Papers Filed!

Our papers are officially filed!!! Thank you Lord! The committe has 10 days to review all our paperwork... not really sure what that means... but I do know that now that our paperwork is filed we could get "the call" anyday. Well, anyday, month, hopefully not longer than a year=) We are in the system and when they match us up with a  little boy between the ages of 8months-18months old they will let us know. When they do call we have to be prepared to travel within 10 days...I know it's a little early but I have started doing a little research on hotels, flights, etc..it's a little overwhelming to say the least. I am not a seasoned traveler by any means of the imagination. The first time I ever set foot on an airplane was my junior year of college..I went to Lubbuck..wow..I have only been out of the country once which wasn't until like 2 years ago..so..researching Russia has been a bit different. I have learned one thing... you can't go with the lowest bidder on hotels! Last night as I was reasearching, I thought I found a really good deal..you know.. it's not our honeymoon, it's not vacation, we are there for the specific purpose of getting our baby...  Here is what $83 dollars a night will get you...per American review(which I am soooo glad I read) The top 2 floors of the hotel are a "womens dormatory"(brothel) , they have been instructed not to bother the hotel guest...need I go on? I think I will change my budget up just a little=) Anyways, we are excited about hopefully traveling soon..

Kennedy's Art Show

Thursday night was Nebbie Wiliams Art Show. Each student had 3 pieces of art to display. Here is Kennedy's

We are so proud of you!

Update on Adoption

On April 8th I finally got the final approval from our agency on our adoption paperwork.. everything was just as it should be and ready to send to Russia!!! This to me was a huge milestone..We had a small celebration at my house!! After months of paperwork it was finished..I finally felt like I could sit back and relax..until the next day.. The story broke of the Tenn. woman who sent her adopted Russian son back to Russia alone..I won't go into detail as I am sure you have probably heard the story. The news was talking about a possible adoption freeze. Our agency assured us that everything was still moving forward...In fact in the middle of that week I found out that our paperwork had made it to Russia, had been translated, and is set to be filed on the 26th!! The next morning.. turned on the news to find out that adoptions had been froze until the US and Russia could meet..So, I emailed our agency only to find out that the news had the story wrong, imagine that! Adoptions are not frozen but have slowed down...What an emotional day that was. There was supposed to be a big meeting today between the US/Russian officials but the big Ash cloud over Europe prevented any flights in/out of Russia...you just can't make this stuff up people! In all this craziness I know that God is in control! I can't wait to see how He works all this out=) Please continue to pray!

Easter Weekend

We had a busy Easter weekend filled with lots of family,food, fun and hundreds of eggs! On Saturday we spent the day with Michael's family..

This is a picture of all the kiddos after they collected all the Easter eggs...forget about the cute Easter baskets... we had to bring in the big bags! I tried to get a picture of my girls in action... but they were too fast.

I had to beg for this picture... They were so excited the whole day they didn't want to stop for a picture!

Easter Morning... The past few Easter's have been really cold...so this year..I made sure they had little jackets...and it was hot!

Mika at my parents house

We spent Sunday afternoon at my parents house...

Got them in action this time! I think they were tired!

The things we do for fun at Nanny and Pa's!

Why do boys think it's fun to get trucks stuck? Oh well... it was very entertaining!

How do you get a truck un-stuck? The kids think they can do it!

No..

Yes...leave it to the John Deere Tractor! Fun times!

Joe Willy's Fundraiser Night

On Tuesday, March 30th we had an adoption fundraiser at Joe Willy's in Rockwall Texas (our hometown). Thanks to Stashia, my awesome sister-in-law for planning and pulling through the fundraiser! From 5pm-9pm we were responsible for delivering food to tables, refilling drinks, and busing tables. We got all the tips, donations and a small percentage of the food sales.

I want to send a special thanks to our Life Group and Family! They showed up in full force and we are so greatful! The encouragement from their presence trumped any monetary benefit gained from the event. Many of you know adoption can be laborious at times and especially difficult lately. Michael and I were tearfully encouraged and re-energized to forge ahead and finalize the adoption.... On the monetary front our God blessed with $1527 to go towards our adoption!

We also appreciate Rick and Diane (restaurant owners) for choosing to use their business as an avenue to serve God. Not just with our cause but consistently allowing various causes to be served in similar ways. Also a huge on-line hug and thank you to our hard working volunteers who gave sweat equity to help in the cause of the orphan. Carl and Phyllis Miller, Vernon and Ellen Bonnette, Carla Tomlinson, Stashia Cagle, Rick Taylor, Jerry Welch, Sue and Bob Almond, Pat and Louie Corwin, Lucy (Pat's sweet hard working mom), Johnnie and Twilla Fontenot, and Phillis Yount. 

They say it takes a village to raise a child, our village is bringing one home. Many thank yous, I'm greatful to be part of a family, Life Group and community that love us and whom we love beyond words. 

When we said yes to God's call to adopt, we never could of imagined how amazing it would be to see Him work along the way.  From giving us the desire to adopt, faith to say yes, see Him provide financially where the mountain seemed to tall to climb and amazingly witness His handywork through so many who have given their prayers, time resource, words of encouragement, finances and friendship.

Mika's Art Show

I'm a little behind on blogging.. but on March 26th Mika had her Art Show at school.. Each student got to display 2 pieces of art. Here is Miss Mika's..

                                         Class Project

Post Worth Reading

Last week was a rough week emotionally.  A lady in our church's adoption ministry just happen to send this post out to everyone in the adoption yahoo group.  It really ministered to me, the message came at just the right time.  It is a good read for anyone, not just those adopting :).  I pray it blesses you as much as it blessed me.

If Something is Hard, Does That Mean We Should Not Pursue It?

Last week some friends of mine were presented with a potential adoption situation. I want to respect this family’s privacy so I will not be able to go into specific details. However, they have given me permission to share some concepts that came up in a conversation we had together. I hope and pray that this can be an encouragement to other families faced with similar circumstances and choices.

This family made a choice to accept a situation that may or may not result in a completed adoption. They have opened their hearts knowing full well that their hearts could be broken. Why would someone open themselves up for potential heartbreak and disappointment? Here is an excerpt from an email that I sent to them regarding the choice they made:
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Just because something is hard does not mean it is wrong and just because something is easy does not mean it is right. A lot of people in our culture do not seem to understand this concept. I think Christians can sometimes be the worst about this! This seems to be the attitude: "If it is not God's will then it will be really hard, but if it is God's will, things should just coast along very smoothly." In fact, it can be just the opposite. Scripture it is full of situations where the EASY THING was not the RIGHT THING, but the RIGHT THING was the HARDEST THING EVER!

I am not sure where we got this idea that if God is in it or if it is His will, things will just fall into place. I thought this way for many years. I am not sure that is correct all of the time. Here are a few examples out of the hundreds from Scripture: I think that it would have been much easier for Joseph to follow through with his original plan to "put Mary away quietly". But instead he and Mary had to do the hardest thing ever for them in their culture: they chose to stay in their hometown and raise a child that appeared to be "born out of wedlock". They made the choice to live in a small community of family, friends and neighbors where everyone knew everyone else. My guess is that not everyone in the community was accepting and supportive of their choice. I wonder how many times Mary and Joseph had to listen to “comments” or endure “looks”. Wouldn’t it have been so much easier to move to a place where no one knew them or their past?

What about the timeless story of Daniel or the three other Hebrew men in a foreign land? It would have been so much easier to just “go with the flow” and not “rock the boat”. After all, what would people think? They were faced with these choices on several occasions and still they did the hard thing—the right thing. They did not know that the outcome would be favorable for them.

I am certain that you know all of this, but sometimes it just helps to have someone affirm your convictions. I also say this because I do not want you to be surprised if everyone is not excited and supportive of your decision; this includes family members. Even church acquaintances and people who you think are friends may surprise you with their reaction and they may look at you like you are crazy: they may even say it out loud. This can be so hurtful and shocking. I hope it does not happen and I do not want to discourage you; however, do not be surprised. People usually do not congratulate you for making what seems to them like a really stupid decision or a big mistake. However, they are NOT your Holy Spirit!

May God bless you and your family for listening to His call! When you care for the fatherless—whether it is for a day, a week or for a lifetime—it is the RIGHT THING to do. I do not recall James 1:27, instructing us to take care of widows and orphans when it worked out to be convenient for us. We are just supposed to take care of them when they are in distress or in trouble.

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This is probably one of the most recognized verses about orphans and widows. I thought you might be interested to see what this verse says in a few different translations.


James 1:27 (New International Version)

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

James 1:27 (New Living Translation)

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

James 1:27 (New King James Version)

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

The last part of this verse in the New Living Translation really jumped out at me. I wonder if this verse is affirming what I was talking about in my conversation with my friend. The world says, “Do what is easy and convenient. Go with the flow. Don’t waste your time.” God’s word says (my paraphrase), “Refuse to let the world corrupt you.” Is this telling us to do what is right no matter how hard it is and no matter what it looks like to everyone else? Do not let the culture and the common way of thinking corrupt you. Do the right thing!

There are many ways to do the right thing for orphans and widows. Maybe you need to look at ways you can support an adoptive or foster family. Maybe you should consider adopting. Maybe you need to become friends with a widow and encourage her. Maybe you need to give of your time or finances to help an orphanage. Prayer, emotional and financial support, volunteering, encouragement and serving those in need are just a few ideas. How is God leading you to do the right thing?