Katie has posted one of those post that makes you SEE clearly the hurting of the world and the HOPE of Christ ... read for yourself about REAL people, WHO CALL US BROTHERS AND SISTERS ...

I need you to read this aloud or PURPOSEFULLY in your head ...

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, JESUS, JESUS, JESUS, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus !!!

It is that simple to wash peace over you ... No matter the emotion or the circumstance there is just something about crying out the name JESUS ... I think of all my sweet brothers and sisters across the ocean, who probably don't have a bible, a copy of RADICAL / CRAZY LOVE, and may not even know a pastor, but somewhere deep in them they know the NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES and they call upon it ... We only need to have faith in the power of JESUS ...

I can vividly remember times when I have called out the name JESUS .... early on in my marriage when were babies trying to find our way as a couple, when angel's moved a car so that Jeremiah's life was spared, when I was fatigued from Elijah's breathing issues, sitting in my car weeping to get to my Emily in China, changing jobs, Maggie's hurt heart, mind, and body, when we had no insurance, late in the night w/ screams of terror from my angel, in the darkness needing Joseph/ Daisy home, and so much more .... JUST SAYING HIS NAME WASHED ME WITH THE PEACE I SO DESPERATELY NEEDED ... It was as if I could catch my breath and was no longer hostage by my body ...

I want to start my day by just saying "JESUS" and knowing that for the entire day I have a focus on HIM ... It is so easy for me to get up and get GOING !!!  Get 4 kids dressed for school, feed 6, start laundry, clean dishes, pick up the gazillion things around my house that are out of place, answer emails for me, 147, and Amazima and then run errands or have meetings or go BACK TO THE DOCTOR w/ one of my angels, head to carpool, dinner and then repeat ... AND WHERE DID I STOP TO INVITE JESUS TO COME ALONG ... I know I talk to HIM all day (cause I am talker), but I need sometime in the word and to be still ... I need to cry out JESUS and I need to teach my children to do the same ...

Just my thoughts for this glorious SUNDAY !!! I hope you have a blessed week ... so many of you are blessing me !!!

I don't recommend books often because I know how precious reading time is, so when I do it is because it is worth the time !!!

CHOOSING to SEE by MaryBeth Chapman is an amazing REAL journey by my very REAL dear friend MaryBeth ... She is honest and so transparent in this book and she is the same way in real life ... She has and is walking a road I can not fathom and she is doing it in a way that brings HONOR AND GLORY to the LORD ...

My other recommendation would be the new JESUS CALLING for children by SARAH YOUNG .... Mine came yesterday and I can't wait to start my children on it ...

MUST READS 
JESUS CALLING (DAILY DEVO)
CRAZY LOVE
RADICAL
HOLE IN THE GOSPEL
RED LETTERS
SAME KIND OF DIFFERENT AS ME
DREAM GIVER
FORGOTTEN GOD

reading now .... ONE BUT NOT THE SAME by my Pastor - Chris Williamson

These books are empowering you w/ CHRIST that is with in each of us and reminding us that is not a worldly view we want, but a GODLY PRESENCE !!!

Thanks to all who have purchased the new FALL LINE of 147 gear ... We are blessed by your partnership and we pray you take ownership in spreading the word about the orphans of the world ...

To say the last year has been life changing, a vapor, and completely more than I ever thought God would have for us is an understatement .... ARE YOU READY FOR GOD ???  I think I have to ask myself this question daily ... Are you ready for Him to provide, Are you ready for Him to make your sick child well,  Are you ready for your well child to become sick, Are you ready for Him to say GO,  Are you ready for Him to say SEE,  Are you ready to be Peter and step out of the boat or Nehemiah and rebuild the wall,  ARE YOU READY TO SAY YES TO WHATEVER HE HAS even though it isn't your plan ???

Working on it here in the OATSVALL house ... BEING READY TO SAY YES TO GOD !!!

I remember Suzanne and I talking about how we wanted to get involved in helping orphans and adoptive families ... We knew we wouldn't be adopting forever and there was a deep passion and longing to help orphans ...  We were and are stay home moms w/ a super busy schedule, but we just knew God was calling us to more ... HE wanted us to find a way to use all the talents HE had given us for HIS kingdom ... Honestly there was no place for us in a big organization ... Can you just see us taking about 4 to 6 kids to work w/ us everyday ... lol ... Most people are not hiring for that, but 147 IS !!!  Our amazing volunteer staff is busy moms all using their amazing talents and hearts to keep 147 functioning ... We have so much fun together and love hearing from you and how 147 has impacted you ... 147 KIT is our newest HEART project ...

We wanted to find a way for you to help take ownership of YOUR HEART'S DESIRE TO HELP ORPHANS and the 147 SHARE KIT is it ... We have given you all the tools you need to help share the 147 Mission plus in buying your KIT you feed a child for two months ... When you are sharing the 147 story you can also make it personal for yourself ... TELL HOW GOD HAS PLACED ORPHANS ON YOUR HEART ... We want to partner w/ you TILL THEY ARE ALL FED ... We want to partner w/ you in opening people's eyes and hearts to orphans ... We want to partner w/ you in helping spread the word about 147 adoptive family fundraising ... WE SIMPLY WANT TO GIVE YOU A TOOL SO YOU CAN BE USED BY GOD to Speak Up For Those With No Voice ...

Share it w/ your Sunday School Class, Your MOM's group, Your Girlfriend's, or just anybody ... We will be glad to walk hand in hand w/ you !!! OUR 147 story is not just about us, but all who are willing to lend a hand and heart to make a difference ... WE sold our first kit to an AMAZING 6TH GRADE YOUNG BOY ... He saved his money to buy it and I can't wait to see how he uses it !!!

This is the latest comment that has gotten my feathers in a ruffle or maybe it is just a puzzle to my heart ... NOT SURE WHICH ONE YET ...

Yes, I have what some would call a big family, but I didn't CHOOSE to have big family so I could be busy ... God CHOOSE to create my family this way and I was obedient ... I did CHOOSE to be blessed daily by God's children ... I did CHOOSE to speak up for those who have no voice ... I did CHOOSE to take what scripture says as the TRUTH  ... Now, I also accept that with doing all this CHOOSING that sometimes (most times) I am going to be a very busy person, but I didn't CHOOSE this for the business of it or the look of it or the glamour of it (that is a joke), but to be a daughter of the KING ...

If you see me frazzled, hair in a ponytail for the 100th day in a row, or a bit forgetful, please don't for ONE MINUTE think that I would change that or that somehow I deserve to be overwhelmed in the moment because I CHOOSE to have 6 kids ... A smile in passing would be nice though ...

FOR ALL THOSE AMAZING PEOPLE who love on my family,  bring food, prayers, and sweet words of encouragement THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts ... You are being the HANDS AND FEET of Jesus to us ...

IF I COULD CHOOSE AGAIN I WOULDN'T CHANGE A THING !!!

 Jill Shelton .... SISTER YOU ARE THE WINNER ... thanks everyone for playing the game ... JILL,  email me at twomoms13kids@gmail.com w/ your size and I will get your shirt shipped out !!


There are so many new shirts coming ... check back on 147millionorphans.com Tuesday and place your order or just stop by and see our NEW VIDEO !!! 




The best thing about 147 Million Orphans is that Suzanne and I can take no credit for how it is growing, blessing others, and helping many ... God is totally using our crazy chaotic lives as only HE can do ... TAKE ME AS I AM LORD and use me as YOU WILL ... We want to FOLLOW HIM and we want to go where HE WANTS US TO GO ... 


Don't look back and Don't look ahead, but just stay in the moment w/ the LORD and He will direct our steps ... If you had told Suzanne and I a year ago that 147 would keep us as busy as it does, have us traveling around the country for events, and having people look to us for advice, we probably would have never made the first shirt ... lol ... but being obedient to take that first step is all God is asking ... Like the story in NEHEMIAH about building the wall ... It takes one brick at a time ... It takes people walking out their door and just doing their part ... We don't have to do it all or do what someone else is doing, but we just need to do what GOD WANTS US TO DO ... 


Thanks for all your support and encouragement this year of our family and 147 ... blessings !!!

OK, I have this fun game going on w/ facebook ... When I reach 644 followers WHICH MEANS I WILL HAVE ADDED 147 FOLLOWERS ... I am going to do a drawing and give away a super cool 147 t-shirt ... We have 6 new shirts coming out and the most amazing ZIP UP HOODIE ... play along and follow if you don't already ... happy FRIDAY

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY ... you don't have to do EVERYTHING, just the ONE THING God wants you to do !!!

I have given my children all a symbol ... Just something that represents a character trait that I see shining out of them ... Joseph was given the symbol STRENGTH even before I knew him and boy has he lived up to it ... He has many struggles during the day, especially with communication, but he is never frustrated ... He has so much strength to just push on through ... He is a complete HOOT to be around ... He smiles all day and gives love and hugs so freely ... He makes YOU feel special  ... I can't wait to get his hearing aids ... I can't wait for a whole new world to be opened up to him ... I know he will thrive ... I know he has already got so many hearts wrapped around his little finger that he is sparking a flame for the LORD ... When he mumbles his prayers at night I so long to know to what he is saying, but I take comfort in knowing that God hears, understands, and loves every single bit of the special jargon coming out of that precious mouth  ... I long to affirm his place in our family with not only actions, but with words ... I long to hear him say all that he wants to say and watch people's eyes as they understand him!  What a blessing our sweet boy is to us !!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY SWEET JOSEPH !!!

I am sitting with this for a bit ... I want to KNOW God !!!  I remember one of my days in Africa Katie, the girls, and I went to spend Easter w/ Renee.  Renee is one of Katie's friends who also runs a feeding program and helps mothers when their children are not thriving (or to be more specific ... they are dying of malnutrition) ... I remember holding and feeding two precious angels when Scott called me ... I went out into the back yard and began telling him where I was and all about the precious children Renee was caring for ... I began to weep ... I was so overwhelmed with the POOR and NEEDY in these tiny helpless bodies that God was enveloping my heart ... He was making it hard for me to breathe or even to talk w/ Scott on the phone ... I couldn't even put into words what I was experiencing ... I remember thinking, "How can I describe this to you when you are in the United States."  It was day after day after day of seeing the mixture of HOPELESSNESS AND HOPE ... How do these two things co-exist ??? They exist because a situation may be hopeless, but we love and serve the God of HOPE ... simply if we want to know HIM then we have to go and share HIS truth and LOVE to all HIS PEOPLE .... it is not about doing good or feeding the poor or giving a child a home, but it is about KNOWING HIM !!! Oh, how I want to KNOW Him more ... SEE Him more ... ACT for Him more !!!

I joke with Suzanne sometimes about the things I covet and most of them have to do with a new house ... More space, bigger kitchen, cuter furniture, screened in porch w/ a fire place, back yard with no freeway, etc ... The funny thing is the desire leaves me as soon as I say it ... I also have my list of things I would buy, donate, and do if I ever won the Lottery (which I have never played) ... It is all a goofy little game of desiring THINGS ... I guess the beauty is now I can easily push those thoughts aside and think of all the blessings God has given me and all that I have been INSTRUCTED to do ... All the orphans I have been called to SPEAK UP FOR !!!... So in all actuality, I am not sure if the money was there I would do any of those things ... Now go back about 10 years and I would have spent every penny on myself, my family and a new home ... It is amazing how God can get a hold of you if you will just let him ... HE has me ... ALL of ME !!! Don't get me wrong, because on the hard days, I choose not to turn to Him to right away ... I throw a fit just like my kids do (and I am pretty good at it) ... Not even sure why I am doing this post, except that we were home all day and I watched the kids build forts, ding my walls, spill gatorade all over my floor, miss the toilet, dump every thing I have organized on the floor, jump on furniture, wrestle, and just wallow (Webster says "To roll about, flounder, clumsily, and lie around as for refreshment) all over the place ... NOW, if I had a big fancy POTTERY BARN house, would I have let them do that ??? Who knows ... guess I don't have to worry about finding out though ... lol ... Again, totally rambling on this post, but just a bit giddy at a relaxing day at home w/ the kids and my DIET COKE ... HOPE YOU ENJOYED YOUR DAY ...

147millionorphans.com

That is about how my head feels ... I have so many list going on right now that I am not sure I can keep them straight ...