How God Knocked My Socks Off Today

Naomi Sunshine and Joanna Sleyca, today I have to tel you about the God who created you.  Your God is a mighty God.  I hope that every day of your life I will tell you of his mighty works, but today, I will especially tell you of his mighty works.
Yesterday I started teaching the book of James to your brothers and sisters.  There is a verse in the first chapter that talks about asking God for wisdom.  James then reminds the church that they have to ask with faith, otherwise they are like a wave that gets tossed back and forth in the sea and God will not give them anything.  We talked about how God wants us to trust him and have faith.  After that lesson I really started praying that God would have you home, in your forever home, by next spring, even sooner!!
His response to me was AWESOME!
Here is the order of events that occurred today:
1.  I sent a message asking Emily if the orphanage had a way to receive shoe boxes as Christmas gifts if they were packed by our church in Virginia for you and your friends.
2.  I was made aware of a new policy in Haiti that says that no new dossiers will be accepted until June 1, 2012 in order to clear out the ones they have right now and be able to speed the process of getting children home to their forever families sooner.  That seems like bad news, but our Dossier won't be ready until right around June 1, so God has his PERFECT timing for us-we'll be among the first dossiers to go through the new streamlined process! (Maybe I had better start to get your room ready!!)
3.  A dear friend from Grace Bible Church, and the woman who may one day be your Sunday school teacher, is heading to Haiti and since she knows about you girls she plans to come see you and hold you this summer.
4.  Emily confirmed that I could easily get my shoe boxes to you if I could just ship them to Kansas.  She said 100 boxes is perfect because right now there are 97 children at Lifeline and that the children would LOVE receiving them.
5.  Mrs Stapleton emailed to say that she has been in touch with David and in planning her trip to see you.  I'll send a gift to you with her.  She can't wait to meet you!
6.  One of your friends is coming home tomorrow with her forever family. (Nerloune)
7.  Two of your friends, Neissa and Dina, were officially adopted today so they will come home soon.
8.  Your sister wrote out a business plan to sell snacks and drinks this weekend at a yard sale to help raise money for Lifeline so that more children can gt forever families and have a wonderful home there.

WOW!  What a day.  Our God, my God and your God, showed his power and his might, and his LOVE to us all today.  I will keep writing this story so that one day you girls will sit on the couch with me and we will remember how hard we prayed with FAITH and how God honored our hearts desires to be together.  In the meantime, "I will glory in my redeemer."

Before the foundations of the earth were laid God knew you would be in our family-what a gift he is giving us!

Modern technology is getting us closer and closer to our girls without even being in the past week being in Haiti yet.  Through the wonders of Facebook, I have "met" several other families who are adopting children from Lifeline.  I have also "met" the full time missionary who lives at he orphanage with my girls.  You can't imagine the feeling that wells up in your heart as you read a message from Facebook that casually says, "Oh, I live at the orphanage with your girls and I have been here since the day they arrived."  It is thrilling to know that you girls are only an email away from us right now.

Sleyka (age 2)

Sunshine (age 5)

Even greater, is seeing God's family at work in our lives.  We cannot be with you yet, but in the time that we wait, there are amazing servants who are coming to see you and bringing you little treasures.  There are people who seek to impart the wisdom of the gospel in your lives.  There are servants who are willing to travel to Haiti to clean your teeth, listen to your hearts beat, and build new classes in your home.  And becasue God is a lavish God, he is then willing to prompt those folks to reach out to your fmaily in Virginia and give us updates on you.  We now know that Sunshine is a vibrant and bright light at Lifeline.  We know that she likes to sing and dance, and that she is a sweet and loving little girl.  We also know that you are sweet sisters who have been thriving since the day you arrived.  We know that you are healthy and well.  We now know that your name is pronounced "Sleigh-ee-ka" in Hatian....we have been saying it wrong.  We hope you'll understand!  But one of the best things is that we keep getting these.....

Today we sent off our family book to our girls in Haiti.  This will be the book that they sit down with when they are told that God is giving them a home with a forever family.  This will be the first time they see our faces.  This will be the first time they hear our names.  This will be the beginning of a new life for them.  As I put this book together I fretted over which pictures to use, which words to write, how to convey our love for them without overwhelming them. Then I realized that none of that matters.  For the next six months these two little girls will be told about a family who loves them  They will flip through the pages of this book every day.  They will have it read to them in Creole a hundred times.  they will know that God has a plan for them.  That is what matters.  And then, one day in October, they will see us, and touch us, and talk to us.  That is what will matter.  I hope that book is loved to pieces by the time I see it again.  I hope the pages are torn and the pictures are wrinkled, and the words are rubbed off.  I guess if I saw it in banged up shape I would know that we are loved too.  That those two little girls are falling as in love with their new family as we are with them.