Endless paperwork....shots....cleaning and organizing....SHOPPING!

Those of you that have already adopted children know this well.  Adopting a child requires a lot of documents.  Today, we are filling out the 16 page Child Desired forms that detail every type of illness that an internationally adopted child could possibly possess.  Needless to say, this will be a bit time consuming.

We are doing our online required reading program as well.  It isn't difficult.  It just requires one to hold still, to read, and to take a test.  When we've finished each course, we take a test and then receive a certificate of completion.

We chuckle to note that we are required to update our dogs' rabies shots .  Having seen countless dogs wandering the streets of China, we think this is an interesting requirement :)  Look out, Nitro and Gonzo, you're gonna have to take one for the team this week!

People from all over the United States have been contacting us about adopting Phillip.  Since over 2,000 people visit the orphanage each year, many folks have met and developed a heart for Phillip and the rest of the older children at Shepherd's Field.  Several friends are returning to SFCV this summer and have offered to take gifts and to take pictures and video.  We're so jealous!  We all wish that we could go to China, but will have to wait for God's appointed time to bring Phillip home.

Since our friend, Paula, offered to host a yard sale at her home to raise funds to adopt Phillip, we're storing a lot of items that we would normally donate.  They are starting to fill Karl's bay in the garage.  We're eager to clear any clutter and begin to eliminate the work bench in the garage.  Karl hopes to begin extending the walls of the powder bath and the office into the garage.  Kyle will organize the storage room and then begin to empty the shelves of the workbench this afternoon.  Weehaa!  Progress!

Brit and I are already starting to watch sales for clothes for Phillip for school.  Hey, we're girls, it's only natural!  Although he is only 12, Clay and Jewel from SFCV think that he might wear a men's size shirt because of his brace. 

Not Too Short

Numbers 11:23-"... Is the Lord's arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you."

The context of this verse is great! God has just told Moses that He will provide an abundance of meat for the complaining Israelites to eat-so much that He says it will actually come out of their nostrils! (Numbers 11:20) After this promise, Moses, with his finite little brain, begins to reason out how in the world God is going to do that. Moses asks (in my own sarcastic paraphrase), "Do you realize how many people there are here? How are you going to do that, God? Really? Are you just gonna go fishing and catch ALL the fish in the sea, or something?" God calmly and graciously answers Moses' question with another question, "Is the Lord's arm too short?" Moses' only response to God's question is to go tell the Israelites what He said and make the necessary preparations.

I was challenged with this verse at youth church the other night. Chris Rogne pointed out that when we ask or fear that the arm of the the Lord is "too short" we question God's goodness and God's competence. I believe we also question His faithfulness. Why do we question Him? Has He EVER failed us? No never.

As with many things, lately, I immediately applied this verse to the context of the adoption and the questions we could ask: Is the Lord's arm too short to provide finances to bring Phillip home? Is the Lord's arm too short to provide emotional support for our family? Is the Lord's arm too short to provide the grace needed for each set back, each step forward, each unanswered question, each needed preparation? Is the arm of my God too short to meet Phillip's needs-physical, emotional, and spiritual?

The resounding and triumphant answer to all these questions is NO. No, the arm of the LORD is NOT too short. Praise God! I am claiming this for our family and cannot wait to watch God come through strong on our behalf.

Glory to God.

Brit

Ouch.......!

Clay and Jewel Floch were kind enough to bring Phillip's records from China in digitial form when they returned to Spokane recently.  Wanting to understand his medical condition more fully, our family examined his x-rays and written physical evaluations thoroughly.  The x-rays of the rods in his back make us wince.  We're so thankful that we will be able to take him to Shriner's hospital when he comes home.  Shriner's has already been very helpful in evaluating his condition with the limited medical information that we had initially.  Seeing his medical records affirms the need to bring him to Spokane for further treatments as soon as possible.

Saying Good-bye...

  This week we said good-bye to our dear friends, Clay and Jewel Floch.  They are the guest coordinators at Shepherd's Field Children's Village.  They managed to welcome over 2,000 guests to SFCV last year!  As you can imagine, they are very busy on a daily basis.  We're praying for them as they pursue God's will for them in China!
   We sent an envelope of  family pictures with them.  We're hoping that they will be able to share them with Phillip in a benign way.  It would be a blessing if Clay and Jewel were the ones that got to tell Phillip that he has a family.  He won't get that information until our family has travel approval from China.  Clay and Jewel said that is so hard not to tell him that he has family.  Waiting until families have travel approval is a way to protect the children from emotional upheaval if an adoption doesn't go through.
    Brittany was looking at Phillip's pictures and noticed that Phillip's wheelchair doesn't have footpegs.  That fact makes us wonder if we will need to replace his wheelchair when we get to bring him home.  He wears a plastic brace of sorts as well.  It seems like he has outgrown it and we're hoping to find a new one that doesn't irritate his skin.

Joni
 

Meeting with our social worker....

Today, we will meet with our social worker to turn in heaps of documents and to assess where we are in the homestudy process.  We're hoping that the news is good so that we can make progress quickly.


Although we have the PERFECT room for Phillip downstairs off the family room, we've elected to remodel our upstairs office and powder bath so that Phillip can easily access his bedroom and have a bath designed for him.  Karl will bump the walls out into the garage and can start work on the project without opening up the current rooms for awhile.  We're eager to have things just right for Phillip to be able to get around.  Thankfully, our house has an open design.


It is a fun weekend for us because Gracie and Lucy, our nieces, are here for the weekend while their mommy and daddy are at a marriage conference.  When I first got home and saw a little girl with crimped, long blond hair running through the trees above the house, I thought, "Houston, we have a problem here!  Uncle Karl brought home the wrong little girls!" Fortunately, Karl did accomplish his mission of picking up the right girls in the Tri-Cities.  Gracie has just taken a fancy to wearing a hair piece.  Gracie immediately hit the rope swing when she got here.  She has a few scratches and bruises from that nasty old tree, but the fun seems to far outweigh the boo boos for her.  Lucy has made peace with Nitro, our very affectionate golden retriever.  She constantly yells, "No yicking me!"  I think that Grace, Lucy, and Phillip will really enjoy each other when Phillip comes home!  I can imagine the girls loving wheelchair rides!

My Daddy's Tears

For those who don't know, I am a crier. Yep. I love crying. And I love witnessing others crying. I don't mean this in a depressed or morbid manner. I just love the way that tears reveal one's heart. Tears show how much something… or someone… means to you. Tears reveal a sensitive, soft heart. Tears are evidence of a work God is doing. Sometimes tears hurt, sometimes tears are joyful. Tears refine, refresh, and bring clarity. I have been a witness to some deeply intense "crying moments" (mine and others') over the past year or two, and I am all the richer for them. 

I say this to give a little background for why it is that I LOVE the fact that my daddy cries every time he talks about Phillip. When my dad called and told me about his decision to move forward in adopting Phillip, I could tell he was crying over the phone. When my dad tells about his wrestle with God that brought him to the point of choosing to adopt, his eyes get damp. I love it. I can only remember a couple other times in my whole life that my daddy has cried in front of me. This spring, I have seen my dad cry often and openly while talking about Phillip and the adoption process. Historically, my dad has not been one to cry. But God has done, is doing, and will continue this work in him that has made his heart so sensitive and put a heavy burden on him for Phillip. The simple fact that my dad cries about this adoption is a small, but special confirmation that THIS IS what God is calling our family to. I am thankful that I have had the opportunity to witness my daddy's tears.

And as I write about my daddy's tears, my thoughts are turned to my Heavenly Father and the tears that He sheds for His children. Can you imagine?  Selah. On the cross Jesus cried out, "Forgive them, because they don't know what they are doing." Jesus wept with those who mourned Lazarus' death. He cries with us. He cries for us when we are stuck in sin. He cries for His children that do not know Him. He cries with His children that are without earthly moms and daddies. He cries with Phillip. I am in awe of the heart-the love-that my Father has for His children...

I am in awe of my Daddy's tears.

Brit

Psalm 126:5 ~ "Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy!"

We PASSED the TEST!

After being poked and prodded over the course of several weeks, we finally have the medical "all-clear" in hand today!  Karl and I are pretty healthy as confirmed by a plethora of tests .  We can check that off our homestudy "to do" list!

Our FBI fingerprinting and background checks are also ready to be delivered to our social worker.  (Getting fingerprints at the courthouse was an interesting process.....) 

Right now, the big push is to do some required reading and to complete some courses online.  The "Hague" countries have standardized their adoption procedures to include a lot of information to equip families.

Joni

God's Work Thus Far

Though we've really just begun the adoption process, it's already clear to see ways that God is working in our family. Some BIG changes have already taken place, not the least of which is my parent's increasing technological independence! After years of depending on their children to navigate the mind-numbing nonsense of computers and cables, they were cyber-stranded when Britt moved to Corban last January. They have adjusted admirably and now expertly navigate documents, data, and other drudgery like pros. Dad even has an iPhone! And of course I'm not even a little bit jealous :) I'm super proud of my parents and the ways they are changing.
      Well, as striking as their technological turnaround might be, I've seen even greater work being done in the lives of my Mom and Dad as they have followed God down this wild new path. They have refused to sit where things are comfortable, to watch life float by and miss out on the work God is doing. It would have been easy; we were all set to have quite a conventional future. College, weddings, jobs, grandkids, retirements. The whole sha-bang. But God has called and they have answered with a hearty "Yes Sir!"
      What a wonderful thing it is to watch the mother's heart I have always known expand and grow to make room for another son! What a joy it is to see my father's warm eyes melt with tears at the thought of raising a child he doesn't even know yet! I've never seen such a beautiful thing. I've never before imagined such a vivid display of God's love for me, but thanks to Mom and Dad I know love better now. They adore Phillip, despite how little we know him and despite the physical struggles he faces. In the same way, God ADORES me! Though I hardly know Him at all, though my flaws and faults are more glaring and grave than any disability, He LOVES me! I've never understood that and I still don't, but after seeing my parents do the same thing I can imagine it at last. Thank God for their faithfulness to follow Him and to show THREE children what love really means.

~ Kyle

Ordinary to Extra-ordinary

My family has always been pretty… normal. Wonderful, but normal: Dad, Mom, brother, and me. We have grown up in a strong Christian environment, gone to school, owned dogs and fish, played sports, and been sun-burned. Recently, however, God has been doing some amazing things to change our family from ordinary to extra-ordinary. My family is now in the process of adopting an 11-year-old boy from China! This “little” change will move our family from being a pretty normal, run-of-the-mill, American-Christian family to a pretty normal, run-of-the-mill, American-Christian family with a little Chinese boy in all our family photos :) I don’t think I have completely grasped all the changes that will be coming our way as we adopt Phillip, but one of the things that I am most looking forward to with the coming of my new brother is the crazy witness that he and that this process will be to friends and to much of my extended family… Praise God for using our family to glorify Himself!

In Him,

Brit

On an Adventure.....BOOYAAAHAHAHAHA!!!!

I got my hepatitis shots today.  Weehaa!  The shot giver made it quick and virtually painless.  The medical side of the homestudy is almost complete. 

Brit sent me this text yesterday:  Proverbs 13:12  "Hope deferred makes the heart sick,but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."  We know that Phillip's hope has been deferred for 11 years, but hope that God will use us to fulfill his longing for a family.  When Clay and Jewel told the kids at Shepherd's Field that they were welcome to refer to Clay and Jewel as mom and dad, Phillip told Jewel that he wanted to call her mom, but wondered if it would bother his adoptive mom when she came to get him.  Phillip hasn't given up hope for a family!

Joni :)