My heart is in three places: Japan, ET, and here!

What a whirlwind these last 2 weeks have been!

3/3 – received our referrals and saw our baby boys for the first time.  One of the happiest days of my life.

3/4 – heard news of ET adoption process slowing significantly – our hearts break at the thought of having to wait longer to bring our precious ones home.

3/4 (evening) – I get massive ear infection and am totally out for the count. Spend the next day recovering and trying to pacl

3/6 – drive as a family to ATL – speak that evening at an MTW vision retreat.

3/7-3/11 – stay with Joel, MS, and Oliver while we have Interview and Orientation at MTW.  Loooong days, separated from the kids for most of them, but we were so thankful that we didn’t have to leave them at hom, and they loooooved the wonderful childcare provided.  Met awesome people, going all over the world, including 5 people going to Ethiopia.  Good, hard week.

3/9 – officially approved as long-term missionaries.

3/11 – wake up to an email from Dad saying they are all ok.  Hear from most of our friends, and don’t really realize how bad everthing is.  Still busy with I&O so no time to check the news…

3/12 arrive home in the wee hours of the morning. Awake and finally sit down to read about Japan and am blown away by the devastation… can’t believe this is happening.

3/13 church in the AM, come home for quick lunch and naps, then head back to church where Eric was preaching for the evening service. Had a time of prayer for Japan then dashed off to the airport to get Karyn who stopped for a visit on her way home from Germany.

3/14 prepare packages for baby boys and deadline to finish one of our adoption grant applications. Crazy day of running around to complete our errands, but made so much more fun by sister/aunt Karyn with us.

Danny announces he is going to Japan, has two free companion tickets and Tim (former teammate in Japan and fellow RTS student) is going too, and they ask Eric or me to come as well.  We pray about it, we want him to go so much, but don’t feel peace about it.  Find out later in the day that someone else is able to go and we feel peace about saying, “no” to Eric going.

Finally mailed off our grant application, and took the packages over to our agency director’s house and got to pray with her before her big trip to ET.

3/14-3/18 Continuing to hear of the devastation in Japan now with the major threat of radiation.  Amidst all that, it’s been so encouraging to hear how God’s people on the ground there are serving those who have lost everything.  It is so moving, keeps us praying.

Also, SUCH A JOY that Karyn is here.  This would have been such a hard week without the treat of her company.  We had some special adventures, just us girls while Eric had a crazy class and work schedule, making up from last week.  She was such a help and encouragement to me, and I just love getting to be around her. God knew I needed her here this week when we planned this a few months ago.

3/17 – GREAT NEWS from Ethiopia.  First, our director saw our boys yesterda, so we are expecting some new photos and videos of them sometime soon.  I can’t wait.  Also, heard some rumors (unconfirmed but I am pretty confident it is a reliable source) that the person who made the decision to slow down the process has been replaced and that office is working hard once again to help intercountry adoptions go forward.  We’ve already heard several encouraging reports from families in our agency waiting on this one particular step, that they passed in the last few days.  Very encouraging.

3/18 – Karyn left this morning.  Such a bummer to see her go – the visit wasn’t long enough! But we’re excited she gets to go home to PA for a few weeks and we are praying our newest (and first Noll-side) niece makes her grand appearance while Karyn is state-side.  Oh, we just can’t wait to hear news of her arrival!

And that brings us up to date, but not really. One very imortant thing happened in all that that deserves a post of it’s own… and I promise, PICTURES will be included!