Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Are We There Yet? Are We There Yet?

We wanted to reassure everyone of our whereabouts and how things are going. We haven't heard anything regarding our little one yet, although we hope to hear something in a very short while! In the meantime, we continue to acquaint ourselves with Pereira and the surrounding region. It has been fun to discover more of the area our dear little one may very well be from.

We also continue to immerse ourselves in Spanish. A great and gracious friend, Charlene, has been getting together with us periodically for conversation, quiz, and Spanish Scrabble!!! Such fun times. It just so happens that Charlene and I (Sheila) work together, so we have had some great Monday-Thursday night Spanish conversational challenges! So fun!

Since the last step in our adoption had gone so quickly...from approval of dossier to assignment of region...we had wondered if our referral would come more quickly than usual. Our participation in a yahoo group of Colombians adopting Colombians has given us opportunity to meet folks who have received their referral in as little as 2 weeks to as long as about 12 weeks. The average seems to be around 6-8. All told, our wait may be the average or the longer. We simply have little clue with the exception of a recent comment on our blog that indicated Pereira is a city that takes a bit longer than most.

I am not sure that I know how to put into words all the thoughts and feelings that I have experienced over the last month in the wait. While our time has been filled with moving forward on our day-to-day commitments, I find myself increasingly distracted by thoughts of who our son or daughter is. What has God already seen them through in their short life? What is their personality like? What are their likes and dislikes? How is God preparing their heart for the day of our meeting? So many wonders! The suspense is exciting and nerve-wracking!

In parting, I wanted to share a prayer request. In the more recent months, Dave's Mom, Betty, has been experiencing some health challenges that have left her with a poor appetite, weight loss, and complications throughout her digestive tract. She has also experienced lightheadedness, dizziness, and other side-affects of a heart dysrhythmia. An added side challenge for she and my father-in-law is the fact that Betty had a stroke several years ago that has affected her ability to communicate...both in saying exactly what is going on with her body as well as understanding what is being asked or how she is being instructed. While she often 'knows' what she would like to say, her brain does not allow her tongue to cooperate. We see that all of this has been very frustrating and continues to be.

Prior to her stroke she was quite a 'social bug', enjoyed her time with those around her, and always looked forward to her time with family and friends. More recently, this connection to others has been even more difficult. My invitation to prayer is not just for physical healing as well as guidance and wisdom for physicians in treating her physical ailments, but also for protection from a spirit of discouragement and depression. We see how hard this is for her. It has taken some wind out of her sails as much as she would like for us not to see this or worry about it. We also are inviting prayer for ourselves and Dave's siblings in how to care for and support them through this.

2 comments:

Beth said...

The family will be in our prayers. My grandmother sufferd a stroke and was also a person who enjoyed life. We will be praying for all of you.

The Jensen Family said...

There's such an array of emotions that you all must be going through right now. I pray that God looks over each of you, giving you the strength, peace and direction each needs. Hopefully there will be good news soon on your new addition. Can't wait to hear more as it helps those of us are playing the waiting game to have faith in the process. Here's to a blessed week full of good news!

Traci