Anyone Hungry?

Okay! You know you are a mom when you go away without the kids and you take pictures of the "cool' McDonald's because you just know your kiddos will have to see it!!! We actually went inside for coffee, just so we could tell Summer Rain we did and that we sat on the second level:) I must say, she was VERY impressed!!LOL!

Amazing!

Well hellllllooooo! I have just a few minutes to put a couple of pictures here. Wubby and I went to Las Vegas the first of this month on a mini vacation. Well, actually, Wubby was awarded Employee of the Year in his department at work, and the award ceremony was there, and I got to go along for the ride. We stayed at Caesar's Palace, and the hotel was gorgeous! It earned it's 5- star rating:) The only drawback was no coffee pot in our room!! I guess if you stay at a 5-star hotel, you are not supposed to make your own coffee, you are supposed to pay the $20 to have coffee sent to your room each day!!

Anyway, my favorite part was the shopping!! This picture was actually taken INSIDE!! The ceiling is painted like the sky, so it always seems mid-day while you are there. Amazing...and probably someone did research to determine the time of day most people made purchases, and that was the kind of day the sky would reflect!!TEEHEE!!

Something To Ponder

Sometimes ordinary words are placed side-by-side and they become extraordinary wisdom.

For example:
"Don't miss out on a blessing because it isn't packaged the way that you expect."

I am contemplating this wisdom.

I Go Before You Always

I received this this morning in my inbox. It is from a website called "God's Minute". It amazes me how God can use litterally ANYTHING to get His comforting word out to us when we need it most.

BE STRONG AND OF GOOD COURAGE; DO NOT BE AFRAID, NOR BE DISMAYED, FOR THE LORD YOUR GOD IS WITH YOU WHEREVER YOU GO. ( JOSHUA 1:9 * NKJV )
Dear Robin,
Whenever you become fearful know that: THE LORD, HE IS THE ONE WHO GOES BEFORE YOU. HE WILL BE WITH YOU, HE WILL NOT LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU; DO NOT FEAR NOR BE DISMAYED. ( DEUTERONOMY 31:8 ) After all, when we are fearful we worry and tend to build mountains out of mole hills in our minds. Now things rarely ever materialize nearly as bad as we then have anticipated. Thus we have become fearful for nothing, and remember that fear is the opposite of faith! Now God has even promised us: WHEN YOU PASS THROUGH THE WATERS, I WILL BE WITH YOU; AND THROUGH THE RIVERS, THEY SHALL NOT OVERFLOW YOU. WHEN YOU WALK THROUGH THE FIRE, YOU SHALL NOT BE BURNED, NOR SHALL THE FLAMES SCORCH YOU. ( ISAIAH 43:2 ) This verse is referring to the Children passing through the Red Sea, and also the protection HE gave to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, in the fiery furnace. Both are good examples of how God has helped HIS Children in the past! Therefore King David was able to boldly say: "YEA, THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH, I WILL FEAR NO EVIL; FOR YOUR ROD AND STAFF, THEY COMFORT ME. ( PSALM 23:4 ) So Robin, when you become worried or fearful know that God will help you, just as HE has done for His Children in the past! Therefore; you may boldly say: THE LORD IS MY LIGHT AND MY SALVATION; WHOM SHALL I FEAR? THE LORD IS THE STRENGTH OF MY LIFE; OF WHOM SHALL I BE AFRAID? Amen! ( PSALM 27:1 )

In HIS Love & Service,
Pastor Allen

The Call

Well, once again I am looking for light in this dark place. I know God is with me, but what He is up to I cannot say. Our news about our adoption case is not what we had hoped. PGN did not change their minds about our case. It remains closed.
I am trying to look up to my Father and praise Him for His works in my life. I know He already knew this would happen, but I didn't, and I have to trust His heart to know what is best for me and for "Y".
Please pray for our family as we travel a road not yet traveled. We do not know where it will lead us. Maybe to another adoption....maybe not.
I will open my heart to His will. I will pray it seeps into my soul and flows in my veins, and becomes my lifeblood. May His will become my will, and may I be a good and faithful servant to Him. May this trial only serve to draw me closer in, and strengthen the bond I have with Him.
Amen,
Robin

AGCI vs PGN

I could just have easily said God vs Satan in my title for this post. I truly believe this is a spiritual battle we are facing. The Enemy knows that if this child comes home to us that she will be brought forth to be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! This is not lost on the Evil One. He does not underestimate the power of God!
The meeting with PGN to decide "Y's" case is this afternoon.
Please pray!

FOUND! AN OPEN WINDOW!!

I know I am backtracking a bit, but I must type that last Friday, May 30th, I received a call from All God's Children International, our adoption agency. It was definitely a "God Thing" kind of call. We had been recently told that our current adoption was closed, and we would have to make the gruelling choice of what to do next. God was not really nudging me in any particular direction. We could opt to terminate the whole process (that one gave me such a sense of emptiness), we could sign a postponement contract in Guatemala, or we could switch to another country and basically start all over. Heavy sigh! No option was what we wanted. We wanted our sweet daughter to come home from Guatemala. The blessings of a christian organization such as AGCI is that THEY are committed to praying for us all also. As we waited for discernment, they were also praying for His will to be done.
The call about this tragic news came on Wed. May 21st. During our grief, we felt all of the prayers of our friends lifting our hearts and minds to give glory to God. I really cannot describe how protected I felt during the moments between the two phone calls that were as different as night and day. One took away all hope....one brought it all back.
The second call was to tell us that PGN (Guatemala board of advisers that approve all adoptions) had requested a second review of our case to bring our daughter home!! PGN NEVER does this! This can only, without mistake, be the hand of our Lord interceding in this situation Himself! It truly is a case of Him seeing what has to be done, and opening a window for His will to pass through.
I am following Him as closely as I can. I see the window, and although AGCI has said to "guard my heart" lest I be disappointed, I am breathing in the sweet breath of hope that billows at the curtains surrounding the window that He has unlocked and lifted open. I am following His Hope.
The light that was not visible before, is now streaming through the panes of this window and is also piercing through the pains we have endured in our journey to this child.
Peace be with you all,
Robin