As promised - I had ideas swirling around in my head for a Father's Day post and am just now getting to it! I had the kids write what they like best about their dad. Here is what they said:
Aaron - I love my dad because he plays lots of stuff with us - he plays air soft a lot with us and he is really good at it. He also will play War Craft sometimes, and he is really good at that too. He also helps us with our school when we can't get the questions right. Sometimes he will let us have friends over and he starts the bonfire and he makes marshmallows. My dad is also a very good cook and he makes us really good food. Sometimes my did will go out and play air soft with us and our friends and he is really good at it because he was in the military and he has AWESOME tactics. My dad is also really good with computers and he fixes our computers when they break. He is also a very good Christian and he will set things aside and read the Bible and he trusts in God. He is also lots of fun because he will chase us around the house sometimes. My dad is also really funny and he always makes us laugh. He also shows us good games and will sometimes buy them for us.
My Dad will play a game forever and never lose, I hardly ever win but I have fun. When I do win he isn’t mad to lose.
My Dad is very fun when it comes to air soft guns. Since he was in the military, he just runs us down. He always thinks tactics. When he has a not-so-great-team he usually still wins by all his tactic stuff.
My Dad is the best cook in the world. *no offense mom* my dad makes the best over-easy eggs ever. He knows how to make the best coffee. He makes huge meal that fills you so fast. He makes the best hamburgers and hot dogs. Waffles and pancakes are another of his specialties. Not to mention turkey. He makes the best desserts like cookies, brownies, cupcakes, and cakes.
When it comes to computers, My Dad is your man. My Dad is the best at computers. He can fix them, put them together and put programs on and know they aren’t a virus. He is just amazing with computers.
My Dad is a hard working gardener. He will work for hours on our lawn mowing, weeding, watering, planting, fertilizing, and growing.
My Dad loves to read. He will read book after book. He always tries to get a new book from the library. And he likes to read to us too.
He plays air soft wars with us. He might beat us every time... But, it’s still fun. Hopefully he can buy his own gun and BBs.
He will, once in awhile, play computer games also, which is really fun. Warcraft FTW!!!
He will play board games, now that’s challenging. Especially Risk, since it’s a very close game, and takes up like… 5 hours of the day.
He’s a good principal for our homeschooled studies, since he doesn’t get mad when we make mistakes; he just has us do it over again. It takes him awhile to get done with all the grading, so it’s nice he’s patient about that.
I always know I can go to him for help and for reassurance. He will always kill those nasty horrible human-eating spiders, which is very nice of him.
He can always fix our computers, since we get them filled with junk… He will also show us new fun games that are really cool.
He always makes us food at night, which is, most of the time, really good…
He’s patient whenever I’m playing an Xbox 360 game, even though he can’t watch T.V. AND even though some of the games he strongly dislikes, like RPG games… He doesn’t get the point of them.
And most of all, he's an AWESOME SUPER COOL PWNING DAD OF POWER AND WONDER!!!
Micah
****************************************************************************Chloe - Dad is very nice and very kind. And he gives lots of kisses to me at bedtime. I like him so much. He plays Mario Kart with me. He reads Charlie and Lola to me - and they are my favorite books! He shared Father's Day with me on my birthday, that was so nice. I miss him when he goes to work, and I love it when he comes home.
Well - you get the point - he's loved!! Yep - we all think we've got the best Dad!!!
So it's Father's Day - that's big, in and of itself, but it's also Chloe's birthday (so guess which one gets blog time first?!!?) Don't worry Dad - your time is coming!! Chloe turns five today - and she is SO excited! She is getting ready for her big party next weekend AND had Grandpa and Grandma here this weekend to celebrate as well. She loves the fact that she will be 5! I love this girl - she makes me laugh and adds such a bright spot to our family. We feel blessed to call her ours. I was thinking just the other day - don't ever tell me our God is not HUGE. He gave us our daughter - from all the way across the world - and matched her up perfectly. Chloe - you are a blessing, and we love you!
When we set out on this journey to adopt again - we asked God over and over to show us the path before us - to make it clear. He is amazing like that - even when we couldn't see clearly, He has shown us exactly which path to follow. Our biggest hurdle was definitely financial - and we asked God to show us how He wanted us to fund our adoption and again, He has not let us down. Every time we have needed the money, it has been there.
We experienced that again today - we got a phone call - Lifesong for Orphans had given our family a matching grant!! This is not something we take lightly - right now adoption grants are few and far between - funds are so tight that there is not much money out there. We are just thanking God for this and praise Him for His faithfulness to us. We have been given a $2000.00 matching grant - IF we can match it. We have until August 13 to raise this money. We have SO many friends and family that have helped us - so if that is you, PLEASE just lift us in prayer - but if you were thinking of helping us financially and just haven't been sure when - we wanted to put this out there. Every dollar is matched so it goes a bit farther!! (I have a hard time even putting this out there - I would love for our family to be able to do this whole adoption on our own - but our pastor keeps reminding us that not all are called to actually adopt but some may be called to help. So we lay it before the Lord and let Him do the work. We are SO grateful for the way in which some have already helped us - that means more than we will even be able to express.)
Here are the details:
* All funds must be received at Lifesong by August 13.
*Here is a copy of our Letter from Lifesong.Life Song *Here is How and Where to mail your TAX-DEDUCTIBLE check - Remember to put our last name in the memo section (Bilby # 881 adoption)
Mail to: Lifesong for Orphans
PO Box 40
202 N Ford St.
Gridley, IL 61744
1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
and James says
17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
I know God does these things just for me - and I have needed to hear from Him lately! So I'm out reading blogs (of all things) and I come across this:
"But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, be patient! For it will surely take place. It will not be late by a single day." Habakkuk 2:3
Totally hit me where I was at - and I had to smile - yep, He can even speak through blogs!!
**On a sidenote - I have opened a CafePress store because people kept telling me items they wished they'd see for sale. I made some designs and uploaded them and then CafePress does the rest - right now all of my designs are Chinese in nature - but I have some more plans here!!! BusyMamaStore
I am NOT athletic - don't even get me started - you don't want to go there! BUT, I always thought hurdles looked fun. A challenge - I'll admit it, but fun. IF I were going to be athletic - I thought hurdles would have been something I'd enjoy trying. Lately I feel like God is giving me that opportunity - to learn how to do those hurdles. I am knocking MANY down along the way, but I am also beginning to learn how to gracefully glide over them once in awhile.
We have had a phone call this week - AFTER Micah's background check came in - that felt like a major setback. TO sum it all up - our paperwork said 0-3 years - being the child we would accept. Well, technically, Jada is over 3 years now - so IF China chooses - they can "push" that a little and say - 0-3 that would be 0-36 months so, she is over 36 months now and they can say we have to redo our paperwork while we are there - which means a lot of rigmarole for us and our social worker AND a prolonged stay in China. So we have two choices - go ahead and go - taking the chance that we may be prolonged a bit in China OR pay an extra almost $400 on this end and get our paperwork correct now - AND know that our paperwork may be held up another month before travel. I am being bluntly honest about this publically because I TRULY feel, even though I can not understand it, that God is STILL in control and STILL wants to be glorified through this. AND I want Him to get ALL the GLORY - so I want our friends and family to know the mountains He is moving to bring Jada home.
After much wrestling and praying - we are going to move forward and get our paperwork in order on this end. We are praying that God does indeed move a mountain - that He expedites this paperwork as only He can - "He knows", it comes back up again and again during this adoption. He knows Jada's health, He knows she is getting older and we'd love to get her and bring her home, but He knows the bigger picture and so we give it to Him. But we'll cover it in prayer - He can move mountains - and we are praying He will.
It may sound like we are antsy - and maybe we are - but we have waited over 3 years for Jada - we now SHOULD be so close to getting her and yet we keep having to jump those hurdles. That is the nature of adoption - many, many hurdles. We feel we've encountered more hurdles this adoption than our first one, so it doesn't make the second time around any easier! When I prayed last night - I asked God to take this and use it - use it to bring glory to Him. I often don't like to "bear my soul" on here, but one of the things I feel God saying so strongly is to let others know - let them know that "He knows" and He can do amazing things!
God takes us on journeys - I feel like I am on a long and twisting one. But God is faithful - that is all I can say. He continues to amaze me. I read on Beth Moore's blog that she was having an online Bible Study this summer - I thought that would be something I would enjoy, so I went to see what it was going to be. Here's God - it's a study written by Jennifer Rothschild - an amazing woman of God that began to go blind at age 15. There it is again - God gently reminds me that sight is not all that matters in life. Jennifer has an amazing ministry - her writing has encouraged me over and over. Her interview at Christian Women Online was superb and a quote hit me:
Blindness itself doesn’t feel like a gift, but what came with it certainly is. Blindness has given more than it has taken. I have received an opportunity to choose gratefulness, strengthen my faith and learn how to live trusting God more than my feelings. Anything that decreases our dependence on self and increases our dependence on God really is a gift. We just need to be grateful to recognize it.
She has an amazing website too - go and be encouraged! Not only am I encouraged as a mom of a child with visual challenges, but as a Believer - it touches me on so many realms.
Keep praying with us - Micah's background check came back TODAY - so we can FINALLY move forward - later than we were hoping, but it isn't about us, is it!?!? Praying that God moves as only He can and our TA comes speedily.
We believe we are right where God wants us - we don't question that at all! But our minor setback this week of owing money we thought was already paid has done just that - set us back a bit on our dollars!! So - when a friend asked if she could help us by doing a Tupperware fundraiser - I didn't turn it down. We are praying God will provide in any way He chooses and we saw this as a possible way! We get 40% of all sales and that isn't bad for a fundraiser! So, if you are interested go HERE to view the Fundraiser Catalog - you can only purchase from that catalog for us to get the credit. There are some VERY fun items in there!!! If you find something you like, just email me and let me know - I'll get the details to you and we all benefit! If you want to see a catalog in person - just email me and I'll mail one out to you ASAP! Our fundraiser ends June 20 - so shop soon if you like Tupperware!!
So I spent my weekend "making sense" of the basement. You know those storage areas can be good AND bad. I love my storage - Joe built me wonderful shelves and I have them stuffed FULL!! But it is bad when they start overflowing onto the floor and you can't even walk through the storage area. I was convicted and I made work of it. Whew - you should see it now - I won't bore you with a picture, but it's walk-able!! In the process, I found ANOTHER tub of too-small clothes SO - visit Chloe's Closet to see more goodies! If you think of it - please pass this along to friends as well - the key to selling online is exposure and there are WONDERFUL clothes worn only a few times - anyone with a little girl may want to check it out!
On a disappointing note - we have been waiting WEEKS to get our 14 year old's background check back from the state - we have to have that before we can even be in line for our travel approval from China. Sadly enough, after waiting ALLl this time, our agency decided they may never have arrived so they are resending the papers and now we wait again. SO frustrating - he just turned 14 so he's required to be checked, but I don't think his criminal record should take THIS long to process! :) So we wait on that.
Then, we find out yesterday that a fee we thought was paid early on in our adoption was not paid and so now, as we're scraping to put our last funds together - we owe more. Gotta be honest here - adoption is worth EVERY PENNY and God totally provides - He always does. But little "glitches" like this can really be disappointing when you are trying to finalize things and see where you are sitting financially. Sure wish it didn't have to always be about money, but that seems to be where God has us. It keeps us dependent on Him, and that is good! We would covet prayers - what we thought we needed has now grown a bit. So we'd love prayers for the financial end. Also prayers that Micah's background check comes fast - faster than normal! AND that our I800 (LAST paperwork in China) clears fast - we are told that the I800 can sometimes be slower since it's a newer requirement - but we are praying for speed that only God can provide! Jada's condition will require frequent eye exams and she needs to get home and start on those to help save what sight she has. But God knows this too - so we leave it in His VERY capable hands. Thanks all for praying for us and caring for us - you don't know how much that means!
We sent a care package to Jada with Ann at Red Thread - and yes, she is wonderful!! She sent us 10 new pictures of Jada today - how fun to wake up and find those in your inbox! So I'll share a few! The care package we sent:
My first "Mom Thought" on this one was - "Oh please no more cutting her hair!!" And my second "Mom Thought" was Jada better not have colored on that wall!!! (Couldn't resist!) This one's for Jill and Jamie - our friends that LOVE all things Harley's!!
Kindermusik is again done for another semester - I can't even tell you how funny it is that Chloe leaves class and is already asking when next semester begins! She just LOVES this class. Mrs. Heidi is wonderful ~ can't say enough good about it!!
(Messing around with my Lightroom Download - so excuse my amateur settings here just thought it would be fun to do something different!!)
Yep, you are seeing correctly - that is Jada's sweet face in the header! We got our LOA today - Letter of Acceptance - from China so now the countdown begins!! We aren't sure of an exact timeline - our agency said possibly July or August - someone else got their LOA today with our same agency and they were told 5-8 weeks to travel - so whatever it is - we are thrilled and waiting!!
I know, other kids' concerts aren't all that exciting - but I just put one song on here. We are proud of Aaron - he chose trombone this year as his instrument for band and he has just done a great job! He practices without being reminded and he is doing SO well!! We are proud big guy!
We had fun but now it's done. Tulip Time is over. We painted pottery: We rode rides: We saw Grandpa and Grandma. We got sunburned. We have blisters on our feet. We ate cotton candy, funnel cakes, ribbon fries, fudge puppies, poffertjes, let's just stop there! :) AND - We now ALL know Caleb's band songs BY HEART!!! It was fun.
Sometimes pride is ok - these guys have worked HARD. (Believe me, I know, I drive him back and forth everyday to practice!!!) For a sixth grade band, we are impressed. They march in two parades a day today through Saturday. We will ALL be tired!!
Gotta love how the shortest kid gets the largest instrument!! Go Caleb!!!He was hot after playing in a LONG parade but he looks good!
Today would be SO much more fun if Jada were home - OR even if we could send her a package - but since she isn't - and since we can't - we'll just have a little party here for her! We are going to make some cupcakes, light some candles, and start celebrating May 13th in this family as Jada's birthday! Our little bug turns 3 today. That hurts a momma - I sure wish we were together - I think 3 LONG years, I know she's been in great care, and I know it's God's plan, but a part of me really thinks that 3 years is a long time without your family. We are SO anxious to get our LOA (Letter of Acceptance) and then our TA (Travel Approval) but so far, neither are here. So we wait - and we sing "Happy Birthday" to our daughter and sister clear across the world. Happy Birthday Jada - we love you.
We want to say a HUGE thank you to the many that have given to the Jada Fund through our sidebar or through our church. I can not tell you how blessed we have been by that. God is providing in ways we never imagined. People ask us - are we at our total yet? No, to be honest, thousands left, but God is good and we know He will provide. We are still applying for a couple of grants to help us finish out our adoption. We show our kids every time someone gives - it is God providing and it blesses us all! Thank you for your kindness again - you are just helping us answer God's call - to take care of the orphans.
I had someone ask for our church address so they could mail a check so I will post it here again: New Hope Evangelical Free Church Attn: Lisa Leusink 718 Florida Ave. SW Orange City, IA 51041 (In the Memo Line just note "Bilby Adoption")
Ok - so you asked what Chloe said and we asked her: What ingredients are mothers made of? Skin :) What kind of little girl was your mom? One with puffy hair. What's the difference between Moms and Dads? One was a little boy and one was a little girl. What does your mom do in her spare time? Plays with me! :) So there you have it - Chloe's wisdom - what she was willing to share - some of the questions she just looked at me funny. Oh well, who can blame her when you already know the answers!!! This was from our photo shoot tonight - trying to capture Chloe in the tulips but it wasn't SO successful! This one made me laugh, however.....
Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:
Why did God make mothers 1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is. 2. Mostly to clean the house. 3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.
How did God make mothers? 1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us. 2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring. 3. God made my mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.
What ingredients are mothers made of? 1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean. 2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.
Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom? 1. We're related. 2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's mom like me.
What kind of a little girl was your mom? 1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff. 2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy. 3. They say she used to be nice.
What did mom need to know about dad before she married him? 1. His last name. 2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer? 3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?
Why did your mom marry your dad? 1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mom eats a lot. 2. She got too old to do anything else with him. 3. My grandma says that mom didn't have her thinking cap on.
Who's the boss at your house? 1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball. 2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed. 3. I guess mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.
What's the difference between moms and dads? 1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work. 2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them. 3. Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friends. 4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.
What does your mom do in her spare time? 1. Mothers don't do spare time. 2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.
What would it take to make your mom perfect? 1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery. 2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.
If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be? 1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that. 2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it not me. 3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.
Happy Mother's Day to you all - Moms are such a great gift! I praise God for women that strive to follow Him ~ Enjoy your special day!!
Our Pizza Ranch fundraiser last night was something we do not ever want to forget. It was so awesome to see our friends come out - get dressed in cowboy outfits and sing cowboy songs in front of others. Then, on top of that, it was awesome to see them serving others in the community and doing it with joy. I just think God the Father had to be there with us with a BIG smile on his face as he watched. The adults set an example to others and then especially to the kids. Then, even thinking of the kids. How amazing to see a group of teenage boys have such a blast serving others with jobs such as cleaning dirty dishes, wiping tables and such. The boys set such a good example that other boys who just came out to eat wanted to get up and help as well. I heard one boy begging his mom to help because one of the other boys recruited him. Then to watch Colton pick up a rag and spray bottle to go around and wipe off tables. To see even the little ones like Caeleigh, Maria, Elizabeth and Chloe walking around to all the adults handing out mints. Even to have one adult station himself in a position so he could catch when a group left so the kids could go over and clean it off for the next group. Others handed out pizza orders like regular Pizza Ranch workers!! Even our trusty greeters!! There was just so much going on and all ages were able to get involved. Basically I just think it was amazing and I am so grateful to have friends that would even consider helping us with this. What a blessing last night was.
I just wish there was some way to let Jada know how much she is already loved. She has a huge family here in Iowa working to help us get her here and I just cannot wait until she can join us. So many people from church, work and then contacts through the library and the community at large came out. It is just beyond words. Even to have a business such as Pizza Ranch that provides opportunities for this type of fund-raising is amazing. What an incredible blessing!
Three years ago today I posted our first "And Chloe Makes 6" post - and here it is, three years later and we are now "And Jada Makes 7" - amazing what God does! Had to share the "blogoversary" though!!!!
In other news - Robin at Red Thread Stitches is having an auction for a WONDERFUL item this month and all proceeds go to our family. Robin is a dear - she has been so encouraging to us during this whole process and her own story is powerful as well. We are grateful for her in so many ways.
Our Pizza Ranch fundraiser is tomorrow night in Orange City - we are so excited, grateful, and waiting to watch God work. He never ceases to amaze us.
Lastly, my blog business - Busy Mama Blog Design - is featured today on Give Away Today - another great blog that focuses on online businesses and helping them spread the word.
Oh - can't quit now - I must share such an encouraging phone call from my morning - our local elementary school speech pathologist called me this morning - she is just such a blessing to us - she has worked with two of our boys with speech issues and now is so helpful in preparing for Jada to come home. She was telling me that the school is ready and willing to assess Jada when she comes home so that they are able/ready to help her in the fall. They so graciously offered to stop by when we get her home and are adjusted and play with her a bit to see in what areas they will be able to help her. I just see that as another God-thing - we are a homeschooling family - and yet they bend over backwards to make sure we know we can get any help we want or need. I feel truly blessed by that - it's just another thing that God does to show us his "Smile." He truly cares. Do I know best how to care for Jada or what she will need? No - but God does and He is clearing the path for her. I love that.
Sometimes God just makes it SO clear that He is FOR you. And that is just what He did for me this past week. I was out of town at a library conference from last Sunday until Wednesday and then left Thursday with Joe to head to another conference - this one for our church position. The Children Desiring God Conference was absolutely amazing. What God is showing me over and over lately is that Jada is truly His plan for us. He confirms it almost daily for me. So we go to Minneapolis for our conference and out of all of the sessions that God could have planned for us - He planned one on disabilities/special needs and their place in the Bible. I have to tell you - it was another eye-opening 60 minutes for me. Jada, and all of these children with special needs, were planned just like any other children - "knitted together in their mother's wombs" (Psalm 139) and they are here for the same purpose that we all are - to give God Glory! I was blown away at the number of times blindness/eye conditions are mentioned in the Bible AND was so touched by our speaker's words - having a son born with, among other things, no eyes. This father poured his heart out to us - he shared so many of the emotions he has gone through with his son and family - and his amazing heart for God. As I sat and cried through the whole session - I just praised God for giving me another reassurance of His plan.
Please pray - we were hoping to travel yet this summer - but the crazy Swine Flu may change that for us. So we are just asking our friends/family to petition God on our behalf - and Jada's as well. We want to go get our little girl and bring her home - it's all in God's timing but after waiting three years to see Jada we are, truth be told, a little antsy!!
I honestly can't believe it - where in the world does the time go? To think that our first blessing is 14 today! That simply amazes me. Micah, you are truly an amazing gift to us - we feel SO blessed that God chose us to be your parents. You have an incredible heart - a heart that reaches out to others AND to God. We love how God made you that way - not only are you an amazing big brother to all of your brothers and sister, but you are also an amazing son. I remember being scared to be a parent to teenagers and, thanks to you, we just feel excited about parenting during these upcoming teen years. Happy Birthday - I know it's the day you get gifts, but we feel like we got the BEST gift 14 years ago!!
Somehow - that's what it's been dubbed - Jada Fund. Makes me smile! I just wanted to throw a couple of tidbits out there. Chloe's Closet is up and running!! It is mostly clothes at the moment but I have one book on adoption AND I have a local donation on there - a friend offered to give one of her cakes from her business - so you have to be local to pick it up - but the offer is good for one year - just wanted anyone from around here to know about it - that is a fun donation - thanks Sara! (Selfishly I'm thinking I may need to bid - BIRTHDAYS??? We have a few over here!!)
Also - a couple of other friends have planned a TIP NIGHT for us at Pizza Ranch in Orange City. Wednesday, May 6 from 5-8pm 10% of all dine-in sales AND all tips will go to our Jada Fund. Mark it on your calendar and plan to eat out that night!! :)
What a blessing this all is to us. We are totally overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support - people give that don't even know us. People email and encourage us over and over - we just feel loved on! Thanks all of you for that. What stories we will have to share with our little Jada when she comes home (and learns English, of course)!! Again, God is just SO good.
What always amazes me is that God takes care of everything! And again, for this adoption, we have people asking how they can help financially. So I will post some different ways you can help give money toward our adoption.
1) You can give to the piggy bank in the sidebar - this goes through Paypal. 2) You can sign up for a blog makeover at Busy Mama Blog Design. 3) You can order from Amazon.com by clicking on ANY of our links at the bottom of this page - you don't even have to order THAT item, but any order placed by clicking in through our blog - gives a small portion to our family account. 4) You can mail a check to our church and give through them - that would give you a tax deductible statement. If you choose this route here's the address: New Hope Evangelical Free Church Attn: Lisa Leusink 718 Florida Ave. SW Orange City, IA 51041 IN THE MEMO LINE: put "Adoption for Bilby's" and it will 100% get to us and you will get a tax-deductible statement as well. 5) Any Creative Memories orders placed through my site also give a portion back to us - so that is good too!! (Traditional Scrapbooking or Digital Supplies - either counts!!) 6)Lastly, I am starting another blog - I know, I hear the groans now!! - but this one is called Chloe's Closet - I am selling all of Chloe's out-grown clothes that I was saving for Jada and now know won't fit her! I am also accepting DONATIONS of items to auction on this site as well - some designers have offered to send me brand new items to list on there - and that helps us too!
We do still have a LARGE chunk to pay Bethany here before our adoption is finished. This adoption, with all of the renewals and price increases, will cost us almost $10,000 more than Chloe's adoption - and while we wouldn't have it any other way - that is a lot of money! MORE THAN any financial giving - we SO covet your prayers. We feel so much peace in this, we know God has brought us this far and will continue to lead and guide us - we just are thrilled by your prayers for Jada and our family - God is good!
We continued to wait for more information. As we said we asked for additional medical tests. We also wanted a video so we could see her interaction with others. The video was not an option as well. But God provided something just as good.
Becky joined a yahoo group a week or so ago. It was a group for those who have adopted from Changshu, the same orphanage where Jada is located. At first we couldn’t get a response in order to be accepted into the group and then a few days ago we were accepted.
A woman who had adopted her daughter from Changshu happened to check the email and something caught her eye. We had posted that we were adopting a 3 year old girl with vision problems who was in a foster home. This woman’s daughter was also in a foster home. After receiving her daughter she had the opportunity to return to the orphanage, a three hour drive, and then also had the opportunity to meet with the foster mom. The foster mom brought with her another child she was fostering and the yahoo group mother wondered if it was possible that our Jada was the same little girl.
We sent her a picture and she responded that it was indeed the same little girl. She also sent us pictures she had taken of her daughter and the foster mom as well as Jada. How incredible that God provided us with a mom who has met our daughter and could answer so many of our questions.
What a blessing it was for God to answer our prayers and calm our fears. We know that the future holds many unknowns but we praise God that He has so clearly shown us that He is indeed for us. That He is in control and we can trust him.
We are looking forward to bringing Jada home. I hope our journey encourages you. We also would like to ask that each of you pray for us as we continue on this Journey and bring Jada home to be a part of our family forever.
More from Joe: After receiving the call from our social worker I read the email with all the information. I contacted Becky and the two of us questioned what all of this meant. We were surprised that there was even a condition called Aniridia.
Knowing that we only had 5 hours to make a decision the engines started and we sought out the council of our local doctor. Jon had helped us with every one of our files and we grew to trust him in knowing and selecting children that we felt we could safely bring into our home. We sent him the medical information and asked if he would have time in his usually busy schedule to look at the file.
We were surprised when he actually had a small chunk of time where he could review the file and meet with us. Becky and I rearranged our schedules and headed over to see him. We were thankful that he was able to meet with us and go over the file but this was such a rare condition, and he had not had any experience with it.
We left Jon’s office wondering what should be our next step. We had so many questions that needed answers so we drove to our agency and hoped that our social worker would be available to help us. We were surprised but happy that she was indeed in the office.
The head director started doing research on the internet and found a specialist at the University of Iowa. She printed out the web page and encouraged us to give him a call. The number was right on the page so we went to the conference room and gave it a try. To our surprise he actually picked up the phone. We spoke with him for nearly half an hour and he was willing to review the file.
The information we received was inconclusive. Aniridia can manifest itself in so many degrees. There are a number of related issues that can join with the condition and all of those can have varying degrees. Basically we were given more information to ponder and more information to add to our list of fears.
After the phone call we received more information from the director of a foundation - The Aniridia Foundation. We decided to call once we got home. I called, was able to speak with someone who was going to pass on my number to the founder of the foundation. To our surprise the founder, Jill, also has Aniridia. Shortly after the call we received an answer from Jill. We spoke for awhile and were greatly encouraged. It was good to hear and speak to someone who knew so much and was so well informed.
We took time to speak with our children to let them know what we were struggling with. We gave them the information that we knew and let them begin the same process of decision making that we were going through.
In just a few short hours we had received so much information. What was totally unknown to us at 11:50 had become a reality in such a short amount of time. A decision still had to be made but little time was left. I had to take Chloe to Kindermusik at 3:45 and Becky had to run to work. We left with all of this swirling in our minds and a promise to cry out to God in prayer to see his direction.
During Kindermusik Becky and I continued to search, pray and seek God. I called her at 4:59 to ask what she thought we should do. Both of us didn’t have a clue. We were so unclear. For some reason our hearts told us we couldn’t say no but we knew so little we couldn’t say yes. Becky called our social worker, in tears, to let her know that we couldn’t make a decision. We needed more time. Our sw basically offered to call Grand Rapids and ask what was possible. We didn’t think they would actually give us more time and that we had to have an answer in the event that more time wouldn’t be given. As much as we didn’t want to we told our sw we would have to say no if more time wasn’t granted.
Becky hung up the phone and our oldest son said, “I cannot believe you just did that. Why did you say no?” We tried to explain the seriousness of the situation and he said, “We can do this, and she needs a home.” What a blessing it is to have children whose hearts are so soft and open. We pray that God will protect that and grow it as they mature.
Well, Becky had to go to work at 5:00. I had to return home and fix meals for the kids. She struggled at work and I struggled at home. I went to the library so we could talk and catch up.
We were encouraged by so many people. Becky’s friend and boss knew something was wrong and we filled her in. She encouraged us that we could do it. I came in and spoke with her and she gave me the same encouragement.
From there I went to the church and just fell on my face and cried out to God. We didn’t know what He wanted us to do. We didn’t know if He wanted this for our family. Were we supposed to say yes or no? What was the wise thing to do? Could we handle this? Did we want this? Why? How? What were we supposed to do?
As I prayed I turned through scripture and wanted to seek in the Word what I should do. Each passage I turned to spoke of God’s power, His might, strength, preservation and planning. Then I would tell God that I needed more clarity, “What do you want us to do?” I turned to another passage and read how God was Almighty, All-knowing and All-powerful. Then in my prayers I told him again. “I know that, but what do you want us to do?” Once again I turned and His Word revealed that He is the mighty God, He is the creator, the One who holds all things together, the One who has all power. At that point I had to rest and know that God was showing me that I need to trust.
I finished my two hours of prayer and returned home to prepare the kids for bed and wait for Becky to return from work.
Becky returned from work. We shared our experiences and how God had been speaking to us. We continued to pray and seek and talk. At 11:00 we came to the conclusion that we couldn’t say no. We needed to move to call and lock this child in for us.
Becky called our social worker and she called Grand Rapids and we were locked in. We felt so much peace. We went to bed and rested knowing that we had done the right thing.
Then Tuesday morning came.
Tuesday came and we both woke up and wondered, “What did we just do?” “What did we say yes to?” The questions started to surface. The fears started to rise. At one point Becky nearly had a panic attack at work; we knew we didn’t want to say no but we were so afraid of all we didn’t know.
The medical information was inconclusive. There appeared to be inconsistencies in her abilities. Based on the research we had done on Aniridia we wanted to ask for medical testing so we would know the level of care that would be required.
We started putting together a list of things we would like to know. We wanted to have a video, we wanted medical tests, we basically wanted updated information on her abilities. We put the list together and sent it to our social worker.
Then we started getting information from other sources. Jill, from the Aniridia Foundation, sent us multiple emails with information. She put us in contact with two families who had adopted from China and had children with this same condition. She contacted us and had us talk with a urologist that worked with her. He was a Chinese national who practiced in China for 15 years. Aniridia can affect the kidneys so it was nice to speak with him.
We spent time seeking council from our trusted friends. We sought council from our Pastor and his wife. We were searching and seeking out wisdom from as many sources as we could all the while continuing to pray for guidance.
On Friday we attended our church Harp and Bowl prayer service. We think it is a blessing that we even had this service since it had been moved from its original date. We tend to think that God moved it just for us because He knew we would need it. What a blessing it was to settle down with our church body and pray, to have a time to just seek after God.
Each Day God would reveal more to us and each day we would find peace only to have it followed up with fear of the unknown. We had so little information that it was hard for us to settle on an answer. Our minds would move between all the different levels and possibilities. We would think of things she would or wouldn’t be able to do. We would think of our desires and hopes and how they may or may not be fulfilled in her. It was a real struggle for us as we pondered if God was asking us to do this.
While we waited for information about this little girl we started searching for opportunities on line. Becky found a wonderful ministry on line. She sent an email and asked if there was any way to get information on this little girl. We were thankful that they had contacts and were able to receive an updated report on her.
During this process we struggled with finding a name. This little girl’s Chinese name was difficult to say and so we were constantly referring to her as “her”, “the little girl” and “she”. It was hard to make this personal when we didn’t have a name. We had picked a number of names that we liked. We tend to go for the Bible names and wanted to select a Bible name since all of our other children had names from the Bible. The problem was that we just couldn’t find a name that fit this little girl. Chloe wanted us to name her "Princess Sparkles" but the boys nixed that fast!!
Over time our family decided to go off of the meaning in her Chinese name. Her name means Jade. So we decided to call her Jada. Little did we know that Jada is a Biblical name and a friend of ours told us that it is found in the Bible in three places. The most amazing thing is what Jada means. Jada is Hebrew for “He Knows”. What an amazing word to us. In all of our struggles our greatest struggle was that we didn’t know. We didn’t know enough about Jada’s condition but we can trust that “He knows”. God knows all that we need to know and we can trust in him. With tears streaming down our faces, we smile and know "He knows". Jada Faith
Over the next several days we want to post our journey of faith. God has been doing incredible things in our lives and we want to give Him the glory for His guidance, direction and patience. We are so very excited about bringing Jada home to be with us. But we want to be honest with all of you. It has not been an easy path.
As some of you know we have been in process since May of 2006. There were delays in getting our paperwork completed which caused us to have a LID of January 2007. From the very beginning we knew God was leading us in this process. He gave us some wonderful confirmations.
As the timeline continued to grow with China our hearts began to open to children with special needs. Over the last 2 years we have patiently waited as our agency and then China changed the special needs program a number of times. During that time we opened our hearts to a number of little ones. Each time we would consider and then request a child with just a little larger need. Total today we have selected 11 different little ones, only to be told no each time.
A few weeks ago we opened our hearts to yet another little one. We really prayed and had others praying for us. We had such a hope that this would finally be our daughter. We loved her picture, we loved her need and really felt that God and prepared us for her. But yet again we were not selected. We were excited knowing that so many families requested her. We were told that 60 some families had requested her and that there were just a few who had been waiting longer – so we were not selected. Since that time we have continued to pray for her. Chloe hasn’t allowed us to even take down her picture because she wanted to pray and be her friend.
God is good. Becky was able to connect with the parents of this little girl through the wonder of the internet. Her name will be **** and we hope Chloe and her can be pen pals. How sweet to know that God allowed us to connect with her parents. We hope that we can continue to pray for her and see how God works in her life.
God does indeed work in ways beyond our understanding. I think He likes that. It keeps us having to trust in Him and not in ourselves. I think He likes it when we rely on Him more than we rely on ourselves. I think so often we try to teach our children to be self-sufficient and we don’t spend as much time to teaching them to be God-sufficient. He meets our needs and loves to do it. I think God has plans to continue teaching us how to rely on Him for all that we need.
Becky and I had just started to recover from what we considered a real loss in not receiving **** as our child. We didn’t understand why God didn’t give her to us and we were very disappointed. We began the process of praying, again, that God would bring the right child to us.
Just a week after finding out that we were not to be the parents of **** I, Joe, received a phone call at work at around 12:00. It was during a meeting I was conducting but the receptionist passed it to me in the meeting room. As I picked up the phone I noticed that the caller ID screen had the name Bethany Christian Services. I was really excited thinking that maybe this was the call we had been waiting for.
Heather, our wonderful social worker, explained that a child had been selected for us from the portal. She explained that we had a limited amount of time to make a decision and that we needed to have an answer as to whether to lock her in by 5:00. She mentioned that her special need involved her eyes and that she was born without irises. I have to say that the way she mentioned her need that it sounded like something rather simple and I kind of brushed it off. I thought to myself, “ no irises – that is neat because I had just noticed a few days earlier that it was rather hard to tell what color eyes Chloe had. In fact we always said Chloe’s eyes were brown but until just a few days before I hadn’t really paid attention.” So I hung up the phone, finished my meeting and then returned to my desk.
At that point I did what every techie parent would do and I googled “no irises”. Little did I know that I was starting a journey with ups and downs, twists and turns. I learned that the scientific name for this condition was called Aniridia. I read the information and an instant fear settled into my heart.
A year after we brought Chloe home, our boys started a new bank in their room - it wasn't their normal one and so it prompted Joe and I to ask them about it. They told us they were helping to save for their next sister. Let's just say that Joe and I were shocked - we thought God was probably done building our family. But sometimes God chooses to work on us through our kids and thus a seed was planted in our hearts - another Bilby! We started in May of 2006 on our paperwork and now, we have been through THREE VERY LONG YEARS of waiting, we have asked for numerous little ones on our agency's waiting children list, and had our hearts broken each time as we were told "no" because we weren't far enough in line. It is amazing what God will do though - just two weeks ago we were told "no" yet again on a little one that we were VERY attached to. We just felt we had to be getting close to the top of the line, and yet again God said "No" - only to turn around the very next Monday and give us our daughter - one we didn't ask for - she was just given to us. We got the call on Monday right before lunch time - we had a daughter! God is so good to us - and we knew all along that His timing was perfect - but man, that wait is LONG and HARD! We wouldn't have it any other way.
Our Jada Faith is waiting for us in Changshu in a foster home. She will be 3 in May - yep, exactly 3 years to the VERY month that we started our paperwork. God is good!! We are thrilled we just can't post pictures yet - until we get approval from China. But don't you fear - they'll be up as SOON as China says yes!!
We spent Easter weekend with my sister and her family at my dad and mom's house. What a good time with family - our only "yuck" spot - Micah was sick almost THE WHOLE time - poor kid - we still aren't sure what was going on with that. Here are a few pics of the cousins AND Chloe getting ready for the egg hunt - couldn't miss this tradition - our kids look forward to our annual hunts!!
Yes - 4 years ago this wonderful girl was given to us - we all say she's a gift beyond compare!! So today is her Gotcha Day and we had to celebrate! Chloe kept asking us all day what this day was and we kept telling her Gotcha Day, but she insisted it was "My Patrick's Day" - what do we know anyway!?!?! All these holidays just run together I guess! So here she is in her glory!! She begs to hear her story over and over - I love that. And I love to hear her giggle when I tell her she cried and cried ALL that first day - ok the first THREE DAYS - then she just smiles and says, "Mommy, I was telling you in Chinese that I was hungry." Oh - if only we had known!! :)
We are coming up on the very day, 4 years ago, now that God gave us Chloe. That is a fun day for our family - we remember lots of things with her. I remember most how incredibly HARD that day was - we wanted to love all over her - we had been waiting for her for over a year - she, on the other hand, had no idea she needed another home other than the one she had known for her short 8 months of life. I can not imagine how traumatic that day was for her - hey, if you were handed to me with TORNADO hair (thanks, Chloe) you'd be scared too!! :) But it was also a WONDERFUL day - a day we wouldn't trade for any other! We have been blessed. I found this article online though and think it's a wonderful way to portray what might have been going through her mind - in a way that makes sense to me!
When you are harvesting your crops and forget to bring in a bundle of grain from your field, don't go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigners, orphans and widows. Then the LORD your God will bless you in all you do. ~Deuteronomy 24:19
Chloe - Dad is very nice and very kind. And he gives lots of kisses to me at bedtime. I like him so much. He plays Mario Kart with me. He reads Charlie and Lola to me - and they are my favorite books! He shared Father's Day with me on my birthday, that was so nice. I miss him when he goes to work, and I love it when he comes home.
Sometimes pride is ok - these guys have worked HARD. (Believe me, I know, I drive him back and forth everyday to practice!!!) For a sixth grade band, we are impressed. They march in two parades a day today through Saturday. We will ALL be tired!!
Gotta love how the shortest kid gets the largest instrument!! Go Caleb!!!
He was hot after playing in a LONG parade but he looks good!
