Project Hopeful is an incredible organization that advocates for children with HIV, children with special needs, and in general, the kids who aren’t likely to be as adopted.  They provide grants for adoptive families. They made this awesome video to reveal the truth about HIV.

Anyway, they applied for a $50,000 grant from Cultivate Wines, but they are relying on you and me to vote for them! Once a day till the end of June. Right now they are winning, but they still need our help.

So, please go here: http://www.cultivatewines.com/cause/28670 and log in to vote. It’ll take two seconds and it’s free! And then come back tomorrow and vote again.

These waiting kids are like Eli, and Mikisa, and Lily.  And they need your help.

Since Mandie Joy and I have both gotten home, we’ve talked a lot about our last couple of years. Two years ago, we were preparing for Uganda and had no idea what would hold.  I’ve been compiling an outline of events, which sort of really stressed me out, which prompted me to think about a stress scale I had taken or seen, which sent me on a google search.  It’s called the Holmes and Rahe stress scale. For each event that has occurred in the last year, you add that number of points.

Here’s what I found:

Score of 300+: At risk of illness.

Score of 150-299+: Risk of illness is moderate (reduced by 30% from the above risk).

Score 150-: Only have a slight risk of illness.

*taken from Wikipedia.

So, I decided to add up stressors from the last year of life…and well, hmm.

• Marriage: 50 points
• Pregnancy: 40 points
• Change to a different line of work: nursing -> foster care -> SAHW, so do I double the points? 36 points
• Change in living conditions: umm…hardly any electricity and running water and washing clothes by hand to all modern conveniences…I guess it would be more stressful going the other way. 25 points
• Change in residence: podunk Uganda town -> less podunk Uganda town -> Hilton Head  -> Italy -> Fort Stewart. 20 points x4 = 80 points
• Change in church activities: house church -> childhood church -> Army chapel -> new church. 19 points
• Change in social activities: I don’t even know how to quantify this coming from Uganda…so we’ll just say yes. 18 points
• Change in eating habits: I certainly didn’t eat a balanced diet in Uganda. 15 points
• Vacation: honeymoon. 13 points
• Christmas: this happens every year…how does it qualify? 12 points
• “I had five children and I lost them, but I know they are where they should be” doesn’t show up anywhere on the list, so we’ll categorize that under “child leaving home.” 29 points x5 = 145 points

Total: 453 points

I qualify under the “at risk of illness” category.  The funny thing is that I feel surprisingly well adjusted for having so many changes in the last year.  Although, I’m told it’s the really serious cases that are oblivious to anything being wrong. So I’m happily oblivious.

I say all this somewhat tongue in cheek.  The last two years have included incredibly hard and incredibly joyful events.  If Jesus had not redeemed me and made me his child then truly, I’d be in a mental institution somewhere wandering the halls hear phantom cries and looking for my children, trying to store water and food and conserve the battery on my computer in case I get a chance to Skype home.

But God is so faithful and although we have created a way to quantify stressful life events, He is bigger than that.  He creates beauty from ashes. He raises the dead to life.  He heals the broken.  He calms the storm. He makes the fig tree blossom and the vine produce. He feeds thousands from a few loaves of bread.

He indwells me and gives me a heart of contentment. I can stare into the future with trepidation for what will happen, or I can remember how He has brought peace into the chaos, and I can choose to trust Him.

I choose trust. He has given me eternal life and no one shall pluck me out of His hand. If I live with that assurance than the rest is put into perspective.

To the women who have bravely carried their babies, despite encouragement to abort, and given them up to adoption, and to a better life than they can give.

To the women with mother’s hearts, who have miscarried, or have been unable to bear children of their own.

And those dearest to my heart: to the mothers who have loved another’s children recklessly, being reminded daily of the risk of loss, and pursuing courageously ahead, until those children are no longer their responsibility, and then loving on, even though your arms are empty.

I honor you. You are a mother, whether the world identifies you as such, or not. I have watched you love. I have watched you pour out yourself, but even more importantly, Jesus knows your heart.  He sees you as you are. May He remind you this year of just how special you are to Him.  May He shelter you with His wings and comfort you with His love.

Eli and Ellie turned two yesterday! And on Monday their adoption was finalized. It’s a big week in their family!

A year ago we celebrated their first birthday with cupcakes and our neighbors.  Lily decorated the house with streamers and toilet paper.  We skyped with their family.  We enjoyed having our moms with us for their big event. Their half sister and Eli’s HIV care coordinator came and celebrated with us. It was simple but we had fun.

Yesterday, Eli and Ellie celebrated with their family.  They went out for a big pancake breakfast and then in the evening they had a picnic in the park, with pizza and banana cupcakes.

Ellie knew exactly what to do, and blew out her candles on her cupcake, and promptly smashed icing into her face, her mother’s face, and Mandie Joy’s face.

Eli looked bewildered and kept watching Ellie. He never quite grasped blowing out the candles, and similar to last year, was not too interested in his cupcake.

So much has changed in a year. Eli and Ellie are speaking almost intelligible sentences. They are as healthy as can be and are surrounded by an adoring family.

Mandie Joy, as usual, did a great job capturing the event and making me feel like I was there!  I got to celebrate with the twins right before they went to bed, with a quick Skype session. Ellie was happy to be the center of attention and kept yelling at Eli to stop, any time he tried to stick his face in front of the computer.

What a privilege it is to be still a part of their lives. I’m so thankful for our adoptive families, who make such an effort to keep me in the loop, even though I’m a couple states away.

Eden Hannah made it home last night.  Her mom and dad carried her from the gate to the terminal amidst a crowd of probably sixty people who cheered and screamed and carried signs and balloons.  Her two brothers and two sisters finally met the sister they’d been waiting for, for almost a year.

Eden Hannah’s mom heard about her at an annual piano recital. That annual piano recital is this Saturday. What an anniversary.  Eden Hannah will get to go to that piano recital this year. What amazing grace. God gives us such tangible reminders of all He has done on her behalf.

Anyway, back to her homecoming.  It was truly a celebration.  Eli, Ellie and Ali Rose were all there to welcome home their foster sister. Lily and her family celebrated from afar, wishing they could be there!

Eden did great! She was unwilling to be passed around, but she just stared and stared at all the people and allowed herself to be kissed and petted by her sisters.  When the cameras came out for a family picture, she even smiled.  The girl is a ham and knows what to do for the camera.

She wouldn’t let me hold her, but she grabbed my hand and gave me a look that told me she knew who I was.  She did the same thing for Mandie Joy and she and Ali Rose had a moment together as they stared at each other from the safety of their mothers’ arms.

And finally, when the crowds were gone, Eden got down and practiced her walking, all while tightly gripping Lindsey’s hand.

What a sigh of relief and joy. After so long, I finally feel finished with our time and our responsibilities in Uganda.

Oh. My. Goodness.

The day that we’ve been waiting for, for SO long is finally almost here.

Tomorrow night, Eden Hannah Doyle will land on US soil! I will sigh the biggest sigh of relief when I watch her mom carry her off that plane and know that she is finally where she belongs.

Yes, I did say watch. My love has so many air miles from all of his time in Italy that we were able to get a flight to Nashville tonight, so that tomorrow, I can be there, in person, to welcome her home.

I’ve done a lot of pondering on these last two years. A lot. Every day, in fact, I ponder the last two years.  And every time I do, I’m forced to marvel and wonder at the Lord’s works.

People, you’ve walked this journey with me. Can you believe how much He has done on the behalf of five children and two women?  These five adoptions have nothing to do with anything we did. Jesus paved the way for these kids to join their families.

I’m in awe.

I’m in awe of what He’s done in my own heart, as I’ve watched Him fight on behalf of these children.

Oh dearest Jesus, let me never forget what you have done. Let me never distrust your ability or willingness to work miracles and open doors again.

You are the Lord MOST HIGH. I will praise you, O Lord, with all of my heart. I will tell of your wonders. I will boast in Christ, and Christ alone.

One year from the day that we got Eden Hannah, her mom got word that she has a visa!

Eden Hannah is coming home!

Thank you for all of your prayers! The Lord heard your cries!!

A few months ago we asked Eli and Ellie’s mom to write a blog post for us describing their new life with a a mom and a dad and four older siblings! And despite the fact that she has six kids (including three toddlers) she did! And so here it is.

Friends,

I don’t even know where to start?!

First, how do we say thank you to all of you who have so faithfully and beautifully loved, cared for and prayed for our precious Eli and Ellie?!  We wish we could meet each and every one of you, get to know you, and love and pray for you the way you have for our beloved son and daughter, for our family, and of course for Mandie Joy and Rachel.  Thank you is just NOT enough!  We continue to stand in awe of how God chose Mandie Joy and Rachel to be such an intimate part of God rescuing Eli and Ellie and saving their lives…to be the foster mommies that God  used to shower our babies with His love and truth and to teach them about family.   We can’t stop giving thanks and praise for the way Mandie Joy and Rachel loved and cared for Eli and Ellie as their own for almost a year.  Our family has been forever changed by those of you who have been on this journey with Mandie Joy and Rachel!  We are eternally grateful for how each one of you has been a part of Eli and Ellie’s story and how God used you to be part of how they’re now thriving at home with their Mommy, Daddy, brothers, and sisters…in their forever family…RIGHT WHERE THEY BELONG!

When we look into their eyes and watch them embrace with joy the love of their family…we can tell that deep in their hearts, Eli and Ellie KNOW they are right where they belong!  They know that they are in the family that God chose for them since before time.  Truly, since the moment we walked into our home holding Eli and Ellie in our arms…they knew they were HOME!  Finally, all eight of us together!  Finally, all six siblings hugging, laughing, rejoicing, and celebrating together what we had all been dreaming about, praying for and waiting for since December 2010.

We are continuing to marvel at how God alone creates family.  Eli and Ellie have only been home for six months, yet it feels like we’ve been together forever!   We’ve been soaking up these last six months, being very intentional in this intimate time of bonding as a family of eight.   In these last six months, there have been many “firsts”, lots of laughter, a whole bunch of snuggling, hugs, kisses, and “I love you’s”, challenges, healing, restoration and more!  Hannah, our two year old, still wakes up and asks first thing, “I go play with Eli and Ellie?”  Eli’s first word when he got home was “sister”…for Hannah.  Hannah still calls Eli “sister” occasionally, too. John David, our five year old, is growing into such a tender brother who looks out for his younger three siblings and loves when he gets to be home with just mommy, Eli and Ellie.  He still likes to be “twins” with Eli, and they have many matching outfits.  This won’t last forever; at least we don’t think it will??

twins

When we put the twins to bed at night, all the children still like to go into their bedroom together.  Just tonight, all three babies lined themselves up on the floor to get their diapers changed and jammies on, and then started drinking their bottles together.    We now call Hannah, Eli and Ellie the “triplets”.  They will never remember life without one another.  In the midst of all three of them wanting the same toy or something of the sort (imagine that), we’re already seeing how they care and show compassion towards one another…it’s beautiful!  Hannah wants to help give Eli his medicine and pray for E&E every night, Ellie is the first one to come right up next to a sibling if they’re crying or got hurt, wanting to make sure they’re okay, and Eli will always give a hug to say “sorry”… they’re  always there to cheer one another on when someone’s learning something new or does a good job.  God did give us three babies very close in age, so we can only imagine God’s plans for the three of them to have each other as they celebrate many wonderful moments together, but also as they face what might be hard at times.  Each of them will have different challenges ahead.  We know that none of our children are defined by their needs, nor are we, and we will watch God heal, redeem and restore in magnificent ways, however; when times might be hard…I believe these triplets will have an understanding for one another that is very unique.

the triplets

Since E&E have been home, we’ve watched Ellie go from scooting on her bottom to walking and now to running as fast as she can.  She is truly one of the most JOYFUL little girls (with a bit of sassy mixed in) that I have ever known…she fits her name…Eleanor JOY Gallagher!  She is confident, secure, caring, sweet, very funny, full of life, and smart!  Ellie is SO very proud of her family!  I feel like at times she just wants to shout…”I LOVE MY FAMILY!” from the rooftops! She loves to say all of her siblings’ names with a big smile and she’ll just look at me at random times and say “mommy”, just to say it.  She is talking SO very much, wanting to learn all the words she can quickly.  She’s excited to keep up with her big sister Hannah.  OH MY…not sure if I’m ready.   She is now saying, “I’m funny” and “please stop”.  “Please stop” is a good thing to know how to say in a family with six children.  God continues to give us moments of sweet intimacy while He is at work healing broken places in her heart.  I’m so thankful I get to hold her, pray over her, look into her eyes and tell her, “you are a desire of my heart, you are my daughter, and I love you!”

And Eli…we have watched Eli continue to grow into a tender, yet strong little boy.  He is a fighter, yet he is oh so snuggly.  He’ll hug you anytime anywhere and he’ll even hold on for a great big long snuggle.  He has the funniest little laugh, and still loves to play peek a boo.  He is fascinated with music, and LOVES the guitar.  However, he’ll play any instrument you put in his hands.  God knew Eli and his daddy would enjoy playing music together, and now Eli has his own little guitar to play so daddy can play his own.   Eli is also a little explorer and has lots of fun trying to figure out how things work.  This is really good, and really not so good at times.  He’s super smart, and we can’t wait to see what God does with the way he thinks.  Although Eli has been known to be a mommy’s boy, daddy and Eli have done some major bonding, and they’ve got a really good thing going!  Eli asks for “dada” A LOT now, and daddy actually get’s some of the best snuggles I’ve ever seen.  Recently, Eli got tubes put in his ears, as he was struggling with continuous ear infections.  We believe the Lord set him free in a place that was being held captive.  God really did gift Eli with special ears that hear music unlike most 1.5 year olds.  Eli was still drawn to sound and music with ears that weren’t even hearing to their full capacity.  His ears were FULL of wax, fluid, and bacteria…with no way out!  Now his ears can hear like they were made to, and he is no longer captive but free to enjoy the blessing of having gifted little ears!  In one week, he is parroting new sounds and trying to say every word we say. He has a great little singing voice and has picked up almost 15 new words his first week with free ears!

As some of you know, we have six children.  Truly, I would love to write a separate blog post about each child…going on and on and on about just how special each ONE is, and how each ONE has changed our lives in every good way!!   And not because it’s always been easy, we have experienced hard, and there remains hard…but beautiful hard, life changing hard, and God is never finished being the author and perfecter of our faith, so it is through the hard that He continues to reveal more of who He is and what He’s like, and He compels us all to want to be more like Him.  He is faithfully at work in our family and in each one of us, drawing us to Himself, and revealing more about who He is.  We thank Him daily that through our children and the humbling privilege of being parents…we are learning more about God’s unfailing love, what He’s like, how He parents us, and just how beautiful He is.

Watching the children together as siblings is probably my favorite thing to watch every day!  The way they do life together is precious, and yet we’re all still learning too.  Our children can’t imagine life without each other.  The older three adore they’re younger siblings and they are such encouragers.  E & E light up whenever an older sibling enters the room.  They are so content to be RIGHT WHERE THEY BELONG, being loved by their mommy and daddy and siblings.

Please know that we’ve been so moved by the prayers that have been prayed on behalf of Eli and Ellie and our family, and we are experiencing God’s goodness, His grace, His mercy, His faithfulness, and His love in abundant  measure!  And what God promised to us when we chose to say, “Yes God, we would delight in being Eli and Ellie’s family”…God is fulfilling…MORE FREEDOM AND JOY for all of us!   Even in the days and moments that are  hard and challenging…there is more freedom and joy in Christ!   Thank you Lord!

Mandy

And here are a couple of videos of our babies turned into toddlers! (password: twins)

Ellie talking:

Eli and his guitar: