29
Oct

Samuel Update #4 (October)

October 29, 2010

 

Another wonderful update this morning! 

The wait is becoming, well, a wait. 

Somehow it was easier when we were rushing around with paperwork.

Better focus on my enormous To Do list, because if this adoption is anything like the other two, I know that it will be time to get on that plane and I’ll wonder what I did for all those months of waiting! 

 

Here’s the update:

 

Samuel is 2 Years 8 Months Old.

Samuel’s nanny wrote this update:

Samuel is just brightening as he grows! I always have funny stories to share about him. One afternoon, after a rain shower, Samuel was playing with the other children in the back yard. The slide on the playground was full of rain water and our dog, Tom, was using it as his drinking bowl. When Samuel saw what Tom was doing he quickly slid down the slide and tried to mimic Tom and lick water out of the “bowl”. I stopped him just in time! Samuel’s innocence and simplicity bring joy to everyone and we are certainly blessed to be able to watch him grow.

 

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26
Oct

Catching up on an Amazing Day

October 26, 2010

Here’s my effort to catch up on a very full day as quickly as possible…

  • Woke up and saw a pile of photos in my inbox.  Samuel received our package.  He’s such a little guy.  To think it is only the beginning of his long life with us absolutely overwhelms me.  I’m so thankful.
  • Our facilitator called China to see if our LID was issued, and they have not received our dossier as of yet.  In response, they asked for and received our extension (1 month).  Sweet relief.
  • Met with our friend who hosted the Healing Prayer training.  Told her about Garnet’s healing.  Much rejoicing.  My faith was strengthened.
  • Stephen & I met with our kids’ pediatrician.  We’
  • We discussed a variety of concerns we have had with Garnet.  We’ve been waiting for this appointment for many, many months.  We are trying to get help for our busy, optimistic, tender hearted little man.  He heard us out, spoke back to us his own sense, and offered a life line.  We feel so affirmed. 
  • Faith’s birthday is next week.  Stephen & I managed to get out and do a bit of shopping.  We even threw in dinner (Burgers) & a movie (Red).  I remember love & laughter.

(The candy is not  for Samuel!  Just in case you Mamas are concerned.  Haha)

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23
Oct

Modern Day Miracle

October 23, 2010

Follow my trail of thoughts….

10 days ago we received our son Garnet’s allergy test results. 

 

He was diagnosed with cat allergies.

Prescription: “Remove Cats”.

It was o.n.e. m.o.r.e. t.h.i.n.g.

 

I was in tears.

God spoke through someone close to me.

“Ask me for healing.”

 

I called a friend, who is known for her involvement in a local healing ministry.

I told her, “I want to believe.  I know he heals.  But for me?  For my children?  There was a time when he did not heal me.”

She replied, “Come to my home tomorrow.  I am training my new volunteers.  You can observe.”

 

And miraculously our usually hectic weekend schedule…

was wide open!

“Okay”, I told her.

Perhaps even more miraculous?

Stephen wanted to come too.

We needed God’s renewal.

A fresh wave of His Spirit in our home.

We observed.

We chatted.

We dined.

And then it was time to go.

“Let us pray for you before you leave”, said our friends.

They prayed.

The Holy Spirit was very much felt by us. 

Burdens were lifted.

Hearts encouraged.

We went home.

We peeked at our son’s skin.,

usually covered with eczema.

It was the same,

but we held onto hope. 

We had asked Him for healing.

The next morning.

I looked again.

His skin,

IT WAS CLEAR!

I ran my hands over his arms,

his legs.

NOTHING.

Absolutely no Eczema.

I watched him this week.

No cortizone creams.

No allergy medicine.

He hugged our cats.

In shorts.

With a bare tummy.

The eczema that he had had since the day we met him in China

was gone.

It’s stayed gone.

It’s never before stayed away for this long.

 The tip of the iceberg?

I wonder.

{Photos taken in early October 2010.}

{My Dad took Stephen & Garnet fishing.}

{Garnet caught his first (4!) fish that day.}

{Stephen even tried using Garnet’s rod and yet with much laughter on the men’s part, Garnet continued to catch fish!}

{Garnet also  staunchly refused to touch any of his big catch.}

{When he finally braved up to it, well, take a look at his face in the last photo.}

{“Ewwww – they’re slimy!”}

 

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21
Oct

Woooohooooo (Otherwise know as D-T-C!)

October 21, 2010

Update on our Dossier situation…

LOVE our facilitator.

Our dossier to China deadline is October 29th. 

We were delayed a week from what I had calculated (due to the wind being knocked out of us)  and I was told we’d need that extension from the CCAA *for sure*, to buy us a week.

Talked to our facilitator today and he not only,

picked up our Dossier from the Chinese Consulate on Monday,

he also couriered it to our Ministry here in BC the same day!

Our dossier should already be en route to China or even there! 

<BIG HUGE HAPPY GRIN>

Woohoooooo!

They will contact the CCAA on Monday to check and we should know for sure then.  🙂

Now I’m really starting to get excited!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We set out our care package / Introducing Your New Family box to New Day and it is in China now. 

Once it gets delivered, we will begin our weekly Skype sessions with Samuel.

We are due to “meet” him the first Sunday evening after he “meets” us in photos.

Lots of nerves and excitement over that one.

Andrea, Mama to Emma Lael from ND, has given me some great ideas though.

He’ll apparently know a few English preschool songs and she suggested playdough, bubbles, a tea party and things like that. 

I’m so grateful for her tips.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lots going on and every day that goes by I am more and more sure that the best place for Samuel is here.

It’s funny, becasue each of my kids has grown in my heart.

Some grew there in an instant.

Some grew there slowly.

Both ways has resulted in roots that are so deeply planted in my heart that they could not be removed. 

N.o.t. E.v.e.r.

Because if anyone ever tried, it would pull my heart into a million pieces, and each piece would only love them more deeply.

They are my children.

All five of them.

And I love them.

 

 

 

6 Comments
20
Oct

“Young Love” courtesy of ND

October 20, 2010

Samuel & Lucy

It just doesn’t get any sweeter than that.

(Just think of the poor boy’s wedding slide show!)
 

Hope you all have a wonderfully blessed day!

 

3 Comments
14
Oct

Protected: Prayer Request for our paperwork (once again)

October 14, 2010

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12
Oct

Around our house

October 12, 2010

If you had come over to visit over the past few days you would’ve seen us:

 preparing Samuel’s “Introducing Your Family” package.

(It only took about 5,000 tries to get this one!)

When I mailed it today, the postal worker at the mail counter asked me if I reeeeally wanted to send it.  Surely it would be too costly (it was a lot!).  I felt like saying, are you kidding me?   This is for one priceless kiddo!

Garnet received this balloon from us for his birthday.  For a whole week he asked if he could send it to Jesus in Heaven.  Finally, before bed one night we sent it off into the night sky.  I think his smile speaks volumes.  This guy has a big heart for Jesus.

He is also really growing his range of vocabulary.

Lately we’ve caught him saying, “Yes, you may.”

Another time we heard him say, “The deal’s expired!”

(The deal, for those of you who don’t know, is that he told each of us that he doesn’t want kisses anymore <sob>, except on his birthday.  You can guess the sheer volume of kissing that went on that day!  The next morning?  Apparently, the “deal” had expired.)

<chuckle>

 

4 Comments
10
Oct

Happy Happy Thanksgiving!

October 10, 2010

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day here in Canada.

Normally we try and get together with family.

Or we pull together a meal with the usual Turkey or Ham and related trimmings.

But this year we decided to do something a bit different.

Sushi.

Seriously. 

When you have a wife who hates touching that slimy, raw turkey carcass,

a husband who really doesn’t like turkey, and who ends up being the one to prep and cook said bird,

and children who chant “Sushi, sushi, sushi!”, every single time we offer them a choice of where to eat out,

you really have no choice, but to resort to this:

 

 Thanks Mom and Dad for joining us and lending a bit of authenticity to our family celebration. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all our loved ones!

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8
Oct

I never knew!

October 8, 2010

But I guess I should’ve known.

Blogging has become another thing on my To Do list.

Oh No!

I have a draft list on my blog dashboard that is longer than my arm. 

Well, maybe not my arm, but certainly longer than Garnet’s arm.

Perfectionism.

It’s such a nasty thing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the adoption front, our dossier has safely arrived at our facilitator’s out east and for that I am truly grateful. 

That long cross country trek has me on pins and needles every time we release our massive stack of dossier paperwork. 

To think it has to make it all the way back across this continent.

Cross and ocean.

And make its way into the CCAA offices?

That’s a lot of travel for one tree’s worth of paper. 

Ahhhh but it’ll be worth it!

God, please hold those precious papers in your hand. 
You know what an important puzzle piece they are.
For Samuel.
For us.
Thank You so much for what you have done on our behalf.
Thank You so much for what You are doing right now. 
Thank You for what You will do in the future hours and days.
I choose to trust You again.
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5
Oct

Doing a peace filled happy dance over here tonight!

October 5, 2010

APPROVED! 

Ahhhh that word sounds so good!

We were obedient and He has done what only He could do in the midst of the questions, the doubts, the fears and the bewilderment.

We are so thankful that our government has seen fit to approve us to move forward in making Samuel our very own.

So thankful. 

And so at peace.

 

Today is the Day – Lincoln Brewster

 

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