U.S. Adoption Day x 4

At court waiting to be called.

Today was finally Matthew, Mark, Luke and Jon's final day in court.  After much waiting and anticipation, their stateside adoptions are complete!  Many people aren't familiar with the situation with these children who were allowed to come home to us after the Haitian earthquake under a special refugee status and it is rather complex.  However, due to numerous issues, it has taken much longer than we had expected to get these adoptions finalized in the US so now and FINALLY we can get moving on the process to their becoming US Citizens.

The boys went right to the seat at the big table.  The
boys had no doubts that these chairs were for
them.

I must be honest with you and I'm sure you already have guessed, these adoptions come with costs which we have depended on God to provide.  He has always been faithful.  What you may not know is that there are other fees and paperwork too.  Plus due to how these children entered the US, these fees are higher than a typical adoption.  We will soon be needing to pay almost $4,000 in fees to the US Department of Homeland Security USCIS office (immigration) as part of the citizenship application process.  This will be a hit to our already tightening budget.  Therefore, we ask that you remember our finances in your prayers.  As many of you know, we are in need of a mini-van to replace our 2001 Durango with 287,000 miles on it so a prayer for mechanical soundness of our vehicles until an affordable replacemnt can be found would be appropriate and appreciated too.  Thank you!

 

God places the lonely

in families;
he sets the prisoners free

and gives them joy.

~~Psalm 68:6a

40: Day 40 is here!

Day 40 is not a great day.  Hubby is at debate AGAIN so its the kids and I.  Matt was packed and ready to go to Grandma's at 6am, but I was able to hold him off until early afternoon so Grandma could do her morning shopping and hair appointment.  The twins were especially busy getting into things, writing on walls, and leaving a trail behind them.  When I finally took Matt, Grace and David to Grandma's, I had the twins and Nate ride along and Corrine worked on putting the house back together.

This was one of those days that made me wonder why Ed has to work so far from home and for so many Saturdays in a row.  Why can't we find a home in Kansas or him find a job in Missouri? We haven't had us time except a few dinners in over 8 months.  I am truly emotionally exhausted right now.   Too many days of the kids seeing hubby for less than 2 hours a day.  Too much extra financial stress from the increasing gas prices costing $120 a week for his gas to/from work.  Not to mention my gas to appointment's and teaching.  Too much time with just me and the kids.  Too much work that I need to wrap up for the office, but always the constant interruptions and running to appointments.  The kids had 5 medical appointments this week and 7 doctor appointments next week.  Yes, day 40 is here and its one of the worst days that I've had in months!  I'm exhausted emotionally and I don't see a break in my future. 

Waiting...

Do you ever get tired of waiting?  Well, due to our family's experiences with adoption, we know many families interested in adoption.  Some of these friends are done with their adoption(s).  Some are just getting started in the process or planning.  And a few are waiting.  Their paperwork is done.  They are in a spot where they have finished their preparations and now it is out of their hands.  There is nothing they can do to speed the process and their only possible influence over the process is through prayer.  These few friends are waiting and many are getting exhausted by the wait.  They are in the stage of adoption that I struggled with the most. 

With Hannah, the waiting lasted 9 long and seemingly eternal months.  There was times that my anxiety was so high that I was sure my heart would stop beating due to the tightness of my chest and neck.  However, finally the call came and travel plans were made.  Then we had to wait 2 of the longest weeks of my life for the date of our departure to Ecuador.  We had only seen two picture of Hannah, but we were in love.  Our trip to Riobamba, Ecuador was exhausting and a story of its own, and when we pulled inside the gates to our hotel at 7am, we had been traveling non-stop for 30 hours.  The taxi driver named Patricio told us that due to arriving so much later than planned, we could get cleaned up and settled in, and he would take us on to the orphanage.  We tried to not let our excitement show too much, but our luggage was inside and we were back in the taxi before Patricio had returned from the restroom!  (We did look in the shower and decided that we were still cleaner than it was.)  The drive to the orphanage seemed forever, but I timed it so I know it was actually 12 minutes....until our wait was over.

With David and Vanessa, the wait was 26 months.  Words cannot describe how long those 26 months were!  I was determined to follow Philippians 4:6, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."  I tried and I prayed.  I REALLY tried and REALLY prayed, but my anxiousness to have my children with me was reducing my patience with others.  Each month our children in the pictures grew.  Each year that passed, their need for the loving stability of a family...our family....was more evident. 

One day I was having an exceptionally BIG pity-party.  I knew no one must be as worried or longing for their children as much as me, and I had let my resentment stall my devotion time until mid-morning. Reluctantly, I began my devotion time by reading Ephesians 1, and immediately verses 3 through 5 jumped off the page and into my heart.  There it was!  Who had waited longer?!  He had!  Why hadn't I realized it before!  I read the beginning of verse 4 again, "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world".  God had waited for a relationship with me since "the foundation of the world".   God had waited for me to seek His forgiveness and be made holy through Christ Jesus so that I could be in His loving and perfect presence.  In fact verse 5 said so that I could be adopted into His family through Christ!



Photos of the end of some of our waitings.



All my life I had known John 3:16 and that God loved me, BUT I was 34 years old before I realized that He had lovingly waited for me from "the foundation of the world"...before He even formed me.  I was humbled.  For the remaining year of our wait, I had confidence that God understood my desire to have my children home, and I turned my prayers towards thanking Him for waiting for me and asking Him to prepare our home and to prepare our children for our future together.  God answered these prayers.  David and Vanessa had a remarkably easy transition into our family.

I'll never understand why adoptions must involve so much waiting.  The feelings of discouragement and the doubts that the adoption will ever happen can be overwhelming.  However, I do know that God knows more about perfect love and waiting than me.  I pray constantly for our friends who are waiting and for the protection of the children who are waiting for them.  I pray for the preparation of their new home physically, mentally and spiritually.  If you know someone waiting on an adoption, please pray for them.   And if you're waiting on an adoption or anything else important to you, please take comfort in knowing that God understands waiting from "the foundation of the world".

If you would like the readers of this blog to pray for your adoption process, then please leave your first name and any specifics that you would like prayed on your behalf AND by all means update us when your wait is over. 

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation

 of the world, that we should be holy and without blame

before him in love: --Ephesians 1:4 

And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious

unto you,  and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have

 mercy upon you:  for the LORD [is] a God of judgment:

blessed [are] all they that wait for him. --Isaiah 30:18