FRIDAY, JUNE 30, 2006 04:32 PM
Hello everyone!!!
We have been imagining and wondering what it's going to be like on the very first day we meet the children (the day we actually "get them"), so last night we found a wonderful story that just melted our hearts, it's about a couple who adopted a little boy & girls (siblings from Colombia). They share the experience of the "Day they first met their children" so beautifully & vividly, you almost feel as though you were there!
Check it out & enjoy:
http://www.childrenshope.com/Colombia_Sulhoff.htm
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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28, 2006 06:35 PM
Just a note to thank all of you who have "Initiated" our guestbook. Sharon & I really look forward to reading your encouraging messages and can't wait to hear from the rest of you. Don't forget to keep coming back to read our updates and leave us more messages!
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TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2006 02:20 PM
Hooray!!!!!!!!!
Today we finally got Michaels Birth certificate from the state of Illinois, only waiting for a couple more things and the dossier can FINALLY be sent (hopefully no more than 2 weeks)!!!
Here are a few very encouraging stories for you to enjoy:
1- A wonderful couple (we would some day love to meet) who just recently adopted a sibling group of 5 kids from Colombia, YES, 5 kids at once (and guess what? they already had 2 kids at home)! http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060608/NEWS08/606080402/1010
2- Another wonderful couple who adopted 2 little girls from Colombia: http://www.commonwealthadoptions.org/stories.php?story_num=23
3- Just like we hope to do, this other great couple adopted 3 sisters from Colombia (scroll to bottom of page to read their story: http://www.childrenshopeint.org/colombiaupdate.html
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THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 2006 10:43 PM
Madison, our 8 year old big Mutt hurt her left back paw while playing outside (she tore a nail); although she was in pain, she refused to have me take care of her and wouldn't let anyone touch her paw until Michael came home from work at night. Michael was just so kind and gentle, washing and cleaning her paw, taking care of her with such tenderness and watching him really made me grin with gratitude. Boy oh boy, if he is that kind to our animals, I can't wait to see how wonderful he will be as a father taking care of our little girls!
OK, enough mushiness for today!!! :>)
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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21, 2006 07:26 PM
Great news!!!
Today we finally got the FBI clearance fingerprint cards returned to us. We were told that after sending them in, it would only take 2 weeks to get them back, but it had been over a month since we sent them in and we had still not heard from them. We were about to start the process all over again: going to the local police, getting fingerprinted and then sending it all over again to the FBI headquarters in Washington (terrified that it would all get lost again). We prayed and asked the Lord to pleeeeeeeeeeease intervene, so this wouldn't cause the process to be delayed 1-2 months. Praise the Lord, He answered, we got the cards back, now we just have to send them in to a different office in Washington for the official Secretary of State seal and then, when we get them back (hopefully in 2-3 weeks) we can send them to Colombia!
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SUNDAY, JUNE 18, 2006 06:38 PM
Happy Father's Day!!!
Today, by faith we went shopping for a few outfits for the girls (we say by faith because besides not having received the Official "yes" from Colombia yet, we don't even know their true sizes). As we shared with you on "Mother's Day" (when we also shopped for them, we cried when we found out that the day we meet our daughters for the very first time, they will literally come to us with just the little clothes on their bodies. It surely made us think of how much we take for granted and opened our eyes to how many times we are so ungrateful!
On a happier note though, I (Michael) got a wonderful Father's day gift from Sharon: "a complete Spanish Language course on CD's (don't you just love Costco)?" I will be working hard studying everyday on my long commute back and forth from work, so that I'll be able to communicate with our girls!
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FRIDAY, JUNE 16, 2006 11:02 AM
Today we got a beautiful and very encouraging card from our friend Theresa. It had 3 very girly & feminine little shopping bags on the cover and it made me laugh and Michael cringe (when he thinks of the "4 of us girls" going shopping), yikes!!! :>)
Tomorrow is Father's Day and this year, Michael actually has "a spring in his step when he thinks about it"!
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THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2006 11:09 AM
Hooray!!!!!!!!!
Today we received our completed Home-Study (yes, it definitely took longer than the originally promised 4 weeks), but we are thrilled to announce that we have been fully approved (at least by the State of Michigan) to adopt the girls!!!
Now we just have to receive all the remaining documentation we are waiting for, so we can send the complete Dossier (packet of all certified documents) to Colombia. Then we just wait for the "Official" match and approval from Colombia. Praise the Lord!!!
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SUNDAY, JUNE 11, 2006 09:53 PM
This weekend we drove to St. Catherine's Canada to visit our brother Fred & his family. On Saturday night we went to their church to see a performance of the "Watoto Children's Choir from Uganda " and it was just marvelous!!!
After the concert, Fred & Marina gave hospitality to 3 of the "Watoto kids" and their chaperone, we were so blessed to be able to meet them and spend some time with them. They were 3 little orphan boys (between 9 and 10 years old) who had at one time been left to fend for themselves in the streets, after loosing both parents to the aids epidemic that has been going on in Africa. It was wonderful to experience first hand what the love of God can do, when demonstrated in a practical manner by those who care not just in words, but in action!
Please visit: www.watoto.com
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SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 2006 10:34 AM
Yesterday I (Sharon) had lunch with my friend Theresa and was just so incredibly touched to see the love she already feels for the girls, even though by faith we are all still waiting for the final outcome and of course she hasn't even met them yet!
She was in tears (of great joy) to know that we had decided to fully pursue the adoption and after she was done shedding her "tears of joy" and could actually speak, the first words that came out of her mouth were: "I want to give you guys a shower, I'm going to call all your friends so we can plan!"
Both Michael and I are just amazed at the love that is flowing so abundantly toward us during this time of excitement and expectation. As We said before, we are soooooooooo blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives and soon these people will also be in our children's lives, how awesome!!!
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FRIDAY, JUNE 09, 2006 06:48 PM
Psalm 139 (NIV):
1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.
5 You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.
19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
and abhor those who rise up against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
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FRIDAY, JUNE 09, 2006 06:46 PM
Some of you have requested an "Adoption Update" since our return from New York (when we met with the birth-mother interested in us for the adoption of her unborn baby), we hereby share our hearts with you:
As you know, we have been married for 18 years & have longed to become parents for many of those years, but not until recently did we feel ever so ready to become parents. The truth is that 2 very different but wonderful opportunities came into our lives and we seriously considered both options. There was in-depth reflection on the fact that we had never been parents before and would immediately become parents to 3 children (who are older, from a different culture, different language & any issues that may come). Also, considering a baby. Honestly, we also wanted to protect ourselves, for in the process of adoption many things can be uncertain and because we already felt very strongly about one of the options, for our own peace of mind we thought wise to reflect on the other!
Upon our return from New York we had peace about our decision, believing that it would only be right to fully disclose the options that had been made available to us, to both the birth-mother and adoption agency handling the Colombian process. We were pleasantly surprised when the birth-mother showed no strong objection, but our case manager informed us that the Colombian Government would not consider our process any further and would deny our application to adopt the sibling group, if they knew that we were even considering an infant adoption at the same time.
As you can imagine, this has probably been one of the most emotionally intense times in our lives, where we had to be 100% sure inside our hearts that we were making the right decision. A Bible verse that had been so lovingly shared with us a few weeks earlier by our brother Roddy, was just what we needed to sustain us during this time 1 Peter 5:7 - Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
We knew that we would have no difficulty falling in love with the unborn baby (which we found out would be a little girl) and pondered on the fact that prior to falling in love with the 3 little girls from Colombia, we had always longed for and dreamed of holding a newborn baby in our arms, experiencing the more natural process of development as a family that this particular option would bring, but at the same time we were so happy to have found the three little sisters from Colombia.
We knew that by saying "NO" to the baby, the birth-mother would still be able to choose from probably thousands of wonderful adoptive parents (in the US alone), who would be more than ready to jump into our place. We also knew that if we said "NO" to the sibling group adoption, God would still provide them with the right parents, but there still aren't enough families who are willing to jump at the opportunity of giving "a future and a hope" to 3 older children who have already been waiting for a family and if none would come, could quite possibly just become part of the statistics, the forgotten and throw-away generation (like so many throughout the world). We ourselves were part of the group that would have never seriously consider this option until these 3 little girls came into our lives unexpectedly, tugging at our hearts so strongly and not letting go. There was indeed much praying, introspection, weighing of pros, cons and a few tears were shed prior to making having made our final decision.
For those of you who have not been following our journal and prior decision & commitment, we rejoice in sharing with you our precious and dear ones, that we made our decision based on the peace we felt in our hearts and the love that has already began to flourish, knowing by faith that the Lord in His great loving kindness will honor our decision and supply us with all the grace and wisdom needed to become the best parents possible to what we hope will soon be "Our Chosen Three Little Colombian Daughters!!!"
In conclusion, our hope is that in the end, once all the documents are submitted and reviewed by the authorities in the Colombian government, we will indeed be approved to become the parents of these 3 precious little girls. Most importantly though, our prayer is that the Lord in His amazing love and awesome mercy would honor our decision and bless us with His grace and wisdom so that we indeed (as already mentioned) can be the best possible parents for these precious little girls, who He knew before the foundation of the world and were beautifully and fearfully made by Him.
Words can not express how grateful we are for all your love and support during this incredible journey of faith "Our Pregnancy Of The Heart!"
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THURSDAY, JUNE 01, 2006 10:32 AM
James 1:27 (NIV):
Religion that God our father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Friday, June 30, 2006
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