Rock Chalk Jayhawk

We got our oldest son admission into Bill Self's Basketball camp for the morning of December 31.  What a wonderful blessing.  It was a lot of fun.

We decided to go ahead and get our fingerprints done for our I600A.  We were already going to be driving about 20 minutes from the fingerprinting place on December 30, so we swung in.  Our fingerprints were done within 20 minutes. 

Now we wait some more.

Merry Christmas 2010

Wow!  What a year this has been.  I can't wait until next Christmas to see what happened in 2011.  By next Christmas we should be a family of 6 (God-willing). 

This year we will have a white Christmas.  It snowed about 2 inches where we live overnight.  The peaceful, graceful, light snow was still falling this morning when we woke up.  It was beautiful.  Last year, in our area, we had way too much snow and cold for my liking.  This year has not been as cold, so that is a blessing all in itself. 

We received our fingerprinting appointment on Dec. 17 as I had expected.  Our appointment is scheduled for January 10, 2011. 

I wish you all a blessed new year!  May God be in your EVERY day.

God Opens Doors To Joy

When God opened the door to adoption, I knew that waiting on the other side would be a brand new child to enter into our family.

I know that I have an amazing family.  I have a wonderful husband and 3 precious gifts for sons.   You can not beat those priceless gifts.  They are so dear to my heart.

What I didn't know is that through adoption I would come across some other AMAZING families.  I have made 2 new friends already and have met other fabulous God-fearing, child-loving people through adoption boards.  These people fill my heart with joy and sometimes my eyes with tears (mostly good happy tears). 

What another grand, undeserved blessing.  Praise God!

Now, we wait a few more days.  We should have our fingerprinting appointment by this Friday (Dec 17).  Since I think our family is so amazing, I hope the US government find us suitable to adopt. 

May God Bless your heart!
Christina

Monday Afternoon Update

We should be Home Study to Korea some time this week.  It was either sent off last Wednesday, or it will be sent to Korea this week.  That's exciting news.

We received our homestudy last Wednesday.  As soon as I got it, I called our SW and made sure I had the documents necessary to send off our I-600A.  This is the document you send so that the US Government (Homeland Security) can decide if you are fit to bring a child into this country.  Anyway, that's how I understand it.

God is amazing. 

A friend that we made at the Parents in Process class received a referral from China last week.  Please pray that their journey will continue to go smoothly and quickly. 

Church was really good yesterday.  It was about being prepared for Christ's return.

I leave you with this Bible verse for the day because I have needed more faith the last few days.

Luke 17:5-6
⁵ The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
 ⁶ He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

Movement and a Good Book

I think I felt my first "kick" today.  More like a little "flutter."  The adoption process has its own set of pregnancy symptoms.  Since we are paper pregnant, I guess the movement of the child are dependent on phone calls, emails, and steps achieved in the paper process.  Kicks in the womb are little reminders that there is life in there preparing to join your family.  The only problem is that the paper pregnancy kicks are fewer and far between.  

Our movement is that we received a call from our SW.  She said that our homestudy will be possibly completed for our review on Tuesday, November 16.  That was quicker than I expected, so I am excited.

I finished reading Mary Beth Chapman's book Choosing to SEE.  What a GREAT faith story.  You can see the hand of God working through these people and in their lives.  What an inspiration.  The book only took from Tuesday night until Friday morning to finish.  After I finished it, I also listened to Steven Curtis Chapman's Beauty Will Rise CD.  It would be so awesome to meet these people in person.

God is GREAT!  Today I leave you with this Bible verse:
Isaiah 41:10

¹⁰ So do not fear, for I am with you;
   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.

Christina

Searching for Songs to Sing to My LORD

Sometimes it is difficult to express what you are going through with words.  This morning I am searching for possible songs to sing to the Lord in front of my church.  Here are some words from the song "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)", which is sung by Amy Grant (and surely other artists, but she is the one that I was looking at).  This song describes very well what I am feeling and going through.

Here are the first part of the lyrics minus the end chorus x2 with my words in purple surrounded by parentheses:

I have traveled many moonless nights (Oh, how many sleepless nights I have already had filled with worry and darkness.)
Cold and weary with a babe inside  (Not a baby inside my womb, but in my heart.)
And I wonder what I have done (What an honor that He chose us for this path. I feel so unworthy, yet glorified because my God is glorified.)
Holy Father, You have come
And chosen me to carry Your son  (Of course Mary was pregnant with Jesus, but I have been chosen to carry this child in my heart and some day in my arms.  I will be able to show this child love because God loved me first.)

I am waiting in a silent prayer (Only God understands adoption more than anyone here on earth.  And only other adoptive parents understand this wait.)
I am frightened by the load I bear  (Oh, YES God Almighty.)
In a world as cold as stone
Must I walk this path alone?   (Sometimes it feels that way, even though we aren't alone.  It is our journey to travel alone.  No one experiences it the same.)
Be with me now, be with me now   (DAILY, I beg for this.)

Breath of Heaven, hold me together
Be forever near me, Breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven, lighten my darkness
Pour over me your holiness, for you are Holy
Breath of Heaven  (All that I ask is that I am pleasing to Him.)

Do you wonder as you watch my face
If a wiser one should have had my place? 
But I offer all I am         (ALL, I AM.)
For the mercy of Your plan
Help me be strong, help me be, help me


I have tears in my eyes even now as I reread and write.  God is so merciful and wonderful.

Romans 8:30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Hanging in the Balance

I can't tell you exactly what the title to this entry means, because of privacy with our agency.  I can tell you that it does have to do with timing.

 I doubt myself.  I wonder if God is really talking to me or did I come up with this adoption idea all on my own? 

So this morning I spoke to God.  God I need your word.  I need to hear from you today.  Am I doing what you want?  I need your strength.  I am doing the Bible Study, Becoming a Woman of Grace by Cynthia Heald.  I am on Chapter 8 Freedom to Serve.  For the first question we were to summarize James 1:22-27.

Here is what it says:

James 1:22-27 ²² Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³ Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴ and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵ But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
 ²⁶ Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. ²⁷ 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.


AMAZING!  I couldn't have planned it better myself.  I hope you take the time today to seek Him, so that you can see and experience your own miracle.

God promises that He will speak to us if we seek Him.  To God be the glory!

Love,
Christina