2012 Dante Family Christmas Letter

 

 

This is my first time writing our annual family update letter on a blog . . . I feel so high tech :) The year 2012 marks a year of transitions for the Dante Family. In January, I was busy working on my portfolio for National Board teacher certification. It was also the month that we had our first experience being foster parents (see November post for more detailed story). February and March were the months we prayed about moving to a different house . . . and after looking at MANY different homes . . . realized we LOVE the home God blessed us with (in such a miraculous way), so we refinanced and re-worked our budget.  Lily graduated from 5th grade and Levi from kindergarten in May (so amazing how many graduations they have nowadays). June meant a month of lots of studying for my NB exams (lots of pool days for Phil and the kids).  Ahh! finally summer in July and August - we took a wonderful trip to Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois to visit our family and friends - a total BLAST! Lily started middle school this year and it has been a whirlwind of homework and activities ever since. Phil and I are amazed at how fast our little ones are becoming BIG ONES (physically, mentally and spiritually). I want to take the next couple of paragraphs to update you on each on of our kiddos.

 

 

Lily (11), Rose (10), Hope (8), and Levi (6)

 

 

 

Talk about transitions! Lily is morphing into a beautiful young lady. Like any adolescent girl, she has her "emotional" moments, but, overall Phil and I are overwhelmed with what God is doing in Lily's life. She is compassionate and sensitive. She does not choose the path of her peers. She seeks out the "lonely" and she is pursuing her personal Savior. This year marks a very special time for me with Lily, because, I finally get the joy of being a teacher and a mom (having Lily going to school WITH me). We have wonderful talks to and from school . . . my heart is so blessed to have this alone time with her. She is diligent in her studies, she loves to draw and sing, she is learning to sew and play volleyball, but, her biggest extracurricular commitment this year is F.C.A. (Fellowship of Christian Athletes), which is the school club I sponsor. She wants me to tell you all that her favorite thing about middle school is that because of the support of FCA, she feels free to tell her friends about Jesus and how much He loves them.

 







 



Rose is in fourth grade this year and so she is the BIG sister at the elementary school. She is VERY responsible about getting straight to her homework every day, but, as soon as she is finished she loves to tumble around the yard for hours (cartwheels, roundoffs, backbends, you name it). She has developed quite a sense of humor and has lots of fun entertaining Hope and Levi. Phil and I are thankful to see that she is just as committed to her morning reading and prayer time with Jesus, as she is with homework. We have never MADE her do this, but, she has chosen to grow in her relationship with Jesus each day. Rose recently joined the drama team at school and is excited about practicing her lines. Rose's teachers always love Rose because she is caring, smart, very neat and responsible!

 

 

Hope is in second grade this year and is one of the top readers in her class. Her teacher has told me that she is well liked by her classmates because she is always so sweet and serving. Hope continues to amaze us with her crazy accents (especially her "country" accent) and jokes. She and Levi are still best buddies, and they have added a bunch of neighborhood kids to their Backyard Gang (It's seriously like watching The Little Rascals every day after school). Hope loves to help cook and do crafts. She is always content to tagalong with Mommy or Daddy on errands . . . never a complainer. She has a very tender heart and she has begun praying for several of her friends at school. She and Levi played soccer together this Fall and Daddy was their coach :)

 

 

Levi is in first grade now and is growing up TOO FAST! :)  We all still call him our "little buddy," but, he is not a baby anymore. He does his homework every day with Daddy (and is getting much better at reading), then heads out to the back yard to scooter and play ball with a bunch of neighborhood kids.  As I mentioned before, he and Hope are very close and Phil and I love listening to them laughing and talking up in their room EVERY night after we have tucked them in.  The most amazing thing happened last month! Levi started asking Phil and I LOTS of questions about God and Jesus and "when can I ask Him into my heart?"  Phil and I felt like he was too young at first, but, realizing that the influence of his three older sisters had really caused a genuine longing in our little guy's heart, we helped him to Believe and Receive Jesus!  We are so excited for him.  Levi still loves to dance and has started drumming on a set in the garage. He loves to play any sport and hopes to start karate lessons soon. He is still my sweet snuggly boy and I'm so thankful he lets me hold him on my lap . . . the sweet moments of motherhood!

 

 

 

 

 These pictures were taken of our family in action .  . . doing one of our favorite things . . . sharing the Message of Hope with students at FCA!

 

 

My partner, my love . . . this year has been a stretching one for us. God has given us many opportunities to face new challenges this year . . . things we have never done before . . . foster parenting, parenting a tween, leading a middle school ministry, etc. In the process, we have had moments of refinement . . . both in our personal walk with the Lord and in our marriage relationship. But, in each challenge, we have LEANED in to the Lord and toward one another and He has been faithful to bring us through . . . growing our faith and our love for HIM and each other. This year we have prayed a LOT more for one another and as a team  . . . and it has been awesome! I am so proud and so thankful for the husband, father, spiritual leader, and best friend I have in Phil.  His passion for sharing God's Message of Hope is never ceasing. He serves our family daily with his serving attitude, his love, and his HUMOR!! Phil has joined Levi in drumming as a hobby this year, he loves playing basketball with a large group of guys at the YMCA. We are both excited to see what God has in store for us in 2013 . . . especially as we take some new steps of faith toward adoption.

 

Some photo collages taken by a friend  - Student Leadership Team in action at the school where I teach 7th grade science

 

God had done and continues to do SO much in our lives . . . it is difficult to document it all, but, I am excited to begin my journey as a "blogger" and do my best to share our hearts with you all as we continue on this journey. Please read my November Post to learn more about our pursuit of adoption. Also, please keep us all in your prayers and never hesitate to reach out to us for prayer as well. We love you all and hope you will be finding JOY in CHRIST first! He IS all that we need. Many Blessings to you,   Wren

 

 

Hearing the Call to Adopt

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress” James 1:27

Dear friends & family,

It has been awesome seeing all the posts on face book this month about what my friends are thankful for. It’s a great way to refocus on the important things in life.  Not sure if you knew this, but, November is also national adoption month. I woke up early this morning, unable to sleep because of all that is on my heart and mind. This month is very significant for me too . . . as it is the month that our family is applying for international adoption from Africa.

As my youngest child says, “It sure is a long way to Africa,” it has definitely been long and interesting way that God has brought us to this point. Shortly after Levi was born, Phil and I began praying about whether the Dante family was complete with a fourth child. Having had some minor physical struggles recovering from Levi’s birth, we started to open our hearts to the idea of adoption.

In the summer of 2008, Phil was blessed to lead a mission trip to Ghana and Liberia. It was a life changing experience to say the least. During his trip he was able to visit several orphanages and share the gospel. He returned with such passion and love for these people that he asked me to pray about moving to Africa for a two year assignment at African Bible College in Malawi. The Lord opened my heart to this plan and we pursued a position at the college for about seven months. At the last minute, God closed the door as the couple on assignment felt called to recommit to two more years.

It was disappointing at first, but, we felt a peace about the plans God was laying out for us here in South Carolina. Our hearts carved out a special place for orphans in Africa. We began sending extra tithes and offerings to the missionaries stationed in Liberia. We looked into adoption, but, feared that our income would not allow us to adopt internationally.

The heart of each person in our family was set on adoption, so in January 2010 Phil and I began the training and application process to adopt through DSS South Carolina. During the training, we learned more about the great need in the U.S. for foster parents. After much prayer, we agreed to try foster parenting, as well as, wait to be matched for an adoption.

One year later, in January 2011, a 3 year old little boy was placed in our care. In the six weeks he lived with us we saw our children pour out the love of Jesus onto this precious boy. It was confirmed that we definitely had room in our home and hearts for a new addition. Our joy was short lived as we had to say good-bye to Chance. The state returned him to an extended family member. I have to be blunt. . . it was horrible! My heart was broken. I will never forget the night we took him back. We were all in shock. At about 1 o’clock in the morning I could hear little Hope sitting in the stairwell crying. One by one, each of us joined her on that stairwell . . . until all six of us wept together in the dark.

I couldn’t understand why God let us all go through that. I was ready to throw in the towel on adopting. We closed our foster parent license and surrendered the idea of adopting to Him. We are still currently licensed to adopt through the state, but, because we have young children there have been no matches that fit our family in a safe way. I thought the idea of the Dante’s adopting was going to close completely, when, God starting speaking to me  . . . prompting me, over and over , throughout the past six months. I can’t tell you how many conversations I have ended up in that were about Africa and/or adoption. I can’t tell you how many times my heart jumps as I hear the news related to Africa, or a movie about orphans there.  While visiting Peoria this summer, I had long talks with a teacher friend of mine, who is taking the international adoption journey herself. The concern about finances was brought up, but, she reassured me, that if God was really calling us to adopt . . . He would provide.

I believe that God is calling my family to adopt a little boy from Africa. The only thing standing in our way is that we don’t have the extra money to pay for the fees. Please pray about coming alongside us . . . through prayer and possible financial support. We can’t save all the orphans in the world, but, together we can save one. That’s where it starts . . . one at a time.

My hope is that I will have the funds I need to do the first few steps by the end of this year. We will need approximately $5,000 to do this. Because my husband started an orphan assistance fund through our ministry, back in 2008, any donation to CLIFE will be tax deductible. Could you pray about helping us? If you are able to contribute any amount to CLIFE towards the Dante family adoption, you will receive a tax write off receipt. I will be starting a blog to share the steps of this journey, so, even if you can’t financially help right now, let me know if you would like to receive updates. I’m sure we will need a lot of prayer and encouragement. Just writing this letter to you is very humbling. I am really stepping out in faith that God has called us to do this, because, in my mind . . . it seems impossible! If you feel God prompting you to join our adopting support team, in any capacity, please let me know.

Love in Christ,  Wren

John 14:18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you (Jesus).” Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

CLIFE

(Dante Family Adoption)

1108 Market Street

Fort Mill, SC 29708

Email: dantew@fort-mill.k12.sc.us

Blog address: dantefamilyjourney@blogspot.com