I apologize for not blogging last night but it's been kind of "wild" around here. Randy & "company" arrived safely in Miami last night. The kids are now US Citizens! Samara & Shakira are doing really well. Caleb however is pretty sick so please pray for him. He started throwing up Thursday night at the O. Randy just called from DFW & said Caleb is still throwing up, & now has diarrhea, & a fever. I made jello for him last night & I'm going to the store this morning & get some Pedialyte.
Please pray for peace for my mom as well. She arrived yesterday around 1pm & late yesterday afternoon we found out that a bad storm went through our hometown & she has some house damage which of course is concerning to her.
I will try to post homecoming pictures & video as soon as possible but with a sick little one it might be a while. Thanks for all of your prayers & support!
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Talk to the hand...
because that's where the visas are :o) Not my hand, but somebody's :o) I'm really getting excited now! This is really happening!!! Randy & Troy take off tomorrow morning & they are scheduled to come home with the kids on Saturday. Please pray for travel safety & that everything goes smoothly. Thanks!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Amanda...
Hey you...if you still have Michelle's E mail address...would you please send her an E mail & then she can forward it to me so I can send you an E mail about our travel plans. Thanky! :o)
APPROVED!!!
Well, I just got word that we got our visa approvals! Thank you Jesus! Thank you Lord for being with us every step of the way on this wild & crazy ride!
They should be able to pick up the visas tomorrow afternoon. Please remember that "should" is the key word...so please pray that they have the paper & ink they need to print them, & the printing machine works properly & for anything else that could go wrong :o) I will send out an E mail with travel plans once the visas are in hand.
They should be able to pick up the visas tomorrow afternoon. Please remember that "should" is the key word...so please pray that they have the paper & ink they need to print them, & the printing machine works properly & for anything else that could go wrong :o) I will send out an E mail with travel plans once the visas are in hand.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Praise the Lord!
I was reading Psalm 113 this morning & this is what the last verse says:
"He gives the childless woman a family, making her a happy mother. Praise the Lord!"
Psalm 113:9 NLT
Thank you Jesus!
"He gives the childless woman a family, making her a happy mother. Praise the Lord!"
Psalm 113:9 NLT
Thank you Jesus!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Getting closer...very close!
Wanted to let you know that we just got DHS approval!!! Praise God!!! Please start praying that we will get a visa appointment scheduled in a timely manner. Thanks!
Update: We recieved notice that our visa appt. is Tuesday!!!! That is all God!!! Thank you Jesus!!! Please pray for approvals on Tuesday!
Update: We recieved notice that our visa appt. is Tuesday!!!! That is all God!!! Thank you Jesus!!! Please pray for approvals on Tuesday!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Doing God's Will...
Ever since Randy & I recommitted our lives to the Lord in 1997, we have been striving to do His will. At the beginning we were pretty bad at it...missing the mark most of the time because we weren't listening or just didn't want to. We found out the hard way that it's really not a smart thing to not listen to God & to not to what He says.
So I think that over the past years we have been getting better at it even though most of the time it's not easy to do. We do it & trust that He knows what's best for us...and He has never failed us thus far...He does know what is best for us!
We had a back up plan in case I did not get doctor approval to fly to Haiti. I was happy Monday when my doctor said I could fly but I didn't have a peace about going. I was happy that I was healthy enough to fly but wasn't sure that I was suppose to go with Randy to pick up the kids. I called Randy at work & asked him if I should go with him & he said, "Well, if the doctor said you could fly, then I think you should go." I said, "Okay" but still didn't have a peace about it.
Randy sent me an E mail from work on Tuesday basically saying that he wasn't sure that I should go, so we agreed to pray about it. I then called a good friend of mine to ask her to pray about it too & she said that she would but then said, "I think your heart already has the answer." When I asked her to explain what she meant she pointed out to me that I had complete peace about not going...something that I had been waiting for over two years for...she said you would not be at peace about it if that wasn't what you were suppose to do. It immediately clicked inside of me because that has always been the determining factor for me on whether I should do something or not, or what path to take. I ask God for His will to be done & that He would give me a peace about it one way or the other.
I had total peace about not going but did not have peace about going so there was my answer! I called Randy & talked to him about it, & he agreed. So we are going with our original back up plan. Troy M. (Brandy's husand) will be going with Randy to bring our kids home. I am so excited that he is going! Phoebe & I will be eagerly waiting at the airport for their arrival...and no, I'm still not making my own cake or shooting my own homecoming video :o)
We did find out yesterday that the medical test results are negative. Praise God!!!
However, yes...there's always "more" in Haiti...they now want a certain translation certified so that is suppose to be done today. Praying that we will get DHS approval by the end of the day.
So I think that over the past years we have been getting better at it even though most of the time it's not easy to do. We do it & trust that He knows what's best for us...and He has never failed us thus far...He does know what is best for us!
We had a back up plan in case I did not get doctor approval to fly to Haiti. I was happy Monday when my doctor said I could fly but I didn't have a peace about going. I was happy that I was healthy enough to fly but wasn't sure that I was suppose to go with Randy to pick up the kids. I called Randy at work & asked him if I should go with him & he said, "Well, if the doctor said you could fly, then I think you should go." I said, "Okay" but still didn't have a peace about it.
Randy sent me an E mail from work on Tuesday basically saying that he wasn't sure that I should go, so we agreed to pray about it. I then called a good friend of mine to ask her to pray about it too & she said that she would but then said, "I think your heart already has the answer." When I asked her to explain what she meant she pointed out to me that I had complete peace about not going...something that I had been waiting for over two years for...she said you would not be at peace about it if that wasn't what you were suppose to do. It immediately clicked inside of me because that has always been the determining factor for me on whether I should do something or not, or what path to take. I ask God for His will to be done & that He would give me a peace about it one way or the other.
I had total peace about not going but did not have peace about going so there was my answer! I called Randy & talked to him about it, & he agreed. So we are going with our original back up plan. Troy M. (Brandy's husand) will be going with Randy to bring our kids home. I am so excited that he is going! Phoebe & I will be eagerly waiting at the airport for their arrival...and no, I'm still not making my own cake or shooting my own homecoming video :o)
We did find out yesterday that the medical test results are negative. Praise God!!!
However, yes...there's always "more" in Haiti...they now want a certain translation certified so that is suppose to be done today. Praying that we will get DHS approval by the end of the day.
Monday, April 20, 2009
No and Yes...
No, I have not heard anything from Haiti today :o(
Yes, I did have my recheck with my doctor today...and he gave me the "green light" to fly to Haiti to bring my children home :o)
Yes, I did have my recheck with my doctor today...and he gave me the "green light" to fly to Haiti to bring my children home :o)
Sunday, April 19, 2009
One month from today...
Caleb turns two. Please continue to pray that he will be home by his 2nd birthday. Thanks!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
I will...
be joyful & thankful during this time of waiting! I must admit that out of all of the waiting that I have ever had to do in my life...waiting for my "knight in shining armor" to come along, waiting for 14 years after getting married for Phoebe to come along, waiting another 3 years after that for God to reveal his plans to enlarge our family, currently waiting for 2 years & 4 months for that plan to come to completion...that these past few weeks have been the hardest of the waiting that I have done so far in my life. I'm not exactly sure why but they have been.
Yesterday I was eagerly awaiting the news of negative TB results & instead got "kicked in the stomach" with the news that the tests results won't be back until Monday...which of course means that our DHS approval will not happen this week as most of us had hoped & prayed for. I will admit that I did get very bummed about this. But the good thing about having a "bouncy" personality is that you don't stay in one spot for very long :o) So last night before I went to bed I was determined not to let this get to me & that I will continue to wait patiently upon the Lord.
This morning I woke up & Psalm 100 really spoke to me so I am going to share it with you & I pray that it blesses you as well.
Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, & we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him & praise his name.
For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
& his faithfulness continues to each generation.
Psalm 100 NLT
Updated at 7:42am
My hubby sent this devotion from Dr. David Jeremiah to me this morning & it so goes along with what's going on in my life & possibly yours too.
Who Is in Control?
"So shall My Word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:11
Parenting experts disagree on quite a few things, such as spanking, time outs, manners, sleeping, eating, obedience, and tantrums. Typically though, there is one common thread among those who claim to know how to raise children; you must follow through on what you say. If a parent explains the consequences of disobedience to their child, they must be ready and willing to carry them out. In other words, parents must mean what they say. This fosters respect and prompt, pleasant obedience in most cases because children quickly learn who is in control: the parent.
Just as smart parents follow through in order to teach their children obedience, sometimes God uses prophecy for the instruction of His children. He wants us to know that when He says He will do something, we can be absolutely sure it will come to pass as He said. At the same time, He is showing us His authority and trustworthiness so that if we ever question what is going on in the world, we can simply search His Word, discover what He says about it, and remember who is in control: Almighty God.
"He who breathes into our hearts the heavenly hope will not deceive or fail us when we press forward to its realization." Anonymous
Yesterday I was eagerly awaiting the news of negative TB results & instead got "kicked in the stomach" with the news that the tests results won't be back until Monday...which of course means that our DHS approval will not happen this week as most of us had hoped & prayed for. I will admit that I did get very bummed about this. But the good thing about having a "bouncy" personality is that you don't stay in one spot for very long :o) So last night before I went to bed I was determined not to let this get to me & that I will continue to wait patiently upon the Lord.
This morning I woke up & Psalm 100 really spoke to me so I am going to share it with you & I pray that it blesses you as well.
Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, & we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him & praise his name.
For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
& his faithfulness continues to each generation.
Psalm 100 NLT
Updated at 7:42am
My hubby sent this devotion from Dr. David Jeremiah to me this morning & it so goes along with what's going on in my life & possibly yours too.
Who Is in Control?
"So shall My Word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:11
Parenting experts disagree on quite a few things, such as spanking, time outs, manners, sleeping, eating, obedience, and tantrums. Typically though, there is one common thread among those who claim to know how to raise children; you must follow through on what you say. If a parent explains the consequences of disobedience to their child, they must be ready and willing to carry them out. In other words, parents must mean what they say. This fosters respect and prompt, pleasant obedience in most cases because children quickly learn who is in control: the parent.
Just as smart parents follow through in order to teach their children obedience, sometimes God uses prophecy for the instruction of His children. He wants us to know that when He says He will do something, we can be absolutely sure it will come to pass as He said. At the same time, He is showing us His authority and trustworthiness so that if we ever question what is going on in the world, we can simply search His Word, discover what He says about it, and remember who is in control: Almighty God.
"He who breathes into our hearts the heavenly hope will not deceive or fail us when we press forward to its realization." Anonymous
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
This waiting...
will either:
a) make me stronger
b) drive me crazy
c) drive me to drink
d) make me throw away all clocks & calendars
e) eat 100 pounds of chocolate
f) all of the above
g) none of the above
I promise that I will post new info. when I have it...right now...it's still a waiting game! Cara...I think you need to come visit me :o)
a) make me stronger
b) drive me crazy
c) drive me to drink
d) make me throw away all clocks & calendars
e) eat 100 pounds of chocolate
f) all of the above
g) none of the above
I promise that I will post new info. when I have it...right now...it's still a waiting game! Cara...I think you need to come visit me :o)
Monday, April 13, 2009
Spring Break Pictures...
Sorry that it has taken me so long to post these! We did have a great time in NC although we didn't take many pictures :o( Phoebe did really well visiting a whole lot of people that she doesn't remember :o)
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Happy Easter!!!
Praying that you are having a very blessed & joy filled Easter. He is RISEN...He is RISEN indeed!
Friday, April 10, 2009
The "Scoop"...
I know many of you are wearing yourselves out checking my blog to see if I have posted any new news on our adoption progress :o) so I thought I would give you an update although it's not too terribly exciting at this point.
Our children's passports have been obtained & their files are in review at DHS for final approval. I'm not sure if they actually had their medical exams, but for some unknown reason have not had their TB tests done yet & now can not have them until Monday. So please pray that they will get them on Monday & that we will get negative results on Wednesday & have final approval by Friday of next week. Thanks!
Our children's passports have been obtained & their files are in review at DHS for final approval. I'm not sure if they actually had their medical exams, but for some unknown reason have not had their TB tests done yet & now can not have them until Monday. So please pray that they will get them on Monday & that we will get negative results on Wednesday & have final approval by Friday of next week. Thanks!
Monday, April 6, 2009
I surrender...
Have you ever been in a season in your life where you think you're doing the right things, you're trying your best to seek & do God's will in your life, & then all of sudden...........WHAMO!.................you get "thrown" down to the ground & you're only hope of getting back up is to take the hand that Jesus is extending to you & let him pick you up & put you back on your feet? Well, I am experiencing one of those seasons right now. I would probably still be cluessless today about my predicament if it wasn't for having a wonderful, caring friend who loves me too much to tell me just what I want to hear. She spoke the truth in love...even though it was still painful to hear...and God's words through her voice...spoke to my heart & spirit. This song pretty much sums it up about what I'm doing about it.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
You're mama...
was doing the same thing yesterday but I didn't get a picture of it! Two peas in a pod! :o)
Friday, April 3, 2009
Our Awesome God!!!
Wednesday was a rollercoaster ride of emotions for me. After learning the news that Passports wanted to see Caleb's birthmother before issuing his passport, I was a "mess." I bawled my eyes out & then was briefly overtaken by fear & selfishness. Fear that this gave his birthmother another opportunity to change her mind, & selfishness of not wanting to go through the pain of all kind of scenarios related to that, even though I know without a doubt God has chosen Caleb to be a part of our family. I want my children home now! I feel like I've waited long enough & do not want to go through a long, drawn out something else to test or grow my faith or anyone else's. I just want my children home...now!!! So after telling God all of that I broke down & did what I knew He was calling me to do...which was to trust Him...and give it all to Him. So I did...even if that means waitng another year or two more for my child(ren) to come home. Once I released Caleb to God I was filled with complete peace.
Thursday morning I found out that our usually mild mannered, not so assertive but very hard working Orphanage Director told passports that everything was complete & legal on the Haitian side & that they had no right to ask for the birthparents presence at this point. I am totally convinced that this was Holy Spirit led assertiveness...and they responded with, "Okay, you can come pick up the passport." Thank you Jesus!!!
So he was suppose to have picked up Caleb's passport yesterday morning & then submit all of our files to DHS for final approval. We are waiting for confirmation today whether he was able to do everything as planned.
The next "hurdle" we face is the children's TB test. They are suppose to be going for their medical exams today which are needed for the final DHS approval. We need to pray that all 5 children's (including the 2 that aren't mine :o) TB test come back negative because if they don't...you're looking at about a month delay in getting a chest x ray, the results of it, & the 10 days of treatment that is required before they are allowed to enter the US. They will read the results Monday so please pray that they are negative. Thanks!
Thursday morning I found out that our usually mild mannered, not so assertive but very hard working Orphanage Director told passports that everything was complete & legal on the Haitian side & that they had no right to ask for the birthparents presence at this point. I am totally convinced that this was Holy Spirit led assertiveness...and they responded with, "Okay, you can come pick up the passport." Thank you Jesus!!!
So he was suppose to have picked up Caleb's passport yesterday morning & then submit all of our files to DHS for final approval. We are waiting for confirmation today whether he was able to do everything as planned.
The next "hurdle" we face is the children's TB test. They are suppose to be going for their medical exams today which are needed for the final DHS approval. We need to pray that all 5 children's (including the 2 that aren't mine :o) TB test come back negative because if they don't...you're looking at about a month delay in getting a chest x ray, the results of it, & the 10 days of treatment that is required before they are allowed to enter the US. They will read the results Monday so please pray that they are negative. Thanks!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Please pray!!!
I can't even write about this right now but you can go to Cara's blog...see right side blog listing...and read her post for today. The "other" child is Caleb. Please pray! Thanks!
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