Good morning!!

I have spent way too much time on this blog tonight and now morning! I neglected some important jobs around the house so I will be absent from the blog for a couple of days.. no surprise huh! :O)

Have a blessed day!

Adding the music has made me feel better.. praise God while I was searching for songs was relaxing and I was able to pray inbetween songs and during.. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did tonight.

Thanks kathy for your site so I could add the music to mine!

I am sad today.

I am sad today b/c we lost our Compassion International sponsorship child from Columbia. But not in the way that you might think .. it is in a good way.. he has graduated the program. He is about to graduate high school. SO we do rejoice and praise God that our Juan has made it! Over the years we have seen him grow into a Godly young man (from afar). We have read his letters, sent him letters and have love to pray for him. We have, at times had our church pray for him during trials in his life.. so to say that I am sad, is an understatement. I guess I didn't anticipate the call to come... what was I thinking.. we would grow old together? He has a wonderful family, siblings, parents - I know this b/c we pray for them! We (both him and us talk about them!!) so what was I thinking? I have hung his photo on our refrigerator for over 2 years... he has been a part of our lives.. and now? what poof.. nothing... now we will never hear of him or his life again? I am sadden by this fact.. this truth.. this tragedy.. agh.
Juan, as said in our closure letter.. more detailed of course.. we wish you peace, happiness, and God's love - always. We have loved you from afar and you will remain in our thoughts and hearts forever. I will miss you terribly. I will miss our correspondence. Jesus loves you!! We love you.
J. and family.
I look forward to forming a new sponsorship/friendship with our new child from the Philippines.. I lived there for 2 years as a teenager.

Steven Curtis Chapman HERE I COME

I am so HAPPY... B just surprised me with tickets to the SCC concert in Baltimore! WOOHOO AND it is the same time as our 12th wedding anniversary ~ perfect!

www.shaohannahshope.org

see the pretty little girl in the white dress.. under grants and in the main frame that comes and goes... thats my baby girl S2!! isn't she precious...

getting a grant for Sophia three years ago from Shaohannahs hope, changed our lives. What a fantastic organization that gives back!

struggle...

I am struggling with something.. I password protected our adoption journey site to protect the kids.. it has information on their regarding our adoption of D. It was made during our life of going through the process.. so my struggle right now.. I share my password with friends and cyber buddies... and on our yahoo groups .. but am I not fully sharing the Glory of God when I am not shout His goodness in our life? The blessing he has given and how? Should I password protect it.. or let others see that we adopted this precious older "special needs" or "waiting child" - our son.. am I robbing God?
If you are reading this, give me some feed back.. again.. if I do open this up.. you will know who we are, kids names, ages, where we flew out of.. husbands job... and what ever else I have mentioned in prayer and converstation/journal..
hhhhhmmmmmm
j

Philip Hayden Foundation

www.chinaorphans.org

There are some needs.. especially money right now for heat and sponsors... please pray for them and help if you are led this way...

j

you can also help at www.harmonyoutreach.org .

Merry Christmas..

The wish is a few days early, but I know I will not be on here blogging! I will be celebrating the birth of Christ. I will be visiting with my mom and loving on my children/husband and family.
As I sat in church today, it dawned on me that I hadn't "proclaimed the good news" on this site..
Well, I had to say it that way b/c as the children were in our children's play last week, my oldest daughter's friend said, "S1 you sounded great, you said - la la la" . My daughter said, I did not, I was Proclaiming the good news!". Well, my girlfriend overheard this and I think when she told me this we both about laughed hysterically. Not b/c of what she said, but b/c of S1 and how she says things at times... so matter of fact like. The little girls did get it all worked out and the miscommunication between them is no longer... it was so funny.
S2 is walking around telling everyone, especially D3 "Do not be afraid, Mary, you will have a baby boy and name him Jesus! happy birthday to me!! no happy birthday to Jesus!!"
And D3 is really not aware of what the season is really about yet.. it is his first Christmas: even though he is 3 1/2. Since we went away this holiday, we decided to not decorate at all.. So when grandma has a tree up.. he thinks WOW you mean this doesn't just happen in the stores! Hilarious.
I am sure I will post photos of our Christmas this year. I remember last year.. as I longed for D to be here with us. I would walk by his room and cry. I would go in and sit on the bed and just pray for God to release him from China. But now I know that the wait was very necessary. As I was praying to hold him. As I was praying to see him and hear him and smell him for the first time.. his foster parents, whom had raised him since he was month old - were about to endure the hardest pain of all.. letting him go. I know in my heart that God was allowing them more time to love him. I will have the rest of my life. They will not. I will see everything else. They willnot. So if they received a few extra months, the months that I was in pure agony.. then it was so worth it b/c we both came out better. I grew closer to God and they were able to hold, love and spoil the child we both adore so much a little longer. I praise God that he makes everything work out at once. I praise God for His goodness. I praise God for his love of all nations and people.
I pray for China the people of China. I pray for the Christians in China.
I am reminded this Christmas of what I was feeling last Christmas.. I am sure I am not the only one... I pray peace and salvation for D's foster family...and for his birth family...
This is the season of the birth of Christ. I pray for you and your families. I will be praying tonight for everyone that reads this blog. This is the single, greatest moment in history. The birth of Christ. Merry Christmas everyone. Thank you God for you.
J.