Eight Is Not Enough

Getting closer now

2012-02-04T22:21:00.003-06:00

A lot of things have happened in the last couple of weeks, but we have been so crazy busy, we have not had time for a blog post- sorry!

Things have begun to move faster than we expected. A little over a week ago we received word from citizenship and immigration service (CIS) that they had approved the update to our home study. This update specifically recommended us for the specific special needs that Carolina and Neydali are dealing with. This approval came back weeks earlier than we expected. This just confirms in our hearts and minds that God is sovereign and it reminds us that He is in control of the time table and is not limited by the "projected waiting times" established by mere mortal men.

God continues to answer prayer in providing support. We received a generous check from a family from across the country we have never met. We will not mention their names as we don't know if they intended this to be an anonymous gift or not. We do want them to know how much we appreciate their gift that will help us bring our girls home. Thank you and God bless you! We followed their adoption journey while it was going on. They adopted from Medellin- same city where we will be going this time.

Last weekend, we got to visit our good friends the Rimas who have adopted 14 children from Colombia. We met them while we were in Bogota on our first adoption journey. They are an inspiration to us and an example for everyone.

The next big event happened two days ago when we found we have been given our final CIS approval. We don't yet have the document, because we had to resubmit a supporting document that was lost. We should have the documentation this coming week. This approval from CIS comes several weeks before we expected to see it! We had been told we should expect to travel around the end of March to mid April. This early approval from CIS blows that time line to pieces! We are not sure exactly how much the time line has moved, but we now anticipate meeting Carolina and Neydali in very early March. YIKES!!! That is only a month away- we are feeling excited and terrified all at once! This week we should get some more clarity on how soon our travel date will come. We will also be able to post pictures soon - hopefully this week.

After all the waiting and all the work that goes into pursuing an international adoption, it is hard to believe that the time is almost at hand. So many hours have been spent compiling documents, running down notaries, racing to the state capital for apostilles, and sending off those overnight deliveries. Each task has been done with love in our hearts for these two precious ones who God is entrusting to our care. We have prayed for them with every thing we needed to accomplish knowing that our God was able to sustain us to the finish line. The journey to this point has been exhilarating even if at time it was exhausting. We have persevered not because of our own strength, but because of Him who strengthens us, because of Him who equips us for every good work, because of Him who is strong when we are weak and weary, and His strength He has shared with Betty and I - always when we needed it most.

Our paperwork process has involved 3 places in Canada, Alaska, Virginia, Kansas, South Carolina, Hawaii, and West Virginia. We have been fingerprinted so many times our fingertips are permanently dyed from the ink. We have had our names checked with child abuse registries in 9 different states, been checked with local, state, and federal law enforcement- all checks were squeaky clean! Every T has been crossed and every I has been neatly dotted. The mountain of paperwork is complete without spot or blemish. We have spent untold hours in the process (most of the hours by Betty)- and why? All has been done in obedience to the call God has placed on our hearts - all for the reward of hearing two little words:

Mami
Papi

And the reward of 4 tiny arms holding fast around our necks as hot tears of joy stream down our cheeks.

God Bless you.
Jim and Betty

Referal - At Last!

2012-01-08T08:48:00.000-06:00

Well, back on 17 November 2011, we were asked if we would consider adopting two sisters with special needs. I wrote about this in our blog back on 20 November. We requested Neydali (age 6) and Carolina (age 9) on 21 November. On 7 December, the authorities (ICBF) in Medellin met to consider this request. At that time they approved for us to become the adoptive parents of Neydali and Carolina!!! They then spent the next 20 days gathering medical records and other documents to put together our referral document. Our referral was received by Children’s Hope International earlier this week. It took a few days, but the entire packet was translated into English- all 90 plus pages of information. This is the most extensive referral packet we have heard of. Everything we have read has served to reinforce in our hearts that these are the girls God has intended for us every since He knit them together in their mother’s womb. In our hearts and through our eyes, we see them as perfectly perfect. We hope you see them through the same lens and hope you rejoice with us.

As we enter into the sanctity of life month, I cannot help but reflect on what God has been teaching me about the value of life over the last couple of years. So often as Christians, we think about the sanctity of life only as it relates to abortion. God has impressed upon my heart that the idea of being prolife is so much bigger than just standing against abortion. Being prolife means to embrace all life in whatever form or fashion God chooses to call it into existence. He does not make mistakes. All of His handiwork is perfect and suited to the purpose for which He has intended it.

God began to awaken in me through the gift of my son Isaiah that what the world may see as flawed He sees as perfect. God does not view things as man sees them, and He calls us to see His people through His eyes. I have often failed in this throughout my life. As we began to identify some of the medical concerns that Isaiah will face, God reminded me He intentionally created Isaiah just the way he is. In the eyes of Isaiah’s daddy and his Heavenly father, Isaiah IS perfectly created. God has great purpose for this little man of mine- Isaiah lives with more joy and enthusiasm than most people I know. As I awakened to these things God brought back to my mind some of the prayers I had offered in my earlier years as a father. And I was so ashamed. I recall always praying that my biological children would be born without spot or blemish. I think we have all prayed that our children would be born 10 tiny toes and 10 tiny fingers- no medical issues. Now these are not necessarily “bad” prayers. But…. My shame comes in the realization that in my own mind and heart, I defined perfection for God and then demanded that He give it to me- nothing more nothing less. My error is in daring to define perfection for the God and Creator of the Universe rather than trusting Him to define perfection and wait patiently for Him to bless me according to His perfect plans for my life. I am beginning to see a little more clearly now.

In my renewed view of life, I can recognize that God creates nothing but perfection, and that He creates for His intended purposes. My God and Savior has created Neydali and Carolina exactly as they are and He has great purpose for them. Betty and I count ourselves most fortunate that He has chosen us to steward them on His behalf. It will be our great privileged to love and nurture them and watch as God uses them to bear much fruit for His own glory. It will be our great privilege to teach them about the great love of Jesus. We ache for the day we will welcome them into our family.

We will return our acceptance of the referral on Monday. The process has changes somewhat since our first Colombian adoption. The process is now much slower. It will take us 8 to 12 weeks to leave the US to meet our new daughters. As we move forward, we covet your continued prayers. We will be able to post pictures in another 4 to 6 weeks.

Here are some specific ways you can pray:

1) For everything to come together administratively so that we can travel.

2) Safety while there. Jim can only stay two weeks this time. Betty and Katie will remain the rest.

3) God's provisioning for our remaining costs. There are still several cost we are praying about and trusting God for. Pray for Him to provision for these needs in such a way He will receive all of the Golry.

4) Transportation- we currently have a 12 passenger van. With the new girls, there will be 14 of us still living at home. We pray that God will provide a 15 passenger van or a small bus. This is our greatest need at this point. We ask you to pray and to ask your churches, families and friends to pray for this. We trust that God is able, and that the prayers of the righteous availeth much!

God Bless,

Jim

Pictures

2012-01-05T14:49:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday Joshua

2011-12-19T09:42:00.001-06:00

Joshua Turned 13 yesterday. On Friday night, we had a gathering of men to welcome him as he begins to transition into biblical manhood. Several men came to gether to give him encouragement and challenges for the journey. I appreciate everyone who came to stand beside him. Here are the words I spoke to my son:

Joshua,

Tonight is a special night. All of these men and their sons have come together tonight to offer you words of encouragement and challenges for you to consider as you begin your transition from boyhood into Biblical manhood. Tonight does not make you a man, but it does put you on notice that you are no longer a boy. Tonight starts your journey, by hearing all these words you can begin to discern for yourself what it means to be a Godly man. Because you belong to Christ and have been redeemed by His blood, all of us here tonight can accept nothing less from you than that you become the man God created you to be and fulfill the purpose He has created you for. It has been said that to whom much is given, much is expected. Because of Christ Jesus you have been given a place in heaven, a seat at His banquet table, the underserved gift of eternal life in the very presence of the Creator of the universe. My son, I expect much of you in light of the immeasurable riches you have been given in Christ.

In days gone by, boys like you dreamed of becoming a knight. To become a knight a boy passed through stages to earn Knighthood. Once becoming a knight, the man was expected to swear his allegiance to his king, commit himself to an honorable life, and service to the kingdom. I want you to view this night as your first step towards becoming a knight of King Jesus. A knight is a warrior, a man who is prepared to lay down his life for others and for his cause. You are called as a knight of King Jesus to put on the full armor of God. It says in Ephesians 6:10-17

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,

Joshua, you come from a linage of warriors. Eight generations before you, Mitchell Porter fought in the American Revolution. Five generations before you James Monroe Porter fought in the American Civil war on the side of the south at 17 years old. Three generations ago, Wesley Porter entered World War I as an American Doughboy. Two generations before you, both your grandfathers served in Vietnam. Three of my mom’s brothers served in World War II, one in the British Navy and her twin brothers Sylvester and Thomas in the Canadian Army. Sylvester watched his twin brother die in the twisted barb wire on a lonely battlefield in Europe. You know that I served in the Army for 20 years, my only brother in the Air Force for 17 years. His son has served in Iraq and is now in Afghanistan. Your brother in law James has recently returned from Qatar. You come from a linage of warriors, but this is not the sort of warrior that I challenge you to be. I call on you to commit yourself to be a spiritual warrior for Christ. Before you, you see the trappings of a warrior. The boots, the shield, the flak jacket, the helmet and the sword are the visual representations of a warrior’s preparation for battle. But in Ephesians Chapter 6 you will find the things you need to prepare yourself to be a knight of the true King. I challenge to put on full armor of God:

Stand Firm
Gird your loins with truth
Put on the breastplate of righteousness
Shod your feet with the Gospel of Peace
Take up the shield of faith
Take the helmet of salvation
Take the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God

If you do these things you will be fully prepared to battle as a Knight of King Jesus.

Also before you tonight is a quiver of arrows. Warriors require weapons and fellow warriors in the faith. This quiver is mine. It is a visual representation of Psalm 127 which reads:

1Unless the LORD builds the house,those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain. 2It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. 3Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. 4Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. 5Blessed is the manwho fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
I’d like to reflect tonight on verses 4 and 5 - children are like arrows in the hands of a warrior. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them.

For many years I had an inadequate understanding of these verses. My view had been that the point was to fill my quiver and be blessed. I have recently come to understand that the reason a warrior has arrows is to is not to rejoice in the fullness of the quiver, but rather the warrior has arrows to shoot at and kill his enemy. Joshua, you are one of my arrows. I have tried to live my life as a Knight of the King. Any victories I am proud of are only those won for our God and Savior. Notice one of the arrows in the quiver has your name on it. Also notice that one fletching is white and two are black. These colors were deliberately chosen. The first black fletching I chose to represent the first Adam who allowed sin into the world and brought to each of us spiritual death and a need for redemption. The second black fletching represents you my son. You were born into this world under the blackness of sin, loved of God, but in need of a savior. The white fletching has two meanings. First, the white fletching represents the second Adam who is Jesus. He is the perfect sacrifice for our sins - yours and mine. Because of that sacrifice, the white fletching also represents you - now that you are in Christ. He has made you white as snow.

This night is meant to be about you, so why have I brought MY quiver here tonight? Because tonight as you begin your transition into manhood, I as your warrior father draw an arrow from my quiver. You are the arrow, tonight I nock your arrow and draw back my bowstring and take aim with all that you will become and fire you at the enemy. God did not put you in my quiver merely for my pleasure, but for His purpose that is your life. He has allowed me to keep you in my quiver until you were needed for the battle. That need is now here, it is your time to join the ranks of spiritual warriors. It is your time hone your warrior skills and complete the journey started here towards the goal of becoming a Knight. As I draw back my bow I can only aim you at the target of Godly manhood. As I let you fly you must fly true to the mark and plunge deeply into the heart of the enemy. You have much ground to cover before you complete your flight. As I said earlier, a warrior needs weapons and also fellow warriors in the fight.

All of these men who have challenged you tonight are your fellow Knights of King Jesus. We are all gathered here because we commit to help you grow as a warrior and are determined to help you fly true to your mark. Alone a warrior is venerable, but together we are very strong. Each warrior must stand in his place in the battle line. This means we all have unique talents and gifts from God that we are to use for victories in His name not in our name. Each of us must stand in our place on the battle line and defeat the enemy who is directly in front of us. If any of us as warriors fail, then the battle line is breached and the enemy may flood through the gap and wreak havoc behind the lines where our families are. Tonight we challenge you to stand your place and fight for your King by the life you will lead. Joshua son of James, do you commit to become a Knight of the King?

In light of your answer, I have three gifts for you. The first gift is a journal I have been writing for you over the last two years. In it are the things I want you to remember about the journey to biblical manhood. It is written in my own hand and is my love letter to you my son. I have embossed on the cover Joshua son of James. Second, I have for you the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. I have chosen a study bible for you – spend much time in the Word and it will keep you sharp and battle ready. I have embossed the cover your name Joshua. Lastly, I have a gift that is intended to always remind you that you are destined to be a Knight of King Jesus. The last gift is an Army Officer’s sword which will be your visual reminder that you are a knight of King Jesus.

Son I love you and wish all the best of God’s blessings for you.

Medellin Bound

2011-11-20T20:14:00.001-06:00

Last Friday, we received a call from Nichole. She had been made aware of a sibling group of two girls in Medellin and asked if would we be interested. But first...

We have prayed that God would send to us children that are hard to place, children that might face a long wait for their forever family. Our twins were children such as this, several states were searched before God brought them to us. Many families turned down Makenzie and Isaiah- we believe God closed all these hearts because He intended them for us. That He desired to give Betty and I the desire of our hearts times two!

We prayed that we would return to Colombia to welcome two girls that needed our family. God answered this prayer by bringing to us two special needs girls in Medellin. Two girls who are created perfectly in His image needing both the love of a forever family and the love of Jesus. We hope to be able to give them both.

On Monday we received 47 pages of case study for 6 and 9 year old sisters. We will not be allowed to give their names yet nor will we be able to post pictures for a while- sorry- hopefully this gives you something to look forward to! The 6 year old has a cleft pallet and has had 3 surgeries to correct this. She will need at least a couple of more surgeries to resolve her cleft pallet and then quite a bit of speech therapy. The 9 year old girl was born with hip displasia. She has had surgery but the hip problem remains far from resolved. She also has an undetermined problem with her right knee and foot. We expect to work through several surgeries with her when we get her home.

They have not yet been given to us as an actual referral. After reviewing the case study on Monday, we clearly felt God calling us to reach out to them. We sent a specific request to ICBF on Tuesday asking to adopt them. Now, Colombia will have to review our request and then join it together with our dossier. Our dossier is currently in the Bogota regional office. ICBF must recall it from that region and then send the dossier to the Medellin regional office- then we can be given the official referral letter. At this point, we don't know how long all of this will take, but we think best case we would travel by mid February. And so .... when Nichole asked us what we thought about this potential adoption, we wasted no time in telling her YES, YES and YES.

We know these are the girls God has intended for us, and pray you will rejoice with us.

God Bless,
Jim

We strongly covet your prayers as we move forward. Here are some specific ways you can pray:

1) For everything to come together administratively so that we can travel.
2) Safety while there. Jim can only stay two weeks this time. Betty an Katie will remain the rest.
3) God's provisioning for our remaining costs.
4) Transportation- we currently have a 12 passenger van. With the new girls, there will be 14 of us still living at home. We pray that God will provide a 15 passenger van or a small bus. This is our greatest need at this point. We ask you to pray and to ask your churches, families and friends to pray for this. We trust that God is able, and that the prayers of the righteous availeth much!

One More Step

2011-08-28T22:59:00.000-05:00

On Friday, we were driving to a volleyball match to watch our daughter Kaitlyn. Betty started checking e-mail on her cell phone while I was driving. Fortunately, there was not allot of traffic because she got to one note and let out a yell of excitement. Had there been a lot of traffic, there is no telling how many cars I might have run into because of this unexpected shock to my system. Sometimes shocks are bad things and sometimes they are good things. This was one of the variety that can only be described as VERY GOOD. All the commotion was because of a note from Children's Hope letting us know that our dossier has now been move from the national office to a regional office. Our dossier has been moved to the Bogota regional office. For those of you who may not have been through this process, this is a REALLY BIG DEAL! It is in the regional office that you are referred a specific sibling group of children. We can now receive a referral at any time! Rejoice with us! While the referral can take days, months or years, because we have asked for an older sibling group, the referral is more likely to come fast than slow. This being our third adoption, I'd like to be able to say that this process is now "old hat" for us and that we are just patiently waiting the day.....

However, the truth of it is that we are swirling with every emotion you can possibly imagine, as if this was our first child not our 14th, 15th and maybe our 16th child. We are feeling giddy, EXCITED, jubilant, EXCITED, terrified, EXCITED, worried, EXCITED, grateful, EXCITED, awestruck... did I mention EXCITED? We are also feeling very humble that God has allowed us this opportunity. Of all the millions of people waiting to be parents, He has chosen us to steward these little ones for Him and for His glory. He has entrusted in us the responsibility to love and nurture them, but more importantly, He believes He can trust us to raise them in the fear and admonition of the LORD, to one day at the foot of the cross to give them back to Him eternally. Pray for us that we will not fail our LORD in this undertaking. This adoption is not about us, but rather it is about the children and the relationship they will ultimately have with the Father who loves them more than we ever can. We will try to love with the same love, but know we will fall short of God's perfect love. We will do our very best and trust to God to do the rest.

Many of us have often found comfort in the many places in scripture where God's word tells us that "nothing is impossible with God" or perhaps "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". In my quiet time recently these promises took on a whole new perspective. Most of these verses giving us this promise point back to Genesis 18:14. This is the first place I can recall anything like this being said in scripture. In Chapter 18 of Genesis, God is promising a child to Abraham in his old age. God asks Abraham " Is anything too difficult for the LORD?" Of course the answer is no! I took comfort in connecting the verses affirming that nothing is impossible with God to a promise of a child to a man who was thought to be to old to become a father. Betty and I stand on theses promises knowing God can grant us children even at a time of life when the world around us thinks us too OLD. If you are waiting for a child, or considering adoption, can I ask you "Is anything too difficult for the LORD?" We stand as an example of the power of God to answer prayer our prayers and yours. Rejoice with us, be encouraged and be in prayer!

Now things seem to be happening VERY fast. We continue to covet your prayers. Our prayers include:
That the referral will come
That we will finish the course
That God will provide a way for us to get a 15 passenger van or small bus
That God will allow us to somehow expand the size of our house
That He will prepare the hearts of our new little ones
That we will have safe travels
That He will give us opportunity to speak and be a voice for the fatherless
That His will be done in all things in our life

God bless you and thanks for reading our blog.

Here we go

2011-08-11T22:50:00.001-05:00

Sometimes you wait and wait. At other times, you are taken completely by surprise and things seem to take on a life of their own. Today was one of those days! I sat at home and when I was least expecting it, the phone rang - and it was Children's Hope International. "Hello, is this Jim?"

"Yes". "This is Nicole, guess what?"

I thought to myself, only two reasons for her to call - approval of our dossier, a referral or both. I dared not hope or guess both. Before I could answer, Nicole tells me, "congratulations, your dossier has been approved!"

Wow.

HOW EXCITING!!!! This on the same day I emailed the magazine "Adoption Today" to ask if they planned to publish an article I wrote about how we came to the decision to adopt for the third time. How appropriate find out they plan to publish the article on the same day we recieve word that ICBF has approved our request to return and adopt again.

Rejoice with us over God's blessing of our family once again with the joy of children. We now anxiously wait for the referal of our new daughters. We covet your prayers and encouragement. The journey begins anew....

Jim

Last Chance

2011-06-24T16:01:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all who have ordered shirts in support of our adoption! We will be ordering on Monday, so if you haven't ordered yet, this is your last chance.

T-Shirt Fundraiser!!!

2011-05-18T21:50:00.002-05:00

We are happy to be introducing our first adoption fundraiser! Kaitlyn and Brianne have custom designed Colombia adoption shirts. Show you support for Colombian adoptions and while proclaiming what the Scripture has to say about adoption. The t-shirts will be available in both adult and youth sizes. The price of each shirt is $17 which includes free shipping to our out of town supporters. In order to insure that we have the a shirt for everyone that is interested we will be taking preorders until June 30, 2011. We will place the order on July 1 and keep everyone posted about when they are complete and headed to the post office. At this point, this is the only time we will be ordering this shirts so don't miss the opportunity. To place an order email us with your name, address, number of shirts you would like to order, and the size you would like. We will only be able to accept check and money order. Once you have emailed us your order we will send you the address to mail your payment to. You can click on the shirt to see a larger image.

eight.is.not.enough@gmail.com

Thanks for helping us bring our girls home from Colombia!

1st Birthday!

2011-05-17T13:11:00.014-05:00

Progress

2011-04-03T17:41:00.001-05:00

Updated dossier is on its way to Colombia as of this week!!!

Pictures

2011-04-03T16:41:00.007-05:00

Valentines Day

Makenzie loves the piano!

Got enough pacifiers?

Jason's Birthday

15 Red Roses and 2 Arrows

2011-03-05T15:00:00.001-06:00

What do 15 roses and 2 arrows have in common? Together, they were my Valentine's gift to my wife Betty. These are not the traditional sort of valentine's gift that a wife would expect, but Betty was thrilled with them- especially the 2 arrows. Perhaps if you continue to read the post, by the end it will all make sense.

God has blessed us beyond anything we had ever imagined or hoped. He has blessed us with 13 amazing children. He has blessed us with 8 of these children through the union of our marriage, then He has given us 3 from the country of Colombia, and most recently God has blessed us with twin babies from Texas. We always wanted twins, but we just never imagined having them in our 50s. God's ways are always perfect and we have had much joy as the parents of this widely diverse "bakers dozen". Had we ever stopped to consider how WE could manage this, we would have been terrified and probably would have run away .... fast.

Fortunately we trusted God for His plan and His provisioning and could not imagine life without any of our children. We have come to recognize that our primary purpose in life - our ministry if you will- is to raise up children who love God and seek to serve Him. My wife Betty is the most amazing person I know. Period. She has been an amazing mom and makes being the mother of 13 look like child's play.

Back in April, we made a post to this blog that a funny thing happened on our way back to Colombia- that was the announcement that God had sent us the babies we had prayed for in a time of life that we could not expect to have babies of our own anymore. God had closed Betty's womb, but He had still given us a desire in our heart for His children. We had prayed for babies without ever expecting we would have one again. As we like to quote around our house, we often would say that with God nothing is impossible. And so as He has done before, starting with Abraham and Sarah, with Hannah - He has done with us, He saw fit to give us the desire of our hearts and sent us the twins through adoption. Isaiah's middle name is Samuel as he is a gift to us in our later years, Makenzie's middle names are Joy Elizabeth as a recognition of the joy God has given us through her life. God gave us the desire of our hearts times two! WOW! A week after we had been given the twins, we received notice from Colombia that the dossier to return to Colombia to adopt a sibling group of two girls had been approved. We had to put this approval on hold for a year because you must wait a year between adoptions with our agencies Colombia program. When we welcomed Isaiah and Makenzie into our family many asked us, are you still going to finish the second Colombia adoption. We said we didn't know because we were just basking in the joy that the two babies brought into our life.

As time went by we knew we needed to decide if we would keep our approval to return to Colombia current or did God simply want us to let go. The babies had brought us so much joy, but we could not escape the feeling that God was calling us to return to Colombia for the girls He has for us there. The family all felt this calling. Betty , Kaitlyn and Brianne felt it most strongly and always felt we would return to Colombia. For me is was not so clear. I have been struggling to discern God's will for this as the leader of our family. I knew if we surrendered to this call, God would fully take care of all the details. For me it was difficult, I remained deeply in prayer for weeks desiring to know God's will in this. I knew the hearts of Betty, Brianne and Kaitlyn. The younger kids I did not know. So what does a Dad do when he doesn't know? Well completely out of character for me --- I asked them what they thought about going through with the 3rd adoption. You would think they would say something like NO WAY. Nothing could be further from the truth. I am amazed at how God has knit these children of mine together. Here are some of the things they said:

I asked them if they had thought adoption had been a good thing for our family- They all answered with a resounding YES!

I asked them if they thought we should adopt again- YES!

I asked the first three kids we adopted if they were glad we adopted them - YES!

We asked the adopted kids if they thought we had treated them the same as the other kids - YES!

I asked my biological kids if the experience of having siblings of another race had changed how they view people who are "not like them" (we now have Hispanic children and the twins are half Hispanic and half African American). They answered:

"It made me realize we are all the same inside"

"My view hasn't changed, they are the same as me and you"

"I used to notice what race people were when I came in contact with them, now I don't even notice."

"Color doesn't matter"

"No, I always felt like it is important to look at someone not by their looks, but instead at who they are as a person."

Answers that can only encourage the heart of their dad.

I asked the first three we adopted what were the three best things about being in our family- one of them told me one of the best things was that we had never lost him. When I asked what he meant, I quickly discovered he was happy that we had never abandoned him as his biological mother had - and I wept over this answer. He has been through so much.

I asked our biological kids if there was anything from their life before adoption that they missed- NO!

One child told us he thought we should get a bigger van and adopt more kids.

I asked my older girls what did they think of adoption 4 years ago and what do you think of it now-

"I thought 4 years ago it was a fun adventure. Now that I have experience it, I know it is sometimes a difficult journey, but the end results are so worth it."

"My views about adoption have changed a lot in the last 4 years. Before we started this process I really didn't know a lot about adoption. I now know that we are all called to help care for orphans. We all need to obey God's command regarding orphans. Not only are orphans blessed through the process, but it also changes everyone involved in the process."

What are the three best things that have resulted from these two adoptions-

"Seeing other people (outside our family) being touched and helping orphans in some way"

"My faith and trust in God has been changed"

What is different in our family that you least expected-

"I never guessed how much this adoption would impact my relationship with God. I am so amazed at how God knew exactly what these kids needed and felt we were worthy to give them that."

Do you think adoption has been a good thing or a bad thing? Why?

"Adoption has been a good thing for our family. It has changed each and everyone of our lives. The kids have been accepted into a loving family and have hope for the future. We have all been blessed with the smiles, laughter, hugs ect... It also tested our faith in many ways causing us to trust and rely on God. We have also seen the amazing way that God provides for the orphans. Lastly, we have met new people (families) and developed relationships with them."

Finally, in response to my question should we adopt again, my daughter Brianne tells her Daddy: "We have love to give to more kids. They sit in Colombia with very little promise for a future. Each day these kids dream of finding a mom and dad who will love them. Yes, we all make mistakes. Maybe you aren't the "perfect" parent, but guess what- due to our fallen, sinful nature, none of us can ever be the perfect parent. You have been a wonderfully amazing Godly role model to me. I could never ask for a better dad. You are striving to obey God in the way you raise us. That is a precious gift to us kids. You are loving, caring, kind and go out of your way to make sure we are supported, loved and raised to honor God. We have love, room and resources to give. How can we say no to these kids? How can we not share our love? How can we not give some child hope for the future?" She then turned the table on me and said: "Now can I ask you what is holding you back? I would love to pray for you that God would give you a clear answer."

After reading this final answer on the final page of answered questions, I was absolutely floored. I was humbled. I was amazed at the depth of these thoughts. I was amazed at how much more clearly my children saw this than did I. If I was holding on to any doubts, at that moment I simply let go. God had used my children to show me His answer- His plan for our family. If God's plan is for us to go- then we would have it no other way. His ways are perfect. To paraphrase from His word:

I know the plans I have for you declares the LORD. Plans to profit you not to harm you. As a family we now move forward- each and every one excited for the LORD to fully reveal these plans - to reveal the children He has wanted to bless us with. WE ARE SO EXCITED- REJOICE WITH US.

Now back to the title of this post. 15 red roses and two arrows. God gave me clarity that His plan was for us to return to Colombia right before Valentine's Day. So my gifts to Betty (who waited patiently for me to clearly discern God's will for our family), were 15 red roses - one for each of our children including the two whom we have not met, and two arrows. The two arrows are symbolic of the two arrows we know God intends to lovingly place in our quiver- and now our prayer is that may He place them there soon.

Jim

December/January

2011-01-19T15:42:00.007-06:00

The babies first snow.

Thanksgiving Cuties

2011-01-19T15:20:00.004-06:00

Just Remember

2010-12-16T20:55:00.002-06:00

The following is an article I wrote that first appeared in the magazine Adoption Today (December 2010 issue). I also had another article pubished in the June 2010 issue. You can link to Adoption Today's website at www.adoptinfo.net. Hope you enjoy my article, it feels really weird to write something for publication since I am a dad and NOT an author! Anyway, here it is:

Just Remember…

Sometimes words of wisdom come from unexpected people. Sometimes words of wisdom are given to us and we completely miss their value in the moment they are spoken. I was the beneficiary of words of wisdom early in our adoption of a sibling group of three children from Colombia, but for a season I completely missed the depth and importance of a small phrase that began with “just remember”.

When we received Jason, Tatiana, and Luke into our family, I had been a dad for 29 years and still had 5 minor children in my home. I thought I had this fatherhood thing pretty well figured out. Boy was I wrong! As I reflect back over the past two years with these three children, I have come to realize that parenting adopted children from the third world (especially when they come into your family as older children) requires some completely different parenting skills. They come to your family after having lived through some tough life circumstances and these life experiences often represent unique challenges to us as parents. Our new children had lived though extreme poverty and multiple parental abandonments.

Shortly before leaving for Colombia, we met a young couple in our church from Colombia. This couple did not yet have any children of their own, but wanted to offer their help with our adopted children when we returned home. We were very grateful and encouraged to have their help, especially since we knew very little Spanish. We maintained a blog (eightisnotenough.blogspot.com) for our adoption and made daily entries while we were in Bogota. After being in Bogota for only a few days, our new found friend Alvaro left a comment to one of our journal entries. He told us, “Just remember, these children are going to live every moment as if there is no tomorrow, because in their lives there has been no tomorrow.”

At the point that I read these words, I thought to myself, that the comment made complete sense. We were still in the phase where the kids were bouncing off the walls, eating everything in sight, and trying to play with every toy we have – all at the same time. At that moment his comments completely described the outward actions we were observing in our new kids! But… I completely missed the significance of this statement as it related to what was going on inside their heads, especially Jason, the oldest. When we got back to our home in Kansas, I would remember these words as Jason, Tatiana and Luke would try to eat everything at the table – I knew they had known starvation in the truest sense of the word. Of course they would want to eat excessively; their life experience told them that tomorrow they might be staving again. They would play with a toy only for a moment, and then they would run to the next toy, and the next and the next; their life experience told them that what they had today would be gone tomorrow. They needed to get to every toy because they might never have another chance to play with these toys. They would constantly want to be physically close to us as their new parents; their life experience told them they had to hold on tightly because we too might abandon them. Yes, I could see that these precious children lived as if there was no tomorrow- on the outside.

I don’t know if Alvaro had intended deeper meaning in his words when he spoke them, but for me they have come to be the most profound advise were ever given. They encapsulate the essence of the challenge I faced in becoming a cross cultural adoptive parent. As I reflect backwards, I have come to realize the value of these words are not in understanding the actions of my children, but rather in their significance regarding who my children are inside- what it is that makes them tick. The real challenge is not to convince them there will be food on the table again tomorrow. The real challenge is to help them to understand that there is something called tomorrow, that they can live outside of THIS moment. After two years, we have worked through a great many things with our Colombian children. We are sure that they love and trust us. We believe that they know we love them in return.

“Just remember, these children are going to live every moment as if there is no tomorrow, because in their lives there has been no tomorrow.” What these words point to is the challenge we face as adoptive parents to help our children develop a new world view. For these kids, there is no concept of a tomorrow. They know what the definition of the word tomorrow means, but for them as a concept it has never existed. How do you help someone to make such a radical change I their perception of reality? How do you motivate them to make good choices even when nobody is looking? How do you convey to a child of adversity that they can let go of their survival instincts and desires for self gratification? How do you train a child to follow the social mores and household rules you have set while trusting you to meet their physical, emotional and spiritual needs and desires in this thing called tomorrow?

We have taught these children to understand that good choices result in good consequences. They understand that bad choices result in bad consequences. While they understand this intellectually, and have grown through a lot of good and bad choices, they seem unwilling or unable to act in the present with any regard for the future consequences of their actions. In this world view as it relates to present actions, the future does not seam to exist. It is far more important to enjoy the pleasure of the moment than to act in such a way as to ensure bigger, better and longer lasting pleasures in the future. As a Christian family, we have trusted in Proverb 22:6 which taught us to “train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” What I have learned from Alvaro’s advice is that with Jason, Luke and Tatiana, we first had to invest a great deal of time untraining things from the past before we could “train them in the way they should go”. As I have come to understand Alvaro’s advice, I can now focus my efforts as a dad on helping Jason, Tatiana and Luke to live beyond the moment. We are teaching them not to just trust us as their parents, but also to trust that there will be a bright tomorrow for them filled with opportunities they never dared to imagine or hope for in those difficult circumstances of their early life.

God bless,

Jim

A New Begining

2010-12-10T20:51:00.003-06:00

Last week, we flew to San Antonio, Texas for a new beginning for Makenzie and Isaiah. The laws in Texas require you to have a child in your home for six months before you can finalize an adoption. Last week we returned to Texas for the finalization in the court and a new beginning for us as a family. We have realized from the start that Isaiah and Makenzie were brought into our lives by the providence of our almighty God. But this knowledge does not keep the unsettled feeling in your stomach away when you have to go into the court to stand before the judge you have never met. Our trust in Him never left us, but I must admit we were nervous- my brother Frank prayed with us when we got to the court house- prayers that helped us in this time. We also had never met our lawyer! Our adoption agency just told us to meet him at the elevator on the second floor of the courthouse- "don't worry if he is late". An hour later a gentleman came to us and said "I'm Ron Prince your lawyer!" From there it was a joy filled and uneventfully conclusion to our 6 month wait. We were only before the judge for about 5 minutes and the adoption decree was signed. With the stroke of his pen, the judge made legal what God had indelibly written on our hearts months before. After he signed our adoption decree, the judge invited us behind the bench for a photo opportunity. As of 2:10 pm 3 December 2010, Makenzie and Isaiah are now our children in the eyes of the law and in the all seeing eyes of our Heavenly Father. Praise Him!

We got back home at 2:15 am Saturday morning- crazy busy 2 days! We had arranged to have a baby dedication service the following day. It was such a blessing to share this time with our church family and mutually commit to sheppard these young hearts and lead them to an eternal relationship with Jesus. It was my incredible privilege to speak a blessing over them as part of the dedication. Parts of this blessing below are borrowed and parts of it are my original words. Here is the blessing I gave to Makenzie and Isaiah:

Isaiah and Makenzie,
Each of you are an amazing blessing to your mother and I. You are the babies we have prayed for in a time of our life when we were to old to expect we would ever have babies again. We prayed for you knowing God was able to grant you as the desire of our hearts, but yet our faith was too small to expect that He would. We are so grateful to Him for you.

It was the Hebrew father’s place in the traditional Jewish home in the time of Jesus to bless his children, this tradition began with Isaac and Jacob. As your earthly father I am delegated by God as the spiritual head over our home and family and by His authority I speak this blessing into your lives.

Isaiah and Makenzie, I bless your entire life and every aspect of it. You are children under the New Covenant God made with His Son Jesus the Christ as the perfect and final sacrifice for your redemption. “Isaiah and Makenzie, I bless you in the name of Jesus, proclaiming the blessings of God, my Redeemer, upon you. May He give you wisdom, a reverential fear of God, and a heart of love for Him and His people.

I bless you with His Protection. Throughout your entire life may He go before you and prepare all of your paths. May He go behind you to be your rear guard, that attacks of the enemy shall in no way be able to reach you. May He place an impenetrable hedge about you all of your days so that no harm will befall you. For through this Blessing God has put His name on you, those who curse you shall know God's wrath and those who bless you shall know God's blessing.

Isaiah and Makenzie, I ask that God bless you with good health, that disease and infirmities shall never prevent you from accomplishing God’s great purpose in your life. Isaiah, God has already given you a thorn in your flesh, may He also give you wisdom to understand why and opportunity to touch other lives for Him because of it. I ask God that both you will grow strong and healthy in body, mind and soul. May He create in you the desire to attend to His words, a willing and obedient heart that you may consent and submit to His sayings and walk in His ways. May your eyes look straight ahead with purpose for the future. May you always speak the truth in love. May your hands do the works of the Father; may your feet walk the paths that He has foreordained for you. I could have no greater joy than to hear that you my children are living your lives in His truth.

I bless your relationships, that you will take the lessons you will learn as part of a multiracial home and be comfortable meeting and conversing with all people. Makenzie, you have eyes that seam to search to the very depth of my soul. May this be a reflection of who you will become, that you will look at and respond to the depth a person's character – who they are in the heart of God- rather than what they look like on the outside. Both of you are an important person and in the eyes of God there is no person who has greater value than you. Likewise there is no other person who can fulfill the purpose God has created for you. Your family will always love, nurture and support you. Short of marriage, no other earthly relationship will be more important to you. But even within your family, the two of you as twins have a special bond that few will ever understand completely. God has given me a small glimpse of how special this relationship is- be blessed in your relationship with one and other as unity will always be strong with you. May the Lord prepare you and your future mates to love and honor one another, and may He grant to your unions many upright sons and daughters who will live in accordance with His Word. May your source of livelihood be honorable and secure, so that you will earn a living with your own hands. May you always worship God in spirit and in truth.

I bless you with peace and happiness. May your smiles brighten many lives and may laughter be your lifelong companion.

By God’s authority I have spoke this blessing to you. Because it is spoken by His authority it is unfettered by earthly boundaries and is not subject to any limitation of man. Therefore I charge you to walk in confidence, be strong and courageous.

Dad

Pictures

2010-11-18T14:29:00.007-06:00

Obviously, I'm a Wildcat. They don't make Jayhawks this cute!

Mama's little helpers

Concerning Isaiah

2010-11-08T22:00:00.004-06:00

A lot has been going on with Isaiah. We have been trying to get everything we could figured out before sharing any of it. There was so much we just didn’t know- and some we may never know. Anyway here is an update on our son Isaiah:

First we know that he is a precious gift to us from the LORD. God has given him into our hand in such a way that we can be assured he is ours and we are his Mom and Dad. The funny thing is that the initial agreement we signed in this adoption was to become his guardians. In Texas, it takes six months to finalize an adoption. Our agreement allows for us to give the twins back in any time during the first six months or for the adoption agency to take them back any time in the first six months. Isn’t this a sad commentary on the low value that our society places on children and families? Isaiah is NOT a pair of pants to be returned to Wal-Mart when we discover he doesn’t “fit” or when we find a flaw in the fabric. Isaiah is our son and we praise God for allowing us to be a part of this little man’s life. It is our great privilege to steward him on God’s behalf, to watch him grow, to watch him laugh, to watch him fall down and get back up, yes even to share the love of his true Father who sent Christ to die for us and for Isaiah. We have now been parents for over 31 years, and still we cherish every day and look forward to what God has planned for Isaiah.

Second, we knew almost from the day we became his parents, that he had a short optic nerve. As it turns out both his optic nerves are short, but the right much more so than the left. This condition is called optic nerve hyperplasia. We were told that it could mean that he might have limited vision, or possibly cause him to be blind. Yet this did not change our love for him or our determination to be his parents. As he grew we knew he had vision in both eyes- which is very good and a relief for Betty and I. As time passed, we did begin to notice his right eye crossed a lot. Some of our other kids have had this problem. We took him to see a pediatric optimoligist we have used for years. She agreed with his previous diagnosis. She examined his eyes and told us Isaiah’s vision is very good in both eyes- nothing she would correct at this point, perhaps a bit near sighted though. Then she began what has been for us a several week investigation into neurophysiology. She explained in many cases of optic nerve hyperplasia there is also something wrong behind the optic nerve; she wanted us to have an MRI of Isaiah’s brain. This was a bit unsettling, but we know that God had given us Isaiah and he would empower us for anything that might lie ahead. There is a very unpleasant syndrome that is associated with optic nerve hyperplasia where portions of the brain do not fully develop. The areas of concern were: where the two optic nerves cross, the connection between the two halves of his brain and the outer covering of the brain. The MRI has shown that all of these physiological possibilities are not a problem with Isaiah. This rules out any problems with his brain.

The second area commonly affected with optic nerve hyperplasia is the pituitary gland. This gland is essentially the control center of the body, producing many essential hormones. The next step after the MRI was for us to get Isaiah to see a pediatric endocrinologist. This was normally to take 2-4 moths to get an appointment. After seeing the MRI, the endocrinologist worked us in the following Monday. In all of this God has given us an incredible peace to go along with the deep love He gave us for Isaiah. We knew something was up to get an appointment that fast. The diagnosis is that Isaiah’s pituitary gland is a bit smaller than it should be. This is NOT something that he will grow out of. We are still awaiting the results of several blood tests to tell us if the pituitary is keeping up with the hormone production Isaiah needs. The endocrinologist was GREAT. He explained all the symptoms and warning signs we should be looking for should the pituitary be failing to keep up. Isaiah will have blood drawn and visit the endocrinologist every 4 months for the first two years and then once or twice a year probably for the rest of his life. We will go more often when and if his pituitary isn’t keeping up. The doctor was very encouraged with his physical examination of Isaiah. His impression pending blood tests is that everything is working as it should right now. This can change at any time as he grows. His growing body may at some point exceed the ability of his pituitary gland to keep up. At this point we just don’t know if that will happen, and quite honestly it doesn’t matter to us. God had allowed us the amazing opportunity to be Isaiah’s parents, as I have said we have amazing peace with all of this and know in our love for our son and God’s great love for all three of us, we have great joy.

There are many hormones produced by the pituitary. We think, should there be hormonal shortcomings, that he will be able to make up the difference with hormone therapy. Most people have wanted to know what problems might develop. Therefore, we want to share the possibilities as we currently understand them (we still have a lot to learn). Growth hormones may not be produced in sufficient quantities. Hormones that regulate sodium, potassium, and other critical mineral absorption may fall too low. Hormones that regulate sexual maturation (physiology) may fall too low. Hormones that regulate his body’s stress response can fall too low- this hormone is the one that triggers his body to fight off infections and disease. At this point everything appears to be normal and we will be watching out for the warning signs of change.

There is nothing in this that you should be sorry about or worry over. Isaiah is fearfully and wonderfully made according God’s perfect plan for his life and ours. His bright smile touches the hearts of everyone he meets. We know that God chose us to be Isaiah’s parents, and he is a blessing to us beyond measure. We often in Christian circles talk about being prolife. But do we mean that we are prolife or do we just mean that we are anti abortion. Betty and I are unashamedly prolife. To us this means far more than opposing abortion. It means placing value on every human life that God creates. God does not create junk or accidents. We believe there is value in the elderly, value in the unborn, value in the orphans and widows, yes even value in a tiny seven month old boy named Isaiah with an under developed pituitary gland. All have value and are a significant part of God’s plan for His people and His creation. Because there was infinite value in a tiny babe in a manger, we have a restored relationship with our Heavenly Father who creates each of us with value and purpose. Isaiah has great purpose and Betty and I hope we will be faithful stewards of him on behalf of the LORD. God knew Isaiah when he was knit together in his mother’s womb and has created him according to the perfect blueprint He drew up for Isaiah Samuel Porter. We live in a fallen world that would encourage us to take Isaiah back to the adoption agency. The world around us would say that we should not be burdened with these potential medical problems. The world would say it’s not your problem. We are so glad that the Spirit of God who dwells within us, assures us that we are not of this world, it is this Spirit that allows us to shout “thank you LORD for blessing us with Isaiah, for allowing us the privilege of being his Mom and Dad.”

Jim and Betty

2010-08-12T19:14:00.011-05:00

August, 12, 2010

It is hard to believe that summer is almost over. It has gone by way to fast and we did not get those things done we had planned this year but we have done quite a few better things. Makenzie and Isaiah continue to grow by leaps and bounds. Makenzie is now 12lbs13oz and Isaiah is 10lbs 11oz. They are doing great. Both are starting to be very interactive. They will coo and laugh at you when you talk to them.

Isaiah had his surgery and did wonderfully. He is fully recovered. The doc and the hospital were both excellent.

What have we done this summer? We spent alot of time bonding with babies, went to the CHI adoption reunion in St. Louis and went to Daytona Beach with my parents. The boys played some baseball and the girls did a dance camp. We did sneak in a few swimming trips as well.I think we are actually ready for fall and cooler weather. Maybe even more school although we never really quit for the summer. The beauty of homeschool!

Settling Into a Routine

2010-07-05T21:17:00.006-05:00

It has been several weeks since we updated all of you on how things are going. Sorry for not being active on the blog- I think it has something to do with all the middle of the night feedings! When we get Makenzie and Isaiah down for the night, Betty and I have started to make a mad dash for our pillows. I'm not the spring chicken I once was! :-) We always wanted to have twins, just weren't planning on it in our 50s! All kidding aside we do consider it all joy. When we were young, we thought getting up to babies was such a burden. I can honestly say this time it is not a burden at all, just 100 percent JOY (feeling joy and feeling sleepy are compatible feelings- just for the record). We have prayed for a baby every since God quit allowing us to conceive. He has answered our prayers with TWO babies, how could every moment not be a joy? We keep saying to ourselves, there are two of them and two of us, how hard can it be? Those of you who can remember the old Dunkin Doughnut commercials may remember the one where the doughnut man met himself at the door- one of him was coming home and he was also on his way out the door to make the doughnuts. We had a few of those moments early on, when we though we were meeting ourselves coming and going, ahhh but when you are holding a sweet baby in your arms......

We have now settled into a bit of a routine, most nights Makenzie sleeps 6-7 hours has a bottle and then sleeps another 2 or 3 hours. Isaiah usually gets up one time more per night than his sister. The schedule is very manageable now. Thanks for your prayers. Thanks also to our daughters Brianne and Kaitlyn- they are an incredible help. If 4 hands are better than 2, how much better are 8 hands! Josh even helps when we need him too.

It has been such an encouragement to watch our biological kids and adopted Colombian kids receive the twins with such joy and enthusiasm. Many have asked us how the Colombian kids were handling it as we only adopted them about a year and a half ago. Amazingly well - they love the babies to pieces. They do not feel threatened or in any way jealous.

Since we have been home with Makenzie and Isaiah we have been notified that our dossier that is in Colombia for two girls was approved! This approval came the first time through- no follow up questions from ICBF. Very unexpected, but we had to put the dossier on hold for 1 year based on ICBF requirements. Please pray that God would give us discernment for what to do about this when the decision time comes. We desire above all else to be faithful to Him.

We will be having a consult with a pediatric surgeon this week on Wednesday. Isaiah needs to have hernia surgery. One surgeon has told us it is the 2nd largest one he has ever seen. So there is some sense of urgency to get it taken care of. Those of you who have ever had you children out under anesthesia know what an unsettling thing this will be. We trust God and at the same time covet all of your prayers. We have been told that around 50% of all preemie boys need this surgery.

The 4th picture is our puppy Oreo. We got her late last winter- not expecting babies in the spring! Timing is everything don't you think?

God bless each of you.

Jim and Betty

Pictures

2010-06-17T16:54:00.009-05:00

Everyone is doing great! Just wanted to post a few pictures. We will try to update you soon.

Home

2010-05-29T21:04:00.002-05:00

Sorry - this post is a bit slow! We returned home on Tuesday. Our approval to leave Texas with both Isaiah and Makenzie came through around 1000 am and we headed for KS. We arrived safely back in Kansas around 1:45 am Wed. Long trip, but it is so good to be home. Thanks for all your prayers. Babies and the whole family are well.

God is great.

Jim and Betty

Still Waiting

2010-05-24T16:10:00.007-05:00

Kids with Uncle Frank and Aunt Molly

Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy as we continue to wait for approval to come home. Kansas asked for 5 additional items on Isaiah which were provided today. Hopefully we will finally get the OK to come home tomorrow. Please continue to pray.

Jim and Betty

A Bit of a Delay

2010-05-21T22:06:00.002-05:00

Just a short note to let all of you know we did not get the final approval to leave today. KS has asked for some additional information. We don't know what they want, but hope to resolve this on Monday. Please pray for this to be resolved quickly so we can get these babies home. All is well with us here other than being anxious to get home.

Jim and Betty

Half Way There

2010-05-17T21:57:00.004-05:00

First, let me thank each one of you who have been praying for us. Today God answered our prayers by smoothing out the wrinkles in our interstate transfer request for Makenzie. We thought last Friday the whole paper trail might have to start over again- in answer to your prayer and ours, God has accomplished it all through a series of phone calls today. By mid afternoon, we had approval for the request to take Makenzie home. To God be the glory and credit for bringing this about. We praise Him for it. We have also been told that all the right people are watching for the request for Isaiah and will immediately keep it moving. We are told that everyone along the way thinks we will have his approval by Friday or Monday at the latest. That puts us back home on either Saturday or Monday. We are so grateful that we are able to leave with both Makenzie and Isaiah at the same time.

I want to especially praise God tonight for my brother Frank and his amazing wife Molly. They have been putting us up here in San Antonio. They have treated us like royalty and have blessed us in more ways than we will be able to express or repay. I know scripture says there is a friend who is closer than a brother, but I am so grateful for a big brother who is like no other. He always looked out for me when we were boys and continues to do so today. THANKS to my big brother Frankie!

Please continue to pray for continued speed in the process and God's speed and safety for the journey home.

Jim

Together at Last

2010-05-14T21:48:00.003-05:00

We were finally able to bring everyone together today. We discharged Isaiah from the hospital today at around 12:30. It was such a relief to get him in our arms to stay. As we received our shower of blessings for which we had prayed, San Antonio received so much rain we were experiencing flash floods all morning. All this rain did nothing to dampen our spirits- God has given us the desire of our hearts and blessed us with these two beautiful babies.

When we got back to my brothers house, we had the most unexpected experience. Makenzie's entire continence changed once she heard her brother cry out the first time. Up to this time we had not seen her smile yet. I know it sounds difficult to believe, but she has smiled almost constantly since we brought Isaiah home. She now has the same peaceful expressions on her face as we had come to expect from our 8 biological babies. She has also visibly calmed down and is more relaxed and sleeping better. Every time we lay them down next to one and other she flails her arms around until she touches him- then she just lays still with her arm on him. This is the most amazing response we have ever seen in with babies. Very touching and heart warming.

We do covet your prayers tonight. We figured out late today that there is a mix up somewhere with our paper work. Kansas for some reason, thinks this is a foster arrangement rather than an adoption. Everyone involved will begin on Monday to straighten this mess out. Isaiah's paperwork should begin processing on Monday also. We covet your prayers for God to intervene and give wisdom for this to be resolved quickly. We have people advocating for us in KS and TX, and trust that God will work all this out together for good according to His perfect will.

Here are our "reunion" pictures.

God Bless.

Jim and Betty

Three Things in Texas We Decided not to Adopt

2010-05-13T21:33:00.004-05:00

I know many of you thought we were here to adopt a set of twins, but while were are waiting on the legal system to approve us to leave the state we thought we would, in true Texas pioneer spirit, scout around to see if there were any other adoption opportunities for us in the Lone Star State. Our roaming around led us to some truly unique spots in the old west where we firmed up in our mind that we found the perfect fit for our family in Isaiah and Makenzie. So they are the only ones (or things) we plan to bring home. The pictures above represent the the things we have unquestionably rule out for adoption now or in the future. They are from top to bottom; an Emu, an Ostrich, and a Zebra. Once we told the Zebra, he took it so hard he tried to take a bite out of our dash board. None the less, we stood out ground and left him in our dust as we drove off into the sunset. Happy trails to you......

On a more serious note, we had a great day. Betty and I spent a couple of hours in the morning with Isaiah. We got to feed him for the first time. What a great eater- not finicky like his sister. While we we visiting we got to spend an hour just visiting on a personal level with the twins pediatrician from their time in the hospital. What an amazing man. He told us both kids are doing great and they do expect Isaiah to be released tomorrow. Mostly though we just swapped stories about our adoption experiences. He has adopted 11 of his 13 children. I have never met a man with a bigger heart for orphans. We were so blessed to have shared a brief time of fellowship. We were most encouraged to spend time with someone God has similarly called. We pray God's blessings on him and his family.

In the afternoon, as you can guess from the photos, we went to drive through wildlife ranch- it was a great time. God bless each of you.

Jim and Betty

Meet Isaiah

2010-05-11T16:14:00.004-05:00

We finally got to hold our son Isaiah this morning. He is doing well. He has not had any of the normal Premie issues or problems other that the decompression. He has so far not had another instance of this since Saturday. If all goes well, he could be discharged Friday- this is our prayer. We are so anxious to bring him home. We got to talk to the nurse who has spent so much time with him and get her impressions of how he is doing. He eats like a champ so he will continue to grow - he is currently at 4lb 12 oz. He was originally 2 lb 13 oz so he seams to be thriving. We were told that there is no worry of him not eating!! He is as cute as can be and like his sister so tiny.

We are having an amazing time with our precious gifts. We never dreamed we would hold babies of our own again. Nothing is impossible with God.

God Bless,

Jim and Betty

Hello from San Antonio

2010-05-10T16:46:00.006-05:00

What an amazing week we have had. A little over a week ago, we received a call completely out of the blue. I (Jim) was at volleyball practice with Kaitlyn, and Betty called my cell phone. So fast I could almost not keep up, she was telling me we had been called that there was a set of twins in San Antonio and they want us to consider adopting them. After a few years of hoping to adopt an infant and having thought God had other plans for us as parents (like going back to Bogota), we were taken completly by surprise. So after Betty spent 10 seconds telling me 4 minutes of information followed by a pause.... "What do you think?" I was shocked, I was dumbfounded, I was elated. The only words I could find to say was YES!!!

So the last several days have been a whirlwind. We are in my brothers house in San Antonio. This morning we welcomed Makenzie Joy Elizabeth into our family. She is so beautiful and so tiny! We are blessed beyond measure and just don't know what to say. We are still absorbing it all and just feel overwhelmed by it all- God IS so good.

We will have to wait a bit to have Isaiah Samuel join us. He is still in the hospital and can't be discharge until he overcomes his decompression. This is when his heart rate slows down and he can stop breathing. The last instance was on Saturday. He has to clear 5 days without an episode before he can be discharged- maybe Thursday. He was only 2 lbs when he was was born- he is now a bit under 5 lbs. We will get to go into the neonatal unit tomorrow to meet him and visit a bit. Please pray he will not have another episode. We will post pictures of Isaiah tomorrow but for today enjoy our postings of Makenzie.

One More Baby Step

2010-03-27T14:05:00.004-05:00

We have met our next milestone! Our dossier was mailed to Bogota early this week. This means that we are now waiting approval and assignment from ICBF (Colombian national level child welfare organization), It will take about three weeks for our dossier to be translated into Spanish- and then once the Colombian government approves the dossier, we are waiting on assignment. We are told the waiting list for two kids 8 and under is about 12 months. We have also been told that there is not anyone on the 8 and under list?! So we are not exactly sure what to expect, this much we do know: God is in control and He knows exactly who are children are and when He will deliver them to us. I confess we are anxious.....

Today we are reminded of James 1:2-4 which reads:

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (ESV)

We are trying to count all the waiting as joy, but it IS hard. We don't feel like our faith is being tested as these verses discuss, but our waiting does produce steadfastness (or endurance as it says in the NASB) We know that our call in this adoption is of God and all of His plans for us and also the timeline that goes along with those plans are perfect. Our trust in Him remains steadfast even if we do feel a bit impatient.

We'd like to close with the words of the great hymn by Fanny Crosby:

To God be the glory, great things he hath done!
So loved he the world that he gave us his Son,
who yielded his life an atonement for sin,
and opened the lifegate that all may go in.

Refrain:
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the earth hear his voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father thru Jesus the Son,
and give him the glory, great things he hath done!

We are rejoicing in Him and giving Him all the glory in this our second adoption journey.

Jim and Betty

Dossier Complete

2010-03-05T21:46:00.004-06:00

We wanted to update you on what is going on with our second adoption. We have made considerable progress and were able to get our dossier in the mail today! YEEEEEEEE HAWWWWWWWWWW. That means we have finished everything we can do, the last step was to get the approval from INS which we received last Thursday. This week we had to get several documents Appostiled in Topeka by the Secretary of States office. You will never truly have an appreciation for the administrative requirements to adopt internationally until you live through it. Betty has done an amazing job keeping all this on track and organized. By the fruits of her labor and the providence of an Almighty God, we are complete. Now the wait begins anew. The next steps are:

1) Review of our Dossier by our adoption agency
2) Dossier translated into Spanish
3) Approval of the Dossier by Colombia
4) Referral of our Dossier to one the regional offices (sort of like Washington referring out to one of our 50 states)
5) Wait for the assignment of OUR girls (Katie says - long and agonizing wait)
6) Final documentation to INS
7) Obtain travel Visa from the Colombian Consulate in Chicago (this time we are required to go in person)
8) Travel
9) Gotcha Day!

We covet your prayers in these matters as always. God bless each of you and thanks for loving us and praying for us.

Jim

One Step Closer

2010-02-28T16:33:00.004-06:00

On Friday we received our approval from the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS form 797)! This is the last document we needed to launch our Dossier to Colombia. Betty will head to Topeka on Wednesday to Appostille our few remaining documents and we hope to have the whole packet in the mail to Children's hope on Thursday. Any of you who have been through this process KNOW what a relief this will be. This is the LAST step for us and now we begin the wait on the LORD to act through the Colombian government and our children will be assigned. Between now and when we mail our dossier on Thursday we must prayerfully consider whether to petition ICBF in Colombia for 2 girls or 3 girls! We have been approved for 3 by USCIS, but we are stuggling to discern God's will in this final detail and covet your prayers. We do feel a sense of peace decending on us as we have reached this milestone. We pray that God is preparing the hearts of our little ones in Colombia for the day when we will join together with them! Father God- giver of every perfect gift we pray for your provisioning and your speed in all that remains before us. We thank you for what you have done and give you all the Glory- now and forever.

Jim and Betty

Children are a Blessing from the LORD

2010-02-27T12:18:00.004-06:00

Families choose to pursue adoption for many reasons. With eight biological children ranging in age from 30 to 6, and three adopted children we have been richly blessed. So you might ask why would we, after 30 years of parenting with all its joys and challenges, choose to expand our family through the gift of adoption. The answer is really quite simple. A few years ago, God began to raise up in our hearts an intense desire to adopt. While the calling has been there for years, our willingness to answer that calling was not. We struggled with many of the same doubts I suppose most potential adoptive parents struggle with. Among these doubts were:

1) We have EIGHT children – how can we ever afford to care for more?
2) Adoption can be EXPENSIVE – where will WE (not God!) find the money to pay for adoption?
3) If we adopt can we ever LOVE the adopted children as we love our “own”?
4) Will the new children be able to INTEGRATE with and be EMBRACED by our current children?
5) Will the adopted children be ACCEPTED by friends and family?
6) Doubts…. on and on and on

As we prayerfully considered God’s call on our hearts to adopt, we came to recognize that these doubts were of the enemy and not of God.
In November of 2007, we took the first step of faith and submitted our application to adopt a sibling group of three or four to Children’s Hope International. For us it was truly a step of faith. We knew that in our minds, we could not fathom how this could all be worked out, and so we did the only thing we knew to do- we surrendered to God in every way and simply prayed: “God we know this is your purpose for us and we leave the details of the process and the provisioning to you.” We resolved to do our part to the utmost of our abilities holding nothing back. We then trusted that God would do all the things that seemed to big or even impossible to us. We have now had our three adopted children Jason, Tatiana and Luke with us for over a year. We are a living testimony to the power of God to change lives and answer prayer. He has gone far beyond the answers to these doubts along the way. Truly, God IS faithful, especially when we are faithful to follow the paths He sets before us.

Doubt number one. We have EIGHT children – how can we ever afford to care for more? This doubt should have been laughed away as soon as it reared its ugly head. With eight children we had lived for many years as an example for many of God’s promises. He has promised in Matthew 6:26 “that as He cares for the birds of the air He will care for us even more”. Psalm 127 promises that children are a blessing (not a burden). Philippians 4:6 tells us “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” As the “family with all the children” we often quoted these verses and many others as a testimony to those who would ask how we could manage with so many kids. Yet in the calling to adopt, WE were the doubters who needed assurance and to trust in these promises. We eventually recognized that God was big enough to provide for as many children (biological or adopted) as He chose to send our way. We just need to be open to receiving His good gifts. Even now with eleven children, our heart remains open to more.

Doubt number two. Adoption can be EXPENSIVE – where will WE (not God!) find the money to pay for it? The basis for this doubt evaporated when we remembered that where we are inadequate God is able. When we began the journey to adopt, we had no clue how we would pay for this, but trusted that God had the plan. A few weeks after we began the process, the LORD began to reveal His plan to us. One night in January, we heard our doorbell ring. Upon opening the door, we found nobody there. As we closed the door a flash of red caught our eye. On the door knob was a red stocking containing some chocolate coins, a copy of the story of St. Nicholas, and six hundred dollars in cash. Someone responding to the call from the giver of every perfect gift and gave to us in secret. We were so humbled and grateful, there was nothing we could do but praise Him – and we wept. And so began God’s provisioning for our adoption, some gave to us where only God could see and others openly. But all gave from a heart for the plight of the orphans we would someday be blessed to call our children. God worked out every need and detail and we day by day were astonished. One gift came in the mail- it was exactly the amount we needed for the next and largest payment due to our adoption agency. We applied for several grants- all were declined. God’s plan did not depend on our works or efforts, but rather it depended on His mercy. The testimony remains His and all the results point back to Him. How He must have laughed at our worries over the costs!

Doubt number three. If we adopt can we ever LOVE the adopted children as we love our “own”? This was probably the least of our doubts. We had experience 8 biological children over a span of 24 years. All our lives we always had abounding love for each new child in our family. We knew we COULD do it. Our doubt was more like WOULD we do it? We vividly recall when we received the referral for our children. We wondered things like; do they know about us yet, will they love us, will they bond to us as their parents. But once we knew their story and saw their faces, we had no doubt that we loved them. We arrived in Bogota, Colombia around midnight and were told we would leave to pick up our children at 8:00 am the next morning. No time for doubting now. The next day when these three beautiful children entered the crowded room where we waited, our hearts melted. As a dad, I didn’t get to carry 8 children to term as my wife Betty did, but I can say I had never had a stronger emotional experience that being with her when our children were born. I was sure there could be no equal experience. I was wrong- the exact same emotional tidal wide hit me that day- yes we could love these children with the same love.

Doubt number four. Will the new children be able to INTEGRATE with and be EMBRACED by our current children? Our three older children were very much supportive of our plan to adopt. However, they were grown and on their own. Our two older daughters who lived at home felt this calling to adopt as strongly as we did- again we had no worry there. This doubt revolved around our 8 and 10 year old sons and our 5 year old daughter. Our new children would be 8, 5 and 4. We wondered about the relationships of all six of this 10 and under crowd! The first 2 months after our adoption did little to give us a peace about this. At times it seemed as if we had two distinct groups of kids in one house. We had been warned that we might not start seeing the kids truly integrate until at least six months had passed. We would not be able to put our finger on just when it happened, but after six months together as a family we are a million miles ahead of where we expected. Our two 5 year old daughters are inseparable going through the house hand in hand. The three young boys spend all their time together. Ah, and our 4 year old son Luke knows he is as cute as they come and plays that cuteness to everyone in the house. What of our 14 and 19 year old daughters? They are already making their plans to be adoptive parents one day. To say that these kids are embraced and integrated into our clan is an UNDERSTATEMENT.

Doubt number five. Will the adopted children be ACCEPTED by friends and family? God resolved this doubt for us right away. The outpouring of support we received was amazing. Family not only encouraged us, they became prayer partners, financial backers and much needed emotional support. No one thought we were crazy- they all seemed to understand our calling in this and could see God’s hand in it. No one said, “You’re too old”. No one said, “You’re making a mistake”. All of our family and friends embraced the adoption. Wow- not what we expected, but just what God had planned. People gave us clothes, car seats; all of our needs were met. The children have been welcomed into our community, our family and our church – without hesitation or limitation.

As we reflect backward in time, we laugh to one and other that we ever felt any fears, doubts or worries. Things are always much clearer when we reflect backwards in time rather than towards the future. The past is complete but the future requires faith. We have travelled down this path that has been our adoption journey with the strength and energy that can only come from the LORD. The way has sometimes felt like a roller coaster ride and at other times it has been a peaceful stroll in a forest glade. We know however, that had we not stepped out by faith we would never have experience the joy of this life changing journey. Many years ago, when I was a young man of 20, I had a fear of heights. I determined that I would overcome this fear, and since I lived in Alaska at the time, I decide I would take up mountain climbing! Now I climbed to a number of mountain tops, but I never over came my fear of heights. I did however learn to climb ever higher by controlling my fears rather than allowing them to have control of my life. This realization became a lifelong lesson that allowed me to step outside of my comfort zone. At first I took these steps by the strength of my will, but later after surrendering my life to Jesus I took much bigger steps out of my comfort zone in faith, but more importantly by the inexhaustible strength of Him who guides me. This adoption journey has been one of these steps. It has been a voyage we might have missed had it not been for the perfect tour guide who showed us and provisioned for every step of the way. The poet Robert Frost once wrote, “two roads diverged in a wood, and I-- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference”. In our lives, God sometimes gives us a fork in the road. We too can choose the path least travel by the world around us. I promise you that once you take your first step down that path least traveled, it will make all the difference – in your life and for the great purpose that God has set you on this course.

We are now a family of 13, and if you have been following our blog, you know we hope to soon be a family of 15! While my wife Betty is the most amazing person I know, we are not perfect parents nor are we the perfect family. But then we weren’t perfect before our adoption. I do know and take comfort in this- one day we will be perfected together in the loving arms He who said “suffer not the little children”.

Jim

Progress

2010-01-25T14:03:00.000-06:00

We have appointments for fingerprints at INS on Feb. 12th!

Walt Disney World 2009

2010-01-24T17:21:00.000-06:00

In late November we went to Walt Disney World. The kids were so excited! They counted the days. The whole family had a lot of fun. While we were there, the girls got to be princesses as a birthday present from Brianne. That was the highlight of the whole trip for them. Unfortunately, the day we had reservations, it poured! We ended up going to the condo early. Granny and Papa came with us and also my great aunt Linda. It was wonderful that they could come too.

Eleven Is Not Enough Either!

2009-12-27T17:54:00.004-06:00

Our family has been an ever changing adventure for 31 years now. We began our marrage in 1978 and had in mind to have two children. God however had other plans. For the last several years, He has not chosen to bless our lives with additional babies (other than grandchildren!), but he has clearly called us to adoption. As we began our first adoption, He showed us that we were following the course He set for us. We received answers to many prayers along the way as He provisioned for our adoption of Luke, Tatiana and Jason- monetarily, emotionally and spiritually. Those of you who have followed our blog have read about many of these answered prayers.

As soon as returned to the United States with these three children we sensed that God still had plans for us as parents. We struggled to discern where he would have us to go for our next adoption. We prayerfully considered a number of opportunities, but in the end we felt the call most strongly to return to Colombia. We waited untill now to announce our plans because our desire was not to cause all of you to ride our emotional roller coaster as we sought God's will in where we should go or how many children we should adopt this time. We have been working on the next adoption in one form or another since around June 2009.

We ask all of you to rejoice with us as we move forward with our second adoption. We submitted our application to Children's Hope International to return to Colombia and it was approved in late November. Having been through this before, we knew a lot of the hoops we needed to jump through and have been building a new dossier since November and have completed our update on our home study. As a result, we have 90 percent of our dossier ready. We will be mailing off our I -800 form tomorrow. By the time the I -800 comes back, our dossier will be complete and our request will be on its way to Bogota! And the waiting begins.......

When we were waiting the arrival of our biological children, everyone wanted to know - Is it a boy? Is it a girl? I think many of you might have the same response as we begin this adoption! So it's a GIRL- oh yea and it's another GIRL! We are asking to adopt a sibling group of two girls eight years old or younger. Two girls- if you are keeping count, that will be 7 girls and 6 boys. Showers of blessing! Some might even say a great flood. In our hearts we are ready to receive the children God has for us, and we pray that He will hasten the time for them to join our family.

We invite you to come along with us as we follow this calling. We invite you to join with us as prayer partners, emotional support and in any way you might like. These two children are not to be ours, but rather they will belong to their heavenly father, and it is ours to steward them on His behalf. By joining with us in any capacity, you also become a steward of these young lives and share in the joy of watching God work through them. We will also be sending out periodic e-mail updates in addition to this blog, leave us a comment with an e-mail address if you want to receive the e-mails. We deeply covet your prayers.

Now for those of you reading this blog who may be considering adoption. First, we say that the destination is worth the difficulties of the journey. Second, we say press on.

Jim and Betty

Thanksgiving

2009-12-23T14:12:00.007-06:00

The whole family came over for Thanksgiving this year. It was the Colombian kids first real thanksgiving. It was good seeing everyone and getting to spend time with them.

Sisters

2009-11-26T16:32:00.001-06:00

One year ago...

2009-11-25T09:27:00.004-06:00

Then...

They ran all around the apartment in Bogata going crazy!!!
They spoke ALL spanish
They woke us up at 4:00 am!
Luke and Tatiana were very shy and hardly ever talked to us or anyone else
They played more with each other than with us
Wouldn't ever sit still!

Now

They are calm and quiet around the house (not so much outside though!)
They speak english all the time
They sleep till 7 or 8 if we let them
Luke and Tatiana will talk and play with just about anyone!
They play with all their siblings (Tatiana and Ashley are like twins!)
They will sit still at least for a little while!

One year ago was our Gotcha Day. I can't believe we have had them that long. Our family has been so blessed!

Broken Trees, The Yucky Bird, and "I'm not Howdy!!!"

2009-11-02T19:26:00.004-06:00

Ok, so our family has all sorts of funny comments and such from all the kids. Here are a couple we have heard lately. A couple of weeks ago, Luke was sitting at the table and looked out the window as he does often. All of a sudden, he looked at Mom and said "Mommy, the trees are broken!" It took us a few minutes to realize he was talking about the leaves. The tree was bare. According to the kids, the trees didn't loose their leaves in Colombia and Luke hadn't noticed that ours did yet.

At church this week Jason was standing around and one of the moms in the church walked up to him and said "Howdy". We don't use howdy very often in our house and he thought she was calling him Howdy. He looked at her and said "I'm not Howdy!!!" The mom told us about this story at a gathering that night.

Here is the last story. A couple of days after we brought the kids home from Colombia, Brianne wore a t-shirt she had bought. It was a pac-man shirt only one of the pellet things was the Jayhawk bird. Ever since that day, the Jayhawk bird was know as the "Yucky Bird"(Brianne came up with the name. They didn't even know who Willie the Wildcat was yet, but they knew who the Yucky Bird was!) The other day we were in the car and Luke started talking to himself. He does it alot in the car. This time he was talking about Willie and the Yucky Bird. Apparently, Wildcats shoot Yucky Birds, cook them on the grill, and eat them with a fork. We have no idea what inspired his imagination for this one. He has a BIG imagination. Just thought I would share the stories with you. Hope you enjoyed them!!! Oh, and here are some pictures of the kids playing in the "broken trees".

2009-10-30T14:31:00.002-05:00

One year ago, we first heard about my siblings. We had been told there would be some news soon and then all of a sudden we got the calll!!!! We were so excited! Next month will be one year. I can't believe how fast our year has gone!

Where has time gone?????

2009-09-26T14:29:00.029-05:00

O.k. So... it hasn't been that long since I updated, has it? Anyways, the kids have been doing great. We never hear Spanish anymore, except a couple words. They can still communicate in Spanish somewhat, but not fluently.
All of the kids are now reading. Some are farther than others, but that is to be expected. They are also learning math and other such things.

The kids have had so many firsts in the last 10 months we have had them. One of those was when they met Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Nancy, Uncle Duane, and their cousins, Courtney and Nicholas, in Ohio for the first time. They loved it! They had a blast playing games and running around in the backyard with their cousins and snuggling with their grandparents.

We have a neighborhood pool. They got to spend the summer swimming all the time. Everyday they would get up and ask if we were going swimming.

Tatiana talked on the phone for the first time the other day to her father who has been out of town on business for 2 and a half weeks. She thought it was so funny. Things you take for granted and do not think of as firsts, you suddenly discover they have never done.

Another first is Awana. Awana is a program for kids where they come once a week and play games, have a devotional, and say the verses they learned through out the week. The kids love it! They work so hard on their verses during the week. When you have just learned English, it is hard to memorize those verses in New King James! This year I (Kaitlyn) am helping in Luke's group. It is so much fun!

Life is one big adventure to them. Every night they go to bed and ask what we are doing tomorrow! It really doesn't matter what you have planned, they are excited about it.

So anyways, here is the much needed update. I will add some pictures. Hope you enjoy them!

Here is a picture of us, Grandma, Grandpa, Courtney, and Nicholas.

This is us at Easter.

Brianne bought Gymboree watermellon outfits for the girls this summer. They were so cute in them!

Colombia Reunion

2009-07-15T15:39:00.005-05:00

This weekend we went to the CHI Colombia Reunion. We had a lot of fun! It was so cool to meet the families that had followed our blog while we were in Colombia and also the people we have followed. There were somewhere around 20 families and lots of kids! Our blog name is Eight is not Enough and therefore everyone looked at us and said "You are Eight is not Enough!" or "You are the family with all the kids!" It is funny how it works. Anyways, here are a couple pics.

In June, we were able to travel to Missouri for a reunion hosted by a family we met in Colombia. There were five families including us. This is the family that we met while we were there. They were adopting five. It was great to get to see them again!

It is Finally My Happy Birthday!!!

2009-04-27T17:19:00.008-05:00

Luke is 4!!!!! He has been counting down the days until his birthday and couldn't wait! It is finally here. We celebrated yesterday with the family at Pizza Hut while they were all here. He had a blast! Here is him and his much loved pirate cake.

2009-04-27T16:15:00.003-05:00

Hi all! We have had a busy life the last couple of weeks! Yesterday we had the kids dedication! It turned out really well. Josh, Matt, Kevin, and I all read verses and dad shared a short testimony. I think Jason loved being up front! The whole family came to our church and it was really cool! We were so big between grandparents, siblings that moved out, my neice, my nephew, and us that we took up two rows of seats!

Tatiana, Josh, Matt, Jason, and Ashley are taking swimming lessons on Monday nights. Tonight is the last night and I think they will all be very sad. They all loved it! It was a new thing for Jason, Tatiana, and Ashley. They have all done really well.

Jason is already reading!!! he can read three letter words now and he loves that he is in "the yellow box"(our reading program is in multiple boxes which are all different colors). Tatiana is now almost done with her letters! She has less than ten left! She proudly shows me the one she passes when she passes it. Tatiana can't wait to finish. She counts how many she has left every time she passes one! Luke is getting there but is not as far as Tatiana. He will be there soon though!

They are using so much English now! Especially Luke and Tatiana. I will walk by Luke and hear a pharse like "look at it" or "that is mine" and it is so cute! They understand almost everything now but aren't speaking it all. Most of it they can say and it is so much easier for us!

At dinner we go in a circle of whose turn it is to pray. When it is one of the Colombian kids, you will hear something like this. "Dear Jesus, Thank you for Mommy, thank you for Daddy, thank you for Brianne, thank you for Kaitlyn, thank you for Josh, thank you for Matthew, thank you for Jason, thank you for Tatiana, thank you for Ashley, thank you for Luke, thank you for amigos, thank you abeulo y abeula, thank you for otros hermanos y hermana, thank you for food, amen. We love it! It is so cute! Sometimes they add other things but that is the normal stuff they put in it. They also like to mention friends by name. They say "thank you for otros hermanos y hermana" because they didn't know the names at first and now it is habit to say otros hermanos y hermana.

The kids are thriving and we can't imagine life without them! We love them so much! It has been five months as of Saturday. I can't believe it has been that long! We have come so far since the first couple of weeks!

Chicago, Snow, and Other Miscellaneous Things

2009-04-03T10:40:00.017-05:00

Thursday the 26th we went to Lincoln, NE. It is only about three hours from where we live. Mom and the six youngest along with my mom's best friend and her boys, went to the Lincoln Children's Museum. The high school kids went to Andrew Pudewa's writing seminar. There were four of us. The kids had a blast and so did we! Andrew Pudewa has a way of making everything entertaining and I don't think I have laughed so much in a long time. The museum was very cool according to the kids and they didn't even get through everything! They would defiately go back again.

We went to Chicago this week. My dad had a business conference so we went with him. We stayed on the Navy Base and were like the only ones in the guest house. There were only about five cars in the parking lot and I think we were the only ones on our floor. That was not a bad thing because six kids under the age of ten, we are pretty noisy!!!!! While we were there we went to the Shedd Aquarium, Legoland Discovery Place, and The American Girl place. The Shedd Aquarium wasn't our favorite since all the dolphins, whales, and penguins were on "vacation" while they were remodeling. It was not worth the money for the rest because all that was left was little fish that were not very colorful. I think we spent about an hour in there. We then relied on our GPS to get us to the American Girl Place. The girls each picked out a doll and bought it with their Christmas money from our Grandparents and our great aunt. Then on Wednesday we went to Legoland. That was a lot of fun for the boys. It was really cool. First we went through a jungle with Monkeys, tigers, spiders etc. made out of Legos. After that we got to ride the Dragon Ride. You got in a car shaped like a dragon and rode through a medieval castle and eventually got to the dragon who was guarding the treasure. Luke was so funny when we got there because he just looked at the dragon and said "Hi dragon!" After that we did a few other things and then we left. We spent most of the day there. We are very glad to be home.

The day before we left for Chicago it finally snowed enough to play in. It was the first time the new kiddos got to play in it. They had a blast!!!!!! I thought Luke and Tatiana would come in super fast but they were out there from lunch to about three or so. We had to make Luke come in! Luke, Matt, and Jason were outside until about three thirty and then we made them come in so they could have baths and everything. There is a small hill in the common area of our neighborhood. We took them down there for a little bit to go sledding and they had a lot of fun there too.

The kids are doing great! They are fun and silly all at the same time. Luke is just a little goofball. He loves to be funny and usually is. He loves to be the center of attention. He is totally the baby and is definitely treated like one. Tatiana is also very funny and is such a girly girl. She loves dresses and all of that though she doesn't like getting her hair done very much. She takes her time on everything. Jason loves his Legos. He is always found playing Legos with Josh and Matt. He loves to remind people of the rules . All the kids are so much fun and we are so grateful for them.

This month will make 5 months since gotcha day! In some ways it seems like it has been so much longer but when I count it out on the calendar, I always think "has it really been that long?" Before we know it, it will be November 25th and we will be celebrating one year as a family. It is hard to remember what life was like before they came nor would we want to.

Well I better go figure out what else needs to be done but I wanted to update the blog. I have so much fun posting so my posts tend to be on the long side. Here are some pictures of Chicago, Snow, and the museum.

Matt, Jason, and Josh in front of Indiana Jones.

Luke took all the snow on the couch and piled more on it. He packed it down and called it his bed. His expression is a classic Luke expression. He wears it all the time.

Cereal Anyone???

2009-03-19T19:18:00.003-05:00

Hi, it's me Kaitlyn again. Today a friend of ours went to the commissary(the grocery store for military families). While she was there she called us with all sorts of deals. We ended up with 45 boxes of cereal and 85 pounds of ground beef. The grand total was only 129 dollars! If eaten every day, the cereal will only last us less than a month. The ground beef should hopefully last longer since we usually eat mostly chicken! The cereal stacked from floor to celling. I had a lot of fun stacking it! It was like giant legos! With a big family we are always looking for deals and 68 cents a pound for ground beef is quite a deal! ;o) Thanks Mrs Ford.

Jason's "Happy Birthday to you"

2009-03-10T12:42:00.005-05:00

Happy Birthday Jason! He is 8 years old today! Here are a few pictures of him and his Whirly Pop.

These were all the kids at the family celebration. From left to right is Matthew, Jason, Luke, Nora(granddaughter), Eli(Grandson), Tatiana, and Ashley. Josh is in the back. Jason's lollipop was twice the size of theirs and no one ate the whole thing except Luke and Nora who ate almost all of theirs.

Where has time gone????

2009-03-05T20:43:00.014-06:00

We did it! We reached 100 days! Thanks for the great idea Hagerty family! :o) Things are going great for us. The kids are so much fun! We have our days but for the most part we have adjusted to having three more around the house.

Tuesday is Jason's birthday and he can hardly wait! He saw his name on the calendar and asked if it was his "Happy Birthday to you". When we said yes, he got a huge smile on his face. He then went on to tell us something he wanted for his birthday. Since he didn't know enough English to tell us what it was, it was hard to figure out! He kept saying it was circulo and white with mucho colors and lots of red. We kept asking if it was cake and he said no every time, he eventually started pretending to lick something. Maybe ice cream? No. Finally, he drew it. We realized he wanted one of those lollipops you can get at candy stores that is big, white, and swirled with lots of colors and also red. He is counting down the days until his "Happy Birthday to you"!

We are finally starting to get somewhere on our English! They are wanting to learn now and we are hearing more every day. Jason really surprised us when he said "Happy Birthday to you" because we have only sang it two times at most with them so we have no idea where he got it! Luke is really picking it up too! There is still a lot of Spanish but much less than there used to be.

Every Thursday we go to a friends house for a group writing class for Josh and Matthew. While they are doing that, the little siblings(and the big ones that aren't doing it ;o)) are upstairs playing and doing a craft. Afterwards, we all go down the street to their community park and tennis court. The tennis court has a couple of basketball goals along the side too. The older kids and anyone else who wants to, plays knock out. Jason has so much fun! He loves basketball and anything to do with the K-State Wildcats! Ever since Brianne took the boys and me(Kaitlyn) to a K-State basketball game he points out anything Wildcat related, even the basketball stadium when we pass it on the way to church. Luke discovered how much he loved basketball this week too!

The girls have been getting along great! You can usually find them somewhere with their baby dolls. They are easy to track down because if they are playing babies, you will hear them. Tatiana and Ashley always make their babies cry and so it is difficult to tell if someone is crying or if it is a baby doll! Many times we have gone to see who was crying and why and find two little girls with baby dolls in hand and their faces scrunched up in a mimic cry!

We started Jason, Tatiana, and Luke on the English alphabet after we got home. Jason knows all of the alphabet except for one and he will learn it quickly as he loves to learn! I think he will be reading before he knows what he is reading! It comes so easy for him and he wants more so we just found some easy math facts to try. Luke and Tatiana are having a harder time but are still picking it up pretty well. They both know about a third of the alphabet and the sounds the letters make.

The kids love to tell us thank you! At every meal, usually starting with Luke, then Jason, then Tatiana, they thank us for the food. They tell Mom first, then they go down the line. "Thank you Daddy, thank you Brianne, Thank you Kaitlyn." We hear it every meal. Also Luke sits at the table at lunch every day and sings Jesus Loves Me while he eats. It is soooo cute! I think that is his favorite song. It is the only one he knows in English.

Our first post placement meeting was today. It went great and it is a relief to have the first one done. This has turned out to be a long post so I better end here! I will put a few pictures as I know from experience, that is the best part of the post!

Kaitlyn

We stoped at a Gymboree clothing outlet a week before Valentines Day and found these really cute and very inexpensive outfits for the girls. We couldn't resist! And who can resist those cute smiles!

I love this picture of Matt and Jason playing in the backyard. Don't you love Matt's expression?

Brianne bought all of the boys K-State jerseys as gifts. They decided to wear them yesterday and Luke was adorable! Then we were looking through the old clothes for shorts since it was supposed to hit 80 degrees and we found this old hat from when Josh was little. It was a treasure to him and he didn't take it off all day! We had to get a picture of our little Wildcat!

As you can see, the hat returned today and he wore it all day again! This time though, he is wearing his glasses like Daddy when he reads. He wore the Potato Head glasses for about four and a half hours and then finally he threw them and declared they made owies! Can you blame him?

2009-01-24T18:28:00.006-06:00

Just a quick update. Time is going fast and we are adjusting wonderfully. We have had the kids 2 months today and they are a joy. They continue to learn to recognize spoken English although they do not speak alot yet. They do speak more little by little each day though.

Jason and Tatiana love going places. Santiago gets a worried look on his face every time we leave the house and hugs on to mom. He pretty much strangles me until he sees what we are doing and that everything is o.k. Then he relaxes and enjoys the experience.We went to Kansas City to Kaleidoscope and a play. They enjoyed Kaleidoscope. It is a program sponsered by Hallmark that allows you to go in this big craft room and make anything you want with tons of supplies they provide. Best of all, it is free!

We went to Omaha Zoo last weekend and they loved it. Jason was as excited about seeing a train on the way as he was at the zoo. I guess he never saw one before. Santiago didn't miss a cage. He had to be sure he saw each one.

We are finishing the adoption finalization next week and Santiago is very adamant about changing his name. We were going to keep the names they used and give them new middle names but he now says his name is Luke! No talking him out of it. We will keep Santiago as his middle name in case he changes his mind later.

Our house is never dull and is much more active. The noise level has increased greatly! We wouldn't have it any other way.

Home Sweet Home

2008-12-20T10:19:00.004-06:00

We had a great trip home. We got to the airport in Bogota about 3 1/2 hours before our scheduled flight. We thought that was plenty of time. But..... It took every bit of that time, and when we got to our gate, boarding was already in progess. We were slowed down in large part because we had 9 people to get through all the process. We also had to go through 3 seperate security screens, passports, plus the adoption added additional checks. God provisioned for everything and we got on the plane just fine.

Our kids - new and old alike did great on the flight and we got to Atlanta without any problems. It took about 1 1/2 hours to process through customs, passports and imigration and then headed for our connecting flight to Kansas City. We had 7 tickets for one flight and two for a later flight. Once at the gate we found there were 54 people on standby for our first flight - the flight we needed two more tickets to all fly together. This was not even a challenge for our God who provisioned for us to get the first two standby seats given out. We got to our house fine even though a major ice storm was in the forecast. We were all happy to be back home and all the new guys are settling in well.

They are meeting lots of new people. We have not experienced any problems since arriving home. We continue to integrate together as a family. It was a bit overwhelming for our new kids when we got home. There were so many new toys, they felt like they needed to play with everything at once. We have got to the point where they now know they can play with anything they like- only one thing at a time.

We met with all the people from our small group past and present 3 days after arriving back home. These are the people who have been are consistent prayer partners since we began this journey. We had about 85 people about 60 who were kids. Yession , Tatiana and Santiago did great with this large gathering. They are not having any inhabitions about meeting new people or going new places.

We had a great first Christmas togehter. We had our entire family together for Christmas and were able to take a new group picture with everyone. Today's post includes the new family picture taken at our church and a picture of the 8 children who still live at home.

Jim and Betty

Home!

2008-12-19T07:58:00.002-06:00

Just a quick note- we are home!!! Travel went great! God provissioned for us all to fly on the same plane together. Every good and perfect gift is from above! Praise God. Tatiana is much better. Kids are in sensory overload now we ate in our house! More later

Jim and Betty

Happy Birthday Joshua

2008-12-18T04:22:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday Joshua- 10 years old!

Going Home

2008-12-17T17:16:00.002-06:00

We got the visas. We have arrangements to leave in the morning. Right now we have seats on two different flights out of Atlanta. We all leave Bogota together however, Three of us have a three hour longer delay gettting to Kansas City. We need your continued prayer in two main areas:

First that Delta would allow us to bump up or three tickets to the earlier flight. There are seats available, but not at the fare we booked. They can move us up to the same fight if they want.

Second, Tatiana is sick with fairly bad hives. Pray that the will pass quickly. We were made aware today late that we have had bad water in our room for the last three or 4 days. We think the hives are from the bad water, We have drank bottled water but our Colombian kids are use to drinking the tap water so they did. Tatiana got sick.and we didn't know why until today. Pray no one else gets sick and she has nothing more serious than the hives.

God Bless,
Jim and Betty

Visas Day 1

2008-12-16T17:32:00.007-06:00

Today was our day to file for the US entry Visas for our new children. Getting the visa is the final hurdle to jump over on the road home and the completion of our journey- well perhaps not the end of the journey as our relationship with Yeisson, Tatiana and Santigo will be a life long journey. We reflect on going home and realize this is actually the beginning. We look forward to nurturing and growing this relationship and eagerly anticipate each new bend in the road. We do feel like getting home will be like a good rest at a roadside hotel on a long car trip. When we get home we will feel refreshed and eager to continue down the road again.

We were able to get our applications turned in, but not without one little challenge! At the US Embassy we were almost complete with our visa application process when the supervissor tells us one of the kids passports has an error! Yeisson's passport had Betty's maiden name misspelled. She told us if we could get it back to her in an hour, all three visas would be ready tomorrow at 3 pm. (Interesting side note: this suppervisor graduated from high school in the same town as Betty and I in Anchorage Alaska- small world!) We dashed for the car and zipped across Bogota to the passport office. David flew through the congested traffic and got us there in around 20 minutes. He ran in the passport office while we waited in the car. He was back in the car in only 5 minutes with a corrected passport. He is the guy to have on your team down here! WOW! We got back to the Embassy in about another 20 minutes. Then just David and I ran for the embassy! I goaded him a bit and said I'm 50, you're a young man ,we can run faster! So we did- boy did I regret it!!! At 9000 feet altitude a 700 to 800 yard sprint left my lungs SCREAMING! But it all ended well, we were told the visas would all be ready tomorrow. YEE HAW! God has been so gracious again today. We are so blessed.

Later we tried to change our tickets to Thursday from Friday, but as of right now there are not enough seats available. Friday is also GREAT!

We capped off the day by visiting Unicentro for ice cream cones at Crepes and Waffles. Pictures today are of one of our many games of UNO and some of us enjoying ice cream.

God bless,

Jim and Betty

God is Faithful

2008-12-15T19:53:00.003-06:00

God is faithful. This is something we have stood upon for a very long time. I found myself thinking this simple statement over and over today. We had a very successful day and accomplished everything today we set out to complete. Jim left to get the birth certificates at 7 am. 7 1/2 hours later we had them and were arriving at the passport office to link up with Betty and the kids. Nothing went wrong - it was all very smooth thanks to our lawyer Oscar. It just took a long time because we needed to get birth certificates from two different places. It went very well.

God continues to show us just how much He is in control of all the details. We had been told that the courts closed after today - which is true. But God interviened at just the right time last Friday. While I was waiting at the second location for birth certificates, Oscar informs me that all the birth certificate offices in Colombia are closed tomorrow! They are celebrating their 40th anniversary or something like that. If we had not recieved the birth certificates today we could not have left on time this Friday! When Oscar dropped this little fact to me I was absolutely floored as I realized just how much my Heavenly Father is in control of all the details and He is so clearly working all things together for our good. We praise Him and give Him all the glory.

In the passport office we again saw things work out in an amazing way. We walked in to the passport office and saw around 100 to 120 people in line in front of us. 15 minutes later we were on our way out the door with the three passports in hand and the waiting room was still filled with the same 100 to 120 people! WOW. I know a lot of the speed with the passports was due to Oscar and David, however, we credit our Lord.

The doctors visit went well and so now all we need to accomplish is the visa. We put in our request for this tomorrow and should pick them up on Wednesday. If this is all acomplished and if there is space on the Thursday flight for us, there is chance we could leave one day early. Either way, to quote an e-mail Betty sent today, "We consider it all joy to leave on Friday".

Photos today are of the crowded waiting room and us at the passport window without waiting in the line!

God Bless,

Jim and Betty

Praying for a Smooth Monday

2008-12-14T18:10:00.003-06:00

This is the night before the crazy hectic Monday to come. But before we talk about tomorrow, we want to reach out to our small group Bible study back home. They are meeting as I type this note lifting up all our final needs before the throne of God. We so much appreciate their faithfullness to pray for us over the last weeks. It has encouraged us immeasurably knowing we have you as our prayer warriors back home- thanks to the Keeleys, Fords, Moldrups and Dugans. We also thank all of the rest who have encouraged us, prayed with us and loved us. Thanks also to our new friends we have met in this journey, we have been particularly enouraged by the Hagertys and Woods. Thanks to our church family back home. We covet your prayers especially tonight and tomorrow. They have a very busy and ambitious day planned for us:

Jim leaves with our lawyer, Oscar at 7 am to go get the new birth cirtificates for the kids. We then link up with Betty and the 3 new kids to get passports around noon. Once that is complete we will all wisk away to get the kids medical exams. If this is all accomplished we will apply for the US entry visa on Tuesday and pick them up on Wednesday. Please pray this is all accomplished in such a way that God is glorified.

God Bless,
Jim and Betty

Growing together

2008-12-13T17:59:00.009-06:00

Today was mostly another day of waiting, but this is different. We know we begin to finalize things on Monday- so the waiting this time seams to have more purpose than when we were waiting on court.

We are continuing the process of growing together as a family. You can see from todays pictures all the kids are growing together and we are seeing less and less two groups. They are steadily becoming one family. What a blessing to behold. This is happening faster that we could have hoped.

We walked the mall a bit today and stopped and had ice cream again- one of the bargins we have found. We get 9 two scoop waffle cones for about $15. can't match that at home!

We go after birth cirtificates on Monday at 7 am - please remain in prayer this will go smoothly.

God bless,

Jim and Betty

Sentencia!

2008-12-12T15:06:00.006-06:00

May the great Lord God Almighty be praised. We had our court date today- finally. We know this only came about by the intervention of our mighty God. We thank all of you through out the country who have been praying for us and this court date. We went to bed last night discouraged as we were expecting to know our court date a day head of time. When the call did not come last night, we confess we were greatly discouraged and Betty, Kaitlyn and I wept. We knew and still know that God is in control, but we did allow Satan to discourage us. It is very hard here when you wait each day for the court hearing and no word comes. We had reached the point where we rose in the morning and counted down the hours until bed so we could move on to the next day and hopefully our court hearing. The last few days have been sooo long.

Today was the last possible day for our court date that would allow us all to go home together. We did not know how we were going to handle splitting up to come home. Betty called Lucia (Children's Hope rep in Colombia) after lunch to ask for some help getting our laundry done. She said Oscar (lawyer) was in Soacha trying to get us a date. Lucia said she would call back in an hour after Oscar called and then we would work out the laundry. The call came and Lucia said we had our hearing TODAY. She would pick Betty up in 10 minutes, they would start the laundry and head for the court in Soacha. Everything went --- well it went. Here is how Betty's time went! First when she got to Lucia's she got stuck in the elevator!! Nobody answered the alarm so they finally called Lucias son David and he came and pried the elevator door open so they could head to court. All she could think about was how she could be stuck in an elevator any other day but not when it is going to cause her to miss court! Once at the court in Soacha, they found all the documents were wrong and the court was closing. Somehow our lawyer Oscar convinced them to redo the forms and the Judge was gracious enough to stay around to sign the new decree. All of this in the midst of the hardest downpour we have we ever seen.

The call from Lucia was such an amazing blessing at a time we were struggling the most. Along with all of you, we have been in prayer- often. We have prayed with the children as well. Our immediate response was tears of joy, much hugging and we took the time to remind our children that God is faithful and stealing the line from Facing The Giants, we reminded them that nothing is impossible with God. This is a day we will all remember as a great example of how God answers prayer. At lunch when we prayed today, we asked for the court date and prayed that God would grant a miracle and grant our court date even today. I am reminded of Isaiah 40:31

"but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. "

We feel that the Lord has renewed our strength. Thanks to each of you for your prayers.

So what now? We have 4 things to acomplish next week. We have to have get new birth cirtificates issued, Medical exams at the US Consulate, Passports and lastly, visas from the US Consulate. We are scheduled to take care of birth cirtificates at 7 am monday and the medical exams are at 12 noon. This is normally a 4 day process so pray everything goes well and we will be on our scheduled flight next Friday morning. God is so great.

God bless each of you we appreciate you more than we can say.
Jim and Betty

Happy Birthday Ashley

2008-12-12T05:19:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday Ashley! 5 Years old today.

Happy Birthday Matthew

2008-12-11T07:09:00.002-06:00

We just want to wish Matthew a very Happy Birthday! 8 years old today.

Fruit, Rides and the Park

2008-12-10T13:36:00.004-06:00

Today we tried a new Colombian fruit called Granadilla. We had heard about it from other people and were told it is a favorite of Colombian children. Check it out in the pictures for today. It looks really slimey and looks like - well I'd rather not say what it looks like. You can use your own imagintion. If you can get past what it looks like it is not bad. Crunchy seeds- with a citrus taste. Yummmm

We also went into an arcade in the mall that we discovered yesterday while we were getting passport photos. Kids had a great time. We had an encouraging note left on our blog yesterday- we hope Beth is right! Please keep our court date in your prayer. God bless each of you.

Jim and Betty y ninos

Still Waiting

2008-12-09T19:48:00.003-06:00

Today we are still waiting on our court date. Hopefully the date will break really soon! Betty and Kaitlyn ventured out today to find a souvenier shop called Maku. We had three sets of directions and in the end went with the Hagerty's directions - they made it! Jim sat in the appartment with the younger kids and worried about them on the streets of Bogota by themselves! They made it back fine with out any adventure or difficulty. However, they got back to the appartment to find me in melt down with worry. David had called about 20 minutes after they left trying to set up for us to go and get passport and visa photos for the new kids. They got back 20 minutes after we were to go for the photos! Fortunately, David was delayed getting to our location for the link up. All ended well, Christ told us not to worry- so why didn't I listen!? it was good to make progress even if it was only photos.

We had chance to start talking to family and friends at home yesterday. Our son Kevin told us about a program called SKYPE. If you are still waiting to travel to Colombia, you must download SKYPE. It allows you to talk via the internet to any other computer in the world if they have speakers and a microphone (for free). We have talked to family back home about 10 times in the last 24 hours. It is such an encouragement to talk to folks back home - it only took about 5 minutes to set it up on our lap top.

Please continue to lift up our court date in your prayers,

God bless,

Jim and Betty

Lazy Sunday

2008-12-07T17:42:00.004-06:00

Today we went for a walk about the middle of the day - that is about it! They close off one direction of the main street in front of our apartment for walkers and bicycles. We took advantage of the reduced auto emmission to enjoy a walk together. Unfortunately, we went a bit too far and some of the kids were hurting by the time we got back. Tommorrow is a holiday here so nothing can progress until Tuesday. Here are a few Christmas decorations we have seen - including the red tree I mentioned yesterday. We may not post tomorrow unless something comes up. We appreciate your prayers so much!

God Bless.

Jim and Betty

Winter in Bogota

2008-12-06T13:54:00.005-06:00

Today we mostly just hung around the apartment. We did go through the mall today and looked at the the Christmas decorations. we'll share some of those images on another day. Have you ever seen a red Christmas tree? Neither had we - now you have something to eagerly anticipate until we post a picture of it in the next few days. The encouraging thing in the Christmas season down here is that Christ has not been stripped out of the public sector. There are nativity scenes absolutely everywhere you go.

As promised a couple of days ago the photos today are of winter in Bogota.

God bless.

Jim and Betty

Waiting on Court

2008-12-05T19:37:00.006-06:00

We have started the wait period for our court date. Today we pretty much just sat around the apartment. We are doing well, but just want to come home. The new kids seam to require less correction each day. We have been letting them watch Animal Planet and some other kids shows to help pass the time. It will be good to hear English again! Betty learned how to chat today and got to talk to Dana and Sue- I think it did her good. Attached are a couple of pictures of Bogota from the church on the top of the mountain, the presidential palace.

God bless.

Jim and Betty

Happy Birthday Kaitlyn

2008-12-05T06:05:00.006-06:00

Today was Kaitlyn’s birthday! We celebrated all the December birthdays before we left. Still we felt a bit bad for her we couldn’t recognize the occasion a bit more. Betty did go the mall her with her for a little bit. One of Daddy’s girls is now 14. Wow – where does the time go!? Happy Birthday sweetheart. She did hear from a couple of friends back home to wish her Happy Birthday. Thanks Morgan, Rebecca, Bailey, Jess, Lizzy, Irma and Nancy

Today we took a long walk, met up with the Rimers (family from MO adopting a sibling group of 5) and went to the park. On the way home we stopped and ate at a McDonalds with an indoor playland.

We are constantly reminded that God is so great and His mercy so abundant. He shows us that he has a plan for us and is guiding us through this every step of the way. We are so anxious to get home, but also understanding His plan is perfect for His glory and good purpose. This morning, I was reading from Mark and finished at Chapter 9 verse 37. I wept and was unable to go on. I wept because I am such an unworthy man to be blessed by God at all, and yet he reaches out to me from His word with such encouragement and a time of such need for that encouragement. He continues to bless us as parents and as a family even in light of our shortcomings and failures. All I can do is praise His Holy name and remain in awe of His Majesty and uncomprehendible love.

For those following us back in Kansas, Ohio, New York, Texas, Mississippi and so many other places, we appreciate your thoughts and prayers. We are enjoying the climate down here- today it was in the mid 60’s. I don’t think we have worn a jacket more than once. We have kept tabs on the weather back home and know we will FREEZE when we get back. The pictures today are of our outing to the park, and the McDonalds playland. As we wait on the court, we will eventually make a post of the city of Bogotá itself. We also plan to take pictures of the flowers in bloom here- even though it is “Winter” here, there are blossoms everywhere. I tried today to just read and share John 3:16 in Spanish with the kids. No funny looks today, but I think they might have tuned me out. Yeisson said he understood when I asked him at the end. We must remember it is the Lord’s timing on when He brings them unto Himself. We will faithfully sow the seeds and trust that God will bring in the harvest .The internet in the Hotel is down last night and we had to post on 5 Dec.

God bless you and let us here from you.

Jim and Betty

A day of Waiting

2008-12-03T17:54:00.004-06:00

Last night after we posted, we were doing some reading aloud as a family. We are reading and advent season read along story called Barthalamew's Passage. The new guys have been very patient to listen. At the end last night, I tried something new. I have a Bible that has English and Spanish (thanks Keeley's and Dugans). I read 10 verses from Mark in English and then gave the same 10 verses a shot in Spanish. It must have been really bad. I was doing my best to read it in Spanish and it was obvious by the great facial expressions from Yeisson that my pronunciation must have been REALLY bad, based on the descriptions of the faces from Betty and Kaitlyn. Oh- well gotta try to share Christ as best I can. After all I have been laughed at plenty, so why let a few faces deter me!! :-)

Today was a mile stone in that Tatiana quit ignoring Ashley and they began to play. Tatiana started reorganizing the toys in the suitcase and Ashley sat down to help. They ended up completely redoing it twice. After that they spent about an hour going around hand in hand playing- nobody but Tatiana knows what they were playing, but they had a lot of fun together. By the time they were finished all 6 of the youngest guys were playing together. It is going to take some time, but all the right signs are there that we will grow together as a family. God is so great.

Please continue to lift us up in prayer. We ask your prayer that the court date will come soon. All things are possible in Christ and He shows us this daily. We continue to rely on Him and your prayers. Our lap top is our lifeline to all of you, please let us hear from you.

The photo today is of Ashley and Tatiana organizing the toys.

God Bless,

Jim and Betty

Integration Day

2008-12-02T14:17:00.005-06:00

Integration Day was not nearly intense as we had expected it would be. We were only there for around 30 minutes. We were only asked if we wanted to continue to which we gave a huge YES! A couple of questions to Yeisson who told them "bien"! They were able to learn everything they wanted to know by the way the kids were interacting with us while we were there. Things are going well and we are conecting well. As we left Bogota proper and entered the town of Soacha where the kids are from Santiago's mood dramatically changed and he started crying. We had the interpreter tell them why we were going back before we got there, but he got visibly upset about returning to Soacha. Once we arrived, Tatiana was also much less happy. Once we left Soacha, they returned to their old selves- much better. We think they won't have to go back, but the Judge could request it if he so desires- we hope not!

Our prayer request is that the court date will come quickly. After the court date we can be on our way home in about 4 possibly 6 days- all depends on where the weekend falls.

After the integration meeting, we tried to stop by the Hagerty's to say good-bye, but theyr were not in their hotel so we left a note. It was very good to meet them. We spent a little time in a park and then went to lunch in a place called Carbona da Palo. We had a good time and experienced the language barrier at its best. We ordered a favorite of our new kids called empanadas (sp). We ordered 9 ORDERS of empanadas- or so we thought! Each order is suppose to have 6 empanadas in it. When the food came we got 9 empanads. Not much lunch for 9 people. They are small deep fried balls of dough filled with beef and rice and spices very good! They sent out someone with a little bit of English and then they brought us out more! You can't just point to the menu item you want and then say a number! It was a good time, but then we had a long walk back to our appartment. The pictures today show a couple of shots of Soacha ,where the kids came from, and then the family lifting high the empanadas.

God bless.

Jim and Betty

A Visit to the National ICBF Office

2008-12-01T19:44:00.002-06:00

Today was a fairly uneventful day, we waited around most of the day to keep the kids looking good as we were to meet with the case workers at the national level ICBF office. They had asked to meet with the three families currently in Bogotá. We were told that they wanted to talk to us about our motive to adopt given we all had biological children also. In the end it was a nice meeting where we met the social workers and psychologist that worked all of our files when they first hit Colombia. I think it was mainly a chance for these guys to see the end result of what they do. We never were asked about our motives, but it was a very nice visit and I hope God will use it to keep the relations between ICBF and Children’s Hope strong. We only stayed about 30 minutes, but it was nice to meet the lady who worked our file. On the way back we had 25 people in a 15 passenger van- no seat belt laws here. Picture attached gives you a feel for it.

This was a great day with the kids they didn’t test us at all today - very compliant and cooperative. This is particularly noteworthy since we spent almost the whole day in in the apartment. They are very very sweet children. Today we saw a continued progress with all the kids working together. Yeisson was asking Josh to draw him pictures. We also played UNO which was a good time for everyone ever though we couldn’t completely explain the rules. Ever try to explain how skip cards and draw two or draw four cards work without using any words! Try it sometime. Ashley just kind of follows Tatiana and Santiago around trying to play with them.

Tatiana has definitely been the most affectionate of the three. She is a constant source of hugs and kisses, and today she gave us her heart. On notebook paper she drew two whole pages of hearts – then she came to Jim and asked him to write Papi on one and Mama on the other then she presented us her heart. OK- maybe that is not fully what she intended but that is how we took it! They will all three say Te amo Mami or Te amo Papi with a tiny bit of prompting. We think the bonding is going pretty good. Tomorrow we go to our integration meeting and after that the kids are ours- God be praised!

The next big step is getting a court date. Please pray this will be more swift than anyone thinks possible. Please also pray for Yeisson, Tatiana and Santiago. The children often get very upset when the go back to their old home area for the integration meeting- they often feel they are being taken back to stay.. Tough time for kids who have been through so much.

God bless,

Jim and Betty

Computer

2008-11-30T17:10:00.003-06:00

Right now our compter is holding up. Pray that it continues. If it does crash there is a business center in the complex we can use, but may not post every day. All is well.

Walked much of today, linked up with the Hagerty's and hung out a bit and then had lunch at Crepes and Waffles. This is the place that everyone who has gone before us raves about. It was good- very rich. Not sure of our plans for tomorrow. We meet back with the social workers on Tuesday at 10:00 am local time to conduct our integration meeting. This meeting we are asked if we want to go ahead and so are the kids. Our overwhelming instinct is that it will go well. We have had quit a few run ins with one of them, we are working through it. This one is very strong willed and has never had to submit to authority much- but is making progress each day. Tests us but doesn't win! Although we had had to correct him alot, he still seems to love us much and loves to hug and kiss us. We have one who hugs and kisses constanly too and then one in the middle of these. Very sweet and loving all! They are playing together across sibling group lines - bit by bit as is to be expected. We expect the will blend together well in the long run.

We remain dependent on our Father. Pray for us especially that the time would be so short that all would recognize that the hand of God is responsible for how fast we get out of here. We trust His sovern will in this but plead daily for a swift return to Kansas- in the words of a famous Kansan "there's no place like home, there's no place like home". OK so she was just an actress, but the sentiment is still good.

God Bless
Jim and Betty

2008-11-30T06:41:00.002-06:00

Just a quick note to let you know our computer is having problems and it may crash. Didn't want anyone to worry if this happens, we are still here and o.k.

A Day with the Hagerty's

2008-11-29T19:55:00.006-06:00

Today we went by bus with two other Children's Hope families about an hour outside Bogata to a combination ammesument park and zoo. We were with the Hagerty's (Alaska) and the Remers (Missouri). We were intially seperated from the Remers but really enjoyed talking to them on the bus. We spent the day letting the kids enjoy some rides and then visited the zoo portion which was great.

We have followed the Hagerty's blog for several months and have exchanged e-mail with them for a few weeks before heading to Colombia. It was such a blessing to get to meet them and spend some time together. Betty got a fix of adult female conversation! Great time for all of us. We so much enjoyed the time away. Pictures of our families included tonight. Kaitlyn made a new friend in Beau and Matthew told us he made a new friend (Hope), but she lives in Alaska and won't be able to see her anymore.

On the way into the park we also ran into a couple from Maryland that sat next to Jim on the plane from Atlanta to Bogota- they are here adopting a baby- it was so precious to their baby.

Picture included for all you WILDCAT FANS.

God Bless

Jim and Betty

Sights Around Bogota

2008-11-28T20:26:00.002-06:00

Today we spent most of the day driving around Bogota seeing some of the sights the city is know for. First stop: Presidents palace, Senate palace and the Superior court. The main plaza was packed with activity and soldiers. There was to be a major march against the FARC (gorrila organiztion). Needless to say we felt VERY secure. The picture in the post was from the main courtyard and in the background is a church that dates back to colonial days of Spanish rule. Stop two: we visited the Gold museum, very interesting display of ancient gold artifacts from Colombiam history- very interesting for the adults not so much for the smaller children. Stop three: A beautiful church on the top of a mountain called Monserrate. We rode a rail to the top and had incredible views of Bogota below.

Tommorrow we go on a trip with all the adopting families currently in Bogota from Childrens Hope International. We think ther will be around fourty people- mostly Americans.

Children are still very sweet, but are begining to test our resolve to insist they obey- we knew from the start this would be the challenge and covet your prayers in to help us be firm, yet loving. They are crushed if we correct them but have not yet decided to always listen so they don't need correction. They are begining to take more of an interest in saying the English words back us if we ask. They also discovered that rock paper sissors is an American and Colombian game- allowed for a bit of cross sibling group interaction.

Hope all is well in the good ole USA.

God bless.

Jim and Betty

Thanksgiving day in Bogota

2008-11-27T19:59:00.005-06:00

We spent our thanksgiving day in Bogota- we stayed very busy today, but did try to keep our hearts and minds on God our Father who is the focus of all our thanks. No turkey, but plenty of turkeys if you know what I mean! Our day started at 6:30 today - progress!

We had a much calmer day today. We, upon reflection, we relized we were so much to blame for the way our new kids were supercharged yesterday. We had been warned that you don't feed a lot of sugar to Colombian children- and boy did we feed them sugar yesterday. Our biological kids have never had the sugar rush that leads to hyperactivity. We eliminated the sugar today and we had a much calmer day.

These kids are enthusiastic about everything they do- We have never in our lives seen such enthusiasm for teeth brushing WOW We hope there will me enamel left when we get home.

We are begining to blend as a family. As you would expect the two groups are most comfortable with their biological siblings, but we are begining to see some coming together. Our new kids came with a photo album from their time in foster care. Last night each of them went around to all their new siblings and mom and dad and explained every photo to us- no idea what the said, but is was very special to see them reaching out and opening their hearts as best they can in addition to all the hugs and kisses! We don't speak the same language yet- however that does not seem to be too much of a barrier. These guys have the most expressive faces and you can read the expressions like a book. They are all beging to say a few English words back to us when we try to get them to- Santiago is the most receptive and Tatiana is the least. We expect to make the most progress when we get home and Spanish is not all around them.

We want to share a bit about life in Bogota. We feel very safe here. There is a security guard at the front door of our apartment building and they are on many street corners. We have walked around a bit and everything is fine. Today we even went down some side streets looking for a park- couldn't find it so Jim asked in his meager Espanol Donde esta parke? We were just a block away and made it fine - fortunately the man we asked only had to point a block over and not give directions we couldn't understand. The streets are always filled with cars- they always seam to honk at each other in the traffic jams - the honking doesn't do any good to get things moving, but it must made the drivers feel better because it is constant!

We spent some time at a park today and we think the kids had a great time - was muddy after the rain so we were limited in the playtime. Still it did everybody a lot of good.

Our integration day with ICBF (social services) is on Tuesday. Once that is complete we are waiting on the courts.

God bless,

Jim and Betty

First Full Day Together

2008-11-26T20:07:00.005-06:00

Well where should we start tonight- oh yea it all started around 4:30 am all three were early risers today. We will definately need to work on that wake up time!

Today was an incredibally active day. Everything we were told about how active these kids would be was an understatement!! We are learning to grow as a family - slowly. These kids are obidient even if they have a very short term memory of what they have been told to do. They are also the most affectionate kids you can imagine. I have had a months worth of hugs and kisses today.

Yesterday, when we told the kids to clean up the toys Yeisson went through the apartment like a whirl wind and didn't stop with the the toys- he oragnized the whole families shoes and stacked the suitcases for us.

Today it rained pretty much all day, so we were not able to get to the park to burn off some of that energy! We need to be sure we get them somewhere to run tomorrow. We the parents need to get out of the apartment a bit as well. Betty and I did get to meet another family from Missouri and visit with them We hope to get to spend more time with them while we are here. They were the ones who were to be in the appartment next door, but the decided to move to a bed and breakfast before we got here.

We walked to the mall (UNICENTRO) in the afternoon for some exercise. We stopped and bought ice cream for everyone. The kids really enjoyed the treat. They tured out to be two scoop cones! Santiago fininshed the whole thing and wasn't about to let us take it away as long as there was a drip left. Most of the adults couldn't do what our 4 year old did! A bit later he ate a full dinner- these kids can eat like nothing I've ever seen!! At dinner, Jim offered the blessing- not sure what they were thinking but when I finished with in the name of Jesus Christo Yeisson gave us a loud AMEN since I didn't finish with one. They folded their hand - so there is some sort of spiritual training to start with. Dinner was interesting as we discovered the microwave and the oven were not working. We made polo sandwhiches in the toaster oven!!

Our new ninos sing in the shower- very sweet. We finished of our night with a read aloud story in English- all three sat quiet and listened even though they didn't understand a word.

God continues to bless us beyond anything we deserve.

Jim's most common expression is a blend of one Spanish word and one English calmado down- yes it means calm down!

And Then There Were Eleven

2008-11-25T16:44:00.003-06:00

Our GOTCHA day is here. And what a day! We can not begin to describe all the emotions of the day. We should be exahsted with the days event on top of the long day yesterday, but we are still very much feeling the rush of the day. All we can say is WOW. God is so great, we are not even sure where to begin. These three children are soooooo precious and we feel so blessed to be their parents. We got to the ICBF office in Saocha at about 10:45 am. We met with the kids social workers first. They asked us if we were still sure: ARE YOU KIDDING ME! We were so ready! A few minutes later they were sent into the room. Jim's first big blunder-- I was not expecting then so soon and I turn around to find Yeission jumping into my arm saying Mi Padre. What did I say Mi hijo Carlos. OOOPS. It happened so fast I thought Carlos had come in first- but I was quickly forgiven. In the briefest on moments we received the most unbelievable welcome from the kids. Hugs all around and around and around- and it still is going on. we are hearing Mami and Papi constantly. We like the sound of it. These children are very sweet natured and seam to be very eager to please us. We had been told to prepare for them needing to have some time to get used to us. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yeission was immeadiately talkative. He is most expressive and talks to us all the time. Tatiana and Santiago were very loving but took a few hours to warm up to talking with us. All it took was a stop for lunch at McDonalds! They have not stopped talking since! We are learning to walk the streets of Bogota with 8 of our kids 6 of them 9 and under- they all have been great! They all listen and respond instantly to no. As a surprise we discovered Tatiana has beautiful curly hair and also wears glasses- her and Ashley will have a lot in common. They are shorter then we anticipated - we may have misjudged the sizes. An incredible day- We could go on for pages on our day, buy this should give you all a sense of it. Incedible incredible blessing - we praise God for his goodness. All glory for this day goes to Him. God brings to our hearts James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change God Bless and keep each of you thanks for you thoughts and prayers! More Tomorrow. Jim and Betty

We are here!

2008-11-24T22:46:00.001-06:00

it is 11:45 pm but we are here

we leave to meet the children about 8:00am tomorrow!

Tired- more tomorrow

Jim and Betty

2008-11-23T21:05:00.002-06:00

23 Nov 1 day to our GOTCHA date.

Wow we fly in the morning. The time has finally come. WE have peace that can only come from God our father the giver of all good gifts.

Just wanted to make a short post to say all is well and we are eager to be in Bogota. We just finished meeting with our small group for a prayer filled send off- thanks guys you mean the world to us and our prayers from a continent away with fill us with such encouragement and confidence while we are in Colombia.

Next post will be from Bogota!!! Yeeeeeee Hawwwwwwwwww

Jim and Betty

A Day for Tears (of joy)

2008-11-21T21:58:00.004-06:00

21 Nov - Three days until our GOTCHA day!

When I rose up this morning, the last thing I anticipated was a day sprinkled liberally with tears of joy. But then, God is like that often presenting us with unexpected surprises.

We received the last administrative thing we needed today before we leave for Bogota- Thanks Julie! We are beginning to feel that "last minute we'll never get ready in time" kind of felling! Those of you who have gone before us know what I'm talking about! :-) But like each of you, we'll pull it together just like you did, mostly thanks to the most amazing woman I know- my wife Betty. (she doesn't know I'm writing this entry, shhhhhh don't tell OK?)

We are mostly finished packing and hope to wrap everything up tomorrow and then try to rest a bit on Sunday before we head to the airport early Monday. We plan to meet with our small group (10 adults and around 26 kids) for a time of prayer and fellowship before we leave. These have been the people who have labored in prayer with us all along this journey. They have been there with us when we wept with disappointment and when we wept with joy. Thanks to all of you for your support along the way and for simply being our brothers and sisters in Christ. Special thanks to: Kurt, Sue, Steve, Terry, Kameron, Carol, James, Dana, Dan, Nancy, Robert and Mimi and all your families for your support each time we met. The prayers of the righteous availeth much- thanks for praying for us and with us. Robert - your leading all of us in Children of the Living God is always in my mind and will be on my heart as we complete this journey.

A bit of explanation for the title of this entry- A Day for Tears (of Joy). The obvious part I have mentioned- I have reflected on all who have come along side us on this journey over the last year and cannot help but be moved to tears. So many have given of themselves through gifts, prayers and encouraging words. My deepest thanks and know we will never forget. We listened to Focus on the Family today which was about adoption - yep my eyes were all leaky again. I must figure out what causes this and see if I can fix this leaky thing. We are following the blogs of two other families who met their kids in the last couple of days, reading their entries not only fill us with anticipation, but also make us feel as if we are along side them. I must confess I was also move to tears of joy when I read the Woods entry today and saw we were mentioned by name that they are praying for us when we have not even met. We do though I think feel a sort of kinship through the shared experiences of our adoption journeys. Thanks guys for lifting us up before the throne of Glory. We have added your Tatiana's sister to our prayer list and will keep our eyes open while we are down there! But mostly it has been a day of tears as we have looked forward with anticipation to to meeting Carlos, Tatiana, and Yeisson on Tuesday. The reality of this for me is becoming more apparent with each passing hour. We love these guys though we have not yet met them. We long to hold them in our arms - to whisper to them mi hijo, mi hija.

I wonder what they are thinking tonight. They must surely know about us by now. How I hope their hearts are filled with eagerness and anticipation. My simple prayer for tonight is:

Father help me to love these little ones as you have loved me.

Blessings to all of you.

Jim

2008-11-19T21:25:00.003-06:00

19 November 5 days to our GOTCHA date!

God continues to answer prayer. Today we have been told where we will stay. CHI has arranged for us to rent an apartment while we are in Bogota. We are happy to know the arrangements and have a bit more of an idea of what to expect while we are there. We were also told there will be another CHI family in the apartment next to us. They will be adopting a sibling group of 5 and their gotcha date is the same as ours. It will incredible to have someone from home to share the experience with us. They are from the state next to ours.

We were able to get the boys room more or less in order today. The girls room will not fully come together until we are in Colombia. The beds for the room Ashley and Tatiana will share will be delivered while we are gone. Other than these beds we will be set by Saturday. We still have not started packing, but since we don't leave for 5 days, what is the rush! :-)

We also were blessed with an unexpected e-mail today. It turns out there is a couple in our church we had not met who are from Bogota. They sent us a note and offered to help us out with travel information and also understanding the children's culture. We will try to meet them before we leave for Bogota. This is amazing that God would place this couple in our life as we are sure they will be a great help. All thing work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.

Your continued prayers are both appreciated and greatly coveted!

A Time For Thanks

2008-11-15T08:59:00.005-06:00

16 Nov 2008 8 days until our GOTCHA date!

Why is it that as a nation, we tend only to stop once a year on a Thursday in November to give thanks? I can truly say that this has been a year when we as a family have pause many times to give thanks to a God of power and majesty. I can not help but reflect on how blessed we are as a nation and as a family of this nation.

This is a time of year when we as Americans pause to remember and give thanks to God for His protection of the founding fathers of our country. Since we are leaving before Thanksgiving day, we decided to gather as a family on Saturday for a traditional thanksgiving meal. We had a very blessed time together as a family. Our whole clan was able to get together as you can see from the picture that is now posted on this blog. Betty's mom and dad, our eight children, daughter in law, two grandchildren and our daughter's fiancee. It was GREAT! Our 4 youngest children have birthdays in December before we get home from Colombia, and so we also celebrated those birthdays before we leave for Bogota. We capped off the day by putting up a Christmas tree so it will be there when we get home around the 19th of December. A very busy day!

We have also received our visas back from the Colombian consulate. We now have plane tickets, shots AND all the paperwork we need to head south. We now just need to get our bags packed and rearrange bedrooms - we bought the last of the beds and such we still needed- you guessed it- that was done on Saturday too.

The blessings have continued to flow with each passing day. Today our church hosted an adoption shower for us. We are truly overwhelmed by every one's generosity. We pretty much have all the clothes we need now to get started for all three children- wow this has been amazing. We cannot begin to express all of our thanks to everyone who came along side us today and blessed us with so many gifts. I know beyond any doubt that these three children are not only joining our family, but they are also joining a large and loving church family they can depend upon to encourage them and help them grow towards Christ.

Some of the cards from this shower help us to keep our motivation and our focus. One person wrote, " we pray that God would grant wisdom and patience as you seek to love them, teach them and walk with them." That was so encouraging - we have been thinking about so many things and anticipating so many things, but it was so good to know that so many are praying for us in the big things and little things. This note spoke to us deeply - as we do so long to simply walk with these precious ones. Another dear friend closed their note with Matthew 6:31-34. This was a reminder that we needed as the time grows closer. These verses read:

31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

We pray that our hearts will seek after God above all else. We continue to trust God in the details for tomorrow, knowing His plans are perfect far beyond anything we devise on our own. At this point we don't yet know where we will stay in Colombia- God knows and has it all under control. We should find out the details sometime this week. We trust He has it worked out for our best, but it sure would be nice to know what the plans are....

Jim and Betty

Mad Dash to the Starting Line

2008-11-10T20:02:00.003-06:00

10 Nov 08- 14 days until our GOTCHA DATE!

If we have learned anything through this process, we have learned that adoption is not for the faint of heart! You must truly have calling on your heart to persevere in the process. The road to the airport to go and pick up your children goes over the continental divide of the paperwork mountain. The pass through this great divide is higher than anything found in the Rocky Mountains! We sometimes feel that the pile of paper work exceeds even Mount Everest! But... when our strength begins to fail in the climb, the power of God carries us on.

OK maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit.....

We are beginning to feel like maybe we are starting to go down hill on the far side of the pass. We spent Thursday, Friday and Saturday completing all the documents for our request for our Visas. The request is on its way to the Colombian consulate in Chicago. You feel a bit nervous about putting your passports in the mail, but as much as God has taken care of us in our journey so far, I think we can easily trust Him on this one! We hope to have our Visas back by the end of this week since we overnighted the packets and provided an overnight return envelope. We will be glad to see the package back though. We have now also put together all our documents (sometimes with 9 copies) we need to take with us to complete the court requirements in Bogota.

We feel like we are in the eye of the hurricane. We notice the stormy winds have subsided, and realize in about a week we will feel the stormy winds again as we frantically go through the last week before our departure. Should be fun when we get to the airport in Bogota with seven people and all the luggage that goes with us! We eagerly anticipate the "minivan" that will drive us to the hotel :0) I imagine being stacked in like chord wood! All part of getting to our destination.

We find ourselves wondering what is on the minds of our new children. Do they even know yet that we are coming? We pray that God will prepare their hearts for this union and that they will rejoice in us as we have already rejoiced in them.

The next task at hand? Figuring out bedrooms! Five of our eight kids still live at home- how hard can it be to figure out where three more will sleep? If two's company, and three's a crowd- what does that make 10??? In our hearts, it makes for lots and lots of love and we can't wait.

Assignment and Gotcha Date

2008-11-05T17:52:00.000-06:00

We began this journey last November (07) when we opened a dialog with Children's Hope International. We now have our referral for 3 beautiful children, praise God for His greatness and blessings. We have accepted our referral and have received our official gotcha date. Rejoice with us as we make preparations to leave for Bogota Colombia to be united with:

Yeisson Davian (7 year old boy) Born March 10, 2001; Jasleidi Tatianna (5 year old girl) Born December 25, 2002; Carlos Santiago (4 year old boy) Born April 27, 2004

As of today, our plans are to fly to Colombia on 24 November and be united with our new children on the 25th. We will be in Colombia for around a month, but expect to be home for Christmas.

We covet your continued support and prayers. God bless.

Jim and Betty

PS only 20 chaos filled days of frantically trying to get ready to go but then who's counting :-)

When the Course is Difficult, Let God Choose the Path

2008-11-02T22:55:00.000-06:00

These are some of the e-mail notes we have sent to friends and family as we began our adoption journey:

From: Jim and Betty Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2008 7:42 AM Subject: Adoption

Dear Friends and Family,

Betty and I wanted to take a few moments and give you an update on our progress in pursuing the adoption that God has laid on our hearts. First, we would just like to say that we have never felt so confirmed by God in anything we have ever endeavored to accomplish. Every obstacle that has arisen has been torn down by His mighty hand. I am pleased to report that we have now completed all the requirements to submit our dossier to the government of Colombia for their consideration. To get to this point we have, by His grace,

1) completed the application and been accepted by Children's Hope International
2) completed our home study and had the home study approved for up to 4 children
3) been approved by immigration to bring children into the U.S.
4) assembled the mountain of documentation required for our dossier
5) along the way have been declared sane by a licensed clinical psychologist to adopt (no small accomplishment when you have 8 kids trying to adopt 3-4 additional children! We have always wondered about our sanity, but now know we aren't crazy after all!

We now anxiously await approval from the Colombian Government and the referral of a specific sibling group. We want to not just share the good news that we have completed the administrative requirements, but also want to share some of the testimony of the power of God in the process so far. We could not have accomplished all that we have in less than 3 months but by His intervention. Here are but a few of the ways that we credit our great and mighty God in getting us to this point:

1) Jim's birth certificate from Canada was to have taken 6 weeks- it came in 2 weeks
2) Passports that were suppose to take 4-6 weeks came in 8 days
3) Approval from immigration can take up to 90 days- ours came back to us in 10 days
4) Jim's U.S. Citizenship papers were lost by the passport agency. Thanks to the prayer's of many (and some help from U.S. Senator Sam Brownback's office) it was found and returned to us.
5) Our psychiatric evaluation was to have taken 2 months just to get an appointment, was completed in about three weeks because of an ice storm that shut down all the normal business in our area- I know that doesn't make sense, but it does to God.
6) Documents have been assembled from Kansas,Alaska, Hawaii, Virginia, South Carolina, Oregon, and three places in Canada. All the while God has shown us He is in control of every little detail.

People have touched our hearts and often brought us to tears as they have prayed for us and with us. They have come along side us in this effort as encouragers, prayer warriors, friends, and even in giving us money to help with the costs of this process. Some of these who have come along side have made known who they are, while some have done so anonymously being content to give of themselves in secret where only God can see. For example, a family friend wanted to help and gave us over $1000 to help with the costs; also on 7 January we were in our basement when the doorbell rang. We went to answer and found nobody was there. We did however find a red stocking on the door knob. Once inside we found it contained a copy of the story Nicholas, a large number of chocolate "gold and silver" coins to represent the gold coins Nicolas threw through a window to help a family as his first act of benevolence. The stocking also held $600 in cash. Someone felt led by God to come along side our efforts to adopt- we still don't know who to thank - but we are so grateful. When I discovered the gift I could only thank God and wept at this act of generosity. A family member on hearing the story of Nicolas asked to help and then sent us a check for the exact amount we needed for our next payment to the adoption agency. And I could go on but as you can see we are greatly blessed as we have followed after God's leading in this adoption- these blessings are really what I want to share and I invite you to rejoice with us in all that God has done.

We still have need and desire your continued prayers. Please pray:

1) that our dossier will be approved
2) that God will prepare the hearts of the children that He has for us- and our hearts as well
3) that we will learn more Spanish
4) that these children will assimilate into our home quickly
5) safety both in travel and while in Colombia
6) that God would provide so we can take all our kids living at home with us to Colombia
7) that the many grant applications we are submitting would be favorably considered
8) that we will continue to see the very hand of God on each detail, and have opportunity to share the testimony of what He has done in this entire adoption process.

Thanks for reading this long note and for loving us enough to keep this matter in your prayers. God bless each of you.

Jim and Betty