Holidays are coming!

Heading Home for the Holidays

So, the paperwork has been filed and we are still letting people know that we are pursuing this adoption. Through all of this paperwork and home study process, we find out that not one, but BOTH of my sisters-in-law have cancer. This makes it imperative to get home for Christmas and to share our pictures and our story with them and the rest of the family. we have told the family about our plans and I think some think we must be a bit crazy, because our youngest has started her junior year of high school and soon we could have an empty house!

I remember telling my mom about our plans and her reaction was too funny! I called her and asked her how many grandchildren she was up to now , because I had lost count. She said "I have eighteen. Can you believe that?". I said 'Wow, well how would you like to make it 19?' and she screamed...lol! Then she started talking about how she just knew I was going to be like her and have another baby later in life. I had to laugh and then remind her that that was impossible since I have already had a hysterectomy. She was a bit confused and then asked what I was talking about. I then shared with her about this young man.

I think my in-laws were about more confused as to why we would do this and why now. I kind of thought it might take a little more time for them to wrap their head around it. So, we took pictures with us when we went home, as a way to introduce him to everyone. It wasn't until then that I realized he looked an awful lot like my oldest brother, as a teen. Amazing how God does that isn't it? My mother thought he looked like our youngest daughter until I pointed out the resemblance to my brother. This was just more confirmation to me that he was our son and that God had called us to him. He is supposed to be a part of our family.

Oh, I almost forgot! Our friend David had gone over in October, while we were doing paperwork, ad nauseum, for some business and to visit the orphanage where our son lives. We quickly put together a photo book with some pics of the family and our dogs and the house so he could deliver them. While he was there, he was able to go to the café with our son and a couple of friends to Skype with us. We had planned everything out so he could meet everyone (except Beth, she was in college)- and then life happened and he only got to 'meet' Michael. Oh and we talked and he was looking through the book as we talked and I had him meet the dogs too! I gave him a tour of the house and we were able to talk about things he liked and was interested in trying. He was very fascinated with the fact that we had 2 dogs and they live inside with us. He wants to learn to swim and to dance. I was struck by the things we take so easily for granted are his actual dreams!

Back to the holidays!!!!

We had a wonderful visit with our family and they started to understand the plight of these children and that we were called to this one child. We felt very grateful and encouraged by our family. The day after Christmas we had a photographer that came out and took family photos for us and it was wonderful! We were able to capture some beautiful shots of my husband and his sisters being goofy, loving each other and everyone's family's. These would be memories that we were going to be grateful we took the time for.

Over Christmas, I would become friends with someone from California- Tracy! She was overseas to adopt her son, from the same orphanage as us. We quickly became friends and she was able to message me and let me talk with my son through Facebook messenger. We spent A LOT of time on there! My son would come up to her every time she was available and point to her phone and ask 'Mama, mama Jeannie.", meaning he wanted her to message me. I am SO grateful to Tracy for her relaying info for us and being there to encourage him that he is loved and he has a family that will come for him. Tracy has been such a support and an encourage when things have not gone the way they should. And she has prayed through every mountain that needed to be moved.

January came and we got news that we had to travel home again. Our church and friends were awesome and supported u with funds to go home again, this time to say goodbye to one of my sisters-in-law. I tell you this, not to be a downer, but this is all part of how life happens in the midst of this crazy journey and how your faith can be tested and how God brings you through and makes you stronger in the end. All these trips home can be expensive and when you are trying to save every bit to get your child home, it is hard. We began to put together a package to send to our son in honor of his birthday...it has taken time to do that.

I will end here for today, but I will pick up the journey soon!

Stepping out

Where do We Start?

So, we decided to step out on faith and do whatever we needed to be obedient to this journey that I, and eventually the whole family, would be called into. We got home and talked about the whys and hows of adopting an older child and one from another country, etc. We talked with or friends- David and Jane- and asked how this all works and how will we ever get the funds, and what does the home study involve. There were a million questions and we had no idea how this was going to happen, but we had to give that over to God.

I struggle with control issues- I know how shocking this revelation will be to all my friends! This was going to prove to be my most difficult lesson in this. However, God puts people in our lives to help give us the reality check we need at times. After being told, several times by my friend Jane, that I needed to just get over any semblance of having control in this, I heard it again from another lady at church. She knows the struggle, because she went through it as well when they adopted their son. She was very sweet and VERY real with me. As we chatted by the bathroom sink on a Sunday morning, she looked at me and laughed (I think it was sort of that knowing kind of laughter) and said "Jeannie, you are NOT in control of any of this, God is. And the sooner you realize this and get on board with it, the better you will be and the sooner you start to see things come together." I don't know why her telling me was any different than when Jane did, but it was like that moment in a cartoon when the light bulb literally pops up above the characters head! From that day on, I have made a conscious decision everyday to tell God that He is in control of this adoption and I am just doing my best to be obedient. Surprise...things started to go more smoothly and I wasn't as stressed. Is everyday perfect and without hiccups...heck NO! But I find myself drawn back to those few moments here and there where I am reminded that I am not in control and IT IS OKAY!

So, we proceeded to find an agency that could and would do our home study, given the short amount of time we had. Oh yes, we began the process in earnest in August and he was aging out in late December! This meant that we had to act quickly and get our home study finished and paperwork filed with USCIS before that happened. That gave us a limited number of choices for agencies and all the paperwork that must be gathered from various states- we moved around a bit as the military will do. Every single day counted and there was not one to spar if this was going to happen. We connected with an agency and then 6 weeks in, they said they didn't want to do our home study after all. We were devastated and shocked! How were we going to find an agency that could make this happen now? We asked people to pray and contacted a new one. That was the BEST thing that could have happened for us. The new agency was more than happy to help and understood the plight of this child if we didn't adopted him. Our social worker was and continues to be amazing! She and I talked and on a Wednesday we set up our 3 home visits, the first of which she drove to us (3.5 hours) on a Sunday afternoon. We met that Sunday and completed the first visit and interviews with 2 kids. The social worker was very realistic and very proactive and helped us complete things quickly.

Changing agencies was very hard to get my head around too because now with a new agency came a new requirement of either another agency to sign off or an immigration attorney. This of course meant more expense. Well, because of some generous friends and certain circumstances, we had the money to cover that. Again, God stepped in and spoke to some friends' heart and they had prayed about it and decided to bless us with enough to cover the fees that we had at that time! So, when we found that we needed more funds for this part, we asked for prayer and kept on doing some fundraising. we have been so blessed through the whole thing and God has not let us down! He keeps showing up! I guess He figured that if I was going to give up control, and let Him drive this, then He was going to show me in BIG ways that He is in control! And yet, at this point I was still trying to get in the drivers seat.

By the time we started heading in to November and the deadline was getting closer for filing our papers with immigration, all I wanted for Christmas was to know that we had the documents done in time! We decided that our main gift for each other (myself and hubby) was to get this boy filed to give him a forever home! Because of the expense of the adoption, we talked to our kids and it was agreed that Christmas was going to be done small this year so we could fund bringing home a new son. We also, wanted to go home to see family and introduce this boy through pictures to them.

The Monday before Christmas, we got the call from our immigration attorney that the documents had been filed! They were sent FedEx on Monday and he turned 16 on that Saturday!



Our Adoption Journey:

A Step Out Into Faith

Our adoption journey begins with us traveling to Eastern Europe with friends for a missions trip.

My daughter, Alicia was 16 and we were very excited to make this trip together. We had worked to put together crafts to go along with Bible stories that we could teach the children.

I have to admit that when we left, I had NO intention of adopting! We traveled to a place in Eastern Europe to provide a 4 day Bible camp for the kids- complete with the story, a craft, and music! The kids were so excited about it and they participated with such joy! While we were there, Alicia fell in love with 2 little boys- both 10. I still didn't have the feeling that I wanted to adopt. While my heart broke for these children, I didn't think I would be one that would actually adopt...perhaps I could just share with others about the need. While we were there working with the kids, we had the chance to share a lot of 'first' experiences with them- going to an amusement park, a day trip to swim in a river, even a dinner out for pizza at a local cafe. I not only got to experience some of their 'firsts', I got to experience of lot of my own daughter's 'firsts'.

We left from the orphanage and headed back for a Conference on Children with Disabilities. We were very excited to be a part of this and learn what the needs and desires of the people are for their children. As I learned more and more about this, I had this little voice that began to prod me- softly, quietly, constantly. Why? Why couldn't I forget this one child we had met? He kept being brought to my mind and with each thought I tried to deny that I was hearing. I continued to try and ignore that little voice- you can't ignore God forever! On one of our last nights there, we had a wonderful meal with several of the conference presenters and the orphanage director and a few others from the orphanage. As we were taking a few pictures and preparing to say goodbye I found myself giving in and asking the director for more information about this one young man we had met. She was surprised and happy! I told her that I could not stop thinking of him and wanted more information about him. We soon would learn that he was very close to aging out and we had to act quickly if we were going to do this.

I messaged my husband and told him about the young man and he had the perfect response- "Just one?". He was surprised I didn't want 2 or 3! From the beginning Rich was on board. We had no idea what we were doing, how we could do it, but I was sure that we were being called to do it and for that we had to simply step out on faith. So, we did just that and God has provided all along this journey for our every need. 

So, this is how it all began and I will add more about how God has shown up and provided for us and helped to move the mountains that we have had!