Another praise and something about 3 months!

I just read an update on the family's blog that have been waiting since September to travel...they left today for N. I am so happy!! Almost yelled "praise the Lord" in the Barnes and Noble cafe!! Join me in prayer for their safety, health, and a blessed trip!

Well for us "3 months" seems to be a recurring theme. In January, we found out it would be April 15th before our paperwork would be submitted. I found out last Friday, our paperwork will be reviewed by the matching committee on July 15th. N. is giving the 2010 families until July to submit their paperwork. They are still diligently working on matching and referring the 2009 group and it will probably take that long to finish that group. So one 3 month period is behind us and we're on to the next. I think I should start setting some goals for myself to pass the time...like read a certain number of books, read through some books of the Bible, etc. Let me think on that.

We started painting our bedroom this past weekend. You can go to my facebook page to see what we've done so far.

That's it for now.

Jessica

Praise God for movement

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while. Praise God...there has been progress made in N. The family I have spoken of from our agency that has had their referral since last September(that should have long been home with their child) finally got travel approval around Easter. They are just waiting for a few logistics to fall into place to make their trip. Yay!! Then I found out this week that some of the families that received referrals about a month ago have already gotten travel approval...this is an amazing improvement for N.

Our dossier was officially submitted to N. last week. So we are getting closer!! They still need to finish matching the 2009 families before they will match the 2010 group.

Thank you for all the prayers...they are working!

Jessica

Nepal shirt pic

Ryan's cousin Kirstie sporting her Nepal shirt! Thanks for the support!

Peace that I can't understand

Well, I have been on an emotional roller coaster this year. I was really discouraged about how long it was taking to get our adoption officially started(having our paperwork submitted for review by N.) for a few months. Then through encouraging words and prayers of several friends and learning some truths in Beth Moore's Breaking Free revisited, I have a peace that I can't explain. I really didn't want to blog about my discouragement(really mild depression if I'm honest) because I'm a person who likes control and didn't want to be viewed as whiney and weak. But in one of my bible study lessons, it hit me like a ton of bricks that I was being prideful by not admitting my weakness. Beth points out that pride won't admit to weakness and says secrets are nobody's business. We should view pride as a vicious enemy. Proverbs 11:2 says:When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. I have since, talked to my manager at work and some coworkers and told them I am having personal struggles that are magnifying stress at work and that I needed some help. And another blessing is that they were all glad to help in any way they can, and things have significantly improved with my outlook on work. I am so thankful that my God loves me so much to put just the right people in my life to encourage me in the just right ways at the right time.

Then came some very concerning news from our agency. There are some issues with adoptions in N. In a nutshell the US are concerned over how N. is handling their adoption process. As it stands now, our agency doesn't think that the US will end its relationship with N. but it could happen in the future. This has spurred Ryan and I to consider our next steps if this happened. It really saddens me to think we may have to pick another country...but I do trust that God has his hand in this and will guide us all the way. For me, it is sometimes hard to discern whether God is closing this door to N. for us or if this is the enemy trying to put up roadblocks and trying to deter us!! Our dossier(paperwork) is supposed to be submitted to N. on April 15th, so I'm sure we'll know more soon.

Please pray that we will seek God's guidance as we make decisions along the way with our adoption and as Ryan graduates and pursues his career. Thank you in advance for all the support and prayer!

Adoption news

We found out recently that the N. government has set a deadline for themselves to finish the referrals from 2009 by March. Of course, I was saddened to hear that our file will not be reviewed until March, but I am burdened for the families that have been waiting for a referral since the early part of last year. One of the ten families has had their referral for their little boy since September and still have not traveled to get him. You know the waiting has to be tougher for them. The good thing is they are believers and are trusting God! One of the waiting families sent an email that gave me a different perspective. She said as hard as it is for us, just think about the kids in N. that want a family to love them and do not have suitable living conditions and are living in poverty. Think about how hard their life must be. Again its not about us but about them! Please pray for the government to start making progress with these referrals and issuing travel approvals! Pray for the kids to be loved, comforted, and protected by the Father as they wait!

*You may have noticed that I started abbreviating our kids' home country. We were told to be careful what we post in our blogs because the country is very private about their adoptions. When we receive a referral I will start a private blog.

Jessica

Christmas 2009

Hello everyone,

Jessica here. I have been meaning to blog since Christmas. Been pretty busy! I wanted to tell you some of my favorite times from Christmas week. I took a week of vacation and we went home to Louisiana to visit friends and family. These pics help tell my story. I wanted to make this Christmas special for my nephew since we will likely have kids of our own next Christmas. He and I painted Christmas ornaments and decorated a gingerbread train(so cool). My mom, myself, Kayle, Grace, Emma, and Will also went to one of the local nursing homes to sing Christmas carols and deliver cookies to my aunt and some other residents. We had a really good time and Kayle told me later that Emma prayed for the people we met at the nursing home that night. That made it worth the trip for sure...to show the kids that we should think of others at Christmas and not just worry about what gifts we're getting!

My dad surprised me by helping me roll the ginger cookies! Sweet time! I love him. He was pretty proud of himself! It was funny. I pray I don't take for granted times like these that I have left with my parents. Since we've moved away from family, it makes me view the time I spend with them in a different light. I enjoyed going to Jackson with my mom and sister to do some Christmas shopping.

Well I'm getting teary just thinking about all of this. We had a wonderful Christmas and I am praying and trusting that our kids will be home with us for the next one. I can't wait to start our Christmas traditions with them.

like Q-bert

Everyone keeps asking if we've heard anything new and the answer continues to be not yet. But don't stop asking, because sometome the answer will be "YES!!!" We're excited for that time.

Most recently I have decided to sit down with some different men that I respect and quiz them about parenting, spiritually guiding my home, etc. When we were home this past week, I had the opportunity to have lunch with our pastor, Waymond Warren, aka Brother Waymond. It was difficult for me to stay on topic because we so rarely get to talk. I jumped around from topic to topic like Q-bert. Brother Waymond is a leader. He makes the tough calls in his family and for the church. Both are blessed to have him. One day he will stand accountable for that which God has given him. And I will stand accountable for mine. Thats' heavy.

I also got to sit down with Dr. Thomas White. I won't recap our enitre conversation because...well...just because. For those of you who don't know who Dr. White is, he is the vice-president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, professor, author, adoptive father, and great man of God. I'm quite certain he would order thos differently. Probably exactly opposite of the way I did. Anyway, it was a great conversation. I will share one thing that he told me: bring everything back to the Gospel. He shared a few examples of watching a thunderstorm with his daughter, their Christmas traditions, and marker on the walls.

We should all look for things in day to day life that point people to Christ. The first step is to pray that God would give you the wisdom to see these opportunities. Once you begin seeing them, then start applying them.

I plan on sitting down with several other great men and will pass the wisdom. Until then...



Thanks for reading.