Blog to Book

I've been meaning to write this for a long time, but keep forgetting (do you know me? hahaha). Many of you have been so great about commenting on my posts - so appreciated! Mostly, though, people comment on my Facebook posts about the blog or email me responses back. And I haven't saved most of those comments.

SPECIAL REQUEST: A while ago I decided that I wanted to capture for our little ones the journey their parents were on to bring them home. Thus the blog. But beyond that, I want to re-purpose the blog into a book just for them to read someday. I want them to know how thought of, prayed for, longed for, hoped for, and dreamed of they were. I want them to see the thousands of people who helped bring them home via donations, prayers, blog hits, etc.

So, from now on would you post comments on my blog? I want for them to see your names, comments, prayers, and dreams for them, as well as what their momma wrote about them.

African villages get it right:
it takes a village to raise a child.
And we want them to know how big and loving their village really is!

Daddy's Birthday

Today is Daddy's birthday! Next year at this time, Brian will not just be "ah-BY-ay" [daddy] at heart, he'll be "ah-BY-ay" in practice.
To our little ones: Just a few things you have to look forward to in your daddy.
Your ah-BY-ay is...

• kind beyond words
• thoughtful
• the strongest and most tender man I've ever met
• really, incredibly funny and silly. But you have to listen to it to get it!
• really fun to watch sports with
• family centered. He loves your momma very much and always put me first. And he's very committed to raising you with me. We're going to take care of you together every day.
  
• a great chef. Get ready for some Puerto Rican food!
• really responsible. He'll take really good care of you.
• a really good listener. When you have a good day or a bad day, he'll listen to you. And when it's right, he'll give you really good advice.
• a hard worker and he works with great integrity.
• your daddy...that's the best part!
  

And that's just a short list that took me a few minutes to write. You're gonna love him. We can't wait to celebrate his next birthday with you!!

Love, Your eh-MY-ay

Refiner's Fire

"He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

[Malachi 3:3]

FROM OUR ADOPTION AGENCY:
This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study, and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it."

WOW! And incredibly humbling and challenging reminder of "why" waiting is required. And such a beautiful metaphor of the love of our God on us in the midst of the fire.