WE ARE A FAMILY!!!!

Dear family and friends,

So it finally has come...our son is now entirely and completely ours. All Nepal papers are ready and signed. Everything is official. We are now waiting for the New Year holiday to pass so we can get the american travel visa ready. We hope to be ready by next Friday, but our tickets are not forthe 13th. WE hope to get them moved up, because we want to go home. Samuel is bonding well and is really starting to come out of his shell. He still doesn't like to be changed, and baths are the worst. His ears are still infected, and there are some other issues as well. But nothing is major and we have medicine for all of it.

It's been a long journey, and at times a very hard one. But now....everything is well. We will email those on our email lists and update you as we know more. Let us now if you are not receiving those emails.

We love you all
Andreas, Laurie & Samuel

Our trip

Everybody!
We are flying out on December 26 and will return on January 14th. Please keep us in your prayers.
We love all y'all!

the Kjernalds

Here is Samuel's room. He will have a nice room full of colors, which he loves. Sorry if the picture is a little funky, but that's how optics work (or don't work:) ).
We'll try to blog from Nepal, but you know, electricity might be hard to come by, so be patient. Unto us a child is born...

3..2..1..WE ARE GOING TO PICK UP SAMUEL!!!

At last...here it is. Nepal just called, and we are CLEARED TO TRAVEL AND PICK UP OUR SON!!!! It doesn't get any better than this, and our hearts are overflowing with gratitude. His will is good and victorious. Praise Him!
We'll let you know when we are supposed to travel.

Merry Christmas indeed!

picture 2

-error-

3...2...?

Friends,
It's getting close. However, there seems to be some rioting in Kathmandu currently, so your prayers will be appreciated. "Your will be done, on earth as in heaven". We don't know if this will delay our travelling over there, but we are running out of patience. Everything is ready. We simply need to go.
Here are some pictures that they sent us. Honestly, we were excited that he hasn't changed much. We want to be there for such things, and this wait is getting very old. We trust that he is well-fed, warm, and ready to go home with us.

Merry Christmas everybody!

Soon come....

The latest is....that we might be going before Christmas! Ahhhhh! The paperwork looms large yet again, but by now we are experts on paperwork. Samuel's room is almost finished, so we are just waiting for that phonecall. Maybe it will come soon. Christmas in HongKong anyone?

Lite nytt

We just found out that the Nepali government is holding extra meetings to speed up the process of approving cases. This is good! When we go we will all say that the timing was right, if we believe that God is in control of it.
With love
Kjernalds

The latest

We just found out that Samuel can pull up to a standing position, crawl properly, and stand with help. He is growing and we are still here, watching the whole thing from the sidelines...Soon come!

News

Here's the latest...
Samuel is doing ok. We just received a report that said that he is "normal" and that he has grown a little (however not nearly enough). He needs mommy and daddy and a BigMac :)
Also, the lawyer in Nepal thought that we were number 25-30 in line for approval, which means another two months! But, he wasn't sure about our number, and last month they did 50 cases because of their holiday. They say that maybe our holiday season might speed things up as well, but who knows. So...great! We know nothing more than we did yesterday save that Sammy is ok, which is great, of course. Happy Thanksgiving!

Ministry member found

Good news!
The Nepal minsitry has hired another member to work on the adoption cases, thus they will start meeting (and proceesing cases) this Sunday! Fantastic!

Again, sitting up without help. Wondering about the buddha posture though...need to look into that one...:) 

Here is the latest picture of Samuel. He is sitting up! Though he looks ok, he is getting old too quickly. And he is obviously unhappy about our delay. We know, we know. 

Sammy is sitting up!

Here are the latest pictures of Samuel. He looks older...too old...and the wait is not getting any easier, though we know the timing is perfect. Just wish it was soon. The current news is that there is a delay on the process. A guy got promoted and until they fill his spot, they can't do anything. This may take 2-3 weeks or longer. We pray that the Lord has "shorter" in mind.

Thanks

Holding pattern

Dera friends,
Finally some news from Nepal...it is not good news. The ministry board that meets and approves the adoption cases just had a member get promoted, and thus they can't meet until they fill that slot. This means a delay of two to three weeks, they think, until they meet again. Great...
There are also some new rules on the way to be approved, but our case should be exempt from those, at least that's what we're being told.
So again...we are waiting and waiting. Knowing the God's timing is perfect is sometimes hard to live. But what els can we do, trust ourselves?

In love,
the Kjernalds

The Kjernald family in America

small note...the last post should read "Samuel" and not Sameul. Big difference...

Samuel's room

This is the beginning of Sameul's room. the world was hard to paint, and it still needs some tweaking, but doesn't it look cool? There will be a dresser, a rug, and a shelf added tho his room as well. And it's not really this big, it just looks like it in this picture.
We are still waiting for that momentous phone call, and we continue to pray that our paperwork will be processed smoothly. Thank you for being a part of all this.

Love,
the Kjernalds

Drawing close

Dear friends,
As the festival in Nepal is drawing to a close, we are eager to get going. A dear friend of ours (Heidi Spencer) suggested that we register online for a few needed things. We are currently registered at target.com, potterybarnkids.com, and babiesrus.com. If you search for registries under our names you should be able to find us.
But all in all, we are simply delighted that you have participated in our adoption through your notes from this blog. Please continue to pray as there are a few hurdles to clear in Nepal, and of course that we get Samuel home soon.

Love,
Kjernalds

Some good news

Dear friends,
It seems as if the Nepali government is moving along quiet well. They are having a big festival on Oct. 17, which means that they are trying to clear their desks before then. They don't think that our case will be cleared by then, but it wil be close.
Anyway, all this means that we will probably go to Nepal and get Sammy before Thanksgiving, which would be awesome!!

The "Best of Sammy" DVD is now ready for shipment. Please let us know if you would like a copy. We can send copies that will work in Europe and in the US.

Hope all is well with you
With Love

More pictures

Hello friends,
I just posted some new pictures of Samuel. They are found below the pictures of the hurricane pictures I took this Saturday as I went down with a church team to help with the relief effort. He is getting cuter every day!
The Mississippi coast got a direct hit and several towns are simply gone. New Orleans gets all the attention, but there is much more to the devastation than that. Biloxi, where I was working, was badly damaged, and some people lost their lives. Our pastor's sister pulled several people out of the storm surge into their home, which was miraculously saved by debris which kept pilling up around the hose and thus protecting it. I am going down again next weekend to work some more. If any of you want to contribute to the relief effort, let me know. I can take stuff down there for you, or simply take some much needed funds to the local people who know where it is needed. Here are some pictures of Biloxi, Mississippi, September 17, 2005.

This is the famous lighthouse that survived the last big hurricane (Camille) and still stands.  

I believed them. 

Church is still going on, though. 

Utter destruction, flattened houses. Amazingly enough, houses just three or four houses inland were looking just fine. They had power and people were there cleaning up debris.  

This church is a skeleton building now 

This is the oceanfront houses. The ocean is behind me, about 100 feet (30 meters). Some houses were simply gone. 

Notice the boat behind the trees. This is not by the ocean, by the way. 

I just came back from a work day at the coast. This is Biloxi, Mississippi. This is a flattened house. Unbelievable. 

#3 

#2 

Here are the latest pictures of Samuel. All smiles! 

He is obviously very flexible 

He loves colors 

Another one 

Here are some more pictures of Samuel! 

The Waiting Game

Friends,
The process of putting the Samuel tapes on DVDs is moving along well. Currently, we are putting together a "best of" DVD. Please let us know if you would like a copy. We don't have unlimited resources, but we do want all y'all to be a part of this process as much as possible.

As far as we know, Sammy is doing ok. Nepal is currently seeing some internal respit from the fighting. The rebels have agreed to a 3-month cease-fire, which is an answer to prayer for us. There is still some question marks regarding our paperwork, my Swedish birth certificate for instance. It looks a little different than what they normally see, but pray and hope that the people there use common sense and what's good for Sammy and us.

More pictures are coming.

Blessings,
Andreas

Aftermath

Dear friends,
It's been a crazy week. Laurie and I are fine, but very hot. Our power has been out since Monday, but we are doing well considering. Among all the thoughts and emotions we are very thankful that our paperwork for Samuel is already done and in Nepal. Obviously, the New Orleans immigration office will be closed for a long time.
I am sure that you have the same questions we do, and wonder how "civilized" people in the richest country in the world can behave like they do in New Orleans. Most of us here in the States are not very surprised, however. New Orleans is not exactly known for its well-behaved citizens. Its decadent behavior and its high crime rate is now on public display. The selfishness of some people is unexplainable, and we need to remember what C.S Lewis said once, that pain is God's megaphone to us, helping us realize that we need a savior and we are not self-sufficient.
Anyway, we are doing well and will be in touch more later on,

With Love,
Andreas

Storm warning

Friends and family,
Just a quick note to let everybody know that so far...Monday morning...we are fine. Hurricane Katrina is heading our way, but it doesn't seem to be that bad for Jackson. Of course, I might be changing this outlook as we get further into the day.
No news on Samuel yet, but his room is coming along just fine. We are currently trying to paint the continents of the world on the globe on the wall that we finished this weekend. It will be very cool.

Take care and pray for God's will and presence
Andreas

This is his nanny holding him. She was very nice. 

#5 

#4 

#3 

#2 

Here are some pictures of Samy, finally. What do you think??? 

Welcome home to me

Friends and family,
So, it's been a few days and it still isn't quite real to be back in Jackson, Mississippi. It's very real to be back home with Laurie, as you can imagine, but the trip to Nepal didn't leave many areas of my life unaffected. It was a spiritually profound trip, combined with the tumultous experience of seeing our son for the first time.
Samuel was adorable. His mental health seems to be excellent. He is active, mobile, and talks baby talk some. He is alert and loving, and he bonds easily. We had a great time, and will hopefully be able to send some DVDs out to those of you who want one soon. Pictures will be posted here as soon as life gets back to (some sort of) normal again.
His physical health is not as good. His immune system is pretty weak, thus he keeps getting infections and stuff. This hinders his growth, and his ear infections might slow his speech learning curve. But according to the doctor there it's all fixable with some tender love and care (and plenty of good nutrition).
Well, we'll see when we can go back to get Sammy. Hopefully before too long, and probably somewhere between October and December. The trip is simply aweful, and only getting Sammy would convince me to take it again.
With love
Andreas

Hemma igen

Friends,
I am finally home in Jackson again. The trip was as awful as you can imagine, not to mention the food that made me sick from HongKong to Los Angeles. Not a pleasant thing.
Sammy was incredible and I will always cherish those days. Now we wait and see what happens. Thank you for your prayers and for your concern. It has been a crazy three weeks, and soon school starts again. Strange indeed. More later, including new pictures.
Love
Andreas

I have held Sammy!

Friends,
I'm in Kathmandu, Nepal! I have visited and been with Sammy on two occasions now. He is absolutely adorable! He knows who I am now, and we play and stuff. I have held him, loved him, squeezed him, fed him, and today I get to take him out of the orphanage to the hotel for several hours. how exciting!
I'll write more when I get home. But I'm ok, Sammy is ok, and this is quite tthe adventure!
Love,
Andreas

Finally! Trip 1

Friends,
It's been a while since this blog was updated. I was in Sweden for my brother's wedding, a marvelous trip, and just got back to Jackson on Sunday. The amazing thing is that I leve tomorrow, Tuesday, for Nepal! We finally got the go-ahead for the first trip to go and see little Sammy. It's an overwhelming feeling to think that Thursday my son will be in my arms. I know, he will scream bloody murder, but I will smile from ear-to-ear. Laurie won't be able to go, unfortunatly, so keep her in your prayers as she struggles with being left at home again. Also, please pray for safe travels for me. It takes two days to travel and 10 airports, so obviously I'll be a little groggy.
But, can you imagine...Sammy is going to meet his dad in just three days!!
More info, and hopefully pictures, to come.

With love,

God is greater than Immigration!

Dear friends,
Overwhelming success!
The Immigration office told us over the phone on tuesday last week (12th) that our adoption approval would take much more time, maybe as much as several months. Obviously defeated, we prayed, as we know you have been doing as well. We left for the weekend, and when we came home we saw a letter from the Immigration department. We had been approved on the 14th for one child! On my birthday!

So now, we're looking at going to Nepal beginning of August for the first trip. Depending on what the Nepal authorities say, we can be cleared to go either the first or the second week of August. If it is the first week, Laurie will go as I will be in Sweden. If later, then I will go. Pray for discernment and wisdom as we decide what to do, as well as for patience in waiting for God's perfect timing.

Now for the sad news. Well, not sad but frustrating. Our adoption agency told us that the process time in Nepal, which starts when we get there on the first trip, is now four months! That means November/December... Hmmm. More patience needed. But we are learning to trust God. As always, believing in coincidences and chance/luck would require much more faith than we have.

Ending on an up note. Sammy is gaining weight and is back to 8 kilos, which is really good. We suspect that the infections made him lose some of his weight from before. More news on his health as we get them, as well as pictures.

Thank you for your support, love, and prayers. You know, prayers often seem like "ceiling talk" or fantasies. This process of adoption, as so many other examples, say otherwise, don't they?

We love you!

Immigration is (gasp) taking their time

Friends,
The most recent news is that immigration is taking their time processing our application. It seems that going over to Nepal in July for the first visit is becoming unlikely, and it might take as long as September for the first trip to happen. That would mean that Samuel wouldn't be home with us until October/November.
Obviously, this is frustrating. Still, it might be a lot sooner. We simply have to wait. However, we will try to write our senator asking for help. For those of you whose "higher powers" stop here, hope that he helps us. For those of you whose "higher powers" go higher, pray for patience, presence, and insight into God's perfect timing (that we certainly don't want to miss).
We love you. Praise God that Sammy is not very sick!

Good news!

Everybody,
Take a deep breath and a sigh of relief. The Lord has answered your prayers and thoughts and it seems as if Samuel is ok. Our pediatrician looked at the results this evening and her words were that "this is good".
Of course, since Samuel is an international adoption he's still considered special needs, but it looks as if he is doing ok, considering.
Mommy and Daddy are very, very relieved and happy, as you can imagine. Now, it's all about the wait. We are currently in a holding pattern for the Immigration approval, and then we'll be waiting for the Nepali government to ok us. We are still shooting for the first trip in July.
We also remember the tragedy of the London bombings today, along with all those who have suffered at the hands of evil. May it remind us all that our souls are hanging on a thin thread and that the battle to help or to hurt us is ongoing, ferocious, and largely invisible.

With love

Clarification

Hello,
I realized that my previous entry sounded a little gloomy, which is not necessarily the case. We've been told by an adoption pediatrician that what Samuel has is very, very common in children from Asia, and not to worry. Well, we trust our doctor more and still keep all possibilities open, thus he will have more tests done.
This weekend he is going back to the clinic for some check ups on his ear and stuff. We'll know more next week, but it seems as if I'll travel o Nepal in July!!
Happy Fourth of July to Everybody! Oh, say can you see...

News on Sammy

Dear friends,
Hope all is well with you. We just got the medical results back for Samuel, and it is good or bad. He's had an ear infection, a urniary trac infection, a minor burn (from hot water). Also, he's lost weight since last month, which is not good. Developmentally, he's at a five-month old's level, he is 9 1/2 months. He can't sit up, roll over, reach for things, etc...He's also been exposed to a CMV virus, which is the tricky part. It's tricky because all these things are failry minor things that can be, and are, taken care of. However, the CMV virus in combination with the low muscle tone, and other things can mean that something is seriously wrong, as in mental retardation, deaf, blind, and an early death. It could also mean that nothing is wrong at all, and that all he needs is food and love.
That last conclusion is the one of the clinic in Kathmandu (which seems to be a very good one), and also of an adoption doctor in New York that our agency contacted. However, our pediatrician is still concerned about the possibility that something could be up. She has been excellent and extremely helpful in leveling with us about the possiblities of Samuel's condition.
So, Samuel could be perfectly fine, or he could be very sick. Voices are raised that what he has is very normal for children in third world, Asian orphanages, but we don't want to risk anything, thus we are looking into having more tests done that will give us more information.
Needless to say, this is a very difficult position to be in, especially when you consider the fact that if he is very sick, then what? Can we handle adopting him only to see him waste away? But could we leave him there and chose another child knowing that Samuel was sick?
So, even though everything could be just fine, our hearts are heavy. For me, as a seminarian, this is where theology meets the road. For us, this is where love becomes a potential destroyer. Would you pray with us and for us.
Thanks

Another update

As the days slowly pass by, we have another update to post. The test results for Samuel will be ready early next week. As the immigration process here in the US in wrapping up with our fingerprints being taken next Monday, the Nepal process is also wrapping up with our dossier being finished next week as well. Thus, our agency is gearing up for travel arrangements for me in the near future.
If you're interested in ways to help the orphanage they are currently collecting money for mosquito nets. The monsoon season is coming and the mosquitos are getting pretty bad.
However, we are resting in your prayers and support. Soon our faith will be sight, so to speak...

Latest news

This just in...
We are till waiting for Samuel's test results. Some tests require several visits, we believe some are taking place this weekend. Alas, we don't know when the final results are in. However, we are scheduled to be fingerprinted the 27th of June, and it shouldn't be too long after that that I leave for Nepal, perhaps a week or two. We really can't wait to get him home, as you can imagine (or have been reading previous posts :) )

More when we know more
In love

Adoption in English

I just wanted to put a little something in English for those who don't readily read Swedish so well (like me). Andreas got a little over zealous when he had been reading Swedish for a while. I love it!!!! These are our new pictures of Samuel. We received them on Wed. June 8, 2005. We also found out that the first trip may actually be able to take place at the end of June. That would put his homecoming around end of August (possibly). Oh how I ache to hold him and let him know that it will all be okay. He is so beautiful in a non-bias and very bias opinion. Our pediatrician (the amazing and awesome Shawn Taylor) is a little worried about his legs and their stiffness (as much as you can see in a still picture). So this weekend he will have a Denver Development test with a few more blood tests. This will help us determine if we need to make arrangements for therapy or something else. Or it may tell us that he is just fine. So please pray with us.

nyheter om adoptionen

Nu visar det sig att immigrations myndigheten här i USA har schabblat. Därför har jag goda och tråkiga nyheter. Den dåliga nyheten är att vår ansökan har "kommit bort". Den goda nyheten är att vårt fall behandlas som om dom hade den ändå, och har nu ansökt om att vi ska får våra fingeravtryck tagna här i Jackson. Vi skickar in en ny ansökan så att dom har en, men det fina i kråksången är att när våra fingeravtryck är tagna tar det bara en vecka att bli godkända, vilket innebär att jag kan resa till Nepal!!
Det kan bli juni alltså, vilket ju vore ett mirakel, mao ett bönesvar helt enkelt.
Vi väntar spänt.

Hello our little son!