God is SO good

today was so amazing.
i feel like i'm over-using that word this week...but it's just true.

AMAZING.

this whole thing is AMAZING.

first of all, my previous post??
i think why that whole story is so amazing to me is something robyn said:
right now they feel so far away, but this story makes them feel closer.

that's it.
they feel closer this week.
normally they feel SO FAR AWAY.
and it's really helping get through this whole thing!

so...today...BEAUTIFUL weather.

i got outside at 9 am and started pulling things out.
friends started arriving at 9:30 am.
they were ALL amazing (there i go again!)

friends from church.
friends from our kids' school.
friends that i run with.
my mom!
and Holly even came! :-)

the biggest surprise of the day (besides Holly showing up!) was that people started SHOPPING today!

this lady made our first purchase.
so, of course, i asked to take her picture!
she bought a rabbit skin that her dog "will love to play with!"
not the first thing i thought we'd sell...and just proof that you never know what might sell!

these women were so so helpful.
organized...priced...they worked for hours.
i just want to soak in each precious moment of the day...

and all the kids did great!


later in the afternoon i had ANOTHER surprise!
one of the moms of a child i taught in 2nd grade drove an hour to my house to bring stuff to our yard sale!
i haven't seen her in 10 years!
{my mom still works at the school that i taught at...that's how she knew about it!}

we ended up selling about $300 worth of treasures today.
that was $300 more than i thought we'd make today! unreal!
AMAZING! :-)

my exercise for the day was 9 hours of pricing/organizing.
the only time i stopped was to pack sandwiches for dinner and go to joshua's baseball game this evening.

and we're headed to bed soon...2 more days of this!
keep praying for the weather on saturday...it's working!
the forecast is improving!!!

THANK you to each of you for each part you are playing in this beautiful story.
and EACH OF YOU is playing a part!

this is turning out to be quite the week!

starting saturday, every couple hours the doorbell would ring and some sweet friend would be there...with their minivan backed into our driveway...ready to unload treasures into our garage for our yard sale!

it was just amazing!

monday was the last "normal" day...and my prayer that morning was that God would help me connect with my kids...because i knew the rest of the week would be crazy.

not only did i connect with each of my kids...but each "connection" was over laughter! even Joshua! God is so good.

{i also exercised and showered and cleaned the bathrooms and swept the kitchen and made dinner and had a meeting that night and had the sweetest conversation with bailey about heaven during her "school" time and didn't lose it ONCE that day!}

that night, pat's football team and another friend came over and organized ALL the stuff into areas: electronics/books/clothes...

it was SO helpful!

not only is our garage full...but 2 rooms in our house are full :-)

i knew this yard sale was going to be good...but it is turning out to be AMAZING!
we have EVERYTHING...guitars, GREAT kids and adult books, toys, clothes for EVERY age...

and i wouldn't make it through this week without my amazing headbands made by jenn.
you need one.
EVERY headband gives me a headache...and i've tried a LOT...but these don't! and they are 2-sided...so it's 2 headbands in one!

and...as all this is going on, there was also another story unfolding...
try and follow me here {i had to tell pat the story 2 times for him to "get" it}

late last week, a friend emailed me a post on another blog and said, "you might find this interesting."
i clicked on it.
it was the blog of the sister of a girl living in rwanda.
at the time {remember how crazy our weekend was going to be last weekend? plus with the yard sale this week?} i didn't have the brain or heart capacity to take it in...so i just glanced at it.
but i did notice that the name of the girl was not super common.
and i had known a girl by that name in high school...

forward to monday {2 days ago}

another friend...that lives across the country and has NO relation to any of the above mentioned people...forwards me the SAME post. and says, "could the orphanage she mentions be the orphanage where your boys are??"

so...i go back and read and cry and sit amazed that i am reading about the place where our boys live. and take in how LOVED they are...even at this moment!

are you still with me?

so then, each of these friends email the sister of the girl...about me...saying that they know someone that is adopting from that orphanage.

so...the sister of the girl realizes that she knows me.
we went to high school together!
and her sister is now living in rwanda and is visiting the orphanage where our little boys live (and many other precious children!) and holding them and loving them just like the wonderful women that run the orphanage do...but it's just great for there to be 2 more arms to hold them!

now. i have to say that pat didn't think this whole story was that amazing.
once i was done explaining it to him, he kinda looked at me like, "is that it?"
i don't know.
maybe it's just amazing to me.
i hope i didn't mislead you with my excitement...
but i just LOVE getting a glimpse into where our boys are.
hearing how they are loved and laughed with.

and it is helping me, this week especially, to not lose my perspective on why we are doing all this.

here is the first post i was sent (twice!)
and here is her most recent post.

they are amazing posts...

this is the week!

it's the week of our big yard sale!!!

we have been preparing.
we painted the banners last week...

ALL weekend long our doorbell rang with amazing people standing there ready to unload their cars with treasures for our yard sale.

people that have come alongside us and are loving us in so many tangible ways.

it would (and will be) easy to get caught up in the "stress" that this week will hold.
i'm trying to keep things in perspective...and remember what this is all about.

it's about 2 little boys that don't have a family.
it's about a family that loves God so much that we are willing to open our arms and hearts to 2 little boys we don't know.
it's about love.
His love...played out in REAL ways.
we are just the instrument...the song He is playing is beautiful.

{i do NOT mean to romanticize this...there is horror in every adoption...painful, awful stuff...BUT God has called us to this and He is working this out and THAT is beautiful.}

this adoption process has been amazing so far.
i have seen God is ways i never have before.
i know Him in a way i never have before.
and we have only just begun!

yet...i have been humbled like never before.
i do NOT like to ask for help.
and i've had to...over and over.
every time the doorbell rang this weekend, there were 2 emotions warring within my heart;
my love for the person that was willing to give to us,
and my pride wanting to scream "we're fine! we don't need help!"

God is working on me...
and it's very tiring :-)

so...here we go!
a BIG week!

THANK YOU to everyone that is helping/praying/supporting.
we could NOT do this without you!

here we go!!!

it's the week of our big yard sale!!!

we have been preparing.
we painted the banners last week...

ALL weekend long our doorbell rang with amazing people standing there ready to unload their cars with treasures for our yard sale.

people that have come alongside us and are loving us in so many tangible ways.

it would (and will be) easy to get caught up in the "stress" that this week will hold.
i'm trying to keep things in perspective...and remember what this is all about.

it's about 2 little boys that don't have a family.
it's about a family that loves God so much that we are willing to open our arms and hearts to 2 little boys we don't know.
it's about love.
His love...played out in REAL ways.
we are just the instrument...the song He is playing is beautiful.

{i do NOT mean to romanticize this...there is horror in every adoption...painful, awful stuff...BUT God has called us to this and He is working this out and THAT is beautiful.}

this adoption process has been amazing so far.
i have seen God is ways i never have before.
i know Him in a way i never have before.
and we have only just begun!

yet...i have been humbled like never before.
i do NOT like to ask for help.
and i've had to...over and over.
every time the doorbell rang this weekend, there were 2 emotions warring within my heart;
my love for the person that was willing to give to us,
and my pride wanting to scream "we're fine! we don't need help!"

God is working on me...
and it's very tiring :-)

so...here we go!
a BIG week!

THANK YOU to everyone that is helping/praying/supporting.
we could NOT do this without you!

saturday

ran 12 miles (yay!)

pat and joshua headed to his baseball game.

i headed to rebekah's soccer game with the other 3.



my parents came out this morning to see rebekah and joshua play!
{and they brought ayden...my nephew...who they are watching this weekend!}

there was even some "Go Fish" on the sidelines...


rebekah is LOVING soccer!!



then we headed to joshua's game...made it for the last inning!

{i know, i know, i said i wouldn't document each one...but the GRANDPARENTS came out!}

pat coaching joshua...

"good game, good game...."

my dad wasn't mad...i think he was telling joshua what a good game he had...

AND...my parents had this behind their car as they drove all over Ashburn this morning!
stuff that people have given them for our yard sale!
they brought a load this morning...because they have 2 more loads worth at home!!!
this is getting VERY exciting!!! you should see our basement and garage and living room!!!
stuff EVERYWHERE!

we've started!!!

we spent the afternoon yesterday cleaning out the garage.
in anticipation of bringing all the stuff up from the basement for the yard sale that people have already dropped off!

this afternoon we will paint a big banner to hang up during the sale.

this is so exciting.
i can not WAIT to see what God is going to do through this!

i've been so humbled at the help and support we have already received...phone calls from friends of friends wanting to drop stuff off...a check in the mail that said it was to be used to cover the costs off supplies for the yard sale...God has is ALL covered, doesn't He??

yet i'm on the edge.

there is SO much on my plate...crazy spring sports schedules, triathlon training, teacher appreciation week next week, playing and reading to my 4 kids (which i spent this morning doing just that...i hate to admit how long it had been since i spent an entire morning doing that....), re-decorating all the kids rooms as we re-arrange them to make room for 2 more!, nursery commitments at church, throwing a going away party for friends (in total denial that they are leaving...but excited about a party!), having people over both nights this weekend...

not to mention the normal cleaning/cooking/homework helping/laundry/everyday stuff! :-)

my head is about to explode.

BUT...NO adoption paperwork! yippee yahoo!!!!

i'm trusting Him with each moment.
because i have no other choice.

if you think about it, can you pray for us (me??)
i'd covet your prayers for my time, patience, strength this next week.

thank you!!!

He's got me in a place where it's ALL HIM because i got nothin'!
it's painful, and hard...yet i LOVE it!

our dossier is complete!!!!!!!!!!

i seriously doubted that we'd EVER say those words...but it's true!!!

we received the rest of the documents on saturday - authenticated and ready to go!

i spent saturday afternoon making 3 copies of every document.

then we spread them out all around our dining room to compile the 3 complete copies we needed.

we have 1 stack of the actual, original dossier.
2 copies to give to our agency.
and we keep a copy.

rebekah helped :-)

and, here it is...

you have NO idea what this stack of papers means to us.
SO many hours...so much money...

and one step closer to those 2 little boys in Rwanda!

pat walked into our agency this morning and handed them over!

i'll talk about what the next step is soon...just let me enjoy that we are finished with this one for a moment! :-)