It is hard to have so much to share and such limited time to share it. I know that not all of my dearest friends are on facebook so I want to make sure I keep everyone as up to speed as possible on all that is happening.
Brief run-down of our day...left here at 6 am to get to the U.S. Embassy for our 7:30 appt with the other 2 American couples that we are with. Have learned a great deal about Haitian culture and the complete lack of Haitian driving laws just from these rides up and down the mountain but that's a whole other post! :) We got to the embassy...waited, were seen, waited some more, were interviewed and then were released from there about 10 am. We thought we were on track for a smooth and fairly quick day. Then it took about another hour of crazy driving to get to the courthouse. Both the embassy and the courthouse are in Port au Prince but the traffic and the roads are apparently especially bad between those 2 buildings, which is really saying something! So we took a longer journey up and around and then back down to get to the courthouse.
We found out on the way that the judge we were supposed to see is out until next Tuesday...oops! But we went to the courthouse anyway because our orphanage thought they could still get us in to do what needs to be done...which really just amounts to a clerk copying some pages in our passports. Ugh. After waiting a half hour, the director of our orphanage called and said it simply wasn't going to happen today. She'd been on the phone for 30 minutes trying to make it work and it was out of the question.
So, we'll find out tomorrow whether or not we'll get special permission to go back to Port au Prince tomorrow and have a different clerk from a different court do it for us....or, someone from each family has to stay until next Tuesday and try it again when the judge gets back to town.
Honestly, I don't even know what to pray for right now so pray as you feel God leading you. In some ways, its best to just get it done tomorrow. That saves, time, money, and complications in so many ways. However, it also takes away our only full day at the orphanage and means that our time with our girls will be drastically reduced tomorrow. That makes me sad. The idea of one of us staying means that one of us would get more time with them but obviously makes everything more complicated.
As far as seeing the girls today, we've gotten to see glimpses of Chelley coming and going from her class with her school mates. Their classroom is on the main floor of the guest house in which we are staying. So, that has brought joy to my heart and she's given us a couple of smiles in those interactions today. The plan is to hang out with her from 3-5 pm in her environment, called the Toddler House, which we didn't get to see at all yesterday. Can't wait to see her in her space, with her friends. Then tonight we'll have dinner at the main house and hopefully get a little bit of time with Naika before bed.
That's what I know for now. Thanks for your love and your prayers!
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Meeting our precious girls
It's the wee hours of the morning on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 and I have a brief moment to update you all quickly before we head to Port au Prince for a busy day of embassy and court appts. (Of course, busy in regards to Haiti = hurry up and wait and above all...be flexible about everything!!)
We did get to spend some priceless and wonderful time with Chelley and Naika yesterday morning. We arrived at the orphanage about 10:30 am...after mostly smooth flights and a not-so-smooth drive up into the beautiful Haitian mountains. We were taken directly to the Main House, where all the littlest ones live, and both Chelley and Naika were waiting on one of the balconies for us. We had some of the wonderful GLA staff with us to introduce us to the girls and to help them feel comfortable as we spent those initial moments together. The girls were understandably quiet and reserved at first, although Chelley was willing to hug us right away. They warmed up quickly, especially when we got out the presents and snacks we'd brought them. They were willing to sit on our laps and play with us, and by the end of our time together, Naika didn't want me to put her down. If I set her down to play with something, she turned around and reached for me. Oh so good for this mama's heart. Neither girl said much of anything, although they both do talk quite a bit when in their element. They did however reward us with some of their priceless and beautiful smiles. The GLA staff were surprised at how quickly Naika warmed up to us. Chelley was her usual bright and smiley self. Praise God for all the answered prayers. We had about 1 1/2 hours with them before we had to leave them for lunch. We had little bits of time with each of them individually after lunch and hope to get to spend some more time with them this afternoon after we return from Port au Prince.
It is still quite unreal to actually be here, to see and hold them in person and we are taking as much video and as many pictures as possible so that we can remember these life-changing moments. They are even more beautiful and precious in person than they are in their pictures. Speaking of pictures, I will try to upload some at some point but don't have the means right now. I'll try to update more later but will end this post with the lyrics to the song that so completely mirrors my heart right now. This song, written by two adoptive daddies...Mark Hall (of Casting Crowns) and Steven Curtis Chapman, is the reason for the name of our blog. Read the lyrics and then go listen to it on youtube...it's amazing!
You were broken, abandoned
And crying all alone
We were waiting and praying
And longing to bring you home
And then we saw your face
In a moment you were wrapped up in our hearts
We took a step of faith
And now here we are
Will you let me hold you in my arms tonight
I have come so far to find you
So far to find you
Will you take my love and give up the fight
I have come so far to find you
So far to find you
From a world away, I journeyed
Just to hold your hand
You will never be alone again
I've come so far to find you
So far to find you
You were fighting and fearful
You were hiding your heart away
But I was trying so hard to show you
รข€˜Cause there were no words that I could say
If you could see my heart
You would know that all I want to do
Is care for you
Will you let me hold you in my arms tonight
I have come so far to find you
So far to find you
Will you take my love and give up the fight
I have come so far to find you
So far to find you
Here in your eyes I see
Reflections of myself
How I'm the child that's really running
But I can hear a voice that's whispering my name
Saying come to me, don't run from me
I'm all you need and I am calling
Will you let me hold you in my arms tonight
(I have come so far)
Will you take my love and give up the fight
(I have come so far)
Will you let me hold you in my arms tonight
I have come so far to find you
So far to find you
Will you take my love and give up the fight
I have come so far to find you
So far to find you
From Heaven's throne
Down to a rugged cross I came
It was My love for you that brought Me all the way
So far to find you
So far to find you
We did get to spend some priceless and wonderful time with Chelley and Naika yesterday morning. We arrived at the orphanage about 10:30 am...after mostly smooth flights and a not-so-smooth drive up into the beautiful Haitian mountains. We were taken directly to the Main House, where all the littlest ones live, and both Chelley and Naika were waiting on one of the balconies for us. We had some of the wonderful GLA staff with us to introduce us to the girls and to help them feel comfortable as we spent those initial moments together. The girls were understandably quiet and reserved at first, although Chelley was willing to hug us right away. They warmed up quickly, especially when we got out the presents and snacks we'd brought them. They were willing to sit on our laps and play with us, and by the end of our time together, Naika didn't want me to put her down. If I set her down to play with something, she turned around and reached for me. Oh so good for this mama's heart. Neither girl said much of anything, although they both do talk quite a bit when in their element. They did however reward us with some of their priceless and beautiful smiles. The GLA staff were surprised at how quickly Naika warmed up to us. Chelley was her usual bright and smiley self. Praise God for all the answered prayers. We had about 1 1/2 hours with them before we had to leave them for lunch. We had little bits of time with each of them individually after lunch and hope to get to spend some more time with them this afternoon after we return from Port au Prince.
It is still quite unreal to actually be here, to see and hold them in person and we are taking as much video and as many pictures as possible so that we can remember these life-changing moments. They are even more beautiful and precious in person than they are in their pictures. Speaking of pictures, I will try to upload some at some point but don't have the means right now. I'll try to update more later but will end this post with the lyrics to the song that so completely mirrors my heart right now. This song, written by two adoptive daddies...Mark Hall (of Casting Crowns) and Steven Curtis Chapman, is the reason for the name of our blog. Read the lyrics and then go listen to it on youtube...it's amazing!
You were broken, abandoned
And crying all alone
We were waiting and praying
And longing to bring you home
And then we saw your face
In a moment you were wrapped up in our hearts
We took a step of faith
And now here we are
Will you let me hold you in my arms tonight
I have come so far to find you
So far to find you
Will you take my love and give up the fight
I have come so far to find you
So far to find you
From a world away, I journeyed
Just to hold your hand
You will never be alone again
I've come so far to find you
So far to find you
You were fighting and fearful
You were hiding your heart away
But I was trying so hard to show you
รข€˜Cause there were no words that I could say
If you could see my heart
You would know that all I want to do
Is care for you
Will you let me hold you in my arms tonight
I have come so far to find you
So far to find you
Will you take my love and give up the fight
I have come so far to find you
So far to find you
Here in your eyes I see
Reflections of myself
How I'm the child that's really running
But I can hear a voice that's whispering my name
Saying come to me, don't run from me
I'm all you need and I am calling
Will you let me hold you in my arms tonight
(I have come so far)
Will you take my love and give up the fight
(I have come so far)
Will you let me hold you in my arms tonight
I have come so far to find you
So far to find you
Will you take my love and give up the fight
I have come so far to find you
So far to find you
From Heaven's throne
Down to a rugged cross I came
It was My love for you that brought Me all the way
So far to find you
So far to find you
Monday, May 20, 2013
Here we go!
Well...the day has finally come! As I write this,we have one hour before my parents come to take us to the airport. This past week has been such a jumble of emotions and they just seem to intensify every day until today, where I'm at the point that I'm kind of useless and don't even know what to do with myself.
There is the obvious excitement that we are finally at this point and that in less than 24 hours, we will be meeting and playing with our girls in person. It still seems quite unreal and like I'm in a dream fog...which is a bit like running through knee deep jello! On the flip side, I'm quite nervous as well. I feel a bit like a pregnant mama heading into labor. I REALLY want this to happen, but the unknowns are still there...how much will this hurt? Will everyone be OK? What will my baby be like? Throw in a few extra questions for this scenario...will my child be willing to look at me or let me hold/hug her? Will I be able to communicate and bond with my children? What will I say to my 7 year old child that I'm just now meeting for the 1st time? And the list goes on... On top of those emotions are the bittersweet feelings of saying goodbye to our 3 girls here for almost a week. We will miss them greatly, even though we know they're in the best of hands with Grandma, Grandpa, and the occasional "friend" reinforcements. As I was putting Livie to nap today, I had a hard time explaining to her how much I would miss her while we are gone. I cried when she wrapped her arms tightly around my neck and said, "I'll miss you too, Muder". :)
Maybe this ride is like one of those spinning rides...like a Tilt-A-Whirl. It's fun and you want to be on the ride, but your stomach is definitely doing somersaults with all the spinning. :)
This is just another opportunity to remember that God is in control of all of these details as well. He sees and knows everything in our hearts, in the hearts of Chelley and Naika, in the hearts of Maria, Annika, and Livie as this momentous occasion take place. Never once has he left us on our own and that is true this week too.
For those of you that haven't gotten other facebook or in-person updates this week, this has been a week of AMAZING and encouraging connections. God has been pouring on the blessings with such frequency that it's made my head spin. To make a long story short, we've made the following connections with people important to our adoption journey this week...
-- One of my closest college friends "just happens" to be good friends with one of the other 2 families that we are traveling with in Haiti this week. So, we've been able to email and chat with each other as we've made the preparations for this trip. We'll meet them in Port Au Prince in the morning as we all prepare to meet our kids for the first time.
--Those 2 families invited me to a facebook group for families that are adopting or have adopted from GLA. Within minutes of being on that group, I was messaged by one of the other moms. This family is in the process of adoption twin 1 year old boys from GLA but they have also been financially sponsoring Chelley for a long time. Their whole family has been praying for Chelley (and her little sister) that she would have a family soon and we were the answer to their prayers. She said her kids were so excited to see our pictures and know that we are Chelley's new family! OK...tears much?!
--The next day, that mom that has been sponsoring Chelley introduced me on facebook to another mom who brought home her daughter from GLA about 6 months ago. The girl they adopted just happened to be one of Chelley's best friends and had been really concerned about Chelley's well being after she left the orphanage. Now, that mom has shown that little girl pictures of us and can reassure her that Chelley will have her forever family soon. I've got some pictures on my iPod that I can show Chelley of her friend to let Chelley know that she is doing well with her forever family. Precious.
--And then to top it off, someone else from the group messaged me and said that they have 3 adopted kids from Haiti (one from our orphanage just recently) and that they live in Iowa. She mentioned that she has relatives in Rochester and when I asked their names, I found out that her relatives are a fellow homeschooling family in our church that has been incredibly supportive of our adoption. WOW!
So, if those were last week's surprises that God had for us, I can't wait to see what he has in store for this week. I need to wrap this up so that we can head to the airport. Thank you in advance for all of your prayers...we'll share updates as we are able throughout the week. I apologize for any typos but I don't have time to go back and proofread. I'm sure you'll understand.
Here we go...!
There is the obvious excitement that we are finally at this point and that in less than 24 hours, we will be meeting and playing with our girls in person. It still seems quite unreal and like I'm in a dream fog...which is a bit like running through knee deep jello! On the flip side, I'm quite nervous as well. I feel a bit like a pregnant mama heading into labor. I REALLY want this to happen, but the unknowns are still there...how much will this hurt? Will everyone be OK? What will my baby be like? Throw in a few extra questions for this scenario...will my child be willing to look at me or let me hold/hug her? Will I be able to communicate and bond with my children? What will I say to my 7 year old child that I'm just now meeting for the 1st time? And the list goes on... On top of those emotions are the bittersweet feelings of saying goodbye to our 3 girls here for almost a week. We will miss them greatly, even though we know they're in the best of hands with Grandma, Grandpa, and the occasional "friend" reinforcements. As I was putting Livie to nap today, I had a hard time explaining to her how much I would miss her while we are gone. I cried when she wrapped her arms tightly around my neck and said, "I'll miss you too, Muder". :)
Maybe this ride is like one of those spinning rides...like a Tilt-A-Whirl. It's fun and you want to be on the ride, but your stomach is definitely doing somersaults with all the spinning. :)
This is just another opportunity to remember that God is in control of all of these details as well. He sees and knows everything in our hearts, in the hearts of Chelley and Naika, in the hearts of Maria, Annika, and Livie as this momentous occasion take place. Never once has he left us on our own and that is true this week too.
For those of you that haven't gotten other facebook or in-person updates this week, this has been a week of AMAZING and encouraging connections. God has been pouring on the blessings with such frequency that it's made my head spin. To make a long story short, we've made the following connections with people important to our adoption journey this week...
-- One of my closest college friends "just happens" to be good friends with one of the other 2 families that we are traveling with in Haiti this week. So, we've been able to email and chat with each other as we've made the preparations for this trip. We'll meet them in Port Au Prince in the morning as we all prepare to meet our kids for the first time.
--Those 2 families invited me to a facebook group for families that are adopting or have adopted from GLA. Within minutes of being on that group, I was messaged by one of the other moms. This family is in the process of adoption twin 1 year old boys from GLA but they have also been financially sponsoring Chelley for a long time. Their whole family has been praying for Chelley (and her little sister) that she would have a family soon and we were the answer to their prayers. She said her kids were so excited to see our pictures and know that we are Chelley's new family! OK...tears much?!
--The next day, that mom that has been sponsoring Chelley introduced me on facebook to another mom who brought home her daughter from GLA about 6 months ago. The girl they adopted just happened to be one of Chelley's best friends and had been really concerned about Chelley's well being after she left the orphanage. Now, that mom has shown that little girl pictures of us and can reassure her that Chelley will have her forever family soon. I've got some pictures on my iPod that I can show Chelley of her friend to let Chelley know that she is doing well with her forever family. Precious.
--And then to top it off, someone else from the group messaged me and said that they have 3 adopted kids from Haiti (one from our orphanage just recently) and that they live in Iowa. She mentioned that she has relatives in Rochester and when I asked their names, I found out that her relatives are a fellow homeschooling family in our church that has been incredibly supportive of our adoption. WOW!
So, if those were last week's surprises that God had for us, I can't wait to see what he has in store for this week. I need to wrap this up so that we can head to the airport. Thank you in advance for all of your prayers...we'll share updates as we are able throughout the week. I apologize for any typos but I don't have time to go back and proofread. I'm sure you'll understand.
Here we go...!
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