Next

What's next? That's the thought; sometimes the words we speak as we move about our daily routine and monotony. Why do we ask what tomorrow brings? Why do we try to predict where we'll be in the next week, or month, or year? Human nature, I suppose. Yucky - human nature. We need the nature of Christ, not that of the flesh. Me thinks...the only "next" we should be pondering is eternity. Yes?

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
                                                                                        2 Peter: 8-9

We want tomorrow to come so quickly that we forget about the good things that God has for us today! We can make so much more out of each moment of each day if we just stop to think about the eternal impact each moment can make. That was a mouthful. Think about it, though. If I am still and intentionally stand in the presence of God each day I will receive the best of what He has for me, and the best is Him. His heart. His desires. His will. In the end, and the end will come, that which truly matters is what Jesus did for us. Do we overlook the love displayed on the cross and the blood spilled for our sins? Or do we kneel at the cross and gaze at our Savior; spending time with Him so we can know who He is... and what He has for us?

In those daily moments I imagine the thought of tomorrow, or next week, or next year can become fleeting, and the anticipation and joy of eternity with this King I've been spending time with... it makes me see time as a precious gift to use within the will of God - to get to know Him better, and to serve Him and our loved ones with the gospel. Each and every day becomes like one thousand years of loving, serving, learning, praying, worshiping, teaching. Being with and being like Jesus for just today is the same as one thousand years in the eyes of God. And what is one thousand years to Him? In terms of "earthly time" it's a blink of His eye. Here today. Gone tomorrow. That's why we can't take for granted what is here today, because it will be gone tomorrow. Yet, one thousand years in the sand of God's hourglass was purchased for each of us by His Son on the cross.

Before He was arrested, Jesus told His disciples that He would have to leave them and that where He was going they couldn't follow; not yet. Then He willingly suffered the most heinous, excruciating torture and as He yielded His spirit to His Father He said, "It is finished." Done. Finito. The end. We don't have to worry about what comes next. NEXT includes whatever God has for us. It might be a successful, prosperous life with few challenges, but maybe not. Maybe what comes next is illness, poverty, hunger, death. If we are in Christ and He is in us, each day is still a gift. We can show one thousand years worth of love to those around us, and tell at least one more person about Jesus each day.

I thought I might have at least hugged and kissed my African sons by this Easter, but we haven't made it there yet. Some days it feels like we'll be waiting one thousand years before we get a court date! :-) That is our "next" and it will happen, and I'm pretty sure it won't take one thousand years. In the meantime, I'm living for Christ each day trying to love and serve my family, appreciating and praying for each friend, hoping for someone to share the gospel with, and finding myself on my face in repentance knowing I was the reason - the culprit - that nailed Jesus to a cross. This Easter I thank God again for His redemption and for the gift of eternity in heaven; my ultimate NEXT. I'm amazed at how patient and longsuffering He is with me!

For a day in your courts is better
    than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
    the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
    from those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts,
    blessed is the one who trusts in you!
                                             Psalm 84:10-12

What are YOU waiting for?

I know what I'm waiting for! I want my boys home! Sheesh. Rhyan says she "misses" her brothers in Ethiopia, like she's known them all her life. Well, maybe she has. Sometimes I feel like I have. Even so, I can't wait to study their little faces, hear their voices for the first time, find out which hand they like to hold their fork in, take pictures of them playing baseball with Ty and sitting on the couch while their sister reads to them. Sniff, sniff... I am waiting...

Isn't this exactly what God asks us to do? I mean, since the dawn of time as we know it, He has told His children to wait. Wait Noah! I will send the rain. Wait Abraham! I will make you a father of nations. Wait Moses! I will deliver my people through you. Wait David! You will be King of the Israelites. Wait Elizabeth! You will have a son and he will baptize My Son, in My name. Oh yes, and - Wait Son! Your time to serve and teach my people will come, and then you will die for them. Whoa.

You will die... Have you ever thought about that wait? Hhhhmmm... What did that feel like? Ouch. Here's the thing. I find myself almost being ashamed of any kind of "complaining" or "anxiety" over this wait for a court date and our Gotcha Day. (That refers to the day we "get" our boys forever. :-)) It's going to happen. God has made promises all throughout history and I trust that when we line up with His will and plans, He continues to deliver. The wait that I sit in now is a joyful, expectant wait. I get giddy knowing that we are adding LIFE to our family. Just like a pregnant woman knows that child in her womb before she sees what color each strand of hair on his head is, I know my boys and eagerly await the precious gift of tangibly loving them as sons.

You will die... Really. My week started out rough as I learned that it might be another month before we receive a court date in Ethiopia. Boo. But my lament was put to shame when a childhood friend passed on Wednesday morning; a victim of an evil disease. Let me add that he was younger than me, father of two boys, husband of a best friend from junior high, and just a really great guy. Ugh. Pain. My heart breaks for all his loved ones. My heart breaks thinking of their wait. They didn't wait for life to start anew. They didn't wait knowing that joy would invade their home in a few short months. When the diagnosis came, they waited in anticipation of loss. They prayed and hoped for a cure, but ALS is unforgiving and we live in a world broken and damaged by sin. The truth hurts and the disease took Gary way before what we think his time should've been. How can I come to grips with that? How can I make sense out of the wait that was necessary on the part of all of Gary's loved ones? I can only rest on the knowledge that waiting is what God calls all of us to do, because He has something good waiting for all of us who love Him and are called to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) He knows the plans He has for us, even when all we see is the pain and the loss. How can He ask this of us? Because He experienced it Himself FOR us, through His Son.

You will die... What did that wait feel like to Jesus? Well, we know a couple things. We know that Jesus chose to spend his last hours on this earth with his loved ones. He broke bread with them, drank wine with them, and celebrated the time they had left together. Matthew the disciple also tells us that they sung a hymn before they went out to the Mount of Olives. (26:30) They sung to God - led by Jesus is my guess, as He waited to be executed! While Jesus waited for His impending death He felt and experienced all that any other human would feel being diagnosed with mortal finality. Yet, He praised His Father and worshiped Him in song. He seized life and He loved without fail. He didn't try to change the inevitable. He didn't question His Father. He simply waited.

We know Jesus was scared and filled with sorrow. The gospels tell us that He voiced His sorrow to His disciples. He said, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful..." (Matthew 26:38) Then He went a little farther and fell on His face and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." Matthew 26:39 Jesus waited in agony for His flesh to be destroyed. He cried out to God in His sorrow, yet He submitted in obedience. He prayed not simply for His life to be spared. He prayed for God's will to be done. And I believe He asked His Father to give Him strength and perseverance to endure what needed to happen knowing that the end result was so worth it all! This is LOVE fellow Christians. This is knowing how to wait on God.

Be still and wait. How are we still when waiting on God? We take each day for what it is and what it brings us. We cherish the moments with loved ones and celebrate life with them. We live in mercy, practicing forgiveness and grace; knowing that which flows from us also returns to us. We pray and spend time with God sharing our thoughts, feelings, desires, fears. Laying it all down and listening for His still small voice - or earth-shaking revelations. I learned even further what it means to be still and wait this week. I learned that we are all waiting for God to move in our lives and we need to see the goodness of what is on the other side of the wait. For some it's bittersweet. The goodness may be the promise of eternal rest from pain and suffering, and the bliss of heaven with Jesus. There is sorrow in that waiting as our human hearts break at the expectation of loss. We grieve at the close of these waiting periods, BUT I pray that the grief passes into a promise fulfilled of something beautiful. A gift from God who rewards our waiting when done in faith.

For others, the wait is one that has us on pins and needles knowing that a new chapter of life that isn't entirely about loss is upon us. The waiting time must be a season of rest but also of preparation. I've come to understand there actually is a loss to prepare for in our family. It's a loss of what we know; how we do things. The old will be gone and the new will be here, and we'll have to learn how to do life and family differently. Is it amazing and joyful and miraculous? YES! Will it be easy? My guess is, no. There will be difficult days and new challenges. Yet, the reward and goodness of what comes after the passing - the death of our old family and the birth of our new family - is priceless.

Jesus waited for his death on the cross to come to fruition. There was pain and suffering. His family waited and mourned. Can you imagine what His mother felt, knowing her son would be put to death an innocent man? Huge ouch. I know a mom who experienced that same emotion and pain. God bless and strengthen you, Kathy Demarino. What we all need to see is what the purpose of our waiting really is. In the end, it's really about God's love and grace for His children. His plan for His Son to be crucified was all about His rescue mission for us! When we are waiting on God, whether we are waiting on something joyful or something tragic, let's be still, listen for God, and know He has something so good on the other side He's just waiting to do for us.

Worshiping in the waiting,
Patty

Our Dossier is Sent!

Here I am, post-flu, or whatever ick was invading our home and my immune system. It feels good to walk without a pounding headache. I even had a couple nights cough-free. I tell ya, this is some serious nastiness; this junk that's going around this year. I hadn't been sick in about 6 years. Truly. I think maybe I got a bit too sure that I wasn't ever going to be sick again. Yeah... not so much.

So, the cloud of fever and congestion has passed, and Paul and I were able to notarize all the letters, forms, certificates, and picture pages for our new dossier. I drove downtown to the Secretary of State yesterday to have everything certified. Both times I've been there, God has placed His hand of favor over me and our adoption. I walked right in and straight to the "next available" woman behind the counter. (I have to mention that when I finished, there was a line out the door.) This very nice lady took all my papers and checked each one carefully. I saw her place each page in a pile as she reviewed, and then one page was placed ON THE OTHER SIDE. Huh? I just waited to see what that meant and hoped with all my strength that it didn't mean what I thought it meant. Sure enough, she said she could certify all but that one page! The notary wasn't completed in the correct format, she pointed out. I couldn't argue with her, because she was right. All I could do was kick myself for not checking more carefully! I knew exactly what she was talking about, and if I had been more careful I would've caught the mistake. I had to accept the fact that my mistake was going to cause me another trip to the bank and back to SOS - about 40 miles from home. Ugh. Not only that, but it would delay having it sent to our agency before the week was over.

As I waited for the nice lady to print, staple and stamp each document, I attempted to arrange a meeting the following day to "fix" the incorrectly notarized letter. I didn't ask for any special favors, or even try to justify special circumstances, but before I wrote the check for the fees, the nice lady said, "I'll go ahead and certify that other one for you, but make sure you take it back and have the notary sign it on the stamp I place by her first signature." You know when your name is called for an award, or you hear a winning number being read out loud and you realize it matches the one on the ticket you have in your hand? You know how that feels? Aha. That was me! I said, "What? Really?" She smiled and said, "Sure." I thought I was going to pop a blood vessel! I was so excited and SO grateful to God for His favor. He never ceases to amaze me. You are so good to me, Lord!
Here it is... our dossier. All 27 documents, notarized and state certified.

I took the whole thing to Staples today. I needed two copies of the entire packet, and a guy at Staples made copies of our first dossier for us, no problem. He hand placed each one on the machine and did it all while I waited. Well, today was an enirely different story. I asked the girl there if she could make these copies for me, right? She said she had a pile of orders to deal with and it would be at least 4 or 5 hours before she could get it done. I told her I had to overnight everything out today and I hoped she could maybe get it done a bit faster than that. She said, "Well, I have these other orders before yours, and it will take me a while to take all the staples out and..." Uhm. Yeah. NO! I didn't hear another word she said. Are you kidding me?!? I told her you can't take the staples out. The papers are certified and that would simply nullify everything! Poor girl. How was she to know what I was talking about? She looked at me like I was some kind of paper nazi. Yeah, well, don't touch those staples, Girlie! That was all I could think of. Bless her relieved heart. I walked right out of there, mumbling protective words over my beloved dossier.

Needless to say, I spent... a while making copies today. I even had to run out to purchase another ink cartridge. It was worth the sore knees, careful sorting, page-by-page copying, and 126 or so pieces of paper, to have it all done properly. Our dossier is on it's way to our agency who will shoot it to Washington D.C. and then it will go to Ethiopia. God willing, we'll have a court date within the next two weeks or so. Can't be soon enough in my opinion!

We receive updates with pictures of our boys pretty much weekly. I can't wait to wrap my arms around each of them, and tell them that their mommy is here, and tell them how much I love them. Paul and I have no doubt that these are our sons. It's so amazing and great how God really does put that love in your heart for the ones He places in your life!

Sharing Pieces of a Huge Story...

Please pray for: the Snow Family (see below), the "B" Family (keep reading), the "G" Family, still waiting for the powers to be in an African country to release their two children in the adoption process; the "V" Family, waiting for a referral and knowing that God has a special little boy planned for them; the "P" Family pushing forward against bureaucratic obstacles in their adoption journey; the "K" Family, holding on to hope that God will soften hearts in Russia and make the way for the little boy to come home soon...
And pray for people who continue to argue that Americans should just adopt American children. Can you imagine if God said that he would only adopt Jews? What if He said that His Son's death wasn't good enough to set Gentiles free? That only the Israelites would be saved. What if God said that He was a God of one nation only? Jesus died as a ransom for all. He came to set ALL sinners free! That's you and me, peeps, regardless of nationality, culture, heritage, ethnicity, language, race... I'm a child of God, adopted into His eternal family. Thank You, Lord that You love me...just because You LOVE. Thank You that all Your children deserve love and families. I don't know why you chose us to adopt African children, but then again, I don't know why you chose my home to be in America. I know that you have chosen families to adopt American children, too. Thank you for the Zoccolis, Clardys, Castellanos, Browns, and many, many more! Only You know what the purpose for each of our lives is - for Your kingdom, and all I can do is listen and follow.
I just read a post on our friend's blog - The Snow Bunch. http://mel-snow.blogspot.com/  Geez, this adoption stuff is really tough. It's a roller coaster ride, and we all need to hang on tight so as not to be thrown out or get sick to our stomachs during the ride. Melissa and Brian have been through all of this and are buckling up for more! Bless them, Lord, as they forge a path ahead of us. Their girls are preparing to celebrate Christmas with our boys. This somewhat selfish mommy is grateful my little boys will have good friends with them for a short while longer. But, God speed the Snow Girls home in your gracious timing and love!
In the same breath, I pray God speed our boys home, too. We received our dossier safe and sound on Christmas Eve! Woohoooo! Now we receive direction from our agency as to which papers are still good, and which ones need renewal, update, etc. We hope to have all international papers in place by the middle of January. Then we wait and pray for a court date, sooner rather than later. In the meantime, we still pray also for God's guidance with fundraising. Each time I have applied for grants, or attempted to apply for grants, there has been some type of roadblock we've had to face. We were declined by one, completely brushed off after several emails by another organization, unable to complete two other online applications due to computer or internet issues, and don't qualify for about half-a-dozen more I've come across through searches and research. Gggrrrrr. My analysis: God does not have a grant in the near future for us. At least not one of these! I trust in Him and His provision completely and wait for Him to speak to us regarding the next method of raising the funds needed to bring our boys home. I LOVE how He has touched the hearts of so many people through our boys and their journey home.
I want to share one story that came out of our Two Week Timeline and Testimony of God's goodness. I had prayed several times to the Lord, basically crying out to Him that I am such a wimp and that I really needed a Gideon moment. I really needed that fleece - that tangible, "This is Me!" moment from God. (Judges 6:36-40)  I asked Him to please speak through Paul; that He would confirm His will and direction through words from my sweet husband. After all, this really had to be led by Paul. This is his family as much as mine, and his heart had to be completely invested in this as much if not more than mine. Well, God delivered, as usual. Twice, He spoke through Paul. Once was very immediate when I asked God to confirm my "Yes" through Paul's direction, and Paul within 24 hours said, "I think these are the children we're supposed to adopt." The next time came through a "this could only be the Holy Spirit" event. My very private and humble better-half wrote a letter. It was written from his heart and his own desire to bring our boys home. He wrote a letter to Todd Wilson, AKA The Family Man. http://familymanweb.com/ Mr. Wilson is well-known in the homeschooling community. He travels to conventions all over the country, speaking to thousands of homeschool families everywhere. He has also written several books, has a great business and website, and publishes an email newsletter received by countless homes throughout the country. And my Paul wrote him a letter regarding our desire to adopt the boys and the needs involved! Say what? Yup. He did it. I didn't even know he had done this until one evening, actually, late night, we were both checking our emails and I was preparing an adoption update on our FB account. I heard Paul say, "He put it in his newsletter." The words were quiet, but the emotion behind the words...well... let's just say I knew it meant something big. There it was, big as life, Paul's letter in Todd Wilson's newsletter! Amazing! That could only be God, and through this God-move, we received support and prayers from the other side of the country. East meets west! Again - Amazing! Not only did God touch Mr. Wilson's heart somehow, to encourage him to send Paul's letter to all of his subscribers, but God touched other families who were waiting for direction from Him in terms of His plans for our little boys. Those families probably had no idea this was destined to happen, just like we didn't know during our Thanksgiving meal this year that we would be introduced to our boys before Christmas. However, I want to share at least one story of a family who was specifically meant to read that letter.
The "B" family in another state far from us sent me an email after reading the letter. Mrs. B asked that I call her so that we could talk, as she had some questions about our adoption. I now have another sister far from Arizona whose heart is burdened for adoption and orphans as mine is! The B family had been in deep prayer mode for a while, not hearing clearly whether they were meant to adopt a little boy ("Little X") from China. He has special needs and more than anything needs a family. He needs a mom and dad, but Mrs. B and even more so, her husband, were not convinced that this was exactly what God had for them in terms of adoption. When they read the letter that Paul wrote, they were immediately tugged. She said that right away she thought that maybe this is how God wanted them to "adopt" - by supporting other families in need of funding. Whoa there, Lord. You continue to rock my world! How is it that two women on opposite ends of a continent, can be brought together for the purpose of giving orphans a home? Only by Your hands, God! Only You. As this new friend of mine and I prepared to close our phone conversation, we committed to praying for each other; that God would make all His plans clear and evident to both families, and that He would provide for all orphans and families. Before we hung up, my new friend shared this with me. She said that she and her husband were in the car driving just the night before our conversation and they were talking about their continued desire to help our boys. They couldn't get our family out of their minds and felt that it really was God prompting them. Right at that moment, they looked up and saw two shooting stars. She said, "Look! There are the boys!" Then, she knew she had seen another confirmation from God that He wanted them to help bring our boys home.
Do you see what I mean? Our boys' story is so not about me, or my heart's desire, or my will, or my strength. It's completely about God's heart and those of us who hear Him stepping out in obedience. Jeepers! God continues to perform miracles every day! Thank you, Lord, for the "B" family. Thank you for writing a story through two, beautiful, Ethiopian children! I have no doubts that You have great plans for them. How honored and privileged we are to simply be part of the story.

Christmas Gifts

Another Christmas come and gone... but not really gone. Christmas for us is a time that remains in our home and hearts as the Holy Spirit reveals Himself to our family each day. We awake every morning with the knowledge that Jesus came to earth as a humble infant, completely dependent on His Father God for all things. Much like us, yes?! What a glorious gift; JESUS! God made man. Stepping down into darkness bringing light into this crazy world!
We absolutely LOVE Christmas and the joy of celebrating our Savior's birth!

 

 

Yet - the darkness still eminates from the regions of the earth where Jesus is not allowed to enter the hearts of man...

I can't help but be filled with sorrow as I think of the inexplicable tragedy of the ban on American families adopting from Russia. Hundreds of thousands of children are institutionalized there, in orphanages that lack proper or any sources of heat in the winter, cooling in the summer, water to drink, food to nourish growing bodies, and medicine to bring comfort and health. Worst yet, the lack of loving care is evident in the absence of emotion and even physical strength in these precious children. What happens now to the families who have children in Russia still? What happens to those sweet babies? My heart breaks. Please pray with me for these families and children, and for the hearts of those in Russia who can make a difference and change this awful, political move.

Christmas remains true, no matter what others want to believe, or try to disprove. Jesus came to this world to set us free. He is our Redeemer and He has already been victorious. We reflect on this reality as we think of Christmas in other areas of the world. Russia. Vietnam. Romania. Africa. Our little boys will celebrate Christmas in Ethiopia on January 7th. They may have only one gift this year, besides the gift of Jesus. We are so thrilled that the one other gift is the knowledge that they have a family waiting to take them in and smother them with love and God's truth!!! May the waiting be short-lived, Lord, and may Your will continue to be done here on earth as in heaven. Your Kingdom come!

In His Loving Grip,
Patty

We Give Thanks

We give thanks for Christmas. We celebrate the birth of our Savior who came to set us, wretches and captives, free. We sing our praises to Him and offer all we have and all we are to Jesus, our Redeemer and Friend. Thank you for making a way for us to be adopted into your Father's family and making us sons and daughters of the King.

We give thanks for earthly adoption. As the greater Body, we need God to direct us and guide us, imparting heavenly wisdom to each so that we may know how to come along side Him to support orphans and families called to give orphans forever families. We thank  you, Lord, that in this crazy world of international adoption, You are sovereign, and You are mighty to save.

We give thanks for those who hear and heed the voice of God. It's not always audible. In fact, my guess is we rarely "hear" the voice of God, but our minds and our hearts hear Him clearly when we listen in faith...and when He speaks to our souls. I can tell you I have clearly heard God, and I can tell you that it isn't because I'm anyone special or "holier" than the next. He simply had a job for me to do, so He told me to do it.

There are people saying, "What you are doing is so great." Well, great or not, it isn't what I'm doing. It's what God is doing with me, in me, through me, and for me. It's what He needs to do for our Ethiopian sons. He has a purpose for bringing them to the United States and to our family. This is the way things are supposed to be, and though I can tell you that I love those boys with the true love of a Mama's heart, I can tell you in the same breath that they aren't coming home just because of my love or my desire for more children. Really, I didn't wake up one day in my 40's and say, "Wow! I feel like I can start all over with this parenting stuff, and homeschool as many children as I can, and keep up with the sleepless nights, and the vomiting little ones who get the flu every year, and the additional college funds, and the half-dozen more years of braces and retainers. Yeah! I'm ready to go, God! And, by the way, let's make this process really lengthy, really heart-wrenching, really humbling, and really expensive! Woooooo!!! I'm ready, God! Get to it!!" Really? This is hard stuff! It makes no sense, unless you know that it is God and that He will supply all you need and more. That's just who He is. He's a very faithful and generous Daddy! To be disobedient and not follow His lead in faith is just... well. It's just not an option.

We give thanks for the families and individuals who have shared of their time, energy, resources, prayers, and hearts. There are so many of you! I need to list you all, but I'm afraid I might miss someone! If I do, please forgive me, and please know that we are forever in your debt.

To those of you who gave endlessly to make our spaghetti dinner and silent auction an amazing evening of fun and fellowship, including donating food, auction items, and SO much more, and those of you who held us up and supported us financially, spiritually, and emotionally during the Two-Week-Timeline ...
Mom and Dad Lopez, Michele and Kevin Hull, Bart and Dusti Powell and family, Mike and Alisa Zoccoli, Chris Panepinto, John and Debbie Hervey, Kevin and Kathy Lott, Mark and Jennifer Sequeira, Lindsey Ozmon, Angie Kennedy, Chad and Cary Kent, Carlos and Natalie Valiente, Kari and Ruben Moreno, Kirk Pieper, Liz Mews, John and Eli Milan, Lisa Moore, Burton Howell, Stephanie Howard, Christine Heaps, Jeff Wilson, Daniela Virani, Gloria Mendoza, Eva and Jim Cionci, Morgan and Elizabeth Blitz, James and Bethany Pattie, Adam Chandler, Mark and Donna Grady, Eric and Velvet Jones, Scott and Dona Barclay, Tyler and Jennifer Flake, Skip and Normandee Ballingham, Melanie Clardy, Phil and Angie Klein, Andrea McClees and family, Amanda and Robert Hasty, Chris and Karen McCarthy, Scott and Theresa Myers, Matt and Dee Brown, George Lee, Scott Voyda, Darin and Natalie Soll, Rachael Gephardt, Bill and Vickie Frazer, Scott and Lesa Hinkle, The Van Dusen Family,  Dr. Shane Blacker (our ortho), The Brown Family in Virginia, Todd Wilson, The FamilyMan!, our church family at Evident Life, and so many other families who donated and supported us from the other side of the country :-)  ...
Our Ethiopia Director at the agency - Randi Shetley, for your unending prayer and encouragement - and for knowing that this could be done!
Melissa and Brian Snow - The Snow Bunch, for loving on our boys as they play with your daughters in Ethiopia, and for praying alongside us! Praying that your girls are home SOON! Thank you for inspiring us through your story. :-) God moved your mountain first!
Sara and Jason Gyolai - You know exactly why! :)

Thank you, Jesus! Thank you for our little boys in Africa!

Praising Him!
Patty

When His People Pray...

Well, I don't know where to start! First of all, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, for standing with us through these last two weeks. For lifting our family in prayer. For devoting so much time, energy, resources, and emotion into being part of bringing our little guys home. WE MADE IT! We are fully funded for our Tuesday deadline!!! Alleluia! We serve a big and mighty God, and when He is determined to carry out His plans, He doesn't let anything stand in His way. How humbled we are by your hearts and God's faithfulness. There are so many amazing stories to share - once I can take all my little notes and phrases out of my journal and put them into a narrative that makes sense! I will post on our blog within the next few days, and share pictures of the spaghetti dinner and hopefully some of the amazing events and people that touched us since December 3rd. (And before that, even.)

A dear friend said something very inspired and important to me at the spaghetti dinner. I was sitting in my own pride feeling really uncomfortable "receiving" all the amazing blessings being poured out and over our family. She pointed her finger at me and with tears in her eyes, she said, "Patty! You just need to get out of the way! This is about what God is doing and you can't interfere. This isn't about you." It is entirely about my Daddy God who adopted me into His eternal family and loves me. I love ALL my children passionately, but you know what? God loves them even more than that! I stand in awe and thankfulness to my Savior and Redeemer. Jesus, You have redeemed two more! Thank You, God, that they don't need us. All they need is You. And we are simply privileged and called to teach them and show them this truth...and love on them. :-) Amen!

Michele ready to prepare garlic bread!

So. Now what? Now we wire our funds to our agency. They will then let the boys know they officially have a family. Yay! Then we complete more paperwork and continue some fundraising efforts as we still have two round-trips to Ethiopia and monthly "foster" care to fund. We will keep everyone updated and I'll do my best to keep our blog current. There are silent auction items that were not purchased at the spaghetti dinner, so we will update that page on our blog and run the auction online for the rest of the items.

Chef Kirk's assistants, Rogan and Lindsey.

They volunteered their time and talents for our boys.

Please continue to pray with us, not only for the remaining funds, but for return, multiplied blessings on all who are supporting us, for Paul and I as partners and best friends to not be distracted and to keep our gaze firmly fixed on the Lord, and for our children. All four of them. :-)

Many people were concerned about our spaghetti dinner turnout because of all the rain. How crazy was that?! I mean, when is the last time it rained like that here in the Phoenix area? It's been a long while, but of course the rain came down on just that specific day. I have to share that I felt so much peace. I just knew that the rain was meant to be for a reason. I JUST NOW realized something. God has put me in Psalm 68 several times this week. Here is part of it...

The earth shook; the heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God; Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

You, O God, sent a plentiful rain, whereby You confirmed Your inheritance,

When it was weary, Your congregation dwelt in it;

You, O God, provided from Your goodness for the poor.

Psalm 68: 8-10

The rain fell, and cleared, and yesterday our precious pastor and leadership (amazing friends) were able to tell us that the mountain had been moved and the rain confirmed His presence and provision.

With so much joy, love, and peace,

Paul and Patty

Our beautiful Rhyan rolling the bread to the ovens.