A New Vision

Here's a peek into our heart. God has began to birth a new vision in our hearts. Our time spent with foster children has made us aware of staggering need within our reach. Every year 25 to 30 thousand youth age out of foster care and are put out at the age of 18. Can you imagine not having anyone to call your own. Most go back to the abusive situations they were taken out of and end up homeless or imprisoned. God began to speak to Mike and I about opening a home for those wanting to follow the Lord. To provide a safe place for them to learn basic life skills and to give them a Biblical foundation. We feel like the Lord has told us to just do it. So by faith we are stepping out. We are praying for God to provide the resources as well as the young adults He desires to impact.

So the next time you read my family may have yet grown again. In God's family there is always room for one more and you never age out.

A Closed Home?

So, we now have 7 children living in a trailer house. Lots, of love and messes. I can finally close my home to DHS. What a relief. No more answering to others about where I go, what I do, or how I chose to raise my children.

Nearly a year passes. Suddenly a text from an unexpected source. We have a boy in the shelter, been there 3 months can you take him.

Yes, he's here. Much more story to come but that is all I have liberty to share. Please keep him in your prayers. He has Jesus now.

Whats one more?

Meanwhile, we began a relationship with John and Kora's biological mother. She was all alone and had been raised by drug addicts. She herself was a child victim. And at the age of 29 we asked her if we could adopt her along with her two children that she was going to loose. God, placed a love in our hearts and spoke a word to us. That HE puts the solitaire in families. She cried and said, "you mean I would have a real mom and dad?" I never had that!"

So, shortly there after we adopted Ashleigh, John and Kora.

Everything really did work out alright.

Redeeming God

Time for a bath. Washing John up he begins to talk with me. Mom, tell me about Jesus. John, Jesus loves you and died for you. If you have Jesus you will never be alone again. John, "I want Jesus!"

A new life begins. Old things pass away. I have NEVER seen such a transformation in a life. John, was instantly changed. He began reading his Bible and seeking God. God even told him the letter in the alphabet that he didn't learn because he missed school. The conversation went something like this: Teacher: "John you missed our new letter yesterday." John: "I know is was L I prayed about it and God told me it was L."

John and Kora were afraid they would be moved and we wouldn't be able to adopt them. I told them we were going to pray for a rainbow. And when God sent a rainbow it meant that everything was going to be alright. Keep in mind that it was the middle of summer and we don't get much rain.

Can you imagine the excitement when in the sky on a cloudless, rainless, day a half rainbow appears?

There was screaming and shouting and jumping up and down. But why a half a rainbow. I told the kids that God was just showing us the beginning, that we would have to walk the rest out by faith!

Two New Dreams

Another call! Can you take a 3 year and 5 year old brother and sister? Just for 3 days? Sure, I can do anything for 3 days.

So, John Wayne and Kora Faith enter our world.

Upon leaving DHS John discloses unheard of abuse, meanwhile Kora , 3 , is singing the F___ you song. Oh my, what have we gotten into. Day 1, Kora calls me mommy. Terrible nightmares! Defiant, starving. What could have happen to these babies. John spends the first week either kicking the walls or banging his head against it. How can someone do so much damage to such little ones? My heart is broken. Terror, do we have to leave? What if they come take us? So many different emotions. Lord, what do we do?

A New Dream

I had a dream. I real dream. In the dream I was talking with the foster worker. She said, " Gail, I have been praying about asking you if you would be a foster parent?" My reply. I have been praying about being a foster parent. In the dream she told me she had a newborn baby boy would I take him. I said sure. As the dream unfolded Dhs was going to have the baby moved and I had to fight to keep him. End of dream.

A week latter I met up with the worker. She said "Gail I have been praying about asking you if you would consider being a foster parent." My reply, YES!

The following Monday I recieved a call. I have a new born baby boy will you take him? YES!

So, Joshua enters our world at 4 days old. He was 5# 6oz. Joshua was drug exposed and had severe health issues. He was hospitalized when he was 6 weeks old. He was put on life support. We spent 12 days staying by his side. Praying for and loving him. Our dealings with his biological parents were very hard, but God was with us.

Every part of the dream came true. We fought for him and he is now forever ours.

New beginnings!

Early one morning I get a call from my sister. Her granddaughter was taken into DHS custody. Could we take her?
God had placed a desire within my heart to foster parent several years back. I had checked into it and didn't like the fact that they would be invading my own children's lives. I decided not to pursue it. Here we were, do we take her or not. Yes, of course! So we began our journey into the world of foster care.
My great niece stayed with us for about 8 months. She returned to her home. Meanwhile, God began to speak to me about opening our home up for other children. I remember searching the pages of children posted on the Internet photo listings. Mike said, "why do you keep looking at them?" My reply, " I feel like if I don't no one will." God began to give me his heart.

Life goes on

So, what do you do when your dreams are dashed? Where do you run to? We ran to Jesus. He was our strength and our hope. Life continues on.
Years have passed and it seems as if there is no hope. But we have hope! We have hope in the One who is able to complete that which he began .

The Move

My brother, found a rehab center in Nebraska and he wanted my parents to move there . So after about a year and a half my dad and mom moved in with my brother. The rehab was short lived and daddy began to decline. My brother and his family took care of dad and mom for about a year and a half. Shortly there after mom moved daddy into a nursing home. Every visit proved dad less and less with us. He suffered soooo much. It was disheartening to see him in so much pain, and to watch my mom endure so much. She stayed by his side and cared for him even when he would spit on her. She was a faith full wife, and friend.

Dad began to weaken and was taken home to be with Jesus, free from pain in 2008. We were sad, but no one wanted him to remain in such pain.
During this time we took the remainder of our money and hired a contractor to dry in our dream house. It no longer held my dreams.

Our Dream House

It was the summer of 2003 when we began to build the house of my dreams. A beautiful log house overlooking our land. My daddy and wonderful husband were making my dream a reality, right down to the root cellar I always wanted!

Mike having worked for the railroad for 30 years had been retired do to a injury on the job. We were excited with what the future would hold for us as we began our new journey. We had so much fun stacking logs, working with family and good friends. Everyday we could see further progress. My dad especially enjoyed the work. He loved working on new things and serving his family.

I remember as if it was yesterday the morning of Sept 16, it was the day after my parents anniversary. My dad came in to have breakfast with Mike. We chatted a few minutes, while they ate omelets I had cooked. They then got up from the table and headed to work on the house. It was a morning like every other morning the only difference was that Jacob, 7, had slept in and hadn't gone down to the house with them as usual. I told them I would bring him down a little latter. Jacob loved being the helper boy!

I guess it was probably around 10 am when I get a frantic call from Mike. Your dad has fallen. It is bad! I called 911. Bring your mom. My heart raced, skipped, terror struck. I instructed the girls to direct the ambulance. I then loaded up my mom and drove to the house. My daddy lay ed unconscious throwing up and barely breathing. It seemed like an eternity before the ambulance arrived.

On our way to the hospital we began to pray! It was a matter of minutes before all the family was issued into a separate room and told the news that daddy probably wouldn't make it. I called the house and our daughter, Kourtney, 11 said, "mommy remember ALL things work together for good."

They told us they were going to airlift my dad to OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City. I prayed a silent prayer. Lord if your going to take him take him now. If not I will believe you to raise him up.

When we arrived at the hospital I expected to here the news that dad was gone, but no he was still with us! So began our journey of faith!

The surgeons told us that dad was basically in a vegetative state and that we should remove all life support. We went to prayer. I remember telling the Lord I don't feel capable of making that decision please take it out of our hands. At that moment my dad pulled his tube out and they had to make a permanent one. God was in control.

There were so many times the doctors gave us a very bad report but we continued to, "believe thou we didn't see."

Once stable daddy was moved to a long term care facility. He was in a vegetative state. We kept the word of God on night and day. One night I had a dream that my daddy spoke to me. The next day he began to mimic what he heard. They said we shouldn't get to excited that he had extreme brain damage and that this was just a reflex. Next my dad started to recognize people. Progress was slow,

It was so heartrending to see such a strong man so powerless! My dad would share things that God was showing him. Deep things. I would listen to him even though it appeared that he really wasn't with us.

I remember one day I was sitting at the table and my mom called. She said, "Gail your dad wants to talk to you." At this point dad was not really with us. He said, "Gail baby," I said, "yes daddy," he said, "You have a hard decision to make." I said , "Are you worried about me taking care of you?" he said, "I am." I said, "Well daddy I would consider it an honor to take care of you." He said, " Then I would consider it an honor to let you." End of conversation. Daddy slipped back into his little world.

Daddy, came home to live with us. Mom too. See, mom had had an accident several years before and daddy took care of mom. Now I would care for them both. At that point we moved our children out of the added on room to our trailer house and set up a room for my parents. We had 4 children ages 13, 11, 9, 7 living at home, whom I home schooled. To say these were trying times would put it mildly.

Daddy required intensive care I woke every 4 hours to give him his meds. I changed his diaper and did his catheter. It was one of the hardest most blessed times of my life.

Little by little daddy improved. He began to walk with assistance, sit up, laugh! God was redeeming.

Looking back, all I see is Gods grace. Gods grace that he didn't take my daddy when I asked Him too. Oh what I would have missed out on in serving him for that time.

Prelude to "Our Story"

I have been asked to write down our story. A testament to the goodness of our God! It seems to just keep coming up so it is with a prayerful heart that I take pen to hand. Or should I say, fingers to keyboard.

I guess I should begin at the beginning. Our story is long, and continues to unfold so this may take several post, so bare with me. It is for my King and His glory that I am attempting to share the details of the last 8 years of our life. Also, in the Bible the children of God would erect monuments to use as a remembrance of the things God had done for them and His faithfulness, for generations to come. This blog is a monument to my Father!