We're Officially a Family of 7!

"I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live." - Psalm 116:1-2

We are so overjoyed to announce that our sweet little daughter is now officially ours!!! After a much longer wait than we ever would have anticipated, we have an adoption decree!!! Praise God!!!

We received word from our attorney that we have all of her paperwork and that she expects to get her passport this week!!! (Please pray that that will happen...the passport office is often one place where families experience further delays!) Our attorney even said that if all goes well, we may travel mid-October!

Um, hello...remember my last post!?!? We were really struggling with the wait and were beginning to wonder if they'd even be home in 2010. And now maybe October!?!?

Now, to travel in October will still take an act of God in my opinion because the US Embassy has been taking much longer than that, but an act of God is exactly what we've been praying for so we know that all things are possible with Him!!

We also received some updates about how they're doing developmentally. This is the first information we've had of this kind, so it was so great to hear a little more about these little people we love so much. I think I've read the information about 563 times. : ) B is supporting his head, rolling, sitting, very alert, and vocal. L is supporting her head, sitting, alert, and smiley. We haven't seen pictures yet, but we should get some soon. We've been told they are absolutely beautiful! I'm sure they have grown so much since our last photos!

We are just so excited, so relieved, and so encouraged. We're one GIANT step closer to bringing them home! Praise God!!!

Waiting

I've been reading in the Psalms a lot lately. Do you know how much they talk about waiting!?! There is definitely some great purpose God has for waiting, but can I just say that from a human standpoint WAITING STINKS!!!!!

O.K. Deep breath. Try to be patient.

When we started this process we had to sign all these papers that said that we understood this process could hit many bumps and delays and could take up to 2 years to complete. But the optimist in me was thinking, "No way. Our kiddos will be home so much faster than that. We just follow these clearly laid out steps and while delays can definitely happen, they surely won't happen to us."

Oh, silly me.

I have to keep telling myself that in the scheme of things, especially in the adoption world, this is still moving relatively quickly. We just signed on in February for Pete's sake! Our dear friends just returned home from China with their daughter and they waited four years for her!

The problem is that when you're stuck in one spot, it just feels like you're going to be there forever. And the not knowing is so hard. If God could just speak to me and tell me, "Missy, don't fret. B & L will be home later than you'd hoped...they'll be ready for you on such and such date, but please trust me on the timing. I needed to do it this way so that X, Y, and Z could happen..." that could just make it so much easier. But faith just doesn't work that way.

So we wait. And we trust that God is in control and B & L will be home in His perfect timing.

We're still waiting for L's adoption decree. Poor little girl has had a delay at every single step in the process. We've been waiting at this particular step for over 11 weeks now. B's adoption decree took 6 1/2 weeks to get and hers has been expedited to try to catch up to his process. We're just praying for news soon!

I've been reading a really cool book lately that was given to me by a friend. It's called Reckless Faith. The author tells amazing stories of how God moves in their orphan ministry in Mexico. It's so very inspiring. Some of the stories I've read lately make me feel like maybe I put God in a box. My prayers for L's adoption process usually go something like this...

"God, we so long to have B & L home with us in their family where they belong. Will you please help L's paperwork process smoothly and quickly? Help us wait for your perfect timing, though. We trust you."

And I just wonder if I shouldn't be praying more along these lines...

"God, YOU are the Amazing One who moves mountains, turns water into wine, and works miracles! God, move mightily in a way that we know without a shadow of a doubt that it's you! Do something bigger than we could even ask or imagine! B & L are yours and you love them more than we do! We know you can do anything! God, we're just excited to see how you will move and will give you all the praise!!"

But even when I do ask for a miracle, I still pray...

"But Lord, even if you don't work in a big, unmistakable way, we still know that it is you working faithfully and deliberately to bring B & L home. We trust you no matter what."

I'm just waiting now to see how He answers my cries to Him. I know He will. And while it may not be the way I want Him to or in my time frame, I know His way is always best.