Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Almost February Already?

"Fear not, for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west."
--Isiah 43:5

I can't believe we are almost to the end of January--this month has really flown! Although it has been unusually cold for NC for the last little while, we haven't had much to speak of in the way of fun winter weather. We did have one two hour delay which is always nice! Today was beautiful--I'm kind of hoping the groundhog sees his shadow (is that the way it goes? I better brush up on that before I attempt to teach it to my kindergartners--I always forget!) and we get warm weather sooner rather than later! :-)

I'm also excited about warm weather coming because that will mean we will be drawing closer to the time of picking up Molly! While things for Vietnam have really slowed down as processes have been changing, we are hopeful that we get our referral soon and get to travel soon after that! I'd like to ask for prayer for our adoption--it is so hard with all of the ups and downs of international adoption to let go and give it all over to God but that's really my heart's desire. As God's been working on my heart concerning our adoption, Isiah 43:5 has taken on a whole new meaning. I've really never paid that much attention to the first part of that verse--"Fear not, for I am with thee"-- until recently. To be quite honest, I sometimes just leave that part out when quoting, but I'm really beginning to see how important that part is--"Fear not, for I am with thee." Before deciding to adopt internationally, I knew it was risky, but when you are actually in it, things can get scary. I am so grateful that our God is a God who wants to remove our fear. It is my prayer that I will be able to relax and give every part of my life--including and especially our adoption and our daughter--to God.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

5 Months Today!

We've now been DTV for 5 months. Our agency's estimated wait time for a referral is 4-6 months so we are right in the middle of that time. You know what this means--it could be--(all together!)--any day now! :-)

In other news it's looking like it may snow tomorrow! Now we haven't had much snow at all in the last few years here in NC so I'm hoping for a little!

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Back to Business!

Well, I returned to school this week after being off for Christmas break. I was honestly excited about going back. The kids just really blossom this time of year and although I had a great break (especially the week Brian was off), I like being in my teaching routine.

My Aunt Becky was in the United States and I got to see her briefly last week. We had a nice visit, but unfortunately my grandmother had to go back into the hospital the day she was here. Grandma is doing better and was discharged yesterday but has to spend a couple of days in a rehab center this time around because she's still having a hard time with her balance, etc. We're praying she gets to go home soon. My Aunt Becky and Uncle Hemant have been missionaries in India for about 15 years. We are really praying that it works out for us to visit them in India before we get Molly in Vietnam. My cousin Daniel is getting married in March (so they will be back in the US) so if the timing (and of course funds!) is right then we're really hoping to get to visit them. They always give us great Indian gifts and this year they gave us these great T-shirts. Thanks, Uncle Hemant and Aunt B!!

Speaking of Molly, this was a pretty big week for our agency. Three referrals were given and some families received I600 approval. Both of these things were exciting for us because we're praying for a referral for us and I600 approval for our friends Jeff and Dana who are waiting to bring home their little girl, Maia. Maybe this week will bring good news!

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Sounds like good news to me!

Being "paper pregnant" is so much different than having your baby in your belly. With both there is anticipation, excitement, and a certain level of anxiety, but when you're "paper pregnant" (especially when you know you've been matched and your child is out there somewhere) it is so much harder to sit back and wait on God. When waiting on your adopted child, ANY little piece of good news is VERY exciting!

That said--I read on our agency's message board today that our agency is working on referrals for the month of August! (Our DTV date is August 16!) Now this doesn't change the fact that we won't get a referral until our child is cleared for adoption, but there is something exciting about seeing that the referrals are just about complete through August!

Stay tuned! We're praying for Molly news soon! :-)

Friday, January 4, 2008

Beautiful Story

"Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked, "Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?" Jesus said, "You're asking the wrong question. You're looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do." --John 9:1-2 (The Message)

My Father-in-law forwarded this story to me today and it really touched me. I had read it before, but that was before I had and lost a child with special needs. I decided to post it but first went to truthorfiction.com to make sure it was true and it is. What a beautiful act of God's love.

Where is God's Perfection?In Brooklyn, New York, Chush is a school that caters to learning disabled children. Some children remain in Chush for their entire school career, while others can be mainstreamed into conventional schools.At a Chush fund-raising dinner, the father of a Chush child delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended.

After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he cried out, "Where is the perfection in my son Shaya? Everything God does is done with perfection. But my child cannot understand things as other children do. My child cannot remember facts and figures as other children do. Where is God's perfection?"The audience was shocked by the question, pained by the father's anguish, stilled by the piercing query."

I believe," the father answered, "that when God brings a child like this into the world, the perfection that he seeks is in the way people react to this child."

He then told the following story about his son Shaya:

One afternoon Shaya and his father walked past a park where some boys Shaya knew were playing baseball. Shaya asked, "Do you think they will let me play?"Shaya's father knew that his son was not at all athletic and that most boys would not want him on their team. But Shaya's father understood that if his son was chosen to play it would give him a comfortable sense of belonging.Shaya's father approached one of the boys in the field and asked if Shaya could play. The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates. Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said "We are losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning."Shaya's father was ecstatic as Shaya smiled broadly. Shaya was told to put on a glove and go out to play short center field.In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shaya's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shaya's team scored again and now with two outs and the bases loaded with the potential winning run on base, Shaya was scheduled to be up. Would the team actually let Shaya bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game? Surpassingly, Shaya was given the bat.Everyone knew that it was all but impossible because Shaya didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, let alone hit with it. However as Shaya stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shaya should at least be able to make contact.The first pitch came in and Shaya swung clumsily and missed. One of Shaya's teammates came up to Shaya and together the held the bat and faced the pitcher waiting for the next pitch. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly toward Shaya. As the pitch came in, Shaya and his teammate swung at the bat and together they hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher.The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shaya would have been out and that would have ended the game. Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field, far beyond reach of the first baseman.Everyone started yelling,"Shaya, run to first. Run to first." Never in his life had Shaya run to first. He scampered down the baseline wide-eyed and startled. By the time he reached first base, the right fielder had the ball. He could have thrown the ball to the second baseman who would tag out Shaya, who was still running. But the right fielder understood what the pitcher's intentions were, so he threw the ball high and far over the third baseman's head. Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second." Shaya ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases towards home. As Shaya reached second base, the opposing short stop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base and shouted, "Run to third." As Shaya rounded third, the boys from both teams ran behind him screaming, "Shaya run home."Shaya ran home, stepped on home plate and all 18 boys lifted him on their shoulders and made him the hero, as he had just hit a "grand slam" and won the game for his team."

That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, "those 18 boys reached their level of God's perfection."

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Happy New Year!

I cannot believe it is already 2008! We spent New Years eve at our friends'--Josh and Brooke. It was a lot of fun getting to see some people we don't see very often and we even got to give the wii game system a try. Today we went to my mom's house for her New Years Day lunch--corned beef! Now I'm not much of a meat eater, but I do love corned beef. Tomorrow we're going back over to Mom's to use the left overs to make ruebens! Yum!

Brian helping to get ready for the HUGE firework show--it was pretty impressive.
Playing the wii--apparently it helps to have your tongue sticking out. :-P
I even gave it a try--I didn't do too bad once I figured out which little guy I was!
Happy 2008!
Ruthie's New Year's Resolution is to find more people to sucker into feeding her!