Albania Days 31 & 32

Day 31:

We continue to pray and seek the Lord's guidance on how to approach the 3.5 additional weeks ahead of us. I am feeling more at peace and praying that no moment is wasted during our time here. Our Bethany team as well as the Sisters here and to the North are covering us in prayer. I am so thankful that the Sisters and I can join together in this way to seek the Lord's will on my daughter's behalf. 

After a morning visit with my girly:

our local friends surprise called us with a field trip to the Roman Road right outside of town. OH MY. What a beautiful experience to see and walk along the Egnatian highway. The Apostle Paul would have walked this path and bridge (reinforced about 600 years ago) near 59AD:

"From Jerusalem and around about even until Illyricum (Albania), I have fully preached the gospel of Christ" (Romans 15:19)

  My token foot photo...gypsy man sandals on the Roman Road:

Our friend Marjan. He and his wife have been such a blessing to us!

 There is no power in the rocks or path that we saw today, but to visit a place that your spiritual great-great-great-great x 10 grandpa walked to tell others about our Savior is a special event. (Even more so, when you get to throw rocks in the river!)

Day 32:

My girly has been lovingly cared for by the Sisters of Charity (Mother's Theresa's order) since shortly after her birth. I admit I knew very little about the order before arriving here, but I have been simply overwhelmed by the Sisters and how their hearts overflow with love for Jesus. One young Sister shared "Mother Theresa taught even when I am washing the dishes for the babies I am showing my love for Jesus." That this love was shared with my precious girl melts my heart.

Due to some unusual circumstances, the Mother Superior over Albania presented our adoption case to the Mother Superior General in India (the nun who assumed Mother Theresa's position when she died). This is not normal protocol but opened an opportunity to pray for the Sisters and seek a heart of partnered ministry with them. Today the Mother Superior General 'just happened" to make her first visit to Albania...to Elbasan...to my girl's orphanage. Knowing that I would be present she asked for a meeting. This is of course a great honor and it was a pleasure to share my heart for adoption and my sweet girl in her favorite blue dress. We continue to pray for the Sisters as they even are praying for us.  

(L-R: Mother Superior over the orphanage, Mother Superior General, me, Mother Superior over Albania)

This morning we also received word that our judge is continuing to make some unprecedented and very unusual (I would even argue ridiculous) demands regarding our case. Please forgive the vagueness as I protect my daughter's story, but we have the next 2 weeks to figure out a gracious and legal way to respond to the demands.  Our apartment spent the afternoon in prayer and worship seeking the Lord's hand in these matters. We know this---this is not about the judge (although we pray that his heart is softened towards us and more importantly the Lord), this is spiritual warfare; battles being fought in the heavens as we declare value, worth and a loving future over a precious girl. My little family is small but hopefully mighty as we obey God's call to care for the widow and the orphan...and hell hates redemption. 

Will you please intercede for us?  We need miraculous movement on multiple fronts. We need mountains in hearts to move and seas of legalities to be split---something God promised to do from the start of our journey. We also need things to be expedited to avoid us having to leave Albania and return at a later date to finish the adoption process. This would not be good for ANYONE. 

I believe God is bigger and stronger than any human judge and any powers or principalities we cannot see. We are declaring HIS power over our adoption journey even now.

(God's beautiful promises revealed in the sunset tonight)