You give God an inch, and He takes a mile!

A few days ago, we were sitting around the dinner table talking about how God has used us and our home to carry very sick children to the arms of Jesus. We were remembering the days following Esperanza's death, and how we said to God, "This is so hard, but if You ask us to do it again, we will."  And, in line with the character of God, He asked us to do it again...and again...and again!  As we discussed this, Daryl smiled and said, "You give God an inch, and He takes a mile!"  We all laughed and kept talking.

Over the next 24 hours, I thought about a lot about Daryl's comment.  And he was right!

When Daryl and I got married (over 28 years ago!  Wow!), we told God that we never wanted to accept or turn down a job due to the salary.  We gave Him that inch, and the mile He took: We had several pastor/youth pastor positions in which the salary was...well, not high.  But, God did great things in our lives during those years, and we wouldn't change it for anything.

God asked us to care for children who needed a family. We agreed, and He gave us 23 foster children in a 13 year period.  He asked to adopt, and when we said "yes", He had us adopt five children, in addition to our five biological children.  Then we told him that we would move to Guatemala and open up a group home for orphans with special needs, in addition to working with families who need help.  And now look what He did!

But what if we had NOT given Him those inches?  Look what we would have missed!

Reflecting back over my life, I know there were times that God asked me to give Him an inch, and I didn't.  I remember one specific time when He asked me to share my faith with a co-worker.  I was very young, and this co-worker was older and a man; I was intimidated, so I didn't do it.  There were different times when God asked me to give Him an inch with my finances, but I didn't.  There are many other examples.  But, oh, what if I had listened?  On what adventurous mile would God have taken me?  It's too late now to go back and do it over.  But what I CAN do is learn from my past, and always give God the inch that He desires in my present and future.

As we enter a new year, I would encourage you to give God the inches that He asks of you.  If you don't, He won't take a mile.  He won't even take an inch.  And you can stay "comfortable" right where you are.  But you will miss the joy and excitement of the mile-long GREAT ADVENTURES that He has planned for you!

Give God an inch, and He will take you on the mile of your life!

Sacrifice

"Are you really going to make two of your children move to another country in the middle of their senior year of high school?"
"Will your special needs children get as good of health care in Guatemala as do in the US?"
"Adolescence is such a difficult time to make a transition like this."

These are just a few of the comments we heard seven years ago when we told our family and friends that we were going to be moving to Guatemala.  Some people were shocked, and maybe a little disturbed, that we would ask our children to make such a sacrifice.

Well, here we are, getting ready to complete six full years here in San Antonio Aguas Calientes, Guatemala!  Have our children made sacrifices?  Sure, they have!  And they still are...


-They left behind a lot of friends...some of whom don't keep in contact anymore. (Difficult.)
-They don't get to spend much time with their grandparents who live in PA...only an occasional visit from Grandma and Pappy.  Their other grandma went home to be with Jesus a few years ago, and the kids were unable to go to NC for the funeral.  (Sad.)
-Our daughters who live in the States are going through early adulthood with parents and siblings far away.  They are having children of their own, without grandparents beside them to help. (Hard.)
-Carissa and Teisha finished their senior year of high school just a few months after moving here.  So, because we knew so few people here, they had no graduation ceremony or party.  (I feel terrible about that.)
-Taryn and Jeremiah turned 16 years old here.  They cannot drive or get a job here.  This has been a huge sacrifice, as they watch on facebook as all of their friends in the States are driving, working, and gaining more independence.  (Really hard.)  They have been back to Ohio only one time to visit friends.
-Joshua, Kimmie, and Jonathan have not been back to the US since we moved here; they remember   very little of life in the Untied States of America.  (Maybe not always such a bad thing.)
-It is much more challenging to find good health care here for spina bifida and cerebral palsy.
-Our kids have to share their rooms, their toys, their home, and their parents with 12 other children, and very needy children at that.  (Wow! Big one!)
-Our children have watched as four of their "siblings" have died.  True, they went on to perfect healing...to the arms of Jesus.  But that is a LOT of loss for any child to face!

Am I complaining?  No!  (Well, in my weak times, I do complain a little.)  Do the kids complain? Hardly ever!  Yes, they recognize the things they are missing.  And I'm sure at times they feel that loss.  But, wow!  They are troopers!  God made kids to bounce back with force.  If you raise your children to love and serve God...to have His heart for people and world...it is AMAZING what they can do...and do it with peace, joy, and excitement.

But what have our children gained?
-The knowledge and experience of another culture.
-A second language.
-Learning about poverty, malnutrition, special needs, death...and God's heart for all of these.
-Many more siblings!  And, believe it, or not, a large family has many, many advantages!
-Learning how to help care for younger siblings.
-Seeing God answer prayers in an amazing way.
-And the list goes on..
Jeremiah said it best a few weeks ago when he told me that he has gained so much more than he lost when we moved here.

As I said, the kids do have days when the feel the sacrifice more than other days.  But I don't see that as a bad thing.  It is important for children to make sacrifices; otherwise they grow up thinking they deserve what they have, and what others have, and so much more...and that never leads to good things!

God sacrificed His Son, to death on a cross!  Can't our children make a few small sacrifices to help benefit others who are in so much need?

Do your children a favor!  Help them to make some sacrifices for the benefit of others!  It will benefit your children as well!


 
 

The Last Two Years...

So, you may have noticed that I haven't updated my blog in over two years.  :(  I would like to give you some really good reasons for why that has not happened.  But...really I have no excuse.  It has to do with a full schedule, lack of priority placed on my blog, and (mostly) the fact that I am quite technologically challenged.  When I can't figure how to do something on the computer, I close it, and walk away...which makes it difficult to keep up with a blog.  Either way, in the past, quite a few of you have asked that I keep a blog and post regular personal updates on our lives here...that focus on our family...since Daryl's blog focuses on the ministry side of things.  I decided that I really need to do a better job, so here is my second attempt!

A LOT has happened in our family in the last two years! New children joining our group home, children passing to the arms of Jesus, and children being adopted into their forever homes.   Fulp children becoming teens, teens becoming adults, flights to Africa, weddings, grandchildren, and much more.  There is never a dull moment in our home and family!  I will try to give brief updates with pictures to help you catch up.

Hogar de la Esperanza Update:

The children in the group home ARE part of our family, so it is difficult to separate ministry from personal.  At the present time, we have 12 children in our group home.  Quite a few children have joined our home since my last post.  Three of our children were adopted into their forever families. Thankfully, both sets of parents are Christ followers, so the children are in great homes.  Difficult times for us, but such wonderful times for these three precious children and their families.  We praise God for adoption!  "God sets the lonely in families!" (Psalm 68:6)  Two of our sweet little ones went to their eternal homes with Jesus since my last post.  Again, difficult times for us, but such wonderful times for these two wonderful children!  We praise God for perfect healing!


Fulp Family Update:



Jonathan will be 12 years old this month...turning into quite the handsome young man.  Kimmie and Joshua both turned 13 years old early this year.  Teenagers already!  Wow!  Where have the years gone?!!!


   
    The three of them really enjoy their "3 Day Survival" activities!

Jeremiah, 16 years old next week, is turning into a fine, young man of God.  In addition to his sophomore year of school, he loves to help out around the house, work with Daryl on wheelchairs, and travel with Daryl to minister to families.  

Taryn turned 18 this year, graduated from high school, and flew to the other side of the world to follow God's call.  She is spending one year in Uganda, working with various ministries, and seeking God's call for her future.

Carissa has been living in Uganda for over a year now.  She is working on opening a home for girls with special needs.  However, she is running into problems with finding the necessary answers to get things rolling.  Please pray that God will lead her to the right people to make the vision and call a reality.

It is so nice for me, as a mom, to see my girls together, since they are both so far away from me.

Teisha married Wesley and they have a beautiful daughter, Allison, who just turned 2 years old. Teisha is a service advisor at Troy Ford, and Wes is a welder at Elite Enclosures.  They are living in Troy, OH.  

Krishauna and Andi got married last fall and they just moved to Guatemala. Krishauna is teaching one of the boys in our group home, while Andi is studying Spanish and getting accustomed to life in Guatemala.  They are living near us in San Antonio for now, and are still seeking God for their permanent location, where Andi plans to be involved in sports ministry and Shauna in special education.

Ashley, and her son, Tristan live in Troy, OH.  Tristan is 5 years old and just started school this year.  Ashley works as an aid with in-home health care.  She is also pregnant with our fourth grandchild.

Brittney married Joel in January of this year.  They live and serve in San Pablo La Laguna, Guatemala...about 3 hours from us. Joel serves as the department head of Hope for Home Ministries in
their area of the country.  And Brittney has a classroom in her house to work with and teach some of the children with special needs from their town.  Also, Brittney is pregnant with their first child, our third grandchild!



Daryl and I stay plenty busy with our family, the group home, and the many, many families with whom we work.  Recently, we counted up the number of children to whom we gave birth, adopted, fostered, or raised in our group home.  We came to a grand total of 52 children...so far.  Some days are full of laughter and joy...others days are full of tears and frustration.  But I wouldn't change it for the world!

This past July, we celebrated 28 years of marriage.  Twenty-eight years of great adventures together!  And, due to our wonderful staff and interns, Daryl and I are able to get away occasionally to spend much needed time together.


Just to show you what an awesome husband with whom God has blessed me...
Here are the lyrics to a song that Daryl wrote for me when he realized that we had reached 10,000 days of marriage.  Thanks, Daryl, for this great adventure!

Ten Thousand Days
(Wanda’s Song)

Time has passed so quickly as together we have aged
Chapter after chapter read as the Lord has turned each page
Our eyes now have some wrinkles and your wink still makes me blush
And still your beauty grows, and I still quicken at your touch
Day after day, year after year time has passed…

Chorus 1:
Ten thousand days of laughter, ten thousand days of tears
Ten thousand days of courage and ten thousand days of fear
We’ve walked ten thousand miles of journey down countless dusty paths
And as we stand here hand in hand there’s only one thing I can ask
I beg you, Lord… oh, please give us ten thousand days more

As we stood there at that altar ten thousand sunsets ago
There’s no way we could have ever dreamed or ever could have known
The life that waited for us or the places we would go
The battles we would fight together or the way our love would grow
Yet here we are… looking back on…

(Chorus 1)

Bridge:
Ten thousand days to understand
Ten thousand days to love
Ten thousand days to praise the Author of this story up above
Ten thousand days to learn and grow
Ten thousand days to try
And each and every day I remembered the reason why…
I love you. Oh, I love you…

As we pass another milestone walking hand in hand
I would make the choice to choose you time and time again
I don’t know what lies ahead, I don’t know what we’ll go through
But I know I want face another ten thousand days with you
And so…we’ll keep walking on though…

Chorus 2:
Ten thousand days of laughter, ten thousand days of tears
Ten thousand days of courage and ten thousand days of fear
We will walk ten thousand miles of journey down countless dusty paths
And we will stand there hand in hand and together we will ask
We ask you, Lord…oh, we beg you, Lord...please give us, Lord... ten thousand days more
We beg you, Lord...for ten thousand days more