We are so grateful that we have already been to Ethiopia because that helps us know what to expect from the air travel, country, and accomodation side of things. There are many other details to be sorted out and put in place!
We will be leaving DFW on November 5th. We are planning to worship at Beza International Church on Sunday and meet with new friends we made on our last trip. Monday morning, we will drive 12 hours on very bumpy roads to meet Mary-A. It will be 3 days round trip as we have to have her back in Addis two days before court. Our court 'hearing' is on November 12th, and Lord willing, we will officially be her parents when we board the plane that night to return home (we will arrive back at DFW on Nov 13th). You better believe that if we pass court there will be the most beautiful picture of our daughter for you to see!!
I can hardly wait to hold her, love on her and kiss her!! I can't really believe it's happening and so fast!! The holidays are going to be so amazing this year - THANK YOU LORD!! We are still praying to have her home with her forever family by Christmas and for my sister-in-law's wedding. What a time of celebration it will be!!
Specific Prayer Requests:
- safe and healthy travel
- God's guidance and words when meeting her birth mother
- court to go smoothly & that we'll pass
- peace as our family prepares for this transition
- Hannah, Luke, Katy & Emily will be blessed and changed by this journey
- we will be gracious, patient and kind
- God will continue to prepare us to be adoptive parents (for the 1st time) and parents again (for the 5th time)
- speedy Embassy appointment after court (to bring her home)
Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Fingerprint appt tomorrow ... maybe
I'm laying in bed posting from my iPhone because I'm too cold to get up and go to my computer. As we lay here, we just heard another tree limb break. That's because Texas trees are not meant to stand up under 10 inches of snow (and the snow's still falling). This is the biggest snowstorm in Texas history. It's really all fun and exciting, except that we have our fingerprint appt in the morning. Ugh! We can't seem to find definitive info as to whether the USCIS office will be open or not, so we are just praying that God will part the icy, snow covered streets and allow this to happen. Bottom line, however, is that I know that my Lord has plans for me (and our family) and they are plans to prosperous us, not to harm us; to give us a hope and a future with our children from Ethiopia. But I trust in YOU O Lord, I say 'You are my God !'" (Psalm 31:14)
We have precious friends (thank you Team Alexander) willing to take 4 extra kids in the morning while we venture out for this appointment- we promise to bring plenty of Shipleys donuts. I do not worry about getting there because I am married to 'adventure man'. As long as the USCIS office is open, Craig will make sure we get there!!
Please pray for God's favor in the morning!!
On a different note - 147million orphans has a new red Feed 1 shirt for me to sell. Pic is in right margin - check it out... Super cute!!
There goes another limb breaking! Yikes!!
Monday, February 8, 2010
The journey ...
I have had numerous random thoughts floating around in my head lately. I want to get them down so I can remember all that my Father is teaching me (and our family).
One of the things I love the most about our adoption journey so far - are the tears. I love that Craig and I both can cry about almost anything. All it takes is the starfish story (if you don't know what I am referring to, please leave me a comment and I will post it), a verse, a testimony, a prayer, a song, talking about ALL our children, praying for ALL our children, for goodness sake - we cried during the kids movie "The Spy Next Door". I love that God is breaking our hearts for the things that break His. I love that the tears flow easily, generously and freely and that Craig is not embarrassed by it but excited about it. It makes me smile to imagine the tears of joy that will flow the day we see the faces of our children when we get our referral and especially when we FINALLY hold our children.
We can't explain it, but God has beckoned our hearts to Ethiopia, we can't explain it but we feel called to siblings, and we can't explain it but we believe they are under 4 years old. The truth is siblings under 4 are not very common - this requires FAITH on my part. Faith that God is in control - faith that HE has called us to this very place in the journey - faith that HE has called us to this journey in the first place. Honestly? my first reaction was to arrange the pieces and 'fix' it. We could adopt a single baby and not wait, we could adopt non-related children and just do the extra paperwork (for sure sign of crazy thinking), we could ... we could .... then God gently reminded me that I may make the plans, but HE guides my steps and we must commit our plans to Him in order for those plans to succeed (paraphrased from Proverbs). I believe in the very depths of my heart that God has always known are children (our 4 here, our 1 in heaven and our children in Ethiopia), and HE is preparing our children, to join their forever family. I know that God is placing His hand on our children and will bring them to us and us to them when the time is perfect. "I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you." John 14:18. Sometimes I ask God what our children look like, I ask Him what their personalities are like, I ask Him to just give me a little hint WHEN I will get to see their sweet faces, I ask my Father all kinds of things about our kids .... and I can't wait for HIS answers.
One of the things I love the most about our adoption journey so far - are the tears. I love that Craig and I both can cry about almost anything. All it takes is the starfish story (if you don't know what I am referring to, please leave me a comment and I will post it), a verse, a testimony, a prayer, a song, talking about ALL our children, praying for ALL our children, for goodness sake - we cried during the kids movie "The Spy Next Door". I love that God is breaking our hearts for the things that break His. I love that the tears flow easily, generously and freely and that Craig is not embarrassed by it but excited about it. It makes me smile to imagine the tears of joy that will flow the day we see the faces of our children when we get our referral and especially when we FINALLY hold our children.
We can't explain it, but God has beckoned our hearts to Ethiopia, we can't explain it but we feel called to siblings, and we can't explain it but we believe they are under 4 years old. The truth is siblings under 4 are not very common - this requires FAITH on my part. Faith that God is in control - faith that HE has called us to this very place in the journey - faith that HE has called us to this journey in the first place. Honestly? my first reaction was to arrange the pieces and 'fix' it. We could adopt a single baby and not wait, we could adopt non-related children and just do the extra paperwork (for sure sign of crazy thinking), we could ... we could .... then God gently reminded me that I may make the plans, but HE guides my steps and we must commit our plans to Him in order for those plans to succeed (paraphrased from Proverbs). I believe in the very depths of my heart that God has always known are children (our 4 here, our 1 in heaven and our children in Ethiopia), and HE is preparing our children, to join their forever family. I know that God is placing His hand on our children and will bring them to us and us to them when the time is perfect. "I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you." John 14:18. Sometimes I ask God what our children look like, I ask Him what their personalities are like, I ask Him to just give me a little hint WHEN I will get to see their sweet faces, I ask my Father all kinds of things about our kids .... and I can't wait for HIS answers.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Halloween, Homestudy & Crayons
We had a very fun Halloween serving 250 hot dogs and 400 goody bags as a homegroup. It was even bigger than last year and we are shooting for the moon next year. Here are a few costume pics:
We had a rose fairy, red ninja, blue bonnet fairy and rockstar. We had plenty of glitter, pink hairspray and weapons!!
We completed our homestudy today. Craig feels great about it ... I'm a little contemplative - just thinking over the questions and answers. We have a few more pieces of paper to gather and then our dossier will be complete and we can move forward. Thank you for all that prayed for us today - this journey is in God's hands and it is when I pick it up again that I feel anxious. How timely that our study at church this morning included not only Psalm 82:3 "Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless" but also James 1:27 "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." God knew that we needed to be reminded of our calling and His confirmation on it.
Now for something a little lighter ...
What do you get when you combine a glass bowl + wax paper + broken crayons + microwave=a mess!! Craig decided to tackle a 'craft' project while we finished cleaning the house for the homestudy and get 4 kids dressed for Halloween. Unfortunately, he started the microwave while he went outside to spray Hannah's hair pink and when we came in the wax paper was on fire. A little water on the mishap and the glass bowl exploded and melted crayon erupted all over the microwave. The melted crayon in the microwave wasn't even the worst of it .... the burnt crayon smell was terrible!!
The enemy may have thought this was enough to get me goin' ... WRONG .... backing over the cooler on the way to church this morning - that didn't get me either! Luke showing his pocket knife and sword to our social worker .... that ALMOST got me. But I refuse to let the enemy speak lies to me. I will trust in the Lord!
Psalm 138:8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands.
Thank you to all who covered us in prayer today. We pray that we God will allow us to be His vessels of service and love through this adoption. We are humbled, grateful and blessed for His calling our lives.
We had a rose fairy, red ninja, blue bonnet fairy and rockstar. We had plenty of glitter, pink hairspray and weapons!!
We completed our homestudy today. Craig feels great about it ... I'm a little contemplative - just thinking over the questions and answers. We have a few more pieces of paper to gather and then our dossier will be complete and we can move forward. Thank you for all that prayed for us today - this journey is in God's hands and it is when I pick it up again that I feel anxious. How timely that our study at church this morning included not only Psalm 82:3 "Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless" but also James 1:27 "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." God knew that we needed to be reminded of our calling and His confirmation on it.
Now for something a little lighter ...
What do you get when you combine a glass bowl + wax paper + broken crayons + microwave=a mess!! Craig decided to tackle a 'craft' project while we finished cleaning the house for the homestudy and get 4 kids dressed for Halloween. Unfortunately, he started the microwave while he went outside to spray Hannah's hair pink and when we came in the wax paper was on fire. A little water on the mishap and the glass bowl exploded and melted crayon erupted all over the microwave. The melted crayon in the microwave wasn't even the worst of it .... the burnt crayon smell was terrible!!The enemy may have thought this was enough to get me goin' ... WRONG .... backing over the cooler on the way to church this morning - that didn't get me either! Luke showing his pocket knife and sword to our social worker .... that ALMOST got me. But I refuse to let the enemy speak lies to me. I will trust in the Lord!
Psalm 138:8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands.
Thank you to all who covered us in prayer today. We pray that we God will allow us to be His vessels of service and love through this adoption. We are humbled, grateful and blessed for His calling our lives.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
The helmet was my idea
What do the Porters do on a beautiful Saturday morning in Texas? This of course
Craig is in the neighbor's tree cinching up the zip-line...yes, it goes across the street
Can you see the expression on Katy's face?
No, we didn't bring a monkey home from Gibraltar - that's Luke
Hannah waving to her fans
Emily Jane - not scared for a second
Craig is in the neighbor's tree cinching up the zip-line...yes, it goes across the street
Can you see the expression on Katy's face?
No, we didn't bring a monkey home from Gibraltar - that's Luke
Hannah waving to her fans
Emily Jane - not scared for a secondMonday, June 8, 2009
Ready for Summer
Before
After
Now I can add beautician to my resumé
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