Interview with the Birth Mother went well

We got an update today that the interview with his birth mother at the Embassy went well. Here is what the orphanage had to say.

"His birthmother had her interview at the Embassy this week and all went well."

And we got our November update on him complete with pictures.

Little Mister Christmas Style

Praise be to God!

Radical Gratitude

Our senior pastor talked about Radical Gratitude in his sermon this past Sunday. Here is a summary of what makes up Radical Gratitude.

1. Thank God in advance. Make your requests known to God.
2. Trust that God is doing more than you can see.
3. Count your Blessings No Matter What

Here is how that message of Radical Gratitude resonates with me this Thanksgiving.

1. Thanking God in advance. Joracin is not yet home and we still have some work to do to make that happen. However, the opportunities and education already bestowed on my family and me through this process is priceless. I am thankful, knowing that those opportunities and education will continue even after Joracin is home.
2. Trust that God is doing more than you can see. For me this applies both literally and figuratively. We can’t see the daily care, love and attention that Joracin receives, but we know that it happens and that gives us peace. I also know that God is great and he is doing things that are truly humbling all around the world. I am so thankful to be part of His grand plan.
3. Count your blessing no matter what. I had lunch with a friend today and he was telling me about a caregiver working for members of his family. This caregiver is from a foreign country and is in the US legally. However, his wife and child are still back in his home country. Every night he Skypes with his wife and son. It is a young son that he has never held in his arms. He is working hard to bring his family to the US, but it will be at least two more years. Two more years until you can hold your child for the first time. That puts our adoption journey into perspective and makes me thankful for our blessings.

I hope that you can experience some Radical Gratitude this Thanksgiving.

Continuing to make progress

Lots and lots of people have been asking if we have any updates in the weeks following our trip to Haiti. The answer to that is "Yes and No". Yes, we took another step in that our application was submitted to Parquet (District Attorney) last week. No, in the sense that we can't give folks a definitive answer on when we get to go back and bring him home.

I've included the chart below in previous blog posts. I wanted to update it and post it again.

Looking at this chart and the conservative side of the time frame is overwhelming at times. However, we consistently get encouragement from various sources that keeps us going. All of your inquiries and well wishes keep us going. We also continue to see good progress and the right things happening with adoptions in Haiti. Thank you all for your continued thoughts and prayers.

I do want to point out an upcoming milestone that could use your prayers. Part of the process requires the US Embassy to meet with his birth mother. On November 27th, that interview will take place. Please join us in praying that the orphanage can get her to the Embassy and that the interview goes as God intends. We know that God is leading us on this journey and that the outcome is up to him. But, we still have moments of nervousness and concern and the interview with the birth mother is one of those moments.