We've been home for several days, and we're settling in to being a family of nine. Our airport moments were so sweet. Aunt Heather captured them with her camera. My heart was beating so fast and I was jumping out of my skin to make my way down the escalator faster into the arms of these kids. There will be more photos to follow soon. We are so grateful and glad to be home.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Home
We've been home for several days, and we're settling in to being a family of nine. Our airport moments were so sweet. Aunt Heather captured them with her camera. My heart was beating so fast and I was jumping out of my skin to make my way down the escalator faster into the arms of these kids. There will be more photos to follow soon. We are so grateful and glad to be home.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Home for Christmas!
Home for Christmas....three words I have not been able to muster without tears for several weeks. Will we be home for Christmas? The teary voices of our five on the phone line spanning the thousands of miles told me I would not be the only heartbroken one if we didn't make it. Through MANY amazing mountain moving events of God, we will be headed home tonight!!! We will go to the Embassy to pick up visas very soon and then head to the airport. We are praising God for His undeserved favor, His provision for our family, and for all of those who lifted us up in prayer. He indeed is mighty to save!
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Introducing...
Zai Hannah
Edi CalebThe two newest members of the Spore family, making us the Spore Nine!
The Two New Spores
I know, the title makes you think there will be photos. I wish it were so, but blogger just won't upload photos here. Maybe tonight when we travel to Jinja, I'll be able to get a couple posted. Feel free to friend me on FB to see some photos. Just let me know you read this on my blog.
Anyway, the real story here is that we passed court yesterday! We belong to Edi Caleb and Zai Hannah! And at the moment the judge said our petition had been granted, the last remnant of the wall around my heart collapsed. These are our precious children whose futures are now forever tied to ours!
Now we have one huge hurdle left before we can hop on a plane to come home. We will turn everything in at the embassy Monday morning, hopefully be granted an interview Wednesday, and maybe be able to come home Friday. We have three tickets and a lap ticket reserved for arrival in Cedar Rapids at 7:20 pm Christmas Eve! Please keep praying for us and this process, for our kids at home, and for Edi Caleb and Zai Hannah in this huge adjustment. Hoping to post pictures with the next post!
Anyway, the real story here is that we passed court yesterday! We belong to Edi Caleb and Zai Hannah! And at the moment the judge said our petition had been granted, the last remnant of the wall around my heart collapsed. These are our precious children whose futures are now forever tied to ours!
Now we have one huge hurdle left before we can hop on a plane to come home. We will turn everything in at the embassy Monday morning, hopefully be granted an interview Wednesday, and maybe be able to come home Friday. We have three tickets and a lap ticket reserved for arrival in Cedar Rapids at 7:20 pm Christmas Eve! Please keep praying for us and this process, for our kids at home, and for Edi Caleb and Zai Hannah in this huge adjustment. Hoping to post pictures with the next post!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Missing the Birthday Girl
I'm pretty sure we've never been away from one of our kids on their birthday. Two years ago we very nearly missed Carlie's birthday, but we got home with Cooper two days before. So today, as Carlie celebrates her 8th birthday without us, I'm feeling sad. This being away from the five to bring home the two is so very hard. I'm feeling the ache of empty arms.
I'm a mommy without her birthday girl, but when I think of it I realize there are a lot of birthday girls without their mommies today. Today I'll choose to embrace 25 little girls who long for a mommy....and then my arms maybe won't ache so badly.
Carlie, I can't wait to have you in my lap reading a Christmas story together. Happy birthday, sweet girl.
I'm a mommy without her birthday girl, but when I think of it I realize there are a lot of birthday girls without their mommies today. Today I'll choose to embrace 25 little girls who long for a mommy....and then my arms maybe won't ache so badly.
Carlie, I can't wait to have you in my lap reading a Christmas story together. Happy birthday, sweet girl.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Worship - Uganda Style
Today we got the oppotunity to worship with fellow believers in Uganda at the church at GSF. All of the kids, aunties, staff, and people from surrounding villages came to worhsip together. In additon there were people from at least 4 different countries.
Heidi and I enjoyed singing, clapping, and even dancing to songs in both English and Luganda. Sometime is was difficult to know which language we were singing. Gene, who is part of the other couple adopting from GSF with us, spoke. It was fun to experience a different style of worship than we typically experience back home in Iowa. Probably the highlight was having Caleb in our arms during the whole service with other GSF kids on either side of us.
Heidi and I also got the chance to experience dinner and bed at the baby house. It included eating, crying, pottying, singing, dressing in PJ's, g-nuts, playing, and finally bed. We were amazed at how the Aunties do that routine each night for 8 toddlers. I guess we will have 7 kids in our family bedtime routine. Thankfully only 3 of them will be that age.
Tomorrow we head back to Kampala for physicals and TB test readings. It should be easier than Friday since it will not include any shots. Convincing the kids of that might be difficult though.
Heidi and I enjoyed singing, clapping, and even dancing to songs in both English and Luganda. Sometime is was difficult to know which language we were singing. Gene, who is part of the other couple adopting from GSF with us, spoke. It was fun to experience a different style of worship than we typically experience back home in Iowa. Probably the highlight was having Caleb in our arms during the whole service with other GSF kids on either side of us.
Heidi and I also got the chance to experience dinner and bed at the baby house. It included eating, crying, pottying, singing, dressing in PJ's, g-nuts, playing, and finally bed. We were amazed at how the Aunties do that routine each night for 8 toddlers. I guess we will have 7 kids in our family bedtime routine. Thankfully only 3 of them will be that age.
Tomorrow we head back to Kampala for physicals and TB test readings. It should be easier than Friday since it will not include any shots. Convincing the kids of that might be difficult though.
Friday, December 9, 2011
IOM and Embassy
Another trip to the city, another big day, another tired mama. TB tests were given, children were very unhappy about it, and the tests will be read Monday. We stopped by the embassy to check on what we will need for our appointment and found out we will need to have family members present for the visa interview. This could really be difficult, so we will once again ask you all to pray and we are already praising Him for how he will move these mountains.
Tomorrow is Saturday, and I am thankful there will be no trip to the city. Chad stayed here at the orphanage today, and he forged friendships with many kids....particularly two boys named Brian and Henry who very much enjoy Chad's Star Wars characters voices. I'm certain there's no way I'll be able to match his popularity, but I'll have more time tomorrow to spend with kids.
We are still really uncertain about our return trip. It seems as if there is still a slight possibility we could travel home with the kids and arrive Christmas Eve. Claudia has agreed to travel to the US with one of us and the kids if the other one of us needs to come home earlier. My feelings are all over the board on this, with fragments of my heart in Iowa and other fragments in Uganda. The protective walls I constructed around my heart are crumbling with each day spent with Caleb and Hannah. Leaving them here will be difficult, and leaving Chad would be even harder.
We are going to eat some supper soon, and then we will have dessert and a movie with the Gwartney family. I'm looking forward to that and a good night's rest.
Tomorrow is Saturday, and I am thankful there will be no trip to the city. Chad stayed here at the orphanage today, and he forged friendships with many kids....particularly two boys named Brian and Henry who very much enjoy Chad's Star Wars characters voices. I'm certain there's no way I'll be able to match his popularity, but I'll have more time tomorrow to spend with kids.
We are still really uncertain about our return trip. It seems as if there is still a slight possibility we could travel home with the kids and arrive Christmas Eve. Claudia has agreed to travel to the US with one of us and the kids if the other one of us needs to come home earlier. My feelings are all over the board on this, with fragments of my heart in Iowa and other fragments in Uganda. The protective walls I constructed around my heart are crumbling with each day spent with Caleb and Hannah. Leaving them here will be difficult, and leaving Chad would be even harder.
We are going to eat some supper soon, and then we will have dessert and a movie with the Gwartney family. I'm looking forward to that and a good night's rest.
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