HOME STUDY FINISHED

We finally received our completed home study today!!!!! It seems like it took forever but it is finally finished!!!!!!!! This is a HUGE step in the adoption process!!!! This means that we have been interviewed about every personal thing you can imagine, we have been observed in our home and with Emery, we have completed almost 30 pages of questions and our home has been approved as a home that is not only ready for a new baby but it has been determined that we are ready to bring another child into our home and would be able to provide the love, care and support for our new baby!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!!!!!!!

So what's next? Now that we have the complete home study, we can start applying for grants!

This also means that as soon as the funds are in, we can start applying with agencies which could go really quickly once we get to that point! 

We continue to pray and ask God to provide for us! We know that He will be faithful!

Our race is this weekend and after that is done we will have a better idea of where we stand financially! I daily have to press into the Lord and remember His faithfulness throughout my life and remember that HE will provide in HIS timing and as HE sees perfect for us!

We are anxious, excited, and hopeful! We pray often for the baby, which realistically could already be conceived! We pray for the family and pray for opportunities to know them and love them!


As I seem to get anxious often these days just thinking about this baby, ready to know when we will get to meet and wishing that I could hurry things up.... The Lord has reminded me often of this verse:

^{Exodus 14:14} The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

Such a sweet reminder that HE has us, in all situations I just have to be still! What a sweet reminder, especially on the days that I think 'if I could just do more then things would go quicker' -- ALL IN HIS TIME! So thankful for His constant love and care for His children!

Asking For Miracles

I have gotten to be a part of Community Bible Study this fall and it has already been one of the biggest blessings to me in not only my walk with the Lord but in connecting with other women, which was also important to me living in a new town! {Sidenote - on the first day I ran into an old college roommate from 2001 in the nursery - it has been soooo fun to reconnect with her!!!}

We are studying John and I have never spent so much time really devouring scripture! I have always been overwhelmed by the idea of breaking down scripture and looking into the original language and meanings. Well....God has blown me away at the ways He is revealing Himself to me in new and big ways! I am so thankful to get to be part of this ministry!

Last week we spent the whole week - yes that is right - THE WHOLE WEEK on these 11 verses. John 2:1-11, where Jesus performs His first miracle. He turns water into wine - for a wedding feast! He does this and only His disciples, His mother and the servants are even aware of what He has done (showing His humble character)! He literally has the servants fill the stone jars, normally used for washing, with water and when they pour it it has been turned into wine. Wine that would normally been brewed produce from grapes grown over the summer on high quality grapevines, pressed out in the fall and stored in vats to perfect maturity! This was good wine - the best! And just like THAT - Jesus made that wine! I have always just looked at that and thought, oh yeah, Jesus turned water to wine! But there is so much more to the text and it is for sure a MIRACLE!

From my CBS study book: "Dr. John F. Carter, in his book A Layman's Harmony of the Gospels, defines a miracle as an event in the external and visible world in which the power of God operates immediately, superseding the forces that are routinely at work in the universe. Thus, a miracle is not a violation of the law of nature nor the temporary suspension of the law. Rather, it brings a new force to bear on the case at hand - a force greater than the energies that regularly and naturally operate in nature."

I was challenged by this text to be more daring and expectant when I pray! John and I have been praying for our funds by January, but in that there have been many days of doubt in my mind that that could actually happen. $30,000 just seems like a huge number to me, and it is....BUT GOD.... GOD is soooo much BIGGER!!!!

John and I sat down on Sunday and looked through this text together, and began to ask God for a miracle! We felt challenged by the Holy Spirit to ask for $10,000 by the race. The race that is 10 days away! And somehow in asking for that He has given me a calm spirit - like IVE GOT THIS!

So I am taking a step of faith and sharing what we are asking! Our desire through our entire adoption process is to make MUCH OF HIM and for HIS truth to be seen and heard through our story! Would you pray with us for a miracle - something that we look and go - ONLY GOD could have made this happen!

I challenge you to ask God for miracles - be daring in your prayer life, expect BIG things, maybe He is just waiting for you to ask for His miraculous intervention!!!

As of today we are at $750 in our account! We are daily overwhelmed by those that are giving and wanting to be part of our story!!! 

For more information on how you can be a part and DONATE to our Adoption Click HERE!!!! 

Fundraising Update - October 5

It is the most amazing thing to see people join our team and support our adoption. It is humbling and exciting to get to be a part of something that we know God is doing! We are so grateful!!! Last weekend we asked you to join our team as we prepare for the Chosen Marathon! The Chosen Marathon was holding a competition - the team that had the most people join their team between Friday and Sunday would win a significant $$$ BONUS! Well guess what.....

WE WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!!!! 

We do not yet know what that amount will be but we are thankful for your support and for helping us build Team Forbis!!!! 

The money raised through the race has not yet been added to our account, but through generous donations made directly to our account we are excited to share with you that we have $550 raised!!!! 

God is so sweet!!

For more information on how you can be a part and DONATE to our Adoption Click HERE!!!! 

Allergies and Sinuses

Oh the lovely time of year when leaves start changing, the weather starts cooling down, pumpkins everywhere, and everyone just waiting for the first day it MIGHT be cool enough for boots and a scarf....like 85! its LOVELY

all of it except.....

ALLERGIES......ICK!!!!!

So what oily advice do I have for Sinus Infections and Allergies?!?!!

Well thankfully I have not had to deal with either of these in a few years......but I found these recipes and thought you (all of you poor allergy sufferers) might find them very useful::

{Allergies}

{Sinus Infections}

-By April Pointer-

8 Tbsp sea salt

10 drops of Young Living Rosemary essential oil

10 drops Young living Myrtle essential oil

OPTIONAL substitutes or additions:

 -a couple drops of Young Living Eucalyptus (any kind)

 -Melaleuca Alternifolia

 -Lavender -Purification -Lemon (not much)

Drop the oils into a small container already filled with 8 Tbsp sea salt.  Mix it into the salt well.  Add 1/2 to 1 tsp of the salt mixture to warm distilled or filtered water in a neti pot/nasal irrigation bottle and use a few times a day for a sinus infection.  Keep salt in a container with a lid.  It's a good amount and should last you quite a while.  Mine has kept well over a year.

I also use any of the above oils on my nose, forehead and neck topically and diluted a little if it's warm.

I love Thieves!

THIEVES!!! MY FAVORITE ESSENTIAL OIL!!!!!!! 

It smells soooo good!!!! 

This last weekend my family got hit HARD by some nasty bug! It started in our throats and then made its way down to our stomachs! It was lovely let me tell you.....BUT Thieves to the rescue!!!! We diffused, rubbed directly on, took internally, and rubbed on directly some more! We never went to the doctor and never took any medicine! yahoooooo!!!!!