We passed. Which means he is ours.
We actually were able to sleep Wednesday night and awoke Thursday morning with a sense of anticipation. To be honest, there wasn't a bone in my body that thought we were not going to pass. After those scriptures God gave me Wednesday night... I had such a peace! We dropped the kiddos off at my mom's house, enjoyed breakfast with her, my grandma and the kids, and got in our car. I picked up my cell phone (while still in the driveway) and realized we had missed a call from our agency. It was only 9:30. I had it in my head that we wouldn't hear anything most of the day- and possibly not until Friday. We put the phone on speaker, dialed, and our case worker greeted us with the news- he is ours!!! As we began to process, I couldn't help but think of the beauty of the moment. We were at my parent's house, which obviously is a bittersweet place, and we received some of the sweetest news we will ever hear. I have no doubt that dad was there with us- and just as thrilled as we are.
We will know our travel plans next week. More than likely we will travel the second week of October. Until then, we will rejoice in the knowledge that our little man in a Wilkening, and we will praise the Lord for the way He is showing Himself so faithful in the midst of the most difficult season of my life.
Court date in a matter of hours...
Sorry I haven't posted in awhile :).
While we were vacationing in Cannon Beach, OR, I received a phone call from our case worker with CHI. We had been playing at the beach and I left my phone in the hotel room. I checked my voicemail and heard something like this: "Hi Kelsey, this is Mike calling. I have very good news for you- you have a court date. Call me when you can." I freaked out. Called back right away- but it was 10 minutes after the agency closed for the night! The next morning I called literally two minutes after they opened and got Mike on the phone :). His news brought me to tears, right in front of the Cannon Beach Bakery where my kiddos were enjoying a maple bar while Daddy was in rehearsal. Our court date was scheduled for August 20th. Whoo-hoo!
Fast forward to right now. August 19th (which just so happens to be little man's 19 month birthday), 8:41 pm Seattle time, 6:41 am Ethiopia time. Which means our case will be heard sometime while we are sleeping (yeah right) tonight. We are hoping our agency will be able to let us know the results sometime on the 20th- but at least by the 21st.
It has been a rough 11 days, as my dad was called home to be with the Lord a week ago Saturday. To be quite honest, my walk with God has been sporadic as I have processed all of this... I have been praying, but have not opened the Word in two weeks. Tonight, as I sat in the office listening to some music and praying over the court case, I was convicted that I needed to be feasting on His Word. I opened my Daily Bible to August 19th. Thank you Lord, for how You ministered to me and met me in my depeest of needs through Your Word. Here is an excerpt of what He gave to me-
thereforeL)">(L) despise not the discipline of theM)">(M) Almighty.
18For he wounds, but heN)">(N) binds up;
heO)">(O) shatters, but his hands heal.
Promise to update soon...
While we were vacationing in Cannon Beach, OR, I received a phone call from our case worker with CHI. We had been playing at the beach and I left my phone in the hotel room. I checked my voicemail and heard something like this: "Hi Kelsey, this is Mike calling. I have very good news for you- you have a court date. Call me when you can." I freaked out. Called back right away- but it was 10 minutes after the agency closed for the night! The next morning I called literally two minutes after they opened and got Mike on the phone :). His news brought me to tears, right in front of the Cannon Beach Bakery where my kiddos were enjoying a maple bar while Daddy was in rehearsal. Our court date was scheduled for August 20th. Whoo-hoo!
Fast forward to right now. August 19th (which just so happens to be little man's 19 month birthday), 8:41 pm Seattle time, 6:41 am Ethiopia time. Which means our case will be heard sometime while we are sleeping (yeah right) tonight. We are hoping our agency will be able to let us know the results sometime on the 20th- but at least by the 21st.
It has been a rough 11 days, as my dad was called home to be with the Lord a week ago Saturday. To be quite honest, my walk with God has been sporadic as I have processed all of this... I have been praying, but have not opened the Word in two weeks. Tonight, as I sat in the office listening to some music and praying over the court case, I was convicted that I needed to be feasting on His Word. I opened my Daily Bible to August 19th. Thank you Lord, for how You ministered to me and met me in my depeest of needs through Your Word. Here is an excerpt of what He gave to me-
Job 5:8-18 (English Standard Version)
8"As for me, I would seek God,
and to God would I commit my cause,
9whoA)">(A) does great things andB)">(B) unsearchable,
C)">(C) marvelous things without number:
10he givesD)">(D) rain on the earth
and sends waters on the fields;
11heE)">(E) sets on high those who are lowly,
and those who mourn are lifted to safety.
12HeF)">(F) frustrates the devices of the crafty,
so that their hands achieve no success.
13HeG)">(G) catches the wise in their own craftiness,
and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end.
14They meet with darkness in the daytime
andH)">(H) grope at noonday as in the night.
15But heI)">(I) saves the needy from the sword of their mouth
and from the hand of the mighty.
16So the poor have hope,
andJ)">(J) injustice shuts her mouth.
thereforeL)">(L) despise not the discipline of theM)">(M) Almighty.
18For he wounds, but heN)">(N) binds up;
heO)">(O) shatters, but his hands heal.
Promise to update soon...
One more step
Found out today that our paperwork was filed in the courts. This does not mean we have a court date yet, but our paperwork is filed and it is up to the courts to assign us a court date now. There is no "standard" timeline for this- nothing is "standard" when it comes to this process. Please pray with us that we will be granted a court case- SOON!
New pictures...
but I cannot show them to you. Sorry! Not my call. But we were so blessed to receive 8 new photos of the little man taken this week, as well as updated measurements. He is growing! I am more in love today- and my arms ache more to hold him today too. Trusting, trusting, trusting God's will in this timing. What a gift that He gave us today in sending those photos!
"Wait" does not equal "waste"
It has been a difficult 6 weeks, to say the least. We went from the incredible high of receiving, and accepting, our referral to an incredible low whereby our process was put on an indefinite hold. During the past six weeks I have cried buckets of tears, had plenty of heart-to-hearts with the Almighty as well as my dear husband and a couple dear friends who have graciously put up with me and spent countless hours on the internet (thank God for google).
It is super easy for me to view periods of life when God says "wait" as wasted time. Take for instance this season. In my humanness I think that any day we are not with our adopted child is a wasted day, for him as well as for Mark, me, Markus and Halle Joy. I think that any day we are not seeing progress toward bringing him home is wasted time. However, if there is anything that our gracious and patient Father has been teaching me during this season is that nothing is wasted in His perfect plan. We are promised in Romans that He "works all things for the good of those that love Him" (Rom 8:28). If I truly believe that, then I must claim that He is working all things through this difficult season for the good of the Wilkenings. But the fact remains that although nothing is wasted in God's economy, the CHOICE still falls on me to not only believe that but to apply that marvelous truth to my current situation.
It is in this daily, sometimes hourly, choosing that I find God doing a mighty work in me. I have always been tenderhearted, emotional if you will, when it comes to the plight of the orphan, the poor, the oppressed. During this season as we wait for our adopted child to come home, God has taken my tenderheart and broken it time and time again as He feeds my mind and my heart with stories and images of the broken around the world. Those that have no voice. I have found myself on my knees over and over again, crying out on behalf of those around the world who are currently starving, being beaten, sold in the sex trade as children, dreaming of mommies and daddies who will never come for them... the list goes on. God has taken my "emotional" heart and made me realize that those emotions that are stirred in me when I see the plight of the oppressed are a direct result of the way He has wired me. I cannot help but think that if I currently had three children under foot it would be quite difficult for God to be revealing the things He is revealing to me. As much as it pains me to not have our boy home- and to have no earthly idea when that will even be a possibility- I am choosing to rejoice and grow and learn in this season of wait. And I am so eager to see what God is going to do with the knowlegde that He seems to be unceasingly filling me with! My heart resonates with David in this season as I "wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord" (Ps 27:14) and I choose to allow God to work in me what is pleasing to Him that I may "be an imitator of God... and live a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Eph 5:1-2). That at the end of this season I may be better equipped to love and serve my family, my community and the world however He calls me.
So I wait. And as I wait, I continue to humbly ask for your prayers. That God would continue to reveal Himself in mighty ways to Mark and I. That He would continue to care for and provide for the child we so desperately want to bring home while he is away from us. That He would bless those currently caring for him. That we would daily choose to abide in Christ, "so that (His) joy may be in (us) and that (our) joy may be complete" (John 15:11).
It is super easy for me to view periods of life when God says "wait" as wasted time. Take for instance this season. In my humanness I think that any day we are not with our adopted child is a wasted day, for him as well as for Mark, me, Markus and Halle Joy. I think that any day we are not seeing progress toward bringing him home is wasted time. However, if there is anything that our gracious and patient Father has been teaching me during this season is that nothing is wasted in His perfect plan. We are promised in Romans that He "works all things for the good of those that love Him" (Rom 8:28). If I truly believe that, then I must claim that He is working all things through this difficult season for the good of the Wilkenings. But the fact remains that although nothing is wasted in God's economy, the CHOICE still falls on me to not only believe that but to apply that marvelous truth to my current situation.
It is in this daily, sometimes hourly, choosing that I find God doing a mighty work in me. I have always been tenderhearted, emotional if you will, when it comes to the plight of the orphan, the poor, the oppressed. During this season as we wait for our adopted child to come home, God has taken my tenderheart and broken it time and time again as He feeds my mind and my heart with stories and images of the broken around the world. Those that have no voice. I have found myself on my knees over and over again, crying out on behalf of those around the world who are currently starving, being beaten, sold in the sex trade as children, dreaming of mommies and daddies who will never come for them... the list goes on. God has taken my "emotional" heart and made me realize that those emotions that are stirred in me when I see the plight of the oppressed are a direct result of the way He has wired me. I cannot help but think that if I currently had three children under foot it would be quite difficult for God to be revealing the things He is revealing to me. As much as it pains me to not have our boy home- and to have no earthly idea when that will even be a possibility- I am choosing to rejoice and grow and learn in this season of wait. And I am so eager to see what God is going to do with the knowlegde that He seems to be unceasingly filling me with! My heart resonates with David in this season as I "wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord" (Ps 27:14) and I choose to allow God to work in me what is pleasing to Him that I may "be an imitator of God... and live a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Eph 5:1-2). That at the end of this season I may be better equipped to love and serve my family, my community and the world however He calls me.
So I wait. And as I wait, I continue to humbly ask for your prayers. That God would continue to reveal Himself in mighty ways to Mark and I. That He would continue to care for and provide for the child we so desperately want to bring home while he is away from us. That He would bless those currently caring for him. That we would daily choose to abide in Christ, "so that (His) joy may be in (us) and that (our) joy may be complete" (John 15:11).
Please pray!!!!!
We received an email two days ago from our agency... for protection of our own case I cannot share details, but I ask that you would pray with us. There is the potential for a significant delay in our process. Please forgive me for being so vague, but I trust and know that the Lord knows the specifics as you pray with us!
Referral
Imagine my shock and joy as I opened my email on Saturday morning (April 24th) to see an email with the subject line as follows: Referral!!!!!! (including all t hose exclamation points). My heart pounded furiously as I weighed the options- open the email or wait, as Mark was at an overnight with some buddies. It didn't take me long to decide to open the email without him. After all, everytime I took a pregnancy test he wasn't there to read the lines with me... it's kind of the same, right? Anyways, I opened the email and there was our referral. I am sorry to say that I cannot communicate any of the details of our referral (age, name, etc) at this time, but I can tell you he is beautiful and as healthy as could be! We are thrilled to now have a face and a name to go along with our prayers. Please pray with us that we get a court date before the court closures in mid-late August.
Moving on up...
I spoke with our program coordinator this afternoon. Our agency does not release an official "waiting list" of families and the order in which you are in wait for your baby. However, our rep told me today that we are "very close" to the top of the wait list... and that means our referral could literally come any day now! We are one step closer to finding out who this precious boy is that God has chosen to be a part of our family!
On the way to Ethiopia...
No, not us. But our dossier is! Praise God we are all done with all the paperwork! It has all been authenticated and notarized and signed and photocopied... and on Thursday, February 19th our agency put it in the mail to Ethiopia! Now we wait :).
Tonight, our amazing friends and huge supporters, Jeremy, Hope, Jeremiah, Jodi, Zach and Jennifer, blessed us in a totally awesome way- along with the help of 70 other close friends and family. They put on the "Wilkening Baby Bingo Bash", a Bingo themed fundraiser for our adoption. I am thrilled to write that $2300 was raised to help cover the costs of the adoption. It was such a fun night- lots of laughs (with Jeremy E. at the mike can you imagine?), great fellowship, amazing prizes (thanks to Carl and Aida, Randy and Beckie, Zach and Jennifer, Treasury of Memories, Jeanie and A Picket Fence, Cutter's Point Coffee, Matt and Starbucks, Jonathan... and if I forgot you, please forgive me!) and most importantly, a room full of people who love us and love our baby. What a blessing to have so many already celebrating his life! If you were a part of tonight in any way, thank you, thank you, thank you. You are a gift.
Tonight, our amazing friends and huge supporters, Jeremy, Hope, Jeremiah, Jodi, Zach and Jennifer, blessed us in a totally awesome way- along with the help of 70 other close friends and family. They put on the "Wilkening Baby Bingo Bash", a Bingo themed fundraiser for our adoption. I am thrilled to write that $2300 was raised to help cover the costs of the adoption. It was such a fun night- lots of laughs (with Jeremy E. at the mike can you imagine?), great fellowship, amazing prizes (thanks to Carl and Aida, Randy and Beckie, Zach and Jennifer, Treasury of Memories, Jeanie and A Picket Fence, Cutter's Point Coffee, Matt and Starbucks, Jonathan... and if I forgot you, please forgive me!) and most importantly, a room full of people who love us and love our baby. What a blessing to have so many already celebrating his life! If you were a part of tonight in any way, thank you, thank you, thank you. You are a gift.
Dossier update- and a PRAISE!
The dossier is at the US Dept of State right now! The Assistant Stork said everything looked great and were planning on picking it back up today or tomorrow... we are one step closer!
Mark and I were blessed to have an opportunity to go to a conference on the power of prayer this past week in Oregon. My mom (bless her heart!) stayed here with Markus and Halle Joy and off Mark and I went for three and a half days. We had an amazing time as a couple just enjoying some alone time, spending time with a dear friend from college and her wonderful family and sitting under the teaching of a delightful and committed man of God. On our last evening we attended a concert of prayer that included both the conference attendees as well as members of the church. It was a powerful evening of music, praise and prayer. At one point I was praying with 7 other people, two from other churches and five from the host church. Those of us visiting were asked to share a prayer request; I shared of our financial need for the adoption. We prayed, and as we finished, one of the gentlemen leaned over, shook my hand and said "May God bless your adoption"... and slipped a $100 bill into my palm. This man was a complete stranger, but saw it fit to bless Mark and I in an amazing and overwhleming way. Isn't that awesome?
Mark and I were blessed to have an opportunity to go to a conference on the power of prayer this past week in Oregon. My mom (bless her heart!) stayed here with Markus and Halle Joy and off Mark and I went for three and a half days. We had an amazing time as a couple just enjoying some alone time, spending time with a dear friend from college and her wonderful family and sitting under the teaching of a delightful and committed man of God. On our last evening we attended a concert of prayer that included both the conference attendees as well as members of the church. It was a powerful evening of music, praise and prayer. At one point I was praying with 7 other people, two from other churches and five from the host church. Those of us visiting were asked to share a prayer request; I shared of our financial need for the adoption. We prayed, and as we finished, one of the gentlemen leaned over, shook my hand and said "May God bless your adoption"... and slipped a $100 bill into my palm. This man was a complete stranger, but saw it fit to bless Mark and I in an amazing and overwhleming way. Isn't that awesome?
In the mail
Our dossier is on it's way to the Assistant Stork in Virginia! They will take it to DC to have it authenticated at the US Dept of State... Please pray that everything was completed correctly and it will make it's way through this part of the bureaucratic process smoothly!
Where do I even begin?
It has been way too long since I gave an update- please forgive me! I'm going to post in a really lame, bullet point format to ensure I get all the neat things God has done and all the details of the last few months written down!
* God provided a minivan for us! We have been praying about how we would purchase a vehicle that would hold three carseats... and out of the blue my parents showed up on our doorstep with a new-to-us Toyota Sienna minivan. What an amazing blessing.
* We were given an opportunity to share our adoption testimony as part of our senior pastor's message on adoption at church. What an amazing gift to share our story with our entire congregation, and to know that we are part of a church family that is excited about adoption. There are many in our church praying about the ministry of adoption/orphan care and we are so excited to see what God is going to do through the body at our church for the cause of the orphan.
* Mark and I traveled to Yakima in November for our USCIS clearance stuff. Yes, the only state office for customs/immigration in Washington is in Yakima. We split up our kiddos amongst dear friends and headed across the pass and back in one day to hand over one form, a bunch of money and our fingerprints. It was a long day, but worth it, as our I600A (Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition) was approved in December! Praise God!
* We have received a few more financial gifts, again totally out of nowhere and exactly when we needed them. Praise Him.
* We began our partnership with LifeSong for Orphans, a non-profit group that partners with adoptive families to aid in the support raising process. We sent out prayer/financial support letters at the end of December to many loved ones. By partnering with LifeSong, anyone who desires to give a financial gift toward our adoption can do so directly to them, and thus it becomes a tax-deductible gift to the giver. LifeSong will then disperse the funds as necesary on our behalf for our adoption. Most improtantly, our letter went out to many families that we are confident will be PRAYING with us- that is the most precious gift anyone could give us in this journey.
* We recently received two documents from the Washington Secretary of State's office. Two days ago, I completed (I think!) sorting all of our documents for our dossier (and the two copies that we need as well). We are waiting for one more form from our agency, and then it will be off to a lengthy appointment with our notary to complete our dossier. Once that is done, we will ship it off to an organization called the Assistant Stork, who will take our dossier on our behalf to the federal level. They will do some processing, send it back to us, and then it will be off to our agnecy where they will then send it off to Ethiopia! Then... we wait. And pray!
* God provided a minivan for us! We have been praying about how we would purchase a vehicle that would hold three carseats... and out of the blue my parents showed up on our doorstep with a new-to-us Toyota Sienna minivan. What an amazing blessing.
* We were given an opportunity to share our adoption testimony as part of our senior pastor's message on adoption at church. What an amazing gift to share our story with our entire congregation, and to know that we are part of a church family that is excited about adoption. There are many in our church praying about the ministry of adoption/orphan care and we are so excited to see what God is going to do through the body at our church for the cause of the orphan.
* Mark and I traveled to Yakima in November for our USCIS clearance stuff. Yes, the only state office for customs/immigration in Washington is in Yakima. We split up our kiddos amongst dear friends and headed across the pass and back in one day to hand over one form, a bunch of money and our fingerprints. It was a long day, but worth it, as our I600A (Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition) was approved in December! Praise God!
* We have received a few more financial gifts, again totally out of nowhere and exactly when we needed them. Praise Him.
* We began our partnership with LifeSong for Orphans, a non-profit group that partners with adoptive families to aid in the support raising process. We sent out prayer/financial support letters at the end of December to many loved ones. By partnering with LifeSong, anyone who desires to give a financial gift toward our adoption can do so directly to them, and thus it becomes a tax-deductible gift to the giver. LifeSong will then disperse the funds as necesary on our behalf for our adoption. Most improtantly, our letter went out to many families that we are confident will be PRAYING with us- that is the most precious gift anyone could give us in this journey.
* We recently received two documents from the Washington Secretary of State's office. Two days ago, I completed (I think!) sorting all of our documents for our dossier (and the two copies that we need as well). We are waiting for one more form from our agency, and then it will be off to a lengthy appointment with our notary to complete our dossier. Once that is done, we will ship it off to an organization called the Assistant Stork, who will take our dossier on our behalf to the federal level. They will do some processing, send it back to us, and then it will be off to our agnecy where they will then send it off to Ethiopia! Then... we wait. And pray!
Jehovah-Jireh
The Lord will provide...
We received an anonymous check in the offering at church yesterday. For our adoption. For $5000. Overwhelmed is not the word. We are praising the God who led in someone's heart in a mighty way to lead them to give in such an awesome way. If you read this, thank you, thank you. There really is no adequate way to express our gratitude.
We received an anonymous check in the offering at church yesterday. For our adoption. For $5000. Overwhelmed is not the word. We are praising the God who led in someone's heart in a mighty way to lead them to give in such an awesome way. If you read this, thank you, thank you. There really is no adequate way to express our gratitude.
Praise God!
All glory be to God, who goes before us and knows all things. Our homestudy has been approved. One of the blessings of the last few days of craziness is definitely that God called us to put our story out there. We have invited many people into the story of what He is doing in our lives- way more people than we thought we would invite into the process at this time. What potential there is for more people to be impacted/ministered to through this journey that God is taking us on! And God is hearing the prayers of His saints, and we are so grateful that so many are partnering with us. Another blessing of the "roadblock" was that it sent my tail into high gear to complete our LifeSong application. We are most excited about the possibility of partnering with this organization for support/grant/loans and I was waiting to work on the application until our homestudy was totally finalized. But in the midst of this hurdle I spoke to a rep at LifeSong who was an amazing encouragement to me and extended the invite to submit our application without the "finalized" homestudy. So our application was sent in the mail today- which means now we are one step closer to seeing how God is going to reveal Himself through our financial need. Keep those prayers coming and thank you so much for partnering with us. May He be glorified.
I just read this verse in my Bible study and thought it would be appropriate:
"Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours" (1 chron 29:11).
I just read this verse in my Bible study and thought it would be appropriate:
"Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours" (1 chron 29:11).
Urgent prayer request
I just spoke with our social worker. She submitted our home study to the agency committee, thinking we were going to be approved with no difficulty. Upon looking at our finances, the committee is concerned that we cannot afford the approximately $25,000 price tag and they may not approve our homestudy. They're right- we can't afford the price tag. We are planning on writing a support letter as well as applying for an adnoption grant and possible adoption loan. But we cannot apply for those things without a completed homestudy. Our social worker will present that information to the committee next week- and she is unsure what they will have to say. I am trying my best to not be discouraged and to trust... I know that God desires this for our family. I know that He has already provided the money for the adoption. We just don't know where it is yet. Please pray with us. Pray that we will be approved. And pray that we will find God's provisions for this adoption. Thank you for partnering with us!
Please pray with us
We found out this week that we have an extremely large amount of money due very soon. We don't know what it means if we don't come up with the money right away, but as I wrote in the previous post, I don't want anything to delay this process of at all possible. We don't have the money we need just laying around. We have been waiting to apply for grants/loans until our home study is completed as they require completed homestudies for application purposes. But as soon as our homestudy is completed (which could be as early as this week) this large amount of money is due. Please pray that God will show up in a mighty way. That He will show us where this money is going to come from. And that we will be one step closer to bringing our boy home.
Long Overdue Update
Is anyone still checking this blog? I'm so sorry I haven't posted in almost two months. Time flies in our household, let me tell you! Here's an update...
1. We are finished with our home study. We enjoyed our three visits with our social worker. She was super friendly and kind and knowledgeable about the whole process. She wrote us an amazingly favorable report that approved us for adoption of up to two children ages newborn to 18 months. Right now our home study has been sent to a committee at our agency, where they will review it, make any needed corrections and hopefully approve it! Once that is done our social worker will make some notarized copies and we should have our completed home study in hand next week!
2. We are also done with our online adoption courses. They were very informative- preparing us for some things we hadn't really thought about in terms of our child's adjustment to his new world and how his previous living experience will/could really impact him both long and short term. I am looking forward to going back to the courses as resources once we have him home and we are actually experiencing the challenges/difficulties.
3. Notice I keep saying "him"... we have decided on pursuing a boy from Ethiopia. We were led to decide on a boy for a number of reasons. Most importantly, we felt that is what God laid on our hearts. We feel like it will be valuable for Markus to have a younger brother, and knowing who Markus already is, we feel our adopted son will probably have a best friend and protector instantly- and throughout life- in Markus.
4. Up until a couple weeks ago, I had gone into autopilot mode a little bit when it came to moving forward with the adoption. It wasn't as if my excitement was gone, however, I was really enjoying Halle Joy and Markus and not feeling any sense of urgency to add another baby to the mix. Then I went to my Perspectives course (AMAZING course by the way... but that's another topic) and God rebroke my heart for the plight of the orphan. It was during that class that I realized our baby boy could already be born. He could already be in an orphanage. He could be cold. He could be hungry. He could be WAITING for me. And I broke. And I got to work. If he is out there already, I don't want him to have to wait ONE MORE DAY than he absolutely has to before he comes home to us, his forever family. So I have been frantically working again (I completed all of our adoption courses in less than a week) and I plan to do everything I can to keep the process moving along. There will be a lot that is out of our control in this process, and I am okay with that. But as much as I can do I am doing, so that our son can come home. And I am praying. Daily. Sometimes hourly. For him. For his biological mother. For his caretakers. For his heart, his mind and his body.
1. We are finished with our home study. We enjoyed our three visits with our social worker. She was super friendly and kind and knowledgeable about the whole process. She wrote us an amazingly favorable report that approved us for adoption of up to two children ages newborn to 18 months. Right now our home study has been sent to a committee at our agency, where they will review it, make any needed corrections and hopefully approve it! Once that is done our social worker will make some notarized copies and we should have our completed home study in hand next week!
2. We are also done with our online adoption courses. They were very informative- preparing us for some things we hadn't really thought about in terms of our child's adjustment to his new world and how his previous living experience will/could really impact him both long and short term. I am looking forward to going back to the courses as resources once we have him home and we are actually experiencing the challenges/difficulties.
3. Notice I keep saying "him"... we have decided on pursuing a boy from Ethiopia. We were led to decide on a boy for a number of reasons. Most importantly, we felt that is what God laid on our hearts. We feel like it will be valuable for Markus to have a younger brother, and knowing who Markus already is, we feel our adopted son will probably have a best friend and protector instantly- and throughout life- in Markus.
4. Up until a couple weeks ago, I had gone into autopilot mode a little bit when it came to moving forward with the adoption. It wasn't as if my excitement was gone, however, I was really enjoying Halle Joy and Markus and not feeling any sense of urgency to add another baby to the mix. Then I went to my Perspectives course (AMAZING course by the way... but that's another topic) and God rebroke my heart for the plight of the orphan. It was during that class that I realized our baby boy could already be born. He could already be in an orphanage. He could be cold. He could be hungry. He could be WAITING for me. And I broke. And I got to work. If he is out there already, I don't want him to have to wait ONE MORE DAY than he absolutely has to before he comes home to us, his forever family. So I have been frantically working again (I completed all of our adoption courses in less than a week) and I plan to do everything I can to keep the process moving along. There will be a lot that is out of our control in this process, and I am okay with that. But as much as I can do I am doing, so that our son can come home. And I am praying. Daily. Sometimes hourly. For him. For his biological mother. For his caretakers. For his heart, his mind and his body.
Some Ethiopia stats and an update
There are approx. 4.6 million orphans due to AIDS and poverty
One in six children die before they turn 5
One in ten children die before they turn 1
Millions still die of starvation each year
Half the children in Ethiopia will never have an opportunity to attend school
Some parts still practice female circumcision
82% of the population survives on less than 1 dollar a day
Only 1/4 of the entire population has access to safe drinking water
Ethiopia’s doctor to children ratio is 1 to 24,000
Children and family are honored above all else there
1 in 3 people are HIV+ , the average life expectency is between 37-42.
We love knowing that we will be adopting from a country where children and family are honored and placed at high value. After we bring our child home, there will be post-placement studies at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months as well as once/year until the child turns 18. I actually love this requirement (from the Ethiopian government) because it communicates how important their children are to them.
We completed our first home visit on Saturday. We really enjoyed our social worker and are looking forward to working with her. She has adopted internationally as well so I am sure she will be of immeasurable value as we journey together. She gave us a lot of information and took a tour of our home. Now we just continue to do paperwork and wait on paperwork... and pray. We did find out that we need to decide if we want a boy of girl baby. We think we know, but we are going to take some time to pray before we make a firm decision. I feel like we are playing God a little bit, but I just have to trust that He will make His will known to us.
One in six children die before they turn 5
One in ten children die before they turn 1
Millions still die of starvation each year
Half the children in Ethiopia will never have an opportunity to attend school
Some parts still practice female circumcision
82% of the population survives on less than 1 dollar a day
Only 1/4 of the entire population has access to safe drinking water
Ethiopia’s doctor to children ratio is 1 to 24,000
Children and family are honored above all else there
1 in 3 people are HIV+ , the average life expectency is between 37-42.
We love knowing that we will be adopting from a country where children and family are honored and placed at high value. After we bring our child home, there will be post-placement studies at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months as well as once/year until the child turns 18. I actually love this requirement (from the Ethiopian government) because it communicates how important their children are to them.
We completed our first home visit on Saturday. We really enjoyed our social worker and are looking forward to working with her. She has adopted internationally as well so I am sure she will be of immeasurable value as we journey together. She gave us a lot of information and took a tour of our home. Now we just continue to do paperwork and wait on paperwork... and pray. We did find out that we need to decide if we want a boy of girl baby. We think we know, but we are going to take some time to pray before we make a firm decision. I feel like we are playing God a little bit, but I just have to trust that He will make His will known to us.
Sobering
I was surfing the internet tonight and I stumbled across an interesting project called the "Mocha Club". They are working to support Africans with HIV/AIDS by way of nourishing food, education, medical care and most importantly, sharing the love of Jesus Christ. I didn't spend enough time navigating their site to say whether or not I would endorse it- that would take more time than I have tonight. But there was a video on the site that moved me and shook me... there was a 14 year old woman with her baby who showed up to receive medical care for her baby, who was covered in sores from head to toe. When the representative asked her what the baby's name was, she told her. I don't remember the name, but I will remember the meaning for the rest of my life... the baby's name meant "NO HOPE". The woman asked the young mother why she gave her that name. The young mother responded, "I watched my mother die of AIDS. I will die of AIDS. She has no hope". Wow. Through subsequent visits to the clinic, the young mother was introduced to and accepted the truth of Jesus Christ. She renamed her baby Lelethu, which means "Jesus is our hope". I can't stop crying. According to this website, $7 can give 9 orphans 3 meals in one day, pay for 21 orphans housing for 1 day or gibe 7 Africans clean water for a year. I shudder to think I spent $6 today on lunch and a snack for Markus and I today while we were out running errands. I can't help but wonder if our baby is out there already, with a mother who is heartbroken thinking there is no hope for her baby. I can't help but wonder if our baby is hungry right now. Or in pain. Or cold. Or lonely. And I can't help but think that although I know we can transform and give the life giving hope of Jesus Christ to the baby that God has for us, there will be millions that will be left behind. And the enemy whispers in my ear that we can't make a difference, that our one baby out of the millions left behind isn't enough... and yet I know. I know that God is bigger than all these statistics. I know that God loves these babies. And I trust that He has a plan. But I still cry.
Saturday, July 19
Received a check for $300 in the mail today to "use as needed". We are 2/3 of the way to the $1500 we need ASAP. Awesome.
Thursday, July 17
I am sharing with another individual today about the amazing $500 gift we received and what a blessing it is as we have to come up with the $1500 ASAP. This person takes out their wallet and hands me $200 "for our new baby". GOD IS SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, July 16
After a great day with the kiddos at the Judy's, I return home to a note taped to our door. Someone who has asked to remain anonymous has written, saying that their hearts were tugged when the Chapmans' daughter was killed, and they have been praying that God would use the tragedy for good. They were led to contribute toward our adoption... $500. I am in tears with God's goodness and faithfulness.
Thursday, July 10
I communicate with our rep with CHI- we are good to go! We have begun. He tells me he will pass our information on to our social worker in Tacoma to begin the home study process. He anticipates we will hear from her in a week or so. Two hours later, my phone rings and it is our social worker! She promises to email me all the paperwork we need to complete/compile. When I check my email that night, it is there. It's a daunting list of things to do, but so exciting! No we just need to come up with $1500 to move on to the next step. We continue to pray.
Monday, July 7
We receive a receipt via email from CHI for our check. We are assuming this means we have officially begun with CHI.
Wednesday, July 2
The paperwork is complete and mailed to CHI along with our first check. We pray and wait.
More confirmation
God continues to confirm in our hearts that He has a child for us in Ethiopia. We met recently with the Penners (dear friends from Lynden) who tell us that there are two families from our previous church adopting from Ethiopia right now. I share with my hairdresser that we are considering adoption (I didn't even tell her the country at first). She says that the night before she was with a friend who was going to be taking some YL kids that were adopted from Ethiopia to Malibu this summer. We go to a blog operated by a gentleman that Mark heard speak at his recent conference (oddly enough, there was a lot of conversation at this arts conference about the church as a whole being more involved in social justice worldwide. Coincidence? We know better.). On his blog there is a recent video of him in an orphanage in Africa. The children are BEAUTIFUL. Our hearts are so full.
The story continues...
*** Thursday, May 30 I speak with Mike from Childrens' House International. He doesn't seem to think there will be any problem with us beginning the Ethiopia program through their agency. He emails me the beginning paperwork. I wait to hear from YFC.
*** June 8 We decide to tell all of Mark' family at diner tonight our decision to adopt from Ethiopia. Linda is in tears by the time we are finished telling our story. She been praying for almost a year for how they can be involved financially in the plight of the orphan in ETHIOPIA. Isn't that unreal? God is SO GOOD.
***June 9 I receive a phone call from YFC. They are most concerned with the placement of children ages 2-9. Because our focus is on adopting a child younger than the age of two, we decide the YFC program is not an option for us. We are reassured about CHI as the YFC program director speaks very highly of the CHI program. She even tells me that the director of the CHI orphanage in Ethiopia is a believer and only employs believers to work in the orphanage. Praise God! We are on vacation, so we table working on the first stage paperwork until we get home.
*** June 8 We decide to tell all of Mark' family at diner tonight our decision to adopt from Ethiopia. Linda is in tears by the time we are finished telling our story. She been praying for almost a year for how they can be involved financially in the plight of the orphan in ETHIOPIA. Isn't that unreal? God is SO GOOD.
***June 9 I receive a phone call from YFC. They are most concerned with the placement of children ages 2-9. Because our focus is on adopting a child younger than the age of two, we decide the YFC program is not an option for us. We are reassured about CHI as the YFC program director speaks very highly of the CHI program. She even tells me that the director of the CHI orphanage in Ethiopia is a believer and only employs believers to work in the orphanage. Praise God! We are on vacation, so we table working on the first stage paperwork until we get home.
Wednesday, May 28
Received a voicemail today from Bethany, stating that they were unsure if we could proceed with Ethiopia at this time. They weren't certain, but they felt like Halle may be too young to begin the process. Mark and I decide to pursue a couple other agencies and see their procedures. I left messages for both adoptionministry.net, an program run by YWAM in conjunction with YFC here in Tacoma (this is the program Pastor Jim is in contact with) and Childrens' Houae International in Ferndale.
May 27- Ethiopia???
Mark shared our journey with Pastor Jim today during their weekly Tuesday meeting. Pastor Jim in turn shares with Mark that he has been led by God to discuss with our staff that that afternoon's vision meeting to pursue how God could use our church in the ministry of adoption. He is particularly burdened with Ethiopia, and his daughter is currently in the process of adopting from there. Mark called me and told me all this... I almost dropped the phone. He said "Maybe it's not China". Maybe it's not!
Twenty minutes after I got off the phone with Mark, Marge from Bethany called. She informed me that they received our application. There were two problems. One was that in order to begin the process with China, both parents have to be 30 years of age. I will not be 30 until November. Also, the youngest child in the home must be at least 1 when the process is begun. Halle Joy will not be 1 until February. Marge told me to simply resubmt a preliminary application a few weeks before Halle's first birthday. I told her okay, but them shared with her that Mark and I were also burdened with Ethiopia- could she check the requirements for me? She quickly checked and informed me that we meet at least the age, children in the home and length of marriage requirements for Ethiopia. She will resubmit our application with Ethiopia as our country of interest and we will hear more by the end of the week.
The beginning
I have a need to chronicle this journey that we have currently embarked on... to see if God has adoption in His plans for our family. Here is a recent account of what He has been doing in our hearts.
*** A LONG TIME AGO God laid adoption on my heart. The thought of the millions of children worldwide who are unloved and uncared for is a burden my heart cannot bear.
*** APRIL 2002 The week I moved to Lynden, Washington Mark and I attended a Steven Curtis Chapman concert. Steven talked of his adoption of Shaohannah and Bethany Christian Services was present to talk about adoption. My heart was tugged again.
*** SOMETIME 2003 A year or so after Mark and I were married, I asked him if he thought if adoption would ever be for us. He said that He would be open to the idea down the road, but wanted to try for our own kids first. God worked in my heart to reveal to me that I was not to push the issue with Mark and that I was to be quiet and pray. God gave me the reassurance that if adoption was for our family, He would make it known to Mark. It was really hard for me to let it go, but I knew I had to. I simply began praying that if this was what God had for us that He would make it perfectly clear to Mark.
*** April 7, 2006 Markus Jaden is born. We have our first biological child, and he is the delight of our hearts. But I keep praying about adoption.
*** July 2006 I am referred to a surgeon to have a mole removed from my face. That morning I felt a strong urging that I am to talk about adoption with Mark again. On our drive up to Seattle (Markus spent the day with the Madsons) I again ask Mark what he thinks of adoption for our family. He says he is really unsure. I ask him if he would simply pray about it. He agrees. We meet with the surgeon, and while we are waiting for the anesthesia to kick in, he shares with us that he has an adopted son from Cambodia. When their son became a part of their family, he was the same age that our Markus was currently. He shared what a blessing this little boy had been to their family. As we left the building, Mark turned to me and just said "I know". God had begun to strongly move in his heart, too.
*** February2, 2008 Halle Joy is born. We love her to bits. As I wonder if I will ever be pregnant again, I am burdened with an idea of selfishness. I feel as though it would be selfish to bring another new child into this world, into our home, when there are millions already born who need what we can provide for them.
*** May 22, 2008 We receive word of Maria Sue Chapman's homegoing. I am incredibly affected. I call Mark and share the news. We discuss their family's obedience to James 1:27 and what a miracle that Maria was placed in their home. We are impressed by the Lord with the truth that Maria Chapman was in Heaven with her Savior because the Chapmans had rescued her from an orphanage and brought her into a home where she was loved and taught about Jesus' amazing love for her. A few hours later, Mark calls and shares with me that during the morning he felt that the Lord told him two biological children was all He had for us... but that our family wasn't yet complete. We prayed together, that God would use this tragedy in the Chapman family to be a testimony to the plight of the orphan and that the church would respond in droves to the ministry of adoption.
*** May 24, 2008 Mark believes that God is calling us to begin walking through the doors on the international adoption process. I spend hours that night perusing the information I already had in hand from Bethany (which I thought I had thrown away) and on the internet.
***May 25, 2008 We submit our electronic preliminary application to Bethany. We are burdened for both China and Ethiopia. We put China on our application, but commit to the Lord that we are willing to have a child from anywhere He wills for us.
*** A LONG TIME AGO God laid adoption on my heart. The thought of the millions of children worldwide who are unloved and uncared for is a burden my heart cannot bear.
*** APRIL 2002 The week I moved to Lynden, Washington Mark and I attended a Steven Curtis Chapman concert. Steven talked of his adoption of Shaohannah and Bethany Christian Services was present to talk about adoption. My heart was tugged again.
*** SOMETIME 2003 A year or so after Mark and I were married, I asked him if he thought if adoption would ever be for us. He said that He would be open to the idea down the road, but wanted to try for our own kids first. God worked in my heart to reveal to me that I was not to push the issue with Mark and that I was to be quiet and pray. God gave me the reassurance that if adoption was for our family, He would make it known to Mark. It was really hard for me to let it go, but I knew I had to. I simply began praying that if this was what God had for us that He would make it perfectly clear to Mark.
*** April 7, 2006 Markus Jaden is born. We have our first biological child, and he is the delight of our hearts. But I keep praying about adoption.
*** July 2006 I am referred to a surgeon to have a mole removed from my face. That morning I felt a strong urging that I am to talk about adoption with Mark again. On our drive up to Seattle (Markus spent the day with the Madsons) I again ask Mark what he thinks of adoption for our family. He says he is really unsure. I ask him if he would simply pray about it. He agrees. We meet with the surgeon, and while we are waiting for the anesthesia to kick in, he shares with us that he has an adopted son from Cambodia. When their son became a part of their family, he was the same age that our Markus was currently. He shared what a blessing this little boy had been to their family. As we left the building, Mark turned to me and just said "I know". God had begun to strongly move in his heart, too.
*** February2, 2008 Halle Joy is born. We love her to bits. As I wonder if I will ever be pregnant again, I am burdened with an idea of selfishness. I feel as though it would be selfish to bring another new child into this world, into our home, when there are millions already born who need what we can provide for them.
*** May 22, 2008 We receive word of Maria Sue Chapman's homegoing. I am incredibly affected. I call Mark and share the news. We discuss their family's obedience to James 1:27 and what a miracle that Maria was placed in their home. We are impressed by the Lord with the truth that Maria Chapman was in Heaven with her Savior because the Chapmans had rescued her from an orphanage and brought her into a home where she was loved and taught about Jesus' amazing love for her. A few hours later, Mark calls and shares with me that during the morning he felt that the Lord told him two biological children was all He had for us... but that our family wasn't yet complete. We prayed together, that God would use this tragedy in the Chapman family to be a testimony to the plight of the orphan and that the church would respond in droves to the ministry of adoption.
*** May 24, 2008 Mark believes that God is calling us to begin walking through the doors on the international adoption process. I spend hours that night perusing the information I already had in hand from Bethany (which I thought I had thrown away) and on the internet.
***May 25, 2008 We submit our electronic preliminary application to Bethany. We are burdened for both China and Ethiopia. We put China on our application, but commit to the Lord that we are willing to have a child from anywhere He wills for us.
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