More Info. on Olivia's birthparents

I tried to post a picture but my lack of computer skills is keeping me from doing it. I'll have to work of that one. Well, I thought I'd update the latest information we know. We received an e-mail from Holt Vietnam with a little more info. on Olivia's birth parents. It seems things are very much like we thought with a little more detailed info. Olivia's birth mother suffered from heart problems and was told prior to getting married not to have children. When she became pregnant with Nien the pregnancy took it's toll on her body and she became very ill. Nien was delivered early but her mom never regained her strength. Her husband was able to bring his wife home but she died 5 months later. They were from an area outside of Hanoi and very poor, (neither Mom nor Dad had jobs). Nien was born in a hospital in their home town and because she was also very ill (and tiny) was transferred to the Prediatric specialty hospital in Hanoi. That is were she remained until after her mothers death. Her father, now without a wife and very poor felt he was unable to care for Nien and simply did not travel to Hanoi to claim her. It is my understanding that the local police were not able to locate him and so Nien was declared abandoned and transferred to the orphange that she remains in today. While Nien's dossier was being processed in the province the police were instructed to re-investigate and this time were able to locate her father. He stated that he still could not care for her and signed all necessary relinguishment papers. He is aware she is being adopted internationally. It is a very sad story and I ask that you all remember to pray for her birthfather and the soul of her birthmother who gave her life for Nien. In the meantime we now continue to wait for paperwork to shuffle through the Vietnam government. It is very hard to watch her getting older in an orphange instead of home with her family. Pray that things start to move and we are able to travel by Thanksgiving.

Update!!

Yesterday we received an update on Nien. It is good to see that she is doing well and that she has been very healthy since our last update in May. She is now more open and talkative than before and can say whole long sentences with a little lisp such as "Xin phep me cho con di choi 1 lat" (Mum, please let me go out for a while). I guess E and I better learn some Vietnamese in a hurry!! She also loves to sing and she and her roommate Hoa sing songs in bed until they fall asleep. It says that she is not as stubborn as before and that she easily follows her caregivers instructions. Also that "she is afraid when her caregivers say that they will cut her meal if she is not a good girl." She is 41.7 inches tall (the 87th percentile) and 32 pounds (the 23rd percentile). Long and lean!! (maybe they shouldn't cut too many meals!!) Mostly she does look very happy. She knows about her new family and it says "The girl also recognizes that she is going to have an adoptive family and she is happy with the news". I'm not sure how much she understands what that means but we are praying that God is preparing her heart for us and that He will make this transition as easy as possible. It still looks like it will be about 2 months before we can travel to bring her home. We are waiting anyday to hear about the next level of approval to come from VN (the Provincial approval) and also for a new set of legal documents to arrive so that we can re-apply for her US Visa approval. Please pray that that goes quickly and properly.

Wanted Children

Today my friend Kelli sent me an e-mail in which she said in response to my last blog.....Forgotten orphans....NO, wanted children! A great reminder....none of us is ever forgotten...the Father has made sure of this.
Sweet Nien....you are never forgotten....we think of you constantly and can't wait until you are HOME!! With Love, your very own family!!

Why more children?

Some ask....why adopt when you already had 4 great biological kids. I read this today and it answers that question in my soul. Enjoy!

Want to know God's will for your life? Then answer this question: What ignites your heart? Forgotten orphans? Untouched nations? The inner city? They outer limits? Heed the fire within! Do you have a passion to sing? Then sing! Are you stirred to manage? Then manage! Do you ache for the ill? Then treat them! Do you hurt for the lost? Then teach them! As a young man I felt the call to preach. Unsure if I was correct in my reading of God's will for me, I sought the counsel of a minister I admired. His counsel still rings true. "Don't preach," he said, "unless you have to."
What is the fire that consumes you? Mark it down; Jesus comes to set you on fire! He walks as a torch from heart to heart, warming the cold and thawing the chilled and stirring the ashes. He is at once a Galilean wildfire and a welcome candle. He comes to purge infection and illuminate your direction. The fire of your heart is the light of your path. Disregard it at your own expense. Fan it at your own delight. Blow it. Stir it. Nourish it. Cynics will doubt it. Those without it will mock it. But those who know it...those who know HIM...will understand it.

To meet the Savior is to be set aflame.
To discover the flame is to discover HIS will.
And to discover HIS will is to access a work like none you've ever seen..

~Max Lucado (from The Great House of God)

Parenting has made us sing, cry, dance, and pray more! Each child has brought us to a deeper understanding of God's unfailing love and care for each one of us. How else do you explain how a lost child on one side of the world and a family, who has a fire burning in their hearts for that same child but living on the opposite side of the world find each other?