One Month and Counting!

I can't believe we have officially been "waiting" for over 1 month now. Eventhough it's only been a short time, it I actually feels good to be beyond the paperchase and waiting with a purpose. With Scott being in Haiti this week, his heart is breaking and longing for our son. He has met many who have lost so much. He has seen the faces that have no family. He was inspired by a man who was an orphan himself and has returned to Haiti with a purpose in mind-THE ORPHAN. What a beautiful purpose! We press on.. we wait...we pray..and we dream.

Happy Birthday, Scott!

Happy 39th birthday to my sweet hubby! Scott, you continue to amaze me with your passion to live your life for the Lord. I have never seen someone who genuinely cares about so many people. You make everyone feel like a million bucks! I love you that you dream big and live large. I love that you bring the fun to our family; without you life would be so boring! Words cannot express the amazing Daddy you are. The girls (and brother-to-be ) are so lucky to have you. Thank you for sharing your life with us. Mostly, thank you for loving me. I love you, prec. Happy B-Day!

The Summit

This past week I had the privelege of attending Orphan Summit VI. Corrie Rusch, Steph Maass, Jen Arkins, Joy Primm and myself traveled to Minneapolis, Minnesota for a weekend that will always be remembered! I am so thankful to have had these ladies to process all that I heard. I have never laughed, cried, and talked so much in my life. I loved every minute of it! I went into this conference not really knowing what to expect. I left feeling so many emotions. I was truly saddened with the "yuck" that is going on in the world near and far. I was overwhelmed with the magnitude of the need. My heart was wrecked after hearing story after story of sorrow and celebration. I was humbled that God has blessed me with so much that I don't deserve. There were things that I heard that will change my view of life, the way I parent, and especially my heart attitude. However, I was impacted to the core by these three statements given by people who understand trials...... "Even though you take an orphan and give them a home, food, and a family- the "orphan spirit" will still remain. That spirit can be healed by God alone!" (Quoted by Stephanie Fast a Korean orphan that survived the streets for 9 years before she was adopted. ) "Why do we feel like we need to live the perfect life now? We have it coming in ETERNITY. For now, we are meant for war! Having FAITH is not the ultimate factor in whether you suffer or prosper- God is the ultimate factor." (Quoted by John Piper) "You give and take away but blessed be your Name." (Quoted and sung genuinely by Steven Curtis Chapman) Amazing people with extraordinary faith!

Silver Candlesticks

Scott and I recently received a beautiful letter accompanied by an amazing gift. We were humbled and deeply moved by such generosity. I will leave out names in respect to those involved, but I couldn't wait to share this story with all of you................
"Dear Scott and Mollie....... I have been journaling through the scriptures provided by the church. As I turn my eyes and heart toward the purpose of Christ's birth and His redemption of me, I am reminded of a great quote in the movie Les Miserables. It was when Monseigneur Bienven had been beaten by the criminal Jean Valjean, who robbed him and was later returned by the police to confirm the robbery. Instead of condemning the man, the Bishop added the silver candlesticks, which were the best of the best, to Valjean's bag of stolen silver. Then the Bishop drew Valjean close to him and whispered: "Forget not, never forget that you have promised me to use this silver to become an honest man....Jean Valjean, my brother: you belong no longer to evil, but to good. It is your soul that I am buying for you. I withdraw it from dark thoughts and from the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God!" I have often thought of this statement in light of God's redemption of my soul and how He threw in the best heaven had to offer, the Best of the Best, to claim me as his own. I take it quite personally. I have also seen God use people and their various generous ways to contribute to my welfare, such as the Bishop did to Valjean. You see, there was a process begun early in my life that took me from a poor housing project to eventually a life that would be better than I would have ever hoped for, and certainly better than I would ever deserve. The truth is many children in that housing project have gone on to live a life of despair and likely poverty. Many have gone to jails. Many have never known the grace of God and the redemption of their souls. But, for some reason, I was given hope, even when I didn't know that I needed hope. I was given help, even when I didn't know I would require it. I was given opportunity, even before I would realize that I would be desperate without it. I was given "redemption" from a life of limited choices, and limited hope, and limited future. There has been several people over my lifetime who have thrown "silver candlesticks" in the bag for me, and I understand the blessing I have received because of their help. I believe that in all Christians (whose heart is right with Christ) is a desire to express this kind of love and give this kind of opportunity to someone who it will help. Many would do this if they had the "silver candlesticks" to throw in the bag to save someone from a life of despair. But, they simply do not have the financial ability and cannot. But, for those who have the ability? Well, like scripture says, "For those who have been given much, much is required." I take this challenge to scripture very personal, for I have been given much, and I want to give as I have been given to. I feel my Savior's great delight when I do so. But do I have the ability? That was my question to God and myself this morning. As I thought this through and asked myself,"Do my wife and I have any "silver candlesticks" to give for the 'redemption' of this child in Africa, from a life of desperation he will surely face? After all, our income is now greatly reduced? How can we do it?" Indeed I do have the "silver candlesticks" to throw into the bag. I have a great motorcycle that if sold for it's best value could contribute to this adoption. What a great investment I believe it would be for us to make and what a joy to make it! Therefore, if you are willing to accept this gift, it will be with great joy that this is what we will do. Let us throw our "silver" in this bag in the form of what the motorcycle can be sold for. I am ready to proceed with this as soon as possible. Thank you for letting us be part of your journey." Unbelievable, right? Scott and I were completely overwhelmed; words cannot even express our gratitude! Well, the story continues. This past Friday I listed the motorcycle on Craig's List. Saturday, I received a call from a gentleman who said he had been looking for just this bike. Sunday, he drove to our house, with cash in hand, and purchased the motorcycle. (We were even able to share our story with him. ) I am reminded everyday of God's love. How HE moves in HIS children to act on HIS behalf. How HE will provide every penny we need throughout this process. And most importantly, how HE is walking closely with us every step of the way!

WAITLIST!

I just got word that as of 4/12/10, we are officially on the waitlist! So exciting! The average wait time for a referral for a 0-12 month old is about 9 months. I anticipate that we will get quite weary of waiting, but today I celebrate this milestone! With the paperchase behind, I can dream about the future ahead. So happy that we are getting a little closer to "our little man. "

We Have Prints!

Yes! It finally worked: we have prints! Thank you to my old friend, Kelly, who carefully and meticulously rolled over 160 fingerprints for me. There is an art to this- seriously! We received Scott's FBI clearance today. (Scott's has been delayed due to a "typo") As I traveled to Post Net, I was elated knowing this was the last of my checklist for Kate. Well, I guess the true waiting is about to begin! I have never been so excited to just "WAIT."

Bitter Sweet!

Well, the rollercoaster begins. On Saturday, we received our CIS Approval Letter! HOORAY!!!!! We were so excited! Typically this is the last piece of information you receive during the paperchase. However, today I received word from FBI that my second set of fingerprints were illegible. (I found out last week that first set didn't clear) Apparently , I have no fingerprints! So we are working on " Plan C." I know God's timing is perfect and this is all apart of the process. So I will wait patiently as I saturate my hands with Corn Huskers Lotion. Maybe the third time will be a charm!