Approval!!

Who could ask for a better 10th wedding anniversary gift! I guess it saves us both the trouble of buying anything :) We received an email today from our agency, stating that they had "direct contact" with the Ministry this morning that they have been trying to send us our approval since June 10...wow!!! we have been approved for a month and a half and didn't even know it! God is so sooo good! We are so excited to know our file is already at the orphanage being looked at by the Sisters and will be matched with a child!

The only cloud in my day is the thought of the 6 month regret letter. We have until December 10 to be matched with a child before our file is closed. But as I shared with my sweet friend Amy, who came over this afternoon to give me hand-me-downs and a hug (both greatly needed and appreciated!) I don't believe God would lead us this far, opening so many doors, and providing in so many ways, to have it all come to a crashing hult. He has a child in Rwanda waiting for us and my prayer, please pray with me, is that RIGHT NOW, He is preparing that child to come home to our family.

So, before Christmas people!!

Oh, and on a different note, our travel expenses will be about $4,000-$4,500. Please also pray for financial blessing!

Thanks for your prayers and encouragement.

10 years

Tomorrow, my wonderful husband and I will celebrate our 10 yr wedding anniversary. This year will be much different than last year. One year ago, on July 28, 2010, we spent the day at Staples, making 4 complete copies of dossier for Rwanda, not realizing at the start that it would be an all afternoon job! We got take-out from our favorite sushi place for dinner and then I ran to fed-ex to send all that precious paper work on it's way across the world!

Ten years ago on July 28, 2001, it rained on our wedding day. Actually flooding the parking lot of the hotel! But it was one of the best days of my life by far :)

Seven years ago on July 28, 2004, we had a brand new baby at home and my mom came to sit with her for a couple of hours so we could go out to dinner and then to Lowes. I'll never forget the feeling when I realized I had waited too long to get back for her feeding and heard a baby cry in the store! (you mom's know what I mean!)

This year we will celebrate 10 years with dinner at PF Changs, which I have heard great things about, but have never been too (got a coupon from Groupon!)Then we will return to an EMPTY house! My mom has Gracie for the week and Isaac is going to his first sleep-over at a friend's house. We may very well be making a midnight run to Jeffersontown to pick him up :)

We will also celebrate the fact that we received news yesterday that the Ministry has been looking at our file!!! They just contacted us with a couple of clarification questions, but the fact that our social worker in Rwanda has had her hands on our file and read it is wonderful news!! We are praying that the next step, our approval, will come soon, and shortly thereafter, the referral of our precious kiddo!

Thank you Lord for 10 wonderful years with the man of my dreams. For blessing our family and proving for us day by day.

Be still my aching heart.

Not much new to report. I can't remember if I posted a blog about this or not, but the big news this past month or so has been the Ministry's decision to issue what they are calling "regret" letters. Basically stating that once you receive an approval, they will give your case 6 months, and if, at that time, you have not been matched with a child, your file will be closed. That's it, for right now. As we have found in the past year, anything could change.

We got, or I should say I got, really excited/anxious the last couple of weeks as I saw families with numbers all around us, both in front of and behind us, receive approvals. I was, and still am, thinking, we could get ours ANY DAY. I check the email 1st thing in the morning and last thing at night (not that I could expect any news after about 1pm Eastern Time due to the time difference, but why not!)

I had gotten kinda freaked out about the whole thing, to be honest, until a sweet friend of mine said to me, "I'm going to pray that you do not receive an approval until your child is ready to come home."
I don't know why it was hard for me to pray that. All along I have prayed, "Thy will be done." Like if I would pray for something like that, it would be second guessing God's will, you know? I know I am over-thinking everything, but I don't think anyone but another expectant-adoptive parent can really understand the aching in my heart. Is this REALLY going to happen? Have we truly heard God right about this? We are SO ready to welcome our Rwandan kiddo into our arms and home, what if. ultimately, this is not God's plan, but a path He has lead us on with some other final goal that we can't possibly see?

Does this all sound crazy?

What I know: My God loves me. He has called my family and I to adopt. He opened doors and moved mountains to lead us to Rwanda last year. He is teaching me a huge lesson in trust and patience right now. I will not doubt His plan. I will continue to walk this path without complaint and I will glory in whatever outcome He has for us.

Oh, and I got a big stack of papers in the mail yesterday...home study update time! Woot! We are including our change to special needs. DON'T STOP PRAYING!!!