If Home Is Where Your Heart Is. . . .

My dear friend, Kelly Blackwell, shared this part of Jude verses 1 & 2 with me (from The Message). Thank you! Relax, everything's going to be all right; rest, everything's coming together; open your hearts, love is on the way!

Introducing Jean de Dieu Rukara!!! He is a doll! My precious little boy! I can't believe that I have a little guy. . .I want to go get him and snuggle him!!! I have always wanted a child missing his two front teeth and he is my first!!! Here is what Tim, my POA (and the man in the picture) said about the meeting: I am excited that you're about to adopt a cute little boy, dark skinned, a little shy but I understand he is very active back in school in Kibungo in the Eastern Province of Rwanda. Jean de Dieu Rukara was born on June 1st, 2003. I understand he was dumped at the orphanage but I couldn't get any additional information. I will brief you on the next steps to do in the coming days. Hope you will love these pix. I am praying for him to be comforted. He has only known life in the orphanage and his life is about to be rocked! Please pray (with me) for his heart!

AnNi Design's Summer 2009 is all here! The unisex shirts are featured in a post from two days ago. They are great shirts! I am wearing the IBYIRINGIRO shirt today and I love it! Below are our girls shirts! They are so fun! Our website should be updated by early next week! www.annidesigns.com The Sign Language LOVE shirt says it in three languages: American Sign Language, Lugandan (Uganda) and Amaharic (Ethiopia).

I heard back from my POA and he has a meeting with the nuns AND Jean de Dieu Monday afternoon at 3:00 (6:00 a.m. MST). Prayerfully, then, he will get a picture and all of his history and information. Also, prayerfully, he will get to set a courtdate (for next Thursday would be nice--courts only meet on Thursday). So, we'll see. . . .

I want to introduce you all to the Spore Family and the Robinson Family. They are the two families AnNi is helping this year. (The shirts should be up on the website to buy by the end of the day today.) The Spore family is waiting for siblings from Rwanda! "IBYIRINGIRO" is what their shirt says and it means HOPE in Kinyarwandan. The Robinson Family is waiting for a baby girl from Ethiopia. We are so excited to be able to help these families, but we can only do it with the help of you and everyone you tell about AnNi Designs! Thanks! www.annidesigns.com Both families have adoption blogs you can follow. The links are on the right side of my blog page.

That's his name. . .his whole name (before we add Braner to it and whatever else)!!! His HIV test came back NEGATIVE!!! Praise the Lord! Tomorrow I should have a birthday and details AND A PICTURE!!! I am so excited! God is good!

Maggie and Elliott are IN that raft--somewhere! Yesterday was so much fun. The Nimrods are here and they have been good medicine for our souls. Maggie and Elliott went rafting and had a BLAST (even though they claim that they didn't). I enjoyed spending the day with Becca and just being refreshed by the familiar. ********** Today Jean de Dieu is at the doctor getting all of his medical tests run. By now he is finished, so hopefully we will have all of his information SOON! I am hoping that along with a result of negative for HIV I will also get a last name, a picture and information on which language he speaks! I'll keep you posted!!!

Like cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a far country. Thank you, God. I was weary and you have quinched my thirst. Thank you for Jean de Dieu. Thank you for picking out the perfect boy for our family. Thank you for loving me so much.

Well, I guess it isn't officially official until we pass court, but we have a boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is six years old and his name is Jean de Dieu (John of God). That is all I know. No pictures or anything else, but this is plenty to digest for now. I am overjoyed and so happy and overwhelmed and a little nervous. I promise to pass along details once I have them and pictures, too! But for now, my children are Hays, Maggie, Jean de Dieu (John?), Dax and Gabby. God is good and I cannot wait to see what He has in store for Braner, party of seven!

No news from Rwanda (but I did hear from my POA again this morning and he is contacting the nuns again today). However, I have been waiting for a visit from Missouri friends for six weeks since we moved. TOMORROW is the day!!!! The Nimrods will be meeting us at the Sand Dunes National Park (about three hours east of Durango) and we will play all day there! Then they will head back to camp with us and they will get to stay for a week! I AM SO EXCITED! I am emotionally weary from this summer: the move, camp, no adoption news, no house. . . . .I need this visit! I have missed Becca and her real and raw and honest and fun friendship so much! I cannot wait to have the entire Nimrod family here at KCO with us! 28 more hours!!!!!

Here is what I heard from my POA today: have been to see the nuns twice this week and the superior could not receive me and the other nuns refused to give me her phone number which seemed awkward. I told them that I will be back tomorrow (today because it is already 12.16 a.m. Kgli time). I may be able to see her tomorrow so that she tells me the particulars of the boy. Keep praying.

. . . .if I don't hear anything by tomorrow morning I'm just going to buy the tickets. Through several things going on in my life, I can clearly see God trying to teach me contentment and I am not being a very good student.

I know that you all have been praying for my adoption, so asking for prayer is a bit repetitious, I feel. However, I am going to ask for prayer. I need details about my boy tomorrow. I for sure want them for my mother's heart that is longing to "know" my son. But I need them for a plane ticket. I know, that sounds dumb, but it is true. My parents take us to Cabo every Christmas and they are trying to book our tickets. It is expensive for them to take the entire family and I am so thankful that they do it. Well, there are FANTASTIC tickets from Durango to Cabo and we need to purchase them by Tuesday. And I cannot purchase a ticket for my son without a name. And since it is international travel, I need the name that will be on his Rwandan passport. So, I need to know who my boy is. I feel like such a spoiled bratt praying for a name so that I can go to Cabo. . . .I know, it sounds terrible, but that is what is going on right now. So, please pray that I can get

I wrote this for America World last summer and I just ran across it again. I think it may encourage some of you who are finding the "road signs" of adoption exhausting, overwhelming, confusing and . . . . whatever! (The title of this post was the title of the below article.) ********** The journey was amazing—in all the ways that word insinuates! When we hopped on the adoption highway we had no idea that it would be anything but a straight four lane 75 miles per hour newly constructed interstate with beautiful smooth blacktop and a median with no litter and big hardwood trees. Our adoption journey began in 2005 and we were headed due west to China. For nearly two years I dreamed nightly of my little China doll and I wrote to her faithfully in a beautiful red journal that I wanted to give her at her wedding (or some other big event when she was older). The road signs began right from the beginning. They were mostly speed bumps with paperwork and then in the spring of 2006

Tim Hawkins "Things You Don't Say To Your Wife"

You do have to be from Norman (or a small town touching Norman). Thanks for posting this information on all of your adoption blogs out there! I cannot wait to see how the Lord uses this opportunity! I know that God has the perfect family in mind who will be blessed by the girls at OU!

Okay, adoption blogging community. . .I have a wonderful opportunity!!! Andy spoke to our staff during our staff training week and he talked about adoption at one point and how you can help without being an adoptive parent. Anyway, to make a long story short, one of our staff girls got inspired! She is head of something in her sorority at OU and she gets to decide where their "charity" money goes this year from this certain fund raiser she is putting together. Last year they raised $9000 and this year her goal is ten. Well, she has gotten permission to raise the money for an adoptive family in Norman, Oklahoma. NOW SHE JUST NEEDS THE FAMILY!!!! So, if you or anyone you know is from Norman and are adopting and need financial help, please let me know and I can get you hooked up with this sorority. They will pick one family to help. Prayerfully this will catch on with my staff and around the country and many people can be blessed by sororities around the country! So fun!

I had a good meeting with superior nun (am not sure if this right title) but anyway all in all is good. I shared with her about your family and your desire to adopt a 6 year-old boy. Showed her the family picture with little Gabby in it. She was very friendly. She told me that she was not sure that they had a 6 year old boy at the orphanage. What happens is whenever they have kids who reach the age of joining primary school, they move them to a different location where they have a school and an orphanage. She will get back to me with a name and other personal details during the course of the week. Let me hope that finally soon this week, you will have your "son"...then I can start running around to get all the required paperwork.

Did you know that cherries contain melatonin. . .a hormone which helps to promote good sleep (and which helps with jet-lag for all of you tired adoptive parents)!! I just read that on my box of cherries and thought I would pass it on. It isn't news from Rwanda, but it is a fun fact.

No news. I know that some of you are almost as anxious as I am. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Gilch. Do any of you remember that turtle song from Psalty the Song Book from forever ago: Have patience. Have patience. Don't be in such a hurry. When you get Impatient You only start to worry. Remember. Remember. That God is patient, too And think Of all the times when others Have To wait On you. I'M TRYING!!!

I heard from Tim, my POA, today. Here is what his email said: We had a brief meeting, superior nun and was busy but favorable to adoption. She is encouraged by your heart especially with a second adoption. We have rescheduled to meet Saturday morning to finalize choice of the child. I shared your preferences and they don't have any issue with it. They told me that I need to proceed carefully especially with regards to other kids staying at the orphanage who may not get the chance of being adopted. Hopefully, I'll be able to get a picture of the boy that you may adopt! So. . .I'm assuming that Saturday means tomorrow. I am a little nervous! I am actually a lot nervous, but am trying to minimize that feeling by reminding myself that God knows the perfect child for our family! I'll be praying today!!!!!

Our new website is up!!!!! There is still some little tweeking we need to do to it, but we are up and rolling! So exciting!!! Go to www.campkivu.com! No adoption news. . . . . . . .still waiting!

I got some news! It is mostly news of no news, but to this mother's heart, even that is news!!! My POA wrote: I have scheduled a meeting with the nuns tomorrow to finalize on the choice of the child. I had wanted to take a few pictures but they could not allow me. Since I was not getting any success in my endeavours and did not want to push, I did not want to give you discouraging news. Anyway, tomorrow may be a decisive day. Praise the Lord for news! I guess we can pray for the nuns today as it seems like they are finalizing their choice for our child and we can pray that the meeting tomorrow actually happens. Does that mean we will have our referral tomorrow?!? I will try not to get my hopes up and just be surprised if I do! I will keep you all posted!

So, last night I had my first girls night out with a friend in too long! I had a SUPER time! We ate dinner and then went to a coffee shop and just sat and got to know one another. I love this part in a new friendship when you can talk for hours because you know nothing about one another! It was fun and refreshing and much needed! I am so thankful that God put her and her family in my life and in our lives! Today is day three of first term. So far so good. On opening day I had this nagging feeling that I had forgotten two things and I just couldn't put my finger on what they were. Well, sure enough, I had forgotten two things (okay, more than two things in the last three days) and kamp still happened and the kids are still having fun. No adoption news. I have heard NOTHING from my power of attorney in over two weeks. I am making a major effort to not get frustrated and impatient, but it is really hard. I feel like the clock is ticking and my papers are just sitting in his

I cannot believe that June is here! It seems like Christmas was three days ago! Hays is going to be in college before I know it! :) The kampers come today. That is crazy in itself!!! I'm excited to get kamp going, though! Our last summer as Kanakuk Colorado. . .it is kind of bitter sweet and I am excited to make it the best summer at KCO to date! We're signing on the house today! Finally! I am so excited to be able to have an address and a place to call home. We won't close until July, but at least I know where we're going to be so that I can get the kids enrolled in schools and mentally decorate my new home! This week starts our month of crazy over-involvement under the subheading of getting to know new people!!! Hays starts baseball and BMX (trick riding) camp. Maggie starts tennis camp. Dax and Gabby start swim lessons. I'm going to wear myself and my babysitters out, but hopefully when my kids walk into Riverview Elementary in August they will recogn