Kids Painting our Cat/Playroom

We decided to let the kids paint the playroom with anything there hearts desired

Thankfully we have lots of talented kids. Our theme was CATS... well because we have

lots of them. We have rescued several that we are still trying to find homes for so

we decided to make them feel welcome in our three care garage/ playroom.
The kids had a blast! Paint was everywhere including all over them but some

awesome artwork came out of it.

Kids Baptized

Seven of our children made the committement to be baptized. We talked about
over and over what it meant and we were sure they understood before
we let them move forward. I was also very thankful our pastor went over
it once again before everyone came forward for baptism.
It was so emotional seeing everyone make a public committement to Jesus. My kids
with innocent hearts and those who had been suffering in the world and had
just come to Christ. There heartfelt testimonies of how the world had sucked
the life from them and then they found Jesus who had put life back in.
There wasn't a dry eye in the house! Everyone crying in happiness for
them and I am sure a few of us related to being "saved" from the world.
I am so.... thankful for God's intervention in my life. I was not raised
in a Christian home, actulally in a very disfunctional home. An aunt
who came to know Christ started filling me with the love of God at a very
early age. I don't even want to imagine what my life would of been
without a loving and faithful savior in my life. So I am very thankful
for every person who is added to the kingdom of God and to my ever
growing Jesus family.

Another plea for help

Me with one of the little girls I adore.

Faith and one of the children she is adopting


Christina the director loving God's call on her life.

Another plea for help for the Forget-Me-Not Kids. Sometimes it just
feels like begging. Why do we even have to worry about how to
feed, clothe and take care of these precious ones when we KNOW
JESUS has commanded it?

Now the director of FMN is just asking for 25 sponsors to pay
25 a month... faithfully! So little to save a life.

The director who works forty hours or more a week for free.

Who takes time out of her own fiances to keep FMN up and running.

Who has a special needs son of her own from Liberia and knows what
sacrifice is.

Who in tremendous faith BELIEVES in God's faithfulness.

It was not a coincidence that several women felt the call to this ministry.

Now, we need God's people to step up in faith and answer God's call to help.

Your out there! You hear that still small voice saying give, pray, encourage or
maybe even adopt.

We all can play even a small part in the kingdom of God if we will just heed the
call.....

forgetmenotchildrenshomes.blogspot.com

Retreat and healing

I didn't sign up for our womens retreat because I felt like we had to save moeny for the teens youth convention. You know, you talk yourself into "I really don't need it" when in fact, I needed it desperately! So... I get a call a day before they were going to leave to say a FREE spot was open and would I like to go. My first response was no "I had other plans" but when I got off the phone something told me to pray.
Is this you God opening the door? So I called back and said I would go. Of course you know the enemy... you have to fight your way there with 18 kids at home. Babysitters, money, packing....

I had been having a real hard time for some time praying and seeking God. I had allowed a wall to build up birthed out of some resentment. I had convinced myself if "God really loved me" he would make some things happen in my life. Really, I was just having a pity party I thought....

The title of the retreat was Dancing on the Battlefield and I had no idea how big the battlefield was until we walked on it. Five hundred women filled the auditorium full of excitement. The speaker, a single woman raised in the church all her life. A hard worker who had earned a Masters in religion and taught at Vangard Unniversity. She had money, education and joy, and was assured nothing could rock her God world.
And then it struck! First breast cancer and then treatment, even more deadly chemotherapy, causing her to have rhematoid arthritis and knee repalcements. She lost her job, money, career and the ability to sleep and stand for a long time. Was she a litte mad at God? You betcha she was......

And then God confronted her and asked "Do you trust me?" She said she paused....
Was it all a show? Or did she really believe the creator of the world had her life in
his hands.

Did I???

Did I believe he had our finaces, my grown children, my marriage, the ministries of my heart in HIS HANDS? Or was it just a show?

And then she said "everyone who is feeling SHAME has a foothold (or should we say satanhold) over their life, come forward. It is as if the HOLY SPIRIT spoke right to my heart and I ran to the altar for prayer. Healing, blessed healing, was mine. All the walls and resentment fell away and I could touch God again. Oh how it hurt to be away from my father for even a second.

And you know what? Half of the women in the auditorium walked forward. Crying,
pouring their hearts out to God. We all had a diving appointment with the Savior
that weekend and if the truth where to be told, every woman needed to walk forward.
He knew our pain and longed to put his heaing arms around us... we just had to walk into them.

The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit... Romans5:5

David 1 year old CP

David with Cerbral Palsy, severe malnourishment and neglect.
I was shocked to find out that David was over a year old. He looks like a six
month old baby laying in his Foster moms arms. He was so weak her couldn't even
suck. Doing a lot better he still has a ways to go.

From the director of FMN
From the time we brought David into the program, he has had chronic malaria, and was suffering from severe malnourishment. He had just recently been discharged from the hospital and is starting to eat very well. He is still so fragile and needs to gain a lot of weight to become healthy. I have full trust in his foster mom to take wonderful care of him and help him start gaining weight.

Favor

Favor with her foster family

Favor with the Forget-Me-Not nurse


Favor entered the Forget-Me-Not program after she was abandoned at a
feeding center. Feeding centers help take in malnourished children and
then return them to their parents...well if their parents come back. In
Favors case they didn't. You have to be a really strong parent to take
care of your special needs child in Liberia. Many times you are shunned
not even being allowed to take you child to church because of the demon
that lives inside of the child. They may try to cast the demon out..but if
that doesn't work then the child will be abandoned or killed.

Even with all Favor has been through she is an amazingly happy child and
dearly loved by her foster parent. She loves to play with toys and often
shares the same toy with her foster sister Karen.

She loves to stand, roll over, sits well and jumps when held for dancing.

Praying she gets the loving adoptive home she so deserves.

Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: so shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. (Proverbs 3:3)

HOPE

Hope...(diagnosis:CP)
She is doing amazing! She has completely filled out and has gotten so strong! She can even bare weight on her legs! She has the most wonderful happy personality, smiling and baby talking the whole week we were with her. Her foster mom states she is like this all the time. She is precious!! Written by the director of FMN homes.

Hope two and a half. Beautiful and pettite and one of the most happy children
I have ever seen. It was hard to catch her not smiling! She came from an
village in the bush that could not provide for her. Loves other children,
eats well and sleep through the night.

This child is named after the joy and hope she brings to the progam.


Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Our hope, that we find her a wonderful family that will delight in this child
forever.

Back from Africa and ADOPTIONS

I just got back from a wonderful trip to Liberia. What a privilege it is to
hold and love on all of the special need children in the Forget-Me-Not Program.
I was just amazed at how they have all grown! They are so attached to their
caregivers and foster sisters and brothers. What a difference it makes to be
placed in a loving family and not an orphanage. I am so thankful to God for closing
the doors to the initial plans to open an orphanage.

"...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

It really touched my heart to see all the kids in the area coming to play
with FMN kids. I brought out bubbles, coloring books and toys and everyone
just jumped in to play. That we would all be little children in our hearts.
Loving others without judgement, not seeing the difference in the people
around us, but opening our hearts as Jesus does.

When I look at Karen, age 4 with Cerebral Palsy I only see one precious little girl.
Karen came into the program from a orphanage for special needs adults. Though I desperately wanted to hold her and make her smile she just wanted her caregiver.
Now all of us in the adoption world know what a wonderful sign it is when a child
is firmly attached to one caregiver. In her foster mothers presence she played
a small piano, laughed, stood by herself with the help of the wall and got really
excited when we introduced her to peanut butter.

I know that Karen would flourish and grow even more if adopted in the U.S. and had access to medical treatment here.

If anyone would like to know more about adopting Karen please contact me
RonTanya777@aol.com

My brother becomes Reverand Mooneyhan

Dwayne,Art,Judy,Mike,Cassie and Wesley after ordination.

My brother Art recieving his ordination certificate

Dad's favorite part of Christmas

Grandkids


Tezz and CECE opening presents.

Christmas Miracles

I know when you look at these pictures of my son Richard you are not thinking miracles, but let me explain.


Several days before Christmas Richard (age 10) started complaining of pain in his stomach, mostly on the right side. As a nurse I immediately though of his appendix but none of the other signs were there, temprature, nausea/vomitting so I really
prayed it was just muscle strain. A day before he had been play fighting with his
brothers and nephews(he is a young uncle) and I was hoping he was just sore but I
took him into urgent care anyway. The doctor examined Richard and determented that it
was indeep muscle pain and that he would feel better in a few days. I rejoiced that
it wasn't his appedix and expected him to bounce back the next day.

He didn't.

My usually lively son was just laying around, little appettite and still complaining of stomach pain. I really thought he just didn't want to feel the muscle pain by
getting up and waited.

But he didn't get better.

After 24hrs he still wasn't moving much and complained of increase pain. I then KNEW this wasn't muscle pain and proceeded to take him into ANOTHER emergency room.

I worked in a prison for thirteen years as a nurse and had seen many appendisitis cases. Many times It was my job to access the inmate and tell the Dr. if I thought it was his appendix. Let me tell you they are VERY difficult to diagnose and I along
with the Dr. had made the wrong diagnosis.

Arriving at the emergency room at one in the morning we waited 5 hours to see the doctor. I am in Ca. and let me tell you emergency rooms her are so much different then the little town in Texas.

Once we were in a room the emergency room doctor (that had diagnosed and treated another one of my sons with croup) walked in the room and said "this is one sick child." He then listened to his symtoms, did a quick examination and said "it is his appendix but I am getting a cat scan."

Even though I sensed that Richard was having appendsitis he still had no fever,
CBC (blood test) was normal and he still was only having pain. I prayed with
all my heart that it still was muscle pain.

See when you are a nurse all of the awful experiences you have ever seen come rushing
back in. Becasue I knew if he had ruptured we were in for a long ride and he was going to get a lot sicker. Then them imense guilt hit. Why didn't I push for him
to get a cat scan sooner? Why did I wait until now? What kind of mother and nurse
am I? Even though I knew that ALL of these accusations were from Satan himself I let
him continue to beat me up as I did everything in my own power not to cry.

My small son was riding on my faith.

Sure I can talk a big faith talk when there isn't much at stake but he was watching my every faith move. Would I fall apart believing there was little hope when the chips were down? Or did I have the strengh to reach out to a really BIG God and believe he would be there no matter what the outcome.

The Doctor came in and said the cat scan was positive for appendisitis and he had ruptured but he still wanted the radioligist to read the scan to confirm. He would get back to us in about an hour.

I felt crushed.

My son began to cry. I took a few deep breaths and told my son we were going to pray.
To storm the throneroom of God for healing and strengh. So we prayed and I felt the Holy Spirit say to cover his abdomen with my hands and pray for healing. I felt such a calmness and power engulf both me and Richard.

God met us there.

The radioligist confirmed it had ruptures and surgery was being scheduled immediately. I called my daughter Monique in Texas and said "Call everyone you know to pray."

Two other grown kids came to stay with the 17 at home, my husband came to be at the hospital and we waited.... prayed and yes cried.

But unknown to me at the time MANY people were asking the one and only healer for help on our behalf. That Richard who had perfect peace was being surrounded with the
presence of God! And you know what?

After two hours of surgery the surgeon walked in and said "it all went well and he did not rupture." After a moment of shock I just couldn't stop PRAISING GOD!!

Matthew 17:19-20 when he said "I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, `Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

I am not sure how others feel when God hears my prayes but I felt "MIGHTY LOVED"
that day and I know Richard did too. Because my little boy is a warrior for Christ,
first to lead prayer and many times bold enough to walk to the front of the church to pray.

Thank you Lord for a Christmas miracle! For once again hearing me when I cried out.
And thank you that you are in charge.

Your loving daughter Tanya