The Moss Family

I'm so jazzed about you getting to go back to Libe...

2008-11-05T17:10:00.000-08:00

I'm so jazzed about you getting to go back to Liberia! I know how excited I am to return to India. I'm sure praying for you and that God will put together the best team possible to go with you.

Your family is beautiful...even with the sun in yo...

2008-10-20T09:43:00.000-07:00

Your family is beautiful...even with the sun in your eyes!

So now when you think back to the days when you ha...

2008-10-07T16:42:00.000-07:00

So now when you think back to the days when you had to put TWO gates on the door to keep him in his room, break into your own house when he lovingly locked you out... You can say you were dealing with the beginnings of a genius!!

I'm really excited about BSF too! I definitely nee...

2008-09-19T19:09:00.000-07:00

I'm really excited about BSF too! I definitely need the structure and something more in depth and I love the small discussion groups. I'm so glad your mom is coming too!

They grow up so fast! I'm glad they had such a goo...

2008-09-04T13:22:00.000-07:00

They grow up so fast! I'm glad they had such a good day. I think sometimes it's harder on us than them!

Holy cow that is a huge fish! It's half as big as ...

2008-08-31T19:16:00.000-07:00

Holy cow that is a huge fish! It's half as big as Keegan!! Way to go!

OH my goodness! That is huge! Congratulations, K...

2008-08-30T18:15:00.000-07:00

OH my goodness! That is huge! Congratulations, Keegan!

Praise God! I'm praying that you can schedule more...

2008-07-26T07:07:00.000-07:00

Praise God! I'm praying that you can schedule more of this kind of time, even short times, and that it will be a huge blessing for you guys. What an encouragement to all of us to take those times to enjoy God and each other. Much love and prayers.

I am so glad for your family! Resting in God is a...

2008-07-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

I am so glad for your family! Resting in God is always good. Mini-vacations are a must. :-)

God is good.

Praying for you and your family.

Yeah!! I'm so glad that you guys got to get away f...

2008-07-17T09:19:00.000-07:00

Yeah!! I'm so glad that you guys got to get away for a while and that everyone had a great time. What an answer to prayer! Everyone needs a little respite, that's for sure. Talk to you soon!

Yes, he is a self-centered brat. He has no concept...

2008-07-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

Yes, he is a self-centered brat. He has no concept of value or compassion or other people's feelings. You are doing the best you can. With so much stress, of course you're going to lose it some times! Hang in there, God is working.

It sounds like you have a teenager.. they must be ...

2008-07-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

It sounds like you have a teenager.. they must be the same globally. You are human and a mom of 2 teenagers, you are allowed to lose it some times.

Thank you Laura,

I really needed to hear th...

2008-06-05T13:13:00.000-07:00

Thank you Laura,

I really needed to hear that. It truly is a ministry to them and to us. Adopting children from Liberia especially older children grows us more than I would have ever thought.

Melissa, I found your blog and we, too have adopte...

2008-06-05T12:48:00.000-07:00

Melissa, I found your blog and we, too have adopted from Liberia. My heart is hurting for you as I read this. We have had many struggles as we parent an older adopted boy (age 7 or 8). It is so hard and what helps me is to keep in mind that adoption is a ministry. We are called to love these children whether they ever love us back or ever are grateful to us. It does make it so difficult though. Pray, pray, pray and lean on God. Thank you for being so honest!

In Christ, Laura

Somewhere deep inside, there is a little boy who l...

2008-05-25T22:10:00.000-07:00

Somewhere deep inside, there is a little boy who loves you fiercely. Somewhere under all that skin is the image of God, working to be uncovered. The battle is on, and you're in the middle of the fight. Hang in there, we know who wins in the end.

Praise God! It is so encouraging to see what God i...

2008-05-09T09:06:00.000-07:00

Praise God! It is so encouraging to see what God is doing in all of your lives and your family as a whole through the tough times. God bless you guys. We love you much!

Glad you can have a quiet day...I'll be praying fo...

2008-04-07T10:30:00.000-07:00

Glad you can have a quiet day...I'll be praying for your family tonight. Love you!

i appreciate reading your thoughts. i'm a little b...

2008-04-06T19:58:00.000-07:00

i appreciate reading your thoughts. i'm a little bummed though because i thought grocery shopping "vacations" were only a phase while i had toddlers...i guess i still have many years of motherhood ahead :)

I was talking to Thomas Peter about Tom the other ...

2008-04-05T14:55:00.000-07:00

I was talking to Thomas Peter about Tom the other day and he said he's been working with a family in Centralia that actually put their son on the floor and handcuffed him at one point because he had pushed the mom. YIKES! He said another one had begged to go back to Liberia, so they finally sent him back (he's with Sackie) and now he's begging to come back because everyone there hates him. Jumah cried when she heard and Stephen said he wanted to punch him. We're praying for you guys. I hope the counseling appt goes well!

Melissa,
I've been visiting your blog and am to...

2008-04-04T16:28:00.000-07:00

Melissa,
I've been visiting your blog and am touched by how much you share about the realities of raising children. By sharing your stories you've brought the truth about the challenges that parenthood brings. But more importantly you've been so bold in your faith. I'm in awe at how you handle each situation and take it to god. Thanks for sharing. Thanks for reminding me where I need to go when the going gets tough. You are an amazing woman of God. God will surely bless your family.

Love ya. Emily Friddle

What a good analysis Melissa. I too hate conflict ...

2008-04-04T08:11:00.000-07:00

What a good analysis Melissa. I too hate conflict and wish I had learned a lot earlier how to really deal with it instead of trying to ignore it and thinking I had dealt with it or just needed a better attitude. Our small group went through the Peacemaker study and it was really helpful. It's where Jon got the point about glorifying God in everything. It is an amazing study based on scripture and has been very good for us. We'd love to share it with anybody's small group or individuals. It rocks! :-)

Mike and I have been mentoring another couple thro...

2008-04-03T16:02:00.000-07:00

Mike and I have been mentoring another couple through their premarital counseling and we were just learning about conflict. Our counselor says working through conflict leads to intimacy. It's been good for us to see that all conflict is not necessarily bad.

Jumah says kids eat soap in Liberia, she doesn't k...

2008-04-03T15:59:00.000-07:00

Jumah says kids eat soap in Liberia, she doesn't know why. But she said Tom is too old to be eating soap. Juah says her sister used to steal charcoal and eat it. I'm clueless. It tastes so nasty!!!

Oh my goodness we need to talk sometime- I think w...

2008-03-23T16:05:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness we need to talk sometime- I think we may have twins!!!!

Love,
Charity

Hang in there. I think half the time they don't ev...

2008-03-07T14:29:00.000-08:00

Hang in there. I think half the time they don't even know what they're upset about. Jumah used to just look at us with a blank stare, like, "why do I have to be upset about something? What if I don't know what it is?" I wouldn't let him get away with stuff - one time I pulled Jumah right down and out of her bed and told her she needed to finish her chores, put on her PJs and brush her teeth before she went to bed unless she was going to take the time to tell me what was wrong with her. I found out this week that her best friend who's now in NY got mad at her new mom and jumped out a 2nd floor window. She broke her ankle. Yikes! I'm not sure what makes them so stubborn, but you know how to be a great mom, so just keep being a great mom and you'll know you're doing everything you can!