Welcome Home, Meg!

Camp Wannameechameg

Our family of 6 soon to be 7!

When we walked in the door at Dad and Mom Brodine's tonight we were greeted by Mom and Liz. "Welcome to Camp Wannameechameg!". With 7 kids all under the same roof and a dog it is like a camp. And, oh yes there will be "mess hall duty", "latrine duty", "team competitions", and I think I heard a rumor about prizes.

I just have to say the Brodines are creative! Reading that sign and learning of their enthusiasm to help us in accomplishing this life dream delighted me. It is hard to put into words. Thank you Dad, Mom, Gary, and Liz! We are praying for your 10 days! And, we hope you get a nice break when camp is over.

Please pray for the kids as we are away.

Adalynne is so sweet and tender. She was having a hard time. She cried some. It is a long time and we will be far away. But, she knows it is worth it. Please pray that God will use this to teach her already to depend on Him. Pray that she will have peace and joy. Pray that she will be a help and have a wonderful time.

Elie was bubbling over with joy. In the car she squealed a loud happy squeal and said, "I am soooooooo happy because Maren is coming home!". She already has songs and books ready to go.

Joe was smiley and chasing his cousins around. He too is excited for Meg to come home. And, he enjoys the moment. Today he is delighting in chasing Brooklyn, Amorie, and Juliette and making them laugh.

Sam is ready to be the "big brother" for the 1st time. He is soooooooo glad that Maren is littler than him. And, he welcomed today with open arms.

Thanks so much for sharing our journey with us. God is helping us!

7 Months Old and Coming Home!

Praise God! Praise God! Praise God! Not too long ago I thought Maren wouldn't be joining our family until August or September. We had a set back but God worked a miracle and surprised us! I have been waiting to use this little blog title for a long time. I am so thankful to our Lord that the day is almost here!!!!!!

7 months and now the completion of our wait. I feel like a 10,000 lb. weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. *Insert Happy Dance here!

We will begin our journey to Meg on Thursday morning at 10:30 a.m. U.S. central time. We will be traveling Omaha, Denver, L.A., Taipei. We will arrive in Taiwan on Friday morning at 11 a.m. U.S. central time. We will stay in a hotel for about 12 hours to rest up. Then take the high speed train to meet our daughter. We will be united with her sometime around 11 p.m. U.S. central time on Friday night (which is Saturday morning in Taiwan). Please cover our trip in prayer. And, please pray for our 4 children who will be staying with G'ma and G'pa Brodine. I know they are going to have fun!

Thank you to all of you sharing this journey with us! You are a blessing. We plan to update our blog and share some updates on facebook as it is possible. However, meeting Meg is priority #1! And, I want to be fully there with her and soak every minute of this amazing story in!

Plans Pending, Please Pray

The hardest part of adopting Maren for me is anticipating and making the 12+ hour flight to go and get her. Flying has never been something that I enjoy doing. I don't like being that high off the ground. If God brings it to mind please pray for me. Pray that God will watch over us and bring us safely home to the 4 kiddos we will leave behind as we embark on this incredible journey to baby #5! Pray that I will abide in the peace that the Lord gives and enjoy every part of adopting Meg. I want to soak all of this in! This is a life dream and I know it is soooooo worth it. I will not let fear rob me of this joy. God has been so good. He has been leading us all along the way. I know that He will not stop now. I know that He will be with us on that flight and His angels will surround our plane.

Our plans are pending. I don't like uncertainty. I like concrete plans. In adoption there is so much waiting and unknown. Just a little longer and we will be out of the "clouds". God in His goodness has been stretching us throughout this entire process to trust Him. We don't know what He knows or see what He sees. Who knows what He is working out? His ways are higher and His plan is beautiful. He is trustworthy!

We need an appointment with the American Institute in Taiwan and then we can book flights and travel. The American Institute in Taiwan will issue the visa that Maren needs to come home with us. It is a very important step. Please pray that God will give us an appointment very soon. And, even more importantly pray that God will bless His Hands Taiwan in their relationship with AIT and the people who work there. This is kingdom building work! Your prayers will make a difference for the good of children needing a way home to their families in the future.

Because it is summer plane tickets are hard to come by and very expensive. Please pray that when we receive our AIT appointment 2 tickets will open up at a great price. Also pray that we will receive a good route. God provides!

We will be meeting Maren's mother while we are in Taiwan. This will be one of the most significant aspects of our trip. Please pray with us that God will touch her life. We want our time with her to be marked by love. We want her to know the presence and love of Jesus. And, we want her to know how much we care about her. Would you please believe with us that God will meet us in a special way? God has given us a special love for this precious young woman. We long for Him to reveal Himself to her.

Thank you all so much for your notes of encouragement, prayers, and support! We all need each other and we appreciate you. We'll keep you posted.

I Peter 3:6, "like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear."

Joshua 1:9, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

He Has Done Great Things For Us!

On May 26 we received an email from His Hands Taiwan. It was not the news we had been hoping for. Our court date was February 24. Our home-studies were completed on March 17. Holly and Trena called the clerk in charge of our case to see how things were coming. When they called they were told that our birth mother's home-study was invalid. It would have to be re-done. It had been completed in the House of Hope and the clerk said that they would not accept it.

On top of this Holly and Trena were having difficulty reaching Maren's mother. They had 4 phone numbers for her. All of them did not work. Holly and Trena asked us to pray with them. They needed to find Maren's mom ASAP so they could take her to the social services office for an interview so the home-study could be re-written.

When we learned all of this I was very sad. I had been thinking that we would get word that Maren belonged to us any day. Instead we learned it would not be any day and it was likely to be a few more months.

We prayed earnestly over the Memorial Day weekend that the Lord would lead Trena and Holly as they would search on Tuesday. Our God heard and he answered in a mighty way. You can read that story if you click here. It is well worth the read!

At the end of Holly and Trena's miraculous day there was another miracle. Our first decree came in the mail! We don't know why this change occurred. It had to be our mighty God working for Maren! Praise Him! Praise Him! Praise Him! He has done great things for us and we are filled with praise.

Exciting update:

Today is Tuesday, June 8, 2010. We have just learned that Maren is officially Maren Xi En Brodine! That's right, we got our 2nd decree. We will be traveling soon! We'll keep you posted. Please pray for us. We are looking into travel plans. We need the Lord's leading!

Waiting In Hope

Psalm 33:18-22, "But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you."

Smitten By Our Sweet Girl

God Sees Me

Genesis 16:13 " So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, 'You are a God of seeing,' for she said, 'Truly here I have seen Him who looks after me.' "