This New Year has been the strangest that I can remember. The celebration was a ball; spent with good friends and yummy food, but I've just been funky really. I wish I could explain it, but it really all boils down to trying to find happiness in people and circumstances instead of finding joy in Christ. I can thank a wonderful Wednesday night sermon for that reminder. Anyway, with that being said, I finally feel that I can usher in the new year in my heart as well as reflect on 2011. If my memory served me better I could give you a month by month play by play, but alas I am not a good memory keeper so an overview will have to do. :).
We began the year with accepting the call to expand our family through adoption. That took us on a journey of watching God provide in some pretty amazing ways through fundraisers, private donations, and even one family supporting our adoption monthly. Wow-what a precious thing to watch the hand of God!!!
Other memories from the winter of 2011. We played in lots of snow!
With the spring came making the decision to leave my teaching career official by telling my precious assistant. Later, the day before my 30th birthday, I let my principal and super attendant know. I love the kiddo's and parents at Cherry and am able to keep up with many of them on facebook, but every single day since the end of May I have been thankful for the step of faith we made in our decision for me to stay home. Not only do I get to teach and train our lil lady, but we have also seen God provide again and again just like He promises.
We said "see ya later" to some of our very best friends a they made the journey to Swaziland. We of course continue to miss them tons, but are enjoying our pen pal correspondence as well as our skype and phone calls!
Nathan tried out for the fire department during the summer and got put on the future hire list. That basically means that the door has not been closed on that possibility, so we continue to pray for God's will.
We took two vacations in July. One to Gatlinburg and one to Mississippi. Lylah got to see the ocean for the first time and love it!
We ended our vacations and went straight into party mode a our lil lady turned 2!!
The fall brought the beginning of tot school as well as an opportunity to share about sensory bins with our MOPS group. Fall also brought new friendships and a bad case of Vertigo for Nathan.
And like most of you we ended the year by celebrating Thanksgiving and cherishing the season of our Savior's birth.
So as we look forward to 2012 we know it will be like every other year as far as having peeks and valleys, but we are thankful that we will not go alone as Christ has gone before us.
We would appreciate your continued prayers concerning our adoption. Things are at least moving again. We are praying that we will not only accept a referral for our sweet Lydia some time this year, but also brig her home. Please pray that the after referral wait time speeds up. Right now they are saying 10-15 months after the referral. God's timing is perfect, but we also know that He is bigger than that time frame. Also pray that we will wait well for His perfect timing especially if it is not this year.
One thing that 2011 has taught us is that God is faithful so we will choose to praise Him for His faithfulness in 2012 whatever that ends up looking like.
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