While the Clouds are Movin'...

I had been thinking I needed to update the blogs I follow and a couple of other things on here, but hadn't found the motivation! But a thank you to Amie who had just updated her blog which, in turn, motivated me and even gave me a few new blogs I hadn't yet seen! So, even though it is waaaay too late at night and I should be sleeping, I feel relieved to have finally accomplished most of what I have wanted to do! Tomorrow I am going to add some links to websites that care for and support orphans, as well. 

In the meantime, only 1 week and 4 1/2 days left until court! The clouds are movin'....a new day is soon to come.

"Light is sweet; how pleasant to see a new day dawning." Ecclesiastes 11:7

We Have a Court Date!

Yup...that call we have been waiting for finally arrived! We do have a court date! I am thankful and relieved, but it is not as soon as we hoped. It is further down the road than I have ever read or heard of from anyone else going through a Bulgarian adoption. But, as God has shown me so many times along this journey...none of this is my vision nor my plan. It is HIS! The amount of times He keeps reminding me of that truly leads to believe that I must still be struggling with that surrender of my plan and my vision!

But, on February 11, 2011 our adoption will go to court and I pray that on that day our sweet Selah will legally be our little princess! I would soooooo appreciate it if you would pray with us that day! Bulgaria is 9 hours ahead of us (here in Phoenix) so anytime after 11 p.m (mountain time zone) on February 10th, a judge could be ruling on our case. From what I have been hearing, most cases recently have been passing at the first hearing, but I am going to be praying like crazy for that same scenario for us.

Last night I had planned to take Zachary and Landon to the TobyMac and Brandon Heath concert. This week, however, a horrible flu bug hit our entire family and little Landon was still running a fever and not feeling very well at all. So, Zach and I invited a very special family friend to go with us in place of Landon. It was so much fun to spend the evening with her and Zach! Anyway, I do like a lot of TobyMac's music, but my kids LOVE his music. I was looking forward to a fun night, but I honestly didn't expect to have an incredible night of worship, of renewal, and of a word from God. But, our God is AWESOME and He spoke to me through Toby's song "Hold On", which  I have heard a million times before but honestly never felt the whisperings of the Spirit. I can't even believe how perfect the words were for what we have been experiencing right now. Through this song, He reminded me that, in the grand scheme of things, we are almost there and we have to "hold on to that hope that will lead us to tomorrow". He also reminded me that I cannot lose sight of the One who is holding us because He is the One who brings us that hope. And last but not least, I was reminded that we just have to hold on a little bit longer because the clouds ARE moving a little bit faster now and we are seeing a hint of the sunlight breaking through!

"Hold On"

 Wake up to the morning light

Wipe away the lonely nights

Let a brand new day wash over you

 

Wanna see you smile again

Show some love to your crazy friends

Wipe your tears away, those days are through

If you move just a little bit closer

You can put your head on my shoulder

Yeah, yeah

So baby hold on

Just another day or two

I can see the clouds are moving faster now

And the sun is breaking through

If you could hold on

To the One that’s holding you

There is nothing that can stop this crazy love

From breaking through, we’re breaking through

Wake up to the rising sun

Thank the Lord for the things He’s done

Lift your eyes to the hope that’s ever true

Wanna see you smiling girl

You’re a light in this jaded world

Wipe away those tears

This one’s for you

And the stars are up there shining for you

Oh, how the Father does adore you

His love will never change

And you and I, we were born to follow

The hope that will lead us to tomorrow

And no one can take it away

Here is my favorite YouTube video, but it plays a second song after "Hold On" called "Get Back Up"...that is why it is so long. "Hold On" is really only four min so don't be scared away :-)

If anyone out there knows of or is now having their court date scheduled so far out, would you please either comment or send me an email? I'm just kind of wondering if this is something new due to a larger amount of referrals which means more children going through the court system which then could translate into a back-up in the courts until more staff is hired? I'm sure with the pace picking up, the courts are going to have to make a trasition of some kind.... 

Holding on 'til our princess is home,

What to Say.....

I know that I am very inconsistent with posting....but at least you can assume that when I am quiet, I am struggling. I wish wish wish wish I had great news, but I don't. We are still waiting for a court date.

I struggle with being transparent, but also with never wanting to turn anyone away from a calling to adopt. So, I sometimes get quiet because I can't find the positive to say.

I often like to listen to and read books written by Joyce Meyer. Her matter-of-fact way of speaking in such a down to earth way is so easily applicable to our lives (which is why the Amplified version of the Bible with commentary by her is called  the "Everyday Life Bible"). One of her quotes I like is:

"I have discovered that patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting."


Isn't it soooooo true?  We can all be forced to wait. God is in control and there is not a thing we can do about it! But, how we do the wait? If we can do it with a good attitude, we have come so much closer to what patience really is!

For me, though, it is the struggle between the two. I want to be real and transparent...to be who I really am. But I also want to do it with grace, and the truth of the matter is that I try really hard, but that patience is a day-by-day (actually minute-by-minute) struggle.
I know I have said it before, but this wait is BRUTAL. But, no matter how brutal it may be, I know that the treasure waiting for us on the other side of the world is so worth it! There is nothing I wouldn't do for her.

God's Word tells us that pure religion is to care for widows and orphans. Sadly, the number of orphans in our world is so large that it makes my heart ache and my stomach churn. If God puts adoption on your heart...if He calls you to be one to walk the journey of adoption, do not fear the "brutal". He will be there in the pit with you and, besides that, there just is no escaping the call He puts on your heart and out of that obedience will come a treasure like no other.

Today I read a friend's post on her blog and my heart just hurt for all that she is feeling. Wanting to encourage her, I was in search of scripture and, with His usual amazing way of working things out, God led me to a verse that I pray encouraged her, but it really helped me, as well! So, to all the waiting Mommy and Daddy's out there that feel as though it may never happen, as though the day will never come that your little one is safely home and the despair is kind of overwhelming right now, I pray this verse encourages you today.

"We are pressed on every side by troubles,

but we are not crushed.

We are perplexed,

but not driven to despair."

2 Corinthians 4:8

Christmas Once Again

We have not yet heard anything...but I am not giving up hope yet!  I'm really taking either what you could call the "stubborn" route, or the "living safely in my bubble" route! I think I'll stick with calling it anticipating with faith from every corner of my heart.

We have really tried to focus on the fun....buying presents for Selah that she can open whenever she comes home and is ready, decorating her room, and even a beautiful little gathering hosted by some just as beautiful friends in honor of Selah!

Oooooo, the presents! I know that our two boys have had just as much fun as us shopping for our little sweet pea! They are adorable in the way they ALWAYS have her on their minds and in their hearts. AND, did I mention we have the CUTEST princess Christmas wrapping paper EVER? It was donated by a sweet friend who just knew it would make me smile :-)

Decorating her room is coming along bit by bit. I have found the neatest things on Etsy! I love that website and all the folks who have such an incredible God-given gift to create such beautiful things!

And our Selah Celebration! I usually host a pretty big cookie exchange party in December and somehow get amazing women to bake somewhere around 7 dozen cookies! It is usually a wonderful time because it is a chance to get to see so many of my dear friends that I don't always get to connect with. This year, however, my friends knew my spirits were a little low and knew that hosting the party would be rough. So, because they are just so stinkin' good to me, they confiscated the party and turned it into a shower of sorts! It was so good for my heart. I was able to share all the pictures I have of our sweet little girl, be blessed with some of the most adorable little outfits, bracelets, and hair pretties,  AND the gals even made a collection for the orphanage. When we were last there, the director had told us that what they really dreamed of being able to do was to take a group of children to the Black Sea for a week of fun and therapy. Of course, they would not be able to do it on their regular funds (which are minimal) and it would only happen through donation. So, I am so very very happy to say that we are going to be able to get this donation to them and give those precious little treasures the opportunity to explore beyond the walls of their orphanage and to simply have fun like they have never before experienced! I am just so thankful for all the loving people God has surrounded us with in our life. I cannot imagine this journey without the support of so many! Again, He is just so good!

In closing I am going to post the video I posted last year at this time. It is the song called "Merry Christmas" by Third Day. It is a song written about a little girl in an orphanage waiting for her mommy. Get out the kleenex if you are even the least bit of an emotional sort of person! Last year I had hoped would be the last Christmas without Selah home, but we have this one more and I am so very thankful that it is just this one more. I know as we go through and meet other families and watch as they bring their babies home, it is often bittersweet. Please know, that I am with all of you in prayer as you have either brought your child home already, or are in Bulgaria right now (as one friend is!) picking up your child, making travel plans to get them, or are still in the ever challenging stage of waiting. My heart and my prayers are with each and every one of you this Christmas.

He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and compassionate.Psalm
111:14

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” Matthew 1:23

His Way of Molding a Heart

We don't really have much news. Our agency called and told us that the MOJ needed an extra copy of that 1-800A form that gave us such headaches....Not really good news, but at least we know that someone is working on our file rather than it being in the pile of files on the desk of someone who has left for the month! So, I am still praying boldly that a court hearing will be scheduled before Christmas! I know that I may sound a bit wacky...but praying with anticipation and a faith that is simply expecting God to come through right now is getting me by each day. I may be a mess come Christmas, but I KNOW God will get me through that, too, if it does happen to happen (but it won't!)!

But, in the meantime, I wanted to share something so adorable that my son, Zachary, wrote. Last weekend I had him and his brother each take a "quiet time" in their separate rooms. They didn't want to nap, but we all needed a wee little break from each other! So, after about an hour, Zach comes downstairs and asks me if he can share a story he had been writing while in his room. He started reading it and I, of course, started crying (doesn't take much these days). I won't tell you what it was all about, rather, I will just post it here below. But, as you read, just think of the way God has molded his sweet little heart through our adoption process. We started the process almost 2 years ago, so at 8 years old now, that is 25% of his life waiting for his sister and learning about orphans and adoption. I am so thankful to God for the way He has filled the hearts of both of our boys with so much love and compassion for the things that break God's heart most. How amazing that at 8 years old, he really gets it...he gets what the heart of adoption is all about.

The Christmas Wish

By

Zachary Schumaker

Once upon a time there lived a six-year-old boy named Jonathan. He was an orphan little boy. He was very lonely. In the orphanage, he had no friends at all. That made him even more sad. But, the thing that made him the saddest of all was that he had no Mother, no Father, no brother, no sister, and no pets at all. He had never even known his parents. He only knew that when his birth mother had given him away, she had said that God and Jesus would always be shining with him.

He sat in the orphanage year after year. As he got older he got lonelier and lonelier. He sat by the telephone waiting and waiting for it to ring. He sat there for six years. One day, finally the telephone rang. Mary, one of the helpers, answered the telephone. When she got off the telephone, she had a big smile. Jonathan asked, “Why are you smiling so big?’ Mary said, “A family named the Fanners want to adopt you.”


The Fanners had a boy named Angelo and a girl named Kailyn, a dog named Rover and a Mom named Susie and a Dad named Michael. Jonathan was so happy that he ran all over the orphanage screaming and yelling with joy!


On November 26, 2009 the Fanners flew to North Africa to see their six-year-old son, Jonathan. Right as they saw Jonathan, they knew that he was the one that Jesus planned for their new family.


When Jonathan saw his parents for the first time, he jumped up and ran to hug them and his brother and sister. The new brothers and sister played and laughed so much. Jonathan smiled for the first time in his life.


Angelo and Kailyn taught Jonnathan English, too. They stayed in Africa for two whole weeks. On December 4, 2009, they brought Jonathan home. The family got Jonathan for Christmas and Jonathan got his family. Little Jonathan got a tricycle, a DS, and a new puppy for the beginning of his new life for Christmas. Little Jonathan said he had his number one Christmas ever. But, the best present of all was his family.

“God places the lonely in families.” Psalm 68:6

Decorating with Love

I know that I have referred to my excitement at the prospect of shopping "pink" AND of how I have had some very fun days doing just that, so I thought it would be kinda fun to share some of the neat things I've found while we have been waiting to bring Selah home! The room is getting close to being ready...I've been taking my time trying to throw all my love into getting just the right stuff. It's sort of like my way of loving on her when I can't yet have her in my arms. WHICH, with each day comes one day closer to a reality. We still don't know very much. We are waiting for a court date. Please pray with us that the court date happens prior to Christmas! If it doesn't, because of the December holidays, it will mean a January court date and then another 5-6 weeks until we can pick her up after that (if it is approved at the hearing). I think I may have mentioned it, but my prayers are getting BOLD! Join me? Please?



I sang this song in Selah's little ears over and over while we visited her. I pray everyday that she comes to know and understand the meaning of this message in her heart, her soul, and her mind...and that she already feels His love each and every day.

This little girl is not only chosen, cherished, and beloved by us, but first and foremost by our Heavenly Father!

One of the hutches of the bedroom set we purchased for her decorated with a few things chosen with the utmost love! The Disney Princesses were actually dolls I had purchased several years ago for my someday daughter! It's a miracle in itself that I now know that I will have a daughter...that I DO have a daughter!

Books...at the heart of every teacher (or former teacher in my case!). Also, this prayer book by Stormie Omartian is absolutely beautiful!

Could this outfit get any cuter?

A close-up of the SHOES!!! I can just envision her cute little feet in these!

A true statement. She already has him wrapped around her liitle finger!

I pray that someday our little Selah will come to understand the depths of our love. I pray that she will know how every step of this journey was taken with hearts absolutely full of love...from her mommy, daddy, and brothers Zachary and Landon.

May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Ephesians 3:19

Thank You

Happy Thanksgiving! As this day of Thanksgiving has come and almost gone once again, I am reminded of all the blessings for which we have to give thanks. I want to be sure, though, that being thankful isn't saved for this one special day.

I feel that our family does a pretty good job of being thankful all the time and that we really work at instilling that sense of thankfullness in our children... but there is ALWAYS room for improvement! This year has been a test of that! There have been times I have been so thankful to our awesome God for something that has happened correctly or beautifully in the course of adopting Selah. BUT there have been the days I want to curl up under my covers- actually pull them right over my head- and cry my eyes out, or simply eat every piece of chocolate or ice cream followed by some kind of crunchy salty sort of thing that can be found in this house. SOMETIMES it HAS to be the Italian Nachos from Old Chicago! They have more calories and fat than I need for an entire month, but they sure do seem to ease the pain of self-pity. So, I think the picture is pretty clear....instead of looking to the One Who has it all under control, Who made it all possible in the first place and thanking Him for all the good in our lives, I often find myself under those covers, eating the chocolate, or having Italian Nachos at Old Chicago! Definitely something I need to work on!
This song by one of my favorite Christian artists, 33 Miles, kinda says it all! Enjoy! May we all find the way to our Savior when things are not going so well...instead of the way to the chocolate!

 

 
Lord, I thank You for loving me even when I am so unthankful. I thank You for being so patient with me when I drown my sorrows in tears and/or food! Lord , I thank You for all Your beautiful blessings and I know that You alone have made all of it possible! Thank You for holding our Selah tight while we wait to be together. Thank You for planning this all in Your perfect timing and for having a plan for us and a journey and a path set before us.