I am thankful

I have written three posts in the last few days, but didn't feel up to publishing any of them.  I started to write today about my disappointment that we won't have Sena home for Christmas and how hard it is to be separated from her.  Instead, I am going to focus on what I have to be thankful for.  I am thankful that He directed our steps to YWAM all those months ago.  I am thankful that God drew our hearts to a little baby with beautiful eyes named Sena.  I am thankful that she was still available for adoption when we became paper ready.  I am thankful that our wait for her referral only took three months, rather than almost a year.  I am thankful that we were surprised with a court date in August when we thought we wouldn't hear until at least October.  I am thankful that we received a court date of October 27.  I am thankful that God took us safely to and from Ethiopia.  I am thankful for the opportunity to finally meet Sena and hold her in my arms.  I am thankful to have had the opportunity to meet her birth relative - a priceless gift to us and to her.  I am thankful that on November 11, a judge in Ethiopia legally made her our daughter.  I am thankful that today we got new pictures of her.  I am thankful that someday in the next couple of months, I will once again be able to hold her in my arms and, this time, I will not have to leave her.  I am thankful that God is giving us the privilege of raising this precious girl for Him.  I am thankful that He will give us the strength to endure the wait - however long it may be.  I am thankful that He loves me even when I am a brat and want to have things my own way.

Psalm 145: 17-18  The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

Psalm 100: 4-5  Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.