Today is...

World Malaria Day 2010

Every 30 seconds a child in Africa dies from malaria.
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Malaria is preventable.
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In Africa, malaria is a leading killer of children.
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Malaria is preventable!!
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Two-thirds of the 33 million refugees worldwide live in malaria endemic countries.
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**Nets save lives**

Sleeping with an insecticide treated bed (mosquito) net is the simplest way to prevent this disease. $10 could save a person's life. Seriously, one net means the world to the sweet bean who sleeps under it tonight!! Let's blanket Africa with nets! It could change the country. Really. It will.

something for everyone

***Garage Sale tomorrow 8a-1p***

If you need anything kid (seriously, anything!) we have it!!

And if you don't need anything kid, we have something for you too!

We have had so many families donate items for our sale (thank you!).

Come see us and buy a thing or two:)

It worked!!

YES!! Our senators really are for us! We found out Tuesday that their would be a briefing in DC on Wednesday advocating for IR4 visas (what we will need for babyu) to be issued again. TODAY, only 24 hours later the State Department issued this notice. We thank God! WOW. I am amazed. I really can't stop smiling. I never thought it would happen so fast. I thought the meeting yesterday would start new conversations and we would still have to wait weeks. This all started on Feb. 3 so unfortunately, we are getting used to waiting. Not really but it has been a LONG time. Especially for the families that have been in country the entire time!

Maybe I should be cautious. But I am so tired of being cautious. I am so tired of guarding my heart. I just want to enjoy and celebrate the news!! What this really means is that the Consulate will be issuing visas for legal guardianship's as long as the rulings contain the "correct wording" (which our lawyer always asks for) as long as all other investigations and documentation deem the child adoptable.

This is exactly what we have been waiting for! It will really be great when we see those visas issued for the some 21 families in country waiting. And then their sweet homecomings. oh, I can't wait!! Hoping and praying it happens in the next few days!!

Now, if only we could locate our home study...seriously, still looking...

(it is not lost in our home but somewhere in the USCIS world...)

1st step complete!

The meeting went "very well"!! Such great news! 19 people were present which is a huge blessing considering word got out yesterday about the briefing. More to come...

calling all people.

There is a big meeting tomorrow. April 14 at 11:30a-12:30p in Washington DC. Please pray. The outcome could be huge!

one day without shoes.

join me. for 20 minutes, an hour or the rest of the day. experience what millions of men, women and children around the globe experience every single day.

...and the wait continues...

I called our local USCIS office today to confirm that they had received our home study (we sent it on March 23). I spoke to a very nice lady and was actually shocked to get an answer straight away...I have NEVER gotten a real live person before! Anyway, I asked her if she had received our home study...it has been 16 days since I fed ex'ed it to the lock box in TX. Plenty of time to go to TX and back again. She was a little confused as to why I sent it to TX first. REALLY? Because that is where my home study agency told me to send it!!! She then went on to say, "why would you send it to TX if you knew it was coming back here anyways??" Good question Officer P..... When dealing with the government, I do what I am told. Period. And I trust our home study agency because we have paid them some $2***.00. This is not Lifeline, we are so thrilled with Lifeline! Not so thrilled with our home study agency. I am really hoping the woman didn't get the memo and that I really was supposed to send it to the lockbox.

I then asked her if there was some number that I could call to see if it was on track to go to our local office. She said no. Great. What to do now? Try and get someone to talk to on the USCIS general line who knows where our home study is located. A friend gave me a tip today so I will be trying that tomorrow.

So the wait continues with our CIS approval as well as with the situation in country. No news on that front....

We are still praying for the families that have been there for 8-10 weeks and counting. Some are headed home without their children...God please make miracles happen THIS week for these families so they do not have to leave their kids (some for the second time). Give them peace and comfort as they continue to wait. Give them joy in the simplest things in these day of uncertainty.