Praising in the midst of the storm

Greetings Family and Friends,

If you would have asked me to update this blog a week ago tomorrow I would have said no way...last Wednesday we received some rough news. The Rwandan Government has temporarily shut down all international adoptions. As their country is growing and progressing they are trying to make things safer for the their children as well. So they have decided to become part of the Hague Convention. They are one of 27 other countries in the world right now that are a part of this group. This is a good thing, as it protects the children being adopted out from all forms of trafficking etc. But for us hopeful "mommies and daddies" it's rough.

It just means more waiting...but it's in those waiting times that the Lord really starts to show you who you are in "Him". I must tell you, I really don't know if we could get through something like this without the Lord's help. Up until this point in my life this is one of the most "emotionally hard" things I've had to deal with. Last Wednesday, I truly felt like I had miscarried a child. My heart hurt so deep that I didn't think it was even possible to ache that much. But God's strength is made to carry us through those hard times.

Throughout this past week as we have been digesting this news so many thoughts have been running through my mind. I must say, I am a "thinker"...and sometimes that gets you into a wee bit of trouble. As my loving husband says...I think too much sometimes! Ha ha...to which I will agree! ;-) But as we've been trying to sift through this situation and see the light of it, the Lord has given us words of HOPE through several close family and friends of ours...(these messages have come from various people but all have a "common thread"...

1.) Have FAITH

2.) Our God is a God of the impossible that is going to make something possible...so have FAITH

3.) He is moving mountains right now out of your way...so have FAITH and HOPE

And then just this morning in my prayer and devotion time He gave me this scripture...(I'll give you two different versions b/c they speak equally and just as well)...

NIV ~ "Wait for the Lord; be STRONG and TAKE HEART and WAIT for the Lord" Psalms 27:14

Amplified ~ "Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord" Psalms 27:14

So with this we are as of now, waiting on Rwanda. We are not sure at this point how long it will be until the door is opened back up but our "hearts" are there with this country. We don't know what it will "look like or what procedures we will have to conform to" when it is opened back up, but we DO know that the Lord will be with us through the ENTIRE ordeal...so we will take heart and wait!

I did want to mention that the Lord has blessed some of the other "Mugisha Ministry" families and they were able to get their Dossiers to the Rwandan Embassy in D.C. yesterday before today's deadline! God has been moving mountains for them and our hearts go out to them and are SOO happy for them! We rejoice with them and can't wait to see God continue to move!

We love you ALL and are so grateful that you are standing behind us and agreeing in prayer for God to move our "little mountain"..!! And oh what a day that will be when we "Lift our eyes unto the hills of Rwanda" and "KNOW" that our God is a MIGHTY mountain mover!!!

We will continue to keep you updated as we know more!

Our love,

Marissa and Kevin (and Malachi) <3

Gaining Steam

Greetings our Family & Friends!

As a dear friend of mine pointed out to me at church on Sunday, "Well, it's been a month, it's time for an update"! LOL....Thanks RUTH !! ;-) And my Mom thanks you too....because she was just "casually mentioning" that it was about time for an update! ;-) LOL

Well, as you can imagine (or might not be able to if you've never really explored the adoption cycle) there is a TON of paperwork and things to gather! We are working on gathering things for our upcoming HomeStudy! Gulp! I'm SOO nervous, but from what everyone who has ever been through one says there is NOTHING to be nervous about. They seem to think we'll have no problem passing! But, as all parents that have to go through this sort of thing do, you second guess yourself and think, oh what if my home isn't perfect...! LOL...but, that's when you have to take a step back and think to yourself, "relax, don't forget to breath and know that you are HUMAN"! Ha Ha Ha! ;-) Just a wee-bit nervous...can you tell? I'm the type of person that likes my house "neat and tidy" more than not....so I"m VERY picky and get anxious when I know people are coming over! I want it to be perfect! But as some "Moms" have already told me, I need to get used to it being "not perfect" all the time! I'm sure that will come when we bring the little man home! ;-)

Also, I've been known to lately be hitting the "sales" racks at let's see....Hmm....Target, Kohls...Carter's Outlets.....LOL!!! I'll come home and Kevin will ask....what "little things" did you pick up today!! I cannot help myself!!! :-D First of all, I L-O-V-E sales, and secondly, it's for Malachi!!! Such a win-win all around!!! Hee hee hee.....

But seriously, there is a MOUND of paperwork to be completed. It's hard to believe what they want to know, but as I recently posted on facebook, I will jump through hoops to do whatever I can to bring Malachi home! Heck, I'd fly to the moon and back if that meant getting him....now a "roller-coaster"....hmm? Just kidding! Yes, I would probably even do that! Now, I might need some help during and after....for the shock I would be in....just kidding!!!

I just said to my Mom the other day that I can't wait to get through the paperwork process and ship our Dossier to Rwanda. But you see, when we do that we are taking it "completely" out of our hands and control! Not that it's "all" in our control now, because only the Lord truly has control of it as I'm learning through this process, but I'm at least able to be proactive in this stage. When we ship it to Rwanda we will begin the 7-9 mth (approx.) wait of time for them to review our file and pick Malachi for us! I think now, boy will I be glad when all of the paperwork is done and I can just "wait", but in a way, I guess I think that will be TWICE as HARD because there will be nothing "tangible" that I can hold on to other than the Lord! But that's a GOOD thing, because for the past 7 1/2 years that's all I've had to hold onto. That precious promise from Him that we would indeed have a child(ren) and oh how awesome it is to see HIS PERFECT plan unfolding before our very eyes! Gosh, I have to say, every time I truly stop and think about this whole process, I couldn't imagine our lives without Malachi! I really can't. Just as I know that God has given me a heart for Africa from a very young age (and I never truly understood that love until now), little did I know that my "heart" for Africa would be in the form of our precious African "Son"!!!

Thank you Jesus for blessing us BEYOND what we could ever have imagined or hoped for! He's been "worth the wait, and tears"!!!!!

Love to all and will probably post more frequently now, that things are progressing!!!

Marissa (and Kevin)!! <3