Travel Plans

Some of you may know that we now have a court date and have secured travel plans.  Pasha must stay behind to attend school, but he is getting very excited to see his new brother (his best friend) and sister.  He reminds us all daily of the events coming up: Mama and Daddy are getting on an airplane to EE, Pasha is going to D and B's house to sleep, Pasha is going to school, Pasha is going to tell all of his friends about his new brother and sister coming home, Mama and Daddy are going to fly back home with NEW brother and sister! 

It's interesting as the "big" sister seeing this how this new dynamic will develop.  Daddy cut all of his hair off in a short buzz cut in preparation (one less thing to fool with, right?).  Babushka is not pleased, HA!  Lessons learned from the trip last year are being applied to this years travel plans. 

This year's trip holds some of the same emotions, but some different feelings as well.  Having been to there before, Mama and Daddy are more familiar with the "lay of the land" as well as the proceedings/steps they must take once over there.  A few small things that bring comfort are knowing where to find certain products (ketchup and chocolate!), knowing what restaurants are good and what to order at the resaurants, knowing where to launder clothes, etc. However, the excitement and concerns over travel safeties remain.  It is a tiresome journey with lots of layovers/transfers/different travel methods.  In addition, there a few minor physical/health burdens that we must work around, but we serve a big God who has opened all of the doors thus far, and we have faith that He will carry us through this with an even bigger testimony than before.  God is not contradictory. 

I am sure you will all join us in prayer as we prepare for this adventure!

Paper Journey is complete!

I do apologize that it has taken me so long to update my blog but a lot has happened since my last post.  First I finished my Master in December which was a very nice Christmas present.  We got to spend the our first Christmas with our new son and see the joy the season brought to him.  It was so wonderful seeing the excitement and it was Kathy and me who finally got him up Christmas morning.  So you can say we were just a tad bit excited.

Also we received a miracle when they were trying to find the source of his wheezing.  At sometime in his life he had inhaled the tip of a writing pen or pencil in his lung and it lodged in the bronchial tube. Thank goodness it was hollow and he was able to breath and after they were able to remove this his wheezing immediately quit.  Not only did his wheezing cease but his energy level increased three fold.  He has hit a growing spurt and is quickly growing taller and quickly the pants we both him are getting to short.  He is in the second size and they are also getting to short for him however he still has his slim build and that is something I hope he can keep so I am hoping we can find an extra slim in the next size. I am hoping I can find an extra slim after all they do make and extra large. 

Next it was after much prayer and meditation I resign as pastor of my church because God is leading me in a new direction.  I am looking forward to this because the new direction is a deaf ministry and we are very excited to be a part of this and that God is leading us in this direction.  We have been attending the Deaf Church at Brook Hills and we are really enjoying it.  We are also attending and working in another church on Sunday evenings and Wednesdays.  Our son is making many new friends and everywhere we go they are trying to work with him and learn how to communicate with him.    We have met so many wonderful people at each church and our son is making lots of friends.  We are learning more and more about how to communicate with and be a part of the deaf community, however; we still have much work and learning but we are getting there one day at a time, and yes old dogs can learn new tricks, just takes a bit longer and more practice.

But on with the adoption journey.  After much paper work and get this and that from many sources we have finally finished our paper work and it was taken last  week to the Secretary of State to be apostilled and it is now in Ukraine.  We are praying that all goes well and we are submitted and approved very soon.  We are looking forward to going back and seeing all of the children and taking pictures of our son so they can see him in his new home with his family, friends and school .  We met so many friends along the way and we are anxious to see them all again.

Please continue to pray that God will continue to open the doors for us and provide the needed funds for this adoption.  But just to keep you hanging here is a bit of news we are hoping to adopt two this time both the same age as our son and also both are deaf.  Stay tuned more news to follow in the coming days.

When God Speaks all we have to do is listen, Or know how to sign.

Can you believe that after 32 years of marriage, two bio children, three of my brother’s children we took in when my brother died, and 9 grandchildren when we adopted 10 year old Pasha.  And we have been home four months since adopting him.  But Pasha had a best friend we were able to meet and spend some time with while we were getting to know Pasha at the orphanage where they lived and we grew to love him and many others.  One day as we were leaving from a daily visit with Pasha, he and Theodore ran up and ask if we could adopt him also, we did not know what to say because our  home study was only for one child, so how to you respond to this?

There were a few times that Theodore was able to sneak in to our room and would spend time with Pasha and us.  But when the workers discovered him there and would come in to get him, he and Pasha would grab hold of each other not wanting to be separated.  Finally, the day came when we were finally able to take Pasha from the facility but it was with bitter sweet tears because these two young men held to each other knowing they may never see each other again.

Recently as we were praying about whether or not to try and adopt Theodore, it was Pasha that God used to direct us in our decision.  We had been praying that God would send Theodore a forever family or that He would let us know what to do.  That answer came one night at the dinner table out of the blue.  Pasha looked up at both of us and signed something and Kathy and I looked at each other and almost burst into tears.  The question he asked was, "Daddy and Momma, could you go and adopt Theodore and bring him home so we can be brothers like twins."

That was all the answer we needed, “Yes God we hear you loud and clear even in the silence of our son's sign language.”  But since we have been praying about this, God just might be opening the door for us to bring not just one but two children home.  If so Pasha will have and brother and a sister like triplets and all three are from the same orphanage, all three are ten years old and all three are deaf, BUT NOT MUTE.  LOL!!! Ain’t God Good!!!!!!!!

Charles Pasha Dailey finally at home.

In his bedroom and bed. 

He and his momma finally landed arrived around 11:30 PM.  After we took my father-in-law home and our daughter we arrived home around 2:00 AM.  He had to investigate the house and meet the dogs, and I mean this was the highlight of his homecoming this child LOVES dogs!!!  We finally got him in bed around 2:30 AM he went to sleep and was up again bright and early Monday morning around 7:00 AM and did not stop until I got in him bed again Monday night at 10:00 PM.  He played has hard as he could Tuesday and got in bed at 9:00 PM, and Wednesday night it was 9:30 PM but that was because of church.  

Did I mention he really likes the dogs and I think they like him just a little!!! 

Day 70 and our Adoption Journey is now complete! .

Well after what started over two months ago is about to come to an end and the next part of the saga will begin.  We waited and prayed for passports every day last week and on Thursday we finally made a decision that I would have to travel home and  because I need to be back at work on Monday.  So after we had not heard anything about the passport I booked my flight.  I then packed and got up at 2:30 AM Ukrainian time and began the almost 24 hour trip home.  When I finally landed in Chicago I turned my phone on and I had a message from Kathy that said, WE GOT PASHA’S PASSPORT and we are coming home Sunday.  PRAISE THE LORD. 

It was good that I came home early because Saturday morning the AC quit.  I thought it may have just froze up because our daughter had turned it up higher since we were not home and I turned it down some.  But I turned it off all day Saturday as I was doing all of my shopping that I needed to do for groceries and other necessary supplies.  When I arrived back home late Saturday night I turned it back on and it cooled a couple of minutes and then started blowing hot again.  So last night I slept with no air but I had a ceiling fan that I was able to use and also I was acclimated to the temperature from being in Ukraine in a couple of apartments that were very nice but had no AC.  So I called my sons Sunday morning and they were able to get the part I needed and got the AC back on.  They were working on the Stove trying to get it going again but the small tank I had gotten to get us by a couple of days uses a regulator and the stove also has a built in regulator so the two regulators combined kept the pressure so low the gas could not get through to the Stove.  But thank God yesterday we finally got a tank that allowed Kathy to cook us a regular meal of cube steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, Paula Dean's Green beans (Fried with Bacon and onions, WONDERFUL DISH), and Fried Green Tomatoes and biscuits.  Oh yes this ole boy eat till I thought I would pop.  Pasha on the other hand is still having eating issues, I think it is because his teeth are in such bad shape, and we will be getting him to the dentist for that soon.

There was a good bit of storm activity Sunday between Washington D.C. and Charlotte NC and because of it Kathy’s flight was delayed but she and Pasha finally arrived safe and sound at 11:30 PM Sunday evening.  What should have taken only 5 or 6 weeks max, actually took us 10 weeks.  And while there were times we did get home sick, we are truly thankful for the experience and the opportunity that we had.  Pasha is a great joy to be with, but at the same time he is a 10 year old boy with lots of energy and our Jack Russell’s don’t know what to think of him.  He loves them but they are trying to learn him.  The one dog I thought would be the one to take to him, is the one that runs from him and the one I thought would run she is eating him up.  She will let him do whatever he wants and she don’t mind.  I know the others in time will learn to love him and enjoy being with him, but right now they just don’t know what to do with all of this attention, and they don’t understand his playing methods but they will with time.

But we are so glad to be home and SO IS PASHA, the little man goes from the time his feet hit the floor of a morning until he goes to bed at night. He is loving his new home and surroundings, and we are losing weight keeping up with him.  But there one that I will like to say as I close out this saga, there is NO PLACE LIKE HOME!!!

Day 62 of our adoption and spiritual journey

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV).

Today a scripture I really needed was in an email “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves” (Philippians 2:3 KJV).  Why did I need this and why this particular email?  Well I am a child of God and God knows me even better than I know myself or am willing to admit.  He knows that right now we who are here in Eastern Europe (EE) waiting on passports are frustrated because the only thing that keeps us from going home are the passports that must be printed by this EE country.  Right now it has been four weeks since a passport was printed and we are told each week they will be printed next week and when that week comes, no passport.  So you see the frustration that many of us are having to deal with.  Also we paid additional money to have the passport print expedited within five working days.  It is going on three weeks now and we still have not gotten a passport for “P” so you see how our frustration can excel to great heights during these trying times.

God I know is helping me each day and he keeps reminding me of the words of his servant Paul, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.  I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:11-13 KJV).  And I am also reminded that one night while on a ship that was being tossed about in a very bad storm that had lasted many days, Paul said “The angle of the Lord of whose I am stood before me this night.”  I really like that “The Lord of whose I am!”  Those words alone should make any child or God stand up and praise him because we are HIS CHILDREN!  And he is watching over us and he is protecting us.

You see from the scripture above we need to learn contentment because we have been raised in a Burger King society of have it your way, when you want it and accept nothing less.   But this is not the attitude that God wants us to have.  During the first few days that “P” was with us we bought him some toys and things because he had nothing of his own, because everything at the facility he was in belonged to the facility and was shared by all.  So as we bought these things he began to expect that whatever he wanted we would get for him.  And when we started saying no he began to get angry and pitch his little temper tantrums just like we do when we don’t get our way in society or the world.   We stop and we pitch our temper tantrums, why?  Because of our Burger King attitude, we did not get it our way, our style, color, size or when we wanted it.  God is not pleased with this and when we do God like this, he loves us enough to ignore us until we finally calm down and allow ourselves to finally listen to him. You see God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts, His ways and thoughts are so much higher than ours.  He will take care of us but we must put our complete faith and trust in him.  Yes sometimes he says yes when we ask, sometimes no and sometimes I’m working on it which means we need to waiting upon the Lord and when we do we shall renew our strength.

Yesterday there were about eleven families that got together at a favorite hot spot for most U.S. Citizens that come here for adoptions.  We met there and had a great time together and yes they are also frustrated with the situation but right now there is nothing WE can do.  But we must put our trust, faith and hope in GOD because He is the only one who can correct this situation.  I am reminded of a song titled “I Will Talk to My Father for You,” and performed by the Nelons, and the words are:

Verse 1: If you’ve got a problem, I'd sure like to share;
There's one special way I can show you I care.
I could offer opinions that might prove untrue;
For the only sure answer, here's what I'll do.

Verse 2: I have never prayed fire down from the sky,
but God saw each tear that ever fell from these eyes.
So if you've got a mountain alone you can't climb,
I'll take your burdens, and I'll make them mine.

Chorus: I will talk to the Father for you, and if I know my Father,
here's what He'll do;
He will lay at your feet all the things you pursue.
It's no bother, for my Father will do it for you.

Please continue to pray for us as we wait upon the Lord to provide for us “P’s” passport so we can come home with our son.  Also remember Kathy, a couple of days ago she stumbled and fell and hurt her knee and it is badly bruised and she cannot stand on it long.  And my ear left ear has been infected from the heat and my hearing aids for the last week but praise God I think it is finally getting well.  I found some drops that I started putting in it and Kathy has been doctoring it and it feels much better today and last night I began to hear, as well as I can, in that ear.  So among the dark clouds there have been some sunshine and we are truly thankful for that.  Praise His Name to God Be the Glory, Great Things He Has Done!

Day 60 of our Adoption journey

What should have only been at the max of maybe 42 is now at 60 days and currently we still do not know when we will be able to travel home.  Right now we have everything done but the one road block is the Eastern European country we have adopted in changed the company that prints their passports and no passports have been printed in 4 weeks now.  We have been waiting on ours for 2 weeks now and finally this morning we were told that only test passports were printed and 80% of those were rejected due to faulty printing equipment.  We have been assured, as we have in the past few weeks, they are working 24/7 to correct the problem.  You see “P” is still considered a citizen of this EE country and will not officially be a U.S. Citizen until we can 1) get his EE passport, 2) The U.S. Embassy stamps his visa, 3) reach the First U.S. checkpoint and when they Stamp his passport he will then officially be an American citizen. 

We have contacted several government officials to ask for assistance, not just for us but there are six other families that are stuck here waiting on passports and many of them have children that need medical attention as soon as they can get it.  This situation is putting some of them in great danger and others are quickly running out of funds and one family may not have enough to get back home.  As I said we have contacted many, many government officials including, Senators, Representatives, U. S. State department, U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Consulate office.  Asking of for Emergency Passports for these children and get this we are basically told oh there is nothing we can do!  If they were truthful they would say there is nothing they will do.  What gets me about this is the current administration in office in Washington is supporting illegal immigrants and giving them free medical care, food stamps, lodging and jobs.  But for U.S. Tax payers like me who actually pay their salaries and help fund all of the free hand outs, when we ask for just an emergency passport so we can come home we are basically spat on and said No! “We will not do anything to help you because you are doing it legally and your are a tax payer!

Okay I have been on my soap box and said my peace now what I must remember is that while I am frustrated and aggravated with the system I cannot not let it consume me.  Why, because I had let it and when I realized it today I had to ask God for forgiveness.  You see when we allow frustration and anger to fill our inner being there is no room for the Spirit.  So I had to ask God to forgive me for allowing this to fill me to the point I could not feel Him or His Spirit.  Once I had that done I can forgive, oh I am still upset and frustrated with the situation but I refuse to allow it to eat me up and cause me to not feel the Spirit of God.  I know God is working on it, why?  Because I have asked him to.  We read in His word, “Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee” (Psalm 33:20-22 KJV).   And then “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31 KJV).  And finally “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26 KJV).

Maybe this is the lesson God is trying to show me the to be more patient and not keep these feelings of frustration to a point where we can deal with them but not lose sight nor feeling of the Spirit and Will of God.  So please pray that we all can wait upon the Lord, I am reminded of a song the McKamey’s recorded a few years back “You’re Still God.”  You can listen to it here, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLaqFu6SMt4.  Sometimes we need to be reminded we are still children of God and that is what matters. But also the paths we choose in this life as reflected by the late Robert Frost.
 "I shall be telling this with a sigh 
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
(The Great poet Robert Frost penned this in his poem "The Road Not Taken", one of my favorite poems published in 1916.)  Question is what paths have your chosen?  Will you be proud to tell others of your path in years to come or completely ashamed and wanted to hide the paths?  Think about it?

Each day we are with “P” we are learning more about him and tickled at many of the little sounds he makes.  I love to sit and watch him play a game on the pad because he talks to himself through sign.  I guess to him this is how he thinks because many times I have watched as he spells things out.  We are working on some issues with sleeping and eating and we just discovered why he is not wanting to eat any meat.  His teeth are in horrible shape and one of them broke the other day and he told me it was hurting.  I have noticed he does not chew on that side either and the food that he does eat are the softer foods.  And it must be just the right temperature not to hot and not cold.   We are teaching him to pray before our meals and the other day I saw him open some chips to eat and I watched and he said his prayer in sign.  I am thankful I taught him this and now each night before he goes to sleep I go in and pray with him in ASL.  My prayer is that I will be able to teach him who God is and what Christ did for him so he will understand.  And it would be a great honor for either his mother or me to be the one who leads him to Christ.

Continue to pray for us as we wait on his passport and please pray it comes soon and that our funds hold out.  I was planning to go home today and Kathy and another mom were going to room together but yesterday Kathy stumbled and fell on our way back from lunch and has hurt her knee and foot. So I am going to stay and do the leg work and take care of her and "P".  She is having problems walking on them so please pray for her that God would touch her and heal her.

Day 58 of our adoption journey

 “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not” (Jeremiah 33:3 KJV).

Can you believe we have been in EE for almost 2 months now?  We should have had the passport last week but due to some changes in the company that prints the EE passports and contracts not being settled we still do not have a passport.  We were informed yesterday they were going to start printing today, and we are just going to trust in God that they are and we will have our passport in the next day or two so we can come home.  Please join us in prayer for this because we are so ready to come home!  We are almost there we had our first meeting with the U.S. Embassy on Monday and then we had to go for “P” medicals and today we are going back to for his second Medical.  If everything goes well when we get his final medical and passport then we can get the U.S. Embassy to stamp the visa on his passport.  Then we can book the first flight home!  So again Please Pray. (See final entry below!)

Yesterday we did not have any meetings so we took “P” to the Zoo.  OH MY just let me tell you it was look at this and look at that and go here and go there and buy me this, buy me that and Momma and Dad saying no, no, no.  Then there were rides in the zoo, WOW talk about killing two birds with one stone we did.  He had a blast but I think, no let me rephrase that I know for sure “P” is getting spoiled and Momma and Dad has started telling young Dailey man no.  Oh he does not like it but then that is just being a typical child.  And talk about tired, Mom and Dad was just plain wore out.  And then we got back to the apartment and he played on the playground for about 2 hours as fast as he could go.  And last night he slept all night and I finally woke him up at 8:30 this morning.  Now through the Zoo God gave us three loaves of bread, first was the Zoo and then we had also told Pasha we would try to find an amusement park for him and guess what?  Yep that is right the Zoo had one right in the middle.  And then we needed a good place to eat and Yep you guessed it right in the middle of the amusement park there as a McFoxy.   This was totally chicken and was it delicious.  So God provide three loaves in this one place but he was not finished with his blessings on us yesterday more loaves coming keep reading.

We have been very concerned about Kathy diabetes because one the medications she uses to control her blood sugar ran out week before last and the other medication she takes twice a day she only had enough for one more day.  Well yesterday, through the grace of God, I was finally able for find a pharmacy that had the one she takes twice a day and the other one that ran out prior they have ordered and it should arrive this evening.  Talk about God working things out, just has he has been this entire trip.  I was so afraid that I would not be able to find a pharmacy that carried this, but before I went I had the names of the medications translated and took that with me.  I gave them the bottles and immediately the attendant told me no, so then I gave her the translation and she shook her head yes!  I know it was God that sent to foreknowledge to translate the medication names before I went.  Then I needed to get some money exchanged but the bank had already closed for the day so it was on to the market for food supplies.  While standing in line at the checkout in the market I looked up and lo and behold they had an exchange office right there in the store!  So God gave me a great a double blessing yesterday, medicine, groceries and money exchange, again three loaves of bread (Blessings).

This morning we had the go back for our final medical and we got a negative on the TB test.  Wonderful news so now the only thing that prevents us from going home is the passport so we can get the visa stamped in it.  If we had that we could leave on the 4:00 AM plane in the morning.  So I am asking you to pray for this and to get all your friends and prayer partners, and prayer warriors to send up prayers for the passport so we can go home either tomorrow or Friday!

“And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;” (Luke 11:5 KJV).

The picture of the day is “P” at the Zoo and man this looked so fun Dad really wanted to try this out myself.  Take a look and you will see that I am talking about, he is the one on the left in blue.

Day 52 of our adoption journey

I do apologize for the long delay in posting to my blog but we have been staying with some missionary friends and it has been so wonderful to have fellow Christian here to worship with.  I have been able to attend a bible study, church service and an early Morning Prayer service with them.  Kathy was able to attend a ladies bible study.  We were with them for 5 nights and the hospitality and fellowship we had with them will never be forgotten.  Please pray for Daniel and his wife Janette and Tim and His wife Christine as they work hard here to build a church and witness to the lost.   We would have stayed longer but they have a team from California coming in today and the room we were staying in they had already planned for some of the team members to stay in.  But our facilitator was able to help us get another apartment to stay in until Sunday.

The apartment we are in is very convenient to the market and to the tram.  We can almost walk right out the door to the tram.  WOW talk about convenience and the market is on the next block and it is a huge market too.  We now have that time to be with Pasha one on one and we are learning many things about him.  First of all he loves to kid around and I have to remind him when it is appropriate and when it is not.  Also we are finding out for him bedtime evidently means playtime and last night we had to put him in a time out and take away his computer privileges today.  I also communicated to him that he must obey Momma and Dad and he must also respect us.  We knew there was going to be some issues but as Forrest Gump said, Life is like a box of chocolates you never know what you are going to get; however, we will deal with each and work through them each day at a time.

I told Tim today as he was helping me buy train tickets, that God is teaching me more about myself through my children and grandchildren.  And he is showing me many things about myself through Pasha.  And every day he gets up wanting to know if this is the day we will fly home.  He really wants to go home and he knows which clothes he wants to wear as we make the final journey home.  Each morning he makes sure where all of his clothes and personal items are just in case this is the day.  We will be leaving this region and head to the region where the U.S. Embassy is Sunday because we have our first appointment with them Monday.  And also on Monday we “P” will need to have his medical done.  We will return to the Embassy on Wednesday to complete the paper work we can until we get his passport.  Once we have his passport and we can get a visa stamped in it that WE CAN BOOK OUR FLIGHT HOME!!!  So guys please pray that his passport will be printed soon.

There have been some issues with the passports here and none have been printed in the last three weeks.  They are changing the company that prints the passports and all of the necessary paper work was not completed when the date of the change came.  So we are hoping and praying that passports will be printed next week.

Finally I just wanted to say that 29 years ago today God brought another wonderful little boy into our lives at 11:50 AM and today was the first time in those 29 years that we did not get to celebrate his birthday with him.  But as is tradition at our home on the 4th of July he did all of the grilling since we were not there.   So I would like to say Jared, Happy Birthday, was so good to skype with you today and I do pray that you had a great day.  Love you  from Mom and Dad.

Day 47 of our adoption journey.

 I is with GREAT JOY that I can finally say that “H” is now a part of our family. We were able to get the court decree take it across country and get his birth certificate changed. Once we had the birth certificate updated we were able to get all of his other documents corrected with his adopted name. This all had to be done in the city where he was born and from where he as in the facility it was on the other side of the country. We had to take a 5 hour car ride to the capital city where we took a train to the city where he was born. This was a 12 hour train ride but we were able to lay down to sleep. After we got all of the documents updated we took a train back to the capital city but this train was much faster and it only took us 8 hours to get back.

On Thursday June 27th we had everything we needed and we took it to the court got our release paper and took this to the facility and was able to leave with our Son, Charles Pasha Dailey. For those who are family members you will understand why we gave him the name of Charles. You see that my Dad’s youngest brother was deaf and we loved him very much. When we told him we were trying to adopt this young man who was deaf he was very happy and excited. I would have loved for them to have known each other but God took my uncle Edward home last year so in his honor I used gave Pasha his first name and kept his other name. Ok on with the story, we left there drove 3 hours to the capital of this region and applied for his passport. We were hoping to meet with the US Embassy and get his medical done but the earliest we can get that done is July 8th. We have also been told that no passports were begin issued but actually none were being printed, but I understand they are going to start printing them again next week. Please pray that God will open the doors that would allow us to travel home as soon as we can.  

After we got all of the paper work completed we went to the home of some friend who are missionaries and have been staying with them and it has been wonderful because now only do they speak the language here but he and his wife are also certified interpreters for the deaf here as well as ASL in the United states. And this has been good for us because they are helping us communicate with Pasha that he has to obey us and when we are outside he MUST stay by our side and hold to our hand. He cannot run ahead there is traffic here that he has not been accustom to so he MUST OBEY us and not run everywhere so that no harm comes to him. However today on the playground he disobeyed his Momma and we gave him a time out when they got back to the apartment and also took his pad away for 2 hours. 

Kathy and I feel so honored that God somewhere in time chose us to be the parents of this wonderful young man. We have just been so overwhelmed with the Grace of God and his wonderful mercy he has shown us as we have been here in the EE country for this adoption journey. He has put so many people in our lives to help and to guide us in this journey to become the parents of this wonderful and fantastic young man. He is so anxious to get home and me his sisters and brothers and all of his nephews, nieces, aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. He keeps asking us when we are going to fly home we are trying to communicate to him that is could be a couple of weeks before we can travel home. So we are asking you to please join us in prayer that God would open the Door and allow us to return home next week if it is his will.  

I will continue to this blog each day when possible, the missionaries we are staying with have a Church and Daniel is the Pastor there. As God has done many times in the recent weeks the night we arrived I was able to go with Daniel to a Bible study he was conducting at the church. It is a small church but their members are faithful. Please lift them up in prayer and ask that God to bless them in a mighty way and help their small congregation to Grow. There is a large Baptist church here in the city and If God allows I want to visit them once before we leave. But if not we have at least had this opportunity to be with fellow Christians brothers and sisters and are enjoying their hospitality greatly. TO GOD BE THE GLORY GREAT THINGS HE HAS DONE!!!

Day 42 of our adoption journey

Thought for the day “The Lord with fight for you: all you have to do is stand still.”  The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace (Exodus 14:14 KJV).

I would like to begin by saying to those who have been following our Blog every day for the next few days I will not be able to make my daily post because we are going to be on the run getting paper work together.  We have to get paperwork here tomorrow and then travel across the country, literally to the city where “H” was born and get some of his documents updated.  Then we make the track back here with the updated documents and for more paper work so we can finally have our GOTCHA date!!!! “H” is looking forward to it and I was able to communicate this to him and he understands that we will not be visiting him Tuesday or Wednesday but when we come back on Thursday we will be taking him with us.  And he wanted to make sure I remembered to bring his new pants, shirts and shoes. 

You see we bought “H” some new clothes before we came hoping we had the size correct.  So after court we took a pair of the pants with us and tried them on him and they fit great.  We have since purchased him 4 additional summer outfits.   And “H” remembered and told me not to forget them, I have them ready in a small backpack that we have purchased for him so he can be like Daddy and carry his NABI Pad like Daddy carries his.  And he will have it with him on the train and we also purchased an EE USB charger adapter that we can use on the train to recharge his PAD when he runs it down.  Now the only problem is he has really taken a liking to Daddy’s PAD and has been playing with it when he could.  So I am going to have to hold him back from mine as much as I can.

Yesterday I did what the Scriptures teaches and I rested on the Holy Day.  Here in EE yesterday was the celebration of the Pentecost which is the day the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles.  As I looked outside from our hotel window I told Kathy this had to be the quietest day I have seen in the 38 days we have been here.  But today things are getting back to the normal schedule and tomorrow they will be back in full swing.   And as for us and our adoption and our spiritual journey, we ask that each of you pray for our safety as we will be doing quite a bit of traveling this week.  We are hoping we can get done what we are hoping and maybe move on to the US Embassy next week where we are praying we can possibly get to travel home toward the end of the week.  This is our prayer and we ask that you pray with us for this.  

Day 40 of our adoption journey

Wow 40 days we have been in EE, same amount of days it rained when Noah was in the Ark and 40 days that Christ was in the wilderness being tempted.  Seems like a long time and we are getting so ready to go home but we still have paper work that we have to get completed before that can happen.  “H” today had one of those Eureka moments today when he realized he could do the count down on one hand.  That is correct we only have 5 days provided nothing happens until we can get him and take him with us as we begin the last leg of the adoption journey to bring “H” home. 

As I have said before and I will say it again today, God has been teaching me so much about Himself and my relation to him and also more about the Redemption of my sins through the shedding of the blood our  paschal lamb, Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God.  You see as we saw a picture “H” a couple of years ago and we fell in love with him then, we began to pursue him and finally the day came when we were introduced.  The joy that filled our hearts as we stood there that day with “H” for the first time I shall never forget it.  Then the time came when we offered an invitation to “H” to be a part of our family.  This was a decision he had to make all by himself and no one else could do that, and when he said he wanted us to be his Momma and Daddy I will tell you our hearts just filled with great joy!   This is the same thing that happened with me one day, God sought me out and gave me an invitation because he loved me that much.  But I had to make a decision just like “H” did that day I had to make a choice and no one else could make the decision for me I had to make it on my own.  And when I said yes there was such great joy in heaven the angels rejoiced and celebrated in the presence of God because one who was lost had come home.

Again today I first sat and talked with “H”, oh believe you me he wanted to play on his NABI but I held on and told him we would talk first and then he could play.  You see we know him and we love him, but that is not enough.  We want to KNOW him and we want him to KNOW us and how is this done?  By communicating with him, many times as we are communicating with him I see his eyes began to wonder, but again this is because his eyes is how he sees and basically, in his way, hears the world, so I have to bring him back into focus.  What is so very scary in this aspect he is just like his Daddy, I have to constantly work at keeping my mind on what I am doing and not let my attention get drawn away.  It is not always easy but God has been helping with it and I am getting much better.  However there are times I tend to be a workaholic because I am trying to focus on what I am doing.  Now I get so focused on what I am working on or studying that I lose all track of time and finally look up and see the time then I am usually running late for something else so now I have to find a way to balance this. Just as I will with “H” because I see things in him already that remind me of myself and his brother.  And I just know the two of them are going to be two peas in a pod and their Momma and I will have to keep an eye on the two of them.  

Our Picture of the Day

Day 40 picture of the day, on the bench out side the camp snack shop.

Day 39 of our adoption journey

First of all let me begin by saying Happy SUMMER, yes today is the Summer Solstice which is the longest day of the year, for daylight that is.  And in 6 more months we will have the winter Solstice which will be the longest night, for darkness and then a few days after that will be Christmas.  Okay now that I have that tidbit of trivia put in let us now move right along to our the blog.

The one thing that Kathy nor I have been able to get acclimated to is the fact the sun does not set until almost 10:00 PM and it comes up about 4:20 AM.   At least once and sometimes two days a week our bodies finally just fall asleep out of pure exhaustion.   But that is just some of the minor inconveniences we know we can deal with because quite honestly I would be completely embarrassed if I were to complain to the people here.  I had been told some horror stories about this EE but what we have found has been quite the opposite.  We have met some of the nicest people here and very helpful as well.  All we have to do is just let them know we speak very of their language and that we are English and they are very glad to help us.  And every time I have walked to the market I have never done so in fear and neither has there been an incidence that has caused me to fear, other than some of the taxi drivers, which is another story for another day. 

In my devotion today the scriptures of 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 tells us to come out from the world and be a separate people.  This stood out to me because I have been praying each day we have been here, and even before that, that I could live a life so strong in Christ the world would be able to see him in my life.  We are to work on mirroring the image of Christ not just on Sunday but every day.  We can never obtain perfection but we can strive for it, we can strive to be as Christ like as we possibly can.   I pray that these people whose culture is so deeply rooted in the Christian faith can see Christ living in us and know we are Children of God.  Because we are trying to live the scriptures “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you” (2 Cor 6:17 KJV).

Again today we had a great day with “H”.  He really enjoys his NABI PAD but it can get in the way of us communicating with him so today I kept it in my back pack until we had some time to talk just one on one.  I wanted to know about his day, and what he ate for Breakfast and Lunch.  Come to find out he had HAMBURGERS TODAY!!!!  OH MAN OH MAN how I would so love to have a big huge greasy juicy HAMBURGER right now, I do mean cholesterol between two buns of bread all the way, the work!  That is something I have missed here, we have found pizza and it was good, different but it was very delicious!  And the food here is absolutely WONDERFUL the cook at the restaurant is a very good cook and we have enjoyed trying many of the wonder dishes on the menu.  We have settled on some of our favorites that we choose more frequently but a Hamburger right now would just be an added bonus. 

Now back to “H”.  I talked with him today and let him know we would be back Saturday, Sunday and Monday but we would not be able to come on Tuesday or Wednesday.  However on Thursday if all goes well when we come back to the camp it will be to GET HIM and begin the final part of the journey that will eventually allow us to take our son and go HOME.  It has been a long journey but we have been blessed beyond measure.  We ask that each of you please pray that we will be able to travel home the week of the 4^th so we can be back at home in our Church, reunited with our family and friends.  Until then “TO GOD BE THE GLORY GREAT THINGS HE HAS DONE!” 

Picture of the Day

Day 38 of our adoption journey

As of today we have only have 5 days left until we can pick up the adoption decree and begin the process of getting documents chased down and changed so we can get “H” next Thursday.  He is counting down the days and tells us every day how many days left till he can finally leave with us and begin our journey home.  We also have to communicate to him so he will understand that we will not be there two days next week but when we do come back we will pick him up and take him with us.  The bittersweet is there are so many other children at the facility we have grown so fond of; however there is one little boy in particular and he is “H” best friend.  Each day we are with “H” we see more of his personality and that wonderful sense of humor and last but not least the little light that shines in his eye when he is happy or laughing.   That wonderful smile of his and it seems that all the children in his facility really like him and he does them. 

I never doubted that it was God that guided me to a picture of a little boy one day on the internet and from the time I first saw those eyes and that face, I fell in love.  And still there are times I see that same face looking up at me with love and my heart just fills with complete joy.  And don’t even mention what he has done to his momma’s heart, she is totally in love with this young man.  I can see the momma look every time she sees him and when he gives her hugs.  But at the same time I see how it tears her heart out like it does mine when we have to leave him.  In the process of all of this God is showing me things I would not have even understood or comprehended before about how he loved us.  How he adopts those into his kingdom who are not of his chosen people, how he chooses us but in return we must accept him as our Heavenly father and His Son as our personal savior.  Because Christ his son taught us that he came to seek and to save that which was lost.  He is still working on me every day and pray he does not cease from his work, leadership, guidance and his teaching.

As I have mentioned before I have told Kathy that it is going to keep us in shape trying to keep up with “H” because he is very fast.  I have been telling him that we get to the big city he cannot be running ahead like that and he will need to keep a hold of our hands.  I have been stressing the dangers of the city with all of the traffic and the people there and that he will need to hold to our hands at all times or walk very close to our side.  This I am working on right now so he will understand better when we leave the facility he has called home for the past four or five years.  He loves to take the digital camera every day and take pictures, I have been trying to get him to understand how it is done, he is getting better but still has not grasped the concept of small press and the final press to click.  He just puts his finger on the button and presses until it finally takes a picture.  But he enjoys it so we just let him go with it.  He has taken some very interesting pictures and also he loves taking pictures of himself.  We get so tickled watching him trying to take pictures of himself and the likes making faces in the pictures.  I am telling you seeing the world through his eyes is so refreshing for us. 

We have been talking this week and I said to Kathy a couple of days ago you know it going to be exciting watching him experience things that he would not have otherwise been able to see.   And I told her I can’t wait for him to see the mountains I know that trigger happy camera nut is going to use up every bit of my 4gb card probably the first day.  But hey I want to see his face experience these things, I want him to enjoy life and experience it and I want to be the one praying with him each day and teaching him of the love of Christ.  Not just me but his momma as well because that is what we are supposed to do and I am praying that as we begin to learn to communicate with “H” better that God would allow us to use these gifts to reach others who are hearing impaired or deaf.

Day 37 of our adoption journey

I have been thinking about something since our visit with “H” yesterday.  When we arrived “H” came running to me hugged my neck and took my hand and held it ever so tightly and stayed as close to me as he could.  We then learned that he and his best friend had been fighting and we still cannot figure out why and “H” is not wanting to talk about it. What occurred to me about him doing that is he came to me for protection, and to me that spoke volumes to me saying I have enough trust in my Daddy to protect me.  We did have him apologize and we talked with him and told him he needed to be good and not fight with his best friend because they would only have another week to be together.  Kathy and I are praying that it is not some type of jealousy issue because “H” has parents who come to see him every day.

  

There reason for this suspicion is right after we started visiting “H” every day the two of them were together one day and ask us if we would take him too.  How do you answer that question?  If I had the means and the paperwork you had better believe that I would have pushed to get him as well because they are such good friends and have been together a long time.  We would have taken as many as we could because they are all great children and we have grown fond of them and enjoy their company each time we are with them.  It is a good thing God always has everything necessary when he receives another child into the Kingdom of God.  Please pray for these children that God would give each one of them a good home but most importantly they will come to know Him as their heavenly Father and Jesus his son as their Saviour.

Again today “H” showed us how many days.  Can you believe it 11 days until we can get him and begin the part of the journey that will take us home?  We are ready to go home because we are missing our church and family more each day.  But we know God has brought us on this journey and we want to do His will above all.  Just as Christ said in the garden the night he prayed, not my will but thine be done.  That is what we all need to do is the will of God.  Please pray for us as we continue this adoption journey because things are constantly changing here in the adoption requirements and also there are 3 holidays coming up in the next two weeks.

Day 36 of our adoption journey

It was one week ago today we had our final adoption court hearing, we are just in the mandatory waiting period before we can pick up the paper work and start getting things done to go home.  We are counting down the days until we can finally take “H” from the facility and begin the process of getting paper work done with the U.S. Embassy so we and “H” can finally go home.  That little guy sure does have his Daddy and his Momma wrapped.  I told Kathy today you know we are going to have to be careful or we are going to spoil this young man absolutely rotten.  Momma’s reply is well spoiling in moderation is ok, and I have to agree.  We can discipline our children but they are blessings and this young man has not had the love of a momma and daddy that he has needed so we have much lost time to make up for. 

Each day we are with him he reminds us of how many days until we can take him and start for home.  Also we have already began the process of showing him pictures of his brothers and sisters, brother and sister in laws and the names of each of his nephews and nieces.  Also we have been showing him pictures of his aunts, uncles and cousins and his MawMaw and his PawPaw.  We have given each of his siblings, in laws and his nephew and nieces each a sign that he remembers when we show him a picture of them.  Each day that passes now we know we are closer to the day we can go and get him and begin the journey that will finally take us home. 

That is the same thing we as children of God do, we know the day is coming when Christ will return and take us home to be with him.  Except we don’t know the day or the hour but we are to always be watchful just as “H” is doing with us.  Each day he looks for us and when our little guy sees his Momma and Daddy he comes running and I get down on my knee and open my arms wide getting ready to receive my son into my arms of Love.  That is how God does me when I run to him, he gets down on his knee and opens his arms ready to receive me and give me a great be hug.  Why? “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 KJV).   He sacrificed more so that you and I could have everlasting life. 

“H” it won’t me long now, just hang on my son a few more days until momma and daddy comes to get you so we can begin our journey home.  I can’t wait to get you home and let you meet your family and all of those who have helped make this possible. 

Our picture of the day.

Day 35 of our adoption journey.

This morning I made my track back to the market area to purchase more water.  Also last Friday when we bought the balls we also purchased a chess, backgammon and checker board set that was left out of our bags.  When I walked into the store this morning the woman met me with the board.  I guess the other lady described me quite well because she knew me.  I told Kathy I was probably described as the white headed overweight American.  Hey you have to laugh about it because it is true, over the past 5 years I have put on a good bit of weight because all I was doing was sitting either at work or at home studying and not getting much physical exercise or doing any major physical activities.

I can handle this in many ways, I could take offense like a lot of people would or I can laugh with them.  I choose to laugh.  Why?  Because laughter is good medicine, like our momma’s taught us when they would say “Laughter is the best medicine.”  I remember something that was said in a movie I watched a couple of years ago about the Amish community where the young girls were shot and killed.  The movie told how the Amish people tried to keep anger and hatred out of their heart because they teach that this destroys a person and fills them with so much darkness nothing good can live there.  Well we can allow that to happen to us or we can learn to laugh with the world and you know what happens when we do?  Others realize you can laugh about it the jokes and pun all of a sudden subside.  But if we retaliate in anger then the game is on and you will face absolute torment from others.  Or they will just ignore you like you have the plague or something really bad and contagious. 

St. Peter wrote “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8 KJV).  No I have not seen God nor Christ but I know they live in me because I have felt them living inside.  And because of this I have GREAT JOY and love to laugh when God defeats my enemies or removes my stumbling blocks and makes them stepping stones.  When I see others sit there in disbelief or kind of stunned when I tell them what God has done for me and others I just can’t help but get filled with laughter because I have the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy, down in my heart to stay.

Today we had another wonderful visit with “H”.  We played dominoes again today with him and every time he would win, that little feller would just laugh that infectious laugh of his.  And he has one of those laughs that is from way down deep and you just can’t help but laugh with him.  After that we continued working with him on currency and again the teacher at the counter helped us.  We gave him coins today along with a couple of 1’s and she helped him understand what he needed to give her to purchase his snack.  Her help and guidance has been so welcomed by us and we are truly blessed by all of the people God has placed in our paths.  And I do mean everywhere, and it started when we began our journey, God putting people in our paths that helped us at the airport with security telling us what we needed to do. To God seating us with a young woman whose husband is a professor in a seminary located here telling us some of the wonderful food names and we are planning on meeting with them again when we head back north week after next.  Then the missionaries we met a couple of weeks ago at “H” facility.  We are hoping to spend time with them next weekend.  We are looking forward to attending service with them.  Kathy told me she may not understand a single word but where two or three are gathered together in His name, He will be in the midst of them.  Amazing Grace is still Amazing in any language.

Day 34 of our adoption journey

When God gave Moses the Ten Commandments the first four are about how man is to honor, love and serve God and the last six deal with how men are to respect and love one another.  One of these six have been looked over many times and it is the only commandment with a promise. “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee” (Exodus 20:12 KJV).  Now what this means is we should honor our parents, grandparents and even our great grandparents.  How? By not bringing shame on them, we need to remember the teachings of these people that have help mold our lives.  We need to remember the HARD work many of them did to ensure the survival of their families and the values and morals they lived by and taught.  So today I pray that you will remember not only your fathers and mothers but also your parentage and live up to the standards by which they lived and taught.

Today I cannot tell my father happy father’s day, but he is in my thoughts every day.  As I sat today with “H” and I looked at him I thought to myself, he will never know what a good man my father was unless I tell him.  Just as I plan on telling and teaching him about my Heavenly Father because I really want “H” to know who God is and what a great sacrifice God and His Son Jesus Christ made for us because of the love they have for us.  What a great and awesome love that is, and as a father this is one of my responsibilities, to ensure my family knows who God is and they are always serving Him in the Church, at home and in the world.  But we must be like Jesus and lead and teach by example.  Remember the little ones are watching you and they observe more than you want to admit.  If you don’t believe me just think back to your childhood and remember the things you observed in your parents and how much of that is still reflected in you.

I can remember as child and a hard headed teenager, I will never by like my dad, but you know what I am.  And as time goes on, I am becoming more and more like him and there are even times I will say something and it catches me so off guard because the words I am saying and hearing are the exact words of my dad.  I am a product of his upbringing and teaching and I remember from a very early age when there was a work day at church my dad would take us boys with him and he taught us to work in and for the church.  He and momma sacrificed a lot to make sure most of us had piano lessons so we could serve in the church.  And today because of that three churches in our community are benefiting from those sacrifices.  Just as today my son was using his God given talent in his church to help others worship God and that makes me one proud dad.  I know my Son-in-Law had my daughter and their children in church today and that gives me great consolation.  My other Son I call him, he is actually my nephew is usually in church on Sunday and also his sister, (another one we call daughter) and her husband are in church near their home.  It gives Kathy and me great satisfaction knowing this and our prayer for all six of our sons (four sons and two son-in-laws) is they will always be the Spiritual leader of their families that God has commanded them to be.  And finally that they will teach their children to honor them and their parentage and live in the morals and truths of Gods word as their fathers before them have.

Our time each day with “H” is so wonderful and I look at this young man and I say to Kathy, “You had better get in shape if you are going to keep up with this one.”  I am not kidding about that, this young man only knows one speed and that is wide open.  He has so much energy and is so full of life and humor.  Today as he was playing a game on his pad, when he would win he would yell in delight!  It is so wonderful to see him happy because that is what we want, we want him to be happy!  We let him play most of the time today, why you ask?  Well it is because he got every one of his letters correct today and we did not even have to help him.  Also he was able to do all of his numbers and we have been working with him at camp to understand currency.  Many of the workers at the camp are teachers in this small town and they see what we are doing and they are helping us.  We want him to be able to buy a snack all by himself with the money we allot him each day.  I think he began to understand today and the teacher at the counter really helped because she made him ask for what he wanted and pay for it and tell her how much she needed to give him back.  Again another person God has put in our path to guide us and help us learn how to help “H”.  GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!  And today I spent Father day with our new son, but we were with all of our children in spirit and they were and will always be in our hearts.  We love you ALL!!!!

Day 33 of our adoption journey

In his writings to the Corinthians, Paul stated “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV).  Do you realize you can love in so many ways but not just any love?  The love I am referring to is the love that passes all understanding, it is the love of Christ that we can show to one another.  Yesterday as we went to visit “H” at camp, we purchased a huge 6 liter container of water to take and some small cups.  The teacher with them was so excited and we told her we would try to bring one every day because the only water there is the water taste like sprite with no favoring or sweetener added.  Also we asked if there was anything they needed and as she made out a list she and one of the older girls helped us understand all of the items they needed.  Also they told us they did not have any thing for the children to play with. 

Ok now with list in hand Kathy and I headed to the market area this morning to find these items.  We found games and balls for them to play with and we purchased them a badminton set.  We also found a dart board the younger guys can play indoors when it is raining (don’t worry momma’s it was the felt and Velcro type).  We got to balls that can be used for soccer or volley ball and a basketball.  These children were so excited you would have thought it was Christmas morning.  You see what we are discovering here, just a little kindness goes a long way.  People can be reached when you begin with kindness and show them Jesus through your actions.  Many times we have wondered; what can I do that can make a difference?  This is how, find some way to show Jesus, in a kind word, a ball for children to play with or even in their case today a bottle of shampoo. 

We also learned yesterday that 5 of the young boys including “H” did not have a tooth brush so we bought 5 tooth brushes and 2 tubes of paste.  While they were all thanking us I have to give all of the credit to God and His Son, Jesus who are constantly teaching me how to love more and more each day.  Just like the shoes a couple of days ago that were too small for “H” and we told the teacher to please give them to one of the smaller children who might need them.  We can find ways to help the fatherless, widows, poor, sick, tired, hungry and the lost.  Study the New Testament in the Gospels and you will see how Jesus taught by example.  Examples we need to follow, it is easy to sit on a padded pew in church and say Christians needs to do something but step out the door and we totally forget.  God is not pleased with this.  If you can talk the talk can you walk the walk?  If so, are you, if not, why not? 

Today we had another wonderful day with “H” and the other children with him at camp.  They are all just wonderful and if I could I would bring them all home with me.  There are two of the older girls that have the true spirit of a mother already in them.  They help watch after the younger children and to see them interacting with them you can tell they are going to be wonderful mothers someday.   “H” is reminding us every day how many days left until we get him and start our journey home.  He is getting so excited and as much as I am looking forward to going home I believe he is more excited than Kathy or me. 

One thing I have been doing a lot of since we have been here is walking, because it is just the way of life here.  They walk everywhere, if they need to go to the market they will either walk, or ride a bicycle if they have one.  Oh there are automobiles here and many have them but for those who don’t walking is the mode of transportation.  Today after our visit we learned the bus was not running today so I had to make a hike out from the camp about 1 mile to call a taxi.  And something occurred to me, I was able to walk it and it did not cause my calves to cramp up or my legs to hurt.  Not only that I did not give out of breath doing it.  Oh yes I worked up a sweat but I was able to do it there and back and get this I beat the taxi back to the camp.   Just as I arrived I got a drink of water and turned around and there he was.  How about that, God is helping this old, overweight American get in shape.  Now is that not just how good our God is?  He helps us take care of these bodies when we don’t even realize it!

Picture of the day.

 

 

Day 32 of our adoption journey

Can not believe we have been in country now for 32 days but as I reflect back there were a couple of weeks that time just seemed to drag by.  But the rest of the time it has just been passing extremely fast.  It was one month ago today we boarded the first Air plane that would start us on our journey.  We stopped a few blocks away from the airport so we could say our farewells to our children and grandchildren.  And then this incredibly amazing journey began and we are still finding Gods goodness amazing.  Also everywhere we have been so far there have been the most incredible people God brought into our lives.

Right now to get to the summer camp “H” is attending we take a taxi there so we can be there right after his lunch.  The camp is just outside the village where we are staying so we only have to have one taxi now each day and we take the bus back to the village and best of all it is free.  But the people on the bus are so kind and friendly.  One woman in particular is the comedian of the bunch and she keeps everybody in stiches including us.  Everything she says she does with a smile which is just infectious and as always she is watching out for us, all of them are when they learned why we are there and that “H” is now our son.  Also this same young lady as I started to say has been looking out for us and tells the driver where to let us off so we are closer to the hotel. 

Today we helped “H” learn his new name and he practiced writing it in English.  Daddy has also been trying to learn his language so I wrote his name in his language so we are both learning.   And he had taken a huge liking to the digital camera.  Bless his heart he just keep pushing and pushing the button and about 1 out of every 5 pushes he actually takes a picture.  I have been trying to teach him how to do it the correct way but he has not grasped the technique yet but he will because as I had said many times before he is smart.  While “H” is learning Dad and Momma have learned a few words that have helped us survive here.  The food here is absolutely wonderful.  While the meat choices are limited to pork and chicken, we have learned a variety of dishes prepared from each that we can now have a good variety each day.  The salads here are great, mainly tomatoes, cucumbers and red bell peppers with a vinaigrette dressing that we have one of each day.  

When the people here learn we are from America they just look at us and watch us.  They are very friendly about it and we don’t mind, if the truth be known we do the same thing at times.  But at the camp the children are so amazed with us and a couple of nights ago I told Kathy I wonder if they are amazed at us because 1) we are Americans 2) Over weight or 3) Old.  I told her I sure am hoping it is 1) because we are Americans but I have a strong suspicion it is because we are overweight and probably the largest of the human species they have ever seen.  And there have been a few time while in the taxi as we would pass the place where the taxi drivers hang out they would blew their horn.  Kathy said that must be the signal that they have the crazy huge Americans in their automobile.  Hey if we can bring some laughter to their day we do not mind.

The Psalmist wrote “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart” (Psalms 37:4 KJV).  God does not want us to be stiff lipped children, he wants us to take delight in serving him doing the work he called us to do.  He wants his children to have a cheerful heart and to spread that cheer to others.  I have seen to many people try to be such devoted children of God and somewhere along the way someone must have told them that if they laugh smile or have fun God might punish them.  So evidently they failed to read this verse, and “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth” (Luke 15:10 KJV).  Did you see it, THERE IS GREAT JOY IN THE PRESENCE of the angels of GOD?  So if God and his angels take Joy and Delight we are to do the same.

 Picture of the day (Disclaimer, If the white legs blind you, I ask your forgiveness because they do see much daylight!)