Loving from across the World

How can you love a child from across the world?

Surely it will not be the same love I have for Irelyn until they get home.

If I have not met them, I do not really know what it is to love them.

 

These are all thoughts that went through my head BEFORE we saw our kids faces.

I know that a lot of people do not understand what it is to love a child across seas....I had no idea it was possible...until I met Isryelle and Boaz in pictures.

 

I now know that is is VERY possible to fully love a child you have never met.

Some people ask me...what does it feel like having a kid who does not live with you.

It feel miraculous.

Here is the best way I have come up with to describe it.

Imagine your child was in Africa...hungry...poor...sick...cold.

That's how it feels.

 

It feels just like it would if Irelyn was in Africa and we were not able to take care of her.

We would be heartbroken and sad.

We would have a sick feeling in the pit of our stomachs at the thought of her being scared, hungry, thirsty, or in pain and not having us there to protect her, feed her, and comfort her.

 

We feel all of these things for Isryelle and Boaz.  Daily we have to give these children back to the Lord who is the perfect protector, provider, and comforter.

When you think about adoption and wonder what it feels like...do me a favor and say a prayer for all of those families out there who are living every day without a piece of their heart.

A Change in Travel Plans

The D.R.C. is full of suprises!

I don't think anyone really knows what is going on with adoption in this mysterious country.  Every time we turn around, they are changing the way they do things. 

I am pretty sure I told you all a while ago that the DGM(the agency that gives out the exit letters adopting families need to leave the country) closed down.  It was a temorary closure but was still problemetic for people who were traveling.  Well they have opened back up but it looks like they are now requireing a longer process that parents have to go through to get their exit letter.  It used to take about a week to get an exit letter, so parents were away from home for 1-2 weeks.  It is now taking 3 weeks to get exit letters which means parents are away from home closer to 4 weeks.

 

We were not happy to hear this news and we are still praying that the time is somehow shortened. 

If nothing changes, we will need to take Irelyn with us....we can not leave her for four weeks at such a young age.  It also means that the amount of money we need to have for our hotel has doubled.  We thought that we were about $17,000 away from being fully funded.  Well we are now figuring we are about $24,000 away from being fully funded.  While this news is a bummer, we are completely trusting God to provide for whatever we need. 

 

We are in the meantime praying that the time will be shortened and we can leave Irelyn with my parents like we planned.  The thought of leaving her at all seems unbearable but the thought of bringing her to Africa does not sound easy either.  We know that God has something awesome planned for us!

Were not crazy.

God is already blessing our Both Hands project beyond what we imagined.

We have 22 families on our team and we know it will an amazing time of service.

I want to start a small series of post about being an adoptive mom who is waiting for her kids.

I get so many comments, some are loving and kind and some are not so much.

I want you guys to know what we go through as moms waiting for our kids.

I got this idea from another mom who just blogged about this subject. 

She had so many great things to say but I did not agree with all of them completely...so here is my take on it.

 

Day 1

 

Were not crazy....were adopting.

I know at times we seem over-emotion, over-bearing, and a little pushy about the subject of adoption.  We are not nuts and do not think that everyone should adopt...we are passionate and need somewhere to put our extra time while we wait for our kids.  Being advocates for adoption is just one place where we can put our time and efforts.  We may seem chaotic at times but adoption requires so much paperwork, we could fund a Small printing company.  Imagine a trip to the DMV...then multiply it by ten, add a few different U.S. government agencies multiplied by two different countries and what do you get....a confusing mess!  WELCOME TO ADOPTION!  Telling us were crazy for adopting does not help.  Asking us,"why don't you just have your own?" is not kind.  Telling us that we should adopt from a different country because its "easier" will not make us change our mind and certainly will not make us any less crazy.  We adopt because God called us to adoption.  This journey is very joyful but painful at the same time.  If we seem crazy...well we might be a little crazy...it should go away after our kids are home.

18 team members

We have built up a team of 18 people so far!

We are praying about this thing every step of the way and God is blessing us.

Its not to late to get involved.....here are some ways.

 

1.) We would LOVE to have some more team members!

 

2.)  We need stamps.  We will hopefully be sending out about 2,000 letters as a team.  That is a lot of stamps and will cost us about $1,000.  If everyone could donate a few stamps, it would really help save us money.

 

3.)  A website has been set up on Both Hands where you can sponsor our project.  It is really easy to sponsor online using a debit/credit card.  Every little bit helps.

www.bothhands.org/gavin-and-rachel-pehl



Both Hands Fundraiser - Be a part of the team!

I am getting really excited about this project.

Gavin and I have spent the last week praying about a widow that we could serve.

God brought us one!

Our Both Hands project will take place on September 7th.

We will be fixing up a sweet widows house.

We will clean up trash in her yard, trim bushes, pull weeds, rake leaves, take down old gutters, and do whatever else she may need.

It will be a great time to bless her.

 

We are looking for a team of volunteers to help us with this project.

If you are interested in being a part of our team, all you have to do is say yes!

We will be putting together a team this week.

 

Next week, we will plan a envelope stuffing party.

This is where each team member will bring all their addresses over, we will have a potluck, and send out fundraising letters.  The letters will be asking your family and friends to sponsor you for this project...it is very similar to collecting pledges for running a marathon.  We will supply the letters, envelopes, and stamps.  You will just need to bring a side dish and the addresses of every family and friend you can think of.

 

After that, you just show up on project day and love the widow that we are going to serve!

A Friend in Congo

I have a sweet friend who traveled to Congo this week to pick up her daughter.

Her daughter happened to be in the same foster home as our babies.

She was able to take a few beautiful pictures for us!

It feels so strange that she is there with them yet they feel SO far away from us.

 

They were wearing the sweetest traditional Congolese outfits!

These are made by one of the foster moms and I plan an buying a few when we go.

She said that both of the kids were tiny!  She said that they look so big in pictures compared to how big they are in person.  I have been wondering if their weights are inaccurate because they do not look that small in pictures.  My friend assured me that they are in fact very small kids.

 

One of the first things I asked her was if she could tell me anything about their personalities.

I want to KNOW my kids so bad...any glimpse of who they are makes my heart smile.

She told me that Isryelle did not want to play.

She stood by herself and had a sad look in her eyes.

This breaks my heart and surprises me.  She always looks so happy in pictures.

This next picture has one of the most beautiful smiles I have ever seen.

They must have told her that her parents are coming for her soon!

She looks so ladylike in that dress!

 

 

My friend let me know that Boaz played with her!

He enjoyed playing with cars and blocks.

When the blocks would fall over, he would laugh!

What a sweet sound that must be!

 

I am not going to lie, these pictures made me ball my eyes out.

The fact that my little girl looks sad is heart breaking.

I am missing my little boy's laughs which I am sure is constantly changing.

I am still crying out to God to bring my babies home.

I have faith that they will be here soon.

 



Five Months and Hoping

Today marks five months since we accepted our kids referrals.

As I try to write this post, I just don't know what to say.

Some days I have a hard time being very happy about the situation.

Our prayer lately has been,"Lord we don't know why you are not bringing them home yet but we will make a daily choice to trust you."

Every night we go to sleep aching for our little ones and every morning we wake up and choose to trust God's timing.

 

I am starting to want to get their rooms ready.

I am thinking about the adoption shower.

I want to start preparing for their arrival.

What if they don't come home for a year or even longer?

I don't want to prepare for them too soon and have the constant reminder of empty bedrooms and clothes not yet worn.

 

To top it off, in there last update pictures they both looked very unhappy.

Boaz looked sick.  He had a snotty nose, goopy eyes, and was sweaty like he had a fever.  His mouth was hanging open as though he could not breath through his nose.  Isryelle looks a little under the weather too.  Our normally happy girl did not crack one smile in this months updates.  We are still praying that they come home soon.

Boaz has some hair!  I am sure by the next update they will have shaved his hair again.  I just love this...I can't wait to grow it out!

Even when she is not very happy, she still shows her attitude.  She crossed her arms and gave the camera a very serious face.