I Want A Crying Baby

No need to read the title again. I want a crying baby. There are times when Mercy is crying so loudly that I can’t even think and her tears seem to be for no apparent reason, then I may have a different tune. The words come to mind, stop crying!

I don’t have all the answers and it may take me many, many guesses before I figure out the root of her discontent or pull a trick out of the air that will calm her down. However, my baby cries! I celebrate that, because there was a time when a bump on the head wouldn’t even bring the tiniest whimper. Other mothers would be amazed and tell me how lucky I was that my baby didn’t cry every time she crawled into a chair leg, or lost her balance and tumbled over. The sad reality is orphans eventually learn to stop crying if no one ever responds to their cries for food, for comfort, for love.

Call me a first time mom, but upon hearing her first cry I run to my baby to make sure she is okay. In time, I’ve learn to distinguish the difference in each of her cries. She woke up and wants to play. She is hungry. She is frightened. She wants to be held. Perhaps the most desperate cry of all...she dropped her pacifier or baby doll out of her crib.

Now, Mercy will cry and tug at me. Why? She knows that I will make things better for her. Is she spoiled? I wouldn’t say that. Can you spoil an orphan child? Besides, how does a baby communicate? When a baby cries and we respond, are we spoiling them or are we are reinforcing trust.

Isn’t that what God does? When we cry out to God, He responds to His children. Is He spoiling us? When God answers, it creates a greater sense of faith and trust.

Even this old hymn reminds me of this truth.

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er;
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
Oh, for grace to trust Him more!

I’m so glad I learned to trust Thee,
Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend;
And I know that Thou art with me,
Wilt be with me to the end.

On the days of endless crying because of teething, discontent or I can’t figure out why she is crying I must remember--I want a crying baby. I want a baby that trusts her mommy and daddy to make it all better.

I am always amazed how God uses this tiny little person who can't say word to teach me more of God's Truth.


Shhh....... I just heard my baby crying. Nap time is now over, let the playtime begin.

Waiting Again for Court

I'm so excited, I can't even sleep. I have been almost giddy. A complete 180 degree change from earlier this week when I was anticipating our court date. And now, I look at the clock and see that it is February 12 in Ethiopia and the court will open in 5 minutes. This could be the day that will forever change our family. I am still fighting anxious feelings today, but more than that, I am so humbled that God would let me be a mother. God is entrusting my husband and me with a tiny baby girl to raise her to follow Jesus.

As we pray toward tomorrow, there are so many things that I have asked the Lord. I believe I have used up my quota for prayer request, but if you feel led to pray tonight as you lay your head on the pillow, here are some specific things that we are praying.

Our dossier is perfect. Every "i" is dotted and "t" is crossed.

Ethiopian Ministry of Women's Affairs (MOWA). They must complete documents to accompany our dossier. I pray they would have all of their documents completed and with our documents.

The judge will show up to court. Anything could happen with no explanation required and our case would not be heard if the judge is absent.

The schedule of the court. Many cases are scheduled per day and sometimes, they do not get to all of the cases they had planned. I pray that our case will be heard.

The birth mother. She will have to show up to court and transportation and work situations could prohibit her from being there or cause her to be late. I am always praying for the birth mother. She is making one of the hardest and most loving decisions.


I have been listening to Travis Cottrell's CD, Jesus Saves-LIVE. I keep repeating #7, "Do It, Lord"

Do it, Lord! Do it, Lord! Do it, Lord we are praying

Do it Lord, do it, that Your glory may be seen!

Yes, Lord! We are praying for this miracle in our life.

Once again, thank you for praying! I will post our court results as soon as I hear something.

"I will not leave you as orphans, I am coming for you!" John 14:18

Leave it....leave it!!!

I enjoy watching this show called, "It's Me or the Dog". Even though my husband isn't crazy about it, it's a better option than "Say Yes to the Dress" or "Cake Boss". The premise behind the show is a dog trainer comes into a family to train their unruly dog. The trainer holds a treat in front of the dog and repeatedly says, "leave it, leave it." After the dog had excercised some self-control, she will allow him to have the treat.

For some reason, those words keep coming to my mind. "Leave it.....leave it....leave it!!"

I suppose those are the words the Lord would be saying to me. Our new court date is Friday, February 12th and I am tempted to worry. This past Monday, I was a wreck! I am ashamed to admit it, but I literally made myself physically sick with worry. Why would I worry? Do I not believe that God is big enough to take care of our court case? His timing is perfect and our baby girl will come home the exact day He has planned.

My husband knew that something was wrong because I was so quite. I curled up next to him and admited that I was so scared then burst into tears. And now, I am tempted to start thinking about all that could go wrong with our case and allow that same fear to destroy me all over again.

Worry doesn't rob tomorrow of it's trouble, but robs today of its strength.

That is when the words of the dog trainer, came to my mind....LEAVE IT!!! I do not want to pick up that cloak fo worry and fear all over again. It was simply dreadful. Unfortunately, I didn't do so well the first time, and the Lord is giving me another chance to trust Him in the dark.

Even my quiet time is saturated with verses about trust!

"I trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever." Psalm 52:8

"When I am afraid, I will trust in You." Psalm 56:3

Here is an excert from Jesus Calling that I want to share you.

Strive to trust Me. Anything that tends to make you anxious is a growth opportunity. Instead of running away from these challenges, embrace them, eager to gain all the blesings I have hidden in the difficulties. If you believe that I am sovereign over every aspect of your life, it is possible to turst Me in all situations.

There have been plenty of difficulties, but even more blessings that the Lord has brought into our life. It keeps reminding us that He is faithful to complete His work in our family.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart..." (Proverbs 3:5) God is still teaching me what that looks like this week. I am determined to leave it! Leaving the fear and trusting Him is a faith excercise and demonstrates how much we believe God. It doesn't mean that we do not care, but that we have confidence that God is more than able to take care of our situation. I will say, "I trust You, Jesus!" in response to whatever happens.