| Day by Day |
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| If you return to the Main Page, we hope that you will sign our guestbook. We hope to share the encouragement and kind words with Maria someday. |
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| 6/15/2006
Hello, friends...I have missed you. It has been a very hectic week, even though our kiddos are with their grandparents for the week. God definitely knew what He was doing with that timing! This course I am taking has involved a LOT of time. I could not have given the kids the attention they deserve if they had been here. I am beginning to feel better. Last night we went to bed early (well, earlier for us), and I actually feel kind of awake today. My stomach is handling food pretty well, though there are certain foods I won't be able to eat for some time. Not necessarily the fault of the food. We have both admitted to feeling like life is a little "surreal". Mark has been on two different trips in the past couple weeks. And emotionally, this past trip for me was exhausting. Throw in being sick, the hustle and bustle of Lauren's party, the emotions involved in Hunter's baptism, and LOTS of work for this class I am taking...life just doesn't seem quite the same right now. Plus the house is SO quiet with the kids gone. I am very thankful we went on our trip, but it was very painful to be a family and now not be a family. And not know when we will be a family (of 5 that is). We just continue to wait... Genesis 8:12 "He waited seven more days and sent the dove out again, but this time it did not return to him." Probably seems like an odd verse choice. I did a search of the word "wait" since that is what our life feels like right now. (I have to say, after taking a Modern Grammar class, it is difficult to type anything without analyzing all the parts of what I am writing!) This is one of the first verses to pop up. I can kind of relate to Noah. We wait. We send out that dove (for us, prayers). The prayers seem to come back with the answer "wait". But hopefully one time we sent them out, the prayer won't come back to us but rather Maria will. Maria, our sweet precious daughter, please know how much we love you and how eagerly we await you at home... Pictures have been posted from our trip...there are 2 pages total. Just click on the link at the bottom of the page! |
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| Where is the food??? |
| 6/16/2006
Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with ALL of your heart and lean not on your own understanding." Obviously, this verse is a favorite. (Is it "legal" in God's eyes to have "favorite verses"?) I cannot find too many situations in my life that it doesn't apply to. No news. Maria's birthday is Monday. I don't expect this to be an easy weekend, but we will lean NOT on our own understanding about why she is there, not here. I do have a special prayer request if you ever need something to pray about. Please pray for trust. That is, trust on the part of Maria. We recently got her "updated" pictures taken just a few days after our visit. She is wearing the dress we left her in and her little white sandals. And she is frowning. In most of the pictures. I am very concerned that we have hurt her little heart by having her then leaving her again. Little does she know how our heart breaks each day. And how we would have given anything to bring her back on that plane ride. Please just pray that we will establish that faith and trust on her part again. That she will know that as long as God wills, we will be here for her. And that she is desperately wanted. Please pray that even in her young little heart, she will know deep down the love we have for her. And that we (and you!) are waiting for her... |
| 6/17/2006
Psalm 23:2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, Today has just been a quiet day. And I am thankful for these times. Times when I can just rest in Him. As I have mentioned this past week, Mark and I both have been dealing with the after effects of our trip. Emotionally and phsyically, the trip wore us out. We enjoyed our time with Maria, and it was heartbreaking to leave. Then throw in the illness we both experienced and a very busy week...well, sometimes I need God to just MAKE me lie down. So that is what I am doing this weekend. That is not to say I haven't been busy...just busy at my own pace. I spent most of the day cleaning and organizing the toy room. I believe it is now child proofed. The next room will be Lauren and Maria's room. I want to be prepared for the day God grants us to bring her home. We continue to hope and pray that it will be very soon. I did get one piece of good news. I have a class in a month for my Master's degree. I talked to my advisor about what would happen if I happened to be in Guatemala. This course will probably not be offered for another two years. She said more than likely I could complete an independent study. I am more than willing to go when we get the say so to go, but it was a relief to hear that. Thank you, God, for those answered prayers! |