We are okay

Just letting you know we are okay. As you know the tornados destroyed parts of downtown and many other places cities, towns, and homes and families. Our house is fine. We are fine. Just waiting for power to come back on which may be a few days. I'm at moms, so that's why I can blog. They have power and hot water. :)
Thanks to everyone who checked on us. We sure felt loved!
As it comes to mind, pray for the 6 or 7 states and the families who were affected by the storms. There is much rebuilding to be done now.

We still haven't received word from the Embassy yet. But wow, the skymiles are flooding in! So exciting! We are SO thankful for everyone who has donated their skymiles! If you have any Delta skymiles and would like to donate, leave a comment of how we can reach you and Brent will gladly give you instructions.

The Folded Napkin

Brent told me something that he learned this week that neither of us knew.
We knew that when Jesus left the tomb, he left the linen cloths there. Now this is the meaning what we did not know and where it gets really interesting. John 20 records that the cloth that covered Jesus' face was folded and laying separate from the other clothes.
In Hebrew society, during meal time if a man got up from the table and threw his napkin down, it meant he was finished with the meal. BUT if he got up and folded the napkin and laid it down, that was the signal that he was coming back and not to remove his plate.
I LOVE IT! Jesus wasn't even out of the tomb before He was leaving a promise of His second coming! He's coming back!
I don't know about you, but I think that is awesome.

Happy Easter!

Information

Just a heads up, I finally just decided to make a new private blog for when we travel. I'm getting it ready. If you wish to view this blog, I will have to email the link to you. If you want to follow along while we are in Peru, send your email in a comment (I will not publish the comment) or email me or send a facebook message.
Thanks.

S.N.S.

S is for Shower
We had the 3rd adoption shower a few weeks from our home church. It was just as great as the other two! But there was an extra suprise. There is a class of senior adults who said they were going to do the "grandparent" gift. So they got 2 bikes and tricyle for the kids! They even got 2 helmets. WOW! We were so excited! We started to purchase some bikes one day, but we weren't exactly sure what to get and decided to wait. Then these gifts came and they were perfect! They were exactly what we wanted! (even though we didn't know it until we saw them! haha!)
There are lots of miles to be driven on those tires!

Since the world (or rather part of the world) is celebrating Holy Week, our agency said all activity (i assumer legal activity) has ceased in Peru and will start again next week. Hopefully then the Embassy will send our approval and we can be on our way. We didn't realize we had to wait for this part, so it's MUCH longer than we thought. But God has His timing, so for now we are still waiting.

N is for Notice
I also turned in my notice at work the other day! WHAT?!?! I don't know why I got so nervous, they have know about the adoption and me leaving from the day they hired me.

S is for Skymiles
This is the most important paragraph in this post.
If you have any Delta skymiles you wish to donate to us that would be fabulous! Just leave a comment or contact me and I will get you the information.

If Life Had Background Music......

then this would have been my theme song the past two weeks. :)




Song: "This Is The Stuff"
By: Francesca Battistelli

Okay! No more complaining!!

This past week = no good.

Well the government shutdown did not happen, Thank You, Lord and we got our offical approvals from USCIS yesterday. We found out that the papers we received about two weeks ago were just papers saying that our case was in process. Now that we have the official approval, we will talk to the agency tomorrow or Tuesday when P is in the office to find out what to do. The past two weeks have actually been the longest for me during the entire adoption. They went by so slow and were probably the most frustrating.

Work was insane! Inside I had no patience with any customer. All of us who work together were so frustrated last week! Finally Friday we could just laugh about it, but Friday had it's share frustrations too! Needless to say we were all MORE than relieved when we finally locked the doors on Friday afternoon.

I held a hostess apprecation party for my jewelry hostesses on Thursday and Friday this week. Kelly was a life-saver and did the show for me. I was so not prepared. I hope to keep doing the jewelry shows when we return from Peru. So I've got to get rolling in lining them up!

On the one and only fun and stress-free day of the week - which happened to be Saturday - Brent and I did some kid shopping yesterday! That was fun! We got some bathroom decor, bedspreads, closet organizers, and a bed and desk!
That same night some of the youth through a surprise birthday party for 2 of the kids. It actually was kind of a disaster, but ended up okay. I think.

This week has got to be better!

PRAY FOR AMERICA

Just a quick note:
Please pray without ceasing for the government tonight and tomorrow. They must reach a decision about the budget by tomorrow at midnight! If they do not reach a decision, then I think there is a mandatory shut down. I don't know details, I just know that means no pay check for government workers and their families! It also means delays for us going to Peru!
Our country needs the Lord.

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." James 5:16

I think this song by Casting Crowns might be appropriate

Hear our cry, Lord, we pray
Our faces down, our hands are raised
You called us out, we turned away
We've turned away

With shipwrecked faith the idols rise
We do what is right in our own eyes
Our children now will pay the price
We need Your light, Lord, shine Your light

If we've ever needed You
Lord, it's now, Lord, it's now
We are desperate for Your hand
We're reaching out, we're reaching out

All our hearts, all our strength
With all our minds, we're at Your feet
May Your kingdom come in our hearts and lives
Let Your church arise, let Your church arise

If we've ever needed You
Lord, it's now, Lord, it's now
We are desperate for Your hand
We're reaching out, we're reaching out
We're reaching out

If we've ever needed You
Lord, it's now, Lord, it's now
We are desperate for Your hand
We're reaching out, we're reaching out

If we've ever needed You
Lord, it's now, Lord, it's now
We are desperate for Your hand
We're reaching out, reaching out

We need You now
Revive us now
We need You now

Blessings by Laura Story

Basketball and Weddings

There a story that is funny to us. One night just a few months after we were married, Brent was watching basketball. It wasn't just any old basketball game, it was a Cavs game. Brent's favorite player is Lebron James. Now when I say favorite player, I mean he's possibly a fanatic. Anyways, when I came into the living room and sat on the couch and began to tell Brent something about the day. He just looked at me, held up his hand, and said, "Shhhh - Lebron's on." and looked back at the TV. Then he looked at me again and we laughed and laughed. It still makes us chuckle when we tell this little funny. :)
His obession, I mean like, of Lebron has calmed down a bit - especially since he owes us $400. But the Heat is now the favorite team.

Now fast foward 7 years and tonight was my turn. I got to return the sweet sentiment! I am excited about the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Tonight, I was watching a show on BBC that was telling the story of the two and Brent was sitting on the couch with me. When the commericals came on, the TV would change to ESPN for the college girls championship. Then a few moments, the TV would change back to the story of William and Kate. Brent decided to talk to me about something about the game and, well, you know what I said - "Shhh! William and Kate are on!" YES! HAHA! GOT HIM!! It was pretty fun!

I guess we will see what will become of Lebron and the Heat. I can't wait for the royal wedding. I don't know if the Heat play on April 29, but I'm thinking Lebron will have to wait on the DVR!

Shower #2

Tonight was our 2nd adoption shower. It was hosted by the church I grew up in. We are grateful for the people in this church. They helped to shape my life. I have so many good memories there. We enjoyed getting to share with them about the adoption. My camera is broken. It quit working last night at Stadium Fest. I do not have any pictures now of this shower. It was so nice. They had a fiesta theme! Bright colors and food. It was so nice. I know there was a lot of hard work that was put into the shower.

At the same time that Brent and I are running around making rooms ready, sorting toys and clothes and getting ready for three new lives in our family, my uncle is fighting for his life. In fact, I don't even know if he will live through the week. He has heart problems. And as far as I know, he is not believer. Yes, he has heard the gospel. More than once I am told. His daughter, Tracy, is a believer. I'm not sure about my aunt.

When was a teenager, he teased me about getting a red convertible when I turned 16 and then again when I graduted high school. For fun, my cousin Jeffrey bought me a red toy convertible at gradution. One of my all-time favorite gifts. I still have it.

My family needs your prayer. I can't imagine what Tracy and my Aunt Sandy are going through and the decisions they have to make tomorrow and in the coming days. My uncle is in desperate need of prayer, maybe the Lord will allow him to live and be coherent and decide to trust Christ. Thank you for praying.