New Mission

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Yana's Surgery Update 4 - Almost "Out of the Woods"

Thank you to those who continue to pray!

Yesterday, Yana got moved from ICU. to a “regular” room.  All of her tubes, including the IV, have been removed.  This is a praise considering the discomfort and confusion it gives to any 4 year old…

Here is a picture of her cage; uh, I mean crib…

Yana has, understandably, battled some irritability and was rejecting food an liquids a good part of yesterday.  She had periods, some lasting hours, where all she did was cry.  Steph eluded to this period being the toughest and most stressful.  I reassured her that her presence there with Yana was doing more than she could maybe see right at that moment.

Well, today I received this update:

“I dolled Yana up and took her for several strolls around the unit.  She loved it.  I love her!  Then, she ate an entire package of cream of wheat.  Also, had 4 oz. Juice.  Yippee!”

We were able to have a video Skype session where the boys and I got to see Yana sitting in a chair playing with her pin wheel.  Steph said she even let out a couple smiles…

Regarding Yana’s release, the medical team stated that the earliest would be Wednesday, but we are prepared for it to carry into next weekend.  Her recovery so far is progressing well; yet, I still solicit your prayers as she continues to recover.  Please consider these prayer items…

May it be the Lord’s Will that:

(1)  Yana’s pain management allows her to sleep well.

(2)  Yana continues to eat and drink, as this will keep her from having the IV put back in.
(3)  Yana draws closer to her mother for comfort and companionship
(4)  Stephanie is able to rest well.
(5)  Yana is able to be discharged from the hospital on Wednesday.
(6)  Yana does not withdraw at her homecoming; that she continues to progress within her family.

Blessings to you all!

P.S.  Meanwhile, Mila is enjoying the attention and interaction with her brothers; here is an example (taken on iPhone):

Yana's Surgery Update 3 - God's Common Grace

Praise the Lord!

I am praising the Lord for His Common Grace; specific to Yana's surgery, I am thankful for His Grace as revealed in the gifts He bestows upon:

• Doctors
• Nurses
• Other Hospital staff
• Engineers who design/build the medical equipment
• The volunteers and staff involved at the Ronald McDonald House
• My company which helps provide my family with health insurance
• all of the prayer warriors out there (He knows who you are)

Yana is over the first major hurdle - the surgery.  In short, the surgical team was able to do the repair they sought out to do.

Cool, calm, and collected right up until surgery time

She isn’t “out of the woods” yet, but this is obviously a huge answer to prayer regarding the heart repair.  Yana will be in ICU (pictured below) for the next few days, and will be fully sedated for at least a couple days…

Stephanie has had many encouraging things to say about the hospital staff and the Ronald McDonald House.  I am comforted to know they both are in good hands; especially His Good hands.  Amen?

Yana's Surgery Update 2 - Faith Like a Child

Well, the Lord's Will was done regarding Stephanie and Yana's safe arrival to the hospital.  Yesterday's agenda included performing all of the pre-op items; e.g., Echocardiography, meeting with the anesthesiologist, and some other diagnostic checks to make sure Yana was healthy enough for surgery.

In summary, the main feedback I received from Stephanie yesterday was about how cheerful Yana was; how cooperative, giggly and happy she seemed (except for a brief period when she came out of sedation required to do the ECHO). 

Once all of the pre-op work was completed, they then went to check-in at the Ronald McDonal House, where they enjoyed a nice volunteer-provided dinner and a private room to get some sleep and prepare for the Thursday 615am appointment to prep Yana for surgery.

As I write this, Yana is in surgery.  May the Lord's Will be that the gifts He has blessed the surgical team with be used effectively to repair Yana's heart condition.

More to come; stay tuned...

If You Were Mine Adoption Workshop

If you are what you consider to be an acceptable driving distance from Lancaster County, PA, and you want to learn more about adoption, then this is for you:

Greetings Everyone!

 

Please give prayerful consideration in helping us support the following event. How can you help?

 

(1) PRAY that the Lord would use this workshop to raise up His Children to serve His Kingdom with regard to the orphan.

 

(2) Consider the following questions, and consider attending this workshop (for those local to our home area)!

 

· Is adoption part of God's plan for your family?

· Do you know what God's Word says about Him being the Author of Adoption?

· What are God's expectations for His children (the Church) regarding care for the orphan/fatherless?

· What questions should you ask in choosing an adoption agency?

· What financing options are available?

· What paperwork is involved with the process?

· What can you expect once you bring your child(ren) home?

 

'If You Were Mine' is a DVD based workshop created by Hope for Orphans that explores the 8 basic steps of the adoption process.

 

Come join us for this two-day workshop as we explore what God wants us to do in response to His call to care for orphans. Through this biblical and practical video workshop, we’ll learn the processes, challenges, and joys of adoption. It’s a workshop you’ll not want to miss.

 

When:

Fri, 02/17/2012 - 6:30pm - 9:30pm

Sat, 02/18/2012 - 8:30am - 4:15pm

 

Where:

Lancaster Evangelical Free Church (LEFC)

419 Pierson Road

Lititz, PA 17543

 

Friday check-in begins at 6:30 pm

Saturday check-in begins at 8:30 am (only necessary for families who did not check in on Friday evening)

 

For more information and to register, please go to:

http://www.team127.com/if-you-were-mine-workshop-2012

 

 

EE Mission Days 41 thru 45 - Quick Summary

Here is a summary of days 41 through 45; during the last week spent in Yana's Kathleen's region:

01/19/2012 (Day 41) - We took our 7th train ride from Mila's region to Yana's region.  Train left at 0730 and arrived at 1650.  We were not able to get the same apartment that we had the first two trips here; thanks to another RR family beating us there ;-)

Mila did very well for her first train ride

01/20/2012 (Day 42) - Finally got back to see Yana (no more leaving this city without her).  Since we had Mila, and did not want to take her to the orphanage, Stephanie and I took turns visiting Yana.

Meanwhile, Mila was getting acquainted with yet another apartment.

01/21/2012 (Day 43) thru 01/23/2012 (Day 45) - Continued our rotation of visits with Yana; with Mila hanging out waiting for the day her sister would arrive.

Yana trying on her winter coat

"What other toys you got in there?"

Mila practicing interaction with a "pretend sister".

EE Mission Days 36 thru 40 - Quick Summary

So, where were we....

We apologize for the gap in posting.  We have been focusing our time between getting acclimated to Mila Gayle, visiting Yana Kathleen and preparing for her "Gotcha Day", as well as communicating with family back home.

Here is a summary of days 36 through 40; the last spent in Mila Gayle's region:

01/14/2012 (Day 36) - Spent the day indoors getting acquainted with Mila, and letting her adjust to her new surroundings.

01/15/2012 (Day 37) - Enjoyed some fellowship with the Eubanks; they brought pizzas over to enjoy with us...

01/16/2012 (Day 38) thru 01/18/2012 (Day 40) - We spent this time getting to know Mila; her likes and dislikes regarding food, toys, and interaction with us. 

Yes, she is picky about eating certain foods.  Yes, she dislikes her teeth being brushed.  Yes, she fights naps.  Yes, she throws a tantrum when she doesn't get her way about something.  Sounds pretty typical to me for a toddler...

With that said, the evidences of Grace abound in her.  She enjoys being held and gives nice squeeze hugs.  She blesses us with her smiles and quiet giggles.  She amuses us with what may be deemed "babbling"; but I think it is her attempt to vocalize and communicate.  She has been a trooper during our car rides; where the motion seems to comfort her.

Over these days, her resistance to baths has diminished; she has started splashing and playing while in the tub having soothing warm water poured over her body.  She moves around alot during sleep, but has started snuggling up against me when restless.

I call this the beginning of her coming out of her "orphanage shell".  She has received, and will continue to receive certain liberties in life that she would have never been given as an orphan.

It makes me think about the liberties we have as Christians.  We are constantly making decisions about whether to pursue Godliness or ungodliness.  As Chrsitians, what a blessing to know we CAN make that choice; that is true liberty.  And just like little Mila Gayle, we sometimes choose to resist and rebel against the love of our Father.

James 1: 19-27  - Hearing and Doing the Word 

¹⁹ Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; ²⁰ for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. ²¹ Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

²² But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. ²⁴ For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. ²⁵ But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
²⁶ If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. ²⁷ Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

EE Mission Day 34 - Gotcha Day for Mila

Corey and I traveled back to Mila's region on 1/11, and arrived around 11:00 at night. The following morning we were picked up by our facilitator and her husband to complete paperwork that would enable us to take Mila from the orphanage.  Here's a list of what offices we had to go to and paperwork we still needed to complete/finalize.

• Go to court house to pick up court decree.  It wasn't quite ready, so we went to the orphanage which wasn't to far away. 
• We were able to visit with Mila for a short time while our facilitator tended to some business, and went back for the court decree.
• Records office - we went here to obtain a new birth certificate for Mila with her new name, etc. 
• Legalization - necessary for U.S embassy to obtain Visa
• Notary office
• Obtain tax ID number
• Back to orphanage to get Mila
• Passport application/Mila's picture taken
• Go to our apartment, and done for the day.

While we were driving to the orphanage to pick up Mila for her passport photo, I couldn't believe that we had finally made it to this day.  We were going to walk into her orphanage, have her dressed in her new clothes, and take her with us for good. 

When we arrived at the groupa, we gave the caregivers her new clothes.  They dressed her, and I could hardly stand the anticipation of waiting for her to come out.  She was so completely adorable.  Next, they put on her snow pants and coat.  She, of course, was swimming in the 2T coat I brought for her.  Before leaving I asked the caregivers if I could take their picture with her, and they agreed.  I took the picture and we left.  Just like that, it was done. 

When we first arrived at the passport office, I immediately felt overwhelmed.  There were people standing everywhere.  Our facilitator told us to wait, and before we knew it she returned and motioned for us to follow her.  I think it took four tries to get Mila's picture.  She did amazingly well. 

Finally, we were done and driven back to our apartment; where we settled in for the remainder of the day.

Our next blog post will be about our meeting on Friday (1/13) with Mila's birth parents...

EE Mission Day 32 - Court Hearing for Kathleen

So, we finally had out court hearing for Kathleen on 01/10/2012 at 2pm... 

Now, with Mila Gayle's court hearing, we experienced a rather quick (about 15 minutes) process.  The hearing was held in the judge's chamber.  The judge, prosecutor, and city representative, who were all very nice, did not really ask us any of the typical questions we had prepared for; some including:

• Why do you wish to adopt?
• What guided you in your decision to adopt a special needs child?
• Why did you decide to adopt from Ukraine?
• How will you care for the child?
• What role does your government play in helping care for the child?

For Kathleen's court hearing, the event was much different.  First of all, our facilitator told us she would not be there, and that we would have another translator.  She did assure us that this would not be a problem.  Although a little nervous, our trust in the "RR team" here in country helped us overcome what little nervousness we had.  Once we picked up our translator (Nadya), and made introductions, we felt totally comfortable.

We arrived at the court building and waited.  During our wait, Nadya told us some encouraging background on this judge.  This was very comforting...

Entrance to court building

We entered the court room and sat down as we waited for the judge.  Right from the start, we sensed this would be a different experience than the quick session we had for Mila...

The hearing started with the judge introducing the parties involved; the prosecutor, the city official, the orphanage representative, the 2 citizen witnesses, and the court recorder.  The judge then reviews our rights.  Then the questioning started...

Well, fortunately, we were prepared for the questions that we expected with Mila's court hearing, because we received all of them, and then some.  The blessing of the detailed questioning included the opportunity to explain that our Christian convictions led us to our decision to adopt.

After about an hour long session, the judge called recess as she went to process her decision.  After about a 10 minute wait, she returned with blessed news; ruling in favor of our petition to adopt Kathleen! 

Then, after a few minutes, the judge returned to hold what she referred to as the "unofficial business".  We were completely surprised as she proceeded to present us gifts in celebration of our adoption!

Top:  CD of Ukrainian Christmas Carols
Bottom Left:  Orthodox Christian Icon for Prayer
Bottom Right:  Artwork created by residents of Kathleen's orphanage

Embroidered towel that signifies a Ukrainian story of one's life journey (Kathleen's).
The black color signifies sadness (for her leaving her home land)
The red color signifies love she will receive during her journey. 
It was stressed that there is more red (love) than black (sadness) on the towel.  

Doll wearing traditional Ukrainian clothing for Kathleen to have 

She even asked for a picture to be taken of everyone involved...

So, based on the court ruling, we are now parents of Yana Kathleen Kimble!

EE Mission Day 15 - Christmas Eve in "U"

I have about five different blog posts swirling in my mind. My head is swimming with what we have seen the past few days. Most won't be shared until the mission here is complete. When we found out that Kathleen was transferred to an institution and different city, I began thinking of many "What" questions.

• What will God allow us to see here?
• What is God's will for this unplanned journey to an institution?
• What children are there?
• What is the purpose of this because they new we were coming for her?

Some of those answers are becoming evident.  We now have a much deeper appreciation for what our friends at the Bible Orphan Ministry do to minister to orphans.  What a blessing to have these brothers and sisters share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the least of these.

You can read stories about orphans living in institutions, but when you experience these things with your own eyes it changes you on many levels. You'll never be the same again.  It's heart wrenching and you want to cry out to every brother and sister you know to take a leap of faith and do something for these precious children.

My memory isn't very good, but I pray God allows what I'm seeing to be at the forefront of my mind as long as I live. I am so thankful He sent us here for these two precious girls. I wish we could bring back more.  I pray we can advocate for the ones that will be left behind.  They are precious and sweet and the desperation in their eyes for love and affection is overwhelming.

Today, I've also been thinking of Christmas, and being so far away from home. Each year I struggle during this holiday season. I battle getting "caught up" in the worldly celebration of what Christmas is all about. Each year I say, "It will be different this year", and instead I end up putting God in a shaker and sprinkling Him here and there on our celebration. Finding the balance is challenging sometimes, as I'm sure many can relate to.

Corey and I are staying in a city that I can't even pronounce. We can't have a conversation with anyone, or go out to eat at a restaurant. We don't have a Christmas tree, wrapped presents, or a meal to fuss over tomorrow, but we do have each other.  Also, most importantly, we have time to truly reflect on why we even celebrate Christmas. Time to reflect on Jesus Christ coming into this world to die on a cross for our sins.  Time to reflect on how He has adopted us into His Kingdom. How overwhelming of a thought this is to me.

We will be on a train for 11 hours tomorrow, with these thoughts to ponder. I miss our children deeply, but we may never have this chance to have this type of Christmas celebration again. Simple, meaningful, focused and wonderful.

Our Father in Heaven has blessed this incredible journey we are on in so many glorious ways. He is the reason we are here, and HE definitely is the reason for this holiday season.

We have court for Gayle on Tuesday; Praise God!  We are continuing to pray for doors to open for a court date next week in Kathleen's region.  We need to get her out as soon as possible!

EE Mission Day 14 - Do We Cry "Abba Father"?

Well, we had our second joyous visit with precious Kathleen today (Stephanie should be putting a post together later today).  Now I am at the computer getting caught up on some work and reviewing some news feeds from back home.  I felt the need to share one story I came across; as it deals with adoption. 

As I watched the reaction of this young woman when she found out she was to be adopted, it made me think about how we should react each and every day knowing that we have, as Believers in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, been adopted into God's family.  This is why we can call Him Father!  Do we really, truly understand this?  Oh, Lord, help my unbelief!!

Although we will not be able to communicate it the way this young couple did, I cannot wait for the moment when we can communicate, every day the Lord allows me to have in this world, to Gayle and Kathleen that they are now part of a covenant family, and will never be orphaned again!

Confession:  I also need to remind my four other children that they too are loved and will never have to face what their soon to be sisters faced in their young lives...

Romans 8:12-17 

Heirs with Christ

¹² So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. ¹³ For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

EE Mission Day 3 - Appointment!

Today we had our appointment with the Department of Adoptions.  In and out in about 15 minutes.  The social worker that attended asked for us to describe what we did (for a living), why we wanted to adopt 2 children with Down syndrome, and would we know how to take care of them.

We found out that we will be going to see Gayle first.  We leave tomorrow night by train for the city her orphanage is located.

EE Mission Day 1 - We arrived safely!

We thank God for our safe travels during the past 24 hours. When we descended through the thick layer of clouds into the Kiev airport, my heart could have burst with joy. We are in our girl's birth country, and are thankful to our Father in Heaven for this opportunity. We have quite the journey ahead of us, and we're ready. I love when our boys sing, "My God is so BIG, so strong and so mighty there's nothing my God cannot do.....We hope and pray that we can honor Him as we continue with this mission. We hope to meet precious #1 on Wednesday.

What Are We Hoping For?

Hope is Fading – Orphan Sunday from Allan Rosenow on Vimeo.



So, fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, what can we do to make sure they do not lose hope?  What should we do, out of loving, thankful obedience to our Father who adopted us first?


1 Peter 3:3-25

Born Again to a Living Hope

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, ⁹obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
¹⁰Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, ¹¹inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. ¹² It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

Called to Be Holy

¹³Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, ¹⁵but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, ¹⁶since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." ¹⁷And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, ¹⁸knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, ¹⁹but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. ²⁰He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you ²¹ who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
²²Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, ²³ since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; ²⁴for

"All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
²⁵ but the word of the Lord remains forever."

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

AAAHHHpostille

From the front - Apostilled

From the back - AAAHHHHpostilled (this had been re-stapled)

Now, in defense of the very nice woman at the Department of State, she was very apologetic and I could have denied the document.  (She had accidentally stapled 2 separate docuemnts together and then seperated them).  Yet, I took the chance that it could "pass" and took it with me.  Our in-country helper gave it a 50-50 (which means I'll have it redone).

I am thankful that my workplace is less than 15 minutes from the Department of State, and the document involved was something we can print out ourselves (no 3rd party required).  So, this could have been a more dire situation...


Oh; the reason I had 64 documents apostilled was because we received something last Saturday:

Though I Was Born an Orphan

A few days ago someone within our circle of family and friends said this to me, "I think you should just cancel this".  The "this" was referring to our adoption of Kathleen.  I immediately felt angry, hurt, and ungodly thoughts began crossing my mind.  This comment was made on the same day we committed to beautiful little Gayle.  When I told Corey, his response to me was, "Spiritual Warfare", and that it truly is.  The positive side is that I, once again, shared the WHY? of this mission we are on for GOD.  That in itself was a blessing because I had the opportunity to share the gospel.  I ended our conversation by reading the lyrics of a hymn we recently sang at church (Though I Was Born an Orphan).  It paints a beautiful song picture of our adoption as sons and ends with our calling to help the fatherless.  Here are the lyrics:

Click here to read the story behind this hymn, as well as hear a demo

Though I was born an orphan,
Abandoned and alone,
Enslaved and bound in darkness,
Without a hope or home,
The God of grace and mercy
From his eternal throne
Ordained to be my Father
And claim me as His own.

That I might be adopted
The Father sent his Son
To live in full obedience
And die for what I’ve done.
Now through his resurrection,
Through faith, with him I’m one.
A member of his household,
I am an heir, a son.

To soothe my fear and worry
The Spirit from on high
Was sent to be a witness
That “Father!” I might cry.
O How I love this Father!
I’m never left alone.
He’s come to dwell within me
Until he calls me home.

Since I have this adoption,
I cannot close my home
To widows and to orphans,
Abandoned and alone.
Lord, fill me with compassion
To love the fatherless,
That I might show the nations
How great my Father is!


THIS IS WHY KATHLEEN AND GAYLE WILL BECOME PART OF OUR FAMILY!

Gayle and Kathleen - Chosen for us by God

Ephesians 1: 3-14 - Spiritual Blessings in Christ

 ³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, ⁴ even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love ⁵ he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, ⁸which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight ⁹ making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ ¹⁰as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

 ¹¹In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, ¹²so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. ¹³In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

From the beginning of our journey back in April 2011, Stephanie and I have kept an open mind and heart about the possibility of petitioning to adopt a second child. When the Lord led us to Kathleen, the circumstances at that time had us defer our search for a second child.  We are convinced of God's Sovereignty and Providence; His timing is always perfect, and has called us to adopt Gayle into our family.

We realize the sacrifice involved in our adoption mission and are mindful of the need to keep an eternal perspective, as opposed to focusing on the short-term "chaos" that this second adoption process will bring. As stated in the sermon preached at our church last Sunday, "We adopt to show the world what our great God and Father is like, to magnify His greatness to the praise of His glorious Grace."

Moving Forward

Tomorrow, Corey and I have our first appointment with the caseworker/social worker overseeing our home study.  After delivering our application and contract last week, the office manager gave me the required home study checklist and autobiography outline.  I remember looking at the checklist and feeling a little overwhelmed.  I called Corey and asked him if he was ready to put his roller skates on because we had a lot of work to do.  We are hoping to expedite our end of things as quickly as possible.  We have a new 9pm - 1am shift at our home.  I guess this is our information gathering, form filing, autobiography writing shift.  Ha Ha!  I love spending this time with my husband.  My sense of feeling overwhelmed has peeked, and I am now able to focus more on what we need to accomplish to get to Kathleen as quickly as possible.  She is worth it.  I'm thinking of how our lives have changed already.  I can't wrap my mind around the thought of actually seeing her, holding her, playing with her, telling her that she is worthy, and most importantly telling her about our Lord and Savior.

Thank you so much to all the people who have responded to us.  Whether it's through a comment on this blog, email, phone, or in person, we are blessed beyond words to know that so many people are already praying for Kathleen, the adoption process, our family, etc.. Also, thank you to those who have contributed to our Adoption fund to help bring her home.  It is very humbling.

 

We Have Our FSP Button!

Praise the Lord!

What a blessing from God to have a ministry like Reece's Rainbow to offer the Family Sponsorship Service!  We are so thankful for the fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who have already contacted us and shared their story about their involvement in Kathleen's life via RR, and have expressed a desire to place our FSP button on their blogs.

Our Eyes Opened

My first blog entry.  WOW!  I never dreamed I'd be sitting here writing a blog entry.  I'm not very good at modern day networking.  However, that's about to change.  We are starting this blog for very specific reasons.  We plan to chart our adoption journey, raise awareness for other waiting children, and most importantly, give honor and praise to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I remember thinking about adoption several years ago when it took longer than I expected to get pregnant.  It was mainly from the perspective of possible infertility issues.  To our surprise, I finally became pregnant, and we now have three boys.  We also have shared custody of Corey's daughter from a previous marriage.  Since that time, I've mostly associated adoption with infertile couples.  In recent years, God has slowly, but surely, placed people in our lives who are, in one form or another, involved in adoption.  We supported the idea of it, and we were willing to help others financially.  Sadly, I have a vivid memory of a statement I made  to a very good friend of mine, "Adoption just isn't for me".

There is no doubt in my mind that God has clearly opened our eyes.  This isn't some great idea to satisfy guilt or feelings of pity towards orphans.  It all starts with the Biblical Doctrine of Adoption (please see tab) and how this applies to living the Christian life.  I first mentioned the Reece's Rainbow ministry to Corey April 10th. That same evening we began searching through the RR website.  Our lives/thoughts began changing immediately, and we've been on the same page ever since.  Praise God!  This is clearly a mission for God.  He is calling us to go and rescue/adopt this precious little princess labeled as Kathleen on her profile.  We don't even know her yet, and we already LOVE her. 

God has called us to adopt Kathleen, and we trust he will see it through to the end when she's finally at home with us.  We can depend on God for help.  For now I'll close with Psalm 121:

I lift up my eyes to the hills-
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.


He will not let your foot slip-
he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.


The LORD watches over you-
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all harm-
he will watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

Thank you to everyone committed to praying for us.  Thank you, Corey.  You are a wonderful husband and father.