We are quickly approaching our 2 year anniversary for 147 MILLION ORPHANS ... I can't believe how God has used us and our CRAZY LIVES to love on HIS CHILDREN !!! We have lots of new paths to tell you about and even more amazing GEAR w/ strong messages coming for the fall ... We can't thank you enough for your willingness to lock arms with us and help us to spread the 147 Mission We have fed hundreds of thousands of meals, help to build wells, and provided medicine to HIV CHILDREN !!!  Our dreams do not stop there !!! ... Our calendars are getting full for the fall for speaking engagements and conferences ... It is a lot to juggle, but God always seems to work it out ... If you haven't been on the site lately then go checkout this great summer tee !!! Only $19.95 and sizes from xs-xxl (you can outfit the whole family) ... Also, we are in the process of finalizing our 147 Million Orphans Foundation, so feel free to check that out also ... GOD DOESN'T CALL THE EQUIPPED, BUT HE EQUIPS THE ONES WHO ARE OBEDIENT ENOUGH TO HEAR HIS CALL!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading all your comments on the CALLING post ... I love to be challenged by your faith ... Your words were like fuel to my fire, my passion, my voice ...

The beauty of scripture is that it isn't confusing ... There are COMMANDS in the word for all of us - 10 commandments, the great commission, James 1:27 and more ... I think one thing we struggle with here in America is the choice of words ... We don't like to use words such as: COMMAND, SUBMISSION, REPENTANCE, SIN, etc ...They are not pleasant words in our culture and somewhat of a taboo ...  I will never forget one time long ago I heard a pastor say, "I am not sure why we have people in churches today say that they are RE-DEDICATING there life to Christ when in actuality they only way to do that is to REPENT and turn from your old ways."  That struck me in a profound way ...   Why can't we just say we need to REPENT ... Why do we need to use a flowery word that make our statement, as if we are doing some great deed of returning to the Savior ... We are sinful people and mess up daily and the FATHER KNOWS THAT ... That is why he went to the cross for our sins ... He paid the price for us  !!!  And perhaps we have started using the word CALLING in the same way... Because it shouldn't be about us making a statement, but about CHRIST being revealed in us  ... A CALLING is taking the gifts, talents, and treasures that God has given us and using them to bring him Glory and further spread the message of the kingdom ...A CALLING is serious in that it is something God has shown to us each as individuals ...  Do we all have different callings ??? WELL OF COURSE WE DO, but we are all called to something ... It really shouldn't be something that we decide, but rather something we feel the HOLY SPIRIT tugging at in our hearts and minds ... My CALLING is not greater than your CALLING ... We can't measure our gifts here on earth, but we can take stock in our ability to be OBEDIENT to our CALLING ... So let's be cautious to say that we are called to something and then when it gets tough or uncomfortable all of a sudden our CALLING has changed (I am not saying they don't in some instances) ... But many times we are sending a mixed message to our fellow believers ... It would be okay to say - I was thinking my CALLING was (blank), but in actuality it was my flesh wanting that and I realize I am suppose to do (blank) ... We are not perfect people and we make mistakes (a lot of them) and it is okay to be flawed in front of others ... But it has to hurt the Father when we place our change of heart or action on HIM when it was us who decided differently ...

Kingdom work is NEVER wrong ... I think lots of us stumble into our calling never knowing where it will lead or how it will impact us ... Do you think I had any idea that over 7 years ago our life would change in such a way that it would change the face of my family forever ... Do think I had any idea that God would plant a seed so deep in my heart and soul that I would not go a day without thinking about ORPHANS ... Do you think I had any idea how STRONG HE WAS IN ME ... I was clueless and blind and for that I am thankful ... I take the calling of SPEAKING UP FOR ORPHANS and sharing our story of adoption VERY SERIOUSLY ... You can't meet me and not know it is my passion ... I don't apologize for my boldness anymore ... SPEAKING UP LOUD is something my heart just does automatically (that is a lesson learned from my dear friend Katie) ... When I am speaking about the LORD and his heart for the least, the last, and the lost, HE wants HIS voice to be heard through me ...

SO IF YOU HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT YOUR CALLING then start w/ the COMMANDS in the bible and begin listening the small whispers in your spirit ... It my scare the living daylights out of you, but when it is from the ALMIGHTY FATHER and it is for the kingdom how can you NOT ... We are here for his purpose ...

I pray Scott doesn't read down this far in my post cause it will flip him out (because honestly it freaks me out on somedays)... hee hee ... But you would think that with just leaving the hospital w/ Maggie and juggling the needs of Joseph and just trying to figure out our fall schedule that the last thing on my mind is adoption, but I sometimes think that the LORD fills my heart w/ the thoughts of adopting again during my most difficult times to see if I am still listening to him and will I be a willing servant in the mist of chaos and hard times ... Do I understand HIS mission in my life over my desires for control and comfortableness ... I have had so many sweet precious people hint to me that my plate is full and THEY ARE RIGHT, but if God gives me a bigger plate I would not refuse ... I understand now what it means to live in the middle of HIS CALLING for my life and I don't want to ever put my hands over my ears, eyes, and hearts to block out HIS BLESSINGS !!! and F.Y.I. blessings aren't always HAPPY BUTTERFLY FEELINGS ... Sometimes they are simply HIS BRIGHT LIGHT in the center of lots of darkness and that is a most treasured GIFT  ...

It feels really good to get this off my heart ... It was a challenge to myself and I hope an encouragement or challenge to you as well ... I appreciate you always sharing with me your thoughts and your faith ...

SIX days in the hospital for Maggie's surgery and we are home ... I am so excited to be home !!!  The next two weeks she is on lock down - no leaving house, no playing outside, no church, no family events, NOTHING ... We have to make sure she doesn't injure her rib area where they removed two ribs to make the bone for her skull and we have to protect her from INFECTION !!!  It is so important that her body accepts the new bone ... SO PLEASE KEEP PRAYING ... I feel like I am always asking on behalf of my family for prayer, but I need it ...

I am speechless from all of your love and prayers and encouragement  ... I felt your prayers and it gave me so much strength ... I know people saw Jesus in Maggie and I got to share her story w/ many ... LOVE IS THE GREAT PHYSICIAN !!!

LOVE YOU ALL !!!

I mean you gotta laugh at all that goes on at a hospital (the place of healing) - the noises alone are enough to drive me to drink about 3 diet cokes a day and completely have my eye twitching during sleep ... Not to mention vitals every 2-4 hours ... It goes against every bone in a mother's body to wake a sleeping child, especially to stick in an IV and draw blood at 4 am ... Don't get me wrong I know they are the medical professionals and have to do what they have to do, but COME ON - you gotta laugh at all the oddities of it ... I have gotta laugh for sure to keep from screaming (my OCD nature goes crazy in square box of a room) ... As moms we all know we never sit still !!! There is not a moment during the day when we aren't picking up something, cooking something, folding something, driving someone somewhere, running errands, etc and here I am in a 15 by 15 room just sitting !!!! Seriously, it is the most drained and tired I have been since I got off the plane last year w/ Joseph / Daisy from Uganda ...


WWWWhhhhhhhheeeeeWWWWWW, I just had to get that out ... Day 6 in the hospital and Maggie is doing well ... She has had a slight fever each day and not sure if we are going home today or tomorrow, but hope to find out soon ... Each moment of the day I am reminded of our visit to the hospital in Jinja w/ Katie to visit a friend who had been in an accident ... When I tell you Katie was helping to care for this friend as much as the medical professionals were and we were staring at them in a 4 by 4 square concrete room that looked more like a nasty jail cell than a hospital room - I AM NOT EXAGGERATING  ... Even on that day, I stood and thanked the Lord that my Maggie is receiving amazing care in the states ... We have state of the art equipment and facilities ... It is something I have never taken for granted since my first trip to China in 2005 ... We are a blessed country and we need to find ways to bless others !!!!

I so appreciate your prayers ...

I am about to eat the breakfast of champions in the hospital - 2 butter biscuits and big fat DIET COKE !!! Yes, I have fallen off the wagon big time here, but planning on getting back to my Diet Coke FREE life when I get back to my normal crazy life w/ the OATASVALL FAMILY OF 8 ... hee hee ...

If you haven't already read DAVID PLATT''S book "RADICAL TOGETHER" then do so and don't forget to PRE-ORDER KATIE DAVIS' BOOK "KISSES FROM KATIE" DUE OUT IN OCTOBER ON AMAZON ... They will blow your socks off and encourage you to join the LORD in his quest to teach people about his love !!!!

SO WE NEVER FORGET THE FULLNESS OF THE GRACE AND LOVE A FAMILY CAN BRING ...

I want to tell you a little bit about our night last night ... My sweet Maggie is doing very well w/ her skull reconstruction, but where they took out two ribs she is having a lot of pain ... It is has been precious to see some of the nurses we have had over the last 3 1/2 years remember her and talk about how she has grown ... but let's face it HOSPITALS are not fun (4:30 IV draw for blood) ... We are beyond thankful for them, but they can bring back some fears and memories if you spend enough time here like we have ... SO LAST NIGHT was not a good night ... Maggie had a lot of nightmares last night and they took me back to when she had been home about a year and she would scream in the middle of the night "I WANT MY MOM" and I would be right there beside her telling her "Mommy is here, Mommy loves you, Mommy has got you" and she would just keep screaming because she was still asleep ... She was doing that same crying out last night and I just crawled up in bed w/ her and spoke my same soothing words over her ... It took a while, but when she felt my body cuddling hers she fell off to sleep ... She woke this morning and said "Mommy, I had nightmares last night about NEMO." ... It was a swift kick to my heart, because that was the movie I took to China when I went to get her and it was the only the movie she wanted to watch for about the first 3 months home ... She would escape there or if she was screaming ... I would pull up a chair as close to the TV as I could and hold her in my lap and she would focus on it (re-direction) ... We haven't seen that movie in probably over 2 years (honestly it gives me nightmares also cause of the memories I have holding her while she screamed) ... When she told me it was NEMO she was having nightmares about it just brought a since of peace and sadness all at the same time ... PEACE because I know now she has the security to explain to me her hurts and I can help her, but then sadness because no matter how many wounds we heal on the inside and out she will always have that has her history ... My heart aches to be able to erase it all, but I know the FATHER never wants us to forget HOW OUR LOVE HEALS (it doesn't erase) ... The family unit is priceless !!! The love of family is priceless !!! A family can heal w/ the power of CHRIST because he is w/in us ...

It was a really rough night feeling helpless, but when the light came out the this morning I could see SON SHINING !!!

Thanks for your continued prayers for Maggie ... Please especially pray for NO INFECTION and that her ribs heal so we can move around (cause we can't go home till she is up and moving and eating) ...

Emily here. Look at that sweet angel!!  I just heard from Gwen.  Maggie did great in surgery.  They had to remove two ribs to make bone for her precioius head.  Apparently she was very agitated when she woke up with tubes, etc but Gwen told her a princess story and lulled her back to sleep!  The girl loves her princesses. :)

Please continue to keep Maggie and the entire Oatsvall family in your prayers!  Rejoicing in the Lord for this child that has changed many hearts, mine included!  We are grateful for His continued healing.  He indeed is Mighty to Save.

I am honored and humbled by all of your comments on the CALLING post below ... Please keep them coming as I work through what God is teaching me through you and HIS WORD ...

I struggle to write yet another post about MAGGIE having surgery... I am thankful we are in America with the best doctors on earth, yet my heart is weary and wants Maggie to get a break and be able to move on with her life ... My mother's heart wants closure for her w/ her outward wounds ... This will be our 7th surgery and this time they will be cutting part of her skull in half to move it over to the hole she has in her skull and then will use some titanium screws to hold them in place ... As always INFECTION is one of our biggest threats, so please pray no infection and pray her body doesn't reject the bone in the new place ...

Dr. Kelly and Dr. Tulapan will be her surgeons, so please pray for them by name also ...

I could say how nervous and anxious I am, but you all know that already because most of you have journey w/ us through all of Maggie's surgery ... And I appreciate you more than you know ...

Instead of focusing on the surgery, I want to share a w/ you how I have watched Maggie go from a  wrapped tight in a cocoon hostage to a beautiful butterfly, who adores spreading her wings !!!  She came to us scared, hurt, and alone ... We endured darkness like we had never known before during her first months home ... And yet in the darkness we saw the LIGHT OF THE LORD ... He showed us how to use his strength, love, and peace to help our precious Maggie ... Maggie is simply a princess - she loves fairytales, princesses, and barbies ... She is a child who adores make believe, yet understands things in reality better than most adults ... She is anchored in her family and she helps us all to appreciate that bond and love of family, because it is that precious to her ... SHE GETS IT ...

While we were in FL for the National Basketball Tourney again this year we went back to Disney because last year we missed meeting the princesses and it really upset her ... She has talked non-stop over the last year about going back ... Not a week went by when she didn't double check that we were going back and that she could see Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Ariel (they are her favorites) ... I almost got as excited as she did to see them w/ her ... There is an innocence about her JOY that is infectious ...

The day finally arrived ... We got up early and headed to Disney to stand in what we expected to be a LONG LONG line, but got there as soon as it opened stomachs all flutter with butterflies and excitement and only had to wait 5 minutes ... We walked into the room w/ Sleeping Beauty, Belle, and Cinderella ... Maggie's eyes went glassy and wide !!! I saw her starring at their faces and I just started crying ... It was a dream come true for her and a gift to my mother's heart ... I felt like we had come full circle ... It was fantasy meets reality  ... It was seeing her with each princess and knowing that we had loved her so well during her dark days that she now FEELS LIKE A PRINCESS every day ... She is a miracle in our eyes ... They way she has healed on the inside as well as the outside ... Each day when she says, "YOU MY BEST MOMMY EVER" and I say back, "YOU MY BEST MAGGIE EVER" it is like God is reminding us of his GRACE AND LOVE ... He is the great healer on so many levels ...

She has gone from darkness to light both inside and out... We see her light shine everyday and it helps us to see our way as we travel towards the Lord's journey for our family ... It is also a privilege to watch her light the way for others ... Please know some of the scariest roads you take in life with the LORD can be the ones with the best blessings ... It is in those blessings that we get to see Jesus and WHO DOESN'T WANT A CLOSER LOOK AT HIM ... WHO DOESN'T WANT TO SPEND SOME TIME WITH HIM ... WHO DOESN'T WANT TO KNOW HIM BETTER ... so if you do then go where HE is !!!

blessings all ... thanks for your prayers for MAGGIE ... I will keep you posted  ...

I have much to empty off of my heart, but I am going to start w/ a question for you ...  What does CALLED mean to you ???  I feel like this word is either being used to much or in the wrong way ... And before I begin emptying what God has been revealing to me from my trip, my life, my journey w/ my precious children, my husband, w/ 147 and all of life's moments I need to know we are all on the same page or at least can come to an agreement on a few things ...

For me a CALLING feels like I can hear and understand what God is saying to me from scripture that is already written  ... IT IS NOT NEW except to me IN THE FACT THAT I AM WILLING TO OBEY IT  ... IT IS GOD'S WORD and as the body of Christ we were all meant to understand it and attempt to live it out here on earth ...

SO PLEASE SHARE W/ ME WHAT YOU THINK "CALLING" MEANS TO YOU ...

Hello from Orlando!! After a 14 hour car ride, lots of potty breaks, taco bell runs, justin beiber songs, and COUNTLESS rounds of laughter...we made it! You can just imagine our 12 passenger van bouncing down the interstate and maybe get a little laugh in with us :) We spent sunday at the water park (blizzard beach) all day, the best moments of that were probably watching maggie and emilys faces on the "teamboat" ride, not to mention hauling all the kids up what felt like mt. everest to ride it over and over and over again, and finishing it with a bucket (yes, literally a bucket) of icecream that we demolished in a matter of minutes, spoons in hand and ice cream all over our faces. The tournament started monday and the boys dominated!!!! I stayed home with the littles and we spent the day resting up and enjoying a lazy summer afternoon by the pool! Yesterday we went to a resort pool and then me and anna spent about 3 hours just getting around orlando but the kids are troopers in the car! Maggie kept askin' "where we goin'?!?!" After the boys game, they dominated...again, we headed off to the magic kingdom at about 4 and i was thinking, how in the world are we going to get to ride anything before it closes?!?! let me just say, i am never going back to disney without a fast pass...LIFESAVER. the big girls (me anna and gwen) took turns riding the big kid rides and watching j&d. the look on maggies face when she found out she was big enough to ride space mountain was priceless. i think i was more scared of it than she was, that girl is fearless!!! then we watched the parade, which we got to our spots 30 min early for but it was worth it! we had a great view...i held maggie the whole time, and there were stars in that little girls eyes as she watched the princesses come by, she waved and smiled, i have never seen her smile that much all at one time! standing under the castle and watching the princesses go by with a little girl who is having the best day of her life, thats a memory i will never forget as long as i live. she kept saying "i lub you mom, you da best mom ever" to Gwen. She gets it. She gets that she was once a little girl with no hope, no family, no love, and is now here with her family and is SO thankful. To think that this once shy, uncertain girl with little hope was now dancing in the streets of disney in front of  cinderella's castle as the fireworks were going off, she has such a bright future ahead of her! I also had the privlidge of traveling to Uganda with gwen on her trip to bring Joseph and Daisy home. When I think about walking the streets of Jinja with Joseph clinging to my neck, practically a stranger to him, carrying him the whole way home from Jinja to Nashville; and then I think about carrying his sleepy happy little body out of disney world, its such a parallel of redemption to me and what the Lord has done for me! Above all, He gives us hope when we have nothing to cling to but Him.  It's incredible to see how they have grown their own little personalities since they have been home and I am SO incredibly blessed to be able to see their "before" and "afters." Daisy said hardly two words when we were in Uganda, and now she is miss chatterbox. We spent the last 15 minutes of dinner at the restaurant last night giving each other zerbert cheek kisses, I mean it was comical. But joseph loves that and daisy loves to love her family and they are so happy to have their place where they fit in. They are transformed just as the Lord is transforming us from glory to glory! I LOVE this family like they are my own...love anna like she is my sister-she loves and cares for this family SO well and we laugh alot together, and gwen the big sister I never had!! Anna and I joke that sometimes we live the lives of 36 year old moms when we are really only 19 but there is absolutely no place I would rather be!!! This family has taught me so much, especially with adoption about how much it reflects the Lord's love, hope, and redemption for me!
Blessings,
 Anna Bliss

Okay, can I just say...how do I follow that!?!?! I guess my perspective is a little different than Annie B's (what I like to call her) because I have been with the Oatsvalls for about 8 years now, and I  can't believe it has been that long. AB and I have tons of fun watching each precious face grow older each year, but it is just plain sad sometimes!! For example, Emily's birthday was Monday the 26th. It's hard for me to believe that she is 7!!! I mean seriously it seems like yesterday that she came off the plane from China in her forever mother's arms. Emily is what started it all. When I say all I mean all that has taken place after: Maggie, 147 M.O., Joseph, Daisy, & only God knows what else! Gwen and I were talking about how Jeremiah's and Emily's birthdays are a little bit different than the rest, not to say they all are not special, but Jeremiah's is a constant reminder of how old everyone is getting now that he is a TEENAGER, and Emily's because she was the dynamite for the rest of the future of this family. Also, Emily's coming home was my first up-close-and-personal experience with an adoption process. I can still remember the days when it was just Jeremiah & Elijah. I was just shy of 12 but my heart was forever changed during that time. I remember asking Elijah who was going to sit next to him in the car and he would say, "Em-ily." Not to mention no one was allowed to sit there (by the restrictions of Elijah) because it was HER SEAT!! Because of my experience with Emily's adoption, I have a special bond with her and we always have. I love each and everyone so much but in such different ways. Emily is my "mini me." She LOVES to cook, paint, make crafts, and run errands & if you know Gwen Oatsvall, she gets nausiated just hearing the word Michael's or Joann's!!! HAHA. I will always start with Emily as the beginning of my "How did you get started in orphan awareness and adoption advocacy" story, and that is why she is so special to me. I can't wait to see what God does with the gifts she has been given and her sweet, loving spirit....Daisy's birthday is today and I can't believe it has just been a year since her and Joseph have been home. Speaking of Joseph he just kissed me on the cheek and said, "I lub oooh." His smile and laughter gives me so much joy and confirmation that the Lord is right here with me and of how much He loves me. Miss Daisy is my DIVA in every since of the word. She likes posing, singing, and being all dolled up! As AB said above, we were at the Magic Kingdom until midnight! Needless to say only one fell asleep in transit, and of course it was the baby. It was my turn to sit out and Daisy fell right to sleep in my arms. I carried her and sat with her until I put her into her bed with her cabina (bottom) straight up into the air. While I was holding her I just kept looking at her precious face. One of my favorite things is seeing children when they have fallen asleep. There is something special about seeing a child so peaceful after a day full of laughter, temper tantrums, and lots of fun. I was also holding her when we watched the parade and I was in such awe of God's grace and mercy on her life. From where she was a year ago to where she is now. Maggie is a character. She is 24/7 HILARIOUS because she is always herself, and as I like to say, "she marches to the beat of her own Chinese drum!" She is also so precious. While Gwen was gone in to Uganda every night when I was in the kitchen making dinner Maggie would come in and say, "I need a hug." My heart melted every time. Elijah keeps me on my toes and is a fireball full of energy and enthusiasm. Jeremiah is an awesome big bro to 5 and never ceases to amaze me on the football field or basketball court. Team 147 is kicking butt so far in the tournament and we are on our way to the CHAMPIONSHIP tomorrow!!!! Whoop Whoop!!!

I absolutely LOVE being apart of this family and cannot imagine my life without each one. God continues to bless me in so many ways in which I do not deserve, yet I am ever so thankful. I am thankful for Annie B and our friendship; we joke around that we will one day be the "Suzanne & Gwen" of the world! hee hee...Thank you all for supporting the Oatsvall Team through everything they do and loving each one of them!

Much Love,
Anna