On Birth Mother Day...A Letter to Bruik's Mommy

 

On Birthmother Day today, I wish to honor the Mommy of Bruik.
Bruik and I think and dream of his mother, who now lives in Heaven, with much love. Often he speaks of her before he goes to sleep.
A letter to Bruik's Mommy for Mother's Day:
Dear One,
Do you know the first thing Bruik wants to do, right after he meets Jesus? He wants to see you and his Daddy and fall into your arms.
As a Mama who has lost babies,knowing they live where you also are,I know the ache of separation of being apart from your child. Perhaps your emotion is not ache, since where you live, all things are made right? Do you understand better than I that we shall all be reunited in just a moment, in the grand story of forever??...But I know you pray, you yearn, you are waiting for Bruik as I wait for my babies.

We WAIT...and we LOVE...until...

Many times, as I am rocking Bruik or playing with him, especially in those times when I am reading a book to him, and his sweet curly head is resting heavy on my shoulder, I picture YOU holding my little baby boy and girl as they wait for me, while I get to love on your Bruik here on Earth.

It's a holy exchange of love.

A Sacred entrustment to love your child as my very own. And this love connects me to you.
I see your beauty in his handsome face, pouring through long eyelashes in soulful eyes.
I feel your joy in his quick joy and when he spontaneously starts to jump up and down or to dance with such passion and talent--he surely did not receive that from this mama!!
I sense the pride you feel for this one...as he darts with such skill down soccer fields and runs like a gazelle in the backyard.
I sense your patience and your laid-back ways in his gentle movements among our large family group. He settles us with qualities brought from your family tree.
I know you are pleased with his kindness, with what a loving and caring, and obedient, and pleasing son he is.
And do you see this photo of him this year? I know you loved him like this. I can FEEL it in his embrace...I can SEE it as he scoops up other little ones to love them with natural nurture.
And you know, I have made a covenant love promise before God to love your son in just this way...
Sweet lady.... Mrs. Adama, YOU have become my family..my VERY OWN. Just like "blood kin" to me. And on that day when we all see Jesus...I too want to quickly find you...I will be close in line, after Bruik gets his love greeting in, to hug your neck and say, "Thank you."...."I love you." You are family to me...forever.

Love Always,

Gillian

And here is our story of another woman so DEAR to our hearts, Ava's birth mother. This story was written soon after we traveled home from Ethiopia. How she fills my heart every my heart leaps for joy over our precious "sparkle bug", Ava (Rekeb) Aday.
Ava's Mommy's Story 

 Please keep us in your prayers as we will be meeting the birthmother of our newest baby to join our family on Tuesday evening. We so look forward to knowing her, to loving her well.
Blessings!! 

Sometimes the Thank You is Big and NoISy !! :)

Our Living Room Last Night!

The Children Break Out Into Praise

And Thanks, 

As They Hear the News

That The Funding for the Adopted Baby's Trip Here

Has Come Completely In!

They Then Began Adoring Jesus

And Remembering that He too

Went on a Long Journey

To Be Born

And That He Too was Adopted

And That He Adopts Us Too.

And Incredible Night

Thanks Turned to Worship.

The Glory of a Child's Heart

Will Ever Be a Model for My Own!!

We Can't Wait to Meet Our Baby SOON!!

Thank you for ALL of your love, prayers, generous giving!!

This will enable the first steps of our adoption story to begin!

...

Sometimes the Thank You is BiG and NoIsY

It should be!!

Much Love From the Tucker Family!!

Expectant Arrival

 We have been encouraged to share more of our current story of adoption with you today. Here is a bit more of a look "behind the veil", to understand more of the personal details of this story. Much of the letter below was written by Richard as a letter to our Ministry Partners, those who support our family as missionaries with Monthly financial support and/or Prayer.

(Just being silly ...and getting used to the Moby Wrap for bonding as baby arrives :)

Dear Friends ,
We are updating you on a wonderful “God Story” today! Several weeks ago, we were asked by a missionary who is the founder of the Orphan Justice Center and deeply connected to ministry in the Marshall Islands, if we would adopt a baby about to be born within a month or so. Ever since our “YES!!” we have been readying a place in our home and heart for this little one as we have also been racing through all the details needed to adopt a little one from a foreign land across the sea.
And here we find ourselves once more, walking out the Truth that as God specifically brings His Call to something in your life, He then will wow you with His plans to complete that call!
And wowed we have been!! We have been given extra strength and stamina in these first weeks of my incredible job assignment with the OJC to also push through all the fingerprinting, paperwork, doctor visits, case worker interviews and visits of a Rush Home Study. Life in these weeks has been full of avocation for this little one and his or her family as we have been talking through details for their arrival and birth with lawyers and doctors, case workers and travel agents.
Adoption so clearly displays that we all are a part of God’s incredible family tree. And how He wants as many as possible in His family line! We have been in awe of the outpouring of His heart for this helpless, priceless baby through the hands of His children. The end of our Master Bedroom is now COMPLETELY outfitted with every need a newborn would have, all brought by loving hands who heard this story. It has been Gillian’s delight of course to nest and pray for this little one in the midst of this love!! Many of you have touched our hearts with your messages of blessing, your prayers over us, and financial gifts. We are so blessed by you!
And now we are SO close to meeting our baby. Just the other day, we received word from a doctor in the Marshall Islands that the birth mother is healthy enough to travel. BUT she is very close to giving birth so time is essential to get her on a plane in the next 4-6 days while this “health window” is still open. It is for the baby’s best to be born here in the States. There is a wonderful plan in place for the mother’s care and living situation for after the birth that she is excited about. Her current situation is one of great danger and much poverty. This will be a new beginning for her, a real rescue.
Just last night we received a message from the birth mother through a relative here that she is greatly looking forward to this adoption and that she loves us and chooses us from afar as well. She is asking her relative, who is Renee Loux ‘s daughter, “When am I able to come?”
We are hoping that our brothers and sisters in Christ will be able to help us with that answer this week. We have done all we can in readying our home, heart, and legal standing to receive this young mother and adopt this precious child. All that is needed now is the money for airfare to bring this mother and her toddler child to Kansas City.
Almost $3,500 has been raised over the past weeks!!! Wow!! We absolutely trust that God will provide the remainder of the funds we need from a variety of people who have His heart to help the Fatherless and the Vulnerable.
What we now need is an additional $2,500 to be able to fly the birth mom and her toddler to the US. They will then be met by someone here who speaks Marshallese and who has a connection to their family. They will spend the night in a hotel for one night to allow the mother some rest.
130,000 frequent flier miles would get them to California.  The airline that flies out of the Marshall Islands is United Airlines. This number of miles represents the bulk of their trip. At this point (California), we will most likely switch airlines to Southwest to bring them home to Kansas City.
We would like to invite any of you who have airlines points or “miles” to donate them to this cause?  Or perhaps you may know a friend who has miles to give? Or, the link to use to bless with a donation of the funds needed is:  http://tinyurl.com/clkx6jp
We need you to know, that this story is even greater than the miracle of God knitting two family lines together via adoption. Yes, even beyond the story of a miraculous and powerful physical rescue, this story is about the eternal saving of a family line.
Due to decades of intentional Gospel ministry in the Marshall Islands, Renee Loux and her family have received the trust and love of the people there as well as have seen many transformed by Christ. Even in the past several weeks, due to the influence of the love of God in these missionaries in their home, one of our birth mother’s sisters, who also just had a baby!, accepted Christ with great joy. Two of her young sons were also profoundly touched by the love of God here and Renee reports that their behavior went from totally out of bounds and scared, due to their painful background in the Marshall Islands, to trusting and loving under the influence of the love of God—transformation in a matter of weeks!
This sister is now going back to the Marshall Islands to bring Christ to her husband and family there. Another sister, in a visit to Renee’s family here, is opening her heart to the living God as well. The other day, she visited our Global Prayer Room and was deeply touched by the Presence of God; she has asked to be continually brought back to worship Him. We believe that they and their household “SHALL BE SAVED”. As I had the privilege of holding our baby’s cousin in my arms the other day, I prayed blessing over this family line and claimed God’s inheritance of Himself for these precious babies and their family.

(Our new baby's cousin,Benjamin, born just over a week ago. Held by Renee Loux's son, Sasha )
 

Thank you for partnering with us as we hold out our hands to embrace the growth of God’s Family! We have much joy in this work and are so honored to walk it alongside of you!
Much Love and Blessings,

The Tucker Family (Psalm 10:14)

A Love Letter of Sorts

Oh,my heart ♥, God is doing it AGAIN.

He is telling us His story of destiny of another life He is weaving into our family.

We have watched with awe as God has named each one of our children...each name so fitting...even the ones we thought we were picking out!!..some names have been miracles, like our son, Bruik, who we decided to name, Bruik, after Baruach (gift to God) in the Bible and to give our new son an Ethiopian name as well as a name from our family line, Clement, Richard's middle name, which means, "Mercy".

 When we received our referral information, telling us about our little son, on that sole piece of paper, the only information history we would ever have of his story, at the top was one name, before their early death, his loving parents had named this little one, BRUIK. Named, God's gift or Gift to God on BOTH sides of the world!!

And He did it again with Ava Aday--that story is on This blog--its a miracle as well! 

http://tuckerfamilyadoption.blogspot.com/2009/10/daisy-daisy-ava-aday-we-love-you.html

And with each of my birth children...I was astounded as I recently unpacked each of their names and found His fingerprints ALL over them!

So, knowing He has a "name", a destiny for each of us, that is "written in the palms" of His hand, I was listening for what He would name this new one to our family.

Right away He started whispering to my heart...in simple daily activities and in preparations and advocation and prayers for this little one in the Marshall Islands He is naming this one.

Phrases,

 words...

This time, even on the day we first heard of this baby who needs rescue He said,

"LOVE...DOVE...ROSE"

 "lovie dovie"

 "My Love, My Dove"...

Always one to bring what He says to me to the Word, I of course am finding this one written as a beloved in the Song of Solomon. One night late at night He said, "beloved" "David" and when I looked up the name of the "one after God's own heart" I found that his Hebrew name means, "beloved".

Beloved...Love...Dove...Rose

And then the family was talking over names for baby--we do not know if this is a boy or a girl...if the baby is a girl, we do know the birth mother's name and many in our family were asking to name "her" after her mother. To know a birth mother, to our family is SUCH a sacred honor...we have not had this privilege in our other international adoptions. This sounded sweet, however, I was hoping for a Biblical name for this one...last week, I could not sleep...I tossed and turned, playing with baby names and knitting them to our last name...

The mother's name kept coming to my heart...It was the middle of the night but I careful got up, trying not to wake up Richard and looked up the Hebrew meanings of the names God had been putting on my heart. EACH NAME'S definition was "BELOVED". HOW ABOUT THAT!!!!

 And as I looked up the mother's name, its definition is, "GRACIOUS ROSE". Our little "Rosie Love". :)) Our "Lovie Dovie" A dove in a safe nest..brought from the islands...

or David :)

our beloved son with the heart of a King before God...a worshiper...

And so...Sunday morning was an important morning for solidifying plans to bring this baby and Mother to the States. It is an act of faith and courage to press forward into many unknown details...but we turned the "fire" of avocation up higher...knowing the time is now for this rescue.

 Part of this journey is so hard on a heart becoming very tender in love toward a new child and encouragement is gold in these times. So it took my breath away when, during a regular church service, yesterday, right after I sank into my seat, breathing out trust to God and asking for a Word of confirmation over this child...that...God would name this child, singing over him or her.

 During special worship a lovely woman, Sarah Beford, got up to sing a beautiful, simple song. And I was undone. Over and over in this simple song of worship from Song of Solomon...Sarah sang "My Love, My Dove, My Fair One."

If you saw me in my seat under a river of tears...I was under the pressing of awe that once more we are caught up in GOD'S STORY and song of a life He is rescuing, redeeming, and launching into this world for HIS GLORY, for HIS renown. One Life, SO PRECIOUS to Him ...and two family lines needed to be intersected so that the fullness of His joy and plan for this one baby's life may be realized...the wonder of it all is quite beyond my capability to understand!!

 But I am joyfully in awe.

As I got home from church Sunday..phrases still washing through my spirit for this little baby like gentle waves on sand...I sat and studied in my Bible...in part, I found that the land of Sharon (rose of Sharon) is a fertile land, a fruitful place where King David's cattle grazed...

and that it is carpeted in these wild flowers on its plain in the Spring..

I found that the wild rose is in DANGER from being trampled and from enemies (like our little one is now) and needs the protection of the king...that the wild rose is ruddy and beautiful, Like Jesus. ♥

...that "the rose delights not in fat soils and rich clays, but in rubbish and roses that grow there are of the sweetest smell; such was the earth of Sharon"...and here is this one...who's place is so hard and yet such richness will come from their life's destiny as they are transplanted in our home...OH MY!

"Behold you are fair, my love. Behold you have dove's eyes."

SO Big!

Anyone who knows me for any length of time knows my love of relationships and creativity can trump my love of cleaning. :))

 

Lately, in the midst of an urgent homestudy and all the extra appointments, papers,errands, and most especially the heart space that this is taking up in me...

as my heart is once again in two places..

  in midwestern Missouri ...yet at the same time  half-way across the world in the Marshall Islands...

set on a baby of my heart...

Who may not have had 3 meals to eat today in Momma's Tummy...

who's need for safety and rescue burns on my heart...

who's value and sweetness I am already captivated by...

 

 Well...then things like deep cleaning...well...they just ain't rolling like clockwork, let's say!!? :)))

  I literally have been asking in prayer for God to please send me some regular help here at home.

 I even used the phrase, "like a maid...but without cost". Yesterday, as I was driving home from blood draws, physicals, and TB testing at the doctor's office with half of my family, Richard called me on my cell.

"You gotta hear this, honey!" He went on to tell me we had just received an email asking if we would like to receive help for 2 hours a week from 3 student interns from our ministry base here at IHOP-KC who have adoptive hearts and want to serve our family. At the end of their note, they blessed and thanked us!

 Tears.

 It was SO,SO sweet.

 To be seen.

 For some burden to be lifted by mercy's arms.

 To watch as a SPECIFIC prayer was answered!!!!!!

So at 3pm today, 3 darling college- aged girls showed up at my door with earnest hands and delight in their eyes to serve us!! There is barely ANYTHING in all of creation more beautiful or cuter than a young woman who is full of JOY. They cheerfully asked about our family and some specific needs and then bustled about my house for 2 hours...one girl singing in the kitchen, another gentle soul volunteering with the sweetest smile to clean the bathroom of all places!!...and the other sweeping up places in the living room that I believe have not ever been reached since we moved in...even got UNDER the area rug ...while she bantered and joked with my little kids.

 To top it off they all came to me at 5pm, so pleased with their hard work and me just admiring the shine in my "world" and oooing and ahhing over them!!

 

 One girl said, "This was just like being at a friend's house and cleaning up after a good meal." 

Another said, "I feel like family here." (I was so glad, that had been my prayer for them)

 And the other said, "so just make us a list and we'll come back each week, bet you'll come up with a lot of good stuff after we leave tonight!"

I.tell.you.

This .was .love.

BIG love for this girl!!!! ♥

And if you ever wonder if people's hearts are truly alive? If Christians are "for real"?

Well, you'll know who they are...

When you see them loving BIG and WELL.

You will know them by their love.

Nursery Life in our Little Cottage

Today we readied a nursery in our little cottage. Life in this missionary home has been so sweet.

This is no "Pottery Barn" undertaking, not a catalog will be opened. This room and this baby's life will be full of love...of family...of creativity...of nurture...and joy.  Our hope was to create~ PLACE.  A safe and restful  haven of sorts where soul and mind could rest... and delight in adoration of a new child.
Knowing that this is a rescue... That this one would not have a pillow, or a blanket, or a bed to call, "my own". Makes every element in this room...almost...sacred.

And because I am nesting, I am going over every little onsie and folding the cloth diapers and sage green,yellow, and ivory blankets into neat little piles.  Every single item that has been given to us to use for baby has been in these colors...is that not a kiss from God? It all looks so subtle and soft and yummy together.

It is not lost on me, that Resurrection Day is tomorrow.

And that in part, this day is all about adoption.

My adoption into God's incredible family.

And that Jesus is nesting for me!

Preparing Place in a Kingdom Family.

Oh how I love His family! Oh the JOY in the Father's House!!

Oh how I long to share this JOY once more with another soul and priceless life brought into our fold here at the Tucker home. What an honor it is to know once more we will get to rock and whisper prayers in little ears and hush fears in the name of Jesus and huggle and snuggle and joy over a life rescued unto Fullness of Life in Jesus.

The most precious preparations of course are the ones I am doing when my hands are not busy, when the lights are low...and I sit in one of the chairs above enjoying talking with Jesus...adoring...worshiping...
Preparing Place in my Heart for HIM.
Ensuring my focus is not just on Earthly preparations but those of the heart.
And of course... praying for this new little one.
Who now is a child of my heart.

How I love baby already!
How can this be?
But it is truly so.
The Mama's heart FALLS HARD and falls quickly in love with a new child.

And if you have not adopted before...
The hormone "rides" and the heart leaps and the sheer delight of it all
Is QUITE LIKE the tummy born child.
A child of the Heart is every bit "my own" LONG before we ever hear their cries.

I am in love with a tiny person who lives in a womb. :)
I am in love with a baby who will carry my love forever.

Come, Baby.
We love you.
We want to cover you with our name and surround you with our love.
For always.

Come, Sweetie.
We want to sing you lullabies softly in the middle of the night.
To know the hushed halls of evening song again.
(and we'll take the sleepless hazy dazy...cause we love you so)

Mommy and Daddy LOVE you, darling.
And we know you need to be safe...
We will see that you are.

Come, sweet Baby.
It's only a matter of weeks now!
You are loved....

" In my Father's house there are many resting-places. Were it otherwise, I would have told you; for I am going to make ready a place for you." (John 14:2)

Baby News!

We are delighted to announce to you that we are about to have a baby!!
We are 8 months pregnant!! :))

Deep in the South Pacific, in the beautiful islands of the Marshall Islands, there is a baby who will be born in a month. This baby is soon going to be our new son or daughter!!

Wow! The Lord has moved quickly!! It was just about a month ago that Richard and group of staff led by Renee Loux of the Orphan justice Center, and her mother, Flo, (a pominent missionary in the Marshall Islands), traveled on a ministry trip to Northwest Arkansas to serve the pastors of a large group of people from the Marshall Islands. These pastors have transplanted here in the states. this meeting was a first of its kind and it was quite an honor to be invited.

There leaders had been praying for several years for God to lead people to them; people who would help show them God's keys to bring answers to hardships in their community. During the meeting, after the Marshallese worship and prayer time, pastors shared their hearts. the OJC team was very aware that God was opening a door to have a deep impact in the future within this precious community. Richard and I felt as though this trip was something the Lord was calling us to be a part of, through bringing God's heart and the Good News of His gospel to the nations. We are so excited about partnering with His perfect heart to restore people who are so precious to Him.

Also during this trip, God pressed on several hearts within the OJC team, that He was wanting to do something with children, and restoration.
God used Isaiah 58:6-7 to confirm to us what was on His heart for these precious ones.

"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke, 
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter--
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?"

Little did we know what part He would immediately be inviting us into!!

During the time of this ministry trip, at the beginning of 2013, our hearts were stirring with a favorite theme on God's heart... ADOPTION. The Lord was telling us that it was time again!
Through prayer, and in discussion with one another around the Tucker table, the Lord continued speaking. Our children said things like, "It's time to share my room with a baby!!" They even went back and forth about whose room the baby would be in.

YES.

It is time to walk along side our "Daddy Shepherd" once more...to be awed and stretched, overjoyed and pressed, to yet again see Him knit a new life into our family through the miracle of adoption. The ministry of adoption has been a highlight of our ministry as a couple and as a family.
This journey has pulled us into an utterly dependent and lovesick relationship with God. It has also helped us to fall in love with other cultures, and to know that because of this journey, Christ will receive more inheritance around His throne. We will also be sharing in Christ's suffering and its impact on the voiceless and vulnerable ones. WE want to be a part of His solution for the brokenhearted, to know that captives will be set free under our watch.

Its hard to put into words what it's like to be able to hold and kiss on children who otherwise would have been overlooked, in danger and in great need of rescue. What and honor it is to be a part of seeing children coming to salvation and seeing them literally dance in praise before God!

SO, HERE ARE THE DETAILS!
Just last week, we received a phone call from Renee' Loux with urgent information regarding a Marshallese baby in deperate need. This mother is related to one of Renee's Marshallese daughters, and is also the sister of another woman who is pregnant and adopting her son to Renee'. The baby we are going to be adopting is 1 month from being born. The mother is a young woman shoe will be arriving in the U.S. soon, to have her baby. We were asked if we would  adopt the baby and we excitedly said, "YES!"

The next five weeks will be spent ministering to the needs of this young mother as she prepares to give birth. We will be responsible for her daily care as well as the legal and medical needs of the baby. We greatly look forward to getting to know and show love to the birth mother of our new child. Family is a very strong value in the Marshallese heritage as well as making bonds with his or her family. Please pray with us as we trust Jesus to bring hope to this young woman, the hope that can only come from God.

We would love to invite you to pray with us and for us! We would appreciate your prayers for the baby's health, for safe travels, for a healthy birth, and for a smooth transition for the Tucker family as we bring in another son or daughter.

We are estimating that the total cost of this adoption will be around $ 25,000. This will include the home study, various travel fees (for example passport, plane tickets, legal costs for the mother and the child, care for the mother prior to and just after the delivery, and the delivery itself.)

We are confident that God will be faithful to complete all the good work He's begun and has called us to. We have lived this reality as missionaries, it's incredible!

Due to the urgent timing of this adoption story, we will need to raise the funds for this baby's adoption within weeks. There are several thousand dollars that will need to be raised within the next week.

We know that many of you, our fiends, have hearts for the vulnerable. We ask for your prayers for this little one. We ask also that you seek the Lord as to what part you might play in this story of rescue.

To give a donation online please use this link, http://tinyurl.com/clkx6jp

All checks may be written to Orphan Justice Center, with a note stating that your gift is to going towards our adoption. For example, 'Tucker Adoption", in the memo line of the check. Checks may be mailed to the following address:

Orphan Justice Center
P.O. Box 877
Grandview, MO 64030

Thank you for walking with us in the glory of adoption!
Love from,
Richard, Gillian, and all the Tuckers!