Christmas 2009

Aurallia new horse trailor

Julie with her cat Romeo and his dress up.

Destiny, Anthony (with skate ramp) Conner and Aurallia.

IT SNOWED!! Hey we are from California so it was a big deal!

Ben with v-smile, Tezz, Sherman, Mary, Joe, Omar, Anthony and Voni.

Christmas this year was a lot quieter than we are used to. Most of our family is in California. We had my daughter Monique, her husband Darin and my three grandchildren over. Food was shared, presents
opened, the Christmas story read from the bible. But it is never over for us that love the Lord.

Every day is a celebration of HIS birth, HIS resurrection and HIS presence in our life.

I have been reading a book You were Born for This by Bruce Wilkinson. It has me deep in thought.
The book says that most people believe that God still works miracles, but He only works through select group of people. The truth is, that we were all created to help people in need. We were ALL created to cooperate with God to accomplish His work by His power. He goes on to say that we have to be open in EVERY circumstance to what God would have us do.
In every circumstance we are supposed to be ready to minister to those in need.

In I Peter 3:15 we are commanded, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear."

I am a type A personality and this is so..... hard for me. I have a list, I need to get all this done in a certain amount of time and no time to chat. Is it easier to see miracles happen when you are a sanguine personality? For heavens sake I have 18 kids and very little time....

Or is it that every moment of our life has to be surrendered to God? That a hurting person he wants us to minister to is more important than getting my to do list done? Do I have to take time to look around me and discern peoples pain?

I find myself leaving many situations now AWARE that I missed an opportunity to love someone, to follow God's command, because I was just to driven to get something done. Can I just simply say to someone who I can sense is hurting "Can I pray for you?"

Lord I want to be surrendered to your will.... so I will keep trying to see things through your eyes and not my own.

Ben really loving decorating cookies

Dani guarding the stairs so no one sees the presents.

Silly Aurallia, Morgan and Moyou

Yeawee with her finished creations.

Yeawee, Madison making cookies.

Daddy giving Aurallia and Julie instruction.

Mary so..... proud.

The Grandchildren are here for a couple of weeks, school is out. My daughter Monique has to work but she brought sugar cookies to decorate for all 20 kids. Actually my job was to wrap the presents upstairs and my amazing husband took on the cookie decorating. I just know so few men who would offer to do cookie decorating with twenty kids......

Since we moved to a smaller home we don't have room for a Christmas tree and guess what? We don't even miss it. This year we watched a movie about a group of young men brought over from Africa. They were strong Christian men who had lived a really difficult life in a refugee camp. When they explained how we celebrate Christmas they wanted to know what a Christmas tree has to do with the birth of Christ. That really made me think about how we celebrate the birth of our Savior. What does a tree have to do with Jesus being born? Are our hearts centered on Christ and his birth or on who gets the best presents? Should we only be giving to the poor and needy? So this year we cut down the presents, the kids drew names to give to each other, and we lived without a tree. And next year.....
While I was writing this and uploading pictures my daughter Dani said "Mom why don't we give up one of our presents next year and give it to a homeless person." Yeah, she gets it....

SURPRISE WHEN HE FIRST CAME IN THE PROGRAM.

SURPRISE A FEW MONTHS LATER in a

Forget me not Foster home.

This is the difference our program in Liberia is making in the life of special needs children.

This little boy looked dead in his orginal picture. He was laying in a hospital without love, attention, therapy and nutrition. Now in a loving foster home, with the same caregiver he is laughing!! I am Praising a loving God!!

Omar being totally goofy

Sherman and Anna with babies

Anthony with Rescued Puppy

Destiny with rescued puppy

Today we took our foster puppies (well at least supposed to be) to the Rescue center once again for their final shots. And once again they asked us if we would like to leave the puppy's NOW to be adopted.
Once again I said that I just couldn't stand to leave them in a kennel alone while they waited to be adopted.
I was willing to come down and sit with them every time the doors were open to see if someone
would adopt them, but to leave them....
I searched my feelings over and over on the way home. Crying out to God for some type of answer on why I couldn't leave puppies.... they are not humans for goodness sake. We even (some of my children and I) went to the animal control so I could convince myself they were going to a much better place at the Rescue... but all it did was cause me to cry. Tons of puppies crying, shaking, alone.....
And why should of any of this surprise me? In Liberia and all over the world they discard there babies like trash. If you have a disability you are not fit to live. Children are abandoned in hospitals, feeding centers, and on the streets or the bush to die.
In Haiti they use there discarded children for there own slaves. Yes you heard right SLAVES. It still exists today. Our DOGS in this country are treated better!
Oh and our country... we get patted on the back because we have foster/welfare systems. But have you ever looked into the eyes of a hopeless foster child? Destined for home after home until they are thrown out into a cold and heartless world with no compassion or trade?
The Lord in his goodness reminded me that my compassion for animals is what led me to be a nurse, it is what opened my heart to adopting numerous children and now what drives me to work in Liberia Africa to help the lonely, abused and abandoned special needs children.
COMPASSION is the heart of Jesus. It drove him to heal the sick, comfort the hopeless and then die to save all of us from eternal Hell.
So I take my children to hold abandoned and hurting animals so that maybe a spark of great compassion will ignite in their souls. And I pray that every one of them will go to Liberia or a homeless center or anywhere in the world to carry on the Great Commission of Christ.....

MY HEART IS BREAKING

Today the director of Forget Me Not children's homes went to the bush of Liberia Africa
to find this little boy to put him in our program. The father felt he was a worthless
burden and didn't want to keep him. He had Cerebral Palsy. When she found the
father he said he had "killed him."
My heart is breaking at the loss of such a beautiful child. He deserved love, a home
and everything a "NORMAL" child has. It is the reason for our ministry, why our
Lord has laid these children on our hearts.
I pray he lays these children on your hearts. Please pray we find funding to take in more
children before they are abandoned to die.

Pray that the Liberian people come to
know JESUS so they will see the blessings in these wonderful children.

Pray that God
gives us wisdom to do his will.

As some of you know; many of us have been helping in different ways in Liberia since the adoption of our children. One of those ways is with a program called Forget-Me-Not Children’s Homes. These are foster homes for special needs children. In deed-Christina is in Liberia this week working with the program nurse as well as meeting all the children and caregivers in these homes. To read more about this: www.globalorphanoutreach.blogspot.com

At this time of year, our thoughts and hearts turn to those who are less fortunate and how we might be able to help. We encourage you to consider giving to this program so that we can continue to help and support children who have been left abandoned because of their unique special needs. It is as easy as going to www.globalorphanoutreach.org and clicking on the pay pal button. You are welcome to send a donation to our address listed on this site as well. We are a 501c3 and give receipts upon request. And as always, you can reach us by phone at #715-415-4401

We also have an African Inspired Quilt Raffle that you can participate in. All proceeds are going towards the homes for special needs children in Liberia. What a great gift for a loved one in your circle of family or friends. The warmth of this quilt will be appreciated by your loved one and the donation of this raffle will go to precious children in need of your help. Thank-you!

When we were told that we could buy our tickets to fly to Liberia and get our children

we were ecstatic and a little scared. I believe you fantasize about sweeping off to another

country to pick up your newly adopted children.. then the reality hits. I will be flying

thirty hours to a strange country that is dangerous, disease ridden and completely foreign

in language and traditions. I also would be taking this trip with my sixteen year old daughter

who had never left the country

.

Even though all our paperwork was in order, I knew from other international trips that

anything could happen. Would they approve us at the embassy? Would there actually

be someone at the airport to meet us? Would someone be there to walk us through the paperwork?

How would our newly adopted children react to us? How would four new children ages 8 months,

2,3 and 7 fit into our family of 15?

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

2 Tim 1:7

I knew from other adoptions and just life that the fear I was experiencing wasn't coming from

God. He alone had opened all these doors and he would see us through...

So we took off on our adventure..... supplied with Malaria medication, medication for dysentery,

every shot you could imagine for diseases, medical kits, emergency medical insurance, tons of

donations .

I have to say that the trip going to Liberia was relaxing. We slept, read, and just enjoyed being together. We had no idea how much we need that rest to get through the next week.

After being picked up at the Liberia airport we headed off to our accommodations. We were staying with Missionaries. It was a compound with brick walls topped with bobbed wire and manned with an armed guard, standard practice for Americans in Liberia.

Our room was a standard room that you might imagine in a motel, beds,crib. The thing that

set it apart was the extreme heat and humidity and no air conditioning. I have never been

so extremely grateful for one small fan in my life! The heat was only increased by the mosquito

nets we were supposed to keep over our beds at night. I just continued to pray that no one

would get sick on this trip.... and left my net off.

The next day we went to the orphanage to pick up our kids. It was raining so hard we were drenched after walking from the car to the orphanage door. Immediately I was handed a precious

baby girl when I walked in the door. I had prayed that she would immediately bond to me and again that prayer was answered, because from the minute she entered my arms she refused to leave, even to go to her known caregivers. We walked a few feet more and there stood our other

three children. My first reaction was pure shock! The little boy that was supposed to be three was just a baby, my guess being not more than one year old. My first thought was that I had three babies!! Deep breath..... and then.... I could see they were the most beautiful children in the world and they were mine. I immediately put my arms around them... holding them close and Praising a wonderful SAVIOR that would give me such a precious gift. After a tour of the orphanage and a wonderful time singing and dancing by the children we headed off to our temporary home.

The children were all so sad looking. There is a look to children who have little hope, I have seen

it many times. A blank look in their eyes..... my children not only carried a look of no hope but were still traumatized by lack of nutrition. My one and two year old still had huge bellies and skinny limbs, constant diarrhea, parasites, orange hair and a hunger for food that could not be satisfied. I KNEW that all of this was temporary. I had seen the hunger both emotionally and physically before, and I witnessed that transformation back to life, by my loving God. They were now on there way to healing in every sense of the word.

It was a long week of adjustment but I know now it was so necessary for us. It was time to bond, get to know one another and spend time learning about the Liberian culture. We visited beautiful

beaches, stores, a hospital, and other missionary's homes. One moment be basked in such immense beauty, the beach and the lush jungle, then we were driving by bombed out buildings, dirt roads, and primitive living condtions, constantly kept my emotions in turmoil.

Exhausted and wondering how I was going to handle three babies on the plane even with my older daughter, we boarded the plane for home. My daughter immediately took two of the children, even fighting her own exhaustion, and settled into her seat. (I am convinced I NEVER COULD OF DONE THIS WITHOUT MY DAUGHTER PAIGE!

I will be forever grateful for her.) The older children fell quickly asleep (thank God) but the baby

would not be comforted. A motherly stewardess found a car bed and attatched to the wall in front of me (I didn't know planes had these) and she went quickly to sleep.

So many people stepped up to help, carry a car seat, talk and calm a child, hold my bags, even fill out paperwork in Africa. Were these all Americans? No! I had as much help from the African people as I did from my own country. Jesus shows his face in all nations and in every heart.

Some experiences just change your life, leaving an imprint on your heart forever. God didn't just have us adopt four children, but had us adopt a country.... a missionary field in our hearts.

My daughter Paige longs to return and I believe she will in God timing. And my heart... well

it is already there in ministry and in spirit.....

How God called our hearts to Liberia Africa

One of the things I like most about being a child of the king is that it is
full of adventure! If my heart remains open to his calling... I can go to
other countries, like Liberia Africa.
Several years ago someone posted about a little boy that needed transportation
money from Liberia Africa to the U. S. He had swallowed caustic acid (used for
cleaning) and it had destroyed his esophagus and part of his stomach.
http://www.globalorphanoutreach.com/CausticEducation.html


He was already desperately poor and now needed medical treatment and liquid food.
It was just one of those moments when I felt the calling of the Lord. I asked
my husband if we could give them the money for the trip and he immediately
agreed.

We kept in contact with the family who hosted this little boy and continually prayed
for his healing. I believe that is what gave us the strong desire to adopt a baby from
Liberia. I was still desperately wanting to mother an infant (even with 15 kids at home)
and again approached my husband with adopting another child. He was open to one child.
Little did I know that God had other plans.

When I started looking at children from Liberia I fell in love with a sibling group of two little
girls, an infant and a toddler. My husband agreed to two little ones but before we could get
in our paperwork the baby died of Malaria. My heart broke... but I knew that the Lord
now wanted us to take two.

Our next referral came in for two little girls ages 4 months and 2. I was ecstatic.. their pictures
were adorable and my heart started falling in love. Little did I know that the baby was
very ill. She never was held in her mothers arms or nursed, the mother died in childbirth.
For the poor, if they cannot breastfeed, there is no option but starvation for their children.
My baby already severely malnourished now had malaria and dysentery. Her foster parents
told me later that everyone thought she would die.... but they prayed over her fervently
and the Lord restored her.

We had accepted that we would be traveling in a few months to pick up our girls, buying
baby things, putting together all the paperwork required for international adoption when
we got a phone call from the agency.

They told us that there was a sister, seven years old that they were willing to separate from the girls....
My heart hurt at the thought of picking up the girls with their sister watching. How could we just ignore that there was a sibling. I began fervently praying that my husband would say yes to another child.
Well..... they called again to say that OOPS there was a brother also. He was three years old
and somehow they had missed him in processing the paperwork. I just cried! I cried because
I just couldn't believe that my husband and our homestudy worker would accept us adopting
four kids. Yea of little faith....
To my amazement they both said yes! We were going to adopt a sibling set of four ages 4 months, 2,3 and 7. And by the total grace of God we had the money to do it.

How do you explain being so totally in love with children you have never seen? I can only
explain it one way.

Ephesians 1:4,6
"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:"

"Having predestined us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will."

It is the love and faith that God had placed in my heart. Adoption is not foreign to me. I
am adopted by my heavenly father... loved even before I was conceived. So for me, to love
the unseen, unloved, unwanted comes natural. For without my adoption being finalized in
heaven, I could of never given that kind of love away.

Tomorrow the trip to Liberia.

Joe in blue shirt saved the dog! He is my survivor man.

Destiny and Rusty

Posing for the camera

Lots of fun playing with sticks.

Conner and Ben Best friends

The beautiful path.....

Some wild posing

After we took a long trip to town to get puppy shots and go out to lunch we decided

to go on a hike. We all put on our boots (a requirement with snakes, mud and stickers) and headed off to our river. It sounds really cool to say "our river." Anyway, we leashed up all the

dogs, counted heads and started down the path.

We had driven many times down the path since we had been here but I had never walked it.

It was so incediably beautiful! I had the feeling like I was walking over the Bridge to Terabithia

It was like a trellis of leaves and branches had been covered over the whole path leading us into

an enchanted world. Please understand that I do not have a vivid imagination, but I felt we we transformed into another world of priceless peace.

We examined all the plants, took pictures of the spiders, dug up a old table someone had

buried and wondered what we could do with all of the hay bales someone had left on the property.

It was such a blessing to get away from the daily routine and endless housework, cooking and other tasks that take up the day. I could relax and see my children's reaction to all the beautiful

things we were observing.

Then we go to the bridge over the river.

We just couldn't resist going down to to the water and explore. Mud wasps had made tons of beds all over the bridge wall. In the midst of all this

enjoyment our dogs decided to go for a swim. The only problem was our rottweiler (13 yrs old)

could only swim HALF of the way. We called and called for her to come out of the water but she

just couldn't move. My 12 yr. old son and I had to wade in the mud, weeds and water to pull out a 110lb dog, but with LOTS of effort we did it.

I was sweating, filthy and exhausted, but a

happy exhausted... so thankful for all I have.

Thank you Lord for your never ending beauty...

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
—John 14:27

FORGET ME NOT CHILDRENS HOMES NEWEST ADDITONS

Madia age 14 months
Kenneth age 18 months


We have received two more children into the forget me not children's homes. Both children were abandoned at a feeding center in Liberia Africa. Both children are severely malnourished
and are desperately need of care. In our program they will be assigned a caregiver-foster parent, get medical care, nourishment, nurse visits and therapy if deemed necessary.
Of course we will be covering them with prayer and the hopes that we will see marked
improvement in their conditions. Adoption is also a possibility if approved by the goverment
and an adoptive home can be found after adoptions resume in Liberia.


Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.
Mother Teresa

THE BLESSINGS OF MEALS

I took pictues of a typical breakfast meal at the Pruitt household. We eat a lot of granola, oatmeal, pancakes and eggs. Everyone is assigned a day to set the table, pass out food and pray over the meal. Then there is another team of two, who clean
the table.

Meals are typically prepared by husband (he loves to cook) or I.
Many times our children ask to prepare meals themselves or bake, and we are happy
to let them.... of course it has to be age appropriate.

We constantly get asked "how do you feed that many kids" "how do you take care
of that many kids" and my response is always the same. It would be impossible without Christ
and like most large families, we have a system that works.

Serving others should be a joy. I was recently asked by a homestudy social worker if
we were causing our children to be parentified. That word has become a dirty
word in adoption circles. I told him "I am parentified and it made me the
person I am today." Of course I came from a difficult backround that my children
don't have to endure. I am not laying on the couch drinking or doing drugs while
they set the table. We are teaching theM God's way of loving and serving others...
and the art of large families has been lost in today's generation. To God
CHILDREN ARE ALWAYS A BLESSING!

Many homeschooling families consider good manners important, but we want to go beyond "minding our manners" and understand what it really means to demonstrate Christlike love and a servant's heart toward all, regardless of position, income, race, background or outward appearance.

In Ephesians, servants are urged to serve others "in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free." --Ephesians 6:5-8

I recently read a book about a missionary who worked in awful conditions for
all of her adult life. When asked how she endured it she wrote how to be
content.

1. Never allow yourself to complain about anything not even the weather.

2. Never picture yourself in any other circumstance or someplace else.

3. Never allow yourself to wish this or that had been otherwise.

4. Never dwell on tomorrow-remember that tomorrow is God's, not ours.

I am not saying this because I am in need , for I have learned to be content
whatever the circumstances. I can do everything through him who gives me strengh.
Phil. 4

I posted this above my computer and try to read it daily. It is so easy to
to become discontent with life, but I know Paul said to be content in ANY circumstance, and he wrote that from Prison.

We moved from a huge home in California, with are the conveniences you could imagine,
a church we adored and the list goes on... to a small home in Texas that needs lots of work and I have such peace it amazes me. Contentment is just being where Jesus
calls you to be. Trusting that he has a purpose and a plan for every step we take
in obedience, even if we can't see ahead of us.

"...For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord,
"Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future..."

Jeremiah 29:11

And my children....well they seem pretty happy with tire swings, a trampoline, trees, sticks and 20 acres to run. God is good!!

Loving Animals

We fostered these adorable puppies when we went to get our 16yr. old a puppy at the
pound. These puppies were doomed to die in two days if someone didn't adopt them... but the fee's were too high for us to take them home. I called a Rescue and they were happy to let us foster them. It formed a great relationship with the puppies, the rescue SPCA and our family. We just couldn't stand the thought of leaving them
at the Rescue to be adopted so we stayed with them while people came in to adopt.
We wanted to help while we were there so we walked dogs. Five of my children and I took turns taking the dogs out of there kennels and letting them outside to run and play. It was exhausting, but terribly rewarding, and everyone was very kind.
Our pups didn't get adopted (can't say that I wasn't glad) but we had a wonderful
time volunteering. Animals teach children a valuable lesson in loving. I have to say
I feel some quilt, like it should be a human I am helping, but I know God loves animals because he says he does in Mathew 10 29-31
. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

So for now we will just love the little creatures and enjoy the blessings the Lord has provided.

Oh yeah, our newest member of the family is a little boy, 12 week old pot belly pig.
A birthday present from my grown daughter. Every tried to catch a pot belly pig on
20 acres? It was just plain hilarious watching all 20 of our family running around trying to catch this pig.

Hallelujah celebration

We had a wonderful time at my grown daughters church celebration.
Like most churches they replaced Halloween with a Godly celebration.
It was also held on another night besides Halloween.
The kids filled up with lots of candy, free hot dogs, played
lots of games and ended the night with a free bible, their
most treasured possession. Even though they all have their
own bibles at home, they couldn't wait to come home and put
their names and dates in the little ones they got at the
celebration.
Once again I was so terribly proud of my kids and their actions.
They all took a partner and watched them closely, remembered to
say thank you and even shared some of their bounty with siblings.
The only thing dampened the night was when my car started
rolling backward when the kids got out of the car. The car was
in gear, the emergency brake on...... but suddenly I heard
my son-in-law and husband yelling "Tanya the car is rolling."
That feeling of what if tore at my heart, and I just had to
cry out of fear and then out of thankfulness to my loving
and gracious GOD for protecting my children and grandchildren.