October 2007
A CHANGE OF SEASONS
Summer is gone and autumn is here! We had a fun summer!
In June and July, we had three weekends where family members
came to visit us in Texas. We usually visit them in their home
state, but this year it was a great treat to have them here with
us!
In August, Elinete got an opportunity to travel to Japan to
visit her sister Elikeia, her brother-in-law Yasushi, her nephew
Takeshi, and niece Akemi. Eliseia, her sister from Arkansas,
joined Elinete on the trip as well. They all had a great family
time together.
In September, when Elinete got back from Japan, we sneaked away
and drove to the Gulf Coast of Florida and spent a few days in
the sun and sand. It was a tremendous blessing for us to spend
that time together!
Also, in September, Elinete took a trip with my sister and mom
to Branson. The last time the three of them went to Branson
together was 13 years ago, when Elinete first arrived in the
U.S. The girls had a blast spending the weekend together and
they talked about making this a yearly event and not waiting
another 13 years before going back!
UPDATE ON “RUNNING TO ISABELLA”
We are making good progress on our “Running to Isabella”. We
have gone 4000 miles so far!
ADOPTION UPDATE
October 19th marks 1 year since we received our LID (Log In
Date) from China. “Log In Date” is the date our adoption
documents were officially registered in China. At the time of
our LID, the waiting time to receive pictures of our daughter
was 15 months. But now we know that the waiting time is much
longer, even up to 4 years. You may be wondering how we’re
handling this news. The first half of Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope
deferred makes the heart sick…”. We know that our hope has been
delayed and we’ve been saddened and discouraged at times. We had
our hopes of holding our daughter in our arms by next year. But
now we need to extend that for another year or two. We accept
that this is part of our journey! Listen to the second half of
Proverbs 13:12, “…but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” In
the same way that it is a fact that our hope has been delayed,
it is also a fact that our longing to hold our daughter in our
arms will be fulfilled. This assurance, this promise is what
gives us the strength to continue on our journey.
Isaiah 41:10 “So do not
fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my
righteous right hand.” |
Elinete visiting Japan
The 3 sisters: Eliseia, Elinete and Elikeia in Japan
Elinete, Takeshi and Akemi in Japan
Kim, Mom and Elinete in Branson
Randy and Elinete in Destin, Florida |
