Orphan Care and Adoption Retreat

I had the most amazing time at the Embracing Orphans (now Passion for Orphans) retreat in the beautiful Estes Park, Colorado.  Lisa Stucky from Mavuno Market, and all the incredible women who made this event possible did such a tremendous job.  It was like every detail was thought through so that we were able to come in and kick up our feet and enjoy EVERYTHING about our time together.  Most of us are mothers who almost don't know what to do when we don't have a million kiddos nibbling at our heels.  Some of us enjoyed just having a chance to catch up on some reading and hear our thoughts.  I think I can speak for many of the women at this event when I say that I came back refreshed, renewed, restored, and with a new Passion for our ministry in orphan care and our own adoption journey.  

I enjoyed the worship times together so much and had the opportunity to meet my office manager in person who I had never met before this trip!!  Her name is Sarah and she is my right hand agent and I love her to pieces!!  We were able to meet several families that we are helping with their travel who we had never before had the blessing to meet.  It was SO incredible and such a JOY!!!  I would post photos, but instead I have a video with my photos here so that you can take the opportunity to experience this with me...

I encourage mothers to take this opportunity to come out for these Passion for Orphans retreats.  You will be blessed beyond measure and experience the JOY it is to come together with other mothers who have REAL stories to share.  Let me tell you, we don't hold much back when we start sharing.  We may not all see eye to eye on every issue as it relates to orphan care and adoption, and we don't have to.  We all have a different story, a different journey, but the same love and passion for orphan children and adoption that brings us together.  The speakers shed light on the not-so-glamorous side of their journeys and allowed us an inside perspective that has changed many of our hearts and caused us to see beyond what we could see before.  I praise GOD for what I came away with from this retreat and I encourage every mother who has a passion for orphan care and/or adoption to come out to the next one and don't miss it!  Don't get too busy to come.  You will come away renewed, restored and refreshed.

God bless!
Tabitha :)
www.AdoptionAirfare.com

Motherhood is Deeper than Blood

Today beyond all the gifts and blessings, I can truly say I am blessed to be a mother to 6 children, some of which I have the privilege of parenting in our home, some far away.  The four children in our home blessed my heart today with their love and welcome to me as I came out from getting ready.  They welcomed me with hugs and little cards and things they made for me, as well as my dear husband.

Joshua wrote me two poems today!  I am going to type them here for you to be blessed too!!  He is my son (age 17) who I have adopted in my heart, even though he is not my biological son.  Motherhood is deeper than blood, just like the blood of Jesus is deeper than any human blood.  I praise GOD for the children HE has hand-picked for me.

Contentment

by Joshua Lovell

If my money is all spent, 

And if I have no friends or fame,

Still I will be content.

Even if no one knows my name,

or if on my birthday no one came,

Still I will be content.

For the Lord fills my cup,

Him I will lift up.

For while He hung naked and ashamed,

while spit and cursing at Him were aimed

Still He was content.

For all the joy set before Him, 

His cup was filled to the brim.

For He knew all the time with us that would be spent

So why can't we all just be content...?

Inspired by:  I Tim. 6:6-8

Mother's Day

by Joshua Lovell

Mom, on this special day

I am so happy to say

That you're my mother.

I'm very glad it isn't another,

for if it were

I'm absolutely sure

I would not be here

Nor so near;

And surely not able to say...

Happy Mother's Day!

These are especially special to my heart because over a year ago, we were praying for Joshua since he had gotten into trouble which led him into a Teen Challenge program in Reno, NV where he gave his heart to the LORD and has proven since to be totally transformed.  His life is a miracle, and I have reason to celebrate what the LORD has done in bringing him and Isaiah here to live with us and serve the LORD with us.  We now have four children in our home, and another we are in the process of bringing into our family through adoption from the DRC.  Hallelujah!!!!  

Charissa also blessed me with a beautifully hand knitted little head covering.  It was so beautiful and she worked so hard on it!!  Her card was filled with coupons that I will be sure to redeem too!!  ;)

Praise the LORD and I give HIM thanks for my dear children and family.

Motherhood is a blessing and an honor, no matter how it comes to you.  For all the adopting families out there and for all of the mothers who sacrifice and love each and every day...

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

Love,

Tabitha :)

www.AdoptionAirfare.com

Faith vs. Fear

I had a dear customer I was working with on her travel to Africa who was being told some misinformation from a well-meaning relative right before her departure to Africa for a missions trip this week.  Her relative was adamant that she would be going through customs on her outbound flights into Africa, and I was trying to assure her that she would NOT have to go through customs on the outbound, but rather on the return.  I made sure to give her a second opinion, and also the number to the airline and she emailed me back saying that the airline said the same thing that I told her and that now she finally has peace of mind and has NO idea why her family member made her freak out!!!  Here was my reply...

I am glad that you were able to call them for your own peace of mind to check this out for yourself.  I hope you have a WONDERFUL trip and I know myself that sometimes I can battle with fear vs. faith.  I want to be trusting the LORD more and not listening to my own fears OR the fears of others.  I trust that the LORD will be WITH YOU and protecting you each step of the way as you are walking by faith in HIM.
If I might share with you....  I say all of this because I understand fear all too well.

We are adopting from the DRC, and it seems that people come out of the woodwork to put in their opinions, fears....  I think it is a battle that each adopting family faces.  The battle of faith vs. fear.  And in the long run, being anxious about our adoption is not going to help it along at all, not one bit!  There are lots of obstacles, and who knows?  It might take 3 years to complete, but we are stepping out by faith and praying that the Lord will bring us through to the finalization and beginning of our new life with our child HE wants to bless us with.

Learning a lot and just felt that I could share this with you.

God bless you and I will be praying for you on Saturday for your trip to go smooth sailing.... or flying I mean!!  ;)

Please keep in touch and let me know how things go... photos.... Let me know how I can pray for you....  This is our ministry and JOY, so please keep in touch.

Lilies of the field...

"Which one of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  So why do you worry about clothing?  Consider the lilies of the field how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his splendor was not arrayed like one of these."  ~Matthew 6:27-29

Blessings and prayers,
Tabitha :)
www.adoptionairfare.com

Pregnant in My Heart

My heart is pregnant right now with love for a baby we have never even met.  The Lord has been working on both of our hearts toward adoption for quite some time now and just last night, I felt like my husband was really giving ME the nudge to get this thing rolling which is what I have been waiting for!! Praise the LORD!!!  SO, we are taking baby steps of faith right now.  I feel like my arms are empty with a deep longing to hold this child.  YES, it will likely be from the DRC.  We have met some amazing friends who have adopted from the DRC who we feel particularly knit together with in our hearts and are just seeking the Lord for the steps to take!

It is amazing to think that a child can be born in your heart and that deep seed of love that is planted by the Holy Spirit can grow and give birth one day to a child.  Truly this love is supernatural.  What will he or she look like?  How old will they be?  Will we adopt a sibling group?  How long is the wait?  How will we pay for it?  These are all questions that are left to be answered by the Lord in His perfect will and time.

But for now, our hearts are pregnant.  We are praying for this child or children who the Lord may have us adopt and rescue from being orphans.  We feel the incredible and massively STRONG current of the love of the LORD for these little children who the Lord has commanded us to care for from His word.  I am sure it is Him moving our hearts with His love for these little ones.  How will this play out?  I don't know.  Will there be road blocks?  I am sure.  But when we remember the road blocks that Jesus went through to rescue us, I am sure it will give us strength to keep pressing on with a love that endures all things, hopes all things, believes all things, never fails.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

Orphan care and adoption are HIS heartbeat and I can FEEL HIS HEART beating inside of me.  Believe me, if I could tackle the whole world right now to bring this child home, I would do it.  But I can't.  I can only trust the One who has overcome the WORLD and I can be of GOOD CHEER as we wait upon the LORD with this deep aching in my heart and longing to be with my baby.  I can almost feel them in my arms.  And when I feel this way, it reminds me to PRAY for that one.  PRAY for safety.  PRAY for the Lord to bring them at the perfect time into our lives.  PRAY PRAY PRAY!!!  What if they say no and we won't be able to adopt?!!  Well, even if this never happens, what I feel in my heart right now is REAL and if we try and try and try again and nothing happens?  I just have to believe that this love is supernatural.  I have to believe that the Lord will honor any moves we make in the direction of orphan care and adoption.  I have to have HOPE and I have to believe.  Maybe the Lord wants us to feel this way to understand HIS incredible heart for orphan children?...  OR maybe, just maybe...  He IS doing this because He has a little one in need of a mother and father who He finds us suitable for.  If He sees fit, we will receive this child with surrendered hearts... With JOY, with incredible love to offer, to be a part of our family and to be hopefully also be a part of God's family forever.

A Question about Skirts

Today a friend from Facebook asked me a question.... "Do you mind telling me what "church/body of believers" you belong/gather to?  I noticed you all wear skirts.  I grew up in (named a religious group I wasn't familiar with), and we all wore long skirts.  We don't anymore, and you don't often see it anymore so I was just curious..." 

So, here was my reply...

We are Christians... 

"Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works." -I Tim 2:9-10

I believe that modesty is important in my walk with the Lord. I didn't always feel this way, but more and more, the Lord has put this on my heart, especially in teaching our girls to dress modestly. I believe that I can still be modest wearing pants. It is a little more difficult, but not impossible!! I don't always wear skirts, just most of the time. How about you? Are you born again? Does your fellowship emphasize modesty now? I think many people don't teach this anymore because the culture is such an influence, but I think as Christians, modesty should be something that we try to focus on more, rather than less.

However, the MAIN AND MOST important thing is the heart. If modesty is not coming from the heart, it would be just outward without the inward beauty of a heart that has been changed by the Lord's love. The heart is the most important, that we are washed in the blood of Jesus, walking in Holiness, and obeying the Lord in all things. Then, the outward things should come as an overflow of love to our LORD for all that He has done for us!! My husband is a pastor and we are so blessed to be in a fellowship that teaches modesty and emphasizes it. We as a fellowship do not "ban" wearing pants and there are no rules against that. There are no verses in the Bible that say anything against a woman wearing pants, but just that we as Christians should be dressing modestly.

Sorry if I had a huge response, but it is not every day that I am asked this question, so I am happy to give you an answer to this!

God bless you today!
Love,
Tabitha

Sharing the Gospel in the Adoption Message

I just had the opportunity to share with a Hindu man who took me in a shuttle to my hotel from the airport the other day.  I asked him where he was from and he told me he was from India and we got talking about the work that I do for adopting families to help them with their adoption flights.

He began sharing about how adoption is so necessary in India where he is from because the children are in desperate need.  I was really compelled to share with him about Jesus.  It was beautiful how the Lord helped me to bring up the topic of the gospel as it relates to adoption.  I began sharing with this man how there is only One God, and how Jesus Christ is God, and wants to adopt him personally into His family.  

This young man was very shocked to hear this.  Of course in Hinduism, they believe in millions of gods.  I proceeded to share with him God's heart for him to be adopted into His family.  I could tell the Lord was working on his heart.  I shared with him that this is the message of God's redemption that He has for him.  I shared with him how adoption physically relates so closely to being adopted into God's family and being born again.  I shared with him how when a person is adopted, they have a whole brand new LIFE!  Everything becomes new for them, and this is a picture of the new LIFE that Jesus Christ wants to give him too, if he will repent from his way of living and come to Jesus for salvation.  He sincerely thanked me for sharing this with him, and I left him with a gospel tract that had lots of verses on it.  

I can't wait for the next opportunity to share this!!  I am excited to see God using the story of adoption to touch people's hearts and help them to see the picture of having a new life and being born again.  Praise the LORD! 

~Tabitha
www.adoptionairfare.com

CUSTOMER VIDEO CONTEST WINNERS ANNOUNCED!!!!

Thank you all SO much for the videos that you have entered into our customer video contest for Cheap Missions Trips and Adoption Airfare.  We are SO humbled and blessed by each one of your videos.  Most of all, we are now more encouraged to pray for you than ever before.  We are planning to be more strategic in our prayers for each and every one of the customers that the Lord sends to us to serve.  If this video contest has inspired us to pray harder than ever before, it was worth every minute of effort to be encouraged more deeply by all of your testimonies.  In your videos, you shared testimonies about how people are getting saved and how the Lord is leading you on your missions trips.  It really blessed our hearts beyond words and we can not express the JOY in our hearts right now!  One of you shared a testimony of a trip we helped you with to Mombasa, Kenya where you shared the gospel with a Muslim man and he was saved.

We heard testimonies about how through the services we provide, God put you on a specific flight at a specific time to minister to someone or for someone to minister to you.  Divine appointments that only the Lord could do and we are seeing such beautiful fruit of the Lord's hand upon us in picking out flights for our customers.  We are so blessed to be a part of the amazing things that the Lord is doing through each one of your lives in your missions and adoption journeys.

For those of you who did not get their videos in to us in time, that is OK!!!  We are planning some more contests for our customers in the future and this is hopefully the first of many more.  We want to be able to share YOUR testimonies of how the LORD is working and moving in your life.  Hallelujah!!!!

SO....... for the long awaited WINNERS of the drawing..... Here is a short video of our drawing today so that you can see who won the two grand prizes in the customer video contest!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR GRAND PRIZE WINNERS!!!!!

WINNER OF GIFT #1

RACHEL DRISKELL FROM BRAZOS CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP!!!!!

($50 Dollar Travel Certificate for International Travel and World Globe)

WINNER OF GIFT #2 

LEAH MORFORD FROM OVERLAND MISSIONS!!!!!

($25 Dollar Starbucks Gift Card and $50 Dollar Christianbook.com gift card)

Thank you to all of you for submitting your videos!!  For those of you who entered a video meeting the guidelines for entry into the contest, we will be contacting you for your address to send each of you a special gift even if you did not win the grand prize drawings.

We love each of you and praise GOD for the work HE is doing in your life!!!  Thank you for allowing us to be a part of it.

God bless!!
~Kevin and Tabitha Lovell
www.cheapmissionstrips.com
www.adoptionairfare.com