More Good News!

Our I600A was received in Memphis! We received a receipt today from the Dept. Of Homeland Security. Jarrod held the mail in his hands and said, "Now how often do we receive something in the mail that says 'Department of Homeland Security'!" We both cracked up! Adopting a baby is such an amazing journey! We will now be checking the mail for our fingerprinting appointments. Yes, that's right, our fingerprints must be run through the FBI database prior to the US approving us as adoptive parents. We are praying to have our I600A approval within the next 2-3 months.

God Knows Your Heart

Tonight our church family had a wonderful ladies meeting! We had just completed a fast and we shared what the Lord is doing in our lives. We also had a wonderful time of prayer together! While many people know that we are in the process of adopting our child from Taiwan, many do not know that Jarrod and I have been praying about beginning an adoption ministry through our church. During the meeting, God spoke directly to me through one of the precious women in our congregation. Frances looked at me and said "the Lord knows your love for the orphans, because He loves you the same way. He will bring it to pass." I knew in my spirit that this was a direct word from the Lord for me, confirming that He is leading and guiding us as we step out in faith for the precious orphaned children! It is so exciting to serve the Lord, and I just can't imagine life without Him! What a mighty God we serve!!

Doin' The CRAZY Dance!

This is often the scene during family time at our house. Just some crazy fun! The only difference is that I am not joining in, since someone has to hold the camera.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ebw2b7Ylgsk]

Doin' The HAPPY Dance In Tennessee

I hold in my hand the result of tons of time, work, and prayer. Today we received our home study in the mail! YAHOO!!!! We are soooo excited to finally receive it. It was finalized on December 31st, so 2007 went out with a bang. It feels great just holding it in our hands, knowing that it's DONE! We will be submitting our I600A and home study to the US government within the next day or two. Now we will be checking the mail often for our fingerprinting appointments! LOL! We are one step closer to bringing our precious little one home from Taiwan. We are so thankful to the Lord for His provision every step of the way. We have so much more to tell, and will be posting more very soon. We serve such an awesome God!

Linus In The House

We have our own Linus, only instead of a blankee he chose a towel! I laughed so much when I saw him flying around the house like this!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4FJ0XN4ez8]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jr8L1n2ydSw]

Happy New Year Everyone!

We are so excited to see what all the new year will bring. Perhaps a referral of a baby brother! :)

Here is a link to two nice panoramic views of the Taipei 101 during the New Year celebration. These photos are from 2006, but fun to view. Enjoy! Here's to a blessed 2008!
http://www.panoramas.dk/new-year-2006/taipei.html

http://www.panoramas.dk/new-year-2006/taipei-2.html

Obleck

Have you ever experienced Obleck? It is quite interesting, to say the least. You know how you stir together corn starch and water to thicken food? Well....that's Obleck! Although, I have to admit that I have never placed my hands into the stuff prior to this evening. Squeezing it or applying force to it creates a solid substance, but release the pressure on it and you have a liquid again. Obleck.......a great time to be had by all!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7N11dqVlDU]

Recipe:
1 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup water
2 to 7 drops food coloring (optional)
Mix water and food coloring together. Slowly add cornstarch. Do not stir. Let the mixture stand for 1 to 2 minutes. Pick a handful of the oobleck up and squeeze it until it forms a hard ball. Open your hand and the oobleck will turn from a solid back into a liquid. If it gets too dry after awhile, just add a bit more water.

Note: After allowing the mixture to "sit for 1-2 minutes" it was solid. We did need to add small amounts of water at a time and mix with fingers just until it became a liquid. This worked great and was easy to do. Enjoy!