To Elizabeth Rose on Easter

Dearest Elizabeth Rose,

Today was your very first Easter.  But you didn't get to come to church with us to celebrate the risen King.  There were no pretty dresses, and your Easter basket sat empty in our room.  Our hearts were heavy today because you weren't with us.  But sweet girl, we shared all about you with anyone willing to listen.  You were on our minds all day as we wondered what special things you might get to do with your nanny at the orphanage.  And we smiled, knowing that although this is your very first Easter, it is also your very last one without your mommy and daddy.  This time of waiting is hard for all of us, but God is preparing our hearts and our family and friends for something big.  Because you are amazing, sweet girl.  God has big plans for your life, and we can't wait to bring you home and see where He leads you.

We love you so very much,

Mommy and Daddy

...And We Have a Referral!!!

So our world fell apart on Friday, March 4th when we learned about the Ugandan adoption changes. On Monday, March 7th, I had a text on my phone to call Darin about a referral for a precious 8 month old girl (since that time, we have learned that she is actually seven months old).  Our agency contacted Darin first thing Monday morning with a referral, and explained that because of the recent passage of the Child Act Bill, agencies were rushing to match families with as many precious children as possible.  The hope is that families with a referral in hand will be grandfathered in under the old law if/when the president signs the bill.

We have been extremely busy since learning about our daughter.  Vaccinations (six apiece!), a phone conference with an amazing doctor from the international adoption medical center (who, by the way, believes our daughter to be one of the "healthier" children she has seen from Uganda), travel plans (we will be traveling for a minimum of eight weeks) and more paperwork...

Although the doctor shared that she believes that our daughter is extremely healthy, we decided to sign our paperwork committing to her prior to the doctor's review of her medical records.  A risk, for sure.  But we believe that God chose this little girl for us, and nothing that is deemed "wrong" according to medical standards will deter us from adopting her.

Our paperwork has been filed in Uganda, petitioning the courts for adoption.  So now we wait.  And it is agonizing.  It's so hard to trust others to care for our daughter each day until we can bring her home.  But ultimately, every thought of our daughter brings our hearts to God and causes us to put more and more trust in Him to care for her.

Please pray for our precious daughter, for her nanny and other caretakers, for all of the orphans of the world, and for God's continuous provision for our adoption.  We are hopeful that we will receive the grant that we applied for in February.  We are praying that the Ugandan courts will find favor with our family and that we will be able to travel to bring her home soon.  And we trust that God will meet all of our needs.

Ugandan Adoption Law Changes

As some of you may have heard on the news this week, the Ugandan Parliament passed a law this week regarding foreign adoptions.  We are not sure what this means for our adoption at this time.  Many tears were shed today as we tried to process what this could mean for our family.  These are the facts that we received from our agency today:

• The new Children Act Bill was passed, however, the requirement of foreign families living in Uganda prior to receiving guardianship of a child was reduced from 36 months to 12 months
• There was debate about not requiring families to remain in Uganda for the full 12 months, but instead to travel back and forth for bonding over the process of one year
• Guardianships may continue as is until this new law goes into affect
• The President has not yet signed the law, and may not sign it at all

At this time, we have been advised to be prepared for a lot of unknowns.  We will continue to follow God's plan for our family.  Please be in prayer for the Ugandan government, adoptive families, and especially the orphans.  

  

A Tribute

There is this incredibly special lady in my life, and I am certain that without her following God's leading 17 years ago, I would not be who I am today.

This amazing lady fostered my love for the Lord, and she lovingly held hands with me as I accepted Christ into my life as a freshman in high school.  That moment in my life paved a path for my future that I would not otherwise have found.

Fast forward 14 years, and a friendship that had been lost (as time, education, work, and families kept us busy and moved us around) was restored.  For two years, this special lady helped raise my boys daily as Darin and I worked.  Homeschooling three of her own boys, along with Jonathan, and two other little ones running around was likely exhausting.  But she never complained.  Not once.  She shared her home, her family, her wisdom, parenting advice, and resources to help our boys develop a love for learning, getting dirty, and of course, the Lord.  And she prayed for our family and looked for ways to be a blessing to us.  When Jonathan was struggling with fine motor skills and sensory integration, she offered suggestions to help, and did her own research on ways she could support him at her house.  She gladly incorporated ideas from Jonathan's therapists into her daily lessons.  Noticing that he was exhibiting signs to begin reading, she began teaching him to read when he turned four.  Now in kindergarten, Jonathan is reading on a 2nd grade level.  Because of her.  She deserves much of the credit for how well Jonathan is doing in kindergarten this year, both socially and academically.  

Beyond all of this, rather than take a raise during her second year of caring and educating our boys, she and her husband reduced their daily rate for an entire year.  They did this in hopes of helping financially with our adoption (and at the end, they contributed nearly $1,000).  This was a huge sacrifice for her family, but she sacrificially gave to us because her love for our family and our new addition(s) is huge.

This special lady no longer cares for our boys on a regular basis, but has taken care of them throughout the school year whenever we call upon her.  And we always pay her, even though she asked us not to.  Last weekend, I had the opportunity to return the favor by caring for her boys all day. And when she came to pick them up, she handed me an envelope with "Uganda" printed on the front. Inside the envelope was all the money we paid her this year.  She had saved every penny for our adoption.

And when I shared with her that we are now the #1 family on the waiting list, she immediately shared in our joy.  She said, "Praise God!  We are ready to help with the boys however/whenever you need us!"  And she means that.  This incredible friend shares in my joys and sorrows and always has my back.  She will help care for our boys while we are away, no matter what she has to sacrifice in the process.  Because she loves Jesus and follows His guidance.  And because she loves my boys.  And I love her and am incredibly and eternally grateful for her friendship...and for that moment 17 years ago when she wasn't afraid to witness to me and pray with me.

Thank you, Colleen.  I love you.  You are more dear to me than you will ever know.