Do you have Love in your heart this Christmas?

So this has been an usually long week for me.  I have had so many joyful and happy moments in the midst of some hard sorrowful moments all intertwined together.  Last Saturday was the first we skyped with the girls and we have also gotten to talk to them one other time this week, it was great !!  Seeing them and the excitement on their faces was priceless.  They don't need or desire much, they just want Love.  My Mom and Eric got to reunite with Dema yesterday at the orphanage and what a precious moment for all 3 of them.  Eric shared on his blog, that Dema left and came back to the room with his dinner, a dinner roll and a cookie, that is all they were given, and he offered half his roll to my Mom and half of his cookie to Eric.  He had so little to give, but yet he wanted to share it with them. It brings tears to my eyes every time I think about that.  These are the kids that nobody wants, the kids that have no one to call mama and papa, these are the kids that don't have anyone to Love them, how can they be so giving and so grateful? When I think about this adoption and all the emotions I have felt thus far, I have often questioned, "can we really do this?" But I have been reminded in several ways this week, that all I need is to simply Love them, and I feel confident that I can do that.  I heard a song on the radio the other morning that brought me to tears.  It was sung by Matthew West and Amy Grant.  Basically, the part that stuck with me is, " If you have Love in your heart this Christmas, give it away"  It mentioned in the one verse about the orphans, so it hit me.  I would say for the most part, all of us, have Love in our heart to give this Christmas.  I know most of you who read this and I know that Love is something that is plentiful.  I feel especially blessed going into this Christmas with the feeling that I am sharing some of the Love in my heart with 2 precious girls a half a world away, and also sharing it with the 2 new brothers and sister I am gaining.  I am excited and ready to do that.  It makes all the busyness, stressing and materialism of Christmas seem so mynute compared to the Love for others.  I have been reminded this week that each day here is truly a gift and needs to be treated that way.  Earlier this week, my niece was taken to the hospital and was in an emergency situation where her parents feared for her life, through God's healing touch and many prayers shed for her, she is home and healthy now.  I have also been reminded this week that we never know when our life can change in an instant.  One of my closest and best friends, received news this week that her life will be changed and different that she ever would have ever expected, facing physical hardships that she will have to learn how to live with.  But once again, I am reminded that God has poured his grace over her, like my niece, and is allowing her to still be here to share precious time on this earth, and I am so grateful for that.  Unfotunently, it isn't always a situation that death is avoidable.  I also have a dear friend this week who has had to say goodbye to her mother, who lost her battle with cancer.  All three of these things, have reminded me this week that life is so precious and we truly need to live our life to the fullest and the best we know how.  God has revealed to me this week that sharing the Love in my heart is not something to take lightly but to focus on that, because it is a BIG thing.  So, if you answered yes to the question in the title of this blog of, do you have Love in your heart this Christmas?, now ask yourself, how can I share that Love?  I am honored that God gave me so many new ways to share my Love this Christmas.  I am asking for prayers for my two friends who both are dealing with hard and new feelings, you guys know who you are and how much I Love both of you and feel truly blessed to have you both in my life.  You never know when what you are going through will be a testament to someone else.

Here is the link to the Mathew West song I mentioned...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC1NkXP4xEM

There is one other thing I feel I need to mention for prayer.  Earlier this month, a preliminary vote was passed in Ukraine to stop  international adoptions, including those who are already in the process.  This issue has been going on for quite some time.  It is to be taken to a second vote on December 16th.  If passed, this will directly affect us and several other families in the process, not to mention the thousands of orphans who need to be adopted.  One side of me says, there is no way that these kids will not all come home, but then there is the other side of me that is worried.