My sweet son knows something is different with his daddy, brother and sisters gone. He may not understand why they have left and that they have gone home to prepare for his homecoming...he wants them here!
Thankfully, we had a good day. We walked to the market and visited with a few friends, had dinner, watched a soccer match, came home cleaned dishes and then he had a bath. It was time to head to our room and sing a few songs before I cover him with kisses and prayers and lay him down in his crib. Tonight, he was absolutely insistent that he take his last Pringles chip to bed with him. I thought about it for a moment and was just about to open my mouth and let him know that we do not take food to bed (especially crumbly chips:) when he looked at me with his big, sad, beautiful brown eyes, I couldn't break his heart for another time today.
We are both grieving the departure of our loved ones and wish we were on that pane with them..PLUS, I have been sick the past few days (sore throat= voice not working quite right), so I decided to let him take that chip that was oh, so precious to bed with him.
He still tossed and turned for the next hour as we cuddled and I tried to fill his love tank right back to the top again. It's all quiet here now!
Sweet moments to treasure!
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Gone home!
I just watched Jeff and my 3 older children drive off in the big white van to the airport. I am sitting here on the couch with tears streaming down my face. I am going to miss them!
This family journey has been so good. Really more than we could have dreamed of! We had the privilege of coming here and meeting our son whom God has placed in our family and has such a great plan for his life.
We were able to introduce our older kids to the country of Uganda which we love so very much! Our friends, the people of Uganda are so welcoming and precious and they hold very special places in our hearts. The people and the countryside are so beautiful. My kids have fallen in love as well! No one wanted to leave today!
I believe that God has planted a seed for this country and it's people deep in the hearts of my children as well! They all said they want to return someday and see their friends and new loved ones.
We have been planning this trip for 2 years and to have come was like a surreal dreamlike moment and then for it to be over so quickly is heartbreaking. I look around and the house is fairly empty, their room is all cleaned out and it's so very quiet (partially because the little storm is taking a nap).
Jeff and I were both very emotional as they prepared to leave. Partially, because I am being left behind to finish up the passport and visa and partially, because this family experience is over. You wait and pray for so long and then "poof" it's over!
The kids have loved their time here!
Ranger caught more bugs and critters than one can imagine. Maybe he will post all of his pictures and stories and his adventures one day. He made great friends here at the university and was so enjoying their time together. I think his ultimate high was the safari. To stand in a truck with the wind blowing in your face, watching and taking pictures of God's beautiful creation is RIGHT up his alley.
Bella fell so in love with our babies home and this country. She DID NOT want to leave. She has already asked if we can come back and adopt again (we told her its her turn next time:). She grew up so much this trip and discovered some things that she loves and enjoys that she didn't know before. She is such an awesome helper to me and her new brother.
Andie grew to love Uganda more and more as time went on. She wanted to come home that first week because she got sick for a few days. Who doesn't wanna go home when you are sick? She also loved the safari and learning many new things. She made some very good friends here at our new home. I actually have barely seen her the past two days. All the girls have been building a fort and campsite this whole past weekend! Besides, being a bit too hot here for her she also has loved her time.
We have such a wonderful life to come home to...wonderful friends and family, great schools, church and lots of fun activities. Our new little son has no idea what his home will be like or the things that God has prepared for him in Oregon. But there is a sense of closure happening in Uganda and it is just hard to let that go!
Thanks for letting me grieve with you!
As excited as I am to come home and introduce our sweet one to you all, I am also grieving my last bit of time here. Maybe my heart also hurts for our sweet boy. He was born into a country that gave him a very rough start to life. God has redeemed his life and has brought him into our family and we are so thankful and grateful for Gods love and provision over him. But grieving the loss of all he has ever know breaks this Mama's heart. I know he has a great future to look forward to (and HE WILL be back someday) but to get to the future you must give your present hurts and pain to Jesus. He can heal and bring a new start after "the storm" has come and cleaned out the pain. The storm brings an opportunity for a thorough cleansing and allows you to take a deep breath and a new start as we continue to walk with Jesus!
I am hoping to keep you all updated as much as possible as these next days move on!
Thanks for all your comments! They are life-giving in the midst of this journey!
This family journey has been so good. Really more than we could have dreamed of! We had the privilege of coming here and meeting our son whom God has placed in our family and has such a great plan for his life.
We were able to introduce our older kids to the country of Uganda which we love so very much! Our friends, the people of Uganda are so welcoming and precious and they hold very special places in our hearts. The people and the countryside are so beautiful. My kids have fallen in love as well! No one wanted to leave today!
I believe that God has planted a seed for this country and it's people deep in the hearts of my children as well! They all said they want to return someday and see their friends and new loved ones.
We have been planning this trip for 2 years and to have come was like a surreal dreamlike moment and then for it to be over so quickly is heartbreaking. I look around and the house is fairly empty, their room is all cleaned out and it's so very quiet (partially because the little storm is taking a nap).
Jeff and I were both very emotional as they prepared to leave. Partially, because I am being left behind to finish up the passport and visa and partially, because this family experience is over. You wait and pray for so long and then "poof" it's over!
The kids have loved their time here!
Ranger caught more bugs and critters than one can imagine. Maybe he will post all of his pictures and stories and his adventures one day. He made great friends here at the university and was so enjoying their time together. I think his ultimate high was the safari. To stand in a truck with the wind blowing in your face, watching and taking pictures of God's beautiful creation is RIGHT up his alley.
Bella fell so in love with our babies home and this country. She DID NOT want to leave. She has already asked if we can come back and adopt again (we told her its her turn next time:). She grew up so much this trip and discovered some things that she loves and enjoys that she didn't know before. She is such an awesome helper to me and her new brother.
Andie grew to love Uganda more and more as time went on. She wanted to come home that first week because she got sick for a few days. Who doesn't wanna go home when you are sick? She also loved the safari and learning many new things. She made some very good friends here at our new home. I actually have barely seen her the past two days. All the girls have been building a fort and campsite this whole past weekend! Besides, being a bit too hot here for her she also has loved her time.
We have such a wonderful life to come home to...wonderful friends and family, great schools, church and lots of fun activities. Our new little son has no idea what his home will be like or the things that God has prepared for him in Oregon. But there is a sense of closure happening in Uganda and it is just hard to let that go!
Thanks for letting me grieve with you!
As excited as I am to come home and introduce our sweet one to you all, I am also grieving my last bit of time here. Maybe my heart also hurts for our sweet boy. He was born into a country that gave him a very rough start to life. God has redeemed his life and has brought him into our family and we are so thankful and grateful for Gods love and provision over him. But grieving the loss of all he has ever know breaks this Mama's heart. I know he has a great future to look forward to (and HE WILL be back someday) but to get to the future you must give your present hurts and pain to Jesus. He can heal and bring a new start after "the storm" has come and cleaned out the pain. The storm brings an opportunity for a thorough cleansing and allows you to take a deep breath and a new start as we continue to walk with Jesus!
I am hoping to keep you all updated as much as possible as these next days move on!
Thanks for all your comments! They are life-giving in the midst of this journey!
Friday, February 15, 2013
Farewell to Loving Hearts
Today was our farewell party and official goodbye to everyone.
I was dreading this a bit. When we moved out of Loving Hearts last week, I was quite emotional. I'm not sure why. Those of you who know me, know that I am not an overly emotional person but sometimes they hit in such a powerful way.
We
drove up to the home and were telling Drew what was happening and that we were
having a party to say good-bye to all his friends and Aunties and then
he was coming home with us forever! He seemed to be fine and was
excited to see everyone.
We had a VERY special time
there. The girls were excited to see all the special babies that they
had fallen in love with. The staff brought all the babies out into the
back yard and put them in chairs and on a mat. They had gotten sodas,
juices for the toddlers and a cake with white and pink frosting that
said, "Farewell Andrew" on the top. It was so very sweet!
The party started and our social worker had all the staff go around and share what they knew and loved about Drew. We recorded the whole thing and one day I can't wait to show him all the special things everyone said. No one said anything that surprised us. We have been living with him for 3 weeks and we have seen the good, the bad and the ugly!
A summary of what most people shared was that he loves to SING, he loves to CARE for the other babies (he has been the oldest at the babies home) he loves to DRIVE around in the moto-cars and he has a HOT temper! We laughed because no one told us that until now. But now, everyone is telling us.
We
don't believe his hot temper is a strong will, but rather the way he
learned to communicate without being able to speak yet. He is learning
his boundaries with us and what is acceptable - with lots and lots of
love to go with it. We are covering him in prayer each and everyday!
After the staff shared, Jeff and I got a chance to express our gratitude and thanks to them for loving our son and teaching him about Jesus until we got here. We affirmed them that we will love him and teach him to love Jesus and know God's Word. They clapped and shouted "Praise the Lord!" It was really a special time.
We also gave gifts. The students at the girl's school MITCH Charter, raised a lot of money that we used to purchase they things they needed like diapers, formula, & bowls.
We also gave each of them some homemade soaps donated by Oregon Rain Soaps - which the Aunties loved.
These two year olds really know how to party and this took almost two hours. I didn't know what to expect when we returned but Drew fit right back in caring and helping the little ones and was happy to say good-bye when the time came to leave. That sweet home with always be very special to us!
I was dreading this a bit. When we moved out of Loving Hearts last week, I was quite emotional. I'm not sure why. Those of you who know me, know that I am not an overly emotional person but sometimes they hit in such a powerful way.
We had a VERY special time
there. The girls were excited to see all the special babies that they
had fallen in love with. The staff brought all the babies out into the
back yard and put them in chairs and on a mat. They had gotten sodas,
juices for the toddlers and a cake with white and pink frosting that
said, "Farewell Andrew" on the top. It was so very sweet!The party started and our social worker had all the staff go around and share what they knew and loved about Drew. We recorded the whole thing and one day I can't wait to show him all the special things everyone said. No one said anything that surprised us. We have been living with him for 3 weeks and we have seen the good, the bad and the ugly!
A summary of what most people shared was that he loves to SING, he loves to CARE for the other babies (he has been the oldest at the babies home) he loves to DRIVE around in the moto-cars and he has a HOT temper! We laughed because no one told us that until now. But now, everyone is telling us.
We
don't believe his hot temper is a strong will, but rather the way he
learned to communicate without being able to speak yet. He is learning
his boundaries with us and what is acceptable - with lots and lots of
love to go with it. We are covering him in prayer each and everyday!After the staff shared, Jeff and I got a chance to express our gratitude and thanks to them for loving our son and teaching him about Jesus until we got here. We affirmed them that we will love him and teach him to love Jesus and know God's Word. They clapped and shouted "Praise the Lord!" It was really a special time.
We also gave gifts. The students at the girl's school MITCH Charter, raised a lot of money that we used to purchase they things they needed like diapers, formula, & bowls.
We also gave each of them some homemade soaps donated by Oregon Rain Soaps - which the Aunties loved.
These two year olds really know how to party and this took almost two hours. I didn't know what to expect when we returned but Drew fit right back in caring and helping the little ones and was happy to say good-bye when the time came to leave. That sweet home with always be very special to us!
A crazy busy day!!
Yesterday we had a VERY LONG and EXHAUSTING day!
Jeff was up at 6 am to head to the US Embassy to have a meeting about moving our case forward! He was excited to be only third in line, but then sat there for 2 hours before he could be seen to review the file and sign off on all his paperwork before heading out on Monday. Thankfully, the rest of us slept in, had breakfast and a lazy morning. He returned to get us around 10 am and off we went!
We headed to the Friday market. It's a great market meant for Mzungu's (white people) to purchase all sorts of wonderful crafts, jewelry, clothes and so much more at a higher price than the locals. We wandered through and looked through all the treasures.
It was a very hot day and thankfully, the crafts are mostly under these big tarps so you can be protected from the direct sun as much as possible. The kids picked out different treasures and enjoyed talking with the ladies who made the crafts. We were just about to finish up. Bella, Drew and myself were looking at a few things and I had a great conversation with this wonderful lady. We were walking away and I heard Bella trip over a stand so I turned around. She was white as a ghost and looking at me with a desperate look. I could tell she was fainting from the heat! I quickly handed Drew off to this nice lady and grabbed Bella and helped her to the ground. I called Jeff over and he was quickly by my side. He picked up Bella and carried her to our van to get her some water and lay her down.
I followed a few minutes later after I helped clean up. The nice lady said, "Don't forget your baby!" I laughed and replied, "Don't worry, I won't ever forget him!"
I made our way out to the van and Bella was doing much better. Jeff had poured water on her and gave her some to drink. She was going to be fine. We sat in the van and waited for Jeff and the other kids to finish shopping.
Within a short time, we were off to our babies home for Drew's "Farewell Party." (see Farewell to Loving Hearts post for details).
After the party, we were off fast and furious to the Ugandan Immigration Office to start the process of Drew's passport. I do not have the right words to explain the passport process through the Ugandan Immigration office. Wow!!! I don't think I have been so overwhelmed as I was there! Seriously, we do not have pictures but the words fail me to express the chaos!
Thankfully, Charles connected us to his wonderful friend (who used to work in the immigration office) and she had come to help us. If she would not have been there I would have sat down and cried...literally! She worked her way in and out of lines, sought out friends for help and directed us where to go. She seemed quite frustrated as well, but never gave up.
It had been pouring rain when we first arrived so Drew was walking in all the mud and puddles and getting red clay all over him. I did not care one bit because he was happy. He was running on a 10 min nap and farewell cake for lunch. A ticking time bomb ready to explode!
Bella had come with us to the immigration office and thank goodness for that! Drew loves her and he was excited to have her there to play with. She is going to be an awesome mama down the road. So, 2 1/2 hours later and 4 processing rooms (packed with hundreds of people) later, we left confused.
The last office told me to come back on Monday morning (and not to bring our son.) We came home exhausted again. The kids ran off to play with their friends and try to burn off the energy that they didn't use by sitting in the van outside for several hours while we did battle inside the immigration complex.
All the while, the clock is moving quickly and Jeff and the kids leave in only a few more days. How am I going to go back there on Monday and get anywhere without them?
Jeff was up at 6 am to head to the US Embassy to have a meeting about moving our case forward! He was excited to be only third in line, but then sat there for 2 hours before he could be seen to review the file and sign off on all his paperwork before heading out on Monday. Thankfully, the rest of us slept in, had breakfast and a lazy morning. He returned to get us around 10 am and off we went!
We headed to the Friday market. It's a great market meant for Mzungu's (white people) to purchase all sorts of wonderful crafts, jewelry, clothes and so much more at a higher price than the locals. We wandered through and looked through all the treasures.
It was a very hot day and thankfully, the crafts are mostly under these big tarps so you can be protected from the direct sun as much as possible. The kids picked out different treasures and enjoyed talking with the ladies who made the crafts. We were just about to finish up. Bella, Drew and myself were looking at a few things and I had a great conversation with this wonderful lady. We were walking away and I heard Bella trip over a stand so I turned around. She was white as a ghost and looking at me with a desperate look. I could tell she was fainting from the heat! I quickly handed Drew off to this nice lady and grabbed Bella and helped her to the ground. I called Jeff over and he was quickly by my side. He picked up Bella and carried her to our van to get her some water and lay her down.
I followed a few minutes later after I helped clean up. The nice lady said, "Don't forget your baby!" I laughed and replied, "Don't worry, I won't ever forget him!"
I made our way out to the van and Bella was doing much better. Jeff had poured water on her and gave her some to drink. She was going to be fine. We sat in the van and waited for Jeff and the other kids to finish shopping.
Within a short time, we were off to our babies home for Drew's "Farewell Party." (see Farewell to Loving Hearts post for details).
After the party, we were off fast and furious to the Ugandan Immigration Office to start the process of Drew's passport. I do not have the right words to explain the passport process through the Ugandan Immigration office. Wow!!! I don't think I have been so overwhelmed as I was there! Seriously, we do not have pictures but the words fail me to express the chaos!
Thankfully, Charles connected us to his wonderful friend (who used to work in the immigration office) and she had come to help us. If she would not have been there I would have sat down and cried...literally! She worked her way in and out of lines, sought out friends for help and directed us where to go. She seemed quite frustrated as well, but never gave up.
It had been pouring rain when we first arrived so Drew was walking in all the mud and puddles and getting red clay all over him. I did not care one bit because he was happy. He was running on a 10 min nap and farewell cake for lunch. A ticking time bomb ready to explode!
Bella had come with us to the immigration office and thank goodness for that! Drew loves her and he was excited to have her there to play with. She is going to be an awesome mama down the road. So, 2 1/2 hours later and 4 processing rooms (packed with hundreds of people) later, we left confused.
The last office told me to come back on Monday morning (and not to bring our son.) We came home exhausted again. The kids ran off to play with their friends and try to burn off the energy that they didn't use by sitting in the van outside for several hours while we did battle inside the immigration complex.
All the while, the clock is moving quickly and Jeff and the kids leave in only a few more days. How am I going to go back there on Monday and get anywhere without them?
Our new home!
Can I just say how God has blessed us so much!!
He has provided for us in so many ways and mostly in things that we hadn't even thought of! As you know, we left our babies home last week (which was an adventure in itself). We were praying about where to move to. We could have stayed there but the expense was too much and we needed to move our big family into a new setting for us and for our new little son.
We had been praying about where to go. Our good friend whom we spent some time with here in Uganda so graciously offered us an apartment for a very inexpensive price. The only problem was that it was VERY remote. We knew we would have had to spend a lot of money on hiring a driver to come and get us to go anywhere. There wasn't even a local market we could walk to. We kept praying about the right spot for us...we knew it was out there!
A few days later, our good friend Charles called and said maybe we could stay at a guest house on his university's property. He wasn't sure if it was available but he would check. We decided to go and look at it.
We drove in and I fell in love!!! I didn't care what the house looked like. The grounds were beautifully landscaped and would provide a safe environment for my 4 kids to RUN FREE!
We meet one of the professors and his family and his wife gave us a tour of the 2-bedroom duplex and we fell in love with it. Charles needed to get the ok that we could move in and what the price would be before we could move forward.
Jeff and I had decided that we were moving out of our babies home the next for sure! So, we began praying. Our only other option at the moment was this guest house that was too expensive and way too small for our family but that's all we had at the moment. We went to bed that night praying desperately that God would open the door for us to move into the university guest house.
The next morning, we packed up all of our 10 bags and countless bags of loose items and put it into our van and we still hadn't heard from Charles with the official word. We headed over to our friends at Kirabo Seeds to have lunch and play with all of their awesome kids.
While we were there Charles called! He said, "Good News! The house is ready for you to move into and they decided to cut the price in half to help out your family!". Can you believe it??
We shouted for joy and our friends celebrated with us!
After lunch, we headed over to the university to get settled in and set up our new life for the next few weeks! We will post pictures soon and show you how wonderful it is here. Jeff wants to sell our home and live here forever:) If it wasn't for me...he just might!
He has provided for us in so many ways and mostly in things that we hadn't even thought of! As you know, we left our babies home last week (which was an adventure in itself). We were praying about where to move to. We could have stayed there but the expense was too much and we needed to move our big family into a new setting for us and for our new little son.
We had been praying about where to go. Our good friend whom we spent some time with here in Uganda so graciously offered us an apartment for a very inexpensive price. The only problem was that it was VERY remote. We knew we would have had to spend a lot of money on hiring a driver to come and get us to go anywhere. There wasn't even a local market we could walk to. We kept praying about the right spot for us...we knew it was out there!
A few days later, our good friend Charles called and said maybe we could stay at a guest house on his university's property. He wasn't sure if it was available but he would check. We decided to go and look at it.
We drove in and I fell in love!!! I didn't care what the house looked like. The grounds were beautifully landscaped and would provide a safe environment for my 4 kids to RUN FREE!
We meet one of the professors and his family and his wife gave us a tour of the 2-bedroom duplex and we fell in love with it. Charles needed to get the ok that we could move in and what the price would be before we could move forward.
Jeff and I had decided that we were moving out of our babies home the next for sure! So, we began praying. Our only other option at the moment was this guest house that was too expensive and way too small for our family but that's all we had at the moment. We went to bed that night praying desperately that God would open the door for us to move into the university guest house.
The next morning, we packed up all of our 10 bags and countless bags of loose items and put it into our van and we still hadn't heard from Charles with the official word. We headed over to our friends at Kirabo Seeds to have lunch and play with all of their awesome kids.
While we were there Charles called! He said, "Good News! The house is ready for you to move into and they decided to cut the price in half to help out your family!". Can you believe it??
We shouted for joy and our friends celebrated with us!
After lunch, we headed over to the university to get settled in and set up our new life for the next few weeks! We will post pictures soon and show you how wonderful it is here. Jeff wants to sell our home and live here forever:) If it wasn't for me...he just might!
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