Joy Comes in the Morning

Psalm 30:5b
Weeping may last through the night,
but JOY comes with the morning.


I have been weeping and waiting for updates on my girl. My soul has longed to see her face. As I sat outside at 7am this morning my longing went into overload and I had a sense that I might have an update on her. I rushed inside the house to find these sweet photos gracing my computer screen.






Thanking Jesus for this glimpse at my sweet girl. Just a few more months and the wait will be over.

~Photos taken July 2011~

Freedom

Just thinking about our Joy on this Independence Day.
As she travels home she will gain various types of freedom.


Freedom to medical care.

Freedom to education.

Freedom of religion.

Freedom to vote.

Freedom to be.

Freedom.

Next 4th of July, she will be here. Her life, our life will be merged and we will be a family.

I miss her this day, terribly.

Update for June

We had the last meeting with our social worker on June 29th. We do not have all our clearances in yet but they should trickle in over the next week or two. The agency said even though we had our last meeting, it could take another 5 weeks to have a completed homestudy in hand. 5 weeks? Wow! That's quite a long time, really. But I am remembering God's timing is perfect. I will do what I can to hurry my part along and wait patiently (or - if I'm honest- not so patiently) on the Lord for the rest.

We had a few fun fundraisers in June. We now have $3,300 of the needed $10,000. Just $6,600 to go. Just! Well, that word "just" is an operative word that feels good some days and other days feels overwhelming.

We are hoping to raise more funds in July with our PUZZLE fundraiser.


We are also offering a $25 Target gift card raffle to ANYONE who donates ANY AMOUNT in the month of July. The raffle will take place on August 1st.

July is a hard month to raise funds. Families have costly vacations, kids have costly camps. Funds are low for everyone. But we are trusting on God to bring our Joy from the East as only He could promise.



We are also hoping that July will bring us updated pictures of Ms. Joy. The photos we have of her are from 2008. Quite a long time ago, aye? That's not sitting so well with my waiting-mommy-heart.

Well, I was going to use this blog only when we travel. But, I have found out I need an outlet for my heart. A place to write when I don't have anyone to talk to. When Facebook just is not fun anymore and well, honestly, I think my Facebook friends are sick of hearing from me. Awe, it's a mom-in-waiting. What is she to do? Not many understand. But those who have Been-There-Done-That do really get it. They get the wait is tough. They get that a waiting mom's heart is broken every second of every day. They just get it. And I am blessed that my Church Family seems so far to have "gotten it" too. They have embraced our Joy in a way that very few people have in the past. I am blessed by my Church, just totally blessed.