We received our travel approval!!! We are really BRINGING our little girl home!!!
First of all, happy mother's day to all today. We are all affected today in different ways. I feel the many emotions of both being a mom and having lost a mom while anticipating the journey of being an adoptive mother. May you find joy, hope and peace today whatever part of the continuum you are on. God sees you and loves you.
It is a very emotional day today! We received news this past Wednesday that we have approval to travel to Thailand to go get our little girl! The sermon at church was on the many different seasons that life brings (we are studying Ecclesiastes, which oddly enough happens to be one of my FAVORITE books). I find myself in so many seasons congruently. I am both overjoyed to finally, after 4 years, be traveling so soon to go get Muaysai, the final member of our family! I have also learned to live with the hole that is not having my mother, but still ache to share this earthly journey with her. I am also nervous as to what the future holds, knowing we are about to enter into possibly one of the most difficult seasons of our lives. I am soaking it all in... as if I am on the edge of a cliff, about to paraglide off on a miraculous and in some ways perilous journey. Adoption is not a pretty package wrapped up in a bow, but rather a horribly messy life situation with which we have to pick up all the broken pieces of a life that has, from the start, been dealt cards that are incredibly unfair. The trauma of this process is not lost on me. I am so grateful that I get to be the vessel of God's love for Muaysai and pray that I can guide her and love her just as Christ would. I feel emotionally attached to her wellbeing, but she is likely completely unattached to me (as of yet!). I hope to be able to read this post with her years from now, reflecting all God has done in our lives. From His orchestration that brought her to us, through the language barrier that will hopefully us stronger to the hope that we can move on even through heartache, through loss and in the end see the beautiful plan that God had in store for us all along. Life is not all roses as I tell my children. God can use the brokeness to show His faithfulness, we only have to be receptive to see it and say YES! This has been a journey of saying YES, again and again in the face of adversity. You all have been a part of that story. Praying for us, giving to us, loving us and listening to me go on and on about the process! So thank you! This truly would not be possible without you all! Community has been such an important part of our lives, from our wonderful families to amazing friends and neighbors. You're the best!
Ok, so for those wanting the details... we received word via email on Wednesday that we have travel approval and have to be in Thailand on June 25th! We will receive her in the placement process on June 26th and the 27th. We then will have our visa interview (almost a formality at this point, so I've been told) on July 6th, after which we will wait for her visa and emergency travel certificate to be released so we can take her home, leaving July 11th and arriving home July 12th. Please pray all goes according to plan so we can actually travel to take her home those days. We will be so anxious to get back to our other three children (thank you family for all your help!!!). Being the 7's (yes, sorry for the enneagram reference... that it SO "2010") that Trav and I are, since it's his birthday on June 23rd we have decided to take a special side trip to Bali for 5 days before we go (which sounds unworldly to me even typing that). It's just so close we can't not do it, it's such a little cost change in airfare and we are only paying $65 a night (!!!!) to stay in this amazing little place a one minute walk to Canggu beach. This location may or may not have been selected by one of us due to its prime surf spot. HA! You only turn 44 once (ya dusty ole fart)! This will be a time for us to connect, prepare and get ready for the 26th where we add little Muaysai to our family! Bali baby moon!
We continue to be blessed through this process as the show hope grant we were awarded three years ago will soon be released and will help to cover part of our travel expenses. God is so good you guys!
I'll end with one of my favorite quotes from Helen Keller, "Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing." Let's get to adventuring!
Prayer Requests:
- That Muaysai would have peace about the transition and that we would be able to meet all her emotional needs.
- For our three children, that we would be able to adequately prepare them and that they would be patient and feel loves despite the disruption this will have in their lives
- Continued peace about finances as I prepare to take 3 months off and direction with how I should return to work and what hours. I am currently full time and just don't feel that it will be sustainable to adequately meet our family's needs. That we would be open to God's plan for our next steps as a family.
- Safety and health during travel. Pray for Trav's health as traveling with Celiac is not the easiest as most people don't know the difference between a gluten allergy vs an intolerance and with the language barrier it will be difficult to make sure food is safe for him. Also, pray we arrive in Bangkok on June 25th with good health and energy to be ready to provide the immediate care and attention Muaysai needs.
- Muaysai's visa; as I've mentioned before Muaysai was born in Thailand but does not have Thai citizenship. Her parents were Burmese and thus she is undocumented. She of course will eventually be a US citizen but that and the actual adoption process will take a year back here in the States. Pray her emergency travel certificate (most adopted kids have passports right away) is issued quickly and that we don't have any challenges flying back to the States July 11th. We will actually be flying through Qatar on the way back on a completely different flight pattern than we arrive, so essentially Trav and I will be flying around the world! So crazy.
- Our bio children: that they would feel loved and not abandoned during the 3 weeks we are gone. That they are ready to receive Muaysai and not feel bitter about the attention she will receive. I keep trying to tell them she needs to catch up on all the attention she's missed the last 6 years of her life! (but that is a very mature emotional stage that I know they might not yet understand)
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