Perspectives, Priorities, & Purpose...

Our perspective has changed. Our priorities have been reordered. And our purpose is becoming more clear with each step we take…. What does that mean exactly? Well, for now, it means that we have just put our house up for sale (currently 'sale pending')—feeling like it is time to down-size our mortgage in order to up-size our ability do the things that God has burdened our hearts to do.

Let me (Aumony) explain…. I am currently reading a book called ‘Dangerous Surrender’ by Kay Warren. In it, she describes the journey that God has taken her on, and as I read it, I felt as though I could have written it myself. Her words describe what God has done in my heart even better than my own…

“With lightning speed, God yanked the blindfold of apathy, ignorance, and complacency from my eyes, and I was overcome by the realities of the suffering He revealed. I ached with a new kind of pain—a pain that felt as though it had come from the most visceral part of me. I was filled with sorrow and grief. I wept as though I was the one who was sick, or it was my child who was dying, or I was the orphan left alone…. I was changed by my encounter with truth…and I became a seriously disturbed woman. I believe God is looking for some disturbed people—so disturbed that they will be compelled to do something about what they see…. We refuse to talk about the painful, disturbing subjects—child prostitution, child labor, poverty, injustice, HIV/AIDS…. These are disturbing topics. But if we’re not disturbed by the world in which we live, we will be consumed with the trivial, the insignificant, and the temporary. We will spend our days pursuing all the wrong goals, living by the wrong measurement of success, evaluating our legacy by the wrong standard.”

That pretty much sums it up. We don’t want to spend our days pursuing the wrong goals, living by the wrong measurement of success, or evaluating our legacy by the wrong standard.

In another great book we’re reading called ‘Crazy Love’ by Francis Chan, he asks the following: “Are you willing to say to God that He can have whatever He wants? Do you believe that wholehearted commitment to Him is more important than any other thing or person in your life? Do you know that nothing you do in this life will ever matter, unless it is about loving God and loving the people He has made? True faith means holding nothing back; it bets everything on the hope of eternity”

Our answer is yes….and we don't want to hold anything back. We are excited about what God has in store for our family. In case you were wondering, we do NOT plan to leave Lynden, and we DO plan to continue our adoption process….We would love your continued prayer support for our family, and all that God has in store for us.

May My Answer Always Be Yes...

Hi Everyone! Just a quick update about our ‘Falling for Adoption’ Kid’s Sale that took place last weekend….I am thrilled to report that over $2000 was raised for six local families who are in the process of adopting! As a result of the generosity and kindness of many sweet friends who donated items specifically to us, we made a total of $735 to add to our adoption fund! We are SO thankful and feel very blessed by the outpouring of support from so many! Thank You!

We have also just launched our next adoption fundraiser! We have designed some cool t-shirts that we are currently selling (see photo). They are chocolate brown and say “Love Knows No Borders” across a map of Africa.

We have them available in the following sizes:

Child: XS, S, M, L

Ladies: S, M, L, XL

Men/Unisex: M, L, XL

We are selling children's sizes for $10 and adult sizes for $14. All proceeds go directly to our adoption fund. We would LOVE your support! Please let me know if you are interested (aumonydahl@comcast.net) and I will gladly drop them off or mail them to you. This makes a great Christmas gift for a great cause! Please pass this on to anyone who may be interested... I originally ordered 100 shirts and have sold almost 70 of them in the last week! I plan to put in another order soon, so let me know what size you would like and I’ll be sure to have what you need. Thank You, Thank You!

On a final note, I started reading a book today called ‘Dangerous Surrender’ by Kay Warren. On the very first page, she writes the following prayer.... I was so struck by it that I read it over about four times, then underlined it a put a star by it.

“My King, the Lord Jesus Christ,

I owe it all to you.

I am your bond-servant; do with me as you please.

My love for you is beyond words,

and my gratitude can only be measured

by my life offered in your service.

My answer will always be yes.”

THIS is what I want the prayer of my life to be! Tomorrow it will find its rightful place on my refrigerator.

May my answer always be yes…

Roadblocks & Reminders

Well, many of you have been asking how the adoption process is going...and I have to say that, at this point, that is a hard question to answer. I didn't expect this journey to be easy, but I don't think I expected it to be as heart-wrenching as it has been so far. We have hit our first major 'Roadblock' and God is using it to teach us to cling to Him, to cry out to Him, and to trust Him in a way that we always should, but seldom do...

The situation with the kids that we were approved to adopt has become very complicated. Although I'm not at liberty to discuss the specific details, suffice it to say that MUCH PRAYER IS NEEDED! Please pray that God would open EVERY door that needs to be opened to bring the children He has for us home. When I think of these little ones that God has placed before us, my eyes well up and my heart literally aches for them. How is it possible to feel such love for children half-a-world away that I have never met? A love like that can only come from God...

So far the adoption process has been a bit like being on a roller coaster with highs and lows, anticipation and fear, thrill and dread... Some days we are excited, anticipating what God has in store for us, and other days we are discouraged by the various roadblocks that have unexpectedly appeared before us. Through it all, I am slowly learning to let go- of my expectations, of my timeline, of my need to be in control- and to bring it to God and lay it at His feet each day. The other day I read this passage in James and was reminded of a few things...

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

James 1:2-4

I was reminded that this journey we are on may just be one way that God is developing perseverance in us, so that we may be "mature and complete", and better equipped to serve Him. I was also reminded that I need to "consider it all joy", even when we hit unexpected 'roadblocks' along the way. I do not know what the future holds, but I do know that God "works all things together for good, for those who love Him..." (Romans 8:28) For now we are just taking it one day at a time, trusting that although we only see one small piece of the puzzle, God sees the entire picture. He knows exactly what piece needs to be put into place next, and ultimately knows how all of the pieces will fit together to reveal something beautiful.

On the practical side...

Many of you have asked about how the financial side of things are going, so here's the update: So far, because of the generosity of many of you, we have raised almost $800! We are SO THANKFUL for all who have donated to our adoption fund! We are humbled and deeply touched by your kindness! Thank you for offering your support in such a tangible way.

We are currently in the process of planning our next fundraising event coming up on Saturday, Oct 17th. Several families from our church (North County Christ the King in Lynden) who are in the process of adopting will be putting on a 'Kids Fall Sale' at NCCTK this coming Saturday from 9-2. We will essentially be having a HUGE indoor yard sale of all children's items such as toys, clothes, games, books, movies, furniture, and more... There will also be fun crafts for the kids to do, an awesome bake sale, and some seasonal crafts/decor for sale as well. This event will be going on the same day that the Fairway Center has their Fall Festival, so bring the whole family and join us for some FUN! If you have children's items or baked goods that you would like to donate, please let me know by this Thursday (the 15th)....Any and all donations are greatly appreciated!

Well, I think that about covers it for now...I will post more updates as things unfold. Thank you for your continued prayers and ongoing support as we step out in faith and obedience, and open our hearts and our home to whoever God has in store for us.

In Him,

Aumony ....and the rest of the Dahl Family :)

Have we got news for you!

Greetings from the Dahl Family...

That is about to grow by TWO MORE! What?!? Is probably what you are asking- and NO, we are NOT pregnant! We are however, in the process of adopting two kids from Ghana, Africa! They are siblings, with one being a five-year-old boy, and the other being his nine-year-old sister....

We know. This probably sounds beyond crazy. Are we doing this because we feel the 'need' for more kids? No. Are we doing this because we think we're great parents who have it all together? No. Are we doing this because we think we can afford it? Certainly not. We are doing this because we believe it is what God is asking of us at this time...

"Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless;

maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.

Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked."

Psalms 82:3-4

Over the past several months God has been doing a mighty work in our hearts. It began with a powerful series at church called 'Revolutionary Faith', that was all about putting your faith into action. It continued when we read a life-changing book called 'The Hole In Our Gospel' by Richard Stearns, president of World Vision. It has really been a compilation of several things woven together that all seemed to be pointing to the same thing. One of the defining moments of this process was when we were sitting in church on Father's Day. The message that week was entitled "Father of the Fatherless", and during the service a video was shown about the 'Drawn from Water' Orphanage in Ethiopia. As the video played and the plight of these precious children began to pierce our hearts, we began to weep. We couldn't seem to stop. As tears streamed down our faces, the main line from the song that was playing grabbed our hearts and would not let go....

"Now that I have seen, I am responsible."

That line would haunt us for the next several weeks. (We invite you to watch the 5 minute video at the end of this post... We're pretty sure you'll understand where we're coming from if you do!) We began to pray. We knew God wanted us to do something, but we weren't exactly sure what it was. A few weeks went by, and we continued to pray. Then, one night Aumony attended a dance production called "The Least of These" that was a fundraiser for several different ministries- one of them being a particular orphanage in Ghana, where numerous families from our church have adopted. Her heart was stirred once again. As the evening was coming to an end, a short video about the orphanage was shown. At the end of the video, pictures of children who are currently 'waiting' to find their 'forever families' were put up on the screen. As soon as she saw the picture of these two children, it all became very clear. It was as if God was holding these two before her and asking....

"What are you willing to do for me?"

Well, long story short...we have been moved to action. Now that we know their story, we cannot turn away from these two that God has placed before us. Our hearts were burdened to the point of breaking, and we knew that nothing would ever be the same. Within a couple of weeks we had filled out our application for adoption and received approval from the Director of the orphanage in Ghana.

Now the real work begins....we are beginning our home study, filling out piles of paperwork, and starting to raise the necessary funds (approximately $20,000)! Because we were not planning to adopt at this time, we have NO money saved to pay for this process. Surprisingly, we have felt totally at peace about our decision, and have complete faith that God will provide exactly what we need, when we need it... Our kids are super excited, and the heart of compassion that we have seen developing within each one as we have talked and prayed about this together, has confirmed our decision on numerous occasions...

So, how can you help???

Pray

Please pray that God would count us worthy of His calling, fulfill every act prompted by our faith, and that the name of our Lord Jesus would be glorified! Pray that His hand would guide each step of this long, difficult process; that He would provide exactly what we need-spiritually, physically, emotionally, and financially-exactly when we need it; and pray that the sweet children waiting half-a-world-away would know that they are loved-even as they wait. We could not begin to face the challenges ahead without your faithful prayers!

Give

With your help, we will need to pay approximately $20,000 in expenses & fees over the next couple months in order to complete the adoption process and bring these two precious children home to their 'forever family'. Please prayerfully consider if you are able to help in this way. Donations of ANY amount are greatly appreciated (!) and can be sent directly to us, or to Beacon House*. Thank you in advance for your ongoing prayer and financial support! We are so grateful for your generosity and love!

There are currently 143 MILLION orphans in the world. Each with a face, and a name. We cannot help them all, but we can help ONE.....or TWO....and to them,

it makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE!

In His Service,

The Dahl Family-

Steve & Aumony, Kyleah, Kayden, Karson, & Kenadi

"Religion that God our Father accepts as

pure and faultless is this:

to look after orphans and widows in their distress..." James 1:27

*If you would like to make a tax deductible donation, please make your check payable to Beacon House. Please include a note (not on the check) that indicates that you are sending a donation for the Dahl Family's Adoption Fund, and mail it to Scott Danner c/o Beacon House at 7343 Ridge Rd. Lexington, NC 27295.