Just a note of encouragement.....

This morning I was listening to a Pastor talking about staying in faith. I think, too many times, we allow circumstances to suppress our faith. Maybe we are believing God for something and when circumstances begin to point in the opposite direction we begin to waver in our faith. We begin to say, "well I guess God didn't want that for me." Or, "it must not be God's will for me to have it that way." Too many times we give up when the enemy throws circumstances our way. In Daniel 10 the angel of the Lord told Daniel, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me." We see here that the angel was trying to get to Daniel, but was withheld 21 days. Sometimes, there are battles going on that we don't see. These battles may delay our receiving. This is something we need to remember and determine that we will continue in faith. Ephesians tells us, "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." The enemy will do everything he can to keep us from receiving what God has for us. We must stand in faith, having done all, to stand. This scripture also reminds us that we are the ones fighting. It says "we" do not wrestle against flesh and blood..... we are the ones wrestling. We are the ones who are suppose to put on the armor of God and fight for what God has provided for us.

You may be saying, what has He provided? Well the bible says, he was wounded for our transgression, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, He bore our sicknesses, by His stripes we were healed, He became poor that we might be rich. Jesus suffered severely to provide these things for us. I imagine it saddens Him when we don't walk in all He provided.

Mark 5 gives the account of Jairus pleading for his daughter's life. To me this would be a perfect opportunity to be in fear and give up on what you are believing God for. "And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live." ......................
While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further? As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid; only believe." He needed Jairus to stay in faith concerning his daughter. Why else would he command him to not be afraid and believe? You'll notice also if you read on, that he only took a few with him and when he arrived at Jairus' home he made everyone leave that was mocking Him. He only allowed those who were in faith to stay. If anyone, Jairus had a right to be afraid and to doubt, but Jesus said, "Do not be afraid; only believe."

My final thought comes to you today from Hebrews 10:22-23, "let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." Whatever you are believing God for today, hold fast to His promise and know, that you know, that you know He is faithful!!!!

Still Praying......

Well our DHS appointment didn't happen. On Tuesday our appointment had to be rescheduled. The birth mother was unable to attend due to caring for a sick relative so we are rescheduled for October 10th. We are praying both parents will be in attendance and that DHS will not require DNA testing(only because this would cause additional delays). After this appointment we hope to be ready to go to First Legal which is with the Haitian government.

Thank you again for your continued prayer support!

Praying again....

As you know, today Nathan is scheduled to take DHS the additional documentation they requested. We are praying they will be satisfied and not continue requesting more items. Thank you for continuing to pray with us.

Prayers answered......

Hello from St. John, USVI!! We are having a wonderful time! Our Ministers Getaway has been a huge success thus far. It's awesome to see these men of God that pour their heart and soul into people day in and day out, get to relax in this beautiful place, enjoy being with other ministers as well as spend some quality time with their wives. God is good!!

On the 20th I posted about an appointment we had scheduled. I am thrilled to say it went well and both of his birth parents attended. I didn't realize they were suppose to go so you can imagine my surprise and excitement. They do have to go again, however word is they are being extremely cooperative!! Praise the Lord!!!! DHS required some more documentation so Nathan is scheduled to go on Oct 3rd to submit it. I'll continue to keep you posted as I receive news.

Thank you all for your prayers!! I am so thankful we serve a God who hears and answers!!

Pictures as promised......

Wow he looks like a big boy!!




"Ok, I guess I'm ready." So far so good. Although he doesn't look too thrilled.




"So you're saying you like my uniform, right? 'Cause I'm thinkin it's kind of cool, but I'm not sure about these shoes, what do you think?"







"Ok, so I'm thinkin, why follow the croud,right? I mean if I want to stand out I should be different. If I don't stand out I won't get any special treatment at all. So I think I'll just do
the opposite of what everyone else is doing. Yes, now that sounds like a plan."



Ok, I admit the quotes aren't really quotes. I know, I know, you are completely shocked but it's true. I inserted them. I couldn't help myself. I have a really bad habit of looking at pictures and finding a funny side. I hope you enjoyed the photos of our extremely handsome boy!! This, obviously, was before the breakdown. He doesn't really look like one that would think it's cool to poop his pants, does he? Peer pressure you never know what it will do to a person. Ok, ok, I'll stop with the sarcasm (another bad habit).

Thank you so much, Angela, for sharing these great shots of his first days at school. We loved looking at them and he is definitely adorable in his uniform, if I do say so myself.

Prayer ......

Well, we are coming up on an important appointment, the first of many. Monday, September 25th we are scheduled to finally submit our paperwork to DHS under the Orphan First program. We had hoped to be much further at this point but due to circumstances beyond our control, this is where we have found ourselves. This appointment is to begin the DHS' investigation to determine, yes, Noah is an orphan. As part of their investigation, DHS will meet with the birth parents, where they determine the parents willingness and understanding of their child being adopted. They also may require DNA testing to insure those are his parents. We are excited to finally be making progress. If you could pray with us that this appointment goes well and as the investigation begins, that the parents will attend their scheduled appointments to prevent further delays. We will update you as we get updates.

Next week Jeremy and I will be out of town so I will not be posting on my blog. I will post when we return of how the appointment went and when the birth parents appointments are. Thank you for your continued prayer support!!

Better.....

Well, we are making progress. Yesterday in our prayer group we prayed and I have been praying for peace over Noah with regards to school. We prayed his little heart would be comforted. I received word from Angela that she didn't hear him cry today. Yeah!!! Praise the Lord it's getting better!! Of course she also mentioned he is adorable in his little uniform. I can't wait for her to send the pictures next week!!!

Well our big boy doesn't like being so big......

Angela writes:

we've started school.
we all knew it would be nothing for steven.
he loves learning and now he's a veteran around these parts.
it was a little hard for angela but she bore up well.
noah, well, he's noah, right?

we had a meeting on sunday about school, talking to the teacher so you
can go to the bathroom, etc.
on monday morning we were all up early getting ready.
it was chaos but a lot of fun.
i sat with him and helped him get dressed.
( i took lots of pics of them all, by the way.)
he was doing great.
we went out to stand in line and bethany, nathanaelle, and fritzson
were all crying but he was just playing around and holding my hand.
i had to go inside because one of the nannies needed me.
when i came back i found he was still fine.
he was sitting with the rest of the kids just looking around.
then i went back tothe house.
from inside i could hear the breakdown.
he pooped in his pants twice and screamed the rest of the day.
i don't know what set him off.
yesterday he pooped again.
today he's in a diaper.
everyday he tells me he's not going to cry again.
he's fine as soon as he gets home.
well, i'll send pictures next week.
sorry, michelle!
he'll get passed it!

angela

It's so hard being a big boy!!

Update

Noah started school today!!! I wish I could have been there. Thankfully Angela took lots of pictures and will send them to me, probably once she is back in the states. I will post them once I receive them.

He knows his name......

The other night we were eating dinner and the phone rang. I didn't pick up because I didn't recognize the number, so I sat back down and let the machine get it. Well all of sudden I hear Noah saying "Mama, Papa". If you could have seen Jeremy and I's faces. I was looking at him like, "Oh my gosh, it's Noah!" and he was looking at me like, "Get up and answer the phone!"

Angela (aka You-You), is this young woman who traveled with us in March to Haiti. She is from California and had decided to volunteer six months at the "O". Instantly I had a huge amount of respect for her, simply because she was willing to give up all she had in the states to go to a third world country and bless the children at the "O". Well upon meeting her and spending time with her, I grew to not only respect her, but love her. She truly is an amazing woman! Although I have only known her for this short time, I feel like I have known her for years. She, without a doubt has a special place in both Jeremy and I's heart!! I hope she realizes that! Anyway back to my story.......

Angela had called, she didn't have a lot of time, but she began to tell me this story. Lourdesmia, a 5 year old little girl at the "O", was teasing Noah and calling him Wilbeark (as most of you know by now his name in Haiti is Wilbert, pronounced, Wilbear). As she continued teasing him, apparently he decided enough was enough and he began to yell back at her, NOAH, NOAH, NOAH. I was thrilled to know that he knows his name!! And I believe he is proud of that name, at least it sounds like it. The conversation quickly ended with Noah saying "Papa" to Jeremy and I told him, "Mwen renmen ou" (I love you).

I would love to go visit again, but it hasn't worked out to go this month. Every e-mail and this time phone call, helps me get through the time away. God is awesome, in that He has provided this means of communication for us!! I am so thankful He has called us to do this and has been with us every step of the way. I can't wait for Noah to come home and when he does I am going to share the complete testimony so you can fully understand how God has worked in this adoption!!

I love you all!!!

The Ripple...

I wanted to share with everyone the ripple effect that has occurred since the beginning of our adoption. When we began our adoption process we didn't know anyone who had adopted from Haiti. I first learned you could by watching a television show about adoption. Watching that show was one of the first leadings for us. We had been researching and praying about where our son was and during this TV program something sparked in me and we began to go in that direction, obviously now Noah is indeed in Haiti.

The ripple.....currently there are 5 Haitian children coming to our area to people we know. We take 0 credit for this, it is all God, but it has been awesome to see how He has used our adoption to unite other families with their children.

First was the Burnett family, Todd & Kristina and their girls, adopting Jonas.

Second was the Collins family, Shawn & Angela, adopting Steven & Angela, cool huh S A S A.


Third was the Burnett family, Troy & Cathy and their 2 daughters & 1 son, adopting Manthania.


This makes 5 including Noah.

Now the really cool thing is, it's not over yet. We have one family from Troy & Cathy's church who are now filling out an application. Another family, friends of Todd & Kristina's, are praying and working to pay off some debt because they too feel they are to adopt from Haiti. One family from the mission trip in June believe they will adopt an older boy one day and are praying about that. Finally, at least for now, a family spoke to us last week about sitting down to discuss adoption, what all is involved and the cost because they are strongly considering it as well. God is AWESOME!!!!!!

This is so exciting to me, one because it's going to be awesome to have this little Haitian community here in Southern Indiana, but mostly because I love the children of Haiti. My first trip to the "O" changed my life. I fell in love with this little country and it's people, especially the children. I am so thankful God has allowed me to be a part of their lives, they bless me in a way I never imagined they would. I came home in March wanting to find homes for all of them. I know I can't do that, but I know a God that can and He is.

If you would like to know more feel free to call or e-mail me anytime or you can visit the Three Angels website using the link on the right. On the page for the "O" you can view the children that are available. Please join me in praying for these precious children, because every child deserves to have a family!!!

Ernesto

In case you were wondering, Ernesto did not affect the orphanage. They experienced some high winds and rain, but there was no damage. All the children and the facility are safe and sound.

I wanted to Praise the Lord for this and encourage you about the power of prayer. The four mom's currently adopting from Three Angels, in this area, meet once a week for prayer. We pray over the adoptions, the safety of the kids, Three Angels and any other needs expressed. We have specifically asked the Lord to protect the Orphanage during this Hurricane Season and this week we were able to see His Hand at work. I am so thankful we serve a God who hears and answers prayers. His Word says to make our requests known with thanksgiving. He wants us to ask Him for the things we need and thank Him for doing it!! THANK YOU LORD!!!

Pictures in the Park

Today we went to Garvin Park for a Pictures in the Park Fundraiser. Todd and Kristina Burnett, friends of ours, are adopting a little boy from the same Orphanage and since Todd is a professional photographer they had this event today to help with the cost of their adoption. The kids had fun and Todd, as usual, did a great job. If anyone is interested, he is doing this again in October and may have one for us in September at Hornady Park in Petersburg.

Progress........

Hello all! I wanted to let you know of the progress concerning the adoption. This week one of the directors of TACR is in Haiti and will be submitting our files to the DHS (Department of Homeland Security). Their job is to determine if Noah is indeed an orphan and can be brought to the US. Obviously he is and we are believing this will proceed quickly. We are praying and believing he will be home soon. We are sooooooo excited and ready to have our family together!! Please be praying with us that the Lord will continue to give us favor and will cause the remainder of the paperwork to process quickly. We love you all and will continue to keep you posted. Be ready, we are going to have one big party when he comes home!!

Haiti.......

Well again, it's been a few weeks, but I did want to tell you more from our trip. On Monday, our last full day, a sibling group was brought in. A little girl, 5 and boy 3, I wasn't able to spend much time with them since Lourdesmia (one of the Nannies) was braiding my hair, but they are beautiful children. I could hear them crying as their parents were filling out the paperwork and the nannies had taken them upstairs. It's so hard to imagine what goes through their little minds. It was hard for them, but when it came time to eat, boy did they eat. The other's on the trip said they ate everything. It was obvious they were sooo hungry. Their little legs and arms were so skinny. I'm sure they have settled in nicely by now to the routine of the "O", but if you think of it you could pray for them that they will feel safe and secure in this new environment.

We were able to go to the Baptist Mission and Wings of Hope on this trip. We didn't tour the mission but did get to eat a hamburger and french fries and shop in their little gift shop, which was a nice treat and the view from the mission was incredible. Wings is a facility similar to St. Joseph's, were we stayed, only they care for disabled children. It is a wonderful facility!! Unfortunately, in Haiti, disabled children are thought to be demonic, so for the most part they are shunned. Wings is taking in those children and giving them a home to grow and develop. They have school, physical therapy, occupational therapy and massage therapy and have been able to see progress from these precious ones. Carolyn who has been at the "O", was preparing to move to Wings during our stay. It will be a wonderful place for her to develop more so than she could at the "O" with all that will be available to her.

The boys at St. Joseph's performed their dance theatre for us on Friday night and it was phenomenal. They perform in the states so if you ever get a chance to see it, do. It is called St. Joseph's Resurrection Dance Theatre. The boys are awesome and it brought tears to my eyes watching them perform so proudly, knowing some of them came from slavery, where they were beaten and severely mistreated, some from the street, where they had nothing and had to fight for everything, but now have a home where they are learning and growing into young men with a bright future. During the show there was a delay due to a storm that blew in. The theatre is performed on a level of St. Joseph's that is under roof but open all around. Jeremy and I were sitting on the front row with Noah and Asnica but we were over in the corner with only plants blocking us and we were soaked, water was actually rolling down our backs. The floor was so wet they had to stop dancing for safety so the boys wouldn't fall. It opened the opportunity, though, for Michael to share more of their testimony and what God has done at St. Joseph's and Wings. All in all even soaked it was an awesome night. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening!! The storm just added a little more excitement!!

The trip was a huge success!! I am so thrilled I was able to share this experience with such an awesome group of people. I believe God isn't finished with the trip yet. I am expecting to hear of life changing testimonies from those who were able to go. Everyone went with such open hearts and a willingness to work. I know God will reward them for their efforts and who knows who may end up someday opening their hearts and homes to one of the precious children of Haiti. I pray our adoption is the beginning of many we are able to see!!

While in Haiti we did get good news concerning adoptions in general. To make a long, detailed story short, people are being replaced and processes are changing that should make adoptions smoother and possibly shorter for those in the future. That is a wonderful thing!!! We don't have any news specifically yet, but are believing God to bring Noah home soon, where he belongs!

Love to you all!!!

Arriving in Haiti

When we arrived in Haiti, I was so excited!! I never dreamed going to a third world country would bring such joy. I was thrilled to be seeing Noah again, but there is something about this little country that brings joy to my heart. I feel I will continue to travel there even after Noah comes home. I remember in the airport waiting to clear Customs, Kristina looked at me and said, "Look at you, you are all smiles." And I was! We met Gail, a director of Three Angels and Angela, a volunteer I met on my last trip in baggage claim. I was happy to see them both! They are both awesome people and I feel blessed knowing them.

When we arrived at the O, I couldn't wait to see Noah. Last time I had to wait for them to get him ready, but this time I dropped my bags and ran in. Unfortunately he was mad at me. He looked at me and I could tell by the look on his face he recognized me then he purposefully turned his head away. Also he was eating lunch and the boy likes to eat, so I left him alone to finish. I went outside to watch Kristina meet Jonas which was awesome. They connected instantly and he called her Manmi (Mommy) as soon as they put him in her arms. At this point Jeremy couldn't wait any longer and we went inside to see our boy. He still wasn't happy with me but he wanted me to hold him and wouldn't leave my side from that point on. It took him a little longer to warm up to Jeremy, but that is completely normal. The children don't see a lot of white men and some of them, honestly, are scared by them. By Saturday they were buddies and Jeremy was able to hold him and play with him. I think it made Jeremy's day once when Noah saw him through the window and excitedly said, "Papa!!" The first few days was hard for Noah. We could tell that every time I put him down he was afraid we were going to leave. It made it a little rough but within a couple of days he relaxed and we were able to see the playful side of him.

So much transpired on this trip, I'm not even sure what all to write about and I don't want this to be the post that never ends so I will share one very exciting point and then end for now. As I mentioned in my first post after coming home, Shawn and Angela met their children, Steven and Angela. Well what is awesome about that is, they didn't know they were their children until after we arrived. They went on this trip completely open to what God wanted to reveal to them and said if He wanted them to adopt a child or children they were open to that and if not that was ok too. It is so awesome to have friends that are open to what God wants in their life so much so that they are willing to open their hearts wide and say, "Here we are Lord, what do you want?" Well He revealed to them rather quickly what His plan was. On Thursday evening (we had arrived on Wednesday) they announced in our time of devotion that they were going to adopt Steven and Angela. I was beside myself with joy!! Steven has a special place in my heart, because he is the one I talked about from my first trip that was brought to the orphanage. He is such a sweet boy! When we arrived he came running up to me and leapt into my arms, wrapping himself around me like a monkey. I was so happy to see him and to see how well he was doing. Angela is a little girl that was brought in a couple of weeks before we arrived, she is 8 as well and has a smile that lights up the room. It didn't take long for us all to fall in love with her. She truly was a joy to be around.

I am so excited to know Noah will have this common bond with these three children, Steven, Angela and Jonas. God is so awesome in how he has orchestrated these events and these four children who were born in a different country and left at the same orphanage will all be coming to this same city and will be able to grow up together. I am so thankful for that!! All the children at Angel House hold a special place in my heart so I am also thankful that I will get to watch them grow up and am blessed to be a part of their life.

I will continue to share bits and pieces of our trip, but I don't want to bore you so I will post more later. Thank you all for your prayers and we love you!!

Time flies!!

I can't believe we have already been to Haiti and have been home for a couple of days now! The trip was incredible. I'm not even sure where to begin and probably like last time I will have to recap over the course of a couple of posts. So bare with me as I get accustomed to being back home. Both times I have been overwhelmed after arriving home. First over leaving my son and second over the blessings I have here. It's always hard coming home without him but I cherish every moment I can have.

This trip was a success in sooooo many ways. We finished many projects in a short amount of time. Jeremy met Noah and by the end of the week they were buddies. Kristina's meeting with Jonas couldn't have gone better. Shawn and Angela met their children, Steven and Angela. It was a busy, busy week!!

Thanks to all who donated supplies and or money. We were able to build shelves in two locations, a bathing station in the nursery, fixed the leaking roof and molding ceiling, painted, scrubbed walls, floors and toys. It was incredible the amount of work that got done. None of which could have been accomplished without everyone's generosity. So thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Flying Out!

Well, we fly out tomorrow. I haven't went to bed yet (obviously) and it's almost 12:00am so it's just about time. I am so excited to be going again, of course to see Noah, but also just to go. I fell in love with the Orphanage and all the people there and I can't wait to visit with them again.

This trip has been so much more involved than the last one. Last time I had myself and Mom to take care of getting bags packed, info distributed, etc. This time there are 10 of us and it has been crazy, but very exciting. Thanks to our friends Shawn and Angela, who are joining us on the trip, we have managed to fill all the bags tonight. Now we can enjoy spending time with our kids tomorrow before heading to the airport. Angela helped me finish the shopping today and we packed totes for almost 4 hours straight. Shawn came and helped Jeremy drill all the wholes and we wrapped it all up, ate dinner (at 10:30) and they went home to try and get a good night's rest. I appreciate them helping soooooo much. We owe them one, definitely!!

We are expecting to have a great trip and get a lot done at the O. The whole team is excited about being there and helping out. We appreciate your prayers during this week. I will try to post shortly after returning home on the 20th.

Love to you all!!

God is Faithful!!

I apologize for not posting for so long. I have been crazy busy planning for the trip in June as well as finishing the school year, graduations, holidays, etc. I wanted to take a moment to update everyone.

God is so faithful!! Our trip is now closed. We are full. YEAH!!!! There are 11 people going from the Evansville area. It is an awesome group of people and I am thrilled to be experiencing this with them. We appreciate your prayers for a safe and prosperous journey. Our plan is to clean, organize and make repairs at the Orphanage, as well as take some much needed supplies. We will be taking 22 fifty pound bags. If any of you are interested in donating supplies or money to buy supplies please contact me at 812-626-9600 or email me directly at mecundiff@juno.com and I can get you a list of the items needed.

Noah is getting so big. I got a new picture of him recently that I am including on this post. Jeremy and I are so ready for him to come home. We are beginning to prepare the boys' room and it is making it seem that much more real that he will be coming home. At this time we don't know exactly when, but are praying it will be soon. Right now, I am thrilled to be going to see him again and introducing he and Jeremy.

I also get the privilege of being in Haiti when my friend meets her son for the first time. One of the ladies going is a dear friend of mine and she will be meeting her son when we arrive. I know how excited and emotional I was meeting Noah and I can't wait to be there when she meets hers. I am praying she has a wonderful time with him just as I did with Noah.

Well I have to quit for now, another busy day.

Love to you all!

Underway.....

Well plans are underway for the June trip. Jeremy and I are both going although at this time we are still in need of people to go. We are just praying and believing God will lay it on the hearts of those that He wants to go. I can't wait to see our little boy again. My arms definitely ache to hold him again, but the most exciting thing for me is to introduce him to his "Papa". He new him by picture before we left, but I am so anxious for them to meet!!

God is so awesome!! He has worked it out that our trip is now set for June 13th - 20th and Noah's birthday is on June 18th!! We are going to have one big party at the O on that day. I can't wait!! It's going to be so much fun!!

Please be praying that people will commit soon to the trip so we can continue as planned and get the remodel finished for the children. They deserve families and until then they deserve a nice place to live.

Love to you all!!