OH MY GOODNESS!!

Meet Alexander and Alaya!! Yes, they are twins, yes they are between the ages of 18 months and 3 years and yes they are African American. This is quite an answer to prayer for our kids (and Steve and I admit, we certainly would LOVE to adopt these two!) I am not sure what God has in store for our family but if he answers our prayers we might be adding these two beautiful babes to the Colson clan!

The children were placed on the MI site yesterday, July 1, we put our inquiry in last night and had a response this morning! They already had our home study pulled. Whatever shall we do? Pray without ceasing, that is what we are going to do!

Thanks for standing with us!!

We have a web page now too... Most of our family is technologically challenged so Facebook does not work for them. You can see our kids, adoption/foster children and... just go to www.colsonjams.com I might warn you, we are under construction as a web page and family! May the Lord build us a great family!!!

Blessings,
Melanie

Picking Up Speed?

Please pray for Emon, Brionca and Alexia!

These kids have a long story but just like everyone else they deserve to be loved, prayed for and most importantly they deserve a forever home!

Hope, Faith and Love

Meet Markita... Keep reading to learn more!

Sometimes in the midst of a storm the Lord quiets my soul with His Word. I am not saying a specific scripture comes to mind and I get a new revelation about it, I am saying He causes my memory to pull scriptures through rather than thinking about the "mess" I am in. Oh how I love my Daddy!!

We are asking for prayer for our kids. Our kids are great don't get me wrong, they just need prayer regarding adoption. They are both so anxious it is unnerving at times. When I was 12 and 14 I had only three people on my mind, ME, MYSELF and I!! Not Josh and certainly not Amanda. They are pretty specific with their order too!! The child must be of African American or biracial decent, the child must be under 9 and... They would prefer a boy and a girl, twins would be perfect somewhere between the age of 18 months and 3 years old. Our God is a big God and he can answer their prayers but this a tall order and are Steve and up for that much energy?

We would also like to pray for the kids God has for us. We pray that He is guarding their hearts, that they would transition as easy as possible and that they would be open to Him early on, that they will accept our love as whole and sincere from Him.

We have sent in inquiries for what seems like 100 kids! We are still waiting!

We recently inquired about Markita, she will turn 8 on 7/26/09, she is beautiful!! We have heard from her adoption specialist and have spoken at some length with her regarding Markita. We have been down this road before and are trying to not to get too excited!

We have faith that if God chose Markita for us before the foundations of the Earth He will show Himself strong in this, we have Hope that if Markita is not to be ours God did still choose the children for us and He is preparing our hearts and theirs and we of course have Love that will endure and hold each inquired about child close to our hearts in prayer for His will for them.

Blessings to you all!
Melanie

Time Elasped!!

OK... So it has been awhile! Busy, busy, busy!!

Adoption/Foster Care
Obviously we did not get Joseph and Chelsea but we continue on in our search and quiry for the children God has chosen for us. We know it is just a matter of time.

We have put our home study in on several children/siblings groups in the last couple of months and are just in the waiting process. One of the children we decided to put our home study in on is Delvon, we blogged about him before. Delvon was in a sibling group with his younger sister Star. They were for some unfortunate reason separated. We had placed our homes study in for both but... Anyway, we decided as a family if they would allow Delvon to live away from his sister we would adopt him so we put our home study back in for him last week.

We did get a call from DCS (Department of Children Services) last night for a 10 month old little girl but a relative just showed up at DCS at 5pm so the child went with the Uncle. Please pray for her in her transition and that if the uncle or family member cannot really take care of her that they surrender her sooner rather than later so she can move on in her life. We pray the family not be selfish to their wants but to think of the child first. We have so many loving and caring families in Williamson County that being in the State system here is not as bad as other places.


Personal Family Update
Josh has just finished his baseball season and is running track. The boy can run. He has been training now for only 5 weeks and has either metaled at the meets or comes very close. He is running with kids who have been training for years (like 4 years). We are proud of his efforts and determination to train at home on off track practice days. We hope he makes it to finals next week because that will move him forward to the regional level, he deserves this break. He could use a boost of self confidence that comes naturally and not from his parents!

Amanda is doing well although she is petrified we will not be able to adopt until she off in college and we worry she is a bit obsessed!! She has the right heart and prays continually for the children, she will copy pictures off websites, place them in her prayer journal word document and write a huge prayer for the child. This is a personal prayer, it is deep, well thought out and sometimes emotional for me and Steve to read. We are pretty sure we did not have that much passion about anything at her age! She is doing well in skating and we will be off to Atlanta this Friday!! Oh, she has a small injury due to growing too fast and with that she learned her prayer for not growing anymore has been answered. "See mom God answers prayers, I am going to stay petite!" Yippie for her! We were hoping she wouldn't need a step stool to reach the 2nd shelf in the kitchen the rest of her life like me, I guess we didn't pray hard enough about that subject!

Steve and I celebrated 15 years of wedded bliss a couple months ago. We were able to go to FL and bask in the sun which we dearly love!! We had a wonderful time and are so blessed to have wonderful friends who took amazing care of our children while we cherished our time together on the beach.

Please continue to pray for the children.

Blessings,
Melanie

Long time no post....

Yes, it has been a while since we posted, this doesn't mean we are not in the game! We have taken a small step back to reflect and pray. We are just not sure where God has us in all of this.

We did decide to continue fostering, we will see where this might lead us.

The flood damage is almost all under control now, we are just waiting for the last payment from the insurance and then we will finish up the carpet.

We celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary on the beach in FL. We owe tons to our friends who kept our children comfortable and happy while we were gone! They made our trip relaxing, just knowing our kids were with folks they love and who love them back!

I am currently in MI wrapping up my Grandpa's estate. Well actually wrapping up my Mothers business. These last few things are actually hers but she has not come to get them for almost 8 years and grandma is now paying storage for them... not fair, not fair at all. So here I am digging through the past trying find room for it in the present so my children can enjoy it in their future.

Please continue to pray for our family. Our children are anxious to adopt children, girls, boys, all girls, all boys, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... No, the parents on not on the same page of the number of children we will take but it is nice that our kids have no limits!! We are a little concerned for our children as the months have gone by without adoption they are becoming more anxious, "we are only getting older and we want time with the little ones while we still live at home." I do get their point!

Thank you for standing beside us and praying with us on this ever wondrous journey!

Have an awesome blessed day!

No News Is Good News

Well, someone always said no news is good news.

We are hoping!

Florida and Hope

Florida - AWESOME!!
Cocoa Beach - was nice, beautiful and well needed - twice I might add. One thing the Colson's do at the beach is bury at least one family member, that would typically be Josh.

Kennedy Space Center - A must for anyone, all ages, it is superfantabulous!!! Not only was the center awesome we were able to see an actual launch - history - INCREDIBLE!! We all four loved the space center and would go again with or without an actual launch.

Disney World - Like it but it is the same as Disney Land - everyone said they are so different and "World" is sooo much better - NOT, they are the exact same park. Now the parks around them are different but nothing to be that excited about. Disney Land has parks around it too.

Disney's Animal Kingdom - Loved it!! Safari, cute and fun!! Mount Everest is a MUST! Simply one of the best roller coasters I have ever ridden (and I don't really like them). Wish we had the patience to stand in line for another 90 minutes! It was to die for!! As we were leaving the park I was looking for this one special gift in and out of every gift shop (Steve was about to die but he new the gift was important so he stuck with me). The last shop and I found my little gift, not what I was hoping for but I liked it and it was well received so... The most amazing part was as I walked out of the shop there were Jasmine and Dylan, our first foster kids!! What? Trully a delight to see them!! Please pray for them and the family that they live with.

Daytona Beach - AAAAAHHHHHH! Now that was almost as close to heaven on Earth as I have ever been. Nice white sandy beach, clean, beautiful day and aaaahhhhh!

Hope

We have stood on hope for most our lives. There are many reasons why some good and well some not so good. We can say God has turned all the not so good into His glory just as His word promises. We are going to stand on that word now too.

We drove down with hopes of being chosen for Joseph and Chelsea and being able to at least meet them. This did not happen. We did learn while we were there that another family had been chosen but the match failed. We are sad because it is another loss for Joseph and Chelsea but we continue to have hope that we will be chosen this time. Hope that God is causing the case workers to favor us, our homestudy is always on top, our names do not slip their minds and....

We will always pray for Joseph and Chelsea, God gave them to us for at least that and we will honor Him by praying for them daily, hoping God's best for them and their forever family whomever they might be.

Amazing!

Well, we are not sure where to start!


God has this wonderful amazing plan for each and everyone of us. We are especially excited about our plan (as everyone should be!)! We know it is good, it is His will and it is for His good pleasure.

Waiting though we can say is slightly more than painful for us. We are a busy family, always on the go. Not too busy to smell the roses but we are involved so we are on the go! Being on the go means we do some things very fast and welike things done fast. If you go to a fast food restaurant you expect it to be fast... Why can't adoption be fast?

We are trying to be patient...

We have the scriptures He has specifically given us over the course of this journey and we hold on to them dearly.

Faith Enough

We have faith enough to believe God not only chose us before the foundations of the Earth but He chose the kids we would adopt as well. He chose us, named us and predestined us.

Ephesians 1:4
⁴ even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love.

Isaiah 25:1
¹ O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God. You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them.

It has been 5 weeks and 3 days - still no word on Chelsea and Joseph. We can't help but believe God is working in our favor on this.

Thank you for standing with us in prayer!
Melanie

Patience, Humbleness, Fear, Pure Hearts... Success?

Well, I was just reading and jotting some notes... Proverbs is just so powerful.

Proverbs 16
1 We can make our own plans, but the LORD gives the right answer.
(note to self, it doesn't say when He will answer, it will just be the right answer)

2 People may be pure in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their motives.
(do not judge)

3 Commit your actions to the LORD, and your plans will succeed.
(take it to God)

4 The LORD has made everything for his own purposes, even the wicked for a day of disaster.
(may we fear the Lord enough to never be considered wicked)

5 The LORD detests the proud; they will surely be punished.
(hopefully we are a humble people)

6 Unfailing love and faithfulness make atonement for sin. By fearing the LORD, people avoid evil. (may we always give freely the love God has so freely given us)

7 When people's lives please the LORD, even their enemies are at peace with them.
(we do pray our lives are pleasing to the Lord and if it gives our "enemies" peace, we are so thankful)

8 Better to have little, with godliness, than to be rich and dishonest.
(we pray for to be rich in godliness)

9 We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.
(it is a good thing too otherwise we would truly be lost)

10 The king speaks with divine wisdom; he must never judge unfairly.
(we pray for God's mercy when our judgment day comes)

11 The LORD demands accurate scales and balances; he sets the standards for fairness. (may we always use His scales for measuring not only others but ourselves)

12 A king detests wrongdoing, for his rule is built on justice.
(just thinking God detests wrongdoing too...)

13 The king is pleased with words from righteous lips; he loves those who speak honestly.
(honesty is the best policy)

14 The anger of the king is a deadly threat; the wise will try to appease it.
(respond with kindness always)

15 When the king smiles, there is life; his favor refreshes like a spring rain.
(being approved by the King of kings is a fresh bouquet of spring flowers)

16 How much better to get wisdom than gold, and good judgment than silver!
(the value of wisdom cannot be measured neither can fair judgment)

17 The path of the virtuous leads away from evil; whoever follows that path is safe.
(allow God to guide your path)

18 Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.
(Lord how I hate skinned knees)

19 Better to live humbly with the poor than to share plunder with the proud.
(humbleness is warm and inviting)

20 Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the LORD will be joyful.
(Wisdom and joy - immeasurable)

21 The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant words are persuasive.
(wisdom needs no persuasion)

22 Discretion is a life-giving fountain to those who possess it, but discipline is wasted on fools.
(listen to your gut that is discretion)

23 From a wise mind comes wise speech; the words of the wise are persuasive.
(truth is leading)

24 Kind words are like honey— sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.
(it takes a minimum of 7 positives to negate one negative)

25 There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.
(death of self is eternal life)

26 It is good for workers to have an appetite; an empty stomach drives them on. (no work, no food)

27 Scoundrels create trouble; their words are a destructive blaze.
(scoundrels is my new word for hoodlums)

28 A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends.
(the tongue cuts wounds only the Father can heal)

29 Violent people mislead their companions, leading them down a harmful path.
(deceitful scoundrels)

30 With narrowed eyes, people plot evil; with a smirk, they plan their mischief.
(scoundrels)

31 Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by living a godly life.
(or by surviving your child's 12th year of life)

32 Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city.
(respond in kindness)

33 We may throw the dice,* but the LORD determines how they fall.
(and He sometimes cushions the blow - thank you!)

God knows us so much better than we know ourselves. He knows how to teach you and I how we learn best - does He use His word, others, circumstances or... He uses all those with each of us but He knows which one to use the most, the one that is most effective for each individual person on Earth.

I am very visual, even our kids have learned at young ages we have to show mom. God sometimes has to show me and well sometimes it is abrupt but sometimes it is as gentle as the scripture above.

We have carefully taken our adoption commitment to God, we have pure motives, we fear Him more than anyone or anything (even spiders and snakes), we are not a proud people, we have gray hair (well we are sure if Steve had hair it would be gray too, ha, ha - sorry honey) but we are most grateful the Lord will determine where we fall and He will surely cushion if necessary.

This is not to say that we have not gone boldly to thrown of God and reminded Him of all this and that His word says He will cause our plans to succeed.

Joseph and Chelsea we are being obedient to the Lord, we are waiting patiently with great anticipation that God has chosen this family, us, for you to call your own forever and ever. We are romantics and we do believe in love at first sight, we have loved you from the moment we first laid eyes on your pictures. You have been thought of and prayed for periodically through out each day. We love you and we are committed to you forever.

All our love,
Steve, Melanie, Amanda and Joshua