Now We Wait

I am amazed at the goodness of the Lord which can be seen in every turn on life's road. We have had some busy weeks since starting the Chinese adoption process. Gathering paperwork, filling out forms, getting medical exams and police clearances, and visiting a notary public several times has kept us quite busy over the last month or so.

We have made some very encouraging progress in the adoption process (finally!). About two weeks ago, we received official pre-approval from CCCWA (China's adoption authority) to adopt a certain precious little girl! Pre-approval is great news and means that this adoption is going full steam ahead! It is the first major step in the adoption process in China.  Looks like we will have a new daughter sometime this fall!

Another big step we reached just last week was completing our home study update. What a relief to have that portion of the work in this adoption behind us. It is a very important step, because it is necessary for us to send in an updated home study with our I-800A form. This form is sent to United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) to apply for approval as adoptive parents. I dropped our I-800A in the mail, along with the home study, last Saturday (March 1).

We will also need to include our home study with our dossier when the time comes.

At this point, I am quite proud of the fact that all of our dossier documents have been collected and notarized, with the exception of the I-800A approval letter. Once we have received that, our dossier will be complete and we will be ready for the next step. The I-800A approval process takes about 8-12 weeks.

So for now, we wait.

Heartbreak and Hope

This post is a very difficult one to write, hence I have been putting it off for several days. Please bear with me as I share some news which I hope will be taken with a spirit of understanding by those who read it.

For five months now, we have been waiting to hear that our adoption case had gone to court. We expected to have our court date sometime in September or early October. When September ended and news came of the Congolese immigration authority suspending the issuance of exit letters for adopted children, our concern was raised, but we still felt hope that the suspension was temporary and at some point, the two little boys we were working to bring into our family would in fact be able to come home to us. When we called in the beginning of October to find out how our process was going, we were told that because of the families stuck in DRC waiting to bring their children home, our case was put on the back burner. There was no news of how things were going for us at that time, but we were told that if we called back in a couple of weeks, there might be some more information then. So we waited, then called. What we found out was not encouraging. Some information had come to light that caused us some concern. We decided to wait and see if anything further came of our concerns. About a month later, just before Thanksgiving, we contacted our agency again to ask how our case was coming. No new information, and we were still waiting on a court date. The week before Christmas, we again called our agency, and this time we were told of further information that had come to light in regards to the boys and their eligibility to be adopted. We knew immediately that we could not in good conscience continue with the adoption process. These two little boys already had family members available to care for them, which was causing the courts to examine the situation more closely. It was clear to us that we had no business taking the boys away from a chance to remain in their birth culture and possibly with their birth family.

We were heartbroken, for we had come to care for these little boys and were so looking forward to welcoming them into our family. But we had been called to adopt children who had a need for a family, which these little ones did not. It would be risky to continue with an adoption that might be considered ineligible by the US Embassy in DRC, because it could mean a denial of immigrant visas for the boys by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. That knowledge, combined with the situation regarding the suspension of exit letters, confirmed to us that we had no other choice but to end the adoption process.

 
If we'd had all of the necessary information at the time we were presented with these two boys, we would not have felt comfortable accepting the referral. When we shared this with our agency and asked if there was a possibility of a partial refund on the $24,000 we had paid in fees up to that point, we were told a very emphatic "No refund." We will be refunded a $1,000 post placement report deposit, since the placement did not happen.

 It is difficult to express our emotions and thoughts in the past few weeks. We trust that God has led us throughout this situation and that He does not make mistakes. He provided the funds thus far, and we offered them back to Him unreservedly, trusting in His plan. He will bless the efforts of all those who have given to help us as well.

We are not without hope or direction at this point. In fact, we are more hopeful now that we have been in months. Our direction has changed, but not our focus. We still know without a doubt that God is sovereign and that He has called us to adopt children who need a home and family. He has shown us that He has another way for us to go now.

He has made us aware of a very special little girl with a sweet spirit and a true need for the love of a family. We have been led to change to another agency, one which has a program doing special needs adoptions in China. The first time I looked at their waiting child photolisting, the face of one little girl in particular drew my attention. I opened up her page and learned of her need and immediately felt a sense of rightness. I read her information to Gilbert and showed him her pictures. He felt the same sense of peace I had. We looked at some files of other children as well, but we kept coming back to this one little girl. There was just something very special about her. Learning more about her story and how she came to be an orphan endeared her to our family even more. So, we have applied for pre-approval from China to adopt this beautiful little girl.

 

Things are not turning out like we thought they would. Life rarely does, I am learning. It is good to know that the God who created all things cares for little boys in Africa and little girls in China and mommies and daddies in America and wants them all to know His love and provision. He had all this planned all along, and He will make it into something beautiful in His time.

 

This adoption will cost $28,000, but we are already $10,000 ahead, thanks to God's provision through our fundraising efforts in the fall. All the proceeds of the benefit supper and auction, as well as the grant we have been awarded have been sitting in our adoption fund, waiting for our case to go to court. Since it never did, we still have the funds available for this new adoption. We also qualify for a $2,500 grant from our new agency, so we are almost halfway there already! Isn't God good?

 

So, we are back at square one in some ways, and miles ahead of where we were in others. Please pray with us as we make this change in direction and continue to seek to follow the Lord in all things.

 

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 have also had some good news concerning our adoption. We held a benefit supper and live auction to raise funds, which turned into a great success.  We were so blessed by the generosity of so many. Through this effort, we raised over $2,400.  We are so thankful to those who took part in this effort to help bring our boys home.  Several large individual donations have been made to our adoption fund as well.  The love poured out in this way on our family and our little Congolese boys has meant so much to us.  In addition to these funds, we also were delighted and very blessed to be awarded a grant from the Rescued AdoptionFund. What a blessing and encouragement to receive the news of this and the joyful realization that we now have the full amount needed for our next fee to our agency!

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!

It's Olivia's Day

It is raining today.

 Last year on this day, September 2, 2012, the sky was a brilliant blue, the sun was shining brightly, and white, cottony clouds dotted the blue expanse. We watched two dozen pink and white balloons float up through that blue, "up to Heaven, and to Olivia," as our then four-year-old son announced. It was as if God sent the blue sky, bright sun, and white clouds to tell us that everything was going to be alright, healing would continue to come.

Today, the sky is dark and the rain is coming down in sheets. This is the hardest it has rained in weeks. It feels as if this time, God is crying with us, telling us that it is okay to be sad today--to grieve--and that He bears our sadness with us.

Two years ago today, Olivia Hope Miller entered the world after 38 weeks of life in her mother's womb. Her precious little body, beautifully and perfectly formed, was still. She weighed 5lbs., 11oz., but felt lighter than a feather as she lay in our arms, unmoving, her soft, pale skin so cold to our touch.

Two years later, our lives have moved forward. Though she has gone on to Heaven ahead of us, her brief life here with us is still such a part of who we are as a family and of who each of us is as individuals. Her brothers and sisters, grandparents, and especially her mommy and daddy, have been forever changed by the little girl whose eyes we never saw open and whose voice we never heard.

She was loved and wanted and known by her family. We held her in our arms for such a short time, but we will hold her in our hearts until the day we each meet her again face-to-face and live together forever with our Savior.

This day is a sad one, but it is also one of celebration. Today, we celebrate a precious life, so brief and yet so full of meaning and purpose. God had a plan for Olivia's life, and she lived it out for His glory. Her life has brought healing and her memory brings joy. Though her loss makes us sad, it has also taught us so much about love and sacrifice, joy and sorrow, and about how to have a life lived abundantly for the glory of God.

It may be raining today, but the sun will be shining again and the sky will be a brilliant blue once more. Maybe even tomorrow.

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!

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!

Great Need in the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the second largest African nation. Located in central Africa, it is a nation in great need as a result of decades of civil war, political instability, and immense poverty.

D. R. Congo is located in sub-Sahara Africa and is extremely bio-diverse, with many rare and endemic species of animals, such as the common chimpanzee, the bonobo, the African forest elephant, mountain gorilla, okapi and white rhino.  It is also greatly varied in geography and climate. Within the Congolese nation can be found lush rainforests, large plateaus, vast savannas, dense grasslands, and high glacial mountains. The Congolese rainforest is the second largest in the world. The nation itself is named after the Congo River, which snakes through the country and is one of the world's longest rivers. 

The Congolese people have a rich and interesting cultural heritage. They are known for their very distinct musical style as well as their traditional art.

Although one of the most poverty-stricken nations in the world, D.R. Congo is one of the richest nations in terms of natural resources such as diamonds, cobalt, and other minerals. Control over these natural resources has been the cause of much of the civil unrest within the nation in recent years. DRC is considered one of the most dangerous places in the world for women and children. Abuse against women and children (in all forms) is common.

In recent years, efforts are being made to bring stability to the political climate in the DRC. As a developing (or third-world) country, there is very little infrastructure in the way of roads and access to much of the rural areas is limited.

There are an estimated 5 million orphans in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These children are orphaned because of war, famine, poverty, and diseases such as malaria. Many of these orphans will loose their own lives as well. The ones who make it into the orphanages are the blessed ones. Orphanages are privately run, many by churches or other Christian organizations.

Our hearts yearn to help those in need in this country. One very small way our family can do this is through bringing two little orphaned children into our home and loving them as our own. As we learn more about this country which our little boys are coming from, we are filled with compassion for the people of the Congo. These people need the prayers and help of God's people. The orphans of this country need an advocate. The women of this country need a voice to cry out for them.

God is calling--will we answer His call?