Things seen and unseen

2 Corinthians 4:18 

"While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."

Well,  now that fingerprints are done we are waiting for our USCIS paperwork to come back from that visit we made to the Federal building in Fargo.  We are also waiting for our Dossier to be completed at the Embassy of Ethiopia then we are officially on the "wait list" to meet our little one.  I just bought a gallon of paint and am going to paint the bedroom that is going to be our new little one's bedroom.  It is so exciting and fun to prepare a place in our home for our child.  

As we have been waiting our agency has notified us that there not many families on the "wait list" that are open to a boy over 36 months.  We are open to a boy up to 48 months.  That stirs my heart - and gives me the hope that we will not be waiting long to meet our little one after these last two paperwork pieces come back.  That also saddens my heart to know that just because of a child's age they are "waiting" for a forever family.  That thought makes me think that however long we wait, our wait is not what I need to be thinking about or focusing on.  If we wait for hours - days - months - years to meet our child that is nothing compared to the feeling of the "waiting" that a little heart feels sitting in an orphanage longing for a mom and dad.  

So little one ...  it is my prayer that today and every day that you feel the presence of your heavenly Father holding you - drawing you close to Him.  We are coming to get you. You will have an earthly father and mother and a forever family.  We love you so much. You will have a brother and sisters here on earth to love and play with you.  Most importantly - you have a heavenly Father that loves you perfectly and promises you that He will not leave you as an orphan.  

John 14:18 

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you"

Orphan Sunday

Orphan Sunday is this Sunday.  Many churches across the country are coming together to look at the needs of orphans through out the world.  I have not attended an Orphan Sunday Event, but I did attend the Christian Alliance for Orphans conference this last spring with some dear friends.  It is powerful to come together for the purpose of serving and advocating for the orphans in the world.

There are many ways that we can advocate for the orphan.  Sponsoring a child, adoption and Foster Care are a few. I wrote about how sponsoring a child in need helped open our eyes to see God's dream for us to adopt here.

There are so many needs out there it sometimes feels overwhelming.   Like Sweet Terraffa who lives at at Drawn from Water who is experiencing some health issues right now.  He is in need of sponsors to pray for him and help support him financially.  And, there are so many more stories out there of orphans in need.

I'm praying for Orphan Sunday 2010 to open eyes to the needs and touch hearts in our family and through out the country.

A Walk to Beautiful

It takes some time to watch this, but it shows what many women in Ethiopia have to go through and some amazing people that are helping these women heal.  What struck me, is how even though my circumstances are far different than these women's circumstances, my heart was right there with them.  One lady talked about wanting to be a good wife and mother, and if she could not do that because of this medical issue that she didn't know what to do.  There is a bond between women, even if we are on the other side of the world from each other.

Click here here to watch this special.