Christmas Eve Update!

CHRISTMAS EVE - DECEMBER 24, 2010Merry Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus and the homecoming of our Miracle baby - Tin Tin!

Our Lord has done yet another miracle for Tin Tin! Rejoice with us as we rejoice in the Lord's saving grace!

Tin Tin may not be home for Christmas but praise the Lord she has a home! Yesterday afternoon we received the documents that we had been waiting for. We did not expect these documents for at least another week or possibly even after the New Year! We were amazed and in awe and praising the Lord! We have now been officially accepted for Tin Tin by the Philippine government. Tin Tin 's entire adoption has also now been paid in full! Our Lord has paid for our lives in full as we too can be adopted into the family of God through belief in Jesus Christ! We celebrate the miracle of Christmas and our Miracle baby!

She is coming home! Once again the timing is in the Lord's hands and I have stopped trying to determine the date! I had resigned myself to the fact that we would not hear from the Philippine government nor receive papers until after the holiday and that I needed to be content in His timing and the knowledge that the Lord is in control! Then yesterday we were blown away by the documents that we needed! It was like the Lord simply handed us the papers and I can not even remember what the Fed Ex delivery person looked like - I was so in awe of what was being handed to me! TIN TIN'S LIFE WAS HANDED TO ME TO ACCEPT! WE READILY ACCEPTED OUR DAUGHTER!

WE are praying that we can travel for her by early to mid January! There are just a few logistics that need to happen and once again the Lord has a better time frame than I do so it is HIS story and I am completely blessed and amazed!

Yesterday was also an amazing day because a group of 1st grade children from LAMS blessed Tin Tin with gifts, toys and diapers. These are the same children that have been praying daily for Tin Tin's adoption and paperwork! I was invited to their room to visit them - Ellianna and I visited together since we did not have Tin Tin home just yet. They presented us with many gifts and their joy and excitement was an incredible blessing and I know that our Lord Jesus is just smiling at the gifts given by "children"! They did service projects for months to earn $1.00 for each project. They kept track of the amount of projects that they did by a beautiful paper chain that was hanging from the ceiling. They made a new link for each service project. Then they used the money to buy gifts for Tin Tin! I am crying as I remember the joy I felt and the love I saw in their hearts and eyes. Would not our World be such a beautiful place if we all had that kind of love in our hearts for others! It was a sight to behold! The first graders then helped to carry all the gifts down the hallway and out to our van. We loaded the gifts in the van for Tin Tin and we all had our pictures taken together for Tin Tin!

These children witnessed their prayers being answered first hand one morning back in the fall. It was the morning that Tin Tin's immigration approval was granted. They were praying at 8:30 that morning for Tin Tin and her immigration paperwork. Kim was their substitute teacher that morning and left her cell phone on when she usually turns it off when teaching. It was at 8:50 that I got the message that our approval was granted and I called her phone to give her the good news! She heard the phone beep and checked who it was! She figured if I was calling that it was good news! She left the first graders hear my message about the approval being granted! Their prayers that had been prayed just that morning at 8:30 had been answered. You should have heard their cheering and screaming! The Lord had done miracle for Tin Tin!

We rejoice in His birth and we rejoice in the gift of Tin Tin! She is coming home and stay tuned for more exciting miracles as we watch the story of Tin Tin continue to unfold! We celebrate and give glory to our Lord Jesus and to HIM alone!

May you know the peace of Jesus Christ in your own heart and may you be adopted into His family through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior - Merry Christmas from our home to you!

Brian Stephanie Sasha Ellianna and Tin Tin too!