Call to Prayer

Each time I sit to write in this journal, I think about my audience—my children.  There are probably dozens of people who read this each time I post the latest news on our family blog, and I am thankful for those friends, family members and prayer partners who are walking this road with us, but they are not who I write for.  I have some very specific objectives in mind as I document this journey step by step.  I want this blog to be a way for God to reveal his faithfulness to our family and I have always envisioned my children, years from now, reading over these words and saying, “Look how God answered your prayer!” or “How miraculous that God knew we would be together so long before you did!” or “You loved me for so long before you knew me.”  Those years-from-now children/adolescents/adults are who I speak to each time I write in this journal.

Today needs to be a little different, though we have hope that God will use even this moment for His great Glory in our family.  This post is a call to prayer.  If you are reading this in June of 2009, then we need you to lift your heart and your voice to the Lord on our behalf and on behalf of the family that God has designed for us. 

We learned today that the judge who will decide whether to grant us custody of the 4 children who we know in our hearts are OUR children—on the day before she left for a 4 week vacation—was presented with our case.  She saw our case and the case of the children we long to adopt and decided that this was a big decision and that we were very young to adopt four children and that she would wait until returning from her vacation to make a decision. 

We have decided to write a heart-felt, information-filled letter to this judge and request that CEJA (who is 100% on our side for this adoption) submit it on top of the paperwork that the judge will see when she returns (refreshed) from her vacation.  This latest delay may prove to be God’s provision since this is a beautiful opportunity to add our personal voice and plea to a stack of papers written about us by others close to a year ago and long before we knew the names of Maynara, Abraão Lucas, Luana and Brayan.

Friends and family, please pray that the judge will see our hearts and desire to unite us as a family with our children.  Please pray that any notions she may have about the appropriate age of new adoptive parents will be set aside and that our love for these children and our strength in the Lord will be clear and obvious. 

Dearest Father in Heaven,
You know how we love these children and how we already see them as ours.  Reveal yourself to the judge.  Show her your heart and your plan for our family.  Fill her with mercy and compassion. 

Dearest children of my heart,
Can you see how your Lord has connected us from long before we first held on to each other?  Can you see how He’ll never let you go and how He’ll never let this family dissolve? 

 

Some progress

Most of the time, during the process of intercountry adoption, you're either hurrying up or waiting.  Right now, after 6 months of hurrying up, we're (not) waiting.  But this is a different kind of (not) waiting because there are a couple people I could call who can immediately tell me exactly where our papers are and what is happening to them.  

Right now our papers are at (or about to be at) the translator's office where they will be for the next week or so.  Then, they will be sent to LIMIAR's staff in Brazil who will submit them to the Brazilian courts in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Parana, Pernambuco and Sao Paulo.  We will be notified when they are submitted to the courts, and then comes some more (not) waiting.  

In the meantime, I'm finishing off this monster of an adoption parenting book, working on the quilt project, and continuing to study Portuguese.   Oh, and not waiting.

To wait or not to wait?

I had an exceptionally domestic day today and it made me thankful for the activities that give me joy as the time passes by bringing us closer to being a family.  

I made some yummy baguettes and put them on our new, beautiful bread board.  (Thanks Jim and Will!)

 

SuJeong and I made this great quilt square (and subsequently another).  I think I'll make it a friend and turn them into pillows.  Not too bad for a first attempt.  (Thanks for the new sewing machine, mom.)

 

I was also able to get started on the Scrapbook portion of our Quilt Project with the first note that arrived from our good friend Liz from Trinity.

We've said from the beginning of this process that we would not get ourselves all caught up in waiting so that all we can focus on is WAITING.  Focusing on waiting can be dangerous because it takes our eyes off of WHAT and WHOM we are waiting for.  These little jobs like organizing the rooms of our house (which is how we spent our morning), baking or doing crafty projects are ways to keep our hands busy while our hearts keep praying that God will bring about the miracle of adoption for our family.  While we're not waiting, we are welcoming 2009 and trusting that this will be the year that we become a family of 4!

Deficiencies

Got an email from USCIS today: 

I have reviewed your case and below are the home study deficiencies, which will need to be addressed in the addendum home study. 

We'll just have to get on that, now won't we?  Here's the rest of it: 

History of Abuse or Violence as an Offender:  In reviewing your home study, we have identified that it does not include evidence that the home study preparerasked the applicant, spouse, and any additional adult household member whether they have a history of the following:  substance abuse, sexual abuse, child abuse, or family violence, whether it be in the US or abroad even if such history did not result in arrest or conviction. This information must be documented in the home study.   In addition, please notate the applicant’s and/or any household member’s responses to the direct questions.  Please note that a single offense may constitute a history. If there is a history, the home study should also include the following information:

1. The dates of each arrest or conviction or history of substance abuse, sexual abuse or child abuse, and/or family violence; or,

2.  If not resulting in an arrest, the date or time period (if occurring over an extended period of time) of each occurrence and

3.  Details including any mitigating circumstances about each incident.

Each statement must be signed, under penalty of perjury, by the person to whom the incident relates.

 

Criminal History:  In reviewing your home study, we have identified that it does not include evidence that the home study preparer has inquired about any criminal history of the applicant, spouse, and adult household members.  Any criminal history must be detailed in the home study. If criminal history does not exist, this should be noted in the home study as well.

 

Country Specific Requirements: In reviewing your home study, we have identified that it does not include a statement of the facts relevant to the applicant’s eligibility for adoption in the indicated Convention country, in light of the specific requirements of that country. Please include this in your home study.

 

I hope this information helps. Once the revisions are complete please forward an electronic version to me for preview before sending the original out to the address below:

 

Department of Homeland Security

Oh, it helps.  Thanks Homeland Security.  

Really, since the last sad post, I've been encouraged by so many faithful friends, and am not feeling half as desperate as I was when I wrote it.  Sure, this is discouraging, but I've decided to go back to not waiting... just spending time preparing.  Counting down to anything builds up expectations that can't give us security the way continuing to Hope in the Lord does.  We're praying that this addendum can get written and submitted QUICKLY nonetheless.  I've asked the social worker if she can meet with us Monday.  Should be a quick interview seeing as the answers to all the above questions are straightforward and simple.

One other encouraging note--the email was sent at 1pm on Saturday.  They're working overtime!  That is good news.