Sunshine in Ohio

We always look forward to the first days of Spring where the sun is shining, coats can be put away and we say...SPRING is finally here. Well, it seems to have arrived and we are thrilled. To soak in the rays, hear the birds chirping and yes--let's just be real here.. best of all...THE KIDS CAN GO OUTSIDE! LOL Oh my goodness they race to the door laughing and giggling and about tripping over one another to get out back to run and play. Now if we can just keep up with those flip flops and not lose 5 a day outside we'll be doing great. (My kids just do not like wearing shoes).

Life is as usual, busy, fun and full at the Litzke household. I'm gonna have to take up running with Dave just so I can keep up. "-) (Ah, who am I kidding, with these short legs I'll never keep up!) School is almost done and we are shouting HIP HIP HOORAY-summer break is on it's way! Softball, soccer, and track are in full swing and we do meet ourselves coming on many a day. THANK GOODNESS for friends and neighbors that we can carpool with and switch off transportation with. THANK YOU!

I do believe every single child is growing like a weed b/c half of their summer clothes packed were too small and were passed on to the next. :-)

God still is so faithful in equipping and providing though.

Our newest member of the family, DJ (Dakota Jordan) home from Haiti and a new miracle experienced turned 3 this week. To see the progress he has made over receipt weeks is just astonishing! Don't let his size fool you though, he is as smart as can be--too smart for his own good some days. His smile will melt your heart.

We are eagerly awaiting the call for our first trip to Armenia. Rejoicing in the anticipation of Kiara and Alyiah's homecoming. It still never ceases to amaze me (and I pray it never does) of how God orchestrates and puts all the pieces together in our lives and in our family. With every turn and every corner, God meets us there. Nothing takes Him by surprise and no matter what things may "appear" we can relinquish everything into the hands of the Almighty God, our Father and KNOW he works all things together for the good of those that love Him. He's the only one who can take the hardest times and make turn them into something beautiful that we can call a blessing in the end. Thanks GOD for who you are and for allowing us to walk this journey.

Double the trouble, but oh can't measure the joy! :-)

New Year: Happy, Haiti, Hurting, HOPE

January is half over and some have experienced what we pray and wish for... a HAPPY start to the new year. Of course there is always the discussion what IS true HAPPINESS? Does that mean everything has to be wonderful and go my way to be happy? To ensure happiness does that mean the journey must be "pain free?" Where does my true joy come from?

Some have already experienced pain, grief, disappointments, despair, bad news, losses, failures and heartache. Individually, we probably can all name a few in both categories. As a nation our minds immediately go to Haiti in the midst of the devastation they are facing. Our hearts here at the Litzke home are especially affected due to Haiti being Sophie's birth country and the connections we maintain there through the orphanage, friends and distant family remaining.

As I read my devotions yesterday, this came through my inbox and I just feel it is so powerful and something that we as parents pass on to our kids faithfully...but, Frank says it best ...

God does not waste an ounce of our pain or a drop of our tears;suffering doesn't come our way for no reason, and He seems especially efficient at using what we endure to mold our character. If we are malleable, He takes our bumps and bruises and shapes them into something beautiful.
-- Frank Peretti
THERE IS HOPE. When we have Jesus..there is ALWAYS HOPE. So today, I choose to cling to the promises of the Father and repeat the words of Mr. Peretti...GOD will use this in some way. We may never understand and God may never explain it in simple words to us. Our prayer is that we continue to come together as the "body" and respond in love as the hands and feet of Jesus--even when it gets tough--to our neighbors--to HIS CHILDREN in Haiti. That God reminds us all that we are blessed no matter what our circumstances because HE LOVES US! Oh He loves us..let's pass that message on to Haiti and around the world right now!

3...2...1...BLAST OFF....and yes, we are off and running. Summer has flown by filled with wonderful memories, hard work, and some unexpected turns in the Litzke household.
We have once again been reminded of just how good and faithful our God is and how very much He loves us. Through the good times on the mountain tops and in the lowest valley, we still sing PRAISES to our Lord and King of Kings.
We moved early summer and though it was not in the big plan, we've learned to trust Him more. Opps here we go, another side note: When we choose to live in total obedience, even when it doesn't make a bit of sense...and we follow HIS leading in Faith..it may be a painful and sometimes costly path, but there is nothing that compares with the blessings that follow.
So, we have settled in our new environment, enter a new school district and the kids and mom and dad are feeling at home. They love the pool and I think spent more time there than any enjoying their time off school. WOW! Was it was such a blessing to have this. The weather wasn't the best for swimming this season, but we really won't complain. The kids didn't mind the cold one bit. Just the "ole folks". HAHAHA
Never did find that deal on a wooden swing set so perhaps He's got a bigger plan for that next Spring.

I gulp as I write this next sentence. We now have a Sr. in High School and a Freshman in High School. Hate this cliche, but nothing says it better...."WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?" "They indeed grow up far too quickly.
Now it's a new season of soccer and God has been faithful to help us make it possible for those eager to play to fulfill their dream. If I may just stop here for a second and share? It's harder in a large family to accomplish this, but we love to see that God even cares about the little things. Do you know how many times I hum the song "take it to the Lord in prayer" and then I respond--"OK, Lord, I hear ya, I'm on it!" "Needless pain we bear" is another line from that dear old hymn and it is so true. We often find ourselves so bogged down with needless pain and worry. If we'd simply devote that time to covering it in prayer and waiting on the Father. I love to watch God do the impossible and the unexpected. Sometimes it's a tough journey or a bend in the road..the road called "OUR PLAN" vs..."HIS PLAN"

We've learned a quite bit more about this topic in recent days. Seems God had a much bigger plan for us in our adoptions from Armenia. At the last minute some changes occurred--changes we were baffled and devastated with. We simply could not comprehend it's meaning for the life of us. When we stopped and sought His face he made it a bit more clear for us. You see there was a precious little girl that had been waiting for a family. She is so tiny and frail, possibly and most likely will need heart surgery once she arrives home. It seems God changed the plans to show His wonderful love for even this little life tucked away in the middle of no where. ALL of them are so important to Him. But He knows their needs far more than we could ever begin to. He created them and had a purpose before they were ever in their mother's womb. (I love that verse). Nothing takes Him by surprise. He knew all along the road ahead for us, but waited till just the right moment to orchestrate the next details to accomplish His will for His glory. Would you join us in prayer for our sweet girls waiting to come home? We covet the prayers of our family. We simply asked God for peace when it was all said and done. One cool morning as I stood by the kitchen window sipping my cup of coffee. I felt the warmth of the steam from the cup upon my face. I said oh, Lord it's so quiet and I can sense your presence here. I'm listening Lord. I am confused and my heart is so heavy, but I will wait to hear from you. In seconds He began whispering the words to an old, familiar song that I had sung almost 10 years prior and not really thought of much since. I love the song, it had just not come to memory. But, standing here, phrase by phrase He fulfilled His promise...the promise of PEACE. No matter what the circumstance look like, no matter what the "check list" and reasonable thing seems to be..if we simply look to Him, follow WHERE HE LEADS...there will be peace.
The words say this...

In the quiet of this hour
As we kneel before you now
I believe your promise to be faithful
I don't always understand
What your perfect will demands,
But I learned to trust you more
In your presence, Lord.
In your presence there is comfort,In your presence there is peace,
When we seek to know your heart,We will find such blessed assurance
In your holy presence, Lord.

There can be such sweet reward
When we wait upon the Lord
As we take the time, he gives us his perfect wisdom.
To be found in Him alone,
All our deepest secrets known,
we're surrounded by his grace
When we seek his face.
In your presence there is comfort,
In your presence there is peace,
When we seek my fathers heart,We will find such blessed assurance
an ever open door
To know our savior more,
In the presence of my Lord.

This Sandi Patti lyrics are copyright by their rightful owner(s) and uu Lyrics in no way takes copyright or claims the lyrics belong to us.


Peace, peace, wonderful peace coming down from the Father above.

God is opening new doors of ministry each and every day and it is pure joy to live serving our Lord in humility. I am doing some more writing with a dear friend (you can check out her ministry at donnanortonministries.com). It's exciting to see all God is up to! Working on plans for Orphan's Sunday in TX and several speaking engagements in the months ahead. This excites Dave and I to see God blast open the doors for opportunities to share about these precious children He calls HIS OWN and our awesome chance as the church to step up and live out James 1:27...caring for the orphans...in one way or the other. We'd never mislead ya and say it's not hard work, but oh the sweet rewards of watching them grow, heal and soar. God doesn't waste anything. So no matter the painful baggage that once weighed one down, God uses it to create something beautiful that can display His glory. Love is truly the greatest gift we can ever extend or receive. If we'd all just love a little more what a different place this could be. (3 fingers pointed back at me :-)

Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world, red and
yellow, black or white they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the
little children of the world.

New Year up and running

2009 came in and we are off and running ever since. And to think it's Spring Break in our neck of the woods. School, soccer, ball, track, youth group and of course church functions are full swing. Yes, busy is definitely an understatement, but we can't imagine life any different. And even in the tough times despite all that life can throw at you, God is still God, He is still GOOD ("all the time") and ever so faithful.
What's new you might ask? Every day I realize the hard truth of the expression "they grow up way too fast". Man, some days I just say..wow God, can I catch my breath? They are getting too big too fast.
Joy and Sophie moved to a trundle bed. Joy was constantly climbing into Sophie's crib to sleep. So when the time came to a big girl bed, we just figured we'd be smart and beat the inevitable. I suffered from sleep deprivation the first weeks. Sophie loves to get up and peek through the door to see how fast she can run back to the bed before Mom or dad re-enter the room. Joy doesn't believe in sneaking...she just announces as she leaves...."Soapie, no no-bed, I see Mommy". About this time Paige chimes in and Joy must correct her as well..."Paigy Pie-shhh night-night." Oh she is such a little mother. She will even run and hug "Debon" and say "good job buddy!"

DEVON is walking. Bryce likes to refer it as "penguin walking" but he is determined to be running by the end of the month. He is so proud and we are so proud for him. What tremendous progress he has made. And yes, he STILL smiles all the time. But don't let that cute smile charm you too much...the temper is just around the bend.

The others are striving in school, loving life and seem to have a new question for Mom or Dad everyday as they return home. WE NEED TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL to keep up with them.

We are now blessed with an even dozen. We don't really like to use numbers anymore. We never view any of our blessings as another "number" and sometimes folks can get hung up on those ole numbers. :-)
The boys are outnumbered. They are protesting. Recently, at one of our family "meetings" they informed us that we really MUST consult them before even considering any more females. (Esp cute coming from my 6 years old mouth with a grin as big as Texas on his face). They continued to say they feel any additional adoptions God would call us to would just HAVE to be boys. We all laughed and decided it was time for ALL THE GIRLS to pick on the boys.

Ironic...to be the poorest people, we think we certainly are REALLY the RICHEST (b/c of the huge blessings/JOY the children bring into our lives). Whoever came up with the title "cheaper by the dozen" must of not lived it. HAHAHA Can't say I realize the truth to that one. Not complaining mind you...not for a second. Wouldn't trade running to the store for MORE milk, even more diapers or additional socks that were eaten by the dryer...nope wouldn't trade it for a split second. We find it pure delight to have the priviledge to love and care for each and every one of these unique individuals that God has placed in this melting pot we call home.

Our project for the next few months is finding a used playset for the kids. A nice sized one is needed as you can imagine. If you know of anyone that might have one they need to sell, could you kindly contact us?

Your love, encouragement and support are so greatly appreciated. We never claim to have all it takes to run this race set before us...but we know we're called and we know the one who provides all we will ever need in this life time and after!

Humbly HIS and lovin living it out!

CHRISTmas time is here...

That's right...the Christ of Christmas is here and with us. Emmanuel.."God with us". Isn't it wonderful to know it's not ONLY at Christmas time we can know He is with us..but always. Every day guiding us, loving us and carrying us as an intimate Father and friend would do.
Thank you Lord for your ever present companionship.

Well, once again I am playing catch up, so I will briefly let you know what's going on here at the Litzke household. All 11 kiddos are doing great. Each has their activities and schedules that keep us hoping, but all are doing super.

Lingxiao (just turned 14) joined our family about 2 months ago and is just a delighted addition. She is adjusting well and life seems already like she's always been with us. She has a beautiful smile and free-spirited. Has waay more energy than mom does, but that's ok..I love to see her hopping around.

Devon is beating the odds and PT says could be walking on his own in the very near future. He is verbalizing much more and getting braver with each new day. Even came down a step IN his walker last week. You GO BOY!

The 3 peas in a pod--trouble, trouble Jr, and double trouble (aka: Joy, Paige and Sophie) HAHAHA are all doing wonderful. The Christmas tree is a bit of a temptation though. You should hear them all sing Jingle Bells. Sophie by far desires to be a soloist. And they can move. I am sure the moves they are creating will be seen on the next music awards. :-)
Sophie is our little prayer warrior. She pushes her plate forward and reaches her hands out to those seated next to her and waits patiently to pray. YES...I DID SAY PATIENTLY...Sophie has finally began to learn PATIENCE. WHooohooo thank you, Lord. LOL
She smiles and prays..and sometimes feels we must bless our food about 3 or 4 times. Actually, one of my favorite parts of the day is when we are all seated at the table, holding hands and thanking our gracious Lord for the blessings he has bestowed upon us. How RICH we are (to be so poor by the world's standards)..WOW we are blessed indeed.

Molly, Bryce and Chase are all doing well and cannot wait to go visit grandparents in two weeks for the holiday break. Bryce asks every day how many more days until he gets to go see his buddy, Pop!

Morgan, Jami and Kendal are just growing up on me way too fast. All beautiful girls, inside and out. All very much into their agendas. :-) Jami is driving...need I say more. HELP. Morgan is 13 and the boys have DISCOVERED she is in fact a girl...HELP..and Kendal has decided she needs a boyfriend for Christmas..no help needed..shotgun loaded and ready. HAHAHA

Mom (that's me) and Dad are doing just great. Dave is looking forward to time off work to spend some extra time with the family. I am so looking forward to the kids being home, hangin out and visiting friends and family.

Ministry is expanding all the time. God is opening more and more doors and I truly believe He is using this difficult time in our world to help bring attention to those less fortunate than ourselves. I really believe He is calling us more than ever to reach out to the friendless, hopeless and be Jesus. When we reach out in love, when we respond to the call in any way, He is sure to faithfully bless US and provide all our needs.
No greater love than the love of my Lord. So I desire to hold nothing back when it comes to serving Him. Only for HIS glory!
So for now from the Litzke bunch..we say....Have a wonderful holiday season celebrating the risen and living Lord, Jesus and a new year filled with His peace, grace and love overflowing.

School Days Are Here!

WOW...where does the time go? Summer was awesome, but as always, it seems as if it flew by. I apologize in being so tardy in catching up here. Seems as my opportunities for speaking engagements, and/or the kids sharing increase it is harder and harder to keep up here.

A quick overview of our summer at the Litzke clan: We had the privilege to go to my home town and see my family and spend a few days with them. The kids sang at the church where I grew up and I led worship. It was wonderful and most of all, I loved watching everyone getting acquainted with all the kids.

Two of my girls and I went to MS on a missions trip. We were thrilled at the chance to be His hands and feet and serve in the love of Jesus. We met the nicest people who now we call our friends. Kendal saw the ocean for the first time (at least in America) and gained a few pets for the week...hermit crabs and a stick bug. We had the most fun watching her with those.

We attended a family church camp in a beautiful setting and had a wonderful time enjoying nature, family and fellowship with our "extended family"...brothers and sisters in Christ. It was indeed a blessed time together.

The kids, of course, enjoyed the usual summer pass times: swimming, outdoors, squirt guns, slip & slides; lightening bugs and watermelon--ok well, spitting the seeds was the best to them. :-)

Morgan won a few awards at her horse show. Chase triumphed in travel soccer. Jami, once again did very well in softball. Bryce mastered the bike--stunts and all..HELP! Molly is enjoying Girl Scouts and Kendal now has 3 musical movies memorized..I think I even have Camp Rock memorized at this point. LOL As for the younger ones...Devon is getting stronger every day and more independent. Climbing stairs and up on furniture now. You GO BOY! Sophie is quite the singer and dancer these days. She and Joy are best buds--but lets never forget Joy IS the BOSS. Paige is little Miss but with TONS of spunk!

So school is in session full swing and everyone is doing great! Bryce is in FIRST grade! So hard to believe. He complains every day that "my teacher just won't give me any more homework." HAHA Molly and Chase are in 3rd grade and loving every minute of it thus far. And I have two in middle school, one in high school. YIKES! 3 of the 4 younger ones are all special needs so they attend a preschool through our local MRDD program and are they are growing leaps and bounds.

Thank you all for your constant prayers and support. Life is full, but overflowing with blessings each and every day. I included just a few random photos.

God bless and keep you all as you endeavor to serve-

Mandy