GREAT things.

Our mouths were filled with laughter,

our tongues with songs of joy.

Then it was said among the nations,   

 “The Lord has done great things for them.”

The Lord has done great things for us,   

and we are filled with joy. 

Psalm 126-2-3 

HE HAS DONE GREAT THINGS. 

Sometimes I forget this. Sometimes I allow my lack of faith (aka my worrying and doubting) to control my mood. Sometimes my attitude reflects the fact that I don't trust. Sometimes I forget that JOY is a CHOICE. Sometimes I forget to praise and thank our God who is so good and loves us so much. 

He has surely done great things. And I am filled with JOY. Let me just have a little show-n-tell with you so that you can see all the great things He has done. I'll end it with some great things about our Eric. 

We got to hang out with these AWESOME students this week for multiple Christmas parties! I absolutely LOVE them. So honored with the privilege we've had to love on them, invest in them, and disciple them!  Would not change time with them for ANYTHING in the world! 

First thing... me and my hubby have successfully completed 4 years of marriage! WOO HOO! He took me on an ALL DAY date!!! That says something right there peeps - I know 4 years isn't too long, but my hubs still wants to spend ALL day with me! That just makes me giggle. We went to Waffle House. Shopping. He bought me scarfs because I love them... I would literally wear one everyday if I could. Movies. Smooches. And laughter. It was a great day. He has done GREAT things in our marriage. It's fun. 

One of my favorite people, Kelli (and her fam) gave me this AWESOME gift for Christmas!! Birthdays. Anniversaries. Awesomeness!!! I absolutely LOVE it. I cannot wait until I can get it hung up! He has done GREAT things with this friendship. So thankful for the Knicks. 

Today Jacob had an itch to do a puzzle... so we put Eric's puzzle together. It's complete with the names of YOU... the people who have loved and supported our boy since you heard about it! We can't wait until we can show him and tell him about each name on the back of the pieces!!! We still have a few blank ones if you are interested! $10 each. Just got to the DONATE button on the right side of the screen and fill out the info. 

The completed puzzle. 

Can't wait to hang it up in Eric's room... or wherever we decide to hang it!  

God has done great things - 

Our medical form was accepted, all of our pre - adoption paperwork has been approved, the final letter from the US/Alabama has been sent to immigration, and Eric has applied for his passport!!!!!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!!! 
Our social worker said it is a Christmas miracle that everything was processed so quickly!  Love that! Our God is a God of miracles. Whether or not it was in MY timing, this story that God is writing continues to show His awesome power and His perfect-ness.
So now we just sit back and wait on the Article 5 Letter from the US Embassy... and then travel dates!!! Please pray for that letter (I really don't know what it is exactly... just know we need it).  Pray that the travel dates are set up QUICKLY so we can go get Eric!!! 

We certainly know the power of prayer - it moves paper work. It brings our case to people's minds. It speeds up approvals. It comforts our son. It keeps us sane. It is essential. 

Some GREAT Eric things: 

We sent Eric a package with a blanket, a shirt, and 3 lb bag of Jolly Ranchers about 2 and 1/2 weeks ago.  I thought it was lost. But... finally on Tuesday, he got it!! He was so excited about the Jolly Ranchers.  The next day, we asked him if he'd eaten all the candy. He said he and a few friends ate ALL of it!!! Holy moly. 3 POUNDS!!! Wowzers. He really likes Jolly Ranchers. 

Last night we were talking to Eric. We were explaining what we know of the process when we come get him and what we have to do once he gets here.  We told him he would be able to change his name.  I asked him what he wanted his name to be (thinking he would answer "Eric Emmanuel Morgan") and he said... "Umm... Mikey Morgan."  Haha! He said he didn't really want to be called Eric... but liked Mikey.  He said it sounds like his favorite skateboarder dude. Nice.  What do ya say??? We just told him we could talk about it 

later... maybe Mikey could be a nickname??? I just giggled. Love it! 

We've been excited to hear about what all the orphanage does/allows for the kiddos around Christmas.  Several groups of people have gone and given gifts out there. They've had several Christmas parties and were even taken out to eat at a restaurant one night. Eric has REALLY been wanting some Nike Jordan sandals (the old school kind with Micheal Jordan on the one-strap flip-flops). We didn't want to send them down there in case something happened to them, so we said we would get them for him for when he got here. He was okay with that but still really wanted them. So... one night we talked to him and he was SO excited because one of the groups that came brought him the very sandals he had been wanting!!!! Yay!! I was so excited that someone blessed my boy in that way! He was thrilled. He said Ms. Natalie from Florida brought them. So... I don't know who you are - Ms. Natalie from Florida... but I THANK YOU! You made my boy's day! 

We love finding out more bits about our Eric each night. We look forward to talking with him all day. Although we don't always know what to say, we run out of questions some nights, have super long and excellent conversations some nights, don't know how to explain how much we love him, and we are new to this whole parents of a teenager thing... I love our family. I'm beyond excited to live life with my fellas. To pray over them and with them. To play video games, basketball, arts & crafts, board games, and everything else. To cook dinner together. Whatever happens... I'm just excited that we get to be Eric's parents.  I just love him. 

Just some pics...

Just some pictures from a perfect weekend @ the beach with some great people.

That is all.

Have a great week! :)

Sponsored.

Hi there! Hope your weekend was as festive as ours.

This was last weekend at the Troy vs. Savannah State game, but I thought it was cute. :) We have fun together and that's good.

LOOK AT ALL THESE AWESOME PEOPLE WHO ALREADY LOVE ERIC!! We have been overwhelmed by the amazing gifts people are sending to us and Eric. It's amazing. We don't know how to so thank you, but we KNOW God will bless. 

We got to see these awesome people this weekend. The Morgans love the Dobsons! :) 

My sweet Nanny and Pawpaw have continued their crazy journey to health. Pawpaw contracted aspiration pneumonia and had to go back to the hospital after a few days in rehab.  He got a new fire in him, started walking around on his command, and will hopefully be heading BACK to a rehab facility today! YAY! Want that man to get better... he's the BEST I know. 

Parker's birthday party was this weekend... since we have basically to be part of the Knick family, we got to go! :) and BATMAN showed up!! BATMAN, aka one of our youth who is obsessed with dressing up like Batman, made this 4-year-old's dream come true!! :) 

B.A.T.M.A.N.

Saturday night was Andrew's party with his family! He is an old man... the big 3-0! 

Happy birthday Knick boys! 

Now... onto something that blew my mind and spoke to my heart -

Jacob and I are filling out our VERY LAST PAPERWORK set for adoption!!! O thank the good Lord! One of these forms, the i864, is for the sponsorship of Eric into the USA. We are filling in the blanks that Jacob is the initial sponsor for Eric to come home. We have to fill out ALL our financial information, every penny and asset, DEBT, etc. accounted for on this form. 

So... SO much during this adoption process has reminded me of Christ's amazing love and adoption of us.  This form hit me... to the point of near tears - 

Jesus Christ is our sponsor, like Jacob is Eric's sponsor. Jesus signed His name saying that He was taking responsibility of our entrance and right into His kingdom... just like Jacob is taking full responsibility for all that Eric is and his citizenship here.  Jesus looked at our SIN, our debt, our assets, our NOTHING... and decided that He would pay our debt, He would take all of our past, our future, our family lineage, our orphan-state, and bring us into a forever home... accounted for in His family.  This form shows that we are taking ALL of Eric - his past, his orphan-state, his life - and claims that WE WANT HIM as ours!! Jesus did this for us in a much larger way.  He sponsors us to enter heaven. He stands in our place and says... "I take responsibility for this man/woman's wrongdoings... he/she is mine. I know them well." YES! We are sponsored! We are adopted! We are forever a part of His family. We get a NEW life. A NEW balance... FORGIVEN! He looks at us, with even more love in His eyes than an adoptive family could imagine and says "I WANT YOU! YOU ARE MINE!" 

Oh... what a Savior we a have! 

Also... a lyric in an old song spoke to my heart yesterday morning: 

Mold me and make me

After THY will

While I am WAITING

YIELDED and STILL

Yes... this is my prayer. While we are waiting. Completely still. Completely yielded to His moving us... I am begging that He refine us into His image. For us to learn what He is teaching us. For us to be the parents, son/daughter, friends, ministers, employees, prayer warriors that we have been made to be.