Still waiting....

We are still waiting for a match on our Emma Grace. We are currently working on renewing our I171H. This is the document from USIS that allows us to bring Emma into the US as our child. We have already filed this doc. one time but it will expire in March. In order to renew the doc. we are going to have to update our homestudy and some other records. At least we will have something to take our mind off the wait. Currently we are waiting on the next list to come out to our agencies WC dept. Could we be on this list??? Only time will tell.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
Today is a day to be so thankful for the many blessings in our lives. We are so blessed to have a wonderful family and great friends. We are so thankful to God for his presences in our lives. Last night as our family gathered around at our dining room table. I was having a really hard time remembering to be thankful because my heart was so heavy. We have been waiting on Emma for so long, as of today we have been waiting for Emma for 19 months and 2 weeks. I continue to pray that we will have our referral soon. As we lifted our prayers at the table last night my heart was also lifted because at that moment there was a ladybug. It was flying around the entire table almost like it was visiting. So on a day with so many blessings I am thankful for I want to add ladybugs to that list....

I came across this poem on another blog. It touched me so much..

Every call has a beginning
A quiet moment when God whispers
a promise to a mother’s heart
A holy place where a father bows and faithfully
accepts the journey set before him.
A miraculous morning that unexpectedly dawns…
Casting its first light on a chosen threshold.
A gentle knock..a closed door opens.
A sacred invitation sent by the Father..
Leads to the other side of the world.

Where lonely hearts stare out orphanage windows
Praying for someone to care..

And then one morning,
On an ordinary day
An orphan’s life changes...
God sends them a second chance..

Through you..

This past week our family made a decision that I feel God has been leading us to for a long time. For several months Aaron & I have been talking about the possibility of adopting a Waiting Child from China. A "waiting child" is one that has minor to major medical concerns depending on the special needs your family is open to. After much prayer and research we faxed our paperwork to our agency. We feel that this is God moving in our lives. My main concern and why it took me longer to reach this point was Elisabeth. I was concerned about how she would accept a child born with a cleft lip that may not be repaired by the time she comes to us. After talking with her and showing her some pictures on the Internet, her response made me cry. She said "This little girl wants a family to love her & we will be her family & I will be her sister & love her"...Enough said.. Our agency is telling us that the current wait time could be 6-8months. We asked for your continued prayers for us & for Emma as we continue this amazing journey that God has us on.