in His hands

Well, we must admit...in all the scenarios we played out in our minds the past 41 weeks about this time home, dates, Lily...we were NEVER 41 weeks pregnant! We never imagined she wouldn't be here by Christmas, much less by New Years, which just continues to show us that we've never been in control of this, after all. Nonetheless, His face, not hers, has truly been our satisfaction each morning when we wake, and for that we are unwaveringly grateful (Psalm 17:15).

Haiti has been strong on our minds and hearts the past few days...We are content knowing that the Lord is working there each day, with or without us, and that He continues to hold this dear country and the people that have become so precious to us in His hands. We continue to hold strong to the knowledge that Haiti does NOT belong to Satan, as many believe, and that it's people do NOT belong in darkness...it is HIS, as it always has been, and all He holds for His people is abundant light and the same freedom He has offered me. Despite all of Haiti's problems and struggles, the first prayers that come to our lips when thoughts of it cross our minds are praises.
According to the doctor yesterday, we may just be waiting to be induced January 2nd for Lily. She doesn't seem to be showing any inclination towards coming before she is forced to :) We are working now to get flights set up back into Haiti a few weeks after...later than we had hoped, but giving her some time to get strong and to get her birth certificate, social security number and passport.

We're planning to head to Pennsylvania January 9th to see Lori, my aunts, uncle and grandparents, and then on to Delaware January 10th, where we'll spend two weeks with Matt's side of the family, all in Delaware and New Jersey. We'll then be back to Ohio for a few days for doctor's appointments and immunizations and finalized paper work, and then we'll head for Florida, driving this time to avoid as much air travel as possible for a brand new baby (and so we can stock up on diapers!) This is all based on her being our New Year's baby, so we'll just see what happens!

Meanwhile, we're continuing to enjoy just some really good time with my family and visiting friends and family. We've gotten to do SO many of the things we had hoped to...eaten wonderful food, seen a few movies, passed hours playing family Speed Scrabble, read some amazing books, been to Wal-Mart, Barnes & Noble, Starbucks and mostly, just passed some really fun and meaningful time with a lot of different people. Each day has been such a gift, and we still have so much good time with family in front of us.

"Oh, that my soul may sing praise to You and NOT be silent..." Psalm 30:12