The truth be known...

I am blessed to call myself the mother of the four most incredible daughters. As we wait on the Lord to lead us it is such a joy to have them standing with us in prayer, as armor bearers and listening for the Lord's leading along with us.

My eldest approached me today, asking if I was open to adopting from Ethiopia, just like she asked me if I was open to Viet Nam during our last adoption. Though I immediately said, "Yes, of course", I knew in my heart of hearts I had reservations. I thought I had disguised myself well enough but of course she discerned the truth. What was my reservation? Perhaps there was more than one, but surely they were all based in fear. The path that was cleared before, that lead us to Viet Nam was "easy". I had a true and deep love for the country and it's people I had support to raise our daughter as a Vietnamese. I felt so connected. Just as I had to Taiwan when we began our adoption of Amelia in Viet Nam. Could God change my heart again, could I love yet another country, feel connected to this child?

I knew God's work, if HE was indeed leading us elsewhere, would be complete, so what my daughter did not know, was that moved by Psalm 72, I had contacted three weeks earlier, an adoption agency about Africa...

We are not "caught" in the wait...

The news of so many referrals we are seeing on our agency's yahoo group is wonderful and fills our hearts with excitement for the families who have been blessed. I know all too well, though, the feelings of discouragement that can come when your "plans" seem to be going no where while others celebrate. From friends baby showers and baby's births to others getting referrals while we are in uncertainty can hurt or at least be difficult BUT because our God is faithful that is not OUR case.

I wanted to share that though it appears we are waiting because there is an "issue" with the continuation of USA and VN adoptions we believe that this wait is about so much more. We are waiting for God to do His good work, for HIM to place the solitary in our family, for HIM to bring our son home. We are waiting for another miracle...

Adding a child to our family, whether through my body or through adoption has been nothing less than miraculous EACH TIME and it is that miracle we want once again. What miracle? Miraculously we have watched as God has brought exactly the children HE knew should be a part of our family. The ultimate testimony to this is the "feelings" I have had as each of my 4 daughters have been place in my longing arms. Each time the yearning for them the same, each time the fulfilment the same, each time the joy the same, each time the love the same... God is soooo good!

Politics, politics, politics...

Having been in contact with someone who works with Guatemala adoptions and seeing how they are scrambling to finance the orphanages without money coming in (due to the halt of adoptions at this time in Guatemala) Viet Nam has been weighing very heavy on my heart. Who will care for the children???

For so many reasons Viet Nam finds itself in a situation where children need homes and to us the number one issue here is to find families for children who need them, at least until the underlying cause of the situation is hopefully one day resolved. Sounds so simple, huh? It should be but all too often man's pride and selfishness intervene. Sad...

Recently the Phu Tho province in Viet Nam, where Amelia is from, closed adoptions to US citizens. Why? Politics, politics, POLITICS... They would not endure the situation with the US government. What situation read on...

Though I do understand and want to make sure we are adopting children who are truly in need as orphans, I also know that there are better ways for the US of going about these investigations while respecting the families and country involved. The US agents have been going to villages and questioning not only the birthparent(s) and family but others in the area who might know about the situation. They have even shown up uninvited to VN government agencies asking questions. Of course, many times, the pregnancy and relinquishments has been done in secret (even being kept from family) so this "investigation" can amount to search and destroy missions (search out the birth family and destroy their reputation and in some instances their lives as they know it, not to mention the disrespect shown towards the government by making these unsolicited visits to their agencies.) Should not these birth mothers and families be respected and even rewarded with dignity for their choice to give these children life? The alternative and what has been seen elsewhere is when the pressure is so great on these poor women they resort to what they feel is their only choice in the situation, abortion. And should not this government be treated as an equal, at the very least in their humanity, receiving respect towards their customs and for what we experienced, a deep care for their children (while in VN we were stopped over and over by locals who fawned over Amelia and asked us to bring her back and let her know where she comes from).

I believe, though unfortunate, that investigations will or will not occur depending on the "respect" level (ie what do we stand to lose) of the US government toward the country in question. Why do we not hear of a major investigation of all the thousands of Chinese abandoned babies? And this a country known to sell organs on the
black market. Here's another thought…would the US do the same types of investigations here in the US??? Not without an UPROAR, from both sides of the political arena.

Yes there needs to be reform to include transparency and uniformity but Viet Nam should not and will not be strong armed into changing. How soon we forget the that WE lost the war... And who will lose here? The children. Those who will not be adopted and those who will not receive aid given by the agencies working in the country. Our agency is still working to care for the babies in Phu Tho province even though they will not be able to place children from there. Their are hearts are with the people and children of Viet Nam and we are blessed by their efforts.

If the US would only approach VN with humility what a different story this would be. Yes we help and give more than any other nation in the world yet I wish it were with a different spirit. I hate the feeling many citizens leave behind as they travel over seas. The "we are better attitude". We know more, know better, have more, etc.(If you have been abroad let's be real you know we have the "stuck up" reputation!) It leaves a stench in peoples nostrils. We wondered how the Vietnamese would feel about us when we were in country. With bomb craters from the US war still a reality in that country it amazed us how we were welcomed with open arms. Their philosophy to look forward for the best of their people allows them to move on from bitternesses. What an amazing people.

Oh and I just laugh thinking of all the problems our Embassy is giving families about documents and such not being in order since it's not like that has never happened to them. Before we left VN the US embassy mixed up ours and another families paperwork. Praise God we caught it or it would have been a very different arrival at US customs stateside when they opened that brown Visa envelope!

We will continue to cry out to God for the door to remain open in Viet Nam but equally for the resolution to include the respectful treatment of this nation.

Ok off my soap box.

P.S. We just had a new family move into the neighborhood who is Vietnamese. Of course we have already gotten together and will soon be treated to some home made Pho...mmmmm.

Waiting on the Lord...

We're "waiting" but encouraged by the LORD.

Before we went to see Bella we were talking and praying about Samuel's business and the adoption. Avonlea shared that she had been discouraged about the adoption earlier that day but that the Lord had given her Psalm 52:9. She read it to us, "I will praise thee forever, because thou hast done [it]:" As you can imagine we all began to praise God. I then shared how the Lord had placed such a peace in my heart and how I felt led to write the agency directors saying that we did not want to "push "this" or do "that" to speed things up because once you had seen the goodness of God as He has added each child to your family you wanted nothing less! We knew if we asked the agency if we could move forward, because of our previous adoption and good relationship with them, they would probably have said yes. This was something Samuel considered doing but we knew God was resisting. Though other families would go hyper-drive gathering documents to try to "squeeze" there process through in Viet Nam we decided rather to "wait" on the MASTER weaver create our family tapestry. (The Lord gave me a picture before we began any adoption process of Him weaving a tapestry. As He added threads of different colors I said, "I don't think that goes together". He told me that I was seeing it through my eyes but that He wanted me to see it through His. In an instant I could see the entire piece complete. The "colors" I thought were out of place blended beautifully to make the finished piece...our family. That is what gave me the faith to begin the process of international adoption.)

As I was sharing about waiting on the Lord, I asked Avonlea to pass me her Bible so I could read Psalm 52:9 myself. As I read it I noticed there was a : at the end of what she had read. In fact the scripture continued on the next page... And what do you think it said??? and I will wait on thy name; for [it is] good before thy saints. God is GOOD!!! Is there anything impossible for our GOD?!

Psalm 52:9 I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done (to do, fashion, accomplish, make) [it]: and I will wait [to wait or look for eagerly, hope, expect, to lie in wait for, linger for-to collect, bind (I will bind myself to the promises of GOD!)] on thy name (reputation, fame, glory); for [it is] good before thy saints.

God has done HIS good work and we eagerly bind ourselves to HIS promises and wait eagerly because we know HIS reputation... AMEN!