No word yet on Bella's test results. We thought we'd have them by the end of this week, but Bella's doctor is away until Tuesday; so even though the results might come back, we won't likely hear until Wednesday. Ugh. The wait has been awful, but knowing that so many people have been praying is really getting us through this time.
We had a great experience the other day. Some of Bella's family came to our house, including her biologicial grandmother ('Kookum') and aunt, and we all prayed for her. It was the first time that her Kookum met her, which was pretty special to see. Bella also received her Indian name, which is extremely significant in Anishinabe culture. She was given the name "Ohgemaanangok" which means "Morningstar". Isn't that beautiful?! To give her the name we passed her from one person to the next, each one saying her name (either in english or Ojibwe) and kissing her. It was awesome! We're actually considering using her Indian name as her given name! Not sure about that one yet... but we'd better decide quick.
In other news...
We've decided to homeschool Joanne this year. The grade seven class at the school just wasn't an option due to a bunch of factors; class size, level of instruction, behavioural issues, and overall negative learning environment. We started on Tuesday, and this week has been great! It's definitely not for everyone, but it seems to be a pretty good fit for Joanne.
That's all for now. Thanks so much for your ongoing prayers and concern for Bella. Please keep praying! We'll let you know as soon as we find out.
Love to everyone,
Austin and Rach and the girls.