Lara...

This is a picture of me & my friend Lara. She is a wonderful person. She has a very kind & gentle spirit. She is one of those people that could get a whole room of loud people to be quiet & listen to her by simply talking quietly. I think she has beautiful eyes & a beautiful smile. Please take a moment to pray for her today. Please pray that she will hear good news today about her adoption. She has been waiting a long time to go into MOI...a month & half longer than I had to wait...which seemed like forever.

Where do we go from here?

Now that we are in MOI? For those of you that are unfamiliar with the Haitian adoption process I have listed the steps below that must take place before our children come home. So the question of the day now is "Will you get to bring them home with you in Feb.?" Well, with God...all things are possible but it would definetely have to be God in every single step because Haiti just doesn't move that fast :o) My prayer is still that they will be home before Caleb turns two.

These are steps that are taken once our dossier reaches Haiti...which happened May 2007.

Minister of Foreign Affairs (1st legal)
• Documents notarized and authenticated are now legalized.
DHS
• Submit Orphan First Petition and birth parents interview happens, DNA testing is done if requested by DHS officer.
Justice of the Peace
• Judge issues a formal request for IBESR to exam potential adoptive family as permanent family for child.
IBESR
• Family and child’s dossier are examined. 4 signatures required to exit.
Civil Judge
• Issues official adoption decree.
Parquet
• Social Representative (similar to a prosecutor in a US court), insures that the above departments have done everything legally.
Civil State Officer
• New birth certificate is issued.
Archive• Verifies all signature’s, certificate is issued. (Similar to being notarized)
Minister of Justice
• Above verifications are now legalized (similar to notary being authenticated).
Passport "timber" is purchased & submitted with archives.
Minister of Interior (We are at this step right now)
Insures all of the above documents have not been falsified. Files have to go through 3 different desks.
Political Affairs
Gives final authorization to issue the passport.
• Passport is issued.
DHS
• Take adoption decree to finalize orphan first petition(DHS approval)
Embassy
• Visa appointment scheduled. Visa approval & visas issued.
****We get the call to come and get them**** Do the HBWD & get on an airplane!!!

WE'RE IN!!!

Finallly...after an agonizing wait...we are in MOI!!! Praise God!!! Thank you Jesus!!! I don't have the specifics yet such as numbers or when we went in but was told that we are definetely IN!!! Everybody get up & do the HBWD!!! :o)

20 months...

My "little man" turned 20 months today. Please pray with me that he will be home for his second birthday. He wasn't even born yet when we started the adoption process two years ago in Jan. 07. We love you & miss you Caleb!

Emotions...

The past few weeks I have been contemplating many things but haven't really been able to express them. All last week I was very excited about my good friend Kristina's son Jonas anticipated arrival home. I am always excited when someone's child comes home but I knew this time was going to be different. Different in the sense that his homecoming signified the "second wave" of children coming home from the orphange...a wave that a few of us have been eagerly awaiting as we hope to be a part of it by our children coming home.

I think those of us who are adopting from Haiti have seen by now that there is no rhyme or reason as to how you progress through the process. Although you have some sense of an "order" in your head...it usually gets blown out of the water by something totally ridiculous. The same is true for the timing of when the children come home. Although your file may be ahead of someone else's when you go into MOI, it's quite possible that for whatever reason, they end up passing you somewhere along the way, & their child(ren) come home first. So knowing this, I'm trying not to set myself up for a "fall" because "technically" it looks like my children should be the next ones to come home to our area (after Noah).

So I am guarded but also very hopeful because even if my children don't come home next, I know they will be coming home "soon" (whatever that means :o) As soon as I walked into the airport yesterday I knew I was going to lose it...and I did...big time. Even before the plane landed, I was getting choked up & fighting back tears. After Jonas came through & I had taken some pictures, I just "lost" it. I was flooded with emotions & cried like a baby. Phoebe just looked at me like "Mom, what's wrong with you?" I explained to her that Jonas was the first of several home comings to take place over the next few months & that Shakira, Samara, & Caleb will be a part of that. That after all of our waiting & praying, that they will be coming home in the near future. She looked at me like, "Okay, I got it. Why are you crying now?" That's a good question. I don't really know but I guess it needed to come out. I have a feeling that the day they do come home, I will not be able to talk, I'll be too busy crying...happy tears to replace all the sad, lonely tears that I've cried for them over the past two years :o)

Jonas Homecoming...

I know this is not the best video quality but it'll have to do for now :o)

How many cans???

A little trivia question while we wait for files to move & children to come home :o)
How many cans of TREET (SPAM equivilant) does it take to make a 50 pound supply bag?
Yes, I'm dragging a bunch of TREET with me in February! The person who answers the question correctly will win a...can of TREET :o)

Okay...since there has been so much enthusiasm about the prize...this is what I will do...I'll donate the can of TREET on behalf of the winner, to the orphanage, & I'll give the winner...chocolate. That should inspire some of you chocolate lovers out there to guess :o)

One month

from today...Phoebe & I will be on a plane(3 to be exact :o)flying to Haiti!!! Please continue to pray for our trip. Please pray that God will prepare our hearts for this trip & that it will go really well, not just for us but for the entire team. Please also pray for safe traveling with no or minimal delays & protection throughout our trip. Please pray that Phoebe will not be overwhelmed in a "bad way." Please pray that God will provide the remaining $117 she needs to pay for her trip. And please pray that she will bond well with her sisters & brother & that their love for each other will shine through brightly. Please pray that I won't come "unglued" having all 4 of them at one time with limited resources :o) Thanks for all of your prayers & support!

Weekend Fun

Phoebe & Randy playing beauty shop

Phoebe before she went to cheer at her first Upwards game

Randy in Phoebe's Dora tent

Phoebe playing in her Dora tent with Daddy

Many thoughts, few words...

For the last week or so I have so many thoughts going through my head that if I wasn't so anal & didn't have a neatly organized card catalog system of thoughts in my head, it would drive me crazy! Nothing bad...just a lot of thoughts. Some are deep & profound, some are not. Some are comforting, some are encouraging, & some are curious. But as of right now I still have not found the words to talk about any of these thoughts except for the superficial talk I'm doing right now. :o) All this to say that I really don't have much to say right now so don't be surprised if I'm quiet on my blog for awhile. There are only so many pictures I can post. :o)
I am fine. Randy is fine. Shakira, Phoebe, Samara, & Caleb are fine. So don't worry about us while I'm "gone." :o)

An Oldie but Goodie...

This is a picture from May 07 but I "love" it. It shows the "proper" way to eat an ice cream cone! :o)

Sabatoged!!!

I know you can't tell by this picture...but this is a picture of the most wonderfully tasting toffee I have ever tasted in my life...and an added delight is that it's wrapped in dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate. I adore dark chocolate! Anyway, my "good" friend :o), the one I am training to run a 2 mile race against, took me to this quaint little place today in my town & bought me a half of pound of home made, hand spun, dark chocolate toffee & chocolate covered cherries. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!! She did this under the guise of being "nice" but I know the real reason she bought these for me...nether the less, I thoroughly enjoyed them...yes, each & every one of them...all by myself. So needless to say, I will be spending some time on the treadmill tonight :o) Thanks girlfriend!!! I love you!!! :o) You were a Godsend today!!!

Happy New Year!!!

Well, I should have done this post this morning when I was feeling all energetic & reflective of the past year but I didn't. So now I'm tired & sluggish, & all I can come up with is "Happy New Year" so that's what I'm going with for now :o)

More bowling fun...

Bowling Blips :o)

Bowling Alley Fun...

Today we went bowling. It was the first time bowling for Phoebe, Steven, & Belle. They had lots of fun...and so did the rest of us! :o)

Christmas pictures...

Eleven minute...

mile!!! I ran an eleven minute mile today...which of course may sound like turtle speed to some of you but considering I just started running 19 days ago & my first run was a 15.30 minute run...I think I'm doing pretty good! :o)

In today's paper...

There is a nice article in the Courrier & Press today about Mia, Hope, Steven, Belle, & Glory. This is the video clip from the online article.

Missing them...

Merry Christmas!!!

Praying that you are having a very joy filled & blessed Christmas. Happy Birthday Jesus!!! We ran out of purple decorating gel so that's why the message on the cake is kind of choppy. And the red art work to the right side is suppose to be me when I was six...although Phoebe has no idea what I looked like when I was six other than me telling her that I had long, straight hair :o)

More...

pictures from the Dec. trip! None of Samara because she's hard to "catch" because she likes to hide from the camera :o)

Totally Random...Caleb pictures...

These are pictures from June & July 2007.

Totally Random...Samara pictures...

These are pictures from early 2007 when we first started the adoption process. The top picture is the one that "stole" our hearts as it was the picture posted on the 3A web site as one of the children available for adoption.

New pictures!!!

Here is the first batch of new pictures we got from the December mission team.

Totally Random...Shakira pictures

I decided not to leave the other children out of the "random" picture thing so today is Shakira's turn :o)

Totally Random...

pictures of Phoebe from 2005.

Last year...

This time last year I was returning from Haiti. I knew I had to go see my kids before Christmas in order to celebrate Christmas with a joyful heart. That's where I "was" last year. Since then, there has been a lot of growth in me. Although I really wanted to go back this December, I knew God said, "No, not yet." I did not know why but it didn't matter because I have learned that his ways & timing are far better than mine. Now I know why & I am so thankful that he is blessing me & Phoebe with a trip in February. Go God!!! :o)

Funny people...funny memories :o)

These are pictures from our Christ Care White Elephant gift exchange that we had last Sunday. We always have a blast when we do this but this year was by far the best one we've had so far :o)

Little Lamb...

This is a little video blip of Phoebe during our Children's Christmas program at church tonight. I was a little surprised when she came out as a lamb for the third year in a row because on the card they sent home they said she was going to be an angel...but she didn't seem to care that she was a lamb again...a pretty cute one at that! :o)

RUNNING!!!

Yes, you read right...as of today...I am running! This may not sound like a big deal to most people but believe me it is!!! When I was in high school I ran track for awhile & even after I quit track I kept running because I was obsessed with being "thin." It was nothing for me to run 10 miles a day. My running & exercise in general started to decrease as I started recovering from anoxeria. This was a several year process. My mistake however was in not seeeing "the big picture" of it all & how much "balance" is very necessary with most things in life. So I slowly started going the other way. Eating more & more food & exercising less & less until I finally stopped exercising all together. By the time I reached my heaviest weight wich was 206 pounds I would get winded just going up a few stairs. In July 2004, when Phoebe was 10 months old, I decided I had to do something about my weight. I joined Weight Watchers & lost a total of 41 pounds.

During that time I started exercising again & realized how much I missed it & how much of a "release" it is for me. So for the most part I have exercised regularly since then. Running however had never crossed my mind until about a couple of years ago when I was motivated to try it after watching a Biggest Looser episode. Immediately after I stopped, I had back pain.(For those of you who don't know, I had back surgery in 2002) I tried a couple of times after that but kept having back pain so I decided that I was not meant to run ever again. I would have to stick to fast walking & I was okay with that.

Fast forward to yesterday when I was having lunch with my very good friend & "soul sister" & she's talking about how she's running 6 miles like it's nothing. And this is from someone who didn't have a running history but a few months ago God told her "to run" so she did. I got on the treadmill this morning with the intention of walking 5 miles but as soon as I got on I felt like God said, "You can do this, you can run. You're back will be okay. You need to stop running to food & "literally" run!" So I did, & as I started running I realized that I have had always had a competitive spirit deep inside me but I had never really let it out when I was growing up because I had so many other things to focus on that seemed a lot more important than if I could beat somebody at a race, a game, or whatever.

My goal was to run 2 miles in 30 minutes. I know that is really slow especially when I ran track I could do it in 12 but you have to remember that I haven't run in years & I'm overweight so I thought this was a realistic goal. As I kept an eye on the time I saw that I was really going to have to pick up the pace at the end if I wanted to meet my goal. So I thought about my friend & I thought about challenging her to a two mile race some day...and me winning!!! :o) So I picked up my speed & made the two miles just a little over 30 minutes. Did I make it in 30 minutes? No. Did I fail? No. Failing is when you don't even bother to try. I ran faster & longer today than I did yesterday...which was not at all. So today I broke through a "barrier" in my head as well as my legs, lungs, & back...and I won!

Christmas Trees...

When I was a child I couldn't wait to help put up our Christmas tree. As an adult my enthusiasm for the Christmas tree has diminished somewhat. Partly due to the commercialization of Christmas & the world trying to strip every "true" meaning right out of it & partly due to the work of actually putting one up & then spending lots of time & energy trying to keep my cats out of it.

I really like this devotion by Dr. David Jeremiah about Christmas trees & of course the Lutheran Christian in me is a little biased by it's references :o)

The Green Stuff: Christmas Trees

He came into the world…
Hebrews 10:5

Recommended Reading
Hebrews 10:5-10

In ancient Scandinavia, the evergreen tree was considered a symbol of life amid the bleak darkness of winter. Vikings reportedly cut down evergreens and brought them into their homes as a source of encouragement. In the 600s, Boniface, a British missionary, traveled across Europe using pines as object lessons of eternal life. Even the harsh winter couldn't kill them, said Boniface, who also used their triangular shapes to teach about the Trinity. For centuries afterward, people cut down trees and brought them indoors, creating a celebratory midwinter atmosphere. As an added benefit, the tree's fragrance provided a pleasing aroma during the confining months of winter.

According to tradition, it was Martin Luther who popularized trees as a Christmas symbol of the new life given us by the Christchild, and it was also Luther who wrote a carol that's been sung around Christmas trees for nearly 500 years: "From heaven above to earth I come, / To bear good news to every home."

May all the Christmas trees we encounter this year point our hearts upward toward our blessed Savior!

Give heed, my heart, lift up thine eyes! Who is it in yon manger lies? Who is this Child so young and fair? The blessed Christchild lieth there.
Martin Luther

We are sooooooo in trouble!!!

I don't want to compete with the previous video clip but I just had to share this. I took this clip the other day when Emily & Audrey was here. Lord, please help us! :o)

Phoebe's solo...

I apologize for you having to do the head tilt thing to watch this but I forgot to tell Bethany that it's very hard to change the direction on the movie files once they are recorded. This was from today at our Advent Tea at church. It was Phoebe's first solo in front of people.

Trust Issue...

Do you have a trust issue? I think all of us do at some point in our lives & some of us always seem to have a trust issue in varying degrees. When God says, "Trust me at all times" He really means it! :o) The following is a devotion by Dr. David Jeremiah which speaks of this topic.

3-Foot Fall
"Trust in Him at all times, you people." Psalm 62:8

Recommended Reading
2 Corinthians 1:8-10

A construction worker was welding on top of a water tower outside Chicago when he unhooked his safety gear to reach for some pipes. At the same time, a metal cage slipped and bumped the scaffolding he was on, sending him to the ground in a 110-foot fall where he landed on a pile of dirt. When the paramedics arrived and carried him off on a stretcher, he had one humorous request; "Don't drop me." *

Sometimes we are like that construction worker in our faith; trusting God to save us from the long fall of our sins, yet fretting over the three-foot falls of every-day details. It is easy to trust God with the big things we don't fully understand, but a lot of us have a difficult time putting our trust in Almighty God for the small and personal issues we deal with on a daily basis. The Bible tells us to trust God for everything because He knows our needs even before we ask Him (Matthew 6:8).

If you haven't fully put your trust in the Lord, spend some time casting ALL your cares upon Him, for He knows you intimately, loves you perfectly, and is worthy of your trust in every situation.

"It is a glorious thing to know that your Father God makes no mistakes in directing or permitting that which crosses the path of your life. It is our glory to trust Him, no matter what." Joni Erickson Tada

Making Progress!!!

I'm so pumped!!! Phoebe got a check in the mail today for $50 toward her trip! Thank you Jesus! This now puts her at $695 of the $1400 she needs for her trip. And on top of that, even though I did not make it public that I also needed $1400 for my trip, I currently have half of that amount. Praise God! Thank you Lord for your generous blessings & provisions! And...Phoebe got her passport yesterday!!! We are really excited around here!!! Even Randy...because he gets the house to himself for a whole week while we're gone :o) Please continue to pray & thank God for providing the rest of the money that we need for this trip. Thank you!

Need I say more???

China, Haiti, it doesn't matter which country...the feelings & emotions are universal.

Thanksgiving Memories...

We're back...

We got back from MO yesterday around 2:30pm. We didn't see any deer on our way there but saw 7 dead ones on the side of the road on our way back. We had a really good visit & a very blessed Thanksgiving. I have pictures that I want to share but until I get them downloaded this will have to do. It's a little video blip of our Thanksgiving Day walk down by the river in Cape Girardeau.

No deer please...

My mom came to visit us last Saturday & today she will be driving back to MO. This is normally a sad time for the both of us as we don't like living apart from each other but today will be happy because we are following her back to MO to spend a week there. We had this trip planned for quite some time so even though we were there not too long ago for Kenny's funeral we decided that we still needed to make the trip now. Please pray for our safe travels & that we won't even see one single deer while we're driving :o) I pray that everyone has a very blessed & joy filled, full of the Lord, Thanksgiving!

GOD IS SO GOOD!!!

ALL THE TIME...GOD IS GOOD!!! No, we haven't heard news about being in MOI but God is still good!!! A couple of months ago Phoebe really started struggling with her siblings not being home yet. She would just cry & cry. I told her that maybe we should start praying about changing our plans from her meeting them when they get home to her meeting them in Haiti. She immediately started praying fervently about it. God put a peace in my heart about her going...something Randy & I were adamantly against her doing at her current age.

Phoebe & I felt like God was saying we were to go together to Haiti so Phoebe could meet her siblings. I had others pray about it too & was told that they thought she needed to go. So we had the peace & confirmation but no money. I told Phoebe that if God wanted us to go that He would have to provide the money for our trip & that we needed to start praying about it.

Shortly after that I felt led to send out a letter to people telling them about the trip & asking if they would collect their loose change from now until January 1st & then donate it to Phoebe on her behalf for her trip. Within a week of the letters being sent out she has already received $250. Praise God!!! I am so excited for her! I was not concerned about God providing the money for my trip because I knew He would but I had no idea where or when it was going to come from.

The other night before I went to bed I felt like God was telling me to put our airplane tickets on hold even though Phoebe didn't have all the money for hers & I had no money for mine. I put two tickets on hold & then went to bed. The next morning I received a $700 donation to use for my airplane ticket. Praise God!!! I bought our tickets tonight so now it's offical...Phoebe & I are going to Haiti in February & we are both very excited!!! I can't wait to tell Samara & Shakira...I know that they will be excited too!

Peace like a river...

"I am leaving you with a gift-peace of mind & heart. And the peace I give isn't like the peace the world gives. So do not be troubled or afraid." John 14:27 NLT

We are still waiting to enter MOI. Many people are asking what the hold up is. I really have no idea. There is really no "real" explanation why we have been waiting since June to enter. January will mark 2 years since we started the adoption process from Haiti. Do we get frustrated? YES! Do we miss our children terribly & want them home...now? YES! Are we worried, troubled, & can't sleep night after night? NO! You maybe asking yourself why not? Because we have the PEACE of the LORD!

"Do not worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, & thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts & minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7 NLT

This is the kind of peace we have. This is the kind of peace that is available to everyone if they would just accept it. I can't explain it or even begin to understand it. I just know that it is this peace that has kept me going through some very difficult times. And not just kept me "surviving" but "thriving" during those times. I have done it without God as well...and it wasn't pretty...at all. I know that some non Christians say that Christians are weak & that we use our faith as a crutch. I know that upsets some Christians but I don't care what they say because I know that I am weak. All of us are weak by ourselves...that's what non Christians don't get. But with Jesus I am strong. "For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need." Philippians 4:13

Dear Heavenly Father,
I pray that you would fill everyone that reads this post with your peace & joy. The peace that surpasses all human understanding. Please guard their hearts & minds so that the world will not steal their peace or joy. Draw them close to you. Hold them in your hands. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen!

Peace like a river
I've got peace like a river, I've got peace like a river, I've got peace like a river in my soul;
I've got peace like a river, I've got peace like a river, I've got peace like a
river in my soul. (my soul)

I've got love like an ocean, I've got love like an ocean, I've got love like an ocean in my soul;
I've got love like an ocean, I've got love like an ocean, I've got love like an
ocean in my soul. (my soul)

I've got joy like a fountain, I've got joy like a fountain, I've got joy like a fountain in my soul;
I've got joy like a fountain, I've got joy like a fountain, I've got joy like a
fountain in my soul. (my soul)

I think God is trying to tell me something...

Have you ever prayed fervently about something & then "strange" things start happening? Well, that is what's been going on with me for the past three weeks or so. I've been praying & praying but what I have been getting is roadblocks, detour signs, & no one is able to take your call right now messages. Also, my body is out of sync. My body doesn't feel like my own. I've been very tired & some nights have been asleep by 7:30pm & sleep until 6am which is so not normal for me. My "normal" schedule is up at 4 or 4:30am & asleep between 9 to 9:30pm. Even with all of that sleep I feel totally drained by 10am & by 1pm I can hardly keep my eyes open. And I have been having very unusual dreams.

This morning I was reading Daniel Chapter 10. I have read this chapter several times before but this morning it really spoke to me. I think I'm in the middle of some sort of spiritual battle now which would explain some of the things that I have been experiencing. I'm not going to type out the whole chapter but I encourage you to read Daniel Chapter 10 when you get a chance. The whole chapter spoke to me but the following verses really "jumped out" at me. "Then the one who looked like a man touched me again, & I felt my strength returning. "Don't be afraid," he said, "for you are deeply loved by God. Be at peace; take heart & be strong!" As he spoke these words, I suddenly felt stronger & said to him, "Now you may speak, my lord, for you have strengthened me." Daniel 10:18-19

So if you are feeling depleted right now, I encourage you take comfort in knowing that God loves you very much. Ask Him to strengthen you & fill you with His peace.

Give Thanks!

I plan to write another post later that is on my heart but I just read this devotion from Dr. David Jeremiah & it really spoke to me as well & I wanted to share it with you.

The Secret Compartment

The Lord lives!.... Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the Gentiles and sing praises to Your name.
2 Samuel 22:47, 50
Recommended Reading
2 Samuel 22:47-51

In 1794, James Monroe, who later would become America's fifth president, purchased a Louis XVI desk containing a secret compartment that no one but the owner knew about. Many years later, in 1906, one of Monroe's descendants, a child, damaged the desk. It was taken to a cabinetmaker, and the secret compartment was discovered. It contained priceless documents, including letters from Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. In one of the letters, Jefferson had written: "How little do my countrymen know what precious blessing they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy."

That's a secret that also resides in the secret compartment of the Christian's heart. Every day our cups overflow. Every day we're recipients of one blessing after another. Every morning we see new mercies and rediscover God's great faithfulness.

Don't keep thanksgiving a secret. Find opportunities today to be grateful. Take the most optimistic view of things. Look up with a smile and trust Almighty God and His Word. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

For these blessings we owe Almighty God, from whom we derive them, and with profound reverence, our most grateful and unceasing acknowledgements.
James Monroe

I "love" this picture!!!

THANK YOU AMANDA!!!

I was so pleasantly surprised to open my mail box yesterday to find your note & CD. It came at the perfect time! I haven't had a chance to go over to Ann's to see how you know each other but I will do that soon. She & her family are wonderful people as I'm sure you already know. I wish all of my neighbors were like that!

Thanks again! I will think of you everytime I listen to the CD :o)

Rembering Kenny...

Today would have been Kenny's 52nd birthday. As we still grieve the loss of him on this earth we know that he is rejoicing with Jesus in heaven. We were sitting at the dining room table this morning eating breakfast when I reminded Phoebe & Randy that today is his birthday. Phoebe said, "Can we sing to him?" "Sure we can sing to him", I said. So the three of us sang Happy Birthday to Kenny. When we were done, Phoebe was thoughtfully smiling, I was teary eyed, & Randy was speechless & choked up. Happy Birthday Kenny! We love you!