V-Ball, Birthday and Braids!

I played hours of volleyball with these girls at the Kitchne Center, the after school program. They really warmed up the second day we were there.

I turned the big 3-0 while in Awassa. What a way to turn 30! Thanks ya'll for making it so special!

I got my hair braided too. My hair is so fine, it didn't last long, but these sweet girls did a great job. They were excited about the yellow hair! I received a letter from Helen, the girl in the flowered shirt. I can't wait to write her back.

In the mail....

Update: Got an email this morning that the I171-H is in the mail.
Let's pray it in, ya'll!

Edited to add: Email from the consulate this morning said that the document was mailed on Monday.

The Proof is in the Pictures!

Remember how I asked you to pray especially for me on the day during the missions trip that we were riding a donkey/small horse/pony/whatever to the top of a mountain in Lalibella?

Well, your prayers were answered, as well as mine, and I did it! And survived!

Here is some proof: the smile in the first picture was for the sake of the camera....never let 'em see you sweat!
that's me in the middle with my PWOC backpack on.....representin' in Ethiopia! :) A literal mountain top experience! We were standing in a cloud. Thank you Lord!

Please pray!

We heard last week that our I171-H (last document) should be on its way. This will complete our dossier. Our family coordinator is in Ethiopia for 2 weeks, so we should wait until she is almost back in the office to mail it off so it doesn't get lost in the shuffle while she's away.

Takes some pressure off.

We do need your prayers. We should know more when our family coordinator gets back, but as of now our agency has changed a rule that could affect our request for 2 unrelated children. Ultimately God is in control and we will adopt the boys He wants us to adopt. There is such comfort in that. Please pray for clear guidance in decisions being made, that they will benefit the children of Ethiopia....that is most important.

I am praying without ceasing the my desires would be God's desires and I know the Lord is preparing our hearts and our children's hearts for our union as a forever family.

Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thes 5:16-18

I typing this verse, I just realized that I should, because it's God's will for me, be giving thanks in the turmoil. Forgive me Lord! I do give thanks! Which brings me to Psalm 94:11: When my anxious thought multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.

And Isaiah 55:8, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

All this to say, God is in control and I just want to be closer to Him with each step.

Who knew He would speak to me through a blogger post. We serve a creative God!!!

I hope this speaks to you too. Have a great day and open that Bible....it will take you places. :)

must have childrens' books?

Since we don't know their ages/sizes, we are on hold with buying clothes and gadgets for our kids. Not so with books. What are some must have books for babies and toddlers? Give me some classics and the new hits.....I'm out of the loop!

Dear Federal Bureau of Investigations,

Please send our background check reports to the USCIS at the American Consulate in Frankfurt as soon as possible. We would really like to move on with this adoption......

We took a little trip up to the Consulate today. Found out that our file is all in order, just waiting on the FBI background check to clear us. Apparently they sent off our fingerprints to the FBI and the results never came back. They were going to re-send them through Fed-Ex today. We are praying that all will go smoothly and we can proceed. God's timing and His will are what we want. If he uses the FBI to orchestrate the rest of our story, we are fine with that!

After the Consulate we headed up to Giessen. It was like stepping back into the 1950's when Marshall's dad lived there as a boy. We found it all.....their old stairwell apartment, bowling alley, chapel, movie theater and gymnasium. The post is almost closed now, so it was empty. It really felt like we had stepped back in time.

the old apartment....Ken's bedroom window
the place behind their building where he and his dad threw the baseball

the chapel
in front of the chapel sign

back in time

Have you ever gone back in time? We did that yesterday, so to speak. We traveled down the road to Worms where Mom and Dad Coen live 30+ years ago with two little ones. We drove all over town looking for what used to be their housing and barracks where they lived and worked. With no success, we finally decided to ask the first German person we saw that looked old enough to remember where these facilities had been. We spotted the perfect man coming down the street and after he told me he spoke "a little bit" of English, he gave us great directions to the old housing and told us colorful stories about his life, in more than a little bit of English. We got in the car and drove right to the housing area....we had been very close. As we took that right hand turn, things started looking familiar to them. We drove right up to these brightly painted stairwell apartments that had the look of refurbished military apartments and realized we parked in front of their old building. We took some pictures of them in front of their building.

The first floor residents came out on their balcony....I walked over to tell them why we were there. The young couple invited us into their home so we could see all of the great renovations. They had saved newspaper clippings of the renovations and were proud to share the history with us. The wife offered coffee.....so hospitable. I'd like to go back! :)

Then they gave us directions to the Taukkunen Barracks where they worked, went to chapel and shopped for groceries.....lived life.
Susan, Marshall's Mom, standing in front of the chapel they attended.

This in Ken, Marshall's Dad, pointing at his old office.

Needless to say, it was an exciting day. Who knew a Volkswagen could be a time machine?

Tomorrow.......back to the 1950's in Giessen to visit Ken's childhood stomping grounds with a stop by the US Consulate on the way to find out what on earth is the hold up with that last piece of paper we need to GET OUR BOYS!!!

I'll keep you posted!