Be patient and wait with confidence

I receive a daily devotional from Joel & Victoria Osteen. Today's email especially spoke to me:

"…See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm…"
(James 5:7-8, NIV).

The Bible tells us that we should wait for God’s promises like a farmer waits for his harvest. Now, I’ve never seen a farmer plant a crop and then worry night and day about whether or not it’s going to come up. He doesn’t lose sleep thinking, "Oh, I hope that my corn is going to take root. Please God, let my corn bring a harvest." No, he waits with confidence, knowing that the harvest will come. He does his part, and he knows that seed will produce a good crop.
In the same way, we should wait confidently for the promises of God. We have to stand firm on His Word. It’s not enough to just hope that your situation is going to turn around. Instead of the attitude "I hope I get well", have the attitude of confidence and say, "Thank You, Lord that I am getting well." Start waiting like the farmer. Wait with a knowing. Wait with confidence. Be sure that as you put God’s Word into practice, just like the farmer, you will see that harvest of blessing in your own life in return.

I am waiting with faith, confidence and loads of patience that my baby is on her way. For those of you keeping track, I believe I am now at #73. I celebrate each little advancement up the list!

A Mother for Choco

I was asked by my friend & former co-worker, Samantha, to read to her 1st graders at Inglewood Elementary this week. It was so much fun hanging with those sweet energetic kiddos, and I was moved by the sea of President Obama drawings on the school's hallway wall. I chose to read “A Mother for Choco” about a bird trying to find his mother who eventually lets a Mama Bear become his mom and realizes they don’t have to look alike to love each other and be a family. It's a great book for parents to read to their adoptive children - and I can't wait to share it with my daughter someday.

In less than a 2-month period, if I'm keeping track correctly, I have moved from #105 to #82 on the waiting list. Slowly but surely, we're making progress!

One year ago today...

I just happened to notice that today marks exactly 1 year since I took a big gulp and signed the application to adopt a baby. It has been a year of all-over-the-map emotions – excitement, disappointment, joyful anticipation and fear of the unknown. Yet throughout my experiencing all of these feelings, I have been surprisingly calm and at peace that everything is happening for a reason, and my baby will present herself when the time is right. In other words, in God’s time.
I was bursting with pride for my country this week as Barack Obama was sworn in as our president. I know some people say race shouldn’t be an issue, but how could it not be? To think of how far this country has come! I can’t wait to bring my daughter home where, as President Obama said, she will have “the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.”

After 1 year, the official wait has begun!

I woke up this morning feeling like this would be the day I heard from my agency. And sure enough, Toni just emailed that they have received my dossier from DC, and I am officially on the waiting list. After starting this journey 11 months, 3 weeks & 3 days ago, to be exact, my wait now "begins". The current wait for a referral is 6-9 months then I can expect to travel and bring her home 3-1/2 - 4 months after receiving the referral. Please keep me in your prayers as I prepare for this exciting adventure!

Happy New Year - To My Daughter

Dear Sweet Baby Girl:

As this year comes to an end, I can’t help but think it will hopefully be the last year of my life spent without you. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about you and how much I look forward to being your mom. In the coming days, I will wonder if you are born yet – I know you have already been conceived in my heart. God continues to bless my life in ways that I couldn’t even imagine, and I continue to see His plan being played out. I know that every step I have taken so far is leading me closer to you. No doubt 2009 is going to be a wonderful and memorable year. I can’t wait to lay my eyes on your beautiful face!

Love,
Mommy

Here's what a dossier looks like

This represents months of hard work collecting various paperwork - medical report stating I am healthy, police report stating I'm not a criminal, home study from my social worker, photos, birth certificate, reference letters, passport, employment letter, financial statement, etc. Every piece of paper had to be notarized, then certified by the county in which it was notarized, THEN authenticated by the Secretary of State. Quite a tedious process, but no doubt worth every second!

Yes, Gina, there IS a Santa Claus!

So would you believe the day after I posted my last entry, I opened my mailbox to find that beautiful envelope I've been waiting for from CIS? Everyone said it was a 6-11 week wait, but it turned out to be just less than 5 weeks - my own little Christmas miracle! So my dossier is now complete and was Fedex'd to my adoption agency today. Lord willing, I will officially be on the waiting list by mid-January. Woo hoo!