Hard Work and Precious Conversation

This four year old sweetie never stops blessing my heart.

She wanted to help take the husks off the corn. So I explained

and showed her what to do.
She very seriously got to work.
Oops! Daddy get your hand out of the picture!
This precious girl was on a mission.
Chattering away as she was seriously working.

Several times she said,"Mommy I love you and I love helping you."

"Do you want to know why?" So I asked,"Why sweetie?"

She said,"It is because God put a lot of love in me."

This little girl just blesses my heart!

Jaden worked very hard even cleaning the stringy things off each cob.

When we stopped to have dinner she had done 34 ears of corn!!!

Down on the farm

Jaden enjoying the ride out to the u pick fields.

She loves hats and since I didn't bring one

for her I never did get mine back. : )

Three years ago today we received the long awaited phone call

we had a referral of a little Asian princess named Shu Qin.

We have been blessed beyond measure!

As soon as I can get the pics off of the old computer

I will post them. We LOVE you Jaden Faith!

You want MORE green beans?
Jaden had so much fun picking fresh vegetables.

She is an amazing little helper!
Is this big enough?

Treasured Video

We were sent this video of our precious

daughter a year ago. She is saying her

name Hong, Haoyun and that she wishes

to have a family.

Oh my sweet baby girl, you do have a family!!!

We are coming soon!

There is one who loves you even more.

Who heard your cries. He knows your

heart of sadness and desire for a home.

My prayer has been you would feel His

loving presence as He gathers you in

His loving arms and carries you close

to His heart.

When Love Takes You In

I know you've heard the stories

But they all sound too good to be true

You've heard about a place called home

But there doesn't seem to be one for you

So one more night you cry yourself to sleep

And drift off to a distant dream

Where love takes you in and everything

changes

A miracle starts with the beat of a heart

When love takes you home and says you

belong here

The loneliness ends and a new life begins

When love takes you in

And some where while your sleeping

Someone else is dreaming too

Counting down the days until

They hold you close and say I love you

And like rain that falls into the sea

In a moment what has been is lost in

What will be

When love takes you in everything changes

A miracle starts with the beat of a heart

And this love will never let you go

There is nothing that could ever cause

This love to lose its hold

When love takes you in everything changes

A miracle starts with a beat of a heart

When love takes you home and says you

Belong here the loneliness ends

And a new life begins when love takes you in

It takes you in for good

When love takes you in

Steven Curtis Chapman

More pics of Piper!!!

Another family had adopted from Piper's orphanage

and I discovered these pictures on her blog and she

blessed me with them.

She looks so precious in this picture.

For He will command His angels

concerning you, to guard you in

all your ways.

Psalm 91:11

We were told we should be leaving

the beginning of October!!!!!!!!
We will have two Gotcha Day Celebrations in October!

Jaden's was October 30, 2006!!!

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;

He rises to show you compassion.

For the Lord is a God of justice.

Blessed are all who wait for Him!
Isaiah 30:18

We got the long awaited call!!!!!!!! We have RA/LOA!!!!!!!!

The first picture we saw of Piper in March 2008

God had put her on my heart and I started praying.
Monday before Thanksgiving 2008 received

this picture from our agency with an update.
We sent her a birthday cake and necklace for her 13th birthday.

Your Love, O Lord,

reaches to the

heavens,

Your faithfulness

to the skies.

Psalm 36:5

Yes, after ninety-nine days of waiting. This morning we received

the long awaited phone call. We have our RA!!!! (referral acceptance)

Exactly one year ago to the day we received the phone call from our

agency letting us know the CCAA had given us permission to pursue

the adoption of Piper (because of China's new rules our agency

had to send a letter asking permission for us to adopt because DH

was going to hit the age limit) We were told that it would take

2 months for them to answer the request and it only took 2 weeks!!

We were also emailed a short video of her. God blessed us with a

wonderful wedding anniversary gift last year and again this year

with our RA!!!

What a beautiful reminder of God's restoring love in our marriage.

Little Fish

Jaden is swimming without floaties or vests!!!
Even underwater!!!
Click on this picture and you can see her holding her nose.

She even is jumping in on her own.

Those pictures weren't very good.... will try for more later.

I did it!!!!!!!!!

90 Days and Waiting

After receiving all kinds of paperwork to fill out (via email) to be

prepared for our RA/LOA (Referral Acceptance/Letter of Acceptance)

this past friday I thought for sure RA/LOA would be in the batch

that came yesterday. So when it wasn't I was a little discouraged

and sad. I just kept asking,"The Lord why?" "Please help me to keep

trusting in your perfect timing."

This was today's devotional from Streams In The Dessert

And therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious

unto you . . . blessed are all they that wait for Him

(Isaiah 30:18)

We must not only think of our waiting upon God, but also of what is

more wonderful still, of God's waiting upon us. The vision of Him

waiting on us will give new impulse and inspiration to our waiting

upon Him. It will give us unspeakable confidence that our waiting

cannot be in vain. Let us seek even now, at this moment, in the spirit

of waiting on God, to find out something of what it means. He has

inconceivably glorious purposes concerning every one of His

children. And you ask, "How is it, if He waits to be gracious, that

even after I come and wait upon Him, He does not give the help

I seek, but waits on longer and longer?"

God is a wise husbandman, "who waiteth for the precious fruit of

the earth, and hath long patience for it." He cannot gather the fruit

till it is ripe. He knows when we are spiritually ready to receive the

blessing to our profit and His glory. Waiting in the sunshine of

His love is what will ripen the soul for His blessing. Waiting under

the cloud of trial, that breaks in showers of blessings, is as needful.

Be assured that if God waits longer than you could wish, it is only

to make the blessing doubly precious. God waited four thousand

years, till the fullness of time, ere He sent His Son. Our times are

in His hands; He will avenge His elect speedily; He will make haste

for our help, and not delay one hour too long.

Andrew Murray

Wow! When I think of how hard headed and stubborn I can

be it sure makes me thankful that my Father in heaven is

so gracious and merciful and that He waits patiently for

me. I will praise Him in the waiting.