You know, life's not always what you expect. It could be going great one day, and suddenly take a face first, diving plunge into the unknown. I found that out when our seemingly perfect, no-worries-yet, plan to adopt changed courses.
The children are picked and perfect. But, what if they aren't aloud out of Uganda. The person in charge over there must sign a visa in order to let them out of the country. At the time, she refuses to sign off on any visa. For anyone.
No visa, no kids.
Just because they have their own problems half way around the world, doesn't mean everything over here is happy go-lucky either. We are trying to decide if we want to move and by a new house. Along with that we learned that instead of following the law: you can have three months off when you get new kids, Holt requires that we have at least one parent home at all times for the first six months. Mom can take the three months off but in law enforcement six months off just might mean that she quits that job and recruits to photography full time. If not and she is aloud to take six months off, she might have to work swing shifts. Dad on the other hand is trying to start up his own business which has it's struggles. If and when we do get the new children we will have to change pretty much our whole schedule. Taking them to doctor appointments, counseling things I have no clue about, helping them get places, driving them from place to place. And for a while, everything will seem like it's all about them.
I've been thinking about this more and more. So much so I'm kind of surprised I have been able to keep up on school work. I am fine while I am at school, but when I get home it all floods my mind like a tsunami. I think about it more and more all the time i even start dreaming about it. I dream about them coming here and us just being a normal happy family. But then again, I also dream about them coming and us not being able to communicate, they don't like us, everything goes down hill. I dream. I day-dream. I can't get it off my mind. What if, what if, WHAT IF?! It's all I think about. The bad things. God help me see the good in this!
I was reading my bible this morning. I flipped to the back where it has the "How to read the bible in a year" section. I found the date and turned to: 1 Samuel 19-21. I ended up reading about Saul and David. How Saul wanted to kill David, but God always kept him safe... God always had a plan. God has a plan for me and my family. I just have to have faith that it will all turn out alright.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
The Vanilla Tree
I had come prepared to connect with god, and with the fresh idea of possibly having a new brother or sister. I wasn't prepared though for this strong of a connection to God.
Not long ago, I got the great opportunity to go to Samuel school. I got the chance to go spend the weekend with friends and with the greatest person of all time. We spent time together. I grew, and grew with people who I knew would help me along the way.
We took walks together. We walked through the trees. We walked through pines and oaks. My favorite tree though, was the one that brought all this around.
I told you I had a dream that let me know that we should choose to adopt, but I didn't tell you how I knew that we would get the kids for sure. I was taking a walk with two friends through the trees to go visit "the vanilla tree". (a tree said to smell like vanilla) Of course, it smells like vanilla. It had bark that just seemed to flake off. The bark was like puzzle pieces and we soon became intrigued with finding pictures or animals in the pieces of bark we removed. I wasn't prepared for what happened next.
I pulled off a piece of bark and stared at it. A bulge towards the top left, a "horn" toward the middle on the right side. AFRICA?! As I examine it closer, I find it has the exact shape of Africa. Exact...down to the last little coves! It even has a dent in the bark chip right where Kenya is! How much better does it get? The wind picked up and sent a chill through out my body. I can honestly say I thought I heard my name whispered in the wind.
That night Rachelle was the speaker and she was talking about how maybe the little coincidences in our life, such as having a song in your head and then singing it at church or hearing it on the radio, is God trying to talk to us. Now you know, in some way, we will get those children. God works in wonderful ways, I have proof of that.
Not long ago, I got the great opportunity to go to Samuel school. I got the chance to go spend the weekend with friends and with the greatest person of all time. We spent time together. I grew, and grew with people who I knew would help me along the way.
We took walks together. We walked through the trees. We walked through pines and oaks. My favorite tree though, was the one that brought all this around.
I told you I had a dream that let me know that we should choose to adopt, but I didn't tell you how I knew that we would get the kids for sure. I was taking a walk with two friends through the trees to go visit "the vanilla tree". (a tree said to smell like vanilla) Of course, it smells like vanilla. It had bark that just seemed to flake off. The bark was like puzzle pieces and we soon became intrigued with finding pictures or animals in the pieces of bark we removed. I wasn't prepared for what happened next.
I pulled off a piece of bark and stared at it. A bulge towards the top left, a "horn" toward the middle on the right side. AFRICA?! As I examine it closer, I find it has the exact shape of Africa. Exact...down to the last little coves! It even has a dent in the bark chip right where Kenya is! How much better does it get? The wind picked up and sent a chill through out my body. I can honestly say I thought I heard my name whispered in the wind.
That night Rachelle was the speaker and she was talking about how maybe the little coincidences in our life, such as having a song in your head and then singing it at church or hearing it on the radio, is God trying to talk to us. Now you know, in some way, we will get those children. God works in wonderful ways, I have proof of that.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Anything is Possible With God
We've been blessed! Two new wonderful children are waiting in Uganda. Two wonderful, beautiful children of God. It happened just this morning while sitting and eating breakfast. We had recieved pictures of two children, Kevin (7 or 8 yr.) and his adorable little sister, Sheba (5 or 6 yr.), several days earlier. Their parents were gone. Dad probably died of aids and mom abandoned them. They were found living in a little brick shelter they had made for them selves, caring and feeding themselves as best they could. A neighbor found them and took them in and they have been shuffled around from place to place. They are in the care of a foster mother now.Usually the kids would be put on a waiting child list and then, the waiting families here could look through the list of kids. Well they weren't placed on the list for an unknown reason. Someone had mentioned them to our social worker and she said that she knew the perfect couple for them. She sent us pictures and information on them and said if we would agree to adopt them, then to consider them ours.
This is not etched in stone yet though. We still need to be aproved on the Ugandan side of things. Like I said in my first post, "I have always wanted a sister." It used to be that I considered my cousin Kelsey a sister, we did a lot of things together and shared secrets. But now, it looks as if I will get one that is truely mine. Mine to love and care for. Mine to look after and teach. Mine.It is truely amazing to be able to look at a picture of two children you have never met, never known, never knew existed, never known on a personal level, never been able to talk to, and say, "Thats a son and daughter of christ, and he wants them to belong to my family, and in some way, some day, he will make them ours, and we will love and care for them as Christ would, as long as we live!"
It is through the father I have told you this. It is through the father this is happening. It is through the father I will have a little brother and sister. And it is through the father, we will continue to live. Live in his way. Everyday. In every way. We are his. He will never, ever, leave us.
This is not etched in stone yet though. We still need to be aproved on the Ugandan side of things. Like I said in my first post, "I have always wanted a sister." It used to be that I considered my cousin Kelsey a sister, we did a lot of things together and shared secrets. But now, it looks as if I will get one that is truely mine. Mine to love and care for. Mine to look after and teach. Mine.It is truely amazing to be able to look at a picture of two children you have never met, never known, never knew existed, never known on a personal level, never been able to talk to, and say, "Thats a son and daughter of christ, and he wants them to belong to my family, and in some way, some day, he will make them ours, and we will love and care for them as Christ would, as long as we live!"
It is through the father I have told you this. It is through the father this is happening. It is through the father I will have a little brother and sister. And it is through the father, we will continue to live. Live in his way. Everyday. In every way. We are his. He will never, ever, leave us.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)