bodner003

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." (Hebrews 12:1) I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Seamus had the privilege of being involved in a mission project with our youth group, called the 30-hour Famine. He came home hungry and tired... and a little cranky... shh, don't tell him I said that ;-) but I know his soul felt refreshed! I spent some great time with my 3 little friends, just relaxing and doing some fun things together. This next weekend is a big one for us! Saturday morning is our Adoption Doughnut Day and that afternoon is our final home study meeting. If you haven't ordered doughnuts and would like to, just shoot me an email ( lauraloman@yahoo.com ). I ordered a little extra so I can put your name on some of those if you let me know. Y'all. We are in the thick of things right now. We...

I marvel at the questions I receive from so many of you about our adoption, the country of China, the process itself, our motives, and countless other curiosities. I rejoice in your questions because it shows that God is stirring in each of your hearts. I am thankful that you are impacted by this ministry. Christ, so perfectly, places burdens on our hearts as He calls us to fulfill His will and become more like Him. "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (2Cor.3:18) I am humbled that hearts are changing through this process. I give all thanks to Christ! I'd like to share some information about China and the need for adoption itself. I'm not going to disclose specific information or my opinions about Chinese government, policies and procedures, and information that could jeopardize our adoption in any way. The facts...

Our home study went very well last night... from my perspective anyway... let's just hope the social worker thinks the same. ;-) It was the first part of 4 visits and we worked our way through some important decisions and information. I had an unusual peace yesterday going in to the visit. I'm sure most of that was because of prayer... Thanks friends! It was clear to me that she was not there to judge us. Rather, her goal is to ensure that we are prepared for an adoption and to help us get prepared in areas where we may need assistance. We were able to share our faith and our family with this precious lady and be open and honest without feeling threatened. We are thankful for the home study process because we see this as another support link, one that can offer a wealth of information to us who have never before experienced the adoption process. She will be revisiting 3 more times, 2 very casual visits and one last visit on May 4th (Adoption Doughnut Day!) ...

I have been itching to post an update and am thrilled to be sharing another piece of our story with you! Writing is my outlet and I find great joy in keeping up with this blog. I am thankful for the means to share my heart with you. We have been officially welcomed in to Lifeline's agency. We have been assigned a case worker (precious lady named Logan who we met in Birmingham) and the official process has begun! We have been given a (very large) manual to read, with a whole lot of papers to sign and information to gather. Y'all. If you don't like signing your name, don't consider adopting a baby. Phew! And this is only the beginning. On top of the reading, signing, and gathering we have scheduled our first Home Study meeting for next Friday, April 12th! The home study is performed by a licensed social worker and consists of a series of interviews, family interaction, home investigation, lots more paperwork, gathering of documents, and more fun than we can b...

"Jesus replied, 'If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our  HOME with him.' " (John 14:23) OH! The momma bird came back, y'all! My one fern is going to look ugly for awhile with no water or fertilizer but it'll be neat to see those babies take flight one day! 

Today is a beautiful day. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, it's a perfect day to start the Easter weekend. I spent a little of my morning on the back porch, pruning my ferns that had been neglected all winter. The green foliage is popping through and I needed to trim away the old brush, give them fertilizer, water them, and rehang them to display their vitality. I finished 3 of the ferns and made my way over to the 4th and last. I stood on the bar stool and took down the last fern. I looked inside and noticed 3 baby birds, fragile and tiny, breathing deeply. Immediately, I thanked God for new life. Thank you Lord for this season of rebirth and growth. I marveled at these precious birds who weren't even old enough to make a peep, then quickly hung the fern back up before the momma bird could see me. I spent the next several hours peeking through the window, waiting for the momma to return. She never did, not yet anyway. These helpless babies, left to fend for themselve...

I am so excited to kick off our very first fundraiser to help bring our baby girl home! And what better way to do it than eating Krispy Kreme doughnuts? Our "Adoption Doughnut Day" will be Saturday, May 4th. We are pre-selling glazed doughnuts ($7 per dozen) now through April 26th. If you would like to place a glazed doughnut order to help with our adoption expenses, please send me an email at lauraloman@yahoo.com to let me know how many boxes you'd like. On Saturday, May 4th, you will pick up your doughnuts at our home anytime between 6:00-10:00am. If you do not live in our area , consider purchasing a certificate from us, redeemable for one dozen glazed doughnuts at any Krispy Kreme location (Metairie, Baton Rouge, and throughout the US). Simply indicate in your email that you are purchasing a certificate rather than a dozen to pick up. Certificates make a great gift idea as well! We can mail these certificates to you at no charge. You can pay for your doughnuts one of...