proud...

hoping to be the proud owner of a new (to me) mini van in the not so distant furture! Please pray that we make wise decisions and are good stewards of the money that God has blessed us with!

Prayer request....

I love being a foster mom, we enjoy having Doodle Bug in our home and desire more than anything God's best for her! Please pray with us daily that if God's best is better than forever with us that He will prepare our hearts for that! We are so desperately in love with this little girl and I know that our Lord and Savior has a plan for her life and we are eternally grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it, even if only for one chapter!

We have known from the start that we will have children come into our home and then return to their rightful home and we know when the time comes for a child to leave that we will mourn but please pray that we will also dance with joy and thanksgiving for the time we had and the restoration that occurred!

I know without a doubt that God created me to be a foster mom and to love on children and plant seeds in their life so that they will come to know Him! Please pray that this call remains my primary focus and that I remember to hold on tightly to His promises and loosely to His children!

No sweeter sound...

Right now I am listeninig to our little angle cry her self to sleep. She's full, dry and warm and so very tired! We are trying to get her used to falling asleep in her own bed; the first week or so bed time was a cinch but now she cries and fights sleep! (it really stresses Dad out but I have learned to tune it out) I'm a fan of letting her cry for a bit because I don't want to get to a point where she refuses to sleep in her on bed but at the same time if she is screaming the whole time she is in her bed she might begin to think that her room is a horrible place... oh what to do!?!

The good thing is when she wakes up in the middle of the night for a feeding she goes right back to sleep with no problem! She is still sleeping for 3 to 4 hour streches and we are alternating nights getting up with her since we are both working. (I am blessed with such a woderful husband)

We are slowly but surely getting used to our new life as (foster)parents! We have been out to dinner a few times and shopping several times and every time S has been so laid back!

It's amazing how much we love her... with wreckless abandon! I could never imagine not loving any child in our home with my whole heart but I love with parts of me that I didn't know that I had!

We are so amazed at how God is working in our lives through this little girl and can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for our future!

Please pray for her birth mom, that the Lord will make Himself known in her life and that she will surrender to Him and that He will restore her to His intention for her life!

shut.up.and.watch

Frustrations with the process have multiplied… near unbearable at times.
I’m not good at waiting… silence for me is like torture!

Last Tuesday was 1 month from the date of our last home visit with DCS and we had heard nothing. I sent an email to our case worker to inquire about the status of our licensing and a few days later got a not so encouraging reply. Please pray for Laura and her co-workers @ DHS. I can’t imagine how difficult their job is because of the nature of their job but they are also overworked!

So here we are still waiting, mostly in silence! I have really been struggling with this. I want nothing more than children in our home and I know that God is going to bless us with children but I struggle with patience while we wait for his timing.

I have been praying about whether or not I should try to call other people or call more often to expedite the process and I found my answer… one of my most favorite passages of scripture is Exodus 14… there you find Moses leading the ever so doubtful Israelites out of Egypt and the Egyptians are in hot pursuit… the Israelites are convinced that Moses has lead them into the wilderness because who wants all those dead bodies in Egypt… It’s Moses’ response to their complaints that nails me to the floor…

Moses spoke to the people: "Don't be afraid. Stand firm and watch GOD …
GOD will fight the battle for you.
And you? You keep your mouths shut!”

Then Moses strikes the Red Sea with his staff and the Israelites make it across the dry river bed and turn and see the Egyptians wiped away by the collapsing walls of water.

I like to sum 14:14 up with a simple phrase… shut up and watch!
I know that God is going to bless us with children… I know that we are going to be foster parents… I know that it is all in his time… I sometimes forget that He doesn’t need my help (or complaints).

Please pray that I will not respond to silence in bitterness! I know that this period of waiting will only make it that much sweeter when we have children in our home.

Please pray that I will surrender my desire for control into the hands of my Heavenly Father, who will deliver me from the wilderness every.single.time!

not so patiently

Our “final home visit” was last night. I was all excited about getting one step closer to being foster parents, only to find that only God knows when we will be certified. I’m not good at being patient. I know that God is in control but my heart sank when she said that she didn’t know when she could write our homestudy or when it would be approved. I know that hearing “your next in line” was supposed to be comforting but it wasn’t. I just can’t explain the desire that I have to be a mom, even if it’s to a child that will go back to a birth family. I know that separation will be difficult but I never expected this wait to be so painful at times. I know that there are children out there that need to know what love is and Shaun and I are filled with love we can’t wait to share it.

Please pray that God will fill the pit in my heart. Please pray that I will be patient and trust in the Lord. Please pray for the Children that God will place in our home and in our forever!

Frustrated

Please pray for me. I am getting very frustrated with DCS, we have been trying to get our finger printing done but they still haven't entered us into the system! I have called and left messages and sent emails to the person in charge but she will not respond... I don't want to be a pain but I am anxious and we hope to complete the licensing process quickly, there are some specific time frames that we have to get things done in.

A few minutes ago I called and left a VM for the lady we initially spoke with at DCS because I am getting discouraged and she just called me back... She told me that the lady who I have been leaving messages for has been sick, however I know she has been in the office because she has communicated with other people in our class. She is going to fax me the form that she needs to enter us into the system. This means we will be filling it out for the second time but at least there has been communication!

Praying this now open line of communication will remain open...

† Pray †

Excited about a possible job opportunity for Shaun! It's been time for change for a while now, and he is definitely motivated! Praying for God's wisdom and guidance. I am faithful that something will come of this but uncertain as to what. Asking for God's peace and courage for both of us, as we are facing many changes in the not so distant future!