Celebrate with us!!!

Please Celebrate with us Friends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Order a Pizza , Make a Toast, Say Hurrah!!
Where's that fatted calf??

Yesterday, in a time in court we were granted Full Custody Rights unto Adoption of our baby son,

DAVID PAUL!

As we were granted custody rights, the judge said to us, "Times like these are the good days in this court."

"Under His Wings You Will Find Refuge" (Psalm 91:4) we read out loud as we drove into the city on our way to court yesterday. Little David cooed in the back seat, NO idea that his Earthly covering was being determined. My stomach ached as he kicked his feet and smiled over at me...these are the hardest moments in the journey of adoption...
to be so in love, so committed to a precious life while being so completely at the mercy of ....MERCY.
It felt odd to ask for mercy in a court of law. Puffy eyes, from tears the night before, looked back at me from the mirror in the car, we had no certainty which way proceeding would go in court...
Uncertainty Stinks. (aches) (punches you in the stomach) (tempts you to fear).
And yet.
We had a choice to make.
To stand on the fact that we were in the middle of a God story
or
to stand in fear and all of its colorful imaginings.
"Perfect Love Casts Out Fear", we spoke out MUCH this week.
And yet there was also this anchor of certainty of God's Presence and love for David in the midst of everything going on. Actually,the most important "court proceedings" of this week had ALREADY taken place in the Heavenly one as we petitioned through tears for God to continue to place David in our family forever.

 "Make it On Earth as it is in Heaven, Father!" We prayed as we hugged him tightly

. All the night before, I held him, stroking his little fuzzy head,praying blessing over him.

 And "handing him back" into God's trust-able hands. Oh, Please,This one we love with ALL of our hearts, who gazes in love on us and complete trust...keep him in place...here...with his little tribe that he loves so, God! We asked for angels to be sent ahead of us to the court room.

Ava drew a prayer picture of Jesus' footprints on a sandy,dry path between the drawn away Exodus waters...

 

You know God has gone before you when you walk into a court reception area and are greeted by Renee Sasser Loux and Florence Sasser (adoption/justice advocates and friends) and the precious birth mother of little David!!! Renee's joy and strength in Jesus has been a MAINSTAY in this journey. We are eternally grateful for these BEAUTIFUL ladies' love and sacrifice and love. They served and supported little David, his birth mommy and our family with grace and loving kindness that can only been sustained through Jesus. How we love them.

Florence, or "Flo, " provided the translation for court yesterday as much of the proceeding also happened in the Pacific Island language of little David's birth parents. They labored in court yesterday. And in so many other ways of love in these past 6 months. Much,MUCH love and honor to these precious ladies!!

Later, as we were admitted into court, and there we sat around the official table, Little David in my lap, sucking on a bottle as we spoke into a mic...Oddly...in this place of law ...that I expected to feel so cold and sterile...even scary...what I felt in place of the law...super ceding it, taking it over...

was Grace

I actually felt HIM,
Grace
With us in the room

EMPOWERING us

COVERING us

 

You know that verse that speaks about how when we are brought before the judges, God will give us the words to say?
Well, it had been on the heart often this week--it is true. In the moment, as mercy was needed,

There He was.

Simplifying our Process, Boosting Confidence and Strength, Pouring in Courage, Draining off all the "Scary",Prompting Praise and Delight--in the midst of a court room y'all!!

Grace actually is more powerful than Law. It was amazing to experience and behold.

We have been in many other legal situations (some of them very heavy and yucky --oppressive and aggressive) with our time spent serving in a foster system and in other advocacy situations for vulnerable children...THIS court time was unlike what we had encountered previously...
There was light and life in that room...and although this WAS the answer to my prayers, it still took my breath away of HOW MUCH God loves the one. HOW MUCH he loves this little one in my arms....HOW MUCH He searches for...and COVERS and loves little ole me as well...

He responds, LOVES to be THE ONE we run to to take REFUGE in.
 
He IS Psalm 91:4 to us--we are living and breathing in this verse. It strengthened my heart and resolve to continue reaching out in His strength to this hurting world--so many others He yearns to draw under His wing...

So, after shaking the judges hand and hugging on our precious friends, we headed home to our nest.

Maybe my favorite moment of the day, was when Bruik opened the door for us as we arrived home with a BRIGHT smile saying,

"Welcome Home, David Paul! We heard you get to stay here with our family forever!"

Full Custody feels so free--such a gift!!! And it has been such a road to get to this place!!

David Paul is one of the greatest blessings our family has EVER received-

Our "cup" overflows!!

She said, "Oh, my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the LORD.'For this boy I prayed, and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of Him.'So I have also dedicated him to the LORD; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the LORD." And he worshiped the LORD there. (1 Samuel 1:27)

 

Thank you for your love, prayers, your generous giftings these past 5 and a half months!!

We have 6 more months until full adoption and there are costs and details to walk through to finish this process...but for NOW, now that we can stand firm in the knowing that this little one has been granted legal standing here...

 
Its THANK YOU time!!!

"CEL-E-BRA-TION" for SURE!!

Love to you all!

Celebration

As Orphan Sunday Approaches,
We wish to Celebrate EVERY DAY
That Restoration is a Miracle
And that it is within our Midst
Available to EACH Heart that searches and hungers and cries out for
JUSTICE
Justice IS Jesus
And, we see HIM here Restoring us each and all.
The process of Adoption just allows us to have a front row seat to the
GLORY
Of His Handiwork
As HE makes EACH OF US
FAMILY.
Each day, we are experiencing the answer to all the questions and struggles that injustice brings...

THE Author of EACH story,The HEALER, The Perfecter, Loving Advocate, One True Father making a Family for Himself, THE WONDERFUL(and only perfect!) COUNSELOR, The One who places the lonely in Families, The Deliverer, The Truest Friend, Justice,Kindness Personified, The GREAT Creator of those WONDERFULLY MADE....

And He Dances in Love and Powerful Anointing in His War for Our Hearts
As He Sings Over Us

What a Miracle Restoration is!!
He is Making ALL Things ~ and People New
In His Perfect Time
as He Sets the Captives FREE
To Leap, To Dance, To Speak, To Breathe, To Love, To be Loved, To Know, To Sing!!
Come Join the Dance...

The LAST Dollar

The LAST Dollar

Some may never see it.
And, yet, others have held it in their hand.
Deciding what to do with it
Save it?
Sow it?
Spend it on WHAT?

Some may call "buckets" of money their "last" as they grow low, while still counting on a "safe" cushion tucked away in another area.

And many others in the world,
Maybe not as many in certain areas of my country,
But certainly all over the world,
This is a reality.

There are LAST Dollars.

 


Yet there is LASTING TRUTH to stake our live on:

"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread." (Psalm 37:25)

 

Are you a parent?
Or...step back to remember...

Would a GOOD Daddy ever not feed his child?
Forget to give him dinner?
Even if it is a simple one?
Would he give him a rock instead
of BREAD?
or a snake as a cruel substitution??
OF COURSE NOT!!

So it is with our GOOD FATHER.

                                           (Baby David in the Arms of Daddy)

The other day,
I held a last dollar, for our family, in my hand.
Honestly, these are sacred moments.
Times when the reality of Faith, and a Real Father who cares and provides, and the Words of my heart meeting up with the shelves of my pantry all meet together.
So what do you do with your last dollar??

 



We took it to prayer.

We had just packed up lunch “found’ from that pantry and sent the kids off to school.
And then, we went up stairs, closed the door to our room,
Knelt on the floor with that little dollar in our hand ,
And we prayed.
It was worship that flowed out, and Trust,
Just like how a little child could sing on her parent’s lap in the middle of a storm raging outside,
So we just Trusted, and Listened, and asked for exactly what we needed from Father.
We asked for specifics.
We asked for “sudden lies”.
We did some crying and some crying out on the hard wood floor of our room, in the soft morning light,
And we decided to stand in trustful expectancy.

Richard, headed off to minister in the Prayer Room, still with our Father.
And I remained at home, readying for the day folding clothing, last dollar in my pocket.

In this moment, God spoke inside me,
“Go spend your last dollar on Manna.”
And I thought, “That’s an odd request – I’m obeying!”
I knew exactly where He was referring, a food ministry for Missionaries, close to our Ministry work here.
And so, I invited my college daughter, got our baby in the car seat , and brought our last dollar over there.
Stepping out on a “strange little” prompting from God is always a little weird feeling.
And I just pushed through and holding out at the front desk of the food ministry my tiny offering and saying,
“This may sound odd to hear, but I need to testify. This morning God told me to spend my last dollar on Manna. And here it is. Please take it.”
As I spoke, God’s Gentle Presence just hugged me~ it was a sacred moment giving that little, last piece of currency away.
And I was so aware I was not without – THE MOMENT it left my hand.
“Oh NO! You keep it,” the kind man who leads the food ministry said, and I was just going to tell you that we have a whole BOX of produce we can give you today, and lots of bread, and dairy. Please load up bags, they are waiting for you today.
I looked down at the last dollar on the desk and pushed it back to the man.
“God’s said to give this away. Here it is.”
At that moment, and for the rest of the time I was at the building of the food ministry, as Cardboard Vegetable boxes and brown grocery bags were just loaded up to the top—so heavy that they were carried to our car by Ashley and the man at the ministry, I thought, “Man! THIS is more than I ever thought, WHAT a blessing!!!” It was a hundred times perhaps two hundred times more than my last dollar could have bought.
I drove away with a packed car and thankful tears spilling down my face.
“My cup OVER FLOWS. Thank you, Father”, I prayed
And, ‘I TRUST you to take GOOD care.”
As we arrived home, there were SO many groceries all in those parcels that it took quite a while to put everything away. And with the baby needing me, and me being called away to other tasks as well, some of the produce I did not get a chance to put away until several hours later, right before the arrival home of our school-aged kids.
Richard was popping in at that time too, and sharing about how powerful his time in ministry at the Prayer Room had been. They had seen incredible movement of God in the life they were praying for healing that day. He was leaning on the pantry, talking to me while I shared about the food ministry and the kindness of our Father God that we had found there today, and displaying all the food to him.
As I motioned to the brown paper bag, sitting on the floor near the fridge, the one FULL of ripe tomatoes, I saw something inside. It looked like an advertisement or paper or something.
I reached in to pull it out before I put the tomatoes away…
And in my hand, found,

An One Hundred Dollar Bill.
“WHAAAAaaaat???? …is this???...Oh MY!!!!”

For the second time that day, tears flowed, this time in our kitchen.
We were still wiping them away as the kids burst in the door.
“Mommy and Daddy WHY are you crying??”
And the children were the first to hear our testimony of how God ALWAYS takes PERFECT care of those who take refuge in Him. He’s a GOOD, Wonderful Dad, you see.
And we all rejoiced!!!
You know, that dancing around that children do as Dad says YES!!! Or gives a really awesome gift. “You’re awesome, Dad!!!! Thank you!!!!”

We were looking at Faith’s Hundred-Fold return---the evidence of God’s real hand of love in our family.

                                                          (Miracle Inside)

Never be afraid to pour out your last dollar in obedience and trust and love to Him.

A loving Daddy will do you NO wrong.

He just Won’t .

We know this well, for we live it. And we say, this is our testimony –our telling of His Goodness to us—but what we have YOU can have too!!

                                                 (Ava's Spontaneous Worship in a Sukkot)

Sometimes “last dollars” are trust in circumstances—jumping out into something new, or the last bit of Trust, or the last tiny bit of energy after a long season of weary, or the “last” bit of effort to love after we have been betrayed, the last try to obey when the promise seems long to come, the last portion of waiting on a heart’s desire…whatever it may be for you…You can Trust Dad. Oh yes, Our Father “who is in heaven” who has ALL the resources of heaven and earth in His hands and who is crazy- in- love- with -you…He can be MORE than Trusted. He sets up our lives to be dependent on Faith that trades in the little we have in our hand for the all in His hands and the love in His heart and the YES for us in His Spirit.

It’s an incredible trade-UP, wouldn't you say??

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."