Waiting

Waiting to hear His voice…waiting to feel His strength…waiting to have my family complete…waiting. But what is it that we are really waiting for? Aren't we all just waiting for the next big thing? Did people before us know more about living in the moment than we seem to, or has it always been this way? Are we really so sure that the next thing to come our way will be any better than the present? Maybe happiness is right now. Right. Now. I want to live in this moment. I want to live with a hope and a purpose of what's to come, but I don't want to loose sight of right now. It is really all that I have. This Moment. Maybe finally bringing our children home will mean a home full of happiness, warmth and laughter. Or maybe it will be utter chaos, tears and heartache. I don't know, but I do know it if I weren't "waiting" my life would feel nearly perfect. I must admit that "waiting" holds a cloud over what seems like it should be a perfectly blue sky. I'm struggling with not letting the wait, cloud my view of what it is that I have. Right. Now. A perfectly healthy and adorable kindergartener, who never holds back when she feels the urge to throw her arms around my neck and plant the biggest, longest kiss on my lips. My health, the health of those that I love. Being surrounded by loving and supportive family and friends. A partner in life (who happens to be my high school sweetheart) by my side; someone who grew up with me and knew me before I became the adult that I am today. And most of all, a God I know I can depend on. But even with all this, I feel the need to be "waiting". I'm tired of waiting. Although physically waiting is hard, emotionally waiting is exhausting. Although the physical wait is far from over, I refuse to emotionally wait any longer. I know the road of adoption still stretches far into the distance, but I'm ready to celebrate TODAY. Today, I am blessed. Today, I will tuck my daughter in bed and lay down for a minute longer than usual. Today, I will celebrate that we have "passed court" in Congo. Today, I will celebrate that we now hold documents in which a Congolese judge has deemed it favorable for our children to be adopted, not just by an american family, but by OUR family! Today, I celebrate my relationship with Jesus which gives me strength and hope. Today, I realize that the only thing worthy of waiting for is the second coming of Jesus. Only then, will the wait truly be over. In the mean time I'm going to celebrate TODAY...

Celebrating...

 friends...

new beginnings...

memories...

family...

Watching Him Work

Never, in a million years would I have guessed we would have raised $3,400 from a yard sale!!! Absolutely AMAZING! We feel like we once again saw Gods hand at work. As we sorted through items beforehand we knew we had A LOT to sell, but would there be A LOT of people to buy it??? Not only did a lot of people stop by to shop, we continued to receive more donations once the sale was underway...as word got out about what we were doing we had a steady stream of shoppers and donations. Along with the yardsale items, we had a bake sale table with a large donation jar, we saw that jar fill...collecting $350!!! This fundraiser far exceeded our expectations... Thanks to all of you who generously donated items, spread the word, and invested time and effort into making this a wonderful success! God took your efforts & brought the people we needed! As a bonus, the end of the sale was much less work than we had anticipated! The day before the sale was to end, a friends mom was talking with a lady in the community. This lady stated that she was involved with her churches women's missions group and they were in the process of gathering items for their upcoming fundraising yardsale. She mentioned that although the date of the sale was approaching they had not yet collected a lot of items...we were so happy to be able to donate all of our left over items to this church group to help with their fundraising efforts! They are raising money for an upcoming mission trip and they also collect clothing and shoes to send to Honduras. The items we were able to pass on to them will be used for a great cause and... they arrived one hour after our yardsale ended and loaded up everything in their trucks! How fun to watch God orchestrate even the smallest details!

Recently, there has been a slow down in Congo for international adoption. We knew this process would be filled with challenges, but we continue to press forward in trust. We saw His work in this fundraiser and feel like He is still nudging us forward. We believe God has placed us right where He wants us and we are trusting that He will help us soon bring our babies HOME! A fellow adoptive mom who is at the same stage in the adoption process, and who's children are at the same orphanage as ours, shared Ephesians 3:20 with me today, "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us..." I love this. God has shown us time and time again that His plans are so much bigger than ours! Thank you for continuing to pray for our family and children and for the outpouring of support! It is much needed and so appreciated...

Yard Sale Update!

The first day of our yard sale was a HUGE success!!! 

We have been so overwhelmed as we have continued to receive generous donations of items to sell even throughout the day  today

Our sweet cashiers who took their job very seriously and did a great job! It was a really long day and they were such good sports about it...

In addition to collecting money, Emmaline did a great job of making signs! She enjoyed  being referred to as the Big Sister as we explained to people what the fundraising was all about!

The donation jar continued to fill as the day went on...


We are excited as the sale continues tomorrow and Sunday. I am looking forward to updating our fundraising thermomether next week! Thank you to each of you who are keeping this fundraiser in your prayers , have donated items,  have stopped by to shop and have invested time and effort into making this a reality! We are so grateful...

Fundraising Underway!!!

Preparation for our upcoming yard sale is underway! We are busy collecting items, sorting, pricing and organizing! We have been overwhelmed watching donated items come in and are so excited to see how the sales go next week. I wanted to share the flyer we are posting. If you are local we would love to have you stop by (or donate!)...please keep this event in your prayers and pray that we will have nice weather and a great turnout next week! 

What's Happening Now???

"How's everything going with the adoption?", I love this question. This tells me even though it's been 15 months since we announced we are "having a baby" you haven't forgotten that we really are "having a baby"...yes, it's taking a lot longer than the traditional way, but it's still happening! This question is so hard to answer. Partly because there's so much to explain to tell you how everything is going and partly because I'm not really sure how everything is going...so not only for your sake, but for mine as well, I've compiled a little timeline of what happens next. Here it is...

After we accepted the referral for the twins in March, our I600a had to be updated approving us to adopt all 3 children. Once that updated form was received we were once again able to consider our Dossier complete. In  April, the updated Dossier was translated to French and  submitted to the DRC. Once the Congolese government received the Dossier they were able to begin the court process...

"Court"  is a 2 step  process... first, OUR documents are submitted (dossier, etc) to start the court process, which began sometime before the first of May. Then once we pass court (roughly 2 months) they have to collect all of the children’s documents, which typically takes another two to four months.

When court has "passed" for all of us, they will send us a copy of the court judgment saying that we have adopted the children.  They will also send the act of adoption (which is the official registry of the judgment.)

 After the act of adoption there is a thirty day waiting period. Once that waiting period has passed, we receive the CONA, or certificate of non-appeal, which means that no one appealed the adoption of the children.

Once we have all of the above documents, we will file our I600 with USCIS and wait for provisional approval – about 5-7 weeks.

 That approval (I600) will trigger the beginning of our investigation period with the embassy in Kinshasa – which at this point we have been told is expected to take 3-6 months. During the investigation, staff from the US embassy in Kinsasha will investigate the children, their biological family members and gather any information they can about the children. This is to determine that they meet "orphan status" based on US guidelines.

Once the investigation is complete, the Embassy will contact us to set embassy appointments, for about 2 weeks later. At that time we will submit the second round of documents.

Next, we will wait for Visas for the children. Once Visas have been issued we will be cleared to travel to Kinsasha! The last step before being able to leave DRC and bring our kids home to the US will be receiving an Exit Letter from the DGM in Kinsasha. This is expected to take about 2 weeks. Then...finally...we travel home!!!

So, back to where are we now?.... We are in "court" . We know that our court process began sometime before the first of May. They will not give us updates during the court process, only that it has begun and then we will be notified when we have "passed".  Please pray specifically during this time that all of the needed documents for the children will be located quickly and that court will proceed smoothly. We thought that waiting for our referral was the tough "waiting" phase. We see now, that we are only at the beginning of really WAITING…waiting is hard…waiting goes against every bit of my nature. I'm a "doer". Tell me what needs to be done and I'm on it. Tell me, there nothing I can do right now but wait, that's a different story...

 So, there will be no sitting around and just waiting here! It's so crazy to think back on the last 5 months and all that has transpired. We have so much to DO!!! Our home renovation is really moving forward…we have an entire bathroom and bedroom upstairs gutted, rearranging everything and getting ready for 4 little ones to have a place to brush their teeth, take their baths and feel right at home with their own space. Downstairs, the kitchen ceiling is completely torn out and the framing for the kitchen addition is beginning! I look back in awe at Gods use of timing…the damage created by the tornado so perfectly corresponds with the need for home renovations and additions…miracles…right in front of us.

We are also excited to be preparing for a fundraising yard-sale next month! Friends are graciously putting lots of time and effort into planning an adoption fundraiser for us! Donations are being taken, involving 3 different church congregations, our communities, family and friends. All items donated will be sold, generating funds for our adoption expenses!!! We are so so grateful for this! We have passed some amazing financial milestones, but we are well aware of the reality of expenses yet to come! If you are local and would like to donate items for our sale please contact me (caralitchfield@yahoo.com) and we will be happy accept items. I also plan to post a flyer for the sale for anyone who would like to come and shop, start planning now!

We were so blessed this last month to receive more photos and updates of Dauphin, Altess and Vincent. We were able to be in contact with a family traveling to the orphanage to pick up their son. We were able to send gifts to them to be delivered personally to our kids! We now have a picture of the 3 of them together and we also have a picture of Vincent holding a picture of Emmaline (who is holding his picture, in that picture)…that, messes with my mind to see! I am not able to publicly post their pictures but I have added the pictures of Emmaline wrapping their gifts and the pictures of her that we sent to them. We know now, that they at least know about us and know that there is a family here waiting to bring them home, together! Thank you for continuing to shower us with love and support and please please please continue to pray for our family and our sweet children, all FOUR of them!

Emmaline holding a picture of Vincent and our gift for him 

Holding a picture of Altess and her gift (including matching purse and bracelet)  

Wrapping everything up (Christmas themed wrapping compliments of  Emmaline)

Vincent wearing the shirt and shoes that we sent to him!

Holding a picture of Dauphin and his gift

Vincent holding Emmaline's picture and our gift

Passing the time at home...

WISH...

First visit from the Tooth Fairy!

Celebrating Five and a half!

I love this silly girl!

He Hung a Rainbow

Where a mountain once stood, with the sun behind waiting to shine past, a rainbow now promises hope. 


We were given two weeks to pay $13,000, a lot of money. Our accounts exhausted from adoption expenses, we prayed for a miracle. We had every reason to believe that the little twins had also been chosen by Him, for our family, but we told God, "this is up to You. We don't have the money, if we don't make this  payment, we don't move forward, please lead". Again, we were just stepping out in faith, with no glimpse of a boat in sight...and then He used YOU!!! We have been so humbled, we have sat here, in awe watching God move the hearts of family, friends, friends and family of friends, and complete strangers.

Three days before our payment was due,  I was contacted by a couple of people on their own adoption journeys. They began sharing unsettling stories with me. I saw glimpses of all of the things that can go wrong. I started feeling discouraged. I started doubting what we were doing. It began gnawing at me. I was getting that "gut" feeling that we were stepping in over our heads. Really, what were we thinking? God, are you trying to tell me something? From the very beginning of our adoption journey, step by step I've first followed my gut feeling, prayed about it and moved forward with Gods guidance. We have had no doubt, from the very beginning, that God has the exact child or children chosen for our family, and that He will guide our decisions to lead us to them. But, why now, at this critical time was I feeling this way? The next morning, after worrying about it all night, the thought kept playing over in my head, "the devil loves orphans"...I began REALLY praying. My entire drive to work that morning I prayed, "God, in two days we have to pay A LOT of money.  We have been watching you work, we have no doubt that you can make this happen, but if we are not supposed to move forward, STOP us. Put up a road block, that we can't miss. If we don't have the money in time, we will reconsider our next step". This prayer was so different than any other prayer I had been praying. Everything else has been, please lead us, if it is your will make this happen, help us move forward in the right direction...This was a "God, stop us, put up a roadblock".  And again, an answered prayer and a miracle unfolded, right in front of me. Within an hour of praying that prayer, I was contacted by a complete stranger. This person assured me they were a friend of a friend, I could verify they were "real" if I wanted to. I was told, "We have been saving money to make a large donation for some charitable work that caught our interest.  International adoption and particularly keeping sibling sets together is something that God put on my heart many years ago. " chill bumps...God this is NOT a roadblock! The EXACT amount remaining of our balance was paid, we received EXACTLY $13,000 in donations...we are so humbled....I have no doubt now that Satan was working hard on my heart. Stirring up doubt and confusion. But God is so much bigger!!! If God wanted us to move forward, He could have let the donations continue to trickle in, He could have still made it happen. I could have assumed that since the money came in God must be giving us a sign that we are doing the right thing. He didn't stop us, right? But no, God answered in a BIG way! He made His plans so clear! Praise God that He has something big planned for these children and that He has chosen us to be a part of it! What a blessing to be living within a miracle, having a front row seat to watch GOD work! This is not about us, it's not about our faith or our prayers...it's about God changing the lives of children and I think He enjoys having an attentive audience! I'm so thankful to be a part of it, and I'm so honored to be able to have such an amazing story to share. Thank you so much for being in Gods audience with us and for sharing with others. God is not only changing the lives of our children, He is changing our lives. I want to shout from the mountain top, "Look what my God can do!"

We saw God move the mountain, but not only did He move the mountain and clear the rain clouds. He allowed the sun to shine through, stretching a rainbow across the sky. He has said to us, "I am in control, trust Me" .

We now once again wait, trusting. We have submitted all of the needed documents for the twins and payment has been made. Next is waiting for the Congolese court appointment. Please pray that our children will pass court quickly. This is estimated to take 2-4 months. We thought that while they were waiting for court, we would be waiting for our updated  US immigration approval (changing our approval from 2 children to 3). This was supposed to take 4-6 weeks.  But, instead we received it in 9 days!!! One more step closer to bringing them home! Please also pray for our children who are waiting to come home. I've seen it quoted, "An orphanage is no place for a child" and it absolutely is no place for our children...We can't wait to see what God has in store next! We are so grateful for all of the prayers being said. We thank you!

My song share this week :-) Kutless - That's What Faith Can Do

Learning to TRUST

 It had been a year since my second miscarriage. The loss of our baby, once again unexplained, at 12 weeks. Between these losses we had been blessed by the miracle of giving birth to a perfect healthy baby girl. But even that pregnancy had been stressful. At our first ultrasound we were told that this baby had a fifty percent chance of surviving. For us, pregnancy was stressful. My heart was fragile, I didn't feel like I had it in me to potentially experience this kind of loss again. But there we were, with a three year old whom we wanted to have a sibling, trying to decide whether to allow our hearts to possibly be broken once again or to raise an only child.  We prayed a lot. We knew our experience was not uncommon, but we also knew how painful it had been for us. Then one night, I began to get a glimpse of what God had in store for us. As I laid in bed, tossing and turning, worrying and praying I heard God speak to my heart. "Why not adopt?" I sat up. The thought was so loud and so clear it was as if someone had spoken the words out loud in my bedroom. That night was the first step in this amazing journey. God planted a seed in my heart that I could not ignore. It took a year, to really process the thought, and the commitment, and to begin to develop the trust that was needed to take that leap of faith into the adoption world. One year ago, this story officially began to unfold and I am learning that its when we step out in faith to follow God's plan we can never, in a million years, even dream up what He has in store for us. Last month, we thought we had it all figured out. We were given what felt like such a sure sign about our little boy. We accepted his referral, we paid the next set of fees and now we just wait for him to pass court so we can start planning our trip to bring him home. But last week we learned more about our sweet little boy, Dauphin. We learned that he is the oldest of 3 children. He is 4, turning 5 in May and he has 3 year old twin siblings...we were told the twins would be staying together but had been referred to a different family. I was heartbroken.  We never, ever, wanted to be a part of splitting up siblings and our agency had known this from the beginning. Prayerfully we told them that if the other family would consider accepting Dauphin, we would let his referral go if it meant keeping the children together. At 11:45 at night, I received an email. This email, left us frozen and in shock. There was no "other family"... The twins had not been referred and if we were interested we could consider taking them along with Dauphin...Seriously, God must have a sense of humor! I have one, quite self sufficient 5 year old. We're adopting an almost 5 year old...we had it all figured out..really?... We said we would be interested and asked for pictures and more information about the little ones. Once again, I feel God saying "Trust Me". Dauphin's little brother is also wearing a t-shirt that my friend recognized as one of her son's from the donation made last fall. God reminded us that this whole adoption idea was His in the first place. We are here because of our willingness to trust. We feel a connection to little Dauphin because we feel like God led us right to him. And now, we also feel a connection to his little siblings. Maybe we have been placed right where we are to fight for these kids who can not fight for themselves. They sit together at an orphanage, together, with no voice. We are their voice and we will trust.

Last week after learning about the twins, but having not shared this with Emmaline, I asked her if she was getting excited about her brother. She replied, "yes mommy, but I REALLY wanted a sister" she went on to say, "you know what would be perfect, if Jesus gave me 2 brothers and a sister, that way we would have 2 girls and 2 boys"... The twins are a little boy and a little girl. Sweet Emmaline, it looks like God is answering your prayers. We plan to do everything we can to bring all 3 of these sweet children home, together. When I ended my last blog post with "greater things are yet to come" I had no idea!

So, where does this leave us now? We have an amazing caseworker locally who has already updated our homestudy for us to include approval for adopting 3 children and she has sent the needed paperwork on to USCIS to update our I600a. This should hopefully be processed in the next 4-6 weeks. Since our homestudy has already been updated our agency sent us the official referral for the twins last Thursday! This means we have 2 weeks to gather the needed documents to accept and make another payment for their referral fee. This is where we take a huge leap of faith. We thought we were so on track financially (thanks to so many of you who have generously made donations), but now we owe $13,000 more, in 2 weeks...so...if you have ever felt the urge to make a tax deductible donation to our adoption fund, now is the time! Details of how to do this can be found under the "support us" tab. We've been trying to think of more fund raisers to do and this definitely puts it into high gear for us. If anyone has any fundraising ideas, please share them with me! So, here we are...feeling like we are crazy to accept all three and even more crazy if we don't! We truly feel like God has big things in store for us and for these kids. We know we will be so blessed to have them in our lives. Thanks for being a part of this adventure with us!

Here's a song I want to share. I heard it and really listened to the lyrics for the first time the day before we learned about the twins.  It has become my favorite song since learning about them. It makes me so excited to know we are really doing something to make a difference!

Listen to the song here:  Kings and Queens