The Three We See

For the past few days, we have spent a total of 4 hours each day getting to know our children.  Before we traveled, we only knew them through pictures and developed personalities for each of them.  We smile as we see things in them that are similar and different from what we thought.

Our oldest has a sweet and tender heart.  He has a blend of characteristics that we see in all three of his other brothers.  He smiles a lot, loves big, and is such a nurturer to any children that are around.  It is obvious that he has cared for his younger siblings, and he always seeks to be the peacemaker.  We're amazed with how smart he is, and he loves puzzles and games.  He has some incredible manners and has won the hearts of many at the care home.  He has monster soccer skills, some unique dance moves, and eyes that are certain to melt this mama's heart...a lot!

Our sweet girl is much like her sister, Sara Kate.  She is a girly girl that can take care of herself!  She loves to be hugged and will often walk up to either of us to lean her head in for a kiss.  She has a smile that will light up a room and stretches so wide that even her molars can be seen!  She looks up to her older brother, and she adores her baby brother.  She's learned how to "work" her older brother, and he often gives in to her pouty eyes.  She enjoys coloring, playing with playdough, and sharing lotion with her mama.  Her hair is soft curls, she has long fingers, and tiny, tiny feet!  She's a little thing with a lot of punch!

The baby can only be described as yummy!  He reminds us most of Brendan as a baby.  He has the cutest grin and cheeks that were just made for kissing.  He loves to cuddle, throw a ball, and try to eat the puzzle pieces that his brother and sister are using!  He can walk and escape us before we know it, and he is obviously loved by his nannies.  He has quickly become a daddy's boy, but his mama is a close second.  He's had the hardest time warming up to us but has become more relaxed with each visit.

The Lord is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.

My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

Psalm 28:7

We still have a lot of tears each time we leave, and the nannies are so sweet to reassure the older two that we will be returning.  We'll ask that you please pray with us as the time nears for us to leave for more than just a few hours.  Thankfully, the nannies seem to prepare them as best they can, and they have seen other mommy's and daddy's come back for their children. 

Our court date will be Tuesday, May 21.  We aren't certain of the time, but we will try to post so that you may pray as the Lord leads.  Until then, please pray that everything will be in order and the process will move smoothly.  When we pass, we can finally post pics of these cuties!  

We love you all, and thank you so much for your continued prayer.  We certainly feel them each hour of the day! 

A Change of Plans

A view of Addis Ababa from our room.

We had another wonderful visit this morning!  Little F shared a few smiles and even walked back and forth from Mommy to Daddy.  We even managed to feed him a little bit of his formula.  He is so attached to his nannies.  We're so thankful for the way they have loved him.

Our sweet driver translated as we shared photos with Y and S.  He explained that they have 3 brothers and a sister waiting at home for them.  Giggles filled the room as they flipped through the pages pronouncing their new siblings names.

Man, oh man!  We are amazed with how these 3 have captured our hearts.  When they were born on the other side of the world, we were living our life with no idea of their existence.  When Y, the first born, was born, Jason and I were "done" with our family.  We finally had everyone out of diapers by the time S was born.  When little F was born, everyone could swim and READ by themselves.  We had arrived! :)  Life was comfortable.

Today our devotional from Jesus Calling focused on Proverbs 19:21.

Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.

These three were not part of our plan, but we can't even imagine our family without them!  We praise our great God for the way in which only He could author this story!  Praise Him! Praise Him!

Funny....the things we celebrated, no diapers, swimming alone, and reading....well, we're starting all over with all three! :)  Great are the plans of the Lord!

Love to all of you at home, and thank you for the continued prayers!

Common Ground

We arrived safely this morning!  The thought of being in the same country with our children was overwhelming and oh, so good!!!  Thank you for the prayers for safe travel.  We were missing one piece of luggage, but just after filing a missing luggage report, Jason spotted it!  It was mine, so I was slightly relieved for myself and the poor souls that would have to smell me this week!

We drove straight to the guest home and met another couple that is preparing to leave with two children this evening.  They are two children that we had learned about earlier in our process, so it was so good to see them with their forever parents!  God does set the lonely in families...perfectly, I might add!

Our sweet host at the guest house offered us coffee and HOMEMADE doughnuts that rocked!  We hadn't planned to gain weight, but those things were killer...they may leave a lasting impact!  After a quick bite, our driver said it was time to meet our children.  Just like that, we were on our way!

The home were our children have lived since November is a stone's throw away, so we barely had time to think about our nerves before we pulled up to the gate.  As the gate opened, we immediately recognized the familiar backgrounds of all of the updated photos that we received each week.  Little round faces with huge chocolate eyes peeked out from every window.  Apparently, they all knew we were coming because we could hear the children's names being called from every corner of the home.  We barely had or camera ready we we saw two little ones step out from around the front door.  We won't even try to describe the moment, but there was no doubt that the prayers of knitting our hearts with theirs had been answered.  We are overwhelmed with God's goodness in that moment to say the least!

Hugs and kisses with lots of smiles abounded!  Within a few minutes, our littlest one came around the corner on the hip of the young beautiful Ethiopian that has cared for him all these days when we couldn't be here to do so.  He was a little more reserved, but we felt complete on this side of the Atlantic.

There's so much to share, but we are going to catch a few zzzz's before we get to see them again this afternoon!  Pray for each of us as we leave each day.  The older two were quite sad after our first visit.

Love to all and thank you for the continued prayers!

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him to be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations,  forever and ever.  Amen.                             Ephesians 3:20-21

PS - Grace for any errors...I'm tired and posting in a hurry! :)

Missing Links

When we received news of our May 21 court date, we assembled a chain of prayers for our children.  As the countdown began, our chain drooped in a long swag across our mantle.  Daily prayers and a load of paperwork later, it is finally time to SEE OUR KIDDOS!

While this past week was pretty tough, we feel, really feel, God's strength and peace, and we are certain that His peace comes through the prayers of so many of you! Prayer warriors are crucial, and we are so thankful for each and every one of you praying on behalf of our children and family!

Two years ago on Mother's Day, Jason shared a letter that he had written explaining the process of a tough struggle for him as he realized God was  leading him to surrender to the call of adoption for our family.  Two years later on Mother's Day, we were packing to go see our kids!  (Hmmmm...do I detect a pattern?!?) Anywho, we are amazed with the story that God is writing and beyond thrilled that He is allowing us to join him! 

We are literally on our way to Charlotte to catch a 5:50 AM flight to Washington, DC. From there, we fly straight to ETHIOPIA!!!!  We will be in country beginning Wednesday, May 15. Our court date is scheduled for May 21.  Lord willing, we will have 3 new little Wiley's!

Are we excited??? We are bursting with anticipation!  For each of you that has encouraged us, prayed for us, asked questions, sent texts, and even supported us financially, you have joined this journey and we are thankful for you!

So, here's to a few missing links and a whole lotta joy as we take the next step! Prayers for safe travel, sweet bonding, court processes, and safety of our 4 at home and the brave grandmas and friends caring for them are much appreciated!

We love you! Ethiopia bound!

 

Let Them Praise His Name with Dancing

There's a lot of happy dancing going on at the Wiley home!  

It looks a little funny, but it's happy!

Last week, our family coordinator called and said, 

"What do you think about traveling to Ethiopia?"

Did she really have to ask???

We received the news that we've been longing for since our referral!  We have a court date scheduled for May 21.  We're working through the details, but we should travel a few days before the 21st and finally see these kiddos that we only know through pictures.  We may only know them through photos, but our hearts are bursting with love for them.

We created a chain of prayers to count the days 

until we see their sweet faces.

Assembled and hanging on the mantle, Jason and I had to take a peek at some of the specific prayers that our children have written for the days to come.  We thought we would share them with you so that you could pray for Y, S, and F with us.

And whatever things you ask in prayer, 

believing, 

you will receive.  

Matthew 21:22 

Help them to not be afraid when they go to bed.

Give our kids someone to whisper in their
ear and let them know that we love them.

Give them someone to hug them at night.
Surround them with people that tell them that God loves them.

Help them to quickly bond with Mommy and Daddy.

Let the time go quickly from now until when we bring them home!

You know...when we began this journey in May 2011, we clearly said that we were willing to open our hearts and home to one little girl.  We never dreamt that our hearts would be captured by two handsome boys and a precious girl in Ethiopia.  We're soooo thankful that God didn't listen to our plan, but that He made HIS plan abundantly clear to us!

We covet your prayers in the weeks to come, 

and we will keep you posted as we move along!

Thankful

During the last week of each pregnancy, Jason and I would watch for little signs that I might be in labor.  Every twinge would cause us to pause and wonder if "this" was the moment when life would change.  The ringing of our home or cell phone has become the twinge that we have looked for during this adoption journey.  Our home phone has number recognition, so as it rings, we anxiously wait to hear the robotic voice announce the caller's name.  Most of the time, our shoulders drop as we hear the name of a telemarketer.  As we have waited, we've become a little numb to the ringing of our phones and started ignoring the possibility that this could be it!  This could be the call with our court date!

Last Wednesday, as I was wrapping up our writing class, my phone rang, and I casually walked toward the receiver.  My heart leapt as I heard the robotic, broken voice call the name of our coordinator from our agency.  With a lump in my throat, I answered her call.  Her sweet voice announced who she was, and I could barely hear over the beat of my heart when she said, "We have a little movement in your case." A little?  She further explained that the letter that we had been waiting for had finally been processed, and we were being submitted to the courts for a date.  Great...but wait!  No court date???

Disappointment washed over me when I realized that this was only "Braxton Hicks."  Wikipedia defines Braxton Hicks as prodomal labor, or practice labor.  The call was just practice for what was to come.  Just as I reacted in the weeks before delivering my biological children, I was thankful for the process, but slightly disappointed because I was READY for the real thing.  Understandable, right?

In studying Exodus with my children, God so gently reminded me of the manna that He provided everyday for the people of Israel.  Their instructions were to gather what they needed for the day.  Those who gathered more and kept if for the following day found that the treasured manna began to smell and was filled with maggots.  They didn't trust that God would provide for them as He said He would.  Oh be still my heart...

My disappointment in not receiving the news didn't allow me to be thankful that God had moved us one step closer to what will come in His timing.  I didn't trust that He would bring our kiddos home because it wasn't in my timing...when I thought I was ready.

You see, those Braxton Hicks came at a time when the lives of my bio kids would have been jeopardized if they came when I wanted them to come.  In His perfect timing, they entered this world as pink and healthy bundles with healthy cries and coos.  On my timing, their story may have been different.

Why do I fret?  Why do I worry with the details?
He spoke so clearly in my quiet time this morning...

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee;

because he trusteth in thee.

Isaiah 26:3

So, we are thankful for the news, and thankful that God is preparing us and these three kiddos.  We are thankful that He doesn't move on our time, but his time alone!  We are thankful for the prayers of many of you that are reading this, and the sweet patience of our family coordinator that hears our whines week end and week out.  We are thankful for those that are caring for our little ones when we can't be there to love on them.  We are thankful, and in the wait, we place our mind on Jehovah Shalom, the Lord of Peace, and we trust Him.

During the Wait

We'd hoped we would have a court date by this point and in the middle of preparing to travel to Ethiopia.  We thought the wait for a referral was difficult, but seeing the faces of our children a half world away and unable to do anything to speed up the process has been more difficult than we imagined.  Several times I've come to our blog to update those of you who are praying with us, but I just close the page and hope that news will come sometime later in the day and the title of the post would be, "We're leaving for Ethiopia!"

Much to my dismay, that isn't the title of this blog.  The wait reminded me of a time in our journey when Jason and I had very different ideas about the country from which we would pursue adoption.  I had been praying that God would open his heart for months.  He had only just agreed that God was calling our family to adoption.  When faced with the decision of where....I wanted to go where we could get this show on the road!  He had thoughts of Ethiopia which had recently posted reports of a major delay in their process.  While my heart was broken for Africa, I couldn't stand the thought of any more delays, so I pressed for another country.    

As we were "discussing" this matter over dinner, we stopped to pray.  Jason grabbed my hand to lead us, and his phone vibrated.  He was expecting an email, so I nodded that he should quickly check. He opened the email to find the weekly devotional sent by a Jostens' employee that regularly sends prayer updates and thoughts.  Sharon had cut and pasted a short excerpt from Rick Warren.  Jason smiled and read these words to me:

God’s delay may be a test of your patience. Anybody can be patient once. And, most people can be patient twice. And, a lot of us can be patient three times. So God tests our patience over and over and over.

Why? So he can see how patient you are? No!

He does it so you can see how patient you are. So you’ll know what’s inside you, and you’ll be able to know your level of commitment. God tests you so that you can know he is faithful, even if the answers you seek are delayed.

If you’re discouraged, turn it around by remembering God teaches you patience during delay. Ask him to transform your discouragement into patience.

I shrugged it off as chance, and we bowed to pray.  Still determined that I knew best, we decided to speak with different agencies and work to seek an agreement.  It seemed that I had not learned my lesson of keeping quiet and following the lead of my husband.  The next day, a sweet friend gently reminded me of that principle, and I was less than happy to hear those words that pierced my prideful heart and decided to politely ignore her advice.  Within minutes of hearing the bitter truth from my friend, I quickly searched through my email looking for some information to forward to someone.  I saw an update on a blog for a family adopting from Ethiopia and waiting for the final travel dates to bring their children home.  I wanted to see if she had heard any news.  The title of her blog:  Lessons in the Waiting.  I clicked on the link and couldn't believe my eyes.  You guessed it!  She had the SAME lines from the Rick Warren post.  Stubborn as I was, I shrugged my shoulders and quickly thought, "Lord, please just make it clear to us...to me!"  I sifted through the other emails deleting some of the junk from my inbox.  One of those deleted was a post from One World Prayer Team.  The Lord quickly reminded me of my commitment to pray for the world for a year.  I almost ignored the reminder, but decided to remove the email from the  "Trash" and open it.  Can you guess what I saw?

Yes!  It was the flag from Ethiopia.  That day, I was supposed to be praying for the country where our child was born.  With tears streaming down my face, I asked the Lord for forgiveness, and I called Jason to say, "Our child is in Ethiopia."

The memory of those few days causes me to pause and ask, "What have I learned?" 

For certain, we've learned that our ways are not His ways. We were happy with one little toddler, but He opened our hearts for three.  I've learned that in my own strength, I don't have what it takes to raise 1 child.  In my own strength, I'm terrified of raising 7.  I've learned that I am more than thankful that I finally zipped my lips and let my husband lead in this process.  He's so certain that these 3 little beauties are ours...I couldn't imagine not having that security because of my own coercion and manipulation in getting "my way!"  I've learned that God loves these 3 more than I ever could, therefore, I must trust that HIS TIMING IS PERFECT!  I'm learning patience.  It's certainly a process. 

And those are just a few to mention...

As we wait, we have perfect peace.  We have updates that allow us to see "our littles" growing each week.  Little bit looks to have his first tooth.  Our little girl smiles more and more each week.  And the oldest...words cannot describe.  Just as we studied our first four from head to toe and learned every little sweet spot of their skin, we study the pictures to find every little detail each week.  We only know them through pictures, but one thing is certain, our babies are in Ethiopia and each day is a day closer to home!  

We'll keep you posted!