Passion Part 2:Citizens of Heaven

But one thing that I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus…..Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Phil. 3:13-14, 20

Kerry and Bruce Ploeser could have finished their backyard, they could have finally gotten a pool, they could have taken their family of five to Europe on vacation, but instead they decided to store up treasure in heaven. Kerry and Bruce chose to adopt a little man, of five, from China and make him part of their family.


Daniel was not born completely whole, by the world's standards. His fingers were not fully formed on both hands nor were his toes. In China, a child with any "defect" is seen as less valuable. Thankfully, Daniel’s birth parents decided that he should live, and gave him to the state. He was placed in a type of foster home and lived there until the blessed day of his adoption. When he arrived in the United States, Daniel was carried into a new world of tastes, sights, smells, feelings and most importantly family. He became the youngest of four and the welcomed companion of the Ploeser’s youngest son, Jack.


Bruce and Kerry Ploeser are two of the warmest, most giving people I have ever met. They give freely of their finances, time and lives. When Kerry told me she was praying about adoption, I was slightly shocked, simple because that is not part of the norm in our culture, especially for people who already have there own children. But I was not surprised that she would be willing to open up her home and heart to a child not her own, as well as a child with a physical disability.

As I mentioned before, Jack is the Ploeser's youngest son. He was diagonsed with mild autism a couple of years ago. Kerry and Bruce are amazing as they deal with this beautiful, young man. If you met Jack, you would fall in love with him. He is full of life and imagination. He draws you into his world and lets you spend time with him in a place of innocence, but as a parent of an autistic child there are some real challenges. The appeal of Jack’s world is also a struggle for everyday life. It is hard to direct a child to read, take ballet or even be a part of a family dinner when they are living in a world apart from yours. Yet the patience Kerry has as she interact with Jack’s world, helping him into ours, truly reveals Christ’s life in Kerry. Bruce is equally as tender with Jack as Kerry, and together they provide the attention and security Jack most needs.

This sincere love and care is not limited to Jack. The Ploeser’s other two kids are well-mannered kids, full of life. They have a light in them that comes from being valued and loved by their parents. This is the world that young Daniel was welcomed into last year, and it is the world he is thriving in today.

Not only has Daniel become part of a loving family, but he has also become part of a family that will love him into eternity. Jesus is the heart of the Ploeser family. He is where the love, the patience and the care come from in their lives. He is the one that Kerry most wanted to introduce Daniel to. It is one thing to act as a humanitarian and redeem a life from hardship on an earthly level, as Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have done. Their love for mankind is noble, but for Kerry and Bruce there was more than earthly salvation; there was the hope for eternal salvation for little Daniel.


He has heard about the love of God, he has seen it lived out by his family and by the church community that loves him so deeply, and each day he interacts with Jesus more and more. As his understanding of English has increased, so too has his knowledge of God and His Word, he now prays to Jesus in his own words, from his heart. What greater treasure can be stored up in heaven, than that of a life?

As I read this story to my kids, my oldest said, “Well, Daniel is better than a pool. He is a lot of fun.” I am sure all of the Ploesers agree. They chose to live as citizens of heaven.

But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I
have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain
Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law,
but one that is through faith in Christ. The righteousness from God based
on faith. My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the
fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death assuming that I will
somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead….Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do; forgetting what is
behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal a prize
promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus….our citizenship is in
heaven. Phil. 3:7-11,13-14,20

Passion Part 1: Redeeming Love

Heather Andrews lives life from the heart, the heart of passion for orphans from around the world.

When Heather first entered the Bible study I was leading, I was struck by the intense love she felt for those in the world born to a life of abandonment. She passionately spoke of the need for adoption. She saw it as a ministry to the unloved; an opportunity to save a life. I had no idea that three years after our first meeting with Heather that the lives of four families and of seven children would be forever transformed because of her heart’s cry.

If any of you have ever gone through the adoption process, you know it is a long, pain-filled journey of dashed hopes and realized dreams. Heather and her husband, Seth, waited for months to hear back from the Chinese government. They waited to hear from the adoption agency. They waited for the plane trip, and they waited for the car ride to the orphanage, never certain that they would be able to hold their little one. It was not until Heather actually picked up her lovely baby, the one she had been praying for without even knowing, that she finally realize the joy of having a child of her own.

You see, Heather was not just a spokesperson for a cause she felt strongly about. She was an active participant, a living example of the power of adoption. Within a year of her first visit to our Bible study, Heather and her husband, Seth, had adopted a little girl from China. She was able to live out the passion that God placed deep in her soul.

To see Heather now, is to know that she was created by God to mother her daughter. Through her passion for a child, not even one from her own cultural background, all those around her began to realize the great blessing of adoption. This blessing was not just for the child bereft of parents. No, it was also for the adoptive family that’s love was able to finally flow out into another life.

Heather’s passion for those cast aside, permeated her conversations, her relationships and her every action. Even the minds and hearts of those around her were changed. From Heather's passion there arose others who took up the same cause she so believed in. Three women from the Bible study decided to follow in her steps, each varying their course based on God’s leading in their lives and the lives of their families.

God placed a young Chinese boy, age five, into the heart of one couple, whose home already overflowed with love for their three children, one having special needs. For another family, the desire for a little girl to complete their family circle drew them to Russia, and the adoption of a beautiful baby. And finally, Heather’s passion so took root in the heart of another woman that she decided to step outside of the norms of the world, and adopt not one, but four little girls. These women each followed God’s desire for their families.

All of these stories are tales of obedience, love and a heart carried away with passion for children. These women were the ones God chose to redeem a life, by adopting a child. The passion for adoption that filled Heather was not something of her own creation. It was placed in her by her loving Heavenly Father. You see, His passion is the redemption of the world, and He is the ultimate adoptive parent. He chose us and invited us into His family, through His Son, Jesus. So we now are joint heirs with Jesus, and have the right to call God, Abba Father.

Heather lived out her passion, and by doing so, she stirred passion inside the hearts of three others. Each story rippling out to inspire, and possibly plant the seed of passion into the lives of people that Heather never could have touched.

Characters or Character

I have found great comfort in life from some very simple pleasures. Movies based on the books of Jane Austen being one of these pleasures. I believe Jane Austen to be one of the most brilliant authors in history, and one able to speak not just to those of her age, but to all ages. Her words and conversation resonate with women two centuries removed from her own life.

Austen knew people. She studied them, understood them and could transport them from a three dimensional life onto the written page. We can still see the world through Jane’s eyes. Customs, clothing, language may change, but human nature never does. People love, hate, laugh, cry, and live in the same way today that they did in 17th century England.

Jane wrote people in their real form, as they were not as they would like to be seen, and always with a hint of humor directed at herself. There is a line for any given situation from any one of her books.

Sense and Sensibility is one of my favorite movies. It's phrases ring in my ears as I walk through life. When speaking to my husband in the most tender moments or when hearing from a friend who has deeply touched my life I can only think, their “friendship has been the most important of my life.”

On Saturday morning, I had a Jane moment. As I walked my dog, I prayed for an opportunity to meet one of my neighbors. When I returned home, the same neighbor I had prayed to meet was standing in her front yard. Now, I am not one to come up with pleasant conversation quickly nor easily, but this day I thought to speak of the coolness of the air and the lack of heat that usually is prevalent at this time of year. My neighbor agreed with my assessment of the weather. We held a short but very comfortable meeting.

While walking away, I smiled to myself as I thought of young Margret Dashwood’s (youngest daughter in Sense and Sensibility) instructions from her mother as to how to hold a conversation when there was little to say. Mrs. Dashwood admonished Margret by telling her that if she did not have anything proper to say she should keep her remarks to the “weather or the state of the roads.” Well, the roads were fine on the morning I spoke to my neighbor, so I kept my comments to the weather.

Now, I know that Austen is no replacement for the Word of God. But on the pages of her books can be found real women to be admired. Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice), realized that she was wrong in her judgment of Mr. Darcy, and she willingly let go of her pride and actually humbled herself. She found a loving husband once she moved past her own ideas.

Marianne Dashwood (Sense and Sensibility), allowed her passions to carry her into a relationship that threatened to ruin her reputation. Her sister Eleanor attempted to warn her about her inappropriate behavior but Marianne rolled her eyes, until she was misused by the man she was warned about. Once she realized her own failure, comparing herself to her sister Eleanor’s reserved and respectful behavior, she knew she needed to change. She confessed her arrogance to Eleanor and found a modesty she had previously lacked.

Even the immature Emma (Emma), learned from her mistakes. She tried to be a matchmaker and caused her closest friend a great deal of pain. She was surrounded by wise, caring friends but not until she decided to listen to them did she stop acting the part of busy-body.

None of Jane's characters are perfect, all have failings that needed to be addressed, but all learning in a very human and real way how to correct those failings. Each one hurt those they loved, and each one was hurt, but all humbly found a better way to act and live. They all restored those relationships that they had injured themselves, because they were willing to lay down their pride and ask for forgiveness.

They are not just Characters; they are women of Character.

A WOMAN OF NOBLE CHARACTER, WHO CAN FIND? SHE IS WORTH FAR MORE THAN RUBIES. Proverbs 31:10