Praying, praising, and packing

We are in the homestretch of a race that we are earnestly praying will be finished. If by reading this blog you think that the adoption process in Liberia is like riding a roller coaster, let me just say you are only seeing part of the picture. I've only posted a portion of the cycles of rumor mill that is constantly churning. The events that we hear about, while somewhat disconcerting at times, are vivid reminders to us of the need to pray constantly for the needs of orphans in Liberia in general and for our own adopted children in particular. Here we are only four days away from our scheduled departure, and we are surrounded by uncertainty. But we know that God is in control of the entire situation, so we pray to Him and take comfort in knowing of His special care for the fatherless.

At the same time as we're dealing with the uncertain situation in Liberia, we are praising God for our church and their very tangible demonstration of love for the orphans in Liberia. Last night Jeremy and Anouk Scott brought over bags upon bags of items that were collected by Morning Star Baptist Church for us to take to the orphanage. There were so many items that I was wondering if we would have room to pack everything. Fortunately we had two very large trunks to pack them in. We have books, music, diapers, food, medicine, clothing, baby supplies, and many other things to take with us. One friend even posted the list on her blog and collected numerous items from people that we don't even know for these kids. Lacey was able to get a foot measuring thingy (not sure what they are called) from J C Penney. We are overwhelmed by the generosity of so many people and thankful for their participation in this effort with us.

Finally, we are packing. While it's a relatively short trip, there are numerous things to take. We've purchased mosquito nets, insect repellant, clothing, notebook binders (to put our paperwork in), luggage, clothing for the girls, shoes (two sizes for each...we don't know their exact foot size), coloring books (for the girls on the plane ride home), dry snack foods, toiletries, etc. Lacey is treating our clothes with permethrin (another insect repellant). I've been coordinating our travel itinerary, making sure that we have our passports, visas, proof of immunizations, and copies of all of our adoption paperwork. Even Peyton and Reagan were helping out last night. Peyton wrote out a list of all of the items and read them, item by item to Reagan, who would respond with a "check" as she located each item.

Once again, thank you for your prayers and support. We appreciate it more than we could ever say.