Five more sleeps!

Six more sleeps...

I know I missed a few days on here but I've been feeling a little bit anxious.  Anxiety is NOT from the LORD, please pray for me as I trust God in this.  When I started the countdown the days were going so slow, now they are speeding away on me and I want them to slow down.  I'm anxious about leaving my kids here and going to a third world country for seven days.  I know they will be well cared for, they will have their two Granny's here spoiling them rotten (oh maybe that's why I'm anxious!!!) but I've never been away from them for more than two days and I've certainly never left them in one country and gone to another.  I was also reminded today in Church that the hand of God is on our family and that when God calls you to do something, you do it.  As a dear friend put it "It's safer to be in God's will than anywhere else."  Thanks dear friend.  So I'll focus on what we've been called to do and whatever happens will be okay because God is in control not me!

Thank you for praying for us, for supporting us, for wrapping your arms around our family and encouraging us.  Thank you Church family for being the hands and feet of Christ and for being an example to those who are lost and dying.  We truly do need each other and I'm so thankful to God for placing us in such a wonderful Church family.

We've had so many outpourings of love I can't even begin to name them all.

• All the donations for the Orphanage have been a blessing to our family and I know will be a blessing to the Orphanage also. 
• The prayers that are going up for us.  Thank you Pastor Nick for today!
• The offers for any help that we need before and while we're gone.
• For the day off last week so I could get some things done.  You know who you are and how much you mean to me!
• For dinner and prayer tomorrow night.
• For all your interest and support, it means a lot.

Again, I can't name all the blessings here but know that we love you all and need and appreciate your prayer support.

Trusting in Him because He is the all sufficient and sovereign God of the universe.

Just for fun.

 I guess this is what I get for trying to have the kids smile at a camera sitting on a stool!

Fun times sledding.  

If Papa wasn't there we wouldn't have stayed but 20mins!  Brrrrr.....

Hey but at least I'm smiling!

Luggage

So I've started packing all the wonderful donations that we received to take to the orphanage with us.  Thanks so much to everyone who has been a part of this opportunity.  In blessing the orphanage you have blessed us too!  I have space saver bags and a travel scale (thanks so much for the loan of those) and it would appear that I don't have a space issue but rather a weight issue!  Yes I'm about 65lbs over weight if I take everything that I want to take but that's not even all of it!  What a great problem aye?  Four suitcases which is 200lbs of allowed weight and I have excess....  Joe and I are sharing the smallest of the four (and you can be sure I'm going to try to fill that with donations too!) which means three large suitcases are filled to the weight limit. I've been trying to cram more in and repack it but I can't seem to be able to trick the scales.

Of course you know there's a lesson in here for me, right?  Adoption will do that, create many situations in which you can learn more about the heart of God and more about the sin in our own hearts.  So we had a dear friend over for dinner the other night and I was telling her of my dilemma.  I told her that I had prayed about the packing of all this stuff and so when I went to pack it all and I couldn't I was like "Okay God I prayed about this so what gives?  It doesn't all fit."  Well she just looked at me and wham I realized what I was doing, sure I wanted to take it all down there with us now but the thing is I can't save the world (or even one orphanage for that matter) with a bunch of stuff, in fact I can't save the world at all....that's not what it's all about it.  It's about spreading the Gospel message and telling people about a God who would send His only Son to die on cross for our sin because He loves us so much.  He is the provider not me, I'm a tool in the work shed, privileged that He even chooses to use me in His plan and so I'll let it go, I'll pack what I can and not worry about the rest and in doing so I'll be a part of a much bigger picture, a picture of a church family, family members, and dear friends embracing our family and showing the love of God by supporting an orphanage in a third world country in a small yet tangible way and in doing so show that it's God that saves, He is the provider and we are the tools.  Yes my heart was in the right place and this is a good thing, I want to bless them with a little of what we have, and we have a lot, but just taking "stuff" down there isn't all they need.  What we all really need is God and His Son Jesus Christ and that's what I hope to share in this blessing.

OH and one more thing, something I already know but need reminding of, God's not my magic genie who grants my every wish just because I think it's right and because I prayed for it.  Okay, enough said, lesson learned, I'm going to meet my kids!!!!!!

Nine more sleeps.....

Yipppeeee one day closer!

Ten more sleeps.....

I forgot to post this yesturday.  Whoops!!!!

Eleven more sleeps.....

Ooooo, it's like Christmas.

Twelve more sleeps.......

Let the countdown begin!!!!!

Any ideas......???

So we leave for Haiti in about two weeks.............yikes two weeks!  Anyway we are going to take a gift with us for the directors of the orphanage as a thank you for hosting us.  What I need from you are some ideas on what you think would make a nice gift for them.  They are a husband and wife team.  Post below in the comments section and let me know what you come up with.

Thanks so much to our family coordinator who has her head on straight and can remind me of all the things we need to address before we leave!

A Date!

We just received word from our family coordinator that our appointment is in Haiti on Tuesday, February 5!!!!!  We are leaving for Haiti on Saturday February 2.  Whoop, whoop!!!  I can't believe we are actually going to get to meet our kids.

We have a few weeks to organize all the supplies we are taking down to the orphanage with us.  The response from our church family has been overwhelming, thank you church family for all the wonderful donations!  What a blessing that will be to us and to them when we unload all the things that we are bringing for them.  I have flights to book, gifts to gather together for our precious children, and a bunch of other busy work to get done.  Please pray that God would give me a spirit of calm during this exciting time.  I'm a rather emotional person (in case you didn't already know) and there have been a lot of happy jigs and excitement going on.  Joe isn't such an emotional person so I have to try to bring it down a notch.  Are you kidding me, bring it down a notch.....?!?!? this is way too exciting, so I told Joe that this time he's just going to have to deal with my high!!!

Be in prayer for us during this time of preparation.  Please also pray for our kids, all five of them, the ones we will meet for the first time and the ones staying state side.

Yiiiiipppppeeeeeee we're going to Haiti!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Grant!!!

We're at the stage of our adoption where we are rounding up the last bit of money for our final international installment and travel fees.  We have applied for a number of grants and are waiting to hear back from them.  God is just so great.  He gives us just what we need when we need it and I love to see how he works in our lives.  We just received word yesturday from Hillcrest Bible Church Legacy Adoption Fund that they have approved our application and are going to give us a grant!!!  Praise the LORD!  We are so thankful and feel so very blessed.  God will NOT leave you when you need Him and when He asks you to do something He will take care of all the details.  What a Mighty God we serve!  Please continue to pray with as God provides for the last of our adoption fees.