We are so excited to share that we have finished all of the doctors appointments, fingerprinting, online courses, letter gathering, and paper producing that we needed to accomplish for our home study. Our social worker is finishing up compiling all of the home study, then she will mail it to Immigration. They will look over it and then send us a form to be fingerprinted again. After they review the fingerprints, they will send us an approval that will then be sent to Jamiaca along with all of our paperwork. Then we wait.
I have heard that Jamaica is very slow, but I am praying with all my might that we will be able to pick up our son next summer while I am on vacation so that I will have plenty of time to spend with him once we get home. Neil is hoping he will be home by this Christmas. :)
So, if you want, you can join us in praying that Jamaica will move swiftly on our behalf (I spoke with one family who had to wait 5 years when they were adopting from Jamaica!) or you can pray for our little man who we don't know yet. But who is probably lying in a crib somewhere in Jamaica....please pray that he will be held, fed, cuddled, cared for, tickled, and loved until we can get to him.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Luke 17
In Luke 17 it tells a story of Jesus healing 10 lepers and only one of them comes back to Jesus to fall at his feet and tell him thank you for the miracle that he had performed. When reading that story and witnessing the miracle that Jesus performed in healing my Bretty so completely, it made me want to make sure that we all spend time telling Jesus thank you.
(We found out this week as we read the police report for the first time that the lady who hit Brett did not slam on the brakes until after she hit him. She stated that she saw a shadow, saw something on her hood and then hit the brakes. Reading that was like getting a blow to the stomach, although we are grateful he was healed, it just reinforces how miraculous it is that Brett escaped the whole accident with no residual effects or damages.)
So, we decided to have an impromptu party to all talk about the accident and the miracles that God demonstrated and to all pray together to say "THANK YOU!!"
Then, we got to celebrate by eating pizza and swimming late into the night with all of Brett's friends.
(We found out this week as we read the police report for the first time that the lady who hit Brett did not slam on the brakes until after she hit him. She stated that she saw a shadow, saw something on her hood and then hit the brakes. Reading that was like getting a blow to the stomach, although we are grateful he was healed, it just reinforces how miraculous it is that Brett escaped the whole accident with no residual effects or damages.)
So, we decided to have an impromptu party to all talk about the accident and the miracles that God demonstrated and to all pray together to say "THANK YOU!!"
Then, we got to celebrate by eating pizza and swimming late into the night with all of Brett's friends.
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Taking his first steps....again
Yesterday we visited Brett's orthopaedic surgeon again for his 12 week visit. Brett was originally told that he would be able to walk at his 6 week visit but because the break was a really bad break and the doctor could tell that Brett was a really active boy, he ordered Brett to 6 more weeks of no weight bearing. That was pretty hard for Brett to take, so coming up to his 12 week appointment he was completely preparing himself that he may get 6 more weeks of the wheelchair. I think he was scared to hope because of the letdown he had at his 6 week appointment.
So, when the doctor walked in the room yesterday, the first thing he said was, "Well, get up. Let me see you walk." Brett looked at me and smiled from ear to ear! Then, he stood up and walked to the doctor. The doctor told Brett to take it slow because he had to cut through all of the muscle in his leg to implant the rod, and his leg has not been used in 3 months. He has to wait 6 more weeks before he can run or play any sports, but nothing could hamper my joy when I watched my baby walk out of the hospital all on his own yesterday!! Thank you Jesus!!
So, when the doctor walked in the room yesterday, the first thing he said was, "Well, get up. Let me see you walk." Brett looked at me and smiled from ear to ear! Then, he stood up and walked to the doctor. The doctor told Brett to take it slow because he had to cut through all of the muscle in his leg to implant the rod, and his leg has not been used in 3 months. He has to wait 6 more weeks before he can run or play any sports, but nothing could hamper my joy when I watched my baby walk out of the hospital all on his own yesterday!! Thank you Jesus!!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Grateful Beyond Words
As we continue to process and Brett continues to heal, I am continually in awe and often emotional. This last Sunday was Mother's Day and a communion day at church. As I sat there remembering the sacrifice that God made on behalf of us I was a bit overtaken. You see, God sent his only son, Jesus, to bear the weight of my sin, a sinner not worthy of this act. All because of his love for me. I am so undeserving. And yet as I was pondering this, I was able to relate a little more closely to what it must be like to lose His son, as we have had to face how closely that came to being our reality. It just humbles me and makes me so grateful that God loved us so much that he willingly endured the heartache to be able to give us all a way to spend eternity with Him. Grateful beyond words.
And even more grateful that God continues to amaze us with his power and his mercy. On Monday, at our appointment with the neurosurgeon, all that she said was, "I'm amazed." She asked is he back at school. Yes. Is he having any trouble? No. He can do everything that he did before the accident? Yes. How about his personality? Normal.
So then I asked her, "Why are you amazed?" You see the entire time we were in the ICU, it was this doctor that always remained optimistic and always told me that she wasn't worried. So I couldn't understand why she was amazed. Then she told me, "Your skull is a very, very thick bone. For him to fracture that part of his skull would require a very severe blow. I am just surprised that he is already to this point after only 6 weeks."
Well, I am not surprised. You see, I serve an amazing God and I know the power of prayer! My God can do anything. And once again, although I feel I am totally undeserving of his love and his blessing, I am still grateful beyond words.
And even more grateful that God continues to amaze us with his power and his mercy. On Monday, at our appointment with the neurosurgeon, all that she said was, "I'm amazed." She asked is he back at school. Yes. Is he having any trouble? No. He can do everything that he did before the accident? Yes. How about his personality? Normal.
So then I asked her, "Why are you amazed?" You see the entire time we were in the ICU, it was this doctor that always remained optimistic and always told me that she wasn't worried. So I couldn't understand why she was amazed. Then she told me, "Your skull is a very, very thick bone. For him to fracture that part of his skull would require a very severe blow. I am just surprised that he is already to this point after only 6 weeks."
Well, I am not surprised. You see, I serve an amazing God and I know the power of prayer! My God can do anything. And once again, although I feel I am totally undeserving of his love and his blessing, I am still grateful beyond words.
A picture of his skull fracture.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
The Peace which Transcends Understanding
Screech! Thud! Hysterical shrieks....
Although my back was turned to the horror, instantly I knew what had happened even without my eyes seeing. My heart sank as I dropped the phone I was holding, turned and ran to witness my worst nightmare.
My baby. Lying face down on the asphalt, unresponsive, not moving, blood spilling from his nose and mouth. Shoes thrown off. Contorted body.
Panic, confusion. Call 911. Call daddy. Pray, God, please! Brett you will be okay.
In the midst of the first moments of the accident, I was panicked, even hysterical. My mind was not working right and I did not know what to do. But God did, and He provided. Almost instantly help arrived and as it did, so did my peace....a peace that transcends all understanding. For some reason, as bad as that accident was, I was never worried for his life. Even driving away in the ambulance, as Brett was still out cold, deep down I had peace that he would be okay. Some will say it is denial, but over the next two weeks, in the moments when I needed God the most, He showed up.
One in particular I will never forget. The mornings in ICU when Brett was sleeping were the hardest for me. I always thought that after a full nights rest that he would wake in the morning. On the 4th morning without waking, I began to feel very weary. I just wanted to see my baby's eyes and have him stay awake and alert. At that moment, no one could console me. No one could help me. No one had any words that could help my heart, except God. And of course, in that moment a chorus from a song popped into my head. Not a song on my ipod or a song played regularly at church or on the radio. It is just a song that I have sang in church a handful of times, but the melody and the words came into my head at that moment with perfect clarity:
Though I walk through valleys low
I'll fear no evil
By the waters still my soul
My heart will trust in you!
I asked my sister to figure out the artist and download that song for me and I went into the parent's shower room in the ICU unit and cried it out to the Lord. It was exactly what I needed!! It was God telling me not to fear, that He was still in control and just to trust in Him. It instantly gave me the strength and the peace that I needed to continue on. Peace that transends understanding.
I am working on memorizing more scripture this year, and is it any coincidence that my 2 verses for March were the following:
Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
John 16:33 I have told you these things so that in me you may have PEACE. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
Gives me chills now reading these....God knew what was on my horizon and he wanted to make sure that I had these verses fresh in my head. Many times over the past weeks, these verses have randomly popped into my head- just the Holy Spirit's way of reminding me that He is strengthening me, holding me up and giving me peace!
Which leads me to want to share with everyone that to call yourself a Christian or to "believe" in Jesus is not enough. Sure, it is probably enough for your salvation, but God offers an abundant life here on Earth. The key to that abundance (like the abundant peace that I experienced in the midst of tragedy) is to walk daily with him, read the Bible, and fellowship with other believers. The closer we are to Jesus, the more able he is to help us when we need to be carried.
Turn to Him.
Fix your eyes on His face.
Trust Him.
He will carry you.
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