[patti Daniels]

You are exactly right.God's timing is wonderful. He is in control. We applied at the adoption agency 18 years ago. It took nine months after we applied. We named our daughter the same middle name as her bmom and we did not know this until my daughter located her bmom. My daughter was called by her middle name. So many things happened in our life that proves God is in control. God Bless you and your family.

[lifessence]

Good Morning -

I promised to keep this thread going until all of our children are home - that means our newest adoption as well.

I believe in the power of prayer! I believe that God hears our prayers and while He is working on blessing us with what we ask for He is refining us to prepare us for the blessing. Often we can't see that we really need refining to appreciate what He is about to give us. We are so focused on the problem we can't see past it.

God wants us to be with Him each moment - holding steadfast to His love for us - allowing Him to show us what we have - to count that as a blessing before moving forward onto the next thing. We often don't stop to appreciate what He has delivered us from already.

I sincerely believe that each day is a gift - because He knows what He has in store for you. Sometimes I wake up just thanking Him for the adventure in store for me. I worked hard on not worrying what the day will bring or next week and when I fall down from that stress prevails and lose sight of the peace from the shelter of the Lord. Once I get back on track and let Him truly lead the way the blessings in my life pour out in all areas - especially the peace in not having to be in control.

God is there with you now - even though you can't see it often - if you just stepped back and asked - what is He trying to teach me about myself and this situation? How can I learn from this trial and see His love and grace for my life? How can I show Him thanks for putting me right where I am even though I don't understand it or like it?

Thank God today for your wait - He knows today, tomorrow and the future - He will not forsake you - or walk you through anything greater than you can handle. He wants to only bless you and love you! He is preparing your heart for greater things - right now in this situation it is to be a mother - either for the first time or the fifth time - no matter how many times over He wants your heart for Him to be strong to share your love with His child that He hand picked for you.

I said to our friends and family yesterday when we got out with Joshua - Leaning on Him never felt so good.

I pray for each of us today - knowing His plan is to bless us throughout this journey with a heart fierce for Him. I love that because of this journey I have met friends around the world - watched children go to forever families - saw God's hand in every adoption that I see - that I found this forum and through my heart I have touched some of you like God has touched me. There are no coincidences in life - He knew what He was doing all along! I thank Him for keeping it all under control!

Have a blessed day - keep praying for each other and Thank God every day for the good things He is doing in your life!

[PRINCESS1976]

I agree - -Gods timing is perfect - but sometimes when we are in the middle of waiting for something it is hard to remember that . In his time- In his time -- he makes ALL things beautiful in HIS time ! AMEN !!!!!!!

[Katelyn's Mom]

This is such a beautiful post. Let us all find the will to trust in GOD. For he is the one with the answers. He knows the perfect time to bring our babies home.

Praying for everyone at every stage in the process!

[hannahmelia]

Thank you Jill for this thread. I was going to post a new thread with this song but after reading your post this morning it belongs right here. I listen to this song every morning as my prayer of thanks. I couldn't attach it, I'm not that computer savy it said it was to large of a file but if you go to Luke's little website in my signature when you click on "Luke's Big Sisters" It plays. Hope you all enjoy. Oh you may need some tissue, just warning ya.


Send some rain, would You send some rain?
'Cause the earth is dry and needs to drink again
And the sun is high and we are sinking in the shade
Would You send a cloud, thunder long and loud?
Let the sky grow black and send some mercy down
Surely You can see that we are thirsty and afraid
But maybe not, not today
Maybe You'll provide in other ways
And if that's the case . . .

(Chorus)

We'll give thanks to You
With gratitude
For lessons learned in how to thirst for You
How to bless the very sun that warms our face
If You never send us rain

Daily bread, give us daily bread
Bless our bodies, keep our children fed
Fill our cups, then fill them up again tonight
Wrap us up and warm us through
Tucked away beneath our sturdy roofs
Let us slumber safe from danger's view this time
Or maybe not, not today
Maybe You'll provide in other ways
And if that's the case . . .

(Chorus)

We'll give thanks to You
With gratitude
A lesson learned to hunger after You
That a starry sky offers a better view if no roof is overhead And if we never taste that bread

Oh, the differences that often are between
What we want and what we really need

So grant us peace, Jesus, grant us peace
Move our hearts to hear a single beat
Between alibis and enemies tonight
Or maybe not, not today
Peace might be another world away
And if that's the case . . .

(Chorus)

We'll give thanks to You
With gratitude
For lessons learned in how to trust in You
That we are blessed beyond what we could ever dream
In abundance or in need
And if You never grant us peace

But Jesus, would You please . . .

[Alexismandyjr]

God's Perfect Timing, has reached my heart! Yes, God is perfect and his timing in inpeccable. I have been through many trails in my life. Many of which would have been much easier to deal with if I would have had God in my heart. It took this journey for me to find Him and thanks to you, Jill, I have. My heart is filled with love and emotions I never thought possible. I've learned a BIG lesson from this journey. That lesson is that God has your perfect plan already lined up and we must allow Him to lead the way. I am a baby in God's world. I'm learning how to praise him on a daily basis and how to empower my children with his love and understanding. All this would have not happened had I not met you my sister! This adoption journey has lead me to the Lord and what a wonderful path it has been. Yes, it has been filled with emotions I never thought possible. But, adoption will give me a heartgrown son and a Father that I had not known. Thanks you all for supporting each other. Lets continue to pray for the folks in PGN to continue approving our files so that we ALL have our wonderful God given children home in our arms very soon!

[lifessence]

Dear Heavenly Father,

Tonight I am sitting in the valley - crying out to hold onto you and the perfect plan you have for our lives and our children. You knew that Jonathan would be KO'd today and you have tomorrow in Your hands.

My heart was heavy when the news came that our trip with him once again will be ending with him going back to his fmom instead of coming home with us and Joshua. Then my eyes and heart lifted up to You Father - knowing you have the perfect plan in place for his life and ours.

I am so thankful to know you and can't imagine getting this news today - me here with our daughters and myDH in Guatemala with Jonathan and Abigail. We feel a double pain tonight Father - being separated from each other and knowing this is not the end of this journey for our boys. So please dear Father - hold us both in Your hands as only you can do - give us unity through the miles that separate us and give us peace that Your will is being done.

I said the other day Leaning on You never felt so good and tonight is no different even when we walk through the valley of this news. We love You for who You are not what You do!

So tonight I pray for others with KO's, bad news about their adoption or waiting an extreme amount of time for their child to be placed in their arms forever. Lord, I ask You to be with each of us tonight - hold us in the palm of your hand and give us your love. I pray that you will continue to do your mighty work in our lives, our hearts and our adoption journey. I pray that you will draw us closer to You through each hurdle along the way. I know you put us where we are for a reason we might never understand and tonight I lean not on my own understanding. I lean on your love, your promises and your mercy for our lives.

I pray that you will help make the day soft when we must give Jonathan back one more time before bringing Joshua home. I pray that you will be with him so strongly that he can feel your love above all the pain and confusion. Let him know deep in his heart our love for him and that we are coming back no matter what has happened in the past.

Let him feel your love for him and the love of his Papa! Only you can give him this Father and I beg you to make all the pain in this little boys heart go away. He has been disappointed enough and hurt more than we will ever know. Give his Fmom a renewed love for him and help her share your love with him.

I pray for our DD that she will have a peace and an understanding after all the time we have together before she must go back to her Fmom as well. This precious child you are giving to us is a blessing beyond our imaginations. We thank you for each child you are calling us to bring home to our family. Please Father this little girl has been hurt and we ask that you erase the memories and only allow the ones that will bring her closer to you to stay. Hold her in the palm of your hands until she can come home forever with us.

I pray this for each and every family waiting to meet their child, bring home their child or about to enter the journey you are calling them on. Let Your will be done!

I pray all of these things in your precious name! Amen!

[Ethan2luv]

Yes, Lord, I join my sister in praising your holy name right where each and every one of us are in our adoption journey; right in the middle of the pain, the joy, the roller coaster ride of ups and downs, we will cry out with one voice, "HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, LORD GOD ALMIGHTY," we very humbly bow down before you and ask that you give our sister and her husband an extra portion of your comfort, mercy and grace, in the coming days, fill up any empty holes in their hearts that may be hurting because of this latest development, touch them, Father, touch them, we pray, thank you Jesus, thank you...................I ask that you reach out and cradle Jonathan and Abigail because they are your little lambs, you tell a story in your word about a shepherd who 100 sheep, and the one gets losts, how he will leave the 99 and search and search for the one, Jesus we are asking you to reach out and touch these two little one's they need you to comfort them, for you to quiet their fears, for you to fill them with your love, and keep their little minds at peace, hold them, protect them just as you did when they were in their mother's womb; you made sure they had enough to eat, that they were warm, they had everything they needed because that is how you designed the beginning of life to be; that they, like all of us, before we ever uttered our first cry, or drew our first breath, we were being sustained and nourished my your divine intervention. We trust only you with all of our little one's and ask that once again you provide all of their needs just as you did before they appeared on this earth. I wonder, did you sing to them, did you count each finger and toe, did you give them butterfly kisses, I absolutely believe that you did and that you still do. Daddy could you please sing to our babies this night, it makes me wonder; maybe that is why they say that music and song is a universal language, it is because we have been hearing music from the very heights of heaven since before we were born.....................sing Jesus sing, sing to our babies tonite................Jesus, Jesus, Jesus sweetest name I know, we love you,

Goodnite sweet sunbeam, can you smell it Jill, it smells like rain; no, it smells like him...............

[lifessence]

Good Morning God! Thank you for giving me the hours of rest last night that I needed to face this day! I ask you to lead the way in my life today so that I have your help and not working against you in all the things I must get done today. I thank you for holding me in your arms while my DH is so far away. I thank you for being with him and our children in Guatemala now. We all need your love!

I pray for peace in trusting in your plan today Lord. I pray for an inner joy to overcome the pain of yesterday as we plan to bring Joshua home alone. I pray for Jonathan's sweet heart to be full and not empty ever again - because you love him so much and can fill it while we are all separated until he comes home. I pray for all the families today Lord that are waiting for information, news, updates and need You to comfort them. I know you can do anything and You make NO mistakes. I am so thankful to be able to trust in that - you are never changing and always loving!

Last night I gave a talk and shared Your hope for our lives - love, forgive, forgive and love all of the time. If we begin each day in those two things we are sure to please you. I want to be pleasing in your sight today God...please keep my path straight and let me shine to others that with You I can do all things! Even walk through the disappointment of another KO with Jonathan. Heavenly Father, I pray for you to walk one step ahead of me today to keep me safe as I go about all the things I need to get done today - that the angels pave the way with all the people I must deal with. I thank you for keeping me safe and our family safe while we are not together. I thank you for giving my DD's a heart to serve and help me now that I have so much to get done once again! I thank you for your love that shines from them so sweetly!

I thank you for all of the things you do that I don't even know about. I thank you for the things you are setting up now for us to see in the coming days. I trust in you Father and thank you for all that You are!

I sing your praises - Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty. You are an awesome God. I pray all of these things in Jesus' name. Amen!
PS It smelled like rain as I closed my eyes last night - the house was filled with the smell everywhere I went!

[Ethan2luv]

Let us join voices today and lift up our hands to the Lord and humbly ask him to continue to bless us by allowing our babies to come out of PGN; we ask you to bless the people of Guatemala as they celebrate their independence day tomorrow, and may your favor shine upon them. Lord we look to you to sustain us, to guide and direct us, in not only how we conduct ourselves during this time of waiting but also how we react when we receive or do not receive news from our agencies and attorneys. Father, people that are of this world are watching us, we are your children, we are your chosen, and we must conduct ourselves as such, please forgive us when we get angry, mad, throw things, hit things and then we usually turn into a pool of mush before you, asking your forgiveness, and then the most wonderful thing happens, your beautiful Holy Spirit comes along and lifts us back up and we find that we can stand, that we can handle the next second, the next minutes, the next hour; Father we find that we are so dependent on you, we find ourselves clutching at your hands, falling at your feet for help, for you to sustain us, as we continue this journey of adoption. Our eyes look back from where we have come, they look ahead not sure what even lies ahead but knowing that we want so badly to obtain the prize of that child lying ahead, so we move forward, ever so slowly, you gently turn our head around to look at you; we must keep our eyes only on you for this journey; no matter what people are saying, no matter who is saying it..............it is all as nothing to us, we focus on you and you alone.

Father, we bow down before you, and ask you to lead the way, make our paths smooth...............we love and adore you; keep us unified, keep us as one, worshiping you........sister to sister, your princesses........help us in our time of need, we give you all of the honor and glory...................may our lives be a living testimony to you, to the world...In Jesus name,

[lifessence]

Good Morning Everyone!

Today I woke up and needed God. Most days I wake up and just thank Him. But today I woke up and needed Him to forgive me and to help me walk in His peace.

I listened to a broadcast by Joyce Meyers. I just needed to be lifted up from the weeks events and the distance still between my DH and our family while we wait to meet up with him in Guatemala.

I will spend lots of time in the word today as well - because I want to clean myself from all the things of this world and of Satan.

I want to share with you what has been in my mind and heart - because I know many of you deal with this every day as well.

When we live in worry it ='s fearing we won't get what we want. Fear is the worry of the things we can't control.

So today I say to all of you going through adoption - or just living! So that covers pretty much all of us.

Lift your eyes back on Jesus - Give to Him your pain. When you feel a thought that is negative in any way coming into your mind - share it with Jesus by proclaiming any of His promises. Voice your trust in God - say out loud - I believe and trust in You Lord to bring me through this situation. I believe you have many blessings for my life today.

In order to get peace while living through the storm we must trust 100% in God to carry you through it. Say out loud, "Lord almighty, this is your problem and I will trust in you to take care of it." The fastest way to peace is learning to stand & wait on God to do what we can't! That means allowing Him to help work out all issues. He wants us to have joy and peace. We often stand in His way. "Lord, you know I can't solve this on my own - can't control the outcome, but You can - so please hold me tightly as I go through this knowing I am waiting on You to help fix this problem." A great example Joyce gave today was with a job - "Lord, if I lose my job today I thank you - because You must have a better one waiting for me!" Instead of being worried when layoffs are happening all around you and will you be next? You can't stop the layoffs from happening so what does your days of worry really do for your life or the situation - nothing! Praise Him for knowing what He is doing and ask for Him to show you where to start over.

Here is the good news - all we have to do is: pray, confess, stay positive and don't start complaining! That's it! Thank Him for the trouble because you know He will help you. Ephesians 6:12-13 will explain this to you.

Keep hoping for something good - don't give up on the blessings God has promised each and everyone of us. You are no different and He is not witholding them from you. Being a part of God's Kingdom is for everyone! It is not an exclusive club for the rich, the priveledged, one kind of person - God wants us all to have abundant lives.

He does not wish for us to be sad and full of worry. That is what Satan wants for our lives because it separates us from God. Look to God for what you need - not people. This means no one in your life will ever meet your expectations and all of your needs(agencies, coordinators, facilitators, lawyers, family (in-laws), friends, co-workers, etc...). Only God can provide all of our needs.

This way of thinking actually takes the burden off of us and allows us to have peace in our lives - joy in our lives - laughter in our lives - because when you trust in God with all of your heart, cry out to Him to take care of the things you can NOT - He will when you believe in Him to do it - then sit and wait for Him to take care of it. (this does not mean believing one day and then the next day taking it back so you can fix it quicker because God just isn't doing it on your time!) Just keep believing and praying to Him - because He will help you - He wants all of your worries on Him.

Here are some more verses to help all of us get through this storm - Proverbs 15:15, John 14:27, Philippians 4:6-7 and Matthew 6:25-27.

My prayer for today -
Lord Jesus, we cry out to you and thank you for the trials you have set before us. You use each and every one to grow us and bring us closer to you. I trust in your plan for my life completely. I know that if it was left to me I would mess it up terribly. I ask you to use me as a light in the world filled with so much darkness and pain. I ask that you use my life to show others the way to You! I ask that you forgive me for standing in Your way in blessing my life by wanting to fix things on my own. I ask that today You lead the way in my life - not just save me Jesus but be the Lord in my life. I wish to keep you on the throne in all areas - not just the ones that fit neatly in my vision for how my life should be - because Your ways are much higher than mine. Because your vision is so great and I want to feel those blessings You are preparing for my life today. I want to live my life for You Lord. I ask that you help stand between me and the world - that the Holy Spirit protects me from Satan trying to keep me from you by filling my mind with worry and fear. I ask that Your love be so strong today that I feel so safe that no arrows Satan shoots my way will ever touch me. I stand in the sheild of your love for my life. I am bought and paid for by You - at the cross - You died for my sins. At the cross - You gave me life again. I praise you and sing out to you God Almighty, Most High- Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Amighty. You are such a wonderful Father - all I need is more of You. I ask to be drawn closer to you today Father. Let me sit on your lap, crawl up in your arms and be filled with the Spirit of your love. I pray for every family out there reading this - that they can feel your love for them today as well. That we realize one ounce of worry will never amount to peace or joy - just one more ounce of pain and separation from You. I pray all of these things in your precious name! Amen!

[mommytoEli]

Well, I have yet to reply to this thread b/c I just couldn't figure out how God's timing was perfect on my case yet. I mean....really.....eli should have been home so long ago. so why the wait? I keep asking. This morning I realized that had I picked up eli earlier I would have never gone to visit over labor day weekend and I would have never met all my new friends at the Marriott that weekend. Thank you God for all my new friends.

[Snook182]

God's Timing and plans are always perfect.....God see's the Big Picture and we don't that is what is hard, But he has been with us throughout this process.
Thank you Lord!!!

[lifessence]

Brook,

The thing about God's timing and plan is this - we never need to find out why or understand it - we are only called to trust in His plan for our life in all areas. We are called to be obedient and willing to serve Him and the blessings will be poured out on us.

We don't even need to try and figure out His plan or know why to have received the blessings. You might never know why it took a little longer to bring Eli home but you can rest in His love for the both of you and your family! He had it figured out before you were even born. I love that fact! We worry for nothing - we can control so little and yet we spend hours a day wondering and worrying over things that God truly can and will handle all on His own if we would just let Him. That way would could enjoy the journey - in this case the process. I breath a sigh of relief just thinking about that thought today!

You will be blessed for loving Him and waiting on Him to bring your sweet Eli home. The perfect time in coming very soon - forever in your arms!

[saranbr]

I agree with lifessence, while sometimes one does eventually see why God's timing is what it is (I believe God's way of enouraging us to continue in faith), often one does not. I still have no idea why we waited for 10+ wks for a GCBC last time and we had to wait while everyone from our visit trip got to P/U, and likely never will. God calls us to trust Him...I've learned over time that ever discovering why on timing is an added blessing.

While we were waiting last time I met a friend of my Mom's who had adopted 20+ years ago from Colombia and while I was griping about the wait she reminded me that each child comes home at exactly the right time. And while I was most angry at God about all of it at the time, eventually realized that she is correct...and if God can create us, He can certainly manage to get us together and handle the timing. Not that waiting is ever easy from a human perspective, just so wonderful to know that it is God's hands which ultimately handle the hands of both our and Guatemala's governments. And no matter what happens we can rest in the fact that it is in fact in His plan and that He does indeed work out all things for good for those who serve Him.