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| I love getting kisses from my little girls! |
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| Keira and I laughing at something. |
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| All the Lewis Girls |
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| Evolet crossing her eyes by the creepy "eyeball" chair. |
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Lewis Girls
Today we went to Kilimanjaros with some friends and got some photos. My little girlies are so cute. The adoptions seem to be moving a little bit at least. My lawyer had some hopeful news for me on Monday, but then I haven't heard from him since so I guess we'll see what happens. I feel like if we can just get through these last battles with social welfare then we should be set. I continue to pray for us to get through court very soon. I want to go home so bad!
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Monday, April 23, 2012
Keira's Three Months
Today is April 23 and that means that Keira's three month fostering period is over today. Of course, we still don't have a court date for either Keira or Evolet so it doesn't really mean much, but I wanted to take today to just talk about "the middle one" and how much she's changed.
Keira's a fighter. The house mom at the orphanage told me the story about how Keira had been abandoned in the hospital by her family after her mother died in childbirth. She was premature and tiny. She was neglected by the hospital staff who didn't turn her often enough so one side of her head was flat. When she was released from the hospital at three months old she was 2.5 kg or 5.5 lbs. The orphanage mom said she was sickly and they didn't expect her to live much less walk or talk.
Keira is still much smaller than the average 3 1/2 year old. She doesn't speak clearly, but she understands everything. She has the disposition of an angel and her radiant smile warms the hearts of everyone around her. The house dad said she was the "diamond" in their family and he was right. She is a special little girl.
In the past three months, Keira has had more energy, she's been talking more, her wandering eye doesn't wander anymore (Praise the Lord). She's noticeably gained weight although I don't have a scale so I don't know how much. She's outgrown a pair of shoes that were too big for her in January. She's attached to me and her sisters better than I ever thought possible. She smiles ALL. THE. TIME! (unless there are puppies or butterflies floating around. She's wary of both.)
I don't know what God has planned for this little girl. I believe that she's my daughter, but there are still alot of unanswered questions surrounding her adoption and we just don't know that for sure until it's final. I do know one thing...a child doesn't need to have a massive vocabulary to teach you certain things or to steal your heart away. I love Keira and I pray that God makes a way for her to come home with me. It would break my heart to leave her here even though I trust that God would provide for her through other means. Whatever time I get to spend with this precious little girl I will be thankful for it.
I'm praying fervently for progress this week. Now I'm done fostering both girls and I just want them home. I want everyone to love and enjoy them the way I do. Thirty-eight days until the end of May.
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| Keira in November-First Meeting |
Keira's a fighter. The house mom at the orphanage told me the story about how Keira had been abandoned in the hospital by her family after her mother died in childbirth. She was premature and tiny. She was neglected by the hospital staff who didn't turn her often enough so one side of her head was flat. When she was released from the hospital at three months old she was 2.5 kg or 5.5 lbs. The orphanage mom said she was sickly and they didn't expect her to live much less walk or talk.
Keira is still much smaller than the average 3 1/2 year old. She doesn't speak clearly, but she understands everything. She has the disposition of an angel and her radiant smile warms the hearts of everyone around her. The house dad said she was the "diamond" in their family and he was right. She is a special little girl.
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| Keira in April |
I don't know what God has planned for this little girl. I believe that she's my daughter, but there are still alot of unanswered questions surrounding her adoption and we just don't know that for sure until it's final. I do know one thing...a child doesn't need to have a massive vocabulary to teach you certain things or to steal your heart away. I love Keira and I pray that God makes a way for her to come home with me. It would break my heart to leave her here even though I trust that God would provide for her through other means. Whatever time I get to spend with this precious little girl I will be thankful for it.
I'm praying fervently for progress this week. Now I'm done fostering both girls and I just want them home. I want everyone to love and enjoy them the way I do. Thirty-eight days until the end of May.
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"Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause." Isaiah 1:17
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Monday, April 9, 2012
Easter!
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you."
1 Peter 1:3-4
1 Peter 1:3-4
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Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Psalms and Behemoth Avocados
I know you're all wondering about the avocados so I'll just start with those. We have this HUGE avocado tree in our backyard here that makes the BIGGEST avocados I have ever seen in my life. In fact I didn't believe everyone when they said they were even avocados until I cut into one.
They enjoyed throwing them!
I'm in awe and am trying to find recipes with stuff to do with avocados. I don't even particularly like them, but hey they are free so I can learn.
This is the kids "mattress sliding". They have discovered a new game. Yay!
I'm going to really try to refrain from using the term "roller coaster" in yet another one of my posts, but that's exactly what this past week was. I was told all this great stuff and then found out yesterday that we can't get the police report for Evolet's case until like the end of April probably which means that the earliest we can go to court is the first week of May and that's only if our social worker will agree to work on our case while she's on vacation. I had allowed myself a little spark of hope that maybe we were close to the finish line on at least one case. I had been thinking about how nice it will be to step off the plane and proabably cry and kiss the ground in Atlanta...ok maybe I won't do that, but who knows! I might! I've been thinking about home alot (probably not smart) and it just makes me really sad that I keep getting told one thing and then something else happens. People have been doing this to me non stop for 5 months and I just don't think I can take much more!!!!
Which has all led me repeatedly to say "Ok, God. I thought I knew what you were doing. I thought I was doing what you wanted me to. So why do I keep getting kicked around?" It's easy to mix those emotions with feelings of doubt that God really knows what is best for us. Remember when the Hebrews were finally released from Egypt and really actually thought that God had only rescued them to kill them either by the red sea or the wilderness? I'm starting to understand a little bit why they felt that way. They knew that he was strong enough to save them, but they couldn't understand why he hadn't done it yet.
I'm not going to lie and say that those same doubts have not arisen in my mind, but I'm thankful that even when it feels like God is silent he isn't. He's blessed us with reassuring words and examples from the Bible. There is only one thing that I can always count on and that is that God is God. That is a comofort to me in so many ways. If he is always who he says he is then I have nothing to worry about. I do believe that we are submitted to his will right now and no matter the outcome it is not about us, but about what the Lord is doing. It seems like every day he's given me something to cling to to remind me that He is there and that this is His plan even though for the life of me I can't see where it's going or why. He didn't have to give us words of comfort, but he did because he's good...no matter what the circumstances around us tell us to believe.
They enjoyed throwing them!
I'm in awe and am trying to find recipes with stuff to do with avocados. I don't even particularly like them, but hey they are free so I can learn.
This is the kids "mattress sliding". They have discovered a new game. Yay!
I'm going to really try to refrain from using the term "roller coaster" in yet another one of my posts, but that's exactly what this past week was. I was told all this great stuff and then found out yesterday that we can't get the police report for Evolet's case until like the end of April probably which means that the earliest we can go to court is the first week of May and that's only if our social worker will agree to work on our case while she's on vacation. I had allowed myself a little spark of hope that maybe we were close to the finish line on at least one case. I had been thinking about how nice it will be to step off the plane and proabably cry and kiss the ground in Atlanta...ok maybe I won't do that, but who knows! I might! I've been thinking about home alot (probably not smart) and it just makes me really sad that I keep getting told one thing and then something else happens. People have been doing this to me non stop for 5 months and I just don't think I can take much more!!!!
Which has all led me repeatedly to say "Ok, God. I thought I knew what you were doing. I thought I was doing what you wanted me to. So why do I keep getting kicked around?" It's easy to mix those emotions with feelings of doubt that God really knows what is best for us. Remember when the Hebrews were finally released from Egypt and really actually thought that God had only rescued them to kill them either by the red sea or the wilderness? I'm starting to understand a little bit why they felt that way. They knew that he was strong enough to save them, but they couldn't understand why he hadn't done it yet.
I'm not going to lie and say that those same doubts have not arisen in my mind, but I'm thankful that even when it feels like God is silent he isn't. He's blessed us with reassuring words and examples from the Bible. There is only one thing that I can always count on and that is that God is God. That is a comofort to me in so many ways. If he is always who he says he is then I have nothing to worry about. I do believe that we are submitted to his will right now and no matter the outcome it is not about us, but about what the Lord is doing. It seems like every day he's given me something to cling to to remind me that He is there and that this is His plan even though for the life of me I can't see where it's going or why. He didn't have to give us words of comfort, but he did because he's good...no matter what the circumstances around us tell us to believe.
There is a remedy for the doubts we feel. In Psalm 77, the Psalmist faces the same doubts as he preaches to himself and says this "Has his [God's] steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?...I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old." Remembering Christ and his goodness is a remedy for all doubt. He is faithful.
The Psalms have been a blessing to me so I thought I would share just a few of the snippets that have really calmed my heart as I was going through my highlights this past week.
- Psalm 37;7 "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him."
- Psalm 41:1 "Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him."
- Psalm46:10-11 "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress."
- Psalm 55:22 "Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved."
- Psalm 62:1-2 "Fod God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken."
- Psalm 66:10-12 "For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into a net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs; you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.
- Psalm 72:4 "May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!"
- Psalm 73:25-26 "Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
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