Fellowship

"If we walk in the light, as (God) is in the light, we have fellowship with one another"

(1 John 1:7).

This was a cake that a fellow adoptive Mom and her daughter made as we celebrated Deborah's referral. It was such a thoughtful gesture (and yummy too). We are so blessed with such a wonderful group of adoptive parents! We are blessed with opportunities to get together, celebrate joys, share sorrows, lift each other in prayer, support each other, communicate with each other, share resources with each other, etc. I love and appreciate all of those opportunities and showers of blessings! Thank-you, God for my adoptive friends (and all of my friends)! I am so blessed.

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God" (Colossians 3:16).

#441) rivers and creeks


#442) water-logged boots

#443) piggy back rides

#444) red-wing black birds

#445) perseverance when building

#446) engagement of our niece!! Congrats, Jen!!!

#447) inspiring music at the Gaither concert

#448) court date for Deborah

#449) gardening with my 73 year old mom

#450) reading to our 10 year old

#451) reading/doing devotions with our 8 year old

#452) reading to our 5 year old

#453) listening to our 5 year old read

#454) listening to our 5 year old reiterate his Sunday School lesson from his handout

#455) Sunday School teachers

#456) our ten year old's excitement to go hiking

#457) exploring God's creation!

#458) cards in the mail

#459) popsicle sticks

#460) glue

Adoption Update

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3).

We were told today that Deborah's court date in Ethiopia is set for May 11! We are praying for a successful court date on that date. After court, it will still be another 4-5 months before we travel to bring her home as we await the finalization of various paper work such as her citizenship, facilitation visa, etc. We continue to pray for patience as we await the day that we can bring our daughter home to her forever family.

Don't Let Me Miss The Glory

"Mom, look at the cool sky!" exclaims our 5 year old. I reply, "Who made the sky?" "God." "Yes, He painted us a beautiful sky this morning, didn't He?"

Oh, God, I have failed so see your glory so many times today.

Lord, when I'm rushed packing the lunches in the morning, let me give thanks to You for our food.
Lord, when I'm rushing the children out the door for school, help to give thanks for Christian education and the children's good-bye kisses.
Lord, when I plan my day, help me to schedule time with You.
Lord, when I am stretched in different directions, help me to follow You.
Lord, when it's a bit chaotic when the children come home from school, help to give thanks for safety and seeing their lovely faces after a long day away.
Lord, when I'm tired at the end of the day, help me to be patient and rejoice in every moment I have with each child and with my hubby.

Forgive me Lord for not seeing your glory in the every day things in my life. Forgive me for not seeing the glory in the creativeness of our son, the smiles and desire to be heard from our daughter, the helpfulness of our son, the longing to play outside, wanting to read a story, etc. Lord, "Don't Let Me Miss The Glory"!

I am inspired by the blind pianist of the Gaithers, Gordon Mote as he sings, "Don't Let Me Miss The Glory". Lord, my eyes can see, but so often they are not open. My prayer is the same as Gordon's.




2 more sleeps until the Gaither concert! 3rd row seats, baby!!

One Thousand Gifts (Continued)

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream" (Jeremiah 17:7,8).

#423) tree climbing and a son who's learning to "put his confidence in Him"

#424) our new baby girl!!!

#425) Curtis' artistic abilities (his rendition of his baby sister)

#426) our referral!

#427) a huge answer to so many prayers

#428) the children's excitement with the news of their baby sister

#429) countless of e-mails and well wishes for our new baby

#430) rubber boots

#431) mud to walk in

#432) hiking or going on an adventure as the kids say

#433) another birthday for our precious boy

#434) birthday celebrations

#435) opportunity to speak at a girl's conference

#436) God answering my cries to Him

#437) God's timing

#438) God's sense of humour

#439) growing and changing and the work God is doing in my life

#440) growing and changing and the work God is doing in Paul's life

Double Digits

"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him" (Psalm 127:3).

Our sweet boy turns 10 today! Where has time gone??? He had a fun party on Monday afternoon, and tonight we went out for dinner and celebrated with our family and grandparents. We had lots to celebrate, especially the news of his new baby sister whom he has prayed for for over 2 years! He was really hoping we'd get our referral on his birthday, and we did!

We are so thankful to God for entrusting us with him. We are so blessed by his cheerfulness, desire to have fun, love for sports and the outdoors, helpfulness around the house, being such a wonderful big brother, being a great friend, thoughtfulness, and a love for the Lord. It is our prayer that he will continue to have a desire to follow the Lord and serve Him.

We love you, Jesse and wish you a blessed birthday!

Adoption Update- Referral!!!

"Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done...Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always...For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise...Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever...Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting" (1 Chronicles 16:8,11,25,34,36).

We're number zero!!!

This morning, we received "the call" that we have been waiting for! I can hardly put my thoughts/emotions into words. I have been feeling quite emotional lately and have had stomach pains. This morning, I went for my run, and had a bit of a hard time catching my breath between my sobs as I was crying to the Lord, "how much longer?" When I came home, I e-mailed my husband with my woes and was questioning if I was reaching menopause, or if it was from the adoption process. As I was in the shower, praying and crying again, the phone was ringing with our exciting news (but I didn't know it; a dear friend was praying for us at that very moment as well). Twenty minutes later, when the phone rang again, I answered it and the adoption agency worker asked if I was ready for some good news. I cried, jumped, screamed, began to shake, and blurted, "NO WAY"!! Before I asked her for any details, I told her about my emotional morning and that it was our oldest's birthday today and how he had asked for a referral for his birthday. I simply could not believe it, and I still can't!




Between my sobs, I asked her for details. She was born January 17, 2010. Her name is Deborah Nekemte (now Deborah Audrey Nekemte). That made the name choosing very easy! She weighed only 5.5 pounds, but she's stable and is doing well. My mom was at the door when I received "the call", so she was privileged to see her daughter go loopy and see a picture of her new grand daughter on the computer screen (before Paul)! She's absolutely perfect! Unfortunately I will not be posting any pictures until after a successful court date has been granted.




I went to school to show the children her picture, and they were thrilled. Curtis gave me a big hug, and asked if we could tell his teacher and his class. Jesse had huge smiles and proudly showed the picture of his little sister to each of his classmates. Nicole wanted to keep the picture, so that she could show everyone! I want to do the same!!




We will continue to wait for patience as we await a court date and all the paper work that follows. This procedure could still take several months. We may possibly squeak through the new rule of being present at court in Ethiopia. Our agency is doing their best to try to make that happen, but can't make any promises. It is our prayer that our consent is received in Ethiopia before April 9, filed with the court, and a court date is scheduled. That's cutting it pretty close, but again, it is in the Lord's hands.




With all of the hurtles that we have faced with this process in the last 2.5 years, God has been so good and has shown His faithfulness over and over. He has truly made us stronger throughout this process and we have learned a lot about patience and trust. We are so blessed, and we give thanks to the One who has made all things possible.



This is Deborah's first "official" baby gift. It's a beautiful hand made blanket purchased and given by my aunt.