The Perfect Song!

(Melanie Writes:)

I have been looking for the last two years to find this song! I heard it two years ago (December) on WCIC 100.5 fm and absolutely fell in love with it! Knowing for sure I'd hear it again, I didn't try to figure out who it was by. Then I realized that Christmas was over and I hadn't heard it again. Since then I've been trying to remember some of the words so that I could do a search for it. Finally a few weeks ago, I must have remembered just the right words because I found it! It is by a Christian band entitled Third Day and it is on their Christmas Offerings album. The song is entitled Merry Christmas. It puts into words how we feel especially during the Christmas season. If you have a moment to watch the video and listen to the song, I highly recommend it! Otherwise the lyrics are written out below. I also have this song on our Playlist on the bottom left of this web page. Enjoy!



There's a little girl trembling on a cold December morn
Crying for momma's arms
At an orphanage just outside a little China town
There the forgotten are
But half a world away I hang the stockings by the fire
And dream about the day when I can finally call you mine

It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas

As I hang the tinsel on the tree and watch the twinkling lights
I'm warmed by the fire's glow
Outside the children tumble in a wonderland of white, Make angels in the snow
But half a world away you try your best to fight the tears
And hope that heaven's angels come to carry you here

It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas

Christmas is a time to celebrate the holy child
And we celebrate his perfect gift of love
He came to earth to give his life And prepare a place for us
So we could have a home with him above

It's Christmas time again and now you're home
Your family is here so you will never be alone
So tonight before you go to sleep, I'll hold you in my arms
And I'll tell you from my heart, and I'll you from my heartI wish you Merry Christmas

Mailed Off!

Melanie Writes:

We are officially done with the "Paper Chase" portion of the adoption! Wow! Looking back I never thought it would've taken us this long! But it has and the real "wait time" is about to start. We mailed our dossier this morning to our agency and sometime this week they will check over it and send it off to Poland. We will let you know when it gets there because you'll probably hear us cheer from all over Galesburg! Once it arrives in Poland, it will take them a few weeks to translate then we will send in a "translation fee" and the wait to be matched officially begins.

Thus far our wait time ranges anywhere from 4-12 months, with much uncertainty attached. I plan to talk with Lina (our agencies founder, also our coordinator) this week to see if she has any idea how long this will take. Following along with others who are adopting from Poland (and our agency) they are on their 10 month. It is a bit hard for me to swallow, but I know it is "all in God's timing!" Being a teacher it would be ideal if we could travel in spring and then I would have the whole summer to be with our children. I suppose I'll just have to wait and find out!

Also, I want to thank everyone who has committed to praying for us and our children. We believe in the power of prayer and can already see them working. Please continue to remember us. Another huge THANK YOU to those of you who have been able to support us financially. We have raised enough to not only pay the dossier fee of $5,500 but also to pay most of the $1000 translation fee! I can't even begin to tell you what a blessing this has been! God bless you and to let you know a very special thank you will be in the mail very soon!


On another note, the last step of the paper gathering was to add photos of us and our house. Below are some of my favorite poses that our good friend Melissa Willis took for us. She is starting her own photography business and if your looking for someone good, she's the one! (That is if you live near Galesburg, IL!) (business card below)













O.K. I know, enough pictures of us, but James says I have to include one of him with our dog Maui. (since I put one of Maui and I on last time) So here's Maui and James! (Sorry, she's not cooperating, but that's fairly normal! Hehe!)