Prayer Request

We have some very special friends who are in the midst of adopting from Haiti. Tomorrow is a BIG day in their adoption journey. Would you please take the time and pray for them? Please pray that both Sarah and Isaiah Daniel's files will be approved & released from IBESR this week.



These families have been waiting a very long time for approval from Haitian Social Services. I have a very peaceful feeling about tomorrow's meeting and so hope good news is sent their way, as well!

Thank you for your prayers! I know our friends appreciate them!!!

A Filler Post

Not too much is happening here lately. Well, nothing too exciting to post about anyway. Figured I would answer these questions since I was tagged by a dear friend. :) Enjoy!

Totally Random...

You just got a mall gift certificate. Where do you head first? Gap

You're on amazon.com. What's in your basket? books, books and more books

You go to the video rental store. What are you looking for? the return counter to pay for our never-ending late fees. :-o

Where's the marker in your Bible? JOB 26 – I am reading the entire Bible chronologically this year, so I am at the beginning. Thanks for the awesome idea, Shannon!

What are you hiding from your family? Valentine’s Day gifts…

What's your game? BASKETBALL – Isn’t that everyone’s game?

What's the last movie you saw at the theater? Hotel for Dogs

You're next up at Starbucks. What do you order? A brownie (since I do not like coffee), then I head to Mac Donald’s for a large coke. A brownie and a coke – the breakfast of champions!

What's in your CD player? Halos Medical Mission CD – I love it! Thanks for a great selection of Christian tunes, Lynda!

You're packing. Where are you going? Although most would guess Haiti, this time we are headed to Grand Cayman for our annual dive trip. (No worries though, I’ll be going back to Haiti soon.)

What's your biggest goal for this year? helping Mike as he chooses a direction for his practice…

What's your biggest event this year? “LIFE” is a big event – so I am going to live it to its fullest by the Grace of God!

What should you be doing instead of this? Paying bills…YUCK!

Who do you think should fill this out on their blog? TAG – you’re it

Just a Little Update....

I have not posted much about our adoption process most recently. We are still in the same holding pattern...

The orphanage DID receive Daniel's birth certificate in December; which is WONDERFUL news! So, now we are waiting for the Mayor's "consent to adopt" for our little guy. Once we have that, the boys' file will enter IBESR - Haitian Social Services.
Waiting for the consent to adopt could be about 5-6 months at this point. Right now, we are praying the Mayor will take Jonathan's illness into consideration and process the paperwork a little bit faster. It is Haiti; however, so we just never know what will happen.

We are also continuing to pursue the medical visa for Jonathan. We have our congressman involved and very willing to assist us to get an approval. We all agree that Jonathan really does need more extensive medical care than offered in Haiti, so we are going to give it another shot. We are so thankful our little guy is healthy right now and pray he stays that way while he lives in Haiti. So, while we wait, we pray. We pray our adoption process continues as planned. We pray Jonathan's NF stays in check and Daniel continues to thrive at Three Angels. We pray all the children at the orphanage, Three Angels and Haiti are protected by the Lord. We pray the US Immigration has a caring heart for the sick children around the world. We pray the Lord's will is done!

His Calling: PART ONE

Over the past year, Haiti has become an important part of our family’s life. Haiti, the poorest third-world country in our hemisphere, is a land full of love and happiness because of God’s glory. Haiti, a country of more than 8 million people with smiling faces and open arms, is a place where its people need to know Jesus Christ. Haiti, a country consumed with poverty, is a place full of miracles and blessings to be shared through Christ’s story. Haiti, a country with a culture so rich in music and art, is a place God has sent the Monfils’ family to share His love and teach His Word.

Prior to our first trip to Haiti, I was anxious to travel to a third-world country. I was nervous of the fact I knew absolutely nothing about medicine and I was about to participate in a medical mission. I was worried about the communication barrier I’d experience with the people of Haiti. I feared the reaction Jonathan, the child we chose to adopt, would have as we were going to meet him for the very first time. I was sad to leave my three children at home for an entire week. I was excited to take on this new adventure in my life; and I was hopeful that this was what God wanted me to do. So many people mention the presence of God’s spirit in Haiti. I recall being told before the mission trip, “God is everywhere,” and “God does exist in Haiti.” Although I knew in my heart the Lord did want me to do mission work; I hadn’t felt it like others said I would. Certainly I had heard about serving God and doing missionary work, and I knew we were supposed to help others and spread His word. So, when Mike and I decided to go on our first mission trip, I knew it was what we were supposed to do. Once I arrived in Haiti, I hoped to be able to feel God’s assurance that it was what I was supposed to do.

As our plane approached the island of Hispaniola, I saw a land of green and a sea of blue. Looking closer, I noticed the brown mudslides streaming down the mountainside. We were traveling to Haiti one week after Tropical Storm Noel hit and flooded a majority of the country. Here I was flying over Haiti, seeing the actual evidence of the destruction and devastation I read about back home. What was moments ago in my mind a lush, tropical island was now the third-world country I was going to be visiting for the 8 days. I felt anxious and concerned, and I prayed asking for God’s reassurance.

As I stepped off the plane, I felt I belonged in this country. Thanking God for this feeling of peace, I proceeded through the airport and out on the street of Port au Prince, completely at ease. I was able to soak in the sites around me, see the people surrounding us and listen to the sounds in the air. Haiti was a beautiful place and I knew I was there for a reason ~ I could feel it! The Lord was allowing me to feel this experience and feel His presence.Each time I visit Haiti, I know God is around me. It is so uplifting to feel God’s love and strength while carrying out His work. I wish to return to Haiti to serve Him and help His people time and time again. It is quite an amazing experience knowing God is right there with you, guiding you, and leading you through His magnificent journey. It is a blessing one can only know first hand.

The love and compassion we have for the people of Haiti have made such powerful impressions on our lives. We long to visit the country to provide for His people and spread His word ~ this is something that so desperately needs to be done in Haiti. Many people question why we choose to work in Haiti and why we are choosing to adopt two Haitian boys. We explain how the Lord led us to this place, we agreed to follow and it is now deeply embedded it into our hearts. As long as God allows, we will continue to serve the people of Haiti. We know in our hearts it is what He has called us to do.

Chosing Joy!

***This is for Cheese, Kristina and anyone else needing a little devotional.

“Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him!” Philippians 4:4

The author, Paul, is serious about joy, telling us twice in this passage to rejoice! The word “rejoice” means “to practice joy, to take delight in and be glad”. Many times, life makes it impossible to be happy but we need to understand that happiness is not what Paul is calling us to. Happiness is a cheap imitation of true joy and totally dependent on the circumstances of life. Joy, however, is a deeply rooted confidence that God is in control no matter what the circumstances of life may be. Joy is a choice.

Paul’s situation, while writing this letter, could make you wonder why he was even writing about joy, of all things. He was in prison under Roman house arrest, awaiting trial and almost certain execution because of his faith in Jesus Christ. Yet, he tells us to rejoice! Don’t miss this! What Paul is really telling us is a life-changing truth! Our inner attitudes do not have to reflect our outward circumstances. In other words, we cannot always find joy in our circumstances but we can always find joy in the Lord of the circumstances.

You have probably discovered that there is absolutely no way in this world to escape pain, but we can avoid joy. The pursuit of joy is a matter of choice. Our first and most important choice is to come to the only source of true joy - Jesus Christ. We must also choose to rejoice in the midst of every circumstance - good or bad – and keep our focus on God, gladly accepting His plan for our lives. We must choose a joyful perspective. A little boy asked his friend. “Wouldn’t you hate to wear glasses all the time?” "No-o-o," the other boy answered slowly, “not if I had the kind grandma wears. She sees how to fix a lot of things. She sees lots of nice things to do on rainy days and she always sees what you meant to do even if you mess things up! I asked her one day how she could see that way all the time and she said, ‘It is the way I choose to look at things.’ So it must be her glasses." When we choose joy, we are choosing against worry!

by: Mary Southerland
'Girlfriends in God'

Father, when worry gets the best of me, please, help me to see life as You see it and to choose Your perspective instead of my own. Lead me into Your peace as I learn to trust You wholly. In Your son's name, Amen.

It’s been a while since my last post - longer than I anticipated. The holiday season has kept us all busy. My absence certainly is not due to the lack of things to share with all of you. With three kids, lots going on and our recent family excursions, there is always plenty to share. I have always shared through this blog. I enjoy writing. Lately, however, it’s been hard to write. It’s been difficult to share.

I try very hard to look at life through a glass that is half-full. I always try to do this. I am an optimist and look at things in a positive way – almost always! I work very hard at counting my blessings and being thankful for the new day ahead. There is always something to smile about and something to celebrate. There is always something to be thankful for – always!

Each day, I continue to count my blessings and thank the Lord for all I have in my life. However, recently, I have wanted to --- complain. I have wanted to whine a little bit. It is just so out of character and something I am not comfortable doing. I catch myself pointing out what’s bothering me and turning it into something positive. This is good, I guess, but today it is just not working for me...

So, here on my family blog, where I share the good I am also going to share the not so good. It is here I am going to be me – honest….

Fifteen months ago, Mike and I committed to adopting Jonathan. Three months after, we committed to the adoption of Daniel. At that time, we began working on our paperwork for an international adoption. And, although the paperwork trail had some bumps in the road, we prepared our dossier in a timely manner. We did not stress about the mounds of work, piles of papers and endless running around. We took it in stride checking off one item at a time on the to-do list. Our government approval came, and soon after our dossier was ready to send down to Haiti. We were finished with our side of the paperwork, handed it all over in Haiti and attended our DHS appointment. The wheels were in motion. The Haitian side of the adoption had begun!

This all happened well over seven months ago. Seven months ago, we prayed that the boys’ paperwork would be ready. Seven months ago we anxiously waited for the green light for our file to enter IBESR – the first step in the Haitian adoption process. Well, here we are seven months later. Still waiting. Still waiting for Daniel’s paperwork to be processed. Still waiting for that green light.

Most days, I get through the wait without a hitch. I am so thankful Daniel and Jonathan live in such a wonderful place getting such terrific care. I am grateful for this transition as they become healthier and stronger and prepare to come home. I feel so very blessed to be able to visit the boys so often. I am truly lucky to be developing such a close bond to them as we wait.

There are days, however, I want to cry. I want to question why there is such a long process to declare a little boy, who was found abandoned on the streets of Port au Prince, an orphan. There are certainly days when I want to wonder what in the world is going on with the need for paper after paper, form after form and letter after letter to officially call him adandoned. I want to understand what the Lord is trying to teach me through this wait. There are days when I struggle with being positive and understanding. There are days when I wish our file would just enter IBESR. Today is one of those days.

I. Just. Wish. Our. File. Would. Enter. IBESR.

I know I cannot rush this process. I know I cannot wish this process along. I know it is all happening for a reason – a reason only the Lord knows. Usually, I am okay with this. Usually, I am okay with putting all of this into God’s hands and letting Him take care of it all. But, today, I am struggling. Today I just wish we had some sort of place in this adoption process. Somewhere other than waiting… Today I just wish we did not have to wait anymore. Today I just wish I could give it all back to the Lord.

Silly Faces!

Happy Holidays, Peeps!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Ever been so busy that you feel disconnected from the rest of your world? That is the kind of week I had. I am so glad it's the weekend and I can take the time to catch up.

I miss my peeps!

What's Up?

I just couldn't stay away. I miss writing. I miss being connected to all of my blog friends. I miss blogland.

Stay tuned for lots of catching up in the days ahead.

It's good to be back!