Adoption Conference and Oprah

We received some updated pictures of our children yesterday. While I am glad for the pictures they always bring a myriad of emotions for me. I am happy to see them well and smiling. I am also struggling with sadness that they cannot be here with us.
This time we got pictures of them in their school uniforms. I have to say they are nothing at all like the uniforms we wear here in America. They were quite beautiful.
Today has been a little hard for me. We are preparing to go to the "Together for Adoption" conference in Nashville tomorrow. We are going so that we may learn more about how to get the word out about adoption. I know I will be interacting with lots of different people who have a heart for adoption. We will be taking lots of different classes and hearing adoption testimonies etc. We are hoping by going to this conference we will be able to help others to adopt.
Emotionally however, I don't know if I can handle this right now. It's just been a hard day. It'll be a year next week that we first laid eyes on our children. It has flown by. I am trusting the Lord with His timing. I just want to hold them, hug them, hear them laugh. Is that so bad?
So if you happen to be reading please pray for my heart this weekend while I am surrounded by people who have a passion for this ministry and pray that I will not grow weary in my calling to care for orphans.

In other related news we have a scholar coming from Liberia to live with us on Monday for a couple of months. She will be working with UT and the World Cocoa foundation. Please pray for her as she adjusts to a whole new way of life. It's her first time out of Africa. She also "happens" to live in the same town as our children. Hmmm, this is no coincidence. I am excited to see what God is up to.

Tomorrow (Friday, October 2) Oprah is airing a segment on the Liberian children that were adopted in Charlotte, NC. So tune in and learn all about what is going on in the lives of these families. It really is amazing to see!

ps I can't post pictures of Lydia and Leo on here but if you would like to see them I am apt to have one or two of them on me at any given time, being the proud mama I am! :)

PSS PLEASE KEEP PRAYING THEM HOME!