Just an update...

Well, it's been almost a month since my last blog entry, and I figured I better write about what has been happening lately. To be honest life seems SO busy right now that I feel like I'm being distracted from our adoption process, which I do not like. I am anxiously awaiting the end of the school year so that I can begin focusing only on a summer job and adoption and orphan care centered things. Monday we had our first official orientation call with our agency. So basically the step that we are at now is signing the agency contracts and other paperwork, having them notarized (hopefully by my bff klk - it is SO nice to know that there is someone that I know personally who can do this!), and sending them into AGCI (our agency) with our first fee installment. So basically the most difficult part of that is the fee portion, solely because we have been so busy that Eric and I have not even had time to talk to one another about a formal game plan about how to tackle it! We have taken time to brainstorm with each other (and I have brainstormed with my Bible Study gals and a few others...even some of my students (who are also a part of our church youth group) have talked about how they'd like to help...so precious and wonderful! Time is truly my biggest hurdle right now! For those of you out in blog land (however many of you there are at this point) I am a 2nd year teacher. In Iowa this means that I am in the process of completing my "initial" teaching phase, and have to complete a HUGE teaching portfolio at the end of this school year. Then my supervising principal takes a look at it (along with my history as a teacher for the past two years) and recommends me for my permanent teaching license. So I have been working on that, in addition to my daily teaching tasks and student papers. Also, in an effort to save more money for our adoption fund, I have taken on a part time job with a local tutoring center. Needless to say, I'm about to get busier here for the last month of school! But God is faithful and continues to teach me and draw me closer to Him during my daily studies. He continues to break my (and Eric's) heart for the orphan. I recently saw a brief video called "the Orphans of Nkandla" which is in a region of South Africa...absolutely heart WRENCHING! After watching it, it has been my continual prayer that God would teach me how much I truly have (especially in the times when I don't feel like I have the things I "need" to feel comfortable-how utterly pitiful is that?!). It has also been my prayer that God would teach me to live on less, so that those who have NOTHING can receive SOMETHING. I can't do a lot, but God is showing me day by day, the ways that I can use my excess, to help those who are in need. Last Sunday was our church's day of prayer for Turkey...in memory of the three Christians martyred for their faith 2 years ago...in a country where Christianity is less than 1 percent of the population...we have SO much...opportunity, financial blessing, material things, privilege...and elsewhere people have SO little, but in most cases, are still filled with joy...AMAZING. Lord teach me to be more like them. - Nicole