Sheri and I spent the majority of the day travelling from Boise, ID to Washington, DC. Pretty uneventful, but a somewhat relaxing day as a couple. We did start by saying "We love you" to the kiddos and in-laws who graciously are taking care of each other over the next few weeks. Sheri's Dad was very kind to fix our broken kitchen faucet which we discovered last night.
We have been working this whole week to verify all the little parts of our travel: where are we staying in DC (Hyatt - Dulles Corner)? Will our bags be over 50 lbs each and cost an arm and a leg (47.5 lbs each)? On our second flight, would we actually be able to sit together or be separated by a row in middle seats (thanks to the very kind woman who took pity on us)? The biggest question that we asked about was the carriage of Sheri's CPAP machine and distilled water. We confirmed with Ethiopian Airlines that it does not count as a carry on, so long as Sheri had a note from her doctor. We got that covered. Now what to do about sterile, distilled water to take since we were not sure about a source in Rwanda.
Sheri found some this week, and put it all together in a bag to take with us to the airport (likely 100 lbs I estimate after carrying it). As we were going through security, she was called out individually so they could talk about the water. TSA (they were very nice and thorough) wanted to open each of the bottles and test each which would not allow Sheri to take them through security the next day. After a little bit of explaining and pleading, an alternative solution was devised: full-body pat down for Sheri. What I can say is that Sonja was very kind and appreciative of Sheri's willingness to do what was necessary. That being done we lugged everything to our gate and waited for our flight.
The next hurdle was that our plane was not at the gate by 15 minutes to departure time, and we were very concerned. Fortunately, it got there and we left a few minutes late for the first leg to Denver, CO. We made it the rest of the way with no problem.
We ate a leisurely dinner at 9pm in the lobby looking around to try and recognize anybody who might be travelling with us to Rwanda. We cannot wait to see everyone and get to see who our best friends are going to be for the next few weeks.
Please pray for our family at home that everything will go well and that our children will not terrorize their caregivers. Pray for my co-workers that they will have the fortitude and patience necessary to deal with what may come up. Pray for safe travel, health and a smooth adoption process for all involved. And as if you may not have enough on your plate, if you get a chance please pray that we will be a good witness in all that we do.
Very excited for the next 2/3 of our travel and arrival in Kigali.
Jeff
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Off We Go
Unbelievable! After all these months, and months, of waiting we are about to head off. We have 9 hours until we leave our house for the airport and our 4 flights to get to Kigali. I keep reminding the kids that tomorrow morning is the day we say goodbye and Bailey (3yrs) just yells "Yes, to Africa to get our baby brother!" So sweet. We will miss them like crazy but so glad they are excited for their new brother and the fun they will have these few weeks. We are so grateful for Nana and Auntie and cousin Peyton for staying with them.
Our luggage is waiting at the door, and I am of course concerned our scales are all way off and we will be over the limit, guess we will see soon enough. We are super excited to get going. Our dear friends left Wed to get over a bit early to be with their daughter, who was sick. We are praying she is on the mend now and they had a sweet first meeting with her today. So, we are a bit sad to not get to travel with them the next 3 days as planned but we will have so much time together these next 3 weeks and we will be traveling with many of the other families in our group out of DC on Sunday, so fun we can't wait to meet them in person.
For our simplified itinerary. We do want to post everyday but these first days are a lot of traveling so we will do our best, you will see where we may have a bit of trouble:
Sat, Apr 30 Boise to Denver
Denver to DC
In DC for the night
Sun, May 1 DC to Ethiopia
Mon, May 2 In Ethiopia
Ethiopia to Kigali
In Kigali in the afternoon
Hopefully we will be going right away to meet our new son! We will share what we can as soon as we can. Thank you so much for your support and love. We are ready to get some sleep and then off we go!!!
Sheri
Our luggage is waiting at the door, and I am of course concerned our scales are all way off and we will be over the limit, guess we will see soon enough. We are super excited to get going. Our dear friends left Wed to get over a bit early to be with their daughter, who was sick. We are praying she is on the mend now and they had a sweet first meeting with her today. So, we are a bit sad to not get to travel with them the next 3 days as planned but we will have so much time together these next 3 weeks and we will be traveling with many of the other families in our group out of DC on Sunday, so fun we can't wait to meet them in person.
For our simplified itinerary. We do want to post everyday but these first days are a lot of traveling so we will do our best, you will see where we may have a bit of trouble:
Sat, Apr 30 Boise to Denver
Denver to DC
In DC for the night
Sun, May 1 DC to Ethiopia
Mon, May 2 In Ethiopia
Ethiopia to Kigali
In Kigali in the afternoon
Hopefully we will be going right away to meet our new son! We will share what we can as soon as we can. Thank you so much for your support and love. We are ready to get some sleep and then off we go!!!
Sheri
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Following Along
As we await the time to head to the airport, 1 more day!, we are just taking advantage of spending more time with the big kids we will soon have to leave at home, though they are super excited to be staying behind so that helps. We have nothing left to do so it is very relaxing and exciting to look forward to our departure. We get lots of opportunities to pray for all the children in Rwanda, for health and preparation to meet their new parents, for the families traveling over this week for safety and preparation for our hearts to experience this awesome journey. We are really looking forward to meeting all the families in our group, we will meet some at the airport in DC and some when we arrive in Rwanda, so exciting!
We wanted to let you know that we will post every day if we can and let you know how we are, exciting news of meeting our son and what we are up to. If we have any difficulties in posting or just for a different perspective we wanted to share the blogs of many others who will be with us. We have added a list of their blogs on the side labeled "Fellow Travelers", please check out their blogs as well.
We can't wait to share all the journey with you, like I said 1 more day!! Thanks for all your support and prayers.
Sheri
We wanted to let you know that we will post every day if we can and let you know how we are, exciting news of meeting our son and what we are up to. If we have any difficulties in posting or just for a different perspective we wanted to share the blogs of many others who will be with us. We have added a list of their blogs on the side labeled "Fellow Travelers", please check out their blogs as well.
We can't wait to share all the journey with you, like I said 1 more day!! Thanks for all your support and prayers.
Sheri
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Thanksgiving
As we move away from Easter and the celebration of Jesus resurrected, we are readying to travel in two more days. I am thankful for a number of things:
- A wife who is so organized that this week has been relaxed (somewhat)
- Friends and family who are so willing to pray in support of travel and our families at home
- Wonderful coworkers who are supportive (thanks, and I owe you all)
- A family who has been wonderful to us in every situation
- A God who takes care of us even when we doubt
- A country where we still have the chance to pray, praise and worship as we see fit
I know that somewhere over the Atlantic on our 14 hour flight to Kigali we will be in contemplation of what lays ahead of us (as if the last 25 months have not given us enough time). We hope to continue posting regularly on our travels. This will be the best place to get up to date news. We will also work to get photos/videos on here as soon as we are able to do so. We ask that you will keep the families traveling this week in prayer for safety and health for them and their new children. Please also pray for the children who won't be traveling to Rwanda with their families.
God bless,
Jeff
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Busy Day and 2 Things to Go
Until Sat I think today will be our last busy day. We had a few obligations: school, work, cub scouts, doctor appointment and a couple errands: last trip to Walmart (I hope!) and the trip to the bank. It is crazy that the thing I am most obsessing about now is the cash. How do I know if the money is crisp enough? We drove our teller crazy refusing bills because they were too old or too worn looking, he was very helpful though and got us through. Soon we will see if we did a good enough job choosing our currency so the Rwandan officials know it is real and not our own creation. What a stressful part this is :)
I was finished with all this, home after a long day and checking these things off the To Do List and found that we have 2 remaining. We need to pay for our accomodations/travel package to our agency and we need to pass over the Childcare Manual for our kiddos. Yes!! So excited to be almost done. Usually before travel the list just grows and grows as the days pass by and the last day is awful. I am thankful that we stayed on schedule and have these last days to spend with the big kids before we go. Who would have thought we could have done so much in 12 days, not me. I will have the extra time to devote to praying for my fellow travelers who maybe have more things to do this week yet.
I will also be praying for my own mental health fearing the long flight! It is such a long time, we will leave Sat morning and not actually arrive in Rwanda until Mon afternoon, unbelievable. I so often just wish we could have the Star Trek transporter and immediately arrive, but I was reminded today in my bible study about how God has a plan in the travel not just the destination. My small group is working through Beth Moore's "To Live is Christ", about the Apostle Paul. We are in his 3rd missionary journey and how he knew he needed to get to Jerusalem and maybe he was switching ships because of the frequent stops the first was making. He ended up on a new ship which stopped for 7 days in 1 port. But God had a plan in this stop and Paul met with many of the other believers and it was a meaningful 7 days. I want to look for the blessings in the travel not just focus on our destination. God will be with us all the 3 days it takes to get to Rwanda, He isn't meeting me there to go to Home of Hope. I will be blessed, I know, by the fellowship of our friends, and meeting new friends in our group. It will be a good time and I don't want to let my fear of flying deprive me of His plans in the journey.
We are so excited and after all these months of waiting it is hard to believe we are about to leave :) Only 3 days to go!!
Sheri
I was finished with all this, home after a long day and checking these things off the To Do List and found that we have 2 remaining. We need to pay for our accomodations/travel package to our agency and we need to pass over the Childcare Manual for our kiddos. Yes!! So excited to be almost done. Usually before travel the list just grows and grows as the days pass by and the last day is awful. I am thankful that we stayed on schedule and have these last days to spend with the big kids before we go. Who would have thought we could have done so much in 12 days, not me. I will have the extra time to devote to praying for my fellow travelers who maybe have more things to do this week yet.
I will also be praying for my own mental health fearing the long flight! It is such a long time, we will leave Sat morning and not actually arrive in Rwanda until Mon afternoon, unbelievable. I so often just wish we could have the Star Trek transporter and immediately arrive, but I was reminded today in my bible study about how God has a plan in the travel not just the destination. My small group is working through Beth Moore's "To Live is Christ", about the Apostle Paul. We are in his 3rd missionary journey and how he knew he needed to get to Jerusalem and maybe he was switching ships because of the frequent stops the first was making. He ended up on a new ship which stopped for 7 days in 1 port. But God had a plan in this stop and Paul met with many of the other believers and it was a meaningful 7 days. I want to look for the blessings in the travel not just focus on our destination. God will be with us all the 3 days it takes to get to Rwanda, He isn't meeting me there to go to Home of Hope. I will be blessed, I know, by the fellowship of our friends, and meeting new friends in our group. It will be a good time and I don't want to let my fear of flying deprive me of His plans in the journey.
We are so excited and after all these months of waiting it is hard to believe we are about to leave :) Only 3 days to go!!
Sheri
Monday, April 25, 2011
Jeff is an idiot
I want to make it clear that we (meaning Jeff, me) did not intentionally delete all the comments that had been made. We treasure the comments, and I feel horrible. I accidentally, through my compulsion of cleaning computer clutter, deleted them off.
Please forgive us (meaning me, Jeff).
Sincerely,
Management (me, Jeff)
Please forgive us (meaning me, Jeff).
Sincerely,
Management (me, Jeff)
Um, maybe
I can remember in high school talking about places I really wanted to go, live and avoid. I aspired to attend college in Tacoma, Tempe and even Greeley. I could not wait to visit France, Italy and Germany to enjoy wonderful food and culture. I really wanted to avoid living after college in some place warm or extremely buggy. I also never thought or even considered that I would be travelling to Rwanda and Ethiopia. I had heard of Ethiopia the multiple times my Mom reminded me, "There are possibly people starving in Ethiopia who would love to have those brussel sprouts/beets/zucchini young man. Eat it!" Otherwise, not sure either ever crossed my mind until much later in life and after a relationship with my savior and wife.
Neither Sheri nor I have traveled outside of North America. We have both been to well over 30 states each with a plan in the future to at least visit the 48 contiguous with our children including national parks and monuments in each state possible. We also want to visit Alaska and Hawaii at some point, but that may be down the line a bit. We both also have been to Mexico multiple times with Missionary Builders in Galeana. Multiple times to Reynosa and various other border crossings (still love La Fogata, try the cabrito). I visited Canada when I was younger when we went to Niagara Falls (I really want to go back and take that barrel with me).
Sheri and I will be taking a big step in traveling to Rwanda to pick up our son. We started vaccinations a year ago in preparation . I endured the worst migraine of my life due to the last go round. Sheri does not enjoy being on a plane, but like labor there is something wonderful at the end. It also helps that we will have some wonderful people with us. We also hope to see the face of our little son on May 2nd, so we can begin the court paperwork and other processes to bring him home. As Bailey explained to me today, "He is behind the blue gate, and we need to take the train there (the sewer grate reminds her of a train track) to get him." How I wish that it was just a train ride to go get him and bring him back to Nampa. I would envision a nice sleeper car with wonderful food, fold up beds and quickly scrolling by scenery pattern like North by Northwest or various James Bond films. But, international intrigue is involved, hopefully with less fanfare.
In the end, we are going somewhere we never thought we would to do something that we both desire.
Neither Sheri nor I have traveled outside of North America. We have both been to well over 30 states each with a plan in the future to at least visit the 48 contiguous with our children including national parks and monuments in each state possible. We also want to visit Alaska and Hawaii at some point, but that may be down the line a bit. We both also have been to Mexico multiple times with Missionary Builders in Galeana. Multiple times to Reynosa and various other border crossings (still love La Fogata, try the cabrito). I visited Canada when I was younger when we went to Niagara Falls (I really want to go back and take that barrel with me).
Sheri and I will be taking a big step in traveling to Rwanda to pick up our son. We started vaccinations a year ago in preparation . I endured the worst migraine of my life due to the last go round. Sheri does not enjoy being on a plane, but like labor there is something wonderful at the end. It also helps that we will have some wonderful people with us. We also hope to see the face of our little son on May 2nd, so we can begin the court paperwork and other processes to bring him home. As Bailey explained to me today, "He is behind the blue gate, and we need to take the train there (the sewer grate reminds her of a train track) to get him." How I wish that it was just a train ride to go get him and bring him back to Nampa. I would envision a nice sleeper car with wonderful food, fold up beds and quickly scrolling by scenery pattern like North by Northwest or various James Bond films. But, international intrigue is involved, hopefully with less fanfare.
In the end, we are going somewhere we never thought we would to do something that we both desire.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Overpacking? Yes!
Saturday morning started as it often does in the Lichty household with biscuits and gravy and a busy day. Lots of small details today including fixing the sprinkler system, changing the oil in the lawnmower, copies of IDs, notes for caregivers, wonderful phone call with our power of attorney and Skyping with friends. Oh, and in there, we also purchased clothing for our son. Not sure what size he wears, but we feel confident it will be between 3-18 months. That being the case, we took inventory of recent hand me downs and other inventory in the house. Thanks to the great second hand store we got a lot of great stuff, great brands, for a lot less money than we expected. Now the problem begins: How many bags to take? Where do we put it? Should we plan for the possibility of losing our luggage? Attached is a photo of Sheri's haul today which constitutes the majority of our son's clothes. Funny that we have to take most of it with us.
Now for a fun Easter including a mutant bunny cake, barbecue and other errands to get most of our planning done. 6 days to takeoff for a whirlwind trip outside of North America.
Jeff
Now for a fun Easter including a mutant bunny cake, barbecue and other errands to get most of our planning done. 6 days to takeoff for a whirlwind trip outside of North America.
Jeff
Friday, April 22, 2011
Traveling Partners
We are busy checking everything off our list. The last couple of days I haven't felt that I was getting much done, but at the end of the day, between Jeff and I, we have checked a couple things off. We received our flight info in the mail yesterday! We also lined things up with our bank and the State Department so they know of our plans. Besides the big job of packing and buying the last remaining items we mostly just have small little tasks left.
Yesterday we had our travel conference call with our agency. There wasn't too much new information we didn't already know either from our agency, power of attorney or previous travelers, but it was so fun to have this milestone in the journey. The best part was that each family in the group had a chance to introduce themselves. Mostly for the first time, we heard the voices of the families we will soon be meeting in DC or in Rwanda. The Lord has given us a wonderful blessing in the traveling partners we will have. Our group is made up of 9 different families from all over the US. So many of these moms and dads have become friends of ours through this long journey. They have lifted us up in prayer when we have most needed it, they have given us the most encouraging words and support when we have been down. We are so blessed with 2 of our very best friends who will be traveling the entire trip with us and many years beyond. We have prayed for each of these families daily for months (years now) and for their beautiful children. We cannot wait for next week when we will join together with these friends and finally meet in person! And we get the awesome privalege of witnessing them meet their new children for the very first time. How amazing that will be!
8 More DAYS!!!! Can't wait to see you all there :)
Sheri
Yesterday we had our travel conference call with our agency. There wasn't too much new information we didn't already know either from our agency, power of attorney or previous travelers, but it was so fun to have this milestone in the journey. The best part was that each family in the group had a chance to introduce themselves. Mostly for the first time, we heard the voices of the families we will soon be meeting in DC or in Rwanda. The Lord has given us a wonderful blessing in the traveling partners we will have. Our group is made up of 9 different families from all over the US. So many of these moms and dads have become friends of ours through this long journey. They have lifted us up in prayer when we have most needed it, they have given us the most encouraging words and support when we have been down. We are so blessed with 2 of our very best friends who will be traveling the entire trip with us and many years beyond. We have prayed for each of these families daily for months (years now) and for their beautiful children. We cannot wait for next week when we will join together with these friends and finally meet in person! And we get the awesome privalege of witnessing them meet their new children for the very first time. How amazing that will be!
8 More DAYS!!!! Can't wait to see you all there :)
Sheri
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Looking forward...
Nine more days until we hop on a plane and travel further than either of us have ever gone. Between now and then, still a number of small and larger things to do to get ready. Sheri and I both feel like we should have the majority done this week, and we can fix any details this next week. We believe that we have all of the paperwork ready to go. We also believe that we have enough clothes for the three weeks we will be gone. Enough books and entertainment for the 20 hours worth of flights, and likely some great travel companions in the other eight families.
Also not sure what to expect when we get there. We have been to Mexico and met people there who show love and appreciation on a limitless level. We miss being in that sort of environment while still loving where we are. We are sure that we will see something that will surprise us, but certainly something which we can appreciate. Exciting opportunity and cannot wait to see the country of our son.
We pray that God will take care of our meeting and travel back to the US. We have confidence that all will go well. We are both very excited, and yet at ease with our decision. Our kids also are ready for us to go making sure we know that they "will not miss us." We know that is not true, but nice to see how brave and excited they are.
Jeff
Monday, April 18, 2011
And this and this and this...etc.
I am married to one of the most organized people in the world who helps me be pro-active and, usually, allowing me to enjoy when we actually get to a trip or task. Normally her preparation is spread out comfortably or intensely involved for a couple days. It has been 4 days since our phone call and our chance to travel. I am not sure if I have ever been more tired or busy in my life (except when I used to work as a teacher).
Today I had my Bible study at 6:30 am, work from 8am-6pm and somewhere in there I needed to get paperwork notarized, completed, faxed, copied and otherwise readied. I also had to be kind, listen and effectively be involved with everyone who came by or I ran into (including my family members). Then dinner with the family, haircut for Jacob, clean up and story time/bedtime for kiddos. Now for some real work. Compare notes of what we found, research more information, print out cheat sheets and assess our progress.
Time to prioritize our to do list for Tuesday. After a furiously busy Monday, no rest for the weary. The goal: to be done with all the major preparation by Sunday with the details to complete next week (if necessary). Maybe there will be a chance to watch my Nuggets put a hurting on the Thunder (not likely, but sometime this week). Oh, and hopefully a little bit of sleep. Stock up on Vitamin C. Eat enough to keep going, ignore anything but what is necessary and plod forward. Power on. God help us!
Jeff
Today I had my Bible study at 6:30 am, work from 8am-6pm and somewhere in there I needed to get paperwork notarized, completed, faxed, copied and otherwise readied. I also had to be kind, listen and effectively be involved with everyone who came by or I ran into (including my family members). Then dinner with the family, haircut for Jacob, clean up and story time/bedtime for kiddos. Now for some real work. Compare notes of what we found, research more information, print out cheat sheets and assess our progress.
Time to prioritize our to do list for Tuesday. After a furiously busy Monday, no rest for the weary. The goal: to be done with all the major preparation by Sunday with the details to complete next week (if necessary). Maybe there will be a chance to watch my Nuggets put a hurting on the Thunder (not likely, but sometime this week). Oh, and hopefully a little bit of sleep. Stock up on Vitamin C. Eat enough to keep going, ignore anything but what is necessary and plod forward. Power on. God help us!
Jeff
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Getting Ready
Well, we have survived the first 2 days in preparing to travel. Yesterday we got our plane tickets. We leave in 2 weeks on Apr 30th. First to Denver, to meet up with our dear friends, then to Washington DC, hopefully joining up with more of our travel group, then onto Africa. We will go to Ethiopia first then into Kigali, Rwanda on May 2nd. It will be a new experience for us to travel so far. I am super excited and very nervous about this long flight! We will be in Rwanda until May 13th then to Ethiopia and home again on May 22nd. My sister, Sam, also got her plane ticket to fly here in 2 weeks to stay with our older kiddos while we are gone. The kids have told me they won't even miss me because baby Peyton is coming and he is so cute and he will turn 9 months soon and he is crawling now... and they have forgotten I was even in the room.
Today, after Pinewood Derby for Cub Scouts of course, we got a few remaining items we needed before we go, a stroller, high chair and new car seat for Bailey so there is one freed up for our new boy. We also practiced Skype"ing" and I do not know how we will speak with our children while we are gone, they just make faces at themselves and talk over one another, quite the circus.
The warm weather is also here so we had to get the big kids some shorts and summer things today so they would be able to dress comfortably during the 3 weeks we are gone. We are really well set now for our packing except for baby clothes, we will need to get some more of those, but so close.
Tonight we will finalize our to do list, yes I don't just make the to do list and go, I revise and revise and on and on. I am needing to prioritize and delegate each task to an appropriate day. We are going to try to finish the whole list by next Sun then when we are behind a bit and all the new things pop up we will still have 5 days to go. We'll see how that goes :)
Well, back to my to do list. Fun Stuff! And yes I am very sarcastic but not this time, I love "to do" lists!
Sheri
Today, after Pinewood Derby for Cub Scouts of course, we got a few remaining items we needed before we go, a stroller, high chair and new car seat for Bailey so there is one freed up for our new boy. We also practiced Skype"ing" and I do not know how we will speak with our children while we are gone, they just make faces at themselves and talk over one another, quite the circus.
The warm weather is also here so we had to get the big kids some shorts and summer things today so they would be able to dress comfortably during the 3 weeks we are gone. We are really well set now for our packing except for baby clothes, we will need to get some more of those, but so close.
Tonight we will finalize our to do list, yes I don't just make the to do list and go, I revise and revise and on and on. I am needing to prioritize and delegate each task to an appropriate day. We are going to try to finish the whole list by next Sun then when we are behind a bit and all the new things pop up we will still have 5 days to go. We'll see how that goes :)
Well, back to my to do list. Fun Stuff! And yes I am very sarcastic but not this time, I love "to do" lists!
Sheri
Friday, April 15, 2011
No Referral Yet, But...
We awoke this morning to find our email empty of our referral, it was a bit disappointing, but God sustains us. We were so thrilled, though, to learn of 3 families in our group who did receive their referrals today. That is quite a lot of movement and we are so excited for these families. It is exciting for all of us, any movement is positive for us and definitely great for the kids waiting for families. So, we are hoping that our referral will be in the next batch sent out, praying if that is God's will.
Now for the but...
When we submitted our dossier to the Rwandan Ministry to request approval to adopt from their country the expected timelines were submission to approval to referral to travel in about 10 months, maybe less. We of course hoped for less but tried to prepare our hearts for the high end. We had no idea that Rwanda was about to become such a hot spot to adopt, though we understand why. The country has our hearts so completely. We cannot wait to travel there to pick up our son, and to travel again someday in the future will all our kids. We love it already, so why wouldn't so many other families feel the same way.
Our hoped for travel timeline - 7 months
The expected longest wait travel timeline - 10 months
God's perfect timing travel timeline - 17 months and 17 days
Guess we just needed to do some Math, I should have thought of that :) Yes, we are traveling! The Ministry has a child matched to us for a referral and we think it is coming very soon, so we are making plans, with the invitation of our agency, to travel with the next travel group. We couldn't have been more excited yesterday when we got the call to ask if we wanted to go. Our dear, best friends are in this group and how we have prayed these last 2 years to get to travel together. Now we are! It has been a whirlwind in the last 30 hours talking, praying, calling for advice, asking questions, praying... And now we have our flight reservations. We will be heading to Denver to meet up with our friends, then off to Washington, DC to meet up with our group to head to Africa.
The most amazing part, besides God opening this door, sustaining us through the long wait, bringing the blessing of such amazing new friends,...Ok, so the amazing part today is that we leave in 2 weeks! Yes, we are off on Apr 30th for Kigali, Rwanda and we just can't wait. It will be a very busy 2 weeks getting all ready, we have done so much to be ahead of things, all we could think to do early, but now we need to finish up and pack.
It is so exciting and thrilling and amazing and after the wait it is funny how we can't believe we are soon to go. We will keep you posted on each step, much to do this weekend, so we better get back to it.
Sheri
Now for the but...
When we submitted our dossier to the Rwandan Ministry to request approval to adopt from their country the expected timelines were submission to approval to referral to travel in about 10 months, maybe less. We of course hoped for less but tried to prepare our hearts for the high end. We had no idea that Rwanda was about to become such a hot spot to adopt, though we understand why. The country has our hearts so completely. We cannot wait to travel there to pick up our son, and to travel again someday in the future will all our kids. We love it already, so why wouldn't so many other families feel the same way.
Our hoped for travel timeline - 7 months
The expected longest wait travel timeline - 10 months
God's perfect timing travel timeline - 17 months and 17 days
Guess we just needed to do some Math, I should have thought of that :) Yes, we are traveling! The Ministry has a child matched to us for a referral and we think it is coming very soon, so we are making plans, with the invitation of our agency, to travel with the next travel group. We couldn't have been more excited yesterday when we got the call to ask if we wanted to go. Our dear, best friends are in this group and how we have prayed these last 2 years to get to travel together. Now we are! It has been a whirlwind in the last 30 hours talking, praying, calling for advice, asking questions, praying... And now we have our flight reservations. We will be heading to Denver to meet up with our friends, then off to Washington, DC to meet up with our group to head to Africa.
The most amazing part, besides God opening this door, sustaining us through the long wait, bringing the blessing of such amazing new friends,...Ok, so the amazing part today is that we leave in 2 weeks! Yes, we are off on Apr 30th for Kigali, Rwanda and we just can't wait. It will be a very busy 2 weeks getting all ready, we have done so much to be ahead of things, all we could think to do early, but now we need to finish up and pack.
It is so exciting and thrilling and amazing and after the wait it is funny how we can't believe we are soon to go. We will keep you posted on each step, much to do this weekend, so we better get back to it.
Sheri
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Another Friday
It is Thursday night, as usual we are thinking of tomorrow. It will soon be Friday and that means the weekend. If we don't hear news in the morning we will be waiting for the weekend to end and the chance on Monday. The absolute only time in my life I don't eagerly look forward to the weekend :) We will be long on our knees tonight praying for the children and for much movement tomorrow! Praying for all our friends waiting with us, our dear sisters and brothers in Christ that we will receive referrals and approvals this Friday.
-Sheri
-Sheri
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Anticipation
As I was going through my physical therapy today for my wrist tendinitis, my therapist and I started talking about the environment, animals, debt and anything else that was not about adoption. Somehow the topic of James Taylor and Carly Simon came up (not sure how), and I could not get the word Anticipation out of my head. Must be something about music this week. Each new day when The Ministry opens in Rwanda, 8 hours ahead of us, Sheri and I wait with anticipation for the possibility of great news.
I have never held my breath for three weeks, but I am sure that this must be what it feels like. I know in the end it will be worth it. Come on 11pm and the next opportunity.
Jeff
I have never held my breath for three weeks, but I am sure that this must be what it feels like. I know in the end it will be worth it. Come on 11pm and the next opportunity.
Jeff
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Lyrical Reinforcement
I started a year through the Bible this last November, only I am not reading it. Instead, Monday-Friday as I travel to work I listen to it on my phone. I just finished Psalms, and I started Proverbs today. A little more than halfway through my reading plan (by the way, Sheri finished in 90 days around Christmas). That being the case, this morning when I was done with listening, I heard a piece of a lyric on Air1 that caught my mind. It mostly caught my mind as being very true, and also that is was not part of a repeating chorus in the song. It also reinforced what we are going through right now.
As we wait, often the word "fair" comes up in conversation, emails and thoughts. Sheri often has reminded me that Rwanda has not promised us anything, and there is never any guarantee. The lyric was, "But the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair." That lyric stuck with me most of the morning, and it provided the impetus for me to not feel sorry for myself today. I also bumped that up against what my friend from high school called a "first world problem" today: internet being out, not eating out for lunch, computer not working, water not hot enough, etc. These are the things that remind me that we have it pretty nice in our part of the world. It may not be fair even in that sense, and likely we Americans would not like it if it was.
I am sure that all of you have some sort of music, reading, verse or other nugget that keeps you going when things are out of focus.
What is your favorite way to be grounded or rejuvenated?
Jeff
As we wait, often the word "fair" comes up in conversation, emails and thoughts. Sheri often has reminded me that Rwanda has not promised us anything, and there is never any guarantee. The lyric was, "But the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair." That lyric stuck with me most of the morning, and it provided the impetus for me to not feel sorry for myself today. I also bumped that up against what my friend from high school called a "first world problem" today: internet being out, not eating out for lunch, computer not working, water not hot enough, etc. These are the things that remind me that we have it pretty nice in our part of the world. It may not be fair even in that sense, and likely we Americans would not like it if it was.
I am sure that all of you have some sort of music, reading, verse or other nugget that keeps you going when things are out of focus.
What is your favorite way to be grounded or rejuvenated?
Jeff
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Edge of Our Seats
I knew that today was going to be a bit odd when I heard this statement from Sheri at church, "Only 13 hours til The Ministry opens." It seemed to set a tone for a busy day filled with hope and promise for Monday. We continue to pray, our children included, for the families that are currently in Ethiopia and on their way home. Camryn talked about the "big celebration" that their families will have when they return. She then talked about having a celebration when our son comes home, and how great it is going to be. Sheri and I are praying for the desires of our heart. Not much different than other times of late, but it seems so close that we can feel/smell/taste our son.
I am now at the point of wanting to work through it and not let my hopes for the timing that I desire get in the way of the work that God has planned for us. As with everything, this too shall pass. The anxious moments/days/weeks of anticipation will finally all be worth it at some point. I am ready to sing as loud as possible, for as long as possible in all sorts of ways possible. Come on Monday! I am sure that my phone battery will wear out long before my day is over tomorrow as I check websites, email and chat group posts.
Jeff
I am now at the point of wanting to work through it and not let my hopes for the timing that I desire get in the way of the work that God has planned for us. As with everything, this too shall pass. The anxious moments/days/weeks of anticipation will finally all be worth it at some point. I am ready to sing as loud as possible, for as long as possible in all sorts of ways possible. Come on Monday! I am sure that my phone battery will wear out long before my day is over tomorrow as I check websites, email and chat group posts.
Jeff
Friday, April 8, 2011
My Early Wake Up call
One of the things that most inspires my mood each day is how I wake up. Normally if I am awakened suddenly by a child sitting on my feet, yanking on me or otherwise asking for immediate attention, the rest of the day cascades from there. Today was very different, unexpectedly.
15 minutes before my alarm clock would go off, I heard "Feeling So Fly" from Toby Mac at high volume right next to my head. Normally I would have been wondering what horrible or not so horrible thing had happened at work that needed my immediate attention rather than 60 minutes from then. Over this last couple months I have been conditioned to have my hope renewed each morning. I quickly grabbed my phone off the bedside table and accidentally hung up on one of our friends. I immediately called them back to find out why they had called me at 6:30 am on a Friday. The day before, like many other days recently, Sheri and I had been praying that our friends would receive great news. The news that soon followed after we connected was that they received their referral. Hallelujah! As I loudly woke up Sheri next to me, it was one of the only times that I have not earned a nasty look or ongoing scorn for the early hour. Wonderful news for those who have been long suffering like us. My phone shut off by itself and dropped the phone call that I was so excited to take. The two minutes we waited for the phone to turn back on might have been extended by us staring and almost yelling for it to hurry. We called back and completed our initial conversation.
This week has been has been full of activity, frustration, elation and somber recognition. Work has been extremely busy for me, Jacob and Camryn returned to school, Sheri returned to Bible study and we got back into a routine after spring break. We still did not receive news about a referral that we are sure will come any day as well as ongoing approval letters for those still waiting that started this process about the same time. This week was the 17th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda on Thursday. Again frustration that likely the country would not open offices on Friday to process paperwork due to the activities from the day before. Elation to be awakened in one of the best ways possible with wonderful news and a hope for upcoming events. Excitement for the families that are currently in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in pursuit of further paperwork to legally bring their children home to the US in the midst of an impending government shutdown.
No wonder I excitedly woke up this morning and got ready. Surprising that I decided this was a great day to add 90 minutes onto my workday without any pre-planning. I went through my day with a glass half full approach, and decided that nothing was gonna bring me down. I was so excited that I listened to 6 Psalms on my phone on the way into work, and I broke out some of the highest energy music possible. It was gonna be a great day. I returned home elated and tired, but ready to spend time with my family. It was close to bedtime, so we quickly ate dinner and relaxed together. As we were getting ready for bed, Sheri checked the Rwanda chat room that we monitor for updated news and questions/answers and found out that another family that had been waiting since 2009 had received their referral as well. What wonderful news for a Friday evening after a month of waiting on our own referral.
It is very strange when the nighttime prayers of our daughter make me excited to go to work on Monday. Since I know that Monday is when The Ministry opens again. That means another opportunity to see the face of our new beautiful son. It is another chance to see more news from others in the same cycle that is our life currently. It is another opportunity to fully rely on God to renew our hope and buoy us up even when we would prefer to stay in bed that day. It is amazing that something that seems so powerful, hope, can be renewed constantly and fervently. That the smallest thing can do so much. A line on a blog, a picture, a song or even news from halfway around the world can take the spirits of our family in Nampa and transform it into a frenzy of excitement and activity. It is difficult to wait to get the remainder of what we need to take care of our new son, but it is easier knowing that our friends will soon have children home or be travelling to Rwanda. Soon and very soon.
God bless,
Jeff
15 minutes before my alarm clock would go off, I heard "Feeling So Fly" from Toby Mac at high volume right next to my head. Normally I would have been wondering what horrible or not so horrible thing had happened at work that needed my immediate attention rather than 60 minutes from then. Over this last couple months I have been conditioned to have my hope renewed each morning. I quickly grabbed my phone off the bedside table and accidentally hung up on one of our friends. I immediately called them back to find out why they had called me at 6:30 am on a Friday. The day before, like many other days recently, Sheri and I had been praying that our friends would receive great news. The news that soon followed after we connected was that they received their referral. Hallelujah! As I loudly woke up Sheri next to me, it was one of the only times that I have not earned a nasty look or ongoing scorn for the early hour. Wonderful news for those who have been long suffering like us. My phone shut off by itself and dropped the phone call that I was so excited to take. The two minutes we waited for the phone to turn back on might have been extended by us staring and almost yelling for it to hurry. We called back and completed our initial conversation.
This week has been has been full of activity, frustration, elation and somber recognition. Work has been extremely busy for me, Jacob and Camryn returned to school, Sheri returned to Bible study and we got back into a routine after spring break. We still did not receive news about a referral that we are sure will come any day as well as ongoing approval letters for those still waiting that started this process about the same time. This week was the 17th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda on Thursday. Again frustration that likely the country would not open offices on Friday to process paperwork due to the activities from the day before. Elation to be awakened in one of the best ways possible with wonderful news and a hope for upcoming events. Excitement for the families that are currently in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in pursuit of further paperwork to legally bring their children home to the US in the midst of an impending government shutdown.
No wonder I excitedly woke up this morning and got ready. Surprising that I decided this was a great day to add 90 minutes onto my workday without any pre-planning. I went through my day with a glass half full approach, and decided that nothing was gonna bring me down. I was so excited that I listened to 6 Psalms on my phone on the way into work, and I broke out some of the highest energy music possible. It was gonna be a great day. I returned home elated and tired, but ready to spend time with my family. It was close to bedtime, so we quickly ate dinner and relaxed together. As we were getting ready for bed, Sheri checked the Rwanda chat room that we monitor for updated news and questions/answers and found out that another family that had been waiting since 2009 had received their referral as well. What wonderful news for a Friday evening after a month of waiting on our own referral.
It is very strange when the nighttime prayers of our daughter make me excited to go to work on Monday. Since I know that Monday is when The Ministry opens again. That means another opportunity to see the face of our new beautiful son. It is another chance to see more news from others in the same cycle that is our life currently. It is another opportunity to fully rely on God to renew our hope and buoy us up even when we would prefer to stay in bed that day. It is amazing that something that seems so powerful, hope, can be renewed constantly and fervently. That the smallest thing can do so much. A line on a blog, a picture, a song or even news from halfway around the world can take the spirits of our family in Nampa and transform it into a frenzy of excitement and activity. It is difficult to wait to get the remainder of what we need to take care of our new son, but it is easier knowing that our friends will soon have children home or be travelling to Rwanda. Soon and very soon.
God bless,
Jeff
Thursday, April 7, 2011
These Thousands Hills
Sheri and I started talking at length about our decision to adopt on a trip back from the Grand Canyon with our family during March 2009. We were not certain what country we wanted to adopt from, but we knew that we wanted to finish our family through that means. We had discussed that we would love the chance to adopt from a few countries, but we did not know where to start. After a great deal of prayer, many web searches and conversations, we decided upon Rwanda. We did not know until a bit later that some of our best friends had also made that same decision.
As we started to go through the home study process, we read as many books about adoption and Rwanda (never together) as we could find. We also sought out blogs, research sites and anything else that we could use to fill the void that we had in our adoption lexicon. I read A Thousand Hills by Stephen Kinzer in an attempt to better understand the events that shaped the beautiful country of Rwanda. I was very drawn to his imagery of the hills and mountains that make up the country. I was captivated by Paul Kagame and the imperfect human approach to governing the country. I was also horrified and intrigued by a history of pain and restoration that I knew would be present when we travelled to pick up our son.
At this same time I started singing a refrain that has constantly provided me comfort and support when things are not going perfectly. Psalm 121 has often been in my prayers, my quiet time and very loudly driving in my car throughout my adult life. I sing it in different keys, no keys and often in falsetto (which is not necessarily a good thing). A few months after we completed our paperwork and submitted it to Rwanda, I pulled up a blog from one of the other prospecitve adoptive families. As I was looking at the postings and how wonderfully they had put together their site, I could not help but notice the wonderful music that was playing in the background. I recognized the band, Third Day, but it was a song I had not heard (These Thousand Hills). I was emotionally drawn to the lyrcis that were not about Rwanda, but certainly there were pieces of it that reminded of what I had recently read and been singing.
"These thousand hills roll ever on
In footprints of a Mighty God
They bring me to my knees in praise
Amazing love, amazing grace
Was on a hill my Savior died
A broken heart, a bleeding side
Hill of the skull, Mount Calvary
The blood He shed, He shed for me
When heaven's hills at last I roam
Forever settle in my home
I'll join the saints around Your throne
Your kingdom, Lord, rolls ever on
These thousand hills roll ever on
Ripples of a coming storm
The morning star precedes the dawn
These thousand hills roll ever on"
I could not help but look up the lyrics, listen to it when possible and posted it to this blog as well. It reminds me of Jesus' sacrifice for us. It also reminds me of a country that I long to see that I admire. It often seems like God is leaving little bread crumbs for us to find as we have waited over this last two years. There is hope in the Psalms and this song, and I know that Rwanda continues to rebuild and renew itself 17 years later.
As we remember Genocide Memorial Day on April 7th, I am reminded that our son will be a wonderful addition to our family. Our children cannot wait to play with him, go on vacation with him and generally just be around him all the time. In this time of waiting and rememberance, it is important to remember that our help comes from God, from Golgotha and in Rwanda from the hills. These songs remind, and the nice thing is I can sing wherever I go, including Rwanda.
God bless,
Jeff
As we started to go through the home study process, we read as many books about adoption and Rwanda (never together) as we could find. We also sought out blogs, research sites and anything else that we could use to fill the void that we had in our adoption lexicon. I read A Thousand Hills by Stephen Kinzer in an attempt to better understand the events that shaped the beautiful country of Rwanda. I was very drawn to his imagery of the hills and mountains that make up the country. I was captivated by Paul Kagame and the imperfect human approach to governing the country. I was also horrified and intrigued by a history of pain and restoration that I knew would be present when we travelled to pick up our son.
At this same time I started singing a refrain that has constantly provided me comfort and support when things are not going perfectly. Psalm 121 has often been in my prayers, my quiet time and very loudly driving in my car throughout my adult life. I sing it in different keys, no keys and often in falsetto (which is not necessarily a good thing). A few months after we completed our paperwork and submitted it to Rwanda, I pulled up a blog from one of the other prospecitve adoptive families. As I was looking at the postings and how wonderfully they had put together their site, I could not help but notice the wonderful music that was playing in the background. I recognized the band, Third Day, but it was a song I had not heard (These Thousand Hills). I was emotionally drawn to the lyrcis that were not about Rwanda, but certainly there were pieces of it that reminded of what I had recently read and been singing.
"These thousand hills roll ever on
In footprints of a Mighty God
They bring me to my knees in praise
Amazing love, amazing grace
Was on a hill my Savior died
A broken heart, a bleeding side
Hill of the skull, Mount Calvary
The blood He shed, He shed for me
When heaven's hills at last I roam
Forever settle in my home
I'll join the saints around Your throne
Your kingdom, Lord, rolls ever on
These thousand hills roll ever on
Ripples of a coming storm
The morning star precedes the dawn
These thousand hills roll ever on"
I could not help but look up the lyrics, listen to it when possible and posted it to this blog as well. It reminds me of Jesus' sacrifice for us. It also reminds me of a country that I long to see that I admire. It often seems like God is leaving little bread crumbs for us to find as we have waited over this last two years. There is hope in the Psalms and this song, and I know that Rwanda continues to rebuild and renew itself 17 years later.
As we remember Genocide Memorial Day on April 7th, I am reminded that our son will be a wonderful addition to our family. Our children cannot wait to play with him, go on vacation with him and generally just be around him all the time. In this time of waiting and rememberance, it is important to remember that our help comes from God, from Golgotha and in Rwanda from the hills. These songs remind, and the nice thing is I can sing wherever I go, including Rwanda.
God bless,
Jeff
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
The Next Anticipated Hard Wait
First off, no we are not done with our current wait, we have not yet received our referral. We are so excited to see his sweet face but waiting upon the Lord's timing for that to come. I know I could definitely be wrong but I don't think the wait from referral to travel will be as hard for me personally. I know I will be so anxious to get to Rwanda and hold him but for me all the work of packing and planning to leave will keep me so busy the time will fly. Plus I have such an easier time once I can see a date on the calendar, so it will help to see the dates of our planned travel start to come together. Please don't hold me to these words if I totally freak out and meltdown in the next wait.
The wait I am sure will be awful is once we arrive in Rwanda. The days when we are waiting for the elusive "To Whom" letter we need from the ministry. A few families from our group are currently in Rwanda with their children and today they finally received their "To Whom" letters. It is a huge blessing and answer to prayer that they got their letters. We are celebrating with them and praising God for this progress. These letters mean the kids are theirs full time. When we arrive in Rwanda we will be blessed with the opportunity to visit the kids at the orphanage for some time each day and at some point take the kids out of the orphanage each day with us on the different errands and appointments needed to complete the paperwork, and spend lots of hours loving on them. BUT each evening the kids have to return to the orphanage for the night! It has been heartbreaking knowing how difficult it must have been for our friends each night to have to take the kids back and leave them there for the night when they just want to take care of them all the time, do everything for them as their parents. I really always imagined this would only be a night or two, so difficult in itself, but it was many more days for this group and probably for future groups with some changes in the government process in Rwanda. I am starting now praying for God's comfort and His sustaining power to get me through this wait. I have been up at night praying for these letters, so sad about the kids having to go back and forth and not understanding what is happening in their lives, how will I endure it when it is my child I am taking back each night.
To focus on the positive, after this letter is obtained we will not have to separate from our son again!!! I know God will take us through this hurdle as well and I can't wait for the day we are holding our son. But I will be praying for that time now as I await our referral and travel. Hoping that it is not too far off.
Sheri
The wait I am sure will be awful is once we arrive in Rwanda. The days when we are waiting for the elusive "To Whom" letter we need from the ministry. A few families from our group are currently in Rwanda with their children and today they finally received their "To Whom" letters. It is a huge blessing and answer to prayer that they got their letters. We are celebrating with them and praising God for this progress. These letters mean the kids are theirs full time. When we arrive in Rwanda we will be blessed with the opportunity to visit the kids at the orphanage for some time each day and at some point take the kids out of the orphanage each day with us on the different errands and appointments needed to complete the paperwork, and spend lots of hours loving on them. BUT each evening the kids have to return to the orphanage for the night! It has been heartbreaking knowing how difficult it must have been for our friends each night to have to take the kids back and leave them there for the night when they just want to take care of them all the time, do everything for them as their parents. I really always imagined this would only be a night or two, so difficult in itself, but it was many more days for this group and probably for future groups with some changes in the government process in Rwanda. I am starting now praying for God's comfort and His sustaining power to get me through this wait. I have been up at night praying for these letters, so sad about the kids having to go back and forth and not understanding what is happening in their lives, how will I endure it when it is my child I am taking back each night.
To focus on the positive, after this letter is obtained we will not have to separate from our son again!!! I know God will take us through this hurdle as well and I can't wait for the day we are holding our son. But I will be praying for that time now as I await our referral and travel. Hoping that it is not too far off.
Sheri
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Testing
I am uploading a sample video from our camcorder to see how it is going to work. Our hope is that when we are able to share pictures and videos, that we can upload them here for family and friends. What you are about to witness is Bailey Lichty singing her rendition of Every Move I Make. You may or may not be able to understand what Bailey is saying, but I find it pretty cute. Here are the lyrics: "Nah, nah, nah...(etc). Waves of Mercy, waves of grace. Everywhere I look, I see your face. Your love has captured me. Oh my God, this love, how can it be. Nah, nah, nah...(etc)." Please let us know if it works or if there are any other problems with the video. It should be a MP4 which is the most common type of digital upload. (Note: please pause the music on the playlist at the bottom of the blog before starting or you can't hear Bailey)
Have a blessed Sunday,
Jeff
Jeff
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