A Phone Call

It has been over six months since we traveled to Honduras to meet the children.  We have been sending letters down to the children through Maria, who is the woman who runs the home where the children live.  Maria has sent us pictures from time to time.  We have held off on trying to call the children, since we were not sure how long it would be until we returned.  Maria mentioned the possibility of having a video chat with the children through Facebook, and since we know that we  are most likely only a week or two until we travel, we decided it would be good to see them.  So this morning, we were able to talk with the children again.

With phone in one hand, and google translate on the computer, we had the chance to talk with Ashton, Alia, Maria and her husband, Roger.  Ashton was very emotional, and was unable to talk with us beyond a quick 'hola'.  Alia loved having the phone and was very talkative.  We showed her the snow outside and she said she loves the snow.  I guess that is easy for a child to say when she sees it on a phone while she is standing outside in 86 degree sunny weather.  The children enjoyed being able to say hello to Alexa, and asked where Ariana was.  It was great to see them and talk with them, although it was brief.  It was awesome to see them and tell them that we love them very much, and at one point, Alia said "I love you!" in English.  I asked if she was learning English and Maria said 'a little', so I said I am learning 'a little Spanish', so we'll meet in the middle for a while and speak in Crossgrove Spanglish. 

Update on the Process:  Our lawyer has gone to DINAF a few times this past week, but no progress has been made on approving the escritura.  We just received an email that they told her to come back on Monday, so hopefully we will hear something this week. 

6 Years Ago Today

It was six years ago today that our journey toward adoption began.  It is amazing how God has worked in our hearts and how things have changed in that time.  When we began the process, Alexa was 11 years old and in elementary school.  Ariana was 13 and in middle school.  Now Alexa is a Junior in High School and Ariana is a freshman in college.  We began the process thinking we would adopt a baby girl, and the Lord has opened our hearts to bring two children into our family.  We joked at the beginning of the process that we might be sending a children to kindergarten and another to college.  That will be a reality next fall.  Over the six years, we have learned and continue to learn to be patient on the Lord as this process has taken years longer than we ever expected.  We have also been blessed by an incredible support system from our biological family to our church family to our swim team family to our community.  As we eagerly anticipate the call to travel for our second trip, we know that there are so many people praying and waiting for that call.  It is great to know that when Ashton and Alia come home to the US, they will be encircled by such a loving supportive community. 

As for an update: our lawyer went to the court on Tuesday and picked up our approved paperwork.  On Wednesday, it was delivered to the notary.  Once the notary completes their work, the process returns to DINAF for a final review and the assigning of a date for us to sign the final paperwork.  Hopefully, we will be traveling in the next week or so.  Thanks for continuing to pray!

Light at the End of the Tunnel

It is interesting that over the past few days, I have had a number of people ask me, "can you see the light at the end of the tunnel?" or something like that.  In one sense, as we wait for our paperwork to be released from the courts in Honduras, we can say, yes, we see the light at the end of the tunnel.  We have been told that there are only two more steps after the courts release our sentencia.  So, yes, there is light, but we are unable to tell how long the tunnel is.  It may only be a few hundred feet and we might be traveling in a week or two...or, it may still be a few miles long and we will be in the US for another month or so.  We have not posted many updates recently, because there has not been much to update.  Thank you for your prayers and support.  Along this journey of waiting since our first trip back in July, we have been able to send letters to Ashton and Alia and we have received some pictures.  Most recently, we received pictures from Christmas at the children's home.  Here are some pictures that remind us of the light at the end of the tunnel.

Home for the Holiday...Still

When we were in Honduras back in July, we were told that things were moving along and they thought we would be home for Christmas with Ashton and Alia.  It has been a roller coaster of emotions as we learn of one accomplishment followed by a delay, followed by a step in the process we didn't know about.  We received word last evening that the Honduran court completed a necessary step for us before we travel to complete the adoption, and it went to the clerk's office, and at the end of the day...there it remained.  The courts are now on break for the Christmas holiday until early January, so the saga will continue after the holiday break.  We now hope to travel in early to mid-January.  It is hard to be away from the children again this Christmas, especially having spent time with them this summer and having our expectations raised so high that the process would be done by now.  We believe that God is sovereign over all things, and He is in control even when life seems completely out of control.  We may never understand why there have been delays, hurdles, disappointments and challenges, but in the midst of the pain, we trust that the Lord is in control, and He is holding on to us, even our strength is weak.  Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

On another note, thank you to so many who donated fabric for the 100 wishes quilt.  Alicia has completed the quilts for the children (one of the hidden blessings of this delay), and they rest on each of their beds waiting for them.  Here are pictures of the quilts.

Another Delay

The time of waiting for our call to return for our second trip has been one frustration after another.  We have grown a bit wary of being told what the next step is, since each "next step" there is the expectation that once that is done, we would be traveling.  The first time we expected to travel was in September, only to find that there was another step.  This step was reached in early October, and then we learned of another step.  This next step was a meeting, and this meeting was originally scheduled for late October.  The date of the meeting came and went with no news.  We recently learned that that meeting never took place and has now been rescheduled for November 23.  We continue to wait, and we trust in the Lord's perfect timing.  We know that a few years from now, these delays will not bear the same weight, but right now, each delay is difficult to bear.  We are so thankful for many friends and family that have been so supportive along this long journey.

On the positive side, with the delays, Alicia was able to complete both of the 100 wishes quilts.  These are a wonderful testimony to the great support that we have received and will receive as we adopt Ashton and Alia.