The Answer to a Six Year Old's Prayer

I have to share a story with you.  This is one of those times that I truly believe God answered just because he loves us.  It is what Prof. Lauter would call an "earnest" from God.  

Let me start with.... through this whole adoption the Lord has laid people in our paths that have supported us spiritually, physically, financial, etc.  He has showed us time and time again that he simply loves to love his people.  In our lives we have been taken care of time and time again and I want to again, give God the praise for this family that He sustains.  

My story starts over Easter weekend.  We were out at the house in the woods.  Kelty (our dog) was being his normal active, fun self and running around in what we call his "happy run".  On one of the turns something snapped in his back left leg and he let out a hjelp.  He stopped putting pressure on it and sat down.  This was on the Easter holiday weekend (no one's open).  So we nursed him, kept him quiet and waited.  (Well, Andreas did, I was throwing up).  

This past Tuesday I called my friend Slavik (who is a vet here in town, he is a friend from my Swedish courses).  Sam and I took Kelty in and Slavik took a look at him.  Kelty is not a small dog, but he turns into the biggest chicken at the vet.  Turns out he snapped the ACL in his knee.  The vet that owns the clinic came in and asked me if I had insurance on my dog...

DISCLAIMER:  I had no idea until that point that you could insure your pet.  I have heard of it for people who bread or show their pets, but not for the common house pet.  

Needless to say my answer was no and he said...This is going to be expensive.  Okay, I like to have all the facts on the table so I asked how much.  Turns out it is around $2500.  YIKES.  He was very nice and said we could do a payment plan and everything.  

All I kept thinking is that we are going to China in two weeks, how in the world are we going to not only get the money, but find someone to care for Kelty in that way while we are gone?  He told us to go home and think about it and let him know.  The surgery could take place on Thursday.  I came home and Andreas and I tried to find anyway possible to do the surgery.  When it came down to it, we simply could not come up with the money.  The next day we received our final adoption bill.  That sealed the fact that we could not afford the surgery.  The only other option was to put Kelty to sleep.  He was obviously in pain and stressed.  

Andreas and I did not come to this option litely.  To be honest I have laughed at some of the extents that some people have gone to to save their pets.  But it didn't sit well with me that we had to put Kelty down because he still has so much life in him, but we couldn't let him suffer either, it just wouldn't be fair to him.  

So yesterday we told Sam.  I had to leave the dinner table because I didn't want Sam to see how sad I was.  While I was in the bedroom I heard him say to Andreas that they simply needed to pray and God would give them the answer.  So he took Andreas from the dinner table and they sat down next to Kelty.  Sam prayed his little heart to a Mighty and Powerful God that heard every single word.  

Today, Andreas and I went out to the house in the woods and dug a grave for Kelty.  We had our neighbors say goodbye, we were preparing ourselves to say goodbye.  Kelty spent his day stuck to me like glue.  The plan was for the vet to come to our house tomorrow and put him to sleep.  

After digging the grave we came back to town.  I let Andreas off at our house and went to get Sam, who was at a friends house.  Before I got to Sam, I received a call from Slavik.   Slavik put the other vet on and he told me to bring the dog in as soon as possible and they would do the surgery.  I told him that we could not pay for it and he said he would do it for free.  FOR FREE! Then he said they would take care of Kelty for us when we were in China if we couldn't find anyone else!!!!

I ran and got Sam and got home to Andreas and Kelty.  We were so excited to share with Sam that God had answered his prayer!!  That God had heard him and was giving Kelty this chance to live.  Sam was overjoyed!  How exciting it was to share with Sam in a tangible way that the God of the universe heard him and answered!!!!!!!! 

How exciting that we could see how the God of the universe loves us so much as to show us in so many tangible ways. I truly believe that he wants to do that for everyone if we would just listen and follow him.  

So, thank you God for this earnest of love.  Thank you for a kind hearted vet.  Thank you for being so real to my beloved son.  Thank you for giving David a chance to have a puppy dog to play with.  Thank you for being in every decision and every part of our lives.  And thank you for allow us to have Kelty for a few more wonderful years.  

So never doubt that the God of the universe is waiting to give you an earnest.  Look for them, they maybe in the smells of Spring, in a day off, in a friend or whisper of love.  He loves us.....it is just that simple.

Laurie

I've Got Two Letters for You...

Yes, I have two wonderful letters for you.  On their own they seem plain and of no specific importance, but together these two letters mean......

Travel Approval!!!!

Yesterday we officially received our travel approval from China.  We will be keeping out tickets for May 11th and David will be with us for the first time on May 16th.  We will be returning to Sweden on May 26th.  It is finally happening in less than two weeks we will be on our way to get our son.  Praise Jesus!

Laurie

A Different Kind of Easter

I always look forward to Easter.  We have our devotion book that we do for lent.  It prepares us each day to walk through so many of the emotions, heart issues and true events that took place.  After doing those devotions together for 37 days we came to Good Friday.  We have traditions that we always go through to help us remember and try to understand a little bit more every year.  Well, after Good Friday service and a drive home to our house in the woods, I was done.

Let me take you back to last Wednesday night, well actually Thursday morning at about 3:00 am.  I hear Sam calling....''Daddy....Daddy (I think he knows I wake up cranky)...so I shake my wonderful man and tell him Sam is calling for you.  He calls back, but Sam still calls for him.  So he gets up and makes is way into his room.  I hear from the other room..."Daddy, I threw up!"  Okay....so I'm up!  Andreas and I go into full action to get his bed clean, him clean and make sure that he is okay (all the while holding down the gag reflex).  He was so sweet the whole time.  This is actually the first time he has really thrown up in his life (besides the one down my nighty when he was 3, but that was more crying and upset, not sick).  We got him back into bed and I slept in the bunk under him, but not before it happened again...had the bucket ready that time!  So Thursday was my day to try to keep this wonderfully energetic child quite...yeah right.  I did my best, but by Friday, he was ready to go.  So we let him and he has been fine since.

Now.... back to Good Friday.  Yep... mamma got it too.  I was up all night.  My poor husband tried to say around a while, but the truth is he really didn't want to get sick...can't blame him for that one.  So I stayed on the sofa for two nights (not a problem, that sofa is sooooo comfy).  Andreas got out of the sickness this time. I am glad for him.  But all of this made Easter a bit different for me...

Instead of celebrating as a body of Christ, I was home alone.  I was left to think and rejoice and praise...just Jesus and me.  I really enjoyed it.  Not that I would have chosen it, but I am so thankful that He meets us where we are... spiritually and physically.  I reflected on the reality of what was and the reality of what is because of what was.  I came back to something I already knew, but obviously needed a refresher on.... Easter is not just a day in time, but a life lived because of that day in time.  My life would look completely different without the hope and salvation that Easter brought through Jesus and I need to remember that daily and live because I know the reality of it.  Only when it is real in me can I show my sons why it makes a difference to believe and live life for God.

Only in Christ can any of us find TRUE life and TRUE hope....thanks for the reminder Jesus.

Happy Easter all,
Laurie

Happy Birthday Little Boy

David,

You are three years old today.  Happy Birthday my little boy.  I wonder what you are doing today on your special day.  Is there someone celebrating you?  Are your foster parents giving you the presents we sent?  Are they telling you how special you are?  I want to believe that they are.  

Today, in Sweden, we celebrated you.  We bought cupcakes (a popcicle for your brother).  We sang to you and have a video to prove it.  We have a gift for you and most of all a family for you.  I want you to know that not only did we celebrate you today, but your farmor and farfar did too.  Not only will you be a son, but a grandson, great grandson, cousin, nephew and brother.  These are all gifts that I wish to tell you about and watch you experience.

I saw vitsippor and blåsippor for the first time today in bloom.  Your birthday will not only mark the special day that we celebrate you, but the beginning of Spring here in Sweden.  I loved having my birthday at the beginning of Spring in the States and now you will get to have the same thing here in Sweden.  With the Spring brings hope and renewal, all that is to come for you.

I wonder if sometime around today your birth parents are wondering about you.  Around this time in 2009 they had to leave you to be found and taken care of.  I am sure they are sad, but have hope that you are well and have a family.  I cry for the sadness that they must feel and pray that they are comforted by the one true comforter, Jesus.  I also celebrate your parents because they had the special privilege of bringing you into this world and holding you on your special day.  They loved you for the first year of your life and made the the hardest decision ever to give you a chance to be healed and to live. I will always be incredibly thankful for them and the sacrifice that they made.

So as you sleep in China, your family misses you in Sweden.  Happy Birthday today.  We will see you in a month and celebrate the rest of your birthdays together.  Sleep well and know you are loved.

Love,
Mommy

Another Milestone

VISAS we have VISAS!!!!  I have three passports in hand with 1 visa in them each, praise Jesus. These visas state in English and Madarin the we are allowed one entry into China no later than July 8th 2011.  Yeah, they gave us permission to enter the country...I am thankful for that one.  Just one more thing to cross of the list.

I have to laugh at my passport.  I have two visas from different entries into Nepal, one Swedish resident visa and now I have one Chinese visa.  Oh, the stories a passport can tell about your life!

Blessings,
Laurie

Crazy Tired and Busy

I know I haven't written and I am sorry for that.  I can't believe how long it has been since I have had my camera out and taken pictures.  I still carry it everywhere, but no pictures.  Am I too busy to think about it?  Am I too tired to care at the moment to capture the pics?  I just don't know the answer to those questions right now.

First of all, I am incredibly tired.  I have had hot flashes all through the night for about 2 to 3 weeks now.  I know, officially those are called night sweats, I don't care what they are called, they are waking me up at night.  This is producing one cranky Laurie!  Please pray these go away, I need sleep!!!!!  I pray they are gone before we go to China, that would not be fun.  For now I have my fan right by my bed and it gets turned on several times a night.  I also have my handheld fan (Darcy, you would be so proud).

Second of all, I am crazy busy.  I am still doing my Swedish class, Bible study, house chores, chaufer, cook and normal everyday things, while trying to get all the stuff ready to travel.  I feel like my brain is on overload (the tiredness adds to that I am sure).

Thirdly, we will be traveling to China on May 11th and returning May 26th (we think).  Everything is preliminary.  We are still looking to receive that wonderful TA (travel approval).  We will be picking up our Visas tomorrow from the Chinese Embassy in Gothenburg.  It is hard to believe that after waiting to adopt for over 3 years, we will be traveling in a month!  Needless to say we are excited beyond words.  I can't wait to be the mommy of two boys and hold my David (even though he will probably be terrified of me and think I am a crazy woman).  Sam gets more and more excited everyday.  Now, David might think that Sam is a crazy boy....and he would be right.  However, I think that David will really like him.  Sam alreadly loves his brother.

So this is life right now. I will try to snap a few pics and get them up.  Spring has arrived here in Sweden.  It is always a welcome relief to see the flowers emerge out of the previously frozen earth.  The sun has started to warm this tundra and we are all very thankful for the change.  As we press on towards Easter, Spring is a good reminder that Christ renewed hope with his reserection. How thankful I am for that salvation which he offers.  Take some time and reflect on the road that Jesus traveled so many years ago to the cross.  We see it from this side of time when we know the triumph of the outcome, but try to look at it from the other side for a moment. Remember that for 3 days it was dark and the disciples thought the world was lost forever.  I pray that it gives you the joy and thankfulness that it has given me.

Blessings,
Laurie

Okay.....The Name

For all of you who have been waiting (thanks mom and dad), we will announce our little guys name.  It is fun to figure out names for our children.  Some we have had for a long time and some come with prayer and time.  For a refresher, Samuel's full name is Olof Robert Samuel Kjernald.  He goes by Samuel.  


The first name is Olof (or course), all the men in Andreas' family have that in their name.  It will join our son with the new heritage that he is receiving in this family. 


The second in line is Xiao.  This will honor the name that he has been known by thus far.  This is a part of him and his story and we wanted to honor that.  


The third name (which is the one he will go by) is David.  David is a man after God's own heart in the Bible.  He was anointed at a young age by....Samuel to be King of Israel.  Samuel counseled him and pointed him to God and David continued on.  


So there you have it.   Olof  Xiao David Kjernald


We have found out that our tentative dates for traveling are from May 11 to May 25th.  We are soooooo very excited and will be calling around for airline tickets now.  If you have any advice on good adoption rates let me know.  


I would like to ask for special prayer for friends that are in Ethiopia right now.  Nina and Wes Mullins (you can click into there blog from the blogs I follow) have been in Ethiopia for about 2 1/2 months.  They have their twins with them, but there have been some problems in their court case and new papers being needed constantly.  At this point Wes will need to come home without the others.  Please pray that the paperwork will get done quickly and that Nina and the twins can go home and be with Wes again soon.  This is hard emotionally, financially and physically because they have twins.  Please pray for them and give if you feel the Lord leading you to do so.  Thank you.


Blessings,
laurie

Learning Again....and again.....and again....and again...

I know many of you are waiting for the name of our new son and I promise it will come soon, but we have had so many things to get done this week and it has been a bit crazy.  One thing that I wanted to write about is more of the happiness or joy that I talked about earlier.  In all of this running around trying to get LOA papers signed we have hit a snag with Swedish beauracracy.  Our social worker, whom we have worked with for over 3 years now, is on sick leave.  So instead of calling her and asking her if it is okay to sign that she knows she must do post placement reports and that we can accept this referral (which is already outlined in our homestudy and previous papers) we are having to go through a bit of  incompetence. Of course they are allowed to take two weeks and it seems as if they wish to take that full two weeks.  This is frustrating and ridiculous.  So now I have to take an account of myself.  


How do I react and act towards these people who now feel they have the need to re-ask all the questions that have already been asked?


How do I react when they feel the need to recheck all that has already been checked?  


I can tell you how I want to react, but I am sure you can probably guess how that is.  I hear that reminder to be the child of God that I should.  To show patience...because even though I feel like Swedish beauracracy is in charge - that is not really true.  I want to throw a temper tantrum, but I am 37 years old and frankly I do know better (aren't you proud of me mom!). 


 I must remember that after 3 1/2 years of waiting that...
God still has this, 
God still loves us and this child, 
God sees all that is going on 
and I simply need to pray and trust.  
How many times must I learn this?   


So for now we meet with another social worker tomorrow morning, to reanswer questions that we have already answered, and I must show.....
love,
joy, 
peace,
patience,
gentleness,
goodness,
faith,
meekness,
and temperance.


Thanks for the reminder Jesus, please help me accomplish this! Here is where joy is and happiness is not.  


Laurie 

Drum Roll Please.....

Okay, I promised a picture of our son and here it is! (sorry I was a day late Amy)  We think he is absolutely adorable (big surprise), and we cannot wait to get him. I will give more details as I can, but for now just enjoy his little face and please pray for him as he is about to experience something HUGE!  

Blessings,
Laurie

How 3 Letters Can Change Your Life

For those of you who do not know what these letters stand for it is Letter of Acceptance.  This means that we are officially adopting our son from China.  It is funny how 3 letters can change your life.  At around 2:30 today I received a call from my husband.  He told me he had 3 letters for me and I flipped. Sam started screaming and jumping up and down and the knowledge of me being able to hold my son in about 6 to 8 weeks was amazing.  The thankfulness that I felt enveloped me.  I am so thankful to Jesus that he kept pushing us to find our child.  I am thankful that our Lord was holding and caring for him when we could not.  I am thankful that in my lowest Jesus was still helping me on and bringing me to my child.  Like I have heard to so many times (even from my own mouth), adoption is not for the faint of heart.  For I was weary and the Lord helped me on.

There is a quote that I read in my lenton devo the other day.  This devo is written by Walter Wangerin Jr.  and is called Reliving the Passion (I highly recommend it).  He says, " The difference between shallow happiness and a deep sustaining joy is sorrow.  Happiness lives where sorrow does not. When sorrow arrives, happiness dies.  It can't stand pain.  Joy, on the other hand, rises from sorrow and therefore can withstand all grief.  (now listen closely) Joy, by the grace of God, is the transfiguration of suffering into endurance, and of endurance into character, and of character into hope- and the hope that has become our joy does not (as happiness must for those who depend on it) disappoint us."
 
I pray that through this 3 and 1/2 year journey, and all the sorrow that has come, that I have learned joy.  I have always struggled to find joy because I have felt like the suffering was unfair or I didn't understand it.  Now in my 37th year (sorry to say it has taken this long), through study and talks with my wonderful Bible study group I have a deeper appreciation for suffering and the inheritance of glory that we will receive after suffering (read 1Peter).  I will hang on to the joy that the Lord has fostered in me and go forth with more than just my precious children but a deeper desire to know God better.  For after all I have been adopted into God's family and I am still learning to live in that family as a full child of God.

Stay tuned for pictures and the name of our precious boy.

Blessings,
Laurie

Voluntourism (Ever Heard of It?)

I read this article about "voluntourism" and I think it raises some valid questions.  I have been aware of "voluntourism" within the past few years so this article really interested me.  I will also link an article about giving to children's homes in Nepal  (who to give money to and who to not give money too).  I think that it is pretty universal when it comes to looking for good or bad signs in children's homes.  I have experienced both the good and the bad children's homes in Nepal and I believe the article is right on.

Article 1
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/nov/14/orphans-cambodia-aids-holidays-madonna

Article 2
On Children's Homes

be sure to read the comments below the article too, very good stuff and would love to get my hands on the book "Little Princes".  

Laurie

It's True

Yes, the rumors are true it is my birthday today.  I am 37 today, which Sam says is old, but it doesn't feel so old to me.  Thank you for all those who called me, emailed me, Fb me, sang to me, generally harrassed me and were overall very nice to me today. I am truly blessed to have so many friends from all over the world.  Taking account of this is humbling and also a bit overwhelming.  I miss so many of you and you are all literally around the world and far away.  I am also humbled and so excited to see how many of you are following Christ and how many have also adopted or been a direct help to adoption or both.  I can only thank Jesus for all of you (my amazing family included) and look forward to worshipping God with you all in heaven one day (which will truly be the next time I am able to be with all of my friends again at one time).

The one gift that I was really hoping for didn't come today.  That would be our LOA for our precious boy, but I know it is coming, so I will hold on to that for my birthday gift.

Please pray for Japan today.  Pray that the Christians can shine the light of Jesus through the fear and devastation.  Pray that the nuclear reactors cool, pray for those who are left to pick up the pieces of their lives without their loved ones, and pray the aftershocks and tsunamis stop.  He is a loving God who wants to help us through the pain of this world.  Will you join me in prayer?

Laurie

New Adoption Resources in Nutrition

Hello all,

I have two new adoption resources on the nutrition of children that are adopted and how to help your newly adopted child and the foundation that started the foundation and websites.  The Spoon Foundation is on a mission to try and provide nutritional suppliments to orphans around the world. The two ladies that began this adopted children that seemed to be severly handicapped, but turned out that they were severly malnurished.  We experience the same thing with Samuel.  He was malnurished, tiny and had constant ear infections when we picked him up.  He had not been eating solid foods at 15 months old besides an occasional bite of egg white or banana.  When he was with us he started eating everything he could get his hands on.  The first two years he was home he ate 4 (yes, 4) hard boiled eggs every morning.  He grew like a weed, was healthy as on ox and still loves eggs to this day. So check out these links and pass them on. The second site is Adoption Nutrition this gives advice for those who are about to adopt and those who have.  (they are linked to the Spoon Foundation).

Blessings,
Laurie

"Children Of God" - Official Music Video

This is a great video that is making its rounds on the adoption blog circuit.  God is doing a mighty thing for the orphans and families in this world.  We are so blessed to be a little part of it.  God is showing us all how we are adopted into his family so that we may be called sons and daughters of God.  Are you adopted?  If not, we would love to talk to you about being adopted into God's family.  Have you adopted?  If you feel like adoption has been put on your heart, but you haven't made the steps to move forward, we would love to talk to you about adopting.  Please contact us through this blog.

Blessings,
laurie

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