Another busy weekend...

Saturday we had planned to go to the Des Moines downtown farmer's market with Jock's grandma, mom, and nephews. But, it didn't work out that way - pouring down rain! So instead, we went out for breakfast. It was nice to see Jock's grandma - we couldn't remember when we'd seen her last - probably was before winter, since she doesn't travel in winter, and we didn't either much this year. It was a harsh one!

Sunday we headed to the late service, then out for lunch with some friends. We then came home and Jock and Kaylen had naps. Jock lucked out, as Kaylen wasn't very cooperative, so he got a bit longer of a reprieve before we got started on the project pictured above - around 3:30.

We first had to head to Menards to pick up supplies. Ten bags of mulch and 65 bricks later, we were headed home. Jock started in on the digging and peeling up the sod. I got Kaylen settled in the backyard with her swimsuit on and the sprinkler on, then got busy unloading the van. By then Jock had done the perimeter, so I started setting the bricks in place. I wasn't sure I'd get them all in before the rains came, but I made it despite the rumbles of thunder getting closer and closer. Barely though - we hadn't packed up for more than 15 minutes before the storm hit!

Today it sprinkled a bit this morning, so we lounged around home. It got sunny this afternoon though - just in time for Kaylen to go to her friend's birthday party. Jock started ripping up sod again as I left to get Kaylen. When we got home, Kaylen again headed to the backyard in her swimsuit when we got busy. I worked on packing dirt back around the bricks, and then planting the shrubs while Jock finished packing. We then got the rest of the soil evened out and put down the mulch. What a job - probably about 7-8 hours of work for the both of us. We're very impressed with our progress.

Next up: the sides and back. That's the long-range plan though - and after this weekend, Jock said it's a 10-year plan. Ha - he's got a few berry bushes ordered - should be here this week! :)

"What about me?"

OK - I know this is long, but please bear with me. The last several weeks I've had a certain thought going through my head, that's really bothered me, but that I'm really passionate about. It stems from a conversation I had quite a while back with several adults. I've had this conversation come up in the past, but not to this extent. This time, the path it led down really got me thinking...

Many times in the past, we've gotten the question, "Why do you want to adopt from Haiti? Why Haiti, when there are so many children in need much closer to home?" I have many answers to that question: poverty/need/desperation, adoption criteria, cost, God's calling. Most times people understand, and don't further question our motives. This time they did not. I had to completely remove myself from the conversation to keep sane. Jock continued the conversation, but I honestly don't have such a good recollection of it, since I was going through in my mind some rationale, and in part, trying to ignore what was being said, because I was fuming inside. I'm not a good on-the-spot thinker or speaker, and this one really got to me, so it's taken me several weeks to even get some thoughts straightened out and down on paper.

Anyway, to set this up a bit more, the conversation went one step further from, "Why are we adopting from Haiti"?, to "Why are we supporting and in turn helping to fund-raise and attempt to draw further support for the orphanage in Haiti?" That's fine - I don't take it too personal when people question our motives. However, then it then progressed to, "Why don't we help those closer to home, before we start sending money to Haiti", which then led, more specifically, to "Why don't we help those in our family first?", and "What about me? I am having trouble supporting my family."

Wow! What do you say to that?

Before you answer, here is some perspective: I don't think anyone in that building while this conversation was going on (with the possible exception of one person's experiences early in life), has ever experienced long-term, not having food to eat or so little food that there was a real fear of starvation, not having clean water coming out of their faucets, not being able to send their children to school, fearing for their life because they could not access emergency medical care, not having a roof over their head, not being able to find a job (even as a McDonald's cashier or burger-flipper if they were really desperate).

The person who made the comment is a stay-at-home parent to two children who both attend school at least part-time. One of the children regularly uses a nebulizer and medications to treat asthma and allergy symptoms. That, in addition to the fact that American schools require certain immunizations and a physical before attendance into school is granted, tells me that they do obtain regular medical care. The last time I saw them, they were well-dressed, they were not so thin that their skin was hanging off their bones, and the family lives in a residence that is well-furnished with chairs, beds, toys, games, etc, and where they also have running water.

Now, you may rebut with, "well, that doesn't mean that they're not struggling financially." That is true, but suffice it to say, that they are not struggling anywhere close to the level of which many in Haiti struggle. Many Americans struggle with debt. They purchase beyond their means, against future income. We do it too, although we try to keep it under wraps and within a budget. In Haiti, this is not an option. Haiti is largely a cash society; credit is something little heard of. They struggle to make it from one week to the next. Not paying is not an option - they pay before they gain access to services or before they take goods home with them.

These things - literally starving to death from no food to eat, no job to be found, no clean water to drink, no school to send children to, no emergency medical care without payment first, no roof over their head, etc - these things are commonplace in Haiti. For example:

• Water: “According to a 2004 study by the Pan American Health organization, less than half the population has access to potable water and less than one-third in some rural areas. 20% of the 38,000 deaths of children under the age five are a result of diarrhea from contaminated drinking water. A majority of the health problems in Haiti are caused by lack of clean water and malnutrition. … the parasites from contaminated drinking water breed inside the intestinal tract, robbing a person of the nutrition and strength he or she needs to develop a healthy body.” ¹
  
  Most city buildings have a holding tank on their roofs, and water is purchased and trucked in and pumped up into the tank. At the orphanage where our children reside, this water is used for cleaning, bathing, and flushing toilets. Separate water is trucked in for drinking and cooking. In the country, people walk down mountains to fill their water jugs in a filthy stream, which no doubt has long been contaminated with human waste.

• Employment: There is widespread unemployment and underemployment in Haiti, with more than 2/3 of the population not having formal jobs.² Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with 80% of the population living under the poverty line, and 54% living in abject poverty.³

• Food: I'm not talking wine and caviar here - I'm talking the basics - rice & beans. I've seen numerous children with their hair turning orange and falling out from poor nutrition, children who's skin sags off their bodies - literally skin and bones! “At the market in the La Saline slum, two cups of rice now sell for 60 cents, up 10 cents from December and 50 percent from a year ago. Beans, condensed milk and fruit have gone up at a similar rate, and even the price of the edible clay has risen over the past year by almost $1.50. Dirt to make 100 cookies now costs $5, the cookie makers say. Still, at about 5 cents apiece, the cookies are a bargain compared to food staples. About 80 percent of people in Haiti live on less than $2 a day.
  
  "A reporter sampling a cookie found that it had a smooth consistency and sucked all the moisture out of the mouth as soon as it touched the tongue. For hours, an unpleasant taste of dirt lingered. Assessments of the health effects are mixed. Dirt can contain deadly parasites or toxins, but it can also strengthen the immunity of fetuses in the womb to certain diseases, said Gerald N. Callahan, an immunology professor at Colorado State University who has studied geophagy, the scientific name for dirt-eating. Haitian doctors say depending on the cookies for sustenance risks malnutrition.”⁴

• Education: “Of Haiti's 8.7 million inhabitants, just below half are illiterate. The literacy rate of 52.9% is the lowest in the region. Haiti counts 15,200 primary schools, of which 90% are non-public and managed by the communities, religious organizations or NGOs.[7] The enrollment rate for primary school is 67%, of which less than 30% reach 6th grade. Secondary schools enroll 20% of eligible-age children.” ⁵

• Medical care: “As of 1999, there were an estimated 0.2 physicians and 0.7 hospital beds per 1000 people. … Tuberculosis has long been a serious health problem. … Malnutrition and gastrointestinal diseases are responsible for more than half of all deaths. … Children may receive vaccinations, but the statistics are very low … tuberculosis 40%, diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus, 35%; polio, 32%; and measles, 30%.” ⁶

• Housing: In the countryside in Haiti, “housing facilities are generally primitive and almost universally without sanitation. Wooden huts are the prevalent standard … with 6.1 people per dwelling.” ⁷ The population density in the capital city's largest slum is among the highest in the world. As many as 1,500 people live on every two acres of land in Cite Soleil and other shantytowns. Conditions are so crowded that many dwellers pay to sleep in shifts. Mothers and fathers often sleep standing up in shacks that have less than 8 square feet of space for 10 or 12 people. ⁸

So, with this knowledge and perspective, what do you say to that? I'd love to hear your comments. My immediate thought, and my thought still to this day, is, "How self-centered!" I struggle with how to help this individual and their family, without further aiding the self-centeredness. Don't get me wrong - I too am self-centered. I too take many things for granted. It comes as a product of growing up and living in this society. We live in a nice, well-furnished home, in a safe neighborhood. We've got a well-stocked refrigerator and pantry, and clean water that flows from the faucets. We both have good jobs, and my child is well-cared-for while we are away from her. She will be attending a local public school next year. We have doctors that we visit regularly for preventative care, and whenever we are sick or injured, we have the care that we need very close to our home. If we have a medical emergency, it is against the law for a medical professional to deny the care that is needed.

I have a long way to go, but I am learning just how much we have here, and how much I could help others given our situation of plenty. I have some priorities that have definitely shifted in the past year, and more that are due for some shifting. I just ask you, are there some areas of your life that need changes? How can you lead a more God-centered life, rather than a self-centered life? Most of you that read my blog are doing this, and I thank you for that. I thank you for all that you are doing all around you. I just pray that I can do more. I pray for God's guidance in my life. I pray that I can be a better witness of my experiences and the knowledge I've gained. I pray for others that need God in their lives, so that they too can experience the life-changing hope in tomorrow, and not dwell in their own self-centered ways.

Kaylen's Preschool Graduation

We had a very nice time with Kaylen on Wednesday morning. We got up early to get showered up and get her hair done - I told her I'd braid her hair for her special day. She was excited about that (at least until her neck started hurting), because I don't do braids very often (although I'll probably have to start doing braids more when they start going to the pool!). She got all dressed up, and found a necklace and shoes to wear with her pretty dress. We got her to her daycare classroom on time, and then headed to the big room where the ceremony was going to take place. No front-row seats remained, but we got pretty good spots.

The ceremony started with the traditional Pomp and Circumstance, with all 40 kids marching down the aisle - some in fancy dresses and suits, and some in their regular play clothes, all with caps and tassels. So cute! They all lined up on the stage to sing two songs - one called "Friendship Song", and another called "Opportunity" - a pretty big word for 4- and 5-year-olds, but they did great! Then they all sat down, and were called up one-by-one by the two preschool-room teachers to get certificates. Then they all lined back up on the stage to sing one more song called "Kids are Beautiful People".

It was about a half-hour, and was great. Then we had cookies, mints and punch, and visited with some other parents. Came to find out that Kaylen's classmate that lives very close to us, will be in her same kindergarten this fall. Our district has re-drawn the elementary boundary lines, so we knew they'd be in the same school unless he was sent to private school. He's going to public, though, and out of 5 kindergarten classes in their elementary school, he's in the same one. I don't think he was nearly as excited about that as Kaylen was though. :)

Anyway, after the ceremony, we had planned to take Kaylen out for lunch, but it wasn't even 11:00 yet, so we had to stall a bit. Kaylen needed some new dressy sandals, so she and I went to a shoe store to pick some out while Daddy stopped in at a game store. When we were done, the restaurant was open. Kaylen chose Chinese, so we went to a Chinese buffet. When we started looking at the food and the decor, she said, "This isn't Chinese!" I think when we asked her where she wanted to eat/what kind of food she wanted, she said the wrong thing - she'd meant Mexican. However, we'd already ordered drinks, and made our first trip to the buffet counters, so it was too late to change her mind then. We don't go eat Chinese very often. She did enjoy it though - especially the pop, lo mein, fruit, jello, and desserts.

That evening, however, Kaylen told Jock (at bedtime) that she'd thrown up at daycare after we took her back for the afternoon - I think maybe something didn't sit well, possibly in combination with her eating a bit too much. She apparently had a good rest-of-the-day, as the teachers didn't even tell me about it - nor did she - she just told me that it was a fun afternoon because she didn't have to lay down for nap/quiet time, because it was almost time for the kids to get up when she got back from lunch. Oh well. All in all, it was a good day. Kaylen was excited to have it be a special day for her.

Kaylen, the Graduate:
Kaylen with two of her teachers:
Kaylen with a few classmates:

9 Years Together!

I just wanted to take a moment to say how happy I am to have such a wonderful husband. Yesterday was our 9th anniversary, and what a nice anniversary it was. We didn't do anything particularly special or fancy, as we both had to work, and then we had our last Bible study group before we slow down for the summer. Actually it was just a dinner/visiting get-together, and was very nice to relax with some friends we've gotten to know over the last 9 months or so. It was a yummy dinner, and Shaylyn did make a special cake - her specialty, and it was awesome!

When we got there, I walked straight into the kitchen to visit with a few people and set down the salad I'd brought in, walking right past the kitchen table where Jock had placed some flowers for me! I didn't even notice! I've been really tired this week, so that's probably why - and Jock and I came together, so I had no idea anything of the sort had happened - apparently he'd dropped them off at their house before he got home from work - so sneaky! He pointed them out to me a few minutes later though - they were a dozen pink roses (actually 1/2 pink/white and 1/2 solid pink), and so pretty!

What a great guy - I couldn't have asked for a better man to spend the rest of my life with! I love you Jock!

The picture above is from our date the night before my birthday - it's not the best picture, but it was late - like around 10:30 or 11 pm before we finally asked our waiter to take it of us.

Kaylen's Growing Up...

Literally! Grandma Terry eluded to it in her comment - Kaylen's getting tall - all her shorts fit around her, but they're getting too short! Anyway...

I finally got a few good videos of Kaylen reading. She's doing such a good job - especially since we've been having her do even just a little bit most every day. It's really sinking in, and she's remembering more and more. The combinations still cause her a little grief, but with a little help, she can read so much! These were from yesterday, when she was reading "A Fly Went By":

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Preschool graduation is tomorrow. She's excited for it. I always ask Kaylen when I pick her up from daycare if she was good at naptime and got to go to the big kids room. (If they don't sleep at naptime, but they lay down still and quietlly, they get to get up and go play after a little while.) She's been answering no, because they've been practicing for graduation instead of taking naps. Imagine getting about 30 4- and 5-year-olds ready for a graduation ceremony/program! Teachers are wonderful - I couldn't do it! It should be fun to see. I'll try to take some pictures to share later this week.

Fun weekend stuff...

First let me say a belated happy birthday to Ranger. He turned 2 on Wednesday. I can't believe he's 2 already! ... Congratulations to my cousin's daughter, Sarah, who graduated from high school yesterday. I babysat Sarah and her brothers throughout college - hard to believe she's graduated now! She's grown into quite the young lady, that I'm sure her parents are very proud of. I really wanted to go to her party, but it didn't work out that way. ... Also, congratulations to Karen & Alex on moving into their first home. So exciting! I wanna go visit soon. Sounds like they're settling in nicely. I'm sorry we couldn't come help.

Jock's nephew, Adrian, also had a birthday yesterday. Jock had a meeting all day, but Kaylen and I went to Jock's mom's for a little breakfast party with some of the family. It was pirate-themed, and since it was a breakfast party, we had cannon-balls (donut-holes) instead of cake, and Jock's brother piled them up, and put a candle on the top one. It was a really cute idea - that family's got creativity!

After the party, Kaylen and I hit a few garage sales, and got her a new (to her) bike. She hasn't tried it out yet, as she can't ride without training wheels yet, and it didn't have any on it. We'll have to transfer them from her old bike - at least for a while yet. Then we came home, had a light lunch, and Kaylen had a quick nap.

Then we were off to Kaylen's first T-ball game. At this age, they basically have the entire team on defense and their two coaches just spread out in an arch between first and third base. When they get the ball, they just throw it back to the hitting team's coach who is getting the next player ready to hit - they went through the whole roster each of the two innings they played - lots of RBIs, no outs, and a home run to end each 1/2 inning. It was really rather amusing. Kaylen did a great job hitting and trying to get the ball when the other team hit. Now, to work on not getting pushy with your own team-mates to get the ball every time, and paying attention when you're supposed to be base-running - instead of checking out the scratches on your knees or playing in the sand.

We then stopped off for a few minutes to play on the playground at the school where Kaylen will be attending kindergarten this fall. When we got home, we were filthy! It was a beautiful warm sunny day, but the wind was horrible! I'm glad Kaylen's game was on the field that it was. The parents were mostly all huddled out on the 3rd base side, to keep from getting the sand blown in our faces. The folks on the other two fields weren't so lucky - they were getting all the sand from our field. They also had the sprinklers running in the outfield, so once in a while we'd get lightly sprayed. Good thing they finished when they did, or we would've gotten soaked when the sprinklers made it to far left field.

We spent the evening at some friends' house having dinner and playing cards. We had great fun - it'd been a long time since we'd played 500. Our girls had fun playing together too. We're planning to do it again soon.

Today - church in the morning, and naps for Kaylen and I in the afternoon (I had a splitting headache when we got home) while Jock mowed the lawn. Then we went to look for a tree for our backyard. Instead of coming home with a tree for our backyard, we came home with shrubs for our front yard. Finally - we have plants in the empty space between the sidewalk and the house. We'd planted a row of daffodils and tulips last fall that came up very nicely, but behind them was just bare mulch. Not anymore! We got the same shrubs to mirror on the other side of the front porch too, but will get them planted sometime in the next week. Then we'll have to work on landscaping felt, mulch and the border. Also, we still have to find the tree for the backyard. The rest of the plan for the backyard will probably be quite a while yet - it's a long-range plan. :)

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Random late-night ramblings...

There's thoughts a-stirrin' here. I've got something profound on my mind, but can't quite get it down. Is that what you writers call writer's block? That must be it. I just can't quite wrap words around my thoughts about something - or maybe I'm trying to put too many thoughts together into one enormous one that's just too big to handle right now. I read an article recently (actually was a 12-year-old's essay), that was along the same lines, and included some of the research I'd been searching for, so maybe now I'm onto something. You'll her about it when I have my thoughts put together a little better than they are right now.

Also, we had some fun activities today - and a few things I had to miss that I wished I could've attended - just too much going on this weekend! I'll share more about that perhaps after my Sunday nap though. It's late (actually early), and I need to hit the sack. Maybe I'll even get some of my recent pictures downloaded from my camera to share with you as well.

Hope you are all having a great weekend.

Happy Mother's Day

A newborn's conversation with God

A baby asked God, 'They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?' God said, 'Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you.'

The child further inquired, 'But tell me, here in heaven I don't have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy.' God said, 'Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you. And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy.'

Again the child asked, 'And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?' God said, 'Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak.'

'And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?' God said, 'Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray.'

'Who will protect me?' God said, 'Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life.'

'But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore.' God said, 'Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you.'

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, 'God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel's name.'

God said, 'You will simply call her, 'Mom.'

...Wow - good reminder of the expectations!

Also, I saw this a while back, and heard it again on the radio on Friday morning. So funny!

Our Fun Weekend

Last night Kaylen went to spend the night at her Grandma's house. I'm sure she had great fun playing with her two cousins that also were there. Jock and I got to have a date, to celebrate my birthday, and just enjoy one another. I don't remember the last time we had a date! We had so much fun! We went to a great restaurant called The Grand Piano Bistro. It was kind of pricey, but so much fun! We had a very yummy dinner, and enjoyed the deuling pianos. It's the most fun we'd had as a couple in a long time!

Jock said it wasn't quite like the dueling piano bar he'd been to in Las Vegas. He said these guys were less crude with their changing lyrics - which surprised me, because I thought some things were pretty crude - although Des Moines is much tamer than Las Vegas, so you can imagine. :) He also said since this was a much larger venue, that there wasn't as much audience participation which could have made it a lot more fun. It also wasn't really "dueling" pianos - they mostly just traded songs back and forth, while singing/playing back-up for each other. At any rate, it was awesome, and so much fun. We'd like to go back with a group, as that would make it even more fun!

Today the plan was to go pick up Kaylen, maybe go to the park with grandma and her cousins, take her to her first T-ball practice/game, and then maybe this afternoon after she'd had a good nap, go on a picnic. Well, it was raining this morning. And, we didn't get up in time, so Jock went to pick up Kaylen to let me relax and lounge around home this morning. Instead of going to the park, I think he'd planned on taking Kaylen shopping. T-ball is cancelled for today, and I'm not sure the picnic/park is a good idea with the wet weather. It's stopped raining now, but there's thundershowers in the forecast for this afternoon, and 100% chance of rain by 6 tonight, so who knows what we'll end up doing... Maybe we'll have to go to the mall or Dairy Queen or Blockbuster so we can just stay home and watch movies and order pizza (because I'm not cooking).

Tomorrow the plan is to go to early church, and then have brunch at Jock's brother's house. It's so awesome that we're not the only one with a house now, so we don't have to host everything. He hosted Easter egg coloring this year, as we'd just been back from Haiti a couple weeks and our house was a major disaster. So, I don't have to spend my birthday and Mother's day cleaning up and cooking. Thanks Duke - you're awesome!

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there!

April '08 Process Update (Part 2)

Our update, as expected:
As you know, your dossier is currently in IBESR. The good news is that the dispensation letters have been returned from the President’s office. Unfortunately, dossiers have not been signed out yet. We will let you know as soon you are released. Please join us in praying for IBESR, our 28 dossiers there and all of its staff. I know this has been a challenging and painful time.

I am praying this verse for you: “But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, be patient! For it will surely take place. It will not be late by a single day.” Habakkuk 2:3

(I like the Bible verse she included.)

Happy 1st Birthday Josephine!

Happy Birthday to our precious Josephine Celena! Just two months ago, she was in our arms, and we so wish she could be here for us to celebrate with her. We pray it's the last birthday she spends away from home.

We're having some friends over for dinner, cake and ice cream. Kaylen and I are going to pick out cake, frosting and decorations. We've already picked out her birthday present - fabric for a blanket and pillowcase, which I'll have to make for her before she comes home for her to open. We did the same for Elijah back in August.

It feels a little strange to have parties for them when they're not here, but we'll take pictures and share the memories with them when they're older. Hopefully it will show them how much a part of our every-day lives they are, even not being home yet. They are on our minds constantly, and we pray for them to be home with us soon. Until that day comes, we know that God is holding them in the palm of His hand.

April '08 Process Update

Well, we haven't actually gotten our process update yet. I was checking my email quite a bit more than usual this week watching for it, but we are told we should have it this weekend. I'm not expecting it to be much different than our last update. However, I have heard from others that are adopting children from Maison through an adoption agency, a bit of good news. It stated that the dispensations have come in, but that Mme Beaudin went on vacation for a week. I think that *should* mean that when Mme Beaudin is back from her vacation, there should be a flood of IBESR approvals very soon. We are praying that this is true, and that we hear the wonderful news that we are out of IBESR very soon!

If we get out of IBESR, we may be going back to Haiti this summer. We haven't said too much about it, but right now they're recommending that we sign our I-600 papers in Haiti, rather than in the states and having our local USCIS office try to coordinate with the US Embassy (or Consulate?) in Haiti. The I-600 is what gets the children's US immigration studies started, and that can be happening at the same time that we are waiting on the Parquet/Courts steps and the Passport step (the remaining Haiti government steps after IBESR). That way, once we have the adoption decrees and passports, we can just turn that info in, and get their visas and bring them home right away. Clear as mud, right?!

Well, right now, it's likely that just one of us might be able to go. One of us does not have enough accrued vacation to miss 5-7 more days of work and still have a few left over to not have to worry about getting sick or to be able to take a day or two off over the holidays. That would be hard to stay home while the other one travels, but we wouldn't be alone - we would be with a group of other adoptive parents.

This option would probably also be better for Kaylen for us to not have another extended trip away from her. I think the 12 days away from us in February/March was hard on her, and with her starting Kindergarten in the fall, it probably wouldn't be the best situation for her to have to re-adjust to things, instead of enjoying her fun daycare summer before she starts school. It also would help to conserve vacation time for when they do come home - which we're thinking would be around the beginning of 2009, assuming the courts, passports, and final visas would take around 8 months total. We're soooooooo praying things go much more quickly than this, but also trying to prepare ourselves for the possibility also.

We're trying to trust in God's timing through all this. Here is an awesome devotion I found recently, that reminds me that He knows when it's the right time for all of us, and is using this time to prepare our hearts and our Children for that time when they come home.