If Home Is Where Your Heart Is. . . .

I've been thinking so much about my China-baby lately. I'm not sure why, but she has been on my heart more and more. Since we started on our journey to her every day closer has been two days further away. We have been waiting for a long time, but I know that she is coming in God's time and I am great with that! (For those of you who don't know, we actually asked for twins.) I've been blogging and blogging about Lionel, the dear boy who stole my heart last Fall and who I pray we will get to bring home. I want Lionel to be our son. But I feel like I need to branch out this blog to make it more than just Lionel. . .our China clock is also counting down and I don't want to miss it because I was so focused on Rwanda! Right now the wait is nearly 33 months (and counting). If it stays 33 months, then we should be expecting a referral in August. I'm probably the only waiting parent who is wanting it to continue slowing down because we have to have Lionel in

I met the Miller family today! Paul and Rosie (Paul wasn't excited about having his picture taken yesterday) were adopted from New Hope Homes in Kigali, too. I got to meet the kids when I went to get Gabby last fall and they came home to Texas this summer! It was so much fun to meet the Miller family and I hope that we have reunions forever!!! God is so good!

Today is two years since we have been "logged in" with the China Center for Adoptive Affairs (buiding shown above). I have now officially be pregnant longer than an elephant! Currently the wait is 37 months (and growing--when we began the process, it was seven months). Who knows where God will take us before we get our China-baby and what our family will look like before she becomes Mei Mei (little sister). What a journey it has been already and what a journey it promises to be!!!

Okay, it is a long story, but I'm not headed to Rwanda. . .and I'm fine with it. I need to learn to let go and let GOD work in His timing. . .I don't need to rush Him or rush His timing. I need to be patient (IHANGANI) and just wait on His perfect time for our family. I know that right now (through this and other situations) that God is trying to teach me to BE STILL AND KNOW. I really struggle with that BE STILL part. I am happily to patiently wait to see how God will reveal and work out His WONDERFULLY AMAZING plan for our family!!! He is good!

Well, I think I'm headed to Rwanda on Sunday (I'll arrive Tuesday). I just feel like this is what I need to do. I'm going to hand-deliver my dossier to the Minister and then work my tail off for the three days I'm in Kigali. I need to track down Lionel's uncle and get him to officially sign the termination of guardianship papers. He dropped Lionel off at the home nearly three years ago and he has verbally said that he does not want to be responsible for Lionel--he is getting married and the new wife absolutely does not want to take him in. So, my ideal time line in Rwanda would be this: * Leave Branson Sunday night. * Arrive Kigali Tuesday around noon. * Drop off my dossier (and the Newman's dossier) on Tuesday afternoon. * Find the uncle and have the papers signed and notarized on Wednesday. * Take Lionel to the doctor for his physical and shots on Thursday. * Pick up my approval letter on Friday. *Prayerfully the approval letter will be vague and