"She will speak HIS name!"

"Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ, is Lord to the glory of God the Father."  Philippians 2:9-11

"GOD is MIGHTY to SAVE"  love, Joan

She is a champion!  All of my children are.  They all have servants hearts.  I am weeping as I type today.  I am abundantly blessed.  Laurel, Coleman, Joan and Derrick each use the gifts God has given them.  I cannot express the joy that is in our home now.   Monday's doctors appointment was long, detailed and it was really intended for me to give more information than to receive information.  I loved everyone at the International Adoption Clinic.  There is one task they have given me that I keep saying, "I will start that tomorrow".  Today has to be the day.  Let's just say it's a nasty little task that I need to mark off my "to do list".  Ughh!  Anyway, when we go back in three weeks we will get information regarding how healthy Joan and Derrick are.  That was the longest appointment I have ever had in my life and to tell you the truth, I haven't really thought much about it since we went to the hearing clinic on Thursday.  Satan did everything he could to keep us from getting there.  We were given the wrong date and the wrong location twice but we made it there anyway.  After Monday's appointment, (8 viles of blood drawn on each of them), Joan and Derrick didn't want to get back in the car.  Joan wouldn't put on her seat belt and then after I "made" her, she took it off.  She battled with me all the way to downtown.  There computer crashed 3 times after I had given our information...I had to repeat the information 3 times...do you see what I'm saying?  Satan didn't want us to get the news that God was preparing to give us!  Joan CAN hear...not very much but enough that they believe that hearing aids will help!  This testing was not painful to her at all.  She was apprehensive at first because of the testing that had taken place on Monday and I couldn't blame her.  When we got into the sound proof booth, Joan was nervous.  It is hard for me to watch her struggle with trust because she is soooo trusting!  Once she realized it would be fun to "play" in the booth, she relaxed and so did I.  I could hear some of the sounds she did not hear.  I was sitting right behind her.  The sounds got louder and I couldn't see her face.  Then, the lady said, "put it in".  Joan lit up like a light and put the ball in the bucket.  I began to weep and thank the Lord because I knew she could hear.  She did it over and over and over.  She's so smart.  I was beginning to wonder if she had figured the game out and maybe she wasn't really "hearing".  They had a test to test her...technology.  We went to another room and they hooked some things up to her.  I put on her favorite show, "Tom and Jerry" and she waited patiently while the computer confirmed what God had already confirmed to me...our angel CAN hear.  The rest of the time becomes fuzzy because I again went on information overload.  All of that is details God will work out and show us what to do next.  They made all kinds of appointments for Joan.  She will see many specialists and I will drive her where and when they want her there.   They want Joan to have "heavy" speech therapy.  We haven't seen the ENT yet but we will very soon.  He will give us the final instructions and we will pray for him as God guides us down the journey of "hearing" the way HE has guided us down the journey of "deafness".  When I first found out that she was hearing and that they believed she will learn to speak, my heart immediately thought of Rays of Hope...the children that are still wondering why I took Joan and Derrick and not them.  I thought more about Joan speaking instead of Joan hearing.  God has given her a platform through her deafness that I do not completely comprehend yet.  He has equipped her to do whatever HE needs for her to do.  I'm in awe of Him through her!  Joel will be here soon.  I can't wait to see him!  I'm sure there may be times when my loved ones in Africa wonder if I have forgotten them.  There is no way I can every forget the precious children at Rays of Hope or Sozo.  I don't know what our next trip to Africa will look like...I've been praying about that as well.  I will go with no expectations.  I will go with my heart wide open and know that God is working in the suffering.  Suzanne told me that more than once...I would say, "I don't know how I will handle the suffering".  She would say, "Amiee, God is working through the suffering."  They were suffering before I got there.  They are suffering after I left.  They are suffering right now as I type about the joyful life I am blessed with.  So what can I do with that information?  I will surrender to God that HE is the Father of the Fatherless and I will commit my life to serving HIM, not the world.  Believe it or not it's not as easy for me to be as humble  in the 35242 zip code area.  Honestly, I was on my knees more in Uganda.   My time in Africa seems like a dream to me sometimes but I know when I begin to share about a child or an incident and my eyes well up with tears and my heart physically begins to ache that it wasn't a dream and there is still much more to do.  I can not save them.  I'm not supposed to.  I'm supposed to be the vessel to let them know they are loved by a God that I have seen move mountains and that HE is mighty to save...not me.  I've got to be sure the children at Rays of Hope and Sozo know that God loves them.  That's all I can do.  That's all I'm supposed to do.  They will know because JOAN will tell them by the grace of God.   God isn't finished with Reeves Party of Six yet.  Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

In His Grip,
Amiee