While We Wait: Praying

We pray for lots of things, don't we.  This week, I would like for you to share any prayer requests that are on your heart, things you need prayer for or any answered prayers. Please link up your prayer request below so that others can pray for you as well.


 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:6-7 

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Prayer is a powerful thing, but I have to remind myself that sometimes my requests match what I want more than God's will for us.  I have had prayers at times that have felt unanswered, but when I think about it, they were answered, but maybe not in the way I expected.  When our third child was diagnosed with a heart condition, we prayed for God's healing.  I remember praying over and over the plea that Lazarus' sisters sent in a letter to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick."  Jakin was healed, but just not the way we expected.  I have learned a lot about prayer in the past few years, but I know I still have lots to learn.  

Today I'm asking first for prayers for another adoptive mama and papa heading to Korea right now!!!  Please   pray for the Blomgren's.  Pray their trip goes smoothly and for the daughter at home and their daughter in Korea.  Pray for her new little one's foster parents and for her birth parents.  I have been so blessed by following their journey!

I also ask that you pray for a friend of mine as her sis-in-law went into labor at 31 weeks and will be delivering her baby today.  Pray for health and strength for her little one and for the parents to have wisdom and strength as they are learning to care for a preemie.

Pray for Africa.  To learn more about how you can help with the crisis in Africa, visit Lauren.

I could go on forever with people we need to pray for, but I'm going to wrap up this post with a personal request.  

My dad found out last Thursday that he has lung cancer.  The Dr.'s have told him that radiation and chemo are not possibilities at this time, but they did refer him to a surgeon.  I will be going with him today to see the specialist and see if surgery is possible.  There have been multiple mistakes made by a certain hospital that has  missed this diagnosis for months.  He was told he did not have cancer, but just a lung infection.  He instructed to take heavy antibiotics, which have caused him to completely loose his appetite and drop to a very low weight, which, from my understanding, is why they will not consider most treatments.  I'm struggling with being very angry with this facility.  I need grace.  My dad needs healing.  He is in a lot of pain...

My Dad and I on my wedding day.

Thank you for your prayers and please share yours by linking up or commenting how I can be praying for you.

While We Wait: Crafting

I can't believe it's Wednesday again already and time to link up with other families who are waiting!

This week's topic...CRAFTING!


I know lots of moms that are using their crafty abilities to help raise funds for their adoption, so let's see it!  What are some of the things you've been crafting while you wait?  Be sure to link up below and invite others to do the same.  It also would be kind to leave a lovely comment for the person who linked up before you.

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Before I show something I've been crafting lately, I just have to say...if you've not signed up for Pinterest yet...you really should!  You can see my pins HERE. 

Now that I've done that, I can move on to sharing about one of my recent crafts for our home.  

When I saw this idea on Pinterest (see why I mentioned it before?)  I knew I had to do it to keep my make-up off our bathroom counter.  The best part is that we already had almost all the supplies!  

First, I found an empty frame and measured it.  I asked the wonderful hubby to cut a piece metal to fit it.  He found some and I then covered it with some scrap fabric I had purchased from the remnants basket at Jo.Ann's a while back.

We fit the fabric covered piece of metal into the frame and then I attached sticky backed magnets to my make up and found a locker organizer in the school section for a buck and sprayed it blue to match the frame (which I know looks purple in this pic for some reason).  

Now I can find what I'm looking for and hubby is happy my make-up bag is off the counter!  

What have you been crafting lately?

While We Wait: Summertime Fun

While We Wait Wednesday!!!

A day to just talk about life in the waiting.  

Today, a fun topic:

Summertime Fun! 

Write a post filled with what you have been doing this summer and link it up below.  Don't forget to copy the code below the linky and add it to your post.  It would also be super nice if you would visit the blogger who linked up before you and leave them a lovely comment. :-)

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This will be mostly a photo post from me.

We started summer 2010 with a trip to Jackson, TN and visited the Casey Jones and train museum...from the outside...we were late and they were locking up :(

But we did get to eat at the Country Store!

We stopped at the Pearl Museum and Farm on the way home and learned a little about pearls.

And saw this entire globe made out of pearl!

Little man had a birthday and begged to do a little of this:

 

And we had a little birthday party.

At which he got what he wanted for his birthday...

We went to a picnic held by our homestudy agency for all their clients.

I tried many new recipes.  Including turning sweetened condensed milk to toffee and pouring it over bananas and topping with home made whipped cream.  

Did some fishing at the local kids fishing derby.

We went to Louisville to get fingerprinted for our I-600A and drove across the "Big Bridge" for Ethan and found the Falls of the Ohio River State Park on our GPS and decided to take a look.  We will eventually come back here, it was really neat and there are fossil beds that can be explored!

We stopped at the Indiana Welcome Center to see if there was a place to picnic anywhere close and found out that the 3rd largest Bass Pro was just down the road...so of course, we made a little visit there too.

Remember that picture about fishing in the kids fishing derby?  Well, Ethan's cousin won a free day on a pontoon and asked if we would join them.  We had a lot of fun...

So much fun that he actually still took a nap on the middle of the lake on the pontoon because he was SO tired.

My mom got him a new pet...

Got a flower on the 4th of July from this handsome guy...

Kayaking as a family.

Baking oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies.  Even better (which I don't have a photo of) is the layer of brownies over a layer of oreo over a layer of chocolate chip cookie dough, baking it for 45 minutes and topping it with vanilla ice cream while it's still warm...

Took Ethan to the summer reading program at our public library and got to see this cute little guy.

Tried zucchini pizza for the first time with the fresh-from-the-garden-zucchinis.  YUM!

Birthday parties for cousins...

A week without air conditioning and having to purchase a brand spanking new unit.  But, I'm not complaining...it could be SO much worse!

Loving on this guy and hearing him tell stories of the cross.

Crafting.  This was one of my latest.  It's a magnetic make-up holder.  Thank you Pinterest!

We did a Yard Sale Fundraiser the weekend after our online auction.  Whew!

Organizing all the books on little guys bookshelves in preparation of homeschooling (we start next week!) and him "helping".

So that pretty much wraps up my summer!  What have you all been doing this summer while you've been waiting?

While We Wait: In His Word

I started this blog as a way to let our friends and family follow our adoption journey and through the course of our online auction, I feel like it also needs to be a place to connect with other families.  With that being said, introducing...

While We Wait Wednesdays!

Every Wednesday, I would like to post a topic and let all the "waiting" families out there link up so we can connect with each other and make this wait time fly by!  I also have learned that God can teach us as much in the waiting as he can when we reach our destination.  With that being said, I hope that other adoptive families will hop on board and share a little about their families and their "waiting".  Families that have already been connected with their little ones are also invited to join in and reminisce about their time waiting or show us something they are currently "waiting" for.  I don't have a button for this blog hop yet, but hopefully soon.  The linky will be open from Wednesday morning until the following Tuesday evening.  Hopefully, I new topic will be posted every Wednesday morning!  

This week's While We Wait topic:

In His Word 

I've found so much in God's Word since we started our adoption journey.  We signed our first paper in January and I had just started reading the Bible through in 90 days.  It was a lofty goal, but I did it and I was so happy I did.  I have done the One Year Bible in the past, but I always fall off the wagon about August, get behind and feel like I'm all off track.  The 90 day plan on the Bible app really helped me stay focused, but really didn't leave much time for studying specific scriptures.  I bookmarked these along the way and have been going back through and studying them.  This morning, I was praying and looking to God's Word for peace and direction.  We got some news about Korea last week that left us feeling pretty confused and we have considered changing countries.  This morning, this was the scripture that stuck out to me the most:

Bow in prayer.  Don't ask questions.  Wait for hope to appear.

So I paused and prayed and then I saw this on my highlighter:

If you can't tell, that says, "KOREA".

All right, I get it.

Be still.  Pray.  Wait on God.  Don't force things.

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What have you found in the Bible that has brought you encouragement, peace or patience lately?