What is the purpose for our blog?...........

In thinking about what to write and what the purpose is for the blog, I came up with several reasons. Two main reasons is to keep family and friends up to date on what is happening. (We appreciate all your prayers and encouraging words.) But it is also a keepsake that someday I hope will be so special to Ava. I want her to know that she is chosen by God for our family, that we can hardly wait for her to get here and how special she is. I want her to see the journey we went on to bring her home, the anticipation of finally meeting her and holding her for the first time, the mountain tops and the valleys we went through on this journey, the growth that took place in us as a family as we stepped out in faith and are truly trusting God to provide financially, emotionally, spiritually on this journey. And also how everyone around us is also anticipating the newest family member!!! We have gone through tears, gloominess, excitement, anticipation, and so much more. And it is all worth it. By naming her Ava Victoria (Victoria is after Rich's grandma) it has made it so personal for us and we have a love for her already that is unexplainable. I can't wait to meet her for the first time and cradle her in our arms. Rich and I are so excited to have another daughter and pray that she feels loved, secure in who she is, and loves Jesus. We pray that God prepares us to help her know who she is as a person and where she came from and embrace that culture as well as know that she is so dearly loved and a treasured family member of our forever family. I pray for the birth mom to know that Ava is in a special family, dearly loved. I pray that she will be comforted and have peace as she hands her baby over.
As September 1st is approaching, we know it isn't going to be a day of celebration of the interim agreement, but we prayerfully ask for God's hand to be on that day and that the Vietnamese officials and the US would come to an agreement. As hard as it is for us to be waiting and not know a time frame, I have been reminded through other adoptive families in recent weeks that the journey of others has been so much longer than ours, sometimes years.

Praying for encouraging news for September 1st......

After a weekend "away" camping in our backyard, we are feeling a bit more accepting of the news in Vietnam. We talked with the adoption agency and went over possible other options and all other doors were closed. The agency highly encouraged us to wait until September 1st as there should be more information even though there will not be an interim agreement.

The Journey of Baby Ava

August 15, 2008

Our journey for adoption officially began in December 2007, although we felt that we were led to do this for quite some time. Before we got pregnant with our first, we felt God had called us to this. But we didn't do that and now have 2 beautiful daughters and are now in the process of being obedient to God's calling for our family. The girls Mackenzie (age 7 1/2) and Sydney (6) are very excited and can hardly wait for Baby Ava to come home as are Rich and I. The journey thus far has been a wild ride of ups and downs, and this week has been a bit of a downer. We have received news that indeed there will be no interim agreement met by the September 1st deadline and now we just wait.

I have received a few encouraging verses from friends that they are praying over us. The first is:
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.

Isaiah 55: 8 & 9

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.

"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.