Our International Visitors

We were blessed to have our dear El Salvadoran friends that serve as Niger missionaries with us for the first week and a half of November. We picked up Juanita, Rodrigo, Nathan (3) and Kaila (2 months) in Northern Virginia and entered a full weekend to celebrate the wedding of another Niger missionary, an early Christmas party with Zalika's (Leila's bud from the orphanage) family and a trip back to Northern Virginia where Rodrigo preached at an Hispanic church. While the kids and I sat out on the trip to the Hispanic church, Geoff enjoyed and was challenged to spend several hours listening and speaking in what I consider his 2nd language - Spanish. I hear he did pretty good and kept up well. Rodrigo headed to Niger from there for a quick trip to check in on his staff and their house that they hadn't seen since last February (long story but basically Juanita was incredibly sick and the Nigerien doctors couldn't take care of her, so they had to leave to ensure her safety and Kaila's whom was not yet born). 

So, we had Juanita and the kids with us while Rodrigo was in Niger. When you live in Niger and are gluten and dairy free, your food options are limited. And when you're overseeing the LINK Outreach Center (LOC) where mission teams stay and Westerners come for a little reprieve, and there's a brand new 2nd floor, you can't exactly go to the local Target to get what you need. There is no Target. Or Home Depot. Or Bed Bath and Beyond. Even in the capital city. So, that meant we shopped here - in the great place of America where Americans know how to shop. 

With some help from other friends (because let's face it, taking 4 children under the age of 4 shopping is not enjoyable for anyone), Juanita wore herself out shopping. But really, we loved having them here and with us. We've only spent time together in Niger during my one trip there in September 2012, but through email and FaceTime we've been able to stay connected. She is really a kindred spirit, and a very dear friend that gives and loves others well because of her great faith in Jesus. The girl also speaks 3 languages fluently and has lived in Niger for almost 10 years. She's pretty amazing. If you go to Niger and see it, you will understand that living in Niger is no small thing, especially with 2 small children. Only by faith and through her faith can she do this. It's truly inspiring.

With juggling children, we were not so stellar with picture taking, but here's our few attempts.

Homestudy Approved!!

On Friday, we also found out through a former orphanage employee that Leila's birthmother's name is Samira, and her birthfather's name was Adamou, making Leila's name Leila Adamou (plus paternal grandfather's name which they are still searching for) in accordance with Nigerien tradition. All of this is necessary for the birth record search and the government declaring her legally adoptable. Keep praying!!

Orphan Sunday

"Defend the cause of the fatherless." ~Isaiah 1:17

Today was Orphan Sunday - a day where Christians all over the world share how God's great love for orphans should echo in our lives. There are an estimated 143,000,000 (yes, that is 143 million) orphans in the world today. I can't even wrap my mind around that number. How can we not do something, say something, give something?

You know that this pulls on our heart strings like nothing else, so thank you for joining us in supporting this. 

James 1:27 says "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after widows and orphans in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

Here are 10 Ways Every Christian Can Care for the Orphaned or Waiting Children pulled from the Orphan Sunday resources. 

PRAY for them
Tape a waiting child’s picture to your dashboard and pray for the child every time you’re in a car. Visit
AdoptUsKids.org or RainbowKids.com.
Organize an evening prayer vigil at your church and pray for children in foster care or an orphanage overseas.
SPEAK UP for them
Carry a waiting child’s picture and show it to other believers. Ask if they, or someone they know, would
give this child a home.
Become a court appointed special advocate for a child in foster care. Visit NationalCASA.org for details.

PROVIDE for their needs
Give sacrificially to a reputable orphanage. Financial gifts can be designated for specific items and aid
needed by orphans. Visit HelpOrphans.org for more information.
Organize a drive in your church to collect school supplies for children in foster care or shoes for orphans
overseas. VisitGainUSA.orgorShoesForOrphanSouls.org.
SUPPORT those who support them
Mow, baby sit, or organize meals for a week for foster parents. Pray with them and tell them you
appreciate what they do.
Encourage a family adopting an older child by hosting a shower for them.
PROTECT them from harm
Become a foster parent or emergency foster parent.
Raise money to build a children’s home to help remove children from the streets. Visit

WorldOrphans.org for details.

VISIT them where they are
Go on a mission trip to an orphanage as an individual or family. Visit GainUSA.org or HelpOrphans.org
for information.
Take dinner to a foster group-home on a regular basis.
GIVE sacrificially to them
Support reputable orphan care organizations on a regular basis.
Contribute generously to an adoptive family to help offset their costs. Visit ShaohannahsHope.org or
LifeSongForOrphans.org.
ENCOURAGE them to press on
Sponsor a child, support them financially, and encourage them through your letters. Visit VsionTrust.org
to learn more.
Become a mentor or tutor to a teenager in a foster group-home.
ADOPT them into your family

Give a child a home through international, domestic, or foster care adoption. Adopt a young adult who has aged out of the system.

MOBILIZE your church for them
Be a catalyst in your church for starting a sustained orphans ministry. Visit HopeForOrphans.org for

resources and to learn more about attending a Your Church and the OrphanTM workshop. 

7 Childs

My shy girl wouldn't even show her face for the harvest festival parade, nor sing or dance for the doting preschool parents on Thursday. This made her Momma want to cry until I spoke to her teacher who assured me she does participate in class and enjoy herself but all these people are just too much. And come this spring, she'll probably be just fine, and I'll get to see her with a smile on her face. Whew. I didn't know something like that would hurt my heart like it did. Mary-Michael didn't think anything of it as she pointed out her friends from class that she'd been telling me about while munching on her sugar (aka candy and cupcakes). So, I didn't make a big deal of it, and we enjoyed ourselves a bit more once the crowd dissipated. I'm not a big crowd person, and I definitely don't like being the center of attention, so I totally understood. 

She had the following conversation with me the next day while in the car. 

M&M: Momma, I want to have 7 childs. 
Me: That's a lot of children. Why do you want 7?
M&M: I want a REALLY big family. But Momma you don't have 7 beds. 
Me: Well, we can always get more beds. Are you and the children going to live with us?
M&M: Yes, with you and Daddy because I love you SOOO much. 
Me: That's so sweet. And how many babies is Frazier going to have?
M&M: Silly Momma. Frazier's a boy. He can't have babies just like Daddy can't have babies. Only girls can have babies. Daddy had to marry you to have babies. 
Me: That's true. Well, who are you going to marry?
M&M: Frazier. 

I think he's a rather good choice. I love her innocence and this sibling love so much!

Love This

I love this new picture of Leila just last week (it makes her feel like she's closer knowing it's so recent!). We had a friend there on a medical mission trip, and she had a few moments to visit with her. She looks so much better than she did earlier this year when she had lost a lot of weight. Thank you Jesus for prayers answered!

Celebrations

Well, not only have we been celebrating the exciting news about Leila, we've also had many other reasons to celebrate moments in time with friends and families. 

We enjoyed a night away for a wedding of longtime friends of mine from UVA (they met at Ragged Mountain - one of my places of work in college). Jenn and Meade had a beautiful wedding at Early Mountain Vineyards in Madison, VA. This was the only picture I managed to take of the fireplace where they had their ceremony because the evening was just too fun!

Borrowing and riding on a tractor is always an excuse to celebrate for this future farmer who's favorite word is "tractor."

Mary-Michael enjoyed a princess party to celebrate Sherry Lee's 4th birthday. 

They had their nails painted at a real nail salon and then had homemade cupcakes and drinks at the Starbucks next door.

Pretty princesses!

My cousin Shirley baptized her sweet baby boy, Jacob, on September 29th at my Nana's Episcopal church. 

We enjoyed a celebratory luncheon to honor Jacob at my Nana's place. The kids had a great time entertaining baby Jacob. 

We couldn't miss our annual visit to the State Fair where tractors were in abundance. Tractors = happy for Frazier.

And another tractor.

Teacups with Daddy. 

We headed to Alexandria to help throw a baby shower for Aunt Keesha after the fair. Here's the radiant mother-to-be!

There were so many beautiful decorations. 

  

The guest of honor getting more than enough assistance from my little girl with opening presents. 

We left the baby shower to head back to Mechanicsville to celebrate my stepdad's 60th birthday. I didn't get any pictures but a good time was had by all!

Prayers Answered!!

Like we believed He would, God came through today!! As Mark Batterson says, "God won't answer 100% of the prayers we don't pray." Well, ladies and gentleman, we prayed and so did many of you, and God answered!!!

The head of the AG church in the Ivory Coast appointed the new orphanage director (who is pro-adoption and more willing to be held accountable) to make adoption decisions and funding decisions (for the children - to ensure they have the clean water, food and basic necessities of life). He also said to move full steam ahead with the adoption of Leila and Immanuel whom some friends of ours are adopting. Michael called our adoption contact tonight and said to get ready to move forward tomorrow with pulling together the legal documents and searching for the birth father's death certificate and Leila's birth certificate. Wow, what a joy and blessing this is!

Today, Geoff also completed our last tiny detail of the Homestudy, so now we move on to the I-600a form (US government form that deems us adoption ready). More details to come as we learn more, but in the meantime, keep praying and join us in praising our great God. Wahoooo!!!