A few random thoughts

Cindie and I leave for Ethiopia in a little over 40 hours from now. So, you'll have to be patient with my scattered thoughts. God has been so good to me that I am left spinning.

Monday, Cindie gave me what was the best birthday present I've ever received. I hesitate to tell you, because I'm afraid it may cause you to be jealous. She made me a book, a collection of 30 letters from people I love and admire. There were letters from professors, friends, former coaches and ministry veterans. There was even a short one from John Ortberg.

The letters have been very encouraging. I'm not through them yet. But I'm blown away.

I got her a shirt and a bracelet for her birthday.

God has been so good to me.

It looks like we are not going to be carrying any debt from the adoption. There was one grant ($3,000 that we are still waiting to receive, but I trust Steven Curtis Chapman), a few fundraisers, and small inheritance. But most of it came from God through my brothers and sisters. We needed over $20,000 in under a year. We also had to buy a new car and pay for oral surgery. We were ready to be indebted over this adoption, we did not expect that the only debt to remain outstanding would be our continuous debt to love others.

God brought people out of the woodwork to supply us with what we needed. God has been so good to me.

Sunday, I preached from Ezra. In it I found our prayer requests for this trip (the following is also found on our adoption blog ramiahadoption.blogspot.com:

8:21-23 There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, "The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him." So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.

Ezra was seeking;

1. Humility to fuel his trust.
2. Safety in travel.
3. The Hand of Our God to be on him.

As we approach our journey, we seek the same. This is what we will be praying for. We ask that you pray the same. Even fast if you feel compelled to do so. While we are at it a couple more things we are praying about (all of which would fall under number three, really):

A. That we get to meet with Ramiah's birth mother.
B. That God allows us to have more energy and life than our rest will
provide.
C. That we have ample opportunities to minister to other people while
there.

God's hand has been on us. He has been so good.