I will praise you in this storm.....

Well, we SURVIVED HURRICANE IRENE!!! We lost a few trees, a bunch of shingles that will require some repair, and a bazillion limbs. We were even blessed when it came to the electricity going out! We had power all of Friday night even though we had a ton of wind and rain. Saturday morning we had breakfast (thanks Mom!), and then the power went out. We were able to open some windows and let the hurricane force winds cool the house, it was actually pretty nice. As the day turned to evening we were forced to light candles and bring out the flashlights. We were debating where we should all sleep when all of a sudden "THERE WAS LIGHT AND IT WAS GOOD!" We were so thankful! This storm could have been so much worse for us had it not weakened slightly before making landfall. That pine tree could have uprooted and landed on the house instead of breaking off near the base and landing only a few feet from the front porch. We could still be without power like so many around us. We could be replacing a roof instead of a few shingles. Thank you Lord for watching over us. We praise you in this storm.

On the adoption front: nothing new to report this week, still waiting. Although I did think a few times that having an infant home during the hurricane with no power would have been a bit stressful! Maybe that was part of God's plan. Also, it is currently between 100 and 110 degrees in San Antonio, where our adoption agency is located. Have I mentioned how much I despise being hot?? Well if not, for the record, I LOATHE being hot! So, maybe this is part of God's plan also. Hmm, I hear San Antonio is nice in the Fall!

This Thursday (if not before) a baby boy will be born to a young girl. Baby boy's adoptive family will be there to welcome him into this world. They have been waiting for this moment for so very long. They have put much thought into some special items for the birth mom, things she can use while in the hospital. Please pray for all those involved with this adoption. Also, this sweet family is also working with our agency, it has been a blessing to get to know her through email, blog, and facebook. We are already talking about meeting when we travel to SA for our baby's birth. Oh happy day! Thank you Lord for putting these special people in our lives.

And here are a few pics of the remnants of Hurricane Irene:

Pine Tree that landed just a few feet from the front porch!

 

Our dog Cooper was ready for the Hurricane!

Pond across the road (has been bone dry all Summer!



Poor old tree!



Look closely, see the gray spot in the middle, that's our house. You can usually have a clear view of the house from this spot. TREES!!

Encouragement

Thought I would share some of my most favorite verses for encouragement, they definitely hit home during this time of wait. I pray they will bring comfort to anyone waiting on the Lord, or anyone going through trials. (Who isn't?) haha

Believing God for anything in life grows and strengthens our faith.  The more we wait for it, the more our faith can grow. God gave us an awesome promise in Mark 11:24 "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

 "Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.  Psalm 37:7 Many times we can get so restless when we are waiting for something.  If you're like me and try to plan everything, then it can extremely frustrating when waiting messes up your plans!  And can be disheartening when you see women get pregnant, unmarried, or those who don't even want children.

"Lord, when doubt fills my mind, when my heart is in turmoil, quiet me and give me renewed hope and cheer."Psalm 94:19

"There is comfort in the fact that God does have your child in His Hands. He is the one who formed your child's body and knew your child's days and purpose before conception." Psalm 139:13-16

"The things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair. For these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!" H 2:3

Wordless Wednesday

It's a Blog Birthday!

The Pursuit of Baby Clayton blog celebrates 1 year of existence today! I can't believe I actually stuck with it! Not only have I managed to write a couple dozen posts, but I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Something kinda calming about being able to rant, knowing it's out there for the world to read or not read. Our little blog has had over 3,000 visits, yet has only 22 "official" followers. Tons of friends have said they read the blog on a regular basis, but follow anonymously. I have started friendships with other bloggers in the adoption world, which has been a great benefit of blogging. I love to rejoice in their happy news of a baby joining a family, or lifting them up in prayer when an unforseen delay is handed to them. At least 5 times a day I am asked "any news yet?" from coworkers, friends, some of my members at work, etc. I just smile and say "nope, just waiting". I need to come up with something better to say. I'm glad that people ask. I love that people are interested and I know that these folks that say they are praying, are really praying. One of my fave members from work is the sweetest older gentleman, in his 80's and a widower. Love him so much! He comes to see me weekly (under the disguise that he needs account help), but I don't care, I enjoy his company hopefully as much as he enjoys mine. Each week he says "First things first, do we have any baby news?" And each week I say "No, nothing yet" with a smile. He always responds "Well Karen, I must not be praying hard enough, I will pray more specific tomorrow". (Oh, and he is convinced the baby will be a boy)  I adore this sweet man. I hope he is around for a very long time.  

Each week, I send an email to our social worker at the agency just to check in. She is always extremely patient and encouraging although I'm sure my weekly emails are annoying. If they are, she is doing a great job of concealing her annoyance. Yesterday she said they were working with several new birthmoms who had just recently contacted the agency and she hoped we would be chosen soon. Oh boy, me too.

There was some movement on the agency website. Two new families were added to the waiting parents list, and one family was moved from the waiting list to the matched & waiting list. There are currently 12 families on the waiting list, and 4 waiting for babies to be born. On their website they also keep a list of babies they have placed this year. You know I had to count them, ok so I have counted them several times. Today the count was 55 babies placed this year. And for those of you that know I like statistics, you know I had to do the math. That is 6.85 babies a month so far this year. :) That is pretty good odds! I know we are gonna receive a call very soon!

So what else is going on in our family besides adoption? My brother is engaged!! He is engaged to a fabulous woman named Laura, and yes, we LOVE her! She is truly awesome and very good for him! She fits right in, and is already a great Aunt for Ams. I can't wait to see her with new baby Clayton. They are planning a wedding for October 2012, can't wait! She will make a beautiful bride and my brother is going to be so handsome. I'm so happy that he has met his match.

We have had a busy Summer, especially Amber. Vacation Bible School, week of horse camp, week of family vaca in the mountains, a couple of weeks with the grandparents, and she is now spending a couple of weeks with her Mom. I miss her terribly when she is not here. She will be celebrating her 9th birthday next month!!! How could that shy little 3 year old girl I met a long time ago be the same gregarious, outgoing, funny, smart, BEAUTIFUL almost 9 year old??? Scary! While she is gone this week I have performed an Extreme Room Makeover on her bedroom, she is gonna love it! Well, at least I hope she does, cause I'm not planning on painting again anytime soon. :)

Anyway, happy one year blog world! Thanks for all those that have followed our journey this year!

Love, Jeff & Karen