Just a Little Update

It's been awhile since I've posted an update on our adoption journey, so here it is...

We're still waiting!!

Here's the latest -

On July 5th we found out that we had passed Court - woohoo!  However, because we already have 3 bio children (the Congolese gov't likes for you to have 2) we needed a Presidential Authorization.  We were told it could be 3-4 weeks before our lawyer would have that in hand.

Then, on July 31 we found out that the law requiring you to have only 2 bio children was changed (effective immediately) so our Presidential Authorization was no longer needed.

As of now, that's all we know.  

Our agency has been trying to get a concrete update on our specific case since.  We try to wait patiently, understanding that communication with our lawyer is difficult.

We know that a 30 day wait period is up next (giving anyone who may want to appeal the Court's decision the opportunity), but we're not sure if we are officially in that wait period or not.  

Waiting is never easy, but we do have absolute faith in God's timing!  For us "God's perfect timing" is not a cliche, it is simply the place where our hearts rest.

"Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You.  Show me the way I should go, for to You I entrust my life."  Psalm 143:8

Each day is a new day!  We'll continue trusting in God's timing and resting in His unfailing love for us and for our precious little ones!

We'll keep on waiting and praying!

Congo on our Mind

We're still waiting...

Waiting to hear if we've passed court.

We're praying that our little ones will be home soon.  

And continuing to believe that God's timing is perfect!

So thankful for the encouragement we find in God's word.

Romans 15:13  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

I love this picture of our girls and thought I'd share it.  

We definitely have Congo on our mind!

Thanks Jaclyn McNeal for taking this perfect picture!

Joy in The Congo

Simply Beautiful ~

My Cup Overflows

I'm sitting this morning thinking through all the events of yesterday, Easter Sunday, with such a grateful heart!  I'm so thankful for our Risen Savior, who gave His everything for me.  One of the songs we sang yesterday with our Harbortown kids was "Remember" - I'll remember You - remembering the price You paid, remembering the cross, remembering the empty tomb - I'll remember You.  Even this morning, it brings tears.

I'm thankful for our girls!  As I looked at them in their "Easter best" - which, for our family, meant their volunteer t-shirts - my heart overflowed.  They chose to spend their Easter Sunday serving others through 3 services and 3 Easter egg hunts - love their hearts! 

I'm thankful for my incredible husband, who "gets it" when I'm tired and is patient even when that tiredness results in grumpiness.  Instead of complaining, he grills steak and takes us to TCBY!  

I'm thankful for the amazing people I have the privilege of serving with each Sunday in our Children's Ministry - what an inspiring, encouraging and fun group of people - love them!  

I'm thankful for the two sweet little ones that are waiting for us on the other side of the ocean.  I'm thankful for the little glimpses we have of them and their personalities through pictures and video.  I can't wait to be their mommy - I can't wait to celebrate next Easter with them!  

I'm so thankful for all that God has taught and continues to teach our family through this adoption journey.  It isn't easy, but we have seen God's hand in undeniable ways - we all have grown and I wouldn't trade that for anything!

This morning, all I can say is "thank you Jesus".  My cup overflows!

Joy

Our great hope is found in believing that God sees the bigger picture - the highest perspective.  And in those times when we are puzzled by the small pieces that just don't seem to fit together, He promises to be with us.

A month ago, our family was truly puzzled, the picture just wasn't turning out like we thought it would.

We knew that God delights in adoption, in putting orphans into families and we knew that God called our family to adopt - so why weren't things working out?  

I asked myself that question many times in the days right after we lost our 1st referral.  But here's the thing, we never lost hope - because we know that God sees the pieces of the picture that we don't and we knew that He was walking through this time with us - we felt His comfort and peace in so many different ways.

We continued to wait with great expectation for what piece of the picture God would show us next.  And boy, did He have a beautiful surprise in store for us!

Today, we officially accepted another referral and our lawyer will be heading to court on our behalf in just a couple weeks.  Here's what I can show you...

Yep, you counted right!  10 little toes on 4 sweet little feet!  Not only did God give us another referral - He doubled the fun!!  Twin girl and boy, who turned 3 yrs old in January.  I cannot begin to tell you the range of emotions we're experiencing right now, but joy certainly tops the list!

"God has done great things for us and we are filled with joy!"  Psalm 126:3

I know the plans I have for you ~

Last Tuesday, on Valentines Day, we received the news that "our" little one will indeed be placed with an Italian family.  There were tears and sadness and we had to work really hard to pry open our fingers and let go of this little one that we were supposed to be holding onto loosely.  It was beyond difficult, especially for this momma.  I placed her picture in my Bible in Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future".

God's promise for this sweet little girl.  

I'm so thankful that she will no longer be an orphan - that God did place her in a family.  We'll continue to pray that she will come to know and love her Heavenly Father and spend her life discovering the plans that He has for her.

And we'll continue to follow God's plan for our family and wait for the little one He has chosen for us.  

Update: It's not happy news

We got an email from our Agency late this afternoon with the subject line: "It's not happy news".

We'll now be waiting until next week to see if our little girl's name is on a "list" - that "list" will tell us whether or not she has already been promised to an Italian family.  My heart says, "she was already promised to us", but since the Italian agency holds the Abandonment Decree, our "promise" is really only words with no official backing.  

We'll wait for next week.  We'll wait for the "list".  We'll wait to see if this little girl is the one God has chosen for our family.  

We'll still wait, pray and trust.
We're not the only family from our Agency that this "list" will affect.
We'll be praying for them as well.

Col. 1:17 "He is before all things and in Him all things hold together."

Wait. Pray. Trust.

The past few days have been...interesting.  We're still waiting for that one document that means that we can move forward in our adoption process. This document - an Abandonment Decree - we found out last month is in the hands of an Italian Adoption Agency.  There has been a lot of back and forth, but we're still being told that they are willing to hand it over to our lawyer - when that happens we'll start moving along again.

We were told that our lawyer would be meeting with a representative from the Italian Agency this past Sunday or Monday.  We were told on Tuesday that didn't happen as planned, but they promised to meet on Wednesday. Our Agency was going to talk with the lawyer after that meeting and would let us know what transpired.  We got word from our Agency Director this morning that they tried several times yesterday to call our lawyer, but didn't get through.  They would try again this morning.  We're still waiting for word from them.  

I'm still trying to figure out exactly what I'm feeling right now.  

Worried, No.

Disappointed, Yes.

Frustrated, Not Really.

As much I would love to have all the answers and feel like I'm in control of this situation.  Here's what we know...

God is in control of all things - big, small and everything in between.  He's never taken by surprise or caught off guard.  

We trust Him.  Period.  

Wait. Pray. Trust.  That's all we can do right now.  Thanks for joining us.  We appreciate all the prayers. We're happy to answer questions the best we can.  We love knowing that the arrival of our little one is greatly anticipated by family and friends.  We're trusting that we'll have news to share with you all very soon!

  

Yes, it's been awhile.

I guess I just haven't had much to say.  Although, that's not really true.  I have lots of thoughts rolling around in my head, but I can't seem to make them into paragraphs that actually make sense.  So today I'll just stick with sentences.

We're in the midst of a transition in our Children's Ministry.  We've hired a Children's Pastor.  He's an answer to prayer.  The vision he has for our ministry is incredible and I can't wait to see all that God is going to do in the next months and years.  

Even when we believe the "destination" of change will be more than we can ask or imagine, the road to change is sometimes bumpy.  

So thankful that God is faithful.  We can trust Him in all things.

Our Abandonment Decree is still in the hands of an Italian adoption agency.  We hope that changes soon.

Our Director is getting ready to make a trip to The Congo mid-February.  We're hoping she'll be able to get some answers in person that are proving difficult via over-seas communication.  We're putting together another care package for Alli.  We're hoping it actually goes to Alli this time. :)

We're trying to wait well.  Some days are better than others.

Again, so thankful that God is faithful and we can trust Him in all things.

Jeff fractured his leg playing basketball.  He's in a walking boot for 2 months.  Good times.

Cheerleading is in full-swing.  Soccer is just gearing up.  I'm the team parent.  Let's not talk about that. :)

I guess that's all the sentences I have for today.  I'll just end with this - because I loved it so much -

God is less interested in right circumstances than in right responses.  

I'm trying. :)

"Why is this Abandonment Decree taking so long?"

I wanted to get in one more update before 2011 rolls out and 2012 rolls in. I'm still having a hard time believing that another year has past by.  Time flies and I'm sure 2012 will soar along just as quickly.  The good thing about that...before we know it we'll be bringing our little one home!

We talked with our Agency Director this week and got some news.  The reason our Abandonment Decree hasn't come through yet is because the Congolese gov't has already issued a Decree for "our" little girl to an adoption agency in Italy.  I know...What?!  That in itself raises many questions (at least it did for me), but we don't have any answers on that right now...so...we move on.

Our lawyer has talked with the agency in Italy and they have said that they are not going to be placing "our" little girl and that they will instruct the gov't to release the Abandonment Decree to our agency/lawyer.  Our lawyer asked the Italian agency to write a letter to the Congolese gov't, but they said they would be in Kinsasha in January and would take care of it in person.  

Our Director has told us her recommendation is for us to wait it out through the month of January.  The plan is that the Italian agency will instruct the Congolese gov't to release the Abandonment Decree sometime this month and it will be turned over to our lawyer.  After that our case will get under motion and most likely we'll travel in the Spring.  

If for some reason, the Italian agency doesn't carry out their part by the end of January, then we'll be given another referral.  I haven't wrapped my head completely around that one yet, so I'll just leave it at that.

Please pray!  Specifically, that before January comes to an end the Abandonment Decree will be in the hands of our lawyer.

It's a relief to have an answer to the question, "Why is this Abandonment Decree taking so long?".  I'm really trying to remember to thank God for the answers to prayer that He brings our way.  So we're praising Him for another question answered - it truly does take us another step closer!

We have the distinct feeling that 2012 will be an interesting year.  We're praying that it will be "interesting" in a good way! :)  Whatever God has in store for us, even those moments when it feels like everything is falling to pieces, we know that His Word promises that He is before all things and that through Him all things are held together.  

We're so thankful for our Great God and the many family and friends that are praying with us along the way!

You get the picture...(adoption update)

We heard from our Adoption Agency earlier this week.  They had talked with our lawyer and received some information specifically about our case.  The Abandonment Decree that we've been waiting for (for about a month) is being held up by Social Services.  The details surrounding why it's being held up are still not known.  

What we know right now is that from the time we receive an Abandonment Decree we have to wait 30 days until a Birth Certificate can be issued.  Our lawyer needs the Birth Certificate in hand before he can submit our case to court.  He's saying that it will take about 2 weeks for our case to make it through court and then we'll be waiting on the US Embassy to give us permission to travel - right now they are saying that process is taking around 4-6 weeks.  So...even if we were to receive our Abandonment Decree today - we're looking at March before we'll be able to travel and bring our little one home. 

First, it was November/December, then it was January, now it's March...Ugh!

Not the news we were hoping for and quite frankly...it stinks.  

I feel like we're walking a tight rope right now - trying desperately to keep our balance...

We know God's timing is perfect, but every day we wait is another day that our little one is in an orphanage without a family.

We know God is in control of this situation, but every day we wait is another day that our little one is in an orphanage without a family.

We know that God is stretching and growing our faith and that He'll use this for our good, but every day we wait is another day that our little one is in an orphanage without a family.

You get the picture...

Keep praying. 

In all things give Thanks!

We got an email from our agency yesterday...here's the latest -
Our lawyer is working on abandonment decrees and Alli's should be coming soon.

Yes, this is exactly what we heard last week...and the week before...'soon' is becoming a word that I just don't like very much anymore. :)
What keeps running through my head?
In all things, give thanks
I find that when I do that, when I praise God for being in control of all things and working in ways that we don't always see or understand - I feel His presence and peace wash over me.
I'm so thankful for that today!

We'll keep you posted.  We're praying that 'soon' comes very soon! :)

I hope you enjoy a very Happy Thanksgiving with your family!

Come Boldly to the Throne of Grace

There is a family we know that has been on a journey to adopt a little girl from Uganda. They went in for their Embassy Exit Interview today and they were denied their daughter's US Visa. Here is a part of their explanation -
We were at the end of the process and it is just now that we are made aware that something at the beginning of the process was not done. Something so important that it may cost us our child. It is the type of circumstance where legality trumps the child’s welfare. Just because one document was neglected to be completed the whole case is shot.

They have been living in Uganda (with their daughter) for 2 months and are supposed to be on a plane home this weekend.  Their case is being submitted to Homeland Security to be reviewed, they were told to expect a final answer by Friday, but not to get their hopes up.  

They are praying for a miracle and we are praying and believing with them! Please join us and lift this family up.  We don't always understand God's plans, but we know He is our Everlasting, Faithful, Almighty God and He loves this family and this child. Pray that their case would be approved. Pray that this family would feel His presence.

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  

Hebrews 4:16

Plans...

Plans are great. But missions are better. 

Missions survive when plans fail, and plans almost always fail. 

~Godin

For us, our adoption journey is a mission.   
And trust me, we've had many plans for this journey - what country we would adopt from, how old our little one would be, how quickly we would finish our paperwork, how informed we would be, how long this stage and that stage would take, how quickly we would bring our little one home.  
Every single plan we've had, has turned out looking differently than we thought it would.  Each plan has failed to turn out as expected. But our mission remains intact.   
There are so many more "plans" left in this journey.  When we'll travel, how we'll function in Congo, what our first meeting with our baby girl will be like, how quickly we'll head back home, how our family will function once we get home...the list could go on and on. I'm sure many of those "plans" will not happen as expected either. But our mission will remain strong - to put our love into action, expand our family, "parent" all our children well, and ultimately point them to their Heavenly Father.


People ask if we're discouraged that things are not going exactly as planned.  I'm not sure that discouraged is the right word.  Some days, we feel sad.  Sad, because we just long to bring our little one home.  But I think true discouragement hasn't set in because we know the One who holds this mission in His hands.  We'll hold our plans loosely and rest peacefully in knowing that when we're on a mission from God, His plans never fail!

No Abandonment Decree this week :(

We've been praying...our agency told us that they were expecting several abandonment decrees this week - obviously we wanted one of those to be for our case.

We got the news today that several abandonment decrees were received (so happy for those families), but ours was not one of them.  So we continue to wait...and pray.

Our sweet case worker, Cherie, told us that they are expecting ours SOON and to just hang in there a little bit longer.  We sure are trying.

We'd love for you to pray along with us that next week will be our week!

Thankful

I'm so thankful today. Thankful for a husband (who's coming home tonight after about a month of way-too-much traveling) that encourages me, challenges me, prays with me and most importantly continually points me to God's truth. Thankful for our daughters (3 here at home and our sweet little one still very far away) who motivate me everyday to be a better mom than I was the day before - to spend more time laughing, dreaming and praying than I do sulking, working and worrying. Thankful for the ministry I'm involved in that keeps me on my knees and continually seeking God's direction, purpose and peace.  Thankful for our adoption journey and the way God has opened our eyes to the world around us.  Thankful for the many people we've met along the way, who have made themselves available to be used by God!  I'm most thankful (on this Thankful Thursday) that God choses to use imperfect, unimpressive people to carry out His purposes!  This is the "group" I want to belong to - those who are fighting for the broken, are holding onto love, are reaching out to the lonely - who are changing the world!

Praying and Believing

Jeff and I had a conference call yesterday with our Adoption Agency's Director and the sweet gal who is handling the DRC cases - such incredible women with huge hearts for children and families!  Although we were thankful for the chance to talk with them and get an update on our adoption, we were a bit saddened by the reality of where we're at in the process.  We've been praying that we would be able to celebrate Christmas with our little one, but it's now looking like we won't travel to bring her home until Feb 2012.
We've known from the beginning of this journey that there would be unknown turns and unexpected delays, so although we're sad, we're not discouraged or frustrated.  We know that our Agency and Lawyer are working on our behalf and above all else, we know that God's timing is perfect!
Part of the reason for this new delay is the Elections that will be taking place in the DRC on November 27, 2011.  In other parts of our world, there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding elections and the reaction to the outcome.  Even though I really dislike all the election commercials and spin that happen here in the US, I am so thankful that our elections are organized, safe and fair.  We have much to be thankful for!
As we talked with our Agency yesterday, one of the things that they are trying to accomplish before the elections take place, is to open a Transition House and have all our referred children moved into it.  I know with complete certainty that God hears the prayers of His people - so would you please join us in praying for this move to take place before the end of November.
Again I find myself pleading with God to keep our sweet girl safe.  I'm so thankful that He's holding her in His hands - I believe with all my heart that He knows her, sees her and loves her with a perfect love!  So for now, we'll continue to pray, trust, believe and eagerly anticipate the day when we'll get to bring her home!

"Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."  Hebrews 4:16

Waiting

It was a beautiful fall weekend here in the South!  I love this cooler weather and the pumpkin spice lattes, chili and cornbread that come with it!
My Mom and Dad visited with us last week - unfortunately it rained pretty much the whole time they were here.  They did, however, manage to get a lot of projects checked off our "to-do" list.  They painted a wall in Abbi's room, they painted ALL of Alli's room - along with a desk and rocking chair that we'll use in her room as well.  So despite the rain - they had a very productive trip!  You just have to LOVE parents that jump in to help out anyway they can!!  Thank you sooo much Mom and Dad!
I really don't have any new adoption news to share.  We're still waiting...and waiting...and waiting.  Waiting is always difficult and I seem to swing from one emotion to the next.  I had coffee with a sweet friend on Friday and she reminded me that God never wastes times of waiting - He has so much for us to learn during this time - to continue to shape us and mold us into the parents we'll need to be for our sweet addition.  So thankful for the reminder!
I did email our adoption agency last Tuesday to ask for an update.  I'm usually not one to do that - I figure they'll let us know if important news comes their way.  But it had been a couple of weeks since we'd heard anything so I thought I'd give it a try.  They confirmed that we're still waiting for an abandonment decree so that a birth certificate can be generated for our little one.  After that our case will be ready to submit to court.  We're continuing to pray that she'll be home by Christmas, but we know without a doubt, that God's timing is perfect!
So we continue to wait...and drink pumpkin spice lattes! :)
Happy Fall -

No news is good news...I'm not so sure about that!

There hasn't been much news on the adoption front the past couple of weeks.  We are in the midst of the "waiting period" and it's not so much fun!  We know that our dossier has been in The Congo now since Friday, August 5.  We're assuming that it has been translated by now and we're waiting for our case to be submitted to Court.
We're spending this time learning a bit of Lingala (the language that our little one is familiar with), working on her bedroom and trying to research ways we can bring her culture and customs into our home to ease with her transition.
I guess the saying is, "no news is good news", but I'd sure LOVE to hear that our case has been submitted to court and things are progressing!

In other news...our good friends the DeMaio's are in Ethiopia this week bringing their sweet baby girl home.  If you're interested in following along with their story, go here.  We're so excited for them and can't wait until they get home!  Look at this sweet mommy and daughter - priceless!

Sweet Blessings

Yesterday was a day of sweet blessings!  I love those days when it feels like God Himself is reaching down and hugging you, just because He wants to!  He doesn't have to...we love and serve Him because of who He is, not because of what He does for us, but on those days, when you feel His loving touch in such amazing ways, it's indeed a sweet blessing!
Blessing #1 - We received our I-171H approval in the mail. This was the last piece of paperwork that we were waiting on.  This says, Yes!  You are approved to adopt a child!  Now all we have to do is wait and pray that our lawyer and our case will receive favor and approval through the Congelese Court System - quickly!!
I'll share Blessing #2 in a separate post - coming soon!