Introducing God's Grace to Us!

Praise be to the LORD! We passed court today and here is our son Talo (His Ethiopian name which we are keeping!)He is almost 2 1/2 years old.

We already see God at work in his little life as these are not our first pictures of him. Here are the first pictures we saw of him back in June.

We just prayed so earnestly that He would feel God's love and that God would heal the grief in His little heart. We prayed that he would attach to the nannies at the transition home and he has. Our update states that he gets jealous when the Nannie has to take care of other children. And it is evident from his smiles that he feels God's love! Oh We love him so much! This is the miracle of adoption!

God was so amazing last night in how He works as I talked to my dearest friend Lauren who prayed with me over the phone as I cried. Jon and I had been praying endlessly together but I still felt just like God didn't want us to pass court yet, like he wanted us to go through another hard time. I wasn't angry at God I just felt like "what if it's God's will for us to have to wait longer." Then Lauren prayed that God's will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. She prayed how God has already chosen Talo to be our son. It is decided in Heaven before the world began that we would be a family. But on earth there is sin and human error and roadblocks. So when she prayed it would happen on earth as it is in heaven. I knew without any more doubts that it was God's will to bring Talo home. Passing court makes Talo legally our son, and I had been relying too much on the actual court forgetting that God had already chosen Talo as our son. After praying she read to me this verse out of Isaiah 30:18. I know this verse is going to be so much for Talo as it was God's promise to me that He would bring Talo home. I had asked God to speak to me through his word and he did! God did Justice and how wrong of me to forget that God longs to be compassionate and gracious to us!

"Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you,

And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you.

For the LORD is a God of justice;

How blessed are all those who long for Him." Isaiah 30:18

The first time Jon saw Talo's picture he was at work and he had music playing on his computer. As he opened Talo's picture to see his face for the firt time this song began. God is so good!

We did not Pass Court But. . .

Well, as I am sure many of you already know we did not pass court on Friday. One of the people involved in our little guy's case did not show up. So we began another time of waiting. Hearing the news that we did not pass court was so hard and we did cry and wish we had passed. However, we had prayed for God's will to be done and fully believe it was. But then I wonder do my prayers make a difference? Is God hearing what we are crying out to him for? How do I pray in Faith knowing that God is going to do His will and that it may not be my will.

As we seek God every day we both can see how He is deepening and strengthening our faith in Him. We are learning that truly no matter what we may want His will is always perfect and always best. Our hearts burn to have our son home and take him everywhere; the ocean, long walks, hiking, traveling to meet our relatives and so much more. Yet even though this is our passion and desire God has said wait. Wait and trust me and yes keep praying. Because even though I may feel my prayers did not make a difference the Bible and truth of God's Word tells me he does hear and answer our prayers. Emotions can not determine the truths of what I KNOW to be true about God.

Satan may come and try to make us doubt. He may come and try to plant worries in our minds about what lies ahead for us in our life with our son. However, these are only false emotions and attacks from the enemy and we are blessed by the Victory we have in Christ. For God says. . .

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1

Before court we just prayed that God's will would be done and that whatever would bring Him more glory would take place. So to God be the glory and to God be the glory because He has given us a new court date! Our case will go before the judge again while we sleep tonight and the LORD will decide when our son comes home. It is in His hands.

As I felt discouraged today I knew I needed to just praise God and this is the song that I sang! God is so amazing and we love Him so much. To Him be the Glory!

Our Court Date!

August 7th, that is our court date!
In Ethiopia on August 7th, all of our paperwork is taken to the Ethiopian Court to the area that handles adoptions. A judge will look over all of our paperwork along will all of our little guy's paperwork and will make a ruling on whether or not he legally becomes our child. Passing court is a huge deal, it makes the child officially yours in Ethiopia and once we pass court we are able to travel to pick him up and bring him home.

Our adoption agency told us that 40% of the families do not pass court on the first time. Paperwork could be missing, someone may not show up, or the judge may have questions on the orphan status of the child. Ethiopia takes the ethical side of adoptions very seriously and they want to make sure things are being done in integrity and in a legal ethical manner. In the world of international adoption problems can occur where people try to sell their children for money and Ethiopia wants to make sure this is not the case in each adoption.

So truly it is all in God's hands. We pray so much that we will pass court the first time on August 7th. We so desperately want to bring our son home and once we pass court we will be able to post his pictures on our blog and share him with all of you.

Please pray for us as we continue to wait. We long to be united with Him and just continue to pray that He will receive our love but most importantly receive God's love for Him by coming to know Jesus as his Savior. God has been so faithful to us in this whole process and we just can not wait to share Jesus with our little guy. As we wait for Him we continue to trust and know that God loves Him more than we do and He is holding him in His hands. Please pray for the judge to have everything they need on the 7th, to pass our case.

Tonight I was thinking how can I describe what God is to us during this time in our life of waiting and being totally dependent on Him. How can I describe how amazed we feel that out of the billions of people in this world and hundreds and thousands of miles that separate us from Ethiopia, that God would chose us to become this beautiful Little guys parents. We are so in awe of God and how he would work to unite us in even though we may be miles apart. When I thought about all this I remembered the song that we had sung at our wedding ceremony. This song completely describes who God is. How Jesus is great enough to be our savior and redeemer yet at the same time He is intimate enough with us that when we cry out he hears us!

An Orphan's Prayer

An Orphan's Prayer

An Orphan's Prayer
from All God's Children's Agency Newsletter
no author noted


I am waiting…somewhere far, far away…on the other side of the world.
I may not know who you are or what you look like.
But somehow, deep in my heart, I know you are out there.
That one day you will come and find me.

It's a long journey, and it takes a lot of time.
I wish it could be easier.
But I know that the ones who come for me will not count the cost.
They will only see the joy of finding me.

For now I abide in the fields of the fatherless.
Day by day wondering, "Why was I born here and not somewhere else?"
Asking, "Why couldn't my life have been different?"
It is so lonely…

Even though I am surrounded by hundreds of other children,
I know that something is missing.
I know in my heart I need a place to call home.

My arms long to be wrapped in a father's embrace…
I long to be saved by a mother's love.
Gazing out the orphanage window, I offer a prayer of hope,
"Oh God, please help them come quickly."

Even as I lay in the darkness each night somehow I feel assured.
That no matter how lost I appear I am not alone.
Holy hands guard my steps; sacred fingers wipe my tears…
Touching my lonely heart.

The one who made me,
The God who knew me before I was born,
Hears me every time I call.
He whispers His promises in my ear.
I listen with hope to His voice.

But what I worry about most is that no one wants to look for me.
The fields are vast, and there are so many scattered all over the earth.
I wonder how one little child, so lost, can be found.
Yet He calms my heart and assures me that He will find you.
That He will make sure you hear His voice clearly.
He has promised me that He will make a way through the fields.
That He will personally cut a path, and lead you right to my orphanage door.

My prayer is…
When He speaks, please don't forget to listen.
When He calls, don't be too afraid to go.
For I am waiting…somewhere far, far away.

Our Paperwork is in ETHIOPIA and we Have a REFERAL!!!

(Here we are mailing our paperwork in and then we were off to the beach. We were so exhausted that we feel asleep at the beach for two hours!)

"Yet with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised He was able to perform." Romans 3:20-21

God is more than able to perform what He has promised! Last Monday the 22nd all of our paperwork called the "Dossier" arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia! It was an amazing answer to prayer and has increased our faith so much! We haven't posted in so long because things have been totally crazy but in many good ways.
(This is us at Staples, copying all the documents. Actually Jon copied while I watched!)
First we give God so much praise because he provided all of the money we needed to mail in our paperwork!

(This is Jon organizing our paperwork! I had lost all sanity and organization skills at this point. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful and calm husband! He is going to make a great Dad!)
The adoption costs roughly $30,000 (this includes airfare and travel) however we started the adoption with about $7,000 in our own savings and just prayed and trusted God would provided the rest. Well the rest He has and is providing. After the fees when mailing in our dossier we have now paid roughly half of the $30,000. So, after a little math you can tell that this money has come from God! He has used so many people in our lives to provide this money and we are so grateful to you all. Your generosity is amazing and we are so thankful to you! Thank You to all who have given to bring our little one home! If you could join us in praying for the rest of the funds that would be amazing! We still are short the other half but fully trust that just like Romans 4:20-21 says above- we will not waver in unbelief but grow strong in faith!
(Here is all the paper work, an original set and 3 sets of copies)

Second we have amazingly exciting news! We have received a referral of a child!!!!
In adoption language a referral is the child that is matched to you and once you accept the referral the process quickly moves forward. On June 10th even before our paperwork hit Ethiopia our agency called us with a child that they thought we may be interested in. They knew that we were open to toddler age and they told us about a toddler age little boy!!!! We were in total shock that God had brought us a child so soon, nervous because we do not have the rest of the money needed, and overjoyed all at the same time!!!

We wish we could post a picture of him and tell you his name and more about him but until we pass court in Ethiopia our referral has to remain confidential. So if you could join us in praying for Him and praying for us to pass court that would be so amazing! Passing court is our next step. What happens is our Dossier is taken by a representative of our our Adoption agency to the Ethiopian court and it is officially determined by the judge that this little guy is our son! Passing court means the child is legally yours! So once we pass court we will be able to travel and bring him home!Right now we are still awaiting our court date, once we know we will post it so you all can be praying.

I feel like my writing is just rambles and hard for you all to follow. But if you are reading I am sure you can sense that my mind is racing with words and emotions and it is so hard to put them all down into a neat little post because this isn't a "neat" little thing. We have a picture of our son to be an He is halfway around the World. Being taken care of in the loving hands of our Father in Heaven who knew before the World began that someday we would be His parents. What an honor we have received. This is the miracle of adoption! All Glory to God!

Please pray for us as we continue to wait!

They Blessed our Hearts!

This past weekend we headed up to Ben's college graduation (Jon's brother)and got to spend wonderful time with family and friends. It was so refreshing to be away from home and have the whole weekend off! During this adoption we have often found ourselves in another world so it was so nice to step back from it for a moment. Adoption can be all consuming which is not a good thing.

One of our greatest blessings was spending so much time with Grandpa and Grandma Heidebrink. They are true reflections of Jesus. They are so selfless with their love and devotion to everyone in their lives. They are sincere in when they ask you a question they truly want to know the answer and they listen without interrupting!(Something I need to learn how to do!)

All weekend they just loved us without ending and they have such a burdens for everyone to get to experience salvation is Jesus Christ! They especially seem to have a burden for our baby, their first great grandchild! They were so interested in our adoption asking question after question letting us know they really cared. Not only have they given financially to us for the adoption but Grandma made us a beautiful blanket. She made it so we could use it when we go out with our baby to the park or beach and she said she could just see them crawling around on it! So can we Grandma!


So this posting is dedicated to you Grandma and Grandpa! We could never have prayed for more supportive, loving and accepting Grandparents of what God has called us into. We are so thankful for you and love you so much! We can't wait to travel out to visit you with your first great grandchild!


PS (Grandma you wanted this recipe so I googled it for you!)
Ingredients
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 egg
3 cups quick-cooking oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins
Directions
1Drain pineapple well, reserving 1/2 Cup of juice.
2In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, crushed pineapple and reserved juice. (Mixture will be very wet).
3In a medium bowl, combine oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and raisins. Stir into pineapple mixture.
4Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 300 for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Remove to wire racks to cool. (Unfortunately I didn't copy down the oven temp when I copied the recipe. I played with it a bit and found 300 to work well for me, even though it seems a bit low).

"Your Own Children"

Throughout this adoption process many people have asked us why we don't have our "own children". The questions and comments never seem to end, "Have you tried to have your own children?", "Do you want your own children someday?", and probably the most painful "When are you going to have your own children?" I think most people just assume adoption is second best and we are really longing for children by birth instead.

However, these comments and their hidden meanings are not at all how we feel. We as adoptive parents are just as excited as any parent who is pregnant and dreaming of the day they will see their child face to face. Our child is just as real as one that is growing in a Mother's womb. Our child is growing in our hearts and daily we dream of them and wonder what they will be like. We wonder will we have a boy or girl, will they be shy or outgoing,and what kinds of things will they like to do? We wonder what they will be when they grow up and we pray they come to know and love Jesus at an early age.

Other people have also been dreaming of our child as this past week we received our child's first gift. As Mom Johns was shopping it suddenly occured to her she is going to be a grandmother and her daughter is carrying a baby in her heart! So just as she would be out buying outfits if we were traditionally pregnant, she decided it was time to buy stuff for the baby that is growing in all of our hearts! And here came to be their fist gift along with a baby bottle fille with change they have collected to help bring their grandchild home. This gift was more special than they would ever know!




We also were blessed with more baby bottles filled with change from my friend Tanaya and all the nurses on her unit at the hospital.She has been such a fundraising help to us and support of our adoption! We are so thankful to her and all the other nurses generous hearts!

And to help bring home their first Great grandchild, Grandma and Grandpa Heidebrink sent us a very generous check. It said "To Bring Home our Greatgrandchild". As we thanked them for the money, Grandma said "Don't worry about it, its for my grand baby!" We just praise God for their maturity and faith and support of our Adoption! We couldn't ask for more supportive grandparents.

Adoption is just as real and exciting as being pregnant and having a child by birth. It is also just a much of a miracle.

So as not to offend but educate about what adoption means let us share one of our favorite quotes from the book "Cross Cultural Adoption".

"By regaling us with anecdotal stories of women who found themselves pregnant shortly after adopting, you are somehow demoting the wonderful thing that has just happened to us to a second rate experience- as if she is just something to distract us until the "real" thing comes along or a means to a more desirable end."

"Lift up your eyes round about and see; They all gather together, they come to you.
Your sons will come from afar, And your daughters will be carried in the arms." Isaiah 60:4