WHAT DOES A MIRACLE LOOK LIKE?

What does a miracle look like? Let me tell you......

You might want to sit down for this one. Duh, your at a computer of course you're sitting down.

TODD IS GOING TO HAITI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We got a call last Saturday night to tell us that our US government was changing how things were being done in Haiti. A law that has always been in the books, but they never enforced, was now going to be enforced. We have to file our I600 in person. It can no longer be done by proxy. (power of attorney given to the "O" representative on our behalf). OR it has to be filed at our local office (Indy) along with copies of all the paperwork from Haiti.Which we would have to wait to be sent to us. Then the Indy office would forward it to Haiti.

I realize the local one seems more logical. The problem is we are talking about our government who takes their own sweet time to do everything.
So one day in Haiti or several weeks to months here in the states?
We started praying desperatly that God would make a way for one of us to go. We asked our Lord for a miracle. One day in Haiti, with no paperwork traveling internationally, and the adoption could proceed right away was what we needed.

Up until this morning we thought God's answer was no. Little did we know God had a plan. Here is how it unfolded:

In talking with the "O's" parent liason she highly recommended that Todd go if at all possible. We could kill two birds with one stone per say. He could go to the appointment at DHS in Haiti, AND get documentation that he saw Jonas before the adoption was final. Which means we get a visa that makes Jonas an American citizen as soon as his feet hit American soil. No extra filing of paperwork to get him citizenship. BUT...we didn't know wether or not he could get off work. It would be without pay and he had only been working there since August. We didn't want to do ANYTHING to jeopardize his job!!! Everyone was in agreement with that. So he talked to his boss last night with a "just in case" scenario to see if he could get approval. She said she didn't have a problem with it but she would have to check with her boss first.

In the mean time yesterday I spent 2 hours on the phone trying to figure out a way to get a ticket for Todd. His brother is leaving this Friday to go and Michelle is leaving this Sunday to go. The ticket roundtrip was going to cost $843. The guest house would be $175, not to mention money in his pocket.We couldn't do $843, so maybe I could use my frequent flyer miles and pay the difference. Nope, they only allow so many seats on each flight to be purchased with frequent flyer miles. And all those seats were taken.

So last night we knew we weren't going, either one of us. Again, God had a plan.

This morning I get a call from my mom. She had called the President of American AirLines. Yes you read right, the president!!! (Let me interject here that my mom doesn't take no for an answer and she is VERY persistant) She shared with them the need for an emergency trip to Haiti for this adoption. They connected her to the reservation desk and told them to make it work for my mom. Yep! Go mamma!

So we were on a 3 way converence call. Me, my mom, and the ticket agent (Gracie). We were on the phone for 2 hours!!!! But Gracie worked her magic. Now all we needed was to talk to Todd and make sure he had approval to go from his boss. So...my mom put him into the conference call, now 4 way. He did get approval. So we talked thru his tentative flight plan and to make a long story short...sorta...we got a $843 ticket for $200. Yep!!!! Frequent flyer miles used and pay the difference. The very thing I tried to do the day before. Momma got done!!!

But the miracle doesn't end there. How to pay for the $200 you ask? Todd has a very small wedding to take pictures at on Saturday. They owe him $300. We will pay mom the $200 for the ticket that she put on her credit card. That leaves $100. Keep up with me now. I picked up a check from the resale shop yesterday for $75 from things they sold for us. $175. The exact amount of the cost of the guest house!!!!!

Todd will actually keep that in his pocket for the misc exspenses while in Haiti. I get paid next Friday he will write a check to the guest house and my check will cover that.

Whew!!! did you get all that? Todd is going to Haiti and Jonas will meet his PaPa Todd!!!!! My head is spinning from all of it but we are on our knees grateful to our Lord and Savior who made this all happen, in HIS time, in HIS way!

When I thought there was no human way for us to accomplish this I found this scripture and read it out loud and prayed it to the Lord:

I John 5:14
"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to HIS will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us- whatever we ask- we know that we have what we asked of him. "

Well we know we are doing his will. James 1:27 says to take care of the widows and orphanes. So I prayed and claimed I John.

We are overwhelmed by God's goodness and provisions!

Please pray for Todd's trip. He leaves Sunday Dec 10th with an overnight layover in NY. He comes home Dec 16th with an overnight layover in NY. So he actually gets to Evansville on Sunday the 17th. Please pray for the girls. This is VERY sudden and they are flustered, especially Lillie. And Todd will miss Jessica's birthday. She is putting on a brave face for her daddy, but is sad he won't be there. But she understands the importance of this trip and that JoJo gets to see his Papa. Pray for me to be sane when he gets back! LOL And pray for Todd. He will come back from Haiti on Sunday and have to go to work on Monday with NO downtime to absorb what he just went thru!

And last please pray and thank God for my mom's tenacity and Gracie's (the ticket agent) patients and persistance to make this work!!!!!

And THAT is what a miracle looks like!
Hugs, Kristina