Four Pairs of Shoes

Ok so some of you are wondering about these 4 sets of shoes.  So......WE ARE ADOPTING AGAIN!  It's been hard to keep this a secret for so long.  We have been thinking about this for a while now, but for a couple of different reasons we had not actually announced it yet. 

We had been talking about this since back before the summer.  However, with the adoption law changes in Taiwan that went in to effect on June 1st, we had no idea what this meant for us.  So we waited and prayed.  As it turns out the orphanage we adopted Ava from, we cannot adopt from them again right now.  That's a long story, but the basic gist is that 1) there is a long list for families waiting for second children, 2) the wait would be quite some time due to that, and 3) THOGL is not really doing second adoptions right now due to their long list for families waiting for their first child and the new law changes.  So we started looking at what our options were.  We considered doing China special needs but never pulled the trigger.  Our hearts are just still in Taiwan!

Fortunately God has placed a wonderful godly woman in my life as my accountability partner!  She also has adopted from THOGL.  One day while meeting she mentioned an agency who recently reopened their healthy infant Taiwan program (at this point most programs were closed due to the law changes).  So we looked into it, exchanged some emails with the agency, had a phone conference call with the agency and all came back great!  So we started our process the next day.  This happened basically at the end of August. 

Since then we have started our homestudy.  As we did not keep our previous homestudy up to date we had to start over from scratch.  That is being finalized this week.  We have been basically approved through the agency based on our previous homestudy, although not offically until our current homestudy is completed and reviewed.  We are hoping to have that done this Monday.  We had been waiting for "offical" approval before our announcement. 

We heard from the agency this past week, and while it's not final, it's close enough that we feel ok moving forward with the announcement!  So we are expecting an addition to our family HOPEFULLY within the next 18-24 months! (Please note that we do NOT have a referral yet.)

I will write more details later and as things progress, but for now, just admire the lovely new shoes!

A New Kind of "Good"

The other day I was going back through and reading some verses that I was given during some rough times.  It led me to another verse, and then another.  Anyway, I was contemplating what they meant to me then, and now.  It really is amazing how our perspectives change and how God reveals Himself, all in His timing.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose."  Romans 8:28

This verse is a commonly quoted verse, in hard times especially.  It is probably all too familiar to those reading this.  I thought actually thought of this verse after reading some verses in Lamentations:

"Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it?  Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?  Why should any living man complain when punished for his sins?  Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord."  Lamentations 3: 37-41 (emphasize mine)

"For men are not cast off by the Lord forever.  Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.  For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men."  Lamentations 3:31-33 (emphasize mine)

This all brought me to one conclusion.  What if my perspective of "good" is wrong?  See, I think that I had always thought of "good" in terms of getting what I wanted or what I thought I deserved.  At the minimum, at least, I thought of it as God working things out in my favor somehow.  Quite frankly, this is probably one of the most selfish possible interpretations of this verse.  I believe in effort to comfort ourselves, many of us probably view the verse in Romans this way (I really hope I'm not the only one).  This interpretation often leaves us empty, and even worse, wondering was God is in the midst of our pain.  I'm sad to think this was ever all I got from that verse now.  I'm humbled for sure by the revelation of what is really there.

So I invite you to imagine a new kind of "good".  What if "good" simply meant whatever brings you closer to God?  How would that change our perspective?  After all, our highest purpose in this walk on earth, is to be close to God.  Everything He has done, and will do, is in effort to restore our relationship with Him and bring me closer to Him.  So that really crappy thing that is happening right now, or that really hard time you're having, it's actually "good".  You know, the one deep down inside where you're raising your fist at God screaming, "if you love me, why is this happening to me?"  Yeah, that thing, just might be "good".  I certainly have found that it is in the darkest of hours that I am the closest to God.  And I don't think that's coincidence.  It's much harder to look outside yourself and give God any credit or any mind when all is going well.

I found it very interesting in the verses in Lamentations that it speaks to God bring forth grief and calamity.  Yes, sometimes the yucky stuff is from God.  What's more is I don't think He wants it to be that way.  Unfortunately, we are often stubborn, hardheaded, egocentric creatures--at least I am anyway.  We need the hard times more than we think.  Hard times are where we learn, and how we find God and learn to be close to Him.  Sometimes the worst situations are our own making and us facing the consequences and God's discipline (see Romans 12:5-13).

Sometimes "good" is not just meant for you either.  Sometimes God is working out "good" for the body of believers as a whole--"for those who love Him"--that's pleural people.  So sometimes we have to step outside of ourselves and look at the "good" God is doing in community, not ourselves personally.  That's a tough pill to swallow for me.  That God might give me a trial for the benefit of someone else.  How is that fair?  The truth is, God never claimed to be fair.  And thank God for unfairness, otherwise I sure wouldn't be saved!

Now here's the disclaimer.  Please don't hear that every bad thing that happens is from God.  That certainly isn't true, nor what I'm saying.  The truth is we live in a fallen world, and some of the bad is simply a result of sin.  Plain and simple.  Sometimes the sucky things just happen and we will never know why this side of heaven. Knowing the difference comes from knowing God and closeness to Him.  He gives you the discernment to know which is which. 

For now, my world has been rocked by a new kind of "good".

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

My how time flies!  Little Ava is, well, not so little anymore.  At least it seems that way.  She is going on 21 months now and a very busy girl!  In so many ways she is easy to entertain and at the same time, some days I find it difficult to find something for her to do.  And so my Pinterest obsession started.  I had alot of friends getting on there and finally I checked it out for myself.  I have not been able to stay away since!  It started with a few toddler ideas, then recipes, then clothes, then home ideas, then....you get the idea.

Anyway my little lovebug, as I call her, really loves to help these days.  Anything we do, she wants to do--wash her hands, throw away trash, carry the laundry hamper, put her clothes in the hamper, put her diapers in the diaper pail, etc.  It's quite cute really.  Sometimes it does create some challenges, for instance cooking dinner and keeping her occupied or helping with the little things.  I know they say cooking with them at this age is great, but I have not mastered the art yet.  (Also it doesn't help that I hate big messes, which cooking with a toddler usually creates.)

We've had some great weather recently, an early spring really.  It's been so fun as Ava is loving playing outside and exploring!  She loves to go on walks riding her tricycle or wagon.  She loves slides and swinging at the playground.  She also loves watching the birds at the birdfeeder, watching Daddy mow the grass, chasing bubbles, and "painting" the deck (as you can see in the picture).

Miss Ava also has a quickly expanding vocabulary.  She's not talking alot yet, but it seems daily there are new words, this past week anyway.  Her favorite word is "hot", all food is hot and she will blow on it to cool it off.  "Arf, Arf" for dog is the best!  She will see a dog (although not our dogs) and start saying "arf, arf" repeatedly.  "Whoo Whoo" for owl, and she loves seeing them in books!  Yesterday we were driving home and she was fascinated with her shoes and kept saying "shoe", then she point to it, held up her foot and said "off"!  So cute, so I took it off and she thought that was so funny.  Today she said "ball" while we were playing with all different colored balls.  Some other things she says are "ah oh, duck, baa baa, moo, go, mine, duck, mama, dada" and I think there are some others that I can't think of right now.  Of course she understands a ton more than what she can say!

Daily I am amazed at God's blessings!  I'm so thankful for Ava and the pure joy she brings to our home!!!  She is so precious, sweet, beautiful, smart, and fun!!!  I just love her snuggles, all her hugs and kisses!  My biggest wish is that I could slow it all down a little!