hope

Romans 4:18 - 5:5

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead - since he was about a hundred years old - and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. That is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness - for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and raised to life for our justification.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.


His Word is life. Thank you Lord for your unending love and hope poured out to us through your Word. It sustains and guides. We are so thankful.

thoughts on a failed placement

The temptation to not record the events of the past four weeks is overwhelming. I’d rather not have to relive it in order to write it. But as I’ve come to realize….I have lots of words and feel that it may be best if the good and the bad, the ups and the downs, the joys and the cries are recorded. There have been lots of joys recorded here….lots of good….thank you Lord for the good! Lord, sustain us in the bad…..

In the middle of October we received a recruitment email from our adoption agency regarding a potential adoption placement and we responded within a short time frame as the baby was due at the end of October. We went from being one of 38+ families to one of 10 families to one of five families being willing to pursue this match. We found out a few short days later the birth mother picked our family and wanted to meet us the next day. We were shocked, overwhelmed, excited, scared, thrilled, nervous, elated….you name it – we felt it! We met the birth mother the following day and felt so good about how our meeting went. We even agreed to meet that same week again.

I came home and the wheels started turning. We needed a crib, stroller, car seat, bottles, diapers, clothes…..My sister (love you sis) jumped at the chance to come over and help me acquire the needed gear. We literally spent an entire day going from baby stores to consignment stores gathering it all! We ordered our crib and settled into the idea of having a newborn….again!

That same day as we were gathering baby gear, the first of several disappointing events started to unravel. We got a call that our birth mom cancelled our meeting for later in the week. We were disappointed and the wheels began to turn as to why she cancelled and what was going on? Was she simply not up to it or was it indicative of a change of heart for her?

The following week ended up being a time of trust being continually ruined rather than built up. Our birth mom cancelled on a meeting with her pregnancy counselor, she did not return our phone calls, and did not make any attempts to reschedule the meetings. We also were not able to get confirmation from her doctor to verify if she was scheduling or coming to her appointments. As her due date came and went, all of these events led to many red flags, which resulted in high anxiety, not much sleep, and lots of stress.

This week we did get a firm confirmation that our birth mom is not moving forward with our agency so we were thankful for some measure of closure. Closure however does not heal the hurt and sadness. Closure also does not make everything better right away. The fact is – we mourn the loss of this baby and the relationship with his birth mother.

But……God….

God is faithful and just. He is sovereign and is good. His plan is our plan and we don’t want to be out from under His love, His mercy, His guidance and His wisdom. So, we wait on Him to move us along this path knowing that there are lessons to be learned all along the way. Had our adoption journey ended here – I already see how I would have missed the chance to trust and obey more deeply in the Lord. Perhaps this failed placement was one of the biggest examples of God’s grace in our lives. This baby boy was not our baby boy for reasons the Lord only knows and for reasons we may never know. Trust and Obey.

Our first placement experience has been one that we wish we hadn’t had to go through, but I have found in my life that the lessons I haven’t wanted to learn have been the lessons that have been the most crucial for me to learn. So, I call on my Mighty God to lead Nathan and I through this journey and affirm that we are committed to following His lead, His timeline, and His choice for our family.

Psalm 18:30-31

As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?

keeping perspective

Psalm 61

Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.

From the ends of the earth I call to you,
I call as my heart grows faint;
lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For you have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the foe.

I long to dwell in your tent forever
and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.
For you have heard my vows, O God;
you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name......

Then I will ever sing praise to your name
and fulfill my vows day after day.

We are official!!

Our home study was officially approved today and our family profile is now on the Bethany site!!

We are just so excited and praying for God's perfect will as he directs us to our little one.

Proverbs 16:9
In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

The Process

I thought this post by Mark Hamby of Lamplighter Publishing sums up well a few thoughts on how God wants to grow us through a process He takes us through and how we are tempted to misinterpret His timing and His goals for us. Such great reminders for us as we travel the road of adoption. We desire to follow His will while learning the lessons He wants us to learn for His glory!

The Process  Today I was reading a devotional written by Oswald Chambers and it smacked me right between the eyes. So if you don't like someone taking a swing at you, you may not want to listen any further. If you can take it, then this is what Chambers had to say:   "Often, Christians think that if Jesus Christ compels them to do something, He will lead them to success in the endeavor, if only they are obedient to Him. If you agree, then you are in for a rude awakening; our dreams of success are not God's ultimate purpose for us. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is not of primary importance. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God often sees as the goal itself. If I can stay calm, faithful and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish-- His purpose is the process itself. God's purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience and trust are the goal, then each moment as it comes becomes the real standard of success."

Trust and Obey

Trust and Obey,
For there is no other way,
To be Happy in Jesus,
Than to Trust and Obey.

This sweet song that I learned in BSF, has echoed in my heart many times throughout this journey. It is easy to get discouraged or let doubts creep in.....this profile book is harder than I thought to put together, will finances come together, will we be "picked" by an expectant mother, we have no baby stuff, etc. etc.

But my trust in God is greater than these doubts. His plan is the one we want to follow and will be for our good. We will trust in Him alone.

This week we've mailed off the following documents to the Bethany office in Columbia. We've also been fingerprinted and those have been sent to the Bethany office.

-Photos of our family and home
-Our written testimonies of faith
-Statement of Understanding regarding Domestic Adoption procedures
-Family profile
-Profile release forms
-Adoption Service Contracts

Next Friday, August 24 we will attend an all day training in Columbia. We will get to meet with Bethany birth parents, Bethany adoptive parents, lawyers and Adoption Tax credit experts. We are praying for this time and hope that the Lord will give us some clarity through this training.

Thank you so much for your prayers as we continue to trust and obey!!

Domestic Update

We found out during our beach trip that we will be able to attend the next Domestic Adoption Training class on August 24 in Columbia. This is a huge blessing as many families are waiting to get into this training that is only offered to three families in the state every other month. It is an all day training where we will get to meet with birth mothers, adoptive parents, lawyers, and Bethany social workers who will share more information with us about their experiences and the adoption process. 


In the meantime, I am working on compiling our Family Profile Book which is a scrapbook of photos and words about our family. Expectant mothers will view our profile book in order to select our family. Since our home study is complete, once we have this profile book complete and submit a few other items like getting finger printed and sending in a few other forms we should be ready to enter into the pool of potential families come the end of August!


The average wait time until an expectant mother and family are matched is about 10 months! So....we are eagerly awaiting our newest Snyder!!! When we began this journey back in January, we were thinking Haiti and perhaps a sibling group - now we see that God has closed that door for now and is leading us to probably just one child and most likely a newborn!!! Oh what a ride this is!


The truth of this Proverb is very real to us right now! To Him be the glory!!


Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.

Decision for Domestic!!

After praying through our options and lots of discussion we have feel that God is leading us to pursue a domestic adoption through Bethany. We are excited about this change in direction (even though it meant that God closed the door to Haiti for us) and trust that God is preparing us in ways we don't even know for our sweet baby to come!!
In the coming weeks we will learn more about transitioning to the domestic program and will keep all of you updated here.
In the meantime, we hope like us you will continue to pray for Haiti and its movement to become Hague compliant. Our hearts and prayers are with all of the precious children that are waiting for homes each and every day that it takes while their government sorts out the issues.
Thank you for your prayers!

Discerning....

We were informed on June 21 that due to Haiti's decision to become Hague compliant their adoption program is now considered high risk due to delays and unpredictable procedures as the country seeks to amend is adoption procedures. Long term this is a good thing for Haiti and for the many, many children who are in need of families. Short term it does create a watershed moment for us as we discern how to proceed from here.
So we are seeking to discern what God would have us do. At our final home study visit today, we discussed the options of staying in the Haiti program and "waiting out" this transition time, moving to another international country program like Uganda or Ghana, or moving to the domestic program.
We covet your prayers as we seek God's will for us. We know He is good and His plan is best and we desire to obey.

Haiti Update

An update sent to us from our adoption agency:


Haiti 
May 4, 2012 
Alert: Temporary Suspension of New Adoption Cases 
  
Haiti's adoption authority, l'Institut du Bien Être Social et de Recherches (IBESR), informed U.S. Embassy Port-au-Prince that it will suspend processing of new adoption cases effective May 7, 2012. IBESR indicated that the suspension will enable it to expedite processing on its backlog of pending cases and begin internal restructuring to bring it closer to international standards. The U.S. Embassy has been assured the suspension is temporary and that IBESR will continue to process all cases that are filed before May 7. 
  
This is consistent with the information we sent to you on 4/23 and 4/24, with the exception of the dates of the IBESR closure.  IBESR has indicated they will not accept new dossiers starting May 7 instead of the previous April 18.  We have also heard that it is possible that they will extend the closure to July 31 instead of June 1 as previously reported. 
Sincerely, 
Haiti Team


How you can pray for us:


Please pray that IBESR will use this time wisely in order to reorganize and restructure in a way that will allow for a smoother process of adoption paperwork.


Please pray that there will not be unnecessary delays in IBESR reopening and accepting new cases.


Please pray for our patience in going through the home study process and for accuracy when we begin completing our paperwork for Immigration at the last home study meeting.

Home Study Begins!!

We had our first home study visit with our Bethany case worker on May 2. It went really well and it was so nice to meet Jeanette in person after chatting with her via the phone and email for almost 5 months!

Our next home visit is tomorrow, May 14 at our home. We have scheduled it after school so Jeanette can meet the girls! We are so excited to get the home study completed and move along to the completion of our dossier (huge stack of paperwork that we send to Haiti).

There have been some changes in Haiti with their adoption processing and I'm going to post next about how to pray for Haiti with regards these changes!

So....we are moving along! God is still proving His faithfulness and we are trusting in Him for the details!!

waiting.....

So this is what the waiting feels like. Just waiting. 

We've got our packet of forms into the Columbia Bethany office and now we are waiting on two things.

1. Our background checks to clear.

2. Our reference letters to go out and come back from our friends and family.

This will take around 2-3 weeks. So hopefully by the end of April we will be able to begin our home study visits.

In the meantime, we are working on finishing up online training videos and reading the required three books to be discussed at our home visit.

We covet your prayers as we seek patience and God's perfect will for our family and the children He has for us.

How You Can Pray

Specifically, please join us in fervent and consistent prayer for the following:
(from the GLA website and also my own requests)

• Pray that the Haitian government will not make any decisions regarding adoptions and the children in Haiti without consulting with the Association of Creché Directors.
• Pray that in the absence of a Prime Minister (just stepped down after just 4 months in office), God will still move adoptions through the process and find a way for forever families to unite.
• Pray that the orphanage directors will be able to consistently and fervently communicate the need of the children in Haiti for an adoption system that works well and reduces the time that children spend in an institutional setting.
• Pray that the Haitian government will not ratify the Hague Convention without taking the time to make sure that they have sufficient staff and resources to handle the increased requirements.
• Pray that UNICEF and IBESR will realize that adoption is an integral part of the overall plan to care for the children in Haiti who don't have parents who can care for them.
• Pray that the children at GLA and the other orphans in Haiti won't be damaged by pending changes in legislation in Haiti.
• Pray that people will rise up and speak on behalf of the orphans in Haiti and be a voice for those who can't speak for themselves.

What we've been working on....

Our Formal application was sent in and our contract with Bethany is signed! We are now officially clients of Bethany Christian Services!
Our next step is to complete the following paperwork that pertains to our home study in South Carolina.
So here is what we're working on:

Affidavit of Health insurance
SAFE questionnaire (questions about our childhood, family values, how we discipline, etc.)
SLED criminal record inquiry
Family Residence History
Physician's report for all four of us
Net Worth/Cash Flow Statement
Statement of Intent from our Will
Parental Discipline Policy
Adoption Release and Consent
Permission to serve as a Reference
Training Commitment form
Duty of Disclosure form
Special Placement Needs questionnaire

Copies of:
Birth certificates for all four of us
Marriage certificate
IRS 1040 from most recent tax year
Verification of vaccinations for household pets (two dogs)

We also need to reapply for passports.

In our spare time :) we are to be completing 10 hours of online training and choosing three books from their book list to read and be prepared to discuss at our home visit.
I've pulled the following three to read:

20 Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew by Sherrie Eldridge
Talking with Young Children about Adoption by Susan Fisher and Mary Watkins
Toddler Adoption: The Weaver's Craft by Mary Hopkins Best

A lot to get done but we are hopeful to complete this in the next month and be close to our home visit.  :)

Formal Application - ACCEPTED!

We are so amazed at how God is moving! We just got word that our Formal Application was accepted! We received an email with documents that we must sign and send back along with our application fee. Once those documents are received we can begin our home study! Thank you so much for your continued prayers! We see God opening doors for us! :)

Creche Application - ACCEPTED!

We were thrilled to hear today that our Creche Application to GLA (God's Littlest Angels Orphanage) has been preliminarily accepted. We have been invited to submit the Formal Application to Bethany!
Praise God from whom ALL BLESSINGS FLOW! So overjoyed at God opening another door for us!
We plan on finishing up our Formal Application and submitting it this weekend!
One step closer.....

Bloodlines

Amazing short documentary by John Piper.
If you haven't seen this, please take 18 minutes watch!

Bloodlines Documentary

Love this

A principle from the BSF Seminar I attended this week on Becoming a Servant of God describes totally where we are right now on this journey:

Every step of faith involves some lack of complete understanding of what you are to do and/or how it will turn out. Otherwise, it would not be faith.

Adopted for Life

The book Adopted for Life was one of those I don't want to read but know I need to read books. I first read it about two years ago and recently reread it. Russell Moore gives awesome "from the trenches" wisdom on many aspects of adoption.
I highly encouraged you to read this book and learn more about the priority of adoption for Christian families and churches!

This information was taken from the God's Littlest Angels website.

About Haiti

Eight hundred miles south of Miami by sea, Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. There are more than 8 million people within its mountainous 10,000 square miles, making Haiti the most densely populated and poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.

The average Haitian earns less than $300 (US) per year. In 2002, it was estimated that Haitians are the fourth most undernourished people in the world, behind only Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia. Eighty out of every 1000 children born today will not live to see their first birthdays and 60% of those that die will do so in their first month of life.

Drinking water usually comes from a polluted river, a ditch or open pond. Food is so scarce and expensive that most Haitian children receive less nutrition than the average American house pet. It is estimated that 42% of all children under the age of five are severely or moderately stunted in growth due to malnutrition.

A recent report from the United Nations Development Program described health care in Haiti as nearly catastrophic. One of every three deaths in Haiti is that of a child. With most people earning less than $1 a day, many do without medicine. Death during childbirth is the second leading cause of death among women, HIV rates are climbing, and tuberculosis is common, the report said. There are an estimated 163,000 children who are orphans due to their parents dying from AIDS.

The people of Haiti are descendants of slaves brought over from Africa centuries ago. In 1804, Haiti became the first Black Republic in the world, gaining its independence by driving out the French colonists.

The decades of self-rule since then have not been easy ones, especially for the rural Haitian. Today, he struggles for a different kind of independence and freedom - freedom from poverty, illiteracy, and lack of education - from malnutrition and disease - and freedom from the dark fear of the Voodoo religion.

Haiti is a country of great beauty. But even the beautiful sunsets and green mountains cannot hide the poverty. On the right side of the page, you can see the striking contrasts between the beauty of the country and the harsh realities of the day to day lives of its people. The pictures of Cite Soleil - the poorest section of the capital, where raw sewage runs through the streets and safe drinking water is difficult to find - speak for themselves. The infant mortality rate is extremely high in this area.

Here is some additional information on Haiti:

Population

About 95 percent of Haitians are of African origin. The remaining 5 percent are Mulatto and other races. The Mulatto population makes up about half of the country's elite. French and Creole (which uses both French colonial and West African phrases and words) are the official languages; the latter attaining that status in 1987. The poorer class (about 90 percent of the population) speak Creole, while the elite speak modern French. About 80 percent of Haiti's people are nominal Roman Catholics, many of them combining an African animism called "voodoo" into their religious beliefs and ceremonies. Other religious groups include Baptists (about 10 percent), Pentecostals (4 percent), and Adventists (about 1 percent). The Protestant faiths do not allow voodoo practices.

Population Characteristics

The population of Haiti is over 8.3 million (estimated), giving the country an overall population density of about 299 persons per sq km (about 775 per sq mi). In arable areas, however, there are about 1200 persons per sq km (about 3050 per sq mi). About 79 percent of the population is classified as rural. The population is projected to reach 13 million by 2050. Total fertility rate is 4.94 children per woman.

  

Education

By law, education is free and compulsory in Haiti for children between the ages of 7 and 13. In practice, access to education is sharply limited by school location, language comprehension (classes are taught in French), the cost of school clothes and supplies, and the availability of teachers. Only about 40 percent of the 1.3 million eligible children actually attend school. About 50 percent of the population is literate. The University of Haiti (1944), located in Port-au-Prince, has colleges of medicine, law, business, agronomy, social sciences, architecture, and engineering. In the early 1990s, about 1500 students were enrolled there. Many university-level students attend foreign universities.

Way of Life

For most Haitians, daily life is a struggle for survival. An estimated 75 percent of the population lives in poverty, with 42% living in abject poverty. These people, many of whom farm small plots of poor mountain land, are often malnourished. Infant mortality is about 80 per 1000 births. Life expectancy is only 51 years; and the incidence of diseases ranging from intestinal parasites to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is extremely high. Only about 41 percent of the population has access to safe drinking water, and only 25 percent has access to sanitary sewer systems. A limited elite of about 10 percent, mostly professionals, enjoy a sophisticated, affluent lifestyle. This elite class has traditionally resisted all attempts to restructure the Haitian social system.

Social Problems

Haiti's most serious social problems stem from the disproportionate distribution of wealth. Although Haiti is 95 percent black, there are also racial divisions between the small mulatto elite and the larger black population. Since colonial times, the mulattoes have functioned as the ruling class. Having more in common with the wealthy classes of other countries, the mulattoes identify very little with poor Haitians. Underdeveloped social, economic, and political institutions-chiefly education-mean that there are few mechanisms within the country to promote upward social mobility. Another problem preventing social cohesion is the physical isolation of rural communities. About 79 percent of Haitians have little contact with Port-au-Prince or other centers of cultural change.

Economy

Haiti's economy has been shrinking since the early 1980s, while the population has continued to grow. In the mid-1990s, Haiti's per-capita gross domestic product was $370. This placed Haiti among the world's poorest nations. Agriculture employs about two-thirds of the labor force; manufacturing, services, and tourism are the next largest employers. About 25 to 50 percent of the workforce is underemployed or unemployed. The international sanctions employed against Haiti's military leaders from 1991 to 1994 further weakened the already crippled economy. Government revenue in the mid-1990s was about $300 million and spending was about $416 million. Haiti's international debt is approaching $1 billion.

Agriculture

Most of Haiti's farmers work subsistence plots of land that produce small amounts of cash crops. Soil erosion and overworked land are major agricultural problems, while hurricanes and drought have also taken their toll. Coffee, sugarcane, sisal, and fruit are the major commercial crops, while beans, rice, corn, and sorghum are the main food crops. Coffee is the major agricultural export. Sugarcane, cotton, sisal, coconuts, and vetiver (a grass that yields oils used in the manufacture of perfume) are raised on plantations revitalized by loans from the Organization of American States (OAS) and the United Nations (UN) in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Chickens are the most common livestock, but some cattle and goats are also raised. The country's pig population was decimated when African swine fever swept through Haiti in the early 1980s.

Health and Welfare

Haiti's medical system is struggling to cope with the nation's serious health hazards. There is only one physician for every 6000 inhabitants, and medical facilities are poor. Malaria, dengue fever, intestinal parasites, yaws, AIDS, and other infectious diseases are common. Foreign governments and several international organizations, including the UN and the OAS, provide food and medicine to Haiti, but the scope of the country's problems overwhelm these efforts. Haiti's social services are similarly limited.

Here we go!

Yesterday, January 26, 2012, we officially submitted our Creche application and family photograph to God's Littlest Angels in Haiti. In two to three weeks we should hear back and know if our application is accepted. Please join us in prayer that our application will be processed and accepted in this timeframe by God's Littlest Angels.

We have told close friends and family of our decision and feel so blessed by the outpouring of love and support we have received. We are so blessed.

The Journey Begins

I am creating a new blog dedicated just to our adoption journey.

Here is a timeline of events so far that I don't want to forget:

January 16, 2012 (Nathan's special day)
I receive an email response back from an agency regarding international adoption. Nate and I discuss growing our family through adoption and our desire to explore the process. (again!!!!)

January 17 - 20, 2012
Begin internet research of adoption agencies and programs:
All God's Children International - Ethiopia and Bulgaria
America World Adoption - International programs
Bethany Christian Services - Haiti

January 21, 2012
Nathan comes home from being out of town all week and we discuss the agencies and decide that Bethany is the one we will go with. We decide to move forward and submit the pre application form for the Haiti program. Haiti has strict adoption policies - but we meet the criteria!! Married at least 10 years and one spouse must be 35!!

January 23, 2012
Nathan and I commit to fasting for a day to pray through this big decision and confirm this is where the Lord wants us to move!
I received a Pre Application response email and a Formal application email from Bethany. (But I can't get to it yet, because my log in to the Bethany portal doesn't work!?!) Perhaps my first lesson in patience along this process!! :)

January 24, 2012
I reset the password and got into the portal! We downloaded the Creche Application and prayed over its completion. I fasted this day and prayed that the Lord's will would be done on this journey.

January 25, 2012
Tomorrow we plan on submitting our Creche Application to Bethany to forward along to Haiti. We also plan on telling our family and friends the BIG NEWS!!