A few weeks ago, I woke up from a dead sleep at 3 am. Walk on Water, Walk on Water, Walk on Water kept going through my mind over and over and over again. Ok, Lord.... I think I get it!!
Leading up to that early morning wake up call, I had been praying that the Lord would give me a way to express what He has done for me through our adoption of Alona. My hope was that whatever it was, that it would not only show how much my relationship with Him was strengthened, but that it would also give me a way to help other families who are in the process of hosting and adopting.
So, what does walk on water mean? Well, most of us know the story in the Bible of Peter calling out to Jesus one night while the disciples were in their boat. They saw Jesus walking towards them on the water, and thought he was a ghost. Peter asked Jesus to let him come walk on water with him if he was indeed Jesus. So Jesus called Peter out onto the water, and Peter started to walk on water! After a few steps, he got scared, and started to sink, so Jesus pulled him back up and delivered him safely to the boat. After that, all of the disciples who witnessed these events, started worshiping Jesus, and their faith grew stronger.
The story of Peter walking on water is not just about him defying odds and doing something that is impossible. It is about God using that impossible, uncomfortable, and scary situation to take Peter's faith deeper than it ever would have gone. It is about taking Peter out of his cozy little boat into a situation that he had no choice but to fully trust in the Lord to get him through.
When I think back on my time in Ukraine, I think of this story. My time spent in Ukraine was when I walked on water. The time that my faith grew stronger than it ever has was when I was left all alone, except for my new daughter whom did not speak my language, for three weeks. I was away from my husband, my 4 precious daughters, my family, my friends, my home, my church, my car, my safety, my routine, my control. I was in a foreign country where I couldn't speak the language, or even read their alphabet! I had no one to rely on OTHER than God! And you know what? I would not trade those 3 weeks for anything in this world. And you know why? Because the Lord revealed himself to me in such a deeper, more meaningful, more powerful, more all encompassing way than I had EVER experienced Him before.
The song "Oceans" by Hillsong United best describes how I feel about my experience. The refrain says, " Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders. Let me walk upon the water wherever you would call me. Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander, and my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my Savior."
I have come to realize that the adoption of our daughter was about so much more than bringing our daughter home to give her a loving family and a bright future. It was not just about "saving" her from a life of poverty, despair, and hopelessness. It was about saving ME. It was about delivering me from my cozy little life filled with self reliance instead of total reliance on my Savior. It was about showing me the depths of God's love for ME. It was about seeing what a deeper relationship with the creator of the Universe looks like. How blessed I am!!
The Lord has placed such a desire on my heart to help others see His love in new and more meaningful ways. He has also placed a huge burden on my heart to see orphans and families united together forever. I am thankful for an opportunity to combine these 2 passions together! I have started a fund raiser that I hope will be able to benefit many adoptive or host families.
I am selling these Mudlove bracelets! The center portion is baked clay made by Africans in order to provide their communities with clean drinking water. They feature the phrase Walk on Water so that whomever wears the bracelet will be reminded to step out in faith to whatever it is the Lord is calling you to do. The Lord does not call us all to the same thing. Maybe He is calling you to adoption. Maybe He is calling you to go on a mission trip to a foreign country. Maybe He is calling you to befriend a coworker that is not so easy to like. Who knows?? My challenge to you is to listen and obey! I know personally, that you will NOT regret listening to and answering the Lord's call. You will be more blessed than you could possibly imagine!!
So how does my fundraiser work? Well, Ryan and I paid for the first 50 bracelets in full. We wanted to help other families going through the adoption and hosting process, and thought finding a way to make our money multiply would make more sense than giving a one time donation to a family. Every bracelet that is sold, will go directly to another family. We are hoping to select a new family to give the proceeds to with each new order of 50 bracelets that we order. The bracelets are $10, and cost $2 to ship. We currently have royal blue, pink, turquoise, and brown band colors available. We only have 10 bracelets left of the 50 we got in yesterday!! We will be ordering our next 50 tomorrow!!
If you would like to order a bracelet, or 2, or 10....please email me at wendilynn.farrell@gmail.com. And if you, or someone you know, would like to be considered for our fundraisers, please let me know!!
So what do you think? Are you ready to Walk on Water and help change the life of an orphan in the process?
Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Colossians 2:7
