Job 42:2

It is funny and wonderful how God gives us a verse to cling to so that He can totally blow our minds and surprise us when He reveals Himself in it!

I woke up this morning expecting to receive our NVC approval notice and numbers for Tilly.  Through a post on FB, I asked you all to pray that we would get it today.   By 1pm, my hopes were dashed.  I was told that the NVC did not have our file which I was told Thursday and Friday they did.  I was told they would receive it tomorrow and hopefully finish it Friday or Monday.  I posted that it would not happen today.

Then I texted a friend who never candy coats and always points me to the Truth.  She reminded me that God loves Tilly Lynn more than I ever can.  The peace that gave me was unreal.  It is the truth and I believe it, I just lost sight of it in the middle of the wait.  

3 hours after I had been given the news that our approval would be delayed, I called one last time believing that my God is the God of the impossible.  I heard the news I had been waiting for!!!!  I received the numbers we need to file for Tilly Lynn's visa, but still needed the NVC to send it on to the consulate in China.  I emailed the NVC, and received an email telling me that our file is being processed expeditiously and the letter should be ready tomorrow and they will email it to us as soon as it is ready!!!!!

When I got off the phone after receiving the approval numbers, Phoebe said, "Thank you Jesus".  She said she had been praying for it.  I got the opportunity to talk with her about how we serve the God of the impossible.  We talked about how we were told "not today" then we read Job 42:2  "I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted."  We know what God has to say in His love letter to us about the fatherless, the poor, the voiceless, the oppressed.  We know God said that Tilly Lynn is our daughter.  I told her that what seems impossible for us is so possible for God.  She already knew that!!!  What a blessing she is.  God ordained this day and it's events for that moment with her.  He purposed it so He could reveal Himself to her.  I think she is learning and believing that God loves her and cares for her.  I praise Him for how He orchestrated

 our day!

Speaking of praise....we sold our 4Runner and purchased a great used van this weekend.  Now we can all ride in one vehicle when we get home! 

Needs....Please continue to pray for our girls.  Please pray that God will put our girls on the right people's hearts.  We are still in need of $11,400.  That number was $25,000 two months ago and we have watched as God has provided the funds.  We have been blessed to hear stories of how God just put us on someone's heart and they knew they needed to help our girls come home.  I am humbled by the love we have been shown.  

There are 3 ways you can donate to our family's adoption. 

1.  You can donate to the eternal family fund with our agency.  

2.  You can use PayPal and for a $5 donation you will get your name on a puzzle piece. 

3.  You can buy a Stranded Angel.  

The donating to the puzzle fundraisor or purchasing angels could make for a great Christmas gift.  Each could be given in honor of Tilly Lynn and Lyric.  The recipient will know their gift has life changing value to it!

Hope you all have a blessed Thanksgiving! 

Still clinging to Job 42:2,

Amanda

While We Are Waiting....

The wait....UGGGGG!!!!  Well I guess I shouldn't say UGGGG!!!  The wait, while difficult, has been full of blessings.  As I sit here, my little Eden is coloring!!!  What a blessing.  No gloves! No vest! No helmet! No earmuffs! No blanket! No beanbag!!!!  In this long wait, God granted some answers for us with Eden.  We have been enjoying seeing a side to our little girl that had been hidden deep inside her waiting to burst forth.  We still have hard days, but they are nothing like they were!  The wait has brought an excitement and maturity to Phoebe.  She is watching God slowly yet perfectly bring our family together.  Someone gave her some clothes the other day and she said, "God is good!"

My faith in my Father has also grown as it has been stretched so thin it has become transparent! I am catching glimpses of the depth of love God has for the orphan, the fatherless, the defenseless, the oppressed, the widow.  I am realizing the role we as the Body of Christ have been charged with.  I realize it is a command just as much as the 10 in Exodus.  I am grateful that He called my family to adoption.  How is He calling you to defend the fatherless, the oppressed, the widow?  Do you know we have children in Huntsville, Alabama that go to bed hungry for several nights in a row?  Do you know about Manna House?  Lincoln Village?  For Life Ministries?  Kids to Love?  Those are just a few ministries in town that I know of that you and your family can get involved in.

Another way you can help is by donating to adopting families.  Adopting is expensive.  Eden's adoption process was $28,000.  Phoebe's process was $38,000.  We were able to pay cash for all the expenses that went along with both of their adoptions.  Needless to say, that was all our savings.  When God tells you to do something, you simply do it.  You have to trust even when it seems impossible.  We had raised all but about $10,000 for the expenses of Lyric's adoption when God said that we were to adopt Tilly too.  With the obedience came fear.  How would we raise the remainder of one adoption process and add to it another?  God is faithful.  He is using total strangers, friends, and family to bring these two precious girls home.  With the addition of the second adoption and the continued fundraising, we are now only in need of $11,800!!!! That is a drop in the bucket compared to where we were 2 months ago!  Thank you to all those who have helped.  I know that for many of you, the gift you have given us was out of little and a huge sacrifice.

We have one more fundraiser that we are doing here at the end.  We are doing a Puzzle Fundraiser.  See...God has put our family together.  He designed 4 little girls half a world away to be part of our family.  Our puzzle fundraiser is a reminder of that.  For a donation of $5 (check or paypal) we will put your name on a puzzle piece.  When it is completed, we will frame it and hang it in our home.  It will serve as a reminder that God has perfectly put us together.  Each piece of the puzzle is completely different just like each girl in our family is completely different, but they each have holes that can only be filled by our family and by the Creator Himself!

                                          This is our puzzle.  It is a picture of the Forbidden
                                            City in Beijing, China!  It is a beautiful place!

                                         These are the people that have donated to the puzzle
                              fundraiser so far!  Thank you for helping us put our puzzle together!

I am hoping to have some news this week on the next step of the process!!!  Please continue to prayer for our girls in China...for protection.  Pray for the next steps to go quickly and smoothly.  Pray that God will be glorified throughout the remainder of this process.  Thank you!