A little boy lost his life today at the Airshow at Huntsville International Airport. Please be in prayer for the Miller family tonight and in the following weeks as they grieve their loss. It is such a tragedy that this little 5 year old boy lost his life. My heart is just broken right now and it goes out to his family. Pray for comfort and healing, and that God pour His Grace all over them!
He is with Jesus tonight.
Oh, aaaaannd... guess what I got in the mail today??!? Yep. I got the last of my dossier back from Miami!! I had told our mailman yesterday that I was expecting it and he said he'd keep an eye out for me. He was as excited as I was to bring it by the office today! It worked out where Bill and Melodie were coming right by my office, so I just handed it right over to her to take directly to Guate for me!! I was pretty excited to get it! I still need to email her a picture of my apartment, but other than that, I'm done with the paperwork here. It's just a little amazing and has dragged out for sooooo long, I just wonder what to do now!
I'll cross the next bridge when I get there...
I just got home from working at the restaurant, and I am pooped!! Good night!!
I just love these girls!!
Last night, we had our 3rd adopting mommies' get together and our group has grown from 4 to 10 and I am loving it!! We ate at Mezza Luna and it was de-lish!! One of the girls is an owner. Anyway, these girls have become such an encouragement to me. Let's see... from left to right... in the front: Brandy(Guate), Jennifer(Ethiopia), Melodie(Guate), Carmen(China), me; then in the back: Jenny(USA), Laura(Ethiopia), Gracie(Guate), Merideth(Ethiopia), and Amy(India). It is so interesting to hear how each country is so different in their process and how each of us are mostly in different stages and can encourage those who are a few steps behind and get advice from those who have already been where we are.... I just love you girls!! I can't wait to see you all again! (And the next time we see Melodie and Stacie(not pictured) they'll have their babies with them!!
Thanks again, Bill and Melodie, for the sweet video... I can't wait to see all the other pictures!!
(it's hard to make out, but she tells me hi and that she loves me, she blows me a kiss, and then when Shyrel shows her the picture, she asks her who that is, and she says, "mamita" ... I'm melting right now...
"Your item was delivered at 3:59 PM on June 24, 2008 in MIAMI, FL 33131. The item was signed for by M MAGALY"
So, the last of my dossier has made it to Miami and is in someone's hands. I pray that Mr. or Mrs. Magaly takes very good care of my documents, takes them everywhere they need to go, and gets them back to me ASAP. I'm praying that I get them back by Friday so that I can send them to Guatemala with Melodie next week. She leaves the 3rd of July and it would just be like God to work out the timing that way!! Please pray with me that it works out (if that be God's Will) so my dossier can get approved and I can get our case into PGN!!
I was nervous about sending it directly to the Consulate in Miami instead of using the corrier, but after talking to some friends who did just that, I realized that God would send his angels along with this precious paperwork, so I shouldn't worry.
Can I just mention how good God is?? Can I say HE IS FAITHFUL?!? I was ready to send this paperwork on Friday afternoon, but needed to send a $40 money order along with it. Well, I could only buy it with cash or debit, which I was not able to do at that time. So, I put it off until Saturday morning after I'd work a shift at the restaurant. I did that without a second thought. Well, I got a letter today, which was mailed to Connie's house instead. I would've gotten it a few weeks ago if they'd sent it to my new address. Can you guess what was in it? $40.
Again, He is FAITHFUL!!!
Please stop what you're doing right now and pray for the Wheelers! Eliana is very sick and in the hospital. Chris and Lindsey are flying out tomorrow to be with her. Please keep this family in your prayers.
Wanna hear some awesome news?!? Do you remember several weeks ago when I asked for prayer for Pastor Willi, who had had a horrible accident? Well, I went with my dad and Jami to visit them for a little while on Saturday and you'd never believe who greeted us at the door... well, ok, I guess you can guess from the title of this entry, but I'm telling you that we still serve a God of miracles! I saw a man walking and talking, who by worldly standards should not be able to. He was healed so miraculously fast and is still being healed daily. Please keep them in your prayers still. I believe God still has work to do, not only in the lives of Pastor Willi and his family, but in those around them as well.
I'm feeling pretty protected today. I came home from church to find my neighbors' apartments had flooded. Apparently the apartment next door (on the left) is vacant and a $5 piece of something plumbing have burst and water flooded that apartment, then ran into the next two apartments (on the left of that apartment). I'm so thankful that I am on the right side, so all I had was a little damp carpet in one corner. So we've got that pulled up to dry and it will hopefully be dry by the morning. I heard water running this morning, but I didn't realize my neighbors had already moved completely out. I guess I'll pay better attention from now on. It could have been worse, so I am very, very thankful. I'm hoping my neighbors two and three doors down didn't have too much damage either. I walked in next door. All the carpet and padding is ripped up. All that work for a $5 broken pipe. Wow. I love God's provision.
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Isn't she just precious there holding the picture of us I sent her?!? I wonder what she liked better...? That picture or the sucker in her mouth?!? It doesn't matter to me. That sucker was gone in 5 minutes, I'm here for good!! I miss her so much and I can't wait to see her again!!
I've really been praying about all of this. Just thinking about everything can be overwhelming. I know that in the past God has proven Himself to me even at the last minute and I have no doubt that I will have sufficient finances to pay the lawyers' fees, the trip to go get her and all the embassy appointments and fees, and not to mention when we are back home. I really don't want to have to put her in daycare while I work. I know that God knows my heart and that a solution will present itself when it is time. I have the whole thing planned out in my mind, but I know that God's plans are the best, so I am waiting on Him. I know that God called me to this journey and that He WILL see me through this and bring me through this and HE WILL BE GLORIFIED!! (and I get a beautiful daughter and Flor gets a mommy who loves her thiiiiiiiiii--------ok.i'm.running.out.of.room.--------iiiiiiiiiiis much!!)
Finally... I went to the mailbox today and TAHDAH!!! There it was. I had to sit and stare at it a minute to make sure it was for real. I had been checking this very mailbox for almost 6 weeks and today, TODAY it came. I GOT MY INS APPROVAL!!!! 
What a beautiful piece of paper!! I just sat and cried standing there at the mailboxes. I cried again when I called my daddy to tell him... all happy tears though. No worries!
I immediately called my social worker (after I called Daddy) to tell her the great news. She said she'd send me my home study tomorrow. I have two documents left to get authenticated and sent to Guate, and then we're a GO! Pray this paperwork through the system, guys!! 
This is me making the same face as Flor in one of my favorite pictures of her. Aren't we a pair?!?
Today was a good day. Today was a GREAT day!
I don't know if I've already written about this, but I can write it again, can't I? I mean, it's my blog... 
So, I step out of the airplane, go through customs, go to the baggage claim, get my luggage, and cannot get out that door fast enough!! I step out into the sun and look into the sea of faces, until my eyes find the most beautiful thing they will ever see: Flor in Shyrel's arms. As she spots me, I see her face light up as I read her lips, "Moma!!!" That day I experienced the moment I imagine a mother feels as she holds her newborn baby in her arms for the first time. That will always be a special day in my heart. March 26, 2008. The day my heart melted into hers.... again... for the first time... that doesn't even make sense.
That's my sister-in-law there in the picture with us, by the way. She's due July 1st, and I will finally have a niece!! Eliana Grace will be here soon!
I still haven't gotten any word from Immigration... it's been over 5 weeks (I figured out after I went back and re-counted..). I thought it had only been four. I am still trusting God that His timing is perfect. It does bear on me occasionally. The waiting. I'm not even sure if it would speed up our process right now because of the delay with the birth mother interviews, but just knowing that their is one more thing that I need to do to get it there is eating away at me. Several friends of mine got their INS approvals back within 3 weeks. I think that's where I went wrong: comparing our cases, when every single one is so different. But here I am, still checking my mailbox every afternoon. Waiting on God. I have to ask myself, after I get this INS approval, what will be next? Waiting on the social worker's report so we can be submitted into PGN? Waiting on approval from PGN? Waiting on the airplane? Maybe I'm wording this wrong. Instead of waiting on all of these things, I should say I'm looking forward to them. That's really how I feel about it all. It's just the looking forward part gets long, and lonely. I really miss her.
I did have a little fun over the weekend: my cousin gave me a white wicker day bed for Flor and I painted a wicker night stand that some friends gave me. Her room is really coming together. But I'll wait until it's all done to post any pictures.
