Week Seventeen. I found myself thinking this morning...will this be our week when we finally find out who she is? I am so thrilled for the referrals that have started to trickle in and for the families who are going so very soon to pick up their children.

Over the last week, it has really been impressed on my heart God's love for Africa. I hear God saying, "I love the children and the people of Africa more than you will ever understand". Sometimes hearing God's heart for Africa is so overwhelming. There were so many times in the last few days when I was completely overtaken by this. It brings me back to one of my favorite verses:

"The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."

I know this is His heart for Africa and he is singing over the people of Africa with great delight, love and joy.

We are at sixteen weeks...we have passed the four month mark! This summer had just gone by so quickly I cannot believe we are almost in autumn. I love that Summer is always filled with lots of time outdoors, art festivals, picnics, BBQs, hikes, and just hanging out. We've been to plenty of parks, played in some fountains, hung out with good friends, watched our garden grow, enjoyed the pick your own farm, and just been able to spend time together as a family. Even though we are still in August, I can feel the change in the weather starting...the mornings are getting cooler and crispier, I can now wear my favorite jeans with out being stifling hot, and I am starting to see a few leaves turning to a lovely yellow. I love following the seasons. I try to go with the flow of each and every season. During fall, we spend a ton of time looking at leaves, picking apples, making soup, getting pumpkins, getting our house ready for winter. Autumn is my absolute favorite time of year. It just brings so much comfort to me. I always get so excited when the seasons change...and I am so much more excited as autumn approaches this year because it means our referral is coming too. I feel like God is preparing me for the call. I have just been given the amazing gift of peace over the last few weeks. I know God is taking care of our entire adoption and he is preparing our way to Ethiopia. He knows who are child is and that is enough for me right now. So, as I watch the leaves start to change colors and slowly lose their grip on the branches of the trees, I know we are getting closer to knowing who God has picked for our family.

Dear Local Tanning Salon,

I would appreciate it if you would kindly not call my cell phone to tell me about your current offer. First of all, I don't go tanning and secondly, and most importantly, your phone number comes up as UNAVAILABLE on my cell phone thus making me believe that this will be the day when we finally learn who our baby will be. It was quite a let down to hear your recorded voice telling me about the great deals you are offering.

Thank you very much for never calling me again.

Sincerely,

Mother Who Hates Unavailable Calls Unless It Is Gladney

Welcome to the Rainy Season

Well, Today marks the start of the court closure for the rainy season. The courts will reopen in early October...but that leaves two months of waiting for families who have already received their referrals and were just waiting for court...I am thinking and praying for patience and peace for these families. Gladney will still be giving out referrals during this time...I am trying to be patient.

Hoping and praying everyone gets through court today...I'm thinking of all of you!

At 14 weeks, I am desperately trying to come up with some kind of reason to call Natalie at Gladney and talk to her about when we will get our phone call. I know how silly this sounds, but I just want some kind of assurance that this process will one day (hopefully very, very soon) come to an end and we will have our baby. I remember when I was pregnant with Blake that the last few weeks felt like they would never be over...I remember thinking: Oh my gosh...I am going to be pregnant forever...this child will never come out. I am very much at this stage in our adoption. I feel like this process will never end and I will forever be waiting for "the call" to come. Oh God, please, please give me patience during the weeks to come.