The Greatest Generation

June 6, 1944 at the age of 21, he landed on the beaches of Normandy and fought in one of the bloodiest battles of World War II. His life spared as he watched those around him sacrificed in the sand. And yes, he brought home 4 bronze stars for his bravery during the war, he also brought home the memory of that day. A day he didn't speak of for over 1/2 a century.

Today, another hero was lost. His journey on this earth ended at 5:30 this morning, with 2 daughters by his side. My grandfather served his country with pride. He came home from the war and built a company from scratch. A successful business that thrives today. He provided a wonderful life for his wife and 5 children. He buried one son and one grandson far before their time. He lived the American dream. A life of highs and lows. Love and loss.

Allen James Hicks was born May 29, 1923 and died April 2, 2010. His amazing life on this earth will be rewarded with riches in Heaven.

Any takers...?

Looking for a used car to raffle off (or maybe a lawnmower, atv, etc). If you donate it, you can get a nice tax credit AND you can help bring our daughter home!! If you're interested or know someone who might be, contact me via email @ angelawells1@live.com.

Highs & lows

Pop Update,
My grandfather still waits for his journey to Heaven. He has some lucid moments, but they are now few and far between. My heart burns to see my father & his sisters and mother suffer through this. I can't imagine the pain and I have no words to help ease it. I can only pray for peace. And I know my grandfather did amazing things here, and amazing things are his reward.

Adoption Update,
Check out the "chip in". We got another donation today! Not to mention the many items that have been brought for the sale on Friday/Saturday. I asked friends to help out with a multi family garage sale, all proceeds going to bring home our girl and wow! did they step up! I am so blessed. And excited about the future. Working on grants now, pray my heart and soul can be expressed in 30 words or less! I know the God put this on our heart and He will see us through!

Spring break is 1/2 day away! Woo hoo, can't wait. Today was a perfect day. The boys and I enjoyed some outside time, and I had all the doors/windows open. I was going to clean the garage but...oops! Didn't get to it. Maybe tomorrow!

Signing off for now. Keep those prayers a'comin' folks. They work wonders!

Ang

still Monday...

In a better mood now! This entry might not be so downhearted!!

We are not giving up on this waiting child (Ethiopia) yet. I feel like I must bring her home...something about her has stolen my heart. And her birthdate...that is another story. The agency is so very awesome and has given us more time to raise the first step of the fees, so many of my friends are donating items for a multi family garage sale this weekend! Plus, I've opened a pampered chef party and a Scentsy party...both of the sales reps are donating their commissions!! I have amazing friends! Most of you will be getting einvites to "attend" these parties, plus you will have a chance to purchase through the blog.

It was a beautiful day here, and the boys enjoyed the 70 degree weather outside. I'm fighting off something (low fever and ear ache) but I only have 2 more days till spring break! Hanging in there!

Pray for us and our fund raising efforts. Our God is good all of the time! I just know it!

angie

Well, it's Monday!

Hi all,

Thank you so much for the numerous well wishes and prayers. They've meant the world to us! We have heavy hearts today as we say goodbye to "Zoe". We had to withdraw from the Burundi program for numerous reasons. We also decided it best to really focus on what God's path is for us, not just follow our heart. So we have also decided to pass the file of the waiting child in Ethiopia onto the next family in line.

My grandfather currently battles for his life in a hospital, and we know he has very little time left. I am so excited that he will be journeying to Heaven soon, but fear his loss. I know he will be missed here and that scares me. Not sure I'm ready to let go.

I will turn to God for strength, I know he is the only one who can truly provide the comfort we need right now. But, I would by lying if I said I wasn't bitter...because I am. And it takes a lot to get me bitter! I am usually very optimistic--not so much this week.

My heart hurts, my eyes sting, my nose hurts (from blowing it)! Every time Andy sees me, he has this sympathy in his eyes (I think I might be hard to look at after days of crying!! Not as pretty as they are in the movies!!) Of course, he is heartbroken, too. We all are.

So, long story short...it might be a while before you see me on here again. Of course, I do believe in miracles, just not sure I'm expecting one anytime soon. Right now, I'm just praying for daily bread...one day at a time.

Thanks all!
Angie

The Good, Bad and Ugly of adoption

THE BAD

Adoption is a beautiful thing, except when it's not. It is not coming up roses after all. In the adoption world, nothing is certain…nothing is clockwork….nothing is a guarantee. We’ve learned that the hard way--by investing time and our hearts on a sweet child that was not meant to be ours. With sadness in our souls, we regret to let you know that our adoption plans for Burundi have fallen through. This was a fear we had from the beginning, but a risk we were willing to take. So we take a deep breath, cry for the loss of our sweet Zoe and trust that God is in control. We will never forget the beautiful eyes of our daughter in Burundi and can only pray for her safety and health as she lives her life, unaware that she was “lost” to us.

Some friends have already given to our cause. We want you to know that the money was not wasted. Much of it has been put in an account for future adoption expenses. Zoe’s foster family in Burundi did receive some payment, as well. We will rest knowing they used it to feed and clothe a child who needed both.

THE GOOD

However, when God closes a door, He opens a window. Our window? A waiting child from Ethiopia. We stumbled across this sweet girl and have been taken aback by the overwhelming sense that she is already ours. Of course, “stumbled” is not accurate, as we believe God led us right to her.

THE UGLY

We have about one week to raise $15,000 to bring this child home. Ouch! (FYI, in the world of international adoption, $15,000 is not a ridiculous number--this is quite normal). Don't think it is going to happen, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try! I wish I could reach into my bank account, book the flight to Ethiopia and bring her home. I cannot, most of us would have trouble doing the same thing. So while she continues to grow in an orphanage, thousands of miles away, we hit high gear and continue our fund raising. Ethiopia is an established program with thousands of adoptions completed. With any adoption, there are certainly risks, but they are far from the ones we experienced in Burundi.

We WILL bring home a child who needs a home. Not Zoe, and maybe not this child either. But the day will come and God will show us the path. When he does, any funds we've raised to that point will go right into bringing His child home. May be you have already helped with Burundi, and if so, THANK YOU for your belief in us and what we are doing. If you can't contribute financially, no problem. Pray for us and our journey. If you can contribute financially, hit the "chip in" button. Know you will be forever in our debt and thanked everyday in our prayers!

So I sign off to go buy tissues at Wal Mart (first I will powder my red nose and do something about these swollen eyes!). We've gone through a whole stack in the last 24 hours! Don't pity us--we are blessed beyond measure. I do believe in God's plan, and this is part of it. Yes, it hurts. But we will mend.

I've been kissing my boys over and over again today, and they are not sure why. I should kiss them that many times everyday! I will.

Spilling my heart,

Angie

Haiti

Hi all, my friend Kim made this video. It is amazing. Watch it with a tissue.