Friends are friends forever, if the........

I've made some lifelong, crazy, special friends through this adoption. We had the blessing of rooming together this year at Created4Care, an adoptive mama retreat in Atlanta, Georgia. We talk, Facebook, Facetime or text almost every single day. Sometimes 20 texts in one day. We encourage each other in the wait. Sometimes we laugh until it hurts. We pick each other off the floor when one of us is broken and always point each other back to our Lord. These ladies are my sisters. They get me. We are BFFs for life. We have something called the "Bathtub Diaries." Need I say more? We are blood.

Between the 4 of us we have 11 daughters and we are all open to a boy or a girl in Ethiopia, with almost the exact same parameters. Rory even has a daughter named Maisey, the only difference is we spell our daughter's name Maizie. We don't know any other Maizie's personally, so this is so rare and fun! Can you imagine if we got all of our families together? Oh the fun and the chaos. The only trouble is we are in California, Oregon, Illinois, and Kansas!

Our roomie Suzanne has a blog called "Journey to 838." 838 is the longitude and latitude of Ethiopia. She challenged our adoption group to pray at 8:38 am and 8:38 pm each day. I have an alarm set for twice a day on my phone, and I haven't missed one yet. It has been therapeutic, kept me accountable and in prayer, and inspired me. Chris Tomlin's song, "Whom Shall I Fear," starts to play when my alarm goes off and I am reminded to hit my knees and pray. It is amazing to think I am praying simultaneously with others and our prayers are also spread out throughout the day, since we are in different time zones.

Sometimes we are goofy. Sometimes we are upset. Other times we are inspired. While sometimes we just need a good laugh or a really good cry. And then somedays, I am sent a message like this one:

Lord Jesus......
It is 8:38 and I come to you tonight weary. Tired. Yet energized and expectant. Lord, I ask that you invade this process. That your BREATH would blow over Ethiopia. Through the court systems. Through the lives of each judge. Through the embassy. Through each person that touches that paperwork. Through the transition homes. Through the orphanages. Through the families. Your breath would breathe so strongly that it would grow a spirit of conviction to the hearts of those not being forthright in this process. To those who are creating orphans as opposed to saving orphans. Breathe a spirit of renewal to those that are working tirelessly to make each step matter. To cross every t and dot every i in order to do your work well. Breathe a spirit of courage over the birth families that need it abundantly. A Spirit of comfort. A Spirit of Truth for those who do not know you. A spirit of love for those caring for these orphans. And for those on the other side of the world. Breathe your spirit. Invade their hearts, minds, and souls. Breathe rest to these waiting Mommas who are weary. Who need to fall into your arms alone and wait there because that is all they can do. Trusting in you alone.

Lord I praise you tonight for these sweet friends of mine. These friends who make me laugh, mend a tattered heart, remind me to look up, and cause me to be renewed once again.

Come in. Invade. All you see of us.

I read it, then re-read, and then read it out loud to my mother. Whew. Tears. We walk this journey together. Humbly. Sometimes almost completely broken, and then we turn to God, our Comforter, the Lord of all, and once again we are healed. Sometimes it takes a sister nudging us in that direction. That's what friends are for. (Don't start singing please)

It is an honor to call these women my friends. I love them so dearly. 

This is the roomie crew. You 

might recognize this picture from my Facebook profile picture. I'm keeping it there until our referral. =)

Suzanne likes to pose with ducks. 

See, she totally loves me ;)

Waking up each morning to these cuties was such a blessing and so much fun!

Amber blogged about our time at C4C together.

http://www.connectthedots-amber.blogspot.com/2013/04/created-for-care-january.html

Rory's blog is woosterweester.blogpsot.com

I posted Suzanne's at the top, but it is http://journeyto838.blogspot.com

I have so many other precious adoptive mommy friends, but this post was a shout out to the roomies. But, I still have to add some of my other AGCI peeps in a few pictures. I love these ladies!!!

Jenny Marrs is the sweetest. She is on Give1Save1 this week and you can donate to help bring her precious daughter home! http://give1save1africa.blogspot.com/2013/04/new-week-new-family-marrs-family.html and then follow their journey at http://www.blessingsandraindrops.com

Leigh just blogged about Ashley's family this week. Check it out http://leigh-onedayatatime.blogspot.com I just love these ladies.

Kimberly is our honorary roomie and just       brought home her son last month! Next time we'll just have to bring in the rollaway bed!

Lauren and Stacy and just gems. Here we are at the airport together. Time to go back to Illinois, California, and Oregon. Sigh.....Miss you! You can attend Lauren's "NoGo Gala" by visiting http://beingbeautifullywoven.blogspot.com/2013/04/you-are-invited-to-our-nogo-gala.html

Kelli and Bobbi are waiting with us too!

Makenzie, the pretty girl in the glasses, just posted today about meeting her daughter a year ago!

http://grafted-branches.blogspot.com
This Kimberly brought home twins from Ethiopia just a year ago too! http://purposefulevents.com/blog/893.html?task=view

So thankful for all of you! Love you!!!