7 weeks . . .

Hmm . . . . Isn't 7 supposed to be God's number? :) So - c'mon God . . . . let's hear some good news this week!!

As you can guess - we still haven't heard anything yet. We have been in PGN for 7 weeks today (so we assume) and we are still praying for a Kick Out (KO) so we can submit our Pre Approval (PA) with our other paperwork. I am secretly praying that we will get a call from our agency saying . . . "Oh yeah - the lawyer said you were KO'd right when you got your PA, and you were resubmitted the next day . . . . and . . . . by the way . . . . you've been approved - in such a short time too! It's a miracle!" :) OR - how about "The lawyer was acutally able to sumit your PA without you having to be KO'd . . . and . . . guess what . . . . you are out of PGN and approved!" :) HEY - a girl can dream - can't she? . . . . . Thanks.

Don't worry - I'm not living in those dreams. I just live day to day - and actually the past 7 weeks have gone by pretty fast. We're still keeping busy here - that's for sure! School is almost out! I'll be glad to not have any more homework . . . oops - I mean the KIDS won't have any more homework! :)

Great news on the homefront . . . . our second son (9 1/2 years old) asked Jesus to be "Lord of his life" today!!! He asked Jesus "into his heart" when he was three - but he didn't really remember and definitely wasn't producing a whole lot of "fruit" lately. I've been praying for an "open door" to bring up some issues with him and that his heart would be open. Today God answered my prayers and his heart was MORE than ready! He was so excited about it afterwards - that at bedtime prayers he actually prayed a NEW prayer (other than the one he's prayed exactly the same for the last 7 years) - but accidentally said "Thank you Jesus for letting me ask you to become my follower". :) hee, hee. He even laughed at himself for the mistake! Before he would have been mortified for praying "wrong"!! :) He had a light in his eyes tonight that I haven't seen in a long time!!! :) PTL! Oh - and after his prayer for salvation this afternoon - I told him to clean his room (way to celebrate mom!) - but he not only cleaned up HIS stuff, but his brother's, the living room, the dining room, the playroom, and a few things in the kitchen!! :) (he shows his love through acts of service - wouldn't you say?) Jeremy told him that he could get "saved" every day if it meant he would clean this well! :) hee,hee.

We also had some other spiritual convesations, prayers (and hopefully breakthroughs) with my daughter! They are growing up before my eyes! I have been praying that God would just capture their hearts - and I think He is doing it! I've been "battling" enough lately that it's about time to see some breakthroughs on some things!!! :)

Well - keep battling in prayer with me for Wendy to come home this summer!!!! Pray that her paperwork is miraculously approved in PGN - faster than anyone expected!!! We all want her home!!

Jeremy and I (and my mom) did get to talk with Wendy yesterday - on Jeremy's b-day. It was so good to hear her voice - though it always makes me miss her even more. It was good to talk with her house father some and one of her caretakers (who is from Virginia!). The caretaker is teaching her some English for us and helping her to pray for her whole family by name. They also said that Wendy got my letter today. I had sent her some pictures all printed out on a couple sheets - showing her new room, us with her on our visit trip, and a few of her siblings. They said she was very excited to see them! :) That makes me happy.

Well - it's late and I need my sleep! A new day awaits and will be here before I want it to. :)

Thanks for your prayers! Continue to keep us in your prayers. I am expecting more battles - as anytime the Lord does great things - the enemy gets mad!! :) But we are not afraid here! WE are the VICTORS! Hey - my name, Lori, does mean "Victorious one"!! :) hee,hee.

Blessings
Lori :)

We have Pre Approval!!!

Yes folks - the US Embassy has Pre Approved our adoption case. I've been yearing for approval my whole life . . . .and now I finally have "pre-approval". :) I'm getting close to that approval in my life! hee,hee.
We got our email this morning and it was so exciting to see Wendy's name on the Pre-Approval (PA). We are on our way to officially becoming her parents! Now we just need to get that PA into PGN (the attorney general's court) along with the rest of our case. I think we have to be kicked-out of PGN first to submit it - but I'm not 100% sure. I'll find out soon enough, I guess.
Jeremy was just saying yesterday that he hoped we heard "good news" (ie - our case being done and approved) on (or by) June 6th - which is D-Day. I told him that the only way we could possibly have our adoption totally approved by then would be if we got our PA today or tomorrow, got KO'd and resubmitted it right away - and then the PGN reviewer approved the case fairly quickly after that. God could do it - that's for sure . . . and sure enough - we DID get our PA the next day!! So - you never know?! :)

Thanks for your prayers. Keep praying!! At the end of PGN we will need to stroke another large check for fees - of which we do not have them all yet - so pray for God to continue to provide - just as we need it - as he has been doing all along!! I have peace!
Thank you ALL who have contributed money, items for garage sales, prayers, support, encouragement, and more!!!! You are TRULY a BLESSING to us!!! Thanks for running this race and going on this adventure with us. I know it's been long - but it is sooooo worth it!
OH - at MOPS yesterday - our leader asked how many ladies were pregnant. We had quite a few. I forgot to raise my hand at first - but then remembered. They were all impressed (and probably jealous) at how good I look for being 15 months pregnant . . . and the fact that my child will come home to me totally potty trained, feeding herself, sleeping through the night and bi-ligual! :) I know, I know. . . . . . I have brilliant children!! :) hee,hee.

Well - we'll keep you updated on PGN and the rest of this journey. Stay tuned . . . . .

Blessings
Lori :)

5 weeks

Yep - it's been 5 weeks - today - that we have been in PGN (it's actually gone by really fast as I've been so busy!) No KO's (kick out's) yet. No word. You usually don't hear anything about how your case is doing till they either kick it out (so you can fix something or supply a missing document) or they approve it. I know we cannot be approved yet, but I am curious to find out if we need to fix anything at all (besides providing the PA).

We STILL have not heard ANYTHING from the attorney handling our case as to whether he/she has submitted us for Pre Approval with the US Embassy or not either. I hope he/she has. We haven't received an email from the US Embassy stating we have PA - so I at least know that. . . . . . .but I'd rather hear that we DID have it. . . . . . One day we will.

Not much other adoption news to tell ya. We did call Wendy last monday (a week ago) and that was wonderful. :) It was good to hear her voice! She was saying "Hello Mommy. How are you?" and practicing saying the things she's learned in English like "eyes, nose, ears" etc. :) She didn't say too much, but I know she was listening and I hope our call made her happy. :) We miss her alot!! Especially after having a yard sale on May 5th to raise some more money.

We were just going to sell a few things at my mom's house when her community had their bi-annual yard sale. But after redoing Meg's room and getting in the purging mode - I had more stuff than I thought I would. I figured - if I was going to go through the trouble of getting it to my mom's and sell it - then I would make this sale more of a fundraiser (I decided this the monday before the sale). I emailed a few friends and family to see if anyone else had any donations towards the sale - and about 5 people did (THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH - those of you who did donate stuff). We didn't have near the amount of stuff that we had at our last sale (I wish I had taken a picture of that last sale and all the stuff we had!!) - but we had a nice steady stream of shoppers and we got rid of alot of it. Some shoppers were wonderful to talk to - about our adoption, about Wendy, etc. We even had a Italian lady who had grown up in an orphanage, and a Guatemalan lady who recognized the Marimba music I was playing on my radio. Even a couple who were looking into adopting from Korea (or somewhere else) as the wife had been adopted from Korea!
But then there were those typical, hard-core, bargainers that just kind of ticked me off. I tried not to let them get to me - but I have a hard time with people who ask me what I want for something - and then when I tell them they give me this HORRIFIED look of disgust and then say "NO!" and quote a price less than half of what I originally said. And then they never budge from that price. . . . .usually. Even when I was passing out in front of a lady - she still would not give me the price I was asking - but put the measley amount she had quoted, in my hand as my body went down on the ground. When I was able to get up and walk (with J's help) back to the house - I told her my passing out was from all her hard bargaining! :) She laughed - but deep down I was a bit miffed still. I learned, shortly thereafter, that with those people I do NOT quote what I really want for the item - but I double the price for them. :) Then I MAY get close to what I want . . . but I still get the disgusting looks (like I've offended them) no matter what I quote - even at 50 cents! :) Oh well. I think it's a cultural thing for them. :) I am super-glad to bargain with those shoppers that bargain much nicer - saying things like "WOULD you take $1 for this instead?" :) OF COURSE! :) Anyways . . . .

So, for those of you that are wondering . . . . I did get over my dizziness and fainting by the next day. I think it was a combo of many things going on that day. Not a good day to be falling apart though. :) Just keep me in your prayers. I've had more of the same feelings today and I'm not sure if it's just an "attack" (from the enemy) or something I really should go get checked out. I've been doing ALOT of praying and "battling" lately - over some things I want to change around here . . . so I wouldn't be surprised if it is an attack. Thanks for your prayers!! I am soooooo thankful to have such prayer warriors on my side! And if you are not a prayer warrior . . . . you CAN be! You can start now! :) . . . . Don't know how? . . . .Just ask me! :) I'd be glad to help!

As for our family . . . .Meg is now 7 . . . Charlie died (Ryan's hamster) . . . .John has joined our family (a new hamster) . . . Chompy is still, amazingly, alive and actually getting bigger (Ryan's turtle) . . . Cookie is still a nervous nelly (our cat . . . anyone want her?) . . . and the kids are getting spring fever at school (and so is mom!)!
We went to Busch Gardens for Mother's Day(with some friends) and the park opened up their new ride - The Griffon - 12 days early, just for Mother's day! :) I was probably one of the first 1000 people (besides the workers) to ride on it (we may have been the "test" subjects!)! For those that don't know what it is - it is a rollercoaster that is 205 feet high and you go down at a 90 degree angle. . . twice! Completely vertical! That's after hanging over the edge of that 90 degree turn for a few seconds . . . just to get your heart pumping even more. :) I LOVED it! I had my arms high in the air the WHOLE time!!! Screaming with excitement! :) If I hadn't had my kids with me I think I would have stayed at that ride all day long. :) hee,hee. BUUUTT . . . . . we HAD to go to Dragon Land and other kid rides too . . . . it was only fair. :( Hey - wait a minute. I thought it was MOTHER's Day!? I should have been able to do what I wanted to do all day - right? :) Ha, ha. I don't think that really happens for a mother. . . .at least - not too often. I did enjoy seeing my kids have fun! It made me happy! And that's what it was all about!

Well folks - sorry so long. I'll keep you updated as I know things.
Keep us all in your prayers - here in the US and Wendy Kate in Guatemala.
Keep praying that our paperwork gets moving a little quicker!! We would LOVE to have our daughter home by the summer!! That would be the easiest as far as childcare goes too (for our pick-up trip).
Let us know if we can be praying about anything for you! I'm serious now! Let us know! Send us an email or call. I'd be glad to pray!

Blessings to you all!
Lori :)