Feeling so thankful and blessed...

The Jewish people expected a king to rule on a throne...the long awaited Savior.

They expected an outward display of power and wisdom and authority...a mighty ruler that would sit on a throne and give them justice and leadership. 

I imagine they expected this long-awaited ruler to bring them an easier and better life. 

A king came. 

A Savior came.

His power and wisdom and authority was not obvious to the person passing by. 

He did not look all that mighty wrapped in cloth and laying in a feeding trough for cattle. 

Would He make life easier and better for them/us? 

He had a FAR GREATER plan! 

He said, "I have come so that you might have life to the full!" (John 10:10) 

His plan was not for a season or a term. 

It was not for a kingly reign on earth. 

His plan was to send His only Son as a baby who would grow up to make a way for us to have ETERNAL life. 

He would live a perfect life, setting an example to us for how we should live. 

He would pay the price for all of our sins so that we could live forever with Him....THAT will be the "easier" and "better" life. 

Right now, we live in a broken world. There is cancer. There are orphans. There is pain and disappointment. We look around and watch the news and we can't even take it all in. This is NOT "easier" and "better". This is hard and painful.

Then, we get tastes of heaven.

A baby is born and put into the loving arms of a mama.

A sunrise or sunset that takes our breath away.

A beautiful mountain view.

A song or scripture that speaks straight to our heart. 

God promised that when we accept this Savior. When we give Him the primary place in our life that He will never leave us. He will allow His Holy Spirit to live in us. That is our most amazing taste of heaven...God's presence with us ALWAYS. 

This Christmas was not what I expected. I bought gifts for four children and I imagined them all with me to celebrate our Savior's birth. I was excited to introduce Gabriel and Debora Grace to our extended family this Christmas. I had imagined they would have already been home and accustomed to life in America for a few months and that by Christmas time we would all feel comfortable traveling and meeting many cousins and aunt and uncles and grandparents. They are still in Ghana. They cry for us now and they cry for other losses with no parents to comfort them. THIS is not the "easier" and "better" life. This is temporary. We cling to that fact. 

While we wait, we KNOW God's peace. It seems almost unfathomable that we could feel such peace. It is a fruit of God's Spirit living in us and it is a major gift. 

Do we get frustrated sometimes? Do we feel sad? Is there a constant longing for the email or call or message that we can come and get them? ABSOLUTELY! 

But, God is so faithful to us. He reminds us over and over again that His plan is an eternal plan. It is not bogged down by visas and paperwork and timelines and red tape. He knows exactly what He is doing and He is SO TRUSTWORTHY. 

So...we continue waiting and trusting. And while we do we are grateful for these glimpses of His goodness to us. (ADOPTION UPDATE BELOW ALL THE PICTURES)

A few pieces of information:

1) We are still waiting for the US Embassy to issue visas for Gabe and Debo to be able to come home. The country of Ghana is closed for international adoptions right now which has put us in a situation that is even more unpredictable than usual for Ghana.  As far as we know the US Department of State is waiting for a "clearance letter" from the National Minister of Ghana before they will issue our visas. That could come at any time and then we will travel to Ghana to get our kids. 

2) Our children were living at an amazing orphanage in Bawjiase, Ghana called United Hearts. They had many friends there and the staff and volunteers showed our children great love and care. Two weeks ago our children were moved to a "transitional home" in Accra, Ghana called Goods for Ghana. This has allowed them to be closer to the social workers and doctors and other appointments needed for their visa paperwork. There are very few children in this home and it resembles a much more traditional family setting. We know our children miss their friends at the orphanage but we can see how their new "home" is really preparing them for their move to America. We are so grateful to United Hearts and Goods for Ghana! Both places will always hold a very special place in our hearts. If you are ever looking for a good ministry to support in Ghana please consider these two. They both have pages on facebook and websites.

3) We got to Skype with our children last week!!!!!  One AMAZING blessing of living closer to city is access to internet that is capable of skype. So, last Tuesday, I checked Liz and Cael out of school and the siblings were able to "meet" virtually!!! It was by far my best Christmas gift this year. I watched as my oldest two children introduced their younger siblings to our home and their beds and bikes and toys. I watched as my bright eyed, dark skin sweeties clapped for the piano duet performed by my enthusiastic, light skin sweeties. I watched as both sets of siblings sung songs to each other and danced around. Makes me cry just thinking about it! January 6th is our next skype date and hopefully daddy will get to witness and participate in the fun this time!!!

4) After the Skype call Debo asked the social worker through her tears, "How do I get into the computer to be with them?" Then, Debo woke up this morning and asked for her "mommy in the computer". Oh, how I look forward to the day that we can be a real family!

That's all for now! Thank you so much for your love and prayers. We are feeling so thankful and blessed!!

While I'm Waiting...

Christmas is almost here.

I love this time of year. I love buying thoughtful gifts for people I care about. I love decorating enjoying the seasonal decorations. I love having people over. I love going to parties and special dinners. I love getting together with family and friends. I love having a fire in the fireplace and one of my children or husband cuddled close. I love Christmas songs. The excitement of it all makes me giddy.

This Christmas I am learning to love something else. The advent.

Advent: a time of expectant waiting; arrival

Every Christmas we get to reflect on the time leading up to the birth of Jesus and what that might have been like for the people of that time. They were waiting expectantly for their Savior.  The time from the last prophesy to the birth of Jesus was 400 years.  Imagine that! They hadn't heard anything from God for 400 years. I'm sure they were growing very impatient.

Then, at just the right moment in time, Jesus was born. The waiting was over and the Savior was born. He didn't come as they expected. Thankfully, He didn't just meet their expectations. His plan far exceeded anything they could have imagined. It didn't make sense to them at the time. Many people were confused and are still confused regarding God's plan. He would not just be an earthly ruler to help make their temporary circumstances better. He would take on the sins of the world and offer eternal life to all of us.

I have been in a season of advent. Sometimes I feel almost desperate to get my other two children home. And then I am gently reminded. My expectations are SO SMALL compared to God's HUGE plan. I know His peace in a way I never would have without this wait. I see His hand carefully handling many details and when I don't see His hand physically at work I still know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He is still working. I don't want to limit God to my expectations and timeline. He is so much wiser than me.

In this season of advent I am learning that God's timing is always perfect and He is so trustworthy. I will praise Him "While I'm Waiting."



I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

We have no new news regarding when we will get to bring Gabriel and Debora Grace home. We are just waiting for a clearance letter from the National Minister of Ghana so that the US Embassy can process our children's visas. The children called today. They were so sweet and excited to talk to me. I sang to Debo our special song, "If Your Happy and you Know it" and the worker said she was clapping her hands while I sang. They both told me they loved me and I assured them we would come and get them as soon as possible. I trust God is holding them as close as He is holding me. Here are a couple of new pictures I got yesterday and one of Liz and Cael. 

Gabriel with his friend, Alibaba

Sweet girl

Oh, how I love these two kids!

Thank you so much for all your prayers and support.  Please join me in trying to enjoy the "waiting" instead of just rushing ahead to the arrival. It WILL come. Jesus came in a manger. Christmas Day will come and go. Jesus WILL return someday soon. My kids WILL come home. 

Worshipping while I wait.....join me?

How Can I Keep from Singing?

I was blow drying my hair this morning when an email flashed on my iphone. The "from" address was Accra@adoptions.org. This was the email I have been waiting for!!!!!  I have been checking my email constantly for months for this email. When I say constantly, I mean like non-stop, morning, noon and night. People who are in the middle of adoption know what I am talking about. It is a slightly neurotic tendency for those of us waiting for some news. 

Well....I expected the email to say, "The visas for your children will be printing this week and you can make plans to come and get them". 

Um....It didn't say that. Basically, it said ,"we cannot offer you a timeline, and expect this processing will take a significant amount of time due to staffing and resources."  What!?!?  

I felt shocked, frustrated, sad, confused, angry. I will admit there was quite a bit of ugly crying happening in my house this morning and I was the only one home. ;-) Needless to say, we are trying to figure things out but we really do know that God already has the whole thing figured out. This bump in the road is no surprise to Him and we feel very thankful that He is in charge. 

I don't know when we are bringing our sweeties home but I do know a few things FOR SURE:

1) God loves them even more then we do and He is taking care of them every day. 

2) In the big picture this wait will just be a small blip in our memory.

3) We serve a loving and faithful God who cares so much about us and our children....all of them. 

4) I can praise God in the waiting as much as I can praise Him when they come home. 

Chris Tomlin's song, "How Can I Keep From Singing" came on this morning during my crying, praying, processing and I realized that it said exactly what I know and believe.  "I can sing in the troubled times, sing when I win . I can sing when I lose my step, and fall down again. I can sing 'cause You pick me up, Sing 'cause You're there. Sing cause you hear me Lord when I call to you in prayer."

Thanks for walking this journey with us. Please continue to pray that things will be resolved and that we will be able to bring them home soon. In the meantime, Gabriel has malaria again and Debo is getting braided hair extensions. That's the latest news from the orphanage. I know it is a little random and kind of different but it is what I know about my kids today so I thought I would share it with you. Oh, and I got a couple new pictures of them. Enjoy!

There is an endless song
Echoes in my soul
I hear the music ring

And though the storms may come
I am holding on
To the rock I cling

How can I keep from singing Your praise
How can I ever say enough
How amazing is Your love
How can I keep from shouting Your name
I know I am loved by the King
And it makes my heart want to sing

I will lift my eyes
In the darkest night
For I know my Savior lives

And I will walk with You
Knowing You'll see me through
And sing the songs You give

I can sing in the troubled times
Sing when I win
I can sing when I lose my step
And fall down again
I can sing 'cause You pick me up
Sing 'cause You're there
I can sing 'cause You hear me, Lord
When I call to You in prayer
I can sing with my last breath
Sing for I know
That I'll sing with the angels
And the saints around the throne

Administrative Review

Our children had their visa interviews this morning. Unfortunately, their cases have been placed in "administrative review". This is becoming the norm for families adopting from Ghana. Since the National Minister issued a moratorium on all adoptions in April we believe that the U.S. Department of State is respecting the National Minister by asking for a special clearance letter before approving any visas for cases that went to court after the moratorium. Our placement letter was issued before the moratorium but our court date was after. Our lovely congressman, Phil Gingrey, is working on our behalf to find out more. Hopefully, it will not take long and we can get them home soon! Not the news we were hoping for today but God is still in control and we are trusting His perfect timing.

On a separate note, Gabriel seems to be doing much better following his hospital stay last week.  He was admitted on Thursday and diagnosed with Stage 4 malaria.  Apparently, he was quite weak and sick. They treated him with intravenous antibiotics and shots. He has to continue with the shots for a total of 7 days. Unfortunately, the shots are causing his blood sugar to drop. Poor kid has had a pretty rough week. I heard that he was discharged from the hospital and he was "all smiles". Thankfully, he was able to make it to the visa interview early this morning in Ghana. I wish the results were more favorable but at least we are one step closer to bringing them home.

On a positive note, I did get a sweet picture of Debo's growing hair this weekend. Hope you enjoy! Thanks for all your prayers and support. We are very blessed!

Also, sweet Liz has been doing some great cheering this Fall.  The 6th grade Junior Hoya team is winning a lot of games and I'm pretty sure that is because they have the best cheerleaders! ;-)

Hair!

So one of the topics of conversation that always seems to come up when you are a white girl adopting an African child is...hair. Everyone wants to know your plan.

Well...this white girl barely thinks about her own hair so trying to think about someone else's hair is almost beyond me. Thankfully, there are some very lovely well experienced mamas around me who have been and will be helping me out...ALOT! (Feel free to give me some tips!)

The thing is...Debo doesn't even have hair yet. They shave their heads in the orphanage and keep it very short for many practical reasons. It makes total sense. But, because of this, I have never seen my daughter's hair.



Until today!!!!

I had no idea that they were going to start growing out Debo's hair in anticipation of her homecoming! I wanted to ask them to, but that seemed so selfish since it is more work for the staff.  Because of this, you can imagine my gratitude when I saw this picture on facebook this morning.  My girl is growing hair!!! I imagine this is very exciting for her because she is totally a girly-girl. This is just one more sign to her that she really is getting ready to make a change. It is a confirmation to her (and her brother) that we are, indeed, coming and that we are coming soon. 

I really hope that hair doesn't have a lot longer to grow before we get there! ;-)

Here are a few more photos I got today. Enjoy! 

She is learning to write the letter "B" while rocking her new hair!

Love that smile!

This is Gabriel loving on one of the only babies at the orphanage, sweet baby Dougie! He is VERY well loved by everyone there! How could you not love that face?!?

Getting Closer

Our POA was able to pick up the visa packets for our kids on Wednesday. Yay!  Now they are getting their medicals done.

On October 21st at 7:30am they will have a visa interview. If they pass and our case is not put under a review then their visas should print that Friday and we will fly to Ghana on October 26th.

There is a possibility that our case will be placed under review for no specific reason and that could delay our travel by a few weeks.

I will keep you posted as we know more. We will not know anything else now until the 21st.

Thanks so much for your prayers and support. We are closer than ever and feeling very excited!

Dear Lord,
Thank you for the peace you have given us during this waiting period. Thank you for consistently reminding us that these children are first and foremost yours and that you love them even more then we can imagine. Thank you for taking care of them and putting them in a loving orphanage filled with beautiful children, staff and volunteers. Thank you for all the photos that we have been able to enjoy.

Please be with Gabe and Debo as they go for their medical appointments. Calm any of their fears and hold them close. I pray that they both remain healthy and well and strong.

Please be with the US Embassy workers and the visa process.  I pray for an immediate pass at the interview stage and for a smooth process in the remaining steps.

Thank you for being in control and caring about all the details and for giving us glimpses at your big picture. We trust you and look forward enthusiastically to the remainder of the journey.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

A year older....

I am very happy to be a year older! On October 4th my wombmate (a.k.a twin) and I celebrated our 36th birthday. Some think we are old, others think we are young. I think it is great! I am extremely grateful for my life and I feel VERY blessed for all of you who are walking life's journey with me.

I just spent 4 days with my twin sister and our children. We had a lot of fun and made a lot of memories. We barely squeeze our current brood into the minivan and when we arrive where we are going we look like a small circus. What will everyone think when we arrive in two minivans and we add a couple of cute Ghanian kiddos to the brood?!?! Welcome to the big top!

Here are a few of my favorite photos from our time together.

As far as the adoption goes, things are moving along. We received approval for our Power of Attorney to pick up the visa packets for our children from the US Embassy in Ghana. Hopefully he was able to get those today. Then the children will be taken for a medical exam, including some immunizations and a TB test. After those are completed they will be given a date for a visa interview (which always happens on a Monday or Tuesday.) I am hoping our children will have their interviews on October 21st and then if they pass their visas will print on Friday and we can go get them and bring them home. Unfortunately, since there was a stop placed on all adoptions in Ghana right before our court date many of the cases are being placed in "administrative review". That has happened to two of our friends that are right before us in the process. There is usually no explanation or set time frame for the "review" so it continues to leave our travel date very much up in the air. We are hoping and praying for October 26th but we recognize God's sovereignty in the timing and ultimately trust that.  I'll keep you posted. 

Thanks so much for all your prayers and love!!! I look forward to the day when these cuties will join us!!! It won't be long now!

We got approval!!!!

This has been a GREAT day! This morning I was blessed with this amazing picture of my two sweeties!

 And then....I received an email from our Immigration Officer....

"Yes I did mail the approval letters a few weeks ago. Have you received the approvals yet? If you have not received the letters let me know and I will print them out again."

SO WE HAVE BEEN APPROVED!!!!!  Praise the Lord! 

I am "virtually" holding these two faces in my hands, pulling their faces close to mine, looking into their big brown eyes and saying, "We are coming for you!!"

Bummer that we didn't get the letters like we should have but thrilled that we have been approved. 

A few prayer requests:

1) That we will be issued a visa packet pick-up date quickly.

2) That the team in Ghana will be able to get the kids to their medicals easily and that the children will tolerate all their vaccinations and medical tests well.

3) That we will be given a visa interview date quickly and that they will both pass the interview. 

4) That we can get good travel arrangements (flight, lodging, care back home).

Typically, from this point it takes about 3-5 weeks until travel. Woo Hoo!!  

They are still yours God but THANK YOU SO MUCH for letting me be their mom!!!!!!!!! So grateful!

By the way, here are a few more photos we have taken in the past few weeks. My parents came for a great visit. Liz had Homecoming. Cael is loving baseball and guitar. 

Punctuation gone wild!

Well....
Every day I consider writing a new blog post and every day I think, "Maybe today I will get some news that I can share. Maybe today I will run to the mailbox and there will actually be something from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Maybe I will open an email from our Immigration Officer. Maybe we will get a phone call. Maybe we will get some news that will move our adoption forward. Any.News.Would.Be.Nice!

I got nothing people.  (I know that is not perfect grammar, but somehow it feels more rebellious and serious and criminal-ish to just use poor grammar and make up words and add a lot of periods to sentences.)

So....seriously...I got nothing!

It has been 16 weeks since we originally submitted paperwork for our children to get approved for their visas. It has been 12 weeks since we got pink slips in the mail saying they needed more information. It has been 8 weeks since we resubmitted the paperwork they requested. In the past 8 weeks we have heard..."your cases are still under review" "your officer is out of the office this week" and "your cases will be completed by the end of this week." That last response came on September 10th. So...even with snail mail (sorry dad!) you would think that something would have arrived in the mail last week. Right!?!?! or Saturday? or Today?

Nope! Nothing! Blah!

OK....now that I have had a little pity party let me tell you how I really feel. Yes! I am frustrated. Yes! I feel sad for my sweet kids who are eager to be a family (the ones here and in Ghana). Yes! I am tired of having two beds perfectly made when there should be kids messing them up every night and kicking the covers on the ground. But.....AMAZINGLY....we really have great peace! Truly! I trust God's perfect timing and know that He is in control of this whole thing. I also know that these children are not my children. They are and always will be God's children and He doesn't need me to care for them quite yet. He has asked me to care for two right now and I'm trying to do my best each day. He has asked me to pray for and trust Him with all four of my kids. He is trustworthy. I know this. So....we continue to wait.

Thanks for asking. I'm so sorry that I haven't been doing a very good job keeping you updated.

P.S.  Today is Adam's birthday. Happy birthday to the most amazing man I know! I am so thankful to walk through life with you and share these kids with you and wake up next to you each day!

Waiting is Hard

When I start getting more then the usual texts, emails and questions about the adoption I guess it is time for another blog post.

Let me start with the good news. Liz and Cael have had an awesome start to a new school year. My 6th grade girl and 4th grade boy have wonderful teachers and classmates. They are doing great!

Regarding the adoption...I was just kinda hoping that the next post would be some good news. Some real information. I got nothing for you. :-(

We are still waiting! It is a drag. We just got word that both of our kids were sick last week...vomiting, typhoid fever and bladder infections. UGH!

We got the papers we needed for the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) and we emailed and overnighted them on last Monday. Hopefully we will get an approval this time and hopefully it will come soon.

After we get the approval we will request a visa packet pickup for our kids.  Our POA in Ghana will pick it up for them and then they will get a visa medical done. That takes about a week to complete. Following that we will request a visa interview appointment.  Hopefully we will get a quick response. If they pass the interview (which always happens on Monday but doesn't always happen on the first try) then their visas will be printed (which always happens on a Friday).  Hopefully, the visas will print the same week but that is not always guaranteed.

Until approval comes we wait....and pray....and cry....and wait...blah! It could be as early as 4 weeks from now or it could be longer.

In the meantime, here are a few sweet photos I found on facebook of our cuties.

 Thanks for praying for us.  We can tell that you are and that God cares so much. We trust His perfect timing and we know He loves and cares for Gabe and Debo more than we do. Until we are entrusted with their care we will trust their perfect Father to take care of them.  After they are entrusted to our care we will trust their perfect Father to continue to take care of them.