Have a Heart for International Adoption??

Please read this blog and act!



My heart breaks for this little boy and his family. Even though the media has left please continue to pray for the people of Haiti.

We Are Overwhelmed

I will go before you and make the
rough places smooth:
I will shatter the doors of bronze,
and cut through their iron bars.
And I will give you the treasures of darkness,
and hidden wealth of secret places,
in order that you may know that it is I,
the LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.

Isaiah 45:2-3

This is the scripture that Lord gave us back in August concerning our adoption. I am so happy to say that He truly has given us the hidden wealth of secret places!! We are overwhelmed by God's grace and favor upon our lives and this adoption. Because of a grant from Show Hope we now have everything that we need financially to pick our son up!! WOW! From the beginning we said that this had to be a story where God is very big and we are very small. That is exactly what has happened. This adoption has the fingerprints of God all over it from beginning to end! What a great story we have to share with our son about God being intimately involved in every detail of his story. As I spent last night rereading my blog post I am once again humbled by God's provision for us. I have asked for ears to hear and eyes to see and I am so thankful that He has answered those prayers. So if any of you are considering adoption but don't know how you can pay for it, BELIEVE BIG!! God loves these orphans far more than any of us do and He is in the business of placing the lonely in families! Step out and watch Him provide. We also are so thankful to our friends and family who have joined us on this journey and supported us both financially, emotionally and spiritually. Thanks for being sensitive to the Lord. You have made a difference in an orphans life and there will be eternal rewards for that! We have desired to continue to sow the seeds of adoption into our families that are moving forward with the process. For that reason, we are passing on the remaining cookbooks to another couple who is just beginning their journey. I still have some left so if you would like one, please know that the proceeds go to another family who we are honored to help get started:)

Please continue to pray for our court date on the 8th of February. Please pray that God's hand would be on every detail of this next step. Please continue to lift up our little guy. Pray that he would be protected and comforted. Thanks again!

Africa Necklaces

This is a charm that my girlfriend made for me our fundraiser. She has agreed to make 3 more for me to sell as a fundraiser for our adoption. The price for each charm is $50. If you would be interested in purchasing one please email me at robbiesfam@yahoo.com. The piece is sterling silver and includes a black pearl. The black pearl represents our child who is of great value not only to us but His heavenly father.

In a Pit

Psalm 40

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

¹ I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.

² He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.

³ He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD.

⁴ Blessed is the man
who makes the LORD his trust,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.

⁵ Many, O LORD my God,
are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us
no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare.

⁶ Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but my ears you have pierced
burnt offerings and sin offerings
you did not require.

⁷ Then I said, "Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll.

⁸ I desire to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart."

⁹ I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips,
as you know, O LORD.

¹⁰ I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.
I do not conceal your love and your truth
from the great assembly.

¹¹ Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD;
may your love and your truth always protect me.

¹² For troubles without number surround me;
my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails within me.

¹³ Be pleased, O LORD, to save me;
O LORD, come quickly to help me.

¹⁴ May all who seek to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.

¹⁵ May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!"
be appalled at their own shame.

¹⁶ But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation always say,
"The LORD be exalted!"

¹⁷ Yet I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O my God, do not delay.

COURT DATE

Just wanted to let everyone know that we got a court date for the 8th of February. What that means is that a representative from the orphanage will go to court that day in Ethiopia on our behalf. Most families have not been passing court on the first try. We are hoping that that is not the case for us. If we pass, we will travel to Ethiopia about 6 weeks later to pick Noah up. We are so elated and it is starting to really sink in that we are adding to our family. Sometimes as I look at his pictures it still feels like a child that we are sponsoring but today it feels very real.

To make today even more fun, I went to Target to purchase sheets to go with his new bedding. While I was there, I was able to get some clothes really cheap for him! Nothing like a court date and a great deal all in one day!! Please continue to pray for the finances to finish out our adoption. We will need about $6000 but I know that God will provide! We already have $2500 of it. Please pray for our boy! Pray for a hedge of protection to be around him. Please pray for his birth mom. She will have to come to court on the 8th of February. She will forever be one of my heroes. Please pray that God's hand would be personally on every piece of paper necessary to complete our adoption. We can't wait to announce our son as an official Robinson. Thanks so much for all of your continued support. If you would like to make a tax deductible contribution please do so to Lifesong for Orphans. Their address is in the previous post.

Eighteen Days until Court

An Update on our Adoption

We just wanted to give everyone an update as to how things are going and how you can continue to pray for our upcoming adoption. We have continuously been amazed by God's provision for us with this adoption. When we started this journey back in August we had no idea how we were going to pay for this adoption but God knew. One of the first things He had orchestrated for us was to be in a church that came along side of us in our adventure. Without them, we realize that this adoption would not have been possible. We have been blown away by their support. God calls us to fulfill James 1:27, "care for orphans in their distress..."but not all are called to adopt. Some are called to pray, some to give financially, and some to adopt. Please know that your support has been the hands and feet of Jesus to this little boy in Africa who still has know idea that he has a family waiting for him here in the states.

So this is where things stand as of now. We are still waiting for a court date. We are hoping to hear that we have one scheduled soon. It normally takes 4-8 weeks to get a court date. The court date is normally scheduled for about 3 weeks later. If we pass court the first time which has not been the norm lately, we would travel about 6 weeks later. Right now we are probably going to be traveling some time in April. Please pray for the timing of all of this. Seth's wedding is June 4 so we would love to have him home and settled for a month or so before traveling to Florida. Also, Doug is off for almost the entire month of April so that would be perfect. As I type this though my heart cry is not my will but thy will be done!! God's plans are always so much better than mine anyways:)

Now onto the financial part of our journey. We will need about $6000 in order to travel. Right now we have about $1500 of that amount. I still have about 125 cookbooks to sell. If you would like to sell some or purchase one, please let me know. Also Lifesong for Orphans is a non profit ministry that has come alongside of us and set up an account where people can make tax-deductible donations to help cover our adoption cost. I am posting the letter here so that if you are interested in making a donation you will have the information. Doug is teaching as much as possible at the Cleveland Clinic Paramedic program in order to make extra money. I am also continuing to babysit. All of the money that I make from that goes straight to our adoption fund.

So here is how to pray:
1. Pray for our boy. Pray that he continue to stay healthy. Pray that God would comfort him for his remaining time in the orphanage. Pray for all of my "adoption" friends who will be traveling to pick up their children in the coming weeks. They will get to love on him for us and bring us back lots of pictures:)
2. Pray for financial provision.
3. Pray for peace and endurance for us through this process. We truly want to honor God in how we walk this out.

If you would like to participate financially please mail your tax-deductible contribution to the following and write Robinson #1092 adoption in the memo with check made out to Lifesong. The address is:

Lifesong for Orphans
PO Box 40/202 N Ford St
Gridley, IL 61744

Welcome to 2010

Has not my hand made all these things,
and so they came into being?"
declares the LORD.
"This is the one I esteem:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit,
and trembles at my word. Isaiah 66:2

I was listening to a teaching from Frances Chan at Passion 2010. He really challenged us to look at our lives and see if we really tremble at the Word of God. I must say that for many years, tremble would not be a word that I use to describe what I felt when I read the Bible. These past two years I have experienced an increase in my hunger for the Word!! I think that is why I have enjoyed listening to men like Frances Chan, Matt Chandler and John Piper. I have seen that as I have grown and been eating meat(spiritual), milk no longer satisfies. But even taking all of that into consideration, I still have not trembled at God's word. Yet God's word says that this is who He esteems.

So this year I am not starting out with a bunch of resolutions. I do have just a few:

1. I am crying out to the Lord that I would tremble at His word. Not only tremble at it but really do it!! I am tired of hearing great messages, reading great books, and reading the Bible and not really walking boldly then in what the Word says! This year will be different.
2. God's word says that we are to take up our cross daily. I want to daily do this. Taking up my cross means dying daily to my desires, my flesh, my comfort and anything else that I can put the word my in front of. This year I am choosing to focus on daily doing this. I tremble as I write this because I know that dying is not easy.
3. I am no longer going to make apologies for my passion for God, for His Word, and my passion to see what is declared in scripture to be lived out in His church. I have asked myself continuously, "Do I really believe all of God's word?" His challenge back to me is to then walk it what I believe. So this year I am going to do just that!

On the adoption side of things, we are just waiting to hear about a court date. Once we receive a court date we will have a better idea of when we will travel. I have been busy getting stuff ready to get his room ready. Can't wait to get him home!!