Last year at this time, Dave and I were preparing for our missions trip to Africa. My heart is just longing to return to Africa. :) To fight off the desire for travel, I have decided to share a couple of excerpts from our last trip to Africa. Below is the third journal entry from our travels.
I awoke in Paris this morning to Dave's smiling face--"Today we go to Benin!"
We quickly and excitedly packed our bags and prepared for our day's journey. Before we bid farewell to Paris, we look forward to meeting up with a few friends for coffee. These two friends of ours from the USA have just finished a missions trip to Turkey and are now traveling across Europe. Today, we meet in Paris!
We enjoyed our fellowship with these brothers. They have been earnestly seeking open doors of opportunity to speak the Gospel, in a country that is ruled and governed by Islam. They shared stories of Gospel opportunities that they have had already. We listened with excitement. I am thankful for these brothers who have been faithfully ministering the Gospel. Thankful that they too recognize that a trip abroad is not simply for leisure and enjoyment, it is sovereignly ordained by God to direct us to those who have yet to hear the Good News. As we parted ways, we pray together for open doors on our continued journeys.
We took our luggage in a taxi to catch our first train. Our Muslim taxi driver was very kind. It is interesting to be surrounded with so many religions and nationalities. I wish that there were no language barriers, so that we could clearly share the Truth with this man.
Next, we braved the train system. What a task to get through the subway connectors with four bags-constantly watching out for pickpockets and thieves. After many transfers and mishaps, we were finally on the train that would take us to Airport Charles de Gaulle.
We sat down on the train next to a Beninois man, Yaovi. He was ecstatic to find that we were headed to his home country. We immediately became his friend. This is the African way. :)
He would be traveling back to Benin within the week, and he wanted to meet up with us when we were there. In fact, we learned that we are staying in his exact neighborhood! Again, we are reminded that these meetings are not by chance.
Our new friend was pleased to help us navigate through the airport, directly to our terminal. Unfortunately, as we waited, we were met by other Beninois men who wanted us to travel with their bags (illegal contraband). We refused. Suddenly those robot reminders that constantly play over the loud speakers in our American airports don't sound so foolish, "Do not leave your bags unattended. Do not agree to take anything from a stranger to put in your bag. Etc."
In the airport, we passed a man whose shirt said, "Christians to the Lions." Chills ran down my spine. I was no longer in America. What a hatred! Again-never before have I experienced this hatred directed at me for my faith. We live in a safer, tamer world in USA. But, oh how desperately, this darkness needs the light of the glorious Gospel to shine.
Customs and security was FAR easier than in USA. We headed to our gate, grabbed a bite to eat, and began to board for our flight. They packed about fifty of us onto a small standing bus for transportation to our flight. The rain was pouring down and the bus was hot and sticky. We were packed like sardines on the tiny bus. For twenty minutes, the bus sat stationary with its restless inhabitants, waiting to load our plane. There were enough passengers to fill about 20% of the plane. Finally, we were released to run through the rain and board the plane.
Our flight was fairly uneventful, and after about 6 and a half hours, we landed in Benin. Cotonou, Benin, is a city on a swamp. As we were descending, we flew over a lake that was dotted with fishing nets. Upon landing, we soon found ourselves descending the stairs from the plane into a humid 85 degree evening. My heart was bursting with excitement. Since I have been a child, it has been my dream to travel to Africa for missions. I have finally come.
We were corralled into a very small "airport" to wait in line for customs. In order to enter the country, you must have a yellow paper in your passport that confirms that you've been inoculated with the yellow fever vaccine. If you had not, the men (armed with filthy latex gloves) at the end of the customs line would do the job for you. Boy, am I glad we came prepared!
We passed easily through customs and were greeted by a man who would help us get our luggage. After securing our baggage, we made our way past the armed guards, who were busy picking through everyone's luggage. Literally, they were opening every piece of luggage and rummaging through its contents. Wow. Our helper simply mentioned that Dave was a pastor, and the guards waved us right past the line and through the interrogation.
Here we were greeted with the beaming smiles of Missionaries Ken and Debbie Haley as well as their first national pastor, Pastor Michel. I have never seen a smile as big as Pastor Michel's--truly the joy of Christ radiates from this man. Dave clearly loves these dear friends-I look forward to getting to know them and serving alongside them during this trip.
After thanking God for safety during the trip, Pastor Michel jumped back on his motorcycle (or moto, as they call them here) to head home to his family. We traded in some of our American cash for the Benin currency. We loaded up our luggage and got into the Haley's LandRover truck to get a bite to eat on our way home. A few minutes away from the airport, we popped the truck up onto the road median and parked alongside the other vehicles. We passed the restaurant guards and headed into the restaurant. We ordered pizza, fries and water to hold us over 'til morning. Not the cuisine I was expecting for our first meal in Africa, but it was welcomed after the long day of travel! We followed the doctor's orders and only drank water from a water bottle--taking precautions to avoid parasites and diseases. The food was excellent and the service kind! We tipped our guards (as is customary) on the way out and we waited for our chance to dart through the quickly moving motos to get to the truck.
When we got back to the truck, Debbie joked that we would be taking a "bumpy road" to get to their apartment--bumpy roads were Dave's favorite on his last trip because he was constantly hitting his head on the window as they rode over these bumps, an ongoing joke among these friends. We weaved in and out of the flurry of motos, autos and pedestrians. Ken warned us not to make eye contact with the police, who lined every round about, as they like to pull you over for an "offense" for which you are often innocent. Their hope is to get a little extra cash out of you to line their pockets. Soon we pulled onto what I thought was the bumpy road, a cobblestone road which jostled us as we rode. About two minutes later, we pulled onto the real bumpy road. We were literally bouncing in the air off of our seats as we took the road to their house. I was amused that no one else (Dave included) seemed to take notice of the roller coaster ride--so this is Africa. :)
We drove into a neighborhood past poverty that I had never seen. Cooking fires dotted the landscape and white eyes peered at us curiously through the darkness. As we drove deeper into the neighborhood, 2-3 story apartment building started to appear within the seeming rubble. We soon arrived at the Haley's gated driveway. Debbie jumped out of the truck to open the rickety gate, and we pulled up to their apartment building. It was two stories tall. The national landlord lives on the bottom floor and the Haleys live on the second. As we stepped out of the car, 2 or 3 lizards scurried out of our path. Lizards-the non-poisonous kind that don't bite-these are one African crawling creature that I don't mind one bit. In fact, they are kind cute. :)
The Haley's showed us around their two bedroom, two bathroom apartment. Although it is simple, it is far more spacious than I expected. It is also immaculate! This is not nearly what I had imagined. I guess I wasn't exactly picturing that they'd live in a hut, but I wasn't expecting spotless tile floors. Debbie is an excellent housekeeper.
They took us up to their rooftop terrace to get a bird's eye view of the neigborhood. I was stunned to see that long with their "wealthy" apartment-dwelling neighbors, they shared the block with dozens of "tin huts." These are simply constructed, rectangular buildings which house four to six families each. The structures cannot be more than ten by forty-five feet.
It has been a long journey to Africa. It hardly seems like it was only this morning that we maneuvered through the Parisian train system. I look forward to seeing more tomorrow! Until then, with utter excitement and complete exhaustion, I try to sleep.
Monday, May 27, 2013
A Novice's Look at Traveling Internationally
Traveling as a Novice continued...
(Here we traveled through France on our way to Africa.)
This morning, Dave awoke before me. As he left the hotel in shorts, he found that he was the only one on the streets not in business dress or skinny designer jeans-truly, my all-American Dave stands out in Europe. :)
Today, we plan to travel to the Palace of Versailles (Chateau de Versailles). We will have to make many train transfers to get there, but we're really starting to get the hang of the French train system. Today, we imagine that we'll travel like pros. Right.
As we made a transfer and sat down on our next train, a local French man struck up a conversation with us. Between Dave's French and this man's English, we were able to enjoy conversation. After gathering that we were American, he pointed out the French Statue of Liberty. We soon found out that our new friend, Patrick, was an astronomer for France's NASA. Of course, this opened up a great door of opportunity to testify of God. As we spoke to Patrick about how the earth was in exactly the right place to sustain life (not too far or too close to either freeze or burn up), we explained that it could not be coincidence--It was by a Designer's hand that this was done. Patrick agreed with us, but then explained that he had objections to the Church. He explained that the Catholic Church and the Pope did not make sense and had many contradictions. Between the corruption of the Crusades and the infallibility of the Pope, he just could not follow their teachings. When we were able to separate ourselves from the Catholic Church and explain that that was a different kind of Christianity, we shared the Gospel with Patrick. He seemed to understand much of what we were saying, and he was intrigued. We exchanged e-mail addresses with plans to continue this conversation.
It is not by mistake that Patrick set next to us on that first train. He clearly has questions, and we were fortunately able to get to know one another on that long train journey. Patrick, an educated man, was impressed with Dave's education and knowledge of many languages. He shared a common European joke, "3 languages=trilingual, 2 languages=bilingual, 1 language=American." How silly I felt to basically fit into this stereotype-Perhaps it is time that I learned another language. My high school Spanish classes hardly make the cut.
All of knowledge and languages aside, God has led us directly to this searching man today. I am so thankful for a God who ordains each step we take.
(Later that day...)
We will soon be continuing on to Benin, West Africa. Although Paris has been beautiful, Africa is really the part of our trip that I'm excited about. I can't wait to get there.
The missionaries from Africa had requested that we bring French study Bibles for the African pastors to use in their studying and teaching. Ironically, we were unable to find the Bibles in America, but we had the address for a Parisian Christian book store. Perhaps we will be able to find the treasures there!
After navigating through Paris once again, we found our way to the Christian Book Store. We searched the store, and we were elated to find exactly what we were looking for. A money gift from a big-hearted man in our church would meet the need for the cost. We are thankful for Gospel partners, who although they may not be taking this missions journey with us, their heart is set on the furtherance of the Gospel. God is good. What a joy it will be to present these study Bibles to the Beninois pastors. We cannot wait to give these gifts!
Only one more day until we're there.
We also purchased a copy of a Gospel Apologetics book for Patrick. We look forward to continuing to plant Gospel seeds in his searching heart.
(Here we traveled through France on our way to Africa.)
This morning, Dave awoke before me. As he left the hotel in shorts, he found that he was the only one on the streets not in business dress or skinny designer jeans-truly, my all-American Dave stands out in Europe. :)
Today, we plan to travel to the Palace of Versailles (Chateau de Versailles). We will have to make many train transfers to get there, but we're really starting to get the hang of the French train system. Today, we imagine that we'll travel like pros. Right.
As we made a transfer and sat down on our next train, a local French man struck up a conversation with us. Between Dave's French and this man's English, we were able to enjoy conversation. After gathering that we were American, he pointed out the French Statue of Liberty. We soon found out that our new friend, Patrick, was an astronomer for France's NASA. Of course, this opened up a great door of opportunity to testify of God. As we spoke to Patrick about how the earth was in exactly the right place to sustain life (not too far or too close to either freeze or burn up), we explained that it could not be coincidence--It was by a Designer's hand that this was done. Patrick agreed with us, but then explained that he had objections to the Church. He explained that the Catholic Church and the Pope did not make sense and had many contradictions. Between the corruption of the Crusades and the infallibility of the Pope, he just could not follow their teachings. When we were able to separate ourselves from the Catholic Church and explain that that was a different kind of Christianity, we shared the Gospel with Patrick. He seemed to understand much of what we were saying, and he was intrigued. We exchanged e-mail addresses with plans to continue this conversation.
It is not by mistake that Patrick set next to us on that first train. He clearly has questions, and we were fortunately able to get to know one another on that long train journey. Patrick, an educated man, was impressed with Dave's education and knowledge of many languages. He shared a common European joke, "3 languages=trilingual, 2 languages=bilingual, 1 language=American." How silly I felt to basically fit into this stereotype-Perhaps it is time that I learned another language. My high school Spanish classes hardly make the cut.
All of knowledge and languages aside, God has led us directly to this searching man today. I am so thankful for a God who ordains each step we take.
(Later that day...)
We will soon be continuing on to Benin, West Africa. Although Paris has been beautiful, Africa is really the part of our trip that I'm excited about. I can't wait to get there.
The missionaries from Africa had requested that we bring French study Bibles for the African pastors to use in their studying and teaching. Ironically, we were unable to find the Bibles in America, but we had the address for a Parisian Christian book store. Perhaps we will be able to find the treasures there!
After navigating through Paris once again, we found our way to the Christian Book Store. We searched the store, and we were elated to find exactly what we were looking for. A money gift from a big-hearted man in our church would meet the need for the cost. We are thankful for Gospel partners, who although they may not be taking this missions journey with us, their heart is set on the furtherance of the Gospel. God is good. What a joy it will be to present these study Bibles to the Beninois pastors. We cannot wait to give these gifts!
Only one more day until we're there.
We also purchased a copy of a Gospel Apologetics book for Patrick. We look forward to continuing to plant Gospel seeds in his searching heart.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Letters to My Boy
Dear Little One,
I have been dreaming much about you lately. The other night, I dreamt that we were traveling to Africa to bring you home. It was an amazing thing to imagine this event. That day will change both of our lives forever. We will be inextricably joined together. What a sweet and joyous day that will be. I can hardly wait.
We have been so busy working to raise the money to bring you home, trusting that God will provide to pave your way here. God has been so gracious to provide the opportunity for matching grants. We pray that He continues to work. We are also planning two big projects: Both Hands and a 5k in our community. We're just going to keep plugging away, trying to keep ourselves busy while we wait to see your sweet, little face. It could be any day that we get the call and see your face for the first time. :)
Other than that, I've also started to get your room ready for your arrival. I have begun to clear out many of our things out of the room, but I won't paint and purchase your bed (or crib) until after we see you! I have begun to buy a few new outfits for you too. :)
I keep imagining what our life will be like with you here. We will, of course, have to add an extra setting for you at the table. Our meals will be much more exciting with your laughter. Your daddy and I spend most of our mornings working quietly while we sip our coffee. I imagine that while we'll still enjoy our coffee, I might be chasing you around the yard with Jack and Charlie (our puppies). Oh, you will love Jack and Charlie, and they will love you. I'm sure you'll be fast friends with these crazy doggies! We often meet up with friends from church throughout the day as well. And boy, are there a lot of little playmates for you in that group! You are going to love it.
Often as I fall asleep at night, I imagine that we will soon be putting you down to sleep for the nights as well. We'll tell you a Bible story, pray with you and sing for you. I often find myself humming this song below-one of my recent favorites. I cannot wait to sing it to you soon! So tonight, here is my prayer for you:
Before you close your eyes to sleep
I have a promise still to keep
As I hold you in my arms.
I pray your little frame grows strong
And that faith takes hold while you are young;
This is my prayer for you.
Hold my hand;
I'll teach you the Way to go.
Through the joys, through the tears,
The journey of these years,
May you trust Him ‘til the end.
May you trust Him in the end.
This world is not as it should be,
But the Savior opens eyes to see
All that's beautiful and true.
Oh may His light fill all you are
And the jewel of wisdom crown your heart;
This is my prayer for you.
Hold my hand;
I'll teach you the Way to go.
Through the joys, through the tears,
The journey of these years,
He is with us ‘til the end.
He is faithful ‘til the end.
You'll travel where my arms won't reach
As the road will rise to lead your feet
On a journey of your own.
May my mistakes not hinder you
But His grace remain and guide you through;
This is my prayer for you.
Take His hand
And go where He calls you to.
And whatever comes, seek Him
With all your heart;
This will be my prayer for you.
mmmm Father, hear my ceaseless prayer;
Oh keep her in your care.
Dún do shúil (Close Your Eyes)
Dún do shúil, a rún mo chroí
(Close your eyes, oh love of my heart)
A chuid den tsaol, 's a ghrá liom
(My worldly joy, my treasure)
Dún do shúil, a rún mo chroí
(Close your eyes, oh love of my heart)
Agus gheobhair feirín amárach...
(And you will get a gift tomorrow)
I have been dreaming much about you lately. The other night, I dreamt that we were traveling to Africa to bring you home. It was an amazing thing to imagine this event. That day will change both of our lives forever. We will be inextricably joined together. What a sweet and joyous day that will be. I can hardly wait.
We have been so busy working to raise the money to bring you home, trusting that God will provide to pave your way here. God has been so gracious to provide the opportunity for matching grants. We pray that He continues to work. We are also planning two big projects: Both Hands and a 5k in our community. We're just going to keep plugging away, trying to keep ourselves busy while we wait to see your sweet, little face. It could be any day that we get the call and see your face for the first time. :)
Other than that, I've also started to get your room ready for your arrival. I have begun to clear out many of our things out of the room, but I won't paint and purchase your bed (or crib) until after we see you! I have begun to buy a few new outfits for you too. :)
I keep imagining what our life will be like with you here. We will, of course, have to add an extra setting for you at the table. Our meals will be much more exciting with your laughter. Your daddy and I spend most of our mornings working quietly while we sip our coffee. I imagine that while we'll still enjoy our coffee, I might be chasing you around the yard with Jack and Charlie (our puppies). Oh, you will love Jack and Charlie, and they will love you. I'm sure you'll be fast friends with these crazy doggies! We often meet up with friends from church throughout the day as well. And boy, are there a lot of little playmates for you in that group! You are going to love it.
Often as I fall asleep at night, I imagine that we will soon be putting you down to sleep for the nights as well. We'll tell you a Bible story, pray with you and sing for you. I often find myself humming this song below-one of my recent favorites. I cannot wait to sing it to you soon! So tonight, here is my prayer for you:
Before you close your eyes to sleep
I have a promise still to keep
As I hold you in my arms.
I pray your little frame grows strong
And that faith takes hold while you are young;
This is my prayer for you.
Hold my hand;
I'll teach you the Way to go.
Through the joys, through the tears,
The journey of these years,
May you trust Him ‘til the end.
May you trust Him in the end.
This world is not as it should be,
But the Savior opens eyes to see
All that's beautiful and true.
Oh may His light fill all you are
And the jewel of wisdom crown your heart;
This is my prayer for you.
Hold my hand;
I'll teach you the Way to go.
Through the joys, through the tears,
The journey of these years,
He is with us ‘til the end.
He is faithful ‘til the end.
You'll travel where my arms won't reach
As the road will rise to lead your feet
On a journey of your own.
May my mistakes not hinder you
But His grace remain and guide you through;
This is my prayer for you.
Take His hand
And go where He calls you to.
And whatever comes, seek Him
With all your heart;
This will be my prayer for you.
mmmm Father, hear my ceaseless prayer;
Oh keep her in your care.
Dún do shúil (Close Your Eyes)
Dún do shúil, a rún mo chroí
(Close your eyes, oh love of my heart)
A chuid den tsaol, 's a ghrá liom
(My worldly joy, my treasure)
Dún do shúil, a rún mo chroí
(Close your eyes, oh love of my heart)
Agus gheobhair feirín amárach...
(And you will get a gift tomorrow)
Friday, May 17, 2013
All Hands on Deck for Our Both Hands Rescue Mission
Pure Religion from Gospel Toolbox on Vimeo.
We're really down to it now. We've sent in all of our documents and official paperwork, so now we're simply waiting. While we wait, we are saving carefully and raising funds to bring home our baby. God has been so good to graciously provide for us each step of the way, yet we still have a ways to go financially before we are able to welcome baby home.
When you're in the middle of this whole process, it's easy to get focused on yourselves and your needs or your child's needs. While we certainly must care for those needs, Dave and I never want to lose sight of the bigger picture. God is at work, both here and throughout the nations, to bring glory to Himself as the gospel is being preached. We want God's goals to be our goals. Especially through our adoption, we desire the beauty of the gospel to be clearly reflected through us. For this reason, we have opted to do a creative "fundraiser" that will look beyond only our present needs, and will seek to meet the needs of another.
Enter Both Hands, a ministry of Lifesong for Orphans. The idea behind Both Hands is based on James 1:27a, which states, "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble." In a Both Hands Project, the goal is to offer a hand of help to both the orphan and the widow in need.
The plan:
- We enlist an army (and I mean, AN ARMY) of people who have a heart for the widow and the orphan. We will all be working together to help both!
- We seek to serve a local widow, who could use some help around the house. We will spend an entire day doing everything from weeding and landscaping to painting and cleaning.
- We will partner with any local businesses, small or large, to try to have the supplies donated for the big work day. This way, ALL of our costs to fix up the widow's home will be covered.
- Next, along with each person in our army, we will send out letters to friends and family that will basically say this: "Would you consider sponsoring me to spend a day working on fixing up a widow's home..." Each of us will raise "sponsorship" for our Project Day.
- On June 29, our army will gather to spend a day laboring for our widow. The goal is to minister to her and encourage her in whatever ways we can. Lord willing, by the end of the day, her home should be "spruced up", with many labor intensive projects accomplished!
- All of the funds donated toward sponsoring our army of friends and family will then go directly toward our adoption.
Our friends and family have been overwhelmingly supportive throughout this entire process! You have written us notes, prayed for us, given to us, and so much more. While we do not want any of you to feel obligated to help us with this Both Hands Project, we do want to provide you an opportunity to partner with us if you so desire. Perhaps you'd like to "sponsor us" toward our project (the instructions are below). Although there are many other opportunities in life, here is one way that you can live out James 1:27.
To Join our Army: email Dave (pastordave at lakewoodbaptistchurch dot info) or Emiley (emiley dot marriott at gmail dot com)
*Note: Here is a video of what a Both Hands Project normally looks like.
*Note: Here is a video of what a Both Hands Project normally looks like.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Fingerprints for Immigration-USCIS
Last Friday, we trekked down to Milwaukee for our USCIS (United States Citizen and Immigration Services) biometrics testing. That's really just a fancy schmancy way to say fingerprinting...that costs $900.
I would like to tell you an exciting story about the whole process, but it really was pretty simple. We walked in, filled out some paperwork and waited for them to call our names. When we stepped up, the worker sanitized my hands about 10 times as he took my fingerprints. I hadn't really done much research about the process, and I thought that I would be walking out of the Homeland Security office with black, ink-stained fingertips. I was surprised to find out the whole process (even in little Milwaukee, WI) is digital--no black ink anymore. :)
Twenty minutes later, we walked out unscathed. Nothing too exciting had really happened, but another step was checked off our list.
I would like to tell you an exciting story about the whole process, but it really was pretty simple. We walked in, filled out some paperwork and waited for them to call our names. When we stepped up, the worker sanitized my hands about 10 times as he took my fingerprints. I hadn't really done much research about the process, and I thought that I would be walking out of the Homeland Security office with black, ink-stained fingertips. I was surprised to find out the whole process (even in little Milwaukee, WI) is digital--no black ink anymore. :)
Twenty minutes later, we walked out unscathed. Nothing too exciting had really happened, but another step was checked off our list.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Letters to My Boy
My Sweet Boy,
Today was a very, very exciting day! Your daddy and I have been working hard to gather all of our documents to send over to the Ethiopian government. It has taken us months to "jump through all of these hoops." Letters were written and rewritten. Appointments were scheduled and rescheduled. I think we went through about 3-4 different background checks. We have been running, running, running to get everything done as soon as we could!
Last Friday, we e-mailed all of our finished documents in to our adoption coordinator. We did not think that she would get to check them over for us until early this week. But she has been just simply amazing! We got an e-mail from her late Sunday night saying that everything looked good for our dossier except for one thing. We would need to go down to the police station for another background check. As soon as that was done and everything was sent in, we would officially be on the waiting list for you!
This afternoon, we called our local police station to see if we could come in for the paperwork. They told us that they would be closing in just 20 minutes--it was the middle of the day on a Monday! Ah, the joys of living in a small town. So, we went to another police station. After a few minutes there, they told us that they wouldn't do the check for us either. I was almost in tears. I woke up this morning so excited that we were going to finally send in our dossier, bringing us one step closer to you. But it was beginning to sound like it wasn't going to happen.
Waiting. Waiting. So much waiting. You know, buddy, I am not a very patient person. But God has been really stretching me in this area. God likes to stretch us, to grow us--so that our character becomes stronger. He wants to grow us to make us more like His Son, Jesus. It's not always easy when God's working on us to change us, but it is always for our best. He is the best Father. He knows what's best for me. And today, it was just a bit more waiting and patience building.
Well, your daddy started calling around to other police stations. They told us that you normally have to wait 2-3 days for the background check and paperwork to go through. But when he explained the situation to the lady on the phone, she told us that she would do the paperwork herself so that we could get the form today! So we headed off to the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department.
When we arrived, the first form she filled out was incorrect--It didn't fit the specifications that our dossier required. Side Note: This has happened to us like 10 times, where we get a document finished only to find out that it is not exactly how they want it. A little bit frustrating. More patience building. So we waited another 30 minutes or so while she reworked the form and for the notary to come back from lunch break to make it all official.
With the papers in hand, we headed to the printing shop. We carefully laid out our official documents in the exact order specified. Then we made 6 copies of our dossier. It came out to one huge stack of papers.
I held on to the papers tightly as we traveled over to the post office. So much work had gone into this process so far...I didn't want anything to stop me from submitting them today, bringing me closer to you!
At the post office, we sealed our dossier in an envelope for shipping. I was so excited--my stomach had that flutter to it--you know, the way you feel right before you're about to ride a roller coaster or fly on a plane. I took one look at your daddy and I burst into tears. I just couldn't believe it! We are getting closer. Our dossier will make it all the way to Ethiopia, where it will tell the Ethiopian government who we are and why we've come. It will represent us. It will explain that we want YOU. Our promises to care for you and to provide for you are spread throughout these documents. Soon, we will see your sweet face and you will be ours'. Off it goes to Ethiopia!
Sending our love to Ethiopia!
Mommy and Daddy
Today was a very, very exciting day! Your daddy and I have been working hard to gather all of our documents to send over to the Ethiopian government. It has taken us months to "jump through all of these hoops." Letters were written and rewritten. Appointments were scheduled and rescheduled. I think we went through about 3-4 different background checks. We have been running, running, running to get everything done as soon as we could!
Last Friday, we e-mailed all of our finished documents in to our adoption coordinator. We did not think that she would get to check them over for us until early this week. But she has been just simply amazing! We got an e-mail from her late Sunday night saying that everything looked good for our dossier except for one thing. We would need to go down to the police station for another background check. As soon as that was done and everything was sent in, we would officially be on the waiting list for you!
This afternoon, we called our local police station to see if we could come in for the paperwork. They told us that they would be closing in just 20 minutes--it was the middle of the day on a Monday! Ah, the joys of living in a small town. So, we went to another police station. After a few minutes there, they told us that they wouldn't do the check for us either. I was almost in tears. I woke up this morning so excited that we were going to finally send in our dossier, bringing us one step closer to you. But it was beginning to sound like it wasn't going to happen.
Waiting. Waiting. So much waiting. You know, buddy, I am not a very patient person. But God has been really stretching me in this area. God likes to stretch us, to grow us--so that our character becomes stronger. He wants to grow us to make us more like His Son, Jesus. It's not always easy when God's working on us to change us, but it is always for our best. He is the best Father. He knows what's best for me. And today, it was just a bit more waiting and patience building.
Well, your daddy started calling around to other police stations. They told us that you normally have to wait 2-3 days for the background check and paperwork to go through. But when he explained the situation to the lady on the phone, she told us that she would do the paperwork herself so that we could get the form today! So we headed off to the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department.
When we arrived, the first form she filled out was incorrect--It didn't fit the specifications that our dossier required. Side Note: This has happened to us like 10 times, where we get a document finished only to find out that it is not exactly how they want it. A little bit frustrating. More patience building. So we waited another 30 minutes or so while she reworked the form and for the notary to come back from lunch break to make it all official.
With the papers in hand, we headed to the printing shop. We carefully laid out our official documents in the exact order specified. Then we made 6 copies of our dossier. It came out to one huge stack of papers.
I held on to the papers tightly as we traveled over to the post office. So much work had gone into this process so far...I didn't want anything to stop me from submitting them today, bringing me closer to you!
At the post office, we sealed our dossier in an envelope for shipping. I was so excited--my stomach had that flutter to it--you know, the way you feel right before you're about to ride a roller coaster or fly on a plane. I took one look at your daddy and I burst into tears. I just couldn't believe it! We are getting closer. Our dossier will make it all the way to Ethiopia, where it will tell the Ethiopian government who we are and why we've come. It will represent us. It will explain that we want YOU. Our promises to care for you and to provide for you are spread throughout these documents. Soon, we will see your sweet face and you will be ours'. Off it goes to Ethiopia!
Sending our love to Ethiopia!
Mommy and Daddy
Sunday, May 5, 2013
$3,000 Matching Grant From Lifesong!!
We've got some very exciting news! As you may know, we have applied to a couple of different grants to try to pay for our adoption costs.
One ministry that was of particular interest to us was Lifesong for Orphans. They are really a larger organization that works to advocate for orphans in a variety of ways. Not only do they offer adoption grants, loans and fundraising options to families; but they also work in countries to develop schools to care for children (orphan or otherwise impoverished). At these schools, they provide for the basic physical necessities of a child (food, clothes, medical, etc.). They also offer a Christian education (taught by Christian teachers) where the Gospel is clearly taught. This ministry is just plain awesome! If you are remotely interested in orphan care/adoption, you should check it out.
Anyways, on to the exciting news! We received word from Lifesong on Friday that they have decided to offer us a $3,000 matching grant! In order to receive this grant, we have to raise another $3,000 of support. So, dollar for dollar (up to $3,000), they will match everything that our friends, family, and others give toward our adoption!
For those of you who have been following our blog, you know that our next financial goal that we're working toward is the $11,000 fee for accepting the referral of a child. Basically, we have to have $11,000 in hand in order to even "say yes" to accept the child that they match to us. Unfortunately, if we do not have the finances ready at that time, we will have to pass on our referral (child matched to us) and wait until our finances are in order. I really am praying that we don't have to be put in that heart-wrenching position. Our dossier should be heading to Ethiopia soon, which means we could be matched with a child at any time. It could take a couple of weeks or it could take up to 6 months for us to receive a referral. There's really no way to tell.
If we are able to raise the matching funds for the grant from Lifesong, that would put us at $6,000 toward our $11,000 goal. Over half way! Dave and I would be incredibly thankful for your prayers and any financial help that you might be willing to give. Literally, every dollar that you give will be doubled. Any gifts, large or small, will bring us one step closer to bringing our boy home.
If you'd like to give toward our matching grant at Lifesong, you can follow the instructions below:
One ministry that was of particular interest to us was Lifesong for Orphans. They are really a larger organization that works to advocate for orphans in a variety of ways. Not only do they offer adoption grants, loans and fundraising options to families; but they also work in countries to develop schools to care for children (orphan or otherwise impoverished). At these schools, they provide for the basic physical necessities of a child (food, clothes, medical, etc.). They also offer a Christian education (taught by Christian teachers) where the Gospel is clearly taught. This ministry is just plain awesome! If you are remotely interested in orphan care/adoption, you should check it out.
Anyways, on to the exciting news! We received word from Lifesong on Friday that they have decided to offer us a $3,000 matching grant! In order to receive this grant, we have to raise another $3,000 of support. So, dollar for dollar (up to $3,000), they will match everything that our friends, family, and others give toward our adoption!
For those of you who have been following our blog, you know that our next financial goal that we're working toward is the $11,000 fee for accepting the referral of a child. Basically, we have to have $11,000 in hand in order to even "say yes" to accept the child that they match to us. Unfortunately, if we do not have the finances ready at that time, we will have to pass on our referral (child matched to us) and wait until our finances are in order. I really am praying that we don't have to be put in that heart-wrenching position. Our dossier should be heading to Ethiopia soon, which means we could be matched with a child at any time. It could take a couple of weeks or it could take up to 6 months for us to receive a referral. There's really no way to tell.
If we are able to raise the matching funds for the grant from Lifesong, that would put us at $6,000 toward our $11,000 goal. Over half way! Dave and I would be incredibly thankful for your prayers and any financial help that you might be willing to give. Literally, every dollar that you give will be doubled. Any gifts, large or small, will bring us one step closer to bringing our boy home.
If you'd like to give toward our matching grant at Lifesong, you can follow the instructions below:
Give by Check
1. Please make checks payable to Lifesong for Orphans.
2. In the memo please note your gift preference with #3677 and Marriott Family. (ie: Preference 1234 Smith)
3. Please mail checks to:
Lifesong for Orphans
PO Box 40
Gridley, IL 61744
*Lifesong has been blessed with a partner that underwrites all US administrative and fund-raising costs (TMG Foundation and other partners). That means 100% of your donation will go directly to the need...helping orphans.
Give Online
2. Select Give to an Adoptive Family
3. Complete online form and fill in Family Account Number (#3677) & Family Name (Marriott Family) Fields
*Please note that PayPal will charge an administrative fee (2.9% + $.30 USD per transaction). Your donation will be decreased by the amount of this fee.
*Individual donations $250 or more and yearly donations totaling $250 or more will receive a tax- deductible receipt. Receipts for donations under $250 will gladly be sent upon request. Lifesong is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Dossier Update
Dossier: (doss-ee-ay) a file containing detailed records on a particular person or subject; this term refers to a set of appropriately authenticated and translated legal documents which are used in international adoption cases to process the adoption of a child in its own country by the adoptive parents, or for the adoptive parents to obtain the legal custody or guardianship of the child in the foreign court, so the child can be brought by the adoptive parents to the United States for adoption; a ridiculously crazy amount of paperwork requiring a million signed and notarized documents pertaining to Dave and Emiley, containing just about everything short of our kidneys (ok, you caught me, the last definition is made-up)
After months and months of paperwork, we have completed our seemingly endless pile of official documents and forms...well, for now at least. :) Each minute of free time in the Marriott family has been consumed with this paper chase. I am not sure we're gonna know what to do with ourselves now. I jest.
Dave and I are giddy with excitement! On Thursday, we printed off the last of our forms that must be included in our dossier. I spent much of the afternoon getting the papers in order, reading and re-reading exactly how each one of them must be signed, dated and notarized before submission. I taped on our pictures to our identification page:
It's surreal. It's just about official. Father, David Marriott. Mother, Emiley Marriott. I like the ring of that! :) I think this is my favorite page that is included in our dossier.
On Friday, we collected our last reference letter for the dossier. We booked it to the bank to get each of the required forms, letters and documents officially notarized. Once each was ready, we scanned them in and e-mailed them to our adoption coordinator from our agency to double check our work.
We're hoping to hear back from her by Monday or Tuesday that everything looks great. Then it's 6 more copies of everything (5 for our agency to use and send to Ethiopia, 1 for our personal records). We'll mail it out to our agency and then it's off to Ethiopia for translation!
This is a very, very, very exciting day in this process!!!!! This is the milestone that we've been working toward since we began. Now we just wait to be matched with our little boy!
After months and months of paperwork, we have completed our seemingly endless pile of official documents and forms...well, for now at least. :) Each minute of free time in the Marriott family has been consumed with this paper chase. I am not sure we're gonna know what to do with ourselves now. I jest.
Dave and I are giddy with excitement! On Thursday, we printed off the last of our forms that must be included in our dossier. I spent much of the afternoon getting the papers in order, reading and re-reading exactly how each one of them must be signed, dated and notarized before submission. I taped on our pictures to our identification page:
It's surreal. It's just about official. Father, David Marriott. Mother, Emiley Marriott. I like the ring of that! :) I think this is my favorite page that is included in our dossier.
On Friday, we collected our last reference letter for the dossier. We booked it to the bank to get each of the required forms, letters and documents officially notarized. Once each was ready, we scanned them in and e-mailed them to our adoption coordinator from our agency to double check our work.
We're hoping to hear back from her by Monday or Tuesday that everything looks great. Then it's 6 more copies of everything (5 for our agency to use and send to Ethiopia, 1 for our personal records). We'll mail it out to our agency and then it's off to Ethiopia for translation!
This is a very, very, very exciting day in this process!!!!! This is the milestone that we've been working toward since we began. Now we just wait to be matched with our little boy!
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