Holdin' on to Hope

Wow! How fast the month of July has gone - we just realized that it'll be a month tomorrow since we've posted on the blog. We've been enjoying the summer and can't believe that in a month, we will be back in school! (Vicki returns to school August 22, the kids start back on August 24). Unfortunately, we don't have any big news to share about our adoption....but, we are excited that we seem to have some signs of hope.....and our prayer request now is that we might be able to share Christmas together fully "expanded" as the Jansen's.

Please join us as we try to continue this journey ~ "Being joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer" Romans 12:12

We continue finding great comfort in knowing that God is in control of all the details - big and little. God is good - all the time!!

Build Us Back

Welcome to July! For us, it meant another monthly update from our agency. There were 5 children blessed enough to be referred to their "forever families". We are so happy for those kids and share the joy of their new parents. They, too have waited long for their referrals and been dealing with the uncertainty of adoption in Ethiopia.

But, it was a downer for us at the same time. Some of these families sent in their Dossiers after we did. Some of these families have an idea of when they will go to Ethiopia to meet their child. And, we still wait. We are not trying to start a pity party - we don't want any one's pity. But, we are going to be honest again and just say that this is very, very hard. We (Dave & Vicki) are usually taking turns picking each other up when we are frustrated, tired of waiting, etc. But, more and more, we seem to be having the bad moments at the same time. The waiting just wears a person down after a while. We knew this process would be hard and still signed up. And, we KNOW that it will all be worth it. We have no doubt. The yearning in our hearts just deepens as we wait and that yearning won't be fulfilled until our family is complete here in Lewis Center, Ohio. Please pray for us and our kids here. Pray for our child in Ethiopia - that they are safe, warm, well fed, free from any sort of harm and their heart and mind are being fully prepared for the changes to come in their young life. Pray that God keeps Building Us Back.....the words of that song sung by the Newsboys has been echoing in my heart all day - only God can continue to "Build Us Back".

Build Us Back

We've been crumbled, we've been crushed
City walls have turned to dust
Broken hands and blistered feet
We walk for miles to find relief

When the thief takes, when our hopes cave
You build us back
You build us back

When the earth shakes, when the world breaks
You build us back
You build us back

We are scared, we are poor
All our safety nets are torn
We've been humbled to our knees
From these ruins, we believe

When the thief takes, when our hopes cave
You build us back
You build us back

When the earth shakes, when the world breaks
You build us back
You build us back

Redeemer, redeem us
Restorer, restore us
Oh build us back
Though the mountains be shaken, the hills be removed
Your unfailing love remains
After all that's been taken, Your promise, still sacred
You build us back with precious stones

Lord Jesus, thank you for Building Us Back each time our hopes cave. We know that you are building us into the people you want us to be and we Praise you!

Some News....

We still eagerly await our referral call (and Vicki was secretly hoping it would come in time for Dave to really celebrate Father's Day), but we thought we'd share a little bit of news. Please read the excerpt from an email we received from our agency today......at least it is movement in the right direction! :-)

Dear Families~

We are happy to report we received word that MOWYCA (Ministry of Woman's Youth and Children's Affairs) decided to increase the number of new cases they will approve to ten per day. (as opposed to the five that they were doing) They also stated that they plan to increase this number to 15 per day, over the next few months. It is our understanding that this is in addition to the backlog cases they continue to work on.

Other pieces of information that we have been told:

-The courts are opposed to a dramatic decrease in cases approved and recently demanded that MOWYCA review more than five cases per day.

-The courts are scheduling approximately 20 hearings per day.

Family and friends - please continue to pray for the children in Ethiopia and around the world who need a family! Thank You!

No News....

Well, we've come to the beginning of another month with no news....we thought we'd share the update that we rec'd from our agency today.

For the month of May, they were able to offer 9 referrals of children - most of these were infants/very young (under 3 years) kiddos. If you remember....we are waiting a preschool aged child.

The MOWYCA's long term plan is still unknown, but for now, they continue to process only 5 cases a day and are clearing the backlog of court cases. The processing of only 5 cases a day will definitely continue through September. This continues to sadden us, as there are reports of still almost 5 million orphans in Ethiopia who need homes......and still they wait.

It looks like Court Closure will begin on August 8 - September 30 (due to rainy season). Referrals can still be given during that time, but court cases will not be able to be opened during that time.

As I reflect on some of the pieces of the puzzle that brought us to Ethiopia, some of the reasons were because there seemed to be many preschool aged kiddos ready to be adopted and because the time between referral, court date and bringing our new family member home was relatively short in the big picture. But, as God does, He reminds us that He is in control and His timetable overrules any plans we can make or even hope for. And, that He is in control is what we rest in each day, even as we wait some more.

Becoming Farmers.....

This past Sunday night, our Small Group wrapped up our study of the Book of James. We spent some time discussing James 5:7 & 8 "Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near."

Our small group leader shared with us some facts he learned about farmers, to help us better understand this passage and the "art" of waiting and being patient. Here are those insights and in paranthesis, how we were convicted as to how the patience of the farmer applies to our (impatiently) waiting for our referral:

He waits with a reasonable hope; and expectation of reward (we know that one of these days we will get "the call")
He waits a long time (yep, sure feels like it)
He waits working all the while (we are trying very hard to keep on with day to day life and not get caught up in "the wait"...easier said than done)
He waits depending on things out of his own power; with his eye on the heavens (we know this is out of our hands, and we cry out to God in heaven)
He waits despite changing circumstances and many uncertainties (see recent posts about the adoption situation and Ethiopia)
He waits encouraged by the value of the harvest (we know the value of our child in God's eyes is more than we can conceive)
He waits encouraged by the work and harvest of other farmers (Praise God for other adoptive families who remind us of the blessings in store)
He waits because he really has no other option (yep)
He waits because it does no good to give up (that's right)
He waits aware of how the seasons work (and the winds of adoption referrals)
He waits because as time goes on, it becomes more important and not less to do so (correct - the waiting on God becomes more and more important)

So, here we are, approaching Mother's Day and waiting.....learning.....praying.....hoping.....sometimes crying.....but trying to be like the farmer and know that everything has a season. To God be the Glory!

Prayer Request

We would like to share a prayer request - and you need to understand the background of this request. In February, we attended a Church Leadership Conference, where the main speaker really challenged the audience about how we pray. He helped us realize that too often, we don't pray big enough and that so often, in our prayers, we seem to forget just how BIG God is. That lesson has really stuck with us.

So, for a few different reasons, we (Dave & Vicki) have both felt led to PRAY BIG that we might receive our referral (the name and information about our child) by Mother's Day. So - would you please join us in this prayer request? We know it's Big, but our God is Bigger than anything else we know.

Thank You!

Another Update

Today there was a teleconference between adoption agencies, prospective adoptive parents and the USCIS (United Sates Center for Immigration Services). We were not able to participate due to work schedules, but our Agency sent a summary. The news didn't really seem like any steps forwards, but at least there weren't any large steps backwards. The next step will be the USCIS and the DOS (Department of State) meeting with those overseeing adoption proceedings in Ethiopia in the next few weeks. Please pray for these meetings and that the government officials will help each other work through the discrepancies and concerns regarding Ethiopian adoptions.

Please also pray for our child. We are eagerly awaiting our referral phone call and we are taking turns being impatient about that. As we wait, our minds can only imagine what our child's situation might be as they wait for their forever home. Pray for their protection, nourishment, development and care. We know that God knows the number of hairs on their head and we trust that He loves them even more than we do.