The End of Anxiety?!?

Well, we received some bummer news this week.  Some of you may recall me saying that the adoption process for Ethiopia is slowing down.  We just received word from our family coordinator that if we have our dossier sent by Sep/Oct we should expect to get a referral between September 2012 and April 2013...there goes the 7-11 month referral wait.  We happened to pick Ethiopia and sign an agreement right as this was all starting to change.  We knew this could happen when we made our decision but truly know this is where God has led us.  We will continue to pray that the process in Ethiopia speeds up again and for the MOWYCA (Ministry of Women Youth and Children's Affairs).

I've realized that putting your complete faith and trust in the Lord is not easy.  Too often I have worries and concerns in my life in which I feel I can handle myself.  Too often  I challenge God's power.  In the past year or so I have worked hard at putting God first and foremost in my every day happenings.  The more aware I am of Him in my life, the more I have realized that He is in control of EVERYTHING. 

I can't help but think about what George Muller said, "The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith.  The beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety."

Even though this seems to be bummer news, we will wait for this child(ren) as long as needed to bring them HOME!  We have been blessed beyond measure already and I cannot wait to see how this story unfolds.  Just this week God has done amazing things to help us move forward!  We sold about 20 tshirts in the past week, received a check in the mail that we have NO CLUE where it came from, and just today we received a donation from a classmate of mine whom I haven't seen or had contact with (other than Facebook!) since high school--HOW AMAZING!!! (and THANK YOU!!!)

Last night I was able to connect with a lady from Bismarck (just 100 miles away) who has adopted two children from Ethiopia.  Listening to her story and her heart for the orphans made this news hurt even more.  It's so hard to hear about the conditions that MILLIONS of children are in right now.  She told me that for every 1 child that is adopted from Ethiopia there is 2,000 more children waiting.  BUT hearing her story and being able to connect with someone "locally" was GREAT!  We are hoping to meet their family someday soon and look forward to the connections God has in store for us! 

Even though this wait is going to be long and cumbersome, I will not stop being an advocate for orphaned children.  Please take a few minutes to check out this blog!!!  What Kelly is doing for orphans is unbelievable and the stories of their time in Ethiopia (RIGHT NOW) are life-changing!

Off to enjoy a relaxing weekend with friends and family!  Looking forward to a campfire tonight, possibly fishing tomorrow, and our neighbor's birthday/movie night tomorrow night!  We have so much to be grateful for... may we continually to look at the millions of blessings we have and not be led astray by the few mishaps and discomforts!

Love from our family to YOURS!