Kookies + Kids + Korea

We've had a fun week at our house after hearing the news of Joshua's EP being submitted in Korea, and how our time is getting closer to going to pick him up.  It's a bit surreal to believe that we could be traveling in less than two months to pick him up!  As we're waiting for the final call to come, there are a number of "to do" items we are hoping to figure out and/or accomplish before we bring Joshua home.

One of them is deciding if Nathan & Brooke will be able to travel to Korea with us to get Joshua.  There are pro's and con's for taking them with us, and we've been weighing them over the past few months and looking at what would be best for Joshua, the kids, ourselves, and the whole process of adjusting to having another family member with us.  We've learned from others who have and haven't taken their kids over, and have thought through what might be best in our situation.

Since we initially told Nathan & Brooke about the adoption process back on New Years Day (2011), they've been very excited about having a brother join our family.  We've had a lot of fun conversations, questions, and discussions with them about Joshua over the past year and a half.  It's been fun and very encouraging to see how the kids have embraced and welcomed Joshua into the  family, even though he hasn't even arrived yet.  They both already refer to him as "my brother", and occasionally talk about him to others as if Joshua has always been a part of our family.  We've also been praying for him regularly, looking at the pictures we received of him, and even making some fun videos for him that we hope he'll get to see.  But their biggest question on their mind remains:  "when will Joshua come home?"  Only to be followed by: "will we be able to go to Korea too?"

Now that it's getting closer, we decided that since we've been in this adoption journey as a family from the beginning, we wanted to experience this significant part of the adoption journey as a family too.  So the kids will be able to meet Joshua in Korea too!

To tell the kids what we decided, Jill baked up a large chocolate chip cookie in a heart-shaped pizza pan, decorated it with icing and a picture of the S. Korean flag, and wrote:

"Joshua, we're coming soon! 

Love, Mommy & Daddy, Nathan & Brooke"

We set it out on the table, along with all four of our passports, and a new 22 month picture of Joshua we had just received from our case worker.  Then the kids came into the living room, read the cookie, and got big grins on their faces when they realized what it meant!  (well, Brooke first asked if we could eat the cookie.....oh, how I love my little sweet tooth girl!)

After we had a little celebration, the kids recorded a few short little video messages for Joshua.  I think these thoughts sum up how excited we all are at coming to Korea to meet Joshua and bring him home!

C'mon EP and travel call!  Let's go!

Joshua, we're coming soon!  Love, Mommy & Daddy, Nathan & Brooke

 

EP Submitted!!!

These are the words we’ve been waiting to hear for the last year! This is what has made the wait so long. EP stands for Exit Permit, which is what South Korea must grant in order for us to bring little Joshua home. Each year they have been reducing the number of EPs granted, thus increasing the length of time for all families waiting to bring their children home. We now have an approximate time frame until we get the next important step, our Travel Call! Once we get this, we will book our flights and be on our way to meet our little boy and bring him home! Most likely we will get this call in August and be traveling later that month or at the beginning of September.

Joshua ("YS") turns two September 16th. Once we found out about the long waits, I began praying we would be able to bring our little boy home before he turned two. For a long time this looked nearly impossible due to several months where no EPs were granted, and due to changes in South Korean adoption laws. As the wait got longer, I prepared my heart, and trusted in our Sovereign Lord’s timing. But, in June and July, many EPs were submitted. So tonight when Brooke prayed, “Thank You, Jesus, that Joshua gets to come home for his second birthday,” my heart was praising the Lord right along with her.

I recently heard Psalm 100 referred to as the “10 Joyful Commandments”. They are not commands that we could follow on our own as we walk through life on this earth. But because of what Jesus has done for us, His joy may be in us, and our joy may be complete (John 15:11). My prayer has been that I will wait joyfully on the Lord during this long process, that I will praise Him joyfully in each blessing along the way, and that I will continue to worship Him joyfully as we begin a very challenging transition as little Joshua joins our family and grieves all he has ever known.

 Psalm 100 

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. 

Worship the Lord with gladness; 

Come before him with joyful songs. 

Know that the Lord is God. 

It is he who made us, and we are his; 

We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, 

And his courts with praise; 

Give thanks to him and praise his name. 

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; 

His faithfulness continues through all generations.

10 Facts About Adoption That May Surprise You....

Just caught this interesting list and infographic this morning over at Adoption Journey with 10 interesting facts about adoption....

A few highlights:

Click here to read or download the rest of the list....

Makes me want to ask.....What's your response?

Summit VIII Conference LIVE online

Just caught this exciting opportunity to catch part of the upcoming Summit VIII Conference from Saddleback Church in Southern CA LIVE online for the next 2 days (May 3-4).

This is a conference that is put on by the Christian Alliance for Orphans each year, and is centered around how Christians, churches, and ministry groups can advocate for orphans, adoption, and foster care.

You can stream some of the main sessions and workshops live - Crawford Loritts, Francis Chan, Rick & Kay Warren, Steven Curtis Chapman, Dennis Rainey, and Russell Moore, among others.  Click here for a complete schedule and list of speakers.

I encourage you to check out some of the sessions and workshops and let God speak to you about his heart for orphans, adoption, and foster care!  Click the banner above to take you to the site!

In The News

We recently had the opportunity to share about our adoption in our monthly church newsletter, "Growing In Grace."  Jill, who wrote the article, did a great job expressing her heart and thoughts behind our adoption of Joshua, as well as share about the role and place of spiritual adoption too.  What Jill wrote was such an encouragement and reminder, we wanted to share it with you too -

Enjoy!

Eric and I are in the process of adopting Joshua, our precious little boy, from South Korea. Though we have not yet met him, we have been praying for him since before he was born. We have seen his picture as he grows, learned of mile-stones such as walking and starting to talk, and celebrated his first birthday, wishing he were here with
us. I am amazed at how much love I have for Joshua, and how I think of him as my son. Daily, my love for him continues to grow. I desire to hold him, nurture him, play with him, laugh with him, comfort him, and ultimately to teach him about Jesus. I am reminded how on a very small, earthly scale, this is what God has done for me, and for you, on a level greater than any of us can understand.  It gives me a new glimpse of God’s incredible love for us, of His desire for each person He created to trust Him, rely on Him, love Him, and respond to His incredible love. 

I am adopted, and so are you, if you are a follower of Christ. God uses the term adoption to describe our relationship as believers with Him. Romans 8:14-18, says “because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his suffering in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be re- vealed in us.” And verse 23, “Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” (NIV)

I often think of myself as a child of God. But what exactly does this mean — to receive the Spirit of sonship, to be heirs of God, to wait eagerly for our adoption as sons? In Roman culture, similarly to today, someone who was adopted lost all rights in their old family, and gained all rights and privileges in their new family. This included becoming an heir to his father’s estate. This is true for us as children of God. He has given us the greatest treasures — His Son, forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, and eternal life! 

We are also told that as a co-heir with Christ, we will share in His sufferings. For some believers, this means persecution or even death. For all, it means living differently. Sometimes we will suffer as we give up our own rights, serve others, and choose not to conform to the world. And yet, in the midst of our sufferings, we can focus, not on this world, but on our future in heaven, and the glory that will be revealed in us.

This is the future aspect to our adoption — the part we eagerly await — for Christ’s new Kingdom to be established, and for our future change when we receive our glorified bodies, when we will be like Christ. This is why we are able to hope, and to look forward with perseverance for deliverance from sin and its results — suffering, disease, and death. What an amazing Father we have! So incredible, we will not understand the riches of His gifts until we are with Him in heaven! 

Joshua has seen pictures of us, but he does not really know us yet. Soon, he will meet us. He will have many tears and sadness of missing all that he has known in these first years of his life. But he will also start to trust us, rely on us, respond to our love for him, and call us “Daddy” and “Mommy.” He will be adopted, with the full privileges of being our son.  

Have you been adopted into the family of Jesus Christ? Have you talked to your Abba, Father today? Have you thanked Him for the incredible gifts He has given you as His child? Are you sharing in His suffering in order that you may also share in His glory?

May each of us daily keep our focus on who we are as children adopted by God, our Father, eagerly waiting for Christ to return, for His Kingdom to come, and for our adoption to be complete! And may we tell others of God’s amazing love and pray that they might be adopted into His family!

Free Coffee This Weekend!

Hey Coffee Lovers!

As you know, we've partnered with Just Love Coffee to help us raise support to bring Joshua home.  We love coffee (maybe just a little bit?), and are excited to partner with them, as they provide $5 of every bag of coffee purchased towards our adoption fund.

Just saw this special promotion this weekend only - stock up with 3 bags, get one for free, AND help us with our adoption!  Just click below to order....

Adoption Dinner Videos

As promised, we wanted to post a few of the videos we took from our adoption dinner.  Sorry it took so long to get these posted, but we ran into a few issues and challenges along the way.  But you'll see these videos share more about the adoption journey we've been on over the past 2 years to bring Joshua home.

Part 1:

(click here if you can't view the "Part 1" video above)

Part 2:

(click here if you're not able to view the "Part 2" video above)

We were also honored to have Pastor Mark Balmer and his family with us that night, and to share a few words with us about adoption.

(click here if you're not able to view the video from Pastor Mark above)

Thanks again to all of you who came out to support our dinner!  If you would like to be involved on our prayer or financial support team to help bring Joshua home, here are a few ways you can be involved.

Stay tuned...we've got more exciting updates to share in the days ahead!