Counting the Days

This post is coming with 11 days until we are on our way back to Rwanda! My heart is so ready for the people, smells, food, memories, and indescribable joy that greets me each trip. Our family is also counting the days with more intention this time as we will get to be with our sweet Idu.

While we were hoping that this trip would have us coming home as a family of four, we can see that God is still working so we are still waiting. We do want you to rejoice with us that as of Friday, June 7th we are officially US approved as adoptive parents!!
This means that now all of our documentation can be sent to Rwanda for review. While we are in country, we are working to make an appointment with the advocate that will be handling our case and with JP's sister-in-law who is acting as our attorney there. All of these developments are gifts from God and answers to pray that we would see progress being made before our trip.

As we head to Rwanda there are so many things that our hearts and minds are dealing with. We would ask that as our faithful friends and family you would pray with us in these ways...

1. Praise God for progress!! He is allowing us mercies that many adoptive families do not get to experience- meeting face to face with advocates in country, seeing our child in the midst of the waiting process, family and friends on the ground in Rwanda that can help with so many parts of this. These are only from the hand of God, and we want Him to receive the glory!

2. Pray that our time with Idu would be sweet. We want him to get to know us a bit and feel a certain level of comfort. Pray especially that he and I would be able to bond some as I will be the one who does most of the caregiving for him and yet the one that is least like him in appearance. There can be a level of fear for him that we are praying against!

3. Pray for our hearts as we walk away from him. I can't imagine the intensity of that moment or how any of us will handle it, but I know that God only gives us grace for one day at a time. I want to remember that I would rather get this time with him and have to say "see you soon" than not get it at all. Please specifically pray that we would have words to explain to Maya as much as we can about why he can't come home right now. Pray that God will minister to her heart in ways that only He can.

4. Pray for our conversations with each person that will be involved in this adoption process. Pray for transparency and understanding in terms of learning about what Idu's needs will be, how we can best take care of him from afar until he comes home, and that God would allow our love for him to be evident to all who would be making decisions about this case.

Thank you isn't enough for all the prayers, financial, and emotional support that we are receiving from you all! God has shown us what a loving and beautiful covenant family we are bringing Idu into.

I can see the promise
I can see the future
You're the God of seasons
And I'm just in the winter
If all I know of harvest
Is that it's worth my patience
Then if You're not done working
God, I'm not done waiting!