QUESTIONS FOR PARENTS:
- Describe your personal faith journey? What experiences were significant in your personal spiritual formation? Did you come to know Christ as a child? What was your church experience like as a child?
wow, where do I begin. My personal Faith Journey is still very much in process, as we speak! So many times have been pivotal but I would start with I was born and raised hearing about God and Jesus. I was raised in church every time the doors were open. We attended a few different denominations and I really enjoyed seeing how each denomination was different in how they all worshiped. The best part was realizing they ALL believe Jesus was the son of God who had died for our sins and saved us. Some very significant personal spiritual formations would be one we are going through right now. I believe God is calling us to adopt three beautiful amazing little girls and keep them as our own. They are sweet and at this point that I am writing this, we have had them for 18 and a half months. They are all 2 years and under and our house has seriously been blessed by them but also seriously been turned upside down with the baggage that came along with them and their situation. Our hearts are torn on what to do, as to weather to adopt or just foster and allow someone else to adopt. Just this past Saturday, I gave up in my heart. I had been pleading with God to talk to me and show me what he wanted us to do, but I had finally said, “we are done, I have nothing else to give. ON Monday we will tell the social workers we are done and they will have to find another family.” This was completely out of feelings of exhaustion, chaos, frustration and being overwhelmed. I called my dad and told him that we were going to a church the next day and we had specifically asked someone to pray over little girls. I asked him to pray that if God wanted the girls to stay, he would have to speak through someone before we called on Monday. At church, the pastor got a word from God. He had heard nothing about our situation and yet he was given a word picture. He saw me in a field and having a dream but afraid to go forth with it. He said God wants me to step into the beautiful field and he would basically do the rest. That God wanted me to do what I was born for, and minister to children. He said God said i was overwhelmed and he mentioned a few other confirming things to me, and I knew,. . ..I knew what we were supposed to go through with the adoption. I was not promised that it would be easy, but I knew I was being told to continue. I found a song that I am going to end with. I was typing this and letting music play in the background and this is the song I came across. I won’t say I am not scared and overwhelmed still, but I do know I was born for such a time as this. . . . . To God be the Glory!
Mandisa - Born for This
Feels like I've been holding my breath
Trying to still my restless heart
Everything hangs on my next step
Finding my nerve, playing my part
I found shelter underneath His crown
Found favor inside His eyes
Rock this boat and I just might drown
Honesty seemed to come with a price
There's a time to hold your tongue
Time to keep your head down
There's a time but it's not now
Sometimes you gotta go uninvited
Sometimes you gotta speak
When you don't have the floor
Sometimes you gotta move
When everybody else says you should stay
No way, no, not today
You gotta ask if you want an answer
Sometimes you gotta stand apart from the crowd
Long before your heart could run the risk
You were born for this, hey
You were born for this
I'm leaning on the ones before me
My father's father's dreams
I'm standing on the top of their shoulders
Calling the One, delivering me
There's a time to hold your tongue
Time to keep your head down
There's a time but it's not now
Sometimes you gotta go uninvited
Sometimes you gotta speak
When you don't have the floor
Sometimes you gotta move
When everybody else says you should stay
No way, no, not today
You gotta ask if you want an answer
Sometimes you gotta stand apart from the crowd
Long before your heart could run the risk
You were born for this, hey
You were born for this
One step, one move, born to trust You
Made to lay my life before You
So I gotta go uninvited
Sometimes you gotta speak
When you don't have the floor
Sometimes you gotta move
When everybody else says you should stay
No way, no, not today
You gotta ask if you want an answer
Sometimes you gotta stand apart from the crowd
Long before your heart could run the risk
You were born for this
You were born for this
You were born for this
You were born for this
You were born for this
You were born for this
Read more at http://www.songlyrics.com/mandisa/born-for-this-lyrics/#RSC2yUEZVtXJftJ0.99
- How often do you attend church as a family?
unfortunately, we attend as a partial family. my husband and I take turns taking the older ones to church on Sunday. We alternate Sundays since we have two babies at home and one of us stays home with them! The kids go most Sundays one way or another.
- How does your child feel about their church experience?
They both like church and their friends and their classes. :) They seem to really like the lessons and songs they sing too and they love the church kids choir they are involved in!
- How often do you talk about faith as a family? (i.e., Do you have a formal time of family devotions? How and when do you talk about faith matters with your child? When do you pray as a family? When do you pray with your child?)
We home school for the main point of being able to instill in the kiddos the things WE find important and our Faith in God is one of those big parts of our curriculum. I would say we talk about God and our faith as a family very often. We try to make it a very practical way to bring God and the Bible into our everyday lives! Sometimes as far as official Devotions, it is a hit and miss but I would say a few times a week as a family. We pray at meals, and at night before bed. We also pray at random times of the day, like if our house is really stressed out, we will stop and pray sometime, calling out for peace and calm :)
- What questions has your child asked about God?
My 9 year old daughter asks me sometimes, as we are reading books on slavery and martyrs and other sad tragedies, why God allows people to hurt. Why does He not stop the pain and fix the situations. She also asks why it seems when she prays about slavery over sees with young children to go away, why he doesn’t make it go away. :(
My 8 year old son asks a lot why God doesn’t heal people when we pray. :( I know these are questions I myself have asked and I am hoping to teach them, as I am still learning myself, that GOD KNOWS all and so he does what is best and also that this is not a perfect world, so bad things still happen but all will be better in Heaven!!!!
- Do you know if your child has accepted Jesus Christ as his/her Savior?
yes, my daughter Ava asked Jesus in her heart one day at age 3 1/2 while riding in the car with me. We were listening to some music and the song talked about Jesus being in our heart. We had talked to her a lot about Jesus but weren’t really sure at all that she was near that part. So, after the song was over she spoke up and said, “mama, I Have Jesus in my heart!” I started questioning how she did it and what it meant and she said to me, “well, I just said Jesus get in my heart please!” :) She later talked through it more and she definitely understands it now better at age 9 years than she did then but it was super sweet and I am sure it made Jesus smile that this little 3 year old wanted Him in her Heart. :)
Christian also asked Jesus in his heart at a young age! He had been talking about it a lot to me. and finally said he wanted to ask Jesus in his heart. We walked through the prayer of salvation and as normal, he received a better understanding with age. However, he did seem to grasp that his heart should change because Jesus was now in his Heart. A year ago, I heard him talking to my, at the time newly turned 2 year old, and she was eating her lunch at her high chair. he asked her if she knew what sin was and if she knew who Jesus was. Then, he asked her if she wanted Jesus in her heart so she could go to Heaven with him. She of course said Yes, and he then gathered her little hands and prayed with her to ask Jesus in her heart. :) So I think he got it. I was a bystander the entire time. Now our 2 year old tells people she KNOWS Jesus and he is in her heart!!!!
QUESTIONS FOR CHILD/CHILDREN (You may choose to interact with siblings if you desire to do so. Also feel free to adapt these questions depending on the age of the child. Also, remember that children are more likely to respond to you if you are using your hands in some way like, drawing, coloring, building, etc.)
- How would you describe God?
Ava - Age 9 - “Creator of the Earth. He sent his son to die for our sins on the cross. He is God, Holy Spirit and Jesus. He holds our hands everyday. “ Then she wrote the following on her white board later, so I scribbled it down:
- God is God
- God is I am
- God is the most Best friend I ever Had
- God helps us when we need him
- God never Lies
- God is powerful
- God is thoughtful
Christian - Age 8 - “God is powerful and helpful, and He saved us. He helps me do homework and when I took my shot He helped me not feel a thing because he is strong. He Helps me not be scared and He heals me.”
- How do you think God feels about you?
Ava - He is happy for me to love others and for sharing. He thanks me for loving and protecting my foster sisters. He thinks i need to work on not fighting with my brother. God is proud of me and Loves being my Friend. I think he thinks I will grow up to be a fine mother. :)
Christian - He thinks I am handsome when I get dressed. He likes when I read my Bible.
- Who is Jesus and what do you know about Him?
Ava - Jesus is the Song of God. Jesus died on the cross for people who didn’t even like him, but he still tried to save them. He is the owner of Heaven and Earth and the way to Heaven is by Him. Jesus LOVES everybody.
Christian - Jesus is the son of God. He NEVER sinned.
- Who is the Holy Spirit?
Ava - He is God and Jesus. He helps us when we are fighting Satan. He tells me right from wrong.
Christian - Jesus
- What does Heaven look like? Could you draw a picture of Heaven for me?
Ava - The biggest house on Earth but bigger and bigger with golden streets and gold everywhere. Streets full of gold. Animals don’t eat animals in Heaven. Heaven is the most beautiful place ever!
Christian - Neat! Has lots of angels flying around. Water running.
- What questions do you have about God? Jesus? Heaven?
Ava - Do animals go to Heaven?
Why sometimes when we pray do bad things still happen?
Christian - why when I pray does not Jesus make me better right away?
- Do you know what sin is?
Ava - Sin is like lying. Satan tempts us to sin. If Jesus hadn’t died on the cross for our sins, they would take us over. We would all go to Hell.
Christian - Sin is when you lie, not telling the truth. if you chew gum and you tell someone it is not gum, then you lie.
- What does it look like when you spend time with God?
Ava _ when I spend time with God, he always listens to me when I talk. He knows how I feel. I spend time with God when I sing and worship, and go to church and read my Bible.
Christian - I pray all the time and i read my Bible. I pray when I go to bed, so I have good dreams. I want to be like Moses to serve God.
