On Hold.

You know when you are on the phone and the person/company on the other end puts you on hold.  You can't really do anything else.  You just have to wait.  Sure you can piddle around, watch TV, whatever, but you can't really do anything very well.  So you wait and listen for the other person to come back on.  Well, that is kind of the way I feel about our life right now.  We are just on hold, tied to the metaphorical phone, waiting to hear something on the other end.  We are piddling around with the everyday things but can't seem to get much accomplished because we are on hold.

Our house is on hold.  It has been on the market since April because we need more room for Jimmy.  It has shown only a handful of times.  So, until we get a bigger house we cannot set up Jimmy's room or even show him where he will live when he comes home. 

Our finances are on hold.  We have been working the Dave Ramsey plan trying to get out of debt, save money, etc.  We have done really well, but again because we are on hold, we feel unsure of how much money we have/can use for different things because of the many adoption costs that pop up. 

Even little things like family pictures are on hold.  A picture of our family is not complete without Jimmy in it.  So, again we wait and hold off.

In my head, I know that God's timing is perfect and He has it all under control.  My human heart feels so heavy and frozen in time.  I am so ready for the waiting to be over.  I am ready for Jimmy to be here, to have him with us, to continue our lives together.  I am ready for all the paperwork and bureaucratic nonsense to be over. 

Please pray that I will find the peace we all need to endure this waiting.  Please pray for us to gather the funds we need for the adoption expenses.  Please pray for Jimmy to come home!

Looking back

When I think about the past year, I can think of times where I thought my heart would burst from the pain of  disappointment, aggravation, and uncertainty.  However looking back, I can see how God was molding my heart.  He wasn't gentling pricking my heart; He was forcefully molding it into what He wants it to be.  And that is painful.  One year ago, we listened to God's calling and made our first trip to Haiti.  It has been a year full of highs and lows.  With every tug and pull on my heart God has stretched me to love more, pulled me closer to Him, and pushed me out of my comfort zone. 

“But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand.” (Isaiah 64:8)

I booked my flight for a trip to Port au Prince in December.  It will be myself and my friend, Cindy, going.  She and her husband are adopting too.  We will be filing our I-600 then flying up to Cap Haitien to spend time with Jimmy and Richard as well as work at CHCH and Tabitha's orphanage nearby.

Please pray for our travels, our dossier in IBESR, and our fundraising.  The December trip will cost approximately $2000.  Please consider buying a puzzle quilt piece, a tee shirt at www.WildOliveTees.com (remember to put in our coupon code SCHLUP0910), or order a delicious pie ($15 each.)  Every dollar counts.  Thank you for your support.

Updates and Progress

First I wanted to update you all on our fundraisers.  To date, we have sold 60 of the 108 quilt blocks.  Amazing!  We are so overwhelmed and blessed by your support.  You still have 48 more opportunities to buy a block and get into the drawing.  You are also still able to purchase tee shirts from Wild Olive Tees.  We get a big portion of the profits from these tee shirts.  They are super cute and would be a great gift for someone else or just an addition to your wardrobe.  Go to www.WildOliveTees.com or click on their button at the left side of this page, go to the fundraiser section, make your selections, then put our code SCHLUP0910 in the coupon code.  You must put in the code for us to get credit for your purchase.  If you feel led, please consider one of these opportunities to change our family tree.

Second, I need to update you on the adoption process.  Although we are still playing the waiting game, we are able to complete another step soon.  Some time at the beginning of the December, Rob or I will be heading to Port au Prince to file our I-600.  Once this is completed, the American side of the adoption will be complete.  Unfortunately, we must continue to wait on the Haitian side; but any progress is progress and another step to check off our list.

Please continue to pray for the waiting to be as minimal as possible.  Also please pray for Jimmy.  He needs your prayers of patience, strength, and peace.  Thank you!

Jimmy at the Citadel.

We are back.

We got back from Haiti 5 days ago, and I would go back today if I could.  It was an amazing trip.  Not only were we able to see Jimmy, but we also were able to serve about 1000 people alongside the Haiti Medical Mission Team.  Neither of us are "medical" people so we serve as assistants and pharmacy techs.  Jimmy does some translating so we all get to work together. 
We were there from Friday morning until Wednesday morning.  We were able to make more connections with Jimmy and explain the lengthy adoption process more so he can understand why we have to wait.  He is very anxious to come home.  Leaving was so bittersweet, we were anxious to get back to Rylan and Kyndal; but our hearts were breaking to leave him again.   There were so many, many tears.  I cannot even begin to explain how it feels to leave him so broken and sad.  It goes against every maternal cell in my body.  Please pray for him as he endures the waiting. 
Here are a few pictures from our trip.  You will see Rob's mom, Kathie, in some of them.  It was very special for Jimmy to meet his Nana.

The morning we left.

At Tabitha's orphanage.  It is an orphanage down the road from CHCH, where Jimmy lives.  He is helping Sherry talk with the kids (patients) there.

Helping Nana.

That is Jimmy in the corner.  We were at the widows' home.

Jimmy and Alex hanging out waiting to help.  Alex goes to school with Jimmy and lives by the preaching school where we stay.

This is our ride while we are in Haiti.  Jimmy likes sitting up front.  He rarely gets to sit up there; so, he took advantage of the opportunity.

This is our "pharmacy" at the clinic we did at Blue Hill.  We saw around 300 this day. 

Rob's mom, Kathie, is in the blue. 

Jimmy was sitting by the provider to translate.

At the end of our busy day at the clinic, we were lucky to go to a nice restaurant at a hotel.  Restaurants like this are not on every corner.  It was a treat.

This was taken by the pool.

My handsome boy.

Before church.

At the clinic after church for the people in the feeding program.

Back at the preaching school, Jimmy was showing Nana how to play soccer barefooted.  She was not a fan and prefers shoes.

On Monday, we headed out to a remote clinic.  About an hour into our drive, we got a flat.  We had to wait about an hour and a half then we were on our way again.

We drove about two more hours then we had hike to the the top of the mountain to reach the church there.  It took over an hour and was quite strenuous.  It is really almost unbelievable that many hike that mountain to go to church.

At the church, we served as many as possible before we had to head back down.

Rob and Jimmy (next to Rob) helped April.

On Tuesday, we hiked up to the Citadel.  It is a fortress built on the highest point in Haiti.  If you ever have the opportunity you should go.  It was absolutely amazing.  It was so worth the exhausting hike up there.  Jimmy was of course one of the first to the top.  He greeted Rob and I as we reached the rest of the group.  He said, "Nice walk?"  Silly boy, he made both hikes in flip flops.



I didn't get anymore pictures after the Citadel.  Jimmy began to get sad this evening and didn't stop crying.  All our efforts went to comforting him.