Finding Hope in the Waiting

As an update on where we are, we are...waiting.  It's a bit unnecessary to say we have had our share of practice with this virtue of patience already.  In simple terms, the orphanage would like a particular document which is currently on someone's desk 'being processed.'  Once they get this, they will release the referral and things will start happening.  This is fine.  Really, it is.  It will be done soon, and we can move forward.   But it seems like a delay just when you felt yourself building some momentum.  We hold tightly to the knowledge that God is not surprised.  I remind myself that He knows exactly when we need to be there and exactly when she will be coming home.  The knowing that she is there waiting for us, though, is the difficult part of this wait.  Until now, we were just waiting for an unknown hope and prayer.  Now that hope is real.  She's growing a little each day, she's changing, she's learning new things, and we don't want to miss any more of it!  There are some things that are good about this time.  We are able to get things ready--to paint her room, to decide where things go, to reflect on this season ahead of us.  I am thankful for those things.  But I am also ready for the wait to be over.

Many have asked if we need anything or what they can do to help.  You can pray!

Pray that the officer working on our file would have mercy upon us and our I-800A (fancy term for important piece of paper) would be processed and sent to us quickly.  I'm pretty sure he is tired of Victor calling him, so I'm hoping he's tired enough to approve the file!

Pray for our sweet girl who is waiting for us.  Pray for us as we prepare for her.

Pray for the place we will stay while we are in-country.  We get to choose it, and we want to choose well since we will be there for a few weeks.

Pray for our finances, that each need will be met--even the needs we don't know about yet!

Pray that God will grant us wisdom for the days ahead and that we will not feel discouraged.  There is hope at the end of the waiting; it's just getting there that sometimes feels long.

Thank you for loving our family.  Hopefully soon we will be sharing travel plans!

Family of Five...Six Years in the Making

It's time to start writing again, and we get to start by sharing some very exciting news.  We have been matched with a precious little girl in Colombia and are awaiting her official referral!!!   For those that have been waiting and watching along with us for quite some time, we are overjoyed to share this part of our journey with you.    We cannot yet share specific details publicly, but we couldn't stand holding it in much longer!  Since we would like to document things when we travel and share what is going on more frequently up to and during that time, I will soon be making a private blog page.   We will share a link that will allow those who would like to follow along the best way to do that...once I figure that part out!  We hope you will keep our family in your prayers as we make preparations for our daughter coming home to her forever family!   We have been waiting for her for a long time!