God's TIMING!!!

I have learned that some things happen faster than I expect, some things happen later than I expect and would like, and some things don't happen at all the way I would hope or have/had planned!! (just like the LARGE font at the bottom, I can't get it to change - sorry :)
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Though despite ALL of the blessings and challenges of life, I have learned to TRUST GOD'S GOODNESS and FAITHFULNESS regardless of what life might bring!!! Did I think I would be in Ghana RIGHT now having just been at the US embassy 2 days ago - NO!!! Did I think we would adopt 2 kids this year - NO!!! Did I think we would adopt another little girl ever - NO (I actually brought all of my summer girls clothes on our trip in May because I SO thought we were done - LOL :))!! The list could go on and on ....
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Each one of our adoption journey have been hugely significant in shaping and sometimes transforming our faith, each time there being elements about the journey that are either totally out of our comfort zone, or totally outside of anything we imagined, or totally outside of what we ever planned for our lives (we being Sam and I)!!
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The other thing that I KNOW TO BE TRUE about the adoption journey is that there is no rhyme or reason to the process when it comes to depending on foreign governments and foreign adoption processes! When we adopted Faith, the Chinese government some skipped a whole batch (group of files of families) and we got our travel approval to bring Faith home, way before many others! There was of course JOY and also sadness in this, as my heart breaks for waiting families as I know how HARD the waiting and longing for your child(children) can be!!!!!!
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Well, it seems to be the case again ...
When I went to the US embassy on Tuesday, the woman was very nice and asked me a lot of questions (a lot more than last time I filed)! I even showed her a picture of Kody, although I'm not sure how interested she was :) When I filed I heard God's whisper (although again at the time I was not sure if to trust it) ... God said "this approval is going to come fast, while you are still in Ghana!"" I know some of you who read my blog are going to stop right now as you think I'm crazy ... So yesturday came and I almost called Sam and told him to check e-mail that day (I didn't have internet access) because I thought our approval was coming that day! With the time difference, I decided I would wait until he was up ... and then later I learned that he was going out for breakfast with a friend so I had to wait to call him!! And then there was the FABELOUS CHRISTMAS PARTY at Beacon (such a highlight for me, never mind the kids ... I'll share more when I get home) ... so I didn't get a chance to talk to Sam!!! So about 4 o'clock Ghana time I was at Beacon House and Bernard said there was a call for me - it was the US EMBASSY - we have our approval!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The woman procceeded to tell me that she had e-mailed me as well but thought she would call too!!! Oh MY EXCITEMENT .......... and OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MY HEART!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Why we got our approval so fast (this is NOT NORMAL AT ALL AND SHOULD NOT BE EXPECTED BY OTHERS), I don't know!! Although God clearly has been reminding on this adoption process that it is HIS PLANS FOR ELLA, it is all about HER!!!!!!!! She is His child and is dearly loved by Him (just like all of the other children like her were what she used to be an orphan - just like each one of us) and for some reason His plan for her life included our family and her becoming our daughter RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!
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If you do remember, we STILL NEED OUR PASSPORT!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ohhhhhhhhhh my heart, not another passport FIGHT and WAIT!!!!!! Though I have FULL PEACE that Ella will come home when she is supposed to!!! It might be sooner than I expect, or it might take much longer than I expect!! Regardless, I trust God's TIME, PLAN, and GOODNESS!!!!!!!!
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Bernard said he would check on our passport ... if you remember we had one, but there was a typo :)
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THANK YOU JESUS FOR THAT YOU LOVE EACH ONE OF US SOOOOOOOOOO MUCH AND THAT YOU HAVE ALL OF OUR BEST INTEREST AT HEART - which I understand sometimes looks very different from what I think it should be!!! THANK YOU FOR THAT YOU SEE THE WHOLE PICTURE, every detail of everything and the inter-connections of everything!!!!!!!! THANK YOU JESUS for this trip, that although I would not have planned in right now in the middle of soooo many fun and special Christmas events ... the trip has been AWESOME and soo perfect!!!!!!!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR GOODNESS, and your constant peace, hope, and joy in the middle of blessings and seemingly struggles!!!!!!! I stand in AWE of WHO YOU ARE!!!!!!!!!