INDIANA BOUND!

...Got up this morning at 4:00 a.m. and piled Makinzi's 3 BIG bags into the car... and it was off to the AIRPORT!  ...9 LOOOOOONG days without my little 11 year old are going to be TRICKY! ...I am missing her already!  I know that she is in GREAT hands with my dear friend, June! THANK YOU JUNE!!! XOXOX! I know that she will make SO many AMAZING memories!!! I already can't wait to hear them all!  I just hope she takes a BAZILLION pictures and calls/texts me ALL the time!  ...WOWIE! She is really growing up! I am one BLESSED Momma to have two AMAZING girls and one (or two) more on the way from ET!! :)

Oh MY ACRONYMS!

Heeeey BFF's, FYI -  BTW I finally reached the USCIS who directed me 2 the NBC 2 find out what has happened 2 R I-600A! YAY! They mailed the I-797 2 the wrong address! :( So... on Mon. an NBC officer will call & reschedule R fingerprinting appts... since they were 4 Jul. 9th!!! Eeeeks! ...1 lil step closer 2 getting an FDL... which eventually is leading up 2 an IR-3 4 R Sweetie 2 come home from ET! :)

PHEW! The Acronyms R ridiculous! :) LOL! It's no wonder they got R address messed up & sent it somewhere else - w/all these #'s & abbreviations 4 things, mayB it's tricky 2 keep some of it str8! :)

...just glad 2 no that we have pinpointed what has happened & the NBC Officer will try on Monday 2 get us a 'Walk-in' appt - which wld B GR8! :)

ADOPTION ROCKS!

Yipppppppeeeee! Got my ADOPTION ROCKS T-shirt in the mail yesterday from Shannon at HENRY OF OUR HEARTS! I LOVE IT! ...Check it out ya'll - I think you neeeeeeed one! :)

National Benefits Center

 

 Okay... So, I started to get CURIOUS after sending in our I-600A form and waiting over 5 weeks for SOMETHING to come in the mail... I decided to call the USCIS and find out the status. I just didn't want to have had them send something to us and I didn't receive it through the mail - and we missed our fingerprint appointment or something. ☺ Anyway,  I talked to someone at the USCIS  that said after April 2010 all of the Adoption requests are being handled by the National Benefits Center - I heard stuff about the NBC on the listserv - but wasn't completely sure of their involvement and what it meant to me.

Thankfully the nice USCIS lady pointed my in the right direction and I was able to email the NBC at NBC.adoptions@DHS.gov.  They responded in like 2 hours - first response, "I can't find anything... could it be under a different name?" Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh OH NO! 2nd email I received was that they had located it and it had a case number but was assigned to a different case worker and she was going to forward my email to her to help me understand where we are in the process! YIPPPPPPEEEEEE!!  So, I quickly grabbed the little case number and plugged it back into the USCIS system for tracking the progress and well... none of the little 'completed' buttons changed colors. ☺

I will patiently wait to hear back from the NBC lady! ☺ Hoping to receive the I-797 "Notice of Action" SOON! ☺

GOD LOVES DIVERSITY!

...On my way to my INDOOR 'OL Lady soccer game, I stopped off at the WAL-MART in RENTON... After I got the few things I needed I found myself walking the aisles just enjoying and appreciating GOD's Beautiful Diversity in the People HE created!  In the 30 minutes that I was there I saw more nationalities, different languages spoken and exchanged a LOT of smiles!  I would have loved to have asked a few people what language they were speaking and where are you from originally... I held off, but I wondered if anyone there was from Ethiopia...

“America is not like a blanket—one piece of unbroken cloth. America is more like a quilt— many patches, many pieces, many colors, many sizes, all woven together by a common thread.”
Rev. Jesse Jackson 

“Men hate each other because they fear each other, and they fear each other because they don’t know each other, and they don’t know each other because they are often separated from each other.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
Mahatma Gandhi 

 

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."
Mother Teresa 

  

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today."
Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

 ²⁰ “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. ²¹ I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. ²² “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. ²³ I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.

John 17:20-23

And one of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?" Jesus answered, "The foremost is, 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' "The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." 

Mark 12:28-31

In Jesus' teachings, our relationship with our fellow men, women and children is inseparable from our relationship with God. Love of God and love of our neighbors are two aspects of the same calling:

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." 
John 13:34-35

 

...I am Praying for our sweet baby in Ethiopia who will add such a BEAUTIFUL Sparkle and COLOR to our FAMILY!

I am also praying for all of our hearts to break for the Orphans, to LOVE diversity and to LOVE our neighbor enough to make sacrifices in our own lives to make someONE else's a
little better... :)

LAKE CHELAN!

WOWIE!  The girls are going everywhere this SUMMER - Lake Chelan, CANADA, Indiana (I've never even been to Lake Chelan or Indiana)!!! ha ha! FUN STUFF!! Madison's trip to Lake Chelan was with TWO awesome Chicka's she met from Group Life at OCC! LOVE IT! GREAT Girls!  ...Now I'm looking forward to her return from HOUSEBOATS to spend a little quality time with her!! 

 

 

HS SUMMER CAMP!!

 WHAT IS HOUSEBOATS?

For the past 10 years OCC has spent a week Houseboating in Canada. This is truly the highlight of the year for most students! They travel by bus to beautiful British Columbia and board houseboats for a week of fun in the sun on a Lake! Every morning they travel to a new beach on the lake then they enjoy wakeboarding, water-skiing, tubing, jet-skiing, swimming and much more! 

During all of it they learn what it means to build authentic relationships with each other and with JESUS!

Okay... SOOooooo how FUN does this sound! My Awesome 10th Grader is off for a WEEK of camp and I am POSITIVE it will be truly AMAZING!  I already cannot wait to hear her STORIES and see all of her pictures!!

YEAH!! That she LOVES her Youth Group and wants to be CONNECTED!

ONE LESS ORPHAN! YEAH!!

I don't think I can EVER get enough of These GOTCHYA Videos!!!
I think I could watch them ALL day long! 

BRING HOME THE ORPHANS
Those sweeet babies, children, siblings... who deserve a FAMILY!

Thanks ANDREA for sharing this! Seeing one more orphan in the ARMS of their FOREVER AND EVER FAMILY is SO inspirational, encouraging - I can't see how anyone can watch these VIDEOS and not feel the deep, desire to see that...
ONE more child receives a FAMILY!
(to fully enjoy the video - just turn my music off at the end of this page) :)

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

A GOTCHYA Video to MELT your ♥ HEART ♥

...I couldn't wait For ANDREA - Babe of My Heart to post her journey to her sweet SON, Isaac.  On the way to Church this last Sunday, I brought it up on my phone and Erik and the girls watched it - even though I had already seen it - the music, alone, brought me to TEARS of HAPPINESS all over again! :) I looked at Erik to see them streaming down his face as well!!  We are SOOOO Happy that Isaac has a LOVING, BEAUTIFUL Family FOREVER!!!
(to fully enjoy the video - just turn my music off at the end of this page) :)

Oh those Numbers!

...The IDEA of adoption that was laid on our our hearts by the HOLY Spirit - through prayer and obedience - we followed this passionate tug to change the life of one or two ORPHANS - to GROW our FAMILY, to LOVE another child with NO family FOREVER... for His GLORY!!

There was nothing random about it!
We thank GOD for breaking our hearts for what breaks HIS! 

...and we started off on this AMAZING Adoption Journey...

Though, we have a ways to go still - The 'Numbers' always "talk" to me! :)

From the initial 'thought' of adopting, to getting on the waitlist, to waiting until OUR Number is UP!

...It's not at all the number that's represented - it's GOD'S Child for us that he already has CHOSEN!!  I think the ENTIRE process is AMAZING!  As ANXIOUS and EXCITED I was to get on that crazy WAITLIST... having to fix multiple things... Hurrying as FAST as I could to get it all off and into the mail. As much as I hurried or called to check on stuff, or emailed about items to be completed, All of it IS in GOD'S time!  He put us on that WAITLIST right where he wanted us - it coinsides with his PLAN.  The NUMBERS we receive each month are from HIM!  He already has our Sweetie(s) all picked out for our FAMILY... and I CANNOT wait to see how HIS plan UNFOLDS!!

Our FAMILY would LOVE to adopt SISTERS... But, we are putting this idea in our AWESOME FATHER'S hands and if ONE daughter happens before TWO... we will be OVERJOYED with happiness with HIS referral for our FAMILY! :)

As we wait to see which NUMBER God reveals first we rest assured that HE is in CONTROL.. :)

Jeramiah 29:11-14

 ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you,” declares the Lord,

Proverb 3:5-6 

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.

Matthew 6:33 

 Seek first the kingdom of GOD and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. 

Proverbs 16:9

A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. 

Psalm 32:8 

 I will instruct you and teach you in the way should go; I will guide you with My eye. 

Isaiah 58:11

The Lord will guide you continually ... 

Psalm 37:4,7

Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass ... Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him. 

OH USCIS!

....Oh USCIS - Why haven't I heard from you! :(  Going on 4 weeks since we sent in our I-600A form and Mooooolah... praying to hear from them soon with fingerprint appointments or something...

God Bless the USA!

Happy Independence Day Friends!!
(to fully enjoy the video - just turn my music off at the end of this page) :)

JULY NUMBERS!!

...Cruising FORWARD with new JULY NUMBERS!! 

Received a call from Toni today! :) ...Excited to get July Numbers sooooo early and TOTALLY excited to see some MOVEMENT this Month!! :)

Speeding up to 50 on the GIRLS LIST!!

and...

30 on the SIBLINGS (the Sisters) LIST!!!

Every little bit of movement fills me up with ENCOURAGEMENT and EXCITEMENT that we will see our SWEETIES SOOOOOON! :)  Praying for more and more REFERRALS... so all of us on the list can move FULL SPEEEEEED ahead! :)

On a side note: Still haven't heard back from the USCIS!! Hmmmmmm... Hope to get something in the mail by next week in regards to a reference number, our Fingerprint Appointments, something...

Christian School to Public School

  

It looks like my dear little 9th Grader wants to go to a Public School next year.  After 10 years of going to a Christian school, this freaks me out a little bit. :)  Her intentions are good.  She would like to establish some sort of connection within the Public school for one year before she begins 'Running Start' her Junior and Senior year... Since she will not be at the school as much and she will be earning College credit at a local Community College.  It seems a little silly to pay FULL tuition at a Christian school when she will be gone the majority of the day taking College courses - and the only expense there is her textbooks! WOW! YEAH! :) I can't even imagine graduating high school with a AA degree!!! It  REALLY is a cool opportunity, especially for a little Chicka like Madison who isn't a SUPER Fan of High School anyway. She is already looking forward to receiving her teaching degree and hopping on the plane to Kenya to teach elementary students there!  (I think the whole family will have to move then - because we would miss her WAAAAAAAAYYYY too much) :)  I LOVE that she knows who she is and the direction she wants to go, all in accordance with God's Will, Grace and Guidance!  I LOVE her heart and her passion for serving! I love to see her FAITH and to see how she has grown in Christ over the years! I LOVE that she enjoys going to church and can't wait to go to GROUPLIFE on Wednesdays!  I LOVE that she wants to participate in every mission orientated project that the Church has...  I am excited about the person she has become and her character!
I am SOOOO Blessed to be her Mommy! :)