Holding our breath!

Jacob has purchased his tickets to fly over for the visa appointment!

I thought having a plan would get me excited, but instead I felt, all of the sudden, very frustrated and angry. I couldn't bear counting down the days, I wanted this whole ordeal done now.  I guess my patience and optomism ran completely out with this last complication. For a couple of days I just felt like I was under a dark cloud.

But earlier this week the sweet care of my family and friends softened my heart. Then I read the boys Lenten devotional: first about Jesus walking on water (Matthew 14:22-36), and then the scripture about faith as small as a mustard seed moving mountains (Matthew 17:20). As I first read to the boys about Peter stepping out of the boat and getting frightened by the wind, I got emotional. I saw myself in Peter, how sure I felt stepping out of this metaphoric boat, exercising great faith at first. But now, like Peter, I felt afraid of harm, I was weak, yet Jesus reaches out for us nonetheless and has compassion and mercy to keep us from sinking. Then the next devotional reminding us what even a little faith can see because the one we trust is so great.

Last night, as I was about to fall asleep, I thought to myself, "I'm going to have faith that good WILL happen on this trip." I tend to protect myself by being pessimistic, generally. I've jokingly said in the past that I'd rather be suprised than dissapointed. What actually happens is that I expect God to give me just enough to get by, or something that will require me to work really hard to get it to eventually be something good.  But over and over, God blesses me way beyond my expectations.  It is not a pleasant suprise so much as it is a humbling realization of my small faith.

So this time I am hopeful and having faith that God will bless our family, and care for my heart if it does not look exactly like I expect. I'm turning my eyes back to Jesus to be reminded of his great love and power, and I know all will be well with my soul (love that hymn) if I keep my eyes on Jesus. (Sounds kinda of religiously corny I guess, but I mean it from the deepest, truest part of myself.)

Continue to pray for us and the Embassy officials deciding his visa case. Thanks for your support again.

We could be close!?

And the saga continues...

The good news is that we have even more documentation for the visa interview, the only concern is that the bio mother could not be located, so the social welfare office had to write up a report instead of being able to present the mom for the visa interview.

Now our agency contact is encouraging us to show up for the interview to hopefully encourage things to move along. The tentative plan is for Jacob to go in a couple of weeks for the next visa interview.  If they say it all looks good, I'll book a flight and meet him there to help bring Enam home. If they do not accept the documentation we have, then Jacob will probably come home and we'll keep trying.

Those are the facts. I can't speak for Jacob, but I am feeling weary. I feel like I'm in the labor phase. We are close, but here comes the hardest part of the waiting. We are so close, but its so painful it seems unbearable. But if 2 natural childbirths have taught me anything, its that however hard and difficult and inconceivable the experience of birthing a child seems at the time, it really is paled in comparison to the beauty and joy in the child that it produces.  Maybe this is part of the reason God provided me the 2 natural childbirths, to prepare me for this difficult and frustrating process.

Obviously, I am struggling to remain hopeful and grateful. But just like in the birthing of my first 2 boys, when I am weak, God is strong. If I can do some deep breathing, relax, trust God's orchestration of events, lean on my husband, and keep sight of the end, I just may be able to bear the unbearable to the glorious end, whatever that end may be. Thanks again for all you prayers and support.

Picture time: My act of love as I wait is this blanket! I have a few embellishments left, but its done enough to cuddle him in.

Kid and Kitchen

   Last Tuesday was the visa interview. The report back is that it went well, but the Embassy wants to interview the bio mom and wants a copy of the police report she filed against the bio dad for not paying child support. Our agency told us this is a routine request, but we were still a bit disappointed to have yet another hold up.
   Our in-country contact is supposed to be getting the police report this week and the social welfare worker locating mom for the interview. We are praying for progress this week. The visa is the LAST thing we need approved to be able to travel and bring him home.

We are keeping distracted from the wait with home renovations! This weekend, my parents came up to hang out with the boys and help us put up a backsplash. We still need to grout, but its close enough for some before and after pictures. Here is a list of all we've done over the last couple of months:
- demolition (so happy to tear out the ugly, old countertops!)
- Replaced ceiling fans
- removed old heating unit and replaced paneling
- painted EVERYTHING
- striped old metal mesh on the under sink doors
- new hardware and striped old hardware to reuse as well
- cabinets and drawers constructed (hired out)
- new light fixture above the sink
- new faux wood blinds
- replaced light switches and outlets as well as covers
- new COUNTERTOPS! (hired out of coarse)
- new sink
- new faucet (became a necessity as I broke our old one during painting)
- tiled backsplash

BEFORE: (really an "after". We replaced the gold dishwasher and half-broken gold stove as soon as we moved in about a year and a half ago)

Next, we will grout the backsplash, debate spending the time and money to extend the backsplash around behind the stove, and make a bulletin board to put above the desk and thereby clean off the fridge. I've been so eager to show it off, though, I wanted to go ahead and post the pictures. We are so excited to have a nice kitchen! Especially those of you who saw how tiny our kitchen was at our last house, can appreciate what a huge blessing this is for our growing family. The sink is really deep on one side and I can't wait for Enam to enjoy sink baths while he's still small enough (well, it may be a stretch, but we'll do it just for fun).

So if you pray for and with us, thank God for his blessing our family with this beautiful home and how he provides for us through it and ask for good news soon on bringing Enam home to "make our family complete," in Keiran's words.

OMG (not taking God's initial in vain)

Enam's visa interview is scheduled for next Tuesday morning!  Best case scenario, it will be approved  and ready by the end of next week. It's possible that they may want a further investigation (again), but we think we will get that feedback next week if it is so.

I almost can't imagine it! I think there is still part of me that is guarding my heart.  Yet soon, we could be bringing him home and making him part of our family!

Oh, I hope this last step does not drag out. Please pray for us and for what is best for Enam.
(And for the flu season to calm down so work doesn't miss me too much.)

I am ready for maternity leave and watching my family grow!

FYI: the kitchen remodel should finish up next week too. I can't wait to show you the before and after!

Getting closer!

This week was my best friend's birthday and she generously wished for good news on our adoption. Well, thank you Allie!

Yesterday, our in-country-coordinator picked up our visa packet and took Enam (Christopher) for his medical exam. Now our agency has requested his visa interview be the first week of February! If all goes smoothly, his visa could be ready about 3 days after the interview date. We've had enough set backs and complications to know to give ourselves a buffer before hopping on a plane. Still, it looks like we may get to bring him home in February after all!

So just one more step before we get the final approval to pick him up and bring him home. I almost can't believe it! I'll let you know generally about the time we will be traveling and let you know for sure when we will be home (with pictures of course). Pray that it does go smoothly and we can bring him home soon and at just the right time.

Posts are more interesting with pictures, so here's a brotherly love one for you all.

Back on track

(Sorry for the delay in posting. Since November, my life has been crazy from just about every angle. And with the holidays, I really tried to focus what time I had on making it special for my family.)  On to the adoption saga!

Here's basically what happened over the last 3 months! We got paperwork from Enam's biological father in Novemberish, but the immigration office was still not satisfied with the documents. In early December, our agency got more documents to the immigration office and the Friday before Christmas we got word that his orphan status had been approved! This week the documents should arrive at US embassy in Ghana for the final steps.

What are the final steps, you ask? He will have another medical exam and the biological parents will be interviewed. We were told we could travel 10 days after the interview. So yes, a few more steps, but the next word we will hear are our travel dates!


My life is still unusually dramatic and busy right now, but perseverance is my motto (after reading everyone's new year's posts, maybe I should make it the theme of my year huh?!). I'm having faith that this is just a season and good things are in the making.

Now, to redeem myself for my lack of posting, here are some cute pictures of my family!
Happy Thanksgiving!

 

First day of Advent!

 

(Sap hands)

Trampoline  picnic!

Pirate costume from Grancy Christmas Eve at home!

 New superhero capes fit great!

Advent candles all lit!

Christmas Round 3: Nana Claus!

 Rylan, in character till the last minute

 

New Year! (New kitchen)

 We are remodeling our kitchen, so the boys are finding new ways to entertain themselves during our numerous trips to Home Depot.

Hold up

Friday we got a letter about our I600, the application for Enam's visa to come home. They wanted further documentation that he was abandoned by his biological father. I don't know if this will be a simple or lengthy fix, but its a delay and an uncertainty.

Of coarse it would come on a Friday afternoon, where we would have to wait all weekend to contact our agency about and get any more information. The good part of that is the only place to turn is God. I was pretty anxious Friday night, just trying through willpower to not completely freak out. This morning my heart still felt heavy. Jacob and I prayed together and I released some pent-up tears. It was really good to verbalize and remind myself more strongly what is true about who God is, his purposes, promises, and power in our lives. It was really freeing to recognize that God is the one who has given me this heart for children and my desire to bring a child in need into our family, and that he has given me this for his purposes. So I will trust him, because it is his plan, not mine at work here. My plans don't turn out much of the time, but his are established before the foundation of the earth! It may not be easy, it may be painful, but his plans are good and glorious and high above anything I could construct. All this to say, regaining an eternal perspective on my temporal circumstances is bringing back to a resting place in Christ and a peace and patience through the uncertainty of this process.

We are still so far along. This wait and delay are such a drop in the bucket in the grand scheme of things and Enam coming home is just on the other side. And if he is not, we trust God's goodness and divine wisdom in all of our lives. Already, I'm filled with gratefulness for the grace to know the goodness of God and the promises we have to hold on to when life gets messy. He's replaced my anxiety about plans crumbling with a wonder at his great power.

So now, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, we press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Phillippians 3:13-14).

I've decided to continue on with Enam's blanket and I bought some fleece fabric on sale today (considered that a sign to proceed). It really helps me to have a hands-on way to express my love for him. Its not put together yet, but below is a basic plan. I was told this batik fabric's symbols mean "back to your roots", "bravery" and "God is King." I think that's fitting :).

 

***Update: Our in country contact thinks they can get the documentation we need by the end of the week! I hope that is so!***