In the B-ginning

This is a first, a start, a B-ginning...Blogging. Wow, it took my daughter Ashlie coming back home from traveling around the world to get her out of "tech" touch mode Mom on board with blogging.

I have always said, "I can write what I need to say better than I can speak" so I will give this a shot.
I am choosing to start with the Thanksgiving letter that we sent out a few weeks ago, for some of you, it will be a repeat...sorry, but it seems to be a good place to start.

About 7 years ago Dave and i realized that God had planted the same dream in our hearts. A dream to help hurting children. We journeyed on a road of wonder, prayer, sickness, foster care, loss and a long desert. Little did we know that all of that was water on the seed He planted, that is now growing!

In November of last year we learned of "Cry of the Orphan" the combined efforts of Focus on the Family, Family Life, and Steven Curtis Chapman to launch the local churches around the world into action to helping the orphan. When we heard of this, it was like the Lord said, "here is the HOW that you need to carry out the dream I have given you."
We were stunned, excited and empowered. About 5 years ago a dear friend prayed over me one night and looked right into my heart and said, "Carrie God does not just have one or two kids for you to care for, but hundreds." Dave and I did not know where to put that .....but we are starting to see more clearly now.

Through a series of events, from February, to May we received the go ahead from our church, had an informational meeting (60 people plus our team attended) and His Kids Our Homes was born. From May until now, people often ask, "How is it going?" Our answer often is, "it feels like we are holding onto a running elephant." It is Big, Powerful, fast and gets stuff done!

What we are learning is that we stepped out in faith, let the dream out of our hearts and into actions, (scary thing) and God had people all lined up to step onto the His Kids Team. (social worker, computer tech guy, trainers, existing experienced adoptive and foster families and the list goes on and on)

So, here we are in November, very amazed at where God is taking our family. As I write, Ashlie is on a plane on her way home from a five month YWAM Hong Kong FEET travel team. Wow, to be 18 and travel the world telling everyone about the love of Jesus! Cool! It would take pages to tell you of all the incredible things Ash got to see and do. The best way to get a first hand look into her life these past five months is to check out her "Blog" www.missionsupdate.spaces.live.com
I am amazed at the way she is able to communicate all that God did...take a look.

Brock is 16, driving, working with a siding company, living soccer every chance he gets and is of course taller than his mom. We are blessed daily by the things the Lord is building into his life.

Tanner is 100% 13! He is enjoying Taekwondo, voice lessons (look out, we have another theater buff in the making) and has an indoor playroom in his room, hammocks and all.

Tristan is 12 years old, has an inborn song in his heart, is taking drum lessons and is getting pretty good. he and Dave get practices in together some times...so fun!

Dave and I are in our last year of being in our 30's. WOW! where does the time go? Dave continues to work at Heath Tecna, plays drums at church, (his passion) is an AMAZING daddy and still manages to organize and launch this awesome orphan ministry. For me, i am wife, mom, homschool teacher, mentor, taxi driver, ministry administrator and hungry after God. it all keeps me on my toes for sure.

One of the blessings of our dream being answered in our hearts is a connection we were able to make with an orphanage in Ghana Africa called Beacon House!
Shortly after His Kids launched we began a journey of relational connection with an amazing Christian woman who runs this private orphanage.
A family in our church met her while they were over in Ghana picking up their twin girls they had adopted from a government orphanage. (they stayed at Beacon House while their paperwork cleared)
Through some amazing God events several families in our church started the journey of adoption. We are one of them! Yes we are going to be parents again!

We are navigating the international adoption process with lots of help from great people on our team and those who have gone before us. Coming to the Blaske home are these two kids.

Victoria is a beautiful, fun, nurturing, caring 9 yr old girl. John is a fun, quiet, playful, full of life 5 yr old boy. They are not siblings, but they are a good fit to come to our home together. As we journey we are looking at going to Ghana to get them in February.

One of the exciting things for these kids is that several of the kids they have been living with at Beacon House will be living in Lynden with new families that are friends of ours.
Along with that are a few families in our church who are adopting from Ethiopia and China.
God is stirriing up the hearts of His children to love the lost and help the orpahn. Wouldn't it be great to have every tribe and nation touched by the love of Jesus!

We have done a lot of training/classes to help them with the transition of new family, friends, home....Everything! We have a LOT to learn, and i am sure they will bless us MORE than we could ever do for them.

We are excited to connect you into the process to their beautiful lives.

This is a first for me...Blogging....it took getting Ashlie to get me set up, walk me through the process a few times (I still am a bit baffled by the "picture loading piece of things" but am learning. )
We set this up as a way to update you on our lives, the DREAM that God is bringing to fulfillment through His kids Our Homes, and the new additions to our family.

We are on a ride, but the Holy Spirit is giving us the FUEL for the journey. With out Him we would be overloaded and self serving...we are so thankful for His EVER PRESENT help and direction.
Our prayer is that our blog will give HIM ALL the Glory for what He is doing in and through us.
Blessings
Carrie <><