Tuesday, January 26, 2010

YES !!!

Yoseph and Mihret are officially part of our family; we passed court!! We are so thankful to all of you who were praying yesterday and last night. I was overwhelmed to hear from friends who were up in the night praying for them (as I was!) As I was praying last night, this is the passage that I kept coming back to:

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.
For he knows our frame;
he remembers that we are dust.

As for man, his days are like grass;
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children’s children,
to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.
The LORD has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all.

Bless the LORD, O you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his word,
obeying the voice of his word!
Bless the LORD, all his hosts,
his ministers, who do his will!
Bless the LORD, all his works,
in all places of his dominion.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!


We are so thankful, and so excited!  Though we still don't know exactly when we'll travel, it should be within 6 weeks.  By mid-March we hope to be home, with our family all together under one roof.

And even more good news; we also got an e-mail today from a precious mom who just adopted two children through our agency. She was at the care center last week and spent time with Yoseph and Mihret, and gave us a wonderful report on both children. The kids and I were dancing in the kitchen at hearing the good news of passing court as we looked at the first pictures we've seen of Yoseph with a smile. And yes, I can show you now! Here they are:


Mihret looking pensive


He smiles!


Brother and Sister


That's our picture she's holding!  (And yes, we sent her those M&Ms; it
may be a rude awakening when they realize our house isn't filled with candy!)

We will post more as soon as we know when we'll be traveling. We would love for you to continue praying for the following;  that all of the paperwork, medicals, etc. that have to happen in Ethiopia before we travel will happen as quickly as possible, that we will be able to get everything done here in preparation for traveling, and that Mihret and Yoseph will be protected as they stay in the care center for 6 more weeks.  And, that we will keep our eyes fixed on the One who is orchestrating it all.

We'll keep you posted!

18 comments:

  1. Oh, congratulations!!!! Your kiddos are beautiful!!! So happy for how the Lord has orchestrated this for your family...you'll be traveling right after us. What a journey-so happy for you!

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  2. Congratulations! There was much rejoicing here too when Mama got your email!

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  3. Yea! Yea! Yea! Love the eyes on both of your children. They are beautiful, and they are Kyners!! God works in amazing ways, and we are so thankful for His mercy to you yesterday.
    Love,
    Casey

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  4. Praise God! We look forward to following along as you all bring these sweethearts home. Please let us know if there's anything we can help with over the next few weeks - especially if you're gathering things to take to the orphanage. We'd be happy to contribute.

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  5. Whoopee!!! Praise the LORD!!! Mihret and Yoseph are now yours!!!!

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  6. We are so excited about the newest cousins! Jennifer, Megan and I prayed and prayed and prayed for a smooth court date. Answered prayer! God is good. Can't wait to see them. Kathryn, Megan and Jennifer

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  7. Congratulations! They are so cute!

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  8. tears of joy my friends! They are absolutely beautiful Love, Sarah and Taylor

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  9. Did you get the balloons on the back deck yet??

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  10. Dang! they are cute. We prayed so hard and it was all worth it!

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  11. We can't stand it...who ARE you, mystery man? Please reveal yourself! (We love the balloons; the kids want to see if they will last until March when M and Y come home!)
    :)

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  12. We really liked getting the balloons for you, but Samson's not a very good guard dog!! He just sat there, wagged his tail, and slobbered on the door! Maybe it's because he knew us....the Messimers!!!

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  13. Congratulations!! So incredibly happy for you. I have no idea why I didn't know they were your kids. I specifically went looking, and for some reason never put 2 and 2 together. They are beautiful kids, and I can not wait until you get to travel and hold them in your arms!

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  14. We are OVERJOYED!!!!!!! We can not wait to welcome those little ones back here ... :)

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  15. Hi, I just wanted to congratulate you! I have seen pics of your kids (I'm with IAG too), and they are beautiful. I'm so happy that they will be home soon. I did a small group study this fall of "Hole in the Gospel" -- it was amazing. I also love Katie's blog too! I will be praying for you and your family. So glad I found your blog!
    Carissa

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  16. They are sooooo beautiful! Praise God! He is SO GOOD!!!

    By the way, Betsy has the same dress Mihret is wearing in the first picture. :)

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