I'm finding it easy to get caught up in our everyday life and briefly forget about the fact that we are on the edge of a major life change. It's the simple things like seeing a mother loving on her baby, or planning something on the calendar for 2011, or preparing Christmas cards that brings everything back to reality and stirs up the anticipation of bringing a new baby boy home for the first time.
With the Christmas season quickly seeping into every aspect of our lives, the excitement of adoption continues to build. It brings reminders of all the changes to come with thoughts of our last Christmas pictures with just the four of us...thoughts of waking up Christmas morning without a baby playing with all of the paper and boxes...and not worrying about 'baby-proofing' the Christmas tree, everything changes the minute we bring our new baby boy home for the first time.
I'm continued to be drawn to the fact that God delivered a new baby boy home for the first time on that cold night some 2,000 years ago as a Savior was born! My Savior was born...your Savior was born. My prayer during this special time of the year is that we reflect on the change that the birth of this baby boy brought to us. Change that lasts an eternity...everlasting change as we are cleansed white as snow and walk with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Shooting Stars
Although it seems as though we just started on this journey...almost a year has passed since we first began the process. It's hard to believe that we have already been waiting two months since our completed dossier was sent away. We are definitely ready to see the child that God is sending us, but we realize that it will be in His time and that He is still preparing the road...not only with us, but our family and friends. While we recognize that some people find it difficult to completely understand our motivation, we truly know that we are fulfilling a request from our Savior. A request that involves sacrifice and faith; a request that involves unconditional love and security; a request that involves unity and compassion.
We received notice over the weekend that we are one more step closer to a referral as our dossier has completed all of the necessary steps. It has been authenticated, translated and registered with the MOWA (Ministry of Women's Affairs-the adoption authority in Ethiopia). Now we are officially ready to receive a referral. A referral is when we are presented with the biography, medical history, family history and photos of the child that we will be matched with. This is very exciting as it will be the first time that we actually "meet" (even if it's only on paper) our son.
I have to share something else that happened over the weekend. Throughout this whole process, as I have been praying, dreaming and anticipating the delivery of our son...I have secretly hoped that God would show me a sign when our child was born. I know this seems a little hokey, but how cool would it be to experience the birth of our son in a non-physical way thousands of miles away. So, as I have been thinking about this and praying, I would question different things that would happen and wonder "was that my sign?". But, then I would just say to myself...no, it was just that I was thinking about it at that time. Well, on Saturday evening as Julie and I were on our way to Montezuma to pick Jaden and Justin up from Julie's dads house, we both saw a shooting star falling in the night sky and then it just fizzled out...like a spark that made its way from a fire. I can count the number of shooting stars that I have seen in my lifetime on one hand...and the more that I think about that star, I can't help but wonder if that was our 'sign'. God has definitely used a star in the past to announce a birth. I know...silly huh?? But, how cool would it be to find out that the child that we have been matched with was born on October 2nd? Can I at least dream?
This experience also made me think of the lyrics of a song by Mainstay called Stars are Singing. The lyrics are as follows:
Under open skies I leave the day behind
Wonder in my eyes, the world feels so alive
I just speak Your name and my heart seems to change
God of truth and grace, I can only praise You
And the stars are singing out
the glory of Your wondrous love
Heaven's reaching down
to show me all that You have done for me
Healer of my heart, come burn away the dark
Under soft twilight, I can hear your voice tonight
Your name is higher than the Heavens
Your glory fills a million skies
Your heart is reaching down from heaven
and my soul cries out to You
We are so blessed...blessed beyond complete understanding.
We received notice over the weekend that we are one more step closer to a referral as our dossier has completed all of the necessary steps. It has been authenticated, translated and registered with the MOWA (Ministry of Women's Affairs-the adoption authority in Ethiopia). Now we are officially ready to receive a referral. A referral is when we are presented with the biography, medical history, family history and photos of the child that we will be matched with. This is very exciting as it will be the first time that we actually "meet" (even if it's only on paper) our son.
I have to share something else that happened over the weekend. Throughout this whole process, as I have been praying, dreaming and anticipating the delivery of our son...I have secretly hoped that God would show me a sign when our child was born. I know this seems a little hokey, but how cool would it be to experience the birth of our son in a non-physical way thousands of miles away. So, as I have been thinking about this and praying, I would question different things that would happen and wonder "was that my sign?". But, then I would just say to myself...no, it was just that I was thinking about it at that time. Well, on Saturday evening as Julie and I were on our way to Montezuma to pick Jaden and Justin up from Julie's dads house, we both saw a shooting star falling in the night sky and then it just fizzled out...like a spark that made its way from a fire. I can count the number of shooting stars that I have seen in my lifetime on one hand...and the more that I think about that star, I can't help but wonder if that was our 'sign'. God has definitely used a star in the past to announce a birth. I know...silly huh?? But, how cool would it be to find out that the child that we have been matched with was born on October 2nd? Can I at least dream?
This experience also made me think of the lyrics of a song by Mainstay called Stars are Singing. The lyrics are as follows:
Under open skies I leave the day behind
Wonder in my eyes, the world feels so alive
I just speak Your name and my heart seems to change
God of truth and grace, I can only praise You
And the stars are singing out
the glory of Your wondrous love
Heaven's reaching down
to show me all that You have done for me
Healer of my heart, come burn away the dark
Under soft twilight, I can hear your voice tonight
Your name is higher than the Heavens
Your glory fills a million skies
Your heart is reaching down from heaven
and my soul cries out to You
We are so blessed...blessed beyond complete understanding.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Sacrifice
Well, we received word today that Agegnehu was placed with another family. Although we knew that we didn't have much of a chance in getting him, we still were excited about the possibility of getting a child so soon. However, we know that God placed him with a family that is best suited to meet his needs (whatever they may be). Please continue to pray for Agegnehu and his new family and the exciting future that they are about to begin together.
So, as for the Sutliff family, we will continue to be in a holding pattern while we wait for our Dossier to get translated. We feel that we are ready to receive our referral and begin the final part of the adoption process. The unknown is exciting, thrilling, overwhelming and scary all at the same time ~ however, looking into the future and seeing hope in the eyes of a little child makes the sacrifices all seem so trivial.
Please don't ever forget that all over this world there are little children that are being abandoned, orphaned, abused and just plain not wanted and that you can help. Whether it is through adoption, sponsorship, donations, education and/or prayer, everyone has the ability to make a difference. It starts with one...a sacrifice is still a sacrifice, no matter how big or small.
"One can give without loving, but one cannot love without giving." - Amy Carmichael
So, as for the Sutliff family, we will continue to be in a holding pattern while we wait for our Dossier to get translated. We feel that we are ready to receive our referral and begin the final part of the adoption process. The unknown is exciting, thrilling, overwhelming and scary all at the same time ~ however, looking into the future and seeing hope in the eyes of a little child makes the sacrifices all seem so trivial.
Please don't ever forget that all over this world there are little children that are being abandoned, orphaned, abused and just plain not wanted and that you can help. Whether it is through adoption, sponsorship, donations, education and/or prayer, everyone has the ability to make a difference. It starts with one...a sacrifice is still a sacrifice, no matter how big or small.
"One can give without loving, but one cannot love without giving." - Amy Carmichael
Sunday, August 22, 2010
A New Life Filled With Love
Just when you think you are in a holding pattern...BAM! Somehow I knew my timing and God's were a little different. Needless to say, this has been a week of unexpected excitement. As you are aware, just a few weeks ago we completed our dossier. Since then, it has been approved at the corporate office, been authenticated in Washington D.C. and is currently in the process of being sent to Ethiopia. Once everything is squared away in Ethiopia, we are looking at 6 months to a year before we would hear about a specific child.
Well...on Monday, we received an email about a 7 month old little boy. Because he didn't match any specific dossiers that were currently waiting to be assigned, they sent out his referral information to all of the various locations to see if there was any interest in Ethiopian adoptive families that were in various stages of the process. So, our Adoption Specialist forwarded it to us to see if we had any interest.
Immediately, we begin to think "what is the matter with this child?" or "why isn't he going through the 'normal' referral process?". However, after a couple of conversations with our Adoption Specialist we understood the complicated process of referrals and why this child was so special. To start with, his name (Agegnehu) literally means 'I have found you'. Once we saw his picture, we knew that he is going to be a fine addition to some lucky family.
After much prayer, some questions and a 'very basic' medical review, we decided that we would put our name on the list (along with several other families) to be considered for this precious little boy. Although we know that we are low on the priority list since we just submitted our dossier, we do know that God is ultimately the protector of this child and will match him with the best family.
What now? We wait. We wait to hear back from the adoption agency on whether or not we have been chosen for Agegnehu or if he was placed with another family. Either way, this little boy will be the winner. Our time will come, but his time is now. His world is about to be rocked upside down. A new life filled with love, opportunity and family. Please be in prayer for this situation and that Agegnehu will be placed in a home that overwhelms him with love in a God centered family.
Well...on Monday, we received an email about a 7 month old little boy. Because he didn't match any specific dossiers that were currently waiting to be assigned, they sent out his referral information to all of the various locations to see if there was any interest in Ethiopian adoptive families that were in various stages of the process. So, our Adoption Specialist forwarded it to us to see if we had any interest.
Immediately, we begin to think "what is the matter with this child?" or "why isn't he going through the 'normal' referral process?". However, after a couple of conversations with our Adoption Specialist we understood the complicated process of referrals and why this child was so special. To start with, his name (Agegnehu) literally means 'I have found you'. Once we saw his picture, we knew that he is going to be a fine addition to some lucky family.
After much prayer, some questions and a 'very basic' medical review, we decided that we would put our name on the list (along with several other families) to be considered for this precious little boy. Although we know that we are low on the priority list since we just submitted our dossier, we do know that God is ultimately the protector of this child and will match him with the best family.
What now? We wait. We wait to hear back from the adoption agency on whether or not we have been chosen for Agegnehu or if he was placed with another family. Either way, this little boy will be the winner. Our time will come, but his time is now. His world is about to be rocked upside down. A new life filled with love, opportunity and family. Please be in prayer for this situation and that Agegnehu will be placed in a home that overwhelms him with love in a God centered family.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
The Waiting Begins...
Today marks an exciting milestone in our adoption process as we have finally (after 5 months of collecting documents, attending classes and having our home study conducted) turned in our dossier! Now for the waiting. Our dossier will have to go through several steps prior to getting to the Ethiopian courts. However, just knowing that we have completed everything that we are responsible for is a huge relief. Every day that passed as we were working on our dossier was one more day that we would have to wait to meet our son.
It's kind of cool knowing that today, August 3rd and our 14th wedding anniversary, is the day that our dossier is complete. It is a little sentimental...who knew that 14 years ago a union began that would produce two beautiful children and another one soon to be added to our family. We have been so blessed and know that our blessings will continue as we turn the page to the next chapter of our life story.
Prayers are requested during this "waiting period" as we are anxious to meet the little fellow...but, also know that it is all in God's timing.
"Let your patience show itself perfectly in what you do. Then you will be perfect and complete and will have everything you need." James 1:4
It's kind of cool knowing that today, August 3rd and our 14th wedding anniversary, is the day that our dossier is complete. It is a little sentimental...who knew that 14 years ago a union began that would produce two beautiful children and another one soon to be added to our family. We have been so blessed and know that our blessings will continue as we turn the page to the next chapter of our life story.
Prayers are requested during this "waiting period" as we are anxious to meet the little fellow...but, also know that it is all in God's timing.
"Let your patience show itself perfectly in what you do. Then you will be perfect and complete and will have everything you need." James 1:4
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
A Day with the Government
On Wednesday, June 30th, Julie and I made a trip to Indianapolis to get some of our paperwork state sealed and to be fingerprinted with the Department of Homeland Security as part of the I-600A process for our Dossier. We had been given an appointment date and time for July 12th, but are unable to make that date, so we thought that we would try our luck at walking in without an appointment. All of the documentation states that you have to have an appointment, but we have heard stories about people just walking in without a problem. So, we figured it was worth a try...and how bad could it be? We planned for a long day of red tape and getting the run-around.
We drove right to the building and went to the 4th floor of the building. As we stepped off of the elevator, we were immediately greeted by a guard who asked us to remove everything from our pockets and walk through a metal detector (very similar to airport security). He then gave us a form to fill out and told us to give our paperwork to the lady that had just walked into the waiting room. She then took our paperwork and about 5 minutes later, another lady came out and called our names. We were escorted back into a room with a handful of other foreign people needing fingerprinted for their green cards. Within 10 minutes we were on our way back down the elevator. Task #1 complete! We needed one of those "That Was Easy" buttons.
We then headed to the capital building to find the Secretary of State's office. We found a parking spot and headed into the rather large building located it the heart of Indianapolis. Once we found the Secretary of State's office, we explained to the person at the counter what we needed, and within 15 minutes we were done. Wow...how much more easier could the day have gone?!?! What we were anticipating as a stressful day, turned into a pleasant, productive day.
Now that we have completed the fingerprinting process, we are waiting for our I-171H to be mailed to us. That form along with a few other miscellaneous forms will need to be notarized and state sealed and then we should be ready to turn in our dossier! This will be a major step accomplished with the next step actually receiving a referral. The referral is all of the medical information, family history and photographs of the child that we are matched with by the adoption agency. The referral process usually takes 6-12 months. Ugh!! More waiting.
We drove right to the building and went to the 4th floor of the building. As we stepped off of the elevator, we were immediately greeted by a guard who asked us to remove everything from our pockets and walk through a metal detector (very similar to airport security). He then gave us a form to fill out and told us to give our paperwork to the lady that had just walked into the waiting room. She then took our paperwork and about 5 minutes later, another lady came out and called our names. We were escorted back into a room with a handful of other foreign people needing fingerprinted for their green cards. Within 10 minutes we were on our way back down the elevator. Task #1 complete! We needed one of those "That Was Easy" buttons.
We then headed to the capital building to find the Secretary of State's office. We found a parking spot and headed into the rather large building located it the heart of Indianapolis. Once we found the Secretary of State's office, we explained to the person at the counter what we needed, and within 15 minutes we were done. Wow...how much more easier could the day have gone?!?! What we were anticipating as a stressful day, turned into a pleasant, productive day.
Now that we have completed the fingerprinting process, we are waiting for our I-171H to be mailed to us. That form along with a few other miscellaneous forms will need to be notarized and state sealed and then we should be ready to turn in our dossier! This will be a major step accomplished with the next step actually receiving a referral. The referral is all of the medical information, family history and photographs of the child that we are matched with by the adoption agency. The referral process usually takes 6-12 months. Ugh!! More waiting.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Here we go...
Throughout 2009, Julie and I had been praying and discussing if we should adopt a child. In our discussions, we migrated towards a boy from Haiti. In November, we contacted Bethany Christian Services and filled out the initial application in December. We received a call during Christmas break and we then received the application for a Haiti specific adoption.
Jan. 12 2010 ~ A major earthquake hits Haiti. Hundreds of thousands killed. Unknown number of children orphaned (added to the already huge number). It was very difficult and emotional to watch the footage of the devastation, survival and death. Julie and I felt our prayers weren't enough and now had no doubt that we should adopt.
Jan. 18, 2010 ~ Sent Haiti application to Bethany. We have heard that new Haiti adoptions are on hold, but are praying that processes are put into place to expedite the process...for the children's sake.
Jan. 21, 2010 ~ One of the questions/requirements on the application was to list references. One of our references that we wanted to use were some good friends...but, we had yet to share our plans with them. I sat with them today and shared our prayer and dream. They were ecstatic. They then went on to tell me that they too were praying about adopting a child from Ethiopia. How cool! They had even attending a meeting at Bethany the prior Saturday (one that Julie and I had wanted to attend, but couldn't due to a scheduling conflict). It was quite an exciting and news filled day!
Jan. 22, 2010 ~ Received an email from a friend about another agency needing potential foster parents and potential adoptive parents for children being send to the U.S. from Haiti. Contacted them and they responded to fill out an on-line application due to the overwhelming response that they have received. Sent in the application and also sent an email to another agency that we heard was possibly looking for families. I almost feel like we didn't respond when we should have. We had pretty much decided that we were going to proceed a few months before we did anything. I hope that our 3 month delay doesn't add years to our wait!
Feb/Mar 2010 ~ During this time, we learned a lot more about adoption. We went to a couple of classes at Bethany, read a lot and spoke with several people. After prayer, the continued confusion from the disaster in Haiti and our feeling of immediate need all over the world, we decided to adopt from Ethiopia. The conditions are very similar to Haiti. We sent our formal application in for Ethiopia and are getting ready to begin our home study and dossier paperwork. It is a little overwhelming, but will be so worth it in the end!!
April 4, 2010 (Easter Sunday) ~ As I was thinking about all of our blessings today, I especially thought about the fact that Jesus died for me, my whole family and our future son. And as we celebrate the fact that He is risen, I can't help but to think if our son has been born yet. Just knowing that God has already hand-picked this little boy and knowing that he will be brought into a household that will love him and bring him up knowing Jesus (something that probably wouldn't happen if he stayed in Ethiopia). If he is already on this earth, I pray for his protection and well being and his current situation.
May 2010 ~ Our home study was completed at the end of May. We are excited to be one step closer toward adoption. We have learned so much about inter-racial adoption, international adoptions, third world children, poverty, disease and the list goes on... There is so much to learn, but it will be so worth the effort once we get to meet our son. We filed our I-600A with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and are waiting for an appointment to get fingerprinted. Once this process is completed, we will be able to file our dossier and have our part completed. From there we will be waiting for a referral. There is a lot of paperwork and it is very detailed. It's a good thing that we are organized...as I am not sure how those that are organizationally challenged manage to keep everything together.
Jan. 12 2010 ~ A major earthquake hits Haiti. Hundreds of thousands killed. Unknown number of children orphaned (added to the already huge number). It was very difficult and emotional to watch the footage of the devastation, survival and death. Julie and I felt our prayers weren't enough and now had no doubt that we should adopt.
Jan. 18, 2010 ~ Sent Haiti application to Bethany. We have heard that new Haiti adoptions are on hold, but are praying that processes are put into place to expedite the process...for the children's sake.
Jan. 21, 2010 ~ One of the questions/requirements on the application was to list references. One of our references that we wanted to use were some good friends...but, we had yet to share our plans with them. I sat with them today and shared our prayer and dream. They were ecstatic. They then went on to tell me that they too were praying about adopting a child from Ethiopia. How cool! They had even attending a meeting at Bethany the prior Saturday (one that Julie and I had wanted to attend, but couldn't due to a scheduling conflict). It was quite an exciting and news filled day!
Jan. 22, 2010 ~ Received an email from a friend about another agency needing potential foster parents and potential adoptive parents for children being send to the U.S. from Haiti. Contacted them and they responded to fill out an on-line application due to the overwhelming response that they have received. Sent in the application and also sent an email to another agency that we heard was possibly looking for families. I almost feel like we didn't respond when we should have. We had pretty much decided that we were going to proceed a few months before we did anything. I hope that our 3 month delay doesn't add years to our wait!
Feb/Mar 2010 ~ During this time, we learned a lot more about adoption. We went to a couple of classes at Bethany, read a lot and spoke with several people. After prayer, the continued confusion from the disaster in Haiti and our feeling of immediate need all over the world, we decided to adopt from Ethiopia. The conditions are very similar to Haiti. We sent our formal application in for Ethiopia and are getting ready to begin our home study and dossier paperwork. It is a little overwhelming, but will be so worth it in the end!!
April 4, 2010 (Easter Sunday) ~ As I was thinking about all of our blessings today, I especially thought about the fact that Jesus died for me, my whole family and our future son. And as we celebrate the fact that He is risen, I can't help but to think if our son has been born yet. Just knowing that God has already hand-picked this little boy and knowing that he will be brought into a household that will love him and bring him up knowing Jesus (something that probably wouldn't happen if he stayed in Ethiopia). If he is already on this earth, I pray for his protection and well being and his current situation.
May 2010 ~ Our home study was completed at the end of May. We are excited to be one step closer toward adoption. We have learned so much about inter-racial adoption, international adoptions, third world children, poverty, disease and the list goes on... There is so much to learn, but it will be so worth the effort once we get to meet our son. We filed our I-600A with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and are waiting for an appointment to get fingerprinted. Once this process is completed, we will be able to file our dossier and have our part completed. From there we will be waiting for a referral. There is a lot of paperwork and it is very detailed. It's a good thing that we are organized...as I am not sure how those that are organizationally challenged manage to keep everything together.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)