Prayer Warriors, Family & Friends!!
Thanks be to God who leads us in triumph! Our papers are officially submitted to the government of Ukraine. We now begin the up to 6/8 week wait to hear of our appointment date. Cheri says that we "may" have our children home by Christmas.
PLEASE STOP AND PRAISE GOD WITH US FOR THIS GIFT!!!
PLEASE DO NOT STOP PRAYING NOW! :) This is by all means truly the beginning of "labor" as it were... Here is what we are praying:
* For an appointment date in HIS TIME... We are asking God to send us in October, so that we might be home in December.
* For the elections in UA... they are going to be taking place as we are in UA... (worry warts this one is just for you )
* For the children to be in one region under one judge.
* For no one to come forward and contest the adoption of the children.
* For the judge to be pleased with our family and grant us adoption.
* For God to place in our family the exact children that HE HAS PLANNED for us.
* For Him to continue to ready their hearts for us to come and bring them to a new home.
* For good health for us all especially in travel. I am so excited I get to ride the train again! I LOVE THE TRAIN! (I hope the kids do too!)
* For their papers to be in order, and for us to get a great history of them, as much information as is possible so that we will be able to better take care of them.
* For all their documents to be available to us so that we can take care of getting their passports at the Embassy in Kiev with out delay.
* For the waiting periods to be made short if allowable by the courts so that we can move forward. There is a 10 day wait that is mandatory, and a 10 day wait that could be moved forward if there is favor there.
* For us to really get it in gear ~ and have good discipline and time management. We need to get things organized so that they will have a smooth entry into the US.
Thank you all for your love for us, for your prayers and for the encouragement you all are to our family... This last month has been really hard on our families with the loss of Wallace, then Pop Pop and then Granny Bishop all in this short space. Life is truly precious and not ours to predict. What a party they must be having celebrating this good news with God, and they knew it first hand from Him... Neat to think that He could just share that with them and they knew the joy this day would bring to us.
With a thankful and humble heart,
The Smiths ~ Here & There
OH... and by the way... just in case I forgot to mention... Our Homestudy was redone, and our amazing social worker approved us for FIVE children. & Our AWESOME INS officer thought that was grand with her too! So we have our official papers for FIVE SMITH KIDS if God wills that many to come home then we are approved for up to FIVE KIDS :) FIVE FIVE FIVE :) I LOVE JESUS DON'T YOU! Isaiah 61
1The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
3To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
4And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.
5And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
6But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.
7For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.
8For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
9And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed.
10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
11For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.
