Moving Fast and Making Connections

 Our Adoption Auction raised over $1,000 because of 2nd chance offers and generous donations.  We are so excited and grateful.  Thanks from the bottom of our hearts for all those people who posted on Facebook, put it on their blog and spread the word around.  Thank you especially for those who bid and donated.  We are so grateful and surprised at what a success it was.

The last paperwork that we sent to the USCIS had a 4-6 week processing time.  That put us to hear from them around New Year's and mid January.  Ten days after processing, we got a phone message from the Consular office in Africa.  What a surprise!  Now we are waiting to get assigned our last court date.  Things are moving quickly and smoothly and we are so excited.

Around Thanksgiving some rebel activity was stirred up in the country of the twins.  Although they are 1,000 miles away, they are making some threats that would affect our travel plans to pick the boys up.  After prayer and listening to the advice of our agency and others, we have sadly decided that it is NOT in our best interest to travel to pick the boys up.  We will have an escort bring them home to a US city and meet them there when the time comes.  Although My Man and I were very excited about traveling to Africa and experiencing the culture and learning a little about who our boys are from their home land, we are confident that the timing of it is guidance from the Lord.  It just means that one day we will need to head that way to show the boys their birthplace and experience Africa then.

This past weekend we hosted 3 families over and had a wonderful time.  One couple are 2nd generation missionaries in the country where our boys are.  I know the Lord placed them in our paths to help us learn and be a part of their work in Africa.  They are a wonderful couple and we are so grateful to know them.  The other family is their daughter and her husband and 2 children.  She is a fellow mom at school (thus the connection) and not only has become a precious friend but answers all my many questions about the culture and land of our boys.  The third family just adopted a son through our agency and only lives 20 minutes away.  We realized that their son was in the same foster home as our boys and they are about the same age.  He's been home for 2 months and it was so wonderful to hear from them about the adjustments of post placement adoption.  Their little guy, Moses, is doing so well and every time I watched him, I got a knot in my throat, thinking of our little guys that will be home soon.

Moses loved Lydia and kept loving on her and hugging her.  As they were leaving, Moses passed some framed photos of our boys on the table.  He grabbed it and started pointing and squealing at it and repeating their names over and over.  It just amazes us how God put our families together.  Our boys' foster brother lives so close and will be friends on this side of the ocean!!  Just another sweet "happy" from Jesus.