The Lord is my strength and my shield...

Odesco with his bedmate and pal, Emmett (Odesco is on the right)


Blessed be the Lord!
For He has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
In Him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
My heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him.
Psalm 28:6,7
This was my bible reading this morning and I chuckled as I read about "my pleas for mercy", since of course, I was reminded of my literal pleas for Mercy, our precious daughter continents away! Later at coop my friend shared that she had read the SAME passage this morning and penciled into her Bible Mercy's name and the date....how kind of the Lord to remind me in such a tangible way that indeed, He has heard our heart cries for our children...Mercy especially has been on my heart due to her ear infection and He has heard my pleas for Mercy and my pleas for His mercy!!

This evening I took B3 to the library with me and she picked a picture book off the
shelf called "Bringing Asha Home".Interestingly enough, it is a book about adopting a baby girl from India and in it, the author highlights the waiting...showing one season drifting into another and still no Asha. At one point the Daddy receives a phone call and sadly explains to his family that they will have to wait longer to bring their precious daughter home. Finally they get the long awaited call saying it is time to pick up Asha and the Dad flies to India to get his daughter...the scene at the airport is described in beautiful detail as mother and little son are united with Daddy and daughter...I was undone imagining our homecoming story and had a hard time reading ...my older, most sensitive boy (he,he) asked,"Um, Mom...are you going to read the book or not?!" Anyhow, this book was a great read and definately identified with the seemingly endless waiting of a child( and parent!)for their adopted sibling/child.

Guess you are all wondering when the long awaited arrival of Mercy and Odesco (and sweet Jenkins) will be...well, we learned today it will not be on Thursday, but Lord willing, we will hold our precious children on Saturday...I will update as we hear more.

I wanted to mention one other wonderful blessing...2 days ago I received an email from the adoptive mother of Odesco's bedmate...Several weeks ago I had tried to find her, and thought I did but it was not this little fellow's mom so I just let it go. Well, Emmett's mom was also hoping to make a connection with me so that we can maintain some contact for our boys' sake and she saw a post I had made on the AOH board and decided to email me...evidently Odesco and Emmett are sweet friends and play very well together. I love the adorable picture above of the 2 of them giggling on their bed.I am so grateful that a piece of our little boys' past can be preserved . What a gift from the Lord!
Thanks for checking in and caring for us ...we feel your prayers!
Resting in Him!!
Mama B

He's Always Been Faithful To Me...

Well, this afternoon while we assumed our children were flying over the big blue ocean, we received a phone call from AOH delivering the news that Mercy, Odesco and Jenkins never flew out of Monrovia this morning. There was a mix-up with tickets and there was not room for all 3 children on the flight. Thankfully, the children thought they were going to the airport to see the airplanes in preparation for when they would travel to their new homes....they did not realize that today was supposed to be that day so they were not affected at all by this disappointing turn of events. For now the plan is for them to travel out of Liberia on Wed. and to arrive in Dulles on Thursday~ all this is still unconfirmed but I will be updating as we hear!

Today in worship we sang a song that I will post in a moment. Before receiving this phone call from Donna, I was trying to find the words to this song to post on here...now, after the fact the rich truths of this song resound in my heart. Another tangible evidence of God's kindness to me is that today, one of our pastors spoke about what "thanksgiving" truly is.He wasn't speaking of the holiday but the fact that happiness in God yields thanksgiving to God; regardless of our circumstances.He then went on to outline practical steps in what this ought to look like. One point was that complaining is rebellion against God...ouch!! What a timely reminder to NOT complain about this turn of events but to instead believe that God's plan is perfect and His ways are flawless~ This is truly God's provision to me...He knew my heart would have drifted and I needed to hear that word today!!
So, by God's grace alone, I'm choosing this day to count it all joy and able to rejoice through the tears that were shed~His grace is sufficient because in my weakness, He is so very strong!!

He's Always Been Faithful
vs1
Morning by morning
I wake up to find
The power and comfort
Of God's hand in mine
Season by season I watch Him amazed
In awe of the mystery of His perfect ways
All I have needed His hand will provide
He's always been faithful to me

vs2
I can't remember a trial or a pain
he did not recycle to bring me gain
I can't remember one single regret
In serving God only
And trusting His hand
All I have needed His hand will provide
He's always been faithful to me

vs3
This is my anthem this is my song
The theme of the stories
I've heard for so long
God has been faithful He will be again
His loving compassion it knows no end
All I have needed His hand will provide
He's always been faithful to me

The End of the Beginning!

We got the phone call!!!Yes, this is actually coming to fruition!!! Our precious ones are coming home on Monday afternoon and flying into Dulles. I marvel at the sovereign wisdom and timing of the Lord...how kind He has been even in the midst of all the disappointing "false labors"...this is the real thing and the contractions are getting closer :)

Please pray for supernatural energy and grace for their escort who is a volunteer with AOH...pray also for Mercy who has an ear infection :(

My cyberboy (B2) will help me post the homecoming pictures on Monday....can't believe we are almost there!!

Thanks so much for standing with us as we walk on this adoption journey!

Giddy with anticipation!!
Mama B~

A Day Of Delights!!

Thanks to all of you who are checking in to see the details regarding Mercy and Odesco's homecoming...we have not heard anything since Wednesday so, we are hoping those details will be coming today!! I promise to post details as soon as they emerge :)

Yesterday was such a gift from the Lord. My Mom will be 70 on December 8th and as a family we wanted to do something to honor and bless her. We wove a web of deception (shame on us!!) so that she was thoroughly surprised. A luncheon was held at a wonderful little restaurant where we had our own room...all of my brothers and their children were able to make it...one brother even flew in from las Vegas with his wife and 2 children!! They arrived fashionably late, so it was a double surprise :) Also present were my "stepfamily" who by God's grace are just like siblings to me...we have a "blended family" that really works...and all of our children just love being together...truly, "The Lord has restored the years that the locust has eaten"...
After the party(which was in my neck of the woods), we all came back to our house ...what fun the kids had playing and what fun we adults had just being together. Looking back, I see once again the amazing wisdom of the Lord...had the children come home last weekend, they would have been just a bit overwhelmed by all of the activity and new faces...at least they'll have close to a month before we host our next family gathering!! I've enclosed few pictures of the day! Bet you'll have a hard time figuring out who is about to turn 7o!!
Thanks for checking in!!
Hope to be updating later today:)

Giving Thanks!

On this Thanksgiving Eve my heart is full as I consider the wonderful things the Lord has done!! Today we learned that Jenkins received his visa so our children will be homebound together and they are flying into Dulles...how kind of the Lord to work out alll these details...His ways are truly better than what we could have asked or imagined-great is His faithfulness. We still don't have the specific details but the children are leaving Monrovia, Liberia on Sunday evening with an escort from AOH and arriving in the US sometime on Monday...I promise to post once we know more :)

Our childrens' homecoming is only a smidgen of what I have to be grateful for...I read this on another blog today and thought I would post it here...it is a quote by Charles Spurgeon and it rings so true...

The fear of a man who really knows the love and goodness of God, will be somewhat of this kind: He will fear lest he should really be, or should seem to be, ungrateful. 'What' he asks, 'can I do? I am drowned in mercy. It is not as though my ship were sailing in a sea of mercy; I have been so loaded with the favour of the Lord that my vessel has gone right down, and the ocean of God’s love and mercy has rolled right over the masthead. What can I do O Lord? If thou had given me only a little mercy, I might have done something, in return, to express my gratitude. But oh! Thy great mercy in electing me, in redeeming me, in converting me, and in preserving me, and in all the goodness of thy providence toward me;--what can I do in return for all these favour? I feel struck dumb; and I am afraid, lest I should have a dumb heart as well as a dumb tongue; I fear lest I should grieve Thee by anything that looks like ingratitude.”

Happy Thanksgiving from a grateful heart loaded with the favour of the Lord and drowning in the sea of His rich mercies!!

Visas Today!!!

Yes, the visas were issued today!!! We are rejoicing that this final step has been completed and our children are truly ready to come home now....This "pregnancy" is nearing its end :)
The tentative plan is for Mercy and Odesco to leave Liberia on Sunday and to arrive in Dulles (Washington DC) sometime on Monday with their escort, a representative from AOH.
We will have more definitive plans later in the week. With all the ups and downs over these past few weeks, it is hard to comprehend that we are almost there but I'm sure once we receive confirmation of flights booked and arrival times, it will begin to sink in.
Maybe this time next week, B2, our cyber whiz, will be downloading pictures of the homecoming!!
Please continue to pray for all the details...pray also for Mercy and Odesco's hearts to be ready to receive their new family and for us to know how to walk them through the first steps of transition with wisdom and understanding.

Also, we are rejoicing that Jenkins passport was signed today!!!....this was a day of miracles! Please pray that he would be issued his visa on Wednesday so that he might also travel home on Sunday with our children~
Thanks for checking in and sharing our joys and challenges on this bumpy adoption journey :)
Rejoicing in His goodness, faithfulness and perfect timing~
Mama B

Not this weekend...

Hello All,
Well, received the call today that our visas were not processed in time for the children to travel tonight or Sunday. The "plan" (which could change again) is for them to travel with an escort next Sunday nite' to arrive at Dulles (DC) on Monday the 27th...this would be wonderful as it is only a few hrs drive away and there is still the hope now that Jenkins will receive his passport and visa in time for this departure. While sad they will not be here for Thanksgiving and out of town family, I do know that the Lord's ways are perfect and I need to rest in that :)

The same devotional meditation that I quoted the other day also highlighted 2 Peter3:9

"The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness"

His timing is always perfect and what rejoicing there will be when Mercy and Odesco are welcomed home!!

Counting it all joy,
Mama B.

Another tidbit...

Well,
Just received another "newsy" call from Donna, the representative from AOH. Our kids visas have not been signed...the embassy has required another investigation on the children (not sure if it is both or one of them)to verify that all the information in their adoption documents is accurate. She assured me that this is not unusualand they don't expect a problem - because our children are not biological siblings, the authorities need to check it out.
IF we get signed visas tomorrow, they will be flying out of Liberia tomorrow nite' (yes, you read that right!!!!) This escort lives in a nearby state so they would likely fly into our neighboring airport!! IF the visas are not issued in time for tomorrow's flight, the plan is for them to fly out Sunday nite' with a different escort who lives in the Mid-west. Discussion is pending with regards to flying into Dulles before the escort heads out to her home state.
So,....once again we wait :) We will know nothing definate until tomorrow afternoon...our desire would be to have them flown in closeby but ultimately, we do want God's best...His perspective may not look like ours. Pray that our hearts would be aligned with His...pray also that I would be filled with supernatural faith if a cross country road trip is indeed His perfect plan for our family !!
Thanks for checking in~
He who promised is faithful!!

God's timing...

Well,
Still no definitive news regarding the childrens' homecoming. Yesterday,we received some sketchy information regarding possible travel scenerios but since I have heard nothing today, I will wait to post those details.
I must admit to being disappointed when we returned home from a full day of homeschool coops and there were no phone messages or emails with regards to Mercy and Odesco's homecoming or Jenkins' (our friend's little boy) passport approval...again I am reminded that His ways are beyond what I can comprehend... He is God, I am not...yes, I know I am stating the obvious but often in my mind, I think I "know" what is best.
Yesterday,the Lord was so kind to direct me to a devotional by John Piper...the meditation I read dealt with God's sovereign timing...hmmm that got my attention!!Specifically, he was speaking of Hebrews 4:16 ~ He spoke of not only finding "grace to help in my time of need" but that a literal translation of the same text states ,"find grace for a well-timed help". One focuses on my need and the other draws attention to God's timing.
Here's a few nuggets from the devotional A Godward Life- (pages 71,72)
" I think we need to be focused on the grace of God's timing. When we have a need, we feel very strongly about when God should meet it. We want Him to act now!! It is not natural to think that God's grace will be shown as much in its timing as in its form. But Hebrews 4:16 reminds us to seek God not only for the kind of grace we need, but also for the timing of grace we need....So, it's not surprising that a "well-timed help" might be different from God's perspective than it is from ours, but His perspective is always best. It is always grace to us. It should always be trusted for what it is and when it is.....He generally times our blessing so that His wisdom, not ours is highlighted. God is far more interested in the patience of faith than in our instant gratification. His timing will always pay dividends beyond what we can imagine. It is always "grace for a well-timed help." The timing and content are gracious. Faith rests in the what and the when of God's grace....
We have every reason to believe He will hear us and help us at the proper time. So, let us come boldly to His throne of grace and receive what He has for us- a grace sovereignly designed and sovereignly timed for our greatest good."

What a sweet morsel of truth to savor as we continue to wait on Him.

Nothing new..

Just thought I would post for those of you who are checking in to see the status of things. I had absolutely no contact with AOH since last week so, I am assuming nothing happened yesterday. I will need to make contact today, though to see the status of the visas and the projected time frame for travel. I am still praying that Jenkins' passport is signed today so that he can come home too!!

Yesterday, I must admit that my mood matched the weather of the day...gloomy :(
On days like that, I like to remember that behind the stormy clouds, the sun is still shining...my view is just obscured by the raging storm. Likewise, my Son continues to shine forth ...His plans can not be thwarted, He is faithful, always interceding, and has not forgotten our cause. I need to trust once again that this is His best for all involved....He is allowing the delays for a purpose. Yes, God can even use man-made delays, and an inefficient system to bring glory to His name. Please pray that all of us (especially me!) would continue to wait well and that we would continue to count it all joy!!

Thanks for checking in!
He who promised is faithful!!

A little more info...

I spoke with Donna from Aoh this afternoon. I had asked yesterday if Mercy and Odesco's visas had been applied for yet and she was responding to this question. Basically,they were waiting to file all of our visas together...Jenkins included since they were all supposed to travel together. As of this afternoon, his passport still had not been signed:( Tomorrow is Veteran's day and the US Embassy is closed so the soonest they can even schedule the visa appointment will be on Monday with hopes to receive visas by Wednesday. If Jenkins gets a signed passport tomorrow or Monday there is still the chance they will all travel together.
Patty will not be escorting our children home since she leaves Monrovia on Sunday nite'...another staff member will be their escort but as of now we have no idea where she will be flying into. So, there is a chance they will fly out of Monrovia either next Wednesday nite' or next Friday nite'. Flights only leave Monrovia on Wed/Fri/Sun.
Lord willing we will have more definitive news early next week.

Oh , almost forgot to mention today is Mercy's 5th birthday!! I do believe this is more significant for us than her since they really do not celebrate birthdays, from what I understand. Thankfully, we will have many birthday celebrations together in the years ahead!!!

Thanks for checking in!
Leaning on Him,
Mama B

Waiting still...

The passport officer did not go to work yesterday so Jenkin's paperwork still sits in the pile. All of this waiting has me thinking...it seems that much of our lives we are waiting for something...waiting to get married, waiting to be blessed with children, waiting for those blessings to get out of diapers/Pullups so the food budget is manageable again!!
Currently,my heart is heavy for those around me who are waiting in the midst of the depths of physical suffering...our waiting for our children to come home seems trivial in comparison yet, in the battleground of my heart, my response is just as critical.
I looked up verses on waiting ...there are many! But here is one I was meditating on

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and take courage;
Wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14

What is this waiting with courage supposed to look like? First I must anchor my soul to the truths of God's unchanging character. I can not secure my soul to the flimsy anchor of my ever changing emotions or the unpredictable circumstances which can drive them to and fro.It takes courage to believe that God has not forgotten my cause, that though I see no change in my circumstances, I must believe in faith that He is working all things for my good and His glory .This is a supernatural enabling because on my own strength, I will not believe this way...I need God to do a deep work in my heart...to change my perspective so that I would value His. I can not listen to the doubts that would cause me to question His goodness or all surpassing wisdom....I need to be grounded in truth, saturated in His promises.

One of my favorite songs right now is from the cd "Valley of Vision" inspired by the book of Puritan prayers. The words remind me that in the valley of suffering, of waiting or whatever my trial happens to be, I learn more of Him. (For more info about this, click on the Sovereign Grace link on the right)

Verse1
When You lead me to the valley of vision
I can see You in the heights
And though my humbling wouldn't be my decision
It's here Your glory shines so bright
So let me learn that the cross precedes the crown
To be low is to be high
That the valley's where You make me more like Christ

Chorus:
Let me find Your grace in the valley
Let me find Your life in my death
Let me find Your joy in my sorrow
Your wealth in my need
That You're near with every breath
In the valley

Verse2
In the daytime there are stars in the heavens
But they only shine at night
And the deeper that I go into darkness
The more I see their radiant light
So let me learn that my losses are my gain
To be broken is to heal
That the valley's where Your power is revealed

Lord, grant us grace to wait for you ...to be strong and take courage...to find Your all sufficient grace in the valley of waiting.

Drumroll, please...

Odesco has a signed passport!!!! However, Mercy and Odesco's little travelling buddy, our good friend's the K's son is still awaiting his. Aoh is hoping it will be the next one signed tomorrow. No definitive travel plans will be made until then. We also need to wait for the visa to be issued for all of the children so, we are certainly one step closer and I hope by the end of this week we will have specific travel plans to bring all 3 children home.
I have been thinking about the latest update regarding our children and to be honest was becoming a bit anxious regarding the dynamics I am expecting between Mercy and our other dear daughter...it sounds like their dispositions are very similar which could make for some interesting opportunities to employ the truths we learned from the Young Peacemaker this summer! The Lord is so kind to remind me that just as He chose each of our biological children before the foundations of the earth, so He had also chosen Mercy and Odesco to be adopted into our family before the earth's foundation. I find such comfort in knowing that this was HIS choice for us and He will indeed supply every grace(patience, wisdom, energy!!) needed to parent and disciple these gifts He has granted to us.

I read a wonderful sermon by John Piper today entitled Predestined for Adoption to the Praise of His Glory. You can view it by copying this into your internet browser
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/2004/175
_Predestined_f\or_Adoption_to_the_Praise_of_His_Glory/

We're one step closer to meeting our precious children!!
He who promised is faithful!!

No news...

We did not get a call today so it is safe to assume that our passports were not signed. On a happier note:I did receive an email last nite' from AOH giving us a few more details about Mercy and Odesco's personalities/dispostion. How kind of the Lord to give us yet another glimpse of our children as we wait. They both sound like they enjoy snuggling so that did this Mommy's heart good :) Mercy is also quite the helper at the orphanage...making beds, sweeping floors and helping to feed the babies. I'm sure we will have to work a bit with her to get her back into the mode of being a child and not a "mini-adult"...(she is one of the older girls in the orphanage since AOH takes in so many small children..they expect the older children to be responsible helpers). We do have lots of beds to make and floors to sweep, though :)
Well, hope to have news tomorrow?!
Grateful for His tender mercies which continue carrying us along~
Thanks so much for checking in!

Latest "update"

Thought I would just update you all on the information we have presently. Supposedly, Odesco and Jenkins' passports sit on the top of the pile on the Passport Director's desk ...the staff at Aoh are hopeful they will be signed tomorrow or sometime this week. (I know, this sounds familiar, doesn't it?)Representatives from our agency truly are doing everything in their power to be advocates for our children...it is a system that works very unlike anything we are accustomed to in the US.
IF the passports are signed this week and visas are obtained before Friday, Mercy, Odesco and Jenkins will be flying out of Monrovia on Friday and arriving in Chicago on Saturday. We plan to drive the "Bus" ,with all 4 children and my Mom accompanying us...leaving on Friday morning.
Please pray with us that the passports are signed tomorrow :) That will give us the entire week to prepare for the trip...
So, I hope to have some very happy news tomorrow :) If not, I trust that the Lord will continue to sustain us and grant us grace to deal with the disappointment.I am so grateful that He is trustworthy and His character never changes...even in the midst of uncertainty, He is the same always!
Trusting in His mercies~

Valuing God's perspective

Buckle your seat belts...another ride on the adoption roller coaster! Since we now know it is not going to happen, I will share the details which I did not reveal on my previous post. Odesco, Mercy and Jenkins were supposed to fly in to JFK ( NYC) on Monday, Nov. 6th...of course this was all dependent on obtaining the very elusive passport signatures which we did not get in time. Today is the Liberian Thanksgiving holiday so offices were not open today.

We have now been informed that the doctor who was going to fly our children to the east coast will now be escorting another child. Patty has decided to selflessly extend her stay in Liberia for another week (that woman is amazing!!) and our children may in fact travel to the States with her IF the passports get signed by early next week. So, although it is not definate and there is a possibility of another escort, it looks like we may be gearing up for a cross country trip in the "Bus" (our 12 passenger van) to Chicago after all.

I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that today my heart has struggled to value God's perspective in this. I know in my head that He is always working things for our good and His glory but right now, I am battling to count it all joy as we digest this latest change in plans. I admit,sometimes this rollercoaster ride has become a bit dizzying and I'm ready to get off :) But, obviously, it is not God's timing yet and I need to value His perfect plan and perspective in all of this. I need to embrace this change in plans as His good for all involved...in the grand scheme of things, this is so insignificant...I want my heart to be joyfully submitted not just resigned and begrudgingly obedient.I can honestly say that just the act of writing this down has done my heart a world of good( I type, save and come back later to finish so this has taken place over the course of a few hours)... Confession is cleansing to the soul and reminding myself of truth is life giving. Okay,I guess I'm ready to get buckled in and take another ride ...I find such comfort in knowing He is interceding for me and wants to aid me in trusting and obeying.

Last night, I had an Odesco dream...it was so real I told my dear hubby I just wanted to fall back asleep to get to know him a bit more. We were at church standing in "our" row during worship(we are such creatures of habit!) and our little boy had his sweaty little hand in mine...he was looking up at me with those big brown eyes and that adorable button nose...and I asked him a very poignant question(he,he)..."Do you have to go potty?"...he nodded his cute little head and off we went...What an odd dream...but in it I knew him like my other sons and there was such a joyful love in my heart for this sweet little man whose picture I have been staring at for 7+ months.

I did want to share something very special that happened yesterday. Last week in B2's writing class, his teacher, a close friend of mine, felt compelled by the Lord to have the children write "welcome home" letters to Jenkins, Mercy and Odesco...when the assignment was given, the assumption was that the kids would be here by yesterday's class. Fast forward to yesterday...the children all worked so hard to write these heartfelt letters using the writing techniques they had learned(using the IEW program for all you homeschooling moms!)...they decorated the pages with stickers and pictures of themselves etc...so special. Then, several of the students volunteered to read them....how precious to hear these 8-11 year olds expressing their desire to meet and befriend our Liberian children. Three of the children in the class were also adopted and each one of them put a little sentence in about their adoption so that our kids would not feel alone in their experience. It was one of those moments I will never forget...the letters are now in display folders for Mercy and Odesco to treasure when they get home...what fun it will be to read those letters again in 5 years as we then recount all the special friendships the Lord will undoubtedly provide for our kids.
thought you might like to see B'2s letter to his little brother...


Dear Odesco,


I am so thankful that you are finally here. Our church family has eagerly prayed for you over the past several months. I hope you enjoy this new country and learn to love our family. Welcome, my new brother!!

Let me tell you about myself. I am 9 years old and have brown hair, and dark brown eyes just like you! I enjoy building with Legos, reading books, and playing baseball. I also delight in playing with B3 and B4. I look forward to playing baseball and creating Duplo houses and cars with you too. I hope you enjoy soccer because I certainly do! We are so joyful that you and Mercy are becoming a part of our family. I can’t wait to get to know you little brother!!

With much love and thankfulness, your brother