I have gotten way too far behind on blogging so I will just try and catch up on the past few weeks.

Princess Grace turned 3. Crazy how fast time is flying. It seems like just yesterday I was handed a dying infant and now she is a sassy, brave, confident, independent, beautiful, and smart little lady. The girl does not meet a stranger, people come up to her all the time and call her by name and I seriously have no clue who these people are. Last week I was in the super market in the city (a plane ride away from where we live) and a lady asked me where Grace was. We may have been to that store 4 times over the past 3 years.   I can already see the Lord is up to something BIG with this girl.

 

I took little man to the city to get a passport. It still is not here yet but I am just believing any day now it is going to happen! Turns out my typically calm baby well... he does not like planes or buses. He did love it when we were on land. He is standing but still not walking(and I am kind of okay with the not walking yet.)

 

Then I traveled to Alabama for the Amazing gRace run! Thanks to Dawn Barkalow,Renew women's ministries and all others who helped to put this event on. It was HUGELY successful with 395 registered runners! If you did not get to attend this year we already have a date for next January 11th 2014.  You have plenty of time to get ready! 
If you want to read more on this race Kim Klass did an amazing article
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013301130021&nclick_check=1

 

It was record high  60's and 70's everyone was enjoying the "warm" weather and I was about to FREEZE!! Enjoy a good laugh I am the one in a turtle neck, vest, jeans, and boots while my family is in shorts.

It snowed a few days after I was back in Honduras. The Lord knew I couldn't handle it.

 

 



This Christmas our boxes with presents did not make it in time for Christmas day. I was a little sad that my kids presents did not make it here but it turned out to be a HUGE blessing.  We had to step back from what we have made Christmas and step in to what Christmas really is.  A time of celebrating the birth of our Savior, the one who brought me to La Moskitia, the one who formed our family, the one who places orphans in homes, the one who feeds the hungry, and the one who deserves all the glory!

 

"Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace to men

on whom his favor rests"

Luke 2:14

December 23rd Christmas blessing food bags to 20 of the poorest families in our area.

 

 

Christmas Eve missionary lunch:

 

 

 

Christmas morning at Adele and Oscar's with my landlord's family. They fed the entire community. It was a beautiful day with the Christmas story, a prayer time, lunch with a whole neighborhood, and a pinata!

 

 

 

Traditional tamales for Christmas supper and the Christmas story with the House of Hope kids.

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas!!

 

We want to say thank you for what each of you have done for our family, Root Minstries, and the Kasaubila Feeding Program this year.

Thank you for your time, prayers, encoragement, and donations.

We could not do what we do without each of you! 

 The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Psalm 126:3

 

 

Thankful for my ONE year old Daniel Paul

On February 3^rd of this year we picked up a tiny 2 month old baby boy thinking we would just get a short while to love on him.

 

 

 

I know Jesus just laughs at me when I think I know where things are going.

Very quickly we realized we would get way more than a few weeks with this sweet boy but for a while still thought he would return to his birth mother. Then one day in March I had quite the surprise (in a good way) that I was now mama to a little boy.

 

This Thanksgiving I am thankful that I get to be Daniel Paul's mommy!

 

 

Happy 1st Birthday Daniel Paul! We love you!!

 

 

 

I originally started this blog when I came back to Alabama( to finish my senior year at Auburn) after declaring I was moving to Honduras and that I was adopting a baby. You can imagine the surprise and questions. This blog was a place I could explain it all one time. After that it became a place I updated on the move, updated while I was in Honduras, and now update on our family and ministry. I never thought I would meet someone and they would say “I read your blog.” 

That being said I want some feedback from you!

What kind of things do you want to hear about?

 I love questions!!

Life has been a wild roller coaster these past two month.  I lost track of days now but over 60 days we have spent multiple hours a day sitting to see the judge, attorney, running around trying to get paper work together, and finally a trip to the city to get Grace a Honduran passport!

We still have one more step and that is permission from the judge to travel outside of the country.

With this permission we can apply for a US VISA for Grace. Then it is up to the embassy if she is granted the VISA or not.

And we still have this whole process starting at page one to begin with DP … I have to take one day at a time one kid at a time to make it through the day half sane.

My days are spent trying to find balance.

Balance between raising my kids American and Miskito.

Balance between being a mom and a missionary.

Balance between doing what I want to do and what I am required to do.

Amongst the craziness of life I have been getting a HUGE lesson in trust. I have been so discouraged I wanted to simply give up so many times in this process.  Time and time again the Lord comes through right at the very last second in ways that totally blow my mind.

Like the judge who gave me paperwork just hours before our plane left.

Like the random lawyer who was able to get Grace a passport the same day when there were no available appointments at immigration until December 14^th.

Like the aunt who happens to show up with much needed information on DP 2 weeks before his first birthday ( after your first birthday it is a HUGE legal deal to get a birth certificate)

Or when Grace refused to take her passport picture ... and 30 minutes later decided to just hop up in the chair and say cheese.

 

The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace and remain at rest." Exodus 14:14 

“I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" Jeremiah 32:27