The Lord IS Providing

We are once again in awe of how the Lord provides!

He is making a way for this domestic adoption to happen and its all in His perfect timing!

To say He is perfect, amazing, and awesome is an understatement.

 

While we still need Gods people to make this thing happen, we will be able to start showing our profile to birth moms. 

In fact....we have a sweet little mom in mind who we might be showing to next week.

I will keep you guys updated!

 

Meanwhile, we have 246 puzzle pieces left.

If you have not had the chance to make a tax deductible gift toward this adoption yet, the link is below.

We appreciate your prayerful support as we try to decide which birth moms to show our profile to.

https://www.adopttogether.org/pehl

Finding His Will.

I have spent a lot of time in the past two years trying to decide what God's will is for my life.

Should we adopt?

Should we move?

Should we travel?

Should we adopt again?

It can get seriously exhausting trying to figure out if God is saying yes or no.

 

When we started thinking about adopting domestically alongside our Congolese adoption, I started doing some serious bible studying.

I wanted God to give me a really clear yes or no.

Here is what I discovered.....

 

Gods will for my life is not difficult or confusing.

I was spending a lot of time making it more complicated than it needed to be.

God commands us to do certain things in the bible....

 

In Matthew 4:19 he says," Come, Follow me and I will make you fishers of men."

He wants us to follow Him and spread the gospel.

We can all pretty much agree that this is God's will for ALL of our lives.

 

James 1:27 says,"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this;  to visit orphans and widows in their affliction."

When I read this passage for the 50th times, I realized that no where in the bible does it say that a person can possibly take care of too many orphans.

There is not one passage that warns against adopting too many kids.

 

So how can I be so sure that we are doing the right thing by entering into a second adoption before getting Isryelle and Boaz home?

The Lords heart is to care for the orphans.

My heart is to care for the orphans.

These facts are all I need to have peace that we are headed in the right direction!

Good News and Bad News

Do you want the good news or bad news first?

I always like to hear bad news first so hear it goes!

 

A little while back, our agency added on some extra fees to our expenses. 

The Congo is not letting children out which is causing fees to increase due to new procedures and a longer stay in the foster home.

We were told to pay the fees whenever we could...no rush.

Well about a month ago we got a past due bill in the mail and felt a little bit of pressure.

At the time, we had absolutely no money so we did not pay the bill.

Then our precious anonymous donors sent a $10,000 check to Lifesong For Orphans.

They wanted to pay for travel and so we had left it in our Lifesong account for travel.

 

Then we got another bill in the mail a couple of days ago.

Instead of the bill having a "due date" it just said to pay it ASAP.

OK so I feel a lot of pressure and start praying. 

 

We felt to relieved to have all of the travel money in the bank.

We honestly did not want to let go of that little sense of security.

But there was God, once again bidding us to trust Him.

 

So tonight, I paid our bill.

 

The good news is...we had the money to pay the bill!

Praise God for His perfect provision!

 

So I am reporting that although we still need to come up with money for travel, our agency fees are paid in full!  That is a weight off my chest for sure!

248 pieces left!

Our puzzle showed up in the mail yesterday and we absolutely LOVE it!

There are 248 pieces left if you want to buy one.

 

 

Just make any TAX DETECTABLE donation to the link below.

https://www.adopttogether.org/pehl

I will write your name on a puzzle piece and post it so you can see!



Here is an example of someone special who will be remember by our child for his or her whole life!

I LOVE this fundraiser!

Investigations Have Begun

Our kids investigations have finally begun.

The U.S. embassy in Kinshasa will investigate our children's backgrounds to be sure that they are orphans but U.S. standard.

This usually takes about 6 months to complete.

 

Our kids will then get a visa appointment and will be issued their visas.

Lord willing, we will have their visas is 7-8 months.

Now if only the D.R.C. would open up so we could go get them!

 

We are feeling comforted, joyful, and encouraged as we wait for them.

Prayer Warriors - Domestic Adoption Update

Hi Friends!

We are all set to start showing our profiles to birth moms.

The only thing we are missing is the money to do this.

We have tried everything we can possibly think of.

God has said "no" to all of our "man-made" ideas about how to finance this thing.

 

So now it is time to be still and KNOW that He is God.

We are praying BIG!

We are praying that God will deliver a BIG GOD SIZED MIRACLE.

 

We are asking you all to commit to praying with us this week.

If you are willing to pray with us, please let us know of you commitment in the comments section below.

God hears our prayers!



Travel is Paid for!

We got a huge blessing last week!

It took me way to long to post about this but I felt like it deserved its own post.

Among all of the other Thanksgiving blessing we got, someone decided they wanted to pay our travel expenses for when we go to Congo.

That right...$10,000!

 

What?!?!

I must say it is shocking to see someone so selflessly and generously give of their money to help out us and our kids.

Every single time someone prays, gives an encouraging word, or donated money for our children

we are truly touched.

 

Thank you so much to this anonymous donor who really gave us one of the best Christmas presents we could ask for.

We Need Help

I know that we seem like those people that just keep asking for money.

Let me tell you, fundraising is awful!

It is not fun asking people for help and we have been doing it for too long it seems.

We try to remind ourselves that we are the body of Christ that has been commanded to care for the orphan.

God does not expect us to do this by ourselves.

So we are once again asking for help. 

We need Gods people to help bring an orphan into a loving family.

 

So this is where the puzzle piece fundraiser comes in.

We are going to buy a puzzle.

All of you wonderful people can purchase a piece for however much you wish to donate.

We will write your name of the back of a puzzle piece. 

When all of the pieces have been purchased, we will put the puzzle together and frame it.

Our child will forever know how loved he or she was loved!

 

We have more good news.

We have been accepted into the "adopttogether" program.

This means if you follow the link below, all of your donations will be tax deductable!

O Yeah!

adopttogether.org/pehl



Thanksgiving and Care Packages.

I had a very blessed thanksgiving this year. 

There was lots of family and tons of food!

We sure do have a lot to be thankful for this year.

 

This year, instead of being sad that our children are not home for the holidays, I chose to be thankful that they finally received their care packages.

8 months after sending the packages both of our children got to see their new family for the first time and that is something to be thankful for! 

We also got a video of Isryelle!  What a blessing to hear our little ones little voice.  She sang and danced in the video!  I can not show the video publicly on our blog but it is posted on our private FB page.  If you are not a part of the page yet, let me know and I will make sure you get added.

 

We also had the blessing of having our family profile completed only a few days after getting all of our pictures and information to our adoption consultants.  We were told that it would take about two weeks but they worked their tails off and really blessed us this holiday season!

To top it off, our home study is finished and we were able to send our applications to a few agencies.

We should be ready to be matched in a week or two!

Holy Moly God is Good!

A Poem

I scanned over this poem because it was so long.

Then I found myself going back to it and I am so glad I did.

What an encouraging message for all of us!

 

Wait
by Russell Kelfer
Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried;
Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied. ...
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate . . .
And the Master so gently said, "Wait."

"Wait? you say wait?" my indignant 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 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.

"You promised, dear Lord, 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 again, "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 and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.

"I could give all you seek and pleased you would be.
You'd 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 are all you can see.

"You'd never experience the fullness of love
When the peace of My spirit descends like a dove.
You would 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 into 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.

"You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that My grace is sufficient for thee.
Yes, your dearest dreams overnight would come true,
But, oh, the loss, if you missed what I'm doing in you.

"So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to truly know me.
And though oft My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all is still . . . Wait."

The Battle

When we started this adoption process almost two years ago, I saw adoption as all butterflies and rainbows.  If you can remember back to the very first blog post I wrote, we wanted to adopt one baby boy. Back then I thought we would bring home our baby boy and live happily ever after.  I didn't think we would have much of a problem with bonding or attachment.  After all, the older the child gets, the more difficult it is for them to adjust. We saw ourselves getting him home, getting him settled in, and then getting pregnant again and continuing our family.

Simple. Easy.

 

Never would I have imagined I would be smack dab in the middle of the most difficult battle I have ever fought in my life.

 

The Lord has changed our plans over and over again.  The Lord has made our plans His plans.

He has shown us what is important to Him verses what is important to the world.

He gave us strength to go with the flow when our situation with Ethiopia started raveling out of control.  He is giving us peace as we fight for our little ones in Congo.  He is giving us hope as we pursue the little one he has for us in the U.S.

 

I have four children.

A two year old gift from God who amazes me every day with how precious she is.

A 3 year old son who loves to play with cars and has the deepest eyes I have ever seen.

A 4 year old girl who wears hats and dresses and smiles all the time.

A sweet little baby who I have yet to see but love and yearn for all the same.

 

Having three children in limbo is taxing on this mama's heart. 

In all of this chaos, my biggest battle is not trying to get Isryelle and Boaz home.

My biggest battle is not filling out document after documents trying to get "paper ready" to be matched to an infant here in the U.S.

My biggest battle is controlling my emotions and making sure that God gets the glory through every step of every adoption process we ever go through.

 

You would think that after two years of God showing himself faithful, my faith would be unwavering.....its not.

I have to fight every single day to remember that God is all faithful.

I have to tell the devil every single day that I will not listen to his lies.

I have to remember that God cares more about my children than I ever could.

Some days I want to be angry that my two children are stuck in the Congo. Some days I don't understand how that is just.  Some days I feel like my prayers do not matter. 

 

I know deep down that the Lord has an amazing plan for my life and the life of our children.

All I want is for Him to use me.  I want to serve Him.

My kids will come home...the Lord will be faithful.

I don't want to waste this time pouting and doubting.

When my kids come home, I want to be able to say that God got all the glory through the whole process.

 

So if you want to know how to pray for us...pray that God gets all the glory through this whole process.  Pray that people are moved by God's power and faithfullness in our lives. 

Some Big News!

Are you tired of this emotional roller coaster yet?

I am not going to lie, we feel like we are ready for the roller coaster to end.

You know that moment when you finally realize that is is over....

The moment when the continuous loops and sudden drops finally stop....

You no longer feel like you are going to throw up your lunch....

You can breath.

 

Well, the Lord has us on a WILD roller coaster and it does not appear to be coming to a complete stop anything soon!

We got more news from the D.R.C. and have finally come to terms with the fact that we will most likely not be getting our kids home anytime soon.

There is a good chance it will be a year plus some before they are sleeping in their own beds.

We are heart broken for them.

We are heart broken for us.

We know that the Lord has an amazing plan for their futures and we trust Him to care for them while we wait.

 

So here we are sitting around, praying, waiting, hoping, when out of the blue Gavin says, "I think we need to look into domestic adoption....just while we wait."

My initial reaction was that it seems logical to bring another child into our family while we wait but my heart was still feeling sad and confused.

I figured it wouldn't hurt to look into it so I spent the day researching our options.

 

By the end of the day I came to the conclusion that there was absolutely no way we could pay for a domestic adoption.  These adoptions happen fast....like under 6 months fast sometimes.

We have been adopting for two years and are so broke!

I prayed that Gavin would have clarity on the situation.

I needed him to KNOW without a doubt that this is what God was calling us to do.

I felt so confused by what made sense and what my heart wanted.

 

When he got home...he knew.

He would not even let me argue all the what-ifs with him.

He had been seeking wisdom and the Lord answered and Gavin told me there was no going back.

We had to go get our child who is here...in the U.S.

 

So long story short, we are not adopting two...but three children.

Two from Africa and one from the United States.

I am still grieving the change a little bit...I want Isryelle and Boaz home so bad it hurts.

I am also beginning to let myself get excited about what the Lord could have for us in the future that we never expected.

 

The Lord has provided the money to get started in amazing ways.

He has opened doors for us in the same way he opened doors for us when we started our first adoption process. 

 

This adoption will cost around $25,000.

 

I am not going to lie, in my head this seems impossible.

We have fund raised the heck out of every single person we know for the last two year.

We have already applied for many of the grants that are out there.

I feel like a crazy person for even starting this process...but I have faith that the Lord will take care of it.  His track record in our lives is perfect.

 

Where he guides, He provides!

 

How you can help?

1.  Pray!  I put this as #1 because I really do believe it is the best thing you can do for us!

2.  I need some fundraising ideas or financing options.  I am really out of ideas so if anyone has any please share in the comment section below!

3.  If you feel led, you can help bring our baby home on a financial level.  Just follow the link below.

 

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=89FNR9KGHZCMS

From a Child's Lips.

I have a friend who adopted a little girl who lived in a foster home with our kids for some time.

She often sees pictures of our children on our private facebook page and tells her mom all sorts of fun stories about her life at the foster home.

Well yesterday I asked my friend to ask her daughter what our kids were like and what they like to do.

Her response was too precious...I just had to share.

 

About Isryelle

 "loves to dance, wear nice dresses, nice shoes, loves E(my friends daughter;) doesn't cry much, her eyes seem to hurt fairly often - she scratches them and they get gummy (one in particular), she's a nice girl, loves to play and loves to dance with the kids, loves to play with balloons and balls."

 

About Boaz

'he sick in his nose' lots of colds and runny nose, hurts him in his nose, she used to wash him, sometimes A (another little girl) would slap him (she's a little kiddo) loves playing with A - despite the slapping;) loves balls too (but really, there toys are pretty limited there!) likes the 'beach' which I still can't figure out where that is - she talks about a big pool and beach..., likes being in the water there. Loves looking for rocks, loves to smile

 

Luke 2:9

But Mary treasured up all of these things and pondered them in her heart.

 

Like Mary, I am treasuring up every little piece of information I get on the kids and pondering it in my heart over and over again. 

What a blessing it was to see what this little angel had to say about our littles!

Time to File for Visas!!!!

Let me tell you...I am excited today.

Yesterday was one of the the downest(yes I made this word up) days I have had since starting this process.

To put it simply, I was mad.

I was mad that things were not moving quicker and mad that we do not have our kids home.

I knew my attitude was sinful but could not seem to pull myself out of the pity party I created for myself.

 

 

God is merciful!

You know what I had waiting in my e-mail this morning?

All the documents we needed for file for the kids visas!

 

Lord willing, we will be sending in our application Wednesday or Thursday.

We will then wait for it to get approved and send to the embassy in DRC(4-6 weeks).

When the embassy receives it, our 3-6 month investigation will start.

Parents usually travel within a month of their child's investigation being completed.

 

Because of our children's backgrounds, our coordinator is telling us we should prepare ourselves for the full 6 month investigation.  We are of course hoping and praying for a VERY quick investigation period.  We know that the Lord's timing is perfect.

Paperwork Update

The good news is, we have Boaz's Act of Adoption.

The bad news is we do not have his birth certificate yet.

So we can not file for the kids visas yet.

 

Our coordinator feels like we should be getting the paperwork in a matter of days.

It is Congo though so I am not holding her to that timeline.

Keep praying that the last piece of paperwork gets received by our agency.

I feel like I am going crazy.

How can I wait another week for them to come home, let alone another year!

We are really looking forward to moving onto the next step.

Update - DGM suspension.

I know that a lot of you have been following our adoption process since day one.

I know that you all hurt with us when we told you that the D.R.C. is not letting children out of the country currently.

So I don't have much of an update and do not really have anything concrete.

I still feel like you all deserve to be kept as up to date on our process as possible.

 

The DGM issues another announcement that they are no longer allowing singles to adopt.

Keep all these single women in prayer over the next few days.

Many of their children are already adopted and will never be able to go home.

It is tragic and heartbreaking to lose a child...not matter how the loss occurs.

 

They have made no statements about how long it will be before they lift the suspension.

Agencies used to feel like it will not last long, but after a meeting with them this last week they are not so optimistic.

It is so hard to predict what will happen because the D.R.C. has been so unpredictable in the past.

At this point agencies feel that their needs to be changes made to the adoption process so that the DGM can have some sort of assurance that Congolese children will be taken care of.

 

It sounds like a simple problem to fix but making a new procedure in the adoption world can be a lengthy venture.  So sadly we wait.  We know that God can do big things here but at the moment it is not looking like our kids will come home soon.

 

Please keep our children in your prayers and we continue to fight to get them home.

Yay for Another Grant!

We received another grant recently from the Lydia Fund.

The grant is for $1500 and we are VERY thankful!

We were really impressed by the way the Lydia Fund conducted themselves.

They first have you apply.

Then out of all their applicants, they pick the ones they feel have the greatest needs and call to set up a skype interview.

They then talk to us over skype, get to know us, pray with us, and then make their decision.

They are the first grant organization yet that has done this!

 

They are a non-profit that is able to give families grants based on the donations that they receive.

I know that they are one of the organizations we will be supporting when we are done adopting.

Here is their website in case you are interested in supporting them as well.

 

http://lydiafund.org/

I LOVE Waiting!

Believe or not...the title of this post is not a lie.

I do love waiting...I also hate waiting.

I love this special time we get to spend as a family of three.

I hate that we are not a family of five and that Irelyn does not have siblings to play with.

I love that God is working on their hearts even in Congo...growing them into passionate Jesus followers.

I hate that they are not safe in my arms.

This is just part of what makes me a crazy adopting mama!

 

I go to a very encouraging women's book club called Moms Morning.

We are reading a booked called, "A Mother's Heart" by Jean Fleming.

This week I was reading through chapter five and it spoke straight to my heart.

The chapter focused on mothers like Sarah and Elizabeth...who waited for their children.

 

Each of these women who originally barren.  Culturally, when a woman could not have children she was considered cursed and face public humiliation and ridicule.  These woman experience a very painful...long wait. 

 

Its easy to ask yourself, "why did these women have to suffer?"

"They were women of God...what there a purpose to their difficult wait?"

God had a special plan for these woman and their children.

God had a special purpose for each one of their children and He wanted ALL the glory!

 

One of my favorite portions in the book says this

"God knows that with-holding children often produces a different mentality in a waiting mother or father.  I wonder if Abraham would have laid his son Isaac on the alter if the long wait had not prepared his heart. Would Hannah have given her beloved son Samuel to God's service if he has come much earlier?  Did the wait produce a conviction that Samuel came from God and should live for God's purposes, a conviction she otherwise might not have experienced?

Perhaps another reason God allowed these mothers to endure a long wait was to lay a groundwork of prayer.  They knew that these children were children of purpose and promise, and undoubtedly each one of them way prayed for."

 

God loves us so much that he gives us something in His Word to relate to no matter where we are in life.  These woman so long ago endured very difficult waits.  I am sure their faith wavered.  I bet at times they felt like God had forgotten them.  He had a very special plan for them and their children.

What hope it gives me that right now God is writing the story of my life.  As I follow Him it is becoming a story of love, redemption, and hope.  These mothers stories can give me peace that my Lord knows exactly what he is doing and has a great plan for these precious children He has entrusted to me.

Journey to Isryelle

Isryelle was our little surprise.

When we switched to D.R.C., we were not sure if we would end up adopting two children.

We lost a hefty amount of money during the switch and the D.R.C. is much more expensive than Ethiopia.  We really did not know what to do so we prayed and left it up to the Lord.

We knew he would make His plans known.

 

When we talked to the coordinator with our new agency, we told her that we wanted a child age 0-5.

She told us she would send us some information the next day.

When I opened the e-mail, she wrote that she has about 6 kids waiting but is only going to give us information on the children who were already "paper ready".

We were concerned about having to pick between multiple kids.  How do you decide which ones should be in your home?

 

As we read the e-mail, we were overjoyed to see that Boaz had been picked for us.

We thought he was the only child paper ready and were happy that we did not have to make a decision.

 

Then we scrolled down further and we saw information on another little one.

A GIRL!

In Africa, there are more boys available than girls.  Since we were not gender specific, we figured we would be referred two boys if we got two children.

But there she was...as cute as could be.

Her smile lit up our entire house and continues to do that to this day.

 

We were surprised that she gave us the profiles of two children and excited that it was a girl.

God truly gave us the desires of our heart. 

We wanted a boy, because we don't have one yet.  We also wanted a girl because the hair is just adorable!  That is why we knew we could not decide.

 

The first time we saw her, we knew she was our daughter. 

It is strange seeing your child for the first time in a picture...its hard to believe that something so beautiful and perfect could be entrusted to us.

 

She has beautiful chocolate skin...its just flawless.

She has a smile that floors me every time I see it.

She loves hats and head wraps.

I just know she is going to be an amazing older sister to all our children.

 

I have missed so much of my firstborns life.

I missed her first step, first word, first laugh.

I will not miss the first time she protects her Little sister from the mean kids at the playground.

I will not miss the first time she prays before dinner.

I will not miss the moment she realizes Jesus is her Savior and has a very special purpose for her.

I have lifetime to love on this little girl and can not wait to get started!

We immediatley signed the paperwork that made it official that we were pursuing the adoption of this little beauty. 
Isryelle means "one who prevails with God."
Justina(middle name) means justice and is my great grandmas name.

All the updates.

I have no updates that are set in stone but I told you all I would update you so hear it goes.

Our agency does not feel like the DGM suspension is going to last very long.

They are thinking only a few months.

This is only a guess so keep praying that the DGM can get the issues resolved.

We are at a point in our adoption that this suspension is not effecting us yet but there are families who are unable to get their kids home because of the suspension.

Its a heartbreaking situation and we need to be turning to God in prayer for these families.

 

Our coordinator said that the earliest she thinks she will have Boaz's Act of Adoption is next Monday.  Even if she gets it then, she has to organize all of the paperwork and everything has to be translated.  This is the last thing we need to file for the kids visas and move to the next step.  7 weeks ago we were told we should have it in 3-5 weeks. It is no ones fault that we do not have it yet but we are really looking forward to getting all the necessary documents to start the next long waiting phase of this process.  Please be praying for us and our kids.

Journey to Boaz

When we first accepted our kids referrals, I did a quick post about it because what followed our referral was a whirlwind of paperwork and phone calls.

I want to rewind a little and tell the story of how God led us to our kids.

I am going to start with Boaz.

 

A little over a year ago, we were waiting for a referral from Ethiopia.

I passed some of the time by watching waiting children websites.

It was from waiting children's websites that I learned about D.R.C.

At the time it was a pretty new program and moving really fast.

Parents were getting children home in less than 6 months!  What a dream!

 

While surfing the web one day I found All Blessings adoption agency.

I took a look at their waiting kids and there was little Boaz(he had a different name at the time).

He was absolutely beautiful!  Those big ole eyes stole my heart.  His features were so sweet and delicate.  Being crazy as I am, I e-mailed the address underneath the picture. 

 

Obviously I knew that there was not way we could have him.  We were adopting from a different country and I was sure he would file a family FAST!  The coordinator(who is now our coordinator) got back to me and told me that there may be a possibility that we could get around some of the Congolese requirements that we could not meet as a couple.  She gave me a fee schedule which was just crazy and I let it go. No way could we adopt from two different countries with two different fee schedules!

 

That night I showed Gavin his picture and told him that Boaz just looked like our son.

He told me that he can't possibly look like our son because we were adopting from Ethiopia. 

Gavin is very logical.

Of course he was right so I went to bed dreaming of a little chocolate colored boy with big eyes and curly soft hair.

 

Months went by and I checked his picture a couple of times a month to see if he had found a family yet. It just broke my heart that he could not find a home.  He was PERFECT!  After about six months, things started to unravel with our Ethiopian adoption...you all know that awful story.  When we pulled out of our Ethiopian adoption, the first thing I did was check All Blessings waiting children's page.  There he was!  That sweet little boy that stole my heart so many months ago!

 

Of course, just because his picture was still up, did not mean he was available.  Adoption agencies are famous for being slow to update their information.  We chose to pick an agency based on ethics before asking about Boaz.  I did not want to know that he was available if he was with an agency that we did not feel was ethical.  So we took a week and did our research.

 

In the end...we could not have picked a more honest and trustworthy agency than All Blessings.

We signed on with them and let them know we wanted a waiting child ages 0-5.

When we opened our e-mail the next morning, there he was.

He had grown in the last 6 months but was still the same little boy who I had fallen asleep dreaming about.

 

Now he is officially Boaz Edward Pehl.

His names means "In Him is strength."

My first born son.



As the Dust Settles

As the news of the exit letter suspension sinks in, I wanted to let you all know that we have hope.

I do not have words to describe how I am feeling during this difficult time but I find comfort in God's Word.

 

Psalm 13

How long O Lord?  Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day?

How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

 

Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;

light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,

lest my enemy say, " I have prevailed over him,"

lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

 

But I have trusted in your steadfast love;

my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.

I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

 

Amos 6:6

But let Justice roll down like waters,

and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

 

Psalm 68:6

God sets the solitary in a home.

 

 

Urgent Prayer Request

We are coming to you all today with heavy hearts, asking for you all to pray with us.

We received word yesterday that the DGM(Congo side of immigration) has suspended issuing exit letters.  This means that no families can leave the country with their children.

 

They are saying the suspension will take up to 12 months.  This would slow down our adoption and keep us from getting our kids  for at least a year if they stick to their guns.  We have not yet heard from the U.S. embassy as far as what this means for families who are already through court and have kids waiting in the Congo.

 

We are asking you to pray with us this weekend for comfort and direction.

Please also pray for all these kids who are currently stuck without parents.

There are many families who had travel plans for the next couple weeks to pick up their kids and are devastated at the thought of waiting an additional year to bring them home.

This is unjust and the best thing we can do is cry out to our heavenly Father who has the power to change anything.

Will you adopt again?

First off I would like to ask...how do you like the blog makeover?

I thought is was incredibly cute and if you know me very well, you know that I LOVE animal print.

This makeover took me at least two hours to figure out....blogger makes me nuts!

 

Anyways....

 

As this adoption is starting to look like it is coming to an end(I am not holding my breath), I have been asked if we will adopt again.

Honestly if I were a person looking from the outside in, I would think,"No way will they adopt again!  They would have to be nuts to do this over again!"

 

True

 

I feel like I must be nuts for wanting to do this again.

The truth is, Lord willing, we absolutely want to adopt again.

This has been the most difficult thing I have done in my life.

The pain that the wait has inflicted on me feels unbearable at times.

The heartache of years lost with my children is almost too much to take.

I am fairly certain the process is making me clinically insane.

 

But

 

I have never felt more spiritually rich in all my life!

I am beginning to enjoy the chaos.

God has opened my eyes and now that I have seen I can not do nothing!

God has made himself so real in these past couple of years, I can not help but want more...I need to see more of Him.

 

We are feeling the need to switch it up a bit though.

International adoption is a LONG journey full of unknowns and changes of plans.

So we were thinking perhaps we would adopt one domestically next time around.

Or maybe have a baby the old fashioned way next.

There is always the possibility that God will totally change our direction and we could end up having little Pehl kids on the other side of the world again.

 

Who knows which route we will take next.

It will be a surprise!

All I know is that as long as its God's will, we will continue to add to our family through adoption.

How much you raised during Both Hands.

Well we finally have the total amount raised from our Both Hands fundraiser.

Thanks again to everyone who who made this possible.

 

Amount Raised

 

$5,700

 

We are not about $19,000 short of what we need to be fully funded.

Praise God!

We are moving forward.

Isryelle's Court Documents

We have a huge praise report.

We have received all of the documents that we need to file for Isryelle's visa today.

We are waiting for them to be translated to English, and then we can send all her paperwork into USCIS.  As soon as USCIS approves it(in 1-2 months), they will send the approval to the U.S. embassy in Kinshasa. 

Then the REAL waiting begins.  They will begin a 4-6 month investigation into Isryelle's background.  As soon as that is completed, they will bring her into the embassy for an interview and issue a visa.  We will finally be able to pick her up!

 

Please keep praying for Boaz's documents to come through.  We really want to get the investigation period started on both kids. We also need all you supporters to pray that  both of our kids complete the investigation around the same time.  They are from two different areas of Congo and their investigations will be done completely separate.  It will be difficult to have one child sitting in D.R.C. ready to come home because the other does not have a completed investigation.

 

We REALLY do appreciate your prayers!

Both Hands Video!

 

Here is a little recap of our Both Hands project in video form!

It is a beautiful video and I want to give a big shout out to Jared for donating his time to make it for us.  It turned out better than I ever imagined and really showcases how awesome of a day that was!

http://bothhandsfoundation.org/gavin-and-rachel-pehl

Raising the Prices

We got some bad news the day after we finished our Both Hands project. 

As you all know, we were about $17,000 away from being fully funded.

Well....our agency added on $7,000 in fees from what was originally in the contract.

The adoption world is constantly changing and getting more and more expensive every minute.

It is just one of the tools the devil uses to steer people away from adoption.

 

I am not going to lie, we were bummed!

We are running out of money, and running out of fundraisers we can do.

After letting it sink in for a few days, we feel at peace.

So what if this adoption costs over $80,000?

Its not like we could have come up with any of that by ourselves.

God will take care of us and we pray all the time that our adoption will give God glory!

 

The good news is, we will tell you all mid-week next week how much was raised during our both hands fundraiser.  If you feel let to sponsor our team financially, its not too late!  Just visit the link below.

http://bothhandsfoundation.org/gavin-and-rachel-pehl

Both Hands - The Final Project

Our Both Hands project was a complete success.

We had so much fun serving Zephera(our widow) and she made sure we knew how blessed she felt.

This is the first time I have personally done a service project this big.

It truly changed my heart...God's presence was so strong at Zephera's house on Saturday...it was truly amazing.  About an hour into the project, I thought to myself, "I am glad the kids are not home yet. If they were home, we would not have taken the time to do this project and we would miss out on a major blessing."  I am pretty sure Zephera was blessed but I KNOW without a doubt, our team was so blessed.

 

Praise God for putting together a team of people who worked beautifully together.  Praise God that the weather was wonderful and perfect for a long day of working outside.  Praise God that Zephera was happy to have us working on her home and for the example of Christ we could be to her.  She thought we were angels, I told her that we had the love of Christ in us which allows us to truly love her.

 

Gavin and I want to give a huge shout out to our wonderful team of volunteers.  I wish I could put into words how much it meant to us to serve with you. Our kids are on the other side of world wanting their mama and daddy.  Yesterday, you all made a difference.  You are all bringing them home.  On top of that, you showed Zephera the love of Christ. 

 

I also want to thank my husband who did most of the organization on the project day. He was wonderful at giving out orders and keeping everyone busy.  He was a wonderful leader and I am proud to say he is mine.

 

Thank you to everyone who sponsored our team this weekend.  I am waiting until next week to add up the total donated money so stay tuned for that.  You are all a huge part of bringing our children home.  Without the finances, it would not be possible.

Before

 

After

 

Before

A Prescott firefighter volunteered to come and help us set up defensible space in case of a wild fire.

 

 

After

 

Before

There were multiple spaces under her house that looked like this.

 

After

 

This shed was infested with rats and was full of stuff she has not seen in years.

We took everything out of the shed.  We threw away most of it but kept a few things that she wanted to salvage.

That would be a dollhouse full of rat poop and bedding.

She was so happy to be rid of this shed!

 One of the many rats we found throughout the day.

 We got rid of that bit of trash on the left but the shed is completely gone.

We hauled over 3000 pounds of trash to dump.  That does not include the brush which we chipped and put back onto the land.

 The Oakerlands who gave us the idea for the Both Hands project.

The beautiful view we had while working.

 

 Getting rid of those weeds!

 

 

My papa hard at work. 



We loved having young people come out to help.

Big thanks to Chino Rentals who donated the use of the chipper.  It saved us a LOT of money in dump fees. 

Zephera's backyard looked gorgeous by the time we were finished.  She way very happy.

This was just a little something to show her we love her.

 

Our Lifesong account is still open for donations.  If you feel led to sponsor this project but did not have a chance to get to it before Saturday, its not to late!  Just visit the link below.

http://bothhandsfoundation.org/gavin-and-rachel-pehl

One Week.

We have one week until our Both Hands project.

We are very excited and very busy preparing.

God has provided and we have had a business donate the use of a wood chipper so that we can minimize the amount of tree trimmings we have to put into the roll off dumpster.  So far we have not found anyone willing to donate a roll off dumpster.  We are expecting to have a lot of trash, way more than can fit in the back of trucks.  We are praying that God provides all that we need for this project.

If you feel led to donate just use the link below.
http://bothhandsfoundation.org/gavin-and-rachel-pehl

Here are some fun new pictures of the kids.

The Kids Birthdays

We are still waiting on the kids birth certificates but after slaving over their judgement paperwork for about 15 minutes,  which is in French, we have discovered their birthdays!

 

Isryelle was born August 1, 2009.

She just turned four.

 

Boaz was born July 2, 2010

He just turned three.

 

So as of last week, we have a 2, 3, and 4 year old!

Has God blessed us or what?!?

No airplane for Irelyn.

As you all know, we have been struggling with an important decision.

Should we take Irelyn with us?  Should we not?

Our agency told us a few days ago that there is a good chance we will be traveling 3-4 weeks.

They also told us that unless our child is 13 or older, she will not be traveling with us.

 

For the most part it is for safety reasons.

Congo is a third world country and it will be difficult to keep us healthy let alone three children.

Our Congolese kiddos will be used the the stomach bugs and the ringworm.

Irelyn's little body had never experience such things and would most likely be miserable for most of the trip.  Staying in Congo is HARD.  It is hot, uncomfortable, there is not hot water, and strange food.  The bottom line is, Irelyn will be much less traumatized staying at home in the comfort of her mima and papa's house.

 

On the other hand.  Isryelle and Boaz will need some serious bonding time.  We will be dealing with illnesses, potty training, tantrums, and grieving toddlers.  It will be an easier transition for them if we are able to give them our full attention without having to juggle Irelyns VERY jealous tendencies.

 

So there you have it!

We will be heart broken to leave her and most likely I will cry daily because I miss her so much.

Gavin and I have been praying about this issue and God gave us a clear answer....we are so thankful for that!  We KNOW that this is HIS best for us and are not worried a bit.

Irelyn Turns 2!

Today my baby turned two!

What a couple of years it has been.

She has brought us more joy than we could have ever imagined.

Being her mother is my favorite in this world.  I honestly can not believe God chose to entrust me with this sweet little child.

 

 

Here is what I have seen in Irelyn this year.

She is so strong!

Irelyn is our little fighter.  She will push just about anyone around regardless of their size(we do not encourage this).  She is completely fearless and will climb up anything and jumps off everything.  I cant believe she does not have a broken bone yet.  She is extremely athletic and amazes me at her physical abilities as 2 years old.

She loves to help.

She truly has a servants heart.  Whenever I am doing something around the house, she comes up to me and asks, "mama help?"  She then proceeds to make a huge mess while thinking she is helping...its the thought that counts.

 

She is very busy.

I can hardly get that girl to sit still to eat.  She is always on to the next exciting thing and eating just seems to bore her.

                                                                  She loves to learn.

She asks, "mama what dat?" all the time!  She tries to mimic everything I do, talking on the phone, singing, writing numbers, doing my makeup.

Its hard to see but she is wearing heels!

 

She is a little girl!

She loves to brush her hair and try on clothes.  When she is not trying on clothes she is wearing my heels around the house with a baby doll on her hip.

 

Basically she is amazing and I can not wait to spend another year with her!

Never more than I can handle.

Have you ever heard the saying, "God will not give you more than you can handle."

I have been finding comfort is this saying for years...ever since I understood what it meant.

It made me realize that whenever I hit a rough patch, I must be able to handle it.

I have figured something out...God totally gives me more than I can handle.

 

I can not handle this!

I can not stand not having my kids in my arms.

I can not stand waiting, waiting, and waiting some more.

I can not stand the fact that our kids are growing up without us...they truly are losing their baby faces.

Some days I feel like I have fallen down and can't get up...its just too overwhelming to stand up.

Then God picks me up.

 

I can not handle this....which causes me to cry out to my Jesus who CAN handle this!

I think that God gives us more than we can handle so we learn to rely on Him.

I think He wants to grow and stretch us.

How could he do that if he only gave us things we could "handle".

2 Cor. 12:10 "....the weaker I get, the stronger I become."

I get so weak, that I have to cry out to God to hold me up.

I let His strength be what keeps me moving forward.

Its a beautiful thing.

We need $6,000 in the next 3-5 weeks.  Please keep this special need in your prayers.

 



Both Hands Kick Off = Success.

We ended up having two Both Hands kick-offs.

We only had about 1/2 our team be able to show up for the first one so we had a second one so everyone could be prepared on the project day.

We were very blessed by the time with friends and were so thankful for their willingness to help.

We appreciate every single person who came these two weekends and we are excited to get to serve alongside them.

Here are some highlights of the party.

 

 

Stuffing envelopes.

I just had to put this picture up...things got a little silly!

Working towards bringing our kids home!

 

Luke and Grace sent out the most addresses and won the prize!

There were so many sweet families there to help us.

 

In the end, we sent our about 350 letters!

In Mark, we learn about how Jesus multiplied the fish and bread to feed thousands of people.  We have complete confidence in our God and we look forward to seeing what he does through this project.  If you want to share this project with you family and friends, you can share the link below.

There is a very easy way to sponsor our project online.

http://bothhandsfoundation.org/gavin-and-rachel-pehl