adoption & the gospel pt 1

hi dear readers, friends & family.

i apologize for being so quiet. we are still in uganda getting our sweet sweet amos.

i've missed blogging soooo much! i didn't think i'd have any time to blog while in africa... & for the most part that's been true. but i have a few minutes now. :) so here goes... (ahhh, blogging gives me so much life!)

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(taken before we left for africa. we now have one more little boy to fit in that wagon! i cannot wait to share pictures of amos's cute little face when we get home!)

wow, adoption is the hardest & most sanctifying thing i have ever willingly been through! (i say willingly, because there have been many difficult things in my life that i did not "choose" to go through. praise the Lord for His good & gracious purposes for our lives!)

i have learned sooooooo much about the gospel during our 5 weeks in uganda that i wanted to do a short series to share all i've learned. i want to start the series by rejoicing in the goodness of our God to use trials to sanctify us. 

"God always looks upon me & treats me with gracious favor, always working all things together for my ultimate & eternal good. God's grace abounds to me even through trials. because i am a justified one, He subjugates every trial & forces it to do good unto me."

hallelujah!!!!!!!!!

"i don't deserve any of this, even on my best day; but this is my salvation, & herein i stand. 

thank You, Jesus."

HE IS SOOOO GOOD! i don't deserve that He looks upon me & treats me with gracious favor. i don't deserve that He is always working ALL THINGS together for my good. i don't deserve that His grace abounds to me EVEN through trials. i don't deserve that He subjugates every trial & forces it to do good unto me. BUT HE DOES IT ANYWAY!!! just because of His grace & great love for me. i have done absolutely NOTHING to deserve any of His goodness. BUT this is my salvation! thank You Lord! He does not give up on me. He keeps working on me & making me more & more like Him.

(quotes from this great great book! BUY IT & read it everyday!)

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we cannot wait to be home! we miss our friends & our home! then we move to MI... maybe i'm kinda dreading all the change that's about to happen. but we will find our "new normal" soon enough. :)

al