This week has been interesting. I feel like there are a lot of unknowns with adoption right now. I feel a little like life is on hold until our little girl is home. So many things have to stay still until the adoption is complete. I find myself sometimes wondering what the future will look like. I get nervous about how money will pan out and how timing will work. All our kids are close in age. Will there be a big gap between this daughter and the boys. How long will this go? Will we be stuck in this house forever? Silly questions, really. As I was praying God brought this passage to mind and I thought I would share it with you. 

Matthew 6:25-34

Do Not Worry

    ²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[a]?    ²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I am a planner, but sometimes I find my planning turning to worry. I have to be careful that I give my future to the Lord and focus on what he has called me to right now. Right now, God has me in position of mommy to three wonderful little boys and a wife to an amazing man. Right now, God has provided a home, food, and many many blessings for us to enjoy. Right now, God has called us to wait and to learn lots of stuff he has to teach us to prepare us for what he has for tomorrow. 

delays?

So, much changes in the blink of an eye in adoption. I am learning that everything can cause possible hiccups. Our agency just posted this on their blog.  If the government does in fact shut down. This will cause some possible delays. Please continue to pray with us for Ethiopia and adoptions as there are several other aspects that could potentially cause more delays.

We are trying to remember that God has a plan and his timing is perfect. This is sometimes hard because it feels a little like we are living in limbo. Again, we know this is only a time, but it is a struggle at times to know what all God is doing with this.

Movin on up!

This week we went to a home school conference and had a blast. We were able to go to some very encouraging sessions, get all our homeschool goodies, spend time with our friends, meet some new friends who are also in the adoption process and also some who have brought their baby home, and had some much needed rest and time with just Dan and I. We had such a great time.

While we were there we went to Starbucks each morning to check our email and of course have some amazing coffee (Oh, peppermint mocha, how I love thee!) When I was looking at the Yahoo group I saw that there were lots of referrals!! So many that we moved up 5 spaces! We are number 20 on the list! (it is the unofficial list, but whatever it gives me a number. :)  We are so excited to see things moving again. It is encouraging to hear that some of the scary changes have actually improved things. I love that God can use stuff for his glory that our minds see as obstacles.

We are just praying that more people continue to pass court quickly so the referrals can continue to come. We are waiting and continuing to fundraise/save for the rest of the costs. We are so excited that God has provided so much so that we now are just saving for travel (about $10,000 more) God has been so faithful and I just can't wait to see the details that he has in store for our little girl's story. Again thank you to all who are continuing to pray with us as we go on this journey. We are so blessed.