Wanted to add some photos to remember their smiles!!

Another week has brought no new news on a date for us to travel. We do know that our dossier arrived in Kiev on Monday, two days earlier than anticipated. When it was turned into the SDA is unknown. For a few days I was really struggling to accept the delay, but thankfully many hours talking to God and prayers from so many of our friends and family has given me some peace. I was also able to talk to both the boys last weekend and again on Wednesday. They both seemed to be doing well and their upbeat spirits made it easier for me to accept that they will be okay if we are not there this month. God has a master plan and He has not let us in on the details yet, and that is okay. Not what I had hoped for, but it is His plan and not mine that is for everyone's best. I was writing a letter to Ruslan and Galyna, the two host children we had with us this summer and copied the text from Jeremiah 29:11-13 from the Message. It was another good reminder that God has his plans for each of us and that they are good. Our job is to seek Him with all our heart and we will find Him. So that is what I am trying to stay focused on: seeking God. Looking for what He is trying to teach me, looking for what He wants me to accomplish in the weeks that we wait.

I also had the opportunity to talk to my good friend, Melanie, who had to wait for 2 years from her first hosting until she brought her son home. She reminded me that sometimes we wait because God wants to use us to comfort others who will be in the same situation later. As volunteers for NHFC I have been able to speak to many others who have various situations with their hosting and adoptions and I am able to relate to so many situations. The heartbreak of seeing one host son turn 16 and leave the orphanage. The heartbreak of another turn down our offer of adoption. The heart-wrenching wait for one to come off the registry nearly a year after we chose him. The difficult decision to not go bring one home while the other had to wait. The frustration of wanting to be there and to know when we will go and not knowing day after day, week after week as others get their travel dates and bring their kids home. Through all these things, God has been there for us. He has always been faithful to listen to me rant and rave. He does not condemn me for complaining. He loves me and brings me sunshine when I feel like I can't keep going. He lets me hear the voices of my boys and read the texts with "I love you!"
He provides resources like the Warrior Dash to raise money. And now we have been accepted by the International Care Organization to be part of their program. We will be able to raise funds through tax deductible donations and they will use the money to help pay for our adoption. I had been searching for months to try to find a place to work with for our fund raisers and finally found this organization and have already received approval. So I added their website to the side of my blog and I am working on flyers to send out for a bowl-a-thon and a quilt fundraiser. Sometimes I think God is making us wait because we did not have this in place and will need this to let Him bless us with the money we will need, rather than use all of Ellie's college savings. So for those of you reading the blog, there is a link on the side for both tax deductible donations and regular donations. I really am excited to see how God provides for these two boys. It is so not about us, but about how the Christian community will rally behind us to provide a family for these two boys who have been wishing for a family for so many years. Far longer than I have been wishing for them to come home! I am also excited that He chose us to answer their prayers. It is always amazing to look back at the way God has allowed us to be used by Him in the lives of others. There truly is no greater joy in life than to see God use you to change lives.