Someone is enjoying having his picture taken lately....Thanks for the pic, Megan!

HA - LOVE IT!!!

Would you please join us in prayer this week? We are hoping for some movement with the boys' adoption file in Haiti. If movement takes place, Jonathan is that much closer to being in the United States recieving the medical care he needs.

Stingray City - Grand Cayman '09

We chartered a boat with our friends and headed out to Stingray City earlier in the week. This is the place in the bay where the stingray all migrate because tourists visit with chump, squid and other yummy treats. Although the stingrays are wild, they are gentle and swim around as if they enjoy the human company.
Tim was the only one of the kids who would get into the water. Megan and Kate preferred watching from the boat. I was able to get Meg to agree to dangle her legs off the side of the boat to at least feel the animals. That in itself was a huge step! Maybe next year, she'll even step onto the ladder.

Many of us spent the afternoon diving for conch shells, starfish and lobster. Only Mike was brave enough to eat the conch dip later on during the cruise, but we all enjoyed a taster lobster dinner that night.

Will you please consider helping?
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There is a new easy way to raise money for Three Angels Children’s Relief. Just start using Yahoo! powered GoodSearch.com as your search engine and they'll donate a penny to Three Angels every time you do a search!

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All you have to do is search the Internet just like you normally would — the site is powered by Yahoo!, so you'll get high-quality search results. Every search you make with GoodSearch.com will help the children of Angel House Orphanage, the students of Three Angels Christian Academy and the patients of Three Angels’ Halos Medical center. So many people from Haiti will benefit! The more people use GoodSearch, the more money will be directed towards Three Angels Children’s Relief.

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The sky is the limit, so please spread the word!
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Here's the web site — http://www.goodsearch.com/. Please consider searching the Internet through this site while choosing the proceeds to go to Three Angels Children’s Relief. It could make such a huge difference in the lives of so many people in Haiti.
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Mesi anpil!
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Three Angels Children's Relief (Palm Coast, FL)

GoodSearch ID: 874920

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.