I know it is never wise to question God's timing in anything He chooses to do. He sees the big picture and is sovereign in everything that happens--and He doesn't make mistakes. That is why I am trusting that His timing is perfect in the news I am about to share here.
You see, just one week after my father's death, we received Travel Approval from China. That means that in just 11 days from now, we will be boarding a plane on our way to pick up our new adopted daughter.
Just typing that sentence leaves me in awe. After nearly two years of waiting, praying, hoping, and anticipating, the day has finally come and we are going to complete the process. Our plane tickets have been purchased, hotel reservations are made, all our final paperwork is signed, notarized, and waiting in a folder to go into our carry-on luggage. Arrangements have been made for the care of the children we are leaving here at home. We are trying to tie up loose ends and button down some hatches as we will be in China for two weeks. It is very busy around here right now.
Yet, in the midst of all the preparations for this life-changing trip to the other side of the world, there are moments when I wish my dad were here and that he would have been able to meet his newest grandchild when we bring her home. They will never know each other this side of heaven. That's when the trust in God's timing comes in. Though these thoughts do bring sadness, God is in control of it all and He has a plan for how all these events have fallen into place. In all the challenges and trials He has sent our way, He hasn't let us down yet. He has been completely trustworthy, and I have utter confidence that He will continue to be.
Grieving for my father at the same time we are preparing for this trip to bring home our little girl has left us a little dazed, but very, very thankful. My father was looking forward to meeting our little girl so much. It brings me sorrow to know that will not happen, but I have joy in knowing that making this trip will be honoring to his memory. Family and his grandchildren were very important to my dad, and he met the addition of each grandchild with great joy. I know this news would have brought him joy as well.
No, God never, ever makes mistakes. He knows what He is doing, even if we don't always understand why. We don't have to understand, we only have to trust and wait to see the amazing and awe-inspiring things He will do.
Showing posts with label family life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family life. Show all posts
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Friday, October 17, 2014
A Full Heart
As I rolled out of bed this morning, the sound of "Blessings" coming from my ipod speaker alarm, my heart is heavy but filled with gratefulness. I meant to write this post yesterday, but the heart-heaviness was too great to get anything that made any sense out of it. So here I am today, trying to put into words the feelings that the events of the past month have brought.
You see, my daddy died last Friday. Yesterday would have been his 80th birthday. How's that for reason for a full heart?
There is so much in this experience to be thankful to God for. I'm thankful that my father died with dignity, at home, just as he wished. I am thankful my mother and I were there with him as he took his last breath on earth. I am thankful we were able to say goodbye, and that he could say his goodbyes to us in those last few moments as well. I'm thankful for the strength of my mother and the example of devotion and love she showed in the way she cared for him in the last days (and years) of his life. Most of all, I am thankful for the gift of a father who loved me so tremendously, loved my mother so passionately, and loved his God most of all.
Again and again over the past week, I have heard people say, "He was a good man." There are so very right. Anyone who knew my dad knew his kindness, his compassion, his humility, his sense of humor, his steadiness, his quiet, unassuming strength of spirit, and his love for God and His Word. People remember his gift for working with his hands, building things and leaving a tangible legacy that will last generations. I, of course, saw all that and much, much more. I and my children are blessed with a spiritual and familial legacy which is rare and wonderful. I had the privilege of calling him Dad, something only two other people have been able to do. My children have been blessed to have the best grandpa anyone can ask for and have lost one of their best friends, biggest cheerleaders, and greatest mentors.
I am comforted and somewhat awed when I think of my sister and my little girl, and how they must have welcomed him home as he crossed into heaven and joined them there. It makes me smile to think how joyful they must have been to be reunited with one another. And it eases the pain of missing him just a tiny bit.
On Wednesday, we held a memorial service and laid my father's earthy body to rest in our family cemetery right here on our land. He is buried very near to our Olivia Hope. He was buried in an old-fashioned pine casket made from trees from his own land and sawed and built by the hands of his sons and grandsons. He had specific wishes about how the day should go, and we fulfilled every one of them. The hand built pine coffin was his idea. He chose the hymns for the service. He wanted it all to happen in one day, and he didn't want a lot of fanfare or long, drawn out soliloquys. He wanted things simple, understated, and real.
Which is exactly how he lived his life.
Yes, my heart is indeed very full. Full of gratitude, full of love, full of awe for the goodness of God in giving me the immeasurable gift of calling Marvin Burnham my Daddy.
You see, my daddy died last Friday. Yesterday would have been his 80th birthday. How's that for reason for a full heart?
There is so much in this experience to be thankful to God for. I'm thankful that my father died with dignity, at home, just as he wished. I am thankful my mother and I were there with him as he took his last breath on earth. I am thankful we were able to say goodbye, and that he could say his goodbyes to us in those last few moments as well. I'm thankful for the strength of my mother and the example of devotion and love she showed in the way she cared for him in the last days (and years) of his life. Most of all, I am thankful for the gift of a father who loved me so tremendously, loved my mother so passionately, and loved his God most of all.
Again and again over the past week, I have heard people say, "He was a good man." There are so very right. Anyone who knew my dad knew his kindness, his compassion, his humility, his sense of humor, his steadiness, his quiet, unassuming strength of spirit, and his love for God and His Word. People remember his gift for working with his hands, building things and leaving a tangible legacy that will last generations. I, of course, saw all that and much, much more. I and my children are blessed with a spiritual and familial legacy which is rare and wonderful. I had the privilege of calling him Dad, something only two other people have been able to do. My children have been blessed to have the best grandpa anyone can ask for and have lost one of their best friends, biggest cheerleaders, and greatest mentors.
I am comforted and somewhat awed when I think of my sister and my little girl, and how they must have welcomed him home as he crossed into heaven and joined them there. It makes me smile to think how joyful they must have been to be reunited with one another. And it eases the pain of missing him just a tiny bit.
On Wednesday, we held a memorial service and laid my father's earthy body to rest in our family cemetery right here on our land. He is buried very near to our Olivia Hope. He was buried in an old-fashioned pine casket made from trees from his own land and sawed and built by the hands of his sons and grandsons. He had specific wishes about how the day should go, and we fulfilled every one of them. The hand built pine coffin was his idea. He chose the hymns for the service. He wanted it all to happen in one day, and he didn't want a lot of fanfare or long, drawn out soliloquys. He wanted things simple, understated, and real.
Which is exactly how he lived his life.
Yes, my heart is indeed very full. Full of gratitude, full of love, full of awe for the goodness of God in giving me the immeasurable gift of calling Marvin Burnham my Daddy.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Mixed Emotions
This has been a very eventful week for our family. We moved dramatically closer to two major, life-changing events which we have been anticipating for a while. One of these events is happy and the news we received on Monday was joyful and exciting. The joy of this news was dampened greatly, however by the other event which happened around the same time.
The first event I mention--the exciting one--is that we received our Article 5 document, which is the last piece in the adoption paper chase puzzle. It is the document in which the U.S. Consulate in China gives official approval for our little girl to receive an immigrant visa so we can bring her home to the U.S. There is just one more step in the process before going to get our new daughter--the Travel Approval or TA. Travel Approval is issued by CCCWA, and is the adoptive families official invitation to travel to China to receive their adopted child. Our agency rep has told us we should expect our TA sometime near the end of October. We may be traveling sometime in November. We're getting so close...
The other major event of this week is that my own dear father, who had spent almost two weeks in the hospital with congestive heart failure, was sent home yesterday with a plan to set up in-home hospice care. My mother and I have spent the past two days getting him settled and comfortable, figuring out his new medications, and trying to keep our heads above water emotionally speaking. To say that this has caused our family sadness is certainly an understatement. My dad has been sick for quite a while now, so it is not a surprise to any of us that we have reached this stage, but experiencing the reality of it actually taking place is difficult. We're unsure how much longer he has before the Lord takes him to heaven, but it seems as though it will not be very long...
Joy, sadness, sorrow, expectation--mingled together in a sea of emotions and sprinkled heavily with a myriad of responsibilities has made for an interesting mix, and has driven me to my knees before my God, which is right where He wants me to be right now.
The first event I mention--the exciting one--is that we received our Article 5 document, which is the last piece in the adoption paper chase puzzle. It is the document in which the U.S. Consulate in China gives official approval for our little girl to receive an immigrant visa so we can bring her home to the U.S. There is just one more step in the process before going to get our new daughter--the Travel Approval or TA. Travel Approval is issued by CCCWA, and is the adoptive families official invitation to travel to China to receive their adopted child. Our agency rep has told us we should expect our TA sometime near the end of October. We may be traveling sometime in November. We're getting so close...
The other major event of this week is that my own dear father, who had spent almost two weeks in the hospital with congestive heart failure, was sent home yesterday with a plan to set up in-home hospice care. My mother and I have spent the past two days getting him settled and comfortable, figuring out his new medications, and trying to keep our heads above water emotionally speaking. To say that this has caused our family sadness is certainly an understatement. My dad has been sick for quite a while now, so it is not a surprise to any of us that we have reached this stage, but experiencing the reality of it actually taking place is difficult. We're unsure how much longer he has before the Lord takes him to heaven, but it seems as though it will not be very long...
Joy, sadness, sorrow, expectation--mingled together in a sea of emotions and sprinkled heavily with a myriad of responsibilities has made for an interesting mix, and has driven me to my knees before my God, which is right where He wants me to be right now.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Spring's Here!
Spring is finally here!
After a long, cold winter, we are at last seeing green bursting forth all around us. The children and I have spent much more time outside in the past few days, and it feels wonderful to be out in the sunshine and fresh air. The windows, so long shut up, have been wide open lately, letting in the breezes which are forcing out all the stale, dry air trapped in the house all winter. The birdfeeders have had a flurry of activity, providing our young homeschool students with ample opportunity for nature study.
I don't recall ever being quite this joyful--or relieved--to see springtime come as I have been this year.
After a long, cold winter, we are at last seeing green bursting forth all around us. The children and I have spent much more time outside in the past few days, and it feels wonderful to be out in the sunshine and fresh air. The windows, so long shut up, have been wide open lately, letting in the breezes which are forcing out all the stale, dry air trapped in the house all winter. The birdfeeders have had a flurry of activity, providing our young homeschool students with ample opportunity for nature study.
I don't recall ever being quite this joyful--or relieved--to see springtime come as I have been this year.
Friday, November 15, 2013
Busy Autumn--and an Adoption Update
It has been quite some time since we have updated this blog.
We have had a busy autumn, full of preparations for winter. Because Gilbert was
injured back in May, he was not able to get our firewood cut up. Thanks to the
generosity of several able-bodied, hardworking men, our winter's supply of
firewood was cut, split and stacked in one Saturday in September. Other fall
projects have been completed, and things have been buttoned up and made ready
for the cold weather season.
In October, moose hunting season provided us with not one, but two moose. Two of our children received moose permits, and one moose was shot on Wednesday morning of the hunt week, the other on Saturday afternoon, just before the season closed. We are praising God for providing us with plenty of meat for our freezer!
October also brought us the news that D.R. Congo's Department Generale Migration (commonly called DGM) has temporarily suspended issuing exit letters for adopted children. Without an exit letter, adoptive parents cannot bring their children home. Much discussion is taking place over this matter, and several adoption agencies are advocating for adoptive families like ours who are presently in the adoption process. The suspension is estimated to last from six to twelve months. Because we are still in the court process in DRC, we are not yet at the point where we are directly affected by the suspension. All other adoption proceedings in DRC are continuing as usual. Our hope and prayer is that the suspension will be lifted soon so that the families and children caught in the process will be able to be united and these dear children can be brought into their new homes as soon as possible, including our two little boys. We are trusting in God's sovereignty and that His will ultimately will come to pass in His perfect timing.
We continue to wait for news that we have passed court and have been awarded the official adoption decree. That will certainly be a joyful day for our family!
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Summertime on the Homestead
Summertime is such a fun time around here. There is always something to do. Everything is green and growing. The animals are happy and well fed. The chickens are laying. When the sun is out, the clothesline is full of clean clothes, flapping away in the breeze.
There is also plenty of work to do. Hay needs to be put in, the garden needs to be weeded, the yard needs to be mowed, the beehives need tending. As the summer progresses, fruits and vegetables must be harvested and preserved. There is always some building project or other going on around here as well. Busy productivity such as this leads to such a sense of satisfaction. We are truly living a life we once dreamed of and planned for.
We can't help but love the country life!
There is also plenty of work to do. Hay needs to be put in, the garden needs to be weeded, the yard needs to be mowed, the beehives need tending. As the summer progresses, fruits and vegetables must be harvested and preserved. There is always some building project or other going on around here as well. Busy productivity such as this leads to such a sense of satisfaction. We are truly living a life we once dreamed of and planned for.
We can't help but love the country life!
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Progress!
Another important step has been made in our adoption process--our dossier has been sent to D.R. Congo! The dossier is a collection of documents required by the Congolese government to be used in the adoption proceedings. It is a very important step in the process.
Now we wait for the court proceedings to be completed, which will make our little boys officially a part of our family. This should happen within the next three to four months. (After that, the US embassy in DRC does an investigation to be sure that everything is legal, which will take several months. Then, we can go get them and bring them home!)
As has happened at every step in this process, we are faced with raising funds for the next fee on the schedule (which is just over $10,000). Where these funds will come from we have no idea. We are not doubting that God will provide; He has provided throughout this process, and always just what was needed at the time. He has begun this good work in us and in the lives of these little boys, and we trust that He will be faithful to complete it.
(If anyone has any creative fundraising ideas they would like to share, feel free!)
As time goes by and we pray each night for our little ones in Africa, our hearts are becoming more and more knit to them and we find ourselves thinking and talking of them often. They are already becoming a part of our family, even from the other side of the world. We so look forward to the day when we can get on that plane and fly to them, hug them, and tell them we love them and that they will be ours forever. What a precious day that will be!
Now we wait for the court proceedings to be completed, which will make our little boys officially a part of our family. This should happen within the next three to four months. (After that, the US embassy in DRC does an investigation to be sure that everything is legal, which will take several months. Then, we can go get them and bring them home!)
As has happened at every step in this process, we are faced with raising funds for the next fee on the schedule (which is just over $10,000). Where these funds will come from we have no idea. We are not doubting that God will provide; He has provided throughout this process, and always just what was needed at the time. He has begun this good work in us and in the lives of these little boys, and we trust that He will be faithful to complete it.
(If anyone has any creative fundraising ideas they would like to share, feel free!)
As time goes by and we pray each night for our little ones in Africa, our hearts are becoming more and more knit to them and we find ourselves thinking and talking of them often. They are already becoming a part of our family, even from the other side of the world. We so look forward to the day when we can get on that plane and fly to them, hug them, and tell them we love them and that they will be ours forever. What a precious day that will be!
Monday, May 6, 2013
On Many Fronts
There are times in life when there are challenges on so many fronts, it seems a bit overwhelming. This past week has been one of those times for our family.
On the adoption front, we had our final homestudy visit with our social worker, and are now awaiting her final report, which will be sent to our placing agency, the Social Welfare department in Ghana, and any organizations to which we will apply for grants. The completion of the homestudy is a very important step in the adoption process, and we are looking forward to having that part of the process behind us so that we can move on to the next step toward bringing our little ones home. We are also in the midst of preparing for two yard sales, which we will be holding on May 18th and May 25th. (If you live near us, look for us in the vacant lot beside Pizza Hut.)
On the friendship front, we spent last weekend at the Mass HOPE homeschool convention. We had an opportunity to spend time in sweet fellowship with some very dear brothers and sisters in the Lord. We also were very blessed to visit with a very precious friend of ours who was recently diagnosed with a very serious form of cancer. Her faith in the midst of this affliction and the peace she and her children radiate has been such a beautiful thing to behold. Her example of simple trust in her Savior is inspiring.
On the family front, my daddy, who has struggled for many years with several challenging health problems, is in the hospital with congestive heart failure and a blood clot in his lung. There is a chance that the medication they are giving him for the blood clot could cause bleeding ulcers in his stomach. His kidneys are not handling the medications well, either. Obviously, it is a difficult situation.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
So many things to pray about. What peace it brings to go to Him with our burdens, knowing that nothing takes Him by surprise!
On the adoption front, we had our final homestudy visit with our social worker, and are now awaiting her final report, which will be sent to our placing agency, the Social Welfare department in Ghana, and any organizations to which we will apply for grants. The completion of the homestudy is a very important step in the adoption process, and we are looking forward to having that part of the process behind us so that we can move on to the next step toward bringing our little ones home. We are also in the midst of preparing for two yard sales, which we will be holding on May 18th and May 25th. (If you live near us, look for us in the vacant lot beside Pizza Hut.)
On the friendship front, we spent last weekend at the Mass HOPE homeschool convention. We had an opportunity to spend time in sweet fellowship with some very dear brothers and sisters in the Lord. We also were very blessed to visit with a very precious friend of ours who was recently diagnosed with a very serious form of cancer. Her faith in the midst of this affliction and the peace she and her children radiate has been such a beautiful thing to behold. Her example of simple trust in her Savior is inspiring.
On the family front, my daddy, who has struggled for many years with several challenging health problems, is in the hospital with congestive heart failure and a blood clot in his lung. There is a chance that the medication they are giving him for the blood clot could cause bleeding ulcers in his stomach. His kidneys are not handling the medications well, either. Obviously, it is a difficult situation.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
So many things to pray about. What peace it brings to go to Him with our burdens, knowing that nothing takes Him by surprise!
Thursday, May 2, 2013
New Life in Spring Time
Spring time means new life. Around here, there is lots of new life in spring time. We have new little chicks scurrying around, fresh green shoots popping up from the ground, and little lambs following after their mothers on wobbly legs. This little guy was born not long ago. I love the fact that his mamma's fleece is snow white, while his is completely black.
Spring also means mud pies and baths every night!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Where God Has Taken Us
Life is a journey full of unexpected twists and turns. Though we never know what is beyond the next bend in the road, God does, for which I am very thankful. He also has a reason for each event in each life and I have learned from experience that He is faithful. He can be trusted to carry us through even the most dark and difficult of circumstances. We can follow Him through the valleys, knowing that He will guide us and when we stumble along the way, He will pick us up again.
The summer, fall and winter of 2011 and into the beginning months of 2012 was just such a time for our family. We found ourselves in the midst of a season of affliction. God had called us to walk through a very dark valley, and we learned to trust Him in a whole new way, walking by faith with the belief that though we did not understand what He was doing, His will was best and we must simply follow Him. That was not an easy thing to do, but He did prove Himself worthy of this trust time and time again.
In late August of 2011, nine months pregnant with our sixth child, I began to notice a decrease in the baby's movements over the course of two or three days. It had been an otherwise healthy and normal pregnancy. The midwife, after carefully observing the baby's heartbeat for an extended period of time, assured us that there did not seem to be cause for concern, but I could not shake the feeling that something was not right. By the middle of the following day, I had stopped feeling any movements at all. When the midwife came to check on the heartbeat again, there was only silence. An ultrasound confirmed our worst fears. The baby, at 38 weeks of pregnancy, had died.
Heartbroken does not begin to describe how our family felt as we faced this loss. Grief and sorrow washed over us as we faced the reality of the situation. After 18 agonizing hours of labor, I delivered my stillborn daughter into the compassionate hands of our midwife. Beautiful, perfectly formed, the body of our baby daughter lay without movement in my arms as her father and I wept over her. We named her Olivia Hope, firmly believing that we have the hope of seeing her in Heaven, of touching her and hugging her and telling her all the things we would have if she had been here with us. We have hope in the resurrection--that one day we will see that precious, beautifully formed body transformed into an incorruptible one, which death and decay will never touch again.
Seven weeks later, another loss visited our family when my sister passed away after a prolonged illness which resulted from a brain aneurysm. Sorrow upon sorrow. Unbelievably, six weeks after this loss, my husband Gilbert's stepfather also passed away. Thus, in just three months time, our children had faced the death of their baby sister, their aunt, and their grandfather. And yet, God was still faithful.
Because Gilbert's mother suffered from Alzheimer's, we moved her in with his brother and his wife, who lived next door to us. During the daytime, the children and I would go and sit with her while my brother-in-law and his wife were at work. What a precious time of memory building for my children! I am so thankful to the Lord for this time they had to spend with her, especially since only a few weeks later, she was killed in a head-on collision with a car driven by a man who had had his driver's license permanently revoked for drunk-driving. Gilbert's brother, who was driving the car in which his mother was a passenger, was badly injured in the accident as well. And yet, God was still faithful.
Four major losses in the span of six months time. Sorrow upon sorrow. God's goodness displayed in the love and support of so many around us. God's compassionate care over our family ever evident in our own hearts. Grief and grace mingled together.
Since that time, healing has begun to come to each of our hearts. We have learned deep and valuable lessons through these circumstances. I know without a doubt that my God is with me and His sustaining grace can bring me through anything He places before me. And I know that joy comes again after a season of sorrow.
After an emotionally trying pregnancy, our seventh baby was born last September, a year and two weeks after we lost his sister. He is such a delight to our entire family. His name means "God gives strength", which He certainly did give us as we followed Him through the waters of affliction. He has taken us to places we would not have chosen to go, but He has brought us blessings that would not have come by any other path.
And God is still faithful.
The summer, fall and winter of 2011 and into the beginning months of 2012 was just such a time for our family. We found ourselves in the midst of a season of affliction. God had called us to walk through a very dark valley, and we learned to trust Him in a whole new way, walking by faith with the belief that though we did not understand what He was doing, His will was best and we must simply follow Him. That was not an easy thing to do, but He did prove Himself worthy of this trust time and time again.
In late August of 2011, nine months pregnant with our sixth child, I began to notice a decrease in the baby's movements over the course of two or three days. It had been an otherwise healthy and normal pregnancy. The midwife, after carefully observing the baby's heartbeat for an extended period of time, assured us that there did not seem to be cause for concern, but I could not shake the feeling that something was not right. By the middle of the following day, I had stopped feeling any movements at all. When the midwife came to check on the heartbeat again, there was only silence. An ultrasound confirmed our worst fears. The baby, at 38 weeks of pregnancy, had died.
Heartbroken does not begin to describe how our family felt as we faced this loss. Grief and sorrow washed over us as we faced the reality of the situation. After 18 agonizing hours of labor, I delivered my stillborn daughter into the compassionate hands of our midwife. Beautiful, perfectly formed, the body of our baby daughter lay without movement in my arms as her father and I wept over her. We named her Olivia Hope, firmly believing that we have the hope of seeing her in Heaven, of touching her and hugging her and telling her all the things we would have if she had been here with us. We have hope in the resurrection--that one day we will see that precious, beautifully formed body transformed into an incorruptible one, which death and decay will never touch again.
Seven weeks later, another loss visited our family when my sister passed away after a prolonged illness which resulted from a brain aneurysm. Sorrow upon sorrow. Unbelievably, six weeks after this loss, my husband Gilbert's stepfather also passed away. Thus, in just three months time, our children had faced the death of their baby sister, their aunt, and their grandfather. And yet, God was still faithful.
Because Gilbert's mother suffered from Alzheimer's, we moved her in with his brother and his wife, who lived next door to us. During the daytime, the children and I would go and sit with her while my brother-in-law and his wife were at work. What a precious time of memory building for my children! I am so thankful to the Lord for this time they had to spend with her, especially since only a few weeks later, she was killed in a head-on collision with a car driven by a man who had had his driver's license permanently revoked for drunk-driving. Gilbert's brother, who was driving the car in which his mother was a passenger, was badly injured in the accident as well. And yet, God was still faithful.
Four major losses in the span of six months time. Sorrow upon sorrow. God's goodness displayed in the love and support of so many around us. God's compassionate care over our family ever evident in our own hearts. Grief and grace mingled together.
Since that time, healing has begun to come to each of our hearts. We have learned deep and valuable lessons through these circumstances. I know without a doubt that my God is with me and His sustaining grace can bring me through anything He places before me. And I know that joy comes again after a season of sorrow.
After an emotionally trying pregnancy, our seventh baby was born last September, a year and two weeks after we lost his sister. He is such a delight to our entire family. His name means "God gives strength", which He certainly did give us as we followed Him through the waters of affliction. He has taken us to places we would not have chosen to go, but He has brought us blessings that would not have come by any other path.
And God is still faithful.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
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