New Years Fundraising

I am offering babysitting services on New Years Eve / New Years Day in order to raise money for our adoption. If you or anybody you know will be looking for a babysitter, please let me know! I can watch up to 5/6 kids by myself and can probably find a co-sitter if it is for a larger group!

Contact me by e-mail at themccallfamily@insightbb.com. :)

Thank you, Lord {Day 12}

Lord,
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to coach softball this year. I honestly never thought about coaching softball after graduation because I was so sure that I would have a full-time teaching job and be working on KTIP all year. Thankfully, when that job didn't come, this opportunity did. I know I am coaching THE BEST girls at one of the best schools in the area. Help us to bond as a team and kick butt this season. Help me to make the most of every practice, game and moment we spend together. Help us to grow as softball players but also grow as well-rounded young women.

Thank you, Lord (Day 11)

Lord,
Today as I was doing laundry, I knew I had to thank you for it. It might sound strange, thanking you for laundry, but as I was sorting and folding, I realized that every outfit represented another day lived. I can so easily take those days for granted, but the (once dirty) clothes, now clean, represent days lived and so quickly gone by. Thank you for a husband's clothes to wash. Every day that I get to wash and put away his clothes means another day we were together. So today I thank you for the opportunity to do laundry. :)

Thank you, Lord {Day 10}

Lord,
Thank you for how hard-working Alex is. I cannot (and know I do not) praise him enough for all the hard work he does to provide for our family. We are so blessed with the job that he has. Thank you for giving me someone that on days like today (his day off), he will go to meetings from 8-5 and not complain once about it. Thank you for all that he does for us, and help me to learn from his example. Amen. 

"All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty." Proverbs 14:23

Coffee for a Cause :)

UPDATE: SOLD!!! :)

So occasionally you will see me post various personal items that we are selling in order to raise funds to bring our little girl home. Today, I present the first item we have up for bids: Keurig Single-Serve Coffee Maker! Alex and I bought this with some of our wedding money and hardly ever use it (less than 10 times in the past 2+ years)... so we are deciding to part with it to whomever will make us the best offer! It is a great item that coffee lovers can enjoy. With it, I am including the carousel and many single cup brews! All items are in excellent condition. Comment or email for more pictures or to make an offer. It is going toward a great cause! :)

Retail Value: $180.00

Retail Value: $25.00

Thank you, Lord {Day 9}

Lord,
You are faithful! Today I am thankful that our friends {who are a lot further along in the adoption process}, got their referral today! Reading their blog from the early days (where we are now) and now seeing you keep your promises to them by bringing a sweet son into their life, is nothing short of YOU being faithful to those who answer your call. Hopefully a year from now, it will be US getting that REFERRAL phone call and celebrating your faithfulness once again. Today we are thankful for what you have done for them and the little one you have brought into their family.

{To read about their adoption process, you can visit their blog by clicking here}

"But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness." Psalm 86:15

Thank you, Lord {Day 8)

Lord,
Thank you for days of rest. Sometimes those are just the days we need. 

Thus says the LORD: "Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls." Jeremiah 6:16

Thank you, Lord {Day 7}

Lord,
Thank you for date nights with my husband. We have so much fun together and it is so crazy how we almost always like the exact same things. There is never a dull moment with him. He makes me laugh, listens to me, and just GETS me. Thank you for nights where we just get to focus on each other, our marriage and why we fell in love in the first place. Help me be a good wife to him... one that fills and protects his heart. Amen. 

Dinner & a movie night! 

We love the James Bond movies! 

Thank you, Lord {Day 6}

Lord Jesus,
Thank you, thank you, thank you for my small group at The Bridge. This church transition process has been SO EASY. Easier than I ever thought it would be. {NO, Avenue friends... you are not easily replaced! :)} Last night was such an awesome night... as is every Tuesday that we meet together. Thank you for letting us eat together and share life with one another. Thank you for letting us laugh, sing songs and dance for you, share stories, pray for one another and serve our community together. THIS is what your church looks like. And thank you for letting us share that with a visitor last night. Your church is attractive to those who don't know it. Thank you for bringing us together for a reason. Help us to attract those who are looking for community, to be known, and ultimately, looking for you. Amen.

Campfire at our small group last night!

^"19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers,but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, ²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.²¹ In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. ²² And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit." Ephesians 2:19-22 (NIV)

"Either Way... PRAY"

Today, Election Day, I have been really convicted about the lack of prayer I have offered up to God on behalf of our current president, Barack Obama, over the past four years. God has given us the BLESSING of being able to approach Him in prayer on behalf of anyone or any situation, yet I have not regularly been praying for the person leading our country and making some of the most important decisions he will ever make. Talk about feeling a little guilty! 

I have resolved that regardless of who wins the election tonight, my motto today will be 

"Either way... PRAY." 

President Barack Obama

Governor Mitt Romney

I pray that you will please join me in this commitment! Every Monday I will post a reminder, and we will be praying for our President and many other leaders in our nation. Please leave a comment below, telling me that you are committing to pray, either way.

"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way." 1 Timothy 2:1-2

Thank You, Lord {Day 5}

Lord,
Today I want to thank you for choices. Thank you that I live in a place where I can choose where to live, what job to have, what to eat, where to go to school, where to pray & worship, etc. So many people around the world don't have control over many of these factors that I can gladly call options. Thank you that tomorrow I am allowed to choose who I want to vote for, whether he wins or not. But most of all, thank you for choosing me as your daughter. Amen. 

"For you are a people holy to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth." Deuteronomy 14:2

Soccer Wife

So today is my 23rd birthday, and I got to spend the first 15 minutes of it watching my sweet husband play indoor soccer! It was his first game of the season, and I'm glad that even though it was a LATE game (11:00pm), I was able to stay up and cheer him on! I'm going to take the time to appreciate these moments because someday when we have kids, 11pm soccer games will probably be out of the question. Here are some pictures and videos I snapped on my iPad and iPhone. {Alex is the goalie in white} He is such a soccer star! 

 

Last minutes as a 22 year old. Watching my man! :)

Thank You, Lord {Day 4}

Lord,
Today I thank you for my MOM! She was in labor with me on her birthday so that should be reason enough to be thankful, but for the next 23 years of her life, she raised me to the best of her ability, and I would say she has done a pretty good job. :) Thank you for the 49 years you have blessed her with, and thank you for the heart she has for others. Thank you for giving me a mom that loved me and prayed for me every single day. I pray that as I start this journey towards becoming a mother, I am half the mom she was to me! Amen. 

Happy birthday, mom! I love you and wish I could be with you to celebrate today! Get ready for the flamingos next year!

Colton Dixon - "You Are" (Official Lyric Video)

Just thought I would post about my new favorite worship song! Here's the lyric video if you want to check it out before buying it on iTunes. Click here to purchase >>  http://smarturl.it/YouAre

The Gift of Giving

It is about that time of year when all the stores have put out their holiday decorations and the anxious thoughts of what to buy everyone for Christmas begin. I was decluttering the office this evening and found a church bulletin from around Christmas time last year. Dave Stone, Senior Pastor at Southeast Christian Church (in Louisville where I grew up), preached on Jesus being the ultimate Christmas gift to us. He also presented a list of questions that we should consider when thinking about our gift-giving. I'll share the list of questions we should all try to ask ourselves at some point! 

- Is it meaningful?

- Does it strike a personal chord?

- Does it enhance the relationship?

- Does it require sacrifice?

I am going to try to incorporate meaning into my gifts this year, rather than focusing on a certain dollar amount. We'll see what I end up with! 

Second Chances

So I have to be honest. Sometimes I just can't stand the things that I do. I do them and then I quickly reprimand myself for doing something so stupid. I sound like Paul right now! Has this ever happened to you? Well, I am about to be honest and share what happened to me on Thursday. It makes me sad that I even have to write this, but hopefully it will serve as a lesson learned. Learn from my mistakes.

"I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate." Romans 7:15 (NLV)

On Thursday, I was substitute teaching at a public middle school and I had 90 minutes of a planning period, which for substitute teachers means getting paid to sit there and do nothing. After the first couple times of substitute teaching and forgetting to bring a book or something to do during that time, I have finally been bringing my Bible and Bible study workbook from my Monday night ladies group. Now I've never grown up in public school but I know all about separation of church and state within the public school system, etc. So I am reading my Bible and doing my workbook pages during planning when all of a sudden some guy walks into the classroom to cut through to another classroom directly behind mine. Why I did it, I don't even know, but as soon as he walked in, I instinctively covered up my Bible with my workbook so that he wasn't able to see what I was reading. Talk about giving yourself an immediate guilt trip! Since when has it become illegal to read the Bible on your planning period at school? It isn't! But was that why I covered my Bible? Was it because I thought I would get in trouble or because I was ashamed to admit what I was doing? I wasn't doing anything wrong... well up until the point that God convicted my heart. Perhaps it could have been a conversation starter. Where was the boldness that I have around my "Christian friends?" I begged God for a second chance.

I resumed my post when a few minutes later there was a knock on the door. A delivery guy walked in to deliver some books and musical instruments (I was the band teacher!) and after polite introductions, asked me if I was studying for one of my college courses. Here was my second chance. :) I explained to him that I was reading my Bible and doing a study on Monday nights with some ladies at my church. Do you know what he said?

He said, "That's awesome! I go to church with the lady that you are subbing for! What are you studying?"

And the conversation began. Thank God for second chances. This post would have been much more depressing to write had I confessed the guilt I felt and left it at that. God is a God of second chances. Peter denied Jesus three times but when Jesus arose from the dead, he met with Peter and gave him three chances to tell him how he really felt about him. How beautiful is that?

¹⁵ When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him,“Feed my lambs.” ¹⁶ He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” ¹⁷ He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep." John 21:15-17 (ESV)

Thank You, Lord {Day 3}

Lord,
Today I want to thank you that your word is timeless. It amazes me how a verse or passage of Scripture can apply to my life and someone else's life in very different ways. Your words are meant for everyone, no matter what situation they may be facing in life. Thank you for using the Bible to teach me, instruct me and mold me into the person you created me to be. Help me to study it carefully and use it as the guideline for living my life. Amen. 

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged swort, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Hebrews 4:12

Thank you, Lord {Day 2}

Lord,
Thank you for the concept of families. Thank you for adopting us as your sons and daughters and loving us unconditionally. Thank you for MY family: my parents, my sister, my brother, my husband, my sister-in-law, my in-laws, my cousins, my grandparents, my aunts and uncles, etc. Thank you for the memories we have made together and the future memories we will make. Thank you for our future daughter and her parents. Thank you for understanding that we wouldn't thrive or succeed alone in life but need others around us to support us and be there for us. Thank you for placing me in a loving family and help me to provide a loving family for anyone you would have join ours. My family is yours. Amen. 

"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named..." Ephesians 3:14-15 (ESV)

We're Adopting! Some FAQ...

Many of our closest friends and family members already know, but Alex and I are currently in the process of adopting a little girl! This post is kind of challenging for me to write because I am going to try to answer questions that I have never felt the need to ask anyone myself. The questions we most often get are: 

Why do you want to adopt your FIRST child?
Why are you adopting internationally? 
Isn't adoption expensive? 
How do you go about adopting a child? 
Why not adopt a child from the United States? 
When will you have kids of your own? 

While these are valid questions, they are just questions I've never considered asking an adoptive parent. For Alex and I, we individually wanted to adopt before we ever met one another. Alex has family members who have adopted and been adopted, and I have never thought twice about adopting a child into my family. We know more than a dozen children who have been adopted from all around the world. Adoption is very common within our social circles and families. When I get asked WHY we are adopting, I have to remind myself that other people have different family backgrounds and adoption might not be a common occurrence to them. While it is common for us, we are not adopting because it is the thing to do. Throughout our marriage, we have always asked God to lead us in the direction that He would have us take, in any situation. He has been faithful in placing certain desires in our hearts and even when the desires might not be there, He patiently reminds us that obedience to Him is what He requires. Thankfully, this desire to adopt has been growing in our hearts for years and years and years, and He has shown us that this is the right season in our lives for pursuing this avenue and trusting that He will provide all we need.

"For everything there is a season, and a time for everything under heaven" Ecclesiastes 3:1

"Besides, God is able to make every blessing of yours overflow for you, so that in every situation you will always have all you need for any good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8

Choosing to adopt internationally rather than domestically I can't really explain any better than saying that God has laid this specific plan on our hearts right now. Perhaps we will adopt domestically someday... I just can't pretend to know what God will call us to when those future moments come. We are focusing on here and now. (Well... here & there and now) :)

In regards to adoption being expensive, YES it is! But we have seen God provide for our families time and time again and are confident that He will provide. We aren't putting Him to the test, but rather, we are allowing Him to show the faithfulness that He has promised to us once more. The Lord is faithful, and of that we are confident. 

We are also confident that the Lord will bless us with {hopefully} many biological children someday. If anyone knows me well, they know that I have been known to always have a plan. And a Plan B. And a Plan C. I'm the type of person that knows if you want something, you have to go get it. Things are not going to just fall in your lap. You have to be active in achieving what you want. The only bad thing about always having a plan is realizing how much time you wasted planning the moment God interrupts it. That is why ever since Alex and I got married, I ditched having the plan. I have honestly not had a plan, and while I thought it would be so limiting in achieving what I wanted, it has been the most freeing 2+ years. I feel like a completely different person, and the best part is that I get to live in the MOMENT. There is so much to enjoy and appreciate when you live in the moment. When we were engaged/married and people started asking us about when we would be having kids, I really didn't have any answer! My typical response has been: "If it happens now, we're so excited about it, but if it's 5+ years than that is awesome too!" It's hard when everyone wants the estimated time of baby's arrival, but we've enjoyed living in the moment and enjoying each other and this beautiful gift of marriage. It truly is a gift. 

My biggest piece of advice to engaged couples/newlyweds is to live in the moment and enjoy the NOW. There will always be the friend who is planning a wedding, buying a house, having a baby, getting a puppy, having another baby, starting a career, going on vacation, adopting a child, moving across the country. The possibilities are endless. There will always be someone doing something else. Forget THEIR life and enjoy your own. We constantly compare ourselves to what everyone else is doing, like God made a template for how we should live life. The only template that He gave us was to love Him and be faithful to Him. Period. Talk about freedom. Freedom from dullness, freedom from comparison, freedom from unmet expectations. God's ultimate desire is to give us a full life. Take His word for it!

"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10

So yes, I really don't have a plan. It's gone... out the window. I also know that if you're reading this, you probably want more details. What country? How old? I promise that that information will come. But for now we are waiting to share that information. If this post was more confusing than helpful, I apologize. But please stay tuned as we will be posting regular updates. We are so excited to become parents to this little girl who we somehow love in our hearts, even though we've never seen her face. I don't know if this journey will take 9 months or 3 years, but I trust God will see it to completion if we remain faithful. Please pray for us on this journey. 

Thank You, Lord {Day 1}

I'm not really big on blog trends but the 30 Days of Thanks is one that I am going to participate in this month. Now I will admit that I am really bad at doing one thing every single day, so I might miss a couple days here and there but I will do my best. I do want to make it clear that the thanks that I give goes to one person and that is my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

"Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow." James 1:17 (NLT)

Lord,
Today I thank you for your creativity. As I meet different people, I can't help but notice the different personalities, different interests and different passions that you've given them. These differences make each day special and unique. We are all different, yet we are all the same at our very core. Somehow we come together and make up this thing we call the human race. Even though we are not perfect, thank you for your creativity. Thank you for even thinking about making us different from one another. You are the Master Artist. Help me to be creative as you are. When I am tempted to fall into predictable pattern, help me to use the creativity you've generously given me to glorify your name. Amen. 

JOY to YOU!

Why yes, I have a new blog. I see each blog I create as a rough draft of some final creation that has simply put... not yet come to be. Each blog is a trial that lasts however long the thoughts are there and however long I can communicate exactly what is on my heart in that moment. I loved my last blog but I just stopped writing. I didn't have anything left in me to write. Hopefully I've found some new inspiration and will be writing more often now. It's just something writers do. I teach students that sometimes writers have a lot to say and sometimes they can go for long periods of time without feeling the need to communicate by putting pen to paper. (Or thought to keystroke!) 

I pray that through this blog you are able to observe the joy of Christ in my life and experience that same joy in your life. "Chairein" is a word that Beth Moore taught me in Bible study a couple weeks ago. It means JOY TO YOU. When she talked about the joy of Christ being something God intend's for all of us, I thought it would be the perfect blog name. So welcome. Chairen. May joy be yours today and always.