Life Preserver and the BIG Giveaway!

Somebody throw me a rope!

I am drowning in the sea of paperwork... I have been trying to keep up with all that needs to be done... many of our documents have to be notarized,... all of the documents for the dossier have be exactly perfect, with no mistakes, no white out (does anyone still use that stuff?), no abbreviations, and signed with a certain color ink pen!

There are at least a dozen different folks we're working with from notaries, to our family doctor and his staff... from HR representatives at Jeff's employer... to officials who do finger-printing... and more - and I have to explain to each and every one of them how documents have to be done exactly 'just so'. It's nerve wracking.

By mid-morning today, in the midst of the Great Paperwork Sea, I found myself getting stressed and beginning to whine and complain.

Then I read this, that a lovely lady of the Lord posted:

“I am EXCEEDINGLY joyful in all our tribulation” 2 Cor 7:4. Most of us are complaining in tribulation. We hardly face tribulation in this country but it would be good to get in practice for when it may not be so easy. Let’s seek to be joyful even when we face small hardships. Not only joyful, but EXCEEDINGLY joyful! What a difference this would make in our attitude and also the example we give to our children. ~ Nancy Campbell {Above Rubies}

And I remembered Who is in charge. And I remembered what my Word for the Year is...

Joy.

I can hardly say that paper-chasing is a hardship, great or small. No, at worst it is a duty. It is digging in and doing whatever it takes for the privilege of being Kirk's Mama & Daddy. It is just a temporary task. Might it be that I just need to muster up some gumption with a grin on?

I get the privilege of swimming the Paperwork Channel and the privilege of bringing home our son from a country I've been so very close to the border of, but never actually visited.

And we get to pay for all this paper chase (and it costs quite a bit) because God is our Great Provider and He has chosen some of you to get to take part in this amazing work.

So, it is with a joyful and grateful heart that I say thank you to the Father, and thank you to all of you who are praying and giving in so many ways.

And as part of our thanks, we're giving away four great prizes tomorrow night! Go here to read about our Kick-Off for Kirk Giveaway and see the prizes.

Anyone who has made a donation (through our Chip-In) has their name in the drawing, and the winners will be announced Thursday morning.

So get the word out.

Thank you all...

Shannon