Home Study Part 1

Well... we made it through the first phase of our home study! Mainly we were interviewed on our marriage... which I always love to talk about... so I was excited!!! And our reasons for adopting and if we have any fears, or family members that we see having a problem with our adoption. We go to Transracial Training on the evening of September 12th and our next part of our home study is the next day on September 13th. SO please just keep us in your prayers on those days. We are praying that we will learn all that God wishes us to. Please also continue to pray for funding. We still need about half of our grand total.... so about ten thousand dollars. We also ask for prayers as we put together our Dossier... there is a lot of paper work to get together... pray that we are accurate and don't miss a thing! THANKS!!!

BRAGGIN'

Check out Anne's Blog, Lizzie's Blog (you will have to check her older posts) and Katie's Blog.... you can click on their links down on the right side of this page. If you do this... you will see pics of our kids... these three young ladies have all been a huge blessing to our kids!!

I'm just guessing...

... you would feel this way too! Daddy has to leave in the morning. Please pray for our kids... they will be fine, they are in an awesome place with a lot of love. But when daddy leaves... their hearts are gonna flip flop for a while... and so will ours! Thanks!

Rob Working on Halo's Medical Clinic

Just a quick picture update on what Rob is doing in Haiti... and get this... unless things did not wind up as intended... after THIS he takes the kids to dinner and plays with them tucks them in, wakes them up, gets them ready for the day... goes to breakfast and BACK to work!!! I am so proud of you Rob! So many men draw a line... but you always give life your all in your own quiet patient way! I have to say... I am married to the most amazing man in the world! I love you!!!

Praise HIM... not just what He does

I completely love this picture... it has to be one of my favorites. I was in the nursery one morning while all the children were dancing and singing and I happened to get this exact shot of Isabel shouting " ALLELUIA"!!! And honestly... I had barely heard her voice until then... what a blessed first word for a mama to hear! And a girl after my own heart... praising God with both hands in the air!!!!

This picture is perfect for today because God had an awesome talk with me this morning about praise. As I sat and started to pray... I always try to praise God first and not just lay my list before Him. We were created to praise so that is what we should strive to do first in our prayer life... well, just as I feel I'm starting to get a hold of that concept... God takes me in a little deeper and tells me to FIRST praise Him for who He is and His character THEN praise him for what He has done.

He told me... with our spouses and children... when they praise us... we would rather hear them truly praise our character and not just say "I love you so much because... you always clean the house"... We would rather hear them say something like... "I love you so much for your giving nature, you never hesitate to bless people... by the way... thank for cleaning the house today!" ... Right!?? So it totally straightened me out once He showed it to me in that light. And as the picture shows above... children have got it right... I guess for the very young, I rarely hear them list in their prayer life that they praise Jesus for all He's done when they are truly praising Him, but more often in a sense it's just ... "ALLELUIA!!!!!"

Papa Is Coming!

Rob gets to go to Haiti tomorrow! Please keep him and his traveling companions Dennis, Steve and Sharon in your prayers! He is so excited to see the kids again! And I think it's a good thing I had supplied them all with a healthy supply of stickers!!!

Sooooo.... many of you have been asking for the stories..... from our last trip.... and I guess I have to admit I have been hiding out a bit. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure why... but I needed a little space... it is hard to talk about constantly. I feel bad about that. This adoption is SO SO SO exciting. But I feel like I get in this prerecorded mode when people ask how things are going, and I have been praying to get out of that and just be able to be candid with people!!! God is helping me tremendously with that. SO I WILL TELL YOU THE STORY YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR.... THE MOMENT OF ASKING...

Well... I wish I could say this was the expression we saw when we asked Caleb and Isabel to be our kids... but to our surprise it wasn't. Honestly, now that we look back and understand it though... we know why it wasn't. When we got to the Orphanage we were going to a wait a day until we asked them to be our kids... just to get reacquainted and not throw too much at them at once... but since the other children kept coming up to us and asking us if we were going to be C+I's parents... along with a couple nannies... we knew things needed to be taken care of sooner than we thought. SO up to You-you's apartment we marched. We sat down with the kids and You you explained that we wanted to have a talk with them. Caleb's face turned serious as he fidgeted with things around him Izzy just kinda sat there in her own world tugging on her barbie doll's hair as only a Haitian girl can. Rob then proceeded to ask if they would like to be in our forever family.... there was a slight pause that seemed to go on for 45 minutes... and I was thinking .... "SERIOUSLY??? We're going to be the first parents that have been rejected by the children they hope to adopt???? Oh what am I going to do??? How should I respond????" And then..... Caleb... looking downward and still fidgeting said....

Wi!! (FYI.. that's YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)


So he said it cautiously... and at first it worried me. Concerned about his happiness I hoped that he REALLY DID want to be ours. I did NOT want to be out of God's will or out of Caleb's will!!! SO it was hard when I didn't get the reaction that I had already played over and over in my own head. But... within minutes Caleb started to grin as he processed it all... Izzy kept tugging at Barbie... which we interpret as acceptance. =) We gave them both laminated sheets of pictures of us and our house and pets... we went down stairs and I watched from behind the scenes as Caleb went into the courtyard to show some friends the picture of his new home and new parents and pets. I saw him smile as he showed his friends... I needed to see that... and I saw him continue to just stare at all the pictures as he walked off by himself. Oh what was going through his head??? I wish I knew... was he scared, was he excited, both??? Was he looking at the picture of that horse and saying "ooohhhh boy... I hope I don't have to ride that..." and "OH BROTHER... how am I going to live with TWO WAH WAH's????" (Wah Wah is the name of the guard dog at the Orphanage... and Haitians are not nuts about dogs) I wish I could just get in both their little minds!!!!! I mean look in these eyes... what was IZZY thinking??????? We will touch more on that in another entry!!!!! =) She does cuddle good... I think that's an awesome sign!!! And I do know Caleb's love for us was extremely apparent as the week unfolded. He told us he loved us COUNTLESS times... with that priceless grin of his. And we could tell he meant it!!!! Why didn't he smile and jump up and down right when we asked him.... I think he was surprised that we were asking him for many reasons... I think he knew from our trip in MAY that he would be ours. We spent a lot of time with him... and I also think God confirmed it in his spirit that we were his parents. So... um.... mom and dad... why are you asking me something I have already said yes too in my heart??? I think that was what was going through his mind along with the other countless things that may go through a little boys mind at 6 years old, who has been given up by one set of parents only to stay at an orphanage for a year and to have a new set of parents on 7-7 07!!! Now he has a family that "will never Quit Him" as You you told him the day we left!!! We will never quit either of you! You're our babies and we will do anything for you!!!!!!!!!!!!

Getting Familiar With God's Word...

Blaze... my pillar of fire...

Beautiful isn't he??!!! I can't share with you in a short time all the lessons God has taught me through this horse!!! He has truly shown me the way, just like the pillar of fire showed the Israelites the way in Exodus. It amazes me the way God can use creatures like Him to touch our lives. I don't regret buying this horse for a second! Even if someone took him from me tomorrow... I would be HORRIFIED... but I would rather have had him for the little time that I have... than not at all. He has taught me to be courageous, gentle, patient and firm... and today he taught me something else...

I truly believe God is calling me to start a horse camp for abused children... this I already know. There are so many out there for emotionally and physically impaired children... and they bless those kids like crazy...but I feel abused kids are in need of the same thing. In order to start digesting the fact that I will basically be building an ark in my front yard (meaning... this all just seems impossible) God has prompted me to pray over my horse and to also read my Bible in his pasture. Well, just yesterday I sat in a chair in the pasture reading my Bible and it caught Blaze's interest. He was very cautious of those big white noisy pages and wasn't quite sure he liked them at all. As I turned the pages his eyes got bigger and bigger and his ears flattened back, CLEARLY God's word was intimidating to Blaze... that Big book... SO many pages, it seemed like way too much to take in... and so confusing... he would rather just stay away than try to understand it. Then God revealed to me how many people there are in the world that feel the same way Blaze does about His word. It seems way too intimidating or overwhelming and it's just easier to stay away... but then...

Blaze surprised me... he started to graze nervously as he inched closer and closer to my feet. Once he got close enough he picked up his head slowly, eyes still bulging he reached his neck way forward and sniffed my Bible... the wind caught one of the pages suddenly, catching and already tense Blaze off guard, this set Blaze to quickly hop backwards about 2 feet. He just stood there, with his front legs as straight as toothpicks and a little bit farther apart from each other than usual. His head was held high, as was his tail and now his eyes were SO big it looked like he was crossing them. Much to my surprise, he stretched his neck out again and cautiously sniffed the Bible. In time, He started to understand that it wouldn't hurt him and he started to slowly accept it. Eventually I stood up to pray and I left my Bible on the chair and he just COULDN'T ignore it any longer... he walked up to it and wiggling his top lip back and forth in a Mr. Ed manner, he started turning the pages... then, yes, he got comfortable enough he tried to eat the pages... that's where I stepped in...

But honestly... if the Word of God, the Bible, seems intimidating to you... just give it time... don't ignore it, and with the help of God... it will start to make more and more sense... then you will get a point just like Blaze did... where you just can't ignore it, then you will love it so much... you will want to take it all in (preferably not by literally eating it). So I hope you learned something from Blaze today. And if you already KNEW this... I hope you will be able to use this story to touch a life! God bless you as we all get more familiar each day, with God's Word!

WHAT YOU DO WHEN YOU HAVE A NEW MOM AND DAD...

REMIND ME

So, it's funny how after being in a third world country... you have no real desire to blog and whatnot. Most the world lives without... and blogging just seems so minimal when you get home from seeing so many hurting people. And you really have no desire to focus on self... after what you just saw. So I appologize for my lack of updating but I feel I am still quietly focusing on God's people in Haiti. Out of respect for them, I just don't feel like jumping back on the bandwagon of taking life for granted quite yet.

I know many of you are waiting for news... and I will try my best to share regulalry soon...our kids certainly are something to be celebrated... but I have to admit, Rob and I are humbled, we are just doing what we are supposed to. So many people are praising us for adopting... but I just look at the hurt and how people live in Haiti... and I just want to say... please don't praise us... praise the Haitian mother who is trying her best to just feed her children SOMETHING so she doesn't have to give them up, praise the Haitian wife who works 12 or more hours a day and only earns 5 dollars that day and STILL goes home to take care of and love 5 children, praise the Haitian women who are taking care of our children for us while we can't, praise "twenty something" year old American women who have given up the prime of their life to live it with Jesus and 38 kids in Haiti... WHO DOES THAT AT THAT AGE!!!!!??, praise the Haitians for still being confident that there is a God when they see death, starvation and crime around them as a normal part of life. PRAISE GOD for the strength He gives the Haitian people. I just don't even want to talk about us or the adoptions or anything sometimes... it's not all about us... Rob and I??.... we're spoiled brats just trying to be obedient.

Can you tell I am going through some serious emotions coming back to this lovely rich country we live in!!! Sorry to sound so negative... that's not my point... but I just feel while I am here blogging away as I sit on my comfy bed... there is a Nanny willing to stay up all night with my baby girl if she is sick, there is another Nanny dressing my son every day and making sure he has food and a bath.... AND THEY STILL HAVE TO GO HOME TO THEIR OWN KIDS!!! Praise God! I am humbled!!! SO SO SO HUMBLED!!! I will write more soon... but I hope this blog entry touches you today and makes you thankful for what you have. I know I am so blessed!

Father God, we all pray you would bless Haiti and release them from the bondage they are in. Thank you for the awesome hardworking Hatians who have inspired me and touched my life!!! I am blessed! Everytime I complain Jesus, remind me of what I have, remind me that I have more freedom that 3/4 of the WORLD!!! Remind me again... that most people in the world can't flush their toilet and only DREAM of showers. Remind me again how my children will never have to eat scraps from the local garbage pit, not knowing what it is but just hoping it will fill their stomach, remind me Lord how blessed I am to have a husband who adores me and how blessed we both are to have JOBS!!! We think Michigan's economy is bad... HA HA HA.... remind me Lord how blessed we are in Michigan! Remind me Lord how awesome it is that my children will not have to worry about being in the clutches of typhoid and malaria! REMIND ME AND HUMBLE ME LORD!!!! I WANT TO NEVER EVER COMPLAIN AGAIN.... AND WHEN I DO... REMIND ME!!!

WE'RE BACK

And we have so much to catch everyone up on!!!!! We have so much to say... but little time at the moment since family members are waiting for pictures and stories... but in a nutshell...

HE CHECKED YES!~~~They are ours!!!! What a blessing!!!

Caleb David wanted a new name!!! So Now he is Caleb David!!!! Meaning Faithful, Bold, Beloved!! Isabel Guillanda (meaning consecrated to God) is a sweetheart and yet has a temper matching mine from that age... (she is a 2 year old that was way out of her element last week, we give her credit! We were blessed by her silliness and cuddling too!)

We met their birth-parents!!! Lovely people!!! (I got to pray with their mom!!)

Most of all.... THEY CHECKED YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WE'RE OFF!!!!

We leave tomorrow night to head to Detroit and fly out Saturday morning! Then we get to see the kids!!! Please be praying for us and the entire team of people going. There will be a medical clinic conducted while we are there... please pray that the people God intends to show up are the people who get there and pray for strength and safety for all the volunteers!!! What an awesome week we have ahead of us! Praise God!!!! HOLD ON DAVID AND ISABEL... oh... who am I kidding!!!???

I am the one that needs to hold on!!!!!!! Well... ok... they might need to hold on... they have a lot of kisses coming their way!!!!

Baby Dylan??? Are you coming????

No... we have not decided to adopt more children! But our family is growing! Our sister Amy is about to bring a new life into this world! Baby Dylan... soon!!! Please pray for safe arrival and that he grows to love Jesus and have a happy life!!!! He has a great mommy and daddy!!!! We will brag him up as soon as we can!!!

THANK YOU!!!

OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS ARE THE MOST AWESOME EVER!!!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT THIS WEEKEND! WE HAVE BEEN HUMBLED AND BLESSED MORE THAN WORDS CAN SAY! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SO FAR!!!!

We have earned over 600 dollars from the garage sale so far! God is good!!! We have one day left!!! Please pray that after the day is through we have made 1000 dollars... or more!!! That would be an awesome goal! Please pray also that people would generously give, as many have, with extra donations!!! We also have the auction coming up Sunday! PLEASE PLEASE pray with all your might that this too will be an extremely profitable benefit and that MANY MANY people show up to bid!!!! Thanks!!! - Hope and Rob

I have a crush!!!

Isn't he so handsome!!!!! I honestly have to say... I never knew I could love so intensely again! I have a crush on both our kids, don't get me wrong... but when we go to Haiti in a couple of weeks, we will officially be asking the kids if we could be their parents... and David is the one I expect to make the official decision. So, I have to say... I never felt this questioning, "does he really love me" feeling, since I wondered if Rob loved me in 6th grade. Do you know that feeling I mean? When you find your true love... or maybe your first crush and you are just dieing to know if that person loves you as much as you love them? You just wished you could read their mind!! I totally want to send David a letter that says "Do you love me? Will you be mine?... check yes or no"! I have a twinge of nervousness in me, thinking of that moment... when Rob and I ask David and Isabel be our kids... but mostly I have confidence, God has already confirmed to us that this is right in so many ways. I just can't wait for the moment David checks YES!!!!!!! And yes he is a graduate!!! What a boy!!! Congrat's David! We are SO SO SO proud of you!!! We can't wait to know you and Isabel more!!!