The Last 4 Months

Wow, were to begin?  first off I have kinda sorta been avoiding the world.. well at least this blog.   Since February, Josh went to Haiti on a missions trip with a crew from FBCPC.  I went to an amazing beyond words Created For Care Conference that still has my heart broken and excited about all the joys and struggles that will come with being an adoptive mommy.   Was busy for the next month running Miss Charlotte Fastpitch Softball.. and then the floor dropped out.. about 2 months ago Josh was feeling some tightness "down there".  We though possibly a hernia due to all his lifting and thankfully didn't procrastinate a doctors visit.   They sent him to get an MRI and called is to immediately set up a meeting with a specialist.   In the matter of 2 weeks from the moment of the first dr's visit  Josh was in the operating room to have surgery for testicular cancer.  

At the Created For Care Conference the lady who was the key note speaker said with such wisdom that "there will be times, many times during your walk that the bridge will end and God will lead you one step at a time to get you to the other side.   How true were those words.   The peace and comfort that came at just the right moments were given by His grace and through the amazing power of our church friends, friends in general and our family members prayers.    Less then a week after surgery we were up at Moffitt with CT Scans and blood work post surgery results and a huge answer to prayer that the cancer was contained and removed.   He will simply need to have blood work and scans done periodically over the few years for precautionary measures.

As for the adoption, We are patiently waiting for God's perfect timing.  This we hope is just a bump in the road but continue to pray diligently for our children wherever they may be for their safety and their hearts.

I know this is a short post considering all that has been going on.. but the emotions of the past few months are still being processed and thought over and over again in my mind.  

We pray that we both stay focused on God's kingdom and hold firm to the rock of our Salvation.

Daniel and Waiting.

It's hard to believe that over 2 months ago our dossier was sent off to Ethiopia.   Daily I am asked when will you get your babies?  I know that the wait could take over a year before we receive even our referall, but we are hopeful of course like all waiting parents that it will be shorter.     I feel that both Josh and I are doing well with the waiting period.. of course it's only been 2 months.   We have both been so busy that there are days that I forget that we are waiiting.. and then I feel guilty.. Should I feel a crazy longing?  Should I feel impatient like a kid the night before Christmas?  Should I feel anxious?   I know that as soon as we receive the referall and see the pictures of the kids for the first time, it will change.. I know that Josh will be like, LET'S GO TO ETHIOPIA NOW.. and of course I'll be the one telling him to calm down and we need to be patient.. and then I'll start freaking out about getting rooms ready, reading age appropriate books on how to raise our children...freaking out about never being a parent and what to do if one throws up...  I over analyse EVERYTHING.  

Well this past week Josh and I went to our Tuesday night college and  young professional's bible study lead by the youth pastor at our church.  Josh and I run the CYP Sunday school.. for those of you who know that we are no longer CYP age demographics.  James has been going verse by verse through Daniel and we paused over Daniel 2:20-23  

Dainel said. " Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, For wisdom and power belong to Him.  It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings:  He gives wisdom to wise men And knowledge to med of understanding.   It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him.  To You, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, For You have given me wisdom and power; Even now You have made known to me what we requested of You, for You have made known to us the king's matter." 

What powerful and revealing words to think and pray over.   Each statement is humbling and uplifting at the same time.   I love the phrase " He who changes the times and the epochs"   What is an epoch?   an epoch is the "is an instance in time chosen as the origin of a particular era. The "epoch" then serves as a reference point from which time is measured."     Wow!  How powerful is that statement?  Waiting takes on a whole new viewpoint when you think about how God created and controls time.  I am thankful that I serve a God who is that powerful.  

provision in the little things and the great things

We have been slammed with renovating the bathroom over the holidays, planning the Haiti Mission Trip (Josh Leading, Mimi coordinating) and having Josh's Parents in town that it's been hard to make the time blog.. but  I'm BACK!!

We have been so blessed throughout this journey and once again the Lord has blessed us in an amazing way.. We have found a new home for River our crazy terror mutt.   We know when we started this process that we just couldn't keep River with all his issues and raise small children.   We have been praying for a long time that the Lord would provide the perfect home for him that could deal with his issues.  We contacted Satchals last Resort in Sarasota and he is now No 1 on their list for acceptance!  We are waiting for a "bed" to open up and he will live out his days in a wonderful environment for dogs like him.   It's been a struggle in so many ways dealing with him..  How do we justify keeping an aggressive dog alive when there are so many needs in the world?  We both just were broken with the though of having him put down.. where i know it would have been easier for some people.. ummm my dad.. but both Josh and I have a major soft spot for our pets.   Once again I am thankful that God was good to us and granted the desire of our heart with him.   What a lot of release in our hearts and the stress of the past few years will be gone when he finally transitions to his new home.

Again and Again we see God's will in what we are doing and  on Monday that we are a recipient of a $3,000 matching grant through Lifesong for Orphans!   El Saddia is providing over and over again..

I just purchased my mom's ticket for the Created for Care conference which will be in March!  We can't wait to go and meet other women to connect with them on adoption and learn as much as we can.!   I need to run and make lunch...