It's about time you meet Victory
Well, it has only been over three years since we posted anything on this old, dusty blog of ours. It is time to revive it and for very, very good reason. She has a name- we will call her Victory or V until we bring her home safely. Let's start from the beginning...
Lallie, Logan, and I, along with my parents, met V for the first time in April 2015 during our first trip to Africa. She had been found, abandoned in a garden at 18 months old, with her immunization record in her hand. A selfless nun who runs an small, underfunded baby orphanage discovered her. She suffered a stroke due to her Sickle Cell Disease, and whomever was caring for her realized they were not able to meet her special medical needs. When V was found she couldn't walk and would drag herself around by her left arm. The nuns did their best to take care of her and provide her with the physical therapy she needed in order to have any chance of walking. Miraculously, after many months of therapy, she began to walk. When we first met her with her dark, compassionate eyes, she was walking fairly well but would drag her right foot significantly and her right arm was stiff and without any function. She was four at the time and she was already the oldest child at this baby orphanage.
We spent a good amount of time there during our first visit loving on all the babies and blessing the nuns with supplies, medical care, and resources. Lallie was convinced we were going to bring a little African baby (or two) home with us. Well, that obviously didn't happen. But we know that God placed a deep desire in our hearts that day for adoption and even then, there was something about V that kept her in our minds. We found ourselves asking, "Who's going to adopt her?'. She is surrounded by little babies who are generally healthy without disability- she didn't stand a chance. I found myself saying at the time, "I don't think we are ready for this kind of commitment Lord. She's disabled and sick." We prayed over her for continued healing and protection and left her and all the babies in tears, wishing we could do more.
Fast-Forward=> DAY 1: We returned to Africa and the orphange with a team of 12 from Living Stones Church from our home town of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii in June 2016. We brought Logan again, knowing that God had more for him there. What a privilege it was to bring others to share in the bittersweet time at the orphanage. V was still there. Older and taller now, no longer a "baby" for sure. She could walk better and even was able to run. Even though she didn't know much English, we observed how she had become a "mother hen" herding the babies around, cleaning up, and making sure they used their manners.
As we were holding V and doing medical exams on the sick babies, I looked over in the corner and my oldest son, Logan, had tears streaming down his cheeks and his face turned away from the rest of the team. I thought maybe he was sick or in pain. He then quietly bent down and whispered in my ear, "Dad, I don't know if I have ever really heard the Lord's voice before, but I just heard Him tell me that we are supposed to adopt V, that she is my sister! I have never been so sure of something in my life." I was floored. We have never seen our son that genuinely emotional before. It brought tears to our eyes as well but at the same time fear crept in. The same words came to mind from a year ago, "I don't think we are ready for this kind of commitment. Is this really you Lord?" The nun started talking about how they cannot afford to put V in school and cannot afford to pay for the intensive medical care she needs at times. We started thinking what does her future hold here? She has no where to go and no opportunity to be more or do more. God surely has more for her! Lallie & I felt it was time to take a large uncertain step of faith. Before we left the orphanage we fervently discussed the possibilities of adopting her with the nuns. They were so excited that we desired to bring her into our family. The nun made it clear that the process to adopt is difficult in Africa and at best is a very, very slow process. We told her that we would be willing to extend our stay if it meant we had a chance of taking her home. Lallie had a lot more optimism about the possibilities than I did. We drove away again in tears, wondering what would happen next.
DAY 5: We returned to the orphanage, just Lallie and I with another team member, and brought V a book which Lallie signed, "Love, Mom and Dad." As we sat alone in that same concrete room, we looked at each other and at V quietly looking at her new book and Lallie whispered, "I think she's ours honey." Now both in tears we knew this was more than just emotions, it was God's calling for our family. He quickly grew our confidence in V as our new daughter in both of our hearts. That doesn't mean that there weren't fears of the uncertainties to come.
DAY 6: The following days were spent trying to frantically figure out how to fly through the ultra thick African red tape at light speed. We only had a few days to try to figure it out. Every time we tried to get something or someone to move, the human response we would get was, "wait". The probation officer who managed her case was difficult to track down and most days was completely MIA. He probably manages hundreds if not thousands of children as there are millions orphans spread over the continent. "Slowly by slowly" we are told things progress in Africa in general. This certainly was no exception.
DAY 10: We visited one last time to the baby orphanage, hoping that the nun had been able to track down this elusive officer. We got the unfortunate response of, "wait". We asked to review V's medical records and tried to learn as much about her as we could. We discovered her birthday was in February, and aside from the Sickle Cell Anemia, she looked healthy. She had received minimal check ups and really only had medical care during a Sickle Cell crisis. The nun was doing all that she could for her.
DAY 17: Lallie & I reluctantly stepped aboard our plane home to Hawaii without our new daughter by our side. "Wait" again and again is all we heard and really had no idea what we were in for to bring her home. Lallie was in tears as we took off wondering why this process is so convoluted, slow, and confusing. A child with unmet medical needs in an underfunded orphanage, without a mother or father, and little chance of in-country adoption. A family ready to hold her close, take her under their wings and provide for her. Yet, the answer is still "wait."
DAY 42: Over the next month Lallie and I prayed fervently for clarity from the Lord. I wanted more certainty in my heart that we were actually supposed to do this as doubt crept in. "Was this just an emotional response to a great need 12,000 miles away?" "Were we just trying to be super heroes and save the day?" Well on this day, I call it V-Day, things became very clear for me. I told Lallie that I am "all in" and am completely confident in the Lord's sovereignty in this seemingly impossible process. He will provide everything required to bring her home. We put our house on the market in Bend in preparation for a new place here in Hawaii to bring her home to.
DAY 86: Weary of waiting on officials and direction with new adoption laws in Uganda, we are ready to just go back and "figure it out" over there to bring her home. We know that's crazy and likely unwise, but the waiting is so hard. I then read in 1 Kings where Elijah challenged the Prophets of Baal to prove their god was real by supernaturally lighting an altar. Elijah drenched the wood with water and God consumed everything with fire from above.
Lallie, Logan, and I, along with my parents, met V for the first time in April 2015 during our first trip to Africa. She had been found, abandoned in a garden at 18 months old, with her immunization record in her hand. A selfless nun who runs an small, underfunded baby orphanage discovered her. She suffered a stroke due to her Sickle Cell Disease, and whomever was caring for her realized they were not able to meet her special medical needs. When V was found she couldn't walk and would drag herself around by her left arm. The nuns did their best to take care of her and provide her with the physical therapy she needed in order to have any chance of walking. Miraculously, after many months of therapy, she began to walk. When we first met her with her dark, compassionate eyes, she was walking fairly well but would drag her right foot significantly and her right arm was stiff and without any function. She was four at the time and she was already the oldest child at this baby orphanage.
We spent a good amount of time there during our first visit loving on all the babies and blessing the nuns with supplies, medical care, and resources. Lallie was convinced we were going to bring a little African baby (or two) home with us. Well, that obviously didn't happen. But we know that God placed a deep desire in our hearts that day for adoption and even then, there was something about V that kept her in our minds. We found ourselves asking, "Who's going to adopt her?'. She is surrounded by little babies who are generally healthy without disability- she didn't stand a chance. I found myself saying at the time, "I don't think we are ready for this kind of commitment Lord. She's disabled and sick." We prayed over her for continued healing and protection and left her and all the babies in tears, wishing we could do more.
Fast-Forward=> DAY 1: We returned to Africa and the orphange with a team of 12 from Living Stones Church from our home town of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii in June 2016. We brought Logan again, knowing that God had more for him there. What a privilege it was to bring others to share in the bittersweet time at the orphanage. V was still there. Older and taller now, no longer a "baby" for sure. She could walk better and even was able to run. Even though she didn't know much English, we observed how she had become a "mother hen" herding the babies around, cleaning up, and making sure they used their manners.
As we were holding V and doing medical exams on the sick babies, I looked over in the corner and my oldest son, Logan, had tears streaming down his cheeks and his face turned away from the rest of the team. I thought maybe he was sick or in pain. He then quietly bent down and whispered in my ear, "Dad, I don't know if I have ever really heard the Lord's voice before, but I just heard Him tell me that we are supposed to adopt V, that she is my sister! I have never been so sure of something in my life." I was floored. We have never seen our son that genuinely emotional before. It brought tears to our eyes as well but at the same time fear crept in. The same words came to mind from a year ago, "I don't think we are ready for this kind of commitment. Is this really you Lord?" The nun started talking about how they cannot afford to put V in school and cannot afford to pay for the intensive medical care she needs at times. We started thinking what does her future hold here? She has no where to go and no opportunity to be more or do more. God surely has more for her! Lallie & I felt it was time to take a large uncertain step of faith. Before we left the orphanage we fervently discussed the possibilities of adopting her with the nuns. They were so excited that we desired to bring her into our family. The nun made it clear that the process to adopt is difficult in Africa and at best is a very, very slow process. We told her that we would be willing to extend our stay if it meant we had a chance of taking her home. Lallie had a lot more optimism about the possibilities than I did. We drove away again in tears, wondering what would happen next.
DAY 5: We returned to the orphanage, just Lallie and I with another team member, and brought V a book which Lallie signed, "Love, Mom and Dad." As we sat alone in that same concrete room, we looked at each other and at V quietly looking at her new book and Lallie whispered, "I think she's ours honey." Now both in tears we knew this was more than just emotions, it was God's calling for our family. He quickly grew our confidence in V as our new daughter in both of our hearts. That doesn't mean that there weren't fears of the uncertainties to come.
DAY 6: The following days were spent trying to frantically figure out how to fly through the ultra thick African red tape at light speed. We only had a few days to try to figure it out. Every time we tried to get something or someone to move, the human response we would get was, "wait". The probation officer who managed her case was difficult to track down and most days was completely MIA. He probably manages hundreds if not thousands of children as there are millions orphans spread over the continent. "Slowly by slowly" we are told things progress in Africa in general. This certainly was no exception.
DAY 10: We visited one last time to the baby orphanage, hoping that the nun had been able to track down this elusive officer. We got the unfortunate response of, "wait". We asked to review V's medical records and tried to learn as much about her as we could. We discovered her birthday was in February, and aside from the Sickle Cell Anemia, she looked healthy. She had received minimal check ups and really only had medical care during a Sickle Cell crisis. The nun was doing all that she could for her.
DAY 17: Lallie & I reluctantly stepped aboard our plane home to Hawaii without our new daughter by our side. "Wait" again and again is all we heard and really had no idea what we were in for to bring her home. Lallie was in tears as we took off wondering why this process is so convoluted, slow, and confusing. A child with unmet medical needs in an underfunded orphanage, without a mother or father, and little chance of in-country adoption. A family ready to hold her close, take her under their wings and provide for her. Yet, the answer is still "wait."
DAY 42: Over the next month Lallie and I prayed fervently for clarity from the Lord. I wanted more certainty in my heart that we were actually supposed to do this as doubt crept in. "Was this just an emotional response to a great need 12,000 miles away?" "Were we just trying to be super heroes and save the day?" Well on this day, I call it V-Day, things became very clear for me. I told Lallie that I am "all in" and am completely confident in the Lord's sovereignty in this seemingly impossible process. He will provide everything required to bring her home. We put our house on the market in Bend in preparation for a new place here in Hawaii to bring her home to.
For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding,
he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
guarding the paths of justice & watching over the way of His saints.
Proverbs 2:6-8
Proverbs 2:6-8
DAY 45: "Peaceful courage", I felt God was speaking these words to me on this day. It is the opposite of fear, anxiety, doubt, indecision, or confusion. Instead it is powerful, purposeful precision from the Lord with his perfect, precious promises as the foundation of it all. We will be courageous in moving forward with a confidence in who we serve, what He is capable of (everything), and what he desires in our lives as a Good Father. We will trust Him completely without reservation, willing to risk everything He asks us to. Extraordinary moves of God begin with ordinary acts of obedience. We will bring V home-- only because of Him.
Have I not commanded you? Be strong & courageous.
Do not be frightened & do not be dismayed,
for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go!"
Joshua 1:9
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts & your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:7
DAY 75: If you haven't read Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick, I highly recommend it to everyone. It is about having an "audacious faith" in who God is and what he is able to do like Joshua did when he asked God to stop the sun from setting. Audacious means "with confident disregard for personal comfort & conventional thought". It is with that kind of faith that you ask for the impossible from God and wait expectantly for Him to move mountains. Our mountain is 12,000 miles wide and seems taller than Everest, but that is no match for our good, good Father. We are confident He has called us to bring V into our family and we have audacious faith asking for Him to move this seemingly insurmountable mountain. We know that we need to have "confident disregard for personal comfort & conventional thought" throughout this process, and trust that it all has purpose and God will be honored and glorified through it all.
DAY 86: Weary of waiting on officials and direction with new adoption laws in Uganda, we are ready to just go back and "figure it out" over there to bring her home. We know that's crazy and likely unwise, but the waiting is so hard. I then read in 1 Kings where Elijah challenged the Prophets of Baal to prove their god was real by supernaturally lighting an altar. Elijah drenched the wood with water and God consumed everything with fire from above.
God performs the most impressive feats through the most unimpressive people.
God likes to wet the wood before he sets it on fire.
That way everybody knows who made it burn.
-Steven Furtick- Sun Stand Still
God is wetting the wood of this adoption process, every detail. And in His perfect timing, He will light it up! We will continue to wait in expectation of that day. Our faith cannot be shaken.
DAY 90:
TO BE CONTINUED...
The Bible says that God's Word is a lamp to our feet, not a floodlight beaming to our destination.
We'd all like to live in a world where God lets us do big things that require minimal risk. Where the voice of the Holy Spirit carries for miles & miles- piercing through static & fuzz, jeers & jaunts. The fact is though, that the land where the sun stands still is a land where promises and uncertainties must coexist.
Audacious faith does not eliminate doubt & fear. It eclipses their power one decision at a time.
-Steven Furtick
This is the kind of faith that will move mountains friends. We hope you will join us in reaching for an audacious faith powered by bold, expectant prayers to our good, good Father.
https://mystory.lifesongfororphans.org/stories/help-us-bring-sweet-girl-home/
https://mystory.lifesongfororphans.org/stories/help-us-bring-sweet-girl-home/
DAY 260: Today, February 25th. 37 Weeks. We are nearly "full term". We conceived our daughter in our hearts 37 weeks ago. She has grown and taken up residence in our every thought, every prayer, every longing, every tear. We are trying our best to wait well. The seed is germinating under the ground and we fully believe at just the right moment, God will cause it to burst forth and make the way clear for us to be united with our girl. God is preparing us to step forward into the destiny He has for us.
We have seen God's hand at work in mighty ways already and we will fill in the gaps on this blog from Day 90 to 260 in the following weeks. We hope and pray you'll join us!
TO BE CONTINUED...
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