I stepped out on the porch this morning to take my boys to school and saw a package sitting by the front door. A gift was inside for Nana, a very special gift. My friend, Sarah, had mailed a quilt she made over the weekend. She lives in Washington and is adopting a little boy from Liberia that is about the same age as Nana. I have absolutely no crafty/creative abilities, so I get really excited when someone gives us something handmade for one of our kids. The quilt is BEAUTIFUL, all pink, purple, and girly!

I'm ready to start working on her room, but something keeps holding me back. My head says it just a lack of time right now, my heart wonders if that is the real reason I haven't started. I think I've been guarding my heart a bit. This gift might be just the motivation I need! Hopefully it will motivate my husband too, because the room needs a lot of heavy duty construction work and I can't do that by myself. Thank you so much, friend. It really is a beautiful gift!

I sure do wish I had more to share with you all today about progress in Liberia. I don't. God has blessed us with His peace during this part of the wait, although some days are harder than others. Of course, we always welcome your prayers. We always need them. If you could pray especially today for Nana to remain in good health while wait for her to come home, we would really appreciate it.

The two year old said from the back seat of the minivan yesterday...

"Mommy, is God and Jesus with sister bear in Liberia."

I almost had to pull the van over to the side of the road.

The latest news from Liberia...

The Liberia House has passed the new Children's Bill. This is very good news and protects the children of Liberia in so many ways. However, the adoption guidelines that we have all been waiting for patiently have been removed from the bill. At first, this sounds like a set back. However, I really think this is a step in the right direction. The President has decided that she wants a separate Adoption Bill to come before the House. She has ordered that a Central Adoption Authority be established that will have the responsibility of ensuring that adoptions in Liberia are ethical and legal. So, we have no time line and the suspension has not been lifted yet. But, we are encouraged to hear that the President is giving so much time and attention to the adoption situation and are hopeful that special needs adoptions will be considered in the near future. Keep in mind, we are not really sure what "the near future" means in Africa...certainly not what it means in the United States.

Thank you for your prayers, please keep praying.

Friends,
I'm posting today to specifically ask for your prayers for our family, our daughter, and the children of Liberia. It seems as though things are beginning to move forward, which direction they are moving is yet to be seen. However, at this point in time we welcome movement in any direction. You see, the unknown is what makes this all so very difficult. The Liberian legislature is in the process of passing the new Children's Bill. My understanding is that this is the bill which will outline the new guidelines for adoption. According to the President's address in January, adoptions were suspended only until these guidelines were put into place. We do not know the details of the bill, which means we do not know yet how this will effect our ability to bring Nana home. I have spoken with Diana at Alliance for Children today and she is in the process of trying to find out these details for us. I am incredibly grateful for Diana. If you ever decide to begin an international adoption, I would strongly recommend working through an agency rather than working independently. Diana works hard to protect our family and we are so thankful for her help.

For the last few weeks we heard nothing from Liberia. This made it much easier to just wait. Now things are moving to some degree and my mind and heart get caught up in all this again. What we need is peace in our home. We need God's peace, to rest in His timing.

Thank you.

We were at the zoo today and noticed that some strange things were happening with the elephants. They were in different locations than they usually are and the pregnant elephant was lying down alone with another elephant standing guard by her. I kept commenting to Eric about how strange it all was. Now I know why. We left the zoo around 1:30, at 2:35 the baby was born. Elephants are pregnant for about 650 days. In some strange way, I feel like I can relate. In case you are wondering, we started this adoption 17 months ago.

Here's a link to an article about the new baby elephant.

Pray the Devil Back to Hell

Last night five of us went to see Pray the Devil Back to Hell. It's hard to even know what to say. Inspiring is the first word that comes to mind, although that does not even begin give this film the credit it deserves. Liberia's story simply captures your heart, and this story that follows the incredible Women's Peace movement to end a 14 year civil war is simply amazing.

I wish I had other adoption news to share with you. I don't.

"Here is your sweetie and she is doing great. She continues on the
medicines. Will send the medical to Diana soon. Trying to walk
holding on to care giver Happy and just beautiful."

This came in an email from Patty Anglin today. Four pictures were also attached!
As you can imagine, this made my day.