Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Thoughts...

Sometimes when you think and have thoughts it is invitation for Satan to come and get under your skin. That is what is happening to me. Clinging to God and the promises he has for us. Plugging away and doing what God wants me to do. Praise God through ALL things! Trials, tribulation and best of all joy!!

God has plans for me..maybe not what I think they should be..but HE holds me and cares for me and I know I am safe! That is the most wonderful thought for me.

Perseverance, patience, waiting, trusting, believing, and FAITH! Faith believing in things you have yet to see...with God all things are possible!!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Enough Said...

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, then who could go against us? Romans 8:31 (NIV)

Monday, September 27, 2010

Our Meeting Day...

The day we met (actually met again) our son was a day I will never forget!!! Let me clarify something..we really had met Jovan before. We met him the very same day that we met Kristina. She was adopted in 2007. So we knew of his wonderful spirit, engaging smile and electric personality!!! God moved many mountains to have us adopt again and I give God ALL the glory!

The day before our Ministry appointment was the day we arrived in country. That night sleep was not really attainable. Nerves, excitement, and pure thank fullness were the emotions we had. In the morning we got ready...my memory was getting my hair all done and because of the humidity it went flat! :) Ruined TWO pairs of nylons!! UGH! Out the door we went!

Grabbed a taxi to a park where we met our facilitator. It was so great to see her again and helped to calm our nerves! Don't ask me why we were so nervous..we knew exactly what was going to happen because we had done it two and a half years earlier. We walked many blocks and arrived at "the building". After passing through security and after getting settled we started. The details of Jovan's birth choked me up!!! I kept saying to myself "don't you dare cry" and I only teared up! :) I will not share the details..but I will say there had to be a TON of emotions when my son was born.

After the meeting we got a cab and headed to the orphanage. We could have walked as we knew the way!! When we got on his floor they had him in the hallway and he knew we were coming! The sweetest thing I remember is that they told him that his mama and tata were coming from America. And what a meeting! I did NOT want to let him go!!!!! But I had to share! :) We played in this little room with toys and a book we brought him. Full of energy he was. I just looked at him and could not believe that we were there. Like a dream!! Our son, one who was wanted and waited for!! All of those years, months, days, minutes and seconds dreaming about this meeting paled compared to what it was really like.

My little boy...wow it feels like he has been here with us since he was born! Today my mom said that it feels like he was born from my womb. Wow! Brings tears to my eyes. To know where my son started out and his physical condition to where he is right now is nothing short of miraculous!!! God's plan is amazing and if you follow along with God's will for your life you will be amazed at what wondrous things HE can do! We wanted God's will to be done more then anything!! And I knew we would be comforted if we were not allowed to return! Now that wonderful gift from God is sleeping down the hall!! :) Thank You God!!

One Year...

One year ago we met our son!! (Again) What a joyous day that was!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


This is us...we have a son!! I remember that day like it just happened yesterday! And now one year later he is getting ready to go to school! Stay tunes I will post more about our son later.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Prayers Please!!...

Several months ago my friend traveled to a couple of Eastern European countries. While in one of the EE countries. This is her story... I met one little girl who, at 10 years old, was in imminent danger of being transferred. She'd already come from one horrible situation, and was now stable in a good place for 3 years, but was going to be transferred again. Our contact there begged us to help find her a family before that transfer happened, which I promised to do.

I just didn't know, right at that moment that family would be mine.

Fast forward a few weeks, when we had committed to adopting her. After dealing with the
Icelandic volcano at the delays it caused us in getting home, and a few other issues, we started our homestudy process, only to come to a screeching halt when it was discovered there was a paperwork glitch in the system on their end. This child was immediately removed from all registries until they could get it worked out.

That was in May, and it's still not figured out. Instead, the child's case manager doesn't want to deal with it, because this child is not worth the time or energy when there are so many other more
adoptable children needing homes.

At the end of July we decided to move forward in faith anyway! That if we got our homestudy done and through USCIS, at least when word came that she was ready, WE would be ready. Our homestudy will be on it's way to USCIS at the end of the week, and all we will have left to do is wait for their approval, then continue to raise money.

As I type, the future of this child rests in the hands of ONE PERSON who will decide her fate, and weather or not we will be able to adopt her, or she will be sentenced to spend the rest of her life in an institution. They have actually tried placing her in foster care first, but the foster families have refused to take her! Because of her craniofacial malformations, they cannot take her out in public there. The person in charge is going to try one more foster family before either moving her to the institution or releasing her for
international adoption. If she is institutionalized, the lack of medical care she desperately needs RIGHT NOW will mean the loss of what little vision she has left within a year or two at best. She will begin to suffer massive headaches due to cranial pressure due to lack of space for brain growth, and compression of her brain on her spinal column. Sentencing her to the institution will be sentencing her to severe neglect and painful suffering like no human...no child... should ever have to endure.

But God can work all kinds of miracles.When one small person like me prays, he hears. But when we storm the heavens with prayers, he hears, and later we can all be a testimony to yet another miracle he performed in the life of a child.

If you would storm the heavens with me, that we could all see the miracle for this one child, what a testament to God that would be!

Can we all please pray for my friend and this little girl! Please God hear us praying and begging you for her life and please God bring her home. Amen

Monday, September 6, 2010

I Know...

Yes, there many things I know! :) Several things I do not know. My children start school tomorrow, and it is very emotional for me.(Oops, I started this a few weeks ago.) It' like there in the big leagues now, going to school everyday. I know I will miss them terribly! Those are my babies!

I know my children will be excited for quite a long while. They really like school and learning things. Jovan knows many things and this summer he learned the sounds that each letter makes! Not bad for a kid who spent quite a bit of time alone in the orphanage. I know that God kept him safe while I prayed and begged God for a family for him. He is an amazing little boy. During the open house at school he figured out on his own to get up to the drinking fountain to get a drink. My heart leaped with joy!!! His wheelchair fits under the tables he has and is at the height the other kids are at. Kristina has a desk and Jovan would be too short to use that. God takes care of every detail.

My daughter is excited to go to school! I know her language has improved this summer! I know she is understanding more and how to figure things out! I know I want the best in the world for her! I know that one day I hope I can explain about her "tummy mommy" and the HUGE sacrifice that she made to have Kristina live. I know that I think of that woman often and can still see in my mind the moment she handed Kristina to me and walked away down the street. My heart and I were so emotional!

I know that being a parent is not always easy! But it is something that I love!! I waited a LONG time to be a mommy! I knew since about the age of seven that I wanted to be a mom! Shortly after that I knew I wanted to be a mom with special needs kids! I know that was God who instilled that love and desire in my heart. He gave my husband that same desire!

I know that I love God! Not for what he does for me..that would take years to blog about! But I love God for who he is! To me God is comfort, greatest love, safe, and exciting! God is my father, the one that loved me before anyone else did. How cool, I rest in God's arms a lot!! I pray and desire God's will for my life. I know that Jesus died on the cross for me and took away all of my sins. Every one of them! Nothing can take that away. I have known Jesus since the age of five. Yes, and I remember exactly what happened and can still recall many of the words my mother talked to me about. I came to Jesus with my arms held high and wanting peace and love! I got it and so much more! :) I know there is only one way to heaven..that is accepting Jesus in your heart. Knowing that all of your sins are wiped clean and you will be adopted into the kingdom of heaven.

Adoption is always on my mind. I have been adopted into God's family, my father was adopted, and my children were/are adopted. So cool!! I know that it is God's will that we adopt our son. I also know that God's timing is perfect..I know waiting is VERY hard. I know that in the end it is worth every breath, every tear that I have shed waiting for our son to come home. I like the fact that I know many things...and I know that I must continue on with my day! :)