Third court date try....Monday

Next attempt, third, at court date will be Monday, April 24th. Thank you for the continued prayers. 

Please include prayers for us to be able to wait well, to serve the Lord and worship Him while we wait with growing faith and steady hope. Some days I wonder... I start to think about ‘what ifs’:

• our fingerprints expiring for the visa in June; 
• the courts again closing for summer recess without our adoption being done in Haiti which would mean another 3-4 month wait;
• about moving to Délice [many months down the road, but when a step that should have taken 6 weeks more or less is closing in on the two YEAR mark one gets a bit paranoid!] and needing to update the home-study and all the money and work that would entail.

And I return again to the Lord in prayer, because our hope is in Him. We need His strength, hope, peace, and joy.

Report cards and teacher conferences just happened and were ‘very positive’. And he loves doing puzzles! As does Eli so a fun family activity in our future. He's also transitioning to new living arrangement. Thankful he’s healthy physically.

I, Kris, just started a new book and the first Bible story it talks about is when Jesus asked Peter to put down the nets again after a night of futile fishing. Luke 5:5 “But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” I stopped reading, as the phrase echoes in my mind, bringing to mind the old testament story of the fiery furnace..WE know God can deliver us...but if  not, we will still be faithful. 

Lord, help us to be faithful in this journey. Help our wobbly faith to grow strong. Give us the strength to wait well and praise you while we wait. Thank you for encouragement provided by friends, books, and emails.

Yesterday, I went to the email box to read a daily email from [in]courage..that just happened to be about waiting!  The picture at the top was overlaid with this phrase “We can wait with a Promise in our hearts that He is with us and for us!” Amen. “Things are happening in the waiting” Thank you Lord!

Also noticed someone posted a timeline in a Haiti adption group yesterday. I generally try to ignore them as the step we're currenly in generally takes a few months or less and we're nearing the two year mark. But I did look because we would LOVE to attend a family wedding in Michigan in late August as a family of FIVE. Well if you take the longest of time ranges listed for the next steps we could just make it if our case would clear courts on Monday and make it out of IBESR by the end of the month.

Know that the Lord is in control. Know that if He wants us to have a visa by mid-August it will happen! He's our Lord, Savior, and good Father. 

Good Byes & Waiting..both hard

Good-byes to loved ones remain high on my 'do not like list' especially when I do not know when we will likely be seeing each other again.

This week, the last thing my mom whispered in my ear during our last hug for a while .... 'Bring our boy home.'

OH...I want to! I pray to! Lord make it so !!!!

Still being stuck in IBESR stage of our adoption feels like a never ending winter cold or a 3+ year drought. The paperwork we hoped and prayed would be completed when the courts opened in October remains uncompleted...and months of unrealized hopes and dreams turn to dust and blow away.

For years now every trip or plan carries the heavy weight of the unknowns in the adoption timeline.

Malay apples on campus started blooming as the last
 fruits ripened. Only a few months until another harvest.

Will we be able to travel as a family to celebrate our niece's wedding in August? Will we be able to visit supporting churches and friends? Will Anna be able to take phase one of Michigan's driver's education and the PSAT?

Each holiday and special family event comes with the cloud of F not being home to participate.

While we long for updates and any information we can gather about our son...each comes with the painful fact that if he were home we would not be needing others to supply this information.

How the hope jumps with each email from our social worker...dreaming of those words to inform us that significant progress moved us closer to F coming home...

Waiting does not get easier with practice.

The all-day meeting that happened three weeks ago...only one of three needed reports completed as of an email we received Tuesday from our social worker.

Faith does get one through. Every frustration and tear we can choose to hold on to or to bring it to the feet of our Lord.

Intentionally focusing on Him, His power, His love does bring comfort.  As does each message and note from friends and family reminding us of their support and prayers.

Thank you for walking this hard journey with us.  Looking forward to celebrating with each of you when F joins the family and we can introduce him to you in person.

Keep those prayers coming!

Court Date

While America focuses on the Presidential elections on Tuesday, I will be watching the clock and praying for F's family as well as for the USA.

Tuesday they should appear in court to sign the document requested in early summer that should allow our adoption paperwork to move forward.

Since day one of our adoption journey, I've prayed for the birth families. While waiting for our referral I prayed knowing they would be signing away their parenting rights for a child or children.

Now it's more personal. Now we know the name, the face, the voice of a dearly loved little boy. We know that the family visits occasionally and that he enjoys the treats they give him. We know that the possibility of visits will continue after the adoption, but they do not know.

Do they wonder if each visit will be the last time they will see him? Did they miss celebrating his 6th birthday as we did? Do they question if they are doing the right thing?  Will their feelings be mixed on Tuesday? Do doubts linger or will they sign with peace?

After waiting all summer for courts to open having a date feels like progress but does it bring their loss closer? Glad the Lord remains in control and has a plan because this is so much bigger than us.

We hear that F continues to do very well. Due to different issues, F now joins his roommate and foster family children in attending school at Cowman. Eli and Anna attended for one year back in '07-08.

Sunset over LaGonave island

Today we were able to see and talk to F on Face-time. We heard how he likes the wind when driving fast to school and about how he has lots of friends. He is learning the letters that make up his name. He enjoyed having TWO pieces of cake on his birthday but was upset when the rest of the cake spoiled.  He asked about where Eli was and to see the goat and goat house.

Thankful to finally be moving forward. But a bit stressed to be entering the 'one more signature' zone again where every work day one hopes, prays, and wonders until quiting time if it will be the day!

Lord, help us to continue to serve and worship while we wait for you to open the doors.

One year ago..

Our dearest F, as I look at the picture on our dresser of you taken a year ago today in front of the Haitian flag for Flag Day my emotions run the whole range: happy, joy, sad, frustrated, mad, hope, nostalgiac, envy, tender, scared, gratitude...

Last year we spent the morning with you, visited with the social worker who graciously came for our second interview on a holiday, and then said good-bye. 

Our hopes ran high and hard that the paperwork would finish in a timely fashion so that you could come home.

Those hopes today remain...no longer shiny new and high but battered and torn but still strong in our Lord.

We rejoiced that Eli could meet you before he transitioned to the USA for college and today he finished his freshman year. 

Now as we count down the days until we get to see him again [11] I cannot but help to wonder how many days before we will get to see you again??

Only the Lord knows if the two of you will get to spend any time together this summer during his visit home.

I looked forward to teaching you in pre-school. 

Now the school year winds down and while I'm thankful for the progress you've made and all the things we hear you learned..I long to be the one to hold you, read to you, play with you, and spend my day with you.

We continue to hope and pray. Pray and hope. We ask what else we can do...wait. 

Know we love you. Know we pray for you. Know we long to bring you home. 

Know your heavenly Father loves you and has a plan. 

Courage!

We want OUT!!

Eli's sunshine yellow

One year ago today the agonizing wait for our referral continued.

Our chart entered IBESR on January 14th, 2014 therefore the wait stood at over 15 months.

Only a couple weeks remained for all four of us to be able to meet our child before we transitioned Eli to the USA for college.

One year ago today, our chart received the needed signature from the director.

Anna's

One year ago the day after tomorrow, in the late afternoon we received the long awaited email and saw our first picture of F! 

One year ago, we dreamed of attending the Amplifying Missionary Summit in New York as a family of five.

Only four of us will attend.

Each time a week passes without word I try to look for a positive, but it's getting harder.

F's, miniture bougainvillea. 

Early last month we were told our chart only needed one more signature, then they would call for our chart to be picked up.

Each weekday morning brings new hope that slowly weakens throughout the day and as the week progresses without word.

Once we receive our authorization to adopt from IBESR, our case will enter lower courts in Cap Haitian.

Eli plans to visit home for a while this summer, please pray for our case to advance so that we can visit and bond with F again.

I would like to ask you to join us in praying earnestly for us to exit IBESR this month! 

Other families who met their children this year have already exited IBESR.

[A while ago Cory brought home 3 new flowers for the yard and I decided it would be my Mother's day gift. One for each child.
Bottom picture shows normal size vs. mini]