Sometime between now and November...

we will be traveling to India! The exact date will come soon. We are preparing to apply for her passport which they are saying to wait six weeks for. Again, God is not bound to time restraints, and we are not the only family (there are 6 others in the same stage as us) pray for a "quicker than usual" passport turnaround for all of us. We are spending time this Saturday tying up lose ends in regards to paperwork so that when her appointment time is given, we can focus on packing and travel arrangements. We will keep the updates coming :-)

Also, THANK you for all of your prayers and support for my brother and his family and thanks be to God, the author and perfecter of our faith; the One who works all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to purpose..He alone sustains us and brings us victory because of his great love and goodness,all for his namesake and for his glory. The dawn always comes after the night, and we are just beginning to see all the miraculous and beautiful things God has in store for them. Please continue to pray for perseverance, wisdom and courage. They have a long ride ahead of them, and from experience, I know that many can show support in crises moments, but there tends to be fewer companions for long journeys. It is hard to remain steadfast in prayer, but they will continue to need it. :-) Thanks so much!!!

Mandy

Life is full of the unexpected....

Joy and pain are the two emotions I feel today. Some of you have been following my brother and sister in law and their journey to bring home my precious, precious niece Josie Love from Uganda (joiningthejourney.blogspot.com). We have been flying high since they arrived there just a few days ago, and were scheduled to have their court date today. Unexpectedly, and all the details of how and what are not known to me, they found out that Josie is very sick. We don't know how sick she is or what this all means, but regardless, my heart is broken. God knew all of this would happen, and He will provide all that is needed to walk through this fire, but just as Jesus found it in his sweet compassionate heart to mourn with Mary and Martha just prior to raising Lazarus from the dead, my heart mourns for what my precious brother and his sweet wife are having to walk through today. On the heels of this, (literally less than 12 hours later) we found out our court case has been approved. While I know we have again miraculously quick timing for this unfolding in front of us, my heart is so torn. The facts are that we have a great deal of preparation to get done in a relatively short amount of time. We do not have a date yet, we must wait on her passport to be issued, followed by our letting the embassy in New Dehli know we are ready with all the appropriate paperwork and they will give us an appointment time to come there and finalize the papers and bring her home. The agency says it could take another week for the paperwork to be sent off for the passport and 4 to 6 weeks for it to be completed. I know it could happen a lot sooner, as what typically takes 2 to 3 months or longer to be granted was just granted to us in a week. Please keep praying for the timing. All along, I knew a September gotcha day would be an act of God, He has so far made it abundantly clear that everything is possible with him. So I will continue to believe for this and would love for you to join us in praying that everything gets signed and sent off for the passport asap, it gets issued asap, and that we get our appointment time asap. I look forward to writing these exciting updates. In the meantime, please, please, please pray for my family and our sweet Josie Love who has been planted in all of our hearts and is a part of our family. Pray for quick turn around times for her medical tests. Pray for access to treatment and that she starts to heal. And pray for wisdom for Mike and Suzanne to determine God's heart and plan in this situation (you can read more details on thier blog see address above). Thank you Jesus for your compassion, your provision, your love, your grace. Where would we be with out you? I thank you Father that Josie is like the one lost coin that you would tear apart your house to look for and pursue because she is worth pursuing. She is a treasure. Thank you for making us all your treasures.

Waiting on the court date!!!

Well, we got news this morning that the first part of our guardianship hearing has been completed and the court appointed lawyer has approved the paperwork and recommended that the judge approve the case! This took less than two weeks (ave. wait time for this is 6 weeks!) So we were very pleased with the timing on this. I was told that this last part is the worst emotionally. It can be the least predictable wait time, waiting for the actual court date (i.e. this is the part where they tell us to come and get my baby girl!!) I would liken it to the pushing part of having a baby where every moment feels like an eternity and you think surely after all I have been through this should be happening now! I am praying and would ask you to join us in first thanking God things have happened "sooner than expected" so far and that pattern would continue! As a side note, my brother and sister in law are heading to Uganda this Friday to go and get my sweet 3 yr old niece and bring her home. Go to www.joiningthejourney.blogspot.com to see her sweet face and follow another miracle of God bringing another one of His little ones home to her forever family! Love and thanks!! Mandy

So full, so empty....

I laid down in bed with my precious two year old daughter and was filled so full of love, tears were rolling down my cheeks. With each child my heart gets fuller and fuller until I think it could burst. And yet, once everyone was down asleep, the feeling of emptiness began to creep in as it does in the silence. When the world stops, the requests have silenced, the demands put on hold until morning, I long. Tears were now rolling again, yet this time, tears of longing to hold my other daughter... to tuck her in, stroke her hair, and kiss her sweet face as I was so blessed to do with Ella-Kate. I received a precious gift tonight, a Willow figurine. I have several but this one was special in that it was a tiny child with it's hand stretched high into the air, and out of it's outstretched hand, was a banner lifted high above its head with the word "hope" in humble letters. I know our time, our homecoming is getting closer, but the waiting, the wanting, is draining. And herein lies the bigger redemption story weaved in our story. As Jesus walked this earth, He experienced all of the emotions I feel right now. There is a child out there who doesn't know me, yet I know she is mine and I would move heaven and earth just to be with her so that I can love her. In this small incomparable way, I see a purpose for having to bear this deep, unmet longing. To share some of what He feels for us. We share in the life of Christ, the difficulty and the victory; how miraculous to be able to weep one moment, tears of joy and fulfillment and in the next moment ones of deep longing. Jesus is our banner of hope, stretched high above us in our no longer orphaned hands. God didn't leave us in our desperation, but gave us his Banner of Hope that one day, we would all be together. He lives in this tension of joy and longing constantly. His capacity to experience this in it's fullest, non-stop, all day, everyday is nothing less than a glimpse into his holiness.

NOC approval!!! Woo Hoo!

Great news!!! We got our NOC approval!! In faster than anticipated time! We received news this past Friday that the central adoption processing center of India had received our paperwork and issued our No Objection Certificate for our case. Our case has been sent back to the local courts in Calcutta and will go before the judge this coming week sometime. What this means is that it is in the last two steps of the final process. They will check over our paperwork (typical time frame six weeks) and then once that is done start guardianship hearings (2-3 months typical waiting time for this step.) Once guardianship is granted, we are notified we can make our travel plans. We recognize the average waiting time for this process, but we also recognize we do not serve an average, typical kind of God. I am praying specifically for God to do immeasurably more than I can ask or imagine. He is not limited in anyway by the legal system or our rules. I am trusting his timing because I know there is purpose in EVERYTHING He does, but I am asking for miraculous intervention and quicker than imaginable time for the proceedings. Thanks for all your prayers and please keep it up!!! I am also going to attempt to go to a conference in September on starting an orphan care ministry in our church. I can't wait to bring my daughter home and am very committed to that, but there are so many more that need homes, love and to hear the message of the gospel. I long to see them find homes and truth as well. Will keep everyone posted!!!

Health and case status...

Got some info about Mia's growth and development....she is now up to a little over 11 pounds and is close to 26 inches in length. She is on all fours doing the precrawl rocking thing. She sits propped up on her hands and is smiling socially now. We did also find out that she has a benign growth on her lip that will go away as she gets older. Other than that, she is doing well! We also found out about a second step in addition to the NOC that has to be issued and that is after the NOC approval, our case is then sent to the courts where gaurdianship will be granted to us. It is at this time we will be notified that we are free to travel and pick Mia up. It is excited to think that we are on somewhat of a countdown, but at the same time, I am also weary. It makes it hard for me to immerse myself in preparation, even though I know there are some more books I need to read before we go. I really can't think of a better word than just emotionally weary. For those of you who are keeping up in prayer, that is a definite need. Strength and perseverance so that there will be fruit from this time of waiting, not just tolerance of the wait. We do still need to sell about twenty or so more shirts, but are currently out of women's fitted. We have regular style t-shirts and we have men's fitted. We really don't want to order more unless we know we are going to sell them. I have been given an opportunity to sell my dresses in November at a bazaar for a local elementary. I have a handful made but am planning on making more. I am also trying to get what I have now up on Etsy, an online site where home made goods can be sold or bought. That's all the news I have for now!!!

Got new pictures and update should follow soon...

We received new pictures today of our girl, and were told an update should follow shortly on her growth and progress. We are officially still just waiting on the courts in India to okay all our paperwork and to issue the no objection certificate (NOC). Still praying for a quicker than normal time frame on this. Will update as we know. The waiting is much harder than I anticipated. I had a rough weekend last weekend...very emotional. I know God has purpose in the waiting, although that feels like words right now. Hopefully half of Calcutta is somehow miraculously coming to Jesus as we speak as a result of our waiting :-) One can always hope.