Finger print appointment...

Got our appointment dates today for the 1st week of December....that is like 4 weeks away. Should I go in earlier?

Thankful 10-11

11. Reminded today to be thankful for my health and the health of family members. Please pray for a friend today who found out that her baby has fluid on his/her brain. Pray for healing and that God will provide what they need to get through this.Thank you.

12. At the same time, I am thankful for the healthcare we have in our country. That we can go to any specialist and get the help we need. In socialist countries you have to wait on a waiting list and see a doctor the government assigns you. This exercise in thankfullness really shows me what I take for granted. We should give thanks in all things (I Thes 3).

Thankful Day 8-9

Thankful for our support systems (family and friends). I remember how hard it was for me to receive from others, it is so much easier to give but very humbling to receive. I learned this lesson when I was in college and continue to learn this. For me it was probably pride and just the way I grew up.

This adoption is another teaching/learning situation for me. When we started our adoption we didn't want to ask friends and family for financial support, so without going into too much personal information we made sure we had the money before we started. However, God's plans aren't our own. We started in one country program (Ukraine) and then switched to Bulgaria. When we switched we lost some money and we have now had to update our paperwork numerous times (homestudy, fingerprints, extentions, notarizing, apostilling, medicals etc) so we 'lost' some money in the process. We decided we would apply to different organizations that help families with adoption costs. We were turned down by one organization because they had too many applicants and not enough funds. The question they all ask is ' have you asked friends, family and your church?' We applied to another organization that works with your church and we received a matching grant from them. However, we had to send a letter to friends and family requesting they join us in our prayers and fundraising. We mailed out 50 letters and received help from 10. It was very difficult for us to send those letters, and we felt so blessed by what we received. We met our match from ABBA so we received our money which has gone towards our international fees. Now as we get ready to accept a referral, soon hopefully, we will need to think about what we will be taking with us to the give to the orphanages. I mentioned I was going to start knitting hats and a friend from our last church donated some hats and sweaters to take with us when we go. I have also put aside some clothes and bought a few things to take. Once we do receive a referral and travel, I believe our agency will give us a list of possible donation items such as vitamins, money for diapers, diaper cream, and shoes.

So thank-you to our friends and family who have been so supportive during this long journey. We covert your prayers most of all and are thankful for you all.

Thankful Day 6-7

6. Thankful for the children God has blessed me with. Caroline who has a great sense of humor, loves to wash dishes for me, loves anything sweet and loves to play soccer and watch t.v. Cathryn who is my snuggle bug, loves giving hugs and kisses, is an encourager to me and loves to sing and swim. Calvin, who is born from my heart and who we don't know yet. God created you in your mothers womb and knew that you would be apart of our family. We can't wait to meet you.

7. Thankful for good friends who laugh with us, cry with us and encourage us.

uscis

Heard back today that NBC (national benefits center ) recieved our i800a extention paperwork in Texas Oct 28th and then it was forwarded on and the NBC logged us in Nov 1. So maybe a couple more weeks until our fingerprint appointment?

On another note, we had snowflakes today and it is very cold. Thankful for a warm home:)

Quick question for other PAP's, did you mail a copy of your homestudy to your agency and to Bulgaria? Does it need to be apostilled? My agency isn't replying to my emails asking them this questions. Thanks

Day 3-4 of thanksgiving

3. Thankful for God's word, the Bible. This is where I find truth and how to live my life. If I weren't a christian it would be so hard to know what is right or wrong. Feelings and situations change, but God's word doesn't. Thank you Lord for your words that lead us, encourage us, convict us, guide us and point us to you.

4. Thankful for forgiveness and grace. Forgiveness of my sins, and that I am able to forgive others because of Christ's example. Grace, without God's grace we would all be condemned to hell. Thank you Jesus for paying our debt on the cross.

30 days of Thanksgiving....

Day 1....thankful for my husband who works tirelessly for his family, day in and day out. I know he would rather be a theologian, teaching, studying and debating . He strives to be a better husband, father and child of God each day and because of this I love him and appreciate him.

Day 2...thankful that our country has the freedom to vote (even though I can't vote as I am not a citizen).