Our Dream Come True!

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Tuesday, March 31, 2009

No News Is Good News

Well, someone always said no news is good news.

We are hoping!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Florida and Hope

Florida - AWESOME!!
Cocoa Beach - was nice, beautiful and well needed - twice I might add. One thing the Colson's do at the beach is bury at least one family member, that would typically be Josh.

Kennedy Space Center - A must for anyone, all ages, it is superfantabulous!!! Not only was the center awesome we were able to see an actual launch - history - INCREDIBLE!! We all four loved the space center and would go again with or without an actual launch.

Disney World - Like it but it is the same as Disney Land - everyone said they are so different and "World" is sooo much better - NOT, they are the exact same park. Now the parks around them are different but nothing to be that excited about. Disney Land has parks around it too.

Disney's Animal Kingdom - Loved it!! Safari, cute and fun!! Mount Everest is a MUST! Simply one of the best roller coasters I have ever ridden (and I don't really like them). Wish we had the patience to stand in line for another 90 minutes! It was to die for!! As we were leaving the park I was looking for this one special gift in and out of every gift shop (Steve was about to die but he new the gift was important so he stuck with me). The last shop and I found my little gift, not what I was hoping for but I liked it and it was well received so... The most amazing part was as I walked out of the shop there were Jasmine and Dylan, our first foster kids!! What? Trully a delight to see them!! Please pray for them and the family that they live with.

Daytona Beach - AAAAAHHHHHH! Now that was almost as close to heaven on Earth as I have ever been. Nice white sandy beach, clean, beautiful day and aaaahhhhh!

Hope
We have stood on hope for most our lives. There are many reasons why some good and well some not so good. We can say God has turned all the not so good into His glory just as His word promises. We are going to stand on that word now too.

We drove down with hopes of being chosen for Joseph and Chelsea and being able to at least meet them. This did not happen. We did learn while we were there that another family had been chosen but the match failed. We are sad because it is another loss for Joseph and Chelsea but we continue to have hope that we will be chosen this time. Hope that God is causing the case workers to favor us, our homestudy is always on top, our names do not slip their minds and....

We will always pray for Joseph and Chelsea, God gave them to us for at least that and we will honor Him by praying for them daily, hoping God's best for them and their forever family whomever they might be.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Amazing!

Well, we are not sure where to start!


God has this wonderful amazing plan for each and everyone of us. We are especially excited about our plan (as everyone should be!)! We know it is good, it is His will and it is for His good pleasure.

Waiting though we can say is slightly more than painful for us. We are a busy family, always on the go. Not too busy to smell the roses but we are involved so we are on the go! Being on the go means we do some things very fast and welike things done fast. If you go to a fast food restaurant you expect it to be fast... Why can't adoption be fast?

We are trying to be patient...

We have the scriptures He has specifically given us over the course of this journey and we hold on to them dearly.

Friday, March 6, 2009

Faith Enough

We have faith enough to believe God not only chose us before the foundations of the Earth but He chose the kids we would adopt as well. He chose us, named us and predestined us.

Ephesians 1:4
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love.

Isaiah 25:1
1 O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God. You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them.

It has been 5 weeks and 3 days - still no word on Chelsea and Joseph. We can't help but believe God is working in our favor on this.

Thank you for standing with us in prayer!
Melanie

Monday, March 2, 2009

Patience, Humbleness, Fear, Pure Hearts... Success?

Well, I was just reading and jotting some notes... Proverbs is just so powerful.

Proverbs 16
1 We can make our own plans, but the LORD gives the right answer.
(note to self, it doesn't say when He will answer, it will just be the right answer)

2 People may be pure in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their motives.
(do not judge)

3 Commit your actions to the LORD, and your plans will succeed.
(take it to God)

4 The LORD has made everything for his own purposes, even the wicked for a day of disaster.
(may we fear the Lord enough to never be considered wicked)

5 The LORD detests the proud; they will surely be punished.
(hopefully we are a humble people)

6 Unfailing love and faithfulness make atonement for sin. By fearing the LORD, people avoid evil. (may we always give freely the love God has so freely given us)

7 When people's lives please the LORD, even their enemies are at peace with them.
(we do pray our lives are pleasing to the Lord and if it gives our "enemies" peace, we are so thankful)

8 Better to have little, with godliness, than to be rich and dishonest.
(we pray for to be rich in godliness)

9 We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.
(it is a good thing too otherwise we would truly be lost)

10 The king speaks with divine wisdom; he must never judge unfairly.
(we pray for God's mercy when our judgment day comes)

11 The LORD demands accurate scales and balances; he sets the standards for fairness. (may we always use His scales for measuring not only others but ourselves)

12 A king detests wrongdoing, for his rule is built on justice.
(just thinking God detests wrongdoing too...)

13 The king is pleased with words from righteous lips; he loves those who speak honestly.
(honesty is the best policy)

14 The anger of the king is a deadly threat; the wise will try to appease it.
(respond with kindness always)

15 When the king smiles, there is life; his favor refreshes like a spring rain.
(being approved by the King of kings is a fresh bouquet of spring flowers)

16 How much better to get wisdom than gold, and good judgment than silver!
(the value of wisdom cannot be measured neither can fair judgment)

17 The path of the virtuous leads away from evil; whoever follows that path is safe.
(allow God to guide your path)

18 Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.
(Lord how I hate skinned knees)

19 Better to live humbly with the poor than to share plunder with the proud.
(humbleness is warm and inviting)

20 Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the LORD will be joyful.
(Wisdom and joy - immeasurable)

21 The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant words are persuasive.
(wisdom needs no persuasion)

22 Discretion is a life-giving fountain to those who possess it, but discipline is wasted on fools.
(listen to your gut that is discretion)

23 From a wise mind comes wise speech; the words of the wise are persuasive.
(truth is leading)

24 Kind words are like honey— sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.
(it takes a minimum of 7 positives to negate one negative)

25 There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.
(death of self is eternal life)

26 It is good for workers to have an appetite; an empty stomach drives them on. (no work, no food)

27 Scoundrels create trouble; their words are a destructive blaze.
(scoundrels is my new word for hoodlums)

28 A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends.
(the tongue cuts wounds only the Father can heal)

29 Violent people mislead their companions, leading them down a harmful path.
(deceitful scoundrels)

30 With narrowed eyes, people plot evil; with a smirk, they plan their mischief.
(scoundrels)

31 Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by living a godly life.
(or by surviving your child's 12th year of life)

32 Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city.
(respond in kindness)

33 We may throw the dice,* but the LORD determines how they fall.
(and He sometimes cushions the blow - thank you!)

God knows us so much better than we know ourselves. He knows how to teach you and I how we learn best - does He use His word, others, circumstances or... He uses all those with each of us but He knows which one to use the most, the one that is most effective for each individual person on Earth.

I am very visual, even our kids have learned at young ages we have to show mom. God sometimes has to show me and well sometimes it is abrupt but sometimes it is as gentle as the scripture above.

We have carefully taken our adoption commitment to God, we have pure motives, we fear Him more than anyone or anything (even spiders and snakes), we are not a proud people, we have gray hair (well we are sure if Steve had hair it would be gray too, ha, ha - sorry honey) but we are most grateful the Lord will determine where we fall and He will surely cushion if necessary.

This is not to say that we have not gone boldly to thrown of God and reminded Him of all this and that His word says He will cause our plans to succeed.

Joseph and Chelsea we are being obedient to the Lord, we are waiting patiently with great anticipation that God has chosen this family, us, for you to call your own forever and ever. We are romantics and we do believe in love at first sight, we have loved you from the moment we first laid eyes on your pictures. You have been thought of and prayed for periodically through out each day. We love you and we are committed to you forever.

All our love,
Steve, Melanie, Amanda and Joshua