A Quick and Quiet Week

I just realized that we haven't posted anything this week. Well there’s not much to tell, but I'll post anyway...

We’ve both been busy with work since the holiday, and I’ve been busy writing a paper and preparing for a test. But we are still here, still waiting. Time has actually been moving fairly quickly – long weekends and short work weeks definitely help!

So I thought I should at least check in, for the handful of people who regularly look at the blog. As always, your comments are welcome – that helps us know that somebody out there is interested (or bored).

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
James 1:27

Waiting

Two passages in the Bible have brought me an extra dose of comfort and peace recently…

First is the story of Hannah. She prayed to and hoped in the Lord, and He blessed her with a son. She did some serious waiting, and along the way suffered ridicule, but she remained faithful and God provided. “She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked the Lord for him” (1 Samuel 1, NIV).

Then, there’s the verse in Isaiah that I’ve always loved… But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31, KJV)

So we continue to wait. Not my favorite thing in the world, but I know it’s in God’s hands. I know that this is a great opportunity to draw closer to Him. And I know that our little guy will definitely be worth the wait!

Oh, and we received confirmation that the delay in getting our dossier submitted is actually a blessing – it’s a complicated story, but God gave us a better view of the big picture this past week.

Zack and I appreciate your continued prayers for us and our journey. And even more important, please continue to pray for Little Guy – for his physical and mental health, and his overall well-being. And until we can get there to care for him ourselves, pray that God has surrounded Him with loving caregivers to watch after him.

Hope you all have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend!

Happy Anniversary to Us!!

Zack and I are celebrating our 9th wedding anniversary today!

Nine years ago today, we began our journey. It has turned out to be the most amazing and fantastic experience I could ever imagine. I am blessed to be married to my best friend, my hero, and my inspiration. Thanks for 9 wonderful years Zack (and thanks for the beautiful flowers too!). I love you so much, and I look forward to many, many more!

Special anniversary wishes also go out to some of our friends...

Happy 8th Anniversary to Mark & Missy!

Happy 3rd Anniversary to Michaele & Eric!

UPDATE:

I just found out that our new friends (who are also adopting from Ukraine) have the May 22nd anniversary as well...

Happy (belated) 8th Anniversary to Kelly & Amanda!

Celebrity Sighting

Living in the Metro Atlanta area, at some point you're bound to happen upon a celebrity while at the mall, out to dinner, or at church. Yes, even at our church, we just never know who we might run into! We’ve had a number of Georgia politicians attend from time to time; Stewart Cink is a regular; and as we walk in the door of the worship center, Nick Green’s dad hands us our bulletins.

While these sightings don’t happen all the time, I tend to keep my camera in my purse just in case a photo op presents itself. Yesterday was one of those times. Apparently our pastor’s wife is a Backstreet Boys fan, and although we don’t know exactly how he ended up at Cross Pointe, somehow Mrs. Merritt had Howie Dorough of BSB sitting with her.

Dr. Merritt introduced him during the welcome part of the service, and right after that we had the part of our service where we shake hands with those around us. When our worship leader got up to get things going again, you should have seen the flood of teenage girls who had gone to welcome Howie to Cross Pointe.

So after church, I asked if he’d mind posing for a picture. I can’t say that I know a lot about the group. After all, I’m part of the NKOTB generation! But it makes for good blogging, and when your husband encourages you to have your picture taken with a celebrity, you go for it!

So this is our first celebrity sighting entry on the blog…

What famous people have you seen or met??

Milestones and Legacies

It slipped by without Zack or I really thinking about it. Yesterday was 3 months since we officially started our adoption process. On February 15, we began our homestudy and thus began the craziness that we are in the midst of now! When I think about it in terms of only 3 months (our “first trimester”), it really is amazing that we’ve come this far in such a short amount of time. I get caught up in wanting things to move fast, but in reality they ARE moving fast! At the same time, I hope we don’t have to post TOO many of these milestones along the way.

How Will You Be Remembered?
Most of you know that Zack got his bachelor’s degree from Liberty University, and that is also where I’m working on my MBA. Yesterday was a sad day for the Liberty family, as we lost our president and chancellor, Reverend Jerry Falwell.

We had the priledge of meeting Rev. Falwell last summer while visiting the Liberty campus. As we walked around the chancellor's office, we heard a familiar voice. Out walked a man whose physical stature commanded attention and respect, but whose demeanor and handshake exuded a gentleness and peace. We didn't say anything at first, so he stepped up and introduced himself. It was only a brief encounter as he was on his way to a lunch meeting, but it was definitely one of those milestone memories.

While he was definitely outspoken and controversial at times, Rev. Falwell exhibited passion and conviction in every aspect of his life. He was an example of the words written in Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (NIV). He was not afraid to stand up for his beliefs, showing little concern for the media’s liberal reactions to what he felt to be God’s purpose for his life. He left a legacy for those that follow him, including a wife and 3 children, a 26,000+ student body at Liberty University, and his 24,000-member Thomas Road Baptist Church.

When a man of his stature passes away, it causes me to reflect on my own life. What am I doing to leave a legacy? Am I creating a legacy for my family that is based on faith and values, on God and His unfailing love, on salvation and the promise of eternal life? Or am I filling up our schedules with mundane, unmemorable, less-than-eternal events?

These are things that I ponder even more so now that we are on the brink of becoming parents. There will soon be a sweet young man with us that will be looking up to us to understand why he was created, what his purpose is, and how he should live. What a tremendous responsibility! We are thankful (and terrified!) that God is going to entrust one of His precious creations to our care, and I want to do everything I can to raise him in the way that brings glory to the Creator.

Please continue to pray for us as we travel further down this long and winding road of adoption. Specifically, please pray that our attitudes will be pleasing to God, and that we are seeking His will and not ours. And please keep our Ukrainian facilitators in your prayers as they await the time to submit our dossier.

It's back... The Tuesday Ten

After a 2-week hiatus, The Tuesday Ten is back…

Last night was a solemn evening for the Dove household. We bid farewell to a couple we were introduced to just a few months after getting married. We’ve laughed at them, laughed with them, and last night, even shed a tear or two. And of course we found ourselves relating to their decision to start their family through international adoption.

Yes, I’m speaking of the final episode of The King of Queens, Zack’s all-time favorite TV show. And speaking of the adoption, it was in typical Hollywood fashion, where adoptions are completed in 3 episodes or less. Oh, to be in THAT world...

In honor of the end of an era, today’s Tuesday Ten is about TV characters. Like we did with our favorite movie characters, we’ve only named the character. We want YOU to guess the TV show (just click on comments and post your guesses!). We’ll post the answers in a week or so.

1. Doug Heffernan
2. Jack Bauer
3. Marty Crane
4. Joey & Chandler
5. Earl Hickey
6. Tim Taylor
7. Gil Grissom
8. Barney Stinson
9. Brian Griffin
10. Kevin Arnold

A Salute to Our Moms

Wishing a very Happy Mother's Day to our moms...
We love each of you very much, and we are so thankful for the Godly influence you've had on our lives.
Thank you for being our moms!!

Pond Scum and Pity Parties

Yesterday was not my best day. I wasn’t feeling well anyway, and the reality of May 7 passing without submission of our dossier certainly didn’t lift my spirits. Add to that a myriad of snafus with our recently installed pond, and you’ve got a first class recipe for moping. I don't know about you, but sometimes a pity party does me good because it makes me think, and it makes me put things into perspective.

I’m sure by now many of you have heard me say, “It will happen when it’s supposed to happen.” I said those exact words to my friend Tiffany on Sunday. She replied, “Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?” Busted.

And my dad called me on Saturday…

Dad: How long have you been at this [adoption]?

Me: Almost 3 months.

Dad: And how long does it take to have a baby?

Me: 9 months.

Dad: Yep.

I appreciate the prayers, emails, calls, and general support of our friends and family. But I also appreciate when they provide me with some good reality checks!

The Big Picture
When I went to the movies as a kid, I wanted to sit in the front row. The screen looked so big, and it made me feel like I was actually a part of the movie. But sitting that close meant I was only watching what was right in front of me. I couldn’t see everything going outside of my focal point, and sometimes I had a hard time focusing on anything at all.

Then I got older, and I began to appreciate sitting towards the back, in the middle of a row. It’s a great vantage point because I get the best of the full theater experience, taking in everything that’s happening onscreen.

Right now, Zack & I are sitting on the front row. We are focused on what’s right around us, but we’re missing out on the big picture. Not God, though. He’s sitting in the back of the theater. He sees everything that’s going on. He knows how all the intricate pieces fit together.

I know that somewhere down the road everything will make sense. We'll look back & see why things happened the way they did. And I know that God has a plan that is so much bigger than anything my little mind can fathom. I just have to trust in Him.

There is definitely risk in putting your trust in people. People break promises. People fail you. People aren’t always there. But when I put my trust in the Lord, I can rest assured that He won't break a promise, He won't fail me, and He'll always be there. He's acting in my best interest. It may not be the way I would choose to do things, but He knows best!

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3: 5 - 6

I was just thinking. . . .

Sometimes I find myself thinking about the strangest things. Since Jennifer is out of town this week, I seem to find myself with some extra time on my hands to think about things.

Do you ever try to compare yourself to someone in history? I do all the time. Many times, it ends up being people from the Bible, just because most of the history that I know is from the Bible. Many people compare themselves to Paul who faced many trials and struggles. I have always had a hard time relating to Paul for the shear fact that I have lived a very charmed life thus far. I cannot relate to his struggles of being falsely imprisoned, nearly beaten to death, and bearing a thorn in his flesh that was so bad that he prayed for God to remove it on several occasions.

I tend to relate more to Peter. He was just a normal guy with no special education. Since we decided to start the process of starting a family, I have thought about Peter alot. I have found myself angry and jealous that EVERYONE around us seems to have no trouble at all getting pregnant and starting their families, even if they weren't trying to do so. I got so down and depressed that I couldn't hear the Lord whispering for me to step out onto the water.

If you know they story of Peter, he was out fishing one day when a massive storm came up. Jesus came walking on the water and summoned Peter to walk out to Him. Here is where we differ- I don't think I would have even taken that first step onto the water, but Peter did. AND HE DIDN'T SINK. Well, he didn't sink until he started looking around him and seeing all of those big waves coming at him. That is when it happened. He took his eyes of Jesus and he started to sink. That I can relate to. Things go well for a while and I say, Ok God, I got it. I can take over from here. I take my eyes off of Christ and that is when I start to sink. Can anyone relate?

Then there is another person that I have found myself relating to alot since the first of the year. His name is Eutychus. If you don't know him- read the story- it's pretty amazing (Acts 20:9-12). This guy fell asleep while Paul was preaching and fell out of the third story window and DIED! Paul then proceeds to raise him from the dead. Here is the similarity, I had been listening to doctors and watching everyone else around us spitting out babies and wondering why God was mad at us. We wondered what we did wrong that we weren't worthy to have or raise a child when there are a million teenage moms out there who can't afford to feed or care for a baby. Not to mention every night on the news you read about some scum bag who kills or abuses a sweet little baby and it really makes you wonder. I had to die- not physically, but had to die to all of those feelings of anger and resentment. At Christmas time, I did. I died. Then I was raised to a new way of thinking. God has a child for us. We know his name and love him already, but we haven't met him. Somewhere right now he is sleeping in a little dirty cot. His little clothes are probably ragged and don't match each other, but that is my boy.

We got some bad news today. Apparently the people we were supposed to switch places with in line decided to change their minds. When Jenn called me this afternoon crying to tell me that it may be as late as July before we get submitted now, I found my first thought being- what did we do wrong? Here comes another wave, just like Peter. We have a choice to make, will it be put our focus on the wave or put our focus on the one who controls the wave with just a soft whisper.

Thanks for reading this as I ramble on with my unorganized thoughts and bad grammar. I just know that one day I am going to look back and read this post and see how the Lord used this day for His good, our good, and that sweet little guy waiting for his new Mama and Papa to come and get him.