I was so excited to finally get our fingerprinting appointment from CIS today in the mail!!! I could hardly believe it. It has almost been 2 months since we filed our 1-600A and we still hadn't heard any word about our appointment (it's very official, you pretty much HAVE to make it and once you file for your 1-600A - which gives you permission to bring an orphan into the U.S. - you just have to wait until you are next in line to get the appt.) . Two other families in the area had already recieved their appointments so I was really just trusting the Lord and reminding my heart of God's wisdom and sovereignty over all this. I want to get the baby he has ordained for us and not be stressed about thing not working in 'my timeline'. I had shot CIS an email to check on our status and they said that they couldn't guarantee us an appt for June but at latest July but then we get it today and our appt is June 23rd! God is so gracious and this makes me very excited and even more motivated to finish up the last dossier things and then we will just be waiting on our fingerprints and approval letter. We will be finished with our homestudy on Thursday, which is also amazing. I can't believe it! I will blog more about how things went with the honestudy at a future date. For the moment recipe planning awaits me. May I leave you with an evening meditation from Spurgeon?
He that loveth not knoweth not God."—1 John 4:8.
The distinguishing mark of a Christian is his confidence in the love of Christ, and the yielding of his affections to Christ in return. First, faith sets her seal upon the man by enabling the soul to say with the apostle, "Christ loved me and gave Himself for me." Then love gives the countersign, and stamps upon the heart gratitude and love to Jesus in return. "We love Him because He first loved us." In those grand old ages, which are the heroic period of the Christian religion, this double mark was clearly to be seen in all believers in Jesus; they were men who knew the love of Christ, and rested upon it as a man leaneth upon a staff whose trustiness he has tried. The love which they felt towards the Lord was not a quiet emotion which they hid within themselves in the secret chamber of their souls, and which they only spake of in their private assemblies when they met on the first day of the week, and sang hymns in honour of Christ Jesus the crucified, but it was a passion with them of such a vehement and all-consuming energy, that it was visible in all their actions, spoke in their common talk, and looked out of their eyes even in their commonest glances. Love to Jesus was a flame which fed upon the core and heart of their being; and, therefore, from its own force burned its way into the outer man, and shone there. Zeal for the glory of King Jesus was the seal and mark of all genuine Christians. Because of their dependence upon Christ's love they dared much, and because of their love to Christ they did much, and it is the same now. The children of God are ruled in their inmost powers by love—the love of Christ constraineth them; they rejoice that divine love is set upon them, they feel it shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto them, and then by force of gratitude they love the Saviour with a pure heart, fervently. My reader, do you love Him? Ere you sleep give an honest answer to a weighty question!
The distinguishing mark of a Christian is his confidence in the love of Christ, and the yielding of his affections to Christ in return. First, faith sets her seal upon the man by enabling the soul to say with the apostle, "Christ loved me and gave Himself for me." Then love gives the countersign, and stamps upon the heart gratitude and love to Jesus in return. "We love Him because He first loved us." In those grand old ages, which are the heroic period of the Christian religion, this double mark was clearly to be seen in all believers in Jesus; they were men who knew the love of Christ, and rested upon it as a man leaneth upon a staff whose trustiness he has tried. The love which they felt towards the Lord was not a quiet emotion which they hid within themselves in the secret chamber of their souls, and which they only spake of in their private assemblies when they met on the first day of the week, and sang hymns in honour of Christ Jesus the crucified, but it was a passion with them of such a vehement and all-consuming energy, that it was visible in all their actions, spoke in their common talk, and looked out of their eyes even in their commonest glances. Love to Jesus was a flame which fed upon the core and heart of their being; and, therefore, from its own force burned its way into the outer man, and shone there. Zeal for the glory of King Jesus was the seal and mark of all genuine Christians. Because of their dependence upon Christ's love they dared much, and because of their love to Christ they did much, and it is the same now. The children of God are ruled in their inmost powers by love—the love of Christ constraineth them; they rejoice that divine love is set upon them, they feel it shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto them, and then by force of gratitude they love the Saviour with a pure heart, fervently. My reader, do you love Him? Ere you sleep give an honest answer to a weighty question!
2 comments:
Yeah!!! .... more progress! Doesn't that just feel good? :) I so appreciate how not only are you following the Lord to Ethiopia ... but you're also embracing the lessons in the day-to-day that He has for you right now as wife and mama to your precious boys. Rejoicing with you on each step of this journey and long to see pics one day of you and your new babe. :) Much love to you!!
I am so excited for you. We leave for the long eight hour day ahead tomorrow for CIS fingerprinting. We finished our homestudy last week and are almost done with the notary portion of our dossier then we have to move on the yucky next few seals. I think we are going to wing it ourselves (thats the plan for now). I keep hoping we travel together. That would be such an amazing adventure. Still holding out hope for dinner soon. Have a wonderful day tomorrow. Wish JOB happy birthday(from the family he has met all of once).
Post a Comment