Third Day Christmas song (pause video on right first)

I wanted to share this song with you, because it is my heart right now. When I first heard this song I started sobbing. Thank you Kate, for sharing it with me!!!!

Laughing baby (pause video on side first)

I know most of you have seen this before, but it cracks me up everytime I see it.

We are still Waiting!

We are still waiting on the Phu Tho officials to release our last piece of paperwork. Until they do, we cannot proceed with the adoption.We are praying that God will soften the officials hearts and that they will release it. We have written a letter to the officials asking them to reconsider. Please be praying as that letter will be sent off this week. I am praying that God will protect and save Maya for us, but if He doesn't please pray for us and our children because their little hearts will be broken. They already love her so much. No matter what happens, we know that GOD is in control, and He wants what is best for our family. Thank you for praying for us!

Praise You In This Storm (pause video on the side first)

As things are really unsettled right now with the adoption, my heart's cry and my desire is that no matter the outcome, I will praise Him in this storm.

PRAYING for good news!

We are still waiting for our I-600 papers to be filed. The Phu Tho province has not sent the document needed to get the immigration investigation started. I am getting very anxious, but the Lord is continuing to calm my heart and my fears. If ever I have needed His strength and His peace, it is now. Please pray for me as my heart is daily breaking for my sweet baby girl, but also as I am learning to cling to the Lord as he carries me/us through this difficult time.

BE STILL

For those of you who know me, you know that this part of the adoption process is the hardest for me. THE WAITING! I was fine when I was busy for hours at a time doing the paperwork, because it felt like we were moving closer to our baby girl. This waiting however, is torturous. I can't do anything to move it faster.
Lately, things have been getting more difficult. The I-600 form that has to be approved for the baby to come back into the country, hasn't even started to be processed yet. It takes a minimum of 60 days to process. I was just informed the other day, that the countdown has not even begun yet. That was hard to swallow. I thought we might be going in January, but it is looking like February now. You cannot even imagine the heartache when you think you might have your baby home for Christmas, and now it might not happen till Feb.

BUT! God has been working on me. I was laying bed last night crying, and praying. I was crying out to Him to show me what I could do to move this along faster, and this morning He gave me a verse.

Exodus 14:14
" The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."

I just wanted to share that with you, because it is amazing how much He loves us, and just how involved He is with our lives! Please pray that I will Be Still.

Here are the Halloween pics that I promise. Morgan was a Victorian princess, Kristian was Jack Sparrow, and Harrison was batman. Apparently, batman growls. I didn't know that till Halloween night :-) They had so much fun, and got a ton of candy. I don't think they fell asleep until after midnight. Woohoo for the mom and dad!!!

Thank you Jennifer for putting this together for us!!!

Many of you have asked when we will be traveling. To answer your question, "We don't know".
Normally we would have been in country within four weeks of receiving our referral, but the laws have just been changed. Effective Oct.29 we now have to file our I-600 (baby's immigration papers) from here instead of in Vietnam. This process is supposed to take 60 days. We are still praying that God will work things out so that we can have our baby home for Christmas, if not we will praise Him for His perfect timing.

God Is Good!!!!

We can hardly believe that we have a picture of our beautiful baby girl. I have been carrying it everywhere with me. I went out to dinner with some girlfirends last night, and I took the picture. I've been getting compliments on her already, and she's not even here yet. :-)
The kids are so excited to finally see her. Harrison (3), everytime he sees her picture he asks, is that my baby? So CUTE!
I ask that you keep praying for her. Now that we all have seen her face, we can picture her when we are praying. Please pray that God will continue to bless her with good health, protection, comfort, and quick travel for her parents so she can finally be held in their loving, anxious, arms.
Thank you all, who have been continually praying for her. Keep her in your prayers as we get ready to go get our baby girl.

HERE IS OUR BABY MAYA!!!!!!

Her name is Hua Thi Ha.

She was born on July 7, 2007.

At two months she weighed 9lbs, and was 21 inches long.

Praise God for answerd prayers!!!!

Hoping for some good news, SOON!!!!

Passing the Time

What do the Pence's do while waitng for their baby girl? They go FISHING!!!!!

Am I cute enough?

Such a beauty!!!

Kristian loves fishing!!

Morgan baiting her hook for the first time. She did great and with minimal screaming!!!!

Harrison's Idea of Fishing

Sad News

Yesterday, was the day that we all thought we would get our referrals. I walked around the house all day holding the phone, because I was afraid I would miss "the call". Instead we all got bad news. Some of the families were told that their referrals were being withdrawn. I cannot imagine the pain that they are feeling right now. I just want all of you who were given this news to know, that Harry and I are praying for you, and our hearts are breaking with yours.
We were told that things are going to take much longer than expected. I'm hoping to be able to get some more details today, but having her before Christmas is not looking good. If you have been praying with us, I ask that you continue to do so. We have heavy hearts today, but we know that God is still in control. This is all in His timing. Please pray that we will keep that in our minds, and that we will glorify Him through this.

Seven Weeks and Counting

Today marks seven weeks since we first heard about our baby. We are hoping for some good news today, or hopefully, this week. Things here are going great! The kids are doing great in school. Morgan is loving 3rd grade, except for her Math. She REALLY does not like math ( I wonder where she gets that from). Kristian is starting to read! Yeah! So, things are moving along normally. It's hard to believe that we will be leaving the country soon, and our lives will be so different after that. The kids are excited to have a new baby sister, and to go hang out with their grandparents for a few weeks. We will probably be gone from home for about five weeks. We are planning on going up to Pa a few days before we leave to help the kids get settled in. Then, we are planning to spend about a week or more with them recovering from jet lag. We figured it would be best to have a little help with the four children since we will probably be exhausted. So, I probably won't see most of you for quite awhile. We are praying that we will be back before Christmas and during the Christmas season. If you would pray with us that way we would really appreciate it. Thank you, all who have been praying for us!

O.K., so you may wish that I would write about something other than the cute things that my kids do, but I can't. I love telling you their cute little stories. The other day I sent Kristian into his room to clean, and I told him I would be in to check on him. This is how I found him. Does it get any cuter?

Halloween Last Year

Our kids picked out their costumes today. They can't wait to get all dressed up for Halloween. Morgan wants to be a Victorian princess, Kristian wants to be a pirate, and Harrison is going to be batman. Our church has a big fall festival where the kids can play games for candy, eat yummy goodies, and get their faces painted, they love it. So, I thought I would post last year's pictures of Halloween, and then in a few weeks show you how much they have changed in a year. Wow, how time flies!

My baby's bed

I'm so excited!!!! I got the highest bid on Ebay for the baby's comforter set. Woo Hoo!

Now, the painting begins!

...and the waiting continues

It has now been 5 weeks since we first received news about our baby girl. At that time we were told she was just 2 months old, but until we get the official referral we won't know for sure. Harry and I are trying to keep our minds busy with projects around the house. I just finished painting the kitchen, I love it it! It looks like an Olive Garden. I know that I will probably gain about 5 pounds, because it makes me want to make some Italian food :-) We are still working on the nursery, that used to be Harrison's room. I am bidding on a beautiful baby comforter on Ebay, and when I get it we will know what color we need to paint the nursery. Our church has alot going on this month, and Harrison turns 3 at the end of Oct. So, we have alot going to keep our minds oocupied, yet they always trail back to our precious little baby.
So, Harrison and I were talking this morning about his birthday coming up, and I'm teaching him to say he's three years old. Kristian comes in and says you're going to be three, and Harrison says (quite firmly) no, I'm going to be three years old! Cracked me up. They say the cutest little things.

Just thought I would give y'all an update. We received an email last night from our agency, that said it would be another 4 weeks before we will get the "official" referral. My heart is breaking right now, as I realize that we will probably be going to Vietnam during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. I will be missing my children's Christmas plays, their Christmas parties, their breakfast with Santa, and so many more activities. I am praying that God will comfort my heart as I prepare to go get our baby girl, knowing that I am missing my children's favorite time of year.
Morgan, my 8 year old, saw me crying and said, "don't worry Mama, there will be many more Christmas plays and Christmas' that we will share together." Wow, out of the mouth of babes! I know God is trying to comfort my heart, even through my children. Please pray that I will receive His comfort, and surrender all of this to Him.

• MY CHILD
• My child, I carried you in my heart before you were even born And dared to dream that you were real.
  My child, I carried your picture with me since the day I received it, And dared to love a child I was yet to meet.
  My child,I carried you in my arms at last,and gazed in helpless wonder at your face, And dared to lose my heart to you.
  And now, my child, a dream fulfilled, a prayer answered, a family created, I have dared to become a mom.
  And so now, my precious child, I shall carry you home.
  

We Finally Picked a Name

For those of you whom I haven't told, we finally picked a name for the baby. Her name will be Maya, meaning precious little one. Morgan wanted her name to begin with a M, like hers because she wanted her sister to have the same initials as she does. We had been thinkg about Madison, because that's the name Morgan liked. However, I didn't have a peace about that name. So we kept looking for a "M" name, and we finally found it. Another meaning of her name is, a creative work of God. How appropriate is that for our baby. This whole journey has been exactly that. We aren't sure what her middle name will be. We are thinking that we would like to use her Vietnamse name as her middle name, but we will see.

Still No News

Just wanted to let you know that we still have no new info. We are hoping to hear something next week or at the latest the week after.
God is really having to teach me patience. It has been hard this week, because a friend of mine brought over some of her baby clothes, and just picturing our baby in them got me wishing I could hold her. However, I know that this is all in God's timing, and we need to just be patient and wait on Him.
Keep praying for our sweet baby girl, we know that she is safe in God's arms.

I thought that I would share with you the verses that God gave to Harry and I throughout this whole adoption process. There were times that we were not completely clear that this was what He wanted us to do. However, He started to show us some verses that confirmed to us that this was His calling on our lives. There are so many, so I will share only a few now, and maybe some more later.

Roamans 8:15
"For you have not received the Spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, ABBA, Father."

2Corinthinas 1:3-4
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Compassion and the God of all comforts, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort that we ourselves have received from God."

Matthew 18:5
"And whosoever welcomes a child like this in my name welcomes me."

Isaiah 55:8-9
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher that the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Proverbs 16:9
"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."

James 2:27
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is these: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

This verse recently has really spoken to me:
Matthew 25 :34-40
"Then the king will say to those on his right ,'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Then the righteous will answer him, Lord When did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go visit you?
The KING will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did it for me."

I just wanted to share these with you, because they have meant so much to Harry and I. Thank you all for your prayers!!!!!

A Tentative Referral

Hey Everyone,
Just wanted to let you know that tonight we received a tentative referral. We are so excited!!!! We don't have many details on her yet, but we do know which province she is from. They told us we will get our official referral within a 4-6 weeks. That will include her picture, name, weight , and medical information. We will let you know as soon as we hear more. We are so excited, ans are starting to get things organized and ready to get our baby.
Yeah!!!!!!

Our Life

Many of you know that Harry and I home school our children. Morgan is in third grade this year, Kristian is in Kindergarten, and Harrison is into everything :-) We are so thankful for the opportunity to teach our children. I'm especially glad for the distractions that it causes. When I am starting to feel anxious about the adoption, and that nothing is happening yet, the kids bring me right back to reality.
The other day I laid Harrison down for his nap, and sent the older two outside so I could eat my lunch. I was just finishing up, when I heard Harrison hysterically laughing. I went to check on him, only to find him standing on the dresser with the window wide open, and Kristian spraying him through the window with a hose! Aagh!!! I cleaned him up, went outside to talk with Kristian, and found he and Morgan covered from head to toe with mud. Literally, head to toe!! At the time I got VERY frustrated, but God is showing me that the things my children get into (and that's alot) are keeping me from getting over anxious about the adoption. I praise Him for my children, and their messes!!!!!

Our Story

So here is the story I promised.
Back in the summer of 2005, Harry and I sold a piece of property that he had been given as a boy for Christmas. We had talked and talked about what we would do with the money that we received. We both had big ideas for the money. I wanted to use the money for a downpayment on a bigger house, and he wanted to invest it. We were in the process of making a decision, when I was invited to a Steven Curtis Chapman concert. For any of you who have been to his concerts, you know that he does a big promo. for adoptions. I cried through the entire thing. Afterwards I filled out a card requesting more information. When the packet and DVD came we sat down to watch it and we both cried. I started feeling a tugging at my heart, but I didn't act on it.
A few days later,while making PB&J's for our three children, I felt the Lord telling me that He wanted us to adopt. He reminded me that this was His money, and He wanted us to use it to glorify Him. This money was to be used for something eternal, not something temporary and materialistic. So, I went to Harry and asked him to pray about it. He agreed. We prayed for a year and a half. Last August was when we both felt that, yes we should this. So we started the paperwork and our journey. It has not been easy, but we know that this is what God wants for us. He will give us our baby girl in his timing. So, for now we are resting in Him,and learning a great deal of patience.
Again we thank you all for your prayers.

Hi Everyone,
We thought we would start this blog so all of you could follow 0ur journey to our baby girl in Vietnam. For those of you who don't know, all of our paperwork is done and we are in the waiting process now. We are currently number 6 on the waiting list. We can't wait for our referral to come. We are hoping it will be in the month of September. Thanks to all of you who have been praying for us, and who are always interested to hear of our journey (as boring as it may be) Many of you may wonder why we have embarked upon this journey. In this next post I will tell the complete story! I've gotcha on the edge of your seat don't I? ;_)