Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Time to Hit the Road


A lot could be said about how moving is like labor! I had long, long hard labors. In the midst of it, I wanted to never endure them again. Yet later, it's like the weight of the difficult part of it had faded and I was left with focusing on the many blessings. Well ..... moving .... while fighting off a flu virus would rank right up there for me!

Many of you have prayed for us these last days as we not only learned we'd be moving soon, but then found out in was in a matter of days! We are SO very grateful for your prayers!!! Yesterday, I hardly had strength to walk around for very long .... yet tonight we're preparing to be on the road early in the morning. Oh how we'd appreciate you praying with us as we travel!!

As we sat around tonight trying to establish our game plan for the morning, I posed the question to our kids .... how many pizzas do you think we served in this kitchen? It was fun to hear their guesses. Some of you know that our current home was a huge work in progress. The kitchen was the major focus of renovation. We loved having company over and making home-made pizzas while chatting with them and learning of what God was doing in their lives. SO many memories in this kitchen.

When listing our house with a local realtor she was commenting to David that a marriage only withstands a certain number of house renovations. Ha. But I hope we defy the odds, as we're embarking on yet another one in IL. Although not as extensive as here. :)

This move is one very emotional for us. We are leaving folks here that we have grown to love so deeply. Not only are we changing location, but major roles as well. In our time table we would have not had an extended stay in ND. And while it was full of some great difficulty as far as work/job went and the great unknown .... it was God's plan for our family. He taught us to trust Him and believe Him to greater depths than we've ever known. There might come a day I write more about the things He taught me through this last seven months.

Many special people await us in Illinois. Grandparents! (well one batch of them we have to wait til April to see as they don't do IL winter anymore), our dog Honey!, our church family ...... and a new house waiting and ready to be turned into a home. Still many details to trust God about. But we are learning to trust and obey Him day to day.

Perhaps in the days to come you'll get to see some pics of our progress on the new place we call home. We look very forward to updating you also on our future ministry with the ABBA Fund. Be sure to check out their blog, written by Jason Kovacs, for many helpful resources concerning adoption and orphan care.

North Dakota holds special memories for us as well, because this is where God led us to follow Him on our adoption journeys. We saw Him move mountains time and again for each one. Now as a family of 7 we embark on this new chapter.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Heads Spinning, Boxes Packing, Thanks Giving!!




As you know we have been waiting for over six months now for our move to IL. As fall came and went .... then winter began .... our hearts were growing weary wondering how everything was going to happen.

Well ...... the
Lord has seen fit to move us to the next chapter of our lives and ministry in IL in the very near future. Through an amazing chain of events, a house has been secured for us yesterday and we plan to work hard to making it a wonderful home base for ministry. It is incredibly overwhelming to comprehend that this is happening. This would be the "Heads Spinning" part! The last six months + have been increasingly difficult for us here and transition is always hard .... It's time for us to process through that and move forward.
We would very much appreciate your continued prayers for a good sale of our house here in ND. We'll make the complete move at that time. We'll be spending Maleah's birthday there .... What a special bonus. A packing we will go? .... yeah, insert prayer request here!
It's really impossible to express to you how much your prayers and love have meant to our family through this journey. We have asked the Lord time and time again to use what He's taught us through this season to bless and encourage others. We're trusting He will do just that.
Lots to figure out here in the days ahead. There is a need to secure work for David in IL. Now that we have a date we can pursue that further. It is also time for some difficult good-byes here in ND. We'd be so grateful for your continued prayers.
May the Lord be glorified through this wonderful testimony of His faithfulness! We will never forget what He has done for us. It is incredibly exciting to us what He has done in this next big step towards working more with the ABBA Fund through our new home base in IL.
Blessings,
The Roberts Family

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Our Princess turned 4!











What a fun week it has been. Thankfully, the Princess Birthday Party was the day BEFORE the big snow storm, or we'd have had one crying princess on our hands! We ended up not being able to make it to Maleah's court date because of the storm, so we have to wait just a bit longer for that special day. However, celebrating we have certainly been doing.

We haven't had a great track records with Naomi's birthday the last couple of years. Last year Daddy was nasty sick with the flu (that made it's way through the family). The year before that Nathaniel ran into a tree sledding and ended up with a nasty break to his leg. So ..... we were really trying to not repeat any of that this year! We had a wonderful day with friends.

Nathaniel helped to set a very special table for the birthday girl and her guests. Gotta love a brother that will go to great lengths to make his sis feel special! Josiah treated her like a princess all morning long and entertained her while she waited for company. Maleah slept through much of the fun, but woke just in time to enjoy cake with us! :) Boy does she LOVE cake! That's a good thing because next month we'll be celebrating her birthday!

The boys all enjoyed sledding and ping pong (and lots of yummy treats!). What a fun day! More celebrating to come yet this month. Then we hope soon it's time to pack up the moving truck! Lord, please send a buyer!!! :)