Storms

This week our area suffered the effects of Hurricane Sandy.  At our home, we experienced about 4+ inches of rain and some strong winds...and 2 days without school!  Except for a tree that fell on my garden fence and raised beds, we suffered no damage. 

New Jersey and New York suffered the greatest damage.  While watching a TV program about Hurricane Sandy, there were several interviews with families that refused to leave their homes despite the impending hurricane.  As I watched these people explain why they were not leaving, I was disgusted by their behavior.  I mean seriously...LEAVE! THERE IS A HURRICANE COMING!!  Why would you stay in your house, no matter how comfortable, when a huge storm is going to hit your house?  After the storm, everyone of those families said if put in the situation again, they would leave. 

Later, as I was thinking this over, God pressed this upon my heart.  How many times do I stay in my "comfortable place" even when I see an inevitable storm brewing?  How often do I refuse to leave my comforts and go to safety with my Lord?  The answer...far too often.  Unfortunately, I love my "comforts".  Too often, I am willing to withstand a storm (or some sin) in order to remain where I am comfortable.  How different my life would be if I would learn to cling to God instead of my comfortable life?  How different would my life be if I would leave the material things and go to a higher safer place?  I really don't want to look back after the "this storm called life" and say I wish I had left my comforts, my material things...

Our First Kiss

Remember what it was like to wait for your "love" to kiss you for the first time.  Well, for 7 weeks, I have been waiting for my first kiss from Malachi.  (Isaac is full of kisses and you need to be careful because his kisses often involve teeth :)  About 2 weeks ago, I started to get impatient and so I began to "teach" Malachi to kiss.  I would take his face in my hands, say kiss, and then kiss him.  Still, I waited.  I begin to worry...does he have attachment issues, does he not know how to show affection and love, does he just not love me??? 

Yesterday, I was in a meeting, Malachi crawled onto my lap, opened his mouth, and leaned in and kissed me.  My eyes filled with tears (I am sure the lady I was meeting with thought I was nuts)!  Finally, he kissed me!  It was a big step for us!

21 Days Makes a Habit, Right?

Well, today, we have been home from the DR Congo for 3 weeks....21 days. I have heard it said "It takes 21 days to form a habit".   I wonder if our family is a habit yet?  To me, it still seems new...there are still some quirks that need worked out.  Mostly, I wonder if it is habit for Malachi and Isaac?  Do they know that each morning I will be there to get them out of their cribs?  Do they count on Brian or I tucking them into bed each night?  Do they feel safe and secure in our home...in our arms. 

I do have to admit, I have been amazed and in awe of how seamlessly the transition has gone this far.  I know all the credit goes to God for smoothing the way.   Due to the fact that everything was going well, we even ventured out with the little boys this weekend.  We took them to Noah's football game and church.  I was overwhelmed by the love we felt from those in the community and at church.  These two little boys have been waited for, anticipated, and prayed for....  It is amazing to me how God is using these two precious gifts to show His faithfulness!

Here are some pictures of our "adventures" over the past three weeks.

  

Hands

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about hands.  Mainly, because whenever you want to take Malachi somewhere, he wants to hold your hand...tightly.  Going into the next room...he is holding your hand.   Walking down the steps...he is holding your hand.  Outside taking a stroll...he is holding your hand.  If you let go of his hand, he just stops and waits for you to extend your hand.  Then, he grabs a hold and starts walking again. 

Today, we were walking down to the garden and, of course, Malachi reached for my hand.  As I reached out to take his, one of my favorite Bible verses sprang to mind.  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."  Just like Malachi, I like to know that God is holding my hand....leading me through the scary times, unknown times, and good times.  Once again, I was amazed at how God uses my children to teach me about Him!

We Are Home

On Tuesday, September 11th at 11:00 a.m., we started the process of checking our bags and getting our boarding passes for our 9:05 flight.  At 6:50 p.m., we were in the "back office" of Air France being told to wait one hour and then the head guy would deal with our lack of boarding passes...more specifically Isaac, Malachi, and my boarding pass.  I was crying because I thought we would not get to leave that night.  Our attorney kept saying "It is no problem.  You will fly tonight.  Believe it in your heart."  Let me just tell you...when you are standing in an airport where you don't speak the language being told to wait until one hour before the flight to even be "dealt with", it is hard to believe in your heart that you are going home.  However, shortly after 8:00 p.m., we were given our boarding passes and proceeded through security and into the one room airport to wait for our plane.  The plane ended up leaving at 11:45 p.m...and we were on it!!!

The first 8 hour flight from Kinshasa to Paris was without problems...both the boys slept the entire time.  The second 8 hour flight from Paris to Dulles....not so much!  Malachi screamed the majority of the way.  Brian walked the aisles for most the flight!  Needless to say, we were ecstatic to put our feet on US soil...33 hours after we first started checking our bags. 

Noah, Anna, and Chloe were so excited to play with their brothers.  Isaac is like a real live doll for them.  Malachi is a little "ball buddy" for Noah.  The transition went well the first night...time well tell how tomorrow goes...

 

Isaiah 43:4, "Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east"

Eating, Sleeping, Oh My

We have spent the last two days trying to figure out or create an eating and sleeping schedule.  I am happy to say that I think we almost have one figured out for Isaac.  Malachi on the other hand is a bit of a challenge.  He sleeps well at night....once you get him to bed. The past two nights it has taken over an hour of walking, rocking, switching from Brian to me, screaming, more walking, reading, and rocking.  It is heartbreaking!   I am sure the neighbors think we are hurting him.  Nap time is pretty much nonexistent....unless he happens to fall asleep while you are walking him.  We are praying that as he becomes more comfortable with us nap and bedtime will go much easier.

 

To top of the challenge of bedtime, Malachi was sick today.   He woke up lethargic, sweaty,  and barely ate throughout the day....coupled with two bouts of diarrhea. Fun times!  Anyways, we are praying for him to feel better so the plane ride home is as painless as possible.

Out and About

Today we got out of the compound and away from the security that this hotel, surrounded by cement walls and coiled barbed wire, provides.  Our first stop was Malachi and Isaac's foster home....where they have lived since we agreed to adopt them in March.  It was a nice home by Congolese standards....there were several rooms, concrete floors and walls, and some pieces of furniture.  Their foster mother and her two daughters were home and they kissed on the boys and spoke Lingala to them.  Isaac was all smiles but Malachi would not let go of Brian.  He is very cautious and it makes me wonder what he has endured in his short 19 months.

From there we took some shady and extremely dangerous drives to visit the two orphanages where the boys lived.  Some sights we saw and experiences we had on the way...two gunned security guards removing a van driver, large pot holes that decorated every street,  market day and the Congolese version of rush hour with cars deadlocked in every direction, unlined dirt roads, cuttting up on a dirt sidewalk to avoid traffic, having to give the security guard money in order to drive on the street, and that is just the beginning...

Then we arrived at Isaac's orphanage.  We entered through blue gates and as we entered children ran from all over to a central room.  They greeted us and sang for us.  It was adorable except that it was heartbreaking...they were giving us a show admist the dirt, lack of space and toys, and barrier of communication.  Brian counted 70 children in the  room with young girls holding the infants.  We brought some toys but I am unsure if the children will ever get to play with them.   My stomach was in knots and I thought I was going to start crying. This is where my smiley baby boy lived for the first month of his life.   This was nothing compared to what I would see at Malachi's orphanage.  We arrived there and saw a church first with someone singing beautifully inside.  Oh, this is going to be better I thought.   We walked around back and there were older boys, dirty with tattered clothes and no shoes, playing with an empty bottle, some bottles caps, and a board.  When I waved at them, they would come up and greet me...big smiles, looking for love.  Then, they asked if we wanted to see where Malachi stayed while he was there.  We walked through their dining room lined with tables and plastic chairs.  A lone plate sat on the table and I opened it up to see green mash inside.  My stomach churned.  Then, we saw the bedrooms.  The babies sleep on thin foam matters on the bottom of bunk beds.   The older boys sleep on wooden slats laid across bunk bed frames.  There were no toys, no matresses for the older boys, no bright paint, dirty cement floors....it was horrible I was going to cry or be sick I didn't know which one.  I walked outside and walked off by myself....there on the bushes laid some thin green mattress covered with flies.  I gagged.  Now, I am beginning to understand why Malachi is cautious and reserved.

I'm not sure what to do with what I saw today!  I'm laying here in bed unable to sleep.  I pray that someone will do something..someone will love those children and show them family.   The problem seems so big and I am so small!  So for tonight, I will snuggle with Isaac and rock Malachi to sleep and leave the rest up to my Heavenly Father who knows each orphan by name!