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K

119 on the waitlist

We are on the waitlist! #119 for a girl. Thanking, praising and glorifying God! Its been a journey. We filled out our application to adopt in December of last year. We worked to compile our homestudy documents and had 4 homevisits from our social worker(Maria from Illini Christian Ministries, who by the way is wonderful). AGCI (our adoption agency) approved it and the state of Illinois had to approve it also. Then we began getting together documents for our dossier and getting them notarized... and notarized and notarized...and notarized. Our agency approved and we were put on the waitlist. God has provided!

We are thinking possibly 18 months (estimate) until we get a referral, then more paperwork, more waiting, traveling to Ethiopia for the first time and meeting our daughter, coming home and waiting, then traveling to finally bring our little girl home. Thank you for praying for us, our daughter and birth parents/caregivers! Keep those prayers coming!

Vintage Sweet Lil' S

God's Answers to Prayers.

Our Adoption Case manager shared with us the coolest quote:

“God sometimes answers our prayers

by giving us what we would have asked for

had we known what He knows.”

–anonymous.

The F family

Love is Patient, Love is Kind

God's Perfect Timing

Today's Lesson from God:

Don't run before God, let Him lead, and we follow. His way and His timing are perfect.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

God knows and sees the bigger picture. We just see with our limited teeny pea sized minds.

And He's got it all under control, we don't have to mess with it. What God wants from us is our obedience and He wants us to trust Him. Not to take things in our own hands and do it "faster" or "easier" just because of what we want. Throughout our adoption process, God keeps pressing on my heart that "God Has Perfect Timing". So many things you don't know why happen, just trust.

Day by day, the learning continues.....and I've got a lot to learn.

the bible is ALIVE

Sunday we visited another church for a cousin's baptism. (wonderful testimony, by the way)

Guess what we learned about? Being extravagantly kind to people regardless of how they treat you.

hahahah! (see last post!) God is so cool. The bible is A-L-I-V-E and so relevant to our life.

Praying for rude people

Today, God is teaching me that when someone is outright rude to me (and completely hurts my feelings), I need to pray for him. He could be struggling with major life issues. Maybe his mom just died or maybe he just found out he has cancer or found out his wife was cheating on him. We don't know what's really going on in a person's life. God knows. He loves everyone and He cares about the details of our lives.

Lord, please help this man with his struggles. Give him strength and help him to seek you through hard times. Help me to show him love regardless of how he treats me. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Life is not about us, but reaching out and helping others. Help me to love everyone like you do, Jesus, unconditionally.

While I'm Waiting ...

*A song that brings tears to my eyes. A song about waiting, obedience, and trust, being confident in God's plan, worshipping and serving, even when we don't understand. GOD IS FAITHFUL.


I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience

While I’m waiting
I will serve You
While I’m waiting
I will worship
While I’m waiting
I will not faint
I’ll be running the race
Even while I wait

I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it’s not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait

I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting on You, Lord

song by John Waller

K

True Love

"Love is patient, love is kind.

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 

It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Fellow dudes and dudettes, starting with ourselves first, let's have this kind of love in our hearts. Just listen to the news and our world is full of hate and selfishness and hurting. Let's look around at the people God has placed all around us, and show them Christ's love, the only true love.

C

R + G = FUN!

homestudy approval - woo hoo!

We are praising God that our homestudy was approved by the State of Illinios. YAY! One step closer! Now, to dig deeper into our dossier stuff. We have some stuff done, but it can be a little overwhelming. We are trying to keep our eyes on the goal--bringing our daughter home.


It will still be a looooong time, but we know that this is what God is calling us to do. The timeframe? Maybe a couple years? We don't know, but we do know our God. God has a little girl picked out for us (she might not even be born) and His timing is perfect even when we wonder why. Ups and downs and unknowns, but GOD is faithful and in control.

Are there unknowns in your life? Are you unsure of the future, fearful, sad, frustrated? Let's take our issues to God and let Him work them out! He is the answer, dude.

In Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless Babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save

Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live, I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again

And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From a life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man
Could ever pluck me from His hand
Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I stand

I will stand, I will stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground, all other ground
Is sinking sand, is sinking sand
So I stand

Lord,
Help me live each day like its my last. We never know when our last day will be. Help me to use my time for YOU.
Love,
Hope

G Fam Sneak Peek

Fun Little N and L