Now it begins. I have started answering question after question for our second home study yesterday. It is really quite amazing all the information that is needed for this process. Questions like " Discuss the strengths in your marriage.-- Discuss the adjustment period when you first married.--How are household responsibilities distributed.-- If you and your spouse were to have an argument this month, what would it most likely be about?." Interesting, very interesting! I am sure enquiring minds want to know: )

I am praying for God to guide us regarding the child that he wants to add to our family. I feel such peace this time. Primarily because the child is not identified as of yet, at least not by us. I have no question in my mind that God has had this little guy in mind for some time now. So it is with that confidence that we proceed. God is going to reveal to us at the perfect time the little guy. It was so hard to be going through these preliminary steps last time with a child already identified. You think of them so often. I used to gaze at the picture of Sarah (the little girl we tried so hard to adopt from Sierra Leone) and wonder what she sounded like, what her smile looked like, even what she smelled like. So after experiencing that I am glad to have the luxury of not having a picture and name to look at. That was so hard. Especially with the adoption not succeeding. I still pray for Sarah, I think I always will. I am aware though that there will come a time when we do have the name and picture of our new child. Then it becomes more real. That is when the mother bear attitude in me tends to come out. Don't mess with my cub, I want to be between them and trouble. I at the very least want them on the same continent!! God Bless- Crystal

Last evening we had some friends over two of which are Liberian nationals. One is a Physician studying ultrasound here in the U.S. , the second is attending a seminary to be come a pastor. What interesting after dinner conversation. It is neat to see how God brings people with common callings together. He is definitely given us a heart for West Africa, more specifically Liberia. He keeps pointing us that direction. After Kelly shared about his recent mission trip, we talked about the great need in Liberia. I was able to ask these two gentlemen about the movie "Blood Diamond" and their perspective of it. The seminary student said he had already seen it twice and that it was an accurate portrayal of Sierra Leone's bloody war and how the diamonds were trafficked through Liberia. The physician agreed and said he thought it was violent, but true to the events. We then started to talk about forgiveness and when you have lived through such horrific events. How does one begin to forgive the people who have murdered your children, raped your wives, and mutilated your bodies? The doctor then stated something that sums up the truth of the civil wars in both Liberia and Sierra Leone. He said "they were just children, forced by drugs to fight, many were just children." Wow, I could hear the forgiveness in his voice in this statement. I have attached a picture of a Liberian child solider to this post. I thought it was a touching photo in that you can see how young he is. Pray for this boy, the army of young men who have had to grow up amidst this terrible bloodshed, pray for Liberia and their healing- Crystal