We really never know what simply saying “Yes.” to God can
lead to. Often we give God excuses,
complaints, or outright “no” when we know He is calling us to do
something. But what if we simply say,
“Yes” and let Him worry about the details and the accomplishment of it all.” What if we expect Him to work in and through
us to do something amazing and great?
What if we lay aside our fears, excuses, complaints, resistance to what
God is calling us to do? What if instead
of looking at the impossibilities of it all, we open our heart to God and trust
Him? What if we lay aside our own
expectations and simply say to Him, “I am yours. All I have is yours. Do with me, my talents, my abilities whatever
you will do.”? What if we remember the
angel’s admonition to Mary, “For nothing is impossible with God,” and responded
as Mary did, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything
you have said about me come true.” He
often does far more than we ever imagined or expected and brings outcomes that
make us stronger, wiser, more full of faith, fully blessed, and amazed.
This Thanksgiving we got to see a wonderful blessing from a simple “Yes” Chris and I said to God. In 2009 Chris and I felt God leading us to do foster care. We wanted to give the love and security of a family to a foster child. I wasn’t sure what to expect when God called us to do this and was a little fearful of the uncertainties. I worried about behavioral challenges we might face and whether it would be too difficult to get attached to a child not knowing how long they would be with us. But Chris and I both agreed that God was calling us to make a difference in the life of a child through foster care and He filled our hearts with a desire to do this and an excitement for what He had in store. So, in September 2009, we began the application process to foster-adopt through the organization Tacoma Youth For Christ. On March 16, 2010 the application process was completed and we were licensed! I wrote to the licensing director, “Oh my goodness. Really? Oh, how exciting this is!! A little scary too I must admit, but more exciting! Please just keep us in your prayers for wisdom and ready hearts. God is sooo good and I anticipate that He will direct us to the child who needs to be in our family.” We truly were filled with excitement and anticipation. Then just over a week later, on March 25, 2010, we received a call that there was a 2 month old baby girl who needed a foster home and they asked if we would be willing to take her. Our response, “Absolutely YES!” and we went to meet her and pick her up at DSHS. She was beautiful and we were just so excited to love her and care for her. Days led to weeks and weeks led to months. Before we knew it she had been in our family for a year and they were asking us if we would be open to adopting her. She had already captured our hearts and we already considered her to be part of our family, so the answer to that was an easy , “yes”. On December 16, 2010, just a little short of a month shy of her 2nd birthday, Knyanna officially became a member of the Haylett family through adoption. Throughout the almost 2 years she was in foster care, something amazing happened. God kept prompting us to show love and support to her bio-dad and gave us the opportunity to develop a relationship with him and he began trusting us. When her older sisters came into care for a few months, he requested that they be able to stay with us. I got into foster care expecting to show the love of Christ to a child and impact his/her life, but God opened up an even bigger opportunity to not only impact this little girl’s life for the better, but have an impact in her family’s life as well. It was awesome seeing God work. And He gave us good relationships and opportunities to share Christ’s love with the families of other foster children we had in our home over the past 3 years. It was something I never imagined when we started this foster care journey. Well throughout the time that Knyanna was in foster care, her bio-mom was not involved in her life and was living a pretty unstable life. Yet, after we adopted her, I couldn’t escape this feeling that we were supposed to make contact with her bio-mom to meet her, to take pictures of her with Knyanna, and to let her see her little girl. The social workers told me that I was crazy and that they wouldn’t have the grace to do it, but I knew that God wanted us to and He gave me a peace about it. Chris agreed that it would be a good thing. So we contacted Knyanna’s biological older brother and asked if he could set up a meeting. We found out that her mom was doing great and clean from drugs and had recently given her life to Jesus Christ after a woman shared with her the hope of Christ when she was in sorrow after giving up her parental rights and allowing us to adopt Knyanna. We met with her one evening at Chuck-E-Cheese and it was a wonderful visit. I was amazed at how God, in His miraculous ways, could merge two families in this way. There was much love and mutual respect. Well, fast forward to this Thanksgiving, when all of this culminated with us sharing a delightful Thanksgiving dinner in our home with Knyanna’s bio-mom, sisters, and oldest brother and everyone got along so great. It was like one big happy blended family, different colors, but family all the same. I think of Knyanna’s mom like a sister and just want to be in her life to encourage her and support her in whatever way I can. She is continuing to walk with Jesus and stay clean from drugs. It is so awesome! I never expected that all this would come from that simple “yes” we said when God laid on our hearts to do foster care. But He had plans that exceeded our expectations and I am still in awe.
Our blended family - it's not the best picture, but just had to share this Thanksgiving day pic.
So back to my first paragraph about saying yes to God. What about you? Is the Lord calling you to do something right now, but you are hesistant to say “yes”? I encourage you to obediently respond to his call with a “yes”. It doesn’t matter if it is a timid, hesitant “yes” or a bold, excited “yes”, God can use you and will refine you and increase your faith. So trust Him and go ahead, say, “Yes.” He may do something great through you or maybe in you, but either way, He has a plan and wants to use you to accomplish it.
Now as we step out in faith with this new “yes” we have said to God, we ask for your prayers. The more we learn about Riohacha, Colombia, the more excited we get to get there and start serving with the congregation of Iglesia Castillo Fuerte Es Nuestro Dios. At the same time, I have apprehensions - the challenges of learning a new language, raising monthly support to sustain us and our ministry, traveling with the little kids, adjusting to a new country and culture…But as I look over my life at what God has done in the times I have said, “yes” and faithfully followed Him in his plan, I am excited to see what He’s going to do this time. Can’t wait to fill our blog over the next few months and years with all the blessings He has in store.
If you'd like to be a part of this ministry, we'd love to have you partner with us.
-If you want to partner with us on our Prayer Team, send us your email address to cchaylett@southamericamission.org. We will email you prayer needs as we have them.
-If you want to receive our newsletters/prayer card via mail, send us your mailing address.
-If God is laying on your heart to join this ministry through monthly support of the ministry, print out the form at http://www.southamericamission.org/downloads/SAMdirect.pdf, fill out either the ACH automatic debit section or the recurring credit card/debit card transactions section and make sure to write in our name on the missionary/ministry line (Chris and Cristi Haylett) and mail it to the address listed on the form.
-If you wish to make a one time donation to this ministry go to www.southamericamission.org, click Donate Now, select our name from the missionary dropdown menu and enter the amount you wish to donate.
This Thanksgiving we got to see a wonderful blessing from a simple “Yes” Chris and I said to God. In 2009 Chris and I felt God leading us to do foster care. We wanted to give the love and security of a family to a foster child. I wasn’t sure what to expect when God called us to do this and was a little fearful of the uncertainties. I worried about behavioral challenges we might face and whether it would be too difficult to get attached to a child not knowing how long they would be with us. But Chris and I both agreed that God was calling us to make a difference in the life of a child through foster care and He filled our hearts with a desire to do this and an excitement for what He had in store. So, in September 2009, we began the application process to foster-adopt through the organization Tacoma Youth For Christ. On March 16, 2010 the application process was completed and we were licensed! I wrote to the licensing director, “Oh my goodness. Really? Oh, how exciting this is!! A little scary too I must admit, but more exciting! Please just keep us in your prayers for wisdom and ready hearts. God is sooo good and I anticipate that He will direct us to the child who needs to be in our family.” We truly were filled with excitement and anticipation. Then just over a week later, on March 25, 2010, we received a call that there was a 2 month old baby girl who needed a foster home and they asked if we would be willing to take her. Our response, “Absolutely YES!” and we went to meet her and pick her up at DSHS. She was beautiful and we were just so excited to love her and care for her. Days led to weeks and weeks led to months. Before we knew it she had been in our family for a year and they were asking us if we would be open to adopting her. She had already captured our hearts and we already considered her to be part of our family, so the answer to that was an easy , “yes”. On December 16, 2010, just a little short of a month shy of her 2nd birthday, Knyanna officially became a member of the Haylett family through adoption. Throughout the almost 2 years she was in foster care, something amazing happened. God kept prompting us to show love and support to her bio-dad and gave us the opportunity to develop a relationship with him and he began trusting us. When her older sisters came into care for a few months, he requested that they be able to stay with us. I got into foster care expecting to show the love of Christ to a child and impact his/her life, but God opened up an even bigger opportunity to not only impact this little girl’s life for the better, but have an impact in her family’s life as well. It was awesome seeing God work. And He gave us good relationships and opportunities to share Christ’s love with the families of other foster children we had in our home over the past 3 years. It was something I never imagined when we started this foster care journey. Well throughout the time that Knyanna was in foster care, her bio-mom was not involved in her life and was living a pretty unstable life. Yet, after we adopted her, I couldn’t escape this feeling that we were supposed to make contact with her bio-mom to meet her, to take pictures of her with Knyanna, and to let her see her little girl. The social workers told me that I was crazy and that they wouldn’t have the grace to do it, but I knew that God wanted us to and He gave me a peace about it. Chris agreed that it would be a good thing. So we contacted Knyanna’s biological older brother and asked if he could set up a meeting. We found out that her mom was doing great and clean from drugs and had recently given her life to Jesus Christ after a woman shared with her the hope of Christ when she was in sorrow after giving up her parental rights and allowing us to adopt Knyanna. We met with her one evening at Chuck-E-Cheese and it was a wonderful visit. I was amazed at how God, in His miraculous ways, could merge two families in this way. There was much love and mutual respect. Well, fast forward to this Thanksgiving, when all of this culminated with us sharing a delightful Thanksgiving dinner in our home with Knyanna’s bio-mom, sisters, and oldest brother and everyone got along so great. It was like one big happy blended family, different colors, but family all the same. I think of Knyanna’s mom like a sister and just want to be in her life to encourage her and support her in whatever way I can. She is continuing to walk with Jesus and stay clean from drugs. It is so awesome! I never expected that all this would come from that simple “yes” we said when God laid on our hearts to do foster care. But He had plans that exceeded our expectations and I am still in awe.
So back to my first paragraph about saying yes to God. What about you? Is the Lord calling you to do something right now, but you are hesistant to say “yes”? I encourage you to obediently respond to his call with a “yes”. It doesn’t matter if it is a timid, hesitant “yes” or a bold, excited “yes”, God can use you and will refine you and increase your faith. So trust Him and go ahead, say, “Yes.” He may do something great through you or maybe in you, but either way, He has a plan and wants to use you to accomplish it.
Now as we step out in faith with this new “yes” we have said to God, we ask for your prayers. The more we learn about Riohacha, Colombia, the more excited we get to get there and start serving with the congregation of Iglesia Castillo Fuerte Es Nuestro Dios. At the same time, I have apprehensions - the challenges of learning a new language, raising monthly support to sustain us and our ministry, traveling with the little kids, adjusting to a new country and culture…But as I look over my life at what God has done in the times I have said, “yes” and faithfully followed Him in his plan, I am excited to see what He’s going to do this time. Can’t wait to fill our blog over the next few months and years with all the blessings He has in store.
If you'd like to be a part of this ministry, we'd love to have you partner with us.
-If you want to partner with us on our Prayer Team, send us your email address to cchaylett@southamericamission.org. We will email you prayer needs as we have them.
-If you want to receive our newsletters/prayer card via mail, send us your mailing address.
-If God is laying on your heart to join this ministry through monthly support of the ministry, print out the form at http://www.southamericamission.org/downloads/SAMdirect.pdf, fill out either the ACH automatic debit section or the recurring credit card/debit card transactions section and make sure to write in our name on the missionary/ministry line (Chris and Cristi Haylett) and mail it to the address listed on the form.
-If you wish to make a one time donation to this ministry go to www.southamericamission.org, click Donate Now, select our name from the missionary dropdown menu and enter the amount you wish to donate.
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