It's been a while since I've written, and I don't have a lot of time now. I do want to share with you all, however, that a week from tonight (so, Sunday, the 11th of July), one-year-old Afeefa Ally will be arriving here from the South American country of Guyana to stay with our family. She is coming for surgery on her eyes, and we have the privilege of hosting her while she is here. If you'd like to see a photo of her and to learn more about Children's Circle Mission, the organization that is bringing her here, their website is www.ccmission.org.
We are all getting very excited to have Afeefa with us, and I almost feel like I'm in "nesting" mode, wanting to get everything set up and ready for her arrival. I have experienced a wide range of emotions, from fear, to excitement, to sadness at the reality that we may all become very attached to this little one who will not be with us forever. We would invite you all to pray for Afeefa and her parents; I cannot imagine how difficult it will be for them to put her on a plane next weekend and to not see their precious little one for 3 months (if all goes well, and more if there are complications). Pray for God's peace to overwhelm them and to sustain them. Also, pray for little Afeefa as she adjusts to our family and her new surroundings. Pray for a successful surgery, which is tentatively scheduled for the 16th of July. And pray for our family, too, as we adjust to having a baby in our home once again.
We will post pictures of Afeefa periodically during her time here. Her parents are hoping to follow our blog as a way to keep up, too, so we'll try to be faithful. Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement!