2 posts in the same day...I know, it's crazy! On a more uplifting note than my last post, I'm happy to report that I received a DVD of La Cenicienta in the mail today. The Spanish version of Cinderella, although Cinderella is still white for some reason. Anyway, this is happy news because....well, I ordered E.T. in Spanish as well. But I was shocked when I received a huge box called a VHS! What was I thinking!? We don't own a VCR anymore, nor do I know anyone who does. Logan probably hasn't ever seen one! Well maybe that's a little far, but still. Pretty funny!
Also, tomorrow is the fundraiser that Jes Horton wanted to do for us. We are humbled and so appreciative by all the people who are lugging their kids and/or spouses to that tomorrow to support us. We feel loved, encouraged, and supported!
Friday, April 27, 2012
What's New?
Awhile back, I posted on Facebook that international adoption is as easy as nailing jello to the wall. These last few days, we definitely feel like we're walking uphill a little bit. We worked our tails off try to buy a foreclosure that we really liked...and lost to a higher bid. Disappointing, but just a house. So we kept walking. The next day, I found out that I got denied health insurance. Denied. Like a sick person or something! Terribly frustrating. And that same afternoon, the consejo came out. Our kids were not on it.
The consejo is the list that the SNA in Peru puts out periodically (usually once a month at the end of the month but not always) and it "matches" couples or individuals with a child or sibling group. Ours will say something like sibling group ages 9-16 matched with a couple from Villa Hope. We thought this was the step we are waiting for. Come to find out, there are pieces in between our paperwork and the consejo that haven't happened yet. Our agency is supposed to be researching what the status of our paperwork is, if there are any problems that need to be corrected, etc.
We didn't cry or stomp our feet or anything. We know there are worse things. And we certainly have learned to trust God's timing. We are thrilled we're not traveling in May so that Logan can get the love and attention she deserves during graduation! We know when God allows us to travel, it will be just the right time!
But there are times in our walk with Christ that it just feels like you're walking in mud. Like every step is hard and heavy. He says His yoke is easy and His burden is light. So sometimes I wonder if I am making things harder than they ought to be. But similar to carrying a child for 10 months, nausea, heartburn and swollen ankles, the journey is worth it. I believe this!
The consejo is the list that the SNA in Peru puts out periodically (usually once a month at the end of the month but not always) and it "matches" couples or individuals with a child or sibling group. Ours will say something like sibling group ages 9-16 matched with a couple from Villa Hope. We thought this was the step we are waiting for. Come to find out, there are pieces in between our paperwork and the consejo that haven't happened yet. Our agency is supposed to be researching what the status of our paperwork is, if there are any problems that need to be corrected, etc.
We didn't cry or stomp our feet or anything. We know there are worse things. And we certainly have learned to trust God's timing. We are thrilled we're not traveling in May so that Logan can get the love and attention she deserves during graduation! We know when God allows us to travel, it will be just the right time!
But there are times in our walk with Christ that it just feels like you're walking in mud. Like every step is hard and heavy. He says His yoke is easy and His burden is light. So sometimes I wonder if I am making things harder than they ought to be. But similar to carrying a child for 10 months, nausea, heartburn and swollen ankles, the journey is worth it. I believe this!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Not a Fan
Today, our pastor talked about being a true follower of Christ. Not a fan of Christ. Not someone who watches from the stands and claps and cheers, but doesn't move. And I would say I have been a follower of Christ for a long time. I made a commitment to follow Him and was truly transformed. But the passage today still kicked my rear! This is Matthew 16, right after Peter takes Jesus aside to scold him:
But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man. "
Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?
Lately, I have not been setting my mind on things of God. And NO, I haven't been thinking of trashy things or anything! :) I think I've just been thinking of myself. Even with good intentions...things I want for the kids. Things I want for my house...for the kids. Things I want for Scott and I. Do you see the theme? Things I want. The reality that if I'm setting my mind on things of man instead of God means I'm acting as an enemy makes me ashamed.
I'm standing (with all my weight) on the truth that God knows what He's doing. That He is working in the SNA on our paperwork and He has a plan. That He takes care of us and provides for us...so worrying about what house we live in or what the kids wear is silly. I don't know any more about where we are in the process than I did last time I posted. But today, I'm not worrying about the world and am setting my mind on things of God.
But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man. "
Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?
Lately, I have not been setting my mind on things of God. And NO, I haven't been thinking of trashy things or anything! :) I think I've just been thinking of myself. Even with good intentions...things I want for the kids. Things I want for my house...for the kids. Things I want for Scott and I. Do you see the theme? Things I want. The reality that if I'm setting my mind on things of man instead of God means I'm acting as an enemy makes me ashamed.
I'm standing (with all my weight) on the truth that God knows what He's doing. That He is working in the SNA on our paperwork and He has a plan. That He takes care of us and provides for us...so worrying about what house we live in or what the kids wear is silly. I don't know any more about where we are in the process than I did last time I posted. But today, I'm not worrying about the world and am setting my mind on things of God.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Wish I knew more...
... but I don't. As of last week, our dossier was in the hands of the SNA (the governing body who handles women's and children's affairs in Peru) and we should be being looked at. For those of you not as familiar with international adoption, the dossier is about 4 inches of paper that tells your life story: our pasts, our home study, our kids, our mild psychotic illnesses (just kidding). Anything you can think of that might be valuable to know before allowing us to adopt children. And a whole bunch of stuff that maybe doesn't matter. BUT, it is our lifeline to being approved for these 5 kids!
And so we wait. We wait for a handful of people to each read our life story. And we wait for the call that they are ours! Last week, I had one change to a letter that I wrote that got overnighted and arrived in Alabama where our agency is on Friday. So far, it's the only requested change to our dossier.
Our prayers are that there are no major changes required and that they will approve us quickly! I would also ask that you would pray for the kids. They know enough about the process to ask how los papeles (the papers) are coming along. And so they are waiting too. I pray often that God would give them peace and the faith to trust that He knows what He's doing. Yhonson reminded me last week that God is in control. So I KNOW the Lord is holding them in His hands. :)
And so we wait. We wait for a handful of people to each read our life story. And we wait for the call that they are ours! Last week, I had one change to a letter that I wrote that got overnighted and arrived in Alabama where our agency is on Friday. So far, it's the only requested change to our dossier.
Our prayers are that there are no major changes required and that they will approve us quickly! I would also ask that you would pray for the kids. They know enough about the process to ask how los papeles (the papers) are coming along. And so they are waiting too. I pray often that God would give them peace and the faith to trust that He knows what He's doing. Yhonson reminded me last week that God is in control. So I KNOW the Lord is holding them in His hands. :)
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
History: How the kids found out about us
In Peru (and I suppose in other countries too), there are 2 kinds of kids in orphanages: those that are adoptable and those that aren't. There are many reason why some kids would be un-adoptable. They may have family that comes regularly and love and care for them, just can't financially shelter and feed them. They may have families that come around every once in awhile, can't take care of them, but won't officially let them go or "abandon" them. For our five, they don't really have family left that can take care of them since their parents died several years ago. And when they were extremely young, I don't know why no one filled out the abandonment paperwork on them and made them adoptable. But as they got older, the oldest--Yhonson--knew that making them adoptable could mean that the five of them would get separated. He refused to let that happen so he stated that he never wanted to be adopted. Odds are, things just fell through the cracks, so no one ever questioned it. So when we said we were willing to look into adopting them, we had to start at the very beginning. How do we get them declared abandoned? Because of the age of the kids, they got a choice. Scott and I knew that our willingness was only 50% of the decision. The kids could easily say "No thanks. I have friends and a life here. I don't want to go live with some Americans I've never met".
We came to the weekend that Kevin was going to tell them and we were giddy-nervous (like that's one word). My journal read like this:
"So yesterday was a crazy day here! Scott, Laney and I were at breakfast at Corner Cafe with Danny (my brother). Scott was messing around with my phone when he saw an e-mail from Kevin. Subject line: Talked with the kids. [Oh my gosh, I could hardly read fast enough without wetting my pants!] He proceeds to tell us that he spoke with Yhonson first privately. Kevin had a picture of the 4 of us and started to tell Yhonson that there is this family in the U.S. that wants to....before Kevin could even finish explaining, Yhonson said 'Yes, I want a family!'. He told the other 2 boys and then the girls on Saturday and they all said YES! We couldn't even believe it! We thought we might hear on Sunday that they were thinking about it or something. For all of them to say yes right away-that they are willing to leave everything they know-is incredible!"
If that doesn't rock your socks off, then... There are teenagers in the States that would sell their parents if they could! But this 16 year old wanted parents! In reality, I think they're more excited about having sisters than having Scott and me but that's okay. After this meeting, the ball really began rolling. Yhonson's birth certificate needed to be found, which literally required a donkey ride into some remote area. You can't make this stuff up! The kids had some serious questions about us like if we were Christians and silly questions, like where do you pee in public? Apparently guys can pee anywhere in Peru. We also had a ton of paperwork to begin. We pretty quickly made the calls to get the home study going and had to figure out the process! At least for awhile anyway. I'll talk about the "Big Fat No" in the next History Post. :)
We came to the weekend that Kevin was going to tell them and we were giddy-nervous (like that's one word). My journal read like this:
"So yesterday was a crazy day here! Scott, Laney and I were at breakfast at Corner Cafe with Danny (my brother). Scott was messing around with my phone when he saw an e-mail from Kevin. Subject line: Talked with the kids. [Oh my gosh, I could hardly read fast enough without wetting my pants!] He proceeds to tell us that he spoke with Yhonson first privately. Kevin had a picture of the 4 of us and started to tell Yhonson that there is this family in the U.S. that wants to....before Kevin could even finish explaining, Yhonson said 'Yes, I want a family!'. He told the other 2 boys and then the girls on Saturday and they all said YES! We couldn't even believe it! We thought we might hear on Sunday that they were thinking about it or something. For all of them to say yes right away-that they are willing to leave everything they know-is incredible!"
If that doesn't rock your socks off, then... There are teenagers in the States that would sell their parents if they could! But this 16 year old wanted parents! In reality, I think they're more excited about having sisters than having Scott and me but that's okay. After this meeting, the ball really began rolling. Yhonson's birth certificate needed to be found, which literally required a donkey ride into some remote area. You can't make this stuff up! The kids had some serious questions about us like if we were Christians and silly questions, like where do you pee in public? Apparently guys can pee anywhere in Peru. We also had a ton of paperwork to begin. We pretty quickly made the calls to get the home study going and had to figure out the process! At least for awhile anyway. I'll talk about the "Big Fat No" in the next History Post. :)
Monday, March 26, 2012
Brief Update on SNA Meeting
Just so that you're not in suspense...we have not heard back from our agency about the meeting last Friday. I don't think that means anything. At this point, we don't know if Peru is going to request any changes to our paperwork (dossier) or if it's good to go. So we wait. I will update as soon as I hear.
In case you aren't really sure where we are in this whole process, we are currently waiting for a "referral" which is the official matching of us to these particular kids. The referral is a big deal, especially with some of the exceptions that they have made for us. It means that the semi-yes we got awhile back becomes a real, official yes! Ask questions if you are confused...especially because I started this blog late and didn't go all the way back to the beginning. :) I can fill in the gaps if needed.
~Lauren
In case you aren't really sure where we are in this whole process, we are currently waiting for a "referral" which is the official matching of us to these particular kids. The referral is a big deal, especially with some of the exceptions that they have made for us. It means that the semi-yes we got awhile back becomes a real, official yes! Ask questions if you are confused...especially because I started this blog late and didn't go all the way back to the beginning. :) I can fill in the gaps if needed.
~Lauren
Friday, March 23, 2012
Today...
Today is the day of the "meeting". The one where our case is being presented to the decision makers in Peru. I'm a tad anxious. But I was just reminded of a verse that a friend gave us early on in the process, when we thought we were being told NO. God HAS taken down walls. I used to imagine him driving a bulldozer through a building, to breakdown the barriers of His plan if that's what it took. He can do it again today. And no matter what, He is still the God who calls me by name.
Isaiah 45:
I will go before you and will level the mountains;
I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.
I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel,
who summons you by name.
Isaiah 45:
I will go before you and will level the mountains;
I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.
I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel,
who summons you by name.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
April Fundraiser
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
History: How this whole thing started
Sometime around January 2011, a friend sent us (and many others) an email with 5 photos attached. The subject line was "We need a mommy and daddy". I remember Scott and I looking at that e-mail and thinking about how beautiful the kids were. And I even thought, "Someone rich should adopt them". And then life went on. Laney had her first birthday that month. We had a 17 year old doing high school life. And we were living like "normal". Then in March, I went to Guatemala to visit a friend from college. The week in the orphanage was hard. 120+ kids that because of some things going on with the government may never get families. I spent several days with babies the same age as Laney, yet Laney has a mom and dad and these kids don't. My journal said: "It was a rude awakening to see what hard, tiring, emotional work the people at the orphanage do. They don't get breaks. When do they have time to talk to their spouse? When do they have time to themselves? How do they recoop? But I also saw some things I hope to never forget. I saw an entire house of teenage girls receive letters from sponsors and you would have thought it was Christmas! The girls would open letters, some completely in English that they couldn't read, and hold them to their chest as if it was the greatest treasure! The sponsor was someone that belonged to them. Was theirs to love and be loved by. I left, knowing that the week had been hard and trying to process all that I had seen and learned. I didn't allow myself to fall crazy in love with any particular kid--knowing that the US can't adopt from Guatemala right now. But what was I supposed to do with all this stuff in my head? So I just kept processing..."
On March 29th, at a meeting with some friends, the 5 kids got brought up again. It was the first time the discussion of those kids potentially being adopted was discussed by Scott and me.
And we knew something was stirring in us. We were willing to talk about things that didn't make logical sense to us. How do you afford the adoption of 5 kids? How do you feed that many people on a regular basis? How do you pay for weddings and college? But God was laying groundwork in us that we could not have imagined. I can't speak for Scott. But I explained it like this in my journal at the time:
"For 14 months after Laney was born, my faith has been motivated by fear, comfort, safety...As a new mom you're so nervous something will happen to your baby. That you have to protect every move. But even more than that, it was motivated by financial security, having "enough" in reserve, having the best things. My faith had always been a little wilder than that and I didn't like being so fear driven. After Guatemala, I knew I wanted to find my wild faith again. The Lauren that really believed God can do immeasurably more than I can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20)...I mean REALLY believes that. Then Laci Thurn sent me a book called Reckless Faith to read while I was traveling. It spoke my language! The author reminded me that God is capable of so much more and that going out on a limb with Him is worth it. If we move forward with the 5 kids--I might actually be able to say the book changed my life".
It's funny to read that now because I guess I should say it did. That book changed our lives. But really God changed us. He asked us to do something that didn't necessarily make logical sense for us. And on Easter Sunday 2011, Scott said outloud that he was willing too. That day began the ball rolling. (Ask me sometime why Easter Sunday is a big Sunday for us Sterlings in general).
And now here we are. Almost a year later. And LOTS of details that I haven't typed. Shut and re-opened doors. Walls God steamrolled through! What a story!
On March 29th, at a meeting with some friends, the 5 kids got brought up again. It was the first time the discussion of those kids potentially being adopted was discussed by Scott and me.
And we knew something was stirring in us. We were willing to talk about things that didn't make logical sense to us. How do you afford the adoption of 5 kids? How do you feed that many people on a regular basis? How do you pay for weddings and college? But God was laying groundwork in us that we could not have imagined. I can't speak for Scott. But I explained it like this in my journal at the time:
"For 14 months after Laney was born, my faith has been motivated by fear, comfort, safety...As a new mom you're so nervous something will happen to your baby. That you have to protect every move. But even more than that, it was motivated by financial security, having "enough" in reserve, having the best things. My faith had always been a little wilder than that and I didn't like being so fear driven. After Guatemala, I knew I wanted to find my wild faith again. The Lauren that really believed God can do immeasurably more than I can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20)...I mean REALLY believes that. Then Laci Thurn sent me a book called Reckless Faith to read while I was traveling. It spoke my language! The author reminded me that God is capable of so much more and that going out on a limb with Him is worth it. If we move forward with the 5 kids--I might actually be able to say the book changed my life".
It's funny to read that now because I guess I should say it did. That book changed our lives. But really God changed us. He asked us to do something that didn't necessarily make logical sense for us. And on Easter Sunday 2011, Scott said outloud that he was willing too. That day began the ball rolling. (Ask me sometime why Easter Sunday is a big Sunday for us Sterlings in general).
And now here we are. Almost a year later. And LOTS of details that I haven't typed. Shut and re-opened doors. Walls God steamrolled through! What a story!
Latest News
We found out this week that our case is being "presented" this Friday to the SNA in Peru. The SNA is the governing body over women's and children's affairs in Peru, so this is a big deal. We're not completely sure what Friday means. Are they deciding things? Or just looking at our file? We have no clue. But prayers for no issues on Friday would be MUCH appreciated.
Here we go...
I finally gave in. I've avoided starting a blog because I felt like there is already so many out there to read! But I'm doing it for the few that want to follow our story. And for us...to remember and document this journey.
Our family is in the process of adopting 5 kids from Peru. Not just any 5 kids, but 5 really stellar siblings. Currently, their ages are 9, 10, 12, 14 and 16. Three boys and two girls. Their parents died several years ago and they have been living in an orphanage near Pacasmayo, Peru for about 6 years. We currently have 2 girls: Logan is 18 and Laney is 2. The story as to how we got to this point is long and has been like riding a roller coaster...sometimes without a seatbelt and with our eyes closed.
But we are getting close to the part of the story where we should get to travel and get these kiddos, so it's time to start writing it down. I began journaling (the old school way, with paper and pen) on April 19th, 2011. I will go back and type out some old entries here in a bit. But I'll give fair warning that they are "archives" so that those who don't want to go backwards can skip over those. :)
Thanks for your interest in our story! We welcome your comments, prayers, encouragement and questions.
~Lauren
"Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. " James 1:27
Our family is in the process of adopting 5 kids from Peru. Not just any 5 kids, but 5 really stellar siblings. Currently, their ages are 9, 10, 12, 14 and 16. Three boys and two girls. Their parents died several years ago and they have been living in an orphanage near Pacasmayo, Peru for about 6 years. We currently have 2 girls: Logan is 18 and Laney is 2. The story as to how we got to this point is long and has been like riding a roller coaster...sometimes without a seatbelt and with our eyes closed.
But we are getting close to the part of the story where we should get to travel and get these kiddos, so it's time to start writing it down. I began journaling (the old school way, with paper and pen) on April 19th, 2011. I will go back and type out some old entries here in a bit. But I'll give fair warning that they are "archives" so that those who don't want to go backwards can skip over those. :)
Thanks for your interest in our story! We welcome your comments, prayers, encouragement and questions.
~Lauren
"Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. " James 1:27
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