Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

 

Well today is little girl’s 3^rd birthday – “little G” … our sweet Ghana girl.  We celebrated in this cold tundra last night making a home-made buttermilk chocolate cake topped with peppermint baking bits and lit candles for her. 

 

 

It is an odd thing because you move forward after receiving a referral knowing this child could be joining your family … but also, there is a very possible scenario that things won’t progress that way.  We think, plan and talk each day like she will be joining our family but the reality is we don’t know for sure.  We all talk about her and Kylie has been speaking more frequently about all of the things she wants to show and teach her when she arrives.  She told me today that she is going to share her blankets and reminded me that we still need to get a bunk bed in her room.  I told her that it will probably be a while still before we will be able to bring her home.   I then shared with her that we had to wait a while for her to come home too.  And that when she came home we were all so happy to finally meet her.

 

My heart is sad today … I am tired of the cold temperatures we are living through and I just want to reach the next step in this process.  This is when it is necessary to go to the only One who gives, HOPE!  I know that God has her in His hands and I trust that He has not left her as an orphan.  He will move when the timing is right.  I know I say that almost each time I write on this blog, but I often have to remind myself of that fact.  His plans are greater than my plans, His ways greater than my ways.

 

I was reading tonight about Ghana birthday traditions.  I don’t know how accurate this is, but in celebrating their birthday, Ghanaian children wake up with a special treat called “oto,” which is a patty made from mashed sweet potato and eggs fried in palm oil.  Later in the day they arrange a birthday party where they usually eat stew and rice and a special dish which is known as “kelewele.”  This is prepared from plantain chunks.  I just wonder if she had this special birthday treat “oto” today.  Will there be stew to celebrate her birthday?   Kylie made a special “birthday cupcake” from her Duplos to celebrate.  She would love to share this with her sister, but for now she will have to wait … Happy birthday sweet girl, happy birthday!  Please keep praying! 

 

 

A Plea To Prayer Warriors!!

 

We received an email on Friday from our POA (Power of Attorney) in Ghana.  We had been waiting for a response to confirm that the paperwork we sent was done correctly and wouldn’t need to be changed or re-done.  He did confirm that our paperwork is in order and that we are now waiting for the Social Welfare to finish with their work; the paperwork can then be filed and we will know the court date.  As in everything with this process so far, we have no idea how long that could take.  We are realizing though that really it doesn’t matter what we are told about how long it will take because it will likely not be an accurate estimate.  I don’t believe that it is intentional, just the mode in Africa.  We are accustomed to the US and people demanding timeframes and expecting things to be done in that timeframe.  In this situation we cannot rely on timeframes given to us.  We know beyond know that God is in control of all timeframes and that really, no matter what we are told, it is only His timeframe that will play out.  We are feeling a strong need to call all those around us to PRAY for this little girl we have been referred and PRAY that the process will continue so that her permanency can be determined. 

 

We have been overwhelmed with the financial support we have received in this process … overwhelmed is an understatement really.  God has now brought in over $17,000 for our adoption and the confirmation that this is where we need to be has not gone unnoticed.  When God calls He will provide … I hope that anyone reading this can see this as a testament to His provision and plans.  We could have not imagined that amount of money coming in but God knows exactly what is needed and He moves in ways beyond our understanding.  If He is calling you to something please see through our process that obedience is all He asks of us … He has it all covered and He will provide, guide and plan it all for you! 

 

Anyway, back to my original request … will you please PRAY with us?  We are asking for concentrated prayer for this sweet girl waiting in Ghana … please pray that the Social Welfare would finish their work so that the paperwork can be filed and a court date can be established.  We do not know if we will be traveling for this first court date, but our prayer is that the date can be established.  God can move mountains, we believe that to the core, and ask that you pray for this with us! 

Thoughts From A Waiting Momma

Waiting is defined by dictionary.com as:  “to remain inactive or in a state of repose, as until something expected happens” … yep, that is it.  To remain inactive … that might be the hardest part of waiting.  Often we can find things to keep us active which ultimately can help keep your mind off of what you are waiting for.  Since being in this process starting this past April/May, we have had a “task” to do almost the entire time.  We first had the process to complete:  home study, orphan application to the US government, fingerprint appointment, medical appointments, dossier completion, originals, copies, notaries … and then the fundraising came next.  We have reached a point where there is not a “task” to do and the true waiting has begun.  We have been blessed to become fully funded and don’t even have to worry or think about that piece any longer. 

I had an adoptive mom tell me last night that waiting in adoption is like being at the end of a pregnancy when you don’t know when you will go into labor.  The hard part with adoption is that this part of the pregnancy can go on for months (or in some cases years).  Thankfully we don’t keep getting bigger in that process … er, uh, well maybe a little bigger with stress eating, but not a growing baby inside of us!  When we were in the adoption process with Kylie we waited nine months for our first match, which ended up falling through.  The wait, anticipation and then disappointment is another part of this crazy process.  The precious child in our first match was born on my Grandma’s birthday (yes, the grandma I have spoken of through this blog who was adopted) so letting go of her was really hard … but she wasn’t our child.  A month later, our sweet Kylie was born and we couldn’t imagine life without her.  God’s plan was for Kylie to come into our family and we are amazed that we were ever chosen to be her parents.  We have a child who has been referred to us, but until we have our first court date we do not know for sure that we are the family for her.  We know that even after having her picture for several months now, she may not be the child that we get to receive into our family.  Another part of this process … love deeply and fight like a parent would knowing that you may have to let go if things don’t progress with being able to adopt that specific child. 

 

I watched a family go through that process with a child from Ethiopia a few years back.  They loved deeply this sweet boy, but then after it was determined he wasn’t adoptable, they had to release him.  Not that they had physical custody of him, but they had loved him with parental love in anticipation that he would join their family.  Their hearts still love and long for this sweet boy but there is nothing that can be done other than to pray for him as he will live his life aging out of the orphanage system. 

Waiting is hard in this instantaneous society we live in.  We don’t want to wait for anything … and for many things we don’t have to wait.  What lessons we learn through waiting.  We trust that God is in control of this process.  He knows what needs to be done and He will make things happen when they need to happen.  I say that knowing that this could take many more months (and I hope not years).  How easy will it be to continue to wait?  My hope is that we can continue to trust in His timing and we ask your prayers for us in this process.  We pray for this sweet girl waiting in Ghana … her name means “fortunate one” and we believe that God has amazing plans for her. 

Psalm 27:14 – “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”