Where to begin...

It has been an emotional week. I am not sure where to start, but here it goes!

As the last post stated, the mom had dropped off 2 more of her children. We had prayed that the Lord would give us names of families to call. We called 6 and shared our hearts and asked them to pray about it. Some thought we were crazy, some never even called back, and some fervently prayed about it. (Interesting mix, huh? Lots of evangelistic opportunities-- another story) We continued to pray about it with them. Again, if we are the family for these 2, we will be obedient and adopt them.
On Saturday, we met with Pastor Leo from Rwanda. We believe the Lord has called us to Uganda (potentially Rwanda) . We had an amazing visit sharing our hearts for the people there and hearing his heart for educating and caring for his fellow Rwandans. Long story short, we are hoping that the Lord will open doors to bring adoption opportunities to that area and we can help.
On Sunday, K had an asthma attack and C stayed home from church. Dan took the kids and found the Lord totally orchestrating the day. The sermon (which was scheduled 3 months ago) was on adoption, the Sunday school class curriculm (scheduled months ago) was about orphans, and then our banquet was that evening.
After church, C recvd a call from a fellow Sunday School class friend. The husband said that Dan had shared about the 2 children and him and his wife were willing to step out and adopt them. After I got up off the floor, I started to cry and rejoice in what the Lord was doing. They are so excited about adopting these kiddos and that is awesome! Our prayer to find a family has been answered. We told them to pray about it to make sure this is what the Lord has called them to. Our agency does not have paperwork on these 2 so we need to wait to make sure all is well with them. There are no words to describe how thankful we are for this family. Lots of prayers are needed for this family.
The evening came and we both were very emotional about all the details. We really felt that the Lord had big plans for this day. We had a wonderful turnout and those that put it together did a great job. We shared what we thought the Lord had laid on our heart and we pray that the families will step up and walk out in faith. One had sponsored a child thru Project Lucas, so that is a huge success in itself. YEH! We ended up being blessed with enough money to cover the majority of airline tickets! Praise be to the Lord.

All in all-- it was emotional. But, an incredibly wonderful week in the Lord. Thanks to all who support us thru your words and your prayers.
Still waiting on a travel date.

There are more....

We were called this morning about two more children that the mom has dropped off at the orphanage. I cannot imagine how the mom is handling all of this. There is a 12'ish boy and a baby. We need the Lord to intervene and either help us find a family that is close to us or make it clear that we need to take them into our family. I know that the LOrd will call whomever it is suppose to be. I pray that the family he calls will walk out in faith and follow the Lord's command to care for orphans.

I am amazed at the Lord's path that HE has set before us. Help us not to miss your leading and your prompting as we make decisions. May we constantly be focused on your ways, Lord.

Travel information seminar

Today was the travel Webinar. Talk about getting excited about going to Africa. Here are the highlights:
* Donations of formula, antibiotic creams, gloves are needed
* There will be men with machine guns at the airport and around the airport. DO not be alarmed!
* The power outages have subsided as the rainy season is in full force. YEH!
* Do not eat anything that cannot be boiled, or peeled- Do not drink the water.
* Do not help the beggars - safety risk
* Bring med's just in case
* The food in Addis is wonderful! The info lady says to try as many things as we can. Their spices are great and different.
* We will arrive in Addis Abbaba, Ethiopia on a Sunday, take custody of our children on Monday, go to an Embassy appt on Tuesday, hang out on Wed, and leave Thursday evening late for the USA. YEH!

That was about it in a nutshell. The kids will be going thru their final medicals this week and next. Pray for them to pass TB and be ok on everything else. Prayers also needed for their birth cert's to come in. They still have us slotted to be in Ethiopia the first week of Sept. AHHH! WE need to know very soon.
All in the Lord's time!

Gotcha Day

Today we celebrate and rejoice the homecoming of one little China princess. 4 years ago today, I walked into the community welfare center and left with Chun Mei Guan AKA J'Dyn Hope Gillmore. I remember that day like it was yesterday. It amazes me to think that the Lord creates a child half way around the world and knows she is a GILLMORE! He is so good. :) We cannot imagine life without her around. Her laughter and silliness brighten up any day. We are blessed to be called her parents.

Also, I want to remember the families that went with us. We continue to stay connected with the Glor's who adopted a precious child one year younger than J'Dyn. We try to get together as often as we can, but it is not enough. When they talk they call each other by their Chinese names. TOO CUTE! The Williams also went with us. We do not talk as frequently but seem to be old friends when we do. Their daughter is BEAUTIFUL!!! There were other families that were there too. May the Lord bless them and guide them as they care for these babies. Adoption is an amazing journey, a walk in faith, and a blessing far more than expected. YEH for adopted families. We love you!

If anyone is looking for a place to pray for orphaned children, please join us the third Thursday of the month at Graceland. This is adoptive families, in the process of adopting, those on missions to serve orphans, those who pray for orphans, and those that have a passion to care for orphans. Join us please! You will be blessed.

A beautiful weekend in the "SON."

It has been a great week. We are coming to the end of a very long few months of organizing and re-arranging. We have decided to take the month of August and focus on spending it as a family of 5 preparing for the changes ahead. It is very refreshing!
Our 16th anniversary was yesterday and we received new pix of the kids. They look great- except for Nadia. She looks sick to me. We pray that the Lord will heal her and/or get her medical treatment if necessary. This is all in the Lord's hands!
We recvd many great gifts yesterday. The kids decorated our house with balloons and gave us homemade cards. TOO CUTE! Dan and I had gifts for each other. I got t-shirts that said "I love my husband" and "I love my wife". We are so corny! We wore them to dinner and out for the evening. Dan got our triple crock pot that I think we will be needing. :)
We went out for dinner and then to an Ethiopian Art fair. The art was not that great but the people there were amazing. We mingled with other families who have adopted from Ethiopia. THeir kids were there and looked amazing. We both held back the tears as we spoke to a family that has been home for 10 days now with their 3. Each of the kids was as cute as ever and already saying "mama and papa." YEH for adoption.
We are now away for the weekend in our camper. We went wading in the river, took a nap, and played cards. Now time for a walk. It is beautiful--85 degrees. I miss the warmth.
If the Lord calls you, He will uphold you, guide you and get you were He needs you.

Joy for a friend

We found out last night that friends of ours, Mike and Kim Kramer, received a referral for a beautiful Chinese princess. We are excited beyond words for them.

We met the Kramers at a Ukraine adoption meeting in 2004. We had started the adoption journey for J'Dyn in Ukraine. Processes in the country had changed and we decided to drop out of the program. About 3 weeks after that decision, we received travel papers to go to Ukraine. We still decided against it. The Kramers as well as 2 or 3 other families traveled to U. Due to many challenges in the country, the K's were unsuccessful at adopting a child. They then sent their paperwork to China. Now, almost 4 years later ,they received a referral. If the Lord brings this family to your mind, please send a prayer on their behalf.

We are SOOOO excited for them. THey may be traveling the same time as we do. YEH!!!! May the Lord be with them as they get their baby girl. She is a very lucky little princess. :)

Crazy week!

The air went out, the Rv repairs are MORE than expected, we bought a van, tired from a very BUSY week, and are getting ready to go to Lexington for a weekend away. Whew!

Oh, and we found out that there is a probablity that we will be going to Africa at the beginning of Sept not the end. That one made us REALLY nervous. We are VERY excited that we will be going sooner and our babies will be home with us but now we are in a time crunch. Praise the Lord He is with us thru it all and is our strength to get us thru. We have had many frustrating moments. We try very hard to bring it back to Jesus, but I have to be honest - it is hard.

We continue to pray Psalm 91 over our home asking for protection.

Please pray for our babies as the time is near. YEH!!!