Please continue to pray for us. We have a lot of really good days and we also have some really hard and sad days. We feel more excited than ever about adoption, knowing that we could love so deeply in a matter of moments a child not of our own. Our hope is that this “new/old” season of waiting would be short!

Two sources of encouragement

Praise You in This Storm by Mark Hall

I was sure by now, God, that You would have reached down

and wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day.

But once again, I say amen and it's still raining

as the thunder rolls

I barely hear You whisper through the rain, "I'm with you"

and as Your mercy falls I raise my hands

and praise the God who gives and takes away.

And I'll praise you in this storm and I will lift my hands

for You are who You are no matter where I am

and every tear I've cried You hold in your hand

You never left my side and though my heart is torn

I will praise You in this storm

I remember when I stumbled in the wind

You heard my cry to You and raised me up again

my strength is almost gone how can I carry on

if I can't find You and

as the thunder rolls

I barely hear You whisper through the rain "I'm with you"

and as Your mercy falls I raise my hands

and praise the God who gives and takes away

And I'll praise you in this storm and I will lift my hands

for You are who You are no matter where I am

and every tear I've cried You hold in your hand

You never left my side and though my heart is torn

I will praise You in this storm

I lift my eyes unto the hills

where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord,

the maker of heaven and earth

“Where is God when it Hurts?” Philip Yancey

God does not, in the comfortable surroundings of heaven, turn a deaf ear to the sounds of suffering on this groaning planet. He joined us, choosing to live among an oppressed people, in circumstances of poverty and great affliction. The Son of God cried out "God, why have you forsaken me?"

Jesus, the son of God on earth, embodies all I have been trying to say about pain. Like Job, an innocent sufferer who preceded him, he did not receive an answer to the question of cause: “Why?...why?” he called out from the cross, and heard nothing but the silence of God. Even so, he responded with faithfulness, turning his attention to the good that his suffering could produce.

Human suffering remains meaningless and barren unless we have some assurance that God is sympathetic to our pain, and can somehow heal that pain. In Jesus, we have that assurance.

At the instant of pain, it may seem impossible to imagine that good can come from tragedy. We never know in advance exactly how suffering can be transformed into a cause for celebration. But that is what we are asked to believe. Faith means believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse.

Sad!

We got the call today that the birth mom has chosen to go get Emilee and parent her. Thank you all for praying for this situation, we have submitted it to the Lord, however our hearts are very heavy and sad today. Please continue to pray for us!