A Boy Called James

This is James.

He moved in with us several weeks ago just for the summer.  After living with us for a week, he asked if he could go to school down here instead of returning to South Side.  At the time I was shocked that he would even want to stay with us for that long.  We told him we would pray about it for a couple weeks and see how things are going.  Well, last night we decided that we are going to offer him a place to stay for as long as it goes.  Honestly, things are going better than I had expected, but I am sure there will be things to work through in the future.  James seems like he fits into our family really well so far.

This is our story about how we came to this place.

In the past, Joel and I have felt that we may someday adopt, but just have not been lead or convicted to follow that path yet.  Joel had adoption on his prayer list on his computer and everyday his computer randomly picks someone or something from the list that he prays specifically for that day.  When he put adoption on his list, he prayed that when it was time to consider adoption that God would bring it up.  On Wednesday, April 20, 2011 it came up.  He prayed about it that day, but didn't know where it was going.   The next day, Thursday, I was looking at some blogs and ran across the Third Day music video for the song "Children of God".  The video is about adoption and how we are all adopted of God.  While watching the video, I just had this overwhelming burden that there was a child out there somewhere for us.  I started earnestly praying for this child.  The next day, Friday adoption came up again on Joel's list.  By this time, we both knew that we were suppose to pursue this but didn't know exactly where to go.  We told our families what we were thinking and asked them to pray for us.  A week later we contacted LSM and got some paperwork to fill out, but never felt like we should fill it out.  I had this feeling that somehow a child would come to us.  The first of May, Todd, Joel's brother, called us and said that he talked to a kid at I-house that wanted to get some farm and mechanic experience, and wondered what we thought of having him live with us for the summer.  We both felt like this was the answer to our questions about where God was leading us with the whole adoption issue.  I read these verses, and they really spoke to my heart.

2 Corinthians 8:11-15

¹¹Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have.

 ¹²For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.
 ¹³For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened:
 ¹⁴But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:
 ¹⁵As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.

I wonder if as we fill some of his needs in his life that he will fill some of the needs in our life. 

I read these verses just a few days ago, and they really convicted me.

Matthew 25: 33-46
³³And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
 ³⁴Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
 ³⁵For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
 ³⁶Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
 ³⁷Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
 ³⁸When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
 ³⁹Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
 ⁴⁰And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
 ⁴¹Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
 ⁴²For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
 ⁴³I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
 ⁴⁴Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
 ⁴⁵Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
 ⁴⁶And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

James is in a lot of ways a stranger to us, but I feel like if we turn him away we would be turning away Christ and an opportunity to serve Him. 

We would appreciate your prayers.  We have never raised a teenager.