DESTINATION: ELLIE UPDATE

WE HAVE A COURT DATE!

Thursday, June 18th

yes, that's next week~

We are so excited by this news! Our agency director contacted us via email yesterday to share this with us. To say that we are stunned is an understatement. I had actually prepared myself for the October dates! ha!

Please begin to pray with us that we will pass court the first time around. If this happens, we could have our girl home very soon!

WOO HOO!!!

I'll be sure to keep you posted...

Finally, some news..

I have just received word that Ellie was moved to the Transition House in Addis! We have prayed diligently for this to happen, so we are thrilled beyond measure, to say the least.

I have to give a hug thanks to a girl named Elle that is traveling with our agency director in Ethiopia right now. Elle is a teenager and apparently, she has one heck of a heart for God and for children in need. Her mom sent me a message that Elle was with our Ellie when she moved from her orphanage, gave her a bath and has her smelling good now. And Elle is even sleeping with Ellie while she's there with her! I can't tell you how much it means to me to know that someone there is taking a special interest and has fallen in love with my little girl! Elle- I will never be able to repay you for the peace that you helped to restore in my heart, just by knowing you are loving on our Ellie! I pray that God blesses you mightily for your work with His children there.

Still no court date, but we do know that everything was submitted in order to get a date. So, we wait, but with renewed hope, I must say.

Thank you for continuing to pray with us. Because of those prayers, our girl is in a new home with nannies that will love all over her, clean water, a bath and a precious girl loving her too!

Oh, and by the way... she loved the stuffed monkey we sent to her! Whew... thank goodness. We didn't want a repeat of the doll that she hated that we sent! hah!

Celebrating my Guys!

June 1st was a big day in our home! Not only was it Jeff's 41st birthday, but it was also Bryan's 8th grade graduation.

We had a small party for Jeff on Saturday with his mom, sister and family. Good food, good times, good Rummy playing (I now am owner of the coveted mouse).

Jeff, It's an honor to grow older (I didn't say old yet!) with you. You are my best friend, my soul mate, my love, my life here on earth. I love celebrating you! I love that we've spent all of these years making memories together, and this weekend, we've added more. I hope that you had a wonderful day, and I am praying this year that God continues to protect you, strengthen you and grow you. I'm more and more proud of the man you are every day. I love you!

Notice the cake is half gone already. He couldn't resist and neither could Jim! This was Jeff's only request for his birthday.. his mom's German Chocolate Cake!

Dang.. he gets better lookin' every day! Happy Birthday Hon!

Next, there was Bryan's 8th grade graduation. I can't begin to tell you how wild it is to think that we have a high schooler now. Are we really old enough for this? In all seriousness, this was a fantastic ceremony, and I couldn't be more proud of Bryan.

Bryan, I want you to know that I love you so much. I am so proud of you. You've worked hard, especially in the past few weeks, and I am so proud of that! I am proud of the man you are growing into, and I am honored that God chose me to be your mom. I can't imagine a son better designed for this family than you! You are my miracle man, and I love you! I cannot believe you are going to high school in the fall, but I would never want to keep you from all that God intends for you to become. I pray that you are rooted in His word, grounded in your faith, confident of His grace in your life, and always a young man of integrity. Congrats to you!! I love ya!

wow.. I love him in nice clothes! I cried when he came out of his room!

Like Father, Like Son...

Proud parents

Papa, Nana, Bryan and me.. and the coveted diploma!

Marching in to Pomp and Circumstance

Dad and Lad....special day for both of them!

newest version of my favorite picture. Some things you just never outgrow or tire of!

So, it's obviously been a while since I posted here. I haven't had much to say, to be honest. I am frustrated. I hope that I can convey what I am feeling without completely confusing anyone or freaking people out. To be completely honest, I am writing more to help me sort things out than anything, so be patient with me.

We've heard nothing on Ellie.

Nothing.

Nada.

Zilch.

Two weeks ago, we were told that the documents needed to be submitted for court were finally in. Last week, we were supposed to actually be submitted. Yet here we are, almost at the end of May, and still no court date.

Some days, I start to worry. I start asking "Am I really meant to be a mom again?" "Did God ever intend for us to have a little girl?". You know the questions that creep in when you are trying your best to hold it together. I know it's Satan, so don't go worrying that I am having doubts about Ellie. Quite the contrary.

I am so tired of hearing people say that Ellie will be here "in God's timing". Maybe I am wrong here; I'm no scholar after all. But I don't think that everything happens just like He wants it to. After all, if it did, wouldn't Adam and Eve still have been in the Garden? I can think of other instances too, but that came to mind first. Quite frankly, I don't believe that God wants Ellie to be in that orphanage for one more minute, much less one more day, month, year.....I believe that He wants her here, at home, with her family. But it's not happening right now, and I can't make myself believe that it's God that is waiting.

I understand how the process works. I don't hold grudges at all against the government procedures; I get them. But that doesn't keep my heart from hurting because I want her here, and she is still there.

I trust that God led us to Ellie. No doubt about it. I knew the moment that I first saw her picture that she was ours. I just knew. Can't really explain it any other way. Some things are just known within you. And I know that one day she'll be here. I'll even go so far to say that when she is here, all of what I am feeling today will melt away and not matter at all.

But today, I hurt. I miss her. I want her room to be filled with her, not just books, clothing and pretty things. I want my little girl. I can hear Bryan upstairs right now. I want to hear her too.

Pray for us please. This is harder than I ever anticipated. I appreciate how you have covered us in prayer.

Maybe soon we will hear something good....

Running For Ellie

This morning, Jeff joined 11,999 other runners in Louisville for the 2009 mini marathon. Wow.. what a blast! Bryan and I, along with my mom & dad and Jeff's mom were there to cheer him on.
I can't tell you how proud I was of him as he crossed that finish line. He rocked. And.. he was the sexiest runner out there too :)

This was all done as a way to raise money to bring Ellie home. I cannot wait to tell her this story. She's one blessed little girl to have a daddy like him, as Bryan can already attest to.

Jeff coming across the finish line. He's on the right in the visor.

Woo hoo... he made it!

Bryan was so proud

Jeff and his mom.

My mom and dad

I'm proud of you Jeff. I love you!

Dear Bryan & Ellie,

Today is Easter Sunday. All over the world, people have been dressing up in pretty dresses, hiding and hunting for colored eggs, and celebrating the easter bunny's visit to their home. All of that is fun and fine to do. But I wouldn't be a very good mom if I didn't stop to tell you what Easter is really all about. So, this is my Easter gift to you.

Easter is the reason we can celebrate. Without Easter, Christmas isn't complete. As followers of Christ, this day is the day that allows us to live with joy and hope and security, no matter what is going on all around us. Jesus, who was completely human and completely God all at once, willingly died on the cross. It was a cruel death. He was beaten, His body torn. He was bloody and gory, and if truth be told, we probably wouldn't have wanted to look at Him then. Sometimes we make the Cross seem less horrific than it really was. I want you to understand the great lengths that He went to for you and for me, for the world.

They killed Him on that Cross. That was their plan all along. And He knew it when He walked that road towards that hill, carrying that Cross on his back. Scripture tells us that the sun stopped shining and the curtain of the temple was torn in two, breaking the barrier between God and man once and for all. It must have been scary and magnificent all at once to have witnessed that moment.

But, if the story ended there, we'd have no hope. We'd be like others who serve a god that has died and lays entombed still today. No. That's not what happened at all. They put His lifeless body in a tomb, but 3 days later, He arose out of that grave fully alive!! THAT is the reason we celebrate. We serve a Savior who has conquered not only life but death as well!

Bryan, I know you are a believer. I remember the day you asked Jesus to come into your life. I am so excited that you know Him! I pray that you allow His resurrection power to work freely in your life. I pray that you take advantage of the fact that you can go freely to God at any time and for anything. He loves you, even more than your dad and I do (that's hard to fathom!). I pray that you trust that the blood He shed for you is still at work within you today! It NEVER FAILS Bryan. It can get you through anything, even when things seem impossible to you. I love you so much Bryan. I hope that you see me living as one who knows that I serve a Risen Savior every day. Forgive me for those days that I haven't done that.

Ellie, I pray right now that you are surrounded by people who know the Lord. I pray that today they told you the story of Jesus' resurrection. I pray that you are hearing that He loves you each and every day. I pray that one day you will understand that His love for you is bigger than you can ever dream or imagine, and that He died on that cross for you! Just as we are adopting you into our family, God wants to adopt you into His family, Ellie. One day you will understand this, I know. Your coming into our family is a beautiful picture of what God does for us... He finds us in our need, loves us just as we are and where we are, and He will go to any length to bring us to Him. He's always had you on His mind Ellie. Until you understand that for yourself, I will trust Him for you.

I pray that both of you celebrate Easter every day. He IS risen...

I love you,
Mom

I Believe

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:6-7)

I read those words this afternoon. It was perfect timing, no doubt. God knew what I needed to hear. You see, I've been anxious, worried and frustrated. I've been feeling like MY timing is best. I've been wrestling with God about this adoption: what is the hold up, why haven't we gotten our court date? I've been doing too much whining and not enough praying.

Scripture says that I should humble myself before God, and He will lift me IN DUE TIME. It then immediately tells me that He cares for me. Coincidence? I think not. I believe that God understands how hard it is to wait on His timing. So, He immediately follows up those instructions with encouragement that He loves and cares for us.

As we wait for a court date for Ellie, I find myself bouncing back and forth between absolute excitement and doubt. I find myself saying things like "She's never coming home" or "Maybe we were wrong about this". But I know that isn't true. That is Satan trying to get me to give up hope. And well, that is never going to happen!

Did you hear that Satan (because I know you are listening here!)??
I WILL NEVER GIVE UP HOPE!

I believe that God created a precious little girl in a small village in Ethiopia around 2 1/2 years ago. I believe that He knew the extreme poverty that her mother would live in. I believe that He made a plan for her life from the very beginning, a plan that would prosper her and not bring her harm. I believe that He heard the cry of my heart, desiring to be a mother again. And I believe that in His infinite wisdom, God ordained that she would be that child. I believe that God knew from her first breath, that her mother would bring her into the world, but this mother would nurture her future. I believe that God ordained that her mother would step forward with courage and grace to make a plan that would allow her baby to have a life with more opportunity. I believe that He orchestrated every step of this process for us to wind up where she was waiting so that we could become a family.

I believe that one day, she will run through this house, calling me "Mommy" and calling Jeff "Daddy". I believe that she will adore Bryan, her big brother. I believe that she will have sleepovers with Nana, Papa, and Grammy. I believe that she will go to Gatlinburg with her Uncle Chris, Aunt Shelly and Kristin, and love it as much as they do. I believe that she will sing the silly "Sunday School Nightclub" songs with Aunt Lisa, Uncle Jim, Aaron and Breanna. I believe that she will walk through the doors of First Baptist Church into her family that has prayed for her for so long. I believe there will be many good night kisses, long bear hugs, sore throats, skinned knees, and broken hearts. I believe there will be piano lessons, school parties, proms and tests to study for. I believe that one day I will sit in a beautiful sanctuary where she will walk down the aisle on the arm of her Daddy to a man that God has already chosen for her.

I believe that she is my daughter.

Please pray for us as we wait for Ellie. We are in a bit of a crunch with time, as some of our important documents are about to expire. That will only delay bringing her home. Here are specific prayer requests:
1. to have a court date assigned and pass! (specifically assigned this week!)
2. for Ellie to move from her current orphanage to the Transition House in the city
3. continued health and safety for Ellie as she waits
4. for Ellie to begin to understand that we are her family, and that we love her
5. for her nannies and caretakers
6. for the staff of our agency who work so diligently to get through the paperwork chaos!
7. for the other children who are waiting with Ellie for their families
8. for us... as we wait and hope with great anticipation for the day that she is at home with us.

Thank you for how you have supported us in prayer, finances and encouragement so far on this journey. We truly could not do this without the love and support of so many friends and family!

Keep Believing