It's official! Our caseworker has confirmed that our dossier has been presented to IHNFA and is moving through the chain of command in the review process. Hallelujah!
We have received our first (and hopefully last!) request for an addendum to the psychological report. The attorney is hoping to have the document in his hands ASAP (within 10 days) so that the review process continues without interruption (that's my hope, too!).
Our engine is revved and once again, we are moving full speed ahead toward the elusive finish line.
As long as I have your attention, pull up a chair, gather 'round, I do have a story to tell you....
A SEED OF TRUTH AND LOVE AND LIGHT
It was hot....so hot, but the children were not deterred. They crowded onto the front steps of the dilapidated trailer...grimy, barefooted, and swarmed by bugs they waited for us with great anticipation. Although early in the day, sweat had already saturated their clothing. To the right...broken glass bottles, a decapitated baby doll whose eyes had been shot out by a BB gun, and heaps of beer cans. To the left... piles of fallen insulation, rusty bottle caps, and twisted rods of rebar (aka TOYS). Open bags of trash and rotten food were all around. The weeds stood tall, tall enough to tickle our knees. Grasshoppers were in attack mode.
A ten year old boy was the first to run down the steps and throw his arms around my waist,
"Kelli, you're here. You came again!"
That started the parade...I call it the love parade. One by one each child approached, waiting his/her turn for a snuggle, a smile, and a kind word.
We spread the picnic blankets under the lone tree. It was the second day of Bible time and I proceeded to tell a story. It was a story about a daddy frog whose baby frogs had all hopped away. He was sad because his children were lost. (I hid several beach ball frogs around the property and sent the children out to find them.) As the children returned to the blanket with the lost frogs, Daddy frog celebrated and danced and rejoiced. His children had been lost and now they were found.
The children were excited and ready for more.
Next a daddy dog lost his puppies. They had all run away. Daddy dog was heartbroken because his children had left home. (I hid several beanie baby dogs on the property and sent the children out to find them.) As the children returned to the blanket with the runaway dogs, Daddy dog celebrated and danced and rejoiced. His children had come home to him. Energies were high and the kids were excited.
"Now what, Kelli?!"
Finally, a sheep...a sheep who had wandered away from its loving shepherd. Even though the shepherd had ninety-nine sheep left in the flock, he LOVED the lost sheep and set out to find him. (The children became shepherds and set out to find the lost sheep I had hidden.) Returning to the blanket with the lost sheep, the children, just like the shepherd, celebrated and danced and rejoiced over their valuable find.
We talked about the fact that God made them and God loves them. Just like the daddy of the frogs who hopped away and the daddy of the puppies who ran away and the shepherd of the sheep who got lost, God celebrates, dances, and rejoices when the children He created and loves come home to Him.
My assignment from God has been to plant seeds in the hearts of these children:
An angel paused in his downward flight with a seed of truth and love and light. And he said, "Where must this seed be sown to bring the most fruit when it is grown?" The Master heard and He said with a smile, "Go plant it for Me in the heart of a child." Anonymous
Fast forward a week or so...I had brought several of these children to my house to swim. The five year old little boy whom weeks earlier had looked me in the eye and said, "Jesus is ugly. If you come near me, I will bite you", asked me for the beach ball frogs. I gave them to him.
He told me to keep the daddy and he proceeded to throw the others into the water.
"I'll be back, Kelli. I am going to get the lost babies and bring them home. Get Daddy ready to dance!"
And this little boy did just what he set out to do. He brought each baby frog back to the daddy. And I did what I was instructed me to do...I danced in celebration, rejoicing that the babies whom were lost were now home. The five year old said,
"This is just like God, Kelli. He is happy when His children come home."
The End.
We have received our first (and hopefully last!) request for an addendum to the psychological report. The attorney is hoping to have the document in his hands ASAP (within 10 days) so that the review process continues without interruption (that's my hope, too!).
Our engine is revved and once again, we are moving full speed ahead toward the elusive finish line.
As long as I have your attention, pull up a chair, gather 'round, I do have a story to tell you....
A SEED OF TRUTH AND LOVE AND LIGHT
It was hot....so hot, but the children were not deterred. They crowded onto the front steps of the dilapidated trailer...grimy, barefooted, and swarmed by bugs they waited for us with great anticipation. Although early in the day, sweat had already saturated their clothing. To the right...broken glass bottles, a decapitated baby doll whose eyes had been shot out by a BB gun, and heaps of beer cans. To the left... piles of fallen insulation, rusty bottle caps, and twisted rods of rebar (aka TOYS). Open bags of trash and rotten food were all around. The weeds stood tall, tall enough to tickle our knees. Grasshoppers were in attack mode.
A ten year old boy was the first to run down the steps and throw his arms around my waist,
"Kelli, you're here. You came again!"
That started the parade...I call it the love parade. One by one each child approached, waiting his/her turn for a snuggle, a smile, and a kind word.
We spread the picnic blankets under the lone tree. It was the second day of Bible time and I proceeded to tell a story. It was a story about a daddy frog whose baby frogs had all hopped away. He was sad because his children were lost. (I hid several beach ball frogs around the property and sent the children out to find them.) As the children returned to the blanket with the lost frogs, Daddy frog celebrated and danced and rejoiced. His children had been lost and now they were found.
The children were excited and ready for more.
Next a daddy dog lost his puppies. They had all run away. Daddy dog was heartbroken because his children had left home. (I hid several beanie baby dogs on the property and sent the children out to find them.) As the children returned to the blanket with the runaway dogs, Daddy dog celebrated and danced and rejoiced. His children had come home to him. Energies were high and the kids were excited.
"Now what, Kelli?!"
Finally, a sheep...a sheep who had wandered away from its loving shepherd. Even though the shepherd had ninety-nine sheep left in the flock, he LOVED the lost sheep and set out to find him. (The children became shepherds and set out to find the lost sheep I had hidden.) Returning to the blanket with the lost sheep, the children, just like the shepherd, celebrated and danced and rejoiced over their valuable find.
We talked about the fact that God made them and God loves them. Just like the daddy of the frogs who hopped away and the daddy of the puppies who ran away and the shepherd of the sheep who got lost, God celebrates, dances, and rejoices when the children He created and loves come home to Him.
My assignment from God has been to plant seeds in the hearts of these children:
An angel paused in his downward flight with a seed of truth and love and light. And he said, "Where must this seed be sown to bring the most fruit when it is grown?" The Master heard and He said with a smile, "Go plant it for Me in the heart of a child." Anonymous
Fast forward a week or so...I had brought several of these children to my house to swim. The five year old little boy whom weeks earlier had looked me in the eye and said, "Jesus is ugly. If you come near me, I will bite you", asked me for the beach ball frogs. I gave them to him.
He told me to keep the daddy and he proceeded to throw the others into the water.
"I'll be back, Kelli. I am going to get the lost babies and bring them home. Get Daddy ready to dance!"
And this little boy did just what he set out to do. He brought each baby frog back to the daddy. And I did what I was instructed me to do...I danced in celebration, rejoicing that the babies whom were lost were now home. The five year old said,
"This is just like God, Kelli. He is happy when His children come home."
The End.
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