Beaches!

We’d like to catch you up to present day, because we are now on our way to Africa to bring our girl home! Praise Jesus!  We want to tell the whole story in hopes to give God maximum glory, so we hope you will take .  the time to read through our rambles…

.I apologize for any typos, formatting issues, or punctation errors.  Sending this from Dubai is more challenging than I thought

DAY 155: 

You will never know what it is like to experience God’s power in an intimate way until you have the audacity to believe and pray and act in the confidence that our God is a God of the impossible.

                                                                                                                              ~Steven Furtick- Sun Stand Still     

No word from Africa.We are completing all that is required of us prior to having our actual face-to-face home study done.So many probing questions into our family and our marriage, but knowing that each answered question is one more barrier broken down between us and Victory.Each morning I must remind myself who God really is as we wait for the (nearly) impossible to become possible in our finite minds.       

DAY 157:

Our little Victory is back in the “hospital” with a Sickle Cell Crisis.For those of you who don’t know, Sickle Cell Disease causes “blockages” of blood and can hit anywhere in the body including the heart and brain and causes severe pain.That is why she suffered a stroke at 18 months.Most children with Sickle Cell do not survive past age 5 in Africa.Our little girl has survived the odds solely because of God’s provision and protection.Now, the “hospital” that she is admitted to I have written about in past blogs.It can hardly be called a hospital, and anyone from a developed nation would be appalled at what occurs (or doesn’t occur) there.Knowing this, my heart breaks for her.I trust in God’s protection, but why does she have to suffer?Why does a 6-year-old have to be in such horrific pain?Lallie and I shed tears for her as we cry out for supernatural healing in her body and relief from pain.We feel so helpless 12,000 miles away- we just want to fix it all.That’s what I do as a medical provider- fix people.I can’t fix her right now.I will trust in Him even when I don’t understand and am powerless to help.                             

DAY 158:

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you & not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. – Jeremiah 29:11

I speak this over our little girl as she goes to sleep in a dark, scary, unloving, uncertain place.I speak in confidence, knowing this verse also applies to her. God has good plans for this little 5 year-old little girl who has Sickle Cell Disease, suffered a stroke, was abandoned without any sign of her parents in the middle of Africa, and is in crisis in an underfunded hospital with very scarce resources and minimal medical knowledge.In worldly terms- she doesn’t stand a chance.But, all my hope is in Jesus. I am so relieved knowing that His perfect and precious promises apply to ALL who love Him.     

DAY 159:

She was released from the hospital and all we know is that she is “weak” but better.NO other information can be obtained.Lord, I thank you for healing her and protecting her.Bring her home Lord, bring her home.     

Wait for the Lord; Be strong & take heart & WAIT FOR THE LORD.

Our Bend house is closing!  One more mountain cleared!  Thank you Lord.

DAY 162:

Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.  I will praise you as long as I live & I will lift up my hands.  Psalms 63:3-4

Christ’s love is better than life itself.  So many abundant blessings as we prepare to move into our new home in Kona.  Getting this home is a small miracle in itself and as my lips glorify you, may this house also glorify you in all ways.  May it be a place of rest for the weary and those without shelter.  A place for our FIVE kids to grow together in You.  Let us not hold onto any of this tightly as it is ALL yours.

DAY 166:

The size of your vision isn’t limited to who you are or what you think you can do. 

The size of your vision isn’t even determined by who God is. 

Instead, the scope and impact of your vision will be determined by who you believe God is

And whether you have the courage to respond accordingly.  SSS

What makes world-changing Christians unique, audacious, & powerful isn’t their perfection.

  It’s their understanding of God’s perfect nature & purposes in the world. 

This is a God worth taking risks for.  SSS

The simplest theology ever, when it all boils down- God is GOOD and God is GREAT.If we trust completely in those two incredible truths imagine what we all could accomplish through Him.We will take risks with Christ as we fight to bring Victory home.   

DAY 174:

We are absolutely blown away by the support of our friends and family.We are completely moved and out of our rental only because of the generous hard work and love of those around us.Such an amazing blessing to have genuine support for what we are accomplishing together.We now have had 2 garage sales to help cover adoption costs and it is enough to cover all of the home study costs!     

In that place of suffering & death (on the cross), God settle once and for all the truth that makes audacious faith not only possible but also irresistible.

And nothing you and I could do or say or believe or suffer will ever change that.

God is good.  Always has been.  Always will be.  SSS

DAY 184:

HOME STUDY DAY

“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts to which indeed you were called in one body and be thankful.Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching, & admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms & hymns & spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”~Colossians 3:14-17     

Peace permeated our home as the social worker assessed our ability to adopt our daughter.  A very strange process if you ask me, but it really could not have gone any smoother this day.  May His peace carry us as we continue on this uncertain journey. Thank you Lord.

DAY 193:

Progress for the first time in-country!  Local officials have confirmed that they are aware of our desire to adopt and will begin the process on their end- which is quite significant considering the radio silence we have had to this point from the officials.  You are paving the way Lord in your perfect timing…

DAY 210:

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” ~Hebrews 11:1

Hope is a desire.  Faith is a demonstration.  Hope wants it to happen.  Faith causes it to happen & acts as if it’s already done.  Faith is not content to want it really, really bad.  Faith consults the drawings & gets busy building.  Hope is the blueprint & faith in the contractor.  Some of the impossible things we’re believing God for will never happen in our lives if we stand in hope instead of walking in faith.  SSS

We WILL stand in audacious faith that our God will continue to move mountains to bring Victory home as if it already has been done. We will move forward in faith, one step at a time, even when that one step is all we see. We will walk in faith now, for her, and all the days of our lives.

DAY 212:

Interestingly, two days after reading the above passage, our pastor, Bill Barley, preached on a “culture of faith” that is built on 4 pillars:

1.     God is good

2.     We are living from a place of VICTORY

3.     Nothing is impossible with Him

4.     I am uniquely and wonderfully made with a unique purpose

Our faith in you Lord is stronger than long waits & radio silence.  Stronger than corrupt governments, unmet funding, & numerous uncertainties.  Stronger than 12,000 miles of water and earth. If this journey is not faith building, I really don’t know what is. 

DAY 217:

PROMISE => P—R—O—C—E—S—S => PAYOFF

As we continue to take each little step one at a time I realize more and more that it is all about the process the draws our whole family closer to the Lord.  Especially when the light at the end of the tunnel isn’t even on. 

You can embrace the process with audacious faith, because every big dream has small beginnings.  Between the promise & the payoff, there’s always a process.  And that process is the breeding ground of faith.  That process has the potential to draw you closer to Jesus than you’ve ever been before.  The process is the point. SSS

DAY 218:

God brought a very special person into our family this week.  She is a pediatrician who was looking for a position at the health center where I work.  It ‘just so happens’ that she did a fellowship in Africa in the same area that our sweet girl lives, focused on Sickle Cell Disease, and she worked with the leading doctors in the world on SCD!  We had a wonderful time together in our home, with our family. We loved getting to know her and share our stories. Although she will not be accepting a position at the clinic at this time (we are still holding out hope for the future!), she was able to connect us with one of the expert Doctors who now is aware of Victory directly!  We look forward to building relationship with him and seeking his guidance on her care. Coincidence?  NOPE.

DAY 231:

I find myself daydreaming at times about my new daughter.  As she steps down off the plane in Hawaii for the first time and she is welcomed by our ohana to her new home, and a graceful garland of VICTORY is placed over her head. That will be an incredibly special moment, that I deeply long for.  My love for V grows each day, she is my daughter and I am her earthly father. 

DAY 234:

As we continue down this narrow road, life continues to move at lightning speed all around us.  I found out today that my sister has breast cancer at age 40, and will need a mastectomy. Our hearts hurt while we cry out to Jesus and determine once more that we will NOT be shaken. All our hope is in Jesus. We claim complete and total healing, and victory over cancer for her, and new life on the other side!

DAY 240:

We have some tangible progress by finally connecting with the right adoption agency that is able to work with our specific situation and believes that we have a very good chance of bringing her home.Prior to that we were connected to the right person but the wrong agency.It just so happens that the person who is in charge of our case is adopting, with her husband, their 3rd child from the same country, also with special needs.Coincidence?NOPE.Cue the next onslaught of copious amounts of paperwork to complete our dossier which is even more exhaustive than our home study.We are saving a child but we are killing trees in the process! J Of course, I would kill all the trees on the planet to bring her home (that sounds terrible doesn’t it-ha!).           

DAY 243:

We were approved for a matching grant of $4000 from Chosen and Dearly Loved and funds are coming in from so many generous donors!  We are confident that the financial part of this journey has already been provided by God we and rest in the fact that He has called us to this and He will provide.  In addition, we got a text late in the night from the nun caring for V that said, “let’s finish this”! Progress!

We have run into a slight problem that has become a ridiculously large problem with Lallie’s documents.Her actual legal name is Willa, but as soon as her parents named her, they decided to call her Lallie.Her passport says Lallie, her birth certificate says Willa, and her marriage certificate says both Willa and Lallie!Now, no one knows how she ever got a passport under Lallie, but nevertheless the mismatch will cause a problem in the adoption process.She can legally change her name which takes up to 3 months and is a convoluted process, or she can change her passport to Willa.In order to do that however you have to prove that you are actively using that name.That is a challenge seeing as she doesn’t use it much.More waiting as we send the request to the Department of State. She eventually had to first change her drivers license, a small miracle in itself considering her track record with the Kona DMV! Will this delay everything?Nope, God has perfect timing in all things.We are ready to “finish this”.                 

DAY 259:

I had a dream about Victory specifically, for the first time ever.  We were together as a family at the beach and she was much older.  The main thing I remember was her smile.  She just couldn’t stop smiling.  Thinking back, I don’t remember many smiles from her at the orphanage unless we tickled her.  I cannot wait to bring huge smiles to her face through our constant love, the family adventures we will enjoy, and the memories we will make together, starting in Africa.

DAY 267:

Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart, and lean not in your own understanding.  In ALL your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. ~Proverbs 3:5

Delays after delays for Lallie’s, excuse me, Willa’s passport.  This process is downright crazy.  We wait expectantly everyday for it to arrive in the mail.  This Proverbs say ALL twice.  Not sometimes, or when we feel like it, or when it makes sense to our finite minds.  He commands us to trust ALL the time.  This is our challenge in the waiting game.

DAY 272:

Your name, your name is victory,

All praise will rise to Christ our King!

By your Spirit I will rise from the ashes for defeat

The resurrecting King is resurrecting me!

In your name I come alive to declare your victory

The resurrecting King is resurrecting me!

These lyrics are from a song by Elevation Worship called, “Resurrecting”, which we have adopted as one of our “theme songs” for this journey.  I encourage everyone to listen to it and think/pray for our family and for our new daughter.  I always find a song or two which has some meaning and play it frequently during a family trip so that when we hear those songs in the future it will immediately bring back memories.  This is Victory’s song and we will explain soon enough why we gave her this “nickname”.  God has amazing things in store for this little girl I have no doubt.  She will be a world changer as she rises from the ashes of defeat by the power of our Savior. 

DAY 278:

We are overwhelmed with the generous support of our family, friends, and community!  We are over halfway funded for our adoption!  It is an honor to partner with so many people from all over and we are simply blessed beyond words.  Our friends here have held multiple garage sales and bake sales, enabling the whole community to get behind us. The cost of international adoption is daunting, but we have never doubted that God will provide all that we need, and we’ve been surprised how readily people join in our support.  He is not going to take us this far and say, “good luck to ya!”  His provision will sustain to the very end, that is one of His many precious and perfect promises.  Thank you Lord!

DAY 282:

BIG DAY!  “Willa’s” passport came in the mail!  This means that everything now can be finalized and sent to Africa as our complete dossier.  We also booked our flights today!!  It is finally getting real up in here!  We also hit the 75% mark for fundraising!!  Wow, I stand in awe of you Lord. 

DAY 302:

We feel we are under major spiritual attack in these final weeks before leaving.I have been very sick, Lallie lost a filling and is pain, Evie is having a very hard time swallowing pills (she has to for Typhoid and Malaria), our house is not renting out yet, expensive appliances breaking left and right, our kids seem to be at odds with each other and with us.Lots of prayers for protection and abundant outpouring of peace and healing over our family and our home.We know that God’s promises don’t have expiration dates and He will make good out of all of this. Right now is a time for perseverance, for pushing forward and keeping our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.     

DAY 307- GOOD FRIDAY:

Another day full of answered prayers:Evie swallowed her pills, Lallie got her tooth fixed, we have our appointment for fingerprinting (which is the last step before we go), we have been approved for visas, our house is renting out, taxes are (finally!!) done, we are 95% funded, in country transportation and accommodations are worked out mostly, we had contact from the nun who states that she is all ready for us- the list goes on and on.This is such a rollercoaster ride of emotions, but God always prevails and He does answer our prayers.Specific, audacious faith-filled prayers has been our focus.     

When you spell out your prayers with specificity, they will eventually spell God’s glory.

                                                                                                                              ~ Mark Batterson

DAY 316- DEPARTURE DAY:

We actually fly out today and we actually get to see our new daughter in just a few days.  We are fully funded and all the ducks lined up that we can.  The truth is that there is A LOT of uncertainty stepping onto the plane.  We are certain that V is our daughter called to our family by God.  The process in country is what we are uncertain about and we know that it is in the uncertainty that our faith continues to grow.  We will be in flight for 26 hours and travel over 12,000 miles from home.

We can’t wait to share the next chapter with you all…thank you for holding us up. All our love!

Sorry no pictures this round.  From here on out we will be adding pictures as we take them.  Please keep in contact and comment on our blog.  We can be found on "WhatsApp" as well.  Stay tuned