Wait for the Lord

I've been getting anxious more and more about getting our referral, and feel like I just need to meditate on God's word and rest in Him this week. The verse for today is:

Psalm 27:14

"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

Imagining Us Together - Posted by Talia

The other day I was flipping through my Study Bible and I read the verse Isaiah 40:31. It says: "But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." I told my mom I liked that verse and she said that was the verse she had just posted on this blog! I think God is telling me to trust in Him to have just the right little baby for our family, even if it takes longer than we'd hoped.
Also, sometimes I imagine being inside an airport and walking up to my parents, holding our little baby. The picture in my mind is beautiful - us kids taking turns holding the baby, hugging and kissing it, and loving it. All of us together with addition #6. I know God has a plan for that child, and I'm overjoyed He's using our family to make that plan work.

We'll have a baby this year!

Happy New Year. We were hoping to have received a referral before Christmas, but God's timing is perfect...and not always what I plan. But, I can now with confidence say that we will have a baby this year. :) I find myself getting so anxious as we wait. I blog surf and find so many other families adopting from Ethiopia and know I am not alone. It is hard to describe the feeling of love and anticipation for a child you have not even met. It's definitely a God thing. I am so thankful for other families who have gone through this and have been an encouragement to us. I hope that I can in some small way encourage others along this adoption adventure as well. Isaiah 40:31 says, "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." ....teach me Lord, teach me Lord, to wait!

Focusing On The Baby.. posted by Dave

Being a waiting family is kind of a strange thing... an unusual combination of feelings. On the one hand we don't wish for ANY kids to be orphaned.... but on the other hand we're looking forward to welcoming a child with love into our family.

We had hoped that we might have some word or referral by Christmas. It's currently 10:12 PM on Christmas day... I don't think it's gonna happen. Stephanie from Holt told me as much when I called earlier this week but we can't help but hope... maybe by the end of the year, huh? :)

So the baby we're focusing on today is Jesus. Merry Christmas and thank you so much for your prayers and support for our adoption. We'll continue to pray and wait for the Lord's perfect timing in all of this. God bless!

May your best day of 2008 be your worst day of 2009.

Getting Exciting

Well, as of today I think we are #2 in line for a referral for a baby. It's getting exciting. Our adoption agency said they wouldn't be making any more referrals until 2009, but they've made 2 this week for infants! We would love to have a referral by Christmas...what a Christmas present! We are also excited for our friends, Amy and David, who are in China right now picking up their new girl. I love this adventure called adoption!

Oh, Bummer!

We received an email update from our agency yesterday that stated they won't be referring any more children until 2009. BUMMER! We were sure hoping to get matched before Christmas. David gently reminded me that we are not waiting on man, we're waiting on the Lord. His timing is perfect. He has just the right baby for us. I'm going to hang onto that today and continue to pray for patience and contentment. Phil. 4:11 says "...for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content..." That's my prayer today.

Waiting

It's been a month since we've posted on this blog and not much else has happened on our adoption. We are third in line for an infant, so our referral could happen at any time. We are all getting very anxious/excited to get the call from our adoption agency. We will definitely let everyone know as soon as we get the referral. Thanks for following along on this incredible journey. Psalm 68:6 says, "God sets the lonely in families..." We are so excited to be one of those families. Please keep us in your prayers!