Happy Halloween

Koen is a frog for Halloween. He hasn't had the best start to his holiday, having his 18 month doctor's appointment with vaccinations included this morning. He's been pretty whiny since. I'm sure his arms are a little sore.

Friday morning I get to go the Colorado Springs for a synchronized swimming coaches college at the Olympic Training Center. I did competitive synchronized swimming for years when I was younger, and now coach a few hours a week for the same club I swam for. It should be a fun experience, but I’m a little sad I have to leave Keith and Koen behind.

Decorating a pumpkin at our Care Group's Halloween party.

All the Care Group kids (minus the littlest one).

Loving playing in the leaves. My little pumpkin!

Keeping Distracted

We’ve had a busy few weeks, but that is good because it distracts me from the wait. Last weekend we went down to Salem to visit with Keith’s family. His sister and our nephew came to town, so we wanted to get the two little ones together.

Koen (left in all pics) and his cousin (21 mo)

I’m slowly starting to collect some baby girl clothes. My mother-in-law bought some things for Liv too. It’s fun, and feels like more of a reality.

I’m getting asked “what’s new with the adoption?” often, and wish I had more to say. We applied for another grant, but that is about it. Our agency’s Vietnam program coordinator is in Vietnam right now, and you can follow her blog she’s writing while there if you’d like at Amy's Trip to Vietnam.

More exciting though, is that several bloggers I’ve been following in are Vietnam getting their children right now! Two are from our agency and the third is linked on the left (From Cancer to Sara). It has been fun to follow their journey with so many ups and downs. The adoption laws in Vietnam just changed regarding a form you file once in Vietnam to get the government’s approval that the child is indeed an orphan so you can take them out of the country. In the past you haven’t been able to file this form until you are in Vietnam, but now they are requiring it be filed soon after you get the referral. This way, once they agree that the child is an orphan (which they have 60 days to do), you will be approved for travel. I’m not sure if this means travel wait times will decrease or not, but it is supposed to shorten the time required in country. It is also supposed to decrease corruption in the adoption system. The law takes effect in early November, so it disrupted those who are traveling now. There was a little uncertainty in how it would work, so families were being rushed to travel a week or so ahead of time to still be under the old law. It should all be figured out soon though.

Our agency’s blog noted that 15 families traveled to Vietnam in October to get their children. That is a lot! Most of those probably weren’t on the waiting list anymore and had already gotten their referrals when we got on the waiting list, but that’s still a good sign.

No new news on Baby Sinh. Keep praying! Thanks and God bless.

Baby Sinh

After our first meeting with our agency, I sent an email to the director to thank him for his time. He sent a reply and asked for prayers for a little baby girl named Sinh that was being flown to Singapore (if I remember correctly) for heart surgery (she has a large hole in her enlarged heart). I let him know I would pray. This was back in May.

Last month I found another blogger going through our agency that was more familiar with Sinh's story, and reminded me to pray. Apparently back in May, they were trying to find an American doctor who would perform the risky surgery. After several months, they could not. And during this time her heart was deteriorating. She would die without the surgery, and she would also likely die with it. I contacted my agency to find out more info, and they told me that because no American doctors would do the surgery, she would get it in Vietnam.

Just today I read on the other person's blog that the Vietnamese doctors also decided that she wouldn't make it through the surgery. She said that Baby Sinh (her name means "life") is not going to make it. "She is left to live out her remaining days with good care."
Baby Sinh in the Singapore hospital. She is often too tired to even smile.

Baby Sinh
As I read I was suprised at how sad I felt, hopeless. It is heartbreaking that this little girl never knew the love of a mother. Thankfully she does have a nanny or two that spends consistent time with her, and I'm sure love her, and our agency has done their best to help save her. But, it's sad when all their work, the love of the nannies, and the prayer of many don't bring her a better life.

As far as I know, Sinh is still alive, and it's not too late to pray. Maybe God does have a miracle in store. If you read this, please pray a quick prayer for Sinh's healing - on earth or in Heaven. Thanks.

It's Fall

Yes, it is fall, and it is getting cold and wet around here!

This weekend we had our Campus Crusade fall retreat with students from around our area. Koen and I decided last minute to go along, as the retreat was only one night away instead of the usual two. So, Friday morning we took a ferry (Koen’s first ferry ride – he kept saying “boat, boat!”) across the Sound to Poulsbo area. As soon as we got there we set up our room and put Koen down in his play pen in the big closet. Thankfully, he fell asleep for a little bit, while Keith set up the meeting room. Several hours later the rest of our staff team arrived, and then the students.

The retreat went well. Koen and I didn’t get to listen to any of the speaker (due to sleep time, or Koen’s unwillingness to stay put and quiet – surprise, surprise!). But, we did get to sit in during some of the worship, and join the group for meals and free time. Many of the students took to Koen and would pass him around. He had a good time playing in the dirt, swinging, and running around in the fields. He’s so social – he has a good time no matter who he’s with.

The students were great. I was amazed at the maturity of many of them, and there were actually a lot of guys! Usually there are way more females compared to males involved in the ministry, but this year seems much more balanced.

Monday was Keith’s day off so we went to a pumpkin patch near by. Koen got to pick out a little pumpkin (he insists they’re called “apple”s) but most of the large ones were rotting already. We also went in a corn maze and were lost in it just long enough that Koen was getting antsy and hard to hold. It was all of our first corn maze experience, and wasn’t quite as fun as we had hoped. Here are some pictures from our adventures:

Family Photo at the Farm (missing one very important little girl)

Koen getting licked by his mooing friend

It's just a little too heavy!

On Papa's shoulders in the corn maze.


Koen's little "apple"

*Dreams

The last week I have found myself anxiously awaiting our agency's Vietnam program newsletter that they send out monthly. In the past several months, it just shows up in my email inbox unexpectedly and I enjoy reading it. But now that we are officially waiting, I will probably cling to these more and more. The main reason I am interested now is because it usually updates the expected wait time, and communicates the number of families that received referrals last month, and how many picked up their children.

Last week after hearing from some other waiting families what number they are on the waiting list, I hastily sent an email off to our caseworker to see about how many total are waiting in our program (knowing that since we just got on the list, we are likely last). She replied that there are 39 families waiting, most of them for girls. So, we are number 39. That's a lot, but I'm hoping it is comparable to other agencies who have families who were at about the same point as us through the paperwork, around 15th or 20th. Our agency works with more orphanages than most, so maybe they get more referrals, and we'll move along at a comparable rate? Not sure though. 39th isn't real encouraging, but I'm glad I know now and can prepare myself for quite a journey ahead.

On a different note, I am really enjoying my women's Bible study through church right now. The book we are going through is "You Matter More Than You Think" by Dr. Leslie Parrott. I highly recommend this book. The chapter I just read is about your dreams, and no matter how old you are, we must recognize and follow our dreams. This is a way that God often guides us - through our passions, desires and dreams. One quotation she shared was from Langston Hughes: "Hold fast to your dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly." Leslie says "it is in pursuing our dreams that we move from becoming a half - a person who is waiting in the wings for something, - to a whole." When pursuing our dreams, we become who God created us to be. "The eventual pain that results from not dreaming - for fear of being disappointed by an unrealized dream - will always eclipse the pain of a dream that never comes true."

I think in the last few years I have settled into a comfortable life, and given up some of the dreams I had while in college. In the last year, however, God has made me realize a passion that I've always had, and got me thinking about what to do with it. I think my dream is to love orphans. I know I will do that through adopting our daughter, but I envision going to orphans overseas and serving, loving, touching, providing, living with them. But, I am also starting to envision becoming foster parents here and doing the same with the orphans (and children with parents who can't care for them) in our own city. I'm not sure what God has planned specifically, but I hope and pray I am faithful to follow this dream of somehow helping more orphans. I love them already!

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." -Psalm 37:4

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." -Romans 15:13

My Cowboys

Yesterday we received a big packet in the mail from our agency. It included a copy of our dossier (paperwork), and letter of congrats in completing it, a notice of the wait and what we are to do during it, and a pamphlet with articles about adopting and bonding with our new child. It feels more official now. Our agency also received our payment.

Lots o' paperwork - complete!

In the letter it said to expect to wait 9-11 months for a referral, but before we were told 10-13. It will likely change a little as we wait, and could possibly be even longer (my worst fear!). It is out of our agency’s control. I’ve read that some agencies can offer you quicker timelines, but sometimes what is happening is quite unethical – people offering more money in order to get younger babies, or get them more quickly. When adoption closed in Vietnam a while back it was in effort to clean up the system. It is better now, with more governmental control, but apparently the unethical still happens. Our agency pledges to do nothing unethical or illegal, and other adoptive parents who have gone through FIA have said the same. It’s reassuring to hear.

I expect to suffer some during this wait, but hope I can learn to trust the Lord and be content and really just enjoy having one child for now.

Here are a few very applicable verses the Lord gave me during my church women’s Bible study:

“For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” –II Corinthians 4:17

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, you endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when you endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” –James 1:2-4

“Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – I Thessalonians 5:18

Koen discovered the little helicopter things that fall from maple trees today. He had fun holding them above his head and dropping them. It worked better though when he watch mommy or papa throw them way up high, and sometimes the wind would catch them and they’d fly for a long time.

Here are some pictures from our church Fall Festival last weekend:


Our little cowboy got to ride a pony.

Our big cowboy got to ride a mechanical bull for a few short seconds.

He loved corn on the cob - his first try and he ate all the corn off!

*And The Wait Begins

The wait officially began for us today. Our dossier came back through our agency today from the Consulate in San Fransisco, and is being sent off to Henry (our agency coordinator on the Vietnam side) in Vietnam this afternoon. We are officially DTV on October 1st! At least October 1st is an easy day to remember, even though I was hoping for September 28th. And Yay, I get to add to our adoption time-line!

Other adoption notes: we applied for another grant this weekend - you can pray they choose us. We also sent off another big check to cover phase II of our payments. The next big payment won't be due until we have a referral. So, we probably have about a year to raise the rest.

Here's some great pictures I found on a fellow blogger's site. They are orphans in Vietnam. Don't you want to love and squeeze one tight?