Simply could not wait to share this new project ... Check out this new shirt and hear about our new journey here at 147 Million Orphans   (click here)!!!

My eyes are about to close due to pain ...  3 hours spent today at Vandy getting Elijah cleared from his skull fracture in December, trying to keep Maggie from doing flips over the couch onto her head, answering (to the best of my ability) questions about Haiti today on email, texting, and facebook, and then to top it off my sister Suzanne is having a hard day ... You know the verse in the bible that talks about a friend that sticks closer than a brother ??? It is so true ... I hurt today because she hurts today ... There is so much in life that has changed for them  ... So many new routines, precautions, and learning in the moment about sweet Josie Love's HIV status ... I am so proud of Suzanne and how she handles each day ... She has a deep strength with in her ... She is a giving person to others and always has your back ... I want to lift her up today and let her know that she is never alone ... I am in her corner ... I will stand w/ her as she faces much over the years to come with educating people on HIV, empowering others to take that first step to adoption, and challenging others to care for the LEAST OF THESE ...

JC TODAY SAYS ... "Depending only on ME (Lord) may feel like walking on a tightrope, but there is a safety net underneath: the everlasting arms.  So don't be afraid of falling."

Bad days may bring on a Migrane, but the LORD brings comfort !!!! LET'S NOT GROW WEARY in the RACE marked out before us by the LORD !!!

I just got my camera fixed and can now post a super cute picture of Suzanne, Katie, and Myself ... Yep, you got it ... Katie snuck in for a few days to see her family and we got to hang w/ our sister ... Miss her so much !!!! SISTERS ARE A TRUE GIFT FROM THE LORD ... Let yours know that you love them!

I seriously could care less what happens on late night talk TV ... I saw people on CNN out picketing the NBC headquarters for the men and I thought SERIOUSLY (really I thought STUPID, but I am trying to be nice right now) ... I can't believe this is what will bring people out in the rain for hours on end to shout, protest, give their time to, and even organize ...

But I will say this, they fit this great quote from the book HOLE IN THE GOSPEL very well ...


Today, since I am broken for the children of Haiti a few friends (so glad Emily, Suzanne, and Ondrea are super crazy like me) and I have been on the phone/email making connections w/ Congressmen, Senators, center for international disaster, and adoption agencies offering our help, homes, and hearts ...  Now, I have no idea if anything will come of all this, but WE BELIEVED ENOUGH TO DO !!!

What get's you moving ... What keeps you up at night ... What keeps your heart jumping and your throat w/ a frog in it !!!  147millionorphans.com will donating 50% of profits over the next month to Danita's Children's home in Haiti ...

Total side note and funny ... The person at the congressman's office that my friend Ondrea talked to somehow knew us (she couldn't remember their name) and said the Oatsvall's house was full and that we couldn't adopt right now ... I totally laughed ... It isn't hard to know ME ...my family and friends,  adoption, orphans, diet coke, the occasional run, chocolate and of course THE LORD ... There you have it, ME in a nutshell !!!

Blessings All !! Oh and I am working on blog cast now that my husband has called me out ... I am ready to step up my game !!!  SO WATCH OUT ...

THANKS FOR THE PRAYERS AND ALL THE LOVE !!!

OK, so it seems that Maggie will be here till Monday in the hospital ... AAARRRGGGHHHH !! but instead of being all "oh woe is me," I have decided to concentrate my efforts on helping other orphans not as blessed as my child is right now ... I mean we are at one of the best children's hospitals in the world ... My doctor is fabulous and taking all precautions to make sure Maggie will stay infection free ... Yes, hospitals are draining, exhausting, boring, you sit and eat all day,  the shower pressure is terrible, and I jump every time Maggie moves for fear of her falling, but MY CHILD IS WITH ME and she is safe ...

THE CHILDREN OF HAITI NEED US RIGHT NOW .... 147MillionOrphans.com will be donating 50% of all profits of online sales over the next month to a children's home in Haiti ... SO GUYS AND GALS it is time for some shopping with a PURPOSE .... Wear a shirt about helping orphans around the world and tell everyone you care about them !!!! I want to sell out our inventory and send lots of love and funds to Haiti ...

I could say Haiti has a special place in my heart because of my friend Jamie, who has a daughter from Haiti and her son is still in Haiti, and while this is true because I see sweet Amos's face on a daily basis while praying him home, but the truth is I LOVE ALL ORPHANS and I know someone who has adopted from almost every place in the world ... WE ARE ONE BODY ... There is no THEM AND US ... So when we know of hurt, we must act !!!

So keep the prayers coming for Maggie and let's LOVE on the children of Haiti TODAY !!!

There are just minutes, hours, days, months, and years that are just hard ... Honestly, I am exhausted and filled w/ emotions ... Last night as Elijah (7) and Emily (5) were leaving their visit with Maggie they just started crying ... You see the Oatsvall Team is a home body group ... We love it when all of us are under one roof  (that includes Joseph and Daisy)... I think they know when Mom is in China or Africa bringing home their sibling and they do well, but mom down the street at the hospital NOT SO WELL ... I felt bad for their hearts ... They miss me and their sister being home ...  I miss being HOME !!


The doctors are keeping us another day and pumping Maggie w/ IV meds to help prevent infection in the future ... They took off her  head-dressing today and the shock set in ... Her head is bald and looks like two small bricks have been inserted into her head .. Her noggin is comely square ... I know she is beautiful and we tell her this all the time, but I remember the first year home when she wouldn't look people in the eye for fear of their response to her appearance ... You see in China she was shunned and pointed at and laughed at (believe me I know .... people did it to her while I was holding her ... they were lucky I wasn't on U.S. soil or I would have given them a good swift slap w/ the Holy Word) ... Anyway, people in our community, church, YMCA, and all the little friends at the ball games just smile at her and say hello ... She is truly everyone's princess ... Maggie is so much more outgoing now .... She will actually go on the court at half-time of Daddy's games w/ Emily and do a little dancing ... I don't want anything to ruin that confidence she has in who she is and how the FATHER FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY CREATED HER ... Her head is only going to get bigger and more square looking ... So I am not a crafty mom, so I NEED SOME HELP OR SUGGESTIONS .... when I say her head is big and oddly shaped I am serious ... It won't be covered by anything small ... I am looking for something with style and sweetness (JUST LIKE MAGGIE ) and that can protect it from the cold or the sun (you see she can't have any type of lotion or sunscreen on her head due to the way it will effect the elasticity of her skin ... So I am coming to my blog family for a little help or ideas .... 

HARD IS HARD and I wouldn't trade one moment of it because if you trade any ONE thing about your life it effects everything else .... And I am just fine with being in the center of God's will and I am just fine w/ hard days filled w/ a messy house, laundry to the roof,  100's of adoption/147/Amazima emails and I am just fine w/ waiting for my call from Uganda, and I am just fine w/ staying in the hospital another day, and I am just fine w/ lots of surgeries, and I am just fine w/ whatever as long as I keep God at the center ...


Thanks for your prayers ... Please keep them coming !!!! Thanks for the meals, gift cards, visits, presents for Maggie (especially the princess costume, Kristi) and all the sweet emails ... It really does help us to never feel alone on this journey ...  CRAZY LOVE is truly the only way to live !!!

Hey everyone, it's Ondrea again!  I could really get used to the fame and fortune of blogging for Gwen! :)  I am linking to my blog, not only because I want everyone to know that I am famous by association (ha), but because most of you are probably asking, "Who in the world is this random person who keeps posting.  I'm here looking for Gwen!"  :)

I got the absolute privilege of spending a little time with Miss Maggie this morning and taking a few photos of her.  She is SO stinkin' adorable!  Even in her undies, ink markings all over her, and a mesh turban, she's just so precious.  You can't look at her and not want to squeeze her.

Maggie is in great spirits.  She was playing her brothers PSP, a gameboy, and a dress up doll all at the same time.  Her bed was a treasure trove of trinkets.  You can see from the photos that she didn't have alot of left over space for herself, but her pillows are propped in a comfy position, her feet are kicked back, and it's as if she is the most natural state of being.  As if to say, "I was born to lay in bed, center of the universe, and have a staff to wait on my every need!"  And you know what, she was!  Because she is royalty, a daughter of the King! :)

See for yourself....

Emily here, just heard from Gwen and am so encouraged by our gracious, Sovereign Lord.

But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height or stature, because I have rejected him.  For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."  I Samuel 16:7

This is the scripture from Jesus Calling today and you can imagine the sweet comfort it was to Gwen.  They spent most of the night WIDE awake as pain meds tend to rev Mags up instead of knocking her out.  She doesn't seem to be in any pain and that is a huge praise though.

What beautiful scripture for such a gorgeous child.  Though she woke this morning with no hair and 2 extenders in her scalp, the Lord faithfully reminds all of us that it is the heart that He sees, not outward appearances.

Continue to lift them up in prayer, may Maggie remain pain free and free from any infection.

Hey everyone, Ondrea here.  Gwen asked me to post and let y'all know that Maggie is out of surgery.  Maggie did great! She went in about 2:30 and she is just waking up now.  They anticipate that she will be in the hospital for the next 2 or 3 days.  They had to shave her sweet head, but you know what, Maggie Oatsvall is one of the few girls in the world I know who can pull off "bald".  :)  As I understand it, they inserted 2 extenders.  By all accounts, it seems to have been a success so far.

Gwen wanted me to be sure to thank you all for your prayers.  And I thank you on behalf of my sweet friend!  She said she could definitely feel the strength of her prayer family today as she watched her baby go into surgery and dealt with the emotions of the day.  Thank you all so much for lifting up this sweet and faithful family!

Please continue to pray for Maggie as she now must remain free of infection and we hope that she will not be in pain over the next several weeks as they complete the process of healing her physical wounds.

So many verses of scripture keep running through my head, but I think maybe the most appropriate at this moment is Ephesians 3:20-21

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine , according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church body and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever, Let it be so!"

Vandy called with an opening today for surgery, so off we go !!!  There is a lot going on in my heart this morning ...I would love for you to pray for Maggie's peace, for Maggie's doctors and nurses, pray for no infection this time, and pray this is the first step toward her physical healing ... Most of you know that her surgeries last year were not successful and it breaks my heart all the pain she went through and we accomplish nothing.  Well, I guess I shouldn't say nothing ... What last year's surgeries accomplished was a since of trust and love that went very deep in Maggie's heart ... I often wonder about Maggie's 6 months in the hospital in China ... I wonder if she felt alone and just laid there in pain ... I can tell now she understands what it means to have a mommy, daddy, and brothers/sisters ... She understands family, HER FAMILY !!!

We have been home 2 years this past Thanksgiving and we are at the point where she is comfortable, happy, and at such peace ... I know that sounds like a long time, but today I can tell you it was worth every sleepless night, every tantrum, every screaming out of body experience, every slap to my face, every day stuck at home for fear of leaving the house, and for every hopeless moment ... IT WAS WORTH IT FOR MY DAUGHTER, WHO SITS HERE SNUGGLED W/ ME IN BED ...

blessings all ... My computer and camera are both sorta broken, so perhaps next week I will have pictures and a working computer ...

teamalexander.blogspot.com    ... Pray, Believe, and stand in the gap w/ this amazing family ... I am blessed they are in our lives ...

If YOU will do what only you CAN do, then God will do what only He can do !!!!

I got a call from a friend yesterday telling me about a 13 year old girl in China, who is about to age out of being eligible to be adopted ... You know 14 and kicked to the curb ... She is a precious young girl, who has just recently come to the orphanage ... You see, her parents both just died ... She has been w/ a family her whole life and has just lost everything only to arrive at an orphanage on borrowed time ...

IF YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO WOULD BE INTERESTED IN ADOPTING HER PLEASE CONTACT Amy Hood at amyrhood@comcast.net  ....

 I could do a lot of writing in this post about THE LEAST OF THESE or the 147 million orphans in the world or add scripture that says what we are called to do, but come on ... YOU ALL KNOW IT  ... So let's find this girl a forever family !!!

"We are told when we care for them (the least of these), we are actually caring for Christ Himself - His identity merged with the least and the last."

Matt: 25 talks about giving food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, clothes to the naked, company to the imprisoned and sick ...

If we do this then we get a chance to fellowship w/ Christ !!! How huge is that ... How honored and humbled should we be to get to spend time w/ the FATHER in the flesh !!!

OR we can go in this direction

"For I was hungry, while you had all you needed. I was thirsty, but you drank bottled water. I was a stranger, and you wanted me deported. I needed clothes, but you needed more clothes. I was sick and you pointed out the behaviors that led to my sickness. I was in prison, and you said I was getting what I deserved." (pg. 59 of The Hole in the Gospel)


We are free to choose each day, each second how we will respond to the Gospel ... 




Funny thing happened today ... I got a call from Thrift Smart a charitable organization (which I NEVER get) and they wanted to know if I had any items to pick up and donate ... I am going to call them back and tell them definitely !!! I mean why am I keeping all those shirts in my closet when I wear an ORPHAN T-SHIRT everyday now ... I can tend to be a hoarder of clothes, so perhaps I can help clothe someone who is in need ... Simple, Small, and Sincere ... 

OK, I have just decided to log in my thoughts here (wish I would have done this on the CRAZY LOVE book) ... Because I need to remind myself of what God reveals to me as I go along ... He is so good to move my spirit, give me a thought or teach me a lesson ...

"I could show God I was available to Him without actually having to do anything."  This is a line from the book before the author takes the job at World Vision ... You see God was moving him in this direction, but he really didn't want to go, so the whole time he is being available and open to God's will when he is actually hoping he comes in second so he can let himself off the hook and pretend he gave it his best effort...

I mean how often do we (DO I) open the door just wide enough to peek out or raise my hand up just the slightest bit or stand in the back of line pretending I am AVAILABLE and READY, but desperately hoping they don't pick me, choose me for the job or accept my help ...

I mean seriously ... I am laughing my head off right now ... I could list a few of these moments in my life ... And we do it like God can't really see our motives ... hilarious ... So I will try to let my YES  be YES and realize I can't be everything to everyone, but I want to be right smack dab in the center of God's will!

stay tuned for more ... the kids are home on a snow day (pictures to come), but I have the little ones down watching a movie and I am reading ...

READING "HOLE IN THE GOSPEL" ... MORE TO COME ...

here is just a taste ... " The true gospel is a call to self-denial.  It is not a call to self-fulfillment"  ... so much more to come on this ...

Today is the perfect day to DECIDE I am going to love on an orphan ... Today I am going to fill out paperwork to bring MY child home to their forever family ... Today is the day I am going to sponsor a child ... Today I am going to contact my local children's shelter and find out how I can help ... Today I am going to spend less and give more ...

Seriously, every day we don't do something is one more day a child is lonely, abandoned, scared, hungry, and without hope !!! If you are reading this and saying "wow, what a guilt trip" then I would say NOT GUILT BUT TRUTH !!!

ANSWER TO THE QUESTIONS ...


1. HOW DO YOU ENCOURAGE YOUR CHURCH AS YOU START AN ORPHAN CARE / ADOPTION MINISTRY ... I feel the key to this is truly promoting both avenues equally ... I know many people feel they are not called to adoption therefore when they hear the word ORPHAN they run because they think you are going to beat them over the head w/ adoption ... Be very upfront on ways they can get involved w/ the orphan crisis ... sponsoring a child, feeding a child, helping someone fund their adoption,  aid a local children's home in supplies, bible studies or volunteer help ... Paint them a picture they can see as real ... WE ARE ALL CALLED TO CARE FOR THE LEAST OF THESE IN SOME WAY ... So give them many choices to choose from and I think you will be really blessed ...  I also think that many are called to adopt that don't ... Create many opportunities for these families to seek information and have a forum to work through their fears ... I pray this helps and I pray God uses your ministry in a mighty way ...


2. View about single mothers ???  Well, since I am huge supporter of Katie ( and she is mom to 14 sweet girls in Uganda and she is single) then I would have to say that if God brings children to your heart then you should be their mother ... I do think a child benefits and is blessed to have a mother and a father, but welcoming a child into your home, who would otherwise have nothing has to be a good thing ...


3.  Help w/ sleep issues ... I would highly recommend Melatonin (from Whole Foods store) ... Maggie truly struggled w/ sleep for over a year ... She experienced many issues in China that made sleep difficult ... It has just been over a month that she has been sleeping better w/ the Melatonin, clear schedule of sleep, and the same routine ... I would check the book SOLVE YOUR CHILD'S SLEEP PROBLEMS BY  Richard Ferber ... 


4. How do you tell your family about your adoption ?  This is an easy one ... My family consists of my husband, myself, and our children ... If God calls us to adopt then our extended family is either on board or not ... It really doesn't affect us .... I honestly think people put way to much effort and energy trying to get everyone as excited as they are ... This journey is a calling and there are going to be people who just don't get it ... Give them scripture and share your heart, but save your energy for the adoption process it will certainly have its ups and downs ... Now, I will say we have had nothing, but encouragement from our family (they truly get it and love what God is doing in our life), but I think that is because we tell them about our plans, we don't ask them for permission or acceptance ...


5.  Husbands ??? on board or how to explain your heart ... I love that God created men and women differently ... Women by nature are emotional and think with our hearts where as God created men to be the protectors and providers which requires another part of the brain ... You need to have healthy dialogue about adoption ... You need to listen to one another and understand both sides .... For many men it is the financial fear, the fear of not enough time in the day to love on all of his children, the fear of losing time w/ you the spouse or the lack of understanding about how to love a child that is not biologically his own ... These are real fears and you should understand them and then come up with a plan to walk through this together (ex. plan a budget, affirm him in how he spends his time w/ his children, plan date nights etc) ...I just don't believe God calls one parent to adopt and then doesn't have a way for the other one's heart to be prepared ... It does take time and seeking God's words daily ... 


6. Criminal Record questions ... I can sort of explain this, but my friend, who used to be a social worker is much better (ondreaharrison@gmail.com) ... she said please contact her and she can totally help you ... don't lose heart !!!


HAVE A BLESSED NIGHT !!!




I thought I would try something new each Monday ... I get a lot of sweet emails about adoption or how to get involved with orphan care, so I thought I would try an experiment ... This is your day to ask me any question you have and at the end of the day I will post my answers (remember I am mom, no educated in the field of social work, but I have lots of experience, love, and an AMAZING HEAVENLY FATHER TO GUIDE ME) ... I may even add this section to the book, which is coming together very nicely (I know it is taking a long time, but I have turned it over to God and He is working it out in His time) ....

Many times the hesitation to get involved with adoption or some type of orphan care ministry is FEAR ...  I am here to share how NOTHING should hold you back once called to care for the LEAST OF THESE ...

"View events from MY perspective - through the Light of My presence- fear loses its grip on you."  JC  ... He will walk with us through the entire journey  ... Up the glorious hills and down in the treacherous valleys ... HE is constantly with us ... Walking in dark with the SAVIOR is better than walking in the light ALONE ...

147MillionOrphans.com