a poem

Some would gather money

Along the path of life,

Some would gather roses,

And rest from worldly strife.

But I would gather children

From among the thorns of sin,

I would seek an ebony curl,

And a freckled, toothy grin.

For money cannot enter

In that land of endless day,

And roses that are gathered

Soon will wilt along the way.

But oh, the laughing children,

As I cross the sunset sea,

And the gates swing wide to heaven

I can take them in with me!

author unknown

One step closer....

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope
without wavering, for He who promised is faithful
Hebrews 10:23

As we continue to wait and wait and wait for our precious children to come home, I must admit that I find myself tempted to put my hope in a phone call from Acres of Hope , news of passports being approved on the AOH message board or in some other tangible sign that the adoption is progressing forward. How kind of the Lord to remind me the other morning as I read the verse above that my hope can not be placed in the things of this world. My hope must be in an unchanging God, a faithful Father who knows even the number of hairs upon my head and my words before I speak them...My hope is in the unfailing nature of His character; His sovereignty, goodness and wisdom. He is all together perfect and wise and knows the perfect timing to bring Mercy and Odesco home! I have found great comfort in that as the time continues to slip by ~ Our days are full with homeschooling, piano lessons, soccer and coop...little time to wallow :)

We did have some happy news last week.:)..we received word of Mercy's passport approval and we also received the elusive adoption documents that we have been waiting for since July 24th ,all in the same day!!...We truly are one step closer! We are still awaiting Odesco's passport approval, the final INS approval and then visas can be applied for. After that, flights are booked. How long might this take?? We truly have no idea! It could be a few days or it could be weeks~
We still do not know which airport they will fly into Our plan now is to drive our 12 passenger van with all 4 kids to meet their new siblings, wherever they fly into. Obviously, it would be a LOT more convenient to travel to an airport in close proximity but even this is in the Lord's hands and we need to trust Him to work out all the details.

Remembering that He who promised is faithful,
Momma B

A Bit of Perspective...

This compelling description of life in Liberia was found on Liberianministries.org
It is quite an eyeopener and definately gives a sense of what life has been like for the people of Liberia for so many years. On a positive note, things are improving with the new President in place. I read recently that the city of Monrovia had its first traffic light installed as well as running water! Realistically though, it will take years of reparations to restore stability to the infrastructure of this country. How blessed I am...and how much I take for granted!( FYI: The country of Liberia is roughly the same size as the state of Tennessee...that is why the comparison between the two is made.)

Imagine for a moment the state of Tennessee and its capitol city Nashville. Now imagine that, other than privately owned generators, there is no electrical power in the entire state, no running water and no sanitation services. Except for Nashville, where some cell phone coverage is available if you can afford it, there are no communications of any kind available other than to the very few that can afford the $1,000 cost to purchase a satellite phone and the $1 per minute to use it. Also understand that a job, such as a certified school teacher, pays $20 per week or less.

"As you walk down the streets look at all the high rise buildings and imagine that most of the windows are shattered from automatic weapons fire, that the upper floors are abandoned because there is no electricity to power the elevators and because the businesses that once used them have fled the state. As you walk down the streets there are bullet holes in every building, street sign and utility pole. Many of the buildings you pass are burned out but have been reclaimed by street vendors and others, at least on the first floor. Each person you meet on the street, all 1.5 million of them, has one or more relatives that have been killed by rebels within the past ten years.

"Imagine that, if you can find a car or truck going, it takes 15 or more hours to reach Memphis. If your tire fails on the way there is nowhere to buy another except in Nashville. In the city of Nashville people live in shacks built in back alleys and against buildings. Everything that they need, food, water, clothing, must be purchased and yet 9 out of 10 people do not have a job. Most do menial tasks each day such as selling cold water, hauling goods long distances in a wheel barrow or selling food that they have prepared that morning. The goal in life is not to “get ahead” but to stay alive. Many (most) people in Nashville are hungry.

"Once you leave Nashville the situation changes. If you live near Knoxville or Chattanooga you are able to raise your own food. Of course you have to plant and harvest it first. Potatoes and turnips make up almost every day’s meal but, if you can hunt, there is the possibility of a raccoon, possum or ground hog from time to time.

"Think of every home in most towns outside Nashville having been burned and the families not killed being forced to flee into the woods to hide out. As they are hiding they are systematically being hunted and killed. Know that if you live outside of Nashville and have a serious injury you will likely die before you can get to a hospital. Besides, most of the doctors have left the state long ago.

"Now imagine that you can’t find your parents or perhaps your children. As you walk down the street you pass thousands of children whose parents were both slaughtered during the rebels’ killing march through the outer areas of the state as they converged upon the capitol city. They are orphaned. If they’re lucky they can find a relative to help them. But many are alone to fend for themselves or starve. There is no welfare system to rescue them, no school they can afford to attend and no place to learn a trade or business that will enable them to earn a living in the future. They are caught in a trap that will ensure the next generation of Liberians will be less literate, less prosperous and more likely to turn to crime than any in the past. If you can imagine all of this, you can imagine what it is like to live in Liberia."

"Meet" Odesco and Mercy !!

Odesco and Mercy

The following report was given to us by AOH...they recently hired a young woman who writes reports for the waiting families. What a gift to receive this updated photo and such candid descriptions of our new children!! It does this mommy heart good to see this picture ...much cheerier than the last one and to know they are spending time together on a regular basis. This is our first smiley picture of our sweet son!! Oh how we long to bring them home!!!!

Mercy: outgoing and rambunctious. Odesco: quiet and reserved. These two unrelated kids make quite a compatible sibling group. Mercy’s outgoing personality is balanced by Odesco’s calm and quite disposition. Whether interacting together, or with friends, Mercy and Odesco’s personalities really seem to work well together.

Mercy is a passionate little girl. If she’s happy, she’s very happy, often throwing herself at people and giving out hugs. If she’s upset, she’s really upset, pouting for long periods of time. Mercy has a sweet disposition and a transparent personality. She is very excited about her new white family and frequently asks me when it will be her time to go. Mercy is very energetic and loves playing games that require a lot of physical activity. But she’s also a girly-girl and enjoys wearing pretty dresses and shoes. Mercy talks a lot and always has something interesting or funny to say. (Hmmmm...sounds like someone else we know and love in the B family!!)

Odesco is a very quiet boy. Because of how quiet he is, it takes time to really figure out his personality. When interacting with other kids, Odesco is definitely a follower. He does not feel the need to compete with other kids for attention. He likes sitting quietly as other kids say funny things and do things to show off. He laughs along with them, but doesn’t seem to want to be like them. Odesco loves building-type toys. He would love to be able to make a car or a house out of Legos, or a similar toy (building toys are a hot commodity among the kids at the orphanage.) One of his favorite things to do is to sit quietly and design little houses with the jumbo blocks at the orphanage. All the B Boys have been Lego crazy lately so Odesco will fit right in. B4 will certainly need to curtail his chattiness so that Odesco can get a word or two in and we can get to know him :)!!

Acres Of Hope Liberia

Mercy and Odesco's friends are in this picture with them in this picture. This was taken in June of 06. Kind of gives you the idea of where they are at the moment.

August 2006 Update

Hi Friends,

Thanks for how you continue to uphold us on this adoption journey...we so appreciate your eagerness to meet our new children . So far, no definate news~ only heard that our passports are in group of 16 total awaiting approval...Jenkins K. is in the same group so it still appears that our children will be travelling home together :)

This is the most recent photo we recieved...the first one of our kids together....they don't look too happy but my guess is that they were taken away from playing with toys to pose for this very inconvenient picture...it does my Mommy heart good to know that at least they are aware of each other and know that they will be "brother and sister".

We also recieved the latest height and weights on the kids...Odesco is 3# heavier and a few inches shorter!! How ironic that our somewhat malnourished son weighs more (and is younger!) than his well-nourished "big" brother!! Mercy and her sister B3 are very close in weight and height...B3 is just a bit bigger...

Well, we hope our next update will have a bit more info ...like when the homecoming will be :)

Thanks so much for your prayers and care during this very exciting time in our life as a family!

4 Bees Liberian Style

Hello everyone,

Hope you are all staying cool in this HOT "Liberianlike" weather :)

Just wanted to let you all know that Odesco and Mercy are officially our children!!!..the adoption is complete on the Liberian side of things...now we wait for the passports to be issued, then we file some paperwork with immigration here, send it all back to Liberia and wait for the flights to be booked. We still don't know which airport they will be flying into so there are lots of uncertainties right now...one way or another , we know the children will be home in His perfect timing. It looks like Jenkins K. will be travelling with our kids :)

I am in official "nesting" mode right now as B3 has officially moved into her purple room and we are reorganizing and getting rid of the excess stuff! My Husband did a great job getting both rooms all done.. they really look welcoming and cozy! I am also busy planning out our school and home schedule for the Fall...it will be a year of great transition and I think "flexibility" will need to be my mantra.

A few days ago in the mail we rec'd 6 Liberian outfits that we had purchased with the help of another adoptive parent at a festival held by Acres of Hope in Wisconsin. Of course, the kids had to try them on and being the shutterbug that I am, I couldn't resist the Kodak moment! We can't wait until the other 2 outfits sitting in the closet will be worn by Mercy and Odesco for an official homecoming picture!

Well, that's all the news for now. Lord willing, our next update will actually contain the specifics of the childrens' arrival home. Thanks for sharing in our joy...we so appreciate how you have upheld us in this!!

Thanks also for the many donations you made to our fundraising yardsale, outfitting the new rooms and outfitting our children! As I organized B4 and B3's closets and saw the matching outfits, I was reminded of your lavish kindness to us at the surprise adoption shower...my heart overflowed once again in gratitude to all of you ...your care and love for us has been a tangible expression of God's abundant care for us!!

Thankyou, thankyou :) With a grateful heart, Mama B