quick update

Thank you for taking the time to read this and continue to pray for us.

Here is an update on my health, our adoption and our living situation.

I have currently been in alignment for a week. I made it through this past weekend in alignment....It was the first weekend in 6 weeks. It was clear to us that God protected me this weekend....several things happened that normally would have taken me out of alignment. I felt His shield around me and I believe healing is progressing. That being said, I am currently in a lot of pain. I've been flaring for several days in a row now despite being in alignment....We are praying that my symptoms would settle.

As a family, we spent last night crying and praying together on my bed. We are so thankful for all that God has done in our family, but we long to go home. Brian and I are praising God for the work we have seen in our children....It's a beautiful thing to see children begin to run to God. I've recently read an artice on the necessity of learning how to suffer as Christians...and what a blessing it is for children to learn this at a young age. God promises hardships and trials....and He promises to draw near to us as we draw near to Him. It is refreshing to continually tell our kids that we know nothing about the future. The promises that we can give them are found in God's word. Those are the ones that Brian and I cling too....and the ones we give to our kids as well.

Haiti has approved Brian to travel alone. I am overwhelmed that God granted that provision....and yet my heart is in anguish to not being going as well. The adoption road for us has gotten harder with each child. I know this is the gentleness of God....Had we gone through what we are going through now for Ty....not sure we would've done it again! But God gives us trials as we are spiritually ready to walk through them...and with Him.

So, we are in need of a lot of prayer.

We are not sure when to go home. Our hearts would love for me and the kids (and my mom!) to be back in ohio when Brian leaves for Haiti. BUT, we do not want to jeopardize all the work and healing that I've done just because we want to get back home.
Brian will be heading to Haiti on April 6....returning on April 19. You can probably imagine how hard this is going to be on all of us. Being that are our family has been in constant flux and overly emotional for the last 4 months, having the head of our family leave for 2 weeks is daunting. It puts a much heavier burden of work on my mom, and me, before I might be capable.  And it leaves us with out the support system of friends, church and family. If we chance it and come home, and I come out of alignment, I would have to leave the kids and fly back to NY in order to not go too far backwards in healing. We will need to make a decision soon (within a couple days) so that Brian can book travel. Please pray for supernatural discernment on where he should fly out from.

It's funny how God works. He continues to stretch us. Brian strengths lie in the day to day grind...he is a rock for our family. My strengths lie in change, and quite honestly adrenaline type situations. Brian was amazing through our entire adoption for Nyah and I was a mess. When we got to Ethiopia, I handled it very well and Brian was homesick and didn't want to be away from the boys. So of course, God would have me stay home in the daily grind, without my rock of a husband, and attempt to provide stability for the kids....And send Brian to Haiti by himself...to handle the immense culture shock and be two weeks away from us. He is struggling. I am struggling. Not to mention the fact that as a woman whose pregnancy hormones have been up for THREE YEARS, it is just torment to not get to go and meet my daughter with my husband. Having a baby together for our family continues to be anything but normal....But I am grateful that God continues to show us how hard adoption is....I hear you Lord....You became sin for me...He who knew no sin. You made yourself nothing....you died on a tree....That I may be called a child of the most high God.

While in Haiti, Brian will have an embassy appointment on April 8th. This will be for the second half of our immigration approval. Please pray that that goes smoothly. The rest of the time he will be with our daughter...who is now 2 years and 3 months old. Also, it just so happens that there will be a missions trip through our agency going at the exact same time! So Brian will get to be with other adults from the U.S. who will be there working on the orphanage and loving on the children there. Thank you Lord!

Haiti, like our country, does not have the best system in place for caring for children. There are lots of obstacles and hurdles that yet need to be covered by God....Mercy, Lord. Please pray for those as well.
As April gets closer, if you would like to be on an email of updates from our family, please send me your email address and I will add you.

Also, Mercy will NOT be coming home on this trip. Haiti is a minimum of 2 trips for completing an adoption. So this is the first trip. Prayers for our daughters heart as her daddy will have to leave her....and prayers for Brians heart, as her protector and covering, to have to leave her.

Ephesians 3:20-21
Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory....

Amen.