N:
The day in Rwandan Court sounds like it went well. We learned today that we will be going through Kenya for their visas instead of Ethiopia (one week in Rwanda and hopefully one in Kenya).
We have a tentative travel date of January 22nd!!!
If you want to send a donation to the orphanage, let us know, or send us a check. What they have been doing is letting us buy food and supplies and deliver them to the orphanage while we are there.
Until the judge reads the verdict, we can't share pictures or added info about the kids. We will post when we officially pass court (should know by Friday, Jan. 8).
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Overwhelmed with Wonder and Thankfulness
L:
I am overwhelmed with thankfulness for our adoption, our most important adoption. The Creator of all came into the world as our Savior so that we could be adopted into His family! Anyone who believes in Jesus becomes the child of the King and has life and a relationship with Him now and for all eternity! I am filled with wonder that the Almighty God loves like this. Our adoption of Kalysta and Tryana is a beautiful reminder and gives me a deeper understanding of this most important adoption. May you be filled with wonder as you ponder Jesus' coming. Merry Christmas!
I am overwhelmed with thankfulness for our adoption, our most important adoption. The Creator of all came into the world as our Savior so that we could be adopted into His family! Anyone who believes in Jesus becomes the child of the King and has life and a relationship with Him now and for all eternity! I am filled with wonder that the Almighty God loves like this. Our adoption of Kalysta and Tryana is a beautiful reminder and gives me a deeper understanding of this most important adoption. May you be filled with wonder as you ponder Jesus' coming. Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Court Date
N:
We are excited!!!! We just learned that the court date is scheduled for next Wednesday (Dec. 30th).
That means, if we pass and get our immigration approval, we will probably travel Mid-January.
Time to start packing!
We are excited!!!! We just learned that the court date is scheduled for next Wednesday (Dec. 30th).
That means, if we pass and get our immigration approval, we will probably travel Mid-January.
Time to start packing!
Pronunciation
L:
A few people have asked how to pronounce Tryana. It's a little trickier when you only see it in print. It's Tree-on-a. Hope that helps.
A few people have asked how to pronounce Tryana. It's a little trickier when you only see it in print. It's Tree-on-a. Hope that helps.
Friday, December 18, 2009
A Way You Can Help Orphans in Rwanda
As we look forward with excitement to picking up our two new daughters, we also think of all their friends they will be leaving behind. One thing we would like to do for them is to buy food and other things the kids in the orphanage need while we're there. We know of other families who have purchased necessary items in Rwanda in order to help provide for their basic needs. We are collecting money while we wait to travel. If you would like to contribute to this, please let us know.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Christmas Cookies
A:
We are having fun baking Christmas cookies tonight. We are excited for next year when we can teach Tryana and Kalysta how to bake cookies with us.
We are having fun baking Christmas cookies tonight. We are excited for next year when we can teach Tryana and Kalysta how to bake cookies with us.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Names
L:
We've decided on names to go with the girls' Rwandan names (which we are not able to share yet). The older one is Tryana and the younger is Kalysta. It will be so nice to be able to pray for and talk about the girls by name now.
We've decided on names to go with the girls' Rwandan names (which we are not able to share yet). The older one is Tryana and the younger is Kalysta. It will be so nice to be able to pray for and talk about the girls by name now.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
More News Already
N:
*This morning we got another picture of the girls. They are very cute and in a more relaxed environment.
*We got the medical information tonight for both girls.
*We were told that we may know the court date by sometime next week.
This is moving fast!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would appreciate your prayers concerning getting paid time off from work. It is up to the Board.
*This morning we got another picture of the girls. They are very cute and in a more relaxed environment.
*We got the medical information tonight for both girls.
*We were told that we may know the court date by sometime next week.
This is moving fast!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would appreciate your prayers concerning getting paid time off from work. It is up to the Board.
Monday, November 30, 2009
More Clarification
L:
The only information we have on the girls so far is their pictures and current names. In order to protect the children, we are not allowed to post any pictures or other personal information until we pass court.
The only information we have on the girls so far is their pictures and current names. In order to protect the children, we are not allowed to post any pictures or other personal information until we pass court.
Expected Timeframe
L:
We will probably receive ages, medical, and other information within two weeks. Then we can officially accept the referrals. At that point, we will wait for our court date (should be sometime in January), where the girls will officially be allowed to be part of our family. Then we can travel to Rwanda to pick them up. We're thinking maybe we'll travel by the end of January.
We will probably receive ages, medical, and other information within two weeks. Then we can officially accept the referrals. At that point, we will wait for our court date (should be sometime in January), where the girls will officially be allowed to be part of our family. Then we can travel to Rwanda to pick them up. We're thinking maybe we'll travel by the end of January.
Hard to Focus
L, A, & M:
How are we supposed to concentrate on school with all this excitement? We're sure Dad is having trouble focusing at work, too.
How are we supposed to concentrate on school with all this excitement? We're sure Dad is having trouble focusing at work, too.
Our Referral!!!
L:
I can hardly begin to tell you how shocked we are. I'm shaking as I write this. We received our referral this morning!!! Two toddler girls. They're beautiful! We don't really know anything else yet. This has happened so much faster than we expected. We'll let you know when we know more about the timing of everything else.
Nick was about ready to leave for work when he saw the e-mail. He woke me up so we could look at it together. I was pretty out of it as he dragged me to the computer, but as soon as I saw it, I was shocked awake!
Then we woke up the girls so we could share the pictures with them together. They are definitely glad we did!
I can hardly begin to tell you how shocked we are. I'm shaking as I write this. We received our referral this morning!!! Two toddler girls. They're beautiful! We don't really know anything else yet. This has happened so much faster than we expected. We'll let you know when we know more about the timing of everything else.
Nick was about ready to leave for work when he saw the e-mail. He woke me up so we could look at it together. I was pretty out of it as he dragged me to the computer, but as soon as I saw it, I was shocked awake!
Then we woke up the girls so we could share the pictures with them together. They are definitely glad we did!
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Our Approval
N:
We are excited!
This morning we got our approval from the Rwanda government to adopt! It was through e-mail and the attachment is blurry so all that we can see of the date is October and two digits. That means we are much further along than we thought.
Next steps are receiving our referral (who the kids are), court date, and travel.
We are excited!
This morning we got our approval from the Rwanda government to adopt! It was through e-mail and the attachment is blurry so all that we can see of the date is October and two digits. That means we are much further along than we thought.
Next steps are receiving our referral (who the kids are), court date, and travel.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Rwanda Update
L:
To follow up on our last post, the families who had received their referrals passed court yesterday! That means it's official and they get to share the pictures of their children. Also, they get to travel and pick them up before the end of the year. Thank You, Lord!
To follow up on our last post, the families who had received their referrals passed court yesterday! That means it's official and they get to share the pictures of their children. Also, they get to travel and pick them up before the end of the year. Thank You, Lord!
Monday, November 9, 2009
Rwanda Referrals!
L:
Some Rwanda families have received referrals today! We are so excited for them! Hopefully, the other approved families will receive their referrals very soon. Now we're praying that their court dates will come quickly because many of the courts in Rwanda close for the month of December. If they don't pass court before December, then they may have to wait until January. Wouldn't it be great if these families could all be together with their new little ones before Christmas?
Some Rwanda families have received referrals today! We are so excited for them! Hopefully, the other approved families will receive their referrals very soon. Now we're praying that their court dates will come quickly because many of the courts in Rwanda close for the month of December. If they don't pass court before December, then they may have to wait until January. Wouldn't it be great if these families could all be together with their new little ones before Christmas?
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Naming
L:
Naming is important to me. I enjoy the process of discovering just the right names for our children. It’s a little trickier this time, though. First, we don’t want to make firm decisions on names until we know the kids’ Rwandan names. We want to use their Rwandan names as well as the special names from our family. Besides that, Alyssa and Myranda (especially Alyssa) have strong opinions this time around. It’s definitely fun to have them involved in the process, but I really do pray that they are pleased with the final decisions that Nick and I make.
Naming is important to me. I enjoy the process of discovering just the right names for our children. It’s a little trickier this time, though. First, we don’t want to make firm decisions on names until we know the kids’ Rwandan names. We want to use their Rwandan names as well as the special names from our family. Besides that, Alyssa and Myranda (especially Alyssa) have strong opinions this time around. It’s definitely fun to have them involved in the process, but I really do pray that they are pleased with the final decisions that Nick and I make.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Why Rwanda?
L:
That's a good question.
As our wait with China continued to lengthen, we began to ask the Lord if we should pursue another adoption while we waited. We were hoping to adopt again after our first adoption was complete. Perhaps we should instead adopt “again” now before our China adoption was complete? As we continued to pray and talk about this, our hearts were pulled more and more to pursue a concurrent adoption.
We wanted to stay with America World Adoption Agency because they are so committed to doing adoption in the right ways for all the right reasons. As we considered the other available countries with AWAA, Rwanda seemed like the logical choice for us for many reasons. However, we wanted to be sure.
When we had made the decision to adopt through China, three factors had come together to confirm our decision- a great need, a fairly smooth process, and China kept coming up everywhere in our lives during that period. With Rwanda, the first two factors seemed to be true again, but Rwanda just really wasn’t in our lives at all.
We decided, therefore, to ask the Lord to bring Rwanda into our lives if that was the country He wanted us to choose. We knew that it might not be His will to reveal His plan in this way. If Rwanda didn’t start popping up in our lives, that didn’t necessarily mean that He didn’t want us to go with Rwanda. However, if He did bring Rwanda to us in obvious ways, we’d know for sure that that was His direction for us.
Well, the next day, Nick was watching football and was flipping through the channels during the commercials. He stopped on a show about gorillas. After several minutes, we realized they were in Rwanda! Pretty cool. The next night, we were at our weekly meeting with our Truth Project group. The video that night included something about Rwanda!! We looked at each other and smiled. It seemed that maybe God was confirming His plan for our adoption to us in just the way we had asked. The next day, I received an e-mail newsletter. I hadn’t opened these e-mails for several months but decided to read this one. It had an article about Rwanda!!!
Three days in a row, God gave us a specific message about Rwanda. He didn’t have to answer our prayer in this way, but we are so thankful that He chose to give us this special gift. The confirmations didn’t continue daily, but He has brought Rwanda into our lives repeatedly since then and we are growing in love for this country and its people. We can’t wait until we get to travel!
That's a good question.
As our wait with China continued to lengthen, we began to ask the Lord if we should pursue another adoption while we waited. We were hoping to adopt again after our first adoption was complete. Perhaps we should instead adopt “again” now before our China adoption was complete? As we continued to pray and talk about this, our hearts were pulled more and more to pursue a concurrent adoption.
We wanted to stay with America World Adoption Agency because they are so committed to doing adoption in the right ways for all the right reasons. As we considered the other available countries with AWAA, Rwanda seemed like the logical choice for us for many reasons. However, we wanted to be sure.
When we had made the decision to adopt through China, three factors had come together to confirm our decision- a great need, a fairly smooth process, and China kept coming up everywhere in our lives during that period. With Rwanda, the first two factors seemed to be true again, but Rwanda just really wasn’t in our lives at all.
We decided, therefore, to ask the Lord to bring Rwanda into our lives if that was the country He wanted us to choose. We knew that it might not be His will to reveal His plan in this way. If Rwanda didn’t start popping up in our lives, that didn’t necessarily mean that He didn’t want us to go with Rwanda. However, if He did bring Rwanda to us in obvious ways, we’d know for sure that that was His direction for us.
Well, the next day, Nick was watching football and was flipping through the channels during the commercials. He stopped on a show about gorillas. After several minutes, we realized they were in Rwanda! Pretty cool. The next night, we were at our weekly meeting with our Truth Project group. The video that night included something about Rwanda!! We looked at each other and smiled. It seemed that maybe God was confirming His plan for our adoption to us in just the way we had asked. The next day, I received an e-mail newsletter. I hadn’t opened these e-mails for several months but decided to read this one. It had an article about Rwanda!!!
Three days in a row, God gave us a specific message about Rwanda. He didn’t have to answer our prayer in this way, but we are so thankful that He chose to give us this special gift. The confirmations didn’t continue daily, but He has brought Rwanda into our lives repeatedly since then and we are growing in love for this country and its people. We can’t wait until we get to travel!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Languages
L:
We've had a question about language differences. Rwanda has 3 official languages- Kinyarwanda, French, and English. Kinyarwanda is the main language, so we will not speak the same language as our new little ones. We'll learn some useful phrases in Kinyarwanda before we go, but thankfully, much can be communicated through gestures, facial expressions, and hugs. And it's amazing how God has given kids the ability to learn languages so quickly. Before we know it, they'll probably be talking our ears off in English!
We've had a question about language differences. Rwanda has 3 official languages- Kinyarwanda, French, and English. Kinyarwanda is the main language, so we will not speak the same language as our new little ones. We'll learn some useful phrases in Kinyarwanda before we go, but thankfully, much can be communicated through gestures, facial expressions, and hugs. And it's amazing how God has given kids the ability to learn languages so quickly. Before we know it, they'll probably be talking our ears off in English!
Saturday, October 3, 2009
We're Expecting
Here are the answers to some more questions. How old will they be? We've requested 2 children as young as possible under 42 months. We've been imagining that that would mean an infant and a toddler, but we really don't know. What gender? Girls and/or boys- we haven't made a specific request.
How Long?
Many people have asked about when we think we'll travel to Rwanda. Here's the expected timeframe. It's about 3-6 months from when our paperwork arrives in Rwanda to when we receive our approval from Rwanda. Then it's about 2 months until we receive our referral- that's when we will know who our new kids are :) Then we wait until we pass court in Rwanda and can travel a couple weeks after that. We think maybe we'll travel in March?
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Adoption Blog
We've finally started an Adoption Blog! Yes, we started the adoption process in 2006, but better late than never, right? We're setting up this blog so that our family and friends can stay informed about our adoption journey and pray with us through its developments.
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