Merry Christmas Jadyn

Our Sweet Baby Jadyn,

We have been thinking about you all day... thinking about how wonderful next Christmas will be when you are with us. Nanna and I put some new toys together for you this afternoon. Grandma and nanna both had Christmas presents for you. We know you are going to love them! Daddy liked them too!
It won't be very long now and we will be on an airplane on our way to get you. I started packing your suitcase this evening. We are coming soon little one. Merry Christmas! We love you!!

Mommy and Daddy



I was listening to the Third Day Christmas cd today and heard the song Merry Christmas the words mean so much today...

It's Christmas time again and you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
So tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart
I wish you Merry Christmas

Christmas is the time we celebrate the Holy Child
And we celebrate His perfect gift of love
He came to earth to give His life and prepare a place for us
So we could have a home with Him above.

It's Christmas time again and now you're home
Your family is here so you will never be alone
So tonight before you go to sleep, I'll hold you in my arms
And tell you from my heart
I'll tell you from my heart
I wish you Merry Christmas

Christmas Miracle

Tami called us today to tell us that Jadyn's legals were signed and the orphange director has them in her hands! Anila and Lenin's case is signed too. This is truly a Christmas miracle! God is sooo good. This has been such a very long process, but it won't be long now and we will hold our darling daughter in our arms. PRAISE THE LORD!!
Thanks so much to everyone for praying for us during this very difficult time. Please keep praying for a smooth and quick passport process and for the other families who are still waiting. God bless you and merry Christmas!

Finally... Some Good News!

We found out yesterday that Jadyn's legals have been approved! Praise the Lord! We also received a double miracle because our friends in Arizona, Jay's mommy and daddy, got theirs too. We are hoping to be able to travel with them. Next week we will be hoping for the judge's signature. Approval is a huge step; however, it isn't finished until the documents are signed. Keep praying!
This good news comes after a very difficult day this week. I had the second really ugly cry since we've been going through this very long and difficult process. Poor Jynger at our agency had to hear an earful of sobing and complaining (sorry Jynger!). Anyway, to make a long story very short...we just haven't been getting good news about how the court process is going and we were starting to feel very very discouraged about what was going to happen. However, just in time, God stepped in and turned everything around. He is soooo good and His timing is always perfect... even when we can't see it or understand it.
Today I feel like some of the heavy weight I've been carrying around on my shoulders has lifted off. A friend of mine told me last night as we were laughing and joking during our school Christmas party... "I haven't seen you laugh like that in a long time." she is right, I haven't. I know now that there are many days of laughter yet to come! I can't imagine how I'll feel on the day we board the plane to go and meet our beautiful daughter for the first time! Praise the Lord!!

New Pictures!

We received new pictures of our sweet baby Jadyn today. She is just beautiful! We couldn't be more proud. She looks happy and healthy and that, of course, helps ease our minds. We just can't wait to hold her in our arms. Please keep praying for all of the families as the judge situation continues to be sorted out.

I have to share a sweet story about Shane and the pics... Today (Sunday) I took my little photo album with the new pictures to church to show everyone. Shane helps with sunday school records and I go to the ladies class. After church, I opened my album to show some of our friends and they said, "Oh, we've already seen them." Shane looked at me and pulled her pictures out of his shirt pocket. I didn't even know he had them. Would you believe he had beaten me to showing them! What a wonderful and proud daddy he is already!

Happy Birthday Baby!!

Our sweet precious baby... today is your first birthday and we would have so loved to be able to hold you in our arms. We are so very sorry that we can't come get you yet. That wonderful, miraculous day is coming dear one. God will say it's time and we will go. We are praying that very soon the judge will sign the papers that say we are your mommy and daddy and we can take you home forever. We have everything ready for you.

Please know today that we love you with all of our hearts, and we miss you so much even though we havn't been able to hold you yet. We stare at your pictures and dream of what it will be like when we are finally together as a family. Mommy is making an Indian dish for Thanksgiving today in honor of you-Indian Cutlets. Jay's mommy gave me the recipe. Everyone is going to try it and we will all be thinking of you as we eat and wishing you were here.

When you come home, we will have a birthday party. We will have cake and ice cream, and presents just for you! Please remember daddy and I are praying and longing for that day to come very soon. WE LOVE YOU VERY VERY MUCH!!!!!

Still Waiting

I could never have imagined that we would still be waiting on legals, but here we are... still waiting. I've prayed and prayed and prayed, asked others to pray, fasted, and nothing has changed: except me. I'm realizing that through this, somehow, God is changing me. Would I have chosen this path? NO!! Still, his will remains. I'm having to dig down deep to find my faith, and some days that is very hard; many many tears have slid down my cheeks these last few months. I've cried out to God in both anger and sadness however, I'm convinced that even though I can't see the situation changing he hears me. In the deepest part of my faith on the longest darkest nights I know that he sees me and cares. I found this poem in a book I'm reading titled Hannah's Hope-

Waiting

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried. Quietly,patiently, lovingly, He replied. I pleaded, and I wept for a clue to my fate, And the Master so gently said, "Child you must wait." "Wait? You say wait?" my indignet reply. "Lord, I need answers, I need to know why. Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard? By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming your word."

"My future, and all to which I can relate hangs in the balance, and you tell me to wait? I'm needing a yes, a go-ahead sign, or even a no, to which I can resign.

"And Lord you have promised that if we believe, we need but to ask, and we shall receive. And Lord I've been asking, and this is my cry: I'm weary of asking: I need a reply!"

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate as my Master replied once again, "You must wait." So I slumped in my chair; defeated and taut and grumbled to God; "So I'm waiting, for what?"

He seemed then to kneel and His eyes met with mine and He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign. I could shake the heavens, darken the sun, raise the dead, cause the mountains to run.

"All you see I could give, and pleased you would be. You would have what you want, but you wouldn't know Me. You'd not know the depth of My love for each saint; you'd not know the power that I give to the faint.

You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair; You'd not learn to trust, just by knowing I'm there. You'd not know the joy of resting in Me, When darkness and silence was all you could see.

"You would never experience that fullness of love as the peace of My Spirit descends like a dove. You would not know that I give, and I save, for a start, but you'd not know the depth of the beat of my heart.

The glow of My comfort late in the night; the faith that I give when you walk without sight; the depth that's beyond getting just what you ask from an infinite God who makes what you have last.

"And you never would know, should your pain quickly flee, what it means that My grace is sufficent for thee. Yes, your dreams for that loved one o'ernight could come true, but the loss! if you lost what I'm doing in you.

"So be silent, my child, and in time you will see that the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me. And though oft' may My answers seem terribly late, My most precious answer of all... is still...wait.

-Russell Kelfer

Diwali In India

I found this website that tells about the Indian holiday that is happening in India... Diwali, Festival of Lights. I hope that somehow Jadyn might be able to see some of the pretty lights through the windows of the orphanage. If not sweet baby, we will see lots of them when you get home. I promise.

The Divine Weaver

My life is but a weaving between my God and me, I do not choose the colors he worketh steadily, oftimes He weaveth sorrow, and I in foolish pride, forget he sees the upper, and I the underside. Not till the loom is silent, and shuttles cease to fly, will God unroll the canvas and explain the reason why. The dark threads are as needful in the skillful Weaver's hand, as the threads of gold and silver in the pattern he has planned.

Anonymous

Thank you Lord that we can rest and trust in the knowledge that you are in control of our lives. We trust you God and pray that you will bring our daughter home soon.

• Asking everyone to be in prayer for all of the families this week as the high court is now back is session after the long holiday!!

Jadyn's God Parents

We had a great time visiting with my cousin Teresa and her husband Steve,Jadyn's God Parents, last weekend. They were here for the family reunion and stayed a night with us. They were finally able to see Jadyn's room for the first time. Teresa and I shared some tears that night as we looked at all of the shower gifts we have received from family and friends . She and Steve are waiting right along with us. We love them so very much and just can't wait for Jadyn to meet them, and they can't wait to meet her!

Teresa made the beautiful baby blanket, in her lap, for Jadyn. It's just perfect in the room. It's obvious so much love went in it because there are so many intricate little details. Thank you Teresa! What a special family heirloom!

Summer Shower

Just had to share these pics from the last shower we had back in August. My wonderful friends, Heather and Janice, had this one for us. I was able to visit and catch up with lots of friends from our old church that I hadn't seen in quite a while. We received so many cute clothes and other items. Jadyn is going to have so many outfits! Her framed referral picture is of course something I'll keep forever. There were about three framed pictures of her sitting on the tables, so thoughtful and sweet.

Sorry I'm so late in posting this. I 've been trying for a while, but I've been having trouble uploading images to my blog.

Waiting

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.
Psalm 130:5

Haven't blogged in a while, but there is nothing new to tell. We are still just waiting. There is always hope for tomorrow. I know that each new day is one day closer to bringing our baby girl home. I finally convinced myself to go and exchange her 3-6month clothes for 6-9months. This was a difficult thing for me to do, because it reminded me of the fact that she is getting bigger without us, and we are missing some of her life.

We had a family reunion with Shane's family this weekend. We took pictures of Jadyn with us to show everyone. His mother is so very proud and excited! She and I both spent the day a little teary eyed. We thought we would be traveling by now, but that was not God's plan. When He says it's time, we will go. I know this, however some days in spite of knowing this, it's still just down right hard. I'm thankful though that God knows and understands my heart. Please keep praying for us! We know that prayers will bring us through this time.

I Will Rest In You

Well... still nothing. However, we are very hopeful that we will hear good news on Monday. I was digging through some of my old cds tonight and found a song that blessed me- I Will Rest In You by Jaci Velasquez. The lyrics were really what I needed to hear tonight, as we wait yet one more weekend for good news. I'm thankful that God is in control and is taking care of everything. I choose to rest in Him tonight.

Lord, I'm in the dark,
Seems to me the line is dead when I come calling.
No one there, the sky is falling.

Lord, I need to know.
My mind is playing games again,
You're right where you have always been.

Take me back to you,
The place that I once knew as a little child;
Constantly the eyes of God watched over me.
Oh, I want to be
In the place that I once knew as a little child,
Fall into the bed of faith prepared for me.

I will rest in you,
I will rest in you,
I will rest in you.

India Camp: Love, Laughter, Miracles

The top picture is of Dhira and Mia playing together. Dhira is the little girl who I met at Bible School over a year ago. After talking with her mother, Marsha, about Dillon International, we knew that God had answered our prayers about which direction to take for adoption. Mia is the precious daughter of Angie and Dustin.

The middle picture is of two incredible families (Dustin, Angie, and Mia and Charlie, Nadra, and Ian) who have encouraged us with their prayers and e-mails. It was wonderful to finally meet them and to see the miracles that God has brought into their lives. They also experienced some very difficult setbacks during their waiting times, but just look at them now!

The bottom picture is of Ms. Roy with some of the children from the orphanage who, thanks to her dedication and compassion, have found their forever families. She looks at all of the children with such love in her eyes. It was absolutely wonderful to meet her! She told me that Jadyn is doing very well and that her legs are fine! Praise God! She also said that she is a beautiful child (I had no doubt about that!). She took my hands and said that I was going to be a wonderful mother. I will always cherish that moment.

KEEP PRAYING!!

Well...I wish I could say that the judge has signed and the passport was on its way, but I can't. In fact, there was a second judge change and the passport process cannot even begin until the judge signs the legals (aaaaarrrrggghh!). Everything was going smooth as glass and then a bump, a big bump. It's just so so frustrating and hard to understand why. I know that God knows why and that is all that matters now. I don't know how to answer all the "when?" questions anymore. I just don't know when. I do know that today is just one day closer. That's all I know now.

There is no way that you can prepare yourself for the terrible ache in your heart and the complete frustration in your brain. However, I have been soooo busy since school started on the 9th that I haven't had time to mope too much. This is a good thing! Please everyone pray for us that this second new judge will sign soon. He is supposed to be a good judge (I'm not sure what that means) so hopefuly he will sign soon. This week was a big Indian holiday so nobody worked the first part of the week (aaarrrrrgggghhh!) So.... if anything happened, Ms. Roy hasn't been notified yet. Maybe next week.

I'm so thankful that through all of this I can trust and know that God is in control. As difficult as it is, I don't have to understand. I just have to believe. He has brought us too far to leave us now. All of this has not slipped by Him. He knows and is mindful of us! Praise His Name! Here are some of the scriptures that are getting me through right now...

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

Psalm 91:1-3

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge;his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

Psalm 91:4

Prayers Please!

We found out on Thursday that there was a judge change in the Kolkata court. While we have already been granted guardianship, this new judge has to sign the legals. So... we can't actually have the papers in our hands until this happens. Please pray that he doesn't tarry in signing them. We still have a little more paperwork to do once we get them. Jynger, the Program Director, says that this usually happens at least once a year. He could take his time in looking over international adoption laws or maybe not. Who knows??? Just pray that this doesn't hold up our process. The good news is that Ms. Roy was already able to apply for Jadyn's passport. So hopefully we are still on track with the end of August. Please remember to pray!

Showers of Blessings and Love

We have been so blessed with an outpouring of love and support from our family and friends. Shane's mother had a shower for us first last Friday night (July 21) with family. We had such a good time opening all the sweet little baby clothes and things and laughing and crying. She had Jadyn's picture put on the cake and nobody wanted to cut it or eat it. We finally did (Sorry Baby Jadyn), but we have pictures to remember it with. I had to eat her nose!! Joyce decided that this was the last time she would have her picture put on something edible. Thanks so much Joyce, Sheryl, and Lynn. Loads of fun and laughs!

On Sunday, July 23 we had a baby shower at church. Again, we had so many special friends that showed their love to us. Several of them went in together to purchase a camcorder for us! We were so surprised and just felt so humbled by the thoughtfulness. Jadyn received several large toys (Radio Flyer Wagon, push along buggy, hippo walker, and a little trike). We received so much that I was literally tired by the time everything was opened and loaded in both vehicles. Sharon Kay made the yummiest white cake I've ever tasted! The ladies also brought lots of finger foods and goodies to snack on for lunch. The diaper cakes on the table were just too cute. Thanks Jeanette for all of your hard work! What a wonderful special time! Thanks everyone for making us feel so loved!

Jadyn's Room

Here is Jadyn's sweet little room! I hope she likes pink! Little girls are so much fun. Shane has worked so hard putting all of her furniture together. What a great daddy! We have also added a photo board with a pic of her and her crib buddy Jay, and one with her and one of her caregivers, and of course one of mama and daddy. I just love going in there and sitting a while and thinking of her. ; (

We have dedicated one wall in her room to a Children of the World theme. We put a children's map of the world there and strung some beautiful little glass beads across it to mark our route from the US to India. I also added some letter charms to it that spell out FAMILY. The picture hanging next to it is taken from an old children's book of prayers. It has a picture that represents children from all over the world and it reads "Bless other children far and near and keep them safe and free from fear." We are hoping to pick up some special items for her while we are in India to add to the wall.








There is just one very very important thing missing... JADYN!!!

What is the time and date in India?

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Legals!

We received word from Jynger yesterday that we have Jadyn's legals! Yipee! We are almost there sweet baby girl! It might be about a month before we recieve her passport and then we go. I put the first item in the suitcase tonight. I'm going to go ahead and start packing. I want to have as much done as possible before school starts because, it's possible that it could come sooner. We have two baby showers this weekend. Her room is all ready. I just can't wait to start filling it up with all sorts of wonderful baby stuff.

Busy! Busy! Busy!

We are still waiting for Jadyn's legals. Hopefully, we will get them by the end of the month. We got the video Jynger, the India Program Director at Dillon, made for us of Jadyn during her trip to India. It is just a short little clip but ...WOW!! Talk about heartache! It just makes us long for her even more. She is doing so well. It shows her trying to pull herself up and sitting up so well. Shane is going to make copies of it so that we can keep watching it over and over again, and not have to worry about damaging the original tape.

We have been very busy getting Jadyn's room ready and registering for baby showers. My good friend, Heather, spent an entire Saturday helping me with my baby registries. God sent her to me! She is a very detail oriented and organized person. I couldn't have done it without her. With clipboard in hand, she navigated the way through isles upon isles of baby stuff. I learned so much and now feel confident about what I need for our sweet baby girl. THANK YOU HEATHER!!!!

We have wonderful friends and family. They have four different baby showers planned for us over the next few weeks. Also, school is starting on August 9th and I'm moving to a newer and nicer classroom. It really is a busy and exciting time! I'm feeling the need to make lots of lists right now, and I' m not typically a list maker (just feeling the need, haven't actually done it yet!) I will most likely have to do this very soon.

I'm thankful for being able to stay busy. It really seems to be the best thing to do to help with the waiting. The days go quicker and I feel more prepared. It's also a great stress reliever.

Picture Perfect

So In Love!

Oh my how she has changed! Our hearts were pounding as we waited breathlessly for the pictures to download (we have dial-up) on Sunday afternoon. I have never seen such a beautiful face!! We just love her so much. It's strange how you can experience such joy and yet such sadness at the same time. We rejoice in the fact that she looks so beautiful and happy and healthy. It's obvious that she is being well cared for. However, at the same time, we feel sadness for missing out on some of her life and wanting so much to hold her in our arms today. We stand in awe of how blessed we are to be so privileged to have her in our lives. We know that God has a tremendous plan for her life. We can't wait to be a part of all He is going to do. We get to watch this beautiful child grow in God's image. How could we ever ask for more?

Important Announcement!

We have had so much fun telling everyone about Jadyn over the last week! We have so many friends and family members who love us. When we told all of Shane's family (aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) at a family gathering recently, everyone was so surprised and excited for us. At church the next day, the Youth Pastor announced it and there were lots of ooohs, ahhhs, and ohhhs to be heard across the sanctuary. Afterwards, everyone surrounded us with hugs, kind words, and lots of questions. It's so wonderful to have so much love and support all around us. I know of at least three baby showers that are being planned now. Also, we are planning on putting a box or large suitcase in the foyer at church to help with the orphanage dontation that we plan to take with us. God is soooo good!

Our Daughter- Jadyn Grace

This is Jadyn Grace, our little miracle! She was born on Nov. 23 2005. We signed all of her acceptance paperwork on May 5th, 2006, the Friday before Mother's Day.She is now seven months old and weighs 12 lbs. She was three months old in this photo This is the first and only picture we have of her right now. We are anxiously waiting for new pics any day. Can you believe those eyes?! Staring at her picture, I feel like I'm looking in the eyes of everyone I have ever loved. Truly amazing!

Jeremiah 29:11

I have come to realize that you never know what God has in store. He truly longs to bless us in ways that we can't even imagine. My husband, Shane, and I could never have imagined that we would be traveling to India to receive our daughter.

It was such a seemingly dark day, in June of last year, when we found out that we were unable to have children. At the time we couldn't see it, but God had a plan. He had prepared my heart before this day with a scripture that he knew I would need for the difficult days ahead- "For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11.

It was June of last year (2005) when Shane and I met Marsha and Tim and their beautiful little girls at Bible School. They told us all about Dillon International ,and how they had adopted their girls through this wonderful agency. One from India and one from China. Just the day before we had prayed and asked God for an open door. We knew this was it. We had always had a heart for adoption, even before we knew we were unable to have children. The next day I contacted Dillon International and asked for an information packet, and soon we were filling out the application part one. This was the first of many paper work packets to come!

What Time Is It In India?

First Post

I am beginning our blog to document for our family and friends about the incredible journey God has led us on to be blessed with a beautiful baby girl. Keep watching for more posts!