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| 3/3/2006 Happy Friday! I always enjoy Fridays...I think because it is a wind down kind of day. I am also more tired on Fridays than any other day of the week. The late nights catch up with me. Well, no news today. I know, I know, we weren't really expecting any since finding out that the Hogar director is out of town. But deep down you can't help but hope just a little bit that there would be some surprise good news. Or at least I can't. :) But we remain in good spirits, praying ALOT. The kids are also talking about Maria more and more. I think we are all ready just to have her here. Well, at least as soon as we figure out our car seat situation. Today's verse is in Proverbs 16:1-3. "People may make plans in their minds, but only the LORD can make them come true. You may believe you are doing right, but the LORD will judge your reasons. Depend on the LORD in whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." We are continuing to depend on Him. A lot of people compare adoption to a pregnancy. I can kind of see that point, but since I have been on both sides, I don't think they are that much alike. You know, barring any tragedies, that a pregnancy will not go over 42 weeks. We are entering our "eighth" month and are still "not showing". With pregnancy you know pretty much a definite end/birth date. With adoption, you are in a "waiting" pattern with no definite end date until you actually are there picking up your child. With pregnancy, your child is always "with you" (or for mommas anyway), while with adoption (at least in our case), we know she is far, far away. With pregnancy, you get this new baby who will experience all of his/her firsts with you. With adoption, we are getting a 2 year old (which is the age we requested) with a lot of firsts behind her that we weren't there for. :( Yet in one way, I guess it is the same. In the end, if all goes well, you have this beautiful blessing from God. We miss you, Maria Elizabeth! We are praying for some good news...some "YES" answers...a MIRACLE...next week! |
| 3/4/2006 Happy Saturday! Today's verses are from Matthew 6:33-34 "The thing you should want most is God's kingdom to be given to you. So don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have its own worries. Each day has enough trouble of its own." That is kind of a clue how the day started. Somebody made a discouraging comment (not intentionally), and I let Satan just blow it up to a big worry. If you know me at all, that is a weak spot for me. I will admit that we are both concerned about how long the process has taken and that we can't seem to "start" even after this many months. We wonder if it will really happen. But we are trying not to worry...easier said than done. :) We believe Maria is supposed to be with our family, and we believe that God still performs miracles. But we also know that His ways are not always our ways. So if it doesn't happen (which of course would be devastating), we would have to trust Him in that too. Once I got past that, we had a wonderful day as a family. I still almost feel guilty being a "family" without Maria here. I may just have to start pretending she is at camp in Guatemala. :) We took a quick family trip to Tulsa. We went to Babies R Us which is one store that actually lets you try carseats IN your car without buying. And we think we have my car situation solved (with the use of a measuring tape and a little detective work). We did not buy the seat yet, since we have some time, but I do feel better knowing what we can get. We did buy a few little odds and ends for Maria. If for some reason things don't turn out the way we want, we can return them, use them as gifts, etc. (I don't want to think that way, but I cannot begin to presume what God's plans are either...) Then we headed to Joe's Crab Shack. It is probably better that we DON'T have one in our area. Yum, yum. One funny thing that happened is that Mark and I ordered calamari. (fried squid) The kids who thought they were starving after BRU adventure ate quite a bit of it. Then we told them what it was. I thought Hunter was going to freak out. He slowed down a bit after that, but it didn't bother Lauren. Then we headed to the Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks, right outside of Tulsa. What a fun place! We saw seahorses, turtles, snakes, an alligator, starfish, bull sharks, and numerous other creatures. It was a lot of fun for all of us. Then we had some ice cream on the way home, and we ended the night with a family viewing of Trading Spaces. It was a fun family day! Please keep praying! (for Maria and for us!) |
| 3/5/2006 Happy Sonday! I am smiling from ear to ear. No, no news yet about our case. But by a series of "coincidences" I can only attribute to God, I just heard from an Internet friend who adopted from the same Hogar as us. (I just happened to find her one day on a Guatemala adoption message board) And it just so happens that her sister has a friend who is adopting from that same Hogar. Her sister and adopting friend just made a visit this past week and met Maria Elizabeth while there. And her sister mentioned how alert and energetic Maria is! We were thrilled to hear how she is thriving! Thank you, Jesus, for an answer to prayer! Speaking of prayer, tonight's verse is Ephesians 1:16 "I have not stopped giving thanks to God for you. I always remember you in my prayers..." Even as we have been moaning and groaning about wanting our daughter, I have not done a good job giving thanks to several people. We are thankful to our family and friends who are supporting this decision. We are thankful to Katie, Jake and Alisha, Kevin, and my mom for writing letters of recommendation for our dossier/homestudy. We are thankful to Robby and Cindy for signing "witness statements" for our dossier. We are thankful for Irene for notarizing MANY pieces of paperwork. We are thankful to my doctor for making a special appointment for my medical (needed for the dosier) who didn't charge me for it. We are thankful to all of the doctors for finding a notary in office who could notarize our paperwork. We are thankful to our social worker who was very quick with our homestudy. And I am thankful for the USCIS office in Ft. Smith as well as the FBI who helped us get some needed paperwork very quickly. We are grateful for Donnie who helped us get our line of credit very quickly for necessary funds for the adoption. And to my sister for sharing her daughter's clothes with Maria. (The girls are just a few days apart) I am thankful to our church, my school, Mark's office, and numerous family and friends who are praying for us regularly through this process. And I am thankful to our agency, particularly Heather, who is quite patient and rational (and helpful) when I am not. I am thankful to Nancy for her well run Hogar and dedication to children as well as the many nannies who assist with Maria's care. And I am thankful for our lawyer who has done extra work with the abandonment. I am thankful to the many friends I have met via the Internet who I can confide to about adoption ups and downs. And a mother in law (and father in law) who sends encouraging notes when I am down. And of course, to the several people who sign our guestbook and let us know you are thinking of us...And of course, to God. We are thankful to God for His faithfulness and love, to His creation of Maria, and for showing us who He is on a daily basis... Praying for a yes answer this week! |