Posted in Adoption Happenings

Well yes, we are still alive and kicking.

When life isn't going the best, instead of reaching out to friends and family, I do the opposite and withdraw. That is what I have done for a big part of the last few months. Not to have a pity party, but it appears I have too much pride and think I can handle it...me and God. And yes, God can handle anything. Nothing that has happened in my life has caught him by surprise. However, I am learning (ever so slowly) that He has created us to live in fellowship with each other, to need each other.  I love helping, I just hate asking for help. (Pride, yuck!)

So here's an update on the last 7 months or so.  Last October, after over 16 years with the same company, my dear hubby lost his job.  This sent us for a bit of a spin. We trust God and know it is ultimately HE who provides for us, yet in the flesh we saw so much loss. He had so much vested in that company and to see it gone in one day was a little difficult. However, God was so gracious. Kurt got a call then very next day and was offered a temporary job (which he STILL has.)  It has no benefits, only pays a fraction of what he was making, and is a temporary contract...but God is providing. Praise Him!  DH got a second job to supplement and provide insurance. Though this job is only part-time, it has great insurance....so we thought. They have denied coverage for Zack twice due to his mental handicap. We are continuing to appeal. So my hard-working dear husband rises at 5:15 works a full time job in a hot warehouse, then heads to his second job in another hot warehouse. He arrives home about 11:00 pm. How blessed I am that God gave me such a hard-working man!

With the loss of Kurt's job we saw our dreams of bringing Michael and Moses home from Liberia slightly dimming. Immigration will not let you bring children into the country unless you make a minimum amount and can provide health insurance for them. Since dh getting a second job, we can now do that. However, the agency we were with took our money and did absolutely nothing on our adoption in a year and a half. Now Liberia has a moratorium on new adoptions. And every day our boys get older. The agency has now dropped us and we are working independently with a social worker in Liberia.  

We are walking a fine line. We believe with all our heart that God can do a miracle and make it possible for us to bring our boys home. Yet with everything we (and they) have gone through, we are preparing our hearts for the possibility that they may not come home. Somehow that feels like a lack of faith. Yet, my heart is preparing itself becaue we have had so many let-downs and broken promises. We have gotten to know these boys over the last year and a half and I adore them. In my heart they are mine. However, I have to be ok with whatever God does. I have to trust in His sovereignty. He knows what is best for everyone and He loves Michael and Moses more that I can even imagine. Yet, we will continue to pray for that miracle. 

Zack is doing fairly well. We have seen a little regression with all the stress going on and him not seeing his Daddy as much. He has been working at a local department store part time since last November. He puts up stock and generally helps with whatever they need. He enjoys this job and we are so thankful for this opportunity for him.

Dylan is doing very well. He is begins his Eagle project in a few weeks. He is building raised flower beds around the courtyard of a local nursing home. This will enable the residents to work in the flower gardens as many of them enjoy doing. He is entering the 11th grade this fall. I can't believe my baby has grown up so fast. He is turning into such a fine young man. He loves the Lord and his family. It is such a joy to watch him walk out his own relationship with Christ. I am so blessed to be his mom.    

Ok...that's the last few months in "Cliff Notes" form.  I can't guarantee the next post will be happen any faster than this one...but stranger things have happened. 

"Your are to rejoice before the LORD your God
in everything you put your hand to." (Deut. 12:18)

~ Sonya ~

Posted in Adoption Happenings

I am sure many of you have seen Facing the Giants. We truly enjoyed the movie, but there was one line in it that really helped us in what we are going through with this adoption. Well, in a nutshell and to the best of my recollection, it was the part where the man who was praying for revival told the coach about the two farmers who prayed for rain. and which one's prayers were answered...THE ONE WHO PREPARED FOR RAIN.  Well, that's what we have been doing for the many months...preparing for rain. The first thing we did was buy two additional chairs for our dining room table. So when we say our mealtime prayers, we reach our hands across two empty chairs. This reminds us that there are two members of our family missing from the dinner table.   It also makes us more thankful for the food we are eating because we know that our missing family members are not eating as well.

Despite there being no new activity or nothing new to report on our adoption, we are still "preparing for rain." We finished their rooms last week. The only thing missing now are those two precious boys.  It does my heart so good to see their beds waiting for them. I often go in their and just pray they will be sleeping soundly in their very own beds soon.

We talked to the boys this week and they are pretty discouraged. My heart hurts for them so much. Their good friend's adoption is final and he is on his way home to the US as I type this. I asked Michael if he misses his friend, he said "oh mom...so much." They are such great boys. I was telling them that we have their room all ready and waiting for them. After I told Moses this he said "oh mom, praise God!"  It made coming home seem more real to him...like we really and truly believe he will come home.  As I was trying to encourage them Michael was trying to encourage me. He said "I know that with God, all things are possible."     I say Amen!!

I saw this on the end of someone's email and I just loved it:  "Not flesh of my flesh, nor bone of my bone; but still miraculously my own."

"Your are to rejoice before the LORD your God
in everything you put your hand to." (Deut. 12:18)

~ Sonya ~

Posted in Adoption Happenings

Another great thing that happened this summer was that Kurt went to Liberia for a week. He would have liked to stay longer, but he is saving his vacation days for WHEN the adoption is finished. He will need those days to go back and get them to bring them home. It was a great trip. He did a little work with the group he went over with, but the main purpose of his trip was to see if he could push the adoption along and spend time with Gabriel Michael and Nathaniel Moses. What a blessing! He took many photos I will put some below.

He got to spend quite a bit of time with Michael and Moses, which made it difficult to leave and more urgent to bring them home. The situation was horrible over there and has gotten worse since Kurt has been home. They have closed down Shepherd's Village (where the older boys 13+ lived.)  Most of these boys had nowhere to go. Children Concerned started a home for the older boys, praise God. It is a complicated story, but our boys must stay somewhere else so that they can still be adopted. It seemed we were on the phone for days scrambling to find them a place to stay. We are sending money for their care because ACFI will no longer feed or house them. It is a sad situation. Please pray for these precious boys. It is not just our two that are affected. What does it feel like to be a teen boy, homeless, no promise of shelter or food for that day and no mom or dad to tell your fears to and comfort you? I believe that is why their faith is so strong and they cling to the Lord like they do. He is all they have.

Many changes have happened in Liberia when the new consular took over. It is making it considerably more difficult for visas to be issued and parents to bring their children home. We are praying and trusting the Lord. Our hands are tied, His are not.

Michael and Moses opening their envelopes from America. 

Yummy goodies from home!

Gabriel Michael

Nathaniel Moses

Dad and his Liberian boys

"Your are to rejoice before the LORD your God
in everything you put your hand to." (Deut. 12:18)

~ Sonya ~

Posted in Adoption Happenings

Well, to say I have been lax in posting on this blog would be an understatement of gigantic proportion, especially to so many of you wonderful home schoolers who post so frequently.  I could readily come up with 7 or 8 wonderful excuses for not posting and each one would have some merit, but none hold water on their own with the exception of "laziness" and "too much to say and don't know where to begin."  However, I will bite the bullet, pick a point, and go from there.

We are all doing well. Kurt is working so much and we miss him terribly. He frequently works 19 days straight before he gets a day off. He gets so tired, and it makes it hard on everyone, but that's what must happen for now until they get more help. It makes us treasure family time even more, especially the Sundays he actually does get to come to church with us!

Zack is doing so great. We are working hard to graduate him in early June. He is so excited! We have been measuring for cap and gown, working on his biographies and senior page for our home schooling group's yearbook. He is talking a little funny as of late. He had braces put on two weeks ago and had the palatal expander put in (for the second time!) this past Wednesday. We try not to laugh, but it really is so cute to hear him talk. His Dad calls him "Sid". If you have watched the movie Ice Age, you remember Sid the Sloth...well with this expander, Zack talks just like him!!!  It's so funny!  He does not like all the metal in his mouth (who can blame him?), but we have tried to make him understand it is only for a season. He will be able to chew so much better when his mouth gets straightened out!

Dylan is  working hard at winding up his freshman year. Officially, we still have 7 more weeks of school, but he will keep working a little beyond that to finish his Algebra book. He is working on his service project for his Life Rank in Boy Scouts. He is really motivated to get his Eagle thanks to his Dad holding a "carrot" out in front of him.  That "carrot" is his driver's license. Kurt said he cannot get his driver's license until he achieves Eagle rank. For my son who has eyes for every mustang that passes by, this is a huge "carrot"!!  He is incredibly motivated now!    He has gotten quite good at playing the guitar. I am incredibly impressed! He has saved up his money for quite awhile and just ordered an electric guitar. It will take a few weeks to come in and he can barely wait.

I have "officially" retired from Hope And A Future. I actually turned in my resignation last July and gave them a year to find my replacement.  They have and I feel quite relieved. I will miss working with the children and  families so very much. However, with everything going on in our lives, it is a huge weight off of me at this point.

Well, the adoption is still going forward. We have hit some rough patches and SOOOO much has happened. Our paperwork is in Liberia. The attorney has "started on it" and has contacted the next of kin for each of our boys to try to get their real ages.  Michael and Moses were told in early February, by Candy Zackey, that we are adopting them.  I spoke with Candy a few days later and she told me the neatest story. After she sat Michael and Moses down to tell them, immediately Moses was elated (Michael was happy, but he took a little more time to process things because he didn't know us yet.)  Moses then said "Mom Candy, come with me quickly...I must show you something."  So at his insistence, they all followed Moses back to the room that his bed is in. He pulled back some clothes from the end of the bed and there etched in the wood, he had written "Moses T Craig."  He told them  "see, I long be praying for the Craig family to adopt me and wrote this so I would hear good news."  She said they all cried and took a photo. Of course I cried as she told me of my son's faith. See below:

 Moses is on the left, Michael is on the right.

We were able to speak with the boys a couple days later.  The joy to hear their voices I cannot adequately put into words. My heart was so full. It is unexplainable to me how a person could have so much love for someone and never even met them in person. It could only be love put there by our loving heavenly Father. However, I love them. They are my boys. Unexplainable... but simple.

We have changed their names. It was explained to us that the children want new names because it represents the first gift you give to your birth child (the gift of a name) and it represents a new life for them. Moses will be Nathaniel. Nathaniel means "God has given".  Michael will be Gabriel. Gabriel means "strong man of God, and God is my strength."  Very appropriate for both of them. They were very happy when we told them. They are already Nate and Gabe to us.

We have talked with them several times now. They enjoy speaking to Zack and Dylan too and openly tell them they are loved and prayed for...which makes this ole mama's heart swell up with emotion. We can understand most of what they say, but their African accent is very thick. When we ask them to slow down and speak clearly, we can understand much better what they are trying to say.  The main thing they want to know is when their Dad is coming to get them. It is going to be a long time. That's hard for us, but almost intolerable for them. The adoptions are taking a very long time now since Children Concerned cut ties with ACFI. Though I can't go into much detail, things are not good at the orphanage. Please, please pray for all of these precious children. 

There is so much more to say.  However if you have made it this far, then you are a real trooper and I thank you.  I will try to write more later and hopefully not wait so long to do it.  Blessings to you all!!

"Your are to rejoice before the LORD your God
in everything you put your hand to." (Deut. 12:18)

~ Sonya ~

Posted in Adoption Happenings

We we took one more little step forward in the adoption. We went to Nashville yesterday for our fingerprinting for immigration. Kurt took the day off from work (it's always nice to have him home since he works 6-7 days a week) and off we went. Zack was a little nervous about the experience, since all he knows about fingerprinting is that's what happens to criminals when they get arrested. After some reassuring and reminding him what we were doing it for, he was fine. It would have been nice if we didn't have to have him fingerprinted at all, but because he is now over age 18, immigration requires it.

The people were incredibly nice. I was happily surprised.  It's not too often you go to a government building and they are overly friendly. There was a gentleman officer there that was as country as they come. That man just talked and talked and he barely stopped long enough to take a breath!    We got quite a chuckle out of him.

Anyway...one step closer to bringing our boys home. 

"Your are to rejoice before the LORD your God
in everything you put your hand to." (Deut. 12:18)

~ Sonya ~