I am thankful...
...after about ten calls and leaving messages this morning my birth certificate should FINALLY be sent out today
...that someone in the NC SOS office actually returns phone calls! (That kind of practice could revolutionize the government!)
...that after almost a month someone finally figured out that they haven't been able to match my records up because the name on the order was my married last name, and the name on the certificate was my birth name. (Never mind that in all communications, I have given them BOTH names. And it's not like I have a first name they see all the time.)
Okay, okay! I know that is not having a thankful heart. I have finished my rant, so now I can share...
~I am truly thankful that I was able to speak with someone to get this figured out.
~I am truly thankful that it has happened now, so we were not just waiting on this one document to have our dossier complete.
~I am truly thankful that we have had so few problems in gathering our documents this time
~I am thankful for another lesson in patience and God's timing!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Give thanks FOR everything
My husband and I often read "Daily Manna From the Net" on the International Bible Society website. Today the Scripture was from Ephesians 5:15-20, and part of that passage really got me thinking. Verse 20 says "...always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." That's the NIV. I was curious, so I looked it up in other versions. NIRV, KJV, NASB, NLT, and AMP all use that word, "FOR."
I know that we are supposed to be thankful to God at all times, even DURING trying times. God is always good, so I believe there is always something to be thankful for. It's so much more difficult to be thankful FOR those times and situations.
God, please give me a truly grateful heart; teach me to give thanks for everything.
I know that we are supposed to be thankful to God at all times, even DURING trying times. God is always good, so I believe there is always something to be thankful for. It's so much more difficult to be thankful FOR those times and situations.
God, please give me a truly grateful heart; teach me to give thanks for everything.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Valentine's Day...early
Today was like Valentine's Day at our house. Elizabeth had a party at pre-school. She received so many cards and candy you would have thought it was Halloween! After school, we had fun going out to meet some friends for lunch and shopping.
When we arrived home, there were flowers waiting fo me--a dozen beautiful roses and six Calla Lillies! Yes, they were a little early for Valentine's Day, but David knows I appreciate the flowers more knowing he did not pay the $30 or so they were going to charge for delivering Thursday.
After we had been home a little while, the delivery man came again and brought red and pink lillies for Elizabeth! What a sweet Daddy! He made sure to include Elizabeth in the Valentine's surprise. (Any guy who tries to date her in the future is going to have to treat her like a queen...just as it should be!) Of course, this melts my heart more than just getting flowers myself. "The way to a mother's heart is through her children," I've heard. I'm finding it more and more to be true!
When we arrived home, there were flowers waiting fo me--a dozen beautiful roses and six Calla Lillies! Yes, they were a little early for Valentine's Day, but David knows I appreciate the flowers more knowing he did not pay the $30 or so they were going to charge for delivering Thursday.
After we had been home a little while, the delivery man came again and brought red and pink lillies for Elizabeth! What a sweet Daddy! He made sure to include Elizabeth in the Valentine's surprise. (Any guy who tries to date her in the future is going to have to treat her like a queen...just as it should be!) Of course, this melts my heart more than just getting flowers myself. "The way to a mother's heart is through her children," I've heard. I'm finding it more and more to be true!
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Go Lady Terps!
We were able to attend a women's basketball game at the University of Maryland last night, and had a lot of fun! Elizabeth was especially excited to have her friend Alex come with us. (We missed you Dawn and Callum!) The girls were all decked out in Maryland sweatshirts--David wouldn't have it any other way ;-)--and cheered and danced with the crowd.
It was a great way for the girls to see positive images of young women, and was an excellent way to spend a Friday night! As David pointed out, it was cheaper than a movie and more exciting!
MD 86 VA 80
GO MARYLAND!
It was a great way for the girls to see positive images of young women, and was an excellent way to spend a Friday night! As David pointed out, it was cheaper than a movie and more exciting!
MD 86 VA 80
GO MARYLAND!
In the Mail
Our home study update was approved February 5! We received it in the mail yesterday. This means we are ready to move onto the next step--asking for our USCIS approval process to be changed for the new criteria...Two children under the age of four from the country of Ethiopia! Hopefully, things will move quickly!
We only have a few more things to have notorized, then we can get everything state sealed for our dossier! I'm probably being too optimistic, but I'm hopeful our dossier will be out of our hands before the end of February.
We also finished our Hague compliant training in January and received our certificates in the mail today!
We only have a few more things to have notorized, then we can get everything state sealed for our dossier! I'm probably being too optimistic, but I'm hopeful our dossier will be out of our hands before the end of February.
We also finished our Hague compliant training in January and received our certificates in the mail today!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
His Plan
We chose Psalm 139:13-16 as a theme verse because it is God who created us and brought us to this place. He has plans for our lives and for whatever children He chooses to bring into our family. He knew them before He ever created the world. What an amazing God!
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Update
Just wanted to give you an update about what has been going on with us. Sorry...it's kind of long...lots of prayer requests :-)
It is definite that we will not be able to bring Jose home. Both a praise and a prayer request is that we have been told he will go to live with his birthmother. How wonderful that he will be able to know her and she him! However, after not having him for 19 months, it will be quite an adjustment for both of them. And the reasons she relinquished him at his birth have not changed. Please be in prayer
for them and for the foster mother who has been caring for him all along.
This has been a very painful time for us. We know that Jose was not legally ours, and that we have never physically seen him. However, in our hearts and minds, he was already part of our family. We know that God brought him into our lives for a reason. It has been such a blessing to have friends around us who understand. Some have been through similar situations, but all have been very loving and supportive. We have told Elizabeth, and at times she seems to understand that he will not be coming home, but at other times she still speaks about him being her brother. We let her know that we can pray for him and love him even though he won't be here with us.
A huge praise! A law was passed in Guatemala that allows in-process adoptions to continue; it's not everything we hoped for, but it is a step. There are still MANY details that need to be figured out. Also, there is no provision for the children who are not in process for being adopted. Continue to pray for all the children who are being adopted internationally and who will remain in Guatemala.
*Please pray especially for some friends of ours who are trying to bring their little boy home! They are SO close to having him home, but there are some very large obstacles in their path. Thankfully, God is bigger than anything that can be placed or thrown in the way.*
With much prayer and thought, we are begining the adoption process in another country. Though the law passed in Guatemala, now is not the time to begin with a new referral for a child there. Perhaps God will lead us back in the future. Right now we are trusting and trying to take one step at a time. We have been approved within our agency to enter their program for adoptions in Ethiopia. It means we will have to do a lot of redundant paperwork since we won't be able to use many
of the items we needed for Guatemala. But that means we should already know what we're doing, right? ;-)
Thank you all for you love and support! It means the world to us!
~Blessings~
It is definite that we will not be able to bring Jose home. Both a praise and a prayer request is that we have been told he will go to live with his birthmother. How wonderful that he will be able to know her and she him! However, after not having him for 19 months, it will be quite an adjustment for both of them. And the reasons she relinquished him at his birth have not changed. Please be in prayer
for them and for the foster mother who has been caring for him all along.
This has been a very painful time for us. We know that Jose was not legally ours, and that we have never physically seen him. However, in our hearts and minds, he was already part of our family. We know that God brought him into our lives for a reason. It has been such a blessing to have friends around us who understand. Some have been through similar situations, but all have been very loving and supportive. We have told Elizabeth, and at times she seems to understand that he will not be coming home, but at other times she still speaks about him being her brother. We let her know that we can pray for him and love him even though he won't be here with us.
A huge praise! A law was passed in Guatemala that allows in-process adoptions to continue; it's not everything we hoped for, but it is a step. There are still MANY details that need to be figured out. Also, there is no provision for the children who are not in process for being adopted. Continue to pray for all the children who are being adopted internationally and who will remain in Guatemala.
*Please pray especially for some friends of ours who are trying to bring their little boy home! They are SO close to having him home, but there are some very large obstacles in their path. Thankfully, God is bigger than anything that can be placed or thrown in the way.*
With much prayer and thought, we are begining the adoption process in another country. Though the law passed in Guatemala, now is not the time to begin with a new referral for a child there. Perhaps God will lead us back in the future. Right now we are trusting and trying to take one step at a time. We have been approved within our agency to enter their program for adoptions in Ethiopia. It means we will have to do a lot of redundant paperwork since we won't be able to use many
of the items we needed for Guatemala. But that means we should already know what we're doing, right? ;-)
Thank you all for you love and support! It means the world to us!
~Blessings~
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Prayer Request
All,
We learned this evening that Joshua will not be coming home. Due to paperwork descrepencies with his birth family, the adoption process for Joshua will not be able to continue foward. Please pray for us as a whirlwind of information is coming in and our emotions bounce around.
With Love,
David, Demarie, and Elizabeth
We learned this evening that Joshua will not be coming home. Due to paperwork descrepencies with his birth family, the adoption process for Joshua will not be able to continue foward. Please pray for us as a whirlwind of information is coming in and our emotions bounce around.
With Love,
David, Demarie, and Elizabeth
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Praise!
Praise God! We just found out that the coordinator in Guatemala found the original birth certificate for Joshua's birth mother! This means that hopefully soon they can begin the next step (rectifying the birth mother's paperwork and then Joshua's.) There is still a lot more to go, but this is a HUGE important step!
Thank you for all of your continuing prayers! Please keep praying for the Guatemalan government. They are supposed to be voting on the needed changes to the adoption law this week.
Blessings!
Thank you for all of your continuing prayers! Please keep praying for the Guatemalan government. They are supposed to be voting on the needed changes to the adoption law this week.
Blessings!
Monday, November 5, 2007
First POA Legalized
We received word today that our first POA has been legalized. Will probably will still have to do another POA once the name corrections have been completed, but this POA will help the process, and puts us one step closer.
Note: Also, please pray for Guatemala over the next few days. They had presidential elections over the weekend, and congretional voting will occur this week on potential grandfather clauses. Both of these processes will probably have major impacts on current and future adoptions.
Love in Christ,
David N Baber
Note: Also, please pray for Guatemala over the next few days. They had presidential elections over the weekend, and congretional voting will occur this week on potential grandfather clauses. Both of these processes will probably have major impacts on current and future adoptions.
Love in Christ,
David N Baber
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