Pray, pray, Jesus listens

After Joel's exclamation I was convinced of a world disaster, but no, it was good news! Seven referrals this week! Hallelujah! Three baby boys, three baby girls, and a toddler boy. Those waiting for boys waited 11 months. Keep praying! If we waited 11 months like these families it would mean we would get our referral in early March and travel 3-4 months later.

It was a sweet answer to prayer. It's just like the verse, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when desire comes it is the tree of life (Proverbs 13:12)." We know about deferred hope, but we're beginning to see the tree of life.

This week I picked a number - 5 - and prayed for 5 referrals, next week I'm picking three. It's a short week :).

A Baby Boy & A Baby Girl

I don't know who they are, but we're very happy for the families who were given their referrals this week! In our update it also said that the wait for a baby boy is 8-12 months. I've decided I will be ecstatic if we get a referral in 12 months (April). This is only 2 months longer than they originally said and after our first experience adopting and waiting, and watching others wait years longer than originally thought, two months is a cake walk! Let's hope that's all it is, keep praying for referrals. The baby boy was 7 weeks old. We are praying Zadok will be as young as possible, remember we have a four more months to wait before we can get him. We are praying too though that this time is shortened. We are trying to cover all aspects of this adoption in prayer, because we know God hears and desires to work.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6

We're also praying for...

1. For Zadok's health, his birth mother's health. Salvation for his birth family. Comfort for her and any other family as she has to give up her son.

2. That Zadok would be a happy healthy boy!

3. That all four of us would bond quickly with him, and the boys would be prepared for their new brother.

4. That God would cover all of our expenses.

5. For God's hand on our travel and that all we do there would go well.


Thank you Jesus for two babies being united with their families!

Big Oops

In my last post two great things happened (lots of referrals and a special Thanksgiving trip) and I forgot to thank the giver of those gifts. Thank you Jesus, for blessing us with this trip, and Hallelujah, Praise the Lord for the referrals!

Referral Update & Thanksgiving Jolliness

You are going to be so glad you checked to see how many referrals there were this week! SIX! Woo-hoo, that's the most I can remember. And the better part (for us anyway) is that 3 of them were baby boys. That means they go further down the list to find families who ask for baby boys. So the more baby boys are given families the closer we get to Zadok! But this is a little selfish, and I do want baby girls to come too for other families.

I had to reorganize the ticker... so here's the explanation. When I got a little clue about where we were on the list (I was not told - they don't tell) I assigned myself #77, so the countdown is how many referrals there have been since I thought we were #77. The closer we get to #77, the closer we get to Zadok. As well, the families waiting for baby boys waited for 12 months. We have been waiting for just over 7 months.

Now for the Thanksgiving Jolliness. We decided on the spur of the moment to go to New York City as a family to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. This will of course be spectacular! I was able to get in contact with a place that has their own "spot" to watch the parade for people with special needs. This means that we'll hopefully have a good spot to watch and I won't have to get up at the crack of dawn to get said spot. We'll leave on Wednesday and come back on Friday. Everyone loves a parade, right?!

That Zadok...

He's a bit slow coming! I have decided I am not going down without a fight. I think if the Lord hadn't led us to adopt Isaac, we would have waited 4 years or more for a baby from Colombia, I don't want to wait that long for Zadok! I'm getting old people. The referrals seem to be slow in Ethiopia adoptions lately. So, how do I fight? By praying. I need your help though! Please help me to pray that there will be more children that find families.

Every Friday we get an update on how many referrals were given. I don't know for sure, but I am guessing we are around 67 on the list. For Ethiopia adoptions there is one list, no matter the age or sex asked for, so when a referral is given I bump myself up on the list. If families ask for waiting children* I do not move myself on the list since I don't know if they are in front of me or behind me. I'm hoping this way I will be plesantly surprised at getting a referral quicker than I think!

Obviously getting that Friday update is exciting, at least if there are referrals. There weren't any last week, so here's hoping for tomorrow! For all you adoption addicts out there, I will try to keep you posted so you can count down with me. When I post my Friday update, please take a moment to pray for more referrals. Not only are we praying for Zadok, but all those precious children to come home to families who love them and who have been waiting for them. There's so much that can be prayed for! Thank you, from this Mama, who badly wants a little baby in her arms.

*The waiting child list usually includes children with special needs, older children, or sibling groups. Isaac was on the waiting child list, and we had to request him, then a referral was given. Any waiting family can ask for a child on the waiting child list as long as your social worker approves your family for the child. Those waiting for referrals are waiting for children that are what they've asked for and been approved for (we've asked for a boy ages 0-12 months).

Yankees!

It has been nine years after all... they at least deserve a picture on my blog. I learned in school that Yankee means American. So nice to be an American :).

Fall Deliciousness

All of these are of both boys.

Isn't it beautiful? This is real :)

He writes better than me! He was proud of this one and made me take a picture.

He did this to himself, and I wonder if he is trying to tell me something...

Yesterday was so nice, and with Isaac's dentist appointment I knew we'd have no time to be out, so we moved school outside.

We had a very cold fall to start, and I had given up... but the Lord has blessed us with some warmth before the big freeze! It could be in the 70s on Friday. So we've been enjoying the weather and the scenery.

The boys are both doing well in school. Isaac was funny on Tuesday - here's the story: He had a dentist appointment in the morning and was a bit sad to go to school without time to play at home. He was sad getting on the bus. As I suspected he turned around at school and had a great day. But he played a role for the bus driver, making a sad face like he'd been that way all along. He tried to make me believe that too. Silly boy. He's been very happy with me at home and we've had some of our best days ever (in two years people!). The down side is it is the opposite when Joel is home. Isaac has many more tantrums and it's frustrating for all of us to see the turn in his behavior. I love my husband to pieces and I hate that I have a bit of dread in me for his days off. Pray for us tomorrow, Joel is off and it would be nice to have a good day!

Caleb's school is keeping me busy! I just resign myself to getting not much done during the day. He's at a point where more is required of him, but he still needs help. He is doing great with reading and has his nose in a book constantly. I'm enjoying learning about history again - I am much more interested now! We enjoy our mini field trips too. We got to see a huge salmon swimming upstream at our local park. I was poking at it because I thought it was dead - it wasn't (the picture is on top because I can rarely move the photos on blogger without it involving frustration!).

GO YANKEES!