Grace upon grace...

I won't lie and tell you this "mom" thing is SOOOO easy. It isn't. It's delightful, fun, easy (sometimes, yes its easy), and yet so hard. The work is vast and great. The rewards are sweet and numerous. Some days I feel like a rockstar. Some days I'm sure a pack of wild monkeys could probably raise better humans than I could.

Yesterday was an especially not-so-easy day. We're picking up our school routine again. Miraculously, we have all adjusted to our going to bed early, napping earlier, and waking up earlier schedule. But some of us are having more trouble with reading practice.

"Because my patience runneth over and I'm awesome, we sailed right through the reading practice time, making superb timing," said me never. (Maybe not never. But definitely not yesterday.)

At the end of the day, my Mom heart was hurting. I had not handled the situation with much grace and poise. In the heat of it, there were angry words, bad moods, and crying from both parties.  (One of my fav authors describes our family a bit perfectly in her latest blog post!) Due to my daughter's inability to complete the task at hand, we were unable to attend a going away party for some dear friends. It had only added to the pain of the day.

But as I thought on it further, I was slightly comforted by a few things. First, I'm not perfect. I shouldn't pretend to be. Yes, I want my children to know me as a kind and loving Mom. A Mom who is quick to pour out encouragement and affection. But they should not look to me as some model of excellence that they hope to achieve someday. Instead, my children should know that I am not perfect. The Gospel that we have put our faith in clearly says that we aren't. (Romans 3:23) The Gospel says there is One who is Perfect. (Hebrews 4:15)

It's this Gospel that I want my children to believe, and the One who has lived this Gospel out, that I want my children to strive towards. And when my kids screw up, when things aren't going perfect, when their cups aren't running overeth with , I want them to know that its okay. It happens. But it is not an excuse to keep messing up... it is not an excuse to not even try to do better! (Romans 6) And what hope there is, for those who do believe this GREAT Gospel. We are not in this alone. The Bible clearly states that we have the Holy Spirit at work within us. (Romans 8:11) The same powerful, reckoning force that raised Christ from the DEAD, is at work within us. He guides us, instructs us, and provides us with what we need to live out this life and follow Christ.

So, today, as an imperfect believer of Jesus, I will do what I believe I am meant to do with my whole heart. I will worship God. I will glorify Him. I will make His name known and His powerful, life-changing truth known to these tiny little ears that have filled our home.

The Garage Sale

A while back, some friends of ours made this crazy courageous leap of faith to move out of their home and into a RV. They, along with their gaggle of girls (4 of them), will be journeying through North America to serve and spread the Good News of Jesus. After a few estate sales and a few more Garage Sales, the time came for them to officially pack it all up and move into the RV. In passing, my dear friend mentioned to me that she would be taking the last of what was left and donating it to Good Will. Well, the thought occurred to me, "Hey, lemme take it and have a Garage Sale to help raise funds for our adoption." (Oops, I forgot that I don't particularly like Garage Sales. So. Much. Work.)

Well, then it just kind of exploded. This person heard what we were doing, and then so did that person. I made a small comment on our church's Facebook page. And before you know it, our house looks like something off that TV show Hoarders. (Oops, I totally forgot that the Amazing Mister really hates Garage Sales too. But bless his beautiful heart, he didn't complain once!)

Thanks to all of our AMAZING FRIENDS and FAMILY for all the wonderful donations, the shopping you did at the garage sale, the refreshing of good Sweet Tea, and the helping to entertain our 3 little blondies.. we made just over $400 during the garage sale!

I am completely humbled and count it such a treasure that each of you that gave or served us in this way! Thank you so much for loving us and for encouraging us along in this process!

Please be praying for us as we work towards starting our homestudy! With God's provision, we feel like we will be ready to start the homestudy in August.

Happy Fathers Day

On Sunday, we celebrated Father's Day. In typical Brantner Family fashion, it was a hurried day with a lot going on. Having a husband in the ministry and the thick of a church plant, we don't get to see our Amazing Mister too much on Sundays.

Being that it was also his birthday this Sunday, I tried my best to get there a bit early with surprise donuts. Oh, you know, "the best laid plans...." or whatever that saying is. My poor husband had to eat his cold, stale donuts during the sermon with his warmed down chocolate milk.

Then, there was lunch. The rest of the great fam and I went to the restaurant, got a table, and awaited our gentleman to show. But sometimes, it can just take a long time to pack up an entire church into a trailer. So, my husband enjoyed some luke warm enchiladas with a watered down Coke-a-Cola. Bless it.

And to add to our normal Sunday exhaustion and day of rest, we were coming off some serious heat exhaustion from a phenomenal Garage Sale we had the day before. So many of our friends and dear loved ones were so precious to donate SO MANY things for the Garage Sale- our 1st official adoption fundraiser- that my house looked like something off of Hoarders. Most of the week last week was spent gathering the donations, pricing, sorting and of course the actual sale. With all my energy and focus on the garage sale, unfortunately, the Amazing Mister's big day didn't get celebrated with much fervor! Sorry, Babe! We'll celebrate soon!

I love my city!

As a teenager, I had several opportunities to go on foreign mission trips. I was blessed to serve in Latvia, Poland, The Dominican Republic and Mexico. With each trip, my faith stretched and grew. I cherish the memories of those trips; the work we did, the lessons I learned, the people I met, the sights, the sounds... and even the smells.

 As I've grown, married, and had children, the opportunity for foreign missions isn't as readily available as it once was. However, I still want to be very sensitive to the Spirit's leading to serve others, both near and far.

 One thing I absolutely love about our city is the fact you don't have to go very far to feel like you are serving on a foreign mission field. Our city is home to countless foreign refugees, and is an epicenter of culturally diverse people.

Took a second away from food prep to snap a pic of the Amazing Mister and myself.

Serious Soccer action going on at HBU.

 Our family recently had the pleasure in serving (in a very small way) at the Cup of Nations. Ultimately, the Cup of Nations uses the theme of sports, specifically soccer, to connect the nations and build community. Through soccer, many nations come together to build community and lasting friendships. There were about 20 nations represented at this year's games.

As a Mom to 3 precious little ones, most of my time was spent chasing after my 3 precocious busy bodies.  But it blessed my heart to see so many different people and so many nations represented in such a small space. It brought back wonderful memories of the times I spent in foreign countries ministering to people in their homelands. What a gift it is to serve such culturally diverse people and not have to go too far!

Little double trouble. 

Opening Ceremonies!

Jade, always the great encourager and leader of her younger siblings.

A bounce house all to herself! Such a treat for my sweet, independent girl!

Being silly in the photo booth.

 

Lifesong For Orphans

The Forgotten Initiative (TFI), foster care ministry of Lifesong for Orphans, is bringing joy and purpose to the foster care community by LEARNING the needs, SHARING the needs and EQUIPPING the local church to meet those needs. 

Check out what TFI is doing to serve the foster care community...

PROJECT SUNSHINE: FOSTER HOME EDITION

Project Sunshine: Foster Home Edition is a fundraiser & service project all in one!
After foster children are removed from their homes, they often wait for hours in agency rooms. These same rooms are also used for weekly visitation between the birth parents and their children while they are in care. Project Sunshine was birthed out of a desire to create friendly spaces for kids during this dark time in their lives.

Project Sunshine: Foster Home Edition simply takes the Project Sunshine concept and applies it to a foster parent's home and at the same time raises funds for The Forgotten Initiative!
Check out this video to meet the families we are serving this year in Peoria, IL on May 17-18 and click here to see how YOU can play a part in serving the foster care community!

How can YOU help Project Sunshine: Foster Home Edition?

Volunteer
Participate "in-spirit"
DonateLearn more about Project Sunshine: Foster Home Edition>>

WHAT WE DO...

Watch our new vision video to get a better idea of how The Forgotten Initiative, as a whole, seeks to minister to the local foster care community by bridging the gap through Forgotten Advocates. 

Learn more about Forgotten Advocates & how you can help >>

UPCOMING FOSTER CARE MENTORSHIP TRAININGS

Mentors Needed: Step into the lives of children of vulnerable adults affected by foster care through relationship building, tutoring, job/life skills training, etc.

Register for the next Mentor Training>>

Tuesday, April 23, 2013
6 - 9 PM
Richwoods Christian Church, Peoria, IL

Read more from The Forgotten Initiative... 

Project Sunshine: Foster Care Edition 2012 - "My home looks so beautiful. The impact of being gone and coming home to see this is almost unbelievable. I just don't know how to say thank you enough." Watch the Video

American Orphans - "Only a life contemplating the love of Christ becomes a life acting the love of Christ. And love always moves. Loving first and foremost Christ. And loving others." Read Full Story

Perspective from Foster Care Caseworker - A caseworker's job is heart-breaking, challenging, and can be extremely overwhelming.  Read as Jenna shares her heart with us! Read Full Story

Impact of Journey Bags - "Last night at midnight three precious little beauties showed up on my doorstep. They each had with them a blanket, a stuffed animal, and a book bag, their Journey Bags of course..." Read Full Story

A Lasting Change

I've always hoped to live life a little fuller. Love a little deeper. Care a little more. And as ordinary as my life may seem, I so wish it not to be the status quo.

I used to get so overwhelmed at the thought of trying to do more, to make things count for the long-haul. So much so, that I couldn't even think of what to do to take the first baby-step in making a difference.

So, I did what I do best. I gave up. And it didn't take too long to realize that, of course, was not the answer. So, then, I tried sorting it out. What could I do to live life a little fuller, to love a little deeper?

I took baby steps. Leetle-beety-baby steps. First, I spent a few more minutes- just minutes- in the Word. I was intentional in my tasks throughout the day. Instead of just going through the motions, I'd pray through them. Praising God for the amount of laundry that was before me, because we are indeed blessed to be able to wear different clothes each day. Thanking Him for the plates we had to eat on, and for the food that was devoured off of them. Counting it a blessing to have such cute little mouths to shovel all of that food into.

When I felt like I was maybe getting the hang of all that, I added in a few more weebly-wobbly steps to my leetle-beety-baby steps. I started changing our family's diet and eating habits ever so slightly. Exchanging this product for a more natural substitute, eliminating these unnecessary additions to our meals. And over time, we've got a little more organic. A little more natural. And a little less processed.

All that got a little easier. So, it was time to make those weebly-wobbly steps a little less so. Next came the little bit harder part. The giving. The doing. The not-so-much-about-us part. So, I looked for ways for us to be more intentional in our spending, and in our time management. I love to bake, so I'd bless friends with little treats here or there. I love kids, so I'd volunteer to watch a few here and there for friends that needed some help or time. We open our home to our church family several times a week for community group.

And even that started getting easier and easier. So, I encourage you today. Live life a little fuller! Start where you can. Let the baby steps get you going. There is no shame in starting small- or even miniscule. Pray for guidance in how you can start loving a little deeper.

The Day the UGLY Cry Came Out in the Car-Pool Line

There are some days I fear I have done this mothering, wifey, and all around Christian Life terribly wrong. 

I shouldn't have disciplined my children that way.

I should have offered a healthier snack after school.

I should have listened more intently to how my husband's day went.

I should have done a few more loads of laundry.

I should have spent more time in earnest prayer.

I should have spent more time soaking in the Scriptures.

Well. You get the point. And if life isn't (sometimes) overwhelming enough, add in the thought of bringing yet another child into your home. A child whom you will have the absolutely blessed responsibility of raising, comforting, nurturing, maybe even teaching English to. 

I came across this beautiful little blog post yesterday. While I was encouraged to spur my children into action for caring for others, I also had this fear that I had already failed. 

Then, today happened. My morning was busy with trying to get 3 little people awake, dressed, fed and teeth brushed. Does each child have shoes? Did I give child 3 a drink with breakfast? Is the school-aged Princess's lunch ready? 

And before I know it, we are out the door, in the car, and making sure each child is safely buckled into the seats. (Wow. It sounds so easy and mundane all typed out and neat-like here. Don't let this fool you. Getting to, in and buckled in the car can be utter chaos some mornings.)

Keeping a close eye on the road, it's so easy to turn on the "Mom ear." What? Don't pretend like you don't know what the "Mom ear" is. Your precious little cherub is babbling on and on about whatever can possibly come out of that noise machine on their face, and you're instinctive response is "Yeah", "mmm-hmm" and to throw in a little spice, "cool", sometimes.  However, I've found that some of our most cherished conversations have occurred in the car.

So, there we were. On the way to school. Me, praying through another morning and day to effectively Mother my children for the glory of God, praying that they see Christ in me. The two littles relaxing after the craziness that is "getting ready." And my biggest little person, right close to me, babbling on in normal fashion. Just as I'm curious as to how her day might go, she asks what's our (the littles and mine) plan for the day. She remarks how she has to go to school and doesn't get to have fun with us. I reassure her the best I know how and let her know I can't wait for summer break so she can join us, and how dazzling her big smart brain will be after all this learning all year. I let her know how I can't wait to have fun at the splash-pads in our area, trips to neighborhood pools, and all things water-related. 

She pauses. She asks if I remember her saying that going to Splashtown was the most important thing for her this summer. (Oops. I don't) She explains to me that its not. Splashtown doesn't matter. What matter most is bringing her brother home. Her brother that is in Africa right now. 

And then, in the middle of the car-pool line, the ugly cry came out. My daughter may not know all the catechisms, she might not be able to read an entire book by herself, she may not be the star athlete of her softball team, but she is completely selfless when it comes to her siblings. She gave me hope that maybe I'm not doing this terribly wrong. So, today, I am encouraged to do more for others, to be a little more selfless.