multitudes on monday 96-104

96) catching up with a friend and picking up right where we left off—with much laughter and heart felt discussion

97) s’mores over the fire—complete with sticky hands and lips

98) the sun streaming through the clouds in lines that look like it straight from Heaven

99) A COURT DATE!!

100) a day at the lake

101) hearing how God is working in the lives of my friends

102) listening to my daughters play the piano

103) butterflies in the field

104) teeny tiny baby clothes

Waiting 6yr old girl

Update!  She has a family now!!  Hallelujah!

A 6 year old little girl—waiting for a home and a family to call her own.

This beautiful girl is from Gambella, which is on the border of Sudan. 

She is very friendly and social, loves to smile and has opened up a lot since coming to the Care Center.

Might she be your little girl?

If you are interested of learning more about her please email waitingkids@adoptioninternational.net

Court Date!!

We received our court date yesterday—and I missed the phone call because I was busy being re-fingerprinted for our FBI clearances!  (We have to update our homestudy, FBI clearances, and USCIS fingerprints because of the length of time. We are right on the line for everything)

Our court date is July 18! 

They did a great job of getting us in quickly.  I am so thankful for the judge and her working with us to get us into court and our son home.

Please continue praying that all of our paperwork will be correct and there (including that famous letter!) and that we will pass court while in Ethiopia!

Then I will be able to show all of you my sweet one’s face.

I wanted to share a picture that my sweet friend from our old travel group sent me. This was right after we lost our first referral and received the next one.  Her note was that Jesus was holding BOTH of my boys in His arms and to trust Him with their care.

Her words were balm to my heart and soul.

Isn’t it beautiful? 

Thank you all for your continued prayers and love.

Our God is good.

love box

Do you have one? A place where you store sentimental stuff?  notes, cards, poems etc?

Mine is an old Godiva truffle box. (they were divine, by the way)

Anything that makes me feel loved goes in there. Cards, emails, notes, pictures—all sorts of things.

 

 

 

I also have a love notebook.  This has cards, notes, emails, stickers, quotes, verses. etc etc.  This one is primarily for the way God shows His love for me through others. On days when I feel so unloved—I will take this out both of these out and pour through them—usually bawling.  There is a note from a friend when I was waiting to become pregnant with our first—and she encouraged me on God’s timing for my life and for my baby.  That first child just got her learner’s permit!

There are many notes/cards from one sweet friend as we shared pregnancies, scriptures, raising small children, vacations and so on.  Though they live away now, there is a special friendship that will never be broken.

Many others from other special people as we shared trying times, exciting events, or even just the day to day life of walking with God, and raising our kids. Many of these people have moved or we are in different churches or in different spots—but the bonds and love are still there—just different now. (which sometimes makes me sad!)

There are emails printed out and taped that encouraged me in my walk with the Lord.

 

Reminders of love of my Heavenly Father through my earthly friends.

Anyone else have such a thing?

beach times

I love the beach.

I love to sit and just watch that vast ocean continually move to and fro.

I love to watch the birds dive down for their lunch.

I love to watch my kids build sand castles and have shark teeth finding contests.

I love to read in the salty air and feel the breeze.

The ocean always reminds of me of this quote by Amy Carmichael

If I say, "Yes, I forgive, but I cannot forget,"
as though the God,
who twice a day washes all the sands
on all the shores of all the world,
could not wash such memories from my mind,
then I know nothing of Calvary’s love.     

  

 

 

 

     

multitudes on monday 86-95

86) a little snail slowly making his way across the road

87) a good piece of chocolate

88) a walk with a friend in the early morning air

89) a video of my boy smiling. melt my heart

90) a caseworker that calms my fears

91) fresh cut grass. love that smell

92) scoring at a yard sale with baby clothes—25 and 50 cents a piece!

93) this shirt:

94) a husband who looks at me and says “you look great” :) even when I don’t think I do.

95) surviving a ride home with Bekah who just got her learner's.

 

Winner of Dayspring Coupon Code

The hubby picked a random number and it belonged to…..

“Indescribable” !  I will email it to you soon!

cleaning out the closet

I am cleaning out our adoption close and have a few things left if anyone would want them.

SOLD!! Black bag with red lining and red stitched Africa by Bekah $15 plus $3 for shipping
(this is really pretty—it was just hard to take a picture of)
 
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SOLD!! XL (true xlarge 16-18) white tshirt with brown swirly Africa  $15 (includes shipping)

 
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SOLD!! small v-neck (modern fit 4-6) pink tshirt with polka dot Africa $15 (includes shipping)

  
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Isaiah 1:17 shirts in natural color (loose reg tshirt fit) medium, large $10 (includes shipping)

 

Isaiah 1:17 shirts in large grey (loose reg tshirt fit) (only one available) $10 (includes shipping)


 
PS..Don’t forget to enter the giveaway in the post below!

Items

Isaiah 1:17 tshirt $10.00 Africa tshirt $15.00 Bag + shipping $18.00

Encouragement is a Powerful Thing

Encouragement really is a powerful thing. 

I know from experience.

I know from last week.

I love the adoption community that I have become a part of.  It is a fiercely compassionate and loyal community.  An encouraging community.  An earnestly praying group of friends--even the ones I have never met.

You know the whole love language thing?  Guess what mine is. Yep, words of affirmation. Big Time.  It feeds my soul. It makes me feel loved.

One thing that I am learning more and more of is that God is the Great Encourager.  He is the absolute best at it. He doesn’t forget. He sees all and He knows all.  We just sometimes miss His encouragement because we are too rushed, too loud, or we are looking for it in the wrong places.

As I have been reading One Thousand Gifts by Anne Voskamp, I have been challenged to make my own list of 1,000 gifts to be thankful for.

Little things (or even big things) throughout the day that I can pause and be grateful for. 

I have come to the realization that so many times that is how God encourages us—through those little snippets of  joy in between heartache and hard times. And so many times we miss it.

My friends, pause and quiet your heart and look for those whispers of encouragement from God. Remember—sometimes He is in the most gentlest of breezes.

Charisa

(keep reading for a giveaway at bottom of post!!)

 

Yesterday I received something wonderful from Dayspring to help me count those blessings and gifts!

A magnetic memo board that has Count Your Blessings on it.

Here it is hanging  in our kitchen (with my sweet baby on it!)

 

 Giveaway!!

On this Friday, June 10th—I will give away a $20 coupon code to Dayspring’s store.

 

How can you enter?  Just comment on this post and share something or someone that has encouraged YOU recently!  

 

disclaimer stuff: DaySpring gave me the free product to review and  all opinions stated are my own. :)

multitudes on monday 71-85

Many things to be thankful for and to find joy in the past two weeks:
71) renewed relationships
72) hope, hope, and more hope
73) morning air at the beach
74) slipper sea shells
75) nice strangers
76) cool shade on a very hot day
77) laughter with my teens
78) feel of wet sand between my toes
79) firm ripe cold blueberries
80) watching seahorses
81) first lightning bugs that I see of the season
82) God’s better plan
83) unfathomable peace
84) tears of compassion from friends
85) unexpected joy
Eucharisteo

“Better One”

Amazing. Simply Amazing.
I received a call for a referral yesterday!
a little 5/6 month old baby boy
 whose name means “Better One”
Yes, “Better One”
My friends—God had something better in store—for our first little boy, this little boy,  and for us.
I am in awe of God.
I told myself that I need to make a Stone of Remembrance for this time—so that when I begin to doubt His love and faithfulness—that I can look back and know He loves, He cares, and He knows.
The courts have agreed to just expedite our paperwork so we hope to be in Ethiopia soon for a court date.
I am in love and my heart is full.
Full for both boys.
Praise our God---for He is good.

God’s will and not my own

Yesterday we received some devastating news that the mother of the baby boy we were going to adopt came and took him home. Her court date was on Tuesday and she had changed her mind.  While we always knew that there was a chance for this—our boy had been in the orphanage since October so we didn’t really concern ourselves too much with it.
Our emotions are in a whirlwind. We are sad that we will never get to hold him and meet him. However….as we grieved and prayed yesterday—God reminded us that adoption is not about us. It’s about the child. And whatever is best for the child is what it needs to be about.  So while I am grieving my loss,  I am thankful that he will be raised with his mother.
Our lives have been connected for 3 months with the little one and his mother for a reason. Perhaps to remember to pray for him and her for the rest of our lives. We are connected and we won’t forget him.
Our little one’s name means “Praise”.  And we will continue to praise God and know that He is good and still on the throne.
I went to my grandmother’s today and listened to the song below over and over again.

So—come and listen to what He’s done.

• a wonderful compassionate caseworker who even called my hubby to come home before she called me.
• a friend that was coming for a play date and showed up right after that call—and she sat and literally held me and cried with me.
• a friend that came straight over after she heard the news and prayed with us.
• countless emails and phone calls and facebook posts giving love, compassion, and understanding.
• a friend who was at our care center that shared with me that our boy will be okay and that he is loved by his mother.
• learning even more about how much God must yearn for me as His daughter—and how much He loves me.
• my peace, unfathomable peace. I am a gal who can be overrun by her emotions—and while I have cried and grieved, I have peace.

I must admit that at the beginning, right after the call, my first thought was “I am done. This is too hard. Let’s cut our losses and run.” and God began His work and poured out His love for me and for a mother and son across the ocean.
And He confirmed it with precious friends. I am going to share bits and pieces of emails so that they may also speak to you in whatever situation you are in.

God did not even spare his own Son suffering and grief - how can we expect to be spared?  Somehow that thought comforts me and helps me to not sink into being angry with God for things not going how I'd like them to go - how I prayed for them to go.  Be comforted and continue to be brave, my friend!!! ____________________________

My heart breaks with you today. I do not always understand God's ways but trust completely in His Sovereignty. I know He holds your future child close and right now holds you even closer in your disappointment. He knows your disappointment and understands your grief.
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Tonight, one beautiful little boy rests again in the arms of his mother.  And another waits in the orphanage right now, for the day to come -- soon! -- when he can rest in his forever momma's arms.
His timing is never wrong.  It is always, always, always perfect.
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Praise our God for He is good!