Waiting...on the Lord

Psalm 27: 13-14 says "I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord." In my Bible, the date 9-24-08, is written beside this verse. It was obviously a day that I was having a hard time waiting for the plan of the next adoption to unfold, and God had encouraged me through His Word. Over the last 2 years (or more) I have found myself waiting on what I felt were other people, paperwork, etc., but what God has begun to teach me is that I am actually to be waiting on Him. He has been using the circumstances of waiting to make His plan complete, in the time that He has set from before I was born. It is often in the waiting, that we have the most opportunity to learn and grow and be strengthened for the task ahead! Let's not waste the wait!

The kids are excited!

We got news today that our kids got the Christmas presents we sent and the news about us, their new family, and they are "very happy and excited." Makes us just want to jump on a plane today! Still have one home visit to complete, an application to fill out, and immigration papers to file. Pray that the Lord will move everything along exactly as it should, according to His timing.

God Knows the Plan

I am so grateful for the reminder this morning of Jeremiah 29:11 and of God's plan for hope and a future; both for us and for our kids in Colombia. While we are anxious to travel to meet them, we found out today that we still have another interview and a second home visit (since a year has passed since the first one) for the update to our homestudy. We should be able to complete those two things in the next two weeks. After that, we think we can apply for our immigration papers which usually takes about 6 weeks. As we wait and walk through the steps as they come, we know God has already determined when we travel and how He will provide all the necessary funds. Great is His faithfulness!

A Year of Faith and Change

     God's ways are perfect, His resources unlimited, and His love unending! We are counting on His power and love as we begin 2011, and continue to make many preparations for the three new additions to our family.
     In December, we turned in a packet of paperwork (what a relief), made photo books that were sent to Laura, Oscar and Daniela, and sent them Christmas gifts as well.
     We are grateful for a restful time with Carlene's family in Guatemala for Christmas before getting back to work on arranging our home for 3 more kids, applying for grants and planning other fundraisers, and working on the next phase of paperwork.
      In Guatemala, we enjoyed lots of family time, going to the zoo, eating at our favorite places, attending the church Carlene grew up in, eating lots of yummy black beans and freshly-made tortillas, and even doing a fun zip-line course through a natural reserve overlooking Lake Atitlan which is surrounded by beautiful volcanoes.
     Now, it's back to work getting ready to travel to Colombia to meet our new kids! Keep praying!