No roaring...yet!

I promise Candra is here - really! 

These are almost the only times in our marriage where I am the first one awake every morning (besides family vacation & when the 2 of us get away each year & when our 3 biological children were born). She has always been the morning person!

It's not nervousness that gets me up - I feel more like a caged lion that wants to play. Even somehow while I sleep. As Candra has slept this morning I have made too many laps of our room & living space. Court can't happen soon enough. TOMORROW can't happen soon enough when we can see the boys again & actually get to talk with them & hear their voices. In this way there are some parallels to expanding a family thru birth: as soon as the child is born you want to hold them & stare at them & observe everything they do & hear them make sounds & cuddle them some more & show them off. The challenge in our situation is that we will only get that time for an hour or 2 a day with 40-50 others vying for our attention - and it's only for 6 more days until we have to leave. I'm not upset - this is the way it has to be for now. But it makes me aggressively excited for the time I do have.

And she's still sleeping..... Time to go bug her!

R

We met them!!!!

Our new sons are awesome!!!  We spent over 2 hours there this afternoon!

We pulled thru the gates and as soon as we got out of the van, there were 2 boys instantly standing by the van.  One of them was our oldest - and his eyes were alive & sparkling and he was smiling ear to ear.  I'm guessing he knew why we were there.  I smiled and nodded - then greeted him in Amharic.  The social worker was very clear with us that we couldn't single out the boys from the group at all but had to include everyone, so we moved on to a play room.  On they way there our middle son popped up out of nowhere - looking mysterious with a quizzical expression.  Later our youngest appeared, but wouldn't look at us or say a word to anyone - he was INCREDIBLY shy.

The workers gathered all of the older boys (our 3 were the younger ones) and they each went thru introducing themselves in English and telling us what grade they are in.  Then they sang us a song in English - 'Our God is so great'.  Then things got a little awkward.  Everyone was just there sitting & staring at each other.  So I asked them to teach me some words in Amharic - they laughed at my stumbling around words.  I asked how to say 'football (soccer)' and our older 2 boys eyes shot up at me.  The minute I said the amharic word & pointed to the door, the room instantly emptied!

I'm pretty sure Candra impressed the boys very quickly - she was playing alongside of all of us constantly (mostly boys).  She was also able to draw our youngest out fairly quickly and soon found out how much he likes goofing around.  I played pass with our middle son here & he is quite a character with his facial expressions and fun.  I played a lot of soccer with the oldest & his friends - he looks to have a couple really close friends.  The oldest seemed to understand the drill of first time visit better than we did.  He would hang out for a bit, play with his friends while we played with other kids, and then subtly keep moving closer & closer to play with us again.  By the end Candra & I had broken into a sweat and the staff had gotten us some water.  Apparently they asked Candra regularly if she was tired from playing with the kids….

The day at the orphanage ended with the boys showing us where they sleep (7-8 bunks) - they were pretty proud to show us.  I got to pat their shoulders, smile & nod as they were showing us around.  Then we went to the youngest’s room which he shares with 7-8 other boys.  He was nowhere to be found, but as we came out he came running up, so we asked him to show us his bed (again, he was very proud).  Then with actions I teased him about going to bed now - he looked to the orphanage director & back at me - I smiled & shook my head and made some sounds to show I was being silly and he broke into a wide grin and shook his head.

The boys disappeared to eat, but we asked if we could go find them to say goodbye - them & no one else.  And the social worker said yes.  So we found them, shook their hands & said goodbye in Amharic.  The oldest was back to beaming with his understanding smile, the middle one made a goofy face that we had made at each other earlier while playing, and the youngest jumped up to shake my hand (no more shy)!

There's a lot more I could post, but the bottom line was that it was an awesome first meeting & so amazing that we met them!!!  Can't wait to see them on Wednesday - and only focus on them & be able to offer a hug or hold a hand or pick them up or speak more direct words to them!

We leave for court at 1:30pm tomorrow (Tuesday).  Our court appt is at 2pm (5am your time).

We’ll post pictures after Wednesday's visit when we are finally allowed to take pictures with them.  That’s the day where we'll also show the boys pictures of their new brothers & sisters and some video of them too!

One of the smaller joys I’ve had since getting back from the orphanage is regularly scaring Candra to keep her awake - you can pray for patience for her!  I had the jump of adjusting to different time zones a week ago, and she’s trying to do her best after a 3:30am arrival & us not getting settled until 4:30, only to be kept awake by the call for morning prayers....
Riley

Soon...

We are somewhere between London and Egypt, soon to land in Cairo.  it is getting closer to the moment we have been waiting for for 2.5 years...the moment we meet our next children...The last 3 months since we received our referral have been full of planning, praying, preparing and waiting in expectation. Now that the moment is almost hear...I have a million emotions running through me. What tops the list is excitement and  nervousness. When we met our first three children, they were seconds old...ready for a world that was waiting for them. When we flew across the world to welcome our fourth son into the world, he was 9 months old, having been loved immensely by those who care for him for that time...he was just little, not yet speaking or walking. This time...meeting our fifth, sixth and seventh child...they have lived 9,6 and 5 years. They have many memories and have  also known and experienced tough things that I may not know in my lifetime.  And when we meet them for the first time, that memory will be etched  in all of our minds forever. It is an honor to become parents to these boys, and whatever emotions I have at the moment, they are OK because I know without a doubt that we have been called to this...

To our sweet, sweet boys- we thank God for you. He has placed you on this earth for His purpose and we are so privileged to be a part of that. Although we have not met you yet, our hearts are full. We pray for you and for the changes that will inevitably come. We pray that you hearts will be calm, that you would know peace and joy and know without a doubt that God has gone before you to prepare His way for you. We understand the  change that is about to happen and know that we are here for you. No matter how nervous I am to meet you (and I am! Just a little:) I know you must be more.  You have 2 sisters and 2 brothers at home who are so excited to know you, love you and play with you. And we, as your parents aren't going anywhere - we love you and  are now family (and soon it will be official!)  So in 24 hours we will see you in person for the very first time and I want you to know that even before the moment we first saw you we loved you beyond measure. 

love, 

Mom and Dad

Blessings,

Candra

Halfway there!!

I made it to London very smoothly and now we have a 24 hour layover before we head to Ethiopia!! I am a little anxious as we go through Cairo, but have to trust that everything will be OK. Tonight, I made tea- cause you have to when you are in England! And am trying to stay up a few more hours to get my body on track for the time change...

It is less than 72 hours until we see our sons...until we are WITH them and begin to get to KNOW them!!!!! It is a feeling I cannot describe...but is it a feeling of great humility, blessedness, provision and thankfulness. We as a family are honoured that we get to be a part of these boys lives. That they get to be part of our family...forever!!! I think I am feeling a great responsibility, mixed with a healthy dose of uncertainty as this becomes a reality. But I am SO excited to begin the adventure...I guess that is part of the adventure...figuring it out as you go. When we first church planted, Riley often compared it to bush whacking . Knowing what is 2-3 steps ahead is all you need some days- not the whole picture! And this keeps us from trying to do it on our own. God has guided our steps through this adoption, he has led many of you to pray and  He has given us now seven of His precious children to love, cherish and hold for the time we have here....

God sets the lonely in families (psalm 68:6)...

...at the airport, ready to go:)

Blessings,

Candra

Beginning with prayer...

I am sitting at the airport waiting to begin the first part of my travels . And although I am more than ready to meet our children, it is so hard to be away from my children here at home. And think because I am travelling alone for the first part of the trip, it always feels different too. So to begin my posts as we start this - what is going to to be an epic and life altering journey - I would like to ask for you prayers...I have a few of them and if you are a praying person, if you would let me know which request you are praying for, I would love to have each and everyone covered specifically for the time we are away. So here they are...

1. For protection and general health for Riley & I as we travel and for our kids at home. There are plenty of new bugs in Ethiopia and I would rather not have to use all of the medicines I brought!

2. For my oldest son- many of you know he has diabetes and he has had an insulin pump for the last 3 months. This is the first time his grandma and grandpa have taken care of him while he is on the pump. Pray for my son- that this blood sugar numbers would be stable...they have been on the high end today already...of course it has to start this way:(Pray for my parents as they help him manage it. And pray for me, his momma....this is a hard one for me. He is a superstar though and does so much for himself!!!

3. For my kiddos at home...they are amazing and are so excited to meet their new brothers!! But they miss us all being together. Pray for peace and joy for each of them and that they would make some incredible memories in the days coming up. Riley emailed them this morning with this...

I hope you have been having a good week with mom! I know that today will probably be a tough day for each of you & mom, so take a deep breath, remember that you love each other, and bless each other to be & do what God wants of us over the next couple weeks. God does this - gathers us together and then spreads us out a bit, but always brings us back together. That's the way He wants us & His church to be. So I know its tough, but you are also showing a big part of God's heart. And when He brings us back together, its family vacation time!- love, daddy

Amen. And I pray that they would know even more, the love of God during this time we are away!

4. Pray for our 3 beautiful boys we are privileged to soon call our sons...They have had many experiences and memories in their beautiful African country. And this, although it may be exciting, will not be an easy time for them. They, in a few short months, will be leaving their friends, people who speak their language fluently, their country. I can't imagine....we have been praying that God would be preparing their hearts for one of the biggest changes of their lives. The He would make Himself known even more to them in the days to come. And that they would be receptive to us and that there would be a very special connection in the next few days.

5. Pray for Riley and I. We have had a very hectic July with some incredible things. RUN143 was amazing and God blessed it extravagantly...Riley was able to still do some of His trip which He has been enjoying immensely..We have had my parents down to begin renos ( which now have to hurry up after we get home!!) . And I have been working a few more days than usual to put more money away:) But in the midst of that, we have not had a lot of time together. Thank goodness for cell phones, email, FaceTime and Skype... Pray that amidst this journey and lovely craziness, that God would continue to strengthen our marriage and love for each other and His people. I think...just a hunch...we are stepping into and will get to see something much bigger than just our adoption journey. Although this is pretty big:)

This is getting really long...my apologies:) But one more thing...I am so thankful for the opportunity to know many of you as friends!! We are beyond amazed at the community we have been given through our family, friends, church, new and old adoption community, and work. God is at work and we are blessed to be a part of it...

Thanks for praying. We have seen God answer prayer and it has blown our mind...so thanks.

Love and blessings, Candra

Running a possibly unreasonable amount of kilometres.....

I am running 50km as part of RUN 143 ( www.run143. com) - tomorrow, July 12. Or I should say, I am going to ATTEMPT to run 50 km tomorrow....
I haven't trained, I wasn't thinking about it til today and I almost didn't bring my running stuff- but I did. And now I know why.

I am running tomorrow because we have few runners this year and injuries are rearing their heads....Pray for my sister whose hip decided to give her trouble today...I sent her home with stretches:) One of our friends could potentially be out on the highway by herself and she needs company.

I am running tomorrow because- why not?! I am certainly not going to injure myself intentionally but I believe 100 percent in what we are doing!! There are VERY few organizations on Canada to provide financial support for families who are adopting. And we are privileged to be able to. I also have so much gratitude for those people who respond to the call for caring for the vulnerable, - those who love the little ones who have, for some reason or another, been separated from their first families. I am running for the baby homes we are supporting.

And I am running because I am a mom. When you have children, either by birth or through adoption ( I have both:)) there are times when you are unable to ease their burdens by yourself, unable to make all things right in their world and unable to be there when they need you. I recognize that all of my children are God's And HE is the one who can do all things. When your children are halfway across the world waiting, there are many things I can't do but I can run. I can share the story of the family we are running for as I run. I can share my personal story of why I run to promote adoption and orphan care and the beautiful importance of setting the lonely in families.

So, wish me luck! It is crazy....AND I need your help. This a total last minute decisions and I would love to have your support...
1. Pray for me AND my daughter who is going to join me for a lag (8km)
2. Head on over to www.run143.com and donate. Honestly, every dollar is a generous gift!!!
3. For each of you who have welcomed a child or are preparing to welcome a child into your home, give thanks to God!!! Families are awesome....

See you on the road tomorrow,
Candra

Ps. in 2 weeks, we have a friend who is running ( and has been training!!) an ultra marathon to bless our family as we bring home our three boys!!! so stay tuned and I will share more after this event about 3for3. God is at work.....

Thankful

We are thrilled to receiving this amazing gift to allocate towards our adoption...God has shown us His provision every step of the way in our adoption of three children- and this is another glimpse of that! It was a lot of paperwork but worth every minute of the time spent. Thank you to Spirit of Adoption Alberta- a division of ABBA Canada for your ministry and the work you do on behalf of adoptive families...

ABBA Canada - Candra & Riley - $3,500 Grant Recipients

Blessings,
Candra