10.7.06
Pray for My Blogging Skills
Pictures are coming as soon as I learn more. Does not sound very reassuring does it??
3.7.06
A Miracle in our Midst
Wow, after years of believing God for our third child, we have a seventeen-month-old boy sleeping in our pack-and-play! How did this miracle happen? Adopting a Thai child is an unbelievable experience and many times during our recent trip I had this big "aaha" that we were living our own adventure/reality TV show. We caught a flight on Nok Air (Thailand's Southwest Airlines) on Sunday evening , June 25th, and headed to a small city in southern Thailand known as Nakorn Si Thammarat. From our hotel we could almost reach out and touch Thailand's highest southern peak, constantly covered with clouds. Needless to say, it was beautiful and somewhat surreal to meet Samuel Jakarin "Jak" for the first time.
After arriving late Sunday night, we woke up and had a 5 minute shuttle ride to Baan (house of) Si Thammarat Boys' Home where our son was waiting to meet us. That morning Kate's first groggy words upon exiting sleep mode where, "I get to be a big sister today" and Ben's were, "We get to see Little Jak today." We were all feeling the joy of greeting this day for which we had prayerfully anticipated for months.
We walked into the boys' home and following some kind greetings from the staff we were led to the building where Jak spent the past year. We turned the corner of the entrance, and he was standing there next to the kind lady who bathed him three times a day, fed him, slept in the same room as him, and diligently cared for him and five other toddlers. He was dressed and walking around so confidently. Could that be our son? Immediately everything any one of us had expected was thrown out and the reality of "Little Jak" was there before us. There was a group adrenaline rush and a spiritual intensity that is difficult to describe. All I know is that each one of us wanted to grab him and hug him and throw him up in the air while shouting, "hallelujah!" Of course he was the only one that really was not completely aware of what was taking place. Promptly, we got our wits about us and started the introductions. Julie stared and held his hand, I took pictures, Kate smiled at him and made fun faces, I took more pictures, and Ben watched and processed all that was happening. Immediately Julie started using every Thai word she has to find out as much from the caretaker about our new son. Kate steps up the funny faces and takes every chance possible to try to pick the little guy up (I am not sure Little Jak was informed that a big sister of Kate's joyful demeanor was in his future). Ben sits down and reads his book (this is his best way to deal with maxed out emotions. . . he had already broke down in tears when he realized that all the other kids with little Jak did not have a mother or father to look after them).
We spent the next hour playing with Little Jak and finding out everything about his life up to June 25th. They kindly fed us lunch and then told us that the head of the boy's home would be back tomorrow, so we should go back to the hotel and pick him up the next day. This ended up being a bump in the road (these bumps are not uncommon to our adventures in Thailand), but after reflection this was a good thing. The transition, for all of us, seemed to be made easier by getting to know him the first day and then taking him with us the next day. We went back to the hotel and everyone rested from all the excitement.
The next day, I noted some hesitation by the lady who was the head of the orphanage. This was concerning and we prayed. Later we realized that she was trying to figure out how to tell us that Jak had spent some time in the hospital during his first 6 months. She did not seem to know that the government agency had made us aware of these problems during his infancy. All of this to say, it really was clear to us that the people at the boys' home were concerned about Little Jak and about us. We feel like God used these people to care for our son in his first year. For these kind people and for their love for Jak, we are thankful to God. One lady who had cared for him while he was in the hospital was sure to stop by and say her goodbye to him as she had become especially close to him when he was an infant. Baan Nakorn Si Thammarat was good to Jak. God has been merciful to Jak and to us.
When we got in the hotel, Ben expressed everyone's feeling best by crying and was quickly joined by tears from everyone. When we asked him why he was crying he responded, "I am just so happy we have little Jak." Little Jak on the other hand was a bit distressed by his new surroundings. We won him over with a plate of rice and a bottle of milk. Food is most definitely an international language. And thus the bonding began. . .
We came home Wednesday June 28th, and I think it is safe to say that the transition has gone very well. He pretty much sleeps through the night (he has replaced Kate as our early riser), and he seems happy with our company for the most part. He is a bit hesitant in certain situations, but laughs and a sweet smile are frequent. So we are back in the throes of raising a toddler-- Praise God! He understands Thai as a 17 month old should, is full of energy and is entertaining us all with his attempts to speak and his playful personality. And Jak is particularly fond of his mother, thank you Lord!
Thanks to everyone who prayed. We know that we are living out a miracle everyday as we watch him express himself and as we function as a family of five. Please pray for us as the adoption is finalized over the next year. We have begun the six month process of oversight from the Thai Adoption Center including meetings with our social worker. Once the process is finalized in Thailand we go through the process of finalizing the adoption in the USA. Thanks for celebrating with us! Please pray that God blesses this process.
"Sing to God, sing praise to His name, extol Him who rides on the clouds-- His name is the Lord-- and rejoice before Him. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows is God in His holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families. . ." Psalm 68:4-6
After arriving late Sunday night, we woke up and had a 5 minute shuttle ride to Baan (house of) Si Thammarat Boys' Home where our son was waiting to meet us. That morning Kate's first groggy words upon exiting sleep mode where, "I get to be a big sister today" and Ben's were, "We get to see Little Jak today." We were all feeling the joy of greeting this day for which we had prayerfully anticipated for months.
We walked into the boys' home and following some kind greetings from the staff we were led to the building where Jak spent the past year. We turned the corner of the entrance, and he was standing there next to the kind lady who bathed him three times a day, fed him, slept in the same room as him, and diligently cared for him and five other toddlers. He was dressed and walking around so confidently. Could that be our son? Immediately everything any one of us had expected was thrown out and the reality of "Little Jak" was there before us. There was a group adrenaline rush and a spiritual intensity that is difficult to describe. All I know is that each one of us wanted to grab him and hug him and throw him up in the air while shouting, "hallelujah!" Of course he was the only one that really was not completely aware of what was taking place. Promptly, we got our wits about us and started the introductions. Julie stared and held his hand, I took pictures, Kate smiled at him and made fun faces, I took more pictures, and Ben watched and processed all that was happening. Immediately Julie started using every Thai word she has to find out as much from the caretaker about our new son. Kate steps up the funny faces and takes every chance possible to try to pick the little guy up (I am not sure Little Jak was informed that a big sister of Kate's joyful demeanor was in his future). Ben sits down and reads his book (this is his best way to deal with maxed out emotions. . . he had already broke down in tears when he realized that all the other kids with little Jak did not have a mother or father to look after them).
We spent the next hour playing with Little Jak and finding out everything about his life up to June 25th. They kindly fed us lunch and then told us that the head of the boy's home would be back tomorrow, so we should go back to the hotel and pick him up the next day. This ended up being a bump in the road (these bumps are not uncommon to our adventures in Thailand), but after reflection this was a good thing. The transition, for all of us, seemed to be made easier by getting to know him the first day and then taking him with us the next day. We went back to the hotel and everyone rested from all the excitement.
The next day, I noted some hesitation by the lady who was the head of the orphanage. This was concerning and we prayed. Later we realized that she was trying to figure out how to tell us that Jak had spent some time in the hospital during his first 6 months. She did not seem to know that the government agency had made us aware of these problems during his infancy. All of this to say, it really was clear to us that the people at the boys' home were concerned about Little Jak and about us. We feel like God used these people to care for our son in his first year. For these kind people and for their love for Jak, we are thankful to God. One lady who had cared for him while he was in the hospital was sure to stop by and say her goodbye to him as she had become especially close to him when he was an infant. Baan Nakorn Si Thammarat was good to Jak. God has been merciful to Jak and to us.
When we got in the hotel, Ben expressed everyone's feeling best by crying and was quickly joined by tears from everyone. When we asked him why he was crying he responded, "I am just so happy we have little Jak." Little Jak on the other hand was a bit distressed by his new surroundings. We won him over with a plate of rice and a bottle of milk. Food is most definitely an international language. And thus the bonding began. . .
We came home Wednesday June 28th, and I think it is safe to say that the transition has gone very well. He pretty much sleeps through the night (he has replaced Kate as our early riser), and he seems happy with our company for the most part. He is a bit hesitant in certain situations, but laughs and a sweet smile are frequent. So we are back in the throes of raising a toddler-- Praise God! He understands Thai as a 17 month old should, is full of energy and is entertaining us all with his attempts to speak and his playful personality. And Jak is particularly fond of his mother, thank you Lord!
Thanks to everyone who prayed. We know that we are living out a miracle everyday as we watch him express himself and as we function as a family of five. Please pray for us as the adoption is finalized over the next year. We have begun the six month process of oversight from the Thai Adoption Center including meetings with our social worker. Once the process is finalized in Thailand we go through the process of finalizing the adoption in the USA. Thanks for celebrating with us! Please pray that God blesses this process.
"Sing to God, sing praise to His name, extol Him who rides on the clouds-- His name is the Lord-- and rejoice before Him. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows is God in His holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families. . ." Psalm 68:4-6
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