Time for a Celebration! We got our appointment date!

Today we got the email from Ukraine with our State Department of Adoption appointment for Monday, November 9, 2009!  We will leave on Friday, November 6 for Ukraine!

As you can guess we are happy!  We want to surprise "V" and show up!  I can hardly wait to see his sweet face and to squeeze him so tight! 

It is so amazing that it has happened this quickly!  If you look at my timeline it is only 12 weeks from the time my husband said yes until we have our appointment!  So, it will be about 4 months from start to finish!  Quite an accomplishment for an international adoption!!!  Thank you God for your blessing!!!!  I will be posting some during our trip and will fill in even more after our trip!  Stay tuned for more to come....Please keep us, our family, "V" and the process in your prayers!

Little Ray of Sunshine on a Crazy Day!

Thursday was a crazy day!  Started off hearing that a family that is wanting to adopt a girl turning 16 had their dossier submitted but they wouldn't give them a travel date because the local USCIS had not sent the approval to the embassy.  So to start off the day I met them at the USCIS office and tried to find out what needed to happen - unfortunately they had no clue....so I made plans to wake up at 2am to call the embassy in Ukraine to find out what we needed to do.

Later that day, I got emails from Ukraine telling me that families dossiers had alot of mistakes by the Secretary of State's office....I love that Jenya said, "The Secretary of State must be tired because he is making alot of mistakes."  Had to make plans to get all the documents re-apostilled on Friday - fortunately I had the families do extra copies and was able to pull all but one document together.

But the little ray of sunshine in the day was receiving a letter from Ukraine from "V"!!!  Unfortunately it was in Ukrainian cursive - no way I could read it!  Luckily Val and Jenya came to my rescue and translated!!!  It warmed my heart to read what he had written:
Hello, this is the letter from V. I love you and DO wait you to come in November. I miss you so much. Thank you for your present. And thank you for everything. I love you all - whole family and really want to join you soon. As you said I prayed to come to you! I miss all family so much, and I miss Takers (Tucker) and Riley .

Kisses. See you soon!
V

Not much longer sweet boy and we will be there!!!!!!!!

The Waiting Game....and how much God cares!

I just had a friend text me and ask if there was any news on our adoption and I sent her a text saying, "Wait, wait, and wait some more..."  Literally within a minute of me sending it I got a new post on Facebook that said, "Caught up in the wait today?  We're praying for you.".  Amazing how God reaches out to us and shows us how much he cares - even on the little things!!! 

Here is the message from Show Hope that was linked to the Facebook post:

Faithfully, I Will Wait
Posted on October 13, 2009 by mckensey . http://ow.ly/ueC2


As I drove the back roads to work this morning I had the radio playing like usual. A song came on that I’ve heard quite a few times lately but today it stuck a different cord within me.

I’m waiting. I’m waiting on you Lord.
And I am hopeful. I’m waiting on your Lord
Though it is painful. But patiently I will wait.
Typically I sing along with an inward focus thinking about things in my life I’m waiting for. That special someone, for God to answer something I’ve been praying about…but today my heart went out to all the families that are waiting for their child to come home. I thought of the two hundred plus names that sit on my computer waiting for us to get notice that it’s time to travel so we can send them their grant award. With China and other countries slowing so dramatically over the past years, we hear story after story of families who have made the decision to adopt, started the process, are ready to make this happen but for now they are simply stuck waiting.

I will move ahead bold and confident.
Taking every step in obedience.
While I’m waiting. I will serve you.
While I’m waiting. I will worship.
While I’m waiting. I will not faint.
I’ll be running the race. Even while I wait.

I think for all of us it’s easy to get caught up in the wait. Wondering when it will happen, wondering why it’s taking so long. But the next line calls us to live while we’re waiting. Keep running, keep serving, keep on living and try not to focus on the wait. Easier said than done that’s for sure.

I’m waiting. I’m waiting on You, Lord.
And I am peaceful. I’m waiting on You, Lord.
Though it’s not easy. But faithfully, I will wait.
Yes, I will wait.

To all of you out there who are caught up in the waiting know that I’m praying for you today. As I’m paying the bills, running reports, responding to e-mails, and going about my daily routine, you are on my heart and mind!

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:14
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. Psalm 130:5

The Power of One - Revealing God's heart and His glory!

Katie from the previous post with her 14 beautiful daughters!  Please read more about Katie at http://www.amazima.org/!  She is a true example of what one person can do if they trust God and are faithful to His call.  My prayer for Katie and her daughters are that God will bless them even greater in Heaven than they could ever imagine and that they would continue to be an inspiration to others.  She has accomplished so much at such a young age - I can't imagine what more she can do (I should say what God can do through her).  I know that someday Katie will hear God speak to her, "Well done good and faithful servant." 

Post that will make you question your life...by Katie

This past weekend I was at an adoption conference in Nashville and was informed about a beautiful 20yo girl that is living an amazing life for God in Uganda.  At 20yo she has moved to Uganda to be a teacher and care for orphans.  She has personally adopted 14 children (remember she is only 20!).  I hope you will take the time to read some of her posts.  She has made me question my committment to God and what I am doing with my life.  The link I have provided will take you to her blog. 

Let's just say that after reading some of her posts....I want to be Katie when I grow up.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007
http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2007-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&updated-max=2008-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=30


it is pouring. it is freezing. the power has been off for days and the water lines are down. yet i stand in the middle of 25 children praising and thanking the Lord. our usual outside worship has been taken indoors due to the storm, so instead of praying together, the children are praying in their individual rooms. i am in the primary boys room which is home to our boys ages 6-10. i have never seen anyone so alive with love for their Maker. some stand with their hands in the air. others, like me, so overwhelmed with awe, have fallen to their knees on the cold, cement floor. the beautiful sound of 26 voices lifted in prayer drowns out the beating of the rain on the tin roof. God is so in this moment, i feel so full of His love, that my heart threatens to burst. this is not something i can explain to you. this is not something words can ever capture. this feeling is bigger. the splendor of God in this room takes my breath away. we all pray out loud and our voices mix into one, all different word, but the same message: thank you. THANK YOU.



at first glance, it would be easy to feel sorry for these little boys. their clothes are tattered, they sleep on old, dirty mattresses, they walk to school barefoot in the rain. they have no electricity, no running water, and it is raining so hard that the whole compound has become a muddy swamp. but you should not pity these children, in fact, you should envy them. i know i do. at six years old, these children know what it is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. these children know the Greatness, the Wonder of our God.



when was the last time you prayed out loud for 30 minutes? when was the last time you spent as little as half an hour listing to the Lord all the reasons that you love Him, thanked Him for all He has done for you, or even simply marveled at his awesome grace?



ive had people ask me why africa is so impoverished, even had people tell me that it is a cursed nation. africa is not impoverished. these children are not poor. we are. we put value in things. these children, having no things, put value in God. we put our trust in relationships, these children, having already seen relationships fail, put their trust in the Lord. this nation is blessed beyond any place, any people i have ever encountered. God has not forgotten these people, in fact, i believe He has loved them just a little bit extra.



i sit here freezing and wet in this pitch-black room as the rain beats on the roof, and God is so close i feel i can touch Him. my deepest prayer is that i could know that Lord as well as the first-grader next to me. all my senses are full of His greatness. Gods glory has fallen down into this place and is soaking us even deeper than the rain. i never ever want to be dry.