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Showing posts from October, 2011

10/25 Update

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Adoption update:  We are still awaiting word from the Social Worker on Emmanuel.  We still hope to travel soon to mee t our Son.   We have been reminded   throughout this journey. He alone is sovereign and he alone is control of all things.   This may sound strange, but knowing and trusting in this fact is providinng peace as we wait for news.     Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers. As you can see from the map on the right,  people from around the world checking out the blog.  I am humbled to be walking this path beside you. I have been confronted about the reality of who I am and who I would like to be.  I have a long way to go, but I am so thankful for a forgiving God.  Can I ask question?  Do we really feel the weight of scripture?  Are Jesus's commands optional?  Are we sheep or goats? Matthew 25 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered bef

An amazing night

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I saw Katie Davis last night and was reminded with Jesus as our guide, we each can change the world by touching ONE life at time.   What would cause an eighteen-year-old old senior class president and homecoming queen from Nashville, Tennessee, to disappoint her parents by forgoing college, break her little brother’s heart, lose all but a handful of her friends (because the rest of them think she has gone off the deep end), and break up with the love of her life, all so she could move to Uganda, where she knew only one person but didn’t know any of the language? A passion to make a difference. Katie Davis left over Christmas break her senior year for a short mission trip to Uganda and her life was turned completely inside out. She found herself so moved by the people and children of Uganda that she knew her calling was to return and care for them. She has given up a relatively comfortable life—at a young age—to care for the less fortunate of this world. She was so moved by the need s

Good and Sad News!

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Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers. We are trying to keep everyone informed as much as we can.  Today, we learned our dossier is officially in the mail and on the way to West Africa. Have you figured out where he lives yet? I thought the heart on the t-shirts may have given it away. We were hopeful that another adopting family who is in Africa would be able to see our son and take a few more pictures, However, we learned Emmanuel has left the orphanage he has known as home. He has returned to his birth village to see if there are any living relatives or anyone who will care for him before he can be cleared for adoption. This is the standard procedure, but it broke my heart. I am so thankful he is too young to realize the magnitude of all this. I want to reach out and hold and tell him, buddy, I want you. I will always want you. Emmanuel, I love you son, and I am coming as fast as I can. God we trust in you! There are no orphans with God.  He has CHOSEN us and we are ADOPT

Tick, Tick, Tick

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The time is ticking and we hopefully are getting closer and closer to meeting our son for the very first time. I find myself in a grateful but reflective mood. The other night, I looked at the stars for a long time in bewilderment and wondered if our son ever did the same thing. The moon was so bright and couldn’t help but wonder if he was looking as well. What will be that moment like? How will it feel to see his face and to hold him in my arms? What will it be like to hear him call me daddy at some point? What will it be like the first time I hear him pray or to sing? I am filled with so many questions. I still wonder sometimes how I got here? My life has been a roller coaster filled with crazy turns and unpredictable loops. Now, I hear the click as we prepare to crest over another crazy hill with our arms held high with anticipation. We don’t have any firm date expectation, but filled with excitement. Our agency Hopscotch Adooptons   has been amazing, and we are grateful to each

Big week of approvals

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We received approvals from the US government to adopt. Our dossier and 1600 are both on the way to our adoptive country! We hope to be traveling in the next four weeks to spend 10 ten days in Africa and hopefully travel back three to four weeks later to bring Emmanuel home. We prayerfully hope to have Emmanuel home for Christmas. Hard to believe we started this process in May. We have also been blown away by you! This journey has never been about us or Emmanuel; it has always been about God and his will for our lives. So many of you have bought a shirt, sent a note or offered to help in some way. We are truly grateful and excited for everyone to meet our son. Over the next several weeks there will be a variety of different opportunities to get involved. Retreat Raffle – Register to win an amazing weekend at one of Alabama’s premier properties, winner can choose from a group of selected dates. Adoption Shower - will be held on October 16th at Valleydale Church in the Big Room fr