19 weeks #waitingwell
I always wanted to live abroad. Chris and I had the opportunity in college, but we got married instead and soon started having babies! Thanks to our super-hero families for watching our kids over the years, my hunk and I have been able to adventure across the globe together. Who knew we would one day take our 4 kids, add 1 more, and live in Uganda!?
Awe...aren't my babies the cutest?
"Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were
written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:16
We've been in Uganda for over 19 weeks now. It's been crazy hard (mostly) and crazy good (some). My heart rests secure in the knowledge that this is God's very best plan for our family. It wasn't our plan to be here this long. When we took this leap of faith, we never dreamed we'd still be here. We thought 12 weeks tops, then we'd be bringing our sweetie home. But nothing surprises God and He has no "plan B." So here we are, trusting in God's sovereignty and trying to catch every lesson, growth opportunity, and good thing that comes our way. We're doing our very best at #waitingwell!
Awe...aren't my babies the cutest?
"Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were
written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:16
We've been in Uganda for over 19 weeks now. It's been crazy hard (mostly) and crazy good (some). My heart rests secure in the knowledge that this is God's very best plan for our family. It wasn't our plan to be here this long. When we took this leap of faith, we never dreamed we'd still be here. We thought 12 weeks tops, then we'd be bringing our sweetie home. But nothing surprises God and He has no "plan B." So here we are, trusting in God's sovereignty and trying to catch every lesson, growth opportunity, and good thing that comes our way. We're doing our very best at #waitingwell!
"The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." Proverbs 16:9
We finally had our long-awaited court date 9 weeks ago (some of the most brutal hours of our life, but that's another story), and were told to...you guessed it...w.a.i.t. for 6 weeks to get the ruling. What an agonizing, stretching wait it was. We had to daily choose to shift our eyes from the "what ifs" and focus them on Jesus, author and giver of all good gifts.
D. with our caseworker, Nun who cared for her, & police man who found her when she was abandoned.
Celebrating that's over with! Court is no joke!
"I lift up my eyes to the mountains-- where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth." Psalm 121:1-2
"I lift up my eyes to the mountains-- where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth." Psalm 121:1-2
We filled our time with doing laundry by hand (check out our new muscles when you see us), finishing up school for the year, visiting an amazing ministry called "Show Mercy International", and having all sorts of fun and frivolity with our newest family member!
A good lil' helper! Extra rinse cycle is always nice 🙄
Zoo, camping, & celebrating birthdays!
We 💟 http://showmercy.org/ ! We were blessed to join in all God is doing through this ministry to vulnerable kids, elderly, prisoners, mommas & babies, families & the whole community. Check them out!
On August 17th, we took little D. in for a routine checkup to make sure her blood levels were ok. It breaks my heart watching her live with Sickle Cell Disease. Amongst other challenges, every month she needs to have her Hemoglobin checked to make sure she is not at high risk for (another) stroke. Since she had a stroke as an infant, she is 300 times more likely to have another. She is such a strong and brave little girl, but boy does she let us know she does NOT like getting poked. Sadly, her levels had dropped too low & she needed a blood transfusion immediately.
Thankfully, last month we found out that I'm a match and could be her regular donor. I love how God is in the details! What an honor and (insert all kinds of mom emotions here) to have my blood flowing through her veins!
A few days later we returned to the clinic for a post-transfusion re-check. Only moments after hearing that her blood levels were once again good (!), we got the phone call from our social worker that SHE IS OFFICIALLY OURS!! The judge had *finally* signed the adoption order, making little D. legally our girl forever! We partied all weekend and Chris shaved his beard at last!!
"Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens,
you have done great things. Who is like you, God?" Psalm 71:19
Chris rushed her off to the hospital while the kids and I stayed home crying out to the Lord on our knees to save her. Her hemoglobin had dropped dangerously low, and because blood is scarcely available here, my amazing hubby had his blood tested to see if he too was a match. Incredibly, they found he's O- (universal donor), so they immediately took his blood to give her. The nurse didn't take precautions to lay him down first and not take too much, too fast. After too long not hearing from him, I frantically called. When he finally answered, he was laying on the floor that he had just passed out on. I decided then that I had to go be with them, so I tucked my kids in bed, prayed over them, and left Logan in charge (he is 15 & can be very responsible, not to mention we live in a safe compound with good neighbors and 2 night guards). I had to wake up the owner of our compound & beg him to take me, since it was 11 at night and I thought it not wise to call Uber like we usually do.
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me." Psalms 23:4
The next 4 days were some of the darkest of our lives. Watching our new daughter writhe in excruciating pain despite dose after dose of morphine, was a terrible that I can't even describe. Doctors were baffled about what was really going on and how to treat her. Chris and I traded off so one of us would be with her round the clock. The rest of our kids rose to the occasion becoming prayer warriors for their sister, and managing very well for short periods at home alone. In desperation we read every article online, talked with every person we thought might know something, monitored very closely what the nurses and doctors did, and learned to advocate for our daughter. My goodness, we had (and have!) the most incredible prayer support holding us up. We cried out to the Lord for healing and comfort for little D. and wisdom for us and her Doctors. We praised and worshipped Him, thanking Him for loving her more than we do and for holding us all together. Slowly she improved, and finally we rejoiced in bringing her home, with the knowledge that God had miraculously spared her life.
"Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all His benefits...
He heals all your diseases." Psalm 103:2-3
Well, I guess that turned into long story long (ha). We have a new understanding of her medical fragility and the miracle that is her! We've spent the next several weeks with a new focus on making sure she is hydrating enough, eating healthy food, and getting plenty of rest. Through God's sovereign hand and my husband's wisdom and tenacity, we now have a handful of the top specialists in the world all consulting to determine the best care for her. We don't know exactly what the future holds, but we know Who holds it, so we find rest in Him. We do know she cannot get the medical care she needs here in Uganda, so we continue to push forward in every way possible to bring her home.
Sadly, pull-our-hair-out-and-run-screaming-down-the-street frustratingly, we have been stuck in a pile up of paperwork in a corrupt, bureaucratic system. Try as we might, there has been not a darn thing we can do to make this adoption move faster. And with her health needs that cannot be met here, man does that make it even more tough. So, we choose to lift our hands in praise to the One who's got the whole world in His hands, and enjoy the little gifts right here, right now. Despite the painful process, we focus, and refocus again on God's promises. He is faithful!
"The Lord your God is He who goes with you to fight for you against
your enemies, to give you the victory." Deuteronomy 20:4
Thank you for reading and praying for us. You hold us up!
All our love,
Lallie
My husband and I just watched your Hawaii Life episode and immediately thought, "they must be believers!" when the adoption was mentioned. I did a Google search and found your story. Through our own life's journey, we can attest to the faithfulness and tender care of our powerful, sovereign and loving Father. He has not forgotten you! We look forward to finding out how He will continue to work in and through your family.
ReplyDelete