Christmas Card picture for this year

Well, it was a job that had to be done. Wubby went upstairs, walked carefully into each boy's room, and gently roused them on Sunday morning. Their little eyes still half closed in sleep blinked to clear away the dreams they were having. Daddy asked them to come downstairs for a quick Christmas picture around the tree....oh, and be showered and dressed when you get there!!

What????

TeeHee! Believe it or not, half an hour later we had all four children posed for this pic(we did tell them they did not have to "dress up")...all were clean and smellin' good :-)What good sports they were! I just love these kiddos! My life has been enriched beyond measure since having them. Thank you Jesus for the gift of my children.

Advent...the coming.

Yesterday was the first Sunday of Advent. This season marks the beginning of our Liturgical year, and it is a time of waiting for Christ to come into our lives. We wait with expectant hope. After all, that is the ONLY way we should wait.
I must remind myself to keep the focus on Christ, and His coming. We know we are remembering His birth at this time, and we wait for His time to come again in glory.
I cannot help but note the similarities in this waiting. As I wait for our daughter from Guatemala, I also wait in expectant hope. We are adopted sons and daughters of God, as she will be the adopted daughter belonging to her new family....she is already a member of His divine family. I humbly pray that I may not allow my wait for her to overshadow my wait for Him.
As I contemplate Christ and His humble entrance into this world as a helpless baby, may I be reminded that Christ exalts the humble. May I be reminded of all of my blessings, and of all of those less fortunate. May I see His face in the poor, and the defenceless. In the arrogant and in the angry. In the rich and in the reproachful. May I know that it is not my place to judge, and that I am called to love as Christ loved.

Judgement Day

Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly. (Luke 18: 6-8)

This scripture passage came to me this morning in a devotional I was reading. It was very timely(thank you Jesus!), as on Saturday morning as Wubby and I were praying and reading, the parable of the persistent widow came up in our daily readings. As we discussed the need to pray without ceasing concerning bringing our daughter home from Guatemala, we also realized that sometimes praying in "thought" just isn't enough. We needed to pray in "action"!! We are taking this to the next level, and we feel very empowered by the Holy Spirit. We feel now is a time of movement, not passivity. We continue our fervent prayers and we are turning up the heat as we strike the match again and again until we have a roaring flame ignited that will reach far away into the heart of the judge that feels he is in control. We are praying for his submission to the will of God, and for a just decision to be rendered...NOW! We will be relentless in our efforts to thwart the plans of the enemy, and will plague the Heavens with persistent prayer until a decision will be made. We know who is truly in control...God! I have commanded Satan back to Hell in Jesus' name, and will not allow him to devour this tiny soul.

Please pray with me!!

Happy Halloween!

Every year my husband's office decorates for Halloween. Other bays join in, and there is a contest at the end for the best design. Summer Rain loves to go, and she gets enough candy to not go out later...but that doesn't stop her from trick-or-treating later..no,no,no :-) This year Wubby grew a goatee and moustache and transformed into "Shaggy" from Scooby-Doo! They all did a great job with costumes, and everyone had a great time!

Thanksgiving in October?

I didn't think it was possible. It was definitly handcrafted by God. :-) Last Sunday evening as I was cooking dinner, it dawned on me that our middle son had not left to go back to college. Hmmmm. His girlfriend was still there, too. Then I realized that our firstborn son was also home, and with his girlfriend no less! Our dear daughter was there as usual, and I made a quick phone call to get son #3 home from a friend's house as well. The wheels were turning very quickly in this brain of mine. Suddenly I started cooking even more!!! There was homemade beef stew, chicken and dumplings, mashed potatoes, baked beans, white gravy with peppercorns, fresh bread, and brownies hot out of the oven! I also brewed up my special sweet tea, which they can only get at home! A feast for sure!! We all sat down to eat together, and the laughter and smiles that accompanied the meal nourished our souls as much as the food nourished our bodies. Funny, but just the night before, Wubby had asked me what truly made me happy. I told him I was truly happy when our whole family got together and shared a meal. God was listening, and "overnighted" me an answer to a prayer!! Thank you Jesus!!

Another Shower Story

Okay, I admit this title was a bit misleading. We were not given another shower.... this story starts out with me in the shower. TMI????? Sorry about the visual this might leave with you all, but this story must be typed :-) Any hoo.....last week, Wednesday to be exact, I had my small group sharing with my Cursillo women(at 6:15 AM), and came home to do my daily reflections and bible readings, and intercessory prayers. After all of this, it was time for a nice hot shower. So far, so good. Well, in the middle of my shower, I felt the overwhelming need to be on my knees in prayer for our adoption. I hit the shower floor, and prayed until the water was getting cold! I stood up, got out of the shower, and proceeded to dry, dress, and get ready for the day. After I got dressed, I went to check the answering machine for any calls while I was indisposed, and sure enough there was that blinking red light to signal I had indeed missed a call while showering. Not to curious, I went to see who called. I figured it was Wubby saying he was on his way home for lunch, but was very much surprised to hear our case worker on the machine instead!! She asked me to call her back. I was VERY shaky when I dialed her back. I have had so many ups and downs on this journey, that I really didn't know if I wanted to know what she had to tell me. When she answered the phone, she gave me renewed hope in the form of a story about the Lord using people when they are unaware of it. A lawyer, a legal assistant, a small, beautiful child, and a story that only our Lord could craft. We have a break in our case! That news is simply overwhelming!!! We are headed for RENAP for our daughter's birth certificate!!! Yes, we have snatched the file from the very hands of the enemy, and are heading to the promised land :-) I really need a force of prayer warriors(and I know where to find them!!), to be sure we do not get kicked out of RENAP. If we get through this with her BC, she could be home for Christmas!!!!! My heart proclaims the Glory of the Lord!!! He has done this! He and He alone!!! He has used His mighty power to show us He is Lord!! I humbly bow my head to Him, and ask for His blessing and His mercy. Thank you Jesus! Amen!

Weather Forecast

Yesterday I had a meeting at work. Nothing too important, just the usual updates and a viewing of the new power points that we will be using in some of our classes.
I was running a bit behind in getting there, traffic was slow, etc... I didn't check the weather forecast before I left the house. Maybe I should have, but in retrospect, it would not have prepared me for the SHOWER I was about to run in to!! That's right! The wonderful ladies that I work with and around threw me a VERY unexpected toddler shower for our sweet Guatemalan princess!! I was reduced to tears! The decorations were so sweet, the food was delicious, and the cake was amazing!! But most beautiful was the prayer that was said to bless the food, and in thanksgiving for this opportunity to bring home our daughter in God's time, and to call to mind our Lord and His love for us!! Thank you ladies for the wonderful day!!
It could not have possibly come at a more needed time. Sometimes when the wait gets long, and the distance between me and my daughter seems more than just a plane ride away, I am in need of God's little pick-me-ups! This was a REALLY BIG pick-me-up!!! Thank you Jesus!!!
I prayed this morning to thank Him again for yesterday. I also asked Him if I could spend the "gift" , or should I wait a little bit longer. He promptly gave me the "go-ahead" to be a good steward of the gift I had received! Thank you Jesus for retail therapy!! :-) This Momma's goin' shopping!!