These are the days that are the most difficult. The waiting.... my heart is bursting with lots of things - fear, anxiousness, longing, excitement, discouragement.... you name it and we have felt it recently. I praise God for the people He is surrounding us with who are encouraging us and reminding us that He has a lot to say about:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name;
You are Mine." Isaiah 43:1
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"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Phil 4:6
--> longing
"All my longings lie open before you, Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you." Psalm 38:9
--> excitement and joy
"Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy." Psalm 126:5
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"do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10
Papa God and I have been having a lot of conversations lately...I chatter on and on while He reminds me to just chill out and listen (yea...I'm working on that). As an activator personality I like to get things going and done. Recently (Saturday) I used that tendency to go visit a friend's home worship group and used the time to listen to what God has to say to a burdened heart. Here is what he reminded me.
#1. He likes to take care of the simple things:
On Saturday Nate and I attended our agency's annual picnic. It was SOO awesome. We got to reconnect with a few friends, hear some wonderful stories, see how the adopted kids had all adjusted well, encourage a couple who is just beginning the process....AND... meet a woman who has been sponsoring our Baby girl F :). I was ecstatic to meet a woman who is a part of our village to love and support our little girl. Meet Sonia, a lovely lady!
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#2. He comforts my heart needs no matter what:
You all know how hard it has been to hear of my babies getting sick and not being able to attend to them, not hearing the details I really want to know, and the slowness of our paperwork. Well on Saturday, I also heard about the crazy opportunity to serve as an RN on a medical mission trip to Africa. Not just anywhere in Africa....but
to OUR orphanage...to see MY BABIES!!
I'm not kidding when I say I went from sowing in tears on Saturday to reaping in joy on Wednesday. That is how GREAT our God is. I said I would never get to see them till next year when we picked them up and HE SAID go now and be reassured. Will it be hard leaving them and coming back at the end of the trip...oh yeah. But to get to invest and build long term into the place my kiddos are at is just awesome. As a social worker and a nurse this is just way too cool. :)I look forward to bringing back and sharing updated pictures and videos of our little loves. YAY!!
#3. The paperwork does get completed :)
Our home study is complete, we have reviewed it and it is now waiting on notarization and a final send off. This week has been just full of successes and movements.
So who wants to celebrate with us...huh!?!?! How awesome is all this HUGE movement?! We are starting the fun stuff now :)
Thank you for praying for us - we have felt it! and THANK you to everyone who has joined us on this journey. Keep sharing our story and sending those prayers up. Blessings friends - remember God is Great for you too!
