God's Provision

Well, we're still working on paperwork (our adoption application) over here and it's taking much longer than we thought. There's no such thing as "quick" filling it out ... these are thought-provoking questions which really make you sit back and evaluate just about everything! We're getting nearer the end of this portion though and are looking forward to starting the next phase ... home study ... deep breath. Under normal circumstances you couldn't pay me enough money to go through a process like this, but this is special ~ this is a child God has placed on our hearts and I can't wait!

Anyway, with all this writing and pondering, I've been thinking a lot more about our little girl. One thing I've been wondering is if she will be ok with not too many other Asians in our circle of friends and I've been praying for God to give her security in our family (among many other things). I was not even seeking more adoptions out of Asia, but I discovered some very encouraging and exciting news today ~ my cousin Jeff is planning to adopt from Asia also! What a miracle for them and a blessing to us!! I just love how God provides for His children! You never know how or when God will provide, but He always does ... and better than we could imagine.

"I will proclaim the name of Jehovah, and ascribe greatness to our God. He is my Rock; His work is perfect." - Deu 32:3-4

Cinderellas

Last night, I listened to Steven Curtis Chapman's song "Cinderella" over and over... it's amazing. If you've never heard it (you can click on the pic to listen), let me quickly summarize: it's a reminder to parents how quickly time goes by and how precious each moment is with our children. Well, this morning I kept singing that song to myself ... but Andy had a meeting - and when Andy has a meeting, I have to clean my house. So, I'm sweeping the dining room floor 15 minutes before this man is supposed to arrive and I'm feeling a little anxious that he will find me on my hands and knees picking up pieces of popcorn from last night's movie fun and Sammy decides she wants to talk... and she's brought Zoe along too. She begins by asking me if I know what she wants to do. Ask me if I cared. I quickly say "no" and continue working away. In the back of my head I know I should at least look at her when she's trying to talk to me, but I had too much to do. So, she continues talking anyway. Then Zoe chimes in ~ "Mommy, I want to adopt a child." I looked up. And Sammy adds, "Yes, that's what both of us want to do. When we're mommies, we want to adopt children into our homes." I was so ashamed and so excited and so overwhelmed I didn't know what to do! I asked them why they decided this (we've not told them our plans yet, but we've talked about the need with them) and Sammy said, "because we want to help those children and show them love and tell them about Jesus." I was speechless ... and all the while this song is going through my head. These sweet little girls are my cinderellas and I don't want to miss a moment! I shouldn't. That little conversation turned out to be such a blessing and I almost missed it for the sake of cleaning my home (and the guy was an hour late anyway!). I learned my lesson for today, but I've "learned" it before ... so, what am I going to do tomorrow? And will the clock strike midnight while I'm cleaning and my cinderellas will be gone?!?

Click on the picture(s) to hear "Cinderella" by SCC

"so much"

Tonight, as I put Charlie to bed I gave him a squeeze and he sweetly squeezed back with a sigh and a "so much" ... I say "I love you" and he responds with "so much" ... and I love it so much!! God has blessed me with 2 little precious boys who love their mommy. Last night, as I tucked in Wil he whispered, "Mommy - I love you the best" and I thank God for them. Those precious moments and memories are what spurs me to wake up tomorrow to face another day. And I know Andy feels the same about his 2 princesses ... and they adore him! Of course we are both very much in love with all 4 of our blessings, but God has made those relationships so special. There's just something about daddy's little girls and mommy's little boys that is wonderful. It makes me almost come to tears to think that that's how my God views me - I'm His little princess - and I love Him so much!! It's such a miracle.

Looking for a Miracle

With my first blog, I thought I would share a little about our search for "a miracle". Since our engagement, Andy & I have had a desire to help orphaned children ... and we are now ready to put our words (and our faith!) into action. After much prayer and late night talks, we are preparing our hearts and home for a special little girl God is preparing for us in China. We believe this is our calling and a great privilege. We are very excited, but at the same time settling in for a long wait (~3 years). We are only at the very beginning stages of the process ~ in other words, we're filling out papers (and have lots more to look forward to!). We are thankful to God for placing other adopting families in our lives and look forward to all He has in store for us!