DOBRAYE OOTRA!!

Dobraye Ootra....Good Morning!!  It's 9:20 pm where i'm at but just cause i thought my mom might look when she got up to see if i posted, i decided to begin with a little foreign greeting! wish i could say that i'm getting better at using words over here, but it just ain't happenin! rick and i went for a walk down by the sea last night and then up to a little market to buy some water. we knew no one would speak english but how can you go wrong just buying some water??!!! well, apparently you can! don't know what she was saying but finally she just made a hand gesture, gave a little bit of a groan and handed us LOTS of change back. we figured she wanted something smaller than what we had but, we did the best we could. we asked our translator this morning and she told us, yes, she was wanting smaller money. ok, so next time we will know!!


Tomorrow will be our last day to see Gabe. I'm not ready to leave him. If I thought I might get away with it, I'd grab him and make a run for it! It will be a sad time for both Rick and I. We asked if we could take him outside tomorrow and hopefully we will get permission to do that. I don't know how often they take them out but today we did see 6 little ones holding hands walking down the path with a caregiver.  Today is also the first day we have heard any sounds from other children.(well, we did hear one cry out yesterday).  Of everything I saw at Gabe's orphanage, the one thing that I noticed the most was the quietness.  I asked how many kids were at this place and our lady said 84.  84 kiddos, and it was quiet??? I don't know. we were on the first and second floors and saw several different ladies but no kids. only the ones out walking today. Maybe this is God's way of protecting me. Protecting my heart from what I was dreading the most. Seeing and possibly playing with the others and then having to leave them, but yet seeing their faces each time I closed my eyes.
Rick and I were talking after supper tonight about the plans God has for each of us. We've been visiting with another couple who are here for their first trip too. They came with 2 referrals(not through Reeces Rainbow) and one of them didn't work out. They just said he had not responded to them all week and it just didn't feel right so they let him go. But there was another child that was available and after seeing him and spending just alittle time with him, the child was responding so well and they too felt he was meant to be theirs.  So, this was their choice that they passed on one of the first of two kids referred to them.  But what about the officials who decide for you, if you will get to bring your little one home or not. How or where is God in that???? Here you are, already in love with your son or daughter, you've held them in your arms, you've kissed their sweet little faces.......they are yours.  But what if your told....No.   We have been asked some pretty blunt questions by officials since we've been here. We are more aware than ever before that this is not a done deal. But we are here to tell you.......God's still in it. Even when the answer is no......God has still got it. He will make everything right in His time. Rick and I agreed tonight, that IF worse comes to worse......God has showed us His goodness and His grace from the very beginning of this. We have seen our friends and family and people we don't even know well or know at all become the very hands and feet of Christ. The support we've gotten so far, has just left us smilin and shakin our heads! Our hearts are over flowing with thankfulness.
Our little guy is precious. He is pretty small as you can probably tell from the pictures. He will be 5 in August and he only weighs 24 lbs. He has some medical issues other than down syndrome but we don't care......we just want to bring him home and give him all the love he deserves.
I'll leave you with a few pictures from today. Thanks and please continue to pray for Gabe and maybe say a prayer for Rick and I as we will begin that 30 hour journey home Saturday afternoon.

AND THIS ONES FOR YOU KOBIE!!!