Waiting...

We are waiting.... Waiting to hear any news regarding Nathan's case, waiting to see what Guatemala will do, and waiting for an appointment for my mom at MD Anderson (we should hear about the last one today). Waiting is okay most days, some things are worth waiting for! Other things we wish weren't even an issue (my mom's cancer).

So while we are waiting, I've been tagged. So...


Jobs I've Had
Wendys
Small Bakery
Mail-order company
Insurance Company
Oncology Nurse
Home Health Nurse
Family Practice Nurse


Places I've Lived
Joliet,IL
Sparland
Peoria
East Peoria
Morton

Foods I Love
Pizza
Chinese
Suzy-Q's
Diet Pepsi
A crisp Jonathan apple on a fall day

Places I'd Rather Be
Guatemala!
Door County,WI
Alaska

Books I Love
Bible
Little Women
Books by Dee Henderson

I'm Tagging
Julie

blip!

There was a blip in our process today as we received word that part of our son's name was missing on his POA. We quickly rectified that and sent it off. I was thinking that I could obsess about this, and try to figure out the time lost in our case, or I could simply choose to trust the Lord for His hand to be upon Nathan.

This next week I am teaching 4th grade Sunday School. The lesson is Matthew 8:5-13, about the faith of the centurion. He told Jesus that He didn't need to go to his home, all He had to do was say so and his servant would be healed (and he was healed). While I do not have the 'astonishing' faith of the centurion-I do know that we worship the Lord of all creation, and that He is able to speak and things happen.

I am trusting the Lord to go before us in this process, knowing that He is in control. The Lord has brought us to a place where we need to trust in Him. He holds Nathan in His hands, and I am so thankful for that. Nathan is the Lord's child and we are asking that we be able to love and care for him. I know that the Lord hears our prayers and that He will answer as He sees fit. My job in this is to trust the Lord with all my heart (Proverbs 3:5-6), and give Him all the praise and the glory He deserves.

Our desire is to delight ourselves in the Lord throughout this adoption.

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

Praying for all the children of Guatemala, Amy

Always Fun to Get New Pictures

Our entire family looks forward to new pictures, they are barely visible and someone is asking to have a print of them. Nathan Rodolfo is growing and healthy and we are so thankful for that! He weighs 6 pounds, 7 ounces and he is a cutie!

Nathan, we are praying for you and desire for you to come home to us.
You are truly a precious gift from God.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Spinning Out of Control?

Sometimes it feels that things are spinning out of control. Yesterday my mom found out that her cancer has returned with a vengeance, requiring a trip to M.D.Anderson for some type of treatment. We got a call last night that Ken's mom had been hospitalized but was doing better. And yesterday Guatemala took a step to put into process a law that, unless amended, may make it difficult to get our little boy and thousands of other "in-process" children home to their forever families. It feels at times like things are spinning out of control.

I find great comfort in knowing that the Lord who created the universe, placing the stars in the sky, is in control of all things. Yes, all things.

"God made two great lights--the greater light to govern the day
and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.
God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth."
Genesis 1:16-17

Honestly, this could be a discouraging time (that may be an understatement) if I kept my mind on all the difficulties. I am working at trusting the Lord and keeping my focus on Him, taking the days one at a time. Scripture is so good to provide ways for me to keep my mind on Him. I desire the "perfect peace" that I can only find in the Lord.

"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you." Isaiah 26:3

My desire through this time is to glorify the Lord, because it is only through Him that we are not close to despair. May my reactions show others my love for the Lord. If you feel so inclined you could pray for our family and the families of the thousands of other children in Guatemala that are waiting. Please pray for me to be the support that my mom and siblings need as we see what lies ahead.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting
away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen
is eternal." II Corinthians 4:16-18

So, while I feel a little woozy with all of this, I am assured that nothing has spun out of the Lord's control.

Sometimes Moms Need to Laugh

Sometimes it is good to take a break from the serious things in life and just laugh. (My older sister sent me this.) Enjoy!

Priorities

Sundays are busy days in our home, actually that is probably every day. I recently have heard myself say "it's crazy" in reference to our schedule a few too many times. My goal this week is to lessen the "craziness" and focus more on the Lord.

There are some things in our schedule I can't change. I can make sure, however, that my priorities are in the right order. I am the best mom I can be when I start my day in the Word and in prayer. For that matter, I'm the best I can be at just about everything I do when I am disciplined in my Christian walk. The longer I know the Lord the more I see how far I have to go in my Christian life and I want to run my race to the finish and do it well.

We serve a God who is Holy and blameless (He has a myriad of other attributes, as well). He is worthy of us giving our best to Him daily!

In Franklin Graham's book, The Name he said, "We contemplate what He gave on the cross--His life. But you see, Jesus gave His life every day in His Father's Name. Should we do any less?"

If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take
up his cross daily, and follow me. Luke 9:23

Why Guatemala?

Why would we choose to adopt from Guatemala? The quick answer would be that Guatemala was the country that the Lord laid on our hearts. But there is more to it than that.

Guatemala is close as far as airline flights are concerned. You can travel there in a day and the expense is not outrageous. We looked ahead and wondered if the child we brought into our family would one day want to return to Guatemala for a visit or perhaps even to live. It really is a little selfish on our part, we wanted to be able to visit them should they choose to return to their home country.

Another reason we chose Guatemala was because of the Children's Home that we had come to learn about. We saw their mission, not just for the children of Guatemala but the whole of Guatemala. We all have the same great need - The Lord! The founders of this Children's Home desire to share the gospel with all the people of Guatemala, partially through outreach and church planting.

Of course, travel required to Guatemala as you adopt was a factor as well. Some countries require you to stay for two weeks or more and with a family already at home this is more difficult.

But, ultimately, the "quick answer" is the real reason we chose to adopt from Guatemala. The Lord laid the children of Guatemala on our hearts.
As things seem to be heating up with the politics of the Hague treaty it is the Lord that we are leaning on. The Lord has led us to this spot in life and we desire to trust Him as we wait and pray for Nathan to come home to us.

I wrote a letter yesterday to an official and put it in my "draft" file. I prayed about it and thought about what should be the right response to the DOS(Department of State) news lately. As I thought about Christ's ministry I saw that He was a man of action. So I decided to send my letter. I also sent a couple of other emails. Ken and I will continue to bring before the Lord in prayer the children of Guatemala, the decisions being made over the next three months do not just affect us, they affect all of the orphans in Guatemala.

"And whoever welcomes a child like this in my name welcomes me." Matthew 18:5