Back from Haiti...

I was excited to see the mailman pull up today. My friend, Terry, just happened to be filling in on our route so it was nice to have our dossier returned by a friendly face.

I opened the box to find our big brown accordion file with the name "Anchise" written on the outside. So many hopes and dreams for that sweet girl were attached to those papers.


It's still hard. It may always be. So today I continue to pray for her. Today I continue to trust that I have and will continue to be refined by this process. She will ALWAYS be the daughter of my heart. We love you baby girl.

She's Not Dead...She's in Florida

Our family is friends with an older couple who is currently on vacation in Florida. While driving the kids into school this morning Mr. B told me he wanted to see Bev. I told him that Bev is gone.

Keaton promptly pipes up and says, "She's not dead, she's in Florida". Mr. B replies, "Bev is dead...oh no". I then had to go into a great lengthy discussion about what a vacation is and that she went on an airplane, etc, etc. It's amazing how one simple statement can trigger a discussion you never saw coming. I love that about kids!

Good News From a Distant Land

I got my first e-mails today from two ladies at the orphanage in Ghana. I thought it was cute to hear how one of them described our precious one:
God has blessed you with a wonderful baby girl. She is well behaved, disciplined and above all has the fear of God in her. She is very calm. Your baby is excited already and she is happy she has found you.

We did a little family photo shoot today so we could send the Divine Miss M a picture (that was an interesting adventure). We are excited that we were told to write, call or e-mail as much as we want. A lady from the orphanage will help her reply to our e-mails. It's times like this that I REALLY appreciate technology.

I continue to stand in awe of God's faithfulness. Thank you Jesus for this gift.

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
and he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.
He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the Lord.
Psalm 40:1-3

Because Inquiring Minds Want to Know...

Here's the information I received from our agency about the Ghana adoption process. It truly seems like a walk in the park compared to our previous expectations. We've actually been checking into several agencies and talking with some Ghana parents for several weeks now.

I can assure you this beautiful girl did not just fall into our laps overnight. We've had her picture for a while and have been praying about her. As you can imagine, we were feeling a little skiddish to commit to anything, but once we made the decision to move forward with her things came together quickly and it felt like a huge weight had been lifted.

1. Obtain required paperwork for dossier...1-3 months
2. Upon receipt of dossier, Ghana Team begins to prepare documents for court...2 – 4 weeks
3. Once documents are completed, attorney files papers in court...2 – 4 weeks
4. Once the court grants the adoption the court documents need to be recorded by Registrar...1 - 4 weeks
5. Child’s passport is applied for and obtained...up to 4 weeks
6. Receive court documents to file with the I600 USCIS application at the U.S. Embassy in Accra or families home state...1 – 3 months
7. When I600 is approved by the US Embassy they will forward the file to the U.S. Consulate in Accra. Agency applies for the visa and goes to the visa interview...1 – 4 weeks
8. At end of visa interview the U.S. Consulate will inform agency of the date visa will be ready for pick up...1 – 2 weeks
9. Travel time!

Truly our biggest obstacle now is financial. This is a total leap of faith and we are trusting completely for God to work this out. We have several fundraisers in the works and are also praying to find favor with some grant sources. We are in the process of updating our homestudy and we need to get our I-171H approval changed to Ghana.

So, there you have it...the ball is rolling and we are praying this precious girl home.

Praise be to the LORD,
the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen.
Psalm 41:13

The Divine Miss M

I'm Ghana Introduce You To...

Our new daughter "M" from Ghana!

I cannot tell you how good it feels to have made this decision. Our family spent a lot of time yesterday thanking God for leading us to our sweet daughter. We can hardly wait to meet her and bring her home.

Here is how the orphanage director described her:
She is a little shy but she has something special about her. She likes to hug and cuddle. I know whoever decides that she is the daughter they have prayed for will be blessed beyond their expectations.

I am in the thick of the paperchase once again, but thankfully Ghana's dossier is much smaller and less cumbersome than Haiti. Praying everything falls into place quickly.

Praise the Lord!
For he has heard my cry for mercy.
The Lord is my strength and shield.
I trust him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.
Psalm 28:6-7

Big News Coming Soon...

This is just a teaser until I tell a few more people in person,

but there is exciting adoption news on the horizon.

Stay tuned!!!!

Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you,"

declares the LORD,

"plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future."

A Step in the Right Direction

I did it! I filled out an application and printed out some grant applications to start on tonight.

Please join me in praying that we will find favor with the grant funding sources. If things work out, we will need to come up with the money fairly quickly.

God is able!

God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you're ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done.

As one psalmist puts it,

He throws caution to the winds,

giving to the needy in reckless abandon.

His right-living, right-giving ways

never run out, never wear out.

This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.

2 Corinthians 9:8-11 (The Message)

Scared to Start

Fear: a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.

I've been feeling semi-overwhelmed at the thought of starting again and the root of the problem is fear. Fear of loss. Fear of choosing the wrong country. Fear of not having the money we need. Fear of what others will think. Fear of failure.

The problem for me is this - if I am choosing fear it means I am not choosing trust. This thing called fear is keeping me from reaching the potential God has for my life. If I don't step out in faith by filling out an application or applying for a grant then I have put fear above what God can do.

God has brought me to this place. Lord, help me to be "an ounce more devoted than I am afraid".

But when I am afraid,

I will put my trust in you.

I praise God for what he has promised.

I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?

What can mere mortals do to me?

Psalm 56:3-4

The Least of These

Since I last shared about the adoption (or lack thereof), the third and final door to Haiti has closed. It is officially the end of the Haitian road for us. If I'm being honest it almost feels like a relief. The constant back and forth pull of staying in Haiti was rather draining. The process is a long, tough road. I will continue to pray for everyone in this process and I know that it will be worth every waiting moment once your Haitian angels are home.

I think one of the greatest gifts I have received on this journey (besides my amazing new friends) is the change that's happened in me. My vision of the type of child we want to add to our family has also changed. When I completed my first application and had to consider what special needs were acceptable I don't know that I checked any of the boxes. My version of "acceptable" has changed dramatically as I realize my Father's love for the least of these. Imagine not only being a child without parents, but a child with a healthcare need without parents. It's got to be a tough road.

So here I am once again filling out applications. What do I check? Which of the least of these deserves a loving family? Are there any of them that don't?

• Learning disabled
• Speech impaired
• Visually impaired
• Hearing impaired
• HIV+
• Spina bifida
• Cerebral palsy
• Hepatitis B
• Down's Syndrome
• Cleft lip/palette
• An "older" child
• Other?

As I think and pray about what boxes to check I am happy that my heart has been expanded by the King of Kings. God is good.

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

James 1:27