we got mail

On Saturday we received some important mail but it was also confusing. We received a finger printing appointment for me...but not one for Leland. With the office being closed on Saturday, all we could do is wait and hope another piece of mail comes on Monday.

Today, we got Leland's appointment. So the day before school starts we will be driving to Jackson, MS for our fingerprints.

All summer I have been asking God that all the paperwork gets done before school starts. There is a bunch of small things to wrap-up but I am excited to see God continue to help out.

home study finished

Before we started the adoption I did not really understand the process or the work involved. I knew it was not easy but the details confused and overwhelmed me. We have come a long way since we started working on our dossier paperwork in the beginning of June.

This past week we hit a milestone by receiving our notarized home study. A home study is a report written by a social worker and is a key component to the dossier. One of the reason the home study is significant is because it allows us to apply for the last government clearance needed for a completed dossier.

It is exciting to finish something and get the last major thing started. While we wait for it to be completed we will be working on smaller parts of the dossier that we do ourselves.

Jenni's thoughts

When I first started this adventure, called tennis elbow in both arms, seven weeks ago, I would have never thought it could take this long to heal. Nor would I have thought that God could teach me so much through it. I am physically starting to get better because I have pretty much tried to stop using my arms or I set a timer while doing activities. Things that used to hurt, like making the bed, no longer hurt. I am grateful for the progress and am blessed to have Leland and a physical therapist helping me.

It may seem strange to talk about tennis elbow so much but it is impacting my life greatly. It has made me ask questions of myself. Today, I recognized that I was feeling bad that I can't do things and worried what others think of me. I think, "People are working on the Chi Alpha house, therefore Jenni should work too. Leland is cooking dinner, therefore Jenni should help cook too."

My parents taught me a strong work ethic and I am incredibly grateful for it. The problem is that I can't work. The only way I can get better is if I experience the pain of not doing things, my tendons need to heal. So, I am still learning to do less/nothing.

The greater problem is that I am recognizing that I place my value in my ability to work. When I place my value in what I can do, I fail to recognize my true value. As a follower of Christ, I believe my identity and value is in Him. Being forced to limit all activity with my arms (which you can not believe how much that actually included) is also forcing me to recognize that I need Jesus to heal my perspective of my value as well. One thing I love about Jesus is that He will use the circumstances in my life to teach me...there truly are lessons through the pain.

rainy day thoughts

I am sitting in the house listening to the thunder, seeing the sky light up and the rain pour down. I never experienced thunderstorms like this until I moved to Louisiana two years ago. I don't know how to describe them and sometimes I am still scared by the storms.

Today, I am just reminded of how grateful I am that we have a roof that does not leak. It seems like something you don't think about but for the first year and a half we lived here we had a leak. During storms like this, you could hear the drops in the bucket from the failing roof.

Here is a picture of the project. I often times consider this the process of our house being healed, stripping it down so it could be built back up.Thank you God, for a roof that does not leak. I am so grateful for your provision and taking care of our needs. Each rainstorm without the dripping bucket reminds me of how faithfully God took care of our needs.

just waiting

Adoption is a unique process. It includes lots of work, lots of waiting, and a complete lack of control. If someone is a control freak, adoption is definitely something God will use to refine them. We are in a short season of waiting, just a little preparation for the long season of waiting to come. I am also reminded that it is out of our control.

On Monday, we mailed off the workbook that we have been working on for months. It is the last thing needed for our home study to be approved, which allows us to move forward with another portion of the dossier. All we can do is check FedEx and see that the package is still in transition. And once it arrives at the agency, we don't know how long it will take to finalize the home study, a day, week, weeks...who knows.

There is some more paperwork I could work on but it is not pressing. Or I could work on starting some fundraising ideas but my tennis elbow is suppose to keep me off the computer. So I am learning to wait patiently and take it easy because we are committed to me healing.

We know that God has a plan for everything and has the ability to take care of it all. Maybe the season of waiting is just part of God's plan to help us be with the child He has in mind for us.