It's Friday again. The name of the game is to stay busy. Fridays are known to have the most referrals. You could get a call any day, but for some reason Friday seems to be the big one. So, I have two options. #1 is to sit in my house by my phone all day begging it to ring. I have done this. It isn't pretty, but it has been known to happen. #2 Do stuff. Lots and lots of stuff. So, today we have done stuff. We went to Sam's found a whole bunch of reduced meat. Brought it home and stuck everything in the fridge. Went to the park and played and had lunch. Came home for nap time. Enlisted Abigail to help me with an impromptu mini freezer cook with said meet. We made 8 meals so far and I have one more pack to sort and freeze for the grill. Now I am on to laundry. Then I will do floors. I have few ideas for tonight all of which are fun, upbeat, and with people I love being around. Staying busy at this point is my main line of defense (aside of course from God) against insanity. I am keeping a to do list going to keep my time passing.
It may seem wildly productive, but yet my house still doesn't sparkle. What's up with that? Well, I have sat still too long and the 2 phones sitting here next to me still aren't ringing so I am going to go do laundry. Here's hoping my next post will be about our referral!
Friday, July 27, 2012
Monday, July 23, 2012
This is all my fault
So, our bio kids came fast. Like, really fast. So fast that by the time Levi came I was really tired. I remember not long after he was born laying in bed talking to God. I'm pretty sure the conversation went something like this:
God,
Thank you for my boys! I love them. Thank you for this precious little man you have given us. Please Lord, DON'T LET US HAVE ANOTHER BABY FOR A FEW YEARS. I'd love to wait to get pregnant again until at least after Levi is 2. It would be great if we could even wait 3 years...
So, as you can see, God answers prayers. Unfortunately, I just jumped the gun on my asking. However, the good news is that my baby will be three in less than a week. So, God, thank you for being good and giving me what I asked for. Now, I've learned my lesson. Can I please have a referral! :)
God,
Thank you for my boys! I love them. Thank you for this precious little man you have given us. Please Lord, DON'T LET US HAVE ANOTHER BABY FOR A FEW YEARS. I'd love to wait to get pregnant again until at least after Levi is 2. It would be great if we could even wait 3 years...
So, as you can see, God answers prayers. Unfortunately, I just jumped the gun on my asking. However, the good news is that my baby will be three in less than a week. So, God, thank you for being good and giving me what I asked for. Now, I've learned my lesson. Can I please have a referral! :)
Thankful
Some days I am overwhelmed with thankfulness. When we started this journey we knew it would be expensive. We were planning on around $25,000. That is a crazy amount of money. We have 3 little boys and we do our best to live within our means. We try to be good stewards, but even still that is a lot of money. However, this was one area I just knew God had covered.
Then we realized that costs were rising. Things need renewed that weren't factored in. Gas prices went up and so did the cost of plane tickets. Paperwork costs were rising. Doctors visits were expensive. All these things factor in to making the cost of adoption so high. We are estimating that at this point our adoption will cost will be closer to $40,000 total. That is nuts.
I am so awed because God has provided! He has blessed us sooo much. We are so close to our goal it is crazy. At this point we are only about $5,000 away from our estimated cost. So much of that came from gifts. Friends have donated, supported fundraisers, and be so generous. I am without words for how thankful we are. Some gifts have been anonymous. Some are from friends we haven't seen in years. Some are from strangers! All gifts are so appreciated. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who have given. Thank you to all who have prayed for us. Thank you to all who have loved us through even the tough spots. We are so thankful.
Then we realized that costs were rising. Things need renewed that weren't factored in. Gas prices went up and so did the cost of plane tickets. Paperwork costs were rising. Doctors visits were expensive. All these things factor in to making the cost of adoption so high. We are estimating that at this point our adoption will cost will be closer to $40,000 total. That is nuts.
I am so awed because God has provided! He has blessed us sooo much. We are so close to our goal it is crazy. At this point we are only about $5,000 away from our estimated cost. So much of that came from gifts. Friends have donated, supported fundraisers, and be so generous. I am without words for how thankful we are. Some gifts have been anonymous. Some are from friends we haven't seen in years. Some are from strangers! All gifts are so appreciated. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who have given. Thank you to all who have prayed for us. Thank you to all who have loved us through even the tough spots. We are so thankful.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Psalm 84
Psalm 84[a]
For the director of music. According to gittith.[b] Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
Lord Almighty!
2 My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.
3 Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.[c]
Lord Almighty!
2 My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.
3 Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.[c]
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.[d]
7 They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.[d]
7 They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.
8 Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty;
listen to me, God of Jacob.
9 Look on our shield,[e] O God;
look with favor on your anointed one.
listen to me, God of Jacob.
9 Look on our shield,[e] O God;
look with favor on your anointed one.
10 Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.
12 Lord Almighty,
blessed is the one who trusts in you.
blessed is the one who trusts in you.
This morning as I was praying God brought this Psalm to mind. It is one of my favorites. I'm so thankful for God's word. I'm thankful for the truth that my God never leaves me, and knows the plans he has for me. He knows. I don't need to.
Today I am praying for:
A referral for our baby girl
Joy through the wait
All of the families who have recent court dates. That they would pass and bring their babies home soon.
For our friend's the Rogers' paperwork to be miraculously where they need it when it needs to be there.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Court Closures
Today we found out the official dates for court closures in Ethiopia. From August 22-October 1 the courts will be closed for the rainy season. The cool thing is that they will be closing later than we had anticipated. That is great. That means more court dates. There is a piece of me that is praying like crazy that we will get a referral and then get an amazingly quick court date. I am trying to remember that God's timing isn't on my schedule.
If we do have to wait until after closures it would be cool to get a date for the first week. My birthday is in early October, and I think that might be a good way to celebrate. :) Please pray for us as we wait. It is so appreciated. Today is 20 months since we joined the wait list (DTE). That is much longer than we had originally thought. Waiting is long, but we know it will be worth it. We are anxious for a call and a picture of our baby girl. Hopefully, soon we can update with some amazingly awesome news.
If we do have to wait until after closures it would be cool to get a date for the first week. My birthday is in early October, and I think that might be a good way to celebrate. :) Please pray for us as we wait. It is so appreciated. Today is 20 months since we joined the wait list (DTE). That is much longer than we had originally thought. Waiting is long, but we know it will be worth it. We are anxious for a call and a picture of our baby girl. Hopefully, soon we can update with some amazingly awesome news.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
A typical day at #1
I wake up most mornings with exactly the same thoughts. "Please let today be the day." I go to bed with pretty much the same requests being sent up. If this is what was meant by "pray continually" then I feel like I am starting to get it.
5:40am Alarm goes off. I turn it off and roll over. First I think I want to go back to sleep. Then I ask God that today is the day the phone will ring and we will see our baby's face.
6:00 Finally decide to get up. Get dressed and look at my phone with pretty much an identical prayer. I may or may not lay hands on said phone and ask with a pretty please.
7:30 serve breakfast to my kiddos. Sit down with some cereal and yahoo group check. Lots of court dates. (Praise the LORD for He is good!) Facebook stalk the adoption page. Check Email for anything adoption related.
8:00 Work day has started. From this moment we could get a call today. Pray a little more for our babe. This time pray that she is healthy. That some one is holding her and loving her. Pray she isn't hungry.
10:00 Levi comes to me and asks for a snack. Usually I ask him to wait. I am after busy...checking the yahoo group, facebook, email, etc.
12:00 Lunch time and rest time. I reason that we won't get a call during lunch hour so I let my guard down. Eat something. Relax. Breathe.
2:00 The heat is on! Most people have gotten calls in the afternoon so this is prime time for a referral call. I do not go anywhere without my phone in reach. I try to distract myself with a show, chores, talking to friends on the phone. Keeping my mind busy keeps me from dwelling too much.
4:00 Deep sad sigh as I realize the probability of a phone call at this point is pretty much gone. The way I figure the work day ends at 5. I'm not sure if one hour would give them enough time to tie up all that needs done.
5:00 The work day is over and we won't get a call that day. Some days I am relieved to breathe. I may go take a shower since I don't do that during prime working hours most days. 5pm on a Friday is usually about time for a good cry. I usually just get a few minutes of tears. Ask God for a referral for next week and try to perk up.
At bedtime I find myself not being able to sleep as I repeat the same prayer over and over again. "Please, God, please let us get the call tomorrow. I know your timing is perfect. I know you have this all planned out, but please, God, if it is your timing let us see our baby girl's face tomorrow. "
Truth be told, I'm not sure exactly how to pray. I want to be patient. I want to trust God's timing, but I also really want a referral...yesterday. So, I guess I just ask and wait. I try to remember that the wait after I see her face could be 10 times harder since I can't yet touch her. Then once I get to hold her the wait to bring her home could be even more excruciating. I know God knows all the details. I trust he is working all things together for good. But I wait excitedly for that call until then.
5:40am Alarm goes off. I turn it off and roll over. First I think I want to go back to sleep. Then I ask God that today is the day the phone will ring and we will see our baby's face.
6:00 Finally decide to get up. Get dressed and look at my phone with pretty much an identical prayer. I may or may not lay hands on said phone and ask with a pretty please.
7:30 serve breakfast to my kiddos. Sit down with some cereal and yahoo group check. Lots of court dates. (Praise the LORD for He is good!) Facebook stalk the adoption page. Check Email for anything adoption related.
8:00 Work day has started. From this moment we could get a call today. Pray a little more for our babe. This time pray that she is healthy. That some one is holding her and loving her. Pray she isn't hungry.
10:00 Levi comes to me and asks for a snack. Usually I ask him to wait. I am after busy...checking the yahoo group, facebook, email, etc.
12:00 Lunch time and rest time. I reason that we won't get a call during lunch hour so I let my guard down. Eat something. Relax. Breathe.
2:00 The heat is on! Most people have gotten calls in the afternoon so this is prime time for a referral call. I do not go anywhere without my phone in reach. I try to distract myself with a show, chores, talking to friends on the phone. Keeping my mind busy keeps me from dwelling too much.
4:00 Deep sad sigh as I realize the probability of a phone call at this point is pretty much gone. The way I figure the work day ends at 5. I'm not sure if one hour would give them enough time to tie up all that needs done.
5:00 The work day is over and we won't get a call that day. Some days I am relieved to breathe. I may go take a shower since I don't do that during prime working hours most days. 5pm on a Friday is usually about time for a good cry. I usually just get a few minutes of tears. Ask God for a referral for next week and try to perk up.
At bedtime I find myself not being able to sleep as I repeat the same prayer over and over again. "Please, God, please let us get the call tomorrow. I know your timing is perfect. I know you have this all planned out, but please, God, if it is your timing let us see our baby girl's face tomorrow. "
Truth be told, I'm not sure exactly how to pray. I want to be patient. I want to trust God's timing, but I also really want a referral...yesterday. So, I guess I just ask and wait. I try to remember that the wait after I see her face could be 10 times harder since I can't yet touch her. Then once I get to hold her the wait to bring her home could be even more excruciating. I know God knows all the details. I trust he is working all things together for good. But I wait excitedly for that call until then.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Blown Away
We are in awe. We are blown away. There are no words to say how thankful we are. This past weekend we did a little competition between Dan and myself. We thought we would see who could bring in the most in donations in three days.
We stole the idea from some of Daniel's friends who also have adopted. We were hoping to raise a few hundred dollars. To our amazement we raised so much more! Our grand total was $2330! Amazing, amazing, amazing! I can't begin to express how overwhelmed we are by the gifts we were given.
We cannot wait to see our little girl. We are so excited to see how the rest of her story unfolds. We are praying this time of waiting will come to a close soon, but we wait with excitement. Thank you to all who gave and, to all who are praying with us. Your support means more than you know.
We stole the idea from some of Daniel's friends who also have adopted. We were hoping to raise a few hundred dollars. To our amazement we raised so much more! Our grand total was $2330! Amazing, amazing, amazing! I can't begin to express how overwhelmed we are by the gifts we were given.
We cannot wait to see our little girl. We are so excited to see how the rest of her story unfolds. We are praying this time of waiting will come to a close soon, but we wait with excitement. Thank you to all who gave and, to all who are praying with us. Your support means more than you know.
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