the wait continues

The week has passed without us receiving a call about preliminary approval!  While there were never any guarantees that we would receive prelim. this week, we were hoping, and really, expecting it based on the families' timelines who were ahead of us.

I should look at the bright side of this...like this just gives more time for us to prepare and all that jazz, but I don't want to do all that.  I want to get on a plane and go get our boy!!

Instead, I'll try to wait patiently as we look toward next week and pray for good news to come soon.

(With all the practice we've had, I should be a pro at this "waiting patiently" thing, but I'm not.  I stink at it.)

Thank you for your continued prayers!  They are very much appreciated (and needed ;)!

back to normal (for now)

Just so you know:  a 15 hour plane ride combined with a 15 hour time difference makes for some serious jet lag!  Regardless of jet lag, things around here are back to normal--I'm back at school, and Jeremy went back out on the road this weekend.  We're definitely going about our routine with one ear turned toward the phone though!  Hopefully, this week we'll receive preliminary approval from the judge; once preliminary approval is received, we'll start the countdown toward final approval.  And, we all know what happens once final approval is given....Jeremy and I high-tail it to SK!!!!!!!!!!  (I'm just a little bit excited ;).

Thank you for the all the warm welcomes we received since getting home!

another hurdle cleared

After much worrying and nervous anticipation, we had our court date yesterday.  It was, surprisingly, a completely painless experience.  The judge we had was new at hearing adoption cases, and he seemed to care about the children.  His smile and demeanor put us at ease right away.  We weren't asked any questions that were crazy hard or off the wall, and Jeremy did an AWESOME job of answering them.

The very last question we were asked:  Do you promise to love him forever, no matter what?  Absolutely!

For all the prayers, thank you, thank you, thank you.....to God be the glory; great things He has done!!

together again

I didn't know what to expect going into our second visit with Sam yesterday.  There have been some families who have had great second visits while others have had not so good second visits.  Being the worrier that I am, I was afraid we'd fall into that second group.  Thankfully, though, we had a wonderful visit---full of smiles and laughter!!

His foster mother told us that after the first visit she asked him what he did with his mama and daddy, and he remembered playing with the car and kicking the ball.  During this whole process, I've been praying that God would prepare his heart for what's coming.  And, I do believe that He is.

The next time we see him will be the day we take custody!

May that day come quickly.

soaking up Seoul: Namsangol Hanok Village

This morning we went to a traditional Korean folk village that contained hanoks, which are traditional Korean houses.  It was neat to see how people here lived long ago, and the snow added to the simplistic beauty of our surroundings.  Plus, it was a great way to keep the nerves at bay ahead of our second visit with Sam.

(I suffered an unprovoked snowball attack.)

soaking up Seoul: Korean War Museum

I'm sure we sound like nerds when I say that yesterday we went to a museum, but it was the Korean War museum!  We walked out of there smarter than we were when we walked in and with a deeper appreciation for those who defend freedom all over the world at the risk of their lives.

"Our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met."

soaking up Seoul: Gyeongbokgung Palace

In our effort to see as much of Seoul as possible, we visited the Gyeongbokgung Palace today.  It was built in 1392 and is a definite trip back in time.  When visiting, you can't help but be struck by the beauty of the painting and architecture of the palace.  There are guards stationed outside the palace, and they appear to take their jobs very seriously--standing as still as the stone statues inside the palace.

Jeremy and me outside the palace w/ one of the guards.

our tour guide & our sight-seeing/adopting friends from Tx

the palace guesthouse

one of the king's offices--wonder what these walls would say if they could talk??

the throne

the view from the palace's courtyard

and there you were...

Sam,
Yesterday was a day that your daddy and I will never forget, for it was the day when we met you for the first time.  It took a lot of time and prayers to get to yesterday, but all of it was worth it.  You are such a precious little boy, and we're so thankful that the God who created you saw fit to make you ours!  We loved you when there was just the thought of you, and we'll love you forever!

the day we've been waiting for

After 18 months of waiting, we met our sweet Sam this morning.  To be in the same room as him, to hear his voice, to experience him in person, to see that smile....oh, my what an experience!!!!

Our social worker and his foster mother are both very nice and so helpful.  We could see how they've been working with him to know us.  His foster mother mentioned that she's been showing him pictures of us, and she would refer to us as mama and daddy in Korean.  Sam would point to Jeremy when they said uppa (daddy), but he was a little confused when it came to umma (mama) since he calls his foster mother umma.

We played and played and played some more, especially Jeremy.  Jeremy has a talent for playing with little ones, and it was no different with our little one.  It was a beautiful thing to watch.  He pushed Sam around in the crazy coupe car and helped him up the slide.  Sam was quick to smile and laugh and seemed to have a good time!

My heart is so overwhelmed by it all that there's no way to accurately describe the fun we had playing and interacting with him.  Seeing him for the first time is something that I'll never forget for as long as I live.

The best part of the day was when he gave Jeremy and me good-bye kisses!!!  Melted. My. Heart.

To everyone who has stormed heaven's gates with prayers on our behalf, THANK YOU!!  Those prayers have been unfolding this morning, and it's been amazing to watch.

To the One who has called us and brought us this far, may all glory go to You!!  Thank you for choosing Sam to be our son and for the blessings we're experiencing on this journey!

We're off to explore Seoul with another adoptive family, so I'll post again later.

Blessings to you, friends!!

Greetings from South Korea!!!!

It's nearly 6 am on Jan. 16th here in SK; at home the time is nearly 3 in the afternoon on Jan. 15th.  We made it to SK last night after midnight, local time at home.  It was 3:30 in the afternoon SK time. 

All that time change talk is confusing, so I'll just say, thank the Lord, we made it hear safe and sound!!

In 3 1/2 hours, we meet Sam!!!!!  I could not sleep last night for the very thought of it.  I absolutely CANNOT wait!  It'll be 6:30 pm there at home when we meet him, so if you would, say a prayer for us then.  We pray that the meeting goes well and that we all three hit it off :).  Also, pray that I don't turn into a crying mess and scare him ;).

There's a lot to do before the meeting in terms of getting ready and rounding up other families' care packages, so I'll leave it here for now.  I'll post again later, sometime after the meeting. 


P.S.  I hope you're reading this in English because my blogger account has turned Korean......

from Louisiana to Oklahoma to Tennessee, we have the best.

The past three weeks have been difficult to say the least.  But, the outpouring of support and love from the very best friends in the world made all of it a littler easier to bear.  The prayers and kind words kept us going during those moments when we were so discouraged, so thank you, thank you for all the texts and phone calls!  The chance to escape and eat good food with our favorite parents of twins was a sanity saver.  The love we felt from our two church families was a balm to our aching hearts.  The presence of our dear friends at the visitation blessed our hearts immeasurably.  And, the surprise of seeing some very special friends at the funeral, who traveled all the way from Oklahoma, blew us away.  We're left humbled and amazed by the kindness shown to us.  We love each and every one of you, and must say again that we have the very BEST friends in the world!

"Friends are part of the glue that hold life and faith together." 

the hope we have

His love for his family and others was unmatched.  The way he lived out the truth of God's word is an example to us all and drew others to the Lord.  His heart for serving could be seen in the decades of service to the National Guard and in the quiet simple ways he served his community.  He was an honorable man with the kind of character and integrity that's rarely seen in today's world.  Today, we're grieving the loss of our favorite family member.  We're grieving what was and what will never be again on this earth, but we're not grieving without hope.

"We do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like those who have no hope.  For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him." 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

DP, thank you for loving me as a granddaughter,  for the truth and wisdom you poured into Jeremy and the example you set for him.  Thank you for understanding my heart for adoption and for the love you already had for our sweet Sam.  I'll be looking forward to the day when I can introduce you to him.  Until we see you again...