The big "D" in black ink

I bet only one person who reads my blog will know what that means :)... The big "D" is the code word Tony and I use to talk about his upcoming deployment, esp. around the kids. Because he has been in residency and fellowship for the past four years, we have dodged the big "D", but we knew when we moved to NC, that it would come-- and it has! He is going to Iraq-- Bagdad-- from Dec '08 to June '09. So, it is still many months away, and I don't really know how I feel about that. In some ways I wish we had requested this June through December. Then it would be over with and there wouldn't be any concern about him being gone during the same timeframe we SHOULD be getting our referral for the kids and traveling to Ethiopia to pick them up. We made our request quite some time ago and before the timeline for referrals was increased. In January, he was able to meet with his placement officer and was told that he may need to go this summer. We were honest with Col. Harris in telling him that we didn't know WHEN the best time for him to deploy would be, and we just prayed that God's will would be done. There for a bit, it looked like he may get moved up, but when the list came out, he was in the Dec '08-June '09 category. It's good when things are out of your control and you have a relationship with God to know that He is over all things and loves you so much to carry you through it. We know that God can see into our future and work out all the details, so why try to manipulate the situation??? Do I wonder how all this will work out with adopting-- YES!!!!!!! But, here it is and all I can do is trust God and walk through it-- good :)

So, unless Barak or Hillary get elected and pull all troops out immediately, I will be single-mommying it for a bit in 2009-- I can do everything through Him who gives me strength (Phil. 4:13), right :D?!

Grace and Peace,
Shari