"When are you traveling?"

This is probably the #1 question I get regarding our adoption.  I don't mind answering any adoption-related questions, but I really wish I could answer this one with a specific date.  Of course, Scott just booked a business conference for late September, so that probably means we'll have some big adoption-related conflict!

We are now six months into this adoption, so I had to write a letter to the children's government, detailing where we are in preparing our dossier, and when we plan to submit the final copy of our dossier for approval.  This is to make sure they know that we are still moving forward with the adoption.  Of course, I wanted the letter to be PERFECT, so I spent about 2 hours writing and re-writing it.  I heard from our stateside agency that I am awesome, so I assume that means my letter will keep everyone happy!

And I got what I consider to be great news today, even though it's going to be a little more work for me.  Throughout the process, we have to get LOTS of documents notarized, then apostilled by the state.  Our foreign agency has requested that we scan over each document after it's apostilled, for them to translate.  Which means we'll save several weeks by not sending over the whole dossier for translation after we have USCIS approval.  I'm praying this means we'll travel in October, instead of November!

All this has me very excited, though I've got one number in the back of my mind: $12,000.  That's the remainder of what we need by the time we travel ($4,300 for the remainder of our first trip fees, and $7,700 due as soon as we get home).  It's a big number, but my God is a BIG GOD, and I have absolute faith that the money will be there when we need it!  


I don't have any big fundraisers planned right now, especially since I need to spend a good deal of time working on paperwork for the dossier.  If you would, please pray for our USCIS paperwork to be assigned to an officer quickly, pray for our funding, and pray for our whole family, especially the two who are waiting for us.

A Heart-to-Heart

I told a friend of mine just yesterday that one of the things I am so thankful for in our church is that, while I feel too overwhelmed sometimes to just flip my Bible to a page and read and glean some deep meaning from it, every Sunday I'm given the opportunity to dig deeper into the Word throughout the next week.

So, today I was feeling beyond frustrated (over some non-adoption things).  I prayed, telling God where I am in my human-ness, my frustration, and I heard back, "Of course you're frustrated over this, I am not in them."  And I felt drawn back to what my pastor preached on Sunday.

I turned to Ephesians 4, and read:

¹⁷ So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. ¹⁸ They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. ¹⁹ Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.
²⁰ That, however, is not the way of life you learned ²¹ when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. ²² You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³ to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
²⁵ Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. ²⁶ “In your anger do not sin”^[d]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷ and do not give the devil a foothold. ²⁸ Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
²⁹ Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. 

And as frustrated as I was before, I am so thankful for the relationship I have with my Father, who takes the time to calm me down, talks to me through His word, and then guides me in what I need to work on myself.  You know, Abba, I'm really enjoying our heart-to-hearts.

Victory

"For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world---our faith." ~1 John 5:4 

Faith as Small as a Mustard Seed

"'If You can'?" said Jesus.  "Everything is possible for one who believes." 

-Mark 9:23

I'm so very human, and God knows it.  I doubt, my faith wavers, and I question whether He will show up when I need Him most.  And I know I'm not the only one.  In Matthew 17 and Mark 9, even Jesus' disciples were rebuked for their lack of faith.  The guys who dropped their nets, left their lives, and followed Jesus without hesitation were rebuked for their lack of faith.  They were called a perverse and unbelieving generation. 

I think there are a lot of times when we believe so strongly that something won't work, that it just doesn't.  When our negative inner voice is telling us we're going to fail, we don't give 100% of ourselves.  I can imagine the disciples saying "I just don't know if we can get the demon out of this kid.  I mean, he's seizing, foaming at the mouth, and falling into the fire; that demon's really got a hold on him."

Even the boy's father says to Jesus "if You can."  (Mark 9:22) How many times have I said "if You can?"  Then Jesus tells his disciples "Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20)

Do you know how small a mustard seed is?  Here's a visual reference:

There are many days where my doubt screams louder than my faith whispers, but it's still there.  My little mustard seed, with which God can do so much.  I looked at this $9,675 mountain and, in my humanness, said "if You can" to the Creator of the mountains. 

I saw my mountain moving because of my tiny little mustard seed of faith.  Immediately, a very strong and faithful friend started the 1 of 1,000 event to raise the money we needed.  People were giving.  Then I got a phone call that we were being given a second prize, the YMCA membership, and then we were told that donations for that prize would be matched.  We received more money.  Another strong and faithful friend posted our need anywhere she could, and immediately someone responded that our vacation giveaway would be aired on radio in Tennessee, thanks to their friend, a DJ.  And we found out we could match $2,000 in donations for the vacation giveaway.  We were even given a third prize to give away, and we're hanging onto that one until we draw for our first two giveaways.  (Stay tuned, it's awesome!)  Yet another friend started a Couponing 101 fundraiser for us.

Let me tell you what God can do with a mustard seed of faith.  He can make it grow.  He can take a tiny seed and turn it into this: