Psalm 27:14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He will strengthen your hear. Wait, I say, on the Lord.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Embassy Delay
We received notification from Embassy today that they want to interview the girls' Grandfather. I guess it is pretty standard procedure lately for Embassy to interview birth family before giving clearance. Poor man has to make that long trek back up to Addis. It took him about 5 days to travel for the court trip from what I have been told. We hope that he is able to stay this time so that we can meet him. Our agency told us that clearance can be received 1-2 days after the interview so hopefully we will be traveling the first part of February. We can't book our tickets until we receive clearance. Please pray with us for no further delays.
Psalm 27:14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He will strengthen your hear. Wait, I say, on the Lord.
Psalm 27:14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He will strengthen your hear. Wait, I say, on the Lord.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
A NEW ADVENTURE
My Bible Study in Acts this past week really spoke to me about our journey of adoption. It was entitled a "A New Adventure." So far the journey has been a lot of filling out papers and waiting but the adventure will soon begin once we bring our girls home.
What can we expect for the next leg of our journey? We are excited about embarking upon it but to be honest, we really don't know what to expect. It is an adventure into the unknown. From what I have been told, it will take a time of transition to find a "new normal" for our family. We've also been told by many to get rid of expectations. We must go into this trusting that God knows what is best and be ready to follow His leading no matter what we encounter. We know families who have brought home children only to find out that they are dealing with severe attachment disorders or other issues. For other families, it has been smooth sailing.
The first principle my BSF teaching leader gave was that "Life circumstances are a launching point to trust God in adventure opportunities because I know that as I set my sail, He will direct me along the way." God certainly did not give us His entire itinerary when He sent us out on this adventure, but He also promises in His Word that He will never forsake us. It is my belief that nothing happens in my life that is apart from His power and control. He is sovereign.
I've seen friends, whose adopted child(ren) turned out to have severe attachment problems, really struggle with hard trials. The child's anger is most often directed at the primary caregiver, the mom. Sometimes the family questions if they had made a mistake. But was it a mistake? Was it the wrong child for them? My opinion is it can't be a mistake if you are walking in the center of God's will. God does not make mistakes; He has a purpose in all things. When I married my husband, God placed two hurting children with behavioral issues and personalities that are opposite of mine in my hands. Life was hard as they grew up but God knew what was best for me and He used those experiences to grow me and transform me and most importantly, make me more dependent on Him. He knew what would make me eternally happy which is so much more important than a current life of ease. I didn't always do it gracefully and I made plenty of mistakes, but I learned from them. If my faith had not grown through those times of trial, I sincerely doubt that I would have been in a position of faith to answer His call to adopt now. Sometimes it is difficult to know what our Sovereign Lord is doing, but once I could look back, I could see much more clearly His purposes.
To those of you who find yourselves in hard places, I encourage you to hold steadfast, do what you know to be right, regardless of what others around you say and entrust yourself to Him through continued wholehearted obedience. The apostle Paul and his friends sang when they were beaten and thrown into prison. My BSF leader said "On days when you don't feel like singing, ask God to help you." All throughout His Word, God tells us that His followers are destined for trials. When we embrace our cross and don't oppose His will, we find we can bear it in peace and even find a deep seated joy in the midst of our trial. My leader said "Joy is found when we take our eyes off of ourselves."
We look forward to bringing our precious girls home, making them a part of our family and most importantly, showing them God's loves for them. He knew them before they were born and all their days were ordained and written in His book, including their life with us, before they were even born. (Psalm 139). Another principle from my study was "As I set sail to follow God, my love will increase for those I am ministering to." I know that as I have been obedient to God's call, my love for these girls has been growing each day. I long to hold them in my arms and show them how much I love them in the days to come. Pray with us for a quick embassy date so we can get them home
What can we expect for the next leg of our journey? We are excited about embarking upon it but to be honest, we really don't know what to expect. It is an adventure into the unknown. From what I have been told, it will take a time of transition to find a "new normal" for our family. We've also been told by many to get rid of expectations. We must go into this trusting that God knows what is best and be ready to follow His leading no matter what we encounter. We know families who have brought home children only to find out that they are dealing with severe attachment disorders or other issues. For other families, it has been smooth sailing.
The first principle my BSF teaching leader gave was that "Life circumstances are a launching point to trust God in adventure opportunities because I know that as I set my sail, He will direct me along the way." God certainly did not give us His entire itinerary when He sent us out on this adventure, but He also promises in His Word that He will never forsake us. It is my belief that nothing happens in my life that is apart from His power and control. He is sovereign.
I've seen friends, whose adopted child(ren) turned out to have severe attachment problems, really struggle with hard trials. The child's anger is most often directed at the primary caregiver, the mom. Sometimes the family questions if they had made a mistake. But was it a mistake? Was it the wrong child for them? My opinion is it can't be a mistake if you are walking in the center of God's will. God does not make mistakes; He has a purpose in all things. When I married my husband, God placed two hurting children with behavioral issues and personalities that are opposite of mine in my hands. Life was hard as they grew up but God knew what was best for me and He used those experiences to grow me and transform me and most importantly, make me more dependent on Him. He knew what would make me eternally happy which is so much more important than a current life of ease. I didn't always do it gracefully and I made plenty of mistakes, but I learned from them. If my faith had not grown through those times of trial, I sincerely doubt that I would have been in a position of faith to answer His call to adopt now. Sometimes it is difficult to know what our Sovereign Lord is doing, but once I could look back, I could see much more clearly His purposes.
To those of you who find yourselves in hard places, I encourage you to hold steadfast, do what you know to be right, regardless of what others around you say and entrust yourself to Him through continued wholehearted obedience. The apostle Paul and his friends sang when they were beaten and thrown into prison. My BSF leader said "On days when you don't feel like singing, ask God to help you." All throughout His Word, God tells us that His followers are destined for trials. When we embrace our cross and don't oppose His will, we find we can bear it in peace and even find a deep seated joy in the midst of our trial. My leader said "Joy is found when we take our eyes off of ourselves."
We look forward to bringing our precious girls home, making them a part of our family and most importantly, showing them God's loves for them. He knew them before they were born and all their days were ordained and written in His book, including their life with us, before they were even born. (Psalm 139). Another principle from my study was "As I set sail to follow God, my love will increase for those I am ministering to." I know that as I have been obedient to God's call, my love for these girls has been growing each day. I long to hold them in my arms and show them how much I love them in the days to come. Pray with us for a quick embassy date so we can get them home
Saturday, January 7, 2012
MERRY ETHIOPIAN CHRISTMAS!
Today the Orthodox church in Ethiopia celebrates Christmas. After doing a little research, I discovered what appears to be a late celebration to us is because the Orthodox follow a calendar that was created during the reign of Julius Caesar, the Julian calendar. Westerners follow the Gregorian calendar. December 25th of the Julian calendar actually falls on January 7th of the Gregorian calendar. So today is December 25th for our girls and we are wishing them a very Merry Ethiopian Christmas! We wish that they could be with us for the celebration. A nearby Ethiopian Orthodox church has a celebration open to the public. We plan to attend in future years with our girls.
Another interesting bit of information is that the Ethiopian calendar is even different than the Julian and Gregorian calendar. They have a year of 13 months and are 7-8 years behind our calendar based on a different calculation for the annunciation of the birth of Jesus. So when our girls come here, they will be traveling forward in time; who said time travel was not possible!
We were hoping our paperwork would be submitted to Embassy this past Wednesday. Our agency said because of the holidays, many people were off work and they were not able to get the passports and medical reports needed for submission. So hopefully they will submit the paperwork this coming Wednesday and then we will wait for a date from the U.S. Embassy to return and pick up the girls. We look forward to receiving pictures that a traveling family is taking for us this week.
I'm so thankful for all the family and friends that have come forward these past few weeks with clothes, a beautiful doll house, books, games and early learning resources. You have truly blessed us! We are now fully prepared to bring our girls home.
As I look back over the times of hardship and times of joy this past year, I remember God's promises and His faithfulness to keep each one. I look forward to what the new year will bring because of His promise to me that "the best is yet to come." Our lives are going to be so blessed by these two little girls. It may be hard at times but God does not call us to a life of ease. It is during the hard times of the past, that I have drawn closer to God and more dependent upon Him in my walk of faith. The Bible says that Christ was perfected through His suffering. I know that each trial faced in His strength brings me a tiny bit closer, although perfection will never be reached until heaven. I also know because of God's faithfulness in the past, that I can walk forward in this new year; He will be holding my hand through all the ups and downs. We've seen so many of His amazing works in our life this past year, both big and small. We are assured that a future of walking in His will can only bring more blessing and wonders! Happy New Year!
Another interesting bit of information is that the Ethiopian calendar is even different than the Julian and Gregorian calendar. They have a year of 13 months and are 7-8 years behind our calendar based on a different calculation for the annunciation of the birth of Jesus. So when our girls come here, they will be traveling forward in time; who said time travel was not possible!
We were hoping our paperwork would be submitted to Embassy this past Wednesday. Our agency said because of the holidays, many people were off work and they were not able to get the passports and medical reports needed for submission. So hopefully they will submit the paperwork this coming Wednesday and then we will wait for a date from the U.S. Embassy to return and pick up the girls. We look forward to receiving pictures that a traveling family is taking for us this week.
I'm so thankful for all the family and friends that have come forward these past few weeks with clothes, a beautiful doll house, books, games and early learning resources. You have truly blessed us! We are now fully prepared to bring our girls home.
As I look back over the times of hardship and times of joy this past year, I remember God's promises and His faithfulness to keep each one. I look forward to what the new year will bring because of His promise to me that "the best is yet to come." Our lives are going to be so blessed by these two little girls. It may be hard at times but God does not call us to a life of ease. It is during the hard times of the past, that I have drawn closer to God and more dependent upon Him in my walk of faith. The Bible says that Christ was perfected through His suffering. I know that each trial faced in His strength brings me a tiny bit closer, although perfection will never be reached until heaven. I also know because of God's faithfulness in the past, that I can walk forward in this new year; He will be holding my hand through all the ups and downs. We've seen so many of His amazing works in our life this past year, both big and small. We are assured that a future of walking in His will can only bring more blessing and wonders! Happy New Year!
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