Not feeling too "deep" right now, but I wanted to give a quick update. Scott is feeling better, though still having trouble with a cough and lack of energy. This is hunting season, his favorite time of the year. Please pray with me that he will make wise choices. Noelle is back in school and is feeling close to 100%! PTL!! Jake is home today with a cough, hopefully he has not succumb to the same infection that they have had, since it is sooo long lasting. I continue to hold out. I did go get my flu shot hoping it will help me resist!

On the adoption front, we sent in the rest of our items on Thursday. Scott and I had a chance to talk. We decided to stick with one adoption at a time. Not saying for sure we want to adopt again, but we think for sure just one this time. We decided to expand our age range, up to three years old. Lastly, Scott did not feel comfortable expanding our requests to include special needs. If that is what God wants from us, I know that is what will happen. So now we are really waiting.

Yesterday was fun. Our church hosted a trunk or treat. People bring their cars and decorate them with a theme and coordinating costumes. My youth group girls and I always do a trunk. This year we were a rock band. So much fun! They had their electric guitars and drums and we all punked out our looks. They have enough musical talent that it was awesome! And I finally got my tattoos! Three of them, though unfortunately they are temporary. And pink hair. I forgot my camera but when I get a picture from someone else, I will be sure and share.

I should probably get out in my yard today and cut back some things and plant a few bulbs. Today should be pleasant and who knows what tomorrow will bring. Enjoy your day! Thank your Creator for all that is good!

Rollercoaster

Normally I love rollercoasters. I am the first one to say, "Again, again!" But the rollercoaster ride of real life is a little more difficult. Yesterday, Scott felt as if he was feeling a little better. Today he has regressed. All he does is sleep. Which I realize is wonderful for his healing but the change in my life is hard to handle some days, or should I say hours. The good news is that Noelle is back in school. I think she is just about caught up with her school work. She still has a cough and is looking forward to Saturday so that she can sleep in!

The most frustrating part is in relation to our adoption. We were (are) so close to being on an official waiting list. I have the letters all typed and ready to go. Then we decided to discuss expanding our vision, as discussed earlier. Well, it is hard to have those kind of discussions when you have pneumonia. Apparently, anyway, because I have certainly tried! Everyday he says, "I promise, tomorrow." Many tomorrows have come and gone, OK, three tomorrows. But the days turn into weeks so rapidly and I hate the fact that we are causing the waiting at this point!

I keep thinking back to this kids album my sister used to listen to all the time when we were little. (Yes, I said album and she is six years younger than me so that's probably why I remember it.)
"Have patience, Have patience. Don't be in such a hurry. When you get impatient you only start to worry. Remember, remember. That God is patient too. And think of all the times when others have to wait on you."
Well, it is better with the music and the animals. Guess you had to be there.

I would love to have my Bible right now, but it is the room where my husband is sleeping. But in Philippians it says something about not be anxious for anything and giving it to the Lord! My memory is failing me. (And after remembering that silly song. Shame on me!

Have patience!

Yeah! He's finally home from the hospital. The doctor did say that he shouldn't work for the next week. He wasn't very happy about that. And I 'm pretty nervous. Sometimes I just don't think that I am a good caretaker. I know I have some potential but for some reason when it is my husband I just want him to get better and the faster the better. I hope someone out there can relate. Sometimes I wonder what on earth I would do if something serious actually happened!!

I found this verse, I will be chanting: Colossians 1:11, "(I) also pray that (I) will be strengthened with HIS glorious power so that (I) will have all the patience and endurance (I) need."

Noelle is back on her feet though not 100%. They gave her another round of antibiotic and a steroid to clear her lungs. Apparently she did not actually have pneumonia just a very powerful virus.

Thanks for your prayers!

Plodding on

Quick update. Not much has changed. Noelle made it a half day at school yesterday but is home again today. So we are headed back to the doctor for more tests. Scott is still in the hospital though he seems to be feeling a little better. They did an ultrasound of his liver yesterday in reaction to something that showed in his blood work but we haven't heard back.

Noelle's homework is a bit of a concern. I don't feel like I have the clarity of mind to help organize and figure it out and she is so overwhelmed. I think going to school that little bit yesterday made it worse not better. Pray that her teachers will be easy to work with. She hates blood work, past bad experience, so pray for us this afternoon as I am sure she will need it.

I am just overwhelmed and don't know where to be. Home or hospital. Doing what??

Tired

I sit at my computer waiting for the kids to wake up. Praying that Noelle will feel better. She has spent the last seven days in bed. This alone would be challenging for me. I am not good at being housebound. But...Tuesday evening I took Scott to the ER and he was admitted with pneumonia. So I am back and forth between my two patients. Praise the Lord we live quite close to the hospital and my mom and dad live here. Noelle only wants me. That is always hard. I am convicted that you shouldn't leave a patient alone at the hospital, especially one that means the world to you! So my dad and Scott's wonderful friend, Brent, are sitting with him when I am at home with Noelle, and Jake. I have been tucking the kids in and then going to the hospital and spending the night with Scott. Then back to take them (hopefully) to school.

On the adoption front: before all this illness we had some news. We were fingerprinted on the 10th for our government preapproval. On the 12th we received an email from AoH that they had received a fax of our I171H approval. This timing is just unheard of . There are people that are waiting months for this approval. His email did raise a few questions for us as to if we wanted to change our adoption request to consider: older children, more than one, or special needs. To wait for an infant with little or no health problems, we will wait 6-12 months for a referral. Which Scott pointed out is not that long, but some days I do feel my age and Jake is already a sophomore. I will want him to have the opportunity to "bond" with his new sibling. Also, there is the consideration of: Do we want to be parents waiting for a child or parents adopting a waiting child??? Obviously we could probably meet a more pressing need. So pray for us as we seek which direction God would wish us to stretch. I had hoped to have had much time to pray and seek God about this with Scott. However, he has been rather uncommunicative for a few days. Something about his ribs hurting. God's timing is perfect!

Pray also that Jake and I do not get sick. That Scott improves today and does not get some scary staph infection in the hospital. ( I hate the news!) Pray especially for Noelle. That she would feel like herself today, both physically and emotionally. That she would feel motivated to go to school, for at least part of the day. (I am having a very hard time knowing when to push.)
Some days this blog really saves me, like today!

The fullness of the Lord

This week has been so full. Scott and I went away for four days to celebrate our (belated) anniversary. It was awesome! I have begun a relationship with a mentor. She and I are going to study the women of the Bible then I will be sharing the study with my small group of girls, juniors and seniors in high school. I felt it might be a great time to be in a mentoring relationship during the adoption process. This morning a young lady approached me about being her mentor! I was so honored. Please pray that I will do her request justice.

Another prayer request. Due to changes in Liberia, the wait time for referral is increasing. Thus far I have not felt any impatience, please pray with me that I will continue to be patient. Pray also for three families that have lost their referrals. How heartbreaking. Hopefully, the wait on this end of the process will help prevent things like that from happening later in the process.

A friend of our in ministry with Navigators shared some verses in an email this morning:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."

Proverbs 3:5-6

"He who did not spare His own son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?

Romans 8:32

"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

"And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:19

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

2 Corinthians 4: 16-18

"He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."

Colossians 1:17

Yeah! Trust Him with everything, for He alone is worthy!

Cries for Liberia

I just finished "Tears of the Rain". The book ends in March, 2004. The women of Liberia are sharing with the author, "Elections are coming, so the people running for president go to the witch doctor. He tells them which body parts he needs for his sacrifices. Usually it's the tongue, the eyes, the private parts, and the blood. Yes, it's true." They kidnap children to provide these sacrifices! They go on to say, "That's why we don' let our chil'ren out of sight. But all we need to do is call on the Blood, an' we will be safe!" What incredible faith! "There are many witches operating in Liberia. If you are not a Christian they will get you. You wouldn't believe what powers the rulers of darkness have on people who allow them."

Ephesians 6:12-18, "For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms. Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared. In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere."

Romans 8:38-39, "And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from His love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord."

We beg you Lord, be strong in Liberia. Stand against the evil one. Protect your people and your work there.

What a great week!

I have been waiting to blog all week, because we had such a great weekend. But, I wanted to post pictures and my husband misplaced the memory card to our camera. Scary. I am trying not to panic. Saturday afternoon after Noelle's soccer game, she scored two goals before she came out with a stomach ache, the four of us went to our cabin. Jake, Scott and Noelle all went deer hunting. I stayed at the cabin to assemble furniture and greet my parents when they stopped by. Jake shot his first deer with a bow. Sorry if they are any anti-hunters out there. It is hard to explain the magic of being at our cabin. Currently there is no electricity and no running water, so it is just us and 40 acres and an amazing view. As we drove back to town for church I asked my husband if his family was this close when he was in high school. He shook his head and I had to say no also. My 15 year old son turned down a date to homecoming and came with us. That in itself is a great story. A junior asked him (I can hear you all now), but we decided to give him permission to go with some restrictions. He chose not to go when he decided she might be someone who would want to drink. Yeah, Jake!

Then Monday my sister called. Now my family has not been negative about the adoption but they have not been excited either. And we are an excitable family. This is such an answer to prayer. She said, "I have a word for you". I was like oh, great! She said, "No, it's a good one."
She proceeded to relay to me a conversation she had with her mentor. Her mentor and her husband had actually considered adopting from Liberia and knew many families that have. She was able to express to my sister that when we felt a call from God that we needed to obey "no matter what". (See previous post entitled Obedience.) She also was able to express to my sister the desperate situation in Liberia and that in many cases this is a rescue mission. Sometimes due to health and poverty, but always in that hopefully these children will be saved for eternity by being raised in a Christian home. Somehow my sister was able to hear these words when mine have failed me. PTL!!

I have started a new Beth Moore study entitled "A Woman's Heart". I want to share a couple "nuggets" from this week. She has been taking us from the garden to the tabernacle and especially looking at obedience. She says, "Abraham was freed to be faithful to God on the basis of his belief that God would always be faithful to him." Amen. Then she talks about God as the "I Am", or "I am being that I am being," or "I am the Is-ing One". She writes, "Whatever your circumstances, your challenges, your doubts, or your pain, if you are in covenant relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ, the King of the universe is your Is-ing One and He's presently is-ing in every area of your life!"

I know I am jumping around here, but I have lots to share. If you need to open your heart to Africa, rent "God Grew Tired of Us" and/or read "Tears of the Rain". Both great pictures of the tragedy that has happened in Sudan and Liberia. It strikes me again and again that this is recent history not decades ago. People were evacuated from Liberia five years ago. "Tears of the Rain" gives specific stories of the many orphans or babies whose parents cannot possibly parent them. Wow.

Two more quick things. If you need funds for pursuing an adoption, Rachel and Christy, check out globalorphanoutreach.com. Their mission is to find funds for adoption. One of the people involved, Donna Barber, just left Acres of Hope to pursue this new venture. Apparently it is well worth the fee. Also, Scott and I leave tomorrow for a little getaway to celebrate our 20th anniversary. Please pray for Noelle, as she is convinced that she will surely perish without us. She is very dramatic and very clingy since a homesick episode at girl scout camp this summer. Pray for my parents as they watch them that she is not too tough on them.

Well, except for the fact that I really wish I had pictures to post, I guess that is it. Thank you Lord for this incredible season in my life!