A Moment to Remember

Waiting...

Jadyn emerging with Duni. I thought my heart would burst.

..closer..

A moment I'll never forget!!

An emotional reunion. It had been a long, hard wait for both Daddy and daughter.

Together at last. Together forever.

And finally, hugs for Sister

Wow. I'm way behind on posts. Sorry. I'll make this quick and factual rather than take the time to make it too touchy feely. Rest assured that there has been an abundance of emotion as we have been overwhelmingly blessed with another AMAZING daughter!!


Okay. Here goes...
We arrived in ET on Sunday evening and spent Monday afternoon at the Transitional Home with Jadyn. Meeting and holding her for the first time was definitely one of the top 5 moments of my life. There's really no way to describe it. Once God had put that "mommy love" in my heart for Jadyn back in October, being apart from her became torturous. It wasn't like waiting to have a biological baby as some would assume. It felt as though someone had taken my child away to another country, and I had to wait indefinitely to get her back. Our hearts were torn apart as we waited and waited for the moment that we could hold our precious daughter. That actual moment brought with it long awaited, much anticipated, indescribable joy. Our treasure was finally in our arms! It was SO AMAZING! I wish I could adequately describe it, but it's just not possible.

We were given special permission to keep her with us the rest of the trip, but we weren't allowed to go anywhere touristy once she was with us. We really didn't care--we just wanted to be with Jadyn. Dh had spent a day with her in November, so that may have been why she was allowed to come back to the hotel with us a day early.


Our older daughter travelled with us, and the two acted like sisters/best friends from the first few minutes. We ate dinner at a traditional ET place, went back to the hotel, showered, and went to bed. The girls started a movie in bed, but both conked out within three minutes.



On Tuesday we went back to the Transitional Home and spent a good part of the afternoon there. We were able to meet a couple of Jadyn's relatives and spend time with our friends' kids who are waiting for their parents to come and get them. It was a fun but emotional day. As we pulled away that afternoon, the children at the transitional home all swarmed our van to say goodbye to their friends who would soon be on their way to America. There were tears from one friend, but mostly smiles and well-wishes from the others as Jadyn waved goodbye for the last time.



Before I forget, we travelled with the awesome Martin family. They added so much to our trip! Vince, Alisa, and Baby Micah were a huge blessing to our family as we experienced the miracle of adoption together on the other side of the world. We all enjoyed them so much!



We also had the pleasure of visiting with a missionary family that we'd been hearing about for months. They are the sister, brother-in-law, nieces, and nephews of the sweet couple who kept our other kids a lot of the time that we were in Ethiopia. What a precious family!

I'll sign off for now, but will hopefully have some time in the not too distant future to finish the story. I will try to get some pics up.

In His Mighty Grip,
Holly

WE PASSED COURT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Praise be to God!!!! HE is MIGHTY to save!

We are experiencing unspeakable joy as our daughter is OURS!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks to everyone who went before the throne on behalf of Jadyn. We cannot express our gratitude!

I'm out of words. I'm just SOOOOO HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Like cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a distant land." Prov. 25:25

Good News and Bad News

We did not pass court today, but we did not officially fail either. At this point, that sounds pretty good to us. The judge requested additional documentation today, but otherwise seemed favorable to our case from what we understand. So our case will again be before the judge this Thursday, and we are really hoping for great news. We hope that this is our last delay.

Until Thursday...

Oh, My Jadyn

I found a letter that I wrote to Jadyn on April 13, 2007. Below is an excerpt from that letter.


Oh, my Jadyn. How I already long for you. I don't know whether you're still in your birth mommy's tummy, or if you've been waiting for us for five years. I picture you older most of the time, but I really don't know....I already love you.
...Our God is great, and I look forward to getting to watch what He does in your life!

Love,
Mommy

We're still praying fervently that God will bring our Jadyn home to us. She has experienced at least two more losses this week. Her friend Meti is finally getting to go home to her family. We're so happy for her! But Meti is a very special little girl, and her leaving is a huge loss for the nannies and the other children. Also, a wonderful lady that has run the home since Jadyn was moved there is moving back to the States this week. We think Jadyn is very attached to them both, so we assume she's experiencing a pretty significant loss this week. We want so much to rescue her from her grief. It is very difficult to just sit here and do nothing, but all we can do is pray, and so that's what we're doing.

40 Days

We're down to forty days now before our next court date. This is significant, and we are trying to set this time apart as a family. The rain lasted for 40 days and nights during the flood of Noah. We remember that Moses was on the mount for 40 days, and the Israelites wandered for 40 years. 40 days were involved in the story of Jonah and Ninevah. Jesus was tempted for 40 days, and there were 40 days between His resurrection and His assension. We look forward to what God has in store for the 40 days ahead.
We are still hoping and praying for our appeal to be heard and accepted. We'll pray that we are assigned an earlier court date because we don't want to be away from our baby one more minute. But we will trust our God and His perfect timing.

Habukkuk 2:3 "But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, be patient! For it will surely take place. It will not be late by a single day."

Praise You in the Storm

We are so blessed to have so many that care so much about our adoption. Our sweet friends and family are riding this crazy adoption roller coaster right along with us, and it helps so much to know that we're not alone.

And here we are--at a very difficult and painful place. It's agonizing really. The closest thing that I've experienced to this is when my preemie baby was swept away before I could even hold him, and taken to another hospital while I had to stay where I was. The separation was excruciating. After a few days, I was able to spend time with him at the other hospital, but my heart ached to bring him home with me. I wasn't equipped for the pain that came along with watching my child suffer and being helpless to help him. It was a very difficult time--one I wasn't sure I was able to bear, but God carried us through it, and He's carrying us through this one. We cried out to God for our little preemie then, and miracles happened. It's amazing to look back on that now--to remember what our great God did right before our eyes. Our son came home in half the time that the doctors expected.

Our next court date is scheduled for March 3--44 days from today. More than 6 weeks away. This may be God's time table, and if it is, then we know that is best. But we are committed to pray for our little girl. There is nothing that God cannot do, and He may see fit to change the circumstances and bring her home earlier than expected. We hope beyond hope that is the case. We pray that this storm will be over soon.

But either way, He is God and He is good, and we will praise Him in the Storm.

"Praise You in the Storm"
Casting Crowns

I was sure by now that You would have reached down

And wiped our tears away. Stepped in and saved the day

But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining
As the thunder rolls I barely hear

Your whisper through the rain"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls I'll raise my hands

And praise the God who gives and takes away
(chorus)

I'll praise You in this storm and I will lift my hands
For You are who You are no matter where I am
Every tear I've cried You hold in Your hand
You never left my side and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I remember when I stumbled in the wind.

You heard my cry. You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone.

How can I carry on if I can't find You?
As the thunder rolls I barely hear

Your whisper through the rain"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls I'll raise my hands

And praise the God who gives and takes away
(chorus)
I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth