We boarded the plane in Portland and made a quick stop over in Seattle! We had time to grab some lunch, find our gate and then track down a Starbucks for a treat before we boarded our plane to Dubai.
The kids were in heaven on our plane! They have never really flown before so this huge plane with all the movies, games and music they could dream of was very fun! They were giddy as they discovered all the cool gadgets and turned on a movie as soon as possible!
We ate a few mediocre airplane meals, watched a few movies and TRIED to get a few hours of sleep. I'm not sure how successful we were at the sleep part but we all tried!
I am positive the only 2 people on the plane with a chronic cough sat right behind me and right next to me. I just kept thinking how thankful I was to even be on that plane! Ranger came home Friday from school not feeling well and Saturday he was worse, so we headed to the doctor to see what she said. She believed that he had influenza A and that he should not travel. We tracked down Tamiflu for the whole family (which was not easy...Jeff didn't get home until from the pharmacy until11:30pm that night) and then of course, we called all of our prayer warriors to start praying!
Thankfully, he didn't get any worse and by Sunday morning he had a shower, finished packing his bag and was ready to go. He has felt better and better as they day went on! Now, after 24 hours of flying he is completely back to normal! We are so thankful for your prayers!
We are now in Dubai and we SHOULD be sleeping but we are ALL wide awake! Playing a few rounds of Rummy Cube, having relay races across the airport and eating chocolate treats sent with us from a dear friend!
We land in Entebbe in 13 hours and then make our way through Kampala traffic as we make our way to our son! God is good!
Showing posts with label adoption. Show all posts
Showing posts with label adoption. Show all posts
Monday, January 28, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Count down is on...
Ok, we have less than 4 days until we board our plane headed for Uganda!
We will have a quick flight to Seattle and then we'll board a big plane for 15 hours to Dubai AND THEN we will sleep in the airport (we are hoping to find a few comfy benches to crash on). Early that next morning, we will have a 5 hour plane ride to Entebbe then another 2 hour drive . . .
Once we land, pass immigration and get visas we will seek to meet a staff member of our son's babies home. Then we jump in the car and head straight to meet our son!
Can you feel the excitement?
What a privilege it will be to live at the babies home for a short time as we bond and attach to Drew and most importantly, he gets to attach and bond to us!
During our stay, our kiddos will get to "help out" at the home. There are quite a few babies to play with, help feed, give a bath, read books to and run around outside with! They think this will be a fun family vacation but THEY ARE WRONG! They will be loving and serving on these sweet babies while they await their forever families! What a privilege this will be!
We will have a quick flight to Seattle and then we'll board a big plane for 15 hours to Dubai AND THEN we will sleep in the airport (we are hoping to find a few comfy benches to crash on). Early that next morning, we will have a 5 hour plane ride to Entebbe then another 2 hour drive . . .
Once we land, pass immigration and get visas we will seek to meet a staff member of our son's babies home. Then we jump in the car and head straight to meet our son!
Can you feel the excitement?
What a privilege it will be to live at the babies home for a short time as we bond and attach to Drew and most importantly, he gets to attach and bond to us!
During our stay, our kiddos will get to "help out" at the home. There are quite a few babies to play with, help feed, give a bath, read books to and run around outside with! They think this will be a fun family vacation but THEY ARE WRONG! They will be loving and serving on these sweet babies while they await their forever families! What a privilege this will be!
Friday, January 18, 2013
It's a miracle!
What do I say...I'm sitting here in bed and there is so much on my mind. It's racing in 50 different directions actually! We received word today that our investigation has been resolved and we need to be in Uganda before our court date on Feb 1st!
Yes, yes, yes...we are so excited!!!
I knew, I just knew that when we got that phone call yesterday the answer was going to be that our case is still delayed with no movement in the foreseen future. I had prepared my heart for that news...probably just to protect it from another devastating blow that our court date would be cancelled and we would not be traveling to go and meet our son and bring him home.
I am pretty good at defending and protecting my heart when needed! But nothing, did you hear me? NOTHING! Can prepare your heart for the journey of adoption! You can read thousands of blogs and talk to wonderful adoptive families and they will openly and genuinely share their stories of triumphs and trials. You listen intently, thinking maybe this will be what your story is like or maybe your child will be like theirs (either to good to be true or a terror of terrors). And so...you prepare yourself as best you know how!
There is a point in the process when you come to realize that you are actually clueless and you have absolutely have no control of anything!! That's a good place to be!
We've gone through 2 years of home studies, fingerprinting, USCIS forms, lots of paperwork and then the waiting list. Exactly 4 months ago, we were matched with the sweetest little boy who had been abandoned by everyone in the world and he desperately needed a family to call his own. We quickly fell in love and have been working hard to be ready emotionally, spiritually and financially over the course of these past months. Then came the devastating news of our trip being cancelled 2 days before we were to board the plane with our 3 kids and our many, many bags of luggage due to a few issues that arose and needed to be investigated!
Thankfully, we have the BEST agency and our Ugandan lawyer is full of integrity and committed to seek and find truth under all circumstances! So, we know that our sweet boy and our family are in good hands as we ALL keep trusting what God is doing and what He will do in the weeks to come!
So now...in 8 days our family of 5 will be boarding a plane heading to Uganda to meet our sweet boy and smooch on those precious little cheeks:-).
As our journey continues, I only have 1 thing to say to our friends, family or other adoptive families who are following our journey. The ONLY thing that is reliable in the midst of this crazy process with all the ups and downs is the One who asked us to step out in faith, trusting His plan for our future and the future of our family. God has been constant and faithful this whole way and I know He's not letting go now and when we board that plane we know the journey REALLY begins!
Come join us... it's going to be an adventure!
Erin
Yes, yes, yes...we are so excited!!!
I knew, I just knew that when we got that phone call yesterday the answer was going to be that our case is still delayed with no movement in the foreseen future. I had prepared my heart for that news...probably just to protect it from another devastating blow that our court date would be cancelled and we would not be traveling to go and meet our son and bring him home.
I am pretty good at defending and protecting my heart when needed! But nothing, did you hear me? NOTHING! Can prepare your heart for the journey of adoption! You can read thousands of blogs and talk to wonderful adoptive families and they will openly and genuinely share their stories of triumphs and trials. You listen intently, thinking maybe this will be what your story is like or maybe your child will be like theirs (either to good to be true or a terror of terrors). And so...you prepare yourself as best you know how!
There is a point in the process when you come to realize that you are actually clueless and you have absolutely have no control of anything!! That's a good place to be!
We've gone through 2 years of home studies, fingerprinting, USCIS forms, lots of paperwork and then the waiting list. Exactly 4 months ago, we were matched with the sweetest little boy who had been abandoned by everyone in the world and he desperately needed a family to call his own. We quickly fell in love and have been working hard to be ready emotionally, spiritually and financially over the course of these past months. Then came the devastating news of our trip being cancelled 2 days before we were to board the plane with our 3 kids and our many, many bags of luggage due to a few issues that arose and needed to be investigated!
Thankfully, we have the BEST agency and our Ugandan lawyer is full of integrity and committed to seek and find truth under all circumstances! So, we know that our sweet boy and our family are in good hands as we ALL keep trusting what God is doing and what He will do in the weeks to come!
So now...in 8 days our family of 5 will be boarding a plane heading to Uganda to meet our sweet boy and smooch on those precious little cheeks:-).
As our journey continues, I only have 1 thing to say to our friends, family or other adoptive families who are following our journey. The ONLY thing that is reliable in the midst of this crazy process with all the ups and downs is the One who asked us to step out in faith, trusting His plan for our future and the future of our family. God has been constant and faithful this whole way and I know He's not letting go now and when we board that plane we know the journey REALLY begins!
Come join us... it's going to be an adventure!
Erin
Monday, October 8, 2012
3 Weeks since referral!
Well, it's has been 3 weeks since we got our referral of Drew!
The first few days Jeff and I couldn't stop looking at his sweet little picture with those adorable brown eyes staring right at us. I have constantly been clicking on my phone just to see his face and to be reminded of WHY we started this adoption process in the first place.
Just one word.
OBEDIENCE.
We felt God asking us to step out in this HUGE step of faith and to trust Him throughout this WHOLE process. I remember when (almost 2 years ago) that I felt this leading and was scared to death. Adoption had NEVER occurred to me before. I had not known anyone growing up who was adopted and no one in my family had ever adopted before so it was very foreign to me. Over the past number of years God has brought precious friends and families across our path who have lead by example, encouraged us and have been sweet to share their private stories with us.
I also remember "telling" God that He had better show up and give me a heart for adoption and a passion for the child that He would place in our family forever! 2 years ago I was scared and nervous and honestly didn't even want to adopt and TODAY my heart is overflowing with faith, trust, hope and love beyond what I thought was possible! He is so faithful!
So, we have finished all the paperwork. Waiting for our dossier so we can get it notorized and then send it off to Uganda and then wait for our court date! We are praying our court date will be before December 15th. The Ugandan courts close December 15th- January 15th. We would love to squeeze in before the courts close so Drew can be home for Christmas. If not, we should be going mid-January to pick him up and bring him home.
Thank you to everyone for your prayers, support and offers to be involved!
Keep in touch!
Erin
The first few days Jeff and I couldn't stop looking at his sweet little picture with those adorable brown eyes staring right at us. I have constantly been clicking on my phone just to see his face and to be reminded of WHY we started this adoption process in the first place.
Just one word.
OBEDIENCE.
We felt God asking us to step out in this HUGE step of faith and to trust Him throughout this WHOLE process. I remember when (almost 2 years ago) that I felt this leading and was scared to death. Adoption had NEVER occurred to me before. I had not known anyone growing up who was adopted and no one in my family had ever adopted before so it was very foreign to me. Over the past number of years God has brought precious friends and families across our path who have lead by example, encouraged us and have been sweet to share their private stories with us.
I also remember "telling" God that He had better show up and give me a heart for adoption and a passion for the child that He would place in our family forever! 2 years ago I was scared and nervous and honestly didn't even want to adopt and TODAY my heart is overflowing with faith, trust, hope and love beyond what I thought was possible! He is so faithful!
So, we have finished all the paperwork. Waiting for our dossier so we can get it notorized and then send it off to Uganda and then wait for our court date! We are praying our court date will be before December 15th. The Ugandan courts close December 15th- January 15th. We would love to squeeze in before the courts close so Drew can be home for Christmas. If not, we should be going mid-January to pick him up and bring him home.
Thank you to everyone for your prayers, support and offers to be involved!
Keep in touch!
Erin
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Precious referral!!!
We got it!!
You got what, you ask?
The MOST PRECIOUS referral we have been waiting for the past 15 months!!
We can't share alot but... here is what we CAN tell you...there is a sweet little 2 yr old boy who lives in Uganda that needs a mommy, daddy, brother and 2 sisters in his life!
In John 14:18, Jesus says..."I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you."
God ordained from the beginning of time that he would choose baby Drew (nickname) to be part of our family! We have prayed for months that God would care for and love our little guy until that time came and NOW the timing is PERFECT!
We are hoping and praying that we will travel December or January to meet him and bring him home. Jeff & I will do our best to keep you all updated as we move forward with paperwork, packing, court dates and of course...the homecoming!
Thanks for all your love, support and prayers as you have walked this road with us!
Erin
Thursday, February 9, 2012
My horrible memory!
So, yesterday I was looking for a book and I came across an old journal that I used for my first trip to Uganda. It was in 2007 and God worked out all the circumstances for me to be able to accompany my hubby on a missions trip to Soroti, UG. I started to journal a few months before we left. I don't know why because I AM NOT a journaler. I wanna be. But I am not! For some reason (God), I sat down and wrote out my thoughts and feeling about our upcoming trip. As I was reading the first page I was stopped dead in my tracks...I couldn't believe it! Here is what it said:
In case you can't read my messy handwriting, it says..."Jeff & I have started to dialogue about adopting a child from Uganda. Just thinking about it has changed my whole view of this trip. Looking at my first experience to Africa through the eyes of possibly being a mom is really life changing. But in my heart I have released this option completely to the Lord, so we will have to wait and see what His plan is for our trip and our family!"
That was almost 5 years ago that I wrote that down. Honestly, I DO NOT remember writing this at all. Those of you who know my hubby and I know that we both have horrible memories. We say that is why we don't really fight and why we have a great marriage because we can't remember why we were mad in the first place!
I love God's timing. I had been praying for a confirmation from the Lord this past week and a word of encouragement for my heart. That was just what I needed!
We are starting our 8th month on the "waiting list" with our agency. We were anticipating waiting for around 6 months and once we hit that the weeks seem to have drug on. Last week we got word from our agency that they are now anticipating the referral wait to be more like 12 months. So, realistically we have another 4 months to wait. But...that is international adoption!
We are at peace and we will continue to wait for His perfect timing to meet our son!
In case you can't read my messy handwriting, it says..."Jeff & I have started to dialogue about adopting a child from Uganda. Just thinking about it has changed my whole view of this trip. Looking at my first experience to Africa through the eyes of possibly being a mom is really life changing. But in my heart I have released this option completely to the Lord, so we will have to wait and see what His plan is for our trip and our family!"
That was almost 5 years ago that I wrote that down. Honestly, I DO NOT remember writing this at all. Those of you who know my hubby and I know that we both have horrible memories. We say that is why we don't really fight and why we have a great marriage because we can't remember why we were mad in the first place!
I love God's timing. I had been praying for a confirmation from the Lord this past week and a word of encouragement for my heart. That was just what I needed!
We are starting our 8th month on the "waiting list" with our agency. We were anticipating waiting for around 6 months and once we hit that the weeks seem to have drug on. Last week we got word from our agency that they are now anticipating the referral wait to be more like 12 months. So, realistically we have another 4 months to wait. But...that is international adoption!
We are at peace and we will continue to wait for His perfect timing to meet our son!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Sweet adoption song- Naleigh Moon
This song is too sweet not to share!
I don't normally post this many videos but there are some good ones out there right now:-)
I don't normally post this many videos but there are some good ones out there right now:-)
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
2012 is the YEAR!
What an amazing month of December we had! We tried to be intentional and SLOW down our busy pace of life...AND it worked!! We spent time with friends and family, going to the Muppets movie, splurging on frozen yogurt, rock climbing at the gym, crabbing at the coast, playing games, eating yummy food, celebrating Jesus birth and watching Christmas movies together! I would do it all over again...it was so worth it!
Now if we can only keep our everyday life like that:-)
Adoption update:
Some of our friends who are also adopting from Uganda with the same agency got their referral a few days before Christmas. What a glorious Christmas present! But...if I am truthful...which I aim to be in EVERYTHING...it caused my heart to race and I kinda freaked out a little. Just a little bit.
This whole adoption process became so real for me hearing their story and the precious little girl God has set aside for this awesome family. It hit me...we could be next! My faith is being stretched and I have told God how much I need him to strengthen my faith and help me to put all my trust in Him.
So we continue to pray for our little boy that God is moving in his life and preparing him to join our family and preparing our hearts for him too!!
Now if we can only keep our everyday life like that:-)
Adoption update:
Some of our friends who are also adopting from Uganda with the same agency got their referral a few days before Christmas. What a glorious Christmas present! But...if I am truthful...which I aim to be in EVERYTHING...it caused my heart to race and I kinda freaked out a little. Just a little bit.
This whole adoption process became so real for me hearing their story and the precious little girl God has set aside for this awesome family. It hit me...we could be next! My faith is being stretched and I have told God how much I need him to strengthen my faith and help me to put all my trust in Him.
So we continue to pray for our little boy that God is moving in his life and preparing him to join our family and preparing our hearts for him too!!
Friday, December 2, 2011
Adoption update
I CAN'T BELIEVE that it's Dec 1st and I have failed to update my blog since Aug. 9th. Good grief! I promise to try and do better:)
We are heading into our 6th month of waiting for the referral of our little boy! I know that anyone who has walked this adoption journey before knows how difficult it can be to SIT AND WAIT! We talk about him and pray for him with the kids or friends and family who check in and see how things are going but, mostly...we sit and wait!
Friends have told me that this is the hardest part...waiting for your referral. It seems to drag on each day and you swear your phone will never ring! We don't know who he is just that he is alive and in Uganda needing a family to love him and care for him.
Dare I say, that some days we are so busy with our other 3 children that it actually feels like its not even real and will never happen. Once in a while the days drag on when all my kids are in school and I "try" to stay busy with housework, reading my adoption, coffee dates, etc...to help pass the time. Don't get me wrong, I have LOVED these past 3 months with the kids in school and days to myself enjoying the quiet house and being able to lounge in my jammies listening to my favorite podcasts, cooking or just sitting quietly. But...my heart has a longing that was placed there by God and it will continue to long until He completes the journey that He started in our hearts exactly a year ago this month!
We are heading into our 6th month of waiting for the referral of our little boy! I know that anyone who has walked this adoption journey before knows how difficult it can be to SIT AND WAIT! We talk about him and pray for him with the kids or friends and family who check in and see how things are going but, mostly...we sit and wait!
Friends have told me that this is the hardest part...waiting for your referral. It seems to drag on each day and you swear your phone will never ring! We don't know who he is just that he is alive and in Uganda needing a family to love him and care for him.
Dare I say, that some days we are so busy with our other 3 children that it actually feels like its not even real and will never happen. Once in a while the days drag on when all my kids are in school and I "try" to stay busy with housework, reading my adoption, coffee dates, etc...to help pass the time. Don't get me wrong, I have LOVED these past 3 months with the kids in school and days to myself enjoying the quiet house and being able to lounge in my jammies listening to my favorite podcasts, cooking or just sitting quietly. But...my heart has a longing that was placed there by God and it will continue to long until He completes the journey that He started in our hearts exactly a year ago this month!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Waiting patiently
Ok . . . so sorry . . . I am still here!
Life keeps moving forward each and everyday. Our family is LOVING this summer! We have taken a trip to Montana to visit friends and then off to Alberta to visit my family and more friends! It was such a treat for me to reconnect with wonderful people who have helped shape me into the woman I am today. I haven't really been home (Alberta) much in the past 3 years, so for our family to take the time and make it happen was truly a blessing to me:-)
We have tried to swim as many days as possible, have friends over for bbq's, we've attended summer church camp, participating in community concerts and outdoor movies have just been a few of the highlights! And...just last week soccer and softball have started up AGAIN! I swear I can hear the leaves rustling in the wind getting ready to turn colors:-)
It has been a wonderful summer that I have enjoyed everyday with my 3 munchkins and sometimes many more...but something has been missing deep in my heart...our little boy all the way over in Uganda is not home yet!
Our adoption update:
Our paperwork, home study and our online training are all done! We went to get our biometrics fingerprints on June 7th. We left expecting a good 45 day wait to hear back (that was about average of how long our friends had been waiting). We were shocked on June 18th when our FDL showed up at our home in 11 days!! Maybe God knew we needed that:-)
We so we have officially been on the waiting list for almost 2 months. We have been told to expect to wait at least 6 months before we get our referral call for our son! Some times the days drag on and seem to go by so S.L.O.W.L.Y and other days I can barely keep up!
These past few months have been a good time for our family to pray diligently for him and to expect great things as we seek the Lord as a family on behalf of "little Valdes".
We also want to thank each of you for your prayers and support! Also, so many of you have gone out of your way to show love and financial support for our family as we move forward to bring our son home!
Thank you, thank you!! God is using you to be a part of something GREAT!
I promise to do a better job updating the blog and sharing the AWESOME things God is doing!
It's all about Jesus!
Erin & Valdes fam
Life keeps moving forward each and everyday. Our family is LOVING this summer! We have taken a trip to Montana to visit friends and then off to Alberta to visit my family and more friends! It was such a treat for me to reconnect with wonderful people who have helped shape me into the woman I am today. I haven't really been home (Alberta) much in the past 3 years, so for our family to take the time and make it happen was truly a blessing to me:-)
We have tried to swim as many days as possible, have friends over for bbq's, we've attended summer church camp, participating in community concerts and outdoor movies have just been a few of the highlights! And...just last week soccer and softball have started up AGAIN! I swear I can hear the leaves rustling in the wind getting ready to turn colors:-)
It has been a wonderful summer that I have enjoyed everyday with my 3 munchkins and sometimes many more...but something has been missing deep in my heart...our little boy all the way over in Uganda is not home yet!
Our adoption update:
Our paperwork, home study and our online training are all done! We went to get our biometrics fingerprints on June 7th. We left expecting a good 45 day wait to hear back (that was about average of how long our friends had been waiting). We were shocked on June 18th when our FDL showed up at our home in 11 days!! Maybe God knew we needed that:-)
We so we have officially been on the waiting list for almost 2 months. We have been told to expect to wait at least 6 months before we get our referral call for our son! Some times the days drag on and seem to go by so S.L.O.W.L.Y and other days I can barely keep up!
These past few months have been a good time for our family to pray diligently for him and to expect great things as we seek the Lord as a family on behalf of "little Valdes".
We also want to thank each of you for your prayers and support! Also, so many of you have gone out of your way to show love and financial support for our family as we move forward to bring our son home!
Thank you, thank you!! God is using you to be a part of something GREAT!
I promise to do a better job updating the blog and sharing the AWESOME things God is doing!
It's all about Jesus!
Erin & Valdes fam
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
God keeps leading...
Hey family and friends,
I'm sorry that I have been out of commission for a while. I told you all that blogging is NOT my thing and it takes EVERYTHING I have to sit down and write my thoughts, feelings or circumstances down! So here I sit after some prodding from my dear hubby and sweet friends :-)
Adoption update:
We had our first homestudy meeting a few weeks ago and God was evident that He is still in this process with us and He is still leading us! During our homestudy visit, Jeff and I were asked if we knew about their pilot program for Uganda. Those of you who know us know that we have been serving in Uganda since 2002.
The last we heard is that you had to live in Uganda for 3 years to be eligible for adoption, so from the beginning we did not think Uganda could be an option. Our coordinator told us that the program has changed and is now an option for families in the USA. The Uganda program is still so new they won't advertise it until they have successfully worked with several families.
Jeff and I went home and prayed about what to do. We have so many dear friends, loved ones and ministry partners in Uganda and we believe we will ALWAYS be involved there! God made it clear to us that that is EXACTLY where He is leading us. If we had not pursued Ethiopia then we may never have found out about the Uganda program where we believe we are to be.
So...we have officially moved over to the Uganda program and will be adopting a little boy from Uganda (hopefully this year!)
We are still in the paperwork process, and America World allowed us to change programs (countries) at no additional costs. Our homestudy should be done in the next few weeks and then we move to complete our Dossier.
We want to thank you all who have sent emails of love and support! We love having a team of friends and family supporting us and praying for us as we move forward.
I'm sorry that I have been out of commission for a while. I told you all that blogging is NOT my thing and it takes EVERYTHING I have to sit down and write my thoughts, feelings or circumstances down! So here I sit after some prodding from my dear hubby and sweet friends :-)
Adoption update:
We had our first homestudy meeting a few weeks ago and God was evident that He is still in this process with us and He is still leading us! During our homestudy visit, Jeff and I were asked if we knew about their pilot program for Uganda. Those of you who know us know that we have been serving in Uganda since 2002.
The last we heard is that you had to live in Uganda for 3 years to be eligible for adoption, so from the beginning we did not think Uganda could be an option. Our coordinator told us that the program has changed and is now an option for families in the USA. The Uganda program is still so new they won't advertise it until they have successfully worked with several families.
Jeff and I went home and prayed about what to do. We have so many dear friends, loved ones and ministry partners in Uganda and we believe we will ALWAYS be involved there! God made it clear to us that that is EXACTLY where He is leading us. If we had not pursued Ethiopia then we may never have found out about the Uganda program where we believe we are to be.
So...we have officially moved over to the Uganda program and will be adopting a little boy from Uganda (hopefully this year!)
We are still in the paperwork process, and America World allowed us to change programs (countries) at no additional costs. Our homestudy should be done in the next few weeks and then we move to complete our Dossier.
We want to thank you all who have sent emails of love and support! We love having a team of friends and family supporting us and praying for us as we move forward.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Accepted!
Okay, so this past week we got our official acceptance to the Ethiopia program with America World. So, we are NOW in full swing of all the "crazy" paperwork. PLEASE PRAY FOR ME...I am not the most organized woman out there (I know...a surprise to all who know me) and it will take all that I have in me to keep my paperwork in any kind of organized fashion!
Oh my, this is just the beginning!
Oh my, this is just the beginning!
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