I was tagged...

I was tagged by my FAD (favorite aunt Debbie)... So here goes:

Ten years ago: I had just graduated high school and had just returned from my first trip to Guatemala (July 1998). My life had just changed completely. I had just met Gino, the man who I will spend the rest of my life with. I didn't have a care in the world until I went to Guatemala, then my heart was set on the lives of those fatherless children. I didn't have any responsibilities, so I was able to work just to make money to take more trips to Guatemala. It was a really good time in my life.

My to do list today (I'll do tomorrow since today is 5 minutes from being over):
9am: go to nephew's t-ball game (he won tonight!! Congrats, Clay!!), then to work until 4. Then home to shower off the "posey" and wait around until the game starts at 8... ROLL TIDE!!!

Favorite snack: hm. i like chips and salsa, banana popsicles... I don't know if I have a favorite.

If I had a million dollars: I would give to church and to several foreign and domestic ministries that I believe are after God's own heart. I would definitely adopt more children after I pay for this one!! I would buy a house. I would take maternity leave when Flor comes home!!!

Places I've lived: Hazel Green(AL), Huntsville(AL), Ciudad San Cristobal(GUA), Antigua(GUA), San Bartolome(GUA)

My tags: Amy, Laura, and Melodie

interview tomorrow

I just found out that Flor's birth mother interview will be tomorrow at 10am. Shyrel will go to the interview. She is her legal guardian, since she was legally abandoned. So, I'll be anxious to hear how that goes tomorrow. :)

As my last post says, I missed a call from Flor on Saturday. I was in a church with no signal, so it went straight to voice mail. I didn't even know it until the conference was over and we were in the car. I was so disappointed!! But the silver lining is that I now have the sweetest little voice in the world saved on voice mail that I can listen to anytime I want! AND, she's supposed to be calling me again sometime soon, so I'll look forward to that... and I won't go ANYWHERE that there's not a signal until AFTER I talk to her. And that's that.

I missed her

Dear sweet Flor,

Perdon, mi amorcito, que perdi tu llamada hoy por la manana. No tuve senal. Lo siento muchisimo. Pero gracias por dejar el mensaje. Fue tan dulce escuchar tu voz. Por favor, vuelve a llamar pronto. Estare esperando. Te quiero tanto. Nos vemos pronto.

Love, Mama

Speechless

We are in PGN... since yesterday.

All I could do is fall on my face and cry... giving thanks to GOD!!

To HIM be the glory!!!!

PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE BE TO GOD!!!

My friends Bill and Melodie are finally bringing their girls home!! I am so excited to see them tomorrow that you'd almost think that they were bringing Flor with them!! Fernanda and Flor are friends from ADN, so it is such a blessing to have them living so close to each other! Please pray for smooth travel tomorrow with the girls! I can't believe they are coming home! How cool is that?!? God is good!!!

Read more about their journey:

Fernanda

Rosa

Papa Gino

I got a phone call from Melodie tonight. She stopped by ADN today and saw my girl!! She says she is doing well, and is learning about her papa, Gino. Shyrel asks her what her papa's name is, and Flor answers, "Gino"... !!! How adorable is that?!? I can just hear her little voice now! Gino couldn't believe it when I told him! (I think he was more excited than I was!) The girls from Shadow of His Wings used to call him "Papa Gino". He secretly loved it, and they loved him!!

I'm believing we'll get into PGN this week.

still not yet...

Well, we didn't get into PGN last week. It seems the lawyer is only waiting for a medical document then she states that we will enter PGN immedietely. We're a little pressed for time here because, she only has this week and next week for the birth mother interview, which will be Shyrel for Flor, since she is her legal guardian. Also, I think the Osborn's are coming to the States soon, so I'm not sure how that will play into the timeline either. Please pray for God's perfect timing and that we get into PGN THIS WEEK!!! I'm really trying not to worry about this because I know who is in control... but it gets hard at times.

mornin'

I was woken up this morning, earlier than usual, and I remembered what my daddy has said to me more than on one occasion. He would go to the Word when he was woken up like that. So, I did today too.
I reached for my Bible study and opened up to the next lesson. It was about the importance of intimacy and obedience to hear God's voice. Coincidence? I'll let you decide for yourself. After my lesson, I had the urge to open up to Romans. Romans 8:18-27 to be exact. Let me just read a little here:

"I consider that our personal sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." (Ok. Stop here for a minute. I know It is refering to our sufferings on earth and the glory to be revealed when Jesus returns. But I immedietely thought about my 'suffering' in waiting and how glorious it will be when Flor gets home!)"The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
"We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not onlyso, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we are saved. But hope that is seen is not hope at all." (And faith that can be figured out all-by-my-self is not faith either. I have faith that God will provide a way for me to take leave after Flor gets here. I have faith that God will guide me to where Flor will stay after I return to work. I have faith that God has this whole thing figured out so perfectly that I can't even imagine the answers that He will give me. I can't even think of them.) "Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. (Can I just stress that point there: patiently. PATIENTLY. PATIENTLY. Got it? Yeah, me neither. But God's working on me constantly.)
"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's Will."

And we all know what the next verse says, "And we know that God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."

One year and six months ago, I heard God speak to my heart that Flor was my daughter. She has been ever since. I was asked last weekend if I'd ever thought about if I'm doing this for Flor or for me. I think in certain ways, its for both of us. But mainly its because God spoke it to me. It just WAS, and it has been ever since. It just WAS. She is my daughter. She is God's gift to me. I'm sure that God has blessings in store for both she and I, but He will get the ultimate glory. He already has in getting me this far, because there were so many hurdles that He had to help me over. In so many people's eyes, I was/am crazy for going through with this. But I say, "CALL ME CRAZY!! And let God have the glory for that too!!"

Flor's Room

Well, I'm just about done. It's been miracle after miracle how God has brought this room together. This is a bed from Flor's cousin. I stubbled upon that too adorable quilt at Target!! I really hope Flor likes turtles, because her mommy had a little "problem" when she was younger and just didn't know when to say "no" when it came to collecting her turtles..

This book shelf is from my friend, Meredith and it was the perfect touch, and holds more turtles. She also gave me that rectangle mirror. Bill and Melodie gave Flor that bed side table from their yard sale. I need to hang some fabric over that ugly beige fire wall though.
This armoir was in my moma's bedroom, which is so special to me now that I'll be able to tell Flor that was her Granny's. The oval mirror was in my room in middle school. Oh, and you see that flower arrangement? My moma and sweet sisters sent that to my work the day before I left for Guatemala the first time. I left it there that day, so moma went to get it while I was gone and made it into a silk arrangement. I just love it! My moma gave me that doll up there too.
These two smaller mirrors were in her room too. The curtains were mine as a child. Moma made that Cabbage Patch doll and my aunt Paula brought me the other doll from Hong Kong...
... and that brings me to this: Flor's sweet baby doll crib! Isn't it perfect?!? I asked my sweet friends, the Kirby's, if their very talented children could make Flor a bed for her dolls. Two weeks later, this is what I got!! Clifton did such a great job and I can't wait for Flor to play with it. Virginia, with some help, made a little mattress, pillow, and quilt for the bed. Virginia also crocheted that tiny blanket hanging over the end. The baby's name there is Connie. Named for my oldest sister. There is a baby named Stephanie too, and Amanda, of course... and she was always my favorite!! :) Yes, they were my babies when I was Flor's age!! I love that moma kept all of my stuff like that. Maybe she knew I'd have a little girl!!
That's all for tonight. I just wanted to share Flor's room. Now there's just one thing missing...

That's you, baby girl!!!

prayer request:

Wanna help me out?

Please, when you say your prayers this week, please pray that Flor gets into PGN this week. I've been waiting for 2 weeks to hear that she's in. The hold up was that there was a mistake in the social worker's report, so it was sent back for correction. That was 2 weeks ago. I haven't heard a word since. :( Please, please pray that we get her case into PGN this week!!

She needs to come home.

Floricita:

Look what I got...

My sweet friends Melissa and Joseph just came back from visiting Amor del Nino, where Flor lives in Guatemala. I was invited to dinner tonight with their family and was presented with lots of pictures and a video (that I will try to post later). I love seeing new pictures, but she is growing up so fast!!

Here's a quick quote from Melissa on her first day with Flor:
'Flor is precious. Yesterday I took her down to get a bath, and I don't know if it was because she didn't want me to sit her down to take a bath, or not, but she kissed me on the cheek and hugged me over and over. I told her I was "amiga de Mama Amanda" and she took me outside to be sure Amanda wasn't there. She's been my friend ever since.'

There's one for my book!!