Helpful thoughts

This is an email my sweet Daddy sent us on October 16.  Everyday since then I have tried to remember to enjoy this time in Ukraine and stop asking "are we there yet?". When our family has taken long trips our kids would behave really well until the last half hour.  No matter how many hours the trip took, three or thirteen, when we were at the last half hour they would get antsy and whiny and cry and ask are we there yet?  That is how today is.  It is a beautiful day the Lord has made.  I should be rejoicing in it and enjoying what He has planned, but it feels like the last half hour and I want out of the car!  So the antidote to this feeling is a sacrifice of praise.  I want to thank Him for all the things I can remember that have shown his kindness along the way. 1. He let us meet Julia and decide to adopt her. 2. Our WHOLE family supported our decision and has encouraged us with their prayers, kind words, money and physical help. 3. Julia agreed to let us adopt her even though it meant leaving everything she has known, including friends she has had since first grade. 4. Virginia got to travel to Ukraine. 5. We have met people from Ukraine who live in Montgomery who are helpful and kind and have offered to help Julia when we return. 6. Our church family has supported us through prayers and financially and by taking care of Laura and Virginia while we are gone. 7. We have become a part of a special circle of people who have adopted kids. 8. Our friends have helped our kids by driving them places, feeding them and checking to make sure they are okay. 9. We have seen glowing sunsets and beautiful Ukrainian countryside on our many trips to Romny and Sumy. 10. God has provided friends that we met here, the Fox family and the Eides and Perkins in Kiev.  11.  We met some wonderful Ukrainian people, Svetlana, our facilitator, Konstantin, her boss, Andrew, Misha and Vova, Andrew's parents, the ladies at the reception desk of our hotel, the waitresses at the cafe in our hotel in Romny,and Lilya, a lady who came in from vacation to help with our paperwork in Romny. 12. We got to meet Julia's friends, so we have faces to go with names. 13. We finally got to visit Jill and David Martin in Odessa and see them in action at their school. 14. We got to fellowship with Jill and David's team and worship with them in their church.15. Because of this visit we know much better how to pray for them and we understand firsthand how vital prayer is to missionaries. 16. We got to host a pizza party for Julia and her friends and take lots of pictures for Julia to keep of fun memories.  17. Andy and I have had a LONG vacation together in a beautiful place that has included lots of walking and shopping (for food and chocolate!) and a chance to pray together and enjoy fellowship in the Lord. 18. We have had the chance to experience new culture and food and ways of thinking.  19. We have seen again that God is Lord over the whole earth and His people are over the whole earth, from every tribe and tongue. 20. We KNOW God has called us to do this whole thing and that He will enable us to do what He has called us to do.  21. We know in a deeper, richer way how much our 

Father loves us and the lengths He will go to show us-- all the way to the cross.  There... I feel better now.  Hope you do, too.

Dear Andy, Libby and Julia,  It is hard for  us to imagine the frustration and disappointments that you must be experiencing in your quest to do God's will.  The many obstacles that have been, and continue to be place in your path under the guise of government bureaucracy are really tests that are being placed there, perhaps by satan, or maybe God himself, not necessarily to prepare you for the future life on earth but rather to let you understand how much better your eternal life with Him will be.  You are on a wonderful trip that has been planned for years by a loving father whose only interest is to make the destination one of joy and happiness, so sit back and relax and quit asking "are we there yet".  He will let you know when we get there.  We love you kids,  Poppie