Surprise - good news

Well in Aug just before the courts were closing I asked folks to pray that our paperwork would be finished and submitted to the courts so that we could be in line for a fall courtdate when they reopened in Oct. We didn't hear anything and assumed that the paperwork simply didn't get done - so I asked our specialist to check on it last week - and lo and behold it did get taken care of just before the courts closed and our agency is hopefull we will get an - hold your hats - October court date!!!!!! Unbelieveable. Now I really have to get moving on the rest of the paperwork.

WooooHoooo Jesus! I can hardly believe things are moving foward!!!

Love Letters

So with this adoption we are blessed that our new agency allows traveling parents to take picture of the kids for you when you are waiting and allows parents to send letters to the kids. One parent said to think of these precious letters as love letters to your child - a way to give them a window into your life and the life that is waiting for them when they get home. So we write and send letters full of pictures and stickers for them to pass out - we try to fold alot of love into a few pages and seal it in an envelope in hopes that it bursts out when they open it and they feel the love of a family - that they begin to feel like they belong.

gggrrrrr USCIS

When we were adopting Becca last year we had a problem with a visa cable that goes from our local USCIS office to the NVC to the Embassy. The problem - a typo that made it seem as if our approval was for a child under 1 year old, when in fact our approval was for up to 2 children as old as age 7. No one caught it until we were there and it took some string pulling to get it taken care of quickly so we could make our flight home - really not a common problem - so what is the chance it could happen again - who knows but it has. At least this time we aren't in country trying to solve the problem but some how our visa cable doesn't match the kids we are adopting. It must be a typo so our SW is working on getting it fixed - when I found out I just had to laugh. Who ever said lighting doesnt strike twice never adopted.

Prayer

I have been convinced that prayer moves things (it moves God's people and mysteriously it somehow moves God) anyway - almost 2 years ago we were moved to begin our adoption journey to Becca - at the same time halfway around the world a young mother was dying - was it her prayer that moved us perhaps - I don't think it was randomness that a year later her sweet baby girl became our sweet baby girl. Before we even completed that adoption we were back in the thick of it - being moved by God, being moved by prayer, and being moved to pray.

Then recently I stumbled across a blog of a family who have adopted a boy from the same orphanage as Estifanos is in - and their son, now home 6 months or more was telling them about how he and a friend used to climb into each others bunks and pray together for thier new families to find them - yep - major tears to think of these sweet 5 and 7 year old boys staying up past lights out to pray together for God to find thier families. Then another bloggy friend who is in ET right now at our daughters orphanage wrote this week of another little girl who wrote her a letter asking her to please, please find a family for her.

You see the older kids in orphanages know that most of the time families only want very young and very healthy kids - and so they pray that they might be the lucky one who will recieve a gift bag with a tshirt and photo album that lets them know that they have been choosen. And then if it happens for them they pray for thier friends to have the same miracle of being lost and then found.

And so I am thankful for prayer that moves mountians, prayer that moves hearts and prayer that finds families for orphans, I am thankful for a God who allows our prayers to move His own heart and for a God that allows us to be the answer to someone's prayer.


AN ORPHAN'S PRAYER
I am waiting…somewhere far, far away…on the other side of the world.
I may not know who you are or what you look like.
But somehow, deep in my heart, I know you are out there.
That one day you will come and find me.
It's a long journey, and it takes a lot of time.
I wish it could be easier.
But I know that the ones who come for me will not count the cost.
They will only see the joy of finding me.
For now I abide in the fields of the fatherless.
Day by day wondering, "Why was I born here and not somewhere else?"
Asking, "Why couldn't my life have been different?"
It is so lonely…Even though I am surrounded by hundreds of other children,
I know that something is missing.
I know in my heart I need a place to call home.
My arms long to be wrapped in a father's embrace…
I long to be saved by a mother's love.
Gazing out the orphanage window,
I offer a prayer of hope,"Oh God, please help them come quickly."
Even as I lay in the darkness each night somehow I feel assured.
That no matter how lost I appear I am not alone.
Holy hands guard my steps;
sacred fingers wipe my tears…
Touching my lonely heart.
The one who made me,
The God who knew me before I was born,
Hears me every time I call.
He whispers His promises in my ear.
I listen with hope to His voice.
But what I worry about most is that no one wants to look for me.
The fields are vast, and there are so many scattered all over the earth.
I wonder how one little child, so lost, can be found.
Yet He calms my heart and assures me that He will find you.
That He will make sure you hear His voice clearly.
He has promised me that He will make a way through the fields.
That He will personally cut a path, and lead you right to my orphanage door.
My prayer is…When He speaks, please don't forget to listen.
When He calls, don't be too afraid to go.
For I am waiting…somewhere far, far away.

from All God's Children's Newsletter. No author noted.

The Church Triumphant

Today my beautiful Grandmother joined the Church Triumphant and is now part of the great cloud of witnesses before the throne of God.

Grammy you are well loved and we will see you again.

peeling the onion - all about hair

Over the last month or so Becca's hair has grown a foot (or at least 2 inches) and has quickly overwhelmed my meager efforts to figure out what to do with it. Top that off with the fact that she really truly dislikes - read hates- to have her hair messed with and it is recipe for disaster. Then top that off with the fact that Alemtsehaye's hair is really - really long and you have one overwhelmed mom at the thought of struggling with 2 girls hair - sigh. I am not alone in trying to figure it all out however and thank goodness that those who have gone before me on this journey of transracial parenting have shared their knowledge.

The thing is that I love Becca's hair down and curly, it is perfect and beautiful that way - perfect ringlet curls - unfortunately she really can't keep it nice when it is down - after all she is only 3 and really doesn't care about how her hair looks. BUT you can be sure that folks around us do notice and care about her hair. One day when her hair was loose and kinda messy my neighbor commented that it looked as if I needed a lesson on AA hair care. She offered some advice and hints and products - but truly it was time for me to step it up and figure it out. The big thing seems to be shampoo with out sulfates and conditioner with out silicone - for a number of reasons to do with oil production and so on. The other big thing is the appropriate amount of moisture each day (again silicone free) but every day, and way more than you would think. Last week I did some twists in Beccas hair - super cute but I only was brave enough to try 4 and then really didn't keep it moist enough so it got a bit fuzzy but did last a whole week, which is great as far as I am concerned. Then this week I put lots of shea butter in her hair to condition and then washed and conditioned some more and then went to do box braids (totally brave on my part!!) Discovered there was still a bit of shea butter in the hair but just rubbed it in more and managed to get 12 box braids in - victory! and so cute too. The best part is what happened at church on Sunday (put the braids in on Sat and then went to pool afterwards and they held up really well) anyway sweet AA lady at church was talking to Becca and I and asked me who I had to do her hair - I told her I did it and she looked totally shocked and said I was doing a great job. Completely made my day and boosted my confidence.

As a white woman I will never fully understand the implications of hair in the african american community - but as I peel the onion of hair and transracial parenting I will do my darndest to understand and adhere to the customs of it - my kids are worth it. (but I think cornrows will have to wait until little miss can sit still - or until big sis comes home)

prayer needed

So our son's file is missing one letter - when that arrives thier cases will be ready to be submitted to court - pray with us that this letter arrives and they can be submitted in the next 2 days before court closes for 6 weeks.