Emotion Commotion

I feel like I'm on a roller coaster.

Only thing is, if y'all knew how much I loathe roller coasters, it wouldn't be a good thing.

This is different.

It's good.  Very good.

48 hours from now we will be flying eastward where two worlds will collide, tears will fall, hearts will beat together and a family will be formed!!!!

I can't even believe it!
This has been such a fast-paced journey, we've only focused on the task of getting Khloie home.  Now I am dreaming of actually wrapping my arms around her forever and ever.

So many prayers have been answered!  One certainty of adoption is...there is no certainty.  We feared our time line would bring our travel approval right in the middle of sweet corn season.  That's from April 1 to August 15.  We are corn farmers, and that is half our livelihood, so there is no way Mr. Greenthumb could travel during that time.  It is possible for one parent to travel, and it happens frequently and for various reasons.  I did it in 2011 because...it was during corn season.  

There are many reasons we prayed to travel before corn season.  We both wanted to travel for Khloie, and we did not want to make her wait a single day longer to finish up harvest.  Even though we are only bringing home one Treasure this time, we realize this two-week period in China is the only slice of time that Khloie will have Mommy and Daddy all to herself.  This will allow bonding and a sense of security.  Only God could orchestrate this time line!

And then there are the ones we are leaving behind.  Oh.my.goodness, how I will miss them!  Thank goodness for Skype!  Praise God for people who love us enough to care for all these kids while we are away on a very important mission.  And praise God for people who love us enough to care for these people caring for all these kids while we are away!

Now, even as I scramble to finish my to-do list, I am overwhelmed with excitement and tears of joy at the thought of holding my precious girl in a few short days!  I haven't allowed myself to consider the crazy schedule once we return, or ponder the unknowns.  That would be a whole other roller coaster!

"Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm.  Nothing is too hard for you."  Jer 32:17

$5 for an iPad2?!?

Would you love to have an iPad2?Would you love to help another family bring their Treasure home?
You can do BOTH (for $5!)
Head on over to my friend Traci's blog and check out this sweet deal!

Broken Things

Ever notice the Lord uses broken things?

Am I the only one who struggles with not wanting to be broken? Oh, how I want to chase my own dreams. But in my brokenness, the Lord can really speak to me and cause me to move.

When I look around our home and see actual broken things (a doorknob, a bar stool, a cabinet door...) they are tangible reminders of my struggle ~ where I sometimes want to be and where the Lord wants me to be.

While I have a wish list of things I'd like to be different: a house tidied up, a schedule set in stone, some time to myself, a vacation (!!!)...the Lord has something better in store.

Remember the impoverished widow in 2 Kings whose sons were going to be taken as slaves to repay her debt? She pleaded with Elisha, and he instructed her to gather as many jars as she could and fill them with the last of her oil. The oil kept flowing until the last jar was full. Then she had enough oil to sell and repay her debt. But she had to break the seal on the only thing she had left, a jar of oil.

How many times can I truly say I've allowed the Lord to use the last of what I have? When I'm at the end of the proverbial rope, will I still try to fix things myself or give all I have for Him to do as He pleases?

You'd think I'd learn because in the few instances I've given the last, He has blessed me in miraculous ways! Look at the ways He's brought our children home! Totally HIM.

And now the Lord is guiding us in how He's going to heal their brokenness.

We are counting down to two very important appointments ~

Two weeks from today we will be home from Shriner's Children's Hospital in St. Louis with answers about our Baby Joy and the medical special need that has kept her from walking.

And four weeks from today we leave for BG Center in NY to seek answers and equip our Teen Treasure for a life free from the maltreatment of his past that has clouded his vision for the future.

The Lord is even using the broken lives of our children to reveal Himself and His miraculous healing and redemption. Even though the struggle to chase my own futile dreams is sometimes great, I wouldn't miss this broken journey for anything!