Fun posts and great news!

I was looking through some of our pictures the other day. Sometimes it helps, bringing back nuances of what it was like to be with our son for such a short period of time.

I came across my first "Mummy" pic from the hotel in Moscow- the room was a cozy 72 degrees- normal for us at home (even warm this time of year) but it seemed soooo much colder- because most places we were at indoors in Russia were closer to 80-82 degrees.

So, in this pic, I'm resting, and instead of getting under the covers for a few minutes before we went to dinner, I pulled the silk bed scarf over me. Tim thought that was quite funny- what do you think? It was actually quite warm, after I made sure it was all tucked in properly :)

Tim was/is such the consummate photographer. He has such a way with lighting and angles- I can't wait to be able to put pictures up of our son that he took- or even better, pictures that Tim will be taking here, at our house!

Here is a not so candid one of him, taken by yours truly. I'm so glad we had the extra few days in Moscow on our first trip to just take in the sights. It was in the double digits temperature-wise, too.

In this picture, we are inside the Kremlin- you can see the bell tower in the background. It was cold and rainy this day- but, even when it seems cloudiest- you can still glimpse a little bit of blue sky in the distance :)

OK- so the great news- Several more agencies received accreditation just recently. I am celebrating for these families I just found out about this evening. I was told that there are a few families that received referrals before the accreditation closed down, and they are now able to come back and finalize their adoptions. Hallelujah for more answered prayers. It's a very delicate line to walk here. In celebration for these families, still in deep prayer that they can have their court dates soon, and so can we, so our wait doesn't become even longer.

I am so blown away by God's grace. The analogies He has given me over the last few days have been incredible and life changing for me. I don't have to worry about tomorrow. I will hope and dream, and, yes, even plan, but know that my Father in heaven knows what tomorrow holds and I don't have to worry about it. He is so infinitely wise!!

The new perception

OK, so I really enjoyed the sermon on Sunday!! As a closing comment, Pastor Dorean mentioned a profound statement about Job that a friend of his had made. We had been studying how, even after losing all the blessings on this earth that Job had obtained, even his health, he still praised God- "Naked I came into this world, and naked I depart- the Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord."

After struggling with these mighty trials for so long, Job was pretty worn down. Here comes that amazing comment.

We only see a little portion of what is going on in the physical realm. What would happen if we could see all that is going on in the world around us as well as in the "heavenlies"- with the powers and rulers and principalities that we are actually battling against. Pastor John's friend said- could you imagine what Job would have done if he had known that Satan was trying to prove to God that the only reason Job was the righteous man everyone thought him to be was due to all the blessings that God had poured down on him.

His friend said Job would most likely have responded- bring it on!! rather than sitting in a puddle wondering what he had done to "anger" or displease God.

That makes me wonder, in this incredible tug-o-war for our souls we call life, could our struggles and temptations be due to Satan doubting our love for God, God knowing our hearts and that they are pure and turned toward God, and the struggle Satan is having trying to prove his point?

HHHHmmmmm........... God, may our love for you outshine any and all circumstances surrounding us. May others looking at our lives never doubt where our strength, hope and peace come from. What an amazing journey this has been and continues to be.

Have I told you lately how much I love you and how proud I am to be a daughter of the Most High God? As my paths cross those of people you are in the process of trying to "adopt" into your kingdom, may my gaze remain on you, may your words flow through my lips and my heart beat in time with yours. Praying for our adoption- for our son to be united with us for this short span we call life- praying for Your adoptions- for your precious children you grieve over that you have been waiting so long to embrace and call your sons and daughters for all eternity.

May we all become adoption agents for Christ!!

Great thoughts....

I mentioned in my last post going to church with my folks. Pastor Dorean prayed so sweetly for us and encouraged us so much! This was an "additional announcement" in the bulletin. I had to put this on our blog- it spoke to me so much.

"As a pregnant woman is enlarged in her waiting, so are our hearts. Our God does not always rescue us out of a painful season. You know that He does not always give to us what we so desperately want when we want it. He is after something more valuable than our happiness, much more substantive than our health. He is restoring and growing in us an eternal weight of glory."
Stasi Eldridge, Captivating

Thank you, God, for always giving us the words we need to hear, when we need it most, as we keep our gaze focused on you and our ears tuned to your voice. Thanks even more for continuing to speak to us when we forget you exist as our gaze is turned inward and we try to solve all our problems by our self.

Exciting Surprise Road Trip

We travelled to PA this weekend to visit my mom and dad. Just a short trip- a little over 24 hours- but oh, so nice!
We went to church with Mom and Dad Sunday am. An old friend of mine asked how everything was going. I gave him this analogy and thought, oh my, that's good- it describes exactly how I felt/feel. So, here goes-

Last Friday, one of my lowest points so far in our adoption, as you can read in the post I did that day, I'll compare to a road trip.

God is my Daddy driver, and I'm His special little girl sitting in the front seat with Him. We're going out on a special trip together. Like date night with my Daddy as I was growing up. As we are driving along, I recognize the landmarks and I'm sure we are going to Pizza Hut. The excitement begins to build- I can almost smell and taste the pizza. I know how much Daddy loves pizza, and I do, too, so I just know that is where we are going. We come nearer and nearer, and I'm straining against the seat belt, on the edge of my seat. I just know that's were we're going. I see it up around the bend and brace myself for the turn into the little parking lot.

Only, we don't slow. I've so built up this as being my end destination that I am crushed when we don't stop. We just drive right on past, with Daddy not even looking over at the little pizza shoppe.

Then, slowly, like a ray of light peaking through the densest, heaviest cloud cover, I think a new thought. We aren't going someplace I've been before. This is a true adventure, and with God in control, the one who knows me even better than I know myself, I don't need to fear what the end stop will be. It will be PERFECT, and happen at the PERFECT TIME.

This truly has replaced my mourning with dancing and given me an excitement and zeal to see what this surprise is the Father Daddy has planned. It means I no longer need to fear if I get a court date, or when it will be. If I can keep the perspective of the one steering the car, relax and enjoy the trip seeing sights I've never seen before, learning more about myself as we have all this time to talk and converse together and get to know each other better, then I have actually received 2 very precious gifts from my Father Daddy.

I have received time alone with Him, learning to rest in His arms and trust the direction He's leading me, and at the end of the journey, we'll be dining with my new family. What an awesome surprise party that will be!!

Thank you, Father Daddy God, for giving us these amazing surprise road trips. Thank you for restoring my excitement in the trip as well as the next stop- thank you that we'll always have these special times together, even when I'm old and gray and nearing the end of this journey here on Earth. Thank you for revealing that next facet of You to me. You become more incredible every day. Please expand my mind, so I can learn even more of you!

Fasten your seat belts, lift your gaze, wipe away your tears and enjoy this amazing journey you are on with the Creator. Savor every moment- though some roads may become so familiar that you see them in your sleep, other roads you may only pass by once- don't miss all that God, your Father, wants to bless you with. You Go God!!!

Are you dancing?

Today is our little chat groups prayer day. How amazing is it that we, the creation, can come before the creator and ask for the desires of our hearts, knowing that God desires to bless us and fulfill the amazing things He wants to do in our lives.

Today I am lifting up the people adopting, their children as they join into these families, the process- God has already shown that He can move mountains and He is sooo in charge to fulfill his purposes in our lives.

One of the most difficult areas to rest in for many of us is the financial end. Tim and I have been very blessed in our jobs, but this is still overwhelming for us. It is also something that our culture has made taboo- talking about money. I am so excited as we come near the final part of our journey- because, no matter what I think can or can't happen, God owns everything. He has called us to this child and He will provide for us to bring this child home. Instead of looking at this with fear in my heart, I'm actually excited to see what all He will do. We've been so blessed by many friends and family at home and church who have shared the excitement they have in their hearts for us, and also contributed to our fund to bring our son home. This really blows me away. God has already placed such a love for our child in the hearts of the people in our community. I stand amazed and in awe of what God is doing in our lives!

Received this email from a very good friend of mine. Haven't been able to stop thinking about the truth in this. I leave you with this lovely example- For now I'm Goin' to dance with my Jesus....

Dancing With God

When I meditated on the word Guidance,
I kept seeing 'dance' at the end of the word
And I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.
The movement doesn't flow with the music,
And everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.

When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead,
Both bodies begin to flow with the music.
One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back
Or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another.

It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.
The dance takes surrender, willingness,
And attentiveness from one person
And gentle guidance and skill from the other.

My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.
When I saw 'G': I thought of God, followed by 'u' and 'i'.
'God, 'u' and 'i' dance.' God, you, and I dance.

As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust
that I would get guidance about my life and once again,
I became willing to let God lead.

My prayer for you today is that God's blessings
And mercies are upon you on this day and everyday.
May you abide in God, as God abides in you.
Dance together with God,
Trusting God to lead and to guide you through each season of your life.

Let's continue to pray for one another.
And I Hope You Dance !

Can you hear it?

The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17

Just received this great scripture from our worship leader at church. Can you hear God singing? Listen closer.....Quiet everything around you tuning out any surrounding sounds and really listen.........What a glorious sound. As you can probably tell from past scripture postings, I've been enjoying reading scriptures I've known for a while in the NIV and KJV in the LB. Here is what Zephaniah has to say in a slightly different translation.....

from 16......
...."Cheer up, don't be afraid. For the Lord your God has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty Savior. He will give you victory. He will rejoice over you in great gladness; he will love you and not accuse you. " Is that a joyous choir I hear? No, it is the Lord himself exulting over you in happy song:
"I have gathered your wounded and taken away your reproach. And I will deal severely with all who have oppressed you. I will save the weak and helpless ones, and bring together those who were chased away. I will give glory to my former exiles, mocked and shamed.
"At that Time, I will gather you together and bring you home again, and give you a good name, a name of distinction among all the peoples of the earth, and they will praise you when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes," says the Lord.

Zephaniah 3:16-20

OK, OK so I kept on reading- I'm serious- this is good stuff. If you haven't read for a while- pick it up- you'd be amazed how God speaks through His word.

Against all odds, the family we travelled with back in October found out they are going back for court and to bring home their 2 sons in just over 2 weeks. I am joining in with the angels singing for this great thing God is doing, and I'm watching,.......... and waiting........... the excitement is growing......... I'm about ready to bust......... I can't wait to see what God has in store for us!!!! I'm learning to lean fully on Him, no matter what the circumstances appear to be around me. He already has it all worked out. So glad this awesome omniscient creator is my Daddy. Can you tell I'm in love? I can't wait to see how this chapter is going to end. The master story teller has me in his grasp- I can't even put down the book of my life. How amazing to be reading this while it's being written. Is your life-book a best seller, too?

Rejoice at all times, again, I say, REJOICE!!

I thought a lot about many different things today as I was driving. I don't normally drive the long distances when we travel- Tim is great about that. So it was with a bit of concern that I set out this morning to drive to Findlay. The trip started in a "netherworld" of sorts. I was able to pretend I was already in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, as I struggled to see through the snow storm that blew in, the incredibly high winds and the heavy traffic. It made me feel closer to my son than just about anything else could have. Thanks for getting me safely through the storm, God!

I was able to pick up the documents I needed in Findlay, (thanks again, Therese!)get to the SOS (sec'y of State's) office in Columbus where I had these and a few other documents apostilled, over to Whitehall, where Tim was working, to make copies, and then to FedEx before 4 to get everything in the mail. If everything goes as planned, our documents should be in Krasnoyarsk on Sat, hopefully translated and in the judges hands by Wed of next week.

********If********this all happens, we may still be able to have a court date in Feb. I will allow a lot of hope here, but try to keep my expectations more realistic, and my focus solely on God. Afraid I got distracted last week and almost went over the deep end.

We are having a "prayer day" with our chat group this Sat- the 26th. For any and all of you reading, we'd love to have you join us. Our prayers are mostly for the children, court dates to go get them, assurance of God's financial provision for this increasing expensive journey, divine guidance on paperwork and packing, etc. We are praying for a court date soon, that our travel arrangements would fall into place and that God would already be preparing the path for us to follow as we journey back to Russia to reunite our family.

Another thought I had today- This joy, down deep inside, is to always be there. I pray that it is there in the rough as well as the great times- today, I guess it is just easier to find.

Oh yeah, I checked out Target today, too. My blogging buddy, Lori, keeps singing Target's praises. Boy did I find some stuff today!! How exciting...... ;0P

Thank you God for the people who make Map Quest possible. The directions today were very easy to follow and I didn't get lost at all. Thank you for friends and family praying for us. Thank you for holding our son and us close- may all our hearts beat in time to yours. Thank you for everyone reading this blog. I pray they feel your presence in a new and powerful way today- rest for the weary, peace for the distraught, strength for the weak, health for the sick- and for everyone, a glimpse of something new that they never knew before about you. I love you!!!!!!