Today is January 15th, 2013. I did not realize that this would be my first post of the new year. Last Thursday I finally dropped our homestudy packet in the mail. This was such a good feeling. It took me so much longer than I expected to complete it simply because I started the home study, a new job after being home for more than four years and went through the holidays with all that entails. But no matter it is done now and we are anticipating meeting with our Social Worker in the next few weeks to have 3 to 4 interviews and then we will be finished with this part of the adoption. Once that is complete, we are set to adopt. We will simply be waiting on our attorney to do the rest. We can begin to apply for Grants when the home study is complete. I hope to design and order our adoption shirts in the next few weeks.
Joel helped the kids clean out their rooms the first Saturday in January and they look great. Caris still has more cleaning out to do and we have to decide which furniture stays and which goes to bring in the baby bed and dresser for Kalea. I am looking forward to working with Caris to design her new foom for two. We painted it lime green last March and it looks great. So everything we do will coordinate with that bright color. I think it is going to be adorable. As long as Caris is happy with it, then I am happy with it. We have high hopes to finish our basement room for Isaiah to have a new bedroom. Then Elijah can move his toys to his room and out of the living room, just in time to move a pack n play and baby toys into the living room. I never imagined my life to look like this when I turned 40 but I cant imagine it any other way. I guess we may be retired and still have toys and kid stuff all over the house. That is fine with me.
The big kids and I started taking piano lessons last Saturday. We had a great lesson and the teacher is wonderful. She has us all really excited about learning to play. The big kids are playing the piano every chance they get. I hope this enthusiasm lasts for awhile. I hope they will both develop a love for music and develop their skills. Im thrilled to be refreshing my skills. I have been pleased with the things I am remembering and that my teacher is teaching me a new method from the way I learned years ago. This will allow me to play in church whereas before, I could not do it. So I am excited to see how fast I can progress. I hope pretty fast since I will have a baby, hopefully soon.
Now I'm already distracted from the thoughts I was trying to blog because I'm dreaming of the call when our attorney says, "I have a baby for you." I feel selfish because we have friends who have waited years for this kind of call. Our attorney feels confident that our process will move quickly and that possibly Kalea Joy will be born in the summer. Having said that, we don't even know her Mom yet but God does and we believe he will knit our baby together according to His plan and in HIs time.
Back to my original thought. I have been thinking a lot about suffering this week. Some of our dear church family will bury their 7 day old baby tomorrow. Our friend had an emergency C-section last Monday and the baby struggled until Sunday afternoon when she went to Heaven. Our church is trying to minister to them as best we know how. As I have prayed for the baby and now the family, sometimes I don't even know what to say. I say the same thing over and over. I finally began to ask God to hear my heart because I could not make sense of the words. As followers of Chirst, sometime we cannont make sense of what He seems to be up to. I mean, His plan, is not always clear. To see a tragedy like this and this family who is heartbroken, is just hard to understand. We pray and ask GOd to heal and to protect and sometimes we see that prayer answered and sometimes we don't. I have another frined who struggles with family issues. She prays for answers and solutions and sometimes there simply are none.
We will never understand the immense suffereing that some endure while on this earth. I do know that God sees the whole picture. There is an awesome song on the radio now that says "you're already there, at the end of my life, waiting on the other side". God sees the end of His plan which He promises will be more awesome than our minds can imagine. We cant even begin to fathom what is to come but He knows because He planned it for us. I do know that sin and death were not God's original plan but sin invited it into the lives of mankind. While here on earth, we pray for miracles but we don't always feel that God gives us our miracle. I think sometimes the miracle is that God simply carries us when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death or through the deep suffering. We find ourselves living through the unthinkable, somehow and that is the miracle. God carries us through it and teaches us valuable lessons through the pain. None of us willingly sign up for that class. However, when we find our selves in it, God does not waist it. My husband has said many time, God doesn't waist a hurt. He grows us in that place when we think we can't breath or take another step or face one more day. He moves us along this life toward the plan He has for us, not to harm us but to give us Hope and future. Jeremiah 29:11 says that He has a plan for our life. I heard one more new song on the radio this week and I thoguth of my sweet frineds going through the loss of their baby. I cant wait to hear it again because the words are awesome. It say something like "When I can't understand your plan, I still know Who You are. If we know who God is, we can hold tight to that when we walk through suffering. we can trust God has a plan to give us Hope and a future. And one day, we will be with HIm where there is no more suffereing, only JOY forever and ever. I can't wait until that day comes.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Christmas Joy
Dec 25, 2012
Today is Christmas. It is 10:12 PM. We have had a whirlwind of family, food and gifts. What a wonderful time it has been. The older I get, the more I cherish times to be with the people I love. The more I love to remember my Dad and grandparents and my husbands grand parents and Great Jane and those family members that have already gone to Heaven. They are truly the lucky ones.
Our Christmas mantel is full of decorations and hand made Christmas ornaments from all of our grandparents, special friends and the first year of our marriage. When I first put out our Christmas decorations, I did not have anything from Joel's grandmother Crumpton and my Grandmother Todd. Last week, Joel's Mom asked us to come to Grandmother Crumpton's house and get anything that we wanted. I found a Christmas tea pot decoration that was perfect to add to my mantle. Then yesterday, while at Moms for Christmas Eve, she brought out some doileys for the girls to pick from that were made by my Grandmother or Great Grandmother. The one we chose is red and white and is the perfect finishing touch to my Christmas mantle. I am really excited that I now have something from all of our grandparents represented on our Mantle. It was the traditions started by them that we remember as children and through the years.
My Christmas decorations will never appear in Southern living magazine. I'm not that great at it. But my Christmas decorations mean something to me and my family. Every ornament tells a story and every decoration is a reminder of a special person or event in our lives.
Our kids were very excited about Christmas. Elijah, our 4 year old was especially excited. He could not wait for Santa to come. Almost every gift he opened was something he "had always wanted". It's so much fun having a little one around.
I thought we would be matched with a birth Mom by now. I thought we would have a due date and some information on our baby girl but we don't. I'm okay with that. I am waiting patiently and trying to follow God's leadership and trust that His timing is perfect.
We are almost finished with all the paperwork for our home study. I hope to mail it by Friday this week. Then we can work on the interviews and hopefully have all our clearances and the study finished by Feb or March. That is our only update. But we are happy and content and so excited that God has lead us to this place. God is making Himself so real to me and to my family. We know without a shadow of a doubt that God has lead us on every step of this journey so far and will continue to lead us. I pray we will be faithful followers of His plan for our lives. GOD gets glory and we get JOY! Merry Christmas!
Today is Christmas. It is 10:12 PM. We have had a whirlwind of family, food and gifts. What a wonderful time it has been. The older I get, the more I cherish times to be with the people I love. The more I love to remember my Dad and grandparents and my husbands grand parents and Great Jane and those family members that have already gone to Heaven. They are truly the lucky ones.
Our Christmas mantel is full of decorations and hand made Christmas ornaments from all of our grandparents, special friends and the first year of our marriage. When I first put out our Christmas decorations, I did not have anything from Joel's grandmother Crumpton and my Grandmother Todd. Last week, Joel's Mom asked us to come to Grandmother Crumpton's house and get anything that we wanted. I found a Christmas tea pot decoration that was perfect to add to my mantle. Then yesterday, while at Moms for Christmas Eve, she brought out some doileys for the girls to pick from that were made by my Grandmother or Great Grandmother. The one we chose is red and white and is the perfect finishing touch to my Christmas mantle. I am really excited that I now have something from all of our grandparents represented on our Mantle. It was the traditions started by them that we remember as children and through the years.
My Christmas decorations will never appear in Southern living magazine. I'm not that great at it. But my Christmas decorations mean something to me and my family. Every ornament tells a story and every decoration is a reminder of a special person or event in our lives.
Our kids were very excited about Christmas. Elijah, our 4 year old was especially excited. He could not wait for Santa to come. Almost every gift he opened was something he "had always wanted". It's so much fun having a little one around.
I thought we would be matched with a birth Mom by now. I thought we would have a due date and some information on our baby girl but we don't. I'm okay with that. I am waiting patiently and trying to follow God's leadership and trust that His timing is perfect.
We are almost finished with all the paperwork for our home study. I hope to mail it by Friday this week. Then we can work on the interviews and hopefully have all our clearances and the study finished by Feb or March. That is our only update. But we are happy and content and so excited that God has lead us to this place. God is making Himself so real to me and to my family. We know without a shadow of a doubt that God has lead us on every step of this journey so far and will continue to lead us. I pray we will be faithful followers of His plan for our lives. GOD gets glory and we get JOY! Merry Christmas!
Christmas Time is Here
December 10, 2012
Well, the Christmas season is flying by. We finally got our tree up last weekend and are still decorating it. We are not putting up as much as we normally do. Who has time? Working, taking care of the family, church activities, working on adoption homestudy and shopping. Decorating is low on my list of priorities this year. It's truly not that important. What is important is how we spent the first weekend of December.
We took a family trip to Arkansas. We met with Pastor Andy from Crossway Church. Our church is partnering with them this summer to serve in the local May Day celebration for the Marshallese community. God led us to this people group and this church during the early stages of our adoption journey and here we are, discussing our summer missions trip to serve these people who have become so dear to our hearts. Our adoption has become about a whole community, not simply one baby. Our church wants to adopt the Marshallese church and form a missions partnership. God is awesome the way he puts so many pieces together to bring forth His plan.
We stayed in the church mission house which was nice and roomy. On Saturday our family went to help serve breakfast to the homeless. Our two big kids served food, Joel gave a devotion and I kept an eye on Elijah. As breakfast was ending, Elijah played outside with some children who had come to eat breakfast with their Mom. We saw the "compassion center" which is the churches thrift store ministry. They have a huge food pantry in the back of the store where they gather food to share with those in need. Pastor Andy was wonderful to show us around and host us all weekend. We then had lunch with the pastor of the Marshallese church, Mithan was his name. His lovely wife Robin and a sweet couple from their church also ate with us. It was so nice to have some time to talk about what ways our church could serve their congregation. Because the church is made of up Marshallese people, we discussed the needs in that community and how we may help during the May Day celebration. We were able to meet some other Marshallese people and make some great contacts with in that community.
We were able to have some family time on Saturday. We visited our attorneys office, took photos at the old court house and walked around the town square on December 1st, to see the Christmas lights and Santa. On Sunday, we attended the churches Christmas musical. That was awesome! It opened up like a TSO concert. When we got out of our van and began to walk inside the church, the truck parked next to us had the word "Joy" in the tag number. That is our word for this Christmas season because our baby will be named Kalea Joy. GOD gets glory and we get JOY! That is a well known saying around our church. Anyway, back to the trip. The opening congregational song was a beautiful arrangement of Joy to the world. I began to cry at that point and did off and on through out the program. God has given us great Joy.
We ate lunch with Pastor Andy and then headed to the Marshallese church which met at 2PM. It was so surreal to see and meet and sit in Sunday Service with a group of people that I never knew existed until God led us to them. I kept thinking, only God could have led us here. There is no way we could have dreamed this up. God is making our path so clear on this journey and it is simply amazing.
We had planned to leave on Sunday after the Marshallese service. However, we were not able to schedule a time to meet with our attorney until Sunday evening so we decided to stay one extra night and boy I'm glad we did. On Sunday afternoon, we ended up going to meet with a Marshallese lady in her home and she gave us lots of information about the Marshallese culture. She told us there was a small shop where a Marshallese lady named Karmen sold food and handicrafts. We were so excited to find the shop and talk with her and buy some souvenirs We also stumbled across a church having a Gospel Day celebration. We were able to catch a glimpse of this community worshiping and praising God as they celebrated the day Missionaries brought the gospel to their islands.
The last event of the day was when we met with our attorney and her husband for dinner. We felt so confident that God had led us to her but especially when we met her face to face. She told us many stories of how God had put families together and the miracles she had seen through adoption. Her husband was emotional talking about all God has done since she has worked with adoptions. It was wonderful to hear from them and confirm once again that God is leading every step of this journey. Our minds were blown. God is so good and it is such a privilege to be on this journey that He is so clearly leading.
Merry Christmas! May we all focus on what is important this Christmas season. It is the miracle of Jesus birth, the miracle of His life and the miracle of His Grace that saves us.
Psalms 126:3
The LORD has done great things for us and we are filled with JOY!
Well, the Christmas season is flying by. We finally got our tree up last weekend and are still decorating it. We are not putting up as much as we normally do. Who has time? Working, taking care of the family, church activities, working on adoption homestudy and shopping. Decorating is low on my list of priorities this year. It's truly not that important. What is important is how we spent the first weekend of December.
We took a family trip to Arkansas. We met with Pastor Andy from Crossway Church. Our church is partnering with them this summer to serve in the local May Day celebration for the Marshallese community. God led us to this people group and this church during the early stages of our adoption journey and here we are, discussing our summer missions trip to serve these people who have become so dear to our hearts. Our adoption has become about a whole community, not simply one baby. Our church wants to adopt the Marshallese church and form a missions partnership. God is awesome the way he puts so many pieces together to bring forth His plan.
We stayed in the church mission house which was nice and roomy. On Saturday our family went to help serve breakfast to the homeless. Our two big kids served food, Joel gave a devotion and I kept an eye on Elijah. As breakfast was ending, Elijah played outside with some children who had come to eat breakfast with their Mom. We saw the "compassion center" which is the churches thrift store ministry. They have a huge food pantry in the back of the store where they gather food to share with those in need. Pastor Andy was wonderful to show us around and host us all weekend. We then had lunch with the pastor of the Marshallese church, Mithan was his name. His lovely wife Robin and a sweet couple from their church also ate with us. It was so nice to have some time to talk about what ways our church could serve their congregation. Because the church is made of up Marshallese people, we discussed the needs in that community and how we may help during the May Day celebration. We were able to meet some other Marshallese people and make some great contacts with in that community.
We were able to have some family time on Saturday. We visited our attorneys office, took photos at the old court house and walked around the town square on December 1st, to see the Christmas lights and Santa. On Sunday, we attended the churches Christmas musical. That was awesome! It opened up like a TSO concert. When we got out of our van and began to walk inside the church, the truck parked next to us had the word "Joy" in the tag number. That is our word for this Christmas season because our baby will be named Kalea Joy. GOD gets glory and we get JOY! That is a well known saying around our church. Anyway, back to the trip. The opening congregational song was a beautiful arrangement of Joy to the world. I began to cry at that point and did off and on through out the program. God has given us great Joy.
We ate lunch with Pastor Andy and then headed to the Marshallese church which met at 2PM. It was so surreal to see and meet and sit in Sunday Service with a group of people that I never knew existed until God led us to them. I kept thinking, only God could have led us here. There is no way we could have dreamed this up. God is making our path so clear on this journey and it is simply amazing.
We had planned to leave on Sunday after the Marshallese service. However, we were not able to schedule a time to meet with our attorney until Sunday evening so we decided to stay one extra night and boy I'm glad we did. On Sunday afternoon, we ended up going to meet with a Marshallese lady in her home and she gave us lots of information about the Marshallese culture. She told us there was a small shop where a Marshallese lady named Karmen sold food and handicrafts. We were so excited to find the shop and talk with her and buy some souvenirs We also stumbled across a church having a Gospel Day celebration. We were able to catch a glimpse of this community worshiping and praising God as they celebrated the day Missionaries brought the gospel to their islands.
The last event of the day was when we met with our attorney and her husband for dinner. We felt so confident that God had led us to her but especially when we met her face to face. She told us many stories of how God had put families together and the miracles she had seen through adoption. Her husband was emotional talking about all God has done since she has worked with adoptions. It was wonderful to hear from them and confirm once again that God is leading every step of this journey. Our minds were blown. God is so good and it is such a privilege to be on this journey that He is so clearly leading.
Merry Christmas! May we all focus on what is important this Christmas season. It is the miracle of Jesus birth, the miracle of His life and the miracle of His Grace that saves us.
Psalms 126:3
The LORD has done great things for us and we are filled with JOY!
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Thankfulness
We have celebrated Thanksgiving with our family. Some sickness has been floating through our extended family but we have all managed to stay well. I spent lots of time wiht my sister which is a rare treat. She and I took my big kids black Friday shopping and ate at IHOP. That was fun. We got a few door buster deals. Then my sister and I had a "sewing lesson" with my Mom. I cant say I can sew but I learned some things. It was fun beginning the process. Especially since I am sewing with my Grandmothers sewing machine that I used to see her sew with. I have thought a lot about her lately and I miss her dearly.
We went to MS Saturday to pay honor to the graves of my Dad and my Grandma and Grandpa. I did not feel sad at the cemetary. I know that is not where my loved ones are. I am confident that they are with Jesus in a place that my mind cannot comprehend but I look forward to going one day. They are with Jesus. The cemetary simply contains a monument where I can take pretty flowers. Then we went to my grandmothers house which is almost empty. Soon our family will sell the house. While that makes me sad, she is not there. My Pawpaw has been gone for many years. It's not the same place that used to mean so much to me. It's not about the house, the yard, the stuff but about the people who I love that are no longer there.
Also, my husbands grandmother "Mamu" went to Heaven this year. This was the first Thanksgiving I did not get to enjoy her dressing. While Grammys dressing was great, Mamu was greatly missed. These are the first holidays with out her. Those are always difficult. But again, we are confident she is with Jesus and we have Joy in knowing we will see her again.
In our adoption journey, we have no new news. We are planning a trip to visit with our attorney soon. We will also visit with a church that we believe, through our adoption, God has led our church to partner with in Ministry. We look forward to worshipping with them and exploring the possible opportunities God has in store. It's so exciting that our personal adoption journey is growing into a possible missions partnership. We also have some friends who are considering adopting through the same professionals that God led us to. That is an answer to my prayer that God would use our story to encourage others to adopt. We already see our journey growing into a bigger picture. God is about the big picture. He will use each of us in ways we can never imagine if we just follow Him. I never thought our journey would include so many people as it already does and we are still in the beginning stage. I cannot wait to see how God will use this journey to further His kingdom and bring home more babies to forever families for His glory and our Joy.
So, more than ever, I am so Thankful to my awesome God for all He has done and all He will continue to do.
We went to MS Saturday to pay honor to the graves of my Dad and my Grandma and Grandpa. I did not feel sad at the cemetary. I know that is not where my loved ones are. I am confident that they are with Jesus in a place that my mind cannot comprehend but I look forward to going one day. They are with Jesus. The cemetary simply contains a monument where I can take pretty flowers. Then we went to my grandmothers house which is almost empty. Soon our family will sell the house. While that makes me sad, she is not there. My Pawpaw has been gone for many years. It's not the same place that used to mean so much to me. It's not about the house, the yard, the stuff but about the people who I love that are no longer there.
Also, my husbands grandmother "Mamu" went to Heaven this year. This was the first Thanksgiving I did not get to enjoy her dressing. While Grammys dressing was great, Mamu was greatly missed. These are the first holidays with out her. Those are always difficult. But again, we are confident she is with Jesus and we have Joy in knowing we will see her again.
In our adoption journey, we have no new news. We are planning a trip to visit with our attorney soon. We will also visit with a church that we believe, through our adoption, God has led our church to partner with in Ministry. We look forward to worshipping with them and exploring the possible opportunities God has in store. It's so exciting that our personal adoption journey is growing into a possible missions partnership. We also have some friends who are considering adopting through the same professionals that God led us to. That is an answer to my prayer that God would use our story to encourage others to adopt. We already see our journey growing into a bigger picture. God is about the big picture. He will use each of us in ways we can never imagine if we just follow Him. I never thought our journey would include so many people as it already does and we are still in the beginning stage. I cannot wait to see how God will use this journey to further His kingdom and bring home more babies to forever families for His glory and our Joy.
So, more than ever, I am so Thankful to my awesome God for all He has done and all He will continue to do.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Orphan Care
I've completed two weeks at my new job. It feels funny saying that since I have worked at this same boys home two times before. First, I helped my husband as a weekend houseparent the first year we were married. The second time I was hired as a fill in Social Worker which is what I am doing now. It's so obvious why God would drop this opportunity in my lap, totally line up every detail from the flexibility of my schedule, to on site free day care for Elijah and for me to serve local orphans while I work towards my baby girl. It has been a true reminder of why I went into Social work in the first place. In two weeks, I've had an opportunity to meet several of the boys who live there and learn a little bit about their story. In the past, when I worked with boys homes, people would ask how I could do it. They would say how sad the situations and circumstances were and how difficult the job must be. I would say that you sort of get used to it and numb to it. You just work with the kids each day and try to encourage and teach and help them make good choices that will lead them to a good life when they grow up. However, as I sat in the office yesterday, I wept as I read the stories of some of the boys. You never truly get used to the heartache of little children who long for a family. They long to have a Mom and Dad or at least someone kin to them that can love them enough to raise them and meet their basic needs. Maybe God put me here to simply remind me that so many children around the world are hurting. So many children need Mothers and Fathers but more than anything, they need to know their Heavenly Father loves them and will never leave them. Its my job to share that with them and God is laying out opportunities for me in a way I cannot deny. I saw a tshirt tonight that said "If you can't feed 100 people, feed 1." Sometimes we believe the lie from satan that the problem is so big we cannot make a difference. We CAN make a difference. If we can make a difference in one childs life, then we have done what God has called us to do. What opportunities has God given you? This Sunday is Orphan Sunday. Our worship Pastor found a beautiful song that we are planning to sing. The lyrics talk about how we are not orphans anymore. We were, until Jesus loved us and wanted us even though we did nothing to deserve it. He paid such a high price for us knowing that we would betray Him and deny Him and sin. But He loved us and adopted us and now we can eat at the kings table and we have all the blessings of His kingdom. We have the promise of Heaven. We have a Daddy that will never leave us. We are forever His. Please join me in praying for Orphans here and around the world. Maybe God will lay out some opportunites for you to encourage and care for orphans. I have to take an opportunity to say how thankful I am to the people in our church (and in our circle of friends) who have been involved in orphan care through adoption, foster care, mentoring, MakeWay Partners, other orphan care ministries and sponserships. You are all an inspiration to me but more importantly, to the children God puts in your path. Thank you for being the hands and feet of Jesus to orphans.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Here is what we know so far
So many people are asking us about our baby so here is the short version. After extensive research and asking the LORD to direct us, He led us to a domestic cross cultural adoption. We are working with an attorney and will be matched with a birth Mom. We will be able to follow the end of the pregnancy and be at the hospital when she is born. We have requested a baby girl because we have two boys and one girl. Caris wants a sister and a room mate so bad. All our kids are so excited about adopting Kalea. Even Elijah who is four is learning what adoption means and he is excited that he will be a big brother. She will be an American citizen but of Pacific Island decent. So, we dont know anything about her yet or the birth Mom or when we can expect her. We are on a list to be matched when a birth Mom expecting a baby girl comes available. That's where we are in the process
We are very excited that we have finally started the home study process. Wow that is more involved than I imagined. Again, God has led us to a Christian professional who will conduct the study. God keeps showing up in every step of this process and I want Him in every detail.
I began that job this week and it is going great. I'm really thankful that not only will this help with the financial part of this adoption, but I have a chance to work with local orphans. What a ministry this will be. My schedule has worked out so that I will work half days and my kids do not have to change any part of their schedules. I think it will be great.
The most exciting thing that has happened today is that some really good friends of ours went to court today. They learned that parental rights have been terminated on their foster child. They fostered him with the hopes of adopting him. We, along with many of our friends have prayed for them to be a forever family and it looks like the beginning of next year, they will be able to adopt him. Praise be to our GOD! This is wonderful news that so many of us are so thankful for. What a wonderful end to a difficult few months of uncertainty. God is so good. I also learned some other adoptive parents that we know gained custody of their twins today in a foreign country. It has been a day of good news! Two families we know are experienceing the miracle of adoption. It's so amazing. I am praying specifically for some other families that are praying and in the process of adopting. I get so excited when I hear good news from them. Praying God will give them a child soon.
The last thing I will post tonight is that I am looking forward to spending Saturday afternoon with my family at the Pumpkin Patch. We celebrated my Dad's last birthday there in 2010. It has become a tradition for my family to go to the Pumpkin Patch the weekend before Halloween. While all of this excitement of our adoption makes me miss my Daddy (just because I sooooo wish he was here to experience this joy with us) I know the joy he experiences every moment in Heaven does not compare to anything we can imgine here on earth. I am sooo very thankful for the hope of Heaven and for the Grace and Mercy that our LORD and savior Jesus shows us, to forgive our sin and take us to Heaven to be with Him when we leave this earth. There is no greater reason to celebrate than that. Thank you Jesus!
We are very excited that we have finally started the home study process. Wow that is more involved than I imagined. Again, God has led us to a Christian professional who will conduct the study. God keeps showing up in every step of this process and I want Him in every detail.
I began that job this week and it is going great. I'm really thankful that not only will this help with the financial part of this adoption, but I have a chance to work with local orphans. What a ministry this will be. My schedule has worked out so that I will work half days and my kids do not have to change any part of their schedules. I think it will be great.
The most exciting thing that has happened today is that some really good friends of ours went to court today. They learned that parental rights have been terminated on their foster child. They fostered him with the hopes of adopting him. We, along with many of our friends have prayed for them to be a forever family and it looks like the beginning of next year, they will be able to adopt him. Praise be to our GOD! This is wonderful news that so many of us are so thankful for. What a wonderful end to a difficult few months of uncertainty. God is so good. I also learned some other adoptive parents that we know gained custody of their twins today in a foreign country. It has been a day of good news! Two families we know are experienceing the miracle of adoption. It's so amazing. I am praying specifically for some other families that are praying and in the process of adopting. I get so excited when I hear good news from them. Praying God will give them a child soon.
The last thing I will post tonight is that I am looking forward to spending Saturday afternoon with my family at the Pumpkin Patch. We celebrated my Dad's last birthday there in 2010. It has become a tradition for my family to go to the Pumpkin Patch the weekend before Halloween. While all of this excitement of our adoption makes me miss my Daddy (just because I sooooo wish he was here to experience this joy with us) I know the joy he experiences every moment in Heaven does not compare to anything we can imgine here on earth. I am sooo very thankful for the hope of Heaven and for the Grace and Mercy that our LORD and savior Jesus shows us, to forgive our sin and take us to Heaven to be with Him when we leave this earth. There is no greater reason to celebrate than that. Thank you Jesus!
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