Tim Tebow's Testimony

I just read the most refreshing article by Sally Jenkins who is a sports writer for the Washington Post. She herself is admittedly pro-choice, but has written an insightful and logical editorial about Tim Tebow’s Super Bowl Ad and those who criticized it. Here are a few excerpts:

“I'm pro-choice, and Tebow clearly is not. But based on what I've heard in the past week, I'll take his side against the group-think, elitism and condescension of the ‘National Organization of Fewer and Fewer Women All The Time.’ For one thing, Tebow seems smarter than they do.”

“Tebow's 30-second ad hasn't even run yet, but it already has provoked "The National Organization for Women Who Only Think Like Us" to reveal something important about themselves: They aren't actually "pro-choice" so much as they are pro-abortion.”

“Pam Tebow and her son feel good enough about that choice (to carry through with her difficult pregnancy) to want to tell people about it. Only, NOW says they shouldn't be allowed to. Apparently NOW feels this commercial is an inappropriate message for America to see for 30 seconds, but women in bikinis selling beer is the right one.”

“You know what we really need more of? Famous guys who aren't embarrassed to practice sexual restraint, and to say it out loud. If we had more of those, women might have fewer abortions. See, the best way to deal with unwanted pregnancy is to not get the sperm in the egg and the egg implanted to begin with, and that is an issue for men, too -- and they should step up to that.”

Click here to read this incredible article! Its worth your time.

Snow Day!!

My Prayer…

"As to myself, I would tell you how it is with me if I could: at the best, it would be an inconsistent account…I am a sinner, believing in the name of Jesus. I am a silly sheep, but I have a gracious, watchful Shepherd. I am a dull scholar, but I have a Master who can make the dullest learn. He still bears with me, He still employs me, He still enables me, He still owns me. Oh for a coal of heavenly fire to warm my heart, that I might praise him as I ought! "

-John Newton in a letter to D. West, Esq. (August 29, 1774)

A Fabulous Book!!!

So about a month ago, or longer, I said I was reading Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, but I got derailed when I start reading If God is Good by Randy Alcorn. This book deals with the problem of evil suffering and reconciling that with an omnipotent, omniscient God. It is fabulously written!! Randy Alcorn is an incredible writer and has created a logical, yet Biblical case where he shows how suffering, evil and God do fit together. Here are some quotes from the chapter entitled, "What are Some Possible responses to the Problem of Evil and Suffering?"

Here is Alcorn explaining how trials can test faith, for the good.

"Believing God exists is not the same as trusting the God who exists. A nominal Christian often discovers in suffering that his faith has been in his church, denomination, or family tradition, but not Christ. As he faces evil and suffering, he may lose his faith. But that's actually a good thing. Losing your faith may be God's gift to you. Only when you jettison ungrounded, untrue faith can you replace it with valid faith in the true God – a faith that can pass, and even strengthen in, the most formidable of life's tests." (p. 12-13)

"Sufferers have told me, 'We did everything right. We attended church and gave our money to missions – and then God did this to us. I don't get it.' At times like these our faith gets exposed as an insurance policy in which we pay our premiums to protect us from harm." (p.37)

"We need only read scripture, look around us, or live long enough in order to learn that trusting God doesn't ward off all evil and suffering. He never said it would." (p. 38)

Alcorn also explains that a fundamental lack of understanding in who God is oftens lead to a misunderstanding of trials and suffering.

"A friend wrestled with the problem of evil after a terrible accident. He concluded that we err whenever we speak of only two or three attributes of God in relation to the problem of evil. He meant that we must bring all of God's attributes to the table. If we see God only in terms of His love, mercy, and compassion, we will not envision the true God, but only an idol of our own imagination – and that is precisely what we see in the airbrushed God of various modern solutions to the problem of evil." (p. 37)

Click here to order this great book.

So True...

Proverbs 13:12

"Delayed hope makes the heart sick,

But fulfilled desire is a tree of life."

Our P3 has been Sent!!!!

I Just found out that the Embassy in Seoul has mailed our P3 packet to our adoption agency!!! The P3 is a packet the agency completes and returns to the embassy. It contains all the necessary paperwork and approvals the embassy needs in order to issue Addison a Visa. Once this is returned, the agency is able to make the various appointments needed for our baby's case to be processed so she can be issued a Visa!

Heres the catch... the p3 can't be return until we have our Korean Emigration Permit...which were still waiting on. We expect it to be approved in a couple weeks, so hopfully that will come sooner than later!!!

Were outta here!!!

I found out this morning that we were logged out of the National Visa Center Friday, January 29th!!!! This means that our file is now at the embassy in Seoul South Korea!!! The embassy is where her actual Visa will be issued, so this is a big step!!! I’m very encouraged by the speed at which all of this has happened!!! It only took one week for file to be processed and sent to Seoul which is really incredible; especially considering the fact that Haitian Visas are now the priority!

I’m so grateful that God has mercifully allowed this to be quick!!! At this point it is safe to say we will have her home sometime in March. In spite of the great news, we still covet your prayers, and heres how you can specifically pray:

• Pray the Koran Government will approve her Emigration Permit very soon. We need this to get her Visa, and this is the only document for which we are still waiting. (We think we’ll get it by next week, but I’d love it sooner!)
• Pray that the rest of the paperwork and appointments will go smoothly and quickly without complication so we can get her home ASAP!!
• Pray her seizures remained controlled and that we find a good pediatric neurologist and can eventually take her off her medication.
• Pray she adjusts quickly to us and her transition is smooth.

Addison's Nursery

We are logged into the National Visa Center!!!!

I'm so excited!!!! Its virtually impossible to get through to the National Visa Center (NVC) especially with all the Haitians Visa's being processed now, so I called at 6:30am, I'm up anyway, and was able to actually reach a human being!! (This, after several days of hearing nothing but their recording… "Hello, you've reached the National Visa Center. If you're calling about a Haiti related issue, dial 1, …I'll spare you the whole message.) Anyway, a very nice lady said our case was logged into their system on January 27^th and would probably be processed and logged out soon. (Average processing time is 2-5 days) I was given my case number and then hung up!! I'm so happy!! This means several things:

1. Our case information has been entered correctly into the system (a huge relief because it doesn't always happened this way)
   
2. They are processing Visas normally; no significant delays because of Haiti!
   I am done with paperwork because they have it all, and it's all correct!!
   

What does this mean as far as a timeline? Well here's what has to happen before we can get a travel call:

• NVC will log out our case and send the information to the embassy in Seoul, South Korea.
  The U.S. Embassy will send a packet called the P3 to our adoption agency.
  
• The agency will gather all the necessary paperwork and return the completed packet to the embassy. (We have to have our Emigration Permit (EP) in order to have the packet returned…ours was submitted on January 12^th. We expect it to be approved in a couple weeks)
  
• The agency can then schedule an appointment at the U.S. Embassy for the baby, social worker and foster mother. This is called the Embassy Appearance. (AKA: EA)
  
• After the appointment, the official Visa Interview will be scheduled (AKA: VI)
  
• About a week later we get a travel call. (AKA: TC)
  

When will we travel? It typically takes about a month from the time you receive your Emigration Permit. So if I was to put a general timeframe on this, I'd say 6-8 weeks? Maybe less maybe more. Who knows..I do know were moving and getting closer!!! YEAH!

Job description of a Pastor

My church is currently looking for a pastor and there is much debate over this as one can imagine! I ran across this great description of a pastor by John MacArthur. I really appreciate his completely Biblical viewpoint and his absolute refusal to allow the world to pressure or change his view of what God says a pastor should be. Here are some excerpts:

"And my heart aches for pastors these days, it really does, because it's seemingly more difficult now than it was in past years. We live in an anti-authority culture, we live in a culture that has lost all respect for people in positions of influence and authority. It's tear down everybody, tear down everything. It's a destructive culture and it's hard for us to survive in that because even our churches are filled...it seems to me that this is the age of Diotrephes, people want to rise to have the preeminence..."

"You get discouraged because you don't have more people, or your church isn't growing. You go to some seminar and somebody gives you a bag of tricks how to get more people, and books are written about how to increase your numbers. And you go to another seminar and somebody tells you how to impact your culture and how to penetrate your community, and how to come up with this program and that problem...that program so you can reach beyond the church and grasp the culture and revolutionize the culture., and pastors get beleaguered with this stuff, they get discouraged with this. It's all intimidation. It really is, and it's really off the point of what we do, and I want to tell you what the point is as simply as I can..."

"If you're a pastor, you have one job...you have one job. It's this, Shepherd the flock of God among you....that's your job. You are not a cultural evangelist, you are not a society penetrator, you're not an entrepreneur, you're not a revolutionary, you are a feeder of the flock of God."

Jesus said:
“I will build My church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.”
“All whom the Father chose will be called.”
“All who are called will come.”
“All who come will be received by Christ.”
“All whom Christ receives, He will keep. All whom He keeps, He will raise at the last day.”

"Our job is to feed His sheep. And the day you move your eyes beyond the people sitting in your church who belong to Christ, that's the day you just lost your purpose."

To read the entire article click here

We have been officially approved!

I came home today to find an envelope lying on my counter. The return address was marked U.S. Department of Homeland Security. I became immediately interested, thinking that this may be our i600 approval we've been waiting for form immigration. I also thought it could be yet another request for something else immigration needs; another file, document, who knows…So I opened it and to my complete delight I saw the words, "Notice of Approval…" I flipped!!!

I really didn't expect this so quickly! I thought it would take at least a couple weeks to process our fingerprints, but it only took two days!!! I'm so happy!!! I'm about to cry right now. I even took a picture of the note for you all to see! It's the one of the most beautiful things I've ever read!!! I have no idea what this means as far as our timeframe, but it's a huge obstacle that we are now FINALLY over!!! I'm so, so thankful.

Yes...I'm a dork and took a picutre. Isn't it beautiful?

Holding loosely

Still struggling. Still battling anger and grappling with despair; 4 months later and we're not even close. I mean not close at all. No Emigration Permit, no i600, nothing…we have nothing. Now the National Visa Center is backlogged with Haitian visas they're rushing through…and rightfully so, I commend them for this, it must be done, I'm glad its being done! Please do this! God bless them!!!!…but its just one more thing. Every day its just another thing. How did I end up here? Why am I here? I have no idea. I have no fight left in me. I have come to this conclusion; If I ever hold this baby it will be an act of God; nothing short of a miracle.

So with that in mind, I am not calling one more person. I'm not sending one more email. I'm not checking on anything. I am not lifting a finger. For the past 4 months I have done nothing but, call, email, write letters, track down paperwork and run to FedEx to get documents where they need to be, and It has done nothing to help us. I've spent more money on overnighting papers that I can count, and for what? …so they can sit on a desk, untouched. I can't do it any more. I'm tired. I'm defeated. I'm spent and I'm not lifting a finger. If this baby is to be a part of our family, then God Himself will have to orchestrate it, because I'm not God, and I can't do anything about it. This is His issue. I lay it squarely at His feet. Sweet Ha-Seon is His baby and He will do as He wishes with her future. I hope I am included in it, but I have no guarantee of this. Admittedly, it is nearly impossible to hold so loosely onto something so precious, but it is good to know that she is tightly held in the hands of God who is always good, even now, even when I don't understand, even when I'm frustrated, even when I can't stand it, even when I just cry, He is good. Maybe God's been waiting for me to lay it down. Humm...I'm clearly a very slow learner.

Job 2:10 "Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"

The Raw Truth

The following is an excerpt from the most compelling article about abortion I've ever read. I first read it on 1516 (another blog I love!) and was so moved that I had to direct you to it as well.

"Hern and Harris chose to stay in the abortion business; one of the first doctors to change his allegiance was Paul Jarrett, who quit after only 23 abortions. His turning point came in 1974, when he performed an abortion on a fetus at 14 weeks' gestation: "As I brought out the rib cage, I looked and saw a tiny, beating heart," he would recall. "And when I found the head of the baby, I looked squarely in the face of another human being—a human being that I just killed."

"Kathy Sparks is another convert formerly responsible for disposing of fetal remains, this time at an Illinois abortion clinic. Her account of the experience that led her to exit the abortion industry (taken from the Pro-Life Action League website in 2004) reads in part: The baby's bones were far too developed to rip them up with [the doctor's] curette, so he had to pull the baby out with forceps. He brought out three or four major pieces. .  .  . I took the baby to the clean up room, I set him down and I began weeping uncontrollably. .  .  . I cried and cried. This little face was perfectly formed."

"Other converts were driven into the pro-life movement by advances in ultrasound technology. The most recent example is Abby Johnson, the former director of Dallas-area Planned Parenthood. After watching, via ultrasound, an embryo "crumple" as it was suctioned out of its mother's womb, Johnson reported a "conversion in my heart." Likewise, Joan Appleton was the head nurse at a large abortion facility in Falls Church, Virginia, and a NOW activist. Appleton performed thousands of abortions with aplomb until a single ultrasound-assisted abortion rattled her. As Appleton remembers, "I was watching the screen. I saw the baby pull away. I saw the baby open his mouth. .  .  . After the procedure I was shaking, literally."

To read the entire article (…which I strongly encourage you to do…) click here.

I love this song!

Bind my Wandering Heart…

I wake up every morning angry; angry I'm still waiting; angry that the immigration officer won't approve my i600; angry she waited to mail the fingerprint forms; angry it took 10 weeks to get legals, angry we don't have an Emigration Permit; angry my baby is half way around the world and I can't hold her and no one seems to care, and no one can, or is willing, to help. Angry I'm still waiting while others have their babies in their arms; Angry this has taken almost two years; Anger - I wake up with it eating at my soul and then I spend the next hour begging God to take it away and fill me with His Holy Spirit; begging God will just grant me a heart that rests in Him and doesn't fester and grow like cancer; pleading he will strengthen me and give me hope that is grounded in Him, not in an i600 approval and admitting I can't I can't even begin to bring him glory or be anything He wants me to be without his complete intervention in my life. I just pray daily that God will tether my heart to Him, because if He doesn't hold me in His tight, unshakable grip, I will dive off the cliff of self-pity and despair. I used to think I was so strong in my walk with Him, and now I see I am so weak. Apart from Him I would completely self-destruct. I am reminded of this truth daily.

"O to grace how great a debtor

daily I'm constrained to be!

Let thy goodness, like a fetter,

bind my wandering heart to thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

prone to leave the God I love;

here's my heart, O take and seal it,

Seal it for thy courts above."

("Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" Hymn written by Robert Robinson; 1735-1790)

I’m just emotionally spent…

This afternoon I received an email from Holt stating they had submitted the paperwork for our baby's emigration permit on January 12^th (AKA: EP) I was baffled. You see, on November 2, 2009, I received an email stating our baby's emigration permit was already approved. I was, of course, delighted because this is a key document and can and does hold people up and slow down the process. So I asked Holt what was going on and sent them the old email. They apologetically explained that the original "approval" I received in November was for our first baby, Brooke, not Addison. They of course were very apologetic and I do understand how the confusion happened; lots of families, lots of babies, lots of paperwork, mistakes will happen.

I, on the other hand, am upset. The Emigration permit was the only thing we've had go smoothly. It was fast, and it was the one "key" pieces of paperwork which we no longer needed to wait on. Instead, we now find out we will indeed have to wait on it. I can't even begin to articulate how discouraged and upset I am. Truly, I'm a wreck. When I say, "We've had nothing go smoothly" that is in no way an exaggeration. I know we throw around all inclusive words like "nothing" and "always" without meaning them, but I really do mean that NOTHING has gone smoothly; absolutely nothing.

Before you berate me for not being a good Christian or for being ungrateful, please note, I do understand that God is sovereign over this adoption. I understand that these circumstances are ones he has allowed. I fully know and believe that God will work it out for my good. I truly do intellectually agree with the saying, "God's timing is best." All of this I fully affirm and know very well, but the fact remains, I am human. I have emotions and right now I am emotionally exhausted and my heart is breaking…again. I'm to the point that I do not have the emotional fortitude to get up and scrounge for even a one morsel of good news because everytime I find one, I turn around to be slapped in the face. Maybe that's a harsh analogy, but I'm not in the mood to sugar coat it today. I am sad, I am at the end of my rope, and I just want to either burst into tears, or scream. I can't decide which would feel better…so I've done neither. I truly don't know how to cope or even how to think. To give you just a small glimpse into our situation; there are several families who had were matched with their babies in September who have already traveled to Korea. We, on the other hand, aren't even half way there. 3 ½ months later, and we've only had one piece of paperwork arrive; Her legals. That's it.

I know that if she ever ends up in my arms this will all melt away into the trivia of life, but that is so far away it holds no comfort right now, especially if you consider the fact that her birthmother could come back at any time and legally take her back. I'm just simply drowning right now, and I can't see any way to cope, or go forward with a smile on my face. I'm sure I'll come around, but right now this is really, really difficult. This arduous path is overwhelming me to the point of wanting to quit.

I just ask for your prayers, because clearly, I need them. I would also love for you to send me scriptures that God may lay on your heart. I really need God's word right now, not shallow platitudes. God has been very good to surround Mark and I with such good friends who love and support us and we are very thankful for you all.

"Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me. Hide not your face from your sercant; for I am in distress; make haste to asnwer me."

-Psalm 69:16-17

A powerful testimony from a humble, broken woman

Sanctity of Life Sunday is January 24th. As a woman who is pro-life, I am deeply convicted that we should embrace, forgive and love those women who have had abortions and are dealing with the gravity, guilt, and horror of what they have done. They need a Christian community to forgive and help them. This video is beautiful testimony of why abortion is a travesty against women and the unborn children. It also speaks strongly to the affect a harsh, judgmental word can have on a woman who is alone, pregnant, and struggling for direction. I pray we have compassion on anyone who is in this situation and can show them the love of Christ when they desperately need it unlike the protestor she describes who screamed she was a “baby killer.” I pray the Christian community will reflect Christ to a lost world by compassionately, and practically helping these women in there time of desperation.

Yet Another Delay...

I’m so frustrated I might cry. I thought we had recieved our i600 immigration approval but clearly, we haven't.

I received notification from USCIS that there was an error on our homestudy , so they needed a corrected version. I notified our social worker, got the problem fixed, and mailed a corrected version to our local USCIS. It arrived there Monday, Jan. 4th. The USCIS officer who processes i600s was out all week so it sat on her desk until Friday, Jan. 8th. When she returned she realized that we had to be re-fingerprinted and mailed us new fingerprinting forms which I still have not received. We can only be fingerprinted on Wednesdays which means now I have to wait another week just get that done, and then wait again to have them run and sent to her, so we can hopefully get our approval. This will delay us at least 2 weeks…maybe more..who knows.

I’m so upset. I feel like every time I turn around we get hit with a delay: Ten weeks for legals, error on homestudy, fingerprinting problems…I can’t stand this anymore. I’m about to burst into tears right here.

Why are we so offended?

I read the following post over at The Gospel Coalition which reflects upon the reasons many of us are are continnually offended. In this article, Kevin Deyoung makes some very true observations about our culture.

"Offendedness is just about the last shared moral currency in our country. And, I’m sorry, but it’s really annoying. We don’t discuss ideas or debate arguments, we try to figure out who is most offended. Buddhists are offended by Brit Hume. Christians are offended that critics disparage Brit Hume. Republicans are offended by Harry Reid’s comments about President Obama. If the shoe were on the other partisan foot, you can bet Democrats would be offended for President Obama (who can legitimately be offended by Reid’s remarks). Whenever someone makes a public gaffe, whether real or perceived, critics storm the microphones to let the world know how offended they are. Why is everyone in such a hurry to be hurt?"

"For starters, being hurt is easier than being right. To prove you’re offended you just have to rustle up moral indignation and tell the world about it. To prove you’re right you actually have to make arguments and use logic and marshal evidence. Why debate theology or politics or economics if you can win your audience by making the other guys look like meanies?"

To read the entire article, click here.

The Doctrine of Predestination

This is the best sermon I have ever heard preached on the doctrine of election. It is based on Romans chapter 9 and is definitely worth the time and effort needed to listen and think about this important Biblical truth.

Colt McCoy's Testimony

Harbin Ice Festival in China

I came across these very cool photos at www.boston.com/bigpicture.com of the Harbin Ice and snow festival in China. The structures that are built for this festival are incredible. For more photos click here.

Nick's Gift to Me

Nick created the following video for me as my Christmas gift. Its very well done and thoughtful. In fact, I liked it so much I cried. Enjoy.

Well Stated Mr. Piper

teacollection.com ROCKS!

I found the BEST website for girls clothes I've ever seen. I liked every article of clothing I saw while browsing! Take a peek!

And just in case you need to save some $, they have great sales too! And, no....I didn't order anything..although I was GREATLY tempted!!! Maybe later!

Good News for a New Year

We are very thankful to have some good news to report!

First....We received a new photo!!! the above photo is Addison with the various items from the care package we sent her. She appears to be thinking, "What is all this stuff!?!"

Second: Addison's file was reviewed by a neurologist (Thank you Troy!) and he believes that she may have been misdiagnosed. He couldn't be sure, considering he has not physically seen her, does not have all of her medical records, or have her complete EEG, but from the limited amount of information he does have, he thought this could be a viable possibility. This doesn't answer all of our questions, but it is very encouraging.

Third: We received Addison's December Doctor's check-up and she is doing great! She is 8 months old and now weighs 20.2 lbs and is 27.6 in. long. This places her in the 81% for weight and the 41% for length. She is currently rolling over, crawling, sitting up, pulling herself up, walking holding onto furniture, and playing peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake. We are delighted she is doing so well, and yet, we really long to have her home because were missing it all!

fourth: We received an email from the Kansas City Immigration office yesterday. They have our file, it has been reviewed, and all they need to give us our immigration approval is an updated homestudy. I sent it yesterday and it will be at their office Monday morning. I really hope this means we'll have our approval by the end of next week! Once we have this we only have about 6-8 more weeks to wait!!! YEAH!!!!

Have a Happy New Year and may you see God's blessings in every aspect of your life!

A Troubling Update

About 6 weeks ago we received an update on Addison. In it, the foster mom noted that Addison's head would shake in 2-3 second intervals when she slept. In response we asked that they take video of her, and run and EEG. They were more than willing. As you all know, we received the video about 3 weeks ago and Addie looked happy, and developmentally right on target, even ahead in some areas. They also did an EEG and we received that a couple days ago. It noted that "there were several sharp wave discharges from the right and left central areas of her brain" which indicates she is having partial seizures. She has been put on an anticonvulsant medication called Valproic Acid for 6 weeks and the doctor has ordered blood work, and an MRI.

I think it goes without saying that we are heartbroken and worried about our little girl. It is also somewhat surreal that this is happening again. I would be lying if I didn't initially struggle with anger, but after much prayer and struggle, God has brought me to the place where I can see that this is clearly no accident. Very few people have adoptions fall through like we did. Very few people have serious health issues arise with their babies as these children are very well cared for. So when you consider that we have had all this happen once and now are walking that path yet again, it impossible to face the fact that God has placed us here.

Here's how you can pray, (and we covet your prayers)

• Pray we can find a good pediatric neurologist to look at her file who can give us a clear indication of what were dealing with. It could be a very minor issue, we just don't know.
  
• Pray the doctors in Korea have wisdom and insight as they treat her so she gets all that she needs while we wait to go get her.
  
• Pray we will not worry. It extremely difficult knowing your baby is out of your reach, being cared for by strangers, and you have no say in her care. For lack of a better analogy, its just a weight that hangs over you.
  
• And of course, pray we glorify God in whatever path he has for us.
  
• Psalm 40:11 "You, O Lord, will not withhold your compassion from me. Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me."
  

The Best Story Bible for Kids

I want to HIGHLY recommend the following children's story Bible. It is The Big Picture Story Bible written by David Helm. I have read countless story Bibles to my boys over the years, but this one is so much better there is absolutely no comparison to any other. What makes it so different and superior is the fact the author takes each Bible story, each event in Israel's history, each phase in Biblical history, and ties them all together to show how the Bible is one coherent book, with one message instead of lots of little inspirational stories compiled into an anthology. He shows with each story and each account of Christ's life how they fit into God's overall purpose of redeeming a people for himself. There are no random stories that don't fit here! On each page you see, as will your child, how each account draws us closer to the fulfillment of God's promises. Its definitely worth purchasing!!!

What’s Next??

I've had many people asking me what happens next in our adoption. Right now we are waiting on immigration to approve our i600 which is a petition for the US government to legally classify Addison as a relative so we can get her a visa to bring her home. Right now our paperwork is in Texas. They have received it , processed it, given it a case number and it is now awaiting review. I have no idea how long that will take. It could be one week, or it could be 6 weeks. You just never know! After Texas processes it, they will mail it to the Kansas City office where they will actually review our file and make sure our ducks are in a row so they can approve the i600. They won't approve it initially because we will need to be re-fingerprinted, but once that's taken care of, we should get that approval. The total time frame is really hard to nail down. I think the fastest would be 6 weeks, and the longest, well who knows, but I don't think we'll wait more than 10-12 weeks. We would have to have some pretty serious snags for this to happen.

After we get our i600, then we our paperwork is sent to the National Visa Center where we start the process to get her Visa. This is a completely different timeline and process, so I'll explain that when we get there!

We appreciate your prayers and support so much! Thanks to all of you!

Are You a Disciple of Jesus Christ?

I just listened to a great sermon by Steve Lawson.

(recommended by my brother...thanks Jeremy!)

It is entitled "It Will Cost You Everything."

I urge you to listen to this!

It is excellent.

Click here to listen.

A New Book!

I just started reading the book 9 Marks of a Healthy Church by Mark Dever. I'm excited to see what he has to say about a healthy church. The introduction really wet my appetite; maybe it will prompt you to read it too - or at least start thinking about what a healthy church really looks like when one uses the Bible as your measure of health instead of our own subjective opinions. Here's an excerpt from the introduction:

"How is a church supposed to act? What does it mean for a church to be faithful? And how can you tell whether or not you're succeeding? Is the fact that a lot of people are attending the proof that what they're doing right and blessed by God? It's hard to argue with numbers. Faced with attendance in the tens of thousands, mega complex buildings and budgets bigger than those of small countries, its not easy to question whether this is really a good idea. 'Of course it's a good idea!' the evidence seems to scream. 'Look how BIG it all is!'

"But is size the measure of success? We all know the right answer is no, but I wonder how many of us truly believe it deep down – or how many of us know what to sue to measure success in its place? Maybe you're uneasy about the shallowness of the modern church. Maybe you're looking for another measuring stick for true health. But whether you're a pastor looking for a blueprint to build your church or simply a Christian asking what matters most in a church, I believe this book can help you."

I'm excited to read Mark Dever's analysis of church health. My lofty plan is to summarize each of the nine marks detailed in this book in nine different posts, so be looking for more to come!

Sheri turns 40!!

Sheri thinks she's going to dinner with a friend, but instead is greeted with a party!
Everyone chatting & eating at PF Chang's.

Back at my house, we eat cake & open gifts. Sheri had to wear her "Princess birthday" gear we provided for her! After 40 years, you deserve an evening of being treated like a princess! ...right?

All the party-goers!

Here we are playing a game called "Kiss the Prince." You are blindfolded, and then attempt to kiss a "prince" as close to the lips as you can!

My Mother-in-law ended up kissing The Prince of Darkness! I think she won!! See the pink lipstick right on his lips!!!

Ang & Sheri..long time friends

Sheri & her little sister Angela.

Happy Birthday!

God is Good

Psalm 31:6
I will rejoice and be glad in your lovingkindness because you have seen my affliction. You have known the troubles of my soul.

Psalm 40:11
You, O Lord, will not withhold your compassion from me. Your lovingkindness and truth will continually preserve me.

Psalm 31:21
Blessed be the Lord for He has made marvelous His lovingkindness to me...

Immigration Problems

We filed our i600 with the United States Customs & Immigration Services (USCIS). This needs to be approved in order for Addison to get a Visa. Immigration is notoriously unhelpful and slow. If you make a mistake in your paperwork it can delay you weeks, even months. Case in point: When I filed the i600a a year ago, I sent a check for the wrong amount and by the time they sent the check back with an explanation of the problem and I sent a new check, the process had been delayed a full month. With that being said, we have now have three mistakes with our paperwork which we just sent off last Thursday.

#1: We forgot to date a form. To correct this we filled the form out again, typed a letter with an explanation of the mistake and what we did to correct it, and sent that priority mail today. We are helpful that this actually makes it into our file it with our paperwork so this is fixed and doesn't cause delay.

#2: Our homestudy was updated by our Social worker in September. She listed our first referral by name on the first page. I was unaware of this, because our first homestudy made no mention of any child at all. So now USCIS has a homestudy with the wrong baby listed. Not good. This means we have to wait for a new homestudy, and HOPE that USCIS doesn't notice this small detail, or that the mistake has no bearing on our case.

#3 Our federal fingerprints expire on January 25, 2010. We were informed that they needed to be current until we actually bring home our baby. This is a change in policy because before USCIS stated they needed to be current until we got out i600 approval. So, we met with an immigration officer today who stated we could not get updated fingerprints until USCIS noted our expiration date, puts our file on hold, and mails us the "fingerprint form." Once we have this precious form, we can go get printed, but not until then. This a guaranteed two week delay, and could be longer. We now also need to finger print Nick because he will be 14 by this time.

We are definitely in need of prayer. Here's how you can pray:

• Pray we don't worry, or become discouraged. God is good all the time. Even when its hard to see.
  Pray God watches over our paperwork and that these delays will be minimal and very easy to fix so these problems don't turn into months of delays.
• Pray we bring him glory, even now for He is always worthy. I really want to exalt him at all times, but I'm afraid I'm really struggling right now.

We appreciate all the support, prayers and love. It means so much.

Visiting Santa!

My "little brother"
Jack was tired of photos! (but isn't he so cute!)

Drew was also sick of photos! Can you tell?

Some of my family!!

My older brother and his daughter

My other niece who LOVES sweets!

The girls wouldn't go near Santa...except to get a candy cane!!!

Below...

The boys are with Santa. Jack typed out his list and was explaining it to Santa!! He was very serious about this!! See the "joy" on Drew's face! He's not really "into" Santa anymore!

-He's gettin' nothin' for Christmas!! :)

Video, Legals & Doctor's check-up!!

When it rains, it pours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have legals!!!!!!!!!!!! I already overnighted them to the immigration office and they should arrive there tomorrow morning!!! YEAAAAAHHHH!!! Things are finally moving!

We also got Addison's monthly doctor report and she is doing great!! She weighs 19lbs 4oz and she is 26inches long! She is developmentally on track and is was noted that her "head shake" is "disappearing!" YEAHHAHAH!!!

And we also got video!!!!! She is so CUTE!!! I'm so incredibly happy I can't stand it!!!!!