Love this!

In light of my "bitterness" post yesterday I wanted to share this awesome video. It was like healing balm to my battered heart. I love it when the Lord gives us reminders of why.

Two months DOWN!

We are TWO months DTE today!! Whoo Hoo!! It has really went by fast. It is realistic to think we could get our referral within the next 8 weeks! ( I am hoping it is closer to 4 weeks!) I am praying about the courts closing in Ethiopia in August- October and that we have received our referral and passed court BEFORE they close courts. God knows the perfect time for us to travel and to bring them home..so I am trying to rest in that.

To celebrate our DTE, we went to Kernal Kustard ice cream...YUM!! To Celebrate our DTE #1 month we had root beer floats and today we are going to go to Zack's Yogurt ( are you picking up on the ice cream theme!!) Happy 2 months DTE to my fellow DTE buddies, the Herwehes and the Michels!

Another give a way!

I love these "man up and protect he fatherless" tee shirts! Check them out and enter to win one for yourself!

Check it out HERE

This and that

Sorry I have been MIA for a little while now..busy with finishing up school and getting ready for summer. We will be DTE 2 months tomorrow and there has been an amazing amount of movement within our agency this month. That makes me happy and I so hope it continues on into summer. Still praying for a July referral!

I have felt like adoption has been picked on quite a bit in the past couple of weeks and this has made me have to deal with an emotion/sin that I am not real acquainted with...bitterness. I am usually one that tries to let things roll off my back, but as I continue this adoption journey and as we go deeper into it...the attacks become more personal.

About a week ago Pat Robertson displayed once again why he should not be allowed to broadcast on tv with some very disparaging comments on adoption. This has fired upa large percentage of the adoption community. I am not one to leave comments on tv show web sites, but my comments joins hundreds more in outrage of his insensitivity.

I also heard forth hand ( and let me just say I try not let comments relayed 4th hand bother me) that there were a few choice church members that didn't think a one income pastor's family with three children already should be adopting. This was the first negative comment that I have heard from anyone ( family, church or friends) The majority of people I know and love have either been totally supportive or respectfully quiet on the matter. Still, it hurt to know there are those (I don't even know who!) that think this is a mistake. It hurts because its personal to me now..it is not just the concept of adoption anymore. It's my baby we are talking about. Which leads me to...

Baby Showers. It has been mentioned to me more than once that," so and so thinks we ought to have a baby shower for you, but I figured we better just wait and see if this thing falls through or not. I know there was no harm in that statement, but would you say to a 6 month pregnant women, " we were gonna throw you a shower but thought we'd wait and see if you have a late miscarriage or stillborn?" I know it is not the same, but from this seat..it kinda feels the same..ya know?

There is a Sarah Groves songs called Tornado that has a phrase," I will not let this bitter root grow in me. I will not let you leave a legacy." I am trying. I can dwell on the small negatives or I can focus on the amazing blessings and how I have watched the hand of God move in our lives the past 6 months we have been on this journey. I will chose the latter.

This verse has been a blessing to me and if you are struggling with bitterness over a situation beyond your control right now, hopefully it will help you to.

2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

Yay God!

Our agency has been busy this week! Here are some really cool things that have happened in the last 7 days!

• 3 children came home!!
• 7 families are on their way to Ethiopia to bring their children home!!
• 12 families were given a court date!!
• 7 families received a referral!!
• the Top 10 Waiting for referral list was completely decimated! 6 new families were added to the list!!
• 4 more families are DTE (or will be very very soon)!!

We are now #12 for a baby boy and #22 overall. We share our spot with two other great families that are DTE the same day as us. I'm still praying for a summer referral! If this movement keeps up, looks like we might get one!