We are on our journey to meet L and J! We arrived safely in Los Angeles yesterday.Yesterday we took a long walk and ate at the famous In-N-Out Burger. Today we went to Manhattan Beach and pier, ate at Uncle Bill's Pancake House, and rode the Ocean Express Trolley.In just a few hours, we will be enroute to Manila!It is an almost surreal experience for us. It has been soooo long in the making, I can hardly believe this moment is finally here!I will you leave with a quote I read yesterday. It's a good reminder of what we have already gone through with the Lord's help and it encourages me for the future. "Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."-Christopher Robin to Pooh
Until later,
Jo Anna
Monday, April 30, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Gearing Up
We are just days away from traveling half-way around the world to bring home L and J. And the attack has started up again. You know, the spiritual attack, of the one that wants to discourage and defeat us, place fear in our hearts and put us in panic mode.
Unexpected dental work yesterday-$500
Unexpected necessary van repair today-$1200
We need to "gear up" and put on the armor in Ephesians 6, as the battle is sure to get more intense...
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. "
We choose this day to trust HIM.
Psalm 94:19
We covet your prayers on our behalf, as well.
Jo Anna
Unexpected dental work yesterday-$500
Unexpected necessary van repair today-$1200
We need to "gear up" and put on the armor in Ephesians 6, as the battle is sure to get more intense...
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. "
We choose this day to trust HIM.
Psalm 94:19
19 When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought me joy.
We covet your prayers on our behalf, as well.
Jo Anna
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Travel Plans!!!!!!!!!
For those of you who do not know, our journey began in May 2007 when God planted the seed of adoption in my heart. We officially began our paperwork pregnancy in January 2009. We "found" our special boys on the SHF list on July 29, 2011. Although there have been many delays and setbacks, we believe God is sovereign and HE has chosen these boys to come into our family at this very time. Almost exactly 5 years later! We humbly give God all the Glory for what HE has done and will do in our lives.
Yes, finally!!! We will be traveling in 2 weeks to the Philippines!!!
The boys have their visa appointment at the U.S. Embassy in Manila on Tuesday, April 17th. Please pray for all to go well. Their visas should then be processed in 1-2 weeks.
Only Scott and I will be going-the girls will remain at home.
Our flights are booked and accomodations and transportation is being coordinated.
Gifts are bought and the packing has begun!
Jo Anna
Psalm 20:5 May we shout for joy over your victory
and lift up our banners in the name of our God.
Yes, finally!!! We will be traveling in 2 weeks to the Philippines!!!
The boys have their visa appointment at the U.S. Embassy in Manila on Tuesday, April 17th. Please pray for all to go well. Their visas should then be processed in 1-2 weeks.
Only Scott and I will be going-the girls will remain at home.
Our flights are booked and accomodations and transportation is being coordinated.
Gifts are bought and the packing has begun!
Jo Anna
Psalm 20:5 May we shout for joy over your victory
and lift up our banners in the name of our God.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
God is never in a hurry.
I read that sentence this morning in my devotional. It stopped me in my tracks. I KNOW this. But in my human flesh, I resist this statement. Knowing something doesn't always equal liking something. Our adoption process that has had so many ups and downs, twists and turns; it leaves me wanting the outcome I desire in my expected time frame.
"Until Jesus Christ is truly our Lord, we each have goals of our own which we serve. Our faith is real, but it is not yet permanent. And God is never in a hurry. If we are willing to wait, we will see God pointing out that we have been interested only in His blessing, instead of in God Himself. The sense of God's blessings is fundamental.
"...be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33) Unyielding spiritual fortitude is what we need." Oswald Chambers
And so, we wait to hear the latest update. We hope to learn more later this morning. I need another dose of spiritual fortitude...
We ARE coming L and J. Soon, sweet babies, soon.
Jo Anna
"Until Jesus Christ is truly our Lord, we each have goals of our own which we serve. Our faith is real, but it is not yet permanent. And God is never in a hurry. If we are willing to wait, we will see God pointing out that we have been interested only in His blessing, instead of in God Himself. The sense of God's blessings is fundamental.
"...be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33) Unyielding spiritual fortitude is what we need." Oswald Chambers
And so, we wait to hear the latest update. We hope to learn more later this morning. I need another dose of spiritual fortitude...
We ARE coming L and J. Soon, sweet babies, soon.
Jo Anna
Monday, March 12, 2012
God-Style Multiplication and Other News
****UPDATE: Thanks in part to you, and in full to our God we have raised over $3,000 to bring our sons L & J home! The giveaway is officially over. We should be traveling in around a month to the Philippines to give our sons a forever home.
And the "winner" of the giveaway is #127 Kathy Bartony!!! See widget below.
Other wonderful news we received over the last 2 weeks:
*L & J have their medical appointments for their visas on March 14th
*L & J have their appointment at the Embassy on March 19th
*Our sons know we are coming! We were told this week that J in particular is "very eager" for our arrival. There was another family at the orphanage this week and when they left he cried thinking it was us. The caseworkers pulled out our photo and reassured him that we had not yet come. The ICAB worker said J has "worn out" our photo by showing it to everyone - "bragging" about his new family!
*We have learned that the orphanage is teaching Luke American Sign Language and that he has learned a few basic signs!
*My ankle is healing and the results of the multitude of medical tests I had all came back normal!
*We are so thankful and humbled as we are reminded that all we have is a gift from God and the example of so many of YOU to hold loosely, to give freely and eagerly is remarkable. To God be the Glory!
Jo Anna
And the "winner" of the giveaway is #127 Kathy Bartony!!! See widget below.
Other wonderful news we received over the last 2 weeks:
*L & J have their medical appointments for their visas on March 14th
*L & J have their appointment at the Embassy on March 19th
*Our sons know we are coming! We were told this week that J in particular is "very eager" for our arrival. There was another family at the orphanage this week and when they left he cried thinking it was us. The caseworkers pulled out our photo and reassured him that we had not yet come. The ICAB worker said J has "worn out" our photo by showing it to everyone - "bragging" about his new family!
*We have learned that the orphanage is teaching Luke American Sign Language and that he has learned a few basic signs!
*My ankle is healing and the results of the multitude of medical tests I had all came back normal!
*We are so thankful and humbled as we are reminded that all we have is a gift from God and the example of so many of YOU to hold loosely, to give freely and eagerly is remarkable. To God be the Glory!
Jo Anna
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Bringing L and J Home...FOR GOOD!
Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Today YOU have a unique opportunity. Two precious young boys, J and L are waiting for a forever family...specifically OURS. We were officially matched October 13th and the USCIS approved their visa applications on February 7th (Scott’s birthday). The authorization to travel is expected in the next 6-8 weeks.
As you may already know from our original post, we are stepping out in faith to adopt these 2 little toddler boys (our girls are 9 and 11) with the younger having complete hearing loss. God has brought us this far, and He will not leave or forsake us...EVER. Jo Anna is possibly not returning to work in any substantial way...any time soon. In addition, L's medical bills alone will be impacting the family budget. Currently, we are confident that we can provide for our soon-to-be family of 6, but the initial costs are immense. This is where you come in. You get to be a part of something so much bigger than ourselves. You get to be a part of a story and get to help unite a family with their little boys. L and J are about to be orphans no more. Please help us so we can travel without having to worry about funds.
We believe this will be our last fund raiser, with the goal of finishing off the purchase of airfare (2 adults and 2 children). Cutting for a Cause contributions made up the difference for this and accommodations. Entries will be numbered in order of donation receipt (displayed on blog) and the giveaway will be random.
The fine print disclaimer. In order for this FUNdraiser to happen we must raise at least $3000 for it to be ON! We need just 120 folks at $25 each to do this. We will announce when we hit that point and once we do, the giveaway will end 7 days later. This is NOT a r-a-f-f-l-e, please do not mention that it is. This IS helping to bring children into their forever family!
Today YOU have a unique opportunity. Two precious young boys, J and L are waiting for a forever family...specifically OURS. We were officially matched October 13th and the USCIS approved their visa applications on February 7th (Scott’s birthday). The authorization to travel is expected in the next 6-8 weeks.
As you may already know from our original post, we are stepping out in faith to adopt these 2 little toddler boys (our girls are 9 and 11) with the younger having complete hearing loss. God has brought us this far, and He will not leave or forsake us...EVER. Jo Anna is possibly not returning to work in any substantial way...any time soon. In addition, L's medical bills alone will be impacting the family budget. Currently, we are confident that we can provide for our soon-to-be family of 6, but the initial costs are immense. This is where you come in. You get to be a part of something so much bigger than ourselves. You get to be a part of a story and get to help unite a family with their little boys. L and J are about to be orphans no more. Please help us so we can travel without having to worry about funds.
In celebration and in an effort to raise the funds for this trip we're offering a chance for your very own iPad!
Here's how it works. A fellow adoptive family was kind enough to donate a brand new iPad because they understand the financial strains put a family that chooses to adopt (in our case, 2 children at once). There is a helping others paypal donate button on my blog in the upper left hand corner. You can donate there by Paypal or credit card.
Donate $25 for 1 opportunity for the giveaway. You may choose to donate more than once. ***DEAL: 2 opportunities for a $40 donation! Also, If you believe in what we are doing please consider spreading the word:
1. Repost on your blog or Facebook.
2. Tell others via email and other media.
Donate $25 for 1 opportunity for the giveaway. You may choose to donate more than once. ***DEAL: 2 opportunities for a $40 donation! Also, If you believe in what we are doing please consider spreading the word:
1. Repost on your blog or Facebook.
2. Tell others via email and other media.
The fine print disclaimer. In order for this FUNdraiser to happen we must raise at least $3000 for it to be ON! We need just 120 folks at $25 each to do this. We will announce when we hit that point and once we do, the giveaway will end 7 days later. This is NOT a r-a-f-f-l-e, please do not mention that it is. This IS helping to bring children into their forever family!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Visa applications approved!
Praise God! We found out late yesterday afternoon (on Scott's birthday!) that the U.S. govt has approved the boys' visa applications! They now have to be scheduled for a 2 day medical exam and then the visas and passports will be processed. It normally takes 4-6 weeks from this point before we get authorization to travel. We are praying we can travel mid-end of March, but we know to expect the unexpected...
2 Samuel 22:50 Therefore I will praise you, LORD, among the nations;
I will sing the praises of your name.
Jo Anna
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