When we love...

Every time I watch this video, I tear up. I have been incredibly stirred since we moved south three years ago. In more ways than expressed in this blog, God has challenged me to reevaluate my life, my priorities, my motives, my goals. It's so easy to have tunnel vision in our world, perhaps especially in our society. The day-to-day items consume our time and attention. In all of the chaos (and there is a lot of it if you're a homeschooling mom), I feel that God's vision for this world is lost. At least it was lost on me and is lost on me if I don't daily ask the Lord to shift my focus to where His is. We have been so incredibly blessed. Still, we feel like we need so much or are at least fooled into thinking that we need more than we have, especially at this time of year.

I challenged my boys today to a Christmas dare. I dared them to not talk about what they want for Christmas anymore, but instead to talk about the amazing gifts and blessings that they already have. Gifts that so many children around the world do not have. We're going to make a list everyday. I pray that they'll start to feel God's heart and His love for them, and see His incredible gift as more important than the "things" they desire.

I am so thankful that God has given us this opportunity with Mary. This incredible call to love someone that the world would rather forget. It has radically changed my heart and my life.  God's call to "love the least of these" used to overwhelm me. There is so, so much need. And, I'm sure it will continue to overwhelm me when we finally go to Malawi. However, I know that helping even this one, beautiful little girl will make a difference. If we all could only help one...

New picture of Mary.

On another note, we're almost finished with our home study. According to our attorney, that is all they require for our dossier in Malawi. If this is true, we are so lucky! All we'll have left to do is immigration paper work.  We're still in the process of double checking everything with the US embassy in Malawi, but are hoping that it's true. Once our home study report is received by our attorney, he'll be able to file with the court in Malawi to start the process of deeming Mary adoptable. Then, we'll be able to bring her home! We're continually praying for God's guidance and timing in all of this.

Recently, we've been challenged by God through a very faithful friend to pray about both of us going to get Mary. Originally, we had decided that just one of us would go with a friend so that the other could stay with the kids. Our thinking is that it would be a precautionary measure so that just in case anything happened, the kids wouldn't be left without both of us.  It was something we felt comfortable with and decided without much prayer. Then God prompted our dear friend to tell us to pray more about it. She said that she strongly felt that we both needed to go to bring Mary home.  "If you're willing to trust God with all of this, then you need to trust Him with the ending, too."  Love her.  We're really praying that God will give us a peace about this detail. Please pray with us.

Again, as always, thank you for walking this journey with us. Keep Mary and her grandparents in your prayers.  And, Merry Christmas!

With much love,

Brandie


P.S-  I'd like to encourage you to consider the following ministries as you shop for gifts for your loved ones this year or decide on the charity that you'll donate to.

A few that are dear to us:

Just Love Coffee
Buy coffee for your coffee lovers and support our adoption at the same time. 

Nancy Kilpatrick
A dear friend of ours who is going into full time medical missions with First Love International in Africa. She is raising monthly support and hoping to leave this summer. You can make a donation in her name by clicking on the donations tab on the home page of First Love International.

African Steps
Working to provide health care on Likoma Island, where Mary lives. This is a huge need.


Others that are absolutely amazing:

Amazima
Beautiful, handmade necklaces crafted by women in Uganda. Buying one helps feed their family and keep them employed.

World Vision
They have gift options ranging from $25-$300, e.g. educating a child, buying chickens or a cow for a family, etc.

Blood Water Mission
Give the gift of clean water. It all starts there.

Hands and Feet Project
Help build a home.

Toms Shoes
Get one, Give one

Incredible!

The yard sale was a raging success! It has been a long time in the making, with many of our incredible friends and family members consistently donating items over the past few months. When we finally had everything displayed all over the yard at 7am, we could hardly believe how much stuff we had. If we had had the yard sale this past summer, we wouldn't have had nearly as much stuff to sell.  Things started out pretty slow and by mid afternoon we were lucky to have 1 to 2 people there at a time.  We were doubtful that we'd make much that day. However,  the few people that did come to shop the sale were very interested in the adoption and were super encouraging.  Once we tallied everything at the end of the day, we were humbled to find that we had made more than what we had prayed for! More than what we needed (combined with other fundraising efforts by the awesome Chloe Parsons) to cover the cost of our home study and immigration paperwork! We were blown away!  God has continued to provide for Mary in so many ways.  We've done nothing. In fact, most of the time I feel like we're getting in the way with our doubt and impatience. We fail to trust Him as we should and yet, He is still so, so faithful.

The goodies in the front yard. The rest went all the way down our drive way!

We are continuing to raise money for airfare and for legal fees. If you'd like to contribute towards that, please visit our "How You Can Help" page.  Also, we do have another request from our friend Alex in Malawi. He contacted us the other day to say that they had to tear down the hut that Mary and her grandparents were living in. It was something that they were trying to wait on, but it couldn't wait any longer. They need to rebuild as soon as possible because the rainy season will be upon them very shortly. Presently, they are living in a storage room. Alex has never directly asked us for money in the year that we have known him, so we know that this is a serious need.  In order to rebuild, they need about $400.00.  We're asking people if they would be willing to prayerfully consider giving their tithe this month or next to help get a roof over their heads before the rain arrives.

Where Mary's home was. Phase one of reconstruction.

Again, thank you for your prayers and encouragement. We are humbled and amazed as we watch God in this whole process. When he has a plan, he gets it done, regardless of our plans. All we have to do is remain willing to be used by him; remain willing to walk that narrow, challenging path that tests our faith in him at every turn. He has not called us to live a comfortable life.

I love this quote from Katie Davis. She's a young girl who, at the age of 22,  left her "comfortable" life in middle Tennessee to live in Uganda and be a mother to 13 orphans and run an amazing ministry.

“Uncertainty is everywhere. But I am living in the midst of the uncertainty and risk, amid things that can and do bring physical destruction, because I am running from things that can destroy my soul, complacency, comfort and ignorance. I am much more terrified of living a comfortable life in a self serving society and failing to follow Jesus than I am of any illness or tragedy.”
― Katie Davis, Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption

Mary (with her grandfather) on her first birthday.

With much love and gratitude,

Wes and Brandie

 

Happy Birthday, Mary girl!

It was a year ago today that Mary came into our lives! This precious, beautiful girl is turning one TODAY!  It's hard to believe that a year has passed since we first learned about her situation and her need for a family. We have fallen so much for with this child that lives thousands of miles away and we are trusting that God will bring her home soon.  So today, on her birthday, we are thinking of her and loving her. Not only does this day remind us of her birth, but it also reminds us of her mother who died bringing her into the world. We are mindful of the pain that must be present in Mary's Grandmother's heart today.  We are praying for peace, comfort and strength for her today.

If you feel led today to celebrate Mary's birthday, please visit the "How You Can Help" page on this blog.   For those who may be wondering, the reason we are raising money for this adoption is because we have been sending money to support Mary and her Grandmother. Unfortunately, that takes away from money needed to go towards the other costs associated with the adoption (e.g. paperwork,  lawyer's fees, travel costs, etc.). If you feel led to help, please do. Every penny goes toward bringing Mary home.

Thank you, again, for sharing in this journey. Please join us in wishing Mary girl a very Happy First Birthday!

We love you, Mary.

Yard sale update

We have decided to postpone this weekend's yard sale due to scheduling conflicts and some expected nasty weather. Instead, we're planning to have it next Saturday from 8:00 to 2:00.

Thanks so much to all who have donated items!

Yard sale, coffee, prayer...

This next weekend (10/5), we're going to be having a yard sale to help offset some of the new costs we're facing for the adoption.  If you're in the Knoxville area and would like to donate items to the yard sale, feel free to drop them off or call us to come pick them up. Many of you have already donated items and we're so appreciative of your generosity. 

If you're not in the Knoxville area but would still like to contribute to Mary's adoption, visit our "How You Can Help" page. You can buy some yummy organic coffee (the African Skies blend is our favorite) or you can make a donation. Anything is helpful and appreciated!

At a minimum, though, please pray that God will continue to open doors to bring Mary home soon.

Also, if you haven't done so yet, please join or follow our blog by e-mail (see sidebar). By doing this, you'll automatically be notified when we update our blog. With the progress we're starting to see take place, we'll be posting updates much more frequently.

More to come soon!

Mary...

To say that adoption is a long process is an enormous understatement.  After about nine months, we find ourselves really no further along than we were in January. The social worker on the island, who we've mentioned in previous posts, never did his job.  We have hired a new attorney who is moving as quickly as he can to help move this process along. Still, it's unknown how long this could take. Filing for exceptions from the standard protocol will require additional time and incur additional expenses.

Honestly, we're frustrated.  Mary is in a vulnerable situation that is getting progressively worse. As she gets older (she'll turn one on 10/10) and more mobile, it will be increasingly difficult for her grandmother to care for her. It's hard for everyone involved to understand why this is taking so long to happen, especially since this is what the family wants to have happen. We have to trust that there is a reason for the delays, that it's part of God's plan.

Please continue to pray for our little Mary's protection and for her grandmother's health. Also, continue to pray for our friend Alex, who has been working so hard in Malawi to make this happen.  His selfless love for Mary is a tremendous blessing.

So, that is where we're at right now. Still waiting, but still trusting and believing God to see this through.  He's got Mary in His hand. We couldn't ask for more.

Thank you for your continued support and encouragement.

Waiting...

Sorry for the lack of updates over the last several weeks. Many of you have been asking how things are going and all we can say is, "We're waiting." Due to a number of issues (power outages, network difficulties, etc.) we simply haven't received much information or communication. When Wes last spoke with Alex, he was going to arrange a meeting with the district social welfare officer (DSWO) on the island who is handling Mary's case. If you recall, the DSWO documented the family's consent for Mary to be adopted back in December and was to deliver his report to the Director of Social Welfare in order for final determination regarding Mary's adoptibility to be made. To this point, that report hasn't been delivered. Alex's intent with scheduling this most recent meeting was to inquire (again) about what the DSWO is waiting for. His report is critical in moving this process forward. The Malawian government is so tentative about their commitment to international adoptions that the process has to be strictly adhered to. So, we're waiting and praying. We have to remember that this is a place we've been in before and that God has been faithful every time.

This last week, a friend of mine said something so simple in response to my prattling on about how things are being held up. She said, "Well, the question isn't if it's going to happen, because it will. The question is more of when, and that's up to the Lord." I guess I really needed to hear someone say that. "It will happen." I don't think I've let myself believe it. Maybe as a way to protect myself from getting attached and then being disappointed. But, when I stop and think about it, how insulting that must be to God! I think eliminating the word "if" from my vocabulary would be useful. I don't believe there are "ifs" or even "maybes" with God. I believe those exist with us, due to our lack of faith and trust in Him.  So, please pray for us as we wait. Pray that we will wait in 100% reliance on Him and in expectation of what He IS going to do.  Most importantly,  continue to pray for little Mary and her grandmother. Mary will be 7 months on May 10th. We are trusting the Lord to protect her from TB and malaria, which are so prevalent there.

A few weeks ago, our friend Kathryn sent us a video she took of Mary while she was on the island in March.  In the video, she is giving Mary a basic check up. Mary's Grandmother is holding her.  We were so amused by the little kids in the background. Beautiful, seemingly happy children, but in need of so much.  I pray that we will never cease to have our hearts broken by what breaks the heart of God.  We hope that you will enjoy seeing and hearing Mary for the first time. =)  Just copy and paste the following link into your browser.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFXuvDDQxu4&feature=youtu.be

**Oh, and a little side note...please check out our "How You Can Help" page. We have recently set up the Paypal donation link. Any little bit will be helpful in bringing Mary home.

Many friends have received their first batches of coffee and have reported them to be "really delicious" and "quickly shipped".  Many thanks to all of you diehard coffee drinkers!

For friends in the Knoxville area, we're planning on having a yard sale in the next month. If you have anything that you'd like to donate to the cause, please feel free to drop it off.

Finally, want to say a HUGE thank you to our sister, Chloe Parsons, who has been running her heart out for the adoption this month and has raised, I think, over $1000 so far.  Amazing, amazing girl. We love you!

To everyone, thank you for your continued prayer and support.

Blog updates

We have made a couple changes to our blog that we haven't pointed out previously and want to make sure that you're aware of.

First of all, we've added the option of following this blog by e-mail. At the top of the sidebar, there is a field where you can enter your e-mail address. Doing so will enable you to be alerted by e-mail every time we post an update.

Beyond that, in response to your many inquiries, we have added a "How You Can Help" page where we've listed several ways that you can support this adoption. The primary way, of course, is through prayer and we've listed specific items that you can be praying for. We will continue to update that list as this process continues.

We've also listed a handful of ways that you can help us raise financial support. The unfortunate reality is that it costs money to provide a home for a child. And, while we didn't start this journey with the intention of asking anyone to help us pay for it, many of you have expressed a desire to help in this way. Because we are both runners and coffee drinkers, two of our favorite ways are through our store with Just Love Coffee and by joining the Mile-by-Mile Pledge-A-Thon being put on by our sister Chloe. Visit the "How You Can Help" page for more details about those and other ways that you can help. And, if you have specific questions or other ideas, please feel free to e-mail us at wbeotn@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you!

As always, thank you!

Impact

Recently, as I getting ready to leave for work, Owen was sitting on the floor in our room looking at some of his baby pictures. Holding up one of himself as a newborn, he said, "Dad, I just love babies. I want to always be a baby." I scooped him up and told him that he would always be our baby. I then told him that we all grow up, though, and that someday he would become a kind, gentle, caring man. "And then I'll change my last name to 'Alex' because I'm going to take care of babies," he replied. He was of course referring to our friend Alex in Malawi who is helping us with the adoption. I was struck by how one man's acts of benevolence on the other side of the world have made an impact on my four-year-old's heart. It was a good reminder to never underestimate the impact we can have when we selflessly serve others.

A Great Day!

Today was a fabulous day in so many ways!  To begin with, Owen had his routine semi-annual check up with his cardiologist. During these visits, he has a series of tests done and an echocardiogram to see how his heart is functioning. Even though we try to be easygoing and upbeat about these appointments, there's always the lingering fear that his condition has worsened and that he'll need additional medications or surgery. Fortunately, that was not the case today! Owen's heart function is great and as long as he continues to grow like he has been for the next couple of years, we may be able to avoid the need for future surgery. We're so thankful for this answer to prayer and for God's continued protection of Owen. Owen was excited, too! He kept exclaiming, "I have a healthy heart!" We celebrated by having a heart-healthy carrot cake after dinner.

The second reason that today was such a great day is that we received an update from Malawi! After several weeks without any updates, we were so excited to receive some news. As we mentioned in an earlier post, a team with African Steps arrived on Likoma Island on March 13th to work at St. Peter's Hospital.  Our friend, Kathryn, graciously offered to visit the baby and give her a general examination while they were there. Today, we received the e-mail and pictures below from Kathryn.  (You'll notice that the baby has been named Mary by her grandmother.) 

Wes,

We arrived home this morning after an amazing time in Malawi. As you probably have heard, things are very difficult for the people there at the moment and particularly for the people of Likoma. There was no power on the Island due to the shortage of diesel and when we arrived, the clinical officer was using the light of his mobile phone to operate - we carried some solar lamps with us and managed to get those installed in the operating theatre - just one example to give you an idea of how hard it is for the hospital to operate at present.

I saw Alexander on our first day as he was taking his child to the nursery school which was next door to where we were staying. I explained that the clinical officer was on the Island during our first week, but not the second and so asked him to come back to see us during our second week. 

We sat for some time with Mary and her grandparents. What a lovely little girl she is - she looks well and healthy and it seems that she is being looked after very well. I did some very basic tests and it seemed to me that she is a healthy baby with good sight and hearing. we were going to weigh her and took some scales with us, but it was obvious that she within the normal range for weight for a baby of her age, so didn't upset her by putting her on the scales.

Mary was a little unsure of what to make of us white people, but she soon settled and got used to us.

I asked the clinical officer about further tests and he said that he felt Mary had had everything which was necessary at this stage.

I'm attaching some photos of Mary and her grandmother. I also took some video, but it will take me a few days to edit that - need to unpack first!!

Please do email if you would like anymore information or if you have any questions.

When are you planning to travel to Likoma to take Mary back to the US?

Wishing you all the best.

Kathryn


It's so encouraging to hear and see (below) that the baby is healthy and well cared for.  At the same time, we were really struck by how sick her grandmother appears to be. The pictures really illustrate the pain, sacrifice, and hope of this situation. As a friend brought up, hopefully someone has shared the love and hope of Jesus with her. If not, perhaps there is still an opportunity to do that.  We're so thankful and humbled to be a part of what God is doing in this situation.

Thank you for walking with us.

Anticipation

Owen was just sitting at the table telling me about the story he is writing about how much he and Emerson love our baby.  "I can't resist our baby, Mom. I just can't resist her." Then he proceeded to sing, "I wish I had a million dollars..." (a tune from his violin lessons), "...to bring our baby home right now." He perfectly summed up how we are feeling right now. There are days when my heart aches to move this process along, to have her here.  Being patient in this process is SO challenging.

Today we learned that the social worker in charge of our case in Malawi has yet to deliver documentation of the meeting with the family in December to Hyacinth (the director of social welfare) who will give us the big "O.K." to adopt the baby. Knowing our frustration, our friend in Malawi, Alex, encouraged us not to panic and to trust God with the timing.  Wisdom spoken. Lesson learned. Lord we are trusting you...we will wait.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philipians 4:6

Please join us this week in not worrying, but instead, praying that the social worker will act swiftly to get our papers to Hyacinth.

Just a little update:

A team of doctors from London with the ministry "African Steps" arrived on Likoma Island today.  They have agreed to visit the baby and give her a full developmental examination, similar to what she would receive in the UK or US.  We are eager for their report and will be sure to share the details with you all! If you'd like to know more about their awesome ministry to the people of Likoma Island, you can find a link to their website under the "Our Team" tab.

Hope you're all having a blessed day!

Thank you...

...to everyone who has responded so positively and with so much encouragement!  It feels so good to finally be able to share this news, this joy, with you all and to also know that we are not alone in this process.  Our prayer is that this journey will not only give a beautiful little girl a home, but that it will  testify to the amazing work that God is doing in our world.

With that said, we wanted to give you a basic idea of what has happened since October when we first found out about her situation. Below is a "bare bones" timeline of what has taken place. 

October 10th - learned about the baby girl orphaned at birth on Likoma Island from our friend Nancy.

October 11th - inquired if the baby was going to be put up for adoption.

October 19th - we learned that baby's family was interested in a possible adoption.
                      - first phone call with Alex (our contact and her care coordinator). He arranged for a wet
                        mother to care for the child because of the grandmother's failing health.

November 1st - connected with Derek Macpherson and given Alan Chinula's contact info (lawyer).

December 10th - after several attempts, finally spoke with Alan Chinula.
                         - given Hyacinth's contact info (Director of Social Welfare in Malawi).

December 15th - pictures of baby's home and health report sent to us from Alex.

December 28th - Meeting on Likoma with all extended family members (including father) and social
                           worker to discuss adoption. Family agrees "wholeheartedly" to adoption, 2pm Malawian
                           time!! Pictures sent.

February 1st - First conversation with Perry Jansen.

February 3rd - blood taken for test. Pictures sent to confirm.

February 12th - Negative HIV test!

February 16th - Wet nurse left the island, need a new care giver.

February 21st - Doctors from London confirm that they'll be on Likoma Island March 13th to examine the
                         baby. Will send more pics and maybe a video!

We are so thankful and amazed by the progress that has been made. God alone deserves all of the credit!  Presently, we are waiting for Hyacinth to approve the adoption so that we can do our home study and complete immigration paper work here, all of which could take several months to process. We appreciate your continued prayer for wisdom (and patience) and for the health and safety of the baby.

Love to you all...

W & B

The beginning...

Since we were first married, we have known that we'd love to have a large family. Already having had two beautiful boys, the discussion/debate recently has been how to go about continuing to grow our family. While there has always been a strong desire to continue to have our own, we just haven't been able to overlook the countless number of children who don't have families. Still, we haven't had a peace about how we could be used to address that need...until four months ago.

On October 9th, we prayed a very short and specific prayer: "God, we want to adopt, but we don't know how we can. If you want us to adopt, you need to make it a lot simpler." The next day, God answered that prayer. Through a very dear friend of ours, we learned that a woman on Likoma Island in Malawi had passed away during childbirth, leaving behind a baby girl. The child's only relative who could care for her was her grandmother, who is very sick with HIV. Initially, petitions were made for people to send money to support the baby and her grandmother.  We probably won't be able to explain adequately how things progressed from there, but basically we knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God was calling us to act in this situation. It was one of those "billboard moments" when God was saying, very clearly to our hearts, "Do this!" At moments like those, you can either step forward in faith or talk yourself out of it.  We chose to step forward and inquired about adopting the baby girl and the grandmother agreed. We were fully aware that there would be risks involved, and yet fully sure of the One in whom we believe; the One who promises to provide all that we need to accomplish that which he has called us to do. We were reminded of the words in James 1:27, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress..." and also the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:40, "...I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." He has called all of us to "look after the orphans"..."to do unto the least of these..." These words challenged and convicted our hearts. We could neither ignore the intense desire in both of our hearts to adopt, nor this opportunity that was a direct answer to prayer.

Since then, it has been an amazing four months! God is continually confirming in both of our hearts that this opportunity is for us. We've struggled with how people like us, in our stage of life, could possibly do this.  Adoption has always seemed like a luxury that is reserved only for those who are financially "qualified". But whenever we begin to question our "qualifications",  we are reminded that He doesn't choose those who are perfect, He chooses those who are willing. Whenever we hit a wall in the process and feel like it's just not going to happen, He encourages us with amazing progress that only He could accomplish! We are so excited to share with you what He has been doing and we will continue to post more details. Until then, we ask that you will partner with us in prayer as we follow the Lord on this journey to bring her home!

Love, B & W