The Mason Story: Still Waiting...

We are still waiting for our Letter of Acceptance to arrive. It should come any day now...but that does not mean it will. This is by far the hardest part of the process...it was with Eden, too. Once you have that picture of your child-to-be it is excruciating and frustrating to wait. The estimate wait for this step is 60-90 days and we are at day 97 (give or take).

Please pray for my heart during this last stretch. I want to be honest...I tend to pull away from the Lord when I get frustrated, instead of running to Him. I know He is in control and I am not promised tomorrow so I want to honor Him each and every hour we have to wait. This is an area I need to grow in tremendously...as I tend to become easily depressed and "shut down," so to speak. I am resolving to run to and not from His Word and His ways. They are good - even when I can't see what the hold-up is!

On another note, I had an amazing opportunity to serve the refugee children of Clarkston, GA 2 weeks ago. Our church partnered with Friends of Refugees to staff the first week of their summer camp. I wish I could describe what I saw. I loved on children from Burma, South Sudan, Vietnam, Bosnia, Ethiopia, Nepal, Afghanistan, and more. As the children started arriving Monday morning it looked like a U.N. Summit...talk about every nation, tribe and tongue! And to think this is 30 minutes from my house.

I connected in a special way with a little 2nd grader from Burma. I visited her family a few times and our family is in the process of "adopting"this sweet family through World Relief (the relocation agency who brought them to GA). Eden went to camp with Gene and I (as a "camper") and she and this little girl could be seen all week holding hands. My mom got to go serve with us...it was an unforgettable week! I look forward to walking alongside this family as they settle in the US. They have only been here 1 month and speak no English...it is amazing how much you can communicate with gestures and pointing :0) They face so much in the days ahead...learning to use food stamps, public transport, registering children for school, getting shot records/physicals, using Medicaid, learning english...the list goes on and on. I am so humbled to advocate for this family and love them.

I sure hope to have some great news from China soon. Until then, the joy of the Lord is our strength. Thank you for your prayers...we need them!

Here are some pictures from our week at camp: