Hello all! We got some big news yesterday! We found out when we will next see our boy!!
We're going to transition over to a private Facebook group to update everyone from now until our adoption is final (and safe to discuss publicly). We'd love to have you all join us, so just let me or Drew know if you want to follow along during this time.
We are so excited! And our to-do list is a mile long!
The garage sale. You guys. I haven't even updated you all about that yet! I have to start by saying that our Life Group is incredible. We are so grateful to have them all as part of our extended family! They not only gathered their own belongings and decided to host this garage sale and put all of the profits toward our adoption, but they also planned and organized the whole thing! Our friend Erica even told some of her coworkers, and one of them donated a BUNCH of stuff. All of the girls gave their Friday night to sort and price and organize and make signs. We all went home around midnight that night. And, after all that, everyone also showed up at 5:30 the next morning to work the sale!
Despite not having many big ticket items, we managed to sell a lot of stuff! One of my mom's employees runs a weekend bakery and generously donated cookies for us to sell (and they were DELICIOUS). We also sold hot chocolate and bottled water. It was really a sweet event for us all around. It's such a blessing to see how much our friends care about us and our boys. Also, Drew's mom and her husband drove in that morning to donate more stuff and brought us some delicious cookies!
And now for the total. Thanks to many generous friends and strangers, we raised $1265!
Thanks for the pictures, Rachel!
Seriously. I don't know how to put into words how incredible it is to see how God has moved through people during this adoption process. We have developed many new friendships, been blessed by old friends, been blessed by new friends, and have even been blessed by strangers.
Speaking of which...We received a check in the mail this week from a church in Texarkana. I visited Texarkana only one time during my life -- at the beginning of this year to visit my best friend and her husband after they moved. During the two days I was there, I met her friend Anna and visited the church that they all attend. Well, long story short, this sweet new friend has been following our adoption story since that time. On adoption Sunday, they talked about many different ways to support adoption ministry. One of the ideas presented was to support a family in the adoption process, and they spoke about our little family. That day, they not only prayed for our family, but they also had many people donate.
And now here I sit, bewildered by the amazing ways God works, with a check from Christ Community Church of Texarkana in my hands. This sweet congregation blessed us with $1,120 toward our adoption! I can't wait to visit my friends again and introduce our boys to this church community that has already loved them from afar.
September:
Our house was overwhelmingly quiet the first month after O had to go back. It made us miss him all the more. Drew had a rather hectic work schedule with the start of football season. At the beginning of the month, I traveled to Michigan to help clean out and pack my Grandpa's stuff to move him down south to be closer to my parents. We also managed to complete all of our adoption paperwork and send it over to O's country to be translated and submitted to the government.
October:
Our paperwork was submitted to the government! This puts us on a timeline to hopefully travel in December or January to finish the adoption. My mom published her first novel, which would make a great Christmas gift or stocking stuffer! ;) We started working through Jen Hatmaker's 7 Experiment with our Life Group and we're loving the challenge and growth!
Today:
Today is our Little Man's birthday. We never could have imagined all of the challenges and changes we would face during the past year. It was sad to know that no one was celebrating our boy as he turned three, but we were buoyed by the thought that it would be his last birthday without family. And now, the reality is that we do not know when or if we will ever be allowed to bring him home. We still pray for our Little Man daily and know that God loves him more than we ever can.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LITTLE MAN! WE LOVE YOU!
Saturday (11/9/13):
Our sweet Life Group is hosting a Garage Sale to help raise donations for our adoption. They all bonded with O this summer, and it's such a blessing to know that they already consider him to be part of our family! Short notice, but if you're local and have anything to donate or would like to come by to say hi, just let us know!
Ps. Feel free to have some guilt-free cookies, ice cream, brownies, cupcakes, or candy in honor of Little Man's birthday!
We would love for you to keep our government officials and the officials from Little Man's country in your thoughts and prayers as they meet together today and tomorrow. We do not know what will come of the talks, but we can pray that relations will be improved and that everyone there will be filled with wisdom and grace.
So...we have been pretty quiet lately. How about a blog post about some of the things we've been doing to keep busy?!
Hooray! I knew you guys would like that idea!
The last time we wrote was in February, so we have quite a bit of ground to cover. Drew has been really busy with work this spring, but it has finally slowed down! This means that I can really get back to menu planning and making dinner again. And it also means that we're catching up on projects in and around the house.
Drew's mom brought us a sweet gift when they came through at the end of February. We now have the majority of Drew's childhood books and stuffed animals all set up in Little Man's room. We just love books and reading, so it was really fun to go through everything and see what we shared in common.
These photos don't even show all of the books!
The crates under the chair are filled with stuffed animals as well.
Drew was in a wedding at the very beginning of March. We were so happy to celebrate with our friends as they begin their marriage! It was a beautiful and fun evening!
I started nannying at our house. It has really been SO much fun! Plus, Drew likes how much cleaner the house is these days! This also means that I have more time for crafting and projects.
I finally started getting into my artisan bread book! I received the book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, for Christmas. I really wanted to try it, but was intimidated by the process: Yeast. Rising Dough. Kneading. Rolling Pins. Once I started into the book though, I realized that I really can make bread! I decided to start with the Challah dough, and my friend Erica came over this past Friday and helped me turn it into Caramel Sticky Buns. We had fun, and the sticky buns were delicious! You should all get this book!
And now, for our most recent project. We found this fabric at Ikea and thought it was really fun. I cut it into strips, and Drew and I stabled the fabric over each drawer front on the unfinished dresser in Little Man's room. I am really glad it turned out so well! Now we just have to decide about painting or replacing the knobs...
That pretty much wraps up what you missed. No new news on our journey to bring Little Man home, and we're still praying about God's plan for this time of waiting. Our church is planning an adoption Sunday for the 21st, and Drew and I will be participating in a short video that will be played during the services. We've got our fingers crossed that we will come across much more eloquent than we actually are! Other than that, we're trying to take advantage of the sunny days, when they come, and working to get our yard ready for spring.
Sherlock is excited about the nicer weather ahead.
Although, he doesn't seem to mind the rainy days TOO much...
I wish I had news for you all, but I don't. It is just as quiet on the adoption front over here as it is on the blog. But that is not to say that we're not still thinking and praying. We may not be considered parents by any government or society standards, but our hearts tell a different story.
We miss our Little Man every day and pray for him. We do not know how our future will play out, but we have been irrevocably changed through this journey. Through this time of hurt and confusion, we are learning to admit we have no control. Our eyes have been opened to new truths.
While we do not know what is coming, we are excited, and a little fearful, at all of the prospects. We can no longer live in ignorance, and we do not want to. Our boy may never have stepped foot in our house, but his life has already affected every corner of our home. Living through these trials has opened our minds to many other possibilities, and that is exciting.
I have a song to share with you today. A friend told me to listen to this song several weeks ago as encouragement. Then it just so happened that they included this song in the worship set at our church yesterday. I'm not going to lie. I struggle with the lyrics of this song right now, but I also recognize the truth in it.
There is a lot of worry and fear in our house at this time. Our adoption is now plagued by the unknown. We have so many questions about the future of our little family, and there really are no answers right now. We are hurting. And we are clinging to hope.
We (and by "we" I mostly mean me) are a mess. My adopting friend and I were joking the other day about how our friends and family just don't quite know what to do with us right now. I can smile and cry in the same sentence. I think I tear up every Sunday during the music. I cry during all of the fake scenarios that are constantly playing out in my head. And I am not normally big on sharing my emotions outwardly.
Don't get me wrong. We HAVE been greatly blessed. Last year we were woken from our routine and called to a
little boy in another country. We will never regret the 5 days we
visited, played with, and loved on our Little Man. He has forever
changed our lives. We will keep fighting for him, and for all of the
other children without families (both domestic and international) for as
long as we are able. And if God allows us to bring our Little Man home, we know you will all be rejoicing with us.
So, if you are wondering about all the silence, I hope this helps clear things up. The truth is that we have more questions than answers right now. And to be honest, we don't really know what to say. The only thing we can really do for the present time is to ask you to join us in prayer.
This song is called "Sovereign Over Us" by Aaron Keyes.
Here are the lyrics:
V1
There is strength within the sorrow, There is beauty in our tears
You meet us in our mourning, With a love that casts out fear
You are working in our waiting, Sanctifying us
When beyond our understanding, You're teaching us to trust
CHORUS
Your plans are still to prosper, You have not forgotten us
You're with us in the fire and the flood
Faithful forever, Perfect in love
You are sovereign over us
V2
You are wisdom unimagined, Who could understand your ways
Reigning high above the heavens, Reaching down in endless grace
Youʼre the Lifter of the lowly, Compassionate and kind
You surround and You uphold me, Your promises are my delight
BR
Even what the enemy means for evil
You turn it for our good, You turn it for our good and for your glory
Even in the valley You are faithful
Youʼre working for our good, Youʼre working for our good and for your glory
Well, it's a little late, but we want to say Happy Holidays to everyone. Thank you all for your prayers and well-wishes after our last post. We have enjoyed spending our holiday with family, but there is definitely a sense of uncertainty hanging over our lives right now. Our Little Man is so loved and even received some Christmas gifts of his own. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
I don't know what else to do right now, but to ask you to please pray.
Pray for political leaders in all nations.
Pray for wisdom for those leaders and for the government officials.
Pray that our son will not be a victim of political backlash.
Pray that whatever God's plan, he will protect our sweet Little Man.
Pray that we have the courage to press on no matter what.
Pray that our hearts will not be hardened by this turmoil.
Pray for my hurting and angry mama's heart.
Pray that we will continue to trust God's control.
Pray for our precious boy to be surrounded by love.
Pray for all of the other families who are just as confused and panicked right now as we are.
Pray for all of the children, worldwide, who are hurt by the decisions and actions of the adults around them.
Please pray.
There's not much to say, but that some laws are being considered that would directly affect our adoption. There is a possibility that we might not be allowed to bring home our son. I am struggling with hope today.
"Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying." Romans 12:12
Well, we're home and definitely back to regular programming. Today I thought that it had been over two weeks since we got back, and Drew corrected me to say that it has only been 10 days.
It feels like so much longer!!
Everything is the same. We work during the week. Hang out with Sherlock in the evenings. Make dinner. Watch TV. Life group on Wednesdays. Church on Sundays.
But everything is also different...We love a precious little boy that doesn't live with us. We pray for him by name at night. We show pictures on our phones to everyone we meet. Days are calculated by how much closer we may be to going back to see him. We talk about and plan the future considering what our son will like and enjoy. We can picture his laughter filling up the house. We imagine the sound of his footsteps running down the hallway.
Only two stockings this year
This journey has already been such a blessing. Our lives are so much fuller now that we have met our Little Man. God has already used this experience to teach us in so many ways, and we can't wait to see how Little Man will help us grow and learn as time goes on.
Here's what I pray for you: Father, may their love grow more and more in wisdom and insight -- so they will be able to examine and determine the best from everything else. And on the day of the Liberating King, the day of His judgement, let them stand pure and blameless, filled with the fruit of authentic righteousness that ripens through Jesus, the Liberator. All this I pray, with a view to God's ultimate praise and glory. - Philippians 1:9-11 (The Voice translation)
Today was our last visit before our return home, so we wanted it to be great. Little Man must have felt the same way. He was in a great mood today for another afternoon, post-nap visit! We started out by giving him a little blanket that Alyssa had made for him. He was very excited to find out that this was his to keep. You would have never guessed how fun a blanket could be!
After the blanket, we played with bubbles for a short bit - sorry no pictures of the bubbles. After bubbles came a little coloring.
Then we did a wardrobe change -- new pants!
Then a new shirt.
We had a bow tie like dad's, but it made a better lasso than a tie.
After the wardrobe change, we had a couple of cookies and did some more playing.
First, we played with a plastic toy that bobbed around.
Then we rode around the room on a great looking scooter.
We were pretty tired by then, so we settled down with a little bit of Old McDonald on the iPad.
Before we knew it, our time was up! So we got one more family pic, and it was sadly time for us to leave.
Please pray that everything will go smoothly as we work to get back here for our court hearing! We have some more parent training ahead of us, and then there are some variables that we aren't quite sure about. We hope to be back here in late January or early February. It can't be soon enough! We can't express how amazing this experience has been. God has clearly been with us this entire journey. Our hearts are overcome with joy right now. We have met our Little Man, and he is healthy and happy. We could not ask for a greater blessing.
Ps. Alyssa wants to know how many of you are now subconsciously craving chocolate or chocolate chip cookies due to the post title? Oh, you weren't? How about now?
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