Thirteen of my Twenty-seven Blessings !
Sometimes, if I stop and think about it. . .I realize that my life is somewhat NOT normal! For you see, I am the blessed mother of 27 children --- 23 of which are adopted! But most days, I don't think about it . . . and I just do the normal things, that are normal to me.
It's called . . . my life! and it began with a dream!
A dream that Father God planted within my heart, even before I knew that it was Him calling!
A journey that began as Holy Spirit whispered to me and called my name. Here is a brief summary of the beginnings of my story as I journaled to my precious Father in 2001:
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1st Newsletter
To God --- From Your Servant at Refuge Ranch
January 21, 2001 @ 4:45 a.m.
Oh, Dear Father,
They want to know how Your work at Refuge Ranch got started. What You’ve done? What You’re doing? And what You’re going to do? How do I tell them that Your plan began in eternity past? Holy Spirit, use this pen to tell the Father’s story in a way that will glorify Him and not exploit these precious gifts-- the children!
Father, when You gave me this full blown plan for Refuge Ranch I was overwhelmed, as You very well remember. “To provide a Community of permanent adoptive Christian homes for needy children. Making available to each home the resources of Christian schooling, church, recreation, emotional encouragement, support, and prayer needed to successfully heal the hurts of past trauma these precious children have endured. The problem is that the needs are so urgent and so desperate with so many helpless children --- but You are bigger than any problem -- and Refuge Ranch is Your answer to meeting the needs of hundreds, possibly thousands, of hurting, homeless children.“ Help us Father, to “raise them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” for Your glory! And Father, thank You for using our family home as the start of Refuge Ranch.
But I’m getting ahead of myself; I guess we really should begin at the beginning. On May 22, 1958, You brought me into this world where You nurtured me at the feet of an angelic mother who loved children. With only three siblings, it is amazing that our home continually overflowed with kids.
In the meantime, less than ten miles away, You were raising up a fine young man--Billy Ray Walker, born September 9, 1958. Here, too, You were planting Your love for children through a daddy that continually taught Billy the preciousness of children.
You joined us together--Your team--on October 22, 1975. Such babies we were. In fact, we were so young that everyone laughed when we told them we were going to have ten kids. Actually, Lord, even then I knew it was more, but they laughed a ten. What would they have said if I’d of admitted You’d told me more than that? You’d already given me a heart for adoption, but even I never dreamed of the magnitude of Your plan!
Billy and I began work on our family. One and a half years later, on February 6,1977, Christy Marie Walker was born to us. Oh, Father, Your blessings were unfolding before our eyes. The years slipped by with Josey Lois Walker adorning our family on January 19, 1980. She was followed by another smiling baby girl four years later on January 23, 1984, who we named Katrina Victoria Mae Walker. Each was so precious, so alike, and yet so extremely different with hair and skin color. One was red-haired with fair to tan complexion, the second blond-haired with freckles popping out everywhere, and the last black-haired with her daddy’s dark complexion. Even in our children, You had a plan. You knew as the years unfolded no one would be able to draw a line and separate the adopted from the biological. You are so neat in the planning, not even the tiniest detail passes by You.
Then with Katrina just over two years old, in March of 1986, You said, “Be a Foster Parent!” Man, did we ever argue with You on that one! Adopting we could consider, but fostering??? But here again, You knew we’d need all the training and preparation for the years ahead.
So in May of 1987, our first foster son arrived. I’ll never forget his first bath. As I washed his hair, fighting back my tears I wondered how could anyone let a child stay so filthy. You really grabbed a hold to my heart in a big way, didn’t You, Father?
From 1987 to May of 1993, You sent ten foster children. Each with his individual set of needs and problems, but You were continually teaching and training us. The biggest need of each by far was the need to know that someone loved them, that You loved them, Father. This “temporary” parenting was extremely hard on us emotionally, but here again Your grace was sufficient. We are so grateful that You allowed us to adopt at least three of these children. Peggy Rae (10) and Cindy Lachelle (7), who had arrived October 1987, became legal members of the Walker household on September 20, 1989. They were our first adoption--thank You, Father! Little Greyson Tyler, who had come to us as a baby two and one half months old on February 6, 1989, received his adoption papers on August 31, 1992. With three biological and three adopted, our family was slowly taking shape. During this time as our family increased, so did our needs. So in 1989, You increased our 1800 sq. ft., three bedroom home to a 2400 sq. ft. home with five bedrooms. What a blessing!
Then in June of 1992--through a dream--You revealed another step in Your plan! We were to adopt a Hispanic sibling group! Our four new additions arrived a year later on July 19, 1993. Alex Ray (11), Weston Cordel (9), Diana Jean (7), and Pamela Rose (6) brought so much love and blessings to our family. We finalized their adoption on March 29, 1995, a process which brought our numbers higher than state regulations would allow for fostering. Blissfully, the fostering door was closed. As You closed the door on that phase of Your plan, You flung the adoption door wide open!
In December 18, 1995, Ricky Jonford (5) came to make a sweet addition. Followed in January by an unexpected surprise, a little birthmother needed housing for the remainder of her pregnancy. She wanted us to adopt her infant son. On May 14, 1996, Gabriel Samuel Walker was born. We were ecstatic! But doctors soon realized he had a medical condition requiring surgery. So after two and one half weeks in the hospital, our baby boy had surgery, removing a portion of his colon and intestines requiring him to have a colostomy. That procedure was later reversed at five and one half months of age--thank You again, Father, for that miracle of healing. On October 2, 1996, we had a double adoption, making Ricky and Gabriel legal members of our family. I won’t say official members, Father, because officially we feel the kids are ours from the first day You bring them here!
Well, Father, that put us up to twelve--an “even dozen.” How blessed we were. You let us take a breather for a couple of years. It was a wonderful time of growth and contentment in You. The contentment was new for me. I’d been almost driven by an ever-present yearning for “more kids“--the urge to “help” more kids. But during this time, You helped me grow up in You to the place that I was no longer trying to work Your plan for You. I guess really what happened is that You “grew up” in my eyes as I began to see really just how awesome big of a God You truly are! It was as if You were saying, “Finally, I believe the girl’s got it!” It took long enough, huh? I relinquished the reins of my life to You, being truly content with the number of kids You’d blessed Billy and myself with. If You wanted more, that was fine; if You didn’t, that was fine, too.
It's not until hindsight that I can see that’s the place You wanted me all along. Now, You could really work through our lives! In the meantime, You started us into home schooling! By the start of the third year, You’d provided us a classroom in the backyard which now needs enlarging, by the way. Having the kids here all the time is another major blessing. Thank You!
In the fall of 1998 (with our four oldest having moved out to various walks of life, marriage, college, etc.), You began to deal with our hearts about a sibling group from Texas. Anna Abigail (9), David Joseph (7), Bethany Nicole (5), and Adam Nathaniel (2) arrived at the airport on March 29, 1999 with smiles, laughter, and tears of joy to be with their new family. There were tears in our eyes, too, tears of gratitude to be chosen to love these precious souls You’d entrusted to our care. Oh, dear Father, help us to be faithful to Your task!
Things were going smoothly. The kids suffered very little culture shock. The fourteen of us snuggled cozily in the same 2400 sq. ft. home. We barely noticed the tight quarters, except when the hot water ran out and two of us still needed a bath or on heavy wash days when instead of the eight normal loads, there’d be twelve or more. Lord, I’ve lost count of the number of washer and dryers we’ve worn out!
Then, on October 4, 1999, the day before I was to fly to Texas to finalize Anna and her siblings’ adoption, I received a call from our caseworker. She sounded terribly distraught. My first thought was that there was a hold up with the paperwork and the finalization would be postponed, but You had another surprise! This sibling group’s birthmother had given birth to a baby boy the day before, and our worker wanted to know if we were interested in adopting him also. Oh, God, You are so awesome! Your timing is so infinitely perfect. As I was flying to Texas the next day, all I could think of was “How Big is God?” On October 6, 1999, I finalized our adoption on Anna and her siblings and then was introduced to our new son, Joel Isaac Walker! Oh, God, how great Thou art!
I returned home, praying for “mountains” of paperwork to be moved so that Joel could come home quickly. It was a long five and one half weeks, but by November the tenth You brought him home! The children were so funny. They thought the only thing wrong with having a baby brother was that there was only one of him to pass around. We finalized his adoption on May 30, 2000. Our family now numbered thirteen children at home, four grown, and with Billy and myself, we totaled out at nineteen.
Another miracle came on September 20, 2000. Joseph Chuck (7) arrived frightened and trembling. Because of his past, he had such a fear of being rejected once again. Oh, but Father, You had planned all along to remove that fear. You’d told me in June with Genesis 30:24 that You’d give us another son named Joseph. He called himself Chuck upon arrival, and I didn’t realize until I looked at his birth certificate late that night that Joseph was his name. I wept. But You had another confirmation the next morning. When I began studying his life history and checking my journal as to when in June You’d told me, another astounding fact was revealed. You’d given me the verse with the promise of a son named Joseph on the exact same day that his birthmother had called asking for help! I bawled! You are too wonderful for words! Joseph no longer lives in fear of being rejected. I shared with him how You planned it all and told him, that You don’t change Your mind! He’s peaceful!
So, here we are--fourteen kids in four bedrooms, and You’re stirring our hearts once again. You have more children that You’re wanting to bring home. Lord, You’ve said, “Enlarge your house; build an addition; spread out your home! For you will soon be bursting at the seams” (Isaiah 54: 2-3a). I remember Billy laughing jokingly and saying, “I thought we already were!” You’ve even promised all the money, supplies, and labor for Your plan. Give us courage to step out in Faith--taking You at Your word-- because You are the original “Promise Keeper”!
Father, You’ve given us the vision and the blessed privilege of being stewards of Your children and Your plans. You’ve given us so many blessings--so many still to come! We felt Your leading to title Your plan Refuge Ranch because truly You, our “God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble” (Psalms 46:1). We’re to teach these children that You will be their refuge also.
Please, guide us with every detail. This has been Your ministry from the start, even before we realized it as a ministry! We’re feeling that Your long-range vision for Refuge Ranch is to be a community of adoptive families, who like us have a heart to help these children: the large sibling groups, the minority children, and the special needs children. Oh, Jesus, You have such a love for children. You told Your disciples to let the little children come unto You. That’s our heartbeat as well. We want to be good stewards of Refuge Ranch: build other adoptive homes for other adoptive families, a school, a worship and training center, a pond, horse stables, and nature prayer trails --- and anything else Father that You show us You want as Your plan unfolds. You’ve blessed us so much and we “Being confident of this very thing, that He who hath begun a good work in [us] will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).
Thank You again Father for Your awesome Privileges,
Promises, and Plans. Glorify Yourself in this work; use us as
Your servants as You see fit -- in Jesus’ name -- Amen!
Your Willing Daughter, Bonnie
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Well, that was the start, but the dream has become
BIGGER. . .
6 CHILDREN later, 5 adoptions last year, and film producers arriving in April. . . . .
Holy Spirit is still whispering. . . . there's more!
