Is God calling Ken and I to adopt 5 Peruvian children? We submit this to you. What do you think? We are not running over to Peru and adopting the first 5 children we see. If we are to adopt God will orchestrate the details. We have open hearts and open hands for whatever God may want to do. We just want to get your opinion based on what God has been doing.
Here is what has been said or happening.
Not sure of the dates - but a friend of mine, Jeanie Windes has had multiple dreams seeing me with a little girl in our house. The first one she didn't even know me and asked if I had children? The Lord often speaks through her through dreams.
October 2011 - Joni Ames shares with us the Lord showed her God was giving us 4 children. Not spiritual children, not by childbirth but just 4 children.
January 2012 - The Lord sends Ken and I to Peru! Our time there was preaching and ministering at a couple churches and on tv and radio. However, I did fall in love with a little girl (I posted on previously). Getting our feet wet in Peru???
February 2012 - James Horan who we went to Peru with said the Lord showed him he was to pass the "reigns" to us in Peru. And God spoke to both Ken and I many times about returning to Peru. Confirmation! The sense was that Ken and I would travel back and forth to Peru for up to 18 months? Why? Only God knows!
April 2012 - We watch a movie "Change of Plans" - all about a couple who gets left with 4 children when a friend of theirs dies. This is the first time I think about what Joni said last year. I ask Ken, do you think God is going to give us 4 children?
May 2012 - God has me order the book "No longer a slumbdog" by Gospel of Asia. As I'm reading it, I am crying over these poor children and I set the book down and say to God "If you want us to have children, I am willing to have as many as you want us to have". I can't believe I actually prayed that to God, but I did, and I meant it.
May 2012 - Joni Ames is back in town and she again ministers to us and she tells us the Lord told her we were going to Peru because we were going to bring back 5 children! (Ok, the anty is up - is it because I told God I would take as many as He wanted us to have?).
May 2012 - The Lord leads us to visit a church. Let me just say, we've heard about this church for some time, but it's only in the past 30 days that we sense the Lord saying go! So we go and the pastor talks about how he and his wife have adopted 2 children from Ethiopia. Coincidence? Then we look at the bulletin and notice a paragraph that this church provides "grant" money for those interested in adopting children from overseas. Hmmm? What I see is that there's a church who wholeheartedly believes in international adoption and missions who could be a huge lifeline for us.
May 2012 - Another friend of mine sends me an email address for her sisters friend who works in Peru. I send this lady an email telling her briefly what we "think" we are going to do when we return to Peru (adopting was not mentioned in this email) and she immediately responds. She goes on to say that her and her husband went to Peru with the intent of adopting 1 or 2 children and the Lord surprised them with 5 siblings. Not only did they adopt, but they felt led to stay and start an orphanage! Yes, you heard me, an orphanage! Oh and did you catch the number of kids they got? Again coincidence?
May 2012 - Our devotional magazine from Charles Stanley Ministries - for a week talked about raising kids the godly way! Advice well taken and agreed on!
May 2012 - Go to coffee shop and there's a moving style van in parking lot and it says this "Seeing through your children's lives". Hmmmmm???
May 2012 - We have a small group and a new lady came to the group (we know her). She was just hearing about all of this adoption stuff when she went on to share with us that she had a dream a couple nights before.....her dream was that we got a new puppy (oh yea!!)... but when the puppy turned around and looked at her it became a little boy! She said the little boy was just perfect!
May 2012 - I go to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription. I had to wait for a few minutes and while I was waiting, I felt drawn to a book that was sitting on the counter. It is called Tuesday's Grace! Can you guess what it is about? I of course bought the book and have read more than half. Ok, just in case you can't figure it out, it's all about a family's triumphs and struggles in adopting two children. Seriously! (and Praise God - my health is being restored to the extent, I am able to read again without brain fog setting in).
May 2012 - Another friend of mine, Dan Stalp, had told me a few weeks ago, that he was led to get me a book called "God Pocket" by Bruce Wilkinson. It's all about spontaneous giving. So you ask, how does this relate? Well the book comes in to my friend and with it came a DVD. They said this is a free gift you get because you ordered this book. The name of the DVD was Answer the Cry/Faces of Hope from Cry of the Orphan Ministries. Interesting????
May 2012 - I felt the Lord told us to print and complete an application for adoption in Peru. He said He would tell us when to submit. We need clarity on where?
I think that's it for the obvious hints! Is that enough? I'm sure there will be much much more, but I wanted to get it all out before I forgot anything.
What is so amazing to Ken and I is this, we are completely at peace about this. People have been asking us if we are freaked out? The answer is no! Are we in shock? No! Are we willing to do this? Yes! Absolutely yes! Is that just crazy? God is amazing! He must feel that we are capable parents, that we would love these children unconditionally and we would raise them very much in a godly way! What a privilege and an honor! (Ken even said why stop at 5?)
Well, we definitely need your prayers! Looking at several international adoption sites we are finding that they want both parents working full time? How does that work when God just asked us to step out into full-time ministry with no income? I have submitted this question to one of the adoption agencies recommended by Robyn in Peru and am awaiting reply.
The timing of all this is interesting....first of all notice how much God has revealed just this month! I believe He is expediting the process! But that's just my opinion. I also find it interesting, that my sense was that we would go back and forth to Peru and be there for up to 2 months at a time. (before we even realized this adoption thing) and that is what most of the websites say to adopt - that the new parents would need to travel back and forth and be in Peru for 4-8 weeks at a time and this whole process can take up to 18 months. The other thing relating to timing is this, the beginning of June, we are completely out of resources. God has been doing a great work in us. If you remember, it was just last September that God sprung on us a missions trip to Peru. We never imagined we would go on one. And for those who read this blog up to, during that time and after the trip know that was probably the hardest thing I ever experienced. If you haven't read the blog, you might even go back to those September through early January. I can't say that I'm past my fears and still out of my comfort zones going back again, but I do know that God has given us vision and purpose. When you have those, you know God is in it! We are excited to be welcomed back by the church, tv and radio station and look forward to ministering there as well! God is good!
God continues to whisper to us to stand on His promises and know that we can trust Him in all things! We thank God daily for the friends He surrounds us with to walk life out with! We thank you too... you know who you are!
I assume I will blog more on this subject. I pray that you will be blessed and encouraged as things unfold according to God's will!
I end with a quote that I absolutely love! I shared this one time in a speech I gave. I didn't realize then how true it is!
"I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God, who is sending a love letter to the world!"
Mother Theresa
Ken and I love to pray for folks who need a touch from the Lord - with words of encouragement, words of knowledge and a healing touch. If you are someone in need, please let us know. We also have a passion to activate and influence believers to walk in radical obedience to a fun and wonderful God! There is just nothing like it!
If you are interested in Ken and I coming to minister to you, your small group or church, please give us a call. We would be delighted to!
God Bless YOU -
Ken & Michele Cole
http://wantinsight.blogspot.com
michele@wantinsight.com, ken@wantinsight.com
Tax deductible donations can be made by visiting:
1. https://www.hhmin.org/make_donation_projects.php, select Ministry Projects, then use drop down box Ken & Michele Cole - Want InSight?
2. Or you can donate through my medical account, select Medical Projects, then Michele Cole.
3. Non tax deductible donations can be made directly to us by:
4. Paypal - account is michele@wantinsight.com
5. Send check to our home. Please contact us for our address.
Any donations made through Helping Hands will be anonymous. If you want us to know that you supported us through them, please let us know personally. Thank YOU
1. https://www.hhmin.org/make_donation_projects.php, select Ministry Projects, then use drop down box Ken & Michele Cole - Want InSight?
2. Or you can donate through my medical account, select Medical Projects, then Michele Cole.
3. Non tax deductible donations can be made directly to us by:
4. Paypal - account is michele@wantinsight.com
5. Send check to our home. Please contact us for our address.
Any donations made through Helping Hands will be anonymous. If you want us to know that you supported us through them, please let us know personally. Thank YOU
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