Friday, February 1, 2013

We're expecting...

...some of you to call us crazy.
...some of you to shake your heads.
...some of you to disagree.

But we're also expecting you
                                 
                               ( those of you who know us,) to not be surprised.

                                                                          to be as anxious as we are to meet him.

                                                                          to share in our joy.


(If we haven't met yet, "Hello!")

                 I know, some of you know the boy we are adopting. I admit, I'm envious. And grateful. I want to call you each up and talk about him. I want to know details of what games you played ( did he win? is he a good sport whether he did or not? did he challenge you to a rematch?) what pictures you drew (I hear he is an artist, oh I can't wait to show him our art room!) where you walked (what caught his eye? did you skip? is he too cool for that? have I missed the skipping years?) If I meet you before I meet him, forgive me for crying as I hug you...but just knowing that you have already hugged him will probably be a bit emotional.

Those of you who shared in our journey to Evangeline 6 1/2 years ago (it's ok, I'll wait while you recover from the shock that it's been that long) ~ welcome back! :) Friends who have always known us as a family of 6, well, you may have wondered why our youngest looks Asian...she is ;)

That journey took over 2 years from filing to travel. This time, it will be faster. Three primary reasons:                                              

      ~  he is a waiting child, meaning we are filing to specifically adopt him
       ~ secondly, he is 12. At 14, he is no longer eligible to be adopted.
       ~  And the third reason is I REALLY REALLY WANT HIM HERE NOW.
                    ( alright, so #3 probably isn't a factor in the real process, but it sure is real in my head!)

So, there it is. The big announcement:  we are adopting a boy, 12, from China!!!

But wait! There's more!!

The reason I came out of bloggy hibernation...

                                                                    ...you see, this isn't something we planned. ( I know, I know, it's not like an unexpected pregnancy or something you can't stop, right?! Wrong!!! this is Exactly like that! it's coming! it's happening! he is ours. --there is a line in Peter Pan (the recent live action version, not cartoon) where one of the lost boys reunites with his mother and when he asks her how she knows that she is his mother, she replies " I feel it in my bones." This is that.)
                  God's plan. It throws us for a loop, sometimes. In fact, we've been doing loop de loops here for the past 9 months. For those who don't know, Jeff lost his job in May, and was unable to find another sustainable job until November, when he accepted his current position and we moved from Southern California to Pennsylvania. I'm not going to pretend that there were not moments of worry, but 6 months is a very long time to practice not worrying, and I got better at it. You see, we were in training. I am going to keep this blog going and let you all in on more of the events leading up to this decision, as well as our progress as we bring him home, but for now, I'm going to lay out to you the nitty gritty reality...

we need help.

That is So hard to admit. But that's exactly what God designed us to do. Help and be helped. (I prefer helping...this side is hard to be on...)  primarily, We need you to pray. For our boy. For me. For Jeff. For Shell. For Gab. For Ian. For Evie. For grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Pray. As we become his family, as he becomes part of ours. As our stories weave. Pray for peace in those moments when the enemy attacks with lies of fear. There are a couple of areas that we don't meet the exact criteria for the adoption, but we know God can do all things, and He will allow the exceptions. Pray for clarity in practical decisions about travel. (it is our desire to take the whole family, so we can all meet him in his comfort zone, and can all know where he came from and share in as much as we can...but that leads directly to...) Pray for finances. Even with the job loss, to this point, we have been fine. But this was not in the budget ;) It seems impossible to imagine 6 of us traveling (7 on the return trip!) to China, but we know it is Not! Pray for housing. We lease a beautiful, Victorian, turn of the century house, that we had hoped to buy, but with this new addition, that does not seem likely now. Again, not impossible, but I certainly can't see how from where I'm standing (so glad God's vantage point is better!). Pray. and pray and pray.
                            oh, we will need more help. that is assured. and I will ask again, I'm getting better at it ;)

and for those of you wondering...I have not posted a photo here yet due to the fact that we do not have preapproval yet. (in fact, I just modified this post, removing his name, because we are technically not supposed to use it until pa (preapproval). but that will be soon, I hope! so...stay tuned!!!

7 comments:

  1. You guys are amazing! What a big heart you have! I wish you the best in this, and that you swiftly navigate the sea of red tape to bring your new boy home.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ah, yes...the red tape ~ actually gives me an idea for a post...thanks! love you!

      Delete
  2. Wow, I'm really glad I stumbled upon this while checking my blog list! This is HUGE and exciting and I will be praying for you all so much as you walk through this process. Please keep the updates coming, dear friend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My darling Dana, thank you so much for your prayers. And now that I Can update more--I shall!!

      Delete
  3. A starfish has 5 arms-and you will have 5 children to wrap your arms around. God is such a great planner. Love and Prayers Mom

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a lovely word picture, mom! Thank you for your support and love. They mean so much to me.

      Delete
  4. So happy for you all...you are in my prayers

    ReplyDelete