Hurry and Wait...

Today is exactly 2 months until Mary-Lynn's 3rd birthday. We are still not registered in court. Please pray that everything that needs to fall into place for that to happen will!!

 

 

Britt and I went to see Lion. If you have not seen it, you need to! (just bring Kleenex)

It is based on a true story and lets you see the realness of adoption! The quote below makes me think of Lion...

 

"Adoption photos are exciting, airport homecomings are emotional and both should be celebrated in their own ways, but adoption, in all cases, is first born out of brokenness. Seeing an adoption via social media can sometimes be romanticized, and while we hope our stories move you to action, we also want everyone to understand the magnitude of adoption. Each child will need to learn to adapt and adjust." - The Archibald Project

 

 

 

"Adoption is not all happiness. It is not for the faint of heart! It is a journey of faith." -Ms. Pat Lee (COTW director) I definitely have hard days. Discouraging days. I know our baby is growing without us. The closer we get to her birthday I am thinking we may not be with her like we are hoping and praying. I know God can make it happen within 2 months if it is His will. But it might not be. It's hard to say "thy will be done," but I know His will and timing are perfect! We just have to trust our Heavenly Father who sees the big picture. I love to share what God has put in my path during our adoption process. Here are a few things from the past month...

• If we can't say "thy will be done" from the bottom of our hearts, we will never know any peace. We will feel compelled to try to control people and control our environment and make things the way we believe they ought to be.
• God does some of His best work behind he scenes. In the quiet. In unknown ways. Keep trusting Him, sweet friend. Just because we can't see Him moving doesn't  mean He isn't moving.
• With God, the good WILL come. Let the hard in-between time be a sweet time with Jesus by filling your heart with prayer, praise music, and promises from His Word.
• I am Yahweh; I will accomplish it quickly in its time. Isaiah 60:22

 

 

 

Kind of a heavy post, so here are some happy pictures...

 

 My India themed table at our church Valentine Banquet!

 

Mom Prom with my Eli! So much fun!!

 

 Disciple Now Bubble Soccer...Caleb above and Eli below (stuck upside down, haha!)

 

 This one keeps us on our toes all day, everyday!!

 

 

Please continue to pray with us!! We are so ready to have our baby girl home!!

 

 

 

We have NOC!!!!!!!!!!

10 weeks and 3 days...we finally have our No Objection Certificate!!! Our baby girl is officially ours!! Now we just need the judge to pass it and sign it and get her passport so we can bring her home!! Please pray all of that goes quickly and smoothly!

 

Britt and I have really been struggling the past 2 weeks in this wait for NOC. Our faith has definitely been tested. I think God let us get to a low point to #1 fully rely on Him and #2 to practice what we preach.

 

Thursday I posted this to Facebook..."I love when God sends us reminders...I got in the van to run to the bank and Lion and the Lamb is on Klove..."He's roaring with power and fighting our battles!" Then turn the music back up after leaving the bank and God is on the Move is on..."God is on the move, on the move, hallelujah, God is on the move in many mighty ways!" To add icing to the cake is hearing Matthew singing along with them!! #beGodaware #adoption"

 

Friday I woke up and saw that 2 other families had NOC and we still did not. We were discouraged, but at the same time had a peace. So thankful for Ms. Becky and Christie, 2 sweet friends from church, for sending us God's truth and encouragement that morning not even knowing what was going on!

 

Then today (Saturday, Feb. 18) I am sitting at Eli's basketball game when I see this on my phone...

(Our agency director is in China right now...when Britt showed Eli the text he thought it meant we were getting a baby from China now, haha!)

 

I am so glad my momma and sister were there to share in this awesome news with me!! They were suppose to come last week, but it didn't work out, and like my sister said, if she had come last week she probably would not have been there today! Just a little God-wink!

 

Britt was on the sideline coaching Eli's team. We tried to get his attention from the stands but could not. So I sent Ms. Pat's text to him. We watched as he pulled his phone out and read. His eyebrows went up and then he looked up at us with a huge smile and we started cheering! I am sure people around us were like what in the world is up with these people!? Haha! I wish I had videoed it!

 

We appreciate your prayers! Please keep them coming as we move into the court phase!

 

 



Waiting...

It's been 9 weeks and 4 days since we received Article 5. I was hoping to update my blog once we had NOC, but week after week has gone by and still no NOC. It has been a tough wait. Here is what we know...

 

1) On 12/22/16 the orphanage sent us the Power of Attorney to sign, which allows them to go to court for us after we get NOC

2) CARA (the adoption authority in India who issues NOC) has looked at our file. On 1/17/17 they sent an e-mail to our agency requesting a child consent form to be signed by Matthew, our 3 year old. Mommy helped, haha!! 

3) It's been 3 weeks and 5 days since CARA requested the child consent form. From reading info on the India Adoption page, many times CARA will request updated medical on your child if the last medical is over a year old. The last medical info on Mary-Lynn is from July 2015. So I am starting to wonder if CARA has possibly requested updated medical info from the orphanage.

 

Please continue to pray that we get NOC soon! There will be more waiting even when we get it (being registered in court, court dates, verbal orders, written orders, passport), but at least we will be moving on to the next part. Adoption is not easy!

 

I really, really want to be with my baby girl on her 3rd birthday, which is May 14. But we just don't know if we will be or not.

 If we are with her on May 14th God is good, and if we are not, God is still good!!

 

 

My sister told me about a Waiting Well Webinar that was on Facebook yesterday. It came just when I needed it!! I want to share what Libby shared with us in hopes that it brings you encouragement in whatever it is you are waiting for...

 

-God is in the waiting!!

 

-Give Him the pain and ask for it to be used for His glory!

 

-No one likes to wait, but this is where God shows up! God is up to something!

 

-Charles Spurgeon: "If the Lord Jehovah makes us wait, let us do so with our whole hearts; for blessed are all they that wait for Him. He is worth waiting for. The waiting is beneficial to us: it tries our faith, exercises patience, trains submissions, and endears the blessing when it comes. The Lord's people have always been a waiting people."

 

-Sometimes we have an "If I'm good, God should be good to me" mentality. In other words, we think He should do what we want when we want it because we are "good" people, we deserve it.

 

 

-Elisabeth Elliot: "In the deepest spiritual lessons are not learned by His letting us have our way in the end, but by His making us wait, bearing with us in love + patience until we are able to honestly pray what He taught His disciples to pray: Thy will be done."

 

-Be God-Aware! He is moving even when we do not see it.

 

-His ways are so much higher than our ways. He has a plan and we need to trust Him!

 

-God is in the waiting, there is a purpose, even if it doesn't make sense on this side of Heaven.

 

On 1/6/17, another sweet adoptive momma sent us a picture of our girl when she was there picking up her daughter! They do come home eventually!! We really appreciate your prayers; please keep them coming!!

 

 

 



2016 in review...

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

 

Here is what Mary-Lynn got...

 

 

We still do not have our No Objection Certificate. Please pray we get it next week!! As soon as we have it our case can go to court in India.

 

Matthew has been talking about his baby sister almost non-stop the past few days. I hope that is God preparing his little heart for Mary-Lynn coming home soon!

 

2016 has been a busy year...praying we will have Mary-Lynn home with us in 2017 to celebrate her 3rd birthday in May, to go to the beach with us this summer, to enjoy Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas with us! I can't wait to have her in my arms and to start making memories with her!!

 

Here is a picture review of 2016...

 Eli turned 8, played his 2nd year of Upward Basketball, and buddies.
 

More basketball, and celebrating Papa and Cousin Ty's birthday.

 

Matthew's 1st dental visit, TB skin tests for the adoption paperwork, Easter, and trip to Hammond to meet Cousin Asher. 

 

4 kittens, our 1st and 2nd adoption yard sales, and finally finished all the adoption paperwork/dossier.

 

Another adoption yard sale, fishing, wedding, Mother's Day, Rock n Jump, and end of the school year parties and awards.

 

VBS, North Carolina with Britt for his doctorate class, Grandmomma's birthday, Father's Day, Lake, and Beach.

 

Beach, Lake, 4th of July, rainbows, my cousin's wedding, girl night, and MATCHED with our DAUGHTER!

 

Cousins' visit, Caleb's 13th birthday, started homeschooling Caleb and Eli, Matthew's 3rd birthday and moved to a big boy bed, more rainbows, i800a approval, and new pictures of our girl!

 

Started our puzzle fundraiser, got Mary-Lynn's original documents with a baby photo on it, and Homecoming parade with friends.

 

Another adoption yard sale, pumpkin patch, Cotton Fest craft table with Eli, Cousin Zoe's 1st birthday costume party, visiting with family, Britt left for India on 10/31, Halloween, and a turkey peaking in our window! Haha

 

BRITT MET & HELD OUR DAUGHTER!! Fort Toulouse, Alabama National Fair, Britt in India, Dixie's 14th birthday, and Thanksgiving.  

 

i800 approval, Article 5, Christmas tree lot, Eclectic Christmas, Christmas pajamas, Santa, Elk is finally here and up in the house, Granddaddy, Candlelight Service, Christmas with family, Asher LOVES his Uncle Britt, smiley's on our fingers like Granddaddy has always done, Caleb was a pallbearer, and Calloway Gardens with MawMaw and cousins.

 

(Whew...Oct., Nov., & Dec. make me tired all over again just thinking about it!)

 

 

 

Praying our sweet girl is home to make memories with her family ASAP! Praying we all have a blessed 2017!!

 

 

 



Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Eve last year was my very first adoption blog post! You can see it HERE.

 

 

Since last Christmas we finished all the paperwork, did our 2 homestudies, raised funds needed, and best of all we were matched with our daughter!!!

 

Mary-Lynn was born in May 2014

 

We have been matched with our sweet Mary-Lynn for 5 1/2 months now. We still have no timeline as to when she will be home. We did sign a power of attorney this week that allows the orphanage director and advocate/lawyer to go to court in our place. As soon as we get our No Objection Certificate (NOC), our case can go to court.   

 

I have wondered all day if her orphanage does any thing special for Christmas or not. I know they do not celebrate the real reason for Christmas, but I wonder if they at least get something special to eat or celebrate in some sort of way. It breaks my heart! I wish she was home with her family already. Santa will be leaving her a few things at home tonight that we can use when we travel to get her.

 

 

Apparently she has been on Matthew and Eli's minds today too. When I was bathing Matthew before our Christmas Eve service tonight he said, "I wish baby sister was home with us." Then we were eating supper after church and Britt's phone rang, Eli said, "Man, I was hoping that was the orphanage calling." Break my heart!! We are all missing her right now.

 

Part of Eli's Christmas List this year
 

Please pray we get our No Objection Certificate soon, and that our orphanage director and lawyer go in to court fighting to get our baby girl home to us ASAP!

 

Pray for my Nanny and family also. My Granddaddy will be celebrating his first Christmas in Heaven. They were married for 68 years! My Nanny is where we got Mary-Lynn's middle name from. You can read about that HERE.

 

I just have to share these sweet pictures of my Nanny and Granddaddy through the years...

Please remember her in your prayers!

 

 

 

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!

 

From our family to yours...