I made  up my  alarm to get up early and spend time with my sweet Savior I named it "Confiding Time".

On our cold Colorado  mornings when it is still pitch dark out, it could be really enticing to shut the ringing off and snuggle down into our flannel sheets. But with one eye open I see "Confiding Time"  as I go to quiet the alarm and my soul remembers that the God of the entire Universe wants to confide in me..the very same God who parted the Red Sea, who kept three men alive in a fiery furnace, who filled my Memorial box with symbols of miracles He has done...that God wants to confide in me..........whooaa....now that's amazing!  And puts a whole new slant on getting up in the dark of night!

Anyway, after a sweet confiding time I set to work on the inventory. Emma made some yummy coffee. I even said, "Emmy this is truly one of the best cups of coffee I've ever had." And within seconds, to my total dismay, I had spilled my most delicious coffee across the keyboard.  ugh.

So I am ever so slowly typing from the On-Screen Keyboard which the Lord totally showed me this morning.  So I'll order a new keyboard and consider it a lesson learned...\
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10 Simply Sweet Words:

Tony and Rett said...

Great idea, the confiding time!!!

Any word on sweet Finn??

hopeful one said...

May the Lord comfort you as you do the last of your inventory and Im sorry that you spilled your coffee on your keyboard )-;
Trina

susieloulou said...

I bet you could rinse it off and let it dry and it would be (ha ha) as good as new!

Renee said...

Looking at time with God as a confiding time has never crossed my mind...it is amazing isn't it. I will never look at my time with God the same way :)
Warm hugs for you out in the CO mountains..

Tracy said...

I cant believe they make you list every.single.thing! That is so ridiculous! Its like making someone relive the tragedy over and over again. Im sorry I know I sound irritated, but I guess thats because I am. Its just crazy.
I will be praying that you will somehow be comforted today going through your things. Im sure its not easy for sure. I think a St*arbucks and donuts maybe would be resonable!! : )

Haley said...

In 2001, when I was a Senior in highschool my familys home burnt down. I know your pain when you talk about the fire and losing the precious things that cant be replaced. I remember my mom sitting at the table for hours and hours on end working through the paperwork and listing all the items. There are still times we realize we forgot to list something or wondered what ever happened to that item. I completely understand what you have to deal with and will pray that you can finally wrap up the never ending list of things.

I also wanted to thank you for being such an amazing woman of God. I also thank God for using you to witness to others through this blog. You make me want to strive more and more to have a closer relationship with God. Its always improving but never where I want it to be! I cant wait to come to your blog every day and read what you have posted. I think my husband Brian sometimes thinks im a bit looney when I tell him what Linny was talking about today. Thank you for being real and loving on so many people you have never even met. Your a huge encouragement to me!

Kelly said...

If its a newer keyboard you may indeed be able to rinse it off and let it dry. Ours is a few years old, but completely sealed. One of our kids spilled a drink on it and my husband rinsed it off in the sink, and then plugged it back in. He said most of them were sealed now -- and he works in the tech field, so I guess he was correct. Hope all is well with the new grandchild.

Tanja + Gerd mit Josia Fanilo und Fifaliana Soa Anne said...

Hi!

I left a prayer request the other day, about getting our little girl home sooner than later. Yesterday we went to the adoption ministry to find it locked. But the secretary told us, that the 1 week long meetings that were scheduled to start Oct 27th started already Oct 20th! So they will be done Oct 27th! Now we need to pray, that we can get the file the day after and meet a nice judge, who lets us take our girl home VERY soon. And also, gives us a "soon" date for the adoption at court!
Blessings from Madagascar,
Tanja

Janet and Kevin said...

Linny -

any news on your new grandson? I am waiting patiently (ok, not so patiently) for a picture! LOL!!

Hugs,
janet and gang

Sammie said...

Any word from Africa about your sweet grandson?? Even if you can't say anything tell us that. I have been left hanging since your post about the court hearing being the next day.