Blessings

I've been listening to this song a lot lately. There are several versions on youtube. Waiting to hear back from the court has been hard. And so I am looking for God's mercies in it all.

Blessings 

lyrics by Laura Story

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
And all the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your word is not enough
And all the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not,
This is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near

What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise 

Cruising

We haven't gotten any news about the court case, but we did get some new pictures today. Simeon is doing well. He started clapping and cruising along the furniture in the last couple weeks.

Milestones

Since I last posted, Simeon turned 6-months-old, is sitting up unassisted (mostly, he sometimes falls over still), crawling, eating baby cereal, pulling up on furniture, and he got his first tooth. He is pictured above with another baby from Taiwan Xi En. We were able to skype with him (and Ashleigh and Sara*) on Christmas morning in Taiwan and were able to watch him open the presents we sent. He was more interested in the crinkly wrapping paper than the presents (just like his brothers when they were that age).

On December 28 a social worker appointed by the Taiwanese courts came to Taiwan Xi En to do a "home study" on Simeon and ask questions about our family. From what we hear, she was happy with the situation. We are praying that she will write her report quickly so that the judge will have everything she needs to make her initial decree (saying that we can adopt Simeon). After that we will wait to get the final decree, then be able to travel to get him.

Psalm 20:7
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

* Ashleigh is the media specialist for Taiwan Xi En. Sara, Ashleigh's sister, is the volunteer coordinator for Taiwan Xi En. It is interesting to note that Sara also took care of our oldest son, Elisha, when he was at The Home of God's Love.

No News

We have heard from Holly at Taiwan Xi En (our agency) a couple times this month. Basically, they have not heard anything from the court since November 7. Please keep praying that they will receive our initial decree soon (approval from the court saying that we can adopt Simeon). God continues to remind us that we can trust Him with all things concerning Simeon's life and our lives.

On Christmas Eve (which will be Christmas morning in Taiwan) we are planning to skype with Simeon and Ashleigh (who is keeping him during the week of Christmas). We are also super happy that his presents made it to Taiwan in time for him to open them on Christmas (the package arrived last night). Below is my favorite Christmas picture so far this year. Merry Christmas!

New Pictures - December

On Monday we got new pictures and two videos of Simeon. He is smiling, laughing, and rolling over (in one video we got to see him roll from back to front and front to back). He also likes to stick his feet in the rings on the play mat (see picture below). It is such a blessing to be able to see a little bit of what he's doing and what he's like. We hope to hear soon that the court process is proceeding (no news, yet).

The Wait

Our adoption agency (Taiwan Xi En, formerly known as His Hands Taiwan) hasn't heard from the court regarding Simeon's adoption process since the court date (November 7). This isn't abnormal, but you always hope your case will move faster than normal. :) At this point, we still hope to have Simeon home between mid-December and mid-February.

Two families were able to pick up their babies this month (also from Taiwan Xi En) and it was a huge blessing to receive updates about what Simeon is doing ("Simeon is incredibly sweet and smiles easily"), what the nannies say about him ("I love him so much," "today one of the nannies was reading to the babies from the Bible in Mandarin"), etc. It was also fun to see pictures of their trip and hear about their new little ones. We will get new pictures of Simeon on Monday and are looking forward to that.

Below are a few Bible verses about waiting that God has used to strengthen me. God is so good to us and we trust His timing for our family. And we continue to ask Him (often) to allow us to be with Simeon as soon as possible.

but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
    they shall walk and not faint.
~ Isaiah 40:31

From of old no one has heard
    or perceived by the ear,
no eye has seen a God besides you,
    who acts for those who wait for him.
~ Isaiah 64:4


The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
    he turns it wherever he will.
~ Proverbs 21:1

Court Date Recap

 

This week was such a great week. On Monday we were able to skype with Simeon and one of the workers. It was great to see Simeon and to be able to ask questions about how he is doing, what he is like (he loves seeing everything that's going on around him and he giggles more than the average 4-month-old), and knowing how to better pray for him. We are so blessed by the people who are caring for Simeon while we are so far away and so thankful that he is loved.

On Wednesday morning (after the court hearing in Taiwan) the directors of our agency e-mailed us saying, "Court today was amazing, it was so evident that people were praying!" The judge was very gracious and seemed positive. The next step is for a social worker in Taiwan to do a home study on the birth mother and Simeon. Once the judge gets the home studies, she will make her initial decision (this decision is whether or not the government of Taiwan approves our adoption of Simeon). A few weeks after the initial decision she will send the final decision. Once our adoption agency gets the final decision we will be able to book our plane tickets! We are so thankful to God that the court date went well and hope to be holding Simeon in our arms in the next one to three months. Thank you for your continued prayers.