a new look

Wow! Don't you just love change? I absolutely do. I drive my hubby nuts with my ever-changing ideas of what I love.

After my blog completely crashed on me last week, my friend Mandi got a hold of things here and changed the whole blog for me. As orange is just my most favorite color of the moment--it just had to be orangey...just like my walls.  Love it.

I seriously love my brightly colored new blog. Mandi did such an amazing job.

Mandi and her hubby, Matt, are in the process of adopting the most adorable little guy from China.  As a fundraiser she's doing blog make-overs.  If you're like me, and just love a change of scenery on your blog, please contact Mandi.  I know that she would appreciate it so much. They still have quite a lot of money to raise before they travel to China in April. You'll get a stunning new blog--and they'll get a little closer financially to their son.  It's a win-win situation.

I love how the Body of Christ gets to support each other in different ways.

Thanks, Mandi.  You are so wonderful.

* Some posts still have pics all jumbled up--trying to fix the problem.

~~~~~~~

Oh dear, bloggy friends, when my blog crashed I lost all of your blog addresses.  Not. A. Good. Thing.  I have so missed visiting your blogs this weekend.  Please leave me a comment so that I can get your blog addresses again.  I feel so in the dark with what is happening in your lives.  How funny that blog friends can be some of your best friends in the world--even though you may never even have laid eyes on each other.  Such a blessing.

I did, however, have the sweet blessing of meeting a very dear blog friend on Saturday.  From blog friend, to friend in real life. So wonderful. I'll share soon.  

PLEASE leave me a comment so that I can track you all down.

Love and hugs, precious friends. So happy to be back to my bloggy self again. 

blog issues

Ever opened up your blog and things have just suddenly changed?  Font colors are different, margins are squishing up against others, comments are at the top instead of at the bottom.  Something uninvited just invaded my blog.

Oh my word...did I tell you I am so not a fan of technology?

Trying to get it back to normal.  Anyone know HTML?

Help!!!

another precious gift

Wow!  Sometimes God just totally blows me away.  Most of those times He uses people to do it...the glorious Body of Christ!

When we set out to adopt Hailee, we knew that it would be next to impossible to get any grant money for this adoption.  Unlike our previous two adoptions, this time there is no agency involved...which pretty much cancels us out from applying for financial aid. We knew from the start that this adoption would be on a wing, a prayer, and a whole lot of faith.

But is God God?

Is anything too hard for the Almighty Father?

Is there anything He cannot do?

Nope!

We just found out that we have been $2500.00 for our adoptions!  The grant came from an amazing ministry called Anna's Forever Families.   This incredible family lost their precious Anna (who was adopted) way too soon.  Now with Jesus, Anna's hope lives on through their ministry to help others bring home precious children with special needs.  Their courage to continue on with what God has inspired to do, even in the midst of loss that my heart cannot comprehend, touches my heart so deeply.

We are so absolutely thankful to Anna's Forever Families for blessing us with this generous amount of money.  It truly is a gift which brings us even closer to our goal.

With Harper now included in our adoption, we only need $7000.00.  That's for TWO children to come home.  How amazing is that?  God has been so faithful to provide every step of the way. We know He'll continue to do it until we have every penny we need to bring the girls home. He's just amazing like that.

Dear friends, don't ever let the ridiculous costs of adoption hold you back from walking on the water and trusting God to help you save the life of a child.  I know the costs are insane.  Unfairly so. But every time we do this, I wonder how in the world the money is going to come in.  And every time it just does.

Yes, indeed, is God God?

~~~~~~

Don't you just love the new blog button for Hailee and Harper?  My friend, Amanda, did such a great job changing it in a hurry for me.  I love seeing my two precious, beautiful treasures together.

If you already have the button on your blog, it will change automatically.  How in the world does that even work?  Modern technology just amazes me, and confuses the living dickens out of me--which is why I get other smart people to do these little things for me.

Me and technology...we don't go very well together.

every girl

Doesn't EVERY girl deserve the love of her best friend...and her best doggie?



A content life!

and so it begins

It's happening!  Already. Oh my word. 

People ask me what our new daughters name will be...

Me: "Haa-puh"

Them:  (Looking at me as if we had just invented this seriously funky name.) "Who?"

Me: "HAA-PUH!"

Them: "How do you spell that?"

Me: "H.A.R.P.E.R" 

Them: "Ohhhh, Harper!"

(For crying in a bucket...didn't I just say that?)

Somehow, where I come from, the letter 'r' is pretty much non-existent. A word can begin with the 'r' sound. But if it ends in 'er' or 'or', we just forget that the 'r' was ever invented and make the 'uh' sound. If the 'r' is in the middle of the word--well, then we decide whether we feel like pronouncing it, or not. It's hit and miss in the middle.

So, to me, Harp-er is Haa-puh!

Poor girl, just like everyone else, she is going to be so darn confused with her mother.  The real problem is that when I do try and say the 'er' at the end of her name...it just sounds completely and utterly awful.  Butchered, really. I just don't even go there.

Aaahh, the joys.

details

How can I ever thank you all enough for rejoicing with us as we add another precious angel to our family?  Your encouragement means the world to my family as we journey into the unknown.

I'm going to try and answer your questions in the comments and in e-mails I have received....

First, the big one. What will blessing number seven's name be?

Oh my goodness, we have kind of gone around in circles on this one.  We have always asked the Lord to name our children.  It just so happens that our girls all have names that begin with 'H'.  While we love the name the orphanage has given her (Sophia), we never want her to feel left out with not having an 'H' name.  You know how kids can be some times.  We want her to feel like she is part of the family and just like the other girls (if that makes sense). So an 'H' name is has to be.

We really love names that have strong, powerful, meanings.  After all, every time you say your child's name you speak the meaning of their name over them.

There were two names that we, as a family, liked.  But here's the thing...try as we may, we just could not find anything 'spiritual' about them.  The first name we loved was Harper.  But the meaning was not deeply profound or meaningful by any stretch of the imagination....it simply means player of the harp or harp player. Yep--nothing super spiritual about that.  Trust me, we searched!

Then there was the name Hunter.  Anthony wanted to name one of our sons Hunter, we have always loved it.  And it means...well, just a hunter. Very significant stuff. We could of turned the fisherman of men into a hunter of men, I guess.

We prayed, we looked at name books and we searched the internet.  Finally we made our decision.  She will be named......

Harper.

Our very own little harp player.  Who knows, maybe she'll make sweet music for the Lord, or perhaps she will worship Him with all her heart. We love her name. And we adore her already!

How old is Harper?

She is two.  We have always adopted way older children, so this will be a little different for our family.

Doesn't every 51 year old man NEED a two year old?

Yes, I thought so too.

When will we be able to travel to pick up Hailee and Harper?

Our dossier will be ready to be submitted to their country at the beginning of February.  That is when they re-open for receiving dossiers.  If all goes well, and there are no delays, we will travel in April.

Is Harper as delayed as Hailee?

You know, we have no idea.  We don't think so.  But we have absolutely no medical information to go by.  Nothing.  We don't know how big she is, how much she weighs, or even whether she sits, crawls or walks.  We have no information whatsoever.  Only one little picture.

What we see is what we'll get--and that is just fine with us.  Delayed, or not, she is going to be such a beautiful addition to our family. We know that both Hailee and Harper can only but go from strength to strength in a family...that is so very exciting.

How did we know that Hailee and Harper CANNOT be separated?

I'll save that for another post.

Are we sure that we can raise the extra $4000 for an extra child?

Is God God?

Will I continue to homeschool once Hailee and Harper are home?

Yes, I think so.  Thankfully I will have the summer to adjust to the new normal around here.  We'll take one day at a time and see what happens.

You have mentioned that Hailee will need to have open heart surgery asap, will Harper also?

We really don't know as we have NO medical information. 

Are we afraid?

If I sit and really consider all the things that can possibly go wrong, and all the hard times that could possibly be around the corner for us, yes, my heart does tend to skip a beat every now and then.  I am so darn human.  But, I really try not to think about the things that can go wrong, and rather focus on the joy of the mission that lies before us. I truly do know that I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me.

The only real concern I have right now is how in the world I am going to get two little down syndrome angels home on international flights all on my own. Eek!  I thinks it's called drugs...and a whole lot of them.

Have we always wanted to adopt a child with down syndrome?

No, we never really considered it until the day we saw Hailee and Harper's pictures.  Five years ago I would probably have run sprinted a mile.  But, God has changed us from the inside out.  We honestly do feel so incredibly blessed that we have been given the opportunity to parent these two amazing little girls...and to rescue them from certain death in a mental institution.

God is so amazing. 

How do our other children feel about having two down syndrome sisters?

They are super excited.  The seed of adoption is planted in their hearts.  They cannot wait for the girls to come home.

One little issue the boys have is that they are actually going to be outnumbered by the girls in this house. This will be a first for this testosterone dominated home. Lord have mercy!  But fear not--those darling boys have come up with a little plan of their own...they have very politely informed us that there is a "little black dude" waiting out there somewhere for us to rescue. They are crazy about one of my friend Shonni's sons, and need one just like him.  Summer...can you help me out here?

Oh my goodness gracious. Anyone got an extra bus lying around for us?

Help!

Did that answer everything?   Let me know if there is anything else you're just dying to know.

Love you all!

Adeye

our big news

Okay, okay, okay.  I just about died laughing at all your guesses yesterday.  You guys are the best!

Sorry for the suspense.  Although, it was a whole lot of fun.

:)

Well, never in my life did I ever imagine the Lord would take me down this road.  Ever!

You see, for years I had my life all planned out.  I knew exactly what I wanted. Nice house, a plentiful supply of money, a fabulous career, and two kids.

Perfect!

Then God got a hold of my heart...and changed me from the inside out.  The nice house, plentiful supply of money, fabulous career and the two kid idea went out of the window. WAY out of the window.

Because here we are, my dear friends, about to become a family of nine.  Yep--that would be seven kids.  Not six, but seven.  And we could not be more thrilled.  We feel blessed beyond words that God had a better plan for our family. 

Our journey actually began the day we saw Hailee's picture...we saw the face of another angel too.  A sweet little princess.  The Lord had confirmed almost immediately that we were meant to bring Hailee home, that was easy...but what about this other sweet treasure?  We just were not sure.  For months and months we have not been sure.  And so we did the only thing we know to do...we prayed with ALL our hearts, trusting the Lord to lead and guide us.

We waited.  And we waited some more. 

It would have been the easiest thing in the world to just let the whole idea go.  Trust God to bring another family for her, and forget about it.  It's easy to do that.  And in my flesh, I have tried to just let it go many times.  Too many times.  But there are times when, as Christians, we are NOT meant to just sweep things under the rug and let them go.  We're called to do MORE.

This has been one of those times.  Sophia (her name in the orphanage) would not go away.

We prayed.

We prayed some more.

We cried out to God and asked Him to show us clearly what our role was.

Every now and then we hold in our hands the power to change someone's life.  Never in our own strength, but by the leading of the Holy Spirit.  There are occasions when we have the opportunity to make a profound difference in the life of another human being--whether it be a child, an elderly person or anyone else.  God just gives us those incredible opportunities to be His hands and feet on this earth.  The test is whether we are obedient to actually do it, or not.  I have failed the test more times than I care to admit.

Obedience is everything to us.  Everything!

We realized, after much prayer, that God has given us the most amazing opportunity to change the destiny of not one, but two little girls lives.  We could choose to tell the Lord, "No thank you,  it's just too hard, Lord, send someone else".  Or, we could choose to trust Him every step of the way--knowing that He promises us He will never put us in a situation we cannot handle.

That's exactly what we're choosing to do...trust our amazing God. It is with absolute confidence that I can say that God has never, not once, ever let our family down.

And He's not about to now.

The Father has been very clear about something regarding Sophia...she absolutely has to come home with us.  No doubt about it.  Yes, she will be such an enormous blessing to our family--but there is more to it.  Hailee NEEDS this sister.  They cannot be separated.  This is a sister that Hailee is going to need in her life.  Of that we are positive.  Sophia cannot be left behind!

And so, dear friends, God has called us to walk on the water once again. 

Are we afraid?  I'd be lying if I said we weren't a little afraid.

Do we know what to expect on the day we are handed two little girls with down syndrome?  We have absolutely no idea.

But there is one thing we do know with absolute certainty...the Living God has spoken!  He has told us what to do, and we're going to do it...no matter what the consequences are. No matter how hard it is. No matter what trials may await us around the corner. No matter that we have to raise an additional $4000 to bring Sophia home. No matter who may disagree with our decision (and gladly tell us about it). It just does not matter to us. THE LORD GOD HAS SPOKEN!

In our weakness, He WILL be strong.  In our inability to parent them, He WILL show us the way.  In our times of confusion and doubt, He WILL show Himself faithful. He will, He will, He will.

And that, my friends, is all we really need to know as we journey this road.  He is truly all we need.

So, I know this is the part you really want... meet the new addition to our family.  Precious as can be, and already loved and treasured beyond words...

Isn't she just absolutely beautiful?



We are so in love. Smitten!

We'll be sure to let you know as soon as we name this treasure.

Thank you for journeying with me.  Your support and encouragement means the world to my family.

Life is about to become a whole lot more exciting! So wonderful.

With much hope and praise to Him who sits upon the throne,
Adeye

wait no more

Oh my goodness, you guys are so funny. Your comments on my waiting post and my post yesterday were so sweet.  You all assumed that my impatience was due to Hailee.

WRONG!  Well, yes, of course I'm anxiously waiting to bring her home.

But that was not it.  This week has been a time of waiting for some other news.  Big news.  Amazing news.

We finally got our answer.  

did I tell you yet?

That my God is alive and well, and MORE than able to move heaven and earth on our behalf?

Did I?

Well...look what we got in the mail today!  Just twelve days after we went to Denver to get our fingerprints done early.

Twelve days! Not weeks and weeks.  Not months.  Just one and a half weeks.

Only God.





Our approval to adopt Hailee!  This is the piece of paperwork we need to get her into the USA.

Oh my goodness, my friends...how can we ever doubt the faithfulness of the Lord Jesus.  How?  I am in awe of His goodness.

The journey to Hailee certainly has been the most incredible adventure, from day one.  From the day that we discovered that if she were to be saved from life in a mental asylum, that I would have to be the one to do it (due to my hubby being over the age requirement for her country)...to rushing through my American citizenship application with the help of a Congressman.

It has been a journey full of the glorious favor of God.

All because He loves one little girl with a passion that my human heart cannot comprehend.

Rejoicing.

waiting.waiting.waiting.

Have you been gifted with the incredible ability to wait patiently?

I'm afraid I totally stink at it.  I hate waiting.  Hate it.  If I want something...I want it now.  Not in an hour, certainly not tomorrow, and God forbid not next week.  Like yesterday would actually work so much better for me, thank you very much.

Yep, I hate waiting.  In fact, I totally stink at it.  It is in the same category as singing and dancing for me--I was last in line when the Lord handed out those gifts and abilities.

But, here I am...waiting, waiting, waiting.  Trying to pass the time.  Trying not to check my inbox fifty thousand times a day. Trying not to bark at my kids.  Trying to control my thoughts (another not-so-strong point right there).

Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

Will God confirm what we are feeling in our hearts?  Will it be a "yes"? Will we be walking on the water big time?

For goodness sakes...I just need to know.  Like yesterday!

Maybe tomorrow.

Waiting.  Waiting.  Waiting.

growing up

I hope you all had a blessed weekend.

Ours was lovely.  Especially lovely because my hubby was home the entire weekend.  Not one call-out.  That's amazing.  Being called out at all hours, day and night, is just part of his job.  If a family calls for him, he HAS to go.  It was so nice to just have him home...all weekend. I think I could get used to that.

I had such good intentions of cleaning house, cleaning closets, packing away clothes that my children have outgrown.  Yeah, like that happened!

I did, however, make a trip to the coat store.  I bought my third coat.  Yes, third.  The other two both got returned after about a week.  They just did not keep me warm. So now I'm trying a faux fur coat.  Eeekk--I could NEVER do real fur.  Ever.  I know they're warm, but forget it.  It's just not my thing. 

Thank you for your sweet encouragement about my adoption paperwork woes.  I'm getting there, friends.  Just re-doing one document at a time. Those of you who have adopted before know all too well that it is just part of the process to bring our children home. Slow and steady, with a lot of deep breathes, right?

One look at this little guy last weekend, and all of a sudden it hit me....





My baby boy is not my baby anymore.  He is growing up.  





Cade decided to give a pair of his brother's outgrown Heelys (the shoes with the wheels) a try.  He put them on, got a few lessons from big brother, and went.  As easy as that.

My baby boy is growing up way too fast for his mommy's liking.


 


Why can't they just stay little???

this and that

Breathe.  Breathe.  Breathe.

My motto for today.  Reminding myself to breathe!

Oh man, I know it will all be so worth it, but I am so not loving adoption paperwork right now.  Why oh why must they make it so darn difficult?  Hailee's country takes the cake.  Just when I thought I was getting on top of it...nooooooo!  Right now I'm busy redoing paperwork.  Yep--documents I thought were perfect to send in our dossier now have to be redone.  I have spent my whole day trying to get them done all over again.

Breathe.  Breathe.  Breathe.

A doctor's visit this afternoon confirmed what we have suspected for a long time now.  I have Raynauds Phenomenon.   Ever heard of it?  Me neither--until recently.

Raynauds is a circulatory disorder.  For the longest time I wondered why in the world I felt the cold so terribly.  Unusually so.  If my body temperature drops ever so slightly I lose feeling completely in my extremities.  My fingers and toes turn as white as snow, and I get a pins and needles sensation in them.  It is caused from the blood vessels constricting in an exaggerated way.  The only way I can get the blood flowing again is by running my hands under super hot water.  Once the blood starts flowing they then start to turn purple, and then finally very pink. 

There is no cure or anything that can be done about it.  The only thing I can do is try to keep as warm as possible at all times...in Colorado.

So I'm on a mission to try and find the warmest coat and gloves possible.  We are so ignorant I tell you.  Anthony took me to a ski shop to try and find a warm coat.  The perfect place to find a warm coat. Or so we thought. Gee whiz....is that what ski gear costs?  Seriously?  I almost fell over backwards. 

I love the beach--you can buy fifty swimsuits for the same price as one coat.  {smile}

Thank you for rejoicing with me as we get closer and closer to Hailee.  I changed the chip-in and it looks just fabulous!  That is ALL we need. Hallelujah!

Did I tell you recently that God is good?

getting closer and closer

Oh my goodness, when I see how God is providing in miraculous ways for Hailee to come home, it really leaves me speechless.  He truly has multiplied the seed that has been sown, my friends.

We only have about $5900 left to raise.  That's it!  When we started this adoption journey we needed $25, 000 00.  It sounded like such a huge amount of money.  Now we're almost there. We are sooooo close! I feel like my treasured one is almost in my arms.

Hang tight, sweet girl--we are so close.



(for some reason I cannot make that little picture of Hailee bigger)

I am humbled and amazed.  I know I shouldn't be...He's God! And He loves the fatherless more than my heart will ever fully comprehend.

I have received so many e-mails asking me about the silent auction we had planned. YES, we're still doing it.  We're planning on the first part of February.  We'll do it on E-Bay.  I have been so deeply touched by the fabulous things many of you have sent me.  Stunning things.  Thank you, dear friends.  Thank you for playing a part in Hailee's rescue.  We are so absolutely thankful.

If anyone would still like to contribute something, please contact me at [email protected]  There is still time...and we would appreciate any other contributions so very much. Oh how we're trusting God that we'll have a very successful auction.

I am finally starting to feel like we are getting closer to bringing Hailee home. What a journey this has been. I confess, when we started this adoption, I did have times when I wondered how in the world we would ever come up with such an insane amount of money.  Such little faith, I know.  But when I look at our bank account now, I am overcome with emotion.

FAITHFUL AND TRUE...that is His name!

Ever doubted that God can, and will, provide for an adoption? Please, I beg you...don't ever NOT rescue a child due to the ransom that needs to be paid, my friends.  It is NOTHING for the Almighty God.  NOTHING!

Thank you so much for your support and encouragement as we journey to bring Hailee home. Thank you for your prayers, friends.

my thing

Oh my goodness, sometimes I just do the dorkiest darn things.  Seriously.  Do I even have a brain left? 

So a few months ago, here, I painted our eat-in area and kitchen.  That was after I had just painted the entire area--and hated it.  I chose a color that turned out way toooooo purple for my liking, and yes, I hated it again.  That was the third time I had painted this specific area in two years.

I have somehow managed to live with that awful purple for a few months. In my living and learning, I have discovered that purple is so not my color--especially on walls!

Saturday arrived.  My hubby had to officiate a funeral.  The older boys had a play date.  The perfect day to paint my kitchen area.  Again.

This time I was determined to get it right.  I picked a red color. Red's a safe color, right? From that teeny, tiny, little swatch thingy I could tell that it was red--but not too red.  Just perfect.

(When in the world is someone going to make that teeny, tiny paint swatch thingy bigger? I just don't get it.)

I got home, put in a DVD for the little kids, and began my painting job.

I applied the first coat.  Mmm---red!  Actually, very red.  Best I continue and apply the second coat, I thought.  Surely with the second coat it would tone down just a little?  Maybe make it a little darker so that it would not be as bright?

Surely?

Yes, I assured myself that paint always looks way better once the second coat is done.  I proceeded to apply the second coat WITH the trim.

What do you know...as it dries the paint gets redder and redder.  I don't mean brownish red, or a subtle red.  I'm talking the reddest red there is.  Think fire engine red of the brightest, most florescent kind. The walls were glaring!

Anthony walks through the door.  One look on his face and I know exactly what he's thinking..."What in the world is THAT color now, wife?"

Um, yes, Honey, this is red. Very red! Can't you tell?

After seven hours of painting, and getting the entire job done...yep, I hated it!

I know, I know...why in the world didn't I just try a small section of the wall?  Why not do a little tester before I paint the whole wall?

I seriously don't know.  I just have this thing with paint.  Anthony just laughs at me. He has totally given up. His theory is that if I don't say that I love it at least ten times while I'm painting it...it will be changed. 

I woke up this morning and dear husband gave me the look.  The one that says, "So wife, when is the red out of here? I know you can't live with it."

He knows me too well.

After church, I could not get to the paint store fast enough.  I repainted the entire area again this afternoon.  A glorious orangey color. Seriously orangey, actually.  I finally got to paint the new color on AFTER I had primed the entire wall first.  Yep, the red was that red.  I had to use primer first.   

Do I love the orange?  Gee. Well. Ummm. Let's see.  I really don't know yet. I'll let you know when I know.

The only thing I am definitely sure of in my tired state is that my arm hurts and my body aches from painting six layers of paint (with the trim) in two days.

Why oh why do I do this to myself?  I don't know.  I just have this thing with paint. 

I guess my hubby should be grateful--at least my thing is not with gold, or diamonds, or designer clothes.  He should be so lucky that I have chosen paint as my thing.  Don't you think?

I can't help it. I just have to paint our walls---frequently.  It's not like I don't have anything else to do around here.  I mean, life is busy with a big family.  The laundry is piled high.  Ironing (whatever that is) should probably be done at some point.  Closets need to be sorted out (again!).  The fridge really should be cleaned.  A bedroom needs to be sorted out for Hailee. 

But here I am...painting.  And repainting.

Anyone need help at their house?  I know Anthony would love for me to paint someone else's house for a change. Poor guy--he's convinced that if he sits in one place for too long, he'll either be packed away...or painted!

the mountain

What a  l-o-n-g day!  Sorry to keep you waiting on the update, friends.

Oh my goodness, our God--sometimes He just leaves me speechless.

So we arrived in Denver this afternoon.  We parked our car in front of the government office...and then we prayed as a family.  We felt led to pray for two things.  Firstly, that we would find favor with those who make decisions.  And secondly, that we would have an understanding person helping us. Someone nice, you know? 

We went through security and headed inside the building.  It was our turn very quickly and we went to the booth to speak to an official.

You know what God did?

The officer who we were assigned just happened (not!) to the same very nice man who did my citizenship interview!  He was the man who did the civics test with me and approved all my paperwork to become a citizen. He knew me. He knew why I was becoming a citizen.  He knew our story.  He knew why my application for citizenship was expedited.  Officer W. knew!  And he just happened (not!) to be the one to help us today.

Oh my goodness.  Coincidence?  I think NOT!  We could not have asked for a more understanding person.

We sat down, and I asked him if there was anything he could do to expedite our fingerprint appointment. I handed him the receipt we had for our application.  I explained the urgency in bringing Hailee home soon.

"Oh sure," he said. "That is easy to do. I'd be happy to help you out." No questions asked.

He punched a few things on his computer and handed us the letter we have so desperately been needing.

Just like that!

But that's not all.  We asked Officer W. if there was any way that our approval for the a I600A visa could be expedited once we were fingerprinted.  (For those unfamiliar with adoption--it is the visa we need to bring Hailee into the USA. And, it is the final piece of paperwork we need to send our dossier to her country so that we can travel to bring her home.)

"Yes, the man who oversees all the adoption visas in this State is in this building.  Just write a note on a piece of paper asking him to help, and I'll make sure he gets it."

He handed us a piece of paper and we wrote a heart-felt note...asking for help.  Of course I had a picture of Hailee with us, so we stapled it onto the note--to be hand delivered to THE person who can speed things up from here on.

A short while later we got our fingerprints done.

And so I ask you...is ANYTHING too hard for the Lord?  ANYTHING at all?

We all know the answer to that question.

No government system, no red tape...nothing can stand in the way of the Almighty God.  Nothing.

Yes, indeed...mountain be moved!!!  All we have to do is speak to it, and it WILL be moved. It's right there...in the Bible.

Oh happy day!   THANK YOU so much for your prayers today.  We are so absolutely thankful.

All glory to the Father.  My heart just cannot comprehend the amazing love He has for a little orphan girl so desperate for her family to come and rescue her.  He'll move heaven and earth for the fatherless. 

We're coming, little one, we're coming!

the time has come!

Thank you, friends!  Thank you for your amazing outpouring of love and support as Haven accomplishes new things.  Your kind words blessed my hubby and I more than you will ever know.  Thank you, glorious Body of Christ, for rejoicing when we rejoice. We are so very thankful.  Each one of you is such a treasure.

Today brings new adventures...with different child.

Our precious, tiny, already treasured, totally loved, beautiful and adorable Hailee.



I am so over it! I cannot wait one more day for that blooming fingerprint appointment letter to arrive in the mail. I am over trying to get someone to return my e-mails. I am done with trying to get information on the phone.

So over it!

Our local CIS field office (which is two hours away) does not take walk-ins. But that's okay--they're still going to be seeing all seven of us...because we're taking a little road trip!  Yep, we're going to beg and plead, and show Hailee's picture, and tell her sad story, and lay on the guilt we're going to ask them oh so nicely to PLEASE allow us to have our fingerprints done today.

We're praying for great favor today.  Is it impossible? 

No way!  My faith is so much bigger than a mustard seed when it comes to bringing my daughter home. 

"I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."        Matt 17:20

And so I'll say it..."Mountain be moved!"

bye-bye

Today was a day of rejoicing in our little household.

If you have journeyed with me for a while here on my blog, you already know that our beautiful Haven is a non-verbal child (I hate that expression...but for lack of a better one, I'll use it). We adopted Haven 14 months ago after her first family disrupted the adoption. They returned her to her orphanage after just five days--feeling that they could not handle her needs.

It was been such a joyful 14 months with this angel. She is just so very sweet. God reminds us over and over again that He kept her just for us. We're so thankful for the precious gift.

So every now and then we can get Haven to imitate us. She has no idea how to move her mouth to make the sounds come out properly, so most of the things she tries to repeat after us sound nothing like the way they are meant to sound. They're just like baby sounds.

But, every now and then, she gives us a glimmer of hope. Hope that someday she will, indeed, find her voice. These times are so rare--so when they do happen, oh man, do we rejoice around here.

Today was one of those glorious days. We saw hope.  We heard hope!

Our son was sitting on the sofa in our living room. He called Haven to come and sit with him (he is such a tender-hearted angel boy). Haven, very uncharacteristically, decided to play with Kellan. She walked up to him, grabbed the backpack on the sofa next to him and proceeded to walk to our front door. When she reached the door, she spun around and said to Kellan as audible as can be, "Bye-Bye"...and she waved to him, pretending to walk out of the door.

Oh my goodness!!! She has never, ever done that. Ever. She never initiates play in that way. And she never spontaneously says anything that makes sense!

All on her own, she decided it was time to play a little joke on her brother.

When you live with a child who is completely silent for 99.9% of the time, this is HUGE!

"Bye-Bye."



Any girl with a little fashion sense knows that you never leave home without your most stylish pair of sunnies on. Whew, at least I've taught her something well.



"Bye-Bye." Two such tiny little words. But what hope they represent!

Today we're rejoicing.  We'll continue to take the baby steps with this treasure, for each one she accomplishes is such a sweet victory.

please will you pray with me?

We were so hoping to be able to submit our dossier to Hailee's country at the beginning of February.  That is when they reopen for receiving dossiers.

However, our visa application with Immigration is taking WAY longer than we anticipated or hoped.  We applied in the middle of November, and still have not even received a fingerprint appointment.  Ugh!  So not good. 

I know all you adoptive mommy's understand the agonizing wait.

We have tried to get in touch with USCIS--but of course it is next to impossible. 

I am, once again, having to let go and let God.  When all else fails...I know prayer works!

Will you please pray with me, friends?  We need that fingerprint appointment. 

My heart is longing. Our daughter is frail and weak, and I cannot get to her soon enough.

Oh the joys of adoption!  The road to getting our children is certainly painful, but we all know the end is simply glorious.

Thank you prayer warriors, I appreciate it so very much.

Waiting in anticipation for the Father to move THIS mountain too.

what we leave

With tears streaming down my face, I watched the memorial service for Derek Loux today. I blogged about his passing here if you missed it.

Such heartache for his family left here on earth.  Yet, such hope at the glorious reunion someday.

I was so struck by something watching person after person share their precious testimonies...

What an enormous difference there is between leaving a memory--and leaving a legacy!

Memories are a wonderful thing to leave behind when we're gone.  They help people to remember the good. But oh what a humongous difference when a person has passed on and left behind a legacy.

Memories fade, but a legacy is passed on from generation to generation.

Memories are so easy to make.  Good times together, the love of a family, holidays, special occasions, successes in business--they all make wonderful memories.  And those are fabulous.

A legacy, on the other hand, seems so much harder to leave behind--something that is lasting, something that is passed down to the next generation when we're gone.  It seems to me that by comparison, so few people choose to leave a legacy.  We're all just happy making sweet memories and having fun times.

But is that enough?  Is it enough to leave only memories when God calls us all to do great things for Him?  Is it enough when we are all called, equipped, anointed and released to do the work of the ministry?  That includes every single person who has a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Is leaving only memories enough?

All day long I have been pondering the lives of great missionaries, amazing teachers, evangelists, pastors etc...incredible people who chose to live a life of reckless abandon and surrender.  Most of them did not have it easy.  Most of them had a seemingly impossible mission from the Lord.  They sacrificed everything.  They served with their whole hearts.  They loved extravagantly.  They made a profound difference in the lives of people.

They left a legacy.

Just like Derek Loux.  Taken way too soon for everyone here on earth.  What beautiful memories his loved ones have of him.  And what a legacy he has left behind.  The fire he started in the hearts of many to rescue orphans in their distress will continue.  His family is determined.  They will not allow the flame to go out, but rather to have it burn brighter than before.

Leaving a legacy is a choice.  All it takes is a humble servant and a Mighty God working together to make a difference. No way is it the easy road--but rather the road less traveled.

I pray that I get it right, friends. I long to receive the glorious crown of life someday.

How about you?

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.    James 1:12

I pray that my children cherish my memories--but that the seed that I plant will continue to grow!

lessons

My greatest lesson in 2009...

When the road ahead seems crazy, and even a little scary...

Trust God

When the mountain before me seems too high to climb...

Trust God

When life makes no sense at all...

Trust God

When provision seems to be lacking...

Trust God

When my heart aches to hold my daughter so far away...

Trust God

When I get concerned about her health and whether she will even survive the winter...

Trust God

When I miss my family in Africa so much it hurts...

Trust God

When my faith feels so weak and I wonder If my God is even there for me...

Trust God

When the things He calls me to do seem so impossible and I wonder how I can ever do it...

Trust God

When I contemplate all the things that can possibly go wrong with Hailee's adoption...

Trust God

When the weight of the world gets on top of me...

Trust God

When I'm having one of those days--and nothing seems to go right...

Trust God

And when I'm at the end of my rope...

I'm going to trust my God with all my heart!

I'm learning, friends--learning how to trust my God with complete and total abandonment.  Not just on the mountain top, but when I'm so deep down in the valley too.  Some days I get it right--others I fail horribly.  I'm just a slow learner...but I'm getting there.

Trusting God with everything that is within me in 2010!

Happy New Year, dear friends.

I have found that there are three stages in every great work of God: first, it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done.
Hudson Taylor