Thank you all for your encouragement and support over the past couple weeks. Sometimes I wonder how much the girls are processing this whole adoption thing. Today while driving to a meeting at Bethany, Matea had a precious moment. She said "Mom, you are going to meet with Belinda, right?" I said yes, and she said " Can you say 'Please, can Marcus come home with us.'" Like maybe if you asked in just the right way, they would let him come home. I started crying and said "Sure Matea, I will ask." It is amazing how the small things can set off a cascade of thoughts.
How old will he be when we meet him? Will he be excited to come home or just scared? How will the girls adjust to the reality of another child in the house? How will Marcus interact with his sisters? Will he mind them in his personal space all the time? How will Steve and I parent a boy? Is it different than a girl? And that is when I just start praying for wisdom and patience. Grace and Peace to you all

Habakkuk 2:3----"But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, be patient! For it will surely take place. It will not be late by a single day."

What a good reminder of what we already know.

After almost seven months of waiting, we finally have made it into the Haitian court system. We have an official number and everything. Thank you all for your prayers and support. This has been an unbelievable time of waiting, frustration and sadness. But I am happy to report that we have hope once again that Marcus will join our family.

"Seriously, a Santa hat? My mom is not going to like this . . ."

So the big question then becomes: "What does that mean? How long are we looking at?" What this means is that now we can begin to move his paperwork through the various courts that need to approve his adoption in Haiti. We now are in the 9-18 month waiting period. While that may seem like a long time to most of you, the joy we feel at being able to say we are in the process of moving forward is unbelievable. It far outweighs the time frame. We can continue to pray that somehow our paperwork just sails through the system. As LaDawn, an incredible woman from Bethany said "You guys just might be due a miracle."

I will close with a line from my very wise Uncle Norm:

God is Good, All the Time. All the Time, God is Good

"Come on, just a little hug"