This picture was taken at the beginning of February, 2012. Back, left to right: Daniel, 16, holding James, 5, Susanna holding Katerina, almost 10, Joe holding Stephen, 3, Joshua, almost 15, Joseph, 18, holding Peter, 5 Front, left to right: Jane, 10, John Michael, 6, Laura, 12 1/2, holding Verity, 19 months
Our names are Joe and Susanna, and we are a very ordinary couple who probably wouldn’t stand out to you if you saw us out and about. Well, unless we had our eleven children with us. It’s getting harder for us to hide in a crowd!
God has given us Joseph, Daniel, Joshua, Laura, Jane, John Michael, twins Peter and James, Stephen, Verity, and now our Bulgarian princess, Katerina! We don’t take any of these interesting individuals for granted. We are well aware that the desire to have children does not guarantee having children.
Long before God brought Joe and me together, He gave each of us a strong desire to someday welcome many children. We are living the privilege of doing exactly what we had always dreamed of! We love having a house full!
Part of the reason we hoped to have many children was that we are Christians who believe that the Word of God is truth and applies to all of life. God says that children are rewards. We agree with God. We stepped out of the cultural boat, because Jesus called us to do that, and we have found that there is solid ground under our feet out here.
We also believe that discipling our children is the primary ministry God has given us at this point in our lives. He has called us to do this by educating them at home. He has shown Himself to be faithful at every point in showing us how He wants us to carry this out.
Life is an adventure when God is in charge of it instead of us! We are better off trusting Him than trusting ourselves. If you knew Him, and knew us, you would agree!
Thank you for looking in on this little bit of our family’s journey. We welcome each of you and hope you take time to talk to us!
Could I steal your quote, “We stepped out of the cultural boat, because Jesus called us to do that, and we have found that there is solid ground under our feet out here.”? I promise not to steal it but borrow it. I’m speaking at a women’s missionary conference on Faith and love this quote of yours. I don’t need to use your name, just mention that it’s from a mother of soon to be 10 children!
Of course, Tami!
Susanna,
What a blessing and encouragement to read through your website posts! We will be in prayer for sweet Verity–a precious gift from our sovereign God. And, we’ll pray for you too as you have the responsibility of managing a home and completing the final weeks of your pregnancy. God’s amazing grace is sufficient! Micah is our third in 3 1/2 years and we look forward to the blessing of God filling our home with children in His time.
Grace and peace,
Jessica
Hello,
You are an amazing family! So full of faithful. Your story is amazing and your family has now become part of our family’s daily prayers. Jesus is so faithful, he has proven to us time and time again that no matter what is happen or what the world speaks to us. Truth is the way and must walk there in.
Blessing to your amazing family.
Hi Susanna,
Hope you are doing well. I saw a story on the news tonight and I thought you might be interested in it for next year. Here is the link.
http://www.chop.edu/export/download/pdfs/articles/trisomy-21/buddy-walk-2010-save-the-date.pdf
Take Care,
Kristen
Thank you, Kristen! :)
Susanna- I really didn’t intend for this to be posted but I couldn’t find a “send Susanna a message” link.
I have some little boys winter clothes that I’m weeding through. I found a couple of things that I had doubles of in a 4T and it made me think of you. Do you need any little boys clothes? Mostly 18 months to 4T. Just email me one day this week if you are interested!
Thank you for continuing to post! Your last one about “what every mom needs” made me want to cry (in a good way!). We are still praying and waiting on the Lord. I see God moving in my husband but it’s slow and steady as usual. I know that God will bring to fruition what He has begun!
Blessings- Robin Osteen
Hi Susanna! Just want to share this link with you. My daughter shared it with me and I thought of little Verity. A warning about the comments below the video-there is offensive language so don’t let your kiddos read it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9b7y9UYt_fM&feature=related
Maria! That makes me cry every time I watch it! I’d seen it before (more than once *blush*) and decided not to post it, but here it is, sitting sneakily in an unnoticed corner of the blog-lol!
Have you had a family photo recently?
I’m trying not to think about that, Ginger! Lol! Seriously, we usually get one between each child, when the baby is between 6 and 12 months or thereabouts. It takes some advance planning, as you doubtless know!
Susanna, I just found your blog through Micah Six Eight, and wanted to let you know that I was blessed by ‘meeting’ your family, and I will be praying for your sweet Katerina. We are also in the process of adopting from [that country], a little boy with special needs. We are between trips right now, but thankfully, he is in a good place and we know he is being well-looked-after until we can get back to him and get him home. I will pray that in your daughter’s case, the process can be expedited somehow.
I also loved what you said about stepping out of the cultural boat! We have stepped out, too, it seems, though not quite as far out as you (yet!). We have four girls so far and God in His sovereignty has chosen to bless us with another pregnancy *while* we’re adopting! It’s been an adventure, for sure, but you are right that there is solid ground, and we are so excited to be be on this adventure with Him.
Your blog has encouraged my heart today – thank you and God bless you!
Jodi, thank you for writing! What a beautiful family you have, and congratulations!
Susanna, I found your blog through a facebook friend…I just wanted to let you know that my wife and I are praying for you and your family. We understand this whole process as we are in it right now. We have just submitted our I-800 and are waiting for our approval. I was wondering can I post your blog on my blogroll?
I am a board member of Karina Association, an organization begun to help abandoned children in [Katie's country]. You might want to talk to Biliana, our President. She was born in [Katie's country] and has knowledge of the situation in the orphanages [there]. We are a Christian organization. Let us know if we can provide any support in your efforts.
Thank you, Sylvia. I am sending this link to our attorney. Thank you so much for passing this along.
A friend of mine recently shared your blog with me and I have enjoyed reading about your beautiful family. You have such an amazing heart and I love it.
Thanks for sharing. We have a simular calling on our lives. We have 12 ages 8-35. We home school and send our encouragement to hang in there.
In Christ; Bruce
Hi Susanna. I recently found your blog and just want to say thank you so much for sharing your family and your story with the blog world. I to am an adoptive mom, we brought our daughter home from China in 2006. She was blue and very very sick with a severe heart condition. She was tiny when we brought her home and is now very healthy, for which we thank the Father regularly. In the past couple of weeks my heart has been burdened for these children that are at such a risk. Your story of the Father moving mountains for your family. My heart has been burdened that God has more children for our family and that they are in fact “the least of these.” I experienced anger that God would reveal this to us when we could not possibly be approved right now. Your story has reminded me that whatever the rules, whatever the qualifications we do or do not meet, when His time is right, he will move mountains to unite us with the children he has predestined for us. We have recently (just this year) understood Gods directive to disciple our children and as such began homeschooling this year as well. I’m excited to read more of your story and be able to pray for your family.
Blessings.
I just found a video on you tube and it has your sweet girl on it..Have you seen this video it was in 2011.I am simply amazed at how well your sweety is doing!
I just wanted to let you know that I enjoy your blog. I also wanted to let you know that last night I had our 10th baby…..a beautiful daughter. Her middle name is….Verity. Thank you for being the inspiration for this name…it is beautiful.
We are also in the process of adopting two older boys (brothers) from Ethiopia. One of them with special needs. My blog address is fromgodstummy.blogspot.com
I really don’t know what else to say…..other than I love what you have done in the precious name of Jesus. Many children have been saved b/c of your passion and conviction.
Sincerely,
Thea Lewis
Susanna! I’ve been following your family since you first visited Katie and I was wondering if I could post updates on my blog (showing Katie’s progress and that there is hope for these angels of God). Also could I post updates on my facebook? I have been posting and trying to generate donations locally of clothing for the orphanages and I have a blanket making drive in progress. I’m also trying to raise awareness and help God move mountains and this is why I was hoping I could share. Much love and thank you for being God’s instrument in saving lives.
Kitty B.
Kitty, YES, YES, YES! No need for permission! We hope everyone helps to spread the word as they are able! Thank you so much!!!
To Mr. and Mrs. Musser:
I have been reading your inspiring blog for some time, and think you would make excellent candidates for ABC-TV’s Person of the Week, broadcast each Friday.With your permission, I would like to email ABC the following:
In a blog called The Blessing of Verity, you will read about a couple in Pennsylvania campaigning tirelessly to help rescue severely neglected children with Down Syndrome and other challenges from the deprivation of a Bulgarian orphanage.
The “baby” with the brown hair you will see in the photos on the blog is actually a 10-year-old girl they adopted, who weighed about 9 pounds. They also have an infant daughter born with Down Syndrome as part of their large family.
They are unsung heroes currently trying to raise money for medical care and food, as well as find adoptive parents for the frail and extremely at-risk children still in that facility.
You may also find information about this issue on the BBC website, because they produced a documentary several years ago.
Chris E, thank you so much for your VERY kind offer; it touches us that you would think of this. There are several reasons for not doing it, though. One of the biggest is that we truly aren’t the heroes of this story!
If a national news outlet decided to feature you, it would bring national visibility to the plight of these children, but I understand your reservation. Please let me know if you would ever like to move forward.
Susannah,
I love following this blog and the progress of your sweet family. i would like to know where in the orphanage the babies are – the infants – as i only see mentioned these tiny children who have been there 10, 12 years. where are the infants who maybe could be adopted when they are young and therefore not live in these inhuman conditions? surely there are special needs infants…maybe their fate could be interrupted. Just wondering.
Kisses to Verity and Katie!
Lynne, thank you for your question!
Shelley Bedford replies,
“Infants can not be adopted internationally. Under Bulgarian law,
attempts have to first be made to reunite the child with the birth
family. Once this is deemed impossible, parental rights are terminated
and the child is placed on the domestic adoption registry. The child
must be on the domestic adoption registry for a minimum of 6 months
and must also be presented and rejected by Bulgarian families. After
these things happen, the child’s file is sent to the international
adoption committee, where more paper work is done and the child is
registered for international adoption. It is certainly possible to
adopt a younger child, if all the above mentioned things have
happened. The younger children are chosen very quickly for adoption
when they are registered, particularly those with very mild special
needs.”
I also feel compelled to say that every child in the Pleven orphanage has now had their fate interrupted. The orphanage is changing and the babies there WILL NOT have to suffer the same fate as those who were hidden there for years. The longer a child was in Pleven, esp. if they did not receive a baba or if their baba was not one of the good ones, the more badly they were damaged. The babas did not arrive on the scene until a few years ago, so some of the younger children, if they have babas, are not having as bad a start as the older ones did. My heart is very strongly with those who will ordinarily be passed over for adoption. They are truly hidden treasures. And it is one of the evidences to our family of the working of God in people’s hearts that families are loving and pursuing them.
Hi Susanna, I was the team leader of the volunteering trip that was out when you were in Pleven. It is so lovely to see that you have her at home now, and the photos that you have of her show some lovely changes. It is great to know that she is in such a loving family now. I would also like to thank you for the money that you gave to our team for nappies. We would never have been able to buy so many and they were all needed and used! A few of us are going back out to Pleven in the summer and are in the middle of fundraising to be able to provide more nappies and other things.
Again, I am so glad to see a happy ending to her story and wish your family all the best in the future!
I think I got some freecycle items from you. Nice to “see” you again.