Some new info!

Happy Thanksgiving (tomorrow)!!!
Hope you all don't gorge yourselves on that yummy turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing (mine's the best!), pumpkin pie (the best - again!), and other fixins! Enjoy your families and friends and be thankful for all God has blessed you with this year!

I am thankful that I heard from Donie (the orphanage director) today! :) That just made my day! Evidentally they are still waiting on the certificate for the abandonment - but hopefully that will come soon. Katie (Wendy) has been at the orphanage since last summer (end of July - around the time got started stirring my heart towards adoption again!) after a previous adoption process was canceled (a relinquishment) because the mother disappeared and the court couldn't do DNA testing. I don't know if this will hinder things in the process or speed it up. I guess time will tell. There's alot of uncertainty going into this and it continues to be "steps of faith" all along the way. The enemy would want to use fear (and other things) to keep us from pursuing this adoption - but we feel so strongly that this is our daughter - that we are willing to depend on God to bring her home!

I keep thinking about the picture God had given me awhile ago about floating down the river. We could do nothing but float and let the current take us downstream. We came upon a narrowing between 2 large flat rockbeds. It didn't look like we would fit (no one thought we would) - but we DID (just barely). Then, at the edge of the rocks was a waterfall that we went down - scary yet exciting - and then a calm pool at the bottom where we floated over to the edge and got out. In a prayer time at our Mei Ming meeting a couple months ago, a man in our group said "I see a waterfall. You are going to get to the waterfall with a calm body of water at the bottom" . . . .hmmm . . . .where have I heard that before? :) Not 100% sure what the "waterfall" is - but I know we are going in the right direction! Downstream! Along with this, many other confirmations, and of course - my friend's picture she drew - I have alot to "fall back on" if I ever start to doubt that we are doing the right thing! God is so cool how He orchestrates things! :) Of course - I don't always see it very clearly when I'm going through it.

We ask for your prayers as we continue to move forward.
Please pray for Lucy, our agency director, this next week (Nov 26th - 31st) as she travels down to Guatemala to get some more info on our case and others.
Pray for a speedy and miraculous process for Katie (Wendy)!
Pray for strength and patience on our part during the waiting game ahead of us. It's all out of our hands - and that's hard for me. :) I like to be in control. :)
Pray for the remaining finances to come in (I know they will). We should hopefully hear from Life International soon about being able to accept tax-deductible donations (and possibly a matching grant). Hopefully before the end of the year for those of you that were wanting to donate and get a deduction.

God bless you all today! Be Thankful! God is Good! He bestows blessings on His children! If you don't think you've received any latetly - open your eyes . . . there are probably little blessings you have overlooked! Be thankful in all situations and circumstances! God is always there.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Lori :)

ps - For those that haven't seen it - here's a picture of Wendy from the Casa Bernabe website.

She's actually smiling! :)