Up date on our travel.

I will be traveling on November 13 and will be returning home on Thanksgiving day.
I'm sad I will miss the day with my family but we have so much we will be thankful for.
Waiting a week was not an option.:)

I have witnessed God's perfect timing in all of this. My dad and I have got to spend some great times together. The Lord gave me an incrediable gift when he gave me time with my father.
I'm not sure how much time he has left because it looks like he is not going to have the surgery. They told him 6-8 months. But do any of us know how much time we have.
I'm enjoying taking pictures and hearing his laugh. I'm falling in Love with a man
that I should of fell in love with years ago..

Robin

So you may wonder what is going on.

Friday morning came with a buzz of excitement around our house.
I talked to Ares Of Hope and they said everything must of went great
with Joseph's visa or they would of heard. "So go ahead and book your travel for the
4Th of November" I called and got our travel agent on finding us a flight out and
I called all my friends and the Dr's. office for Jo's Dr appts. I couldn't believe
that I was so close to going and getting our little boy...
I called the office again because of a question I had and that is when they informed
me that Joseph's visa apt got cancelled. He has not even had his visa appt yet.
I was shocked and alittle bit discouraged. I had been praying all week for his visa
appt and thought that it was happening. They told me to cancel all travel plans and make them for the next week. I had to call and cancel his Dr appts and call everyone back to tell them.
Please pray for Joseph and his health.

My sweet Taylor brought this article to me last night and said "mom you have to read this"
On Contentment
We are all guilty of thinking that we cannot possibly do the next thing until this or that takes place. We have a displaced feeling. Our heavenly Father knows how to place us where we may learn lessons we could not learn in any other place. To be aware of his divine plan, you must have faith that all is well'. There is not one circumstance the Lord's hand hasn't touched. There is not one disaster that surprises Him. 2Chronicles 16:9 " For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.." My Brother has asked me in times of turmoil, "Is this something you cannot trust God with?"
Today , let's do the next thing trusting that His control is over the very circumstance that may be "too big" for Him to handle. Get to your next task. Must you do laundry? Do the children need to be read to? Has dinner been planned? IS there sewing to be done? Be JOYFUL as you work today. Proverbs 15:13 How can you be joyful with 'that' burden still looming? I love to recall this verse in times of fierce heat: Daniel 3:17 " If it be so, our God whom we serve is ABLE to deliver us from the fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O King." Let us meditate on contentment. Proverbs 15:15 "All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart doth good like medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones." Ecclesiastes 2:24 " There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink. and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God."
-Article from "Seasons at Home" magazine

So tonight and every night until we can bring Joseph home I pray that I rest in the
truth that my God is in control and he knows all things and I can trust Him with this adoption and with my very life..

love ya,
Robin

We got our I600 approval..

Our Senators office called this afternoon and said that INS had just
called her and said that our I600 had been approved and mailed out.
I started crying. She was just saying how happy she was for us..
It was such a surprise because we had been told that it would be next week.
Now we are waiting on Acres Of Hope to call us and let us know how his
visa apt went today. I'm sure it will be tomorrow before we find out anything.
I pray it went well.
I'm very close to leaving on an airplane and I can't wait to go to Africa and
see my little boy.....

Robin

Today is the Day...

Today is the day we have been waiting for. Joseph's birth- parents have
to meet with the visa lady. This is it!!
I was talking to a friend last night and she was laughing at me because
I keep saying if I go to Liberia. I keep holding my breath and protecting
my heart from the possible disappointment that Joseph wont come home.
I keep thinking all of this is just leading up to someone telling me
we can't adopt him.. Is that crazy or just myself not believing in one HUGE God who
knew long before I did that Joseph was meant and is meant to be part of our family.
I just can't allow myself to believe he is really coming here until I hold him
in my arms.

I know we have along rode ahead of us when we get him home with his surgery and all
but I face those unknowns with certainty that God has it all under his watchful eyes.
So today I pray that half way across the world God has his eyes on Joseph...

Robin

Do you really Listen?

I have been thinking alot about the way I listen to people.
Have you ever been talking to someone and just notice they seem
to be hurrying you up just by their very posture?
The way their eyes never really engage you.You can tell their not
the least bit interested in what your saying.
I wonder what it would feel like to talk to my Lord face to face.
I wonder if he would give me that nod of ok are you through yet?
I wonder if he would turn his eyes from me.
Of course we all know the answer to those questions.
If we're supposed to be imitators of our Lord than I think
we need to slow down and really listen to others.
I try to teach the kids that your body posture says more than your words.
If we are to really die to ourselves than we have to master listening to
others. It's not always fun or enjoyable but it's something our Lord does
well and so we should also.

So how do we teach this in our home:
1- teach our older children to stop and get down on the younger ones level and make eye contact.
2-I teach our boys that when their listening or talking with an adult to stand at attention and put their hands behind their back.This just reminds them that who their
talking to demands their respect and undivided attention.Not because of who they are but because of the position they hold.
3-I practice with the younger boys to always look adults in the eyes when their talking to them.We set up sessions in our home where they pretend they are talking to
someone from our church or their grandma ete..You have to practice this for it to become a habit. This is part of our school. I will get the boys to be playing ball and Taylor will pretend to be Mrs. Brown who walks by and talks to Cooper and I will walk him through how he is supposed to stop stand with his hands behind his back and look her in the eyes and how he is even supposed to respond to her questions.
For example: Hello Cooper how are you?
I'm fine Mrs. Brown how are you?

So Cooper what have you been doing?
Please teach your kids not to say "nothing"

I have been playing with my brothers and learning to read.


Ok Cooper have a great day.
You have a great day too Mrs.Brown


This will become second nature to your children if you start teaching it early.
We make a game of it and it's fun and we love when they put into practice what
we have been teaching them..

Kids that have manners are not an accident, they have been taught and they have
practiced using their manners over and over...


So as I go about my day today I'm going to try and Really listen to the people I come in contact with today.

Robin

A weekend in Mississippi

We went to Mississippi this weekend. It's been ALONG time since we visited with
family there. Most of them had never met Cullen or Channie and only a few had seen Coop. So it was a great time to catch up and it was a huge diversion from the adoption scene.Most everyone there was supportive of our adoption and I'm so glad to feel like they will love Joseph..

On the way home we stopped and saw my dad. Expecting him to be like he was Friday you can imagine my surprise when he was able to get in my van and go eat an icecream and ride around for an hour.
He was in a great mood and although he still acts alittle goofy he is starting to be able to take care of himself..That is such an answer to prayer.


I would ask that you keep Jo in your prayers this week. This is a BIG week for us all.
He has his pre-visa interview tomorrow and the real one on Thursday.
We are expecting to hear from our paper work any-day and in fact heard from the
lady who is working on it today. So that is a great way to start our Monday..
If all goes well we should be traveling next Friday..
Please Pray Hard..

Rob

Ok I know they cut his curls.......

We got new pictures of baby Jo tonight. What a surprise.
The neat thing about this picture is all of the kids found him
one small toy to send over a few weeks ago and guess what those
are the toys he is playing with..Cullen said "my turtle" they were
just thrilled and so was mama and papa..This makes it soo hard not to
want to get on the first plane over and go bring him home....

Please continue to pray for our paper work and for Joesph as he fights
from being sick..Look at those floors spotless........

love,
Robin

Stop and consider God's wonders. Job 37:14

If God gave me nothing else he has given me already so much. My kids are such a joy to me. I love homeschooling them and being around them all day. When I stop and consider God's wonders in my life these little souls take my breath away. I would trade nothing for my days. Getting up to the sound of laughter and going to sleep with the sound of "your my best mama". Who deserves that? Not I.
I was getting clothes out of the dryer and Cullen and Channie got in the dryer...Can you imagine being so small.. After I took their picture I told them the danger of doing that but I thought how much longer would they as brother and sister be able to fit in my dryer...

Everyday the boys bring me flowers. They come from my garden or the pasture but I have little flowers laying all over my house on a daily bases. The other day Coop walks in and says "mom I have a flower for you" I busted out laughing(see picture below) I could not believe how loved I felt.

This rainbow was the view from our front porch last weekend. Cullen was blown away by this sight..I was too..

I love my life and I love my Lord and I praise his name for these little beings that I get to call my children,my blessings, my friends.

So today, I have considered God's wonders and I praise his name for his perfect will for my life...

Robin

Take a good look at God's wonders-they'll take your breath away. Psalm 66:5

Sitting in the middle....

I have to admit this to you as well as to myself. Waiting has never been something I have done gracefully. I try to push through and get things done on my own strength.
Through this whole adoption process The Lord has taught me how to wait on him. I'm not good at it but at least I feel I have moved from the driver's seat to the seat in the middle. You remember that seat when you were younger the bench seat up front.Mom would sit on one side and dad on the other and me in the middle..Well that's where I am driving down this adoption road. Sitting in the middle seat and telling God "you should of turned there" and Him saying "who's driving" well you are Lord. He looks at me and tells me He knows exactly where he is going and he does not need me to tell him how to get there or where to turn. He does not need me to tell him when we need to leave.So I sit back and relax knowing that he has it all under control and knowing that my life, our adoption, my dad, Joesph are all under His control and I can trust him... I can enjoy the ride and know that I can sleep because he is driving.

Be strong and courageous.
Do not be terrified;do not be discouraged,
for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9

Thank you Lord,
Robin

My Dad

Well I thought I would throw a quick up date on my dad.
He is some better. His talking has improved and he seems
to know where he is now.
I talked to him about coming and putting his travel trailer
on the front of our property for a while. I know he has along
way to go before that happens but I wanted to give him something
to look forward to.
He looked half way interested.He was worrying about paying me rent.
I would be so happy if he got better and lived out the remainder of his
life here. He could be the grandpa my kids have never had and take them
fishing and stuff. I know I know I'm dreaming.....I don't want to put pressure
on him or anything but I sure would like for him to start a new life. Why not start
a new life with me...It was really nice walking out of the hospital with a hope
that he might be ok.

Robin

Great Prizes for a Great cause.......

Thursday, October 11, 2007
Great Prizes for a Great Cause

Do you like winning things? Do you like helping people? If you answered "yes" to both questions, this is the place for you. (I won't ask which you like better!) Now, first: the story, then: the gifts!

I want to introduce you to a family. Jon and Christie D. (no last name to protect identity) and their boys. Jon is our wonderful pastor and the best shepherd of a flock that I have ever seen! He and his wife, Christie, love our church and serve it faithfully and sacrificially. I could go on and on and list the ways that they serve our church body and the community that we are in. I could list the times they were called to help someone in the middle of the night. . .The number of community organizations that Jon sits on boards for. . .the number of life lessons I have learned through their faithful example. However, all you really need to know is that they are amazing, faithful people full of integrity. They also happen to be adopting. After 10 years of infertility, Jon and Christie thought adoption would be the way that God chose to expand their family. God had a surprise in store for them, 6 years ago when they found out that they were pregnant with their first son. 3 years later, surprise little boy number 2 came along! While Jon and Christie love their little boys, they still felt their family was not complete. They continued to try to get pregnant while pursuing the options in adoption. This year has brought 2 miscarriages and a renewed sense of God's call to help the orphans through adoption. They prayerfully considered many countries open for adoption and soon settled on VIETNAM! They are now pursuing an adoption of a little girl.

You may be thinking, "how does this affect me?". God's Word is clear about helping others. He says over and over throughout the Bible to "share with God's people who are in need" (Romans 12:13), especially pastors ( I Tim. 5:17-18)! Please join us in helping this wonderful family answer God's call to care for a little girl halfway around the world who needs a family so desperately.

THE BONUS!!!!!
We are giving away PRIZES!!!! Now, are you curious?
Prize #1: TIFFANY & CO. SILVER NECKLACE (Return to Tiffany, Oval Tag)
*used but polished and comes with tiffany box complete white bow
Prize #2: Pampered Chef Basket full of fun and useful kitchen tools
Prize #3: A Goodie Bag of Professional Beauty Supplies (donated by Friends Beauty Supply)
Prize #4: Sea World Tickets for 2
Prize #5: TimeWise® Microdermabrasion Set from Mary Kay
Prize #6: A new blog header and background by Whitney R.
*the girl who just redesigned mine

* For every $5 you donate, your name will be entered in our contest. (so, if you donate $20, your name will be entered 4 times and so on and so forth, you get the picture)

* If you cut and paste this post on your blog to encourage your readers to join in on the fun, guess what? We will enter your name AGAIN.

* If people donate from your blog, ask them to write your blogname in the "Comments" section and for every $100 donated, we'll enter your name a THIRD TIME.

Contest winners will be drawn at random as soon as all of the money is raised! Let's go girls!

Just go back to your blog, write a post encouraging your readers to join in the fun and link this post. Then, come back here and add your name through "Mr. Linky".

1. Becki
2. Laura 3. Erin
4. Dearest Jessica 5. Jen
6.
You're next!
This site is using auto-links. If you are participating in Great Prizes for a Great Cause, enter your name and URL in the form below and press Enter.
Your name:
Your URL:
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And have you read about Mister Linky's new features?
Don't forget to leave a comment... Thank you!
Sorry about this morning's downtime!! (read more)

Learn more about Great Prizes for a Great Cause here.

Posted by Brandi at 5:41 PM 4 comments Links to this post

Joesph's Visa Apt.

Well we found out that Jo's visa appt is not until Oct.23 and 25 this is where his case will be presented to the US visa lady who will determine if he is an orphan and can leave Liberia. So we have a few weeks to get things finished up here.
We have been told that she (the visa lady) is trying to protect every child and to make sure every child is an orphan and not just a Victim of child trafficking. So I do respect her for making sure everything is done right but it's a lot of work for the Acres of Hope staff to make sure everything is done perfectly..

My dad is not doing well. He is mentally not there. The Dr's don't know why. They have him on no medication or anything that would make him act so goofy. He can talk but you can't understand him alot of the time. He thinks that he is in prison and is being accused of stealing 16 million dollars. He REALLY believes this and you can't convince him otherwise.
I can tell him I love him and he says it back and he knows me it seems but you can't really be for-sure...It's so sad to see one of your parents in this shape. He can't even get a drink by himself. He can do nothing. He just lays there and talks to you and I look at him and wonder if he will ever come out of this. My heart just breaks every time I go to see him. I hate seeing him like this. I hate the way the nurses and staff look at him. I hate the way our relationship is and was. It puts me in such a state of confusion over what it is I'm supposed to be doing. I have seen him one time this whole year. On his birthday in March. I have not heard from him since, what am I supposed to be feeling?
I can't stay at the hospital because I have 5 kids and one on the way. But my first response is to go in and try to fix everything. I can't fix this.
I can't fix my dad I have never been able to. What makes me think I can do anything now.
I guess the Jim Beam won. I don't think my dad will be ok. I don't think he can come back from this. He seemed worse today and they are talking of putting a feeding tube in.
Gosh that seems weird to write about my own dad. A feeding tube.

Please just pray for our family. It's tough but I know that God is working all of this together for His glory and my good.


Robin

Joesph is coming home..

Yesterday we got the news that our baby boy is coming home.
He got his pass-port!!!!
We are so excited and can't wait to travel to meet our newest member of the family.
I cannot believe it's so close now.

Good night sweet Jo and I'm coming to get ya...........................

My Dad.

I got some very sad news this morning. My dad has had three massive heart attacks and his kidneys are shutting down and his liver.I found myself crying out loud. You never think that you will get that phone call and then you do. I have often thought of this call and wondered how I would process it.You see my dad is an alcoholic and he has been for as long as I have been his daughter. I have never known him other than the sober him or the drunk him. It's always one or the other.You plan your day around it plan your night around based on his drinking.Growing up is hard when you have an alcohlic father. He was always there but with that came a burden of his long nights. No-one at his job knew he drank so it was like a family secret. Everyone Loved my father and thought he was so funny and out going and to be honest he was and is. He and I never
really connected as father and daughters should. I hated his drinking and he knew that so he would push me away some and I would let him. Our relationship was mixed with fear of him and never understanding why I couldn't have a dad that loved me. Looking back I'm sure he loved me but when your a 11-12 year old girl you need your daddy to let you know that your his princess. I grew up surviving my child-hood by God's grace. It was scary at times and it was sad alot of the times. God saw me through those years and I learned early to trust in the Lord.
For years I wondered why God didn't give me a story book child-hood. I would ask but it wasn't until years later that he God gave me the answer.
While raising my own precious children I began to forgive my dad. As I held my own kids I felt sorry for my father that he could never love us the way your supposed to love your kids. Alcohol had stolen him from me and my brothers. Alcohol took a man who was supposed to be MY daddy and held him prisoner in his own body and no one could set him free. He is hostage to a disease that this culture promotes and that kids think that it's cool. I have tried over the years to help my dad to plead with him to stop drinking but he would say Priss I can't.
I have checked him in rehab and told him I was there every step of the way...He would get out and start drinking again.
He never understood my life style he always thought I had lost my last marble when we started homeschooling or having another baby. He started coming around less and less because he knew that Scott and I wouldn't allow his drinking around the kids. We really wanted to see him though so we would
get together with him at restaurants and graduations ete but it's always short and always when he was not drinking.
He has told me more times in the past few years how proud he is of me because of my family. He sends Christmas money every year and emails the kids for their birthday and alittle part of me thinks he remembered......
Well, this morning all the memories came flooding back to me. The funny thing is that God gave me all the good memories that flooded my mind and my heart. I just knew I needed to see him and tell him that I loved him.
When I walked in he looked so little and not all like I expected him to look. He looked very sad to me. I couldn't help but to start crying and I knew he would not want me standing over him crying. I touched his hand and said "I love you dad"
He looked at me behind a pair of eyes that I would recognize anywhere and said" I love you too Prissy". That was the name he always called me Prissy. It's simple but it means alot to me. Prissy. I may not have been his princess but I was his Prissy.
The nurses let us stay for an hour. He can't breath real good, so understanding him was hard at times but he kept talking so I kept listening. It was not hard understanding him say I love you when I left.
They are trying to get him ready to have Open Heart Surgery. How ironic that Him and Joesph both will have to have Open Heart Surgery. It is going to be along road for my dad. But..He like Joesph will not be alone. I will never give up praying that my Lord will heal him. I will never give up praying that Alcohol will leave his life forever. I think its time that he lets my dad be my daddy.
If my childhood would have been anything else other that what it was then I would be a different person. I may not have had such a desire to make sure my children knew the Lord and trusted him in all things. Good or Bad God will not leave us. There will be bad times in every ones life but God knows the reason we go through things.
I can honestly say now that I'm older that I understand why I had to go through a bad childhood. I broke a cycle that only I could break.Scott and I are first generation Christians. He used us to start a new generation and why I don't know but I'm thankful to be living this life he has given me.

As for you dad I love you dad and I want you to live so I can build memories with you.
I want you to live so that you can get to know your grand kids.
I want you to live so that you know Christ as your Lord and saviour.
I want you to live so that for many many more years I can hear you call me Prissy.


Robin

A Joesph shower

I'm so excited my church is having us a Joesph baby shower on Saturday.
They have been so supportive of our adoption. I can't wait for Joesph
to meet all of these wonderful people. They pray for him every Sunday and I know
he will be loved and accepted when he gets here.
We have not heard anything today. I was hoping for some news on his pass-port but nothing so far. There is always tomorrow. I have felt better today than I have in a few days. These shots and pills are rough. I can't wait until I'm through with all of the Typhoid pills for some reason I feel very sick the day after I take them. I know all of this will be worth it when I hold his sweet little body in my arms..
I have bought him a ton of snacks hoping that he will like me for my sweets.:)
He has soooo many clothes and shoes I can't decide what to take.
I have thought about doing cloth diapers because that is what he is used to but everyone thinks I've lost it. It never hurts to try something new.
Well, I'm off to bed my days have seemed lonnnnger. Time has slowed way down.
Kinda like your 9 months pregnant and waiting to deliver and it seems like it will never get here.


Rob