How quickly

How quickly time has passed...

from the moment I first held my first born son in my arms in the recovery room after an emergency c-section delivery, to hugging a 14 year old son now taller than me!

We've quickly gone from a Batman fanatic to a moody, teenage young man.

And after a quiet dinner of mac n cheese eating outside with his siblings on a sunny day, he had gone without any indication, no one really even noticed he left until late in the evening, we all thought he was hanging out in his room.

How quickly my mind jumped to the worst possible thoughts of things that could have happened to my baby boy.

How quickly our community banded together to help. Pictures were posted on facebook, police officers and sheriff deputies were searching, friends came to sit with me and take little kids for a bit. Many offered to pray and give emotional support.

How quickly, yet how SLOWLY 17 hours passed while he was missing. A note was found that he had run away, and my worst fears where being shared with my level headed husband. How quickly I broke down when he unplugged our computer to take into the police station to have it analyzed.

How quickly I was RELIEVED yet so ANGRY when my son was found by a friend and brought home. Praise God he was unharmed, and came back safe to us. Things might never be completely the same again for our family. We are working on some things, but I must say, his reasons for leaving seemed so small in our adult minds, sister issues and things like that. He had spent the entire night outside, alone.

Please pray for us and him.

S. in radiology

Please pray for S. right now. He is under anesthesia getting his MRI. J. took him to his appointments instead of me, so I am enjoying being home getting caught up on things.

Pray for Haiti, one year anniversary

CHRISTIAN ALLIANCE FOR ORPHANS

Please join us to...PRAY FOR HAITI

January 12, 2011

4:00pm EST

January 12th will mark one year since the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Those few moments and their aftermath took hundreds of thousands of lives, left countless homeless, and affected countless children in profound and permanent ways, including leaving many as orphans.

Join us on January 12th, 2011 at 4:00pm EST as we come together as a community to pray for the country of Haiti, for stability and integrity in its government, for ongoing relief and rebuilding efforts, for the Haitian church, and for the children of Haiti we all care about so much.

randomness

K. with S. after his surgeries in 2008

• S. is going to begin preschool on his birthday next month, right after winter break! And he is able to qualify for these services based primarily on his medical needs. He is really not delayed enough in other areas to qualify. Which is EXCELLENT news. He is such a little miracle.

• We are fighting yet another cold with K. bringing it home first. She is still a thumb sucker, and I am afraid this nasty habit is introducing all sorts of fun winter germs to our house. Also, we are trying a restrictive diet on K. this week. She has a lot of food intolerance symptoms, and I have wondered if maybe she is gluten, dairy or egg sensitive. It is hard to cut out all these foods, but I hope soon we will have some sort of idea if there is one type of food she should avoid.

• I have NOT been doing much Christmas shopping and am NOT sending cards or letters again this year. I am nearly finished shopping for the extended family, the kids are almost done (just need a few more stocking stuffers), and then something small for teachers and such. I'm thinking homemade muffins? What do you think?

• The kids have their church play this Sunday. C. has a short solo and is a narrator. K. is one of the 2o or so angels, and L. is the stage manager. Should be good times.

• We've had company the last few weeks, in the form of play dates. The idea of having another child over to add to the noise and chaos used to make me a little anxious. It still does, a bit. But I have decided to put that aside for my kids. They are really enjoying sharing their home and family with their friends. It has also blessed us too.

• I am so excited for the date night our church is putting together on Saturday! The teens are babysitting kids while parents can go out and do some shopping, or whatever for several hours. I can't wait. Not sure yet how we will spend those few hours, but it will be great!

• Thank you so much for your kind and encouraging words regarding Mercy. We are still healing and struggling through the process. I kind of feel like I did when I experienced a miscarriage. Nobody really wants to talk about the issue, and the loss is great. I appreciate your continued prayers for our whole family and for Mercy.

• Please be praying for my friend Melissa. She reached out to love and support me while I was in Uganda as she was there adopting another Mercy. She has spent her time in country encouraging other adoptive families, ministering to pregnant mothers, and shining a light for Him. She has been in Uganda since the end of August. For last few months she's been dealing with visa issues, a complicated mess. Her family at home misses her terribly. Pray for a miracle for Melissa and Mercy to come home soon.

The steel door?

When a woman we know (who has the gift of prophecy) was asked to pray for us regarding M, she recently shared that she constantly received a vision...

of a closed steel door.

Interesting, because that is exactly what we have been running into recently. We are challenged with some very hard decisions to make about what to do next. We need your prayers to cover us in the next few weeks as we try to follow God's will for our family and get some much needed answers.

When God Says “No” . . . Pray by Charles R. Swindoll

When nobody is around and when we're able to be absolutely honest with ourselves before God, we entertain certain dreams and hopes. We want very much by the end of our days to have _________________________ (fill in the blank). However, it may well be that we will die with that desire unfulfilled. Should that occur, it will be one of the hardest things in the world for us to face and accept. David heard the Lord's "no" and quietly accepted it without resentment. That's awfully hard to do. But we find in David's final recorded words a life-sized portrait of a man after God's own heart.

After four decades of service to Israel, King David, old and perhaps stooped by the years, looked for the last time into the faces of his trusted followers. Many of them represented distinct memories in the old man's mind. Those who would carry on his legacy surrounded him, waiting to receive his last words of wisdom and instruction. What would the seventy-year-old king say?

He began with the passion of his heart, pulling back the curtain to reveal his deepest desire—the dreams and plans for building a temple to the Lord (1 Chronicles 28:2). It was a dream that went unfulfilled in his lifetime. "God said to me," David told his people, "'You shall not build a house for My name because you are a man of war and have shed blood'" (28:3).

Dreams die hard. But in his parting words, David chose to focus on what God had allowed him to do—to reign as king over Israel, to establish his son Solomon over the kingdom, and to pass the dream on to him (28:4–8). Then, in a beautiful prayer, an extemporaneous expression of worship to the Lord God, David praised the greatness of God, thanking Him for His many blessings, and then interceded for the people of Israel and for their new king, Solomon. Take some extra time to read David's prayer slowly and thoughtfully. It's found in 1 Chronicles 29:10–19.

Rather than wallowing in self-pity or bitterness regarding his unfulfilled dream, David praised God with a grateful heart. Praise leaves humanity out of the picture and focuses fully on the exaltation of the living God. The magnifying glass of praise always looks up.

"Blessed are You, O LORD God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone." (29:10–12)

As David thought of the lavish grace of God that had given the people one good thing after another, his praise then turned to thanksgiving. "Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name" (29:13). David acknowledged there was nothing special about his people. Their history was one of wandering and tent-dwelling; their lives were like shifting shadows. Yet, because of God's great goodness they were able to supply all that was needed to build God a temple (29:14–16).

David was surrounded by limitless riches, yet all that wealth never captured his heart. He fought other battles within but never greed. David was not held hostage by materialism. He said, in effect, "Lord, everything we have is Yours—all these beautiful elements we offer for your temple, the place where I live, the throne room—all of it is Yours, everything." To David, God owned it all. Perhaps it was this attitude that allowed the monarch to cope with God's "no" in his life—he was confident that God was in control and that God's plans were best. David held everything loosely.

Next, David prayed for others. He interceded for the people he had ruled for forty years, asking the Lord to remember their offerings for the temple and to draw their hearts toward Him (29:17–18). David also prayed for Solomon: "give to my son Solomon a perfect heart to keep Your commandments, Your testimonies and Your statutes, and to do them all, and to build the temple, for which I have made provision" (29:19).

This magnificent prayer contained David's last recorded words; shortly after, he died "full of days, riches and honor" (29:28). What a fitting way to end a life! His death is a fitting reminder that when a man of God dies, nothing of God dies.

Though some dreams remain unfulfilled, a man or woman of God can respond to His "no" with praise, thanksgiving, and intercession . . . because when a dream dies, nothing of God's purposes die.

LOVE

Orphan Sunday is coming up on November 7th. Churches around the US are preparing for this Sunday. One of the ways we are preparing is in prayer. Please join us in 40 days of prayer. Even if your chuch is not planning anything for Orphan Sunday please join us in praying for all of the churches that are. I am posting the prayer suggestions for the next 40 days, be prepared it is long. You can also find many resources at the Orphan Sunday website. www.orphansunday.org

40 Day Prayer Guide for Orphan Care

Day 1—Pray that the Lord would give you a personal sense of responsibility for the next 40 days(and beyond) for praying for orphans, your pastor, your church, and your community. Ask Him to break your heart for the orphans. Ask that He would help you see orphans with His eyes and His heart. Ask Him to use this 40 days of prayer to change you and your church.
Day 2—Pray for your Pastor to have guidance and provision as he seeks to follow the Lord’s commands to care for the orphans.
Day 3—Ask God that of the 2 billion Christians in the world, 7% would show hope to a single orphan, looking after the child in their distress. Ask the Lord to convict the church and the world that if we did this, there would effectively be no more orphans. Ask the Lord to show each of His followers that we can each do something.
Day 4—Ask the Lord to help your church congregation to feel His heart for the orphans as seen in Psalm 68:5: “A Father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families. . . “
Day 5—Pray for the fatherless in your community. Ask the Lord to protect them and to care for them and to defend them and keep them safe,
Day 6—Ask the Lord to help your church family to live out Proverbs 31:8: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.”
Day 7—Thank the Lord in advance for all that He is going to do to bring glory to His name in your church and community. Thank Him for the care He is going to provide for orphans through your church.
Day 8—Pray for the Lord to raise up workers for the harvest from your church and community. Ask Him to call Christians to go to the ‘fields of the fatherless’ to experience the joy of caring for orphans as we are commanded in Isaiah 1:16-17 “Give up your wicked ways. Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the orphan. Fight for the rights of widows.”
Day 9—Pray that God would break the heart of your city’s pastors with the plight of orphans. Ask that he would convict them to lead their churches to pray, go, and love in Jesus’ name.
Day 10—Ask the Father to set the lonely in families. Pray specifically for families in your community who may be in the process of adopting an orphan. Ask for God’s provision for all of their needs: physical, emotional, and spiritual.
Day 11—Pray specifically for any orphans you may know by name. Pray for their health and safety. Pray for their shelter. Pray that they will be brought into loving families who will provide for their education.
Day 12—Pray that God, the Defender of the orphan, will rise up and secure justice for the oppressed.
Day 13—Ask the Lord to lead the lawmakers in every nation to protect and provide for orphans.
Day 14—Pray that your whole congregation will believe and be convicted by Proverbs 22:9: “A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.” Ask for the Lord’s blessings on those who share their food with orphans.
Day 15—Pray for yourself as a church member. Ask the Lord to lead you on, that you might walk in obedience. Ask God to show you how to encourage your church family or youth to care for the needs of orphans.
Day 16—Pray that because of God’s mercy, He will provide caregivers and counselors for children who have been abused.
Day 17—Ask for forgiveness for Christians around the world who forget the orphans and forget to heed 1 John 3:17: “ If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need, but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?”
Day 18—Ask the Lord to raise up respite care providers to support and give relief to the caregivers caring for orphans who are waiting to have families adopt them.
Day 19—Pray for your Pastor. Ask God to provide him with resources, encouragement, courage, and a strong prayer team to support him as he seeks to live out James 1:27: “Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us.
Day 20—Pray that the Christians in your village, town, city, and country would believe and live out the truth of Proverbs 14:31: “He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.”
Day 21—Pray for government leaders in your country. Ask the Lord to burden their hearts for the orphans. Ask that they would feel compelled to protect and provide for orphans.
Day 22—Pray for families who have members living with HIV and AIDS. Pray for the children orphaned by this disease. Ask God to provide treatment, care, and support through the church.
Day 23—Ask the Lord to strengthen the faith and resolve of Christians working in orphan ministries.
Day 24—Pray for any church staff members and leaders. Ask for the Lord’s hand of blessing on their lives. Lift up the health and safety of them and their families. Ask also that the Lord would break their hearts for the orphans in you community.
Day 25—Pray for God’s provision for your church’s orphan care ministry. Ask Him to provide people and prayers and money and food and supplies to give the orphans all the care they need.
Day 26—Pray for children who are not yet orphans but may only have one parent who may be sick or dying. Pray for the health and safety of their parent. Pray for God’s provision. Pray for protection for the children in these households.
Day 27—Ask God to care for child-headed households. Pray that the Lord will provide for their needs. Pray that an adult would come alongside them and adopt them. Ask the Lord to protect them from abuse.
Day 28—Pray for families who are taking care of their grandchildren or nieces or nephews in addition to their own children. Ask the Lord to bless them for their sacrifice and to provide enough food, clothes, education, and shelter for all of their children.
Day 29—Pray for mothers or fathers who might be having trouble caring for their children and feel they need to give them up or abandon them. Ask God to help them find support. Ask the Lord to meet their needs and give them the resources to be able to take care of their children.
Day 30—Ask God to protect children affected by war and violent conflicts. Pray that the Lord will protect their vulnerable hearts and keep them safe. Pray that a church will reach out to them.
Day 31—Pray for families in countries all over the world who have room in their homes and hearts for a fatherless child. Ask that the Lord would speak to them even now, leading them to consider adoption or foster care.
Day 32—Pray that every member of your church would remember and acknowledge and praise the Lord that before the world was made, He loved us and chose us, and that His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ and that this gave Him great pleasure.(Ephesians 1:3-5)
Day 33—Ask the Lord to help your church be an example of the Lord’s love for orphans as written in Psalm 10:17-18: “The helpless put their trust in You. You are the defender of orphans Lord, You know the hopes of the helpless. Surely You will listen to their cries and comfort them. You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so people can no longer terrify them.”
Day 34—Pray for youself and the other prayer team members. Ask the Lord for strength. Ask Him to help you no grow weary in battling for the orphans on you knees.
Day 35—Ask the Lord to encourage and strengthen your church. Caring for orphans and changing attitudes and beliefs and actions is togh work and the enemy is bound to attack. Ask for protection for your pastor, his family, their health, and their ministry. Ask for God’s hand of blessing on their lives.
Day 36—Ask the Lord to release and speed any care supplies to refugee camps where many orphans live and need even the most basic necessities. Ask Him to cut through any governmental regulations or corrupt leaders to miraculously get the supplies delivered to where they are needed most.
Day 37—Pray for families who are in the adoption process. Pray that God will provide the funds and help them with all the necessary details.
Day 38—Pray for street children. These children live under bushes and in dumps and sewage pipes. They may eat meals out of trash cans. Many people walk by them without seeing them or view them as pests. Ask God to open the churches’ eyes to help them see the orphans all around them. Ask the Lord to provide food and shelter for the street children.
Day 39—Pray for the health of orphans around the world. Ask the Lord to provide medications and treatment for the simple things that are unnecessarily killing children like unclean drinking water, malaria, dysentery, AIDS, and malnutrition.
Day 40—Thank the Lord for the past 40 days of prayer for orphans. Ask Him to bring more prayer warriors into the battle. Ask Him to help you to continue praying diligently. Ask Him to continue to give you His love for the orphans. Ask Him to continue to challenge the hearts of your congregation that “He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and He will reward him for what he has."

what's going on

Today we got word that no one knows when the new judge is arriving in the nearby court.

Tomorrow our attorney is going to be talking to the people in the capital's court to see if we can refile and try again at having our case heard there. Please pray. I am not sure if this means weeks of waiting or not. If things don't move quickly we will miss our window of opportunity and have to wait until after the New Year to have court.

Today I went with M. and saw the orphanage she lived in before she came here. I took some pictures that I will post later. But I can say that I am SOO glad she is at HSH and is getting excellent care. It was good to see the town she came from and meet some of the aunties who cared for her there. I got to hold a few babies too!

Tonight the power is out, it has been since before lunch actually. I need to save batteries on my laptop. But I wanted to get this prayer request out there.
Please please pray.
We need a miracle.

Sunny Sunday

I woke up, sent M. out to do her morning routine, put earplugs in my ears and fell asleep for another hour this morning. After showering and getting dressed and ready for church, we all loaded up in the Land Cruiser. I sat in the front holding Opio. He loves riding in the front but jumps every time the horn goes off or someone coughs! We went to Calvary Chapel and had a wonderful time of fellowship, worship and bible study. Pastor JB even remembered my name! Many people there are praying for our situation and ask every week how things are progressing.



After church, we loaded up again and drove home on the bumpy, dusty red road. Opio honked the horn MANY times for Auntie to open the gate. We ate a meal of red beans and rice, with avacado slices on the side. The aunties still give me a huge portion, so when I am full, I slide some onto my neighbors' plates. These kids can EAT!






I went to my room, changed into comfortable clothes, checked my email, prayed and listened to an African thunder storm. Beautiful. I took a little nap and now am just taking a few minutes to check in with you all. I really could use some encouragement. I am lonely and feel so out of touch.


This week I have hope. I feel it. It is OUR WEEK. Please join us in prayer that this will be the week we will get a court date. Or at least hear one is in the near future.

He's gone

My J. left just a bit ago. Please keep him in prayer as he rides 3-4 hours to the airport in dangerous traffic, goes through security checks at the airport and boards his flight to leave at 10pm African time. He will arrive on Friday morning, pacific time.

I am sad and lonely already but M. is here keeping me company. She was sad to see him go but took the news of his departure better than she did when I left. Probably because I am still here with her.

We're online!

We got the laptop to charge, and went out today to purchase a wireless modem and monthly internet plan. We now can update more often, just in time for an urgent prayer request.

To be vague, we are going to court at 9am tomorrow. We need many many prayers as there are several complications to our case and many reasons the just could decide to postpone, delay or not hear it. It was a miracle to even get the date tomorrow and we are so thankful for this. Please pray it goes smoothly, that we are seen by the judge, for safe travels for those advocating for us and M. and for favor.

We have had an amazing few weeks here. We have seen and experienced so much, will have to post more about that soon. Thanks for your continued prayers and support for our family.

Last post for a bit

kids pretending to be on the airplane to America!

We are leaving tomorrow!! I am mostly packed, have the house somewhat cleaned up and am a nervous wreck. Just spent the last hour answering emails about lodging, making phone calls, printing out visa paperwork, and had J. run some errands. Grandma is on her way across the state right now.

We have run into some small obstacles to overcome and could use your prayers for the next few days and months to come.

• Our oldest is home sick today with sore throat and headache.
• Our oven is not working properly and we don't have time to have it replaced or fixed before we leave. Hoping Grandma can work around it for a few weeks, or just plan to have the food take twice as long to cook in the oven!
• Our attorney wants a report from a doctor for court. We seemed to have a miscommunication and thought it was an optional thing needed. We didn't have time to do it while I was in country, but we did get a report from a different doctor. Lawyer still wants that report and we hope that it can get done this week before Friday.

Please pray for our flights, health, safety and protection. PLEASE be praying Friday (actually if you are living in the NW you should pray Thursday night, around 11/midnight) for our court hearing. Pray the judge appears in court, for a favorable ruling, and for M's behavior as we may need to sit and wait for several hours. Way too boring for a five year old. Pray that there are no delays and we can get a ruling very quickly. Pray that the passport and visa process goes quickly too, without any problems.

Pray for our children at home too please. They are making a great sacrifice too, having us both go to another country for several weeks. L. is even giving up playing fall soccer! And they are cheerful about the whole thing, for the most part. Pray that more helpers will come forward to bless these kids and their grandma.

On a lighter note:

C. celebrated her 12th birthday over the weekend. We bought her an inexpensive digital camera, something she has wanted for a long time. I think you can tell by the photo that she was really excited!

I was treated to dinner and theater by my mom on Saturday. We went to dinner at a tapas restaurant. We ate a lot of good food, then walked to the theater to see Burn the Floor. It was a mixture of different ballroom/swing/latin dancing. I really enjoy watching dancing and theater. When I was younger; before my interest in boys, then babies, it was my life and passion. I spent 13 years taking lessons, performing and touring with my dance team. Some of my greatest childhood memories involved dancing. This show really made me want to take some swing or ballroom lessons with my hubby, or even adult jazz/tap? Someday, when life is less crazy perhaps.

Support

I have been spending my days at home getting ready for our upcoming trip. J. will be gone for a little more than three weeks. Me, for as long as it takes to get M. home. I am praying less than a month.

It is hard for us to ask for help. I feel like a lot of people have thoughts like, "Well you decided to adopt again and travel, so you should arrange for your family to be well provided for." I can understand that viewpoint to a degree, but let me just say that we didn't really decide to adopt again on our own. It was something that the Lord prompted in our hearts to do. He called us to it. Really. In my prayers I actually had many questions, concerns and excuses for why we shouldn't adopt M. Lots of them. Friends and family have expressed some to us too. We know it is a lot to leave our kids without parents for a long time. To travel across the country when we couldn't afford it. To welcome into our family a child with extra special needs.

J's mom said she would come and stay as long as she is needed. My parents will most likely spend time with a few kids at their home when they can. My friend has offered to help as well.

***Also wanted to add this about my mother in law. She is willing to come here, to take care of her grandchildren. She lives across the state. She may even have to give up her job, and she is willing to do that for us! What a wonderful woman. One who will need and deserves some help. She is not likely to ask for it.***

It terrifies me to leave our five children. It makes me sad to think how much I will miss them and they will miss us. My girls get teary eyed just talking about it. My little boys are so little. One is still forming attachments and bonding with us. One has special needs. Ugh, my heart hurts just typing this.

We will need support.

We will need help.

We will need prayer warriors.

We will need encouragement.

There is a Care Calendar set up for people who would like to help us in practical ways. I don't want to give out the code publicly on here, but if you would like to help please contact me or Sarah at sisters3designs@aol.com to get the code to view it.

Here are some ways our local friends/family can lend a hand:

• offer to take one or a few kids for a break for my mom in law, even if it's to McDonald's Playland to burn off energy and have some ice cream!
• bring over a meal (even pizza is great!)
• offer to help with housework or yard work
• help in case something is needed with the house/property
• offer to run errands for my kids/ mom in law
• take a kid to an appointment or school if needed
• pray, pray, pray
• send us emails or Facebook messages with words of encouragement
• we may need help with unexpected finances while we are gone

Some ways out of town friends/family can help:

• call my family at home to encourage, check in, and pray
• send emails or facebook messages to us to encourage and lift our spirits
• send notes, letters, care packages to our children
• send gift cards to favorite eateries for a special treat (you know, the places kids love!)
• pray pray pray for us!
• put us on your prayer chain at church, ask anyone you know to pray
• we may need help with unexpected finances while we are gone

Thank you to all of you who have carried this burden with us so far. For people who have been praying. For family who have helped. For rides to and from the airport. For meals brought over. For special cards tucked in my luggage. For fundraisers held to benefit M. For encouraging words. For donations for us to bring to the kids at the orphanage. Even people in country have been so gracious. We really do appreciate it all!

Summer is here

Finally we are enjoying some nice weather! We had a great time camping. We were close enough to home that we could home here for some laundry, lunch, nap time, etc. We camped from Tuesday night, until Sunday morning. We came home and slept in our beds one night, but other than that we made it!!! The kids loved being out there, since they had a few friends to play with and an amazing playground with room to run. They roasted marshmallows for Smores a few nights and went snipe hunting a few nights too! K. got to sleep in her friend's trailer a couple nights, which made more room in the tent for us! I was freezing the first few nights, so on one trip home we grabbed a heating pad, plugged it in and it really helped warm us up.

On the fourth, J. had to work. We had a bbq with friends, then came home early to rest up. I was not planning on going anywhere, I was TIRED! Then out of the blue, J. called to say he was going to get off work by 9pm. What a blessing. He drove home, took a few of the older kids with him to watch a fireworks display from the work rooftop while I vegged and the younger kids went to bed.

Now that camping is over, the sun came out. We are having a heat wave baby! It is nice but a little too warm for my liking, since we have no AC. But I don't think this hot weather will last much more than a few days.

Speaking of heat, please pray for my son L. He is leaving for Tecate on Sunday. They are expecting temps over 100 degrees. I am hoping and praying he takes good care of himself and that he will come back a changed and more spiritually mature young man. He will be there a week, helping with church projects and doing a VBS program with the youth there. Keep him and the team in your prayers please!

My little girls are spending four days with my parents and attending an art day camp. Check out the artist's blog. Look where they traveled last year! Too bad they didn't write too much about their visit to the country we will be visiting soon. I spoke to them briefly about it yesterday, but had to run since the little boys were waiting. They seem like a very nice couple. The girls are having a blast!

As for M: She got some blood work done but I have not had much help with finding someone with medical expertise to read the results. I have sent them off to several people, and hoping to hear something soon. It doesn't look too hopeful to get the travel date before courts close next week. Please pray that we can still get a date soon, I hear they open again mid August. I really don't want to wait too much longer than that!! I am almost tempted to just buy tickets to come over then anyway, but we can't be gone too long. Please pray for some clear answers and direction for little M. And for her health and development.

Well, off to tackle some laundry and pack for L. It's super quiet right now with nap time, girls gone and some kids with Dad!

Little M.

I have been very private about M. on my public blog. Really I'd love to share more about her, how we came to commit to her, and even specifically where she is and her full name. I want to post the pictures of her. (the sweet grins and the bruised/bandaged) I want to share with you because we genuinely need as many prayers as possible for her and our family. But unfortunately there are people out there who read public blogs, misinterpret information or use the info shared to hurt others. And in the international adoption world, one can not be too careful. But since we are coveting your prayers this week and the weeks to come, I decided to share a little more about M. today, and why she needs your prayers.

We have been trying to adopt a five year old girl in XXXXXXX for about 8 months. M. was diagnosed with a form of epilepsy with partial atrophy of the left side of the brain. She has been seen at the few hospitals available in her country. Her seisures (she was having them every 10 minutes) are seemingly under control with medication but she has not had a current EEG. Since January she has been heavily medicated to help with her epilepsy.

Her medication has not been monitored and she is showing signs of neurological problems or is having complications from medication overdose. She is weak on one side, with partial paralysis and it seems to worsening. Her speak is slurred and she is difficult to understand. She plays alone and does not interact much with her peers. She is not able to go to school with the other children in her home. She is not able to concentrate on school activities at home either. She seems to enjoy repetitive activities, like jumping on the trampoline and washing shoes. She falls when she tries to run and she bumps into things.

Her caregiver wrote the following: We feel that her concentration got less since she is on this medication. She forgets things faster and because of this she seems frustrated. She cries more often. We feel that she needs more attention for this and we can not really offer that. M. is going backwards every day. It is going fast the last week. We have seen a big difference in the 5 weeks. Her walking, talking and movements are also going behind.

Would you please commit to praying for little M. for the next month? Or until she is here with us? We heard that our application is filed in the courts and we are waiting to see if we might be able to make it before the courts close for summer holiday mid July. This may be tight, but is possible with the Lord's help and intervention.

Ways to pray:

• For M.'s health and development.
• For a court date sooner than later if it is God's will.
• For wisdom for our attorney.
• For compassion and mercy for the judge we are assigned.
• For our finances, since last minute tickets right now are far more than what we budgeted for.
• For our family. If we leave soon we have a whole lot of logistics to plan out as we leave our kids for an unknown amount of time.
• For people to be willing to step up and help M. where she is, and help our family while we are gone, and transitioning M. to our home. We can not do this alone.
• For patience and the ability to trust that God truly has a perfect plan, in His time.

So the news is...

we must wait some more. We DID get our paperwork/file submitted to the courts though. That is good news. Our case will be assigned a judge and then we should get a court date. This needs a lot of prayer because I have heard there is a shortage of judges who are in. We also need a judge who will comply with everything that is needed for the US, which is tough to find as well. PLEASE pray.

Pray this weekend...

Our adoption paperwork should be filed on Monday. Please pray that it really happens, that we are granted a judge who will approve our adoption while we are there (and in a timely manner), and that travel arrangements can be made with perfect timing! Also please pray for God's provision for the remaining expenses for our adoption and travel, and for our children at home while we are gone.

Please pray

We have not been talking about our adoption process for awhile, for political purposes. But can I ask you all to please pray for our M. in Africa? She has a serious medical condition and we thought we would be able to bring her home quickly. It's been almost seven months now and we have been running into roadblocks and problems since February. I am reaching out to you to please say a prayer for M. today. Pray that the issues will be resolved so we can get a court date for us to travel to bring her home. Pray for her health and for her understanding. She needs to get here soon for medical care, something that is not available in her country. I am ready to put on my boxing gloves and fight with all I can for this child, beginning with asking everyone I know to pray. Let's win this battle!

A good morning.

^Update:

^{We did hear from our lawyer, confirming that things are moving up!!! He asked us to wait another week to see how things work out, and meanwhile he will be working on our case!}

^{Happy St. Patrick's Day. I don't believe I have a drop of Irish in my blood, but it's still a fun day. The kids were excited to dress in green, and C.'s school is doing pajama day today.}

I am feeling very happy and hopeful today. I am optimistic that we will be seeing our little girl in the near future. No word confirming this from our lawyer, but I am trusting and holding fast. Please keep praying for our adoption!!

Psalm 145

^{1 I will exalt you, my God the King;}

I will praise your name for ever and ever.

² Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.

³ Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.

⁴ One generation will commend your works to another;
they will tell of your mighty acts.

⁵ They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

⁶ They will tell of the power of your awesome works,
and I will proclaim your great deeds.

⁷ They will celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

⁸ The LORD is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.

⁹ The LORD is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.

Support System

I have been thinking about our upcoming trip. While we still don't know when it will be, it could be soon and most likely last minute. I have been in contact with a few parents who have some great bits of advice. Here is something that's really gotten to me as we prepare:

"I would encourage you to hold tight to your faith in God's great plan for you, your future daughter, and your whole family. My experience left me crying on the floor, but God still held me and still had a big plan for my daughter. It gets really hard to hold on to your faith when there are so many balls in the air, so many things that can go one way or another. I tried to take each day minute by minute and that really helped.

Do you have a big support system? I couldn't have made it without great friends who were willing to e-mail me every single day and call and do nice things for my family at home. I don't usually ask for help too often, but this time I accepted help from whoever offered and it was needed and so appreciated."

The support system. We have a small one. It will be hard for us to ask for help. J's mom said she would come and stay as long as she is needed. My parents will most likely spend time with a few kids at their home when they can. My friend has offered to help as well.

***Also wanted to add this about my mother in law. She is willing to come here, last minute, to take care of her grandchildren. She lives across the state. She may even have to give up her job, and she is willing to do that for us! What a wonderful woman. One who will need and deserves some help. She is not likely to ask for it.***

It terrifies me to leave our five children. It makes me sad to think how much I will miss them and they will miss us. My girls get teary eyed just talking about it. My little boys are so little. One is still forming attachments and bonding with us. One has special needs. Ugh, my heart hurts just typing this.

We will need support.

We will need help.

We will need prayer warriors.

We will need encouragement.

Here are some ways our local friends/family can lend a hand:

• offer to take one or a few kids for a break for my mom in law
• bring over a meal (even pizza is great!)
• offer to help with housework
• help in case something is needed with the house/property
• offer to run errands for my kids/ mom in law
• take a kid to an appointment if needed
• pray and send us emails with words of encouragement
• we may need help with unexpected finances while we are gone

Some ways out of town friends/family can help:

• call my family at home to encourage, check in, and pray
• send emails to us to encourage and lift our spirits
• send notes to our children
• send gift cards to favorite eateries for a special treat (you know, the places kids love!)
• pray pray pray for us!
• put us on your prayer chain at church, ask anyone you know to pray
• we may need help with unexpected finances while we are gone

Can you think of other ways people can help us?

Please pray about how you can help.

Quick update

NO NEWS...I didn't think I would get any by this weekend, but I am a bit disappointed. I am really hoping to get some news by tomorrow from our lawyer. He's been very busy but I hope he'll take a minute to check in with us.

Also, we've been hit with the sick bug yet again. And guess who gets the brunt of it? Yep, me. I have been sore, feverish and miserable the last three days. I am so tired of being sick. The little boys seem to pick stuff up easily and then share everything with me. Does anyone know if hypothyroidism can be related to poor immune systems? It seems I have been sick a lot this winter.

It doesn't even seem like winter here! The weather has been so nice. It's supposed to be 60 degrees today. Wish I was well enough to enjoy it.

Well, back to my fast. I just wanted to give you all an update and ask for you to keep praying. I am feeling very low and we need as much prayer as possible!

On persevering prayer: "I look at a stone cutter hammering away at a rock a hundred times without so much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the 101st blow it splits in two. I know it was not the one blow that did it, but all that had gone before." Author unknown.

“The great people of the earth today are the people who pray! I do not mean those who talk about prayer; nor those who say they believe in prayer; nor those who explain prayer; but I mean those who actually take the time to pray. They have not time. It must be taken from something else. That something else is important, very important and pressing, but still, less important and pressing than prayer. There are people who put prayer first, and group the other items in life's schedule around and after prayer. These are the people today who are doing the most for God in winning souls, in solving problems, in awakening churches, in supplying both men and money for mission posts, in keeping fresh and strong their lives far off in sacrificial service on the foreign field, where the thickest fighting is going on, and in keeping the old earth sweet a little while longer.” S.D. Gordon (Emphasis added)

I desire to spend time and press in prayer this week!