Passion for Paraguay

Happy Birthday, Anahi Anahi turned five this week. She arrived in our lives after a long wait and a season of challenges, in ministry and personally. On a personal level, we had struggled with infertility for many years. In ministry, we were pioneering the ICCI Bible school and walking alongside a struggling church as interim pastors, as well as shouldering other ministry responsibilities. The adoption process we'd begun as a result of our infertility was going nowhere, to the point that we were ready to give up. The paperwork seemed endless. Stamps, copies, legalizations, interviews, background checks, and so forth. We were getting tired of the countless trips lasting 10 to 12 hours to the capital city for meetings and interviews. We were stretched emotionally and financially to the max. But one phone call brought a new season into our lives. It came on a Monday morning at 10 a.m., on July 18th, when the director of the adoption agency called us with probably the best ne...

Just wanted to share the good news that the judge signed the paper we needed yesterday and we will be heading to Asuncion today to obtain Esther Anahi's birth certificate and passport.  It was very interesting how the whole situation played out.  I decided I had to speak with her personally, so I dressed up Anahi in her cutest outfit and I drove one hour to her office.  My heart was pounding so hard as I walked right upstairs to her office.  I felt like Queen Esther before the King without prior consent.  I asked the judge's secretary if I could show her Anahi.  This judge cared for our daughter for a few nights after she was brought in by the police for transfer to Asuncion.  She also was the one who named her. When I went to the office, our lawyer told me that she might not even see us.  However, Anahi just kinda walked into her office.  When she saw how beautiful Anahi was she began to cry.  We talked for a few minutes and Anahi gav...

This weekend we traveled to Asuncion to obtain Anahi's new birth certificate.  Our hope was to start the passport process with her birth certificate, but nothing went according to plan. We were told there was an error with the adoption resolution.  Because ONE word was written wrong, we have to go back to the judge in Encarnacion and have a new resolution issued.  We were so discouraged and frustrated about this mistake.  Now, we have to travel again to Asuncion this week and try to resolve this issue, before we travel in about six weeks.  Please pray that we can get this resolved and get Anahi's passport (it usually takes a month to process passports) and get her visa all in time for our May 14 flight. To top it off, it rained like cats and dogs.  When it's like this, we have to roll up our pants to our knees and take off our socks and shoes to cross the street.  This is what the streets in Asuncion is like when it rains: At least the kids...

Want some good news?  On Dec. 30 we received the news from our lawyer that Esther Anahi is officially OUR baby girl!!  The adoption here in Paraguay is finalized!!!  We now have to wait for the month long legal holiday to finish so we can get her new birth certificate and start the Paraguayan ID process. We can't say THANK YOU enough for your prayers for this very long process.  PRAISE GOD from whom all blessings flow.  She was worth every minute!   Now the giveaway.  Interestingly, this week a blogger pressed the "next blog" button and stumbled upon our blog.  That person named Jane, is an artist in the UK.  She also happens to be an advocate for Reeces' Rainbow , orphan ministry.  The incredible connection is that she is doing a giveaway of an amazing piece of art for Ryan .  He's the little boy that God allowed us to be a very small part of his story.  Jane, is giving away her stunning, original piece of art called, "Be...

I got an email this week from my college roommate, Julie .  She and her husband are serving as missionaries in Mexico.  They have adopted 18 children (and counting) and have a ministry called Refuge Ranch.  Julie told me that she saw a logo on my sidebar that sparked her curiosity that read, "Orphan No More" and clicked on it.  It took her to Reece's Rainbow, an orphan advocacy ministry which gives grants for children with special needs.  The site shows dozens of beautiful children from over 25 countries over the world that need loving families. I am a prayer warrior for two precious children Timmy's age, Lance and Sarah , and I would love to have you join me in prayer for their forever families. To continue the story, my friend Julie put a link on her facebook status about the ministry and her high school friend, another Julie from Ohio, read her status and felt led to investigate the ministry.  They prayed about it and are now in the process of adopti...

Since today is Orphan Sunday , we thought we'd post a new picture of our little princess.  She is such a happy, delightful baby and we thank God every day for her!  It's hard to believe she's only been home a little over two months.  She is fitting in so well...sleeping and eating well and she just loves people.  Two and a half years ago Norberto joined me in the call to adopt at the Expolit radio conference in Miami when he saw a session called, "The Miracle of Adoption" with Rebeca and Brian Knowles . The speakers at that session dispelled the myths that many people have regarding the adoption process.  Norberto broke down at that conference and knew that God was telling Him he needed to take a step of faith.  When we returned home from our furlough we immediately started the adoption process.  Now, two weeks ago at the COICOM conference in Asuncion, the same speakers were present and he was able to share as a testimony how God used them to touc...

We shared here about the surprising news that our daughter may have Down Syndrome.  Well, we got a call back this week saying the results are negative!  Thanks so much for your prayers; we are thrilled with this news. Stay tuned as we will share more about what's happening in our ministry in the next few days.

We just got back from Asuncion where we had a birthday party/farewell/thank you party for Anahi's foster family and all the friends and neighbors that poured out love on our little girl during her first year.  They have been so gracious and loving to us.  They hosted me for three days while we were visiting Anahi and wouldn't let me pay for any expenses. They set up the entire birthday party and it was was far beyond what we could have imagined!  They even bought her a fancy birthday dress and shoes.  Wow, what an example of loving kindness!  We pray God's richest blessings on this precious family and we hope to maintain periodic contact with them. Here we are with the loving foster family that doted on Anahi for nine months.  She was with two other families for her first three months.   They contracted a moon walk for the party for the bigger kids.  We filled a balloon pinata with candy and trinkets and all the kids were underneath waiting fo...

One week ago this evening we brought our little girl home!  We're all adjusting to life as a family of four...well more when you include the pets.  We're not yet sleeping through the night and we've had a few midnight vomit spells and many prayers for understanding, but we're taking it all in stride and are so blessed with our little princess. Here are a few pics of our first few days with Anahi.  The animals are absolutely amused with the baby!   Hiking down to the pond with the pup in the corner and a terere tea in hand (of course). Playing ball with big brother.  One of our daily walks through the wheat fields.  Snack time!  Tuckered out after a long day of play.  Meeting "Abuela" Tabita for the first time.  Mom Kurrle went with us to pick up Anahi from Asuncion and it was love at first sight.  We look forward to introducing her to more of our loved ones in the next few weeks (even via skype) and we continue t...

  Sorry we haven't written for a few days.  On our way to Asuncion on Friday we got a call that one of the social workers couldn't make it to the meeting and we'd have to sign all the papers on Monday.  So, that meant that we had to spend the weekend in the capital city again.  That was such a bummer since for us it seems like each day lasted an eternity to wait.  The good news is that we got to have Anahi the whole weekend!! Here is a picture of us signing the documents with the lawyer and social workers from the adoption agency.  I will post pictures of our first week together soon.  Life as we know it has changed forever (more on that later, now I've gotta get some work done)!

We just got a call from our lawyer saying that the judge has signed the resolution for our guardianship and we can bring our little girl home!!!  Since we have to teach today and tomorrow, we will be traveling most likely on Friday morning to Asuncion to get Anahi.  We are so excited!!!  This long process is finally coming to an end and it's such a joyous time in our lives.  I can finally post pictures too!  This is when we first met her in July for the first time ( 9 months old). This is one of our visits to Asuncion when we went to a children's festival and she bounced in the globo loco (moonwalk). (10 months) Anahi at 11 months.  Look at those big brown eyes! Feeding our little girl. Hanging out with big brother Peek-a-boo with Papi. Pray for our transition as Anahi adjusts to our life and rhythm, different foods and craziness!!    We can't God enough for this indescribable gift and we also continue to thank you for...

When we walked into the judge's office yesterday the judge had a look on her face that could kill.  She did not greet us or smile.  She simply told us to have a seat.  I gulped and said a quick "Oh Lord, help us" type of prayer.  This was the judge that everyone warned us about.  The one that throws young children out of her courtroom.  We had been praying for weeks that we would be salt and light to this woman and when we walked into our office I knew we would need a miracle. She started asking the normal questions...our age, our nationality...  Then she asked why we wanted to adopt.  We explained that we had always wanted a big family, but due to infertility problems, things hadn't gone as planned.  We told her that we have been praying for a child for years and that we truly believed that Anahi is the answer to our prayer. In that moment, something happened to the judge's face. She smiled, then she looked down and started to weep....

Tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. in Encarnacion is our big interview with the judge for the adoption of Anahi!!!  Thanks for your prayers that we can be salt and light and that God would show us favor.

The last three days have been some of the most difficult and exhilirating of my entire adult life.  They were full of joy, fear, sadness, doubt to name just a few of the emotions that gripped my heart while I was with our daughter in Asuncion. I took an overnight bus to be with her when she got up in the morning.  In order to see her beautiful morning smile I needed to face my fears of walking in the same terminal where I was assaulted in 2008- my purse knifed by three thugs.  I arrived safely and I walked into her foster caregivers home at 6:00 a.m. and saw her there sleeping and in perfect peace.  Thank you God for this amazing gift!  I spent the next days learning about our daughter's daily life and routine with the family that so graciously cared for her  and helped her to understand the love of a family, a real home.  I was so humbled by their hospitality.  They are a modest family yet they gave me their bed, and their bedroom while the c...

We had the BEST time with our little girl this weekend!! We bonded with her so much and she just kept giving us sweet little kisses.  Leaving her behind was just the PITS.  Thankfully, we won't have many more goodbyes.  However, we have to continue the relating process with her so the social worker can give a report to the judge on how Anahi is dealing with her new family (that would be us).  So, I (Julie) am leaving on an overnight bus for Asuncion and will be with her until Friday night.  Norb is holding the fort down here (and teaching my classes) while I'm gone.  Our big interview with the judge is in one week, on August 30.  If all goes well, we will be named Anahi's legal guardians until the adoption process is complete.  We aren't sure when this long process will end the adoption will be complete, but we're grateful to God for our little girl and recognize that all these sacrifices are totally worth having her in our arms.  

Those were the happiest words we heard all week when our lawyer called on Wednesday.  That means we now have the opportunity to make contact with our daughter in her foster home! Thursday night we made the trip to Asuncion and yesterday we spent six hours with Anahi!  We got to feed her, change her diaper, play with her and put her down for a nap.  We were supervised the entire time by a government social worker.  Thankfully, we had a great day and unbelievably she didn't cry even once! Today and tomorrow we will spend the day with her again (unsupervised) and then we will wait for our interview with the judge on Tuesday, Aug 30.  If all goes well with our interview, we will be named legal guardians of Anahi and we will be able to bring our little girl home.  Then, we'll post all the pictures that we're dying to show you of our little princess.

The flowers are blooming!  (magnolias) (yucca flower) The garden is growing... The orchids are flowering...  This delicate orchid in our yard is called a "micro orchid" as the flowers that are blooming are best seen under a microscope. The puppies are playing... (.thank God that they all sold, but they're so cute who couldn't resist!) and her clothes are hanging!!.. in the anticipated arrival of our daughter.  We are expecting to be able to bring her home in the next 2-3 weeks. We rejoice at the signs of spring in our home and family.  God is so good!!  He makes all things beautiful in His time.  What are some signs of spring in your life right now?

Here in Paraguay we celebrate Mother's Day (May 15), Father's Day (second Sunday in June) and Children's Day (August 16)!  However, the entire month is full of children's events. This past week some local churches and businesses sponsored a special concert with Biper , a Christian children's group from Argentina.  The stadium that was rented was packed with 4,000 children/adults!!   Timmy still can't stop talking about the concert.  He was especially happy to have a dream come true and eat cotton candy!   On Saturday, Aug 20 our church is sponsoring a big party with a moonwalk inflatable, and an afternoon of fun and games in a poor neighborhood about 10 minutes outside of town.  We are looking forward to serving the children and telling them about God's love.  We continue to pray that August will be the month that we bring home our sweet daughter as well.  We still don't have any news from the judge.  Our attorney says that she hasn't s...

Our lab pups are almost 45 days old; aren't they adorable!  We have eight pure bred pups and we will be selling them to help pay our attorney fees for the adoption.  This extra income (pray that they sell) could not have come at a better time because our budget could not handle the added expense of the attorney/court fees for the adoption.  Three weeks ago we had no idea that a precious little girl would be added to our family soon, so we didn't have time to save up.  Not to mention that the dollar is so low here, it really makes prayer an integral part of our existence! So, if you know of anyone living in Paraguay that wants the best all-around dog that's fantastic with kids, send 'em our way! 

I just talked with our attorney (we were not at the meeting) and she said that the judge wanted to review our case and will give us an answer on Monday.  Ah, Monday seems so far off!  There are two judges for the children's sector in our state and the one assigned to our case happens to be the more difficult (as in takes her time, is critical, and skeptical). However, that does not intimidate us.  We know that so many folks are praying and we believe that God can even change the heart of a judge who doesn't have any children and doesn't understand the heart of a mother. I am asking God for patience and the trust in Him that His  timing his perfect and His ways are perfect. After Monday when we receive a favorable response, we will need to present ourselves in front of the judge and she will interview us on why we want to adopt.  We want to be salt and light to this woman.  Would you please be in prayer for her (Evelyn) and for us?  We really, truly...