December 1, 2008 November 19, 2008

We now have a court date—DECEMBER 1.

Did we want a date sooner—YES.

Were we treated horribly today—YES.

Is waiting 14 more days an unnecessary action—YES.

Were we disappointed—YES.

Were our plans ruined—YES.

Is this judge trying to be difficult—YES.

But our HOPE is NOT, and I do repeat NOT in the judge.

II Corinthians 4: 8 & 9

“We are pressured in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed.

For three years we have battled for the adoption of Jacob Petro Williams. There have been many, many road blocks. We have completed three dossiers, Ukraine has stopped adoptions for 6 months, it took 2 years to get his paperwork complete in Ukraine as an orphan, we had to wait 12 months for him to be available, he was told horrible lies about adoption and Americans, we purchased him phone after phone in order to stay in contact and only to have them stolen from him time and time again, we traveled to Ukraine earlier this year to plead with his authorities to allow him to visit in the summer, one summer he wasn’t even allowed to come, we have gotten up at all hours of the night in order to talk with him when we had the chance, we have sent supplies to him only to have others take them away, we have cried many nights, we have questioned many times why God had not intervened, we have been lied to on several occasions, we have been cheated on a few, we have been threatened, we have been physically attacked, we have gone without sleep, we were told DO NOT COME, and today we faced and EARTHLY JUDGE that was mean spirited, threatening, unkind, showed no compassion on our situation, literally put her hands on Jon and pushed him out of her way and yet we are HERE and WE ARE MORE RESOLVED THAN EVER BEFORE. We are here and we can see the end in sight. Thanks to our GOD and FATHER and PROVIDER and HOLDER OF TEARS and ULTIMATE JUDGE and PROTECTOR OF THE FOREIGNER and GIVER OF STRENGTH and SOURCE OF JOY and THE ONE TRUE VICTOR we have made it and we PRESS ON!

II Corinthians 4: 16-18

“Therefore we do not give up; even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen; for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

We will come home on God’s timing, and if satan thinks he has thrown a kink in our system—well while we wait we will tell anyone and everyone that will listen about Jesus. We will spread seed, we will sow, and one day we will see the harvest. One day we will look across heaven and see and understand and these extra days in Ukraine will carry and eternal glory. Apparently the lives of our children are set to have huge impacts in eternity or there wouldn’t be so much to try and stop us. But one thing we know for certain is that God has a victory and that the best thing satan can do is give up, go on and get out of our way. GOD’S plan will NOT be stopped. Oh, all hell may think that they are holding us back, but as long as we are here there will be people that HEAR ABOUT JESUS. There WILL be seeds planted, there will be a GLORY revealed one day. This battle has ALWAYS belonged to God and there is no earthly judge that can move against HIS PLAN. We are desperate for your prayers as they give us strength and courage. We are asking that you continue to pray that we will put on our full armor and follow our commander, Jesus, into the last battles before we bring Jake home. Pray that everything we do will only lead more and more people to Christ, pray that every moment we are here we can in some way allow Jesus to be seen through us. God won this battle before the foundations of the earth were set into place. We REJOICE over this fact. Pray that we will use Godly wisdom and that we will remain steadfast. We are DETERMINED and until December 1, we are gonna focus on what we can’t see and look forward to what we will see in eternity.

December 1, it is coming, it IS coming!!!