Trust

We thought we would have heard news of our referral last week, but nothing. Today I found out that the Russian lawyer who is working for the adoption center (handling our case) got married and went on a honeymoon. She left last week and will be gone this week too. She is due back next Monday. Apparently, she had hoped to get our paperwork before she left, but that didn't happen. So we continue to wait. Waiting is the hardest part of this entire journey. I have to admit that I have not always been very good at it, but I see that the Lord is providing me with ample opportunity to grow in this area. Thanks, Lord always looking out after me ;) . . . . . . . I started looking back through my hand-written journal in hopes of finding some lost inspiration. Sure enough, I found it. A year and 4 months ago, Mother's Day 2005, I knew that my annunciation had taken place. It was proclaimed that I would be a mother. I never knew at that time just how long this gestation period would last. I probably would have really freaked out if I did know then what I know now. It is funny how we can handle long waits better in little pieces. Breaking it down, taking it step by step. The passage that hits me today is "Blest is she who trusted that the Lord's word to her would be fulfilled." Luke 1:45 Today, I am focusing on my trust in the Lord.

Our Pact-Vine & Branches

While we wait for news of our children, we continue to practice our Russian and talk lots about how we want to parent. I think it is important to chronicle a pact we made with each other a couple nights ago. My work is with teens and I see the results of lots of different parenting styles. We happened to be talking about a couple of children I know who could really use some counseling, but in both cases the parents refuse to go with their child to counseling. In one case, the parents don't even want to take their child to counseling at all and in the other the parents are willing to take their child to be "fixed" but don't want to go themselves. We surmise that they don't want to hear anything that might cause them to have to change or challenge themselves. Ken and I said that we certainly understand the hesitancy of people to face themselves. It certainly is difficult. Nonetheless, we made a pact with each other to be open to seeking whatever help our children might need and to be willing to challenge change in ourselves if that is what is needed. Our children will always come first. God is about to grace us with a special gift of parenthood and we don't want to take that gift for granted. The Lord is the vine and we are the branches. We are expecting that some pruning may be in order and are praying to be ready for the challenge. John 15:1-2 says: "I am the vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that bears no fruit he cuts away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes to make it bear even more."