About three years ago, God placed a desire deep in our hearts. That desire was born of a transformation that had been taking place slowly but steadily within our family. We began to see a need we have never considered before. God stirred our hearts to do something about that need. But the timing was no yet right. There was some work He needed to do in us first.
The desire and call in our hearts was to adopt children. At first is was not clear to us what that would look like, but as we moved forward and as we walked through the trials and circumstances God brought to us, we began to see more clearly the direction He wanted to take us.
We have begun the process to adopt a sibling group of two from Ghana in West Africa. Our entire family is in fervent prayer and excited anticipation over this plan. We have signed on with an agency, our homestudy process has begun, and we have been matched with these two precious little ones.
It is a big step to decide to adopt internationally. Will you pray with us that God will provide the resources needed to make this happen in His time?
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Where God Has Taken Us
Life is a journey full of unexpected twists and turns. Though we never know what is beyond the next bend in the road, God does, for which I am very thankful. He also has a reason for each event in each life and I have learned from experience that He is faithful. He can be trusted to carry us through even the most dark and difficult of circumstances. We can follow Him through the valleys, knowing that He will guide us and when we stumble along the way, He will pick us up again.
The summer, fall and winter of 2011 and into the beginning months of 2012 was just such a time for our family. We found ourselves in the midst of a season of affliction. God had called us to walk through a very dark valley, and we learned to trust Him in a whole new way, walking by faith with the belief that though we did not understand what He was doing, His will was best and we must simply follow Him. That was not an easy thing to do, but He did prove Himself worthy of this trust time and time again.
In late August of 2011, nine months pregnant with our sixth child, I began to notice a decrease in the baby's movements over the course of two or three days. It had been an otherwise healthy and normal pregnancy. The midwife, after carefully observing the baby's heartbeat for an extended period of time, assured us that there did not seem to be cause for concern, but I could not shake the feeling that something was not right. By the middle of the following day, I had stopped feeling any movements at all. When the midwife came to check on the heartbeat again, there was only silence. An ultrasound confirmed our worst fears. The baby, at 38 weeks of pregnancy, had died.
Heartbroken does not begin to describe how our family felt as we faced this loss. Grief and sorrow washed over us as we faced the reality of the situation. After 18 agonizing hours of labor, I delivered my stillborn daughter into the compassionate hands of our midwife. Beautiful, perfectly formed, the body of our baby daughter lay without movement in my arms as her father and I wept over her. We named her Olivia Hope, firmly believing that we have the hope of seeing her in Heaven, of touching her and hugging her and telling her all the things we would have if she had been here with us. We have hope in the resurrection--that one day we will see that precious, beautifully formed body transformed into an incorruptible one, which death and decay will never touch again.
Seven weeks later, another loss visited our family when my sister passed away after a prolonged illness which resulted from a brain aneurysm. Sorrow upon sorrow. Unbelievably, six weeks after this loss, my husband Gilbert's stepfather also passed away. Thus, in just three months time, our children had faced the death of their baby sister, their aunt, and their grandfather. And yet, God was still faithful.
Because Gilbert's mother suffered from Alzheimer's, we moved her in with his brother and his wife, who lived next door to us. During the daytime, the children and I would go and sit with her while my brother-in-law and his wife were at work. What a precious time of memory building for my children! I am so thankful to the Lord for this time they had to spend with her, especially since only a few weeks later, she was killed in a head-on collision with a car driven by a man who had had his driver's license permanently revoked for drunk-driving. Gilbert's brother, who was driving the car in which his mother was a passenger, was badly injured in the accident as well. And yet, God was still faithful.
Four major losses in the span of six months time. Sorrow upon sorrow. God's goodness displayed in the love and support of so many around us. God's compassionate care over our family ever evident in our own hearts. Grief and grace mingled together.
Since that time, healing has begun to come to each of our hearts. We have learned deep and valuable lessons through these circumstances. I know without a doubt that my God is with me and His sustaining grace can bring me through anything He places before me. And I know that joy comes again after a season of sorrow.
After an emotionally trying pregnancy, our seventh baby was born last September, a year and two weeks after we lost his sister. He is such a delight to our entire family. His name means "God gives strength", which He certainly did give us as we followed Him through the waters of affliction. He has taken us to places we would not have chosen to go, but He has brought us blessings that would not have come by any other path.
And God is still faithful.
The summer, fall and winter of 2011 and into the beginning months of 2012 was just such a time for our family. We found ourselves in the midst of a season of affliction. God had called us to walk through a very dark valley, and we learned to trust Him in a whole new way, walking by faith with the belief that though we did not understand what He was doing, His will was best and we must simply follow Him. That was not an easy thing to do, but He did prove Himself worthy of this trust time and time again.
In late August of 2011, nine months pregnant with our sixth child, I began to notice a decrease in the baby's movements over the course of two or three days. It had been an otherwise healthy and normal pregnancy. The midwife, after carefully observing the baby's heartbeat for an extended period of time, assured us that there did not seem to be cause for concern, but I could not shake the feeling that something was not right. By the middle of the following day, I had stopped feeling any movements at all. When the midwife came to check on the heartbeat again, there was only silence. An ultrasound confirmed our worst fears. The baby, at 38 weeks of pregnancy, had died.
Heartbroken does not begin to describe how our family felt as we faced this loss. Grief and sorrow washed over us as we faced the reality of the situation. After 18 agonizing hours of labor, I delivered my stillborn daughter into the compassionate hands of our midwife. Beautiful, perfectly formed, the body of our baby daughter lay without movement in my arms as her father and I wept over her. We named her Olivia Hope, firmly believing that we have the hope of seeing her in Heaven, of touching her and hugging her and telling her all the things we would have if she had been here with us. We have hope in the resurrection--that one day we will see that precious, beautifully formed body transformed into an incorruptible one, which death and decay will never touch again.
Seven weeks later, another loss visited our family when my sister passed away after a prolonged illness which resulted from a brain aneurysm. Sorrow upon sorrow. Unbelievably, six weeks after this loss, my husband Gilbert's stepfather also passed away. Thus, in just three months time, our children had faced the death of their baby sister, their aunt, and their grandfather. And yet, God was still faithful.
Because Gilbert's mother suffered from Alzheimer's, we moved her in with his brother and his wife, who lived next door to us. During the daytime, the children and I would go and sit with her while my brother-in-law and his wife were at work. What a precious time of memory building for my children! I am so thankful to the Lord for this time they had to spend with her, especially since only a few weeks later, she was killed in a head-on collision with a car driven by a man who had had his driver's license permanently revoked for drunk-driving. Gilbert's brother, who was driving the car in which his mother was a passenger, was badly injured in the accident as well. And yet, God was still faithful.
Four major losses in the span of six months time. Sorrow upon sorrow. God's goodness displayed in the love and support of so many around us. God's compassionate care over our family ever evident in our own hearts. Grief and grace mingled together.
Since that time, healing has begun to come to each of our hearts. We have learned deep and valuable lessons through these circumstances. I know without a doubt that my God is with me and His sustaining grace can bring me through anything He places before me. And I know that joy comes again after a season of sorrow.
After an emotionally trying pregnancy, our seventh baby was born last September, a year and two weeks after we lost his sister. He is such a delight to our entire family. His name means "God gives strength", which He certainly did give us as we followed Him through the waters of affliction. He has taken us to places we would not have chosen to go, but He has brought us blessings that would not have come by any other path.
And God is still faithful.
Wow, It's Been A (Loooooong) While!
It has been an incredibly long time since my last post. I will not apologize, excuse, or feel guilty for this. Life has been filled with challenges, sorrows, joys and blessings over the past couple of years. This blog, and my efforts at keeping it, deserve a fresh start in light of some exciting new ventures before our family. Stay tuned for more...
Monday, February 1, 2010
Longing for Spring
Groundhog Day.... Six more weeks of winter? At least! Here in the western mountains of Maine, the groundhog certainly doesn't have to come out of his hole today for us to know that winter is far from over!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
The Abundantly Busy Life of the MIller Family: An Explanation (read excuse) for our Long Absense
Living the simple life can get rather complicated sometimes. Things like harvesting, canning, preserving, making soap, and caring for farm animals takes time and energy. Thus, here at Abundant Life Acres, we have kept very busy over the past few months. Hence, the absence from blogging. A new commitment to sharing our homesteading adventures here with you has compelled us to post more often than every six months. I am not making any promises, but we will put our best effort forward to share some of our interesting, busy, and sometimes tiring journey into living life more abundantly hereon our little homestead in the mountains of Maine.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Living the Simple Life With Joy
We’re very busy these days. "Official" schoolwork is finished for the year. We will be doing plenty of hands-on learning this summer, though, as we now are the proud owners of two (soon to be four) dairy goats, in addition to the laying hens and broiler (meat) chickens we are raising. We have planted our garden and my husband has already begun to get in firewood for next winter (ugh). All of this has kept us hopping! We are having a lot of fun, and it has been a wonderful opportunity for learning.
As I have mentioned to several people recently, I would not have believed five or six years ago that I would one day be excited about moving toward a more self-sufficient lifestyle. I was as dependent on modern society as the next gal. I also loved my highly processed convenience foods, chemical-laden cleaning agents, and high-tech beauty products. Don't get me wrong--there is nothing inherently wrong with any of these things (other than the negative effects on one's health) However, over the past few years, as my husband and I have moved further and further away from dependence on these things, I have come to realize how much better the "real thing" really is, be it garden-fresh produce or homemade cleaning and beauty products. I love the feeling of freedom I have in knowing that right here, in my very own backyard, my family can grow our own food. In my kitchen, I can create my own soap and shampoo. Simple, safe cleaning supplies can be stirred up (by me--or even my children) at my kitchen sink. A solar-powered clothes dryer (clothesline) leaves our clothes so much fresher and uses only free energy from the wind and sun.
All of our recent agricultural pursuits have given me a sense of confidence I've never had before. I never would have believed I could actually make butter or cheese or yogurt. And yet--I've found that I can! I really can milk a goat every morning. I can grow beautiful tomatoes and sunflowers. I have found that, working at my husband's side, we can do so many things for ourselves, things like making apple cider and maple syrup, putting up fencing and building a barn. Not only does it give confidence, but it gives my children skills they can take with them throughout their lives.
Living the simple life is a lot of hard work, but hard work is good when it is honest, when it brings us closer to God's amazing creation, and when it yields rewards which can enrich our lives and bring us health, vitality, and joy.
As I have mentioned to several people recently, I would not have believed five or six years ago that I would one day be excited about moving toward a more self-sufficient lifestyle. I was as dependent on modern society as the next gal. I also loved my highly processed convenience foods, chemical-laden cleaning agents, and high-tech beauty products. Don't get me wrong--there is nothing inherently wrong with any of these things (other than the negative effects on one's health) However, over the past few years, as my husband and I have moved further and further away from dependence on these things, I have come to realize how much better the "real thing" really is, be it garden-fresh produce or homemade cleaning and beauty products. I love the feeling of freedom I have in knowing that right here, in my very own backyard, my family can grow our own food. In my kitchen, I can create my own soap and shampoo. Simple, safe cleaning supplies can be stirred up (by me--or even my children) at my kitchen sink. A solar-powered clothes dryer (clothesline) leaves our clothes so much fresher and uses only free energy from the wind and sun.
All of our recent agricultural pursuits have given me a sense of confidence I've never had before. I never would have believed I could actually make butter or cheese or yogurt. And yet--I've found that I can! I really can milk a goat every morning. I can grow beautiful tomatoes and sunflowers. I have found that, working at my husband's side, we can do so many things for ourselves, things like making apple cider and maple syrup, putting up fencing and building a barn. Not only does it give confidence, but it gives my children skills they can take with them throughout their lives.
Living the simple life is a lot of hard work, but hard work is good when it is honest, when it brings us closer to God's amazing creation, and when it yields rewards which can enrich our lives and bring us health, vitality, and joy.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
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