Thursday we received some not so great news regarding our adoption. We actually lost our referral for the two siblings we have been calling Emma and Joshua. (Big Tears) The orphanage our children were living at was apparently involved in some questionable and most likely unethical actions which resulted in our children being "double referred". The good news is that I was told by our agency that these two children DO have a home to go to with another agency/family. The bad news is that it won't be OUR home. :( We are super disappointed. Not devastated-- but very disappointed. We are trusting God's plans for these children but we are sad because our hearts had grown attached to their photos and the idea of these two sweet faces joining our family. Just so you all know and there are no questions about the integrity of our agency, BFAS has NOT been involved in any wrongdoing and this happened because of the wrongdoings of the director of the orphanage in country. BFAS has been great through this all. Very supportive and kind through the wait for medicals, has communicated with us about the problems they were encountering as best they could, and we ARE now awaiting another referral of siblings. God has clearly called us to adopt, and we know that satan hates when we are obedient to the Lord and he attacks from all angles. My friends, we are being attacked..... but we are NOT defeated. We BELIEVE and have FAITH in our Lord and His plans for us. We are STILL trusting God's words to us and know that in obedience.....we are called to sacrifice and suffer for Christ's sake through any and all trials. Just as Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:10 "Since I know that it is all for Christ's good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
We are standing firm in God's truths and promises to us and we are proclaiming them (over and over)......
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."
Hebrews 10 :23 "Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise."
"No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." --- 1 Thessalonians 5:18
In the midst of this "bad" news on the adoption front, God has blessed us beyond measure in other areas of our family life and our praises this past week have been numerous.....
Our first praise: Our oldest daughter, Madilyn Marie, turned 11 on Friday and we celebrated all weekend long!! I was especially blessed to have a full day of girl time with Madilyn on Friday. She and I spent the day shopping, had lunch and even had a pedicure (thanks Aunt Amberly!!)! It was so special!! This was followed by a sleepover with 2 of her girlfriends and lots of giggling, movies, popcorn, a scavenger hunt and ice cream cake! On Saturday night we celebrated again by going to STIX for the Hibachi grill experience!! We all agreed with Joel Daniel-- "More fire, please!!!" That was a fun experience for the whole family!!
Another praise: Joel's parents came back for a visit on Saturday and brought Grandma Newsom for a visit. She is a HOOT!!! At 83, she climbed our 32 stairs to get into our house for 4 straight days without a stitch and she had lots of great stories and wisdom to share with us!! We had a very special time with her and were so blessed by their efforts and long drive to spend time with our family. We feel so loved and very full of joy for the precious memories we made over the long weekend!! It was good.
Another praise: Joel had some medical testing done on Friday for a suspicious knot that an initial doctor visit had deemed too suspicious to not do further testing. The doctor thought it was possibly cancerous. The spot was found to be nothing but a calcification and not a cancerous tumor after all!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!! Thank you Jesus for my husband's health!! PRAISE THE LORD!!!
Another praise: We are anxiously waiting for the very soon-to-be-delivery of a sweet baby girl, Anna Claire, into the Newsom family We can't wait to have another niece/cousin!!!
So, in the midst of our sorrow--- there has been joy. God is good. All the time.
"It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening." -- Psalms 92:2
"I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen."
Thanks for all of your prayers on our behalf! Keep them going up!!
Blessings,
AMY
1 comment:
Wow, you've been doing a lot! Sorry about your referral-but you are right..God is good ALL THE TIME! He knows your kids are out there and he has them especially picked for you!
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