Have You Seen This?

Shawn and I watched this the other night. It's in England, so some of the protocol and terms are different. But the underlying theme is identical to foster care scenarios played out across the United States daily. This is a must-see for anyone who has a heart for orphans.

Paperwork Foibles

So, because my excitement got the better of me, I stayed up late the other night to get started on our adoption paperwork. Problem was, I stayed up a little too late.

My eyes blurred.

I forgot our wedding date.

I misspelled my daughter's name.

I gave up.

Sigh.

I'll continue the paperwork when my eyes stop crossing.

(I think it would be in our best interest.)

Week of Prayer

In December of each year, our church dedicates one week to prayer. For seven days we meet together, study together,

and pray together. On the last day of the week, Saturday, we give a love offering to God, fast, pray, and praise.

Today my heart is full. I feel like God has given me this week of prayer to draw me closer to Him in preparation for the arrival of our host daughter. God knew I needed the extra strength that only He can give. I just didn't have enough to give her from my meager resources. This week, God has filled me up with His grace and goodness and my cup is overflowing with gratitude.

And This is Where it Begins...Again!

In January of this year we sent our heart back to Latvia in the form of four beautiful children we had hosted for a month. Our one and only thought was how to get them back into our home as fast as possible. We filled out an application and were ready to mail it in when we received word that our four did not want to be adopted. As our dreams crashed down around us, we tucked our application away in an almost forgotten corner of the house. Life returned to normal and our dream died down to a mere flicker of a flame.

November is National Adoption Awareness Month and the time when many adoption agencies drop their application fees. Not really having a definite plan, we decided to take advantage of a $200 savings, dust off our application, and mail it in. Today, we received this ...

It is the first packet in a series of packets to get the ball rolling towards adoption.

Do we know where we are going with it?

No. Nope. Not at all.

We are heading down an open road, trusting that God will lead us exactly where He wants us to go.

Let the paperwork begin!!!

What is She Thinking?

Today our host daughter braved frigid temperatures and an early morning trip. Along with a carload of other orphans she traveled two-and-a-half hours from her orphanage to the US Embassy to receive her visa to come to America. I so wish I could know for one minute what she is feeling inside.

Is she nervous? Worried? Excited? Or, like me, a combination of all of the above?

I wonder what her expectations are of us and what she wants to gain from this trip. Do her eyes sparkle as she tells all her school friends about her upcoming adventure? Does she bite her lip in nervous anticipation? How often do we cross her mind.

I wonder if she will find us a fun family to be with.

I wonder what her story is and why she was never adopted.

I wonder,

oh, how I wonder,

how to share Jesus with this precious girl.

Because, as much as I wonder about what she is thinking right now. I know what God is thinking about her. He loves her. She is His princess. I want so much for her to understand that.

Please pray with me and for me that while she is here, her heart will be touched with the warmth of God's love.

Stepping Blindly

We submitted out adoption application.

And I don't know how to feel right now.

I am not excited.

It is a long and uncertain journey on which we are embarking.

I am not nervous.

God has shown me too many times that NOTHING is impossible for Him.

I am not feeling anything -- which is for me, a very strange way to be.

Or, maybe, it's because I feel perfectly content with however God wants to lead us.


One year ago, I knew exactly where we were going.

We were going to adopt the four children we had hosted from Latvia ...

And live happily ever after.

Duh!

But then they said no.

Simple.

N-O.

Our cart of dreams came to a screeching halt.

We disembarked in some strange new place we'd never visited before and, after stumbling around in a fog for awhile, discovered one stepping stone at a time leading us to yet another unknown destination.

The fog still swirls about our feet, and we sometimes teeter uncertainly on our single step, not knowing where or when the next step will appear. But there are also moments of breathtaking beauty when we catch glimpses of the intricately detailed work God is doing in our hearts and for our situation.

We don't know where this new road is going.

We only know we must follow ... and trust.

One.

Step.

At.

A.

Time.

The $10 Bridge Just Got a Little Longer!

I'm doing the happy dance today!

And I'm hopping mad!

Why?


First, the good news...

The $10 bridge from that orphanage in Eastern Europe to Bobby's doorstep in America had a few more stepping stones added to it.

How many stepping stones?

No less than ONE HUNDRED AND TWO ... and a half. :)

Woohoo for 102 (and-a-half) new stepping stones to bring this sweet little boy to his forever home.

At the rate of $10 per stepping stone that means $1025 was raised. Yaaay!

$3475 is still needed to reach the goal for foreign fees.


And now for the reason I'm so mad!

Someone told Bobby he was naive to think this money could be raised.

Grrrr!

I bet we can prove this someone WRONG.

Let's give this someone overwhelming evidence of God's love for the orphan - even the special needs orphans.

Let's build that bridge!

Please donate $10 here.

Please share this blog entry and link with all your friends and ask them to donate $10 as well.

Please ask your friends to also share on their blogs or on Facebook.

I donated on Thanksgiving Day and I will donate again.

I want this little boy HOME!!!

Thank you so much for your help!

God bless you!