Pray for DRC Election results!

Please continue to pray with us for the DRC, that there would be peace throughout the country as the election results are supposed to be announced today.

According to this article by BBC news, about 3,000 people fled Kinshasa (the capital city) over the weekend in fear of violence and rioting once the results are announced.

Please remember the 4 million innocent orphans in this country as you pray, that God would protect them from harm, especially our baby R and all the other children matched with families!

baby steps

We have taken one baby step closer to bringing our children home! Last Friday we mailed all but 2 of our notarized "child specific" documents to our agency to complete our dossier! We are waiting to send the last 2 until we find out if we are getting our referral for our baby boy this week. (!!!!!)

Some exciting news...
We did get to chat with our director Sue last night online. She will be arriving in Congo TODAY!!!! Please pray with us that she & her daughter would have a safe, productive trip! She said she will try to email us any new pictures of our soon-to-be daughter while she is there!! {We weren't expecting any until she gets back this coming weekend, so that pretty much makes my heart soar!} I cannot wait to see more pictures of her! It is strange that in the first 24 hours after our son, Jonah, was born we had taken probably 100 pictures.... and our little girl is around 9 months old and all we have is ONE picture of her! ONE!

We are SOOOO thankful that Sue is going to see her and check up on her and take lots of pictures, and maybe even some VIDEO!!! She is also going to be delivering our care package to Little Sister!!! I'm really hoping she gets a chance to put one of the outfits on her so we can get a better idea of how big she is! (Her medical didn't include weight or length, so we have no idea how tiny she might be!) No matter what happens this trip, if we get any new pictures or any video, we continue to pray for and love Little Sister more and more everyday!!

Oh, Sue also said that our Attorney does have some referrals to give her once she arrives, but she doesn't know age/gender yet. We are PRAYING that one of those children is our SON and that we will get to see his face THIS WEEK!!!! And that Sue would be able to see him & take some pictures/video as well!!

Drawn to the Psalms

Lately, in this season of waiting I have been drawn to the Psalms over and over. We are in a season of waiting. We wait for a referral for our little boy, wait for new pictures/video of Little Sister, wait for any new information, wait for their adoptions to be official, wait for a travel date, wait to bring them home, wait to begin life together as a family of 5.

In the midst of all of this waiting, some days I feel like we are becoming stagnant. I fear that we may never move forward, onto the next step that brings us closer to bringing these children home. I fear the journey may go on forever with no rejoicing at the end. It just doesn't feel REAL some days. Are we REALLY ever going to bring these 2 orphans home? Are we REALLY ever going to be able to hold them and show them how much we love them already, even though we have never met? Are we REALLY going to travel to the poorest country in Africa for up to 2 weeks? Are we REALLY going to see the orphanage they have lived in for the first 6,8, 12 months of their lives? Are we ever REALLY going to be a family? Will they ever REALLY look at me and call me mommy? Will they ever REALLY be here playing with their big brother Jonah?
It would be easy to be overwhelmed and consumed with all these questions and uncertainties if I let myself. So what do I do to "renew my mind" daily?

I have been reading, meditating on, and praying through Psalm 145 and 146 for weeks now. I won't write out the whole thing, but some of my favorite verses currently are:

"The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.
The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
He also hears their cry and saves them.
The Lord preserves all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy."
-Psalm 145:17-20

"Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob...
who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them,
who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the sojourners;
He upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin."
-Psalm 146:5a,6-7a,8-9

I hope these Psalms will be an encouragement to you too, whether you're adopting or going through some other trial. He works all things together for good (Romans 8:28), and that ultimate GOOD is to make us more like Christ through sanctification.

Praying and waiting expectantly, for my help is the God of Jacob,

Prayer & Update

Here are a few things you can join us in praying specifically for this week:

* For our Attorney to be successful locating true orphans in need of families.

* that the adoption process in the DRC would go smoothly!

* for the Presidential elections in the DRC in November & for all that comes with that. (This is a big deal for this newly democratic nation. We will need much wisdom in making our travel plans this fall to bring our children home.)

Also, after talking for a bit with our director from CCI, it sounds like they may have already located possible children for us & are just getting their medical testing done before they send us the official referral!!!

Can you hear my heart pounding in my chest?? Just typing that makes me so excited/anxious to see the faces of our children!!!!! It is hard to believe that this real some days! That God is really leading us down this journey to add 2 children to our family, who currently live across the globe but we have been praying about for years!
It grieves my heart when I think of the conditions they are probably living in. These pictures from another adoptive momma's trip to the DRC haunt me & cause me to PRAY! We pray daily & anytime our children come to mind that the Lord would protect our children, provide nourishment for them, and someone to care for and love on them while they wait.
It's almost unthinkable that our two precious children (and 4.2 million others) who are made in the image of God could be living in a dirt-floor orphanage with worn concrete walls and no electricity and running water. With 100 children and only 1 caregiver who will hold them and help them know they are loved? Who will feed them their bottles? What will they feed them? Will there be formula to nourish them? I pray constantly that they would not go hungry! Oh Lord, please provide nourishment for the children! 
There are no diapers so the children just go all over themselves. I can only imagine the sickness and disease that may result from this. Lord protect our children from disease & illness!
 And these are the ones lucky enough to make it into an orphanage. Out of the 4.2 million orphans in the DRC, 39 million in Africa, and 147 million worldwide I would venture to say that many, if not the majority, aren't lucky enough to make it into an orphanage.

Father, I thank you that while I was living in the disgusting pit of my sin that you RESCUED me! You brought me out of darkness into your marvelous light! "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). That is amazing God! And I thank you that I am a new creation in Christ and no longer live for my own glory, but for your glory! I pray that you would be glorified in our adoption Lord! And we bring two children into our family forever, as cherished sons and daughters! And I trust that you are holding our children in the palm of your hand and you know the plans you have for them!
In Christ, the only Son of God & perfect sacrifice for my sin,
Bethany

T-shirt update

Hey friends!!
Thank you so much to everyone who has ordered t-shirts so far!! We will get them to you soon! Here is an updated list of what sizes & colors we have left! We'd love to sell out & need to place an order for another hundred! Especially after seeing the new financial info for the Congo... it is going to be about $10,000 more than we had anticipated. But, what's $10,000 to God, the Creator of the universe right?? So, your prayers for God's provision are MUCH appreciate! We know He hears the prayers of believers!

Charcoal Gray Adoption shirts left:

15 Smalls

17 Mediums

16 Larges

6 XLs

3 XXLs

Navy Adoption shirts left:

5 Smalls

4 Mediums

3 Larges

4 XLs



To order your shirt(s) to support our Adoption, you can make your donation to our ChipIn account (on our Fundraising Tab and on the Left Sidebar near the bottom) and make sure to email me at mrsmeach1@gmail.com to let me know what color & size(s) you want.

Or you can email me at mrsmeach1@gmail.com for more info!

 

**If you need your shirts shipped, make sure you include your address and the extra $5 per household to help cover shipping costs. Thanks!

Waiting Expectantly

Well friends, we are officially "expecting"....

a referral any day!!!

We were able to chat with our director and the 4 other pilot families for the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday night! One couple is also from Louisville which is really cool, we look forward to meeting them sometime! We got many of our questions answered.

Here's a little summary of some of the things we learned during our chat:
- Our trip to Congo is going to be expensive (hotels are $100-$400 US per night!; Translators are over $100/day; Taxis are $100/day; You can see how this can add up!)
- The trip to pick up our children will be around a week, it does look like we are going to travel, but an escort is still an option. (We're praying for more wisdom in this decision!)
- There were a total of 50 adoptions out of the DRC in 2010. (It is still a very new country. There were over 2,500 adoptions from Ethiopia to the US last year.)
- We need to file our I600A asap, which will cost another several hundred dollars
- We need to send $3200 to our agency this week
- We will owe around $16,000 once we receive our referrals (this covers attorney & in-country fees,etc)

So, how can you help?
Please PRAY that the Lord would PROVIDE the finances for our adoption expenses!
PRAY that we would get approved for at least one matching-grant that we are applying for!
PRAY for us to rely on the Lord alone, and not on our own strength or humans means to provide for us!
PRAY for us as we prepare to see the Faces of our children in the next month!
PRAY for our children, that they would be protected from harm, disease & hunger!

And you can help us spread the word about our Adoption Fundraising shirts! We're asking for at least a $20 donation per shirt. We have about 85 left, sizes Adult Small through XXL.
To ORDER, you can send me a fb message or email  (mrsmeach1@gmail.com) and tell me what size & color you'd prefer! Then we'll work out a way for you to get your shirt.

Thank you for all your prayers!! Am I wondering where we are going to come up with all this money? YES! But I am trying to dwell on these verses & let my requests be made known to God, who provides for our every need! I can have a peace that surpasses understanding about our adoption finances because I know they are in the hands of the Creator of the Universe! Nothing is too big or too trivial for Him & I am asking Him to provide so that we can RESCUE & LOVE children who are made in His image. He is for orphans and adoption!

"If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" Romans 8:31-32

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phillipians 4:6-7