Another busy week. I don't know where the time goes. My grandma use to say, "The older you get, the faster it goes." Boy, was she was right. She passed away at the age of 93; and I will tell you, she must have been on roller coaster ride the last 45 years of her life, and hanging on for dear life! I feel like I live on one now. I take a deep breath in the morning; and off I go, up, up, up... then down we gooooo... and around... hang onnnn!!
The other morning Tim and I were at the altar; and I prayed that I would ask God to show me how to make my to do list each day. Not doing it the way 'I' think it should be done, but 'His' way. I mean, I know there are the things I have to do, like go to work, go to gym, do Bible study... I'm one who likes to write everything down just so I can mark it off. I even write things down after I do them just to mark them off! (I know. I am a sick person!) It's a mind game I play that makes me feel like I got more done. But I want to learn to do the things that God wants me to do. How many times have I possibly not been where I needed to be because I put my SELF in the way? I want to have GOD in the way. I might have missed the Office Depot moment, a few weeks ago, if I had not listened to the little voice inside of me saying, "Go to Office Depot, now." I want, so badly, to hear, AND FOLLOW, God's voice every time he talks to me. Whether it's in a still, small whisper, or even a loud, yelling voice. LOL!!
Last Saturday we received our appointment notice to go to the FBI, on Sept. 4, for our "biometrics to be captured" (in other words our fingerprints to be done!). For some reason, that seems scary to me. I guess it's because of the words FBI, or Homeland Security. It's not like I am a criminal. By the way, I can't believe how many times we have to be fingerprinted! Anyway, then Monday Mrs. Betti called and we scheduled our last home study interview with her and that one was at our house. I think it all went well. I guess we will know when we get to read her report. We had to go a couple of times this week to get papers notarized so we could get them FedEx'd out on Friday. Along with them we needed Apostilles. So, that meant a trip to downtown Jackson. Not a big deal, but the first set were wrong, so off we go again! Thankfully we got them right the second time. Lots of other paperwork for Ukraine dossier is starting to get done. I am still shocked at the amount of all of it.
Friday was Tim's birthday. He is now 47; and, yes, he is glad he is going to be a daddy to 2 girls! I think when you get older you can enjoy things more. We were very young when we had our boys. I was 19 with Justin and 25 with Christopher. I am glad I was a young mom to give birth, but I think I will be a wise mom now. I will have learned from many of my mistakes. Yes, I do know girls are different than boys, but love is the same, no matter what. It will not always be easy, but it will definitely be worth it!
I went to the mall to look for a gift for Tim for his birthday. I looked around, but could not really find anything he "needed", or wanted. Maybe it was me not wanting to spend the money! So, I went home and took a cat nap before heading out to take some photographs of the boys. Tim had asked for some new shots of them for his office. I got dressed, so that I would be ready to go out for dinner afterward. I had to swing by FedEx to ship some papers. Well, let me just tell you, I hope my envelope gets a great meal on the plane going over for what it cost to ship SIX pieces of paper!! I thought the poor young man behind the counter was going to faint when he told me the price. I thought Tim might have to bury me. $128.10 to mail them!!!! Then young man did go on to say they would be arrive on Sept. 2nd. Great! I would hope so. And in a limousine for that price!! He did say I could lower that price by $10.00, but doing so would add 15 days to the arrival date. He let out a huge laugh; and the lady behind the wall came to see what was going on. She re-checked the price; and she was speechless, too. That must be why Tim didn't need a present! The money went to pay for Fed Ex. So, in his card, I gave him the receipt!!
I received an email from a friend this week. In it she talked about a little boy who came to the orphanage at a young age. He waited for a family to come for him; and he waited; and he waited; and he waited some more, but no one ever came. She visited him when she could; and she always saw sadness in his eyes. I guess he knew somewhere in his heart he might never get a family. As the kids grow older the less likely it is for them to be picked by a family. At the age of 14, in the 9th grade, he aged out of the system. No one ever did come for he or his younger brother. (Note: Even more sadly, the way the Ukrainian system is set-up, once an older sibling ages out, younger siblings are no longer eligible for adoption, either.) Now at the age of 19, he still struggles everyday with the thought that they will never have a forever family. I know we have so many kids here in the USA who need homes, but one thing that is significantly different is we do not put our kids out on the street at the age of 14 years old, to fend for themselves. They get to stay in a home until the age of 18; and if most of the kids would act nice to their foster parents they would probably even get to stay longer. So many of our youth today feel we owe them "the world", though; and we don't. I know not all foster parents are nice, but much really has to do with the kids. There is always 3 sides to everything yours, mine and God's. And God's is the only one that counts. Again, I cannot tell you why Ukraine? Or even why us? But when God calls it is always better to answer in the affirmative. Sorry, enough of that soap box...
I think I have run myself silly this week! I had to go to the Appraiser's office to get the certified square footage for our house. Before I could send off to get our certified marriage certificate we had to browse to the Orange County, CA, website, download their form, have it notarized, get a money order, then finally mail it. Well, I was running late today; and thank God I was! Late this morning Tim learned we needed FOUR copies, not just two. If we hadn't found that out when we did we would have had to redo all of it and have spent even more money on shipping. Also this week, I have spent time on the phone calling to get Tim in to a doctor for a complete exam. As he never gets sick, he never goes to the doctor. Normally that would be good, but when you specifically need quick access to a family doctor, it definitely is not. Also, this week, I have went to the Highway Patrol office to get paperwork for Mississippi state background checks. On Tuesday, I had to go to the foot doctor because I have hurt my feet. Praise the Lord, I have lost 100 pounds, but in doing so I have walked my feet to death, or at least my feet think so! The doctor restricted me from exercise walking for 30 days. Only water class, exercise bike, and elliptical trainer. At least he didn't put me on bed rest, but then again, that might be nice! That would create its own set of problems, though. How would all of this get done? Back on the doctor topic... I found an old doctor of mine who was willing to squeeze in both Tim and I on Wednesday for medical exams. Yeah! One more item to mark off the list. Friday... FBI.
Lynn
Monday, August 31, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
I hope y'all's last few weeks have been good. Mine have! Two weekends ago, Tim & I went canoeing with the Tygarts. It was Josh's first time. He had not previously done anything like that. I think he really enjoyed himself, though, some of the time he seemed a little bored. The water was not as high as in the past which makes for more work. He had started in a canoe with Anthony; and they seemed to be OK, but after a while Anthony became frustrated because Josh was not picking up on it as quick as Moises had when we took him. But Moisés spoke better English so caught on a little easier. After we had stopped to eat we moved Josh into Tim's canoe; and that worked good. They had a good time together; and Anthony and Mark had a blast. We did the "long run" of the river... All 13 miles. With the water down we had to work really hard. I think it clearly showed some of us that we are not as young as we used to be!! Oh well. The exercise was good; and the fellowship was GREAT! After the day on the river we went to Jerry's for catfish dinner. Josh loves fish so we thought that would be a good place to end the day.
I can't believe school has been going for two weeks already. I so wish Kristina and Alyona were here. I am concerned about how far behind they may be in their studies. Getting them into a school over here as young as possible will help us get the most help from the school district. I just don't want them to feel as though they spend all day in school, then come home to hours & hours of homework. I want them to embrace the idea of learning all they can learn, but not be overwhelmed by it.
This has been a hard week for me. To think, my youngest is now a junior in college. And he was so nice to point out to me the other day that if I thought I was old now just wait until the girls were graduating from college! I was shocked he would say that. I mean I guess he thinks sixty will be old. Well, come to think of it, I won't be a spring chicken! LOL!
We have made lots of progress with the adoption this last couple weeks. We have completed everything the case worker needed us to do: Finger prints, shots for cats, fire extinguishers, all new batteries in the smoke detectors, wire transfer for interpreter, and the passports arrived in the mail. That was a big praise, as we can now petition the Ukrainian government to confirm both girls are eligible for adoption. We needed the passport numbers to be able to initiate that process. Our case worker is hoping that all of the questionnaires from our references will arrive Monday so she can come to our house on Tuesday or Wednesday to finish up her side of the home study. The last thing we will need to do for her then is a 10-hour parenting class.
Wow! I stand amazed at how God can bring things together so quickly. So far, whenever we have needed to write a check to pay for something the money has been there. Praise the Lord! This week one of our income tax checks came in. We filed late this year; and normally this would be something to frown upon, but I guess I can't complain too much this time. If we had filed on time, then we would have spent the money by now. Instead, now, one day before we had to process the wire transfer, we received that amount plus a little extra in the mail!
My mom surprised me the other day. She said her and my dad had been talking; and if for some reason Tim had to come home from Ukraine early, and Christopher was still in school, she would be more than willing to fly over, so that I would not be alone. That shocked me. She has never been very adventurous, and that she would be willing to go half way around the world was cool. So, we will see how God wants to work it all out. I have had an aunt and uncle from southern Illinois visiting for the last few days; and that has been neat. I look forward to taking the girls up there to meet some of their new extended family, once they get here and have settled into the new surroundings. I hope when they come they have some pictures of their parents. They were so young when they lost their mom and dad. I want them to be able to remember all they can of them. It is their past, and an important part of them.
Lynn
I can't believe school has been going for two weeks already. I so wish Kristina and Alyona were here. I am concerned about how far behind they may be in their studies. Getting them into a school over here as young as possible will help us get the most help from the school district. I just don't want them to feel as though they spend all day in school, then come home to hours & hours of homework. I want them to embrace the idea of learning all they can learn, but not be overwhelmed by it.
This has been a hard week for me. To think, my youngest is now a junior in college. And he was so nice to point out to me the other day that if I thought I was old now just wait until the girls were graduating from college! I was shocked he would say that. I mean I guess he thinks sixty will be old. Well, come to think of it, I won't be a spring chicken! LOL!
We have made lots of progress with the adoption this last couple weeks. We have completed everything the case worker needed us to do: Finger prints, shots for cats, fire extinguishers, all new batteries in the smoke detectors, wire transfer for interpreter, and the passports arrived in the mail. That was a big praise, as we can now petition the Ukrainian government to confirm both girls are eligible for adoption. We needed the passport numbers to be able to initiate that process. Our case worker is hoping that all of the questionnaires from our references will arrive Monday so she can come to our house on Tuesday or Wednesday to finish up her side of the home study. The last thing we will need to do for her then is a 10-hour parenting class.
Wow! I stand amazed at how God can bring things together so quickly. So far, whenever we have needed to write a check to pay for something the money has been there. Praise the Lord! This week one of our income tax checks came in. We filed late this year; and normally this would be something to frown upon, but I guess I can't complain too much this time. If we had filed on time, then we would have spent the money by now. Instead, now, one day before we had to process the wire transfer, we received that amount plus a little extra in the mail!
My mom surprised me the other day. She said her and my dad had been talking; and if for some reason Tim had to come home from Ukraine early, and Christopher was still in school, she would be more than willing to fly over, so that I would not be alone. That shocked me. She has never been very adventurous, and that she would be willing to go half way around the world was cool. So, we will see how God wants to work it all out. I have had an aunt and uncle from southern Illinois visiting for the last few days; and that has been neat. I look forward to taking the girls up there to meet some of their new extended family, once they get here and have settled into the new surroundings. I hope when they come they have some pictures of their parents. They were so young when they lost their mom and dad. I want them to be able to remember all they can of them. It is their past, and an important part of them.
Lynn
Friday, August 07, 2009
A lot has happened this week. Some good, and some not so good.
I will start back on Monday, the 3rd. I got up that morning with a full "to do" list. It was a good thing I didn't have to work that day as I barely had time to breath.
I just don't know how women who have full time jobs "do it all". My hat is off to y'all, that's all I can say!! God has to have blessed you with some great angels to help you get it all done.
I had not slept well Sunday night. I guess it was about 3:30 A.M. before I really feel asleep, so when the alarm went off at 4:45... Well, I guess was glad I had not thrown it out the window as it was only doing it's job! After all, it was just an innocent bystander. Anyway, at that point I decided to go back to sleep until my sweet husband's alarm went off. Then, I intended to ask him to follow me to Walmart so I could drop off my car for an oil change, and then have him take me to the gym. I figured I could then walk back to Walmart, or catch a ride, to pick up my car. It seemed like a good idea to me. I figured it would only take him 10 minutes; and it would help me out. If not, I would fit the gym in somewhere else in my day. Well, his response was something to the effect of why had I not asked him this prior to the morning. Of course, my comment to that was, "Because I didn't think he wanted me to wake him at 3:30 A.M. to tell him. Then I would have been wide awake again; and so would have he. Well, I could tell by the "man tone" in his voice, he did not care too much for my idea. (Sorry men, but you know y'all have "that" tone, just like us women have one, too.) So, anyway, I said not to worry. I would take care of it on my own. I headed off to Walmart and told the man who checked me in that I needed an oil change and my tires rotated. That seems like a pretty simple request, right? An hour and a half later they call my name. Now, while I am there, I was multitasking by also doing my grocery shopping (of course I have frozen food, too). I get up to the counter to pay and discover they had not rotated my tires. I will just tell you now, it was NOT easy to let Jesus shine through at that moment because the last three times they have done the exact same thing. Then, to make matters worse, they tell me I have wait for the three cars IN FRONT OF ME. This after I had arrived before 7:00 A.M., and had helped the man set out the display tires, so he could check me in. At that I asked to speak to the manager. Thankfully, the manager knows me and gets them to finish my vehicle right away. Praise the Lord!! I will just say it again, Praise the Lord!! After that, I ran to Office Depot to make a few copies. They open at 8:00, and it is now 9:00, so they should be ready for customers, right? WRONG!! Or so I thought... You see, what Satan tried to do that morning was get me mad, and not let me be the witness I needed to be, but God is so good! I went in the store; and out of FIVE copiers, NOT EVEN ONE OF THEM WAS WORKING!! Can you just believe my luck?? At that point I kind of felt like I just needed to go home and back to bed! But with so many things to get done, not a chance. I walked up to the counter and asked the man to help me. He looked at my originals and said he couldn't copy the page from the magazine. I said, "Well, I am Lynn Loecher. Here is my license to prove who I am. I helped co-author the article, so I am giving myself permission to copy it." It was from a church newsletter, FROM EIGHT YEARS AGO. I just did not want to go to the church to copy a single page. I proceeded to tell him the article was about my husband having an affair, and how God had restored our marriage. I continued that the rest of the story was we are still together and are now adopting 2 girls. He asked if he could read it. I told him I was in a hurry, but that he could make an extra copy and I would happily pay for it. He did so; and I left. The rest of my day went reasonably well, but I never did make it to the gym. I know from past experience that if I don't get there by 5:30 in the morning I just don't get there at all. Oh well, maybe next time...
I did make it to the gym on Tuesday. Go girl!! I even walked 4 miles in 57 minutes, which is good for me. I had to work that day; and afterwards had a long list of things to do. One item was to run by Walmart. While in the store, I "ran into" the man from Office Depot; and he me told how much he enjoyed reading our article. He also shared that he and his wife were separated, as he had had an affair; but that she wanted to work it out. He said they were going to dinner together on Friday night. He then told me he did not know why he was in the store on Monday morning as he was not supposed to work that day, but he had gotten his days goofed up and came in on his day off day. The guy who was to supposed work that morning never showed up; and that's why the copiers had not been turned on yet when I arrived. Anyway, the man said he was sorry again; and I apologized for my poor attitude. I told him I felt it was a "total God thing" as God knew I was going into that store; and he needed to be reminded that if he would put God back in the center of his life things would work out. If my Monday had started the way I intended I would have missed a divine appointment to be a witness for Jesus. At the end of the day, when I laid my head down, I was still able to say, " I got it all done, and I will get up and do it all over again tomorrow."
Wednesday was another busy work day, then church. It was a great service, but it always is if you are there to worship Him who gives you life. It was not one of my better moments at home later that night, though. Over the weekend Tim and I had a conversation. He said it was Saturday. I thought it was Sunday. That's not important, though, but he thought we had decided one thing. I didn't know we made any decisions about it. Basically, he had said he wanted to re-join choir; and I said if he wanted, then he should, but we needed to figure out how to fit it in on our busy, busy schedule. I thought that meant we would sit down and talk about it some more. He thought that meant between him and the choir director, I guess. (Just kidding.) When church got over, he said, "I will see you at home after choir practice." Well, that went over like a lead balloon! As you're probably already guessing, "Not so great!" By the time he got home I was fit to be tied; and I laid into him as if he had just committed a crime. I was HUNGRY. You see, we had been going to Subway for dinner immediately following church the last several weeks so I had not eaten. Not a good thing: hungry, tired woman, still not over the Walmart episode from Monday morning, still holding a grudge about the gym, and then this miscommunication. Well, when he got home... look out. He clearly know I was mad. Real MAD. Thankfully by bed time I peaceably said good night, and gave him a kiss, and said I loved him, and we would figure it out somehow.
Then Thursday, and the StairMaster at the gym. -- I want every one to know that machine was invented by Satan himself as a sick joke. 39 flights of stairs in 12 minutes, to burn all of 57 calories!! Then 4 hours later I could hardly move my legs to get in and out of the car. Sorry, my A.D.D. kicked in. -- A song by John Waller comes on my MP3 player:
WHILE I'M WAITING
I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on you, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait
I will move ahead, bold and confident
taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait
I'm waiting
I'm waiting on you, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on you, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord
The lesson I have learned this week is that when things don't go the way we desire, or people don't do what we want, it is OK. We are waiting on the Lord; and in that time we are to serve Him and worship Him. I am so glad I have a husband who is so in tune with the things the Lord wants him to do. Well most things! I want to be the woman God intends me to be.
I am learning it is OK to say that small 2-letter word Tim has tried so hard for so many years to get me to say, "No." He would say, "Let's practice before you leave. When someone asks you to do something, can you say, "No." No, I can't say, "No." Well, this past week in my quiet time with the Lord, He showed me that I needed to step down from co-teaching a weight loss class at our church and become a student for a while. To sit, and be still, and know He is God. To let Him be in control of my life. So, when the lady I teach with called me and asked if I was coming back, I told her, "No." I could hear the angels in heaven clapping and cheering me on for being obedient to the Lord; and it felt good, too! That's very hard for me, but if I don't seek HIM I will miss the lessons He needs to teach me. As well, He told me we are on a tight time table. He wants the girls home for Christmas. So we cannot miss a step, or we could miss a deadline and possibly not get them here. How would I feel if it was because of something I did that they would not be together for Jesus' birthday? I don't even know what they know about Him, but I feel an urgency to get them here to pour out His love for them.
Sorry this was so long. I hope not all weeks are this busy, but in the long run it was a GREAT week. Please be in prayer for the man from Office Depot and his wife. And if any of you have any prayer requests, please feel free to send them to either of us. We would love to pray with you, or for, you.
I hope you all have a blessed and wonderful weekend with Jesus!
Lynn
I will start back on Monday, the 3rd. I got up that morning with a full "to do" list. It was a good thing I didn't have to work that day as I barely had time to breath.
I just don't know how women who have full time jobs "do it all". My hat is off to y'all, that's all I can say!! God has to have blessed you with some great angels to help you get it all done.
I had not slept well Sunday night. I guess it was about 3:30 A.M. before I really feel asleep, so when the alarm went off at 4:45... Well, I guess was glad I had not thrown it out the window as it was only doing it's job! After all, it was just an innocent bystander. Anyway, at that point I decided to go back to sleep until my sweet husband's alarm went off. Then, I intended to ask him to follow me to Walmart so I could drop off my car for an oil change, and then have him take me to the gym. I figured I could then walk back to Walmart, or catch a ride, to pick up my car. It seemed like a good idea to me. I figured it would only take him 10 minutes; and it would help me out. If not, I would fit the gym in somewhere else in my day. Well, his response was something to the effect of why had I not asked him this prior to the morning. Of course, my comment to that was, "Because I didn't think he wanted me to wake him at 3:30 A.M. to tell him. Then I would have been wide awake again; and so would have he. Well, I could tell by the "man tone" in his voice, he did not care too much for my idea. (Sorry men, but you know y'all have "that" tone, just like us women have one, too.) So, anyway, I said not to worry. I would take care of it on my own. I headed off to Walmart and told the man who checked me in that I needed an oil change and my tires rotated. That seems like a pretty simple request, right? An hour and a half later they call my name. Now, while I am there, I was multitasking by also doing my grocery shopping (of course I have frozen food, too). I get up to the counter to pay and discover they had not rotated my tires. I will just tell you now, it was NOT easy to let Jesus shine through at that moment because the last three times they have done the exact same thing. Then, to make matters worse, they tell me I have wait for the three cars IN FRONT OF ME. This after I had arrived before 7:00 A.M., and had helped the man set out the display tires, so he could check me in. At that I asked to speak to the manager. Thankfully, the manager knows me and gets them to finish my vehicle right away. Praise the Lord!! I will just say it again, Praise the Lord!! After that, I ran to Office Depot to make a few copies. They open at 8:00, and it is now 9:00, so they should be ready for customers, right? WRONG!! Or so I thought... You see, what Satan tried to do that morning was get me mad, and not let me be the witness I needed to be, but God is so good! I went in the store; and out of FIVE copiers, NOT EVEN ONE OF THEM WAS WORKING!! Can you just believe my luck?? At that point I kind of felt like I just needed to go home and back to bed! But with so many things to get done, not a chance. I walked up to the counter and asked the man to help me. He looked at my originals and said he couldn't copy the page from the magazine. I said, "Well, I am Lynn Loecher. Here is my license to prove who I am. I helped co-author the article, so I am giving myself permission to copy it." It was from a church newsletter, FROM EIGHT YEARS AGO. I just did not want to go to the church to copy a single page. I proceeded to tell him the article was about my husband having an affair, and how God had restored our marriage. I continued that the rest of the story was we are still together and are now adopting 2 girls. He asked if he could read it. I told him I was in a hurry, but that he could make an extra copy and I would happily pay for it. He did so; and I left. The rest of my day went reasonably well, but I never did make it to the gym. I know from past experience that if I don't get there by 5:30 in the morning I just don't get there at all. Oh well, maybe next time...
I did make it to the gym on Tuesday. Go girl!! I even walked 4 miles in 57 minutes, which is good for me. I had to work that day; and afterwards had a long list of things to do. One item was to run by Walmart. While in the store, I "ran into" the man from Office Depot; and he me told how much he enjoyed reading our article. He also shared that he and his wife were separated, as he had had an affair; but that she wanted to work it out. He said they were going to dinner together on Friday night. He then told me he did not know why he was in the store on Monday morning as he was not supposed to work that day, but he had gotten his days goofed up and came in on his day off day. The guy who was to supposed work that morning never showed up; and that's why the copiers had not been turned on yet when I arrived. Anyway, the man said he was sorry again; and I apologized for my poor attitude. I told him I felt it was a "total God thing" as God knew I was going into that store; and he needed to be reminded that if he would put God back in the center of his life things would work out. If my Monday had started the way I intended I would have missed a divine appointment to be a witness for Jesus. At the end of the day, when I laid my head down, I was still able to say, " I got it all done, and I will get up and do it all over again tomorrow."
Wednesday was another busy work day, then church. It was a great service, but it always is if you are there to worship Him who gives you life. It was not one of my better moments at home later that night, though. Over the weekend Tim and I had a conversation. He said it was Saturday. I thought it was Sunday. That's not important, though, but he thought we had decided one thing. I didn't know we made any decisions about it. Basically, he had said he wanted to re-join choir; and I said if he wanted, then he should, but we needed to figure out how to fit it in on our busy, busy schedule. I thought that meant we would sit down and talk about it some more. He thought that meant between him and the choir director, I guess. (Just kidding.) When church got over, he said, "I will see you at home after choir practice." Well, that went over like a lead balloon! As you're probably already guessing, "Not so great!" By the time he got home I was fit to be tied; and I laid into him as if he had just committed a crime. I was HUNGRY. You see, we had been going to Subway for dinner immediately following church the last several weeks so I had not eaten. Not a good thing: hungry, tired woman, still not over the Walmart episode from Monday morning, still holding a grudge about the gym, and then this miscommunication. Well, when he got home... look out. He clearly know I was mad. Real MAD. Thankfully by bed time I peaceably said good night, and gave him a kiss, and said I loved him, and we would figure it out somehow.
Then Thursday, and the StairMaster at the gym. -- I want every one to know that machine was invented by Satan himself as a sick joke. 39 flights of stairs in 12 minutes, to burn all of 57 calories!! Then 4 hours later I could hardly move my legs to get in and out of the car. Sorry, my A.D.D. kicked in. -- A song by John Waller comes on my MP3 player:
WHILE I'M WAITING
I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on you, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait
I will move ahead, bold and confident
taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait
I'm waiting
I'm waiting on you, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on you, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord
The lesson I have learned this week is that when things don't go the way we desire, or people don't do what we want, it is OK. We are waiting on the Lord; and in that time we are to serve Him and worship Him. I am so glad I have a husband who is so in tune with the things the Lord wants him to do. Well most things! I want to be the woman God intends me to be.
I am learning it is OK to say that small 2-letter word Tim has tried so hard for so many years to get me to say, "No." He would say, "Let's practice before you leave. When someone asks you to do something, can you say, "No." No, I can't say, "No." Well, this past week in my quiet time with the Lord, He showed me that I needed to step down from co-teaching a weight loss class at our church and become a student for a while. To sit, and be still, and know He is God. To let Him be in control of my life. So, when the lady I teach with called me and asked if I was coming back, I told her, "No." I could hear the angels in heaven clapping and cheering me on for being obedient to the Lord; and it felt good, too! That's very hard for me, but if I don't seek HIM I will miss the lessons He needs to teach me. As well, He told me we are on a tight time table. He wants the girls home for Christmas. So we cannot miss a step, or we could miss a deadline and possibly not get them here. How would I feel if it was because of something I did that they would not be together for Jesus' birthday? I don't even know what they know about Him, but I feel an urgency to get them here to pour out His love for them.
Sorry this was so long. I hope not all weeks are this busy, but in the long run it was a GREAT week. Please be in prayer for the man from Office Depot and his wife. And if any of you have any prayer requests, please feel free to send them to either of us. We would love to pray with you, or for, you.
I hope you all have a blessed and wonderful weekend with Jesus!
Lynn
Monday, August 03, 2009
In the early afternoon of July 28th, Mrs. Betti, from Catholic Charities, called about the home study. She will be our social worker for the case. She is very nice! She is retired and works only when needed, or requested. The Tygarts had used her, so I had asked about her. She knew we wanted to get started, so asked if we could come yet that afternoon, about 4:30. Of course, I said yes! I called Tim and left very quickly there after to get him in order to get to her house. I was very nervous; and felt kind of like a fish out of water, but Vicky had said to just be open. They hold nothing against you. They just need to know about you. We spent about one and half hours with her, going over the paper, and talking. She asked a lot of questions. As we left, she set up two more appointments, one for me, and one for Tim. I had my 2nd appointment last Friday. We talked about even more paperwork, then about my life, from childhood right up until that afternoon. She said I talk too fast! She had a hard time writing it all down. I guess that is because I am from the north. LOL!
I have written letters to both of the girls. We have meet some friends, at church. The wife is from Russia, and the husband is from America. Because she speaks and reads Russian, she will be translating the letters for me. I sure do hope the girls get them. I also hope I am learning all the lessons God is trying so hard to teach me, the first time, as I don't want to have to do this again.
We had the Tygarts over for dinner the other night. It was fun watching Joshua Alex. He is so curious about things. We learned a lot of info from them that night on how to proceed and what things we need to get started on right away. Then, last night we went to a welcome home party for Grisha/baby shower for the Fumias. We also met some other couples; and they were able to answer even more questions. And it will be OK if I don't get to do this the way I thought I needed to in the beginning. GOD is in control; and He will guide our steps, if I let him. I like to be in control; and that is one thing He is showing me. He has to be the one in control. This process will not work out if I insist on taking the lead. I must learn to follow. Lesson learned: Follow GOD and your path will be smooth, or at least not as bumpy as it could have been.
One of the couples we met last night said they only got to spend one and one half hours with the little girl they wanted to adopt; and that was over a two day period! I had been thinking, "I need all ten days," but God told me this morning, in the shower, He has this plan for these girls to be ours forever, so I don't need to be with them for the whole ten days. He has them as my daughters already. I have claimed them. Now, all I need is just a piece of paper to say they belong to me! I am so glad it is easier to become His daughter than to go to another country to adopt. I come to Him dirty and full of sin; and He cleans me up and makes me His child. I am not sure why He is so good to me.
I hope the girls know of His love. This morning in Sunday school, the Tygarts were telling about their adventures of adopting; and Vicky said Josh never thought he would be adopted, that no family would come for him, as he was not a good boy. He had his share of trouble in the past. Who has not? But to feel so unworthy of himself broke my heart. I hope people have not told my girls that. They are God’s children and God does not make a mistake. I will make sure they know God’s love for them in every way I can. They have been chosen by God to come to our family, to make us complete. After listening to the other families, Saturday night, I know we will have many challenges ahead of us, but it sure will be fun.
I went to do some school shopping yesterday for Christopher, our youngest son, and I walked through the girls department of J.C. Penney’s; and I thought to myself, "Some day, not too far off, I will get to be doing this with my girls." I can't wait! Later, Tim and I had to take some of the stuff back, I had bought; and while waiting in line we look at bedspreads in the catalog, and showed each other what we liked. This will be fun. I want pink, and more PINK. I want them to feel like princesses, as they may have never had that feeling. I am sure we will come to a compromise of what to do in their room, but I hope there is some PINK in it. Besides, what dad doesn't want his girls to be happy!
Well, for now all we can do is sit here, and wait to do more paperwork, pray, write letters, pray, talk with other families, pray, write checks to people; and did I mention PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, and PRAY HARDER for God’s peace to rain down on us, and keep us still when He wants us still, and moving when He wants us moving. Until then, please pray with us.
Lynn
I have written letters to both of the girls. We have meet some friends, at church. The wife is from Russia, and the husband is from America. Because she speaks and reads Russian, she will be translating the letters for me. I sure do hope the girls get them. I also hope I am learning all the lessons God is trying so hard to teach me, the first time, as I don't want to have to do this again.
We had the Tygarts over for dinner the other night. It was fun watching Joshua Alex. He is so curious about things. We learned a lot of info from them that night on how to proceed and what things we need to get started on right away. Then, last night we went to a welcome home party for Grisha/baby shower for the Fumias. We also met some other couples; and they were able to answer even more questions. And it will be OK if I don't get to do this the way I thought I needed to in the beginning. GOD is in control; and He will guide our steps, if I let him. I like to be in control; and that is one thing He is showing me. He has to be the one in control. This process will not work out if I insist on taking the lead. I must learn to follow. Lesson learned: Follow GOD and your path will be smooth, or at least not as bumpy as it could have been.
One of the couples we met last night said they only got to spend one and one half hours with the little girl they wanted to adopt; and that was over a two day period! I had been thinking, "I need all ten days," but God told me this morning, in the shower, He has this plan for these girls to be ours forever, so I don't need to be with them for the whole ten days. He has them as my daughters already. I have claimed them. Now, all I need is just a piece of paper to say they belong to me! I am so glad it is easier to become His daughter than to go to another country to adopt. I come to Him dirty and full of sin; and He cleans me up and makes me His child. I am not sure why He is so good to me.
I hope the girls know of His love. This morning in Sunday school, the Tygarts were telling about their adventures of adopting; and Vicky said Josh never thought he would be adopted, that no family would come for him, as he was not a good boy. He had his share of trouble in the past. Who has not? But to feel so unworthy of himself broke my heart. I hope people have not told my girls that. They are God’s children and God does not make a mistake. I will make sure they know God’s love for them in every way I can. They have been chosen by God to come to our family, to make us complete. After listening to the other families, Saturday night, I know we will have many challenges ahead of us, but it sure will be fun.
I went to do some school shopping yesterday for Christopher, our youngest son, and I walked through the girls department of J.C. Penney’s; and I thought to myself, "Some day, not too far off, I will get to be doing this with my girls." I can't wait! Later, Tim and I had to take some of the stuff back, I had bought; and while waiting in line we look at bedspreads in the catalog, and showed each other what we liked. This will be fun. I want pink, and more PINK. I want them to feel like princesses, as they may have never had that feeling. I am sure we will come to a compromise of what to do in their room, but I hope there is some PINK in it. Besides, what dad doesn't want his girls to be happy!
Well, for now all we can do is sit here, and wait to do more paperwork, pray, write letters, pray, talk with other families, pray, write checks to people; and did I mention PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, and PRAY HARDER for God’s peace to rain down on us, and keep us still when He wants us still, and moving when He wants us moving. Until then, please pray with us.
Lynn
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