What a Week!!!

This week has been so emotional! From high's to low's! It's all good though, cause I know I'm not alone in all this! I have a cool story to share with all of you...
The lady who took our babes pics is named Karen. I emailed her and asked a ton of questions as you can imagine about how the babes were doing. She replied back with, "Onah is a chunk, but a cutie! He is a special boy and stole my heart. I held him most of the time I was there. What a precious boy! Marie is so tiny, and a little sweetheart."
She said something in her email that kinda struck me. She told me that Ophelia, Onah's mother still vistis him religiously every Sunday. She said she got to meet her, and that she is good friends with her adopted children's bio. grandmother. I didn't know what to think about his at first, but then I realized this was God giving me some understanding. You see the day before I had asked God why? I had asked him to give me understanding about his timing. Now, I don't know what God has to say, all I know is what I feel in my heart and what I believe is Him talking to me...faith, you know! (This is a Journey of Faith after all!)
So, I started thinking, "Liberia is the best place for Onah right now! This is why God's timing is the way it is. Onah's mother's love for him is apparent! She can't afford to take care of him and give him the medication he needs to live so she knew the best thing for her son would be to give him up. How hard that must have been for her! She has gone through the process, but I don't know if she has 'let him go' yet. All of my disappointments in the last few days can't compare to the pain she must feel each day! How she must treasure that time with him every Sunday! I can't imagine having to give up my Colten because I couldn't give him what he needed! That would be so hard and I don't know if I could do it even if that is what was best for him? So, God gave me some insight and made me feel a little selfish actually! Onah's mother still needs him right now, and when the time is right, she will be able to let go.
The other interesting thing I found was in my mission journal yesterday. We were asked to pray for God to bring someone to us on our trip in Liberia who we could be of encouragement to. I'm beginning to think that part of the reason I'm going on this trip is for this reason! I don't know if I will or not, but what if I meet Onah's mother? There's a very good chance! What will I say? How awkward will that be? I know the Holy Spirit will lead me in what I say and do. I can't help but think, this is why I'm going. Maybe my purpose is to offer encouragement, peace, and God's love with my son's bio. mother! How cool would it be to raise Onah in God's love, raising him up into salvation and being able to share with him that his mother would be in heaven with him someday! I think that would be pretty amazing! God's timing is perfect and if we ask for understanding He will give generously to all without finding fault! James 1:2-8
Pray that I will have the words to say to Ophelia, Onah's mother, and that I can offer her peace, comfort, love, or anything she is needing.

Just When I Get Down....

This always seems to be the case that when things get rocky and I'm missing the babies and feel like hope is gone, I'm uplifted by a message or something from the babies! We received a message today from a woman who just got back from Liberia. I had no idea anyone was even going!!! She sent us some new pictures of the babies! I'll quit typing so you can see them!!!

5 months old!!! WOW!!! I she's sitting up already! Time flies by! Isn't she so beautiful! On her medical reports the doc. said there looked like there was some crossing in her eyes, but I don't see it here. It must have fixed itself. Sometimes when babies are little they do look a little cross eyed?

Onah is getting so big too! I asked the woman if he was crawling yet. I heard he was getting a bunch of teeth. I had so many questions for her!

Do you see what I saw????? A daughter of mine...and ears pierced??? I need help! I thought I'd need help with hair, but now it's a different story. For those of you who know me, you know that I don't wear jewlry at all and having to touch earrings grosses me out! I'm gonna have to get over my fears or let them grow back? YIKES!

He's got quite the belly! A lot like another little boy I know! This means he'll fit well into Colten's old clothes. Big belly and little legs!
I can't wait to see them in just a few days!!!! While looking at the pictures we saw a new little baby there at the orphanage! Don't worry! We're not getting a third one!!! I think this one must already have a family. But he was so cute! He was only 2 DAYS OLD!!! He did not look happy in the pictures. He was screaming :)

Well this really lifted my spirits and got me excited about seeing them! Hope they brought a smile to all of you as well!

God's Timing is Perfect, but Hard to Swallow

1/27/09
Excerpt from the President of Liberia's State of the Union Address delivered
last night. The gross mismanagement of the adoption program (which aims primarily at
placing orphans in homes in the United States), by both Liberian and U.S.
personnel in the concerned NGO is the subject of a report by a Special Committee
which I appointed for this purpose. Essentially, we have discovered that many
of the children in these orphanages are not in fact orphans but children taken
from their living parents on the promise of support and a good life in
America. Moreover, we found that young children were being sexually abused at some
of these orphanages, while others including officials of government, have
used the program to extort money from potential adoptors. We have thus
suspended the adoption program until laws, policies and proper guidelines have been
established and we have asked our concerned friends and partners in the United
States to be patient as we try to correct the serious malpractices which
exist. We expect the National Social Welfare Policy and National Adoption Act
which will be submitted to you during the course of the year, will provide
guidance and prevent such abuses in the future.

This was the news that we woke up to this morning, only 17 days before we leave for Liberia. As of right now, many adoption agencies are being shut down completely and children returning to their parents and/or orphanages. Our agency is one of the few that is actually liscensed in the US and Liberia and WILL NOT BE SHUT DOWN, but adoptions are currently suspended until they get this all worked out.
This is very upsetting to me cause I SO BADLY long for my babies to be home here in my arms but as much as I'm hurt by this I can't imagine all the children going through this turmoil! Imagine, being told you have a mommy and daddy waiting in America to come and pick you up and all of a sudden being taken back to an orphanage and being told it's not going to happen!!! As much as I would love to have your prayers over this situation, I think these children need it more!
I have always said, "God just give me a miracle! Bring my babies home in February. But if you don't I will still praise you. I trust your timing." I guess I wasn't thinking of how hard that would be. I do trust in God and his timing, but it's just so hard to take! I guess He said His timing is best, not easy. I know there's a reason for all of this. I know that right now for some reason our babies are supposed to be in Liberia. I can't understand it and I would love to know why, but I also know that God is in control, and that's the best place for them right now otherwise they would be here. I know in His time we will have our babies in our arms and it will be the PERFECT time. Until then, we'll wait, pray, and have hope that our Father will unite us all as a family soon.
Please remember to pray for those children who are abandoned all over again, and those families whose hopes are crushed here in America. Pray for our babies and that we can be at peace with our situation. And finally please pray that God will be in control of the government in Liberia and will move mountains so children can come home to their families. Thank you!

Colten and Marie

Colten has taken a liking to his little sister. Sometimes at night when he's scared he likes to ask God to come and snuggle him so he won't be afraid. Well, one day this past week I was washing Colten's blanket and it wasn't dry for his nap. So I told him he could pick out another blanket to take a nap with. He wanted to pick one of Onah and Marie's blankets. So we went upstairs to their cribs and he picked one of Marie's blankets.
He covered up with it which led to a discussion of, "what will happen if Marie's blankie is being washed and she has to take a nap?" So I told him that he'd have to be a good big brother and tell her it was okay and mommy washes his blanket all the time and he always gets it back and it smells so good! That seemed to end the discussion with a huge smile and he went to sleep. When he woke up he came downstairs and said the sweetest thing! He said, "Mommy I slept with Marie for my nap today. I snuggled her the whole time! And she didn't cry!"
That night he found a little black baby doll that Sam had found at a yard sale. He said it looked like Marie. He covered her up and slept with her that night. Now every night he sleeps with that baby doll and says he is going to snuggle Marie, Onah, and God. Quite the crowded bed! He prayed that God would help Sam find his an Onah baby...we'll see if that one gets answered :) He's going to be such a good big brother!!!!
I snuck this picture while he was sleeping the other night.


In other news...4 more weeks and 5 days till we leave for Liberia! We had a team meeting yesterday and learned more about our trip details and what the schedule will be like. I don't know why but for some reason I'm really bothered this time about the flight and stuff. I've been scared lately and thinking the worst. I've been on long flights to Spain and Jamaica and have been on mission trips before, but for some reason this time I'm scared. Maybe it's because I have a little one this time that I'm leaving behind. I could use prayer for peace of mind I guess.
Anyway, during our meeting yesterday I learned the place that we are being housed in is called the ELWA center. What I understand it's kinda like what a YMCA would be here. I recognized the name of it from somewhere but couldn't place it. Then Dave said they have a medical clinic there and it hit me...That was the name on the letterhead from Marie's doctor visit! We received her medical papers and that is the place where she was checked out for Malaria and Hepititis! I'm hoping that means where we will be staying is somewhat close to the foster care home :) I'm so excited to hold my babies!!!! I can't wait!!!