I'm Looking Forward to...

~not just colder mornings but colder days

~jeans, boots and sweaters

~our adoption garage sale Oct. 13th

~bonfires and s'mores with good friends

~Thanksgiving

~Christmas decorating, Christmas parties and CHRISTMAS!!!

~our friends Mandy and Ray returning with their 2 babies from the Congo

~hearing that Tracy and Jason also have their little angel J home

~receiving our referral and introducing her to the world

There's lots more to look forward to than this but these things are in my immediate sights and I'm thankful they will all be happening very soon!

UPDATE, MUST READ!

Change is never easy.
Waiting is hard.
Patience is a virtue.
All these sayings have never been as true as right now.

First of all change. You must be thinking what on earth could have changed. You're still waiting aren't you? Yes, we are. But in the last two weeks we have changed who we are waiting with. Sadly, we have had to say good-bye to the agency we were working with. Details aren't necessary but believe me when I tell you we agonized over this decision. However, even through the agony we knew we were making the right choice and there was a peace (after the storm and tears) that passes all understanding.

The agency we are now waiting with is Holt International and because of this we had to raise an extra $11,000.
Between, our first application, home study fees, certification fees, authentication fees, running around here and there collecting more and more documents (b/c China will not accept docs over 6 months old), medical exams, and finally dossier fee we have already paid $10,000. Now that we are switching agencies we had to pay another application fee ($300) and once we are matched with a child they will invoice us their program fee which is anywhere from $9,360 (if the child has severe special needs) to $11,360 (if the child has more minor correctable special needs). We think we will be closer to $11,000 since we are in the minor correctable special needs field. Last week when we first heard this number we about choked and for about 1.5 seconds we both panicked! BUT GOD! It's been one week since then and we are only about $1,000 away from having the program fee. WOW!!!!! Its been an intense week and I'm thankful beyond words to the people thus far who have contributed to our cause.
We have always said, we're not asking for help to raise her, just help us bring her home!
We sent out 101 support letters Tuesday and we're already having them come back to us. People never cease to amaze me. We said it in our support letter and I'll say it again. In this whole journey money has never been primary but prayer is!!! We couldn't do any of this without your prayers. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Patience is a virtue and I am continually learning I don't have enough of it.
Once we are matched and pay our program fee we will have about 6-8 months to raise the remainder of our funds needed to travel and pick up our little girl. Our agency recommends having $10,000.00. A large portion of this will of course be airfare and depending when we travel could be much more. We are not at all freaked out by this enormous amount of money. God will provide when He needs to provide. He is never early and never late. I am so thankful for the group of friends God has put in our life to support us with ideas for fundraising and not just on the think tank side but also the execution of it all.

What you can do:
PRAY! PRAY! PRAY!
Pray for us, pray for others adopting. Pray for fund raising ideas. Pray for funds. God is in this, I have no doubt!!!
Please pray for my friends Mandy and Ray. They are leaving for the Congo today to pick up their little angels. The Congo is very unstable and there are a lot of uncertainties. Please pray for peace, comfort and wisdom for every step.
Please pray for my friend Tracy who is leaving Sunday to go to Uganda in hopes she will bring home her little angel J. She and her husband, Jason have been waiting almost 2 years and Uganda is moving so slow. Pray for all the red tape mess she is dealing with and that the right paperwork will be right where it needs to be.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!

The Silence...

I have heard lots of quotes on silence. 

But my favorite is: Silence about a thing only magnifies it. There are, obviously lots of ways to interrupt this quote. This was mine. 

Its been four weeks, FOUR WEEKS!! since we have heard anything from our agency. In my humanness I fail to understand this. How can someone not even send an email or make a call that would only take 2 seconds to let us know, "hey we haven't forgot about you". So, that makes it feel magnified. But only for a minute. 

Then I remembered. About four weeks ago my prayers about this began to change. I began praying God would please protect us from more referrals we would have to reject, I began to pray for the lady who has the arduous task of matching families. I know this journey is not about us but I think I lost sight of that for a minute. 

As my hubby likes to remind me, when God is the quietest He is working the hardest. 

My prayer time is focused more on the needs of others.  And for our situation-thankfulness. Thanking Him its done in His time and for His glory. Thanking Him for all the things we are learning along the way. He is so good. 

And in other adoption news...Our very good friends are on their way, even as I type this, for their first appointment at the Congo Embassy for their little blessings. By the beginning of October they will be home!!! Two less orphans in the world. 

Adoption is and forever will be God's amazing redemptive plan for those cast aside by society. I plan on being part of this plan for as long as He'll allow me to be. 

Hebrews 10:24-26

Amplified Bible (AMP)

²⁴ And let us consider and give ^[a]attentive, continuous care to watching over one another, studying how we may stir up (stimulate and incite) to love and helpful deeds and noble activities,

²⁵ Not forsaking or neglecting to assemble together [as believers], as is the habit of some people, but admonishing (warning, urging, and encouraging) one another, and all the more faithfully as you see the day approaching.

²⁶ For if we go on deliberately and willingly sinning after once acquiring the knowledge of the Truth, there is no longer any sacrifice left to atone for [our] sins [no further offering to which to look forward].

I love this set of scriptures. 

Recently, I had not been attending church very frequently. Part of the reason was because we were spending family time at Busch Gardens but the other reason was rebellion. The details aren't really necessary but I will say I have been convicted and have repented. God is good. The entire time I felt Him in my spirit quietly wooing me as only God can. I have only seen this scripture once in my whole life but He breathed it into me and during my rebellion I couldn't shake it and all it meant. 

During the last few months I have been praying for a family in our church who seemed to be going through something. I didn't know what this "something" was but once when I spoke with the wife she asked I pray that she and her husband would "get on the same page" about some things. He also had not been to church in months. This was all I needed, and I began to pray for them. Since that time I've seen her several times and the only question I would ever ask is, are you on the same page yet? And the most recent time I saw her she said that yes one of her prayers had been answered and that was so exciting but nothing could have prepared me for Sunday. 

I got up Sunday and almost willingly went to church. It was tough, mainly because I was not feeling that great and didn't feel like breathing on everyone. But I just knew I had to go. We got there a few minutes before it started and visited with several friends in the lobby and by the time we entered the sanctuary the music had started. We found some seats and I immediately felt something amazing in my heart. Thats when Jayden leaned over to me and said MOM, look who's up there playing guitar. And there right before my eyes, back where he belongs using his talent for Jesus was my friends husband. I was overcome with emotion as I saw God's answer to mine and so many others, prayer. It filled my heart once again with renewed hope. He answers prayers. Why would I ever doubt that? Its just His timing and not ours. We all have work that needs to be done in our lives. 

I am so thankful for God and for His faithfulness and my only response is to have a heart of thanksgiving and faithfulness right back. 

Jesus Calling devo

Seek Me with your whole being. I desire to be found by you, and I orchestrate the events of your life with that purpose in mind. When things go well and you are blessed, you can feel Me smiling on you. When you encounter rough patches along your life-journey, trust that My Light is still shining upon you. My reasons for allowing these adversities may be shrouded in mystery, but My continual Presence with you is an absolute promise. Seek Me in good times; seek Me in hard times. You will find Me watching over you all the time.

But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.
—Deuteronomy 4:29

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
—Hebrews 10:23

The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.
- Psalm 145:20