More Dreams

We've been DTV 4 months as of the 1st now. It has gone pretty fast until the last two weeks when I've been doubting we'll be able to hold her within a year if the country closes. Here are my latest finds for Liv - from the monthly 25 cent sale at a local children's consignment shop:

Some cute, Asian looking pants

Last night the three of us and my mom went out to Pho to celebrate Tet, the Vietnamese new year festival that begins on Feb 7th this year. Koen sure likes the noodles. It was good. Maybe I'll try making some myself on the 7th.

God encouraged me through the sermon at church this morning. The topic was dreaming, taken from Nehemiah. This seems to be a theme the Lord has for me lately : to dream big and let myself be used by God. Here's one quote by Pastor Paul: "The problem (with the world) that infuriates you the most is often the problem that God has assigned you to solve." And "Those who unlock your compassion are those God has called you to serve."

Even during the worship this morning, before the sermon I was thinking of those children in my last blog, that have no hope of adoption, and tearing up for them. God has definitely given me compassion for them and orphans like them, and I know he is guiding me to do something with this feeling. As I was listening, I was trying to figure out how practically, we can serve them, and I start imagining us moving to Vietnam, living in a shack somewhere next door to an orphanage. I imagine us setting up a house to take orphans in after they have graduated out of the orphanage, but before they have somewhere to go next. I imagine visiting the orphanage daily and just loving those kids, hoping that one day they will accept the love of Christ, share it with others, and begin to change the culture there into a culture that cares for orphans.

Or, maybe it's a little more practical to do that here in our own country and be a foster parent. Both ideas excite me, but seem to big for me.

Because I lived in Russia for a year as a missionary, I have counted the cost and I know it is hard to leave home, family, the comforts of America.... I enjoy all those now, but have felt no more satisfied in my core now that I have them again. I think the spiritual desert I have experienced since returning 7 years ago, is preparing me to sacrifice these things once again.

Forgive me for using this as a journal to work through these thoughts. I don't know if this is what God is calling us to do, or even if it is possible, but this is some of the thoughts I'm having and I wanted to write them down.

Pastor Paul finished the sermon with a surprising first step in the direction of our dreams: "Wait." We can't jump ahead of His timing to complete these dreams. He is preparing us now.

So, I guess we will wait and pray, and continue to cry over the situation many orphans around the world live in. I'd love to hear if you have any practical suggestions for how we could apply this passion He's given us. Any ministries you know of that we could serve with.... Or any similar thoughts you share.

Thanks.

Why not?

I'm feeling a little down tonight about all this. I checked to see if I could find more info on Baby Sinh, who I mentioned a while back, and can't find any. I want her to know she is loved. I also have been thinking about all the kids in Vietnam who live in orphanages that are not licensed to adopt internationally. I don't know why that is, but it is so heart-breaking. Tons of families are waiting in line to adopt children from a few orphanages, and all the true orphans are likely to get adopted from those, but there are others who will never even have the hope of adoption. For more, see adoptionbuzz.org (where I got these pics).

Lord, please change this, and open those orphanages to adoption. Love on those children. Give them hope and a future. Be with Baby Sinh, and take away any pain she may feel. Please show me how to help, and guide us to our child. Thank you. Amen.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. - Jeremiah 29:11

Love Without Boundaries

There is a wonderful organization called Love Without Boundaries that is part of a fundraising drive through Facebook. It is a competition between charities. Whoever has the most unique $10 donors by Friday at 12 pm PST, receives an extra $50,000 towards providing the medical treatment of orphans in China that they do.

Please consider donating. Here's the link:
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/view_cause/51591

Lighter Note

I couldn't add such fun pictures to such a down blog with the MOU news, so here is another entry that is a little lighter in note.

We got snow today- and lots of it! As soon as Koen got up he started begging to go out. It took a lot of distraction to make it through breakfast and get us all bundled up before going out to "Pay in no" (play in snow). We had a great time with our neighbors.

The meet yesterday went well. My girls did fine despite it being the first competition for some of them.

Today my nephew turned 2. Happy Birthday Seth!

*A Hiccup?

The question is, is this a hiccup, a huge obstacle, or a deadend?

There is negative news on the Vietnam adoption front this week. On Friday our agency sent out a letter detailing a meeting that had occurred that day with the State Dept, USCIS, government officials, and US adoption agencies. Our agency prepared us for the announcement that came out today for prospective adoptive families from Vietnam. In the announcement, the Dept of State warns that adoptions between the US and Vietnam may end in September when the MOU expires. Here is some of the announcement:

“The Department of State warns potential adoptive parents and adoption service providers of the risk of initiating new adoptions from Vietnam at this time. The 2005 Memorandum of Agreement, required by Vietnamese law to authorize adoptions between the United States and Vietnam, expires on September 1, 2008. The United States is strongly committed to continuing intercountry adoptions from Vietnam if possible. Our primary concern is to ensure that the children and families involved in the adoption process are protected from exploitation. The Government of Vietnam shares this concern. Both countries acknowledge that more needs to be done.”

Apparently Vietnam hasn’t met the requirement from the 2005 MOU that is currently in effect. They haven’t provided a fee schedule, and there is not enough regulation of individual provinces in the adoption process. They say that they are working hard to sign another MOU (which is required by the Vietnamese Government, not ours), but they can’t guarantee that it will happen.

So, the immediate question in our minds is what happens to us and others like us who have their paperwork into Vietnam far before the expiration, but do not yet have referrals or haven’t yet completed the process and picked up their children? Will we have to wait years as people have done when the country was closed in 2004 and 2005? Or, will they complete the adoptions of all whose Dossiers are in before the expiration in September?

The adoption buzz guy, who I consider knowledgeable and trustworthy as far as I know, is optimistic that the Vietnamese government would finish out such adoptions. But, nobody is giving us PAPs (prospective adoptive parents) the promise and assurance we want. I am glad they are being truthful and not just telling us what we want to hear.

This is interesting though, because this news comes just as I was questioning our adoption. I do feel like I am in a long line to adopt a healthy infant girl from Vietnam (because I am), and that if we weren’t in the line, someone else would be. We aren’t adopting a child that won’t be adopted if we weren’t there (did you follow that?:) I do feel called to adopt orphans that need me. But, maybe the issue is not that our daughter would have a parent regardless, but that she is our daughter. We just need guidance and assurance that Vietnam is where our daughter is.

Lord, please protect the Vietnam adoption process. Help the US and Vietnamese officials come to an agreement that is most beneficial to the children of Vietnam. And please guide us to our child. Use us to love those you love. Complete our family and give us peace and patience in the process. Thank you for being in control and a Father to the Fatherless. Amen

Pink Frogs

It’s been a while since I’ve written. I guess I just haven’t had much to say. Nothing new in the adoption realm. I have been gathering fabric to make our little girl a quilt though. She and Koen are going to have to share a room, and currently the room is light blue and green with a froggy theme. I am planning to make Liv’s quilt our of light green, pink and brown fabric, but found some really cute flannel froggy material for the back. I’ll keep you updated on the progress.

Koen will also need to move to a big boy bed within the next year or so, and I have been looking for a comforter or quilt that will match the room’s current color scheme. I might end up making him a quilt, but I don’t want to get over zealous. I might be able to buy a nice one off ebay for cheaper than making one.

We’re all going through a bit of a cold right now. Our first synchro meet is this weekend, and since I am a judge now, I get to judge my own little swimmers. I actually kind of like judging.

Koen allowed Keith to give him a haircut last night. He did a pretty good job. Koen’s hair is so light that you can’t really see if it’s uneven or not. He’s saying so much now. He surprised me with knowing what a Hippo was today. He also says “again” when he wants to repeat something fun, begs to watch a “movie” (baby Einstein) all the time, has had to use the time out chair fairly often, and says “Helper Mine” when he wants to be my helper. He does bring us a lot of joy.

*Generous Provision

Thank you! Thank you to a very generous secret santa! Upon arrival at home yesterday afternoon we discovered a generous gift hanging on our door! I wish I could thank whomever it was from, but they wanted to remain anonymous. I hope they read this to know that we are very thankful and in awe at how the Lord provides for our needs. I’m also thankful that no one touched that bag as it likely hung there for several days while we were out of town! God bless you, secret giver.

We were also hugely blessed as we opened our piled-up mail yesterday. Just a few days ago while at the conference, a fellow staff member asked about our adoption and the finances involved as they’re interested in adopting too. I told her about grant opportunities and mentioned Shaohannah’s Hope as a Christian ministry that helps Christian families adopt. Keith was with me and kind of pessimistically (he’s usually rather positive) chimed in that we hadn’t heard anything from them and it had been a long time, so we likely weren’t accepted for their grant. He was going through the mail yesterday and sat aside a letter from Shaohannah’s Hope, unopened. I asked him why he didn’t open it, and he said something like “oh, it’s probably just their newsletter, it doesn’t look important.” I immediately opened it (it’s rare that I have more hope than Keith), and scrolled through the words to find a number: $3,000! Shaohannah’s Hope is giving us a $3,000 grant for our adoption!

Praise the Lord for providing for us, especially at a time when we feel our need so much! We are so thankful for Shaohannah’s Hope and the Lord’s provision through them.

Thank you Lord for your grace. Even when we doubted, You were graciously generous to us. We know this adoption is Your will for us and our daughter, and we look forward to seeing how you will provide the rest and make us into a family.

All of this happened on our 3 month anniversary of being DTV, and on the first day of 2008. This year is off to a great start! God bless your new year too.