Resurrection Sunday

Recently, sleep hasn't always come as easily as I would like. My head just runs and runs with thoughts and questions, and emotions fill my heart. Of course, we are literally days away from leaving. So I'm longing for my children and wondering what they are like, who they are inside, what it will be like to meet them, to hold them for the first time. These questions go on and on. Sleep actually came fairly easy for me last night, but it didn't last long. Sometime in the early morning hours, my heart was suddenly awake. I say my heart because I felt first with my heart and then with my head. I know this feeling and quickly recognized it as the quiet whispering of my Father. Grave clothes. What an odd thought right?!? But this is what I heard and then I saw my children wrapped in grave clothes and my heart just suddenly filled with grief. I cried out to God in my heart and as I did, I felt the grave clothes lifting off of Tatya, Ana, and Eli. I cried out again, asking that He replace these, instead clothing them in the love of the Father. I could feel words of acceptance and affirmation flowing from the very throne room of Heaven covering Tatya, Ana, and Eli. After these strong emotions and visions left me, God began to reveal what exactly it was that He wanted to teach me. You see, Tatya, Ana, and Eli are orphans in a country where they have absolutely no value or worth. Their entire life is defined by the fact that they were born with Down Syndrome. This definition means loneliness, neglect, and mistreatment, ultimately ending in a mental institution where mercy comes only in the form of death. Thankfully because of many, many prayers and the power of God, Tatya, Ana, and Eli will not be going to a mental institution. Instead, they will be coming home. Their loneliness and neglect will be replaced with unconditional love and affirmation. Words cannot express my gratitude for this. Resurrection Sunday will forever hold a new meaning in my heart and in our family. However, the sad reality is that there are so many more beautiful children who have no one coming for them. On this Easter, my prayer is that these children will be lifted before their Heavenly Father. I pray that families will come forward, risk it all and seek them out. I pray that those that cannot come forward themselves, will sow into other's adoptions, because adoptions don't just happen. There is so much power in prayer.

~Adoption Update~
We are flying out Friday morning!!! No flights were available on Saturday, so we are leaving a day earlier...that means one less day to get it all done :) We also are flying out EARLY in the morning so we will be spending the night in Tampa. That means we are leaving our house Thursday afternoon!!! Still soooo much to do!