Monday, October 29, 2012

Anticipation...

So, we live in Southern California...








And we anticipate traveling to Eastern Europe in winter...


So, we need winter coats.

We are in Seattle - so we stopped by REI to buy some winter jackets for all of us!!  It is fun to anticipate our trip to meet Hannes and bring him home.



Sunday, October 28, 2012

Sunday Scripture from Seattle



“All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” 

1 Peter 1:24-25




Spend some time in His Word today, it was true yesterday, it is true today, and it will be true tomorrow.  Hang on to the Word of the Lord - it is our strength for all of our days!!

 



Saturday, October 27, 2012

You Vote - Orphans Win!

Please take a moment every 24 hours to vote for Reece's Rainbow as the charity to win $50,000.  There are 10 orphans who will each get $5,000 in their account to make it easier for their families to bring them home.  Just a moment of your time might make an incredible difference to these 10 children forever.

http://www.cultivatewines.com/cause/49260/
 
Thank you!


Friday, October 26, 2012

Spending time in Seattle

We are spending a week in Seattle...


Mt. Rainier from the airplane window - spectacular how the mountain rises so far above the clouds!!




Jacob admiring his best friend... (grin)




and Julia flying like she's done it all her life...




Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Prayer and Patience

Both prayer and patience are needed in big measure when pursuing an adoption. 



 Romans 11:36
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.


We know that God is in all of this.  And so we trust that He will work out all of the details, even when dealing with frustrating banks and government agencies. 

Prayer is key for us - please support us in prayer - we know that it is what makes the difference!


“Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2 



Sunday, October 21, 2012

Sunday Scripture



“I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” Psalm 40:8





We all worship something - what is within your heart?


Thursday, October 18, 2012

Hopeful...

Things are moving along... 

Lamentations 3:22-23
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 

We praise God for nothing happens without Him! 

Hosea 14:3
  In you the orphan finds mercy.

He is the one who rescues Hannes, we are just the instruments He may be using.

We are doing all that we can, and trusting in His abundant provision.


Wednesday, October 17, 2012

A Hard Day...

Some days are just hard.  Today was one of those.  

Habakkuk 3

17 Though the fig tree should not blossom,
    nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
    and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
    and there be no herd in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
    I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
19 God, the Lord, is my strength;
    he makes my feet like the deer's;
    he makes me tread on my high places.



God is with us - even in the frustrating, the discouraging, and the difficult moments.  Thank you Lord, that you are with us, comforting us, giving us the strength to obey You, even in the hard.


Yet I will rejoice in the Lord... 


 

Monday, October 15, 2012

More paperwork...

Today we got two more documents squared away... and we are one step closer to getting the medical documents completed.  We just have a few more dossier documents to finish!  Then we got the mail today and found another packet of additional paperwork needed for the home study!!  Whew! 




As we were getting out of the car at another place to request another document for Hannes, Jacob said "I think Hannes has too much paperwork!"  Julia said "Did you need this much paperwork for me?"  And then asked "How much paperwork did you need for Jacob?"  Funny how their perception of adding a child to our family comes with paperwork!! 


Sunday, October 14, 2012

Sunday Scripture

Psalm 119: 15-16


 I will meditate on your precept and fix my eyes on your ways. 

 I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.
                                                                                                

A Sunday for meditating and delighting...


 

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Hollywood

We are only a half hour away from Hollywood,

                                  but I have only been there two times. 


Today was my third visit to a very unusual place.


 Where you can walk down the street and a boy can meet a pirate...


and a girl on the walk of stars can get a hug from Mickey Mouse...


 


and even Grandma got her photo with the Hollywood sign off in the distance...


and with the star for Tom Selleck...






Another day in Southern California.



Friday, October 12, 2012

Busy Day...

Today:

We went to downtown Los Angeles to apostille 26 documents for Hannes's dossier.  (2 hours) 

We were also able to get our first of three appointments with our social worker for our home study.  (1 hour)

And we spent LOTS of time on Interstate 5 in bumper to bumper traffic. (6 hours) 

Oh the joys of Los Angeles...






My mom would like to see the Hollywood sign, so off to Hollywood tomorrow for sightseeing.  Anyone else live near something that they never go to except to take visiting family and friends?

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Paperwork

The first batch of paperwork has been approved!  We will drive to downtown LA and apostille tomorrow and then we overnight to another family who will carry it over to the country for us. 

Then we have several other papers we are trying to get written and notarized - we have been hitting roadblocks, so please pray that all goes smoothly tomorrow.

We are slowly getting there...



Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Celebrate Fall

There is nothing quite so fun as celebrating fall by going to a farm with Grandma!!   





I know two children who are going to miss their grandma a whole bunch when she returns home.










But while she is still with us, we had lots of fun today picking out pumpkins!!

 



Savoring the beauty of fall...



Enjoying a beautiful day in the sun...


We learned that one family getting ready to fly to their child in the next week got the news today that their baby girl is now with Jesus.  We are really saddened by the timing of this, and feel the urgency even more to bring Hannes home to receive some good medical care.  Won't you partner with us?  You can donate by clicking on the donate button on the right column.  Thank you!

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

That was Me...

‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’    Matthew 25:40 (The Message)


Who are these overlooked or ignored - the least of these?

The little boy with an extra chromosome who lives in a crib in an adult mental institution?

The little girl who has just been taken out of the only family she has known - she was often scared, or hungry, or hurt by those who were supposed to love her - but it was all she knew - and now it's gone and she's with strangers...

The twins who are living in a remote village whose parents have died, whose grandmother is too sick to look after them, and who isn't sure which village their aunts and uncles have gone to when looking for work - they are taking care of their younger brothers and sisters - even though they are only 9.  What will they feed the baby today?

Because they are not at our front door - we can live like they don't exist.  But they DO exist.  And not thinking about it and going on about our lives doesn't make them not exist.

What can we do? 

We can sponsor a child living in poverty - to allow them to get a meal and learn how to read and write and stay with their families.  And write them a letter, letting them know that we care about them.  They are not overlooked, we SEE them.

We can advocate for the orphan who doesn't even know that they could live in a family - and have a mommy look into their eyes and SEE them and love them.

We can become a foster family or become a friend to a foster family, taking them a meal and a teddy bear when a child comes to a new placement - and bend down and SEE that child and give them a hug and a bear to hold onto when the lights are off and the heart is hurting.

Jesus said:  ... that was ME, you did that to ME.



Monday, October 8, 2012

Thank You

We don't know who you are, but thank you!  We are so grateful for the financial support shown us on our Reeces Rainbow page...

http://reecesrainbow.org/47351/sponsorvanheerden

it's more than just the money you have given us -

but it's that you would give of your money to support Hannes, to help us to get to him faster, so that he can get to medical care faster...

I have a sense of urgency, that we need to get him to see a doctor and be assessed, and have the care that his heart needs...

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts - for supporting us with your love and financial support so that we can bring Hannes home and get him to the pediatric cardiologist as soon as possible!


Sunday, October 7, 2012

Sunday Scripture

Psalm 118:27 The Lord is God,
    and he has made his light to shine upon us.
 


                           How can you shine His light in your life? 



Saturday, October 6, 2012

Your Part

There are 147 million orphans in the world.  That is a really big number.  Overwhelming at best.  What difference can any of us make?

We could adopt a child.

But maybe we are not in a position to do that.  Does that mean that there isn't anything we can do?

No.

We can advocate for adoption.  We can let people know about children available for adoption, or come along side a family considering adoption and pray with them.

We can give.   Adoption can be expensive.  We can give our money to a family that desperately wants a child, but needs to raise the money to go get the child.  We can give our time.  Time to listen, time to play with the kids, time to have a date!  We can give clothes to a family welcoming a child.  We can give dinner to a family who is adjusting to all the changes in their family when the child comes home. 

We can become a foster family.  Orphans can be found across the ocean, but they can also be found across town.  Orphans are not only the children without parents alive, but also children whose parents are no longer able or willing to take care of them.   We can take the classes necessary and open our homes to children who are going through very difficult times. 

Is it hard?  Yes.  Does it require sacrifice?  Yes.  But the rewards are always, always worth it!!

How can you be involved in the life of an orphan?




Friday, October 5, 2012

Loving from afar...

How is Hannes today?  Is he tired or does he have a cough?  Is he interacting with the other children around him?  Does he get out of his crib today?   I pray for him.  That he would feel You Jesus, and know that You love him and will send a mommy for him.

It is so hard not to be with him and know what each of his days are like.  A bit of information from those who have seen him is so precious to us.

A mommy for another child playing peek-a-boo with him warms my heart.  Having her whisper to him that he is loved and his mommy is coming is like the whisper of Jesus into his soul.  Thank you Lord that in the midst of my being so far away from him, You show up in the form of another mommy singing "Jesus Loves You" to him.  You are always with each of us.  Thank you, Lord for knowing what we need and then giving it to us.


Thursday, October 4, 2012

Preparation

Preparing for a new child takes all kinds of different paths...

I am walking through Target and spot the clearance rack - I wonder what size Hannes is?  I wonder if I will need this cute sweater for him when I go to meet him - will it be winter where he lives?

We are cleaning up Jacob's bedroom - Hannes will share a room with him.  How will we rearrange the furniture?  Should he sleep in a crib?  That might be what he is used to.  Should we try to keep some things the same to give him some comfort when all will be changing around him?  Would he be ok in a toddler bed, feeling like a big boy now and not reminding him of where he has been?  Would a twin bed be way too big?  Bunk beds to conserve space for the boys?

The kids ask about him every day - "Mom, what is our little boy's name again?"  "Will he like us, or will he cry like Julia did?"  "I will share my cars with him, Mom."

We are preparing our hearts and our home for Hannes.


Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Paper Pregnancy

I have heard it said that while you are collecting all of the paperwork for your adoption that you are in a paper pregnancy.  While it's not exactly the same as my physical pregnancies, there is something to be said about the preparation for a baby while you are pregnant and the preparation for the child while you are collecting the endless amounts of paper that you need for an adoption.

We have just finished Julia's adoption, but the new dossier will need paperwork that is less than 6 months old.  That means getting all of our birth certificates, marriage certificate etc again.  And for some states, that means getting a notarized document in order to prove that you have the legal right to get the document.  Paperwork to prove that you can get the paperwork.  And then there is the cost of each paper.  And the notary.  And the apostille. 

We did all of this paperwork in 2010 and now we are beginning the journey again.  A bit like getting pregnant for the second time and suddenly remembering exactly what pregnancy is like.  Yikes!  We are really doing this again...

Meanwhile, the kids are really LOVING having Grandma/Great Grandma here...



Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Our Journey to Hannes






One little boy with a broken heart (congenital heart defect) waits while his family works tirelessly to bring him home... Won't you join us in giving this little guy the love, the medical care, and the joy he was created to have?  Meet our newest little guy - Hannes...  Although nothing is certain in the faith filled journey of adoption, we are going to do everything we can to give Hannes the life he deserves.



..http://reecesrainbow.org/47351/sponsorvanheerden



Monday, October 1, 2012

Joy in the Journey



Psalm 16:11
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Joy comes from His presence - when we spend time with Him, we experience the fullness of joy - every day.




Know that the Lord, he is God!
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.


Spend time with the One who made you - and He gives you Joy...