COURT DATE!!!

On March 9th 2009 we started the process of adopting one or two children from Ethiopia. We have pinched Penny's-prayed 100's if not 1000's of prayers-had fingerprints done a few times-had a few fundraisers and watched God perform so many miracles we just stand in awe of His awesomeness!!!! We got a referral on September 9th for a baby girl and a baby boy. After a short time of waiting that feels a million times longer than its actually been- we got the news! On Monday of this week I randomly decided to check my email. I had stopped checking it so often because I was driving myself cookoo. I opened my email and saw this title-court date!!! I opened it, read it. Than I read it again. That's when the shaking and sweating started. I turned around and told Brett that we could stop dieting because we were going to Africa and not Florida!!!! For the next several days I simply went crazy-didn't sleep and had a few Pepsi's:)

So Lord willing, we will be meeting our baby's on the 24th or 25th of February!!!! I simply cant believe it. God-thank you for working even when we felt like things were going no where. Thank you for answering our prayers even though it felt like they were bouncing off the ceiling. London and Olivia-I cant wait to hold you-to kiss your sweet brown skin!

You can keep the prayers rolling in. This road is not over and we still have lots to do and accomplish. God has done some amazing things and we have some really awesome things we get to take part in when we go to Ethiopia. Blessings to you all-A

God found us you!

We got our new book in the mail on Saturday. Its a sweet story of adoption called "God found us you". Mia loves it and we have read it many times already. One thing I really like about it is the way it gives openings for conversation with your little one and their story. It also has me thinking of my little ones who are so far away. One part of this book that I so love goes like this- "Did you ever give up?" Little Fox asked. "Sometimes," Mama said, rubbing Little Fox's cheek with hers. "But I trusted God knew you, and knew me, and knew when we'd fit perfectly together." So today Lord, I am trusting you know when our little ones will fit perfectly together into our family and we wait for that day! I woke up today really missing my babies. So strange since I don't really know them. Haven't had a new picture or update in months, and yet I feel I know them in a way. I pray that in 2011 more people will step out and be a forever family for the fatherless! My heart just about explodes when I talk with people and they give me all the excuses for why they cannot adopt. I know its not for everyone, but you can sponsor a child. You can go on a missions trip and hug and kiss the children. You can do SOMETHING!!! Don't forget, as a child of God, you are adopted too. God didn't make excuses about whether or not to adopt you, He didn't whine about being too old or go on about how He would no longer have time for the things He liked to do! I know-He is God, but do you get what I am saying? So what can you do this year for the little ones across the world that just want to belong? Are you willing to give up a little, so that a child will know the love of Jesus through your obedience to His call? One little girl in Uganda was in tears because we had come all the way across the ocean to hug her. She was in awe that God would do that for her. We may have went all the way to Uganda just for that sweet little girl to understand that God heard her cry and loved her enough to send a bunch of white people to Africa to give her a hug! Praying you will stand in the gap for a orphan today-A

A precious gift!

This summer I went to Africa for 14 days. While on the trip I got to know some great gals from PA. They were mom and I's roomies for the duration of the trip. Well last week mom calls me and is about to burst with with excitement, but she is all secretive and cant tell me anything. All she says is that this exciting something is coming in the mail. Everyday she asked if I got the mail. By Thursday I was kinda forgetting about it. Then it was all crazy with the new year and then the mail didnt go. So yesterday I forgot to get the mail. I got it this morning. I was saw a envelope and was excited about another christmas card. I opened it and it was not a christmas card. It was a sweet little booklet that talked about making 7000 cookies to sell over christmas to help orphans in Africa. And how on a cold-snowy day in PA they sold them all! Now these women have been busy. On facebook, Marge had talked about making tons of cookies since November! They spread the word on facebook about selling them and how they would benefit orphans in Africa. I am in Indiana just praying for these cookies to sell and for the children who would benefit from the sales. Marge and her hubby are going to Ethiopia in Febuary with Visisting Orphans and I assumed the money would go with them. Little did I know that these women were doing ALL this work for our babies!!! I opened the booklet-I read this fun little story, and then I cried! I cried because this is such a sweet thing that these women have done! Women who have only known us for not even a year yet! So many people have been used by God for this adoption, but this selfless act of giving so touched my heart! I pray that each person who participated in this cookie selling are richly blessed by the Lord! I know I have been so touched by this and I cant wait to tell London and Olivia the amazing ways God used people to help them come home to their forever family! May you be blessed-A