Join Me in a Waltz

The tempo is slow. The movement is beautiful but somehow it feels a little like going around in circles.

It's never good when an email is titled "Good News and Bad News".  We finally got some news from Uganda. As you can guess I am currently doing all that I can to focus on the glass being half full. : /

Today our lawyer was able to pick up the probation officers report that we have been waiting over 6 weeks for. YEAH! This is truly a victory and I am praying that God was able to do more than obtain a paper, but I am praying for him to take hold of this officers heart and help him to see what an essential part he plays in this story. Without his help, these children will never have families. What an incredible opportunity he has to be a blessing to many instead of a bump in the process. I am asking God to show him the beauty of adoption, to inspire this man to WANT to do his job with excellence. When I get to Uganda I will find this man and hug him and tell him clearly how much God loves him; not because he completed a report but because he is a child of God, adopted in his own way.

However,it turns out that another report is missing. It's possible this was one step forward and two (or more) steps back. It should have been obtained back in October when they found Isaac. It comes from this same man. We have no idea how long this will set us back, only that "these reports are even MORE difficult to obtain."

1, 2, 3...1, 2, 3

At the moment I am counting to 10. Breathing deeply and remembering that God is always on time. There are two things rushing around my mind right now. One is that cheesy christian poem "Footprints". I don't think it is a part of the original version but somewhere along the way I heard a version where in addition to the hardest times in our lives when we see only one set of footprints in the sand (where it we can be quick to assume God left us alone, but in reality we see one set of prints because God is carrying us through the hard times)...there is also a part of the path where the footprints seem to be in chaos going in every direction and even stepping on top of themselves. "That was when we danced!" Sometimes in the moments that seem the most chaotic and crazy we just need to stop and listen for the music...it's not a chaotic whirlwind at all...it is a beautiful dance, we just have to follow his lead, lean in and go for it.

If for some reason you have never come across the footprints poem...you can read it here :
http://www.footprints-inthe-sand.com/index.php?page=Poem/Poem.php

The second thing rushing around in my mind is actually another song God has given me to encourage me and prepare me for moments like this. It is currently being overplayed on K-Love (sorry about that, but it's probably on so often because I need to hear it so often). It is the song "Glorious Unfolding" by Stephen Curtis Chapman. He is also a father of adopted children. He has also experienced a(n even greater) loss. So for this song to be his perspective on life comes as a great encouragement to me.

                                                            "The Glorious Unfolding"

Lay your head down tonight
Take a rest from the fight
Don’t try to figure it out
Just listen to what I’m whispering to your heart
‘Cause I know this is not
Anything like you thought
The story of your life was gonna be
And it feels like the end has started closing in on you
But it’s just not true
There’s so much of the story that’s still yet to unfold

And this is going to be a glorious unfolding
Just you wait and see and you will be amazed
You’ve just got to believe the story is so far from over
So hold on to every promise God has made to us
And watch this glorious unfolding

God’s plan from the start
For this world and your heart
Has been to show His glory and His grace
Forever revealing the depth and the beauty of
His unfailing Love
And the story has only begun

We were made to run through fields of forever
Singing songs to our Savior and King
So let us remember this life we’re living
Is just the beginning of the beginning

And this is going to be a glorious unfolding
Just you wait and see and you will be amazed
You’ve just got to believe the story is so far from over
So hold on to every promise God has made to us
And watch this glorious unfolding

Welcome to the Waiting

After a month of rushing we have settled back into a season of waiting. It has been six weeks since our last post and we have sat in silence. No movement on our case at all. The waiting is always hard, especially now that the enemy can use the pain of loosing Simon to evoke feelings of anxiousness and fear. It is a daily battle to prevent hoping and dreaming from crossing that fine line into unrealistic expectations that lead to disappointment. On the other end of the spectrum I fight to battle fear and anxiety of this falling through again with the truth that I know this is a path we walk closely with God leading us each step of the way.

Many of you have recently joined us on this journey to adoption. It is always encouraging to share the story of how we came to know that God wanted us to grow our family through adoption. It is also good for me to start back at the beginning and remember that this was not a decision we made but a calling we have felt deep in our hearts. Our goal was to seek out the place of greatest need and that led our hearts to Uganda. We knew going in that this was a risky program. Naively I think I expected God to guide us through it effortlessly anyway. I know each bump in the road, each time we've started back at square one and each beautiful photo has only confirmed what we know in our hearts. God loves all of his children and he has a greater plan than our eyes can see. He will use this for good and looking back it will all make sense. 

These days we seem to be greeted with "Any news?" more often than "hello." Thank you all for waiting along with us. I hope that in some way our story touches you. 

Please pray for a breakthrough in this process. We need a PO report (honestly, I don't even know what that is but I am told that it is essential) and we are having difficulty obtaining ours. We have been led to believe it is a particular individual getting in our way but we know that God is bigger than any one man. More than I want this report I want this mans eyes to be opened up to God's love for him and for these orphans. So please pray that his heart softens and as a result our paperwork is released. Thank you.