Travel Dates at last!!

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FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THIS HAS BEEN A LOOOONG MONTH.  WE MAILED OUR DOSSIER TO BE CARRIED PERSONALLY BY ANOTHER ADOPTIVE FAMILY THE MIDDLE OF MARCH.  (Alright that's enough caps, you get the point that I'm excited right?)  Our verbal referral was received the 11th of April and  through some deductive reasoning I began hoping for our written referral about 2 weeks later.  Well, that did NOT happen.  

I was crabby and tired from not sleeping and truthfully began to wonder if this was all just a pipe dream.  I stayed up until 3:30 a.m. this morning (12:30 p.m. for my kiddos' country) and decided that I just could not will the Minister of Justice to sign - no matter how hard I prayed or strived.  I had a good long talk with God - mostly confessing my sin of impatience and asking for help.  I went to bed resolved to "let it go" (at least for a few hours while I slept) and when I got up this morning there it was:

New e-mail:  Signature

AHHH! (Imagine that is the sounds of a chorus of angels)  I hadn't realized that I had really not taken a deep breath in a month and boy did it feel good to breath again.  

I am going to meet my little men!! I am going to touch their flesh and blood.  I get to hold them and kiss them and tell them they are loved! THEY ARE LOVED!! Oh my goodness, has anyone ever told them that?  I, their momma,will!!!! 

So,  the week of May 27th will be my first week in my littles' country and the first day I will get to hold Lance - 8 months after we inquired about him.  Then the week of June 3rd will be Drake's turn.

Please continue to pray with us along this journey - we are about half way there!  

Building Foundations

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I wanted so much for my next post to be announcing that we finally have travel dates, but God is still teaching me.  I am apparently a very slow learner.

I am trying to make the best of that torturous wait though.  I have three beautiful children home right now who need time and attention.  When I had my oldest I remember being so stressed that I was going to do something wrong as a parent and ruin her forever.  I am sad to say that 8 years later I have done ever so many things wrong. I am glad that God is my heavenly Father and that He has filled her with a love for Him in spite of my failures, but I definitely see things where I have been lazy in my training of my children and the fruit is coming in season now.  So I've decided to take a step back from other things and really focus on setting those foundations with my children.

Teaching them patience with one another with love.

Teaching them to be busy, dependable workers.

Teaching them to be grateful for small things.


This week I started the week with the intention that I would rid the house of toys.  WHAT?!  What kind of a parent am I? (I'm certain this is what the neighbors were thinking when my oldest was outside screaming bloody murder because I took her toys away)  Well,  I have noticed that if children are given the choice between playing the computer or reading a book they will pretty much always choose to play the computer.  If offered to play with a big box of toys that require little imagination or go outside and play in the backyard they will choose the toys or to take the toys with them to the backyard.  Our children are losing their creativity and their brains are literally turning to mush because so little is required of said brains. (Thank you Nancy Thomas who has the technical science to back this up)   My children are capable of amazing things and I have loved seeing my daughter walk around the house with her nose in a book this week.  She has actually barely noticed that the toys are gone, (except that cleaning her room has gotten much easier)  and I have found that they are more apt to help me with things like organizing the craft box.  Do I need their help to reorganize? No, and sometimes it would be much easier to give them a box of toys and do the work alone.  However,  we have been spending this time TOGETHER and it has given me so many more opportunities to teach and train up my daughters to be the rare jewels that is the Proverbs 31 woman.

I've also taken this time to practice "baby wearing" with Louis.  If you are unfamiliar with this term you can learn more about it here.   I have always held my babies as much as possible for as long as possible and spoiled them endlessly in that way.  This means that they are slow to roll over, crawl, and walk because they are rarely put down.  I know.  I have been to the pediatrician several times before and I know they scoff and tell me to give them "tummy time" and would be appalled to learn that my middle child didn't start crawling until she was 1.  You know what though?  They learn!  At some point they do get down on the ground and roll around, the do start crawling and walking, and they are smart!  My 3 year old has the Apostle's Creed memorized along with some of the commandments and several other points and verses in the catechism.   So anyway, (sorry for that rabbit trail) I have a woven wrap, which is basically an enormously long strip of fabric, that my little one gets wrapped up in for a few hours during the day.  He loves it!  He plays and smiles at me and is happy as a clam until he falls asleep in it.  Wearing a 25 pound baby who doesn't hold himself up does get tiring so I take breaks, but I really wish I didn't have to.  We both love the bonding time and I can make dinner, do laundry, do some of that organizing...or whatever pops into my head to do all the while he is getting cuddled.

These are some of the "Foundation" things I'm working on before my oldest boys get home - whenever that may be.  I know that having well rounded, attached, loving children is one of the best gifts I can give to any of my children.  My earnest prayer is that this time spent now will help make the transition once Lance and "Drake" are home a little easier.

Lina and Augustin

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Some of you will remember me posting about a little girl named Lina who was listed on Reece's Rainbow the first time last summer.  The first thing that caught my eye about her was HER eyes. Absolutely big, bright, and brilliant.  She was a baby then and looked every bit the part.  Her report read that while she had a lot of medical issues that she was beginning to make progress.  This little girl held a special place for me and for some reason I felt drawn to follow along her journey and pray for her family to find her.

 PRECIOUS

I watched as she was transferred from the hospital to the orphanage where she seriously regressed.  She could no longer hold her head up or eat from a spoon as she had become severely malnourished. I was heartbroken for her and the spot in my heart for her grew a little bit more. 

This beautiful little girl had changed so much and I was thrilled when another mom said she would help me fight for Lina.  Lina continued to regress to a point of being barely recognizable and the sheen had gone from her eyes. 

 

How I wish I was writing now to tell you that she had been adopted or had a family coming for her.  I cannot even give you an update on this precious little angel as her country has banned all US adoptions.  Lina has no choice right now, but to lie and wait for a miracle or for our Heavenly Father to take her to her eternal home with Him.  

There are TWO things I would ask you to pray with me for.  The first being that God would minister to Lina in her pain and solitude.  That our Father who created this life would also bless it.

Now for the second.  When I saw this little one his eyes grabbed me just like Lina's did.  He reminds me in so many ways of Lina and his country IS allowing adoptions to the US.  

AUGUSTIN

Augustin was listed several months ago and, like Lina, I thought he would have families fighting over him.

He has those enormous eyes that you could get lost in.  Huge eyes on that tiny little face that behold so many stories of hurt and sorrow.  Eyes that have seen and heard too much and not nearly enough. 

Augustin is just over 2 years old and has cerebral palsy affecting all four of his limbs.  He is absolutely tiny as is evidence in his picture and more than anything he needs to know the love of a family who is willing to be the hands and feet of Jesus to this life.

Until yesterday Augustin had about $60 towards his adoption, but as of today he has about $1220! Will this fund an entire adoption? No, of course not, but it is a giant step towards funding for his family.  

My Second request from you is that you would please PRAY for Augustin.  He needs a family as much as Lina does and while there is not a lot practically that we can do for Lina as a church body, there is a lot we can do for Augustin.  We can fight hard to find his family and then help them get to him. 

CHURCH/ Body of Christ - Will you PLEASE rise up and fight for this soul?!