More Joy

We received this wonderful picture of Josiah smiling. It brought us much joy to see this side of him. We can't wait to get to know him and make him smile and giggle. Enjoy!

Introducing Kimberly

We'd like to introduce Kimberly. We are cautiously optimistic that she will become our daughter. We received a call today letting us know that they may have found a referral for our daughter. The social worker felt with the name "Kimberly" that it was somewhat divine and she sent us the two pictures you see. We need to wait on some additional information that is supposed to come from Liberia tomorrow, and if everythings checks out, Kim and I will accept her as our daughter and the search will be over. We plan to name her Gabriella. All that we know is that she is about a year old. So please pray that everything works out and if this is not who God wants for us, that that would be clear by tomorrow. Thanks again for your prayers and love and support. If you want to know other prayer requests, they are listed to the right.

A Picture Paints a 1000 Words

After a long dry spell of not getting any new information regarding our referral for a girl or information on Josiah, we were excited to have a message on our answering machine tonight saying they had a new picture for us. Of course you look it over several times wondering is that really our son? Is that the same boy? Imagine getting one picture of your child, and then not getting another one for 2 months. We don't know his personality and so there is only so much you can take in from a 2-D picture. But Kim has fallen in love with him all over again and thinks Blue is a good color for him. The only information they shared with us is that "Boimah is doing very well at the orphanage. He is good natured and likes to do silly things." So it sounds like he'll fit right in. Can't wait to squeeze him!

Breaking the Silence

Well it has been 7 weeks since our last post, and though we didn't plan to wait this long to post again, it gives you an idea of what it is like to adopt. We have absolutely no new information since our last post. We have received no additional pictures of Josiah or any additional information about a possible referral for a girl. So we are learning more about patience and trust. We need to be patient as we allow God's plan to be revealed and play itself out, but also to trust in God's plan and timing for all this to take place. Also trust not only in AoH and the legal process but also that Josiah is doing well and being well taken care of. But nothing is going as "we planned". We had envisioned a brother and sister, and going down before Christmas to pick them up. But now the reality is that Josiah will not be related to his Liberian sister and that most likely his adoption will be complete before his sister's. So now we are faced with either Kim and I traveling to pick up Josiah and having our daughter escorted at a later date, or one of us going to pick up Josiah and the other going to pick up our daughter. So we wait and wonder and pray. But we believe wholeheartedly in Jeremiah 29:11-13
"I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for. Then you will call to me. You will come and pray to me, and I will answer you. You will seek me, and you will find me because you will seek me with all your heart. "
So as I celebrate Father's Day tomorrow, I celebrate 4 beautiful children the Lord has blessed me with, and also for Josiah - of a different tribe and nation, but the same Father who is in heaven.

Blesssings

Introducing Josiah Basten

It is with great joy that we annouce we have accepted the referral of Boimah Mambu - 2yrs 9mos. We have chosen the name Josiah which means "Yahweh supports" - and we are going to need all His support and more as we try to raise him to Love and Serve Our Lord. Kim and I are very excited! We liken it to going to the hospital for that first ultrasound, when you count 10 fingers and 10 toes. There is some relief in knowing, but now the real difficult waiting begins. So each time we eat or lay down our head, we will wonder about Josiah, and if his basic needs are being met and if he's doing OK. We have great confidence in our God's provision for Josiah, and are very thankful for AoH and the wonderful care they provide. So thanks for checking and we'll keep you posted as we know more.

Check out our other post from yesterday for more info.

A New Phase of the Journey

We received an updated list of available children yesterday, and though there was no "perfect" sibling group that fit the criteria that we feel is a best fit for our family, we did feel led to inquire on one little boy, and have started the ball rolling to make him our son. There is no official word yet, so I ask for your prayers, but if all goes well, he will be the first half of the puzzle to round out the Liberian part of our family. His name is Boimah Mambu and was born August 7, 2004 (2 yrs 9 months). It looks like he has tears in his eyes in this picture, and breaks my heart to think of what he has and is going through. All we do know is that his father abandoned him and his mother before birth. And though she tried, she was unable to provide for him and felt the orphanage was her best hope for him. That also breaks my heart. Other information we have is that he is healthy (no known health issues) and he weighs 23lbs is 32in tall. So I guess we covet your prayers for him, us, his mother, the orphanage, Acres of Hope, the adoption process to go smoothly, and anything else you feel led. Lastly we'd ask for your prayers for our daughter Olivia and wisdom for us to love and correct her. Her strong-willedness has been shining the last couple weeks, and we love her immensely, but she is testing our patience and authority as often as possible. We pray that we would figure that out before we interject two more children in the mix. As always, we do so very much appreciate that you care and are sharing in our joy through this whole process. It really does mean a lot to us! Thanks again.

Quick Update for Those Still Checking

We still do not have a referral, and are really in the dark as to when we might receive one. But currently there are no children at the AoH Orphanage that meet our criteria (siblings under the age of 4, preferrably a 3 yr old boy and a 1 yr old girl). There are at least 12 children whose adoption is final and have received passports, whose families will be picking them up at the end of May. The orphanage always has more qualified children "in waiting" to be admitted to the orphanage to take their place. Most likely in that group are our children. AoH is doing case work on these children to verify family situations (or the lack thereof). So as soon as we have word, we will be sure to pass it on. We have received some encouraging news, in that Passports used to take 2-6months to receive once the child was legally adopted in Liberia. It is now taking only 1 month. That is encouraging since the referral seems to be taking longer than what we had hoped. But as another adoptive family put it - this is "Liberian Passports 8.0" - meaning the process and time has changed 8 times during their adoptive process. So although it is encouraging now, all that could change by the time we actually need ours. As always, thanks again for your support.

P.S. Check out some of the new links we've added