Ken and I have prayed quite a bit about our new little one's name. We wanted it to work in English, Danish, Chinese and it would be nice if it also worked in Hebrew, since our oldest daughter's name is Hebrew.
We had thought about keeping the adoption agency name, which we liked, but after praying about it decided not to. The realization came to me that some day she would ask how we chose her name-and if we were to answer that the adoption agency had chosen it, and we liked it....well that would be a continual reminder throughout her life- of her past as an orphan. We wanted a name that had a future to it. Something that reflected her life in our family. A name that was pretty, feminine, and also had beautiful meaning.
Her name will be Elsa Mei...pronounced... Elsa May.
Elsa was the name of Ken's grandmother (paternal side). She passed away when Ken was about 9 years old, and Ken has talked about what a wonderful grandmother she was. She was Danish, of course, and she spelled her name Else, but it in English it is spelled Elsa.
Ken suggested the name but then mentioned it might be more of an older name, and I told him that the only Elsa I have known was young, beautiful, dark-haired, and also kind. It is a lovely name.
Elsa is Hebrew in origin. It is from the name Elisabeth, and means "God's promise" or "God is my oath".
I emailed a Chinese Pastor to ask him what the name meant in Chinese. I wondered if I would get a response...and not only did he email me back, he called to further explain the email.
He said the name Elsa in Chinese was very beautiful. It meant love and poetry.
Her middle name Mei is Chinese, and it means beauty. We wanted to keep a reminder of her Chinese heritage in her name. Also, my sweet Aunt Shirley who passed away a couple years ago, had the middle name May.
And so when we say her name, we can remember these beautiful women that were in our lives and blessed both of us.
Also, I hope that as she grows up, that some day when she asks me how we chose her name, and we tell her of these beautiful women...that she will truly feel a part of our family...every time she hears her name.
While I was praying and trying to really feel certain about the name- I read that the name Elsa was used in the book (and later movie) Born Free. So I decided to look up the movie.
In the movie, Elsa was a little lion cub- that was orphaned. Some people adopted the little cub, and when she grew up they set her free. Maybe our little Elsa Mei will have a heart of a lioness too, and some day we will set her free, and she will be all that God has called her to be.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Some good news on our Home Study & Dossier
"Anxiety in the heart of a man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad." -Proverbs 12:25
Today I got some good news...I talked to our adoption agency and she said it was OK if we ended up taking longer than 2 months for our dossier-that 2 months is just what they recommended (6 months is the real deadline). So even though we are working diligently on the dossier - now we can just work on it as fast as possible without being scared we will lose our "hold" on our little one for being a day late.
Also today, I emailed over the last paperwork item we needed for our Home Study. We have a meeting next week with our social worker, and then our Home Study should be completed!
Although I know we have "extra" time to get our paperwork done, I feel very compelled to get this paperwork done as soon as possible. During the evenings when we we pray for our little one in China, I think of her sitting in her crib ...waiting. Little ones in orphanages tend to spend a lot of time in their cribs. I don't want her to have to wait a day longer than she has too.
Today I got some good news...I talked to our adoption agency and she said it was OK if we ended up taking longer than 2 months for our dossier-that 2 months is just what they recommended (6 months is the real deadline). So even though we are working diligently on the dossier - now we can just work on it as fast as possible without being scared we will lose our "hold" on our little one for being a day late.
Also today, I emailed over the last paperwork item we needed for our Home Study. We have a meeting next week with our social worker, and then our Home Study should be completed!
Although I know we have "extra" time to get our paperwork done, I feel very compelled to get this paperwork done as soon as possible. During the evenings when we we pray for our little one in China, I think of her sitting in her crib ...waiting. Little ones in orphanages tend to spend a lot of time in their cribs. I don't want her to have to wait a day longer than she has too.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Following Jesus' lead
Our home study is almost complete....we are waiting on our medical test results, and finishing up the last of the parenting classes. The dossier still needs a lot of work still. I told a friend that I remember getting "syllabus shock" in college, and now I am experiencing "dossier shock"!
We've had some challenges recently with some things that people have said, which are more negative towards our decision to adopt our little one. Mostly the comments revolve around her blindness, and the difficulties that will ensue due to that challenge. It is painful to hear these sort of comments. I think it can be troubling to people, well-intentioned people, to see others going down a path that they don't understand, nor do they believe that God would lead us down such a challenging path....a path that is different from what is expected.
When I was talking to Ken about the things that were said. He responded, "I don't care what they say, we aren't leaving our daughter in an orphanage!!!" There are different times when I am especially proud of my husband, and I am so very proud of him and the love he has for his little daughter over in China.
Pastor Skip Heitzig was on the radio the other day talking about when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11). He said that when Jesus came to the tomb he asked others to roll away the stone. Jesus also asked others to take off Lazarus' bandages after he was raised. Pastor Skip asked the question, Why did Jesus not give a command to have the stone rolled away and for the bandages to fall off, why did He ask people to do those things?
The answer- Because only Jesus can raise the dead. We can move stones and take off bandages. Jesus does His part and He asks us to do our part. This is the essence of ministry.
The names of the stones movers and bandage removers aren't listed. Because those details aren't central to the story. The centrality of the story is about Jesus. Jesus is the only one who can save.
We can be God's instrument, we can do what Jesus asks us to do. Then we leave the hard parts to Him. We leave the saving to Him. I heard another pastor say, "The rake doesn't expect praise because he was used by the farmer." The rake is simply a tool.
To me, ministry is sort of like a dance with God leading and asking us to just follow His lead. As people, we are awkward- stepping on our own feet sometimes, but it doesn't matter because God is gracious. And the story isn't about us anyway. It's about Jesus. He is the Savior. We just do the simple things that He asks us to do. It doesn't matter what happens, or what difficulties will come our way. What matters is that for this brief season in time, we have an opportunity to be used by Jesus, to do what He wills, and to follow His leading.
And that's a dance that I wouldn't step out of for anything in this world.
We've had some challenges recently with some things that people have said, which are more negative towards our decision to adopt our little one. Mostly the comments revolve around her blindness, and the difficulties that will ensue due to that challenge. It is painful to hear these sort of comments. I think it can be troubling to people, well-intentioned people, to see others going down a path that they don't understand, nor do they believe that God would lead us down such a challenging path....a path that is different from what is expected.
When I was talking to Ken about the things that were said. He responded, "I don't care what they say, we aren't leaving our daughter in an orphanage!!!" There are different times when I am especially proud of my husband, and I am so very proud of him and the love he has for his little daughter over in China.
Pastor Skip Heitzig was on the radio the other day talking about when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11). He said that when Jesus came to the tomb he asked others to roll away the stone. Jesus also asked others to take off Lazarus' bandages after he was raised. Pastor Skip asked the question, Why did Jesus not give a command to have the stone rolled away and for the bandages to fall off, why did He ask people to do those things?
The answer- Because only Jesus can raise the dead. We can move stones and take off bandages. Jesus does His part and He asks us to do our part. This is the essence of ministry.
The names of the stones movers and bandage removers aren't listed. Because those details aren't central to the story. The centrality of the story is about Jesus. Jesus is the only one who can save.
We can be God's instrument, we can do what Jesus asks us to do. Then we leave the hard parts to Him. We leave the saving to Him. I heard another pastor say, "The rake doesn't expect praise because he was used by the farmer." The rake is simply a tool.
To me, ministry is sort of like a dance with God leading and asking us to just follow His lead. As people, we are awkward- stepping on our own feet sometimes, but it doesn't matter because God is gracious. And the story isn't about us anyway. It's about Jesus. He is the Savior. We just do the simple things that He asks us to do. It doesn't matter what happens, or what difficulties will come our way. What matters is that for this brief season in time, we have an opportunity to be used by Jesus, to do what He wills, and to follow His leading.
And that's a dance that I wouldn't step out of for anything in this world.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Moses
I heard a Pastor on the radio talking about how Moses' mom "saw he was a beautiful child", and so she hid him, and later made a little ark to try to preserve his life. Then later Pharaoh's daughter found him, "she saw the child...and had compassion on him" (Exodus 2).
The part of the story that spoke to me, was about how these women saw the child, and they desired that the child wouldn't perish, and so they were moved into action. Not only that, but this is the first adoption story recorded in the Bible; little Moses...he was going to grow up to be someone very special.
And it all started with his mom seeing that he was a beautiful child.
After this had been on my heart for a couple of days (we also just so happened to read the Moses story in Family Devo time), my friend sent me this link about a woman who has adopted and her reflections on the Moses story: http://aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com/2013/04/thoughts-from-my-heart.html?m=1
Our friends Christy and David, after reading our blog, had their Bible out to read, and it fell open to Isaiah 42 and this verse stood out to them:
"And I will bring the blind by a way that they know not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known. I will make darkness into light before them and make uneven places into a plain. These things I have determined to do [for them]; and I will not leave them forsaken." (Isaiah 42:16)
God has a plan for our little one in China.
The part of the story that spoke to me, was about how these women saw the child, and they desired that the child wouldn't perish, and so they were moved into action. Not only that, but this is the first adoption story recorded in the Bible; little Moses...he was going to grow up to be someone very special.
And it all started with his mom seeing that he was a beautiful child.
After this had been on my heart for a couple of days (we also just so happened to read the Moses story in Family Devo time), my friend sent me this link about a woman who has adopted and her reflections on the Moses story: http://aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com/2013/04/thoughts-from-my-heart.html?m=1
Our friends Christy and David, after reading our blog, had their Bible out to read, and it fell open to Isaiah 42 and this verse stood out to them:
"And I will bring the blind by a way that they know not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known. I will make darkness into light before them and make uneven places into a plain. These things I have determined to do [for them]; and I will not leave them forsaken." (Isaiah 42:16)
God has a plan for our little one in China.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Dossier and I'm a Believer by the Monkees
We just got a new packet of materials in the mail- for our dossier. There is so much to do. However, I wasn't worried until I saw that we had 2 months to have it all returned, beginning from the point that our pre-approval was granted from China..and that was about 2 weeks ago...so we have to work on this quickly. Hmmm....if you would like to pray that we finish this soon, that would be wonderful.
On the lighter note...when my daughter Iana was born, somehow, I had the song, Baby Love by the The Supremes stuck in my head the whole time at the hospital and for months after. I used to sing it to her. We called her Baby Love because of that song...still do sometimes.
Well, I have a song stuck in my head for days now about our little China girl... I can't post her little picture, but she's adorable....The song is I'm a Believer by the Monkees. Seriously stuck in my head, and sometimes I even start singing it out loud.
Here's the rendition of the part stuck in my head... Then I saw her face, (da, da, da, da) now I'm a believer (da, da, da, da) ...Not a trace (da, da, da, da) of doubt in my mind (da, da, da, da)... I'm in love (mmmmm)... I'm a believer... I couldn't leave her if I tried...
And that pretty much sums up my feelings on our little one.
On the lighter note...when my daughter Iana was born, somehow, I had the song, Baby Love by the The Supremes stuck in my head the whole time at the hospital and for months after. I used to sing it to her. We called her Baby Love because of that song...still do sometimes.
Well, I have a song stuck in my head for days now about our little China girl... I can't post her little picture, but she's adorable....The song is I'm a Believer by the Monkees. Seriously stuck in my head, and sometimes I even start singing it out loud.
Here's the rendition of the part stuck in my head... Then I saw her face, (da, da, da, da) now I'm a believer (da, da, da, da) ...Not a trace (da, da, da, da) of doubt in my mind (da, da, da, da)... I'm in love (mmmmm)... I'm a believer... I couldn't leave her if I tried...
And that pretty much sums up my feelings on our little one.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Working on our Home study!
Ken and I have been working on our home study. We have learned how encompassing a home study is through this process! There are lots of forms to fill out, medical exams, fingerprinting, parenting classes (focused specifically on an adopted child)...etc. We are working with a wonderful adoption agency, Angel's Haven, for our home study. Although a home study is cumbersome, they are very important because they protect children. So all the work has meaning behind it.
The home study seemed overwhelming at first, but we just kept crossing items off the list, and just the other day, I realized that we were more than half-way done. Hopefully all the results and items will be completed within a month.
After our home study is done then we will focus on our dossier. We don't know much about those, but we will learn in time!
We are praying for a name for our little one over in China. A lovely name, that has good meaning. Hmmm....
In case you are wondering how old she is...she turned one year old this past April. Happy first birthday little one! We wish we could have been there. Hopefully we will all be together before her second birthday!
We just learned in our adoption parenting class, that children in orphanages lose one month of growth, for every 3 months they are in an orphanage. It is called emotional dwarfism. God designed us to grow up in families. There is hope though, they do catch up after they join a family. After we learned this, it made us all the more eager to hurry with our paperwork so that we can get her out of the orphanage- sooner rather than later.
Just watched this short video about adoption of special needs children...impactful and beautiful... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBotp_EOqiA&feature=player_embedded
The home study seemed overwhelming at first, but we just kept crossing items off the list, and just the other day, I realized that we were more than half-way done. Hopefully all the results and items will be completed within a month.
After our home study is done then we will focus on our dossier. We don't know much about those, but we will learn in time!
We are praying for a name for our little one over in China. A lovely name, that has good meaning. Hmmm....
In case you are wondering how old she is...she turned one year old this past April. Happy first birthday little one! We wish we could have been there. Hopefully we will all be together before her second birthday!
We just learned in our adoption parenting class, that children in orphanages lose one month of growth, for every 3 months they are in an orphanage. It is called emotional dwarfism. God designed us to grow up in families. There is hope though, they do catch up after they join a family. After we learned this, it made us all the more eager to hurry with our paperwork so that we can get her out of the orphanage- sooner rather than later.
Just watched this short video about adoption of special needs children...impactful and beautiful... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBotp_EOqiA&feature=player_embedded
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