THE CALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have wondered for 4 years what it would feel like to type this.....

WE GOT OUR REFERRAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The call came last Friday. I had just picked up the boys from school & was pulling into the ATM in Leesburg when she initially called to "check in on us & ask me a few questions" and then said "ok I'll check in with you later."
30 min's later she called back & said "Ok, I have a file for you. It's a boy. He just turned 6. Are you interested?" UMMMMMM YES MA'AM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I was shaking and covering my mouth bc it was the UGLY CRY as I was driving us home! It was 4:15pm and Roger couldn't come home until after 5pm but I meant I was not going to open that email without him!!

They gave us the weekend to pray through it and ultimately gave us two weeks to make a decision but after a series of events by Monday evening we knew he was ours!!! We called our agency Tuesday morning after Bible Study and said YES!!! He’s OURS!!
   
After we hung up we cried and thanked Jesus and cried some more. 

I went on to Wal-Mart and attempted to grocery shop. I was grinning like an idiot at every stranger I saw. Feeling like I had a HUGE secret I wanted to shout out to the whole store but knew not everyone would get it or understand so I just grinned and said hey. I ran into a friend from church and just couldn't hold it any longer. WE JUST GOT A REFERRAL & showed her his picture!! :):):):)
I managed to get most of what we needed and bought a 5x7 frame so we could print his picture and tell the boys that night.
I fixed their supper and waited as patiently as I could for them to get done and called them all over to the couch & hit record on my phone.

 I have been in a fog the past week. 
Hard to keep my thoughts together. 
Can't stop smiling. Still feels surreal like I can't believe it's happened! 
**We can not post personal information about him online including his name & picture** BUT I am happy show you in person. Please ask me & I will gladly show you :) 

Wednesday we mailed off another packet of acceptance paperwork & got our PRAISE ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

So what’s next?

*Pray. For the Lord to begin preparing the soil of his heart to receive the seed of the GOSPEL & for him to be LOVED BIG when he gets here! 
*Pray for much grace. There will be gain on our end of  welcoming him into our family but significant loss in his life. Jesus be near, in, all, around, before, behind. I don't know what else to say.
*Fundraising for travel funds.
*Our agency still has several documents that need to be gathered before he can be submitted to US immigration approval. This can take anywhere from a few weeks, to several months or I’ve heard in some cases over a year.
Would you pray with us that these documents will be easily gathered so he can be submitted by Christmas?(that would be the best GIFT EVER!) 
*After approval we are assigned a court date in Ethiopia.
*BUY AIRPLANE TICKETS TO ETHIOPIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We’ll meet him, go to court, come home while those documents are being processed then take a second trip back to get him & bring him home FOREVER!! 

O Lord, I will honor & praise Your Name, for You are my God.

You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago and now you have accomplished them!

Is 25:1

There is still much to accomplish but as of this week we are basking in the greatness and grace of our God. 
The One Who is continuing to do the work He began. 
The One who is Faithful and accomplishes His plans. 
He who makes the crooked paths straight.
Who brings the mountains low & makes a path no one knew was even there.

Who are we Lord, who are we. 

We give praise to Your matchless and majestic Name. 
There is none like You, Father. 

None like You.  

Don't give up hope my friend if you are in a season of waiting. 
God is not a far off God. He is near. He hears, He see's, He is aware of your circumstances in life right at this very moment. 
The gift of His presence & our salvation is enough.  
Take your eyes off of your circumstances and FIX them on Christ.
HE IS OUR REWARD. 
  

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Heb 12:2

 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Cor 4:18

Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on Earth. For you have died & your life in hidden with Christ in God.

Col 3:2-3

May the things of Earth grow strangely dim in the light of His glory & grace,

One joyful momma of FOUR BOYS {i still can't believe it!!!!}

Ps- You might be saying to yourself, wait, I thought this was supposed to be a girl who's name would be Lily.

Well my friend, I did too.  The humbling thing about surrendering your life to Christ is that it's every part of  your life. Your hopes, your dreams, your plans, your desires. You delight in Him and He'll make your dreams, hopes and desires into His and it will be EVEN be better than you could ever imagine. It will be His Best.

"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine."

Isaiah 55:8

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

Eph 3:20