Monday, August 16, 2010
"MAYVALLANDERS" ... Strand of 3 cords !!
Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12
A visit from the entire Alexander Family this past weekend was a blessing !!! How do you describe a moment when you just know that you are with people who get every part of you and your life ... You feel strength just by being together and it is like you can take a long deep breathe of relief. Suzanne, Emily, and myself have dreamed of the day when all 19 of our children and our husbands could meet. The three of us are in constant giggle and crying mode through calls, fb, texts, and blogs. Almost 3 years ago a local friend told us about her best bud in TX " Emily" and the rest is history ... We sat on Suzanne's bed and meet for the first time 3 years ago November as I was leaving to go bring home sweet Maggie ... We prayed and the 3 fold strand that Christ talks about in Ecclesiastes began ...
We packed so much laughing and solving the worlds orphan crisis into 3 days ... It is like our brains and mouths were in sync ... We were finishing each others sentences and trying to keep track of 19 kids ... It took the kids about 10 minutes before they were playing games, talking, and goofing off together ... I think for all of us here in TN meeting sweet ABE (finally) was a little slice of heaven ... Abe is an angel w/ CP ... I will never forget the phone call from Emily after they were home a couple of months and realized Abe was not progressing. You see they didn't check the special needs box on the application and after bringing home their 5 month old angel they realized he had severe CP. Nothing new to the Lord !!! We cried together, we prayed together, and we stood in the gap for our sister. There is not a day that goes by where I don't pray for Emily. She has taught me more about being a mother and a follower of Christ than any other person. The journey her family is on is HARD, but the joy and blessings coming are so bright you almost have to look away ... Abe is like a fountain in a dry and thirsty world ... He is an angel here on earth for sure... His smile speaks volumes and the way his brothers and sisters attend to him and love him would teach us OLD folks a thing or two about how Christ wants us to love each other ... Hill, Wick, Avery, Izzy, Eyasu, and Abe are one super cool family and our kids are already planning a road trip to TX next summer !!! There is nothing that turns a mother's heart into mush more than seeing her children loving other children, especially ones others might ignore. Our big kids are surely leading the way !!! I pray one day when they are older they will have forged the same kind of friendship together ... I mean who doesn't need someone to call and vent to about some idiot on TV scaring people away from adoption ... or someone to call when they find out their child has HIV and you can't even understand their words through the tears ...or someone to tell you that she is going to be okay and that it is not therapy she needs but just you ... or someone to listen when you repeat that the doctor has just told you that 60 percent of your child's brain is not working .... the list and stories are endless ... This 3 cord strand is NOT EASILY BROKEN !!!
I really could go on and on about how the weekend was perfect and the beauty of what makes it perfect is we are 3 families living in an imperfect world w/ a perfect savior calling us out on the limb and asking us to walk by faith ... I can't tell you how comforting it is to know we are not walking alone ... We are walking and living out days that include HIV, CP, Attachment Issues, Abuse, Abandonment, Hearing Impaired, Develop Mental Delays and so much more. The gift is that God gave our 3 families a link together so that we would not feel alone, but feel HIS strength through each other ... It never fails when one of us is having a bad day the other will call or txt something that brings laughter through the tears ... We are GLASS HALF FULL GIRLS ... God is filling our cup daily and we don't mind it if we happened to be sharing the same CUP !!! I hope and pray our cup overflows to you ...
Enjoy the pictures of our fan-tab-u-lous WEEKEND !!! Mayernick, Oatsvall, and Alexander = MAYVALANDERS
All dressed up !!!
Hard to believe this is just 3 families !!!
Jeremiah, Michael, Wick, and Hill CHILLIN !!
Mayvallander PLUNGE !!
THE BEAST MACHINES !!
Jeremiah and Abe... look at that smile !
Party inside !!! No one else even came to the pool at the hotel on this day !!! We ran everyone off !
Celebrating Izzy Bday !!!
How many chicken nugget do you think it took to feed this group of boys !!!! ????
Wind Beneath Our Wings ... We could not be crazy for the Lord w/out their leading !!!
One last shot ... silly flash didn't work !
Holding an Angel !!!
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17 kind words.:
Sounds amazing! Looks amazing!
Our GOD is AMAZING!!!!!
Love you,
Jill
Looks like lots of fun! So glad you were able to spend time together. The picture with the vans is the best picture ever!!! I love it!
Incredible!!! Looks like a fantastic weekend!! Love love love the van picture!
the van pic is my fav :) Did they drive all the way here?? crazy...looks so fun..great seein ya last night, kj
Hard to form words through the tears/smile. It was such a blessing for us to be in your world, see our crews do a bit of life together and connect as we did years ago. Love you.
Love the van picture! Too cute! Looks like it was a great time!
The van picture is hilarious! Thanks for the encouragement. I have so many fears walking into our first adoption from Ethiopia and all the unknowns. But, its so reassuring to know that God does know. He knows exactly all the joys and sorrows that will come with this adoption, and I am so thankful to have others walking ahead of me for encouragement. Thanks for your passion. It's moving.
Looks like fun and I love the van picture! It's going om my fridge along with the kiddp one. You guys are such an inspiration. I love all of you sisters and wish we could meet sometime! Thanks for being such great examples.Love the funks!
www.campfunk.blogspot.com
Love it!! Your words are pure life!! So happy Emily had a great visit!! Love you!!
I love Emily already....a DUALLY VAN...only in Texas!!
There are a lot of of US Texans here in Tennessee...so tell her she would fit right in if she ever decided to MOVE!!
Just love us some 15 passengers!!!!
What a wonderful pic :)
It was AMAZING to get to meet you and enjoy conversations with people who get it!!! THANK YOU SOO MUCH for coming to meet our family. You have encouraged us in ways that I can't describe :)
This post was so encouraging to me as I start my journey with our newly adopted children! It is only day 3 :-) I told my aunt (who is staying with me this week to help) this morning that I couldn't wait to spend time with some other adoptive moms. While our friends have been so helpful & encouraging, they don't understand on the level our adoptive friends do. What a blessing to have people like you and others in our community to be an example! Thanks for sharing your life with us :-)
Met a blog/adoption friend just this past week!! It is such a surreal experience to visit with someone who shares the same passion!! Glad you were able to do that as well!!
I LOVE what you’re doing – what a light to the world you are! How wonderful to see all the happy faces! My thoughts and prayers are with all the Mayvalanders!
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That is so great you guys could get together! I esp. liked the van photo. It makes me feel like part of a group with my big "red" passenger van. LOL
Glad you had a great time!
LOVE the picture of the three of you gorgeous (inside and out)Mommas all leaned up on your big ole vans;) PRICELESS!Love your stories and your courage to be who you are:)