November 2008

VISIT THE LITTLE LUDY BLOG FOR MORE VIDEOS

Even when they are fussy and demanding and overtired (which thankfully isn’t too often), they are absolutely the joy and delight of my life.  Eric and I have far too many “pet” names for our little ones, which include (but are not limited to:

Bundaloupes

Bundles of big time love

Little lumps of love

Pumpkin pies

Preshy pies (i.e. “precious” pies)

Sweet potatoes

Busteroo Bonzai (this one is Hudson’s)

Schnuggles and cuddles

Chunks of cuddles

Big piles of good moods

Okay, I know that most of these make absolutely no sense. It’s one of those things where you have to be there. These nicknames, when combined with a cartoonish tone of voice and followed by a plethora of hugs, cuddles and kisses, seem perfectly normal in our house. Especially once you encounter our absolutely adorable, schnuggable children! (Not that we are biased.) Every morning when Hudson ventures downstairs with his wrinkled pj’s and sleepy eyes, my heart dances. I actually miss him while I’m sleeping at night and can’t wait to see him the next day. And going into Harper’s room to greet her in her crib each day is another bright highlight of my morning. She is all smiles when she sees me, and usually launches into such an earnest streak of baby talk that it leaves me dying to know what she’s trying to say.

Hudson Jack, who is currently 3, came onto the scene after we’d been married eight years. The idea of balancing a family with full-time ministry used to intimidate me, and I thought that I needed to have the “ministry” season of my life first and then launch into the “family” season. But then I began studying the lives of historic women who changed the world for Christ. And I realized that by the grace of God, those of them who were married were excellent wives and mothers and excellent ministers of the Gospel at the same time. Elizabeth Fry and Catherine Booth are two examples. Elizabeth Fry had eleven children – all of whom loved and respected her throughout their lives – and she also reformed the entire prison system in Europe. Catherine Booth had eight children – again, they loved and respected her with fierce loyalty – and also co-led the world-altering Salvation Army movement with her husband William. So I realized that worrying about juggling a baby and ministry probably wasn’t necessary. And since Hudson’s birth, I have found that God has given amazing grace and provision to put my family first and still have time and energy left over for ministry.

In October of 2006, Eric and I experienced the tragic loss of our second baby through a miscarriage. It was a life-altering experience, awakening us at a whole new level to amazing value God places on little lives that the rest of the world doesn’t value. It gave us new passion not only for the unborn, but also for orphans around the world. And it re-directed our ministry focus toward these precious little ones that so desperately need advocates. During our research on the orphan crisis, we met with a local adoption agency that specialized in Korea and China adoptions. Not thinking that we’d be personally adopting anytime soon, we were just there to collect information and become more aware of the needs of these children overseas. But then we heard about a newborn baby girl in Korea who was missing her fingers and had deformities on her feet.

When we saw a photo of her tiny, misshapen baby hands, our hearts were gripped. We learned that she had been born to a poverty-stricken mother who gave her up at birth because of her deformities – because deformities are a great shame in the Korean culture, and because she did not have money to care for her. We left the agency with the images of those deformed hands and feet impressed upon our hearts and minds. On the drive home, Eric began to weep for this little girl. (And crying is not something that comes easily to him!). We asked God to give us His heart for this little child. Eric attempted to pray, but the only words that would come out of his mouth were, “God, you are a Father to the fatherless, and you set the solitary in families.” (From Psalm 68:5) As we continued to drive, we felt a clear sense of God’s presence with us in the car. When we arrived home, an email from a friend was waiting for us in our inbox. She had no idea that we were even checking in to adoption, but in her prayer time that morning she felt that God had given her a scripture for us:

A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land. (Psalm 68:5-6)

Needless to say, God had our attention! We spent the weekend praying for this baby girl, and asking God if we were to bring her into our family. We were able to see a photo of her face online, which further stirred our hearts. By Monday morning, we had very little doubt that this was God’s leading, though we still had no idea where the money would come from, we believed that He would provide. We called the agency and said we would like to pursue her.

After a series of amazing miracles, Harper Grace Ludy arrived home after only three months. Normally international adoptions take much longer, but one of my prayers was that this would be the fastest adoption our agency had ever done. And God is a God of answered prayer!

Harper Grace is a beautiful blessing, a daily reminder of the faithfulness of God. We are eager to adopt again, and are currently exploring ways to help American Christians become advocates for these precious little lives around the world.

Hudson and Harper are best buddies. They are always excited to see each other each morning and Hudson always tells Harper what we are going to do that day. When she babbles in reply, he translates to me what she’s saying: “Harper says she really wants to go to the park today.” Or “Harper wants a drink of apple juice.” Somehow, I think Hudson understands her nonsensical baby babbles better than even I do!

Our newest arrival, Kipling Joel Anthony (Kip for short) came onto the scene in early November.  He is a precious pile of snuggles and cuddles!  The story of his adoption is beautiful and miraculous – another God-written chapter to our family’s story!  To read all the details about his arrival and how God brought him into our family, visit my blog.

GO TO THE KIDDO PHOTO GALLERY