Watching and Waiting

We are still here, and we are still waiting. I almost titled this blog post "The Family Who Cried Wolf" because I feel like we keep saying 'we are so close, we are so close' and then silence. Taylor's emmigration permit (i.e. passport) was approved on March 26. We were told to expect travel call to come between two and four weeks from then. Today marks two weeks and one day, so we are right in the middle of the estimated time of travel. I am not sure why, but last week I truly expected to hear news of travel call (TC) or at least that his Visa Interview (the final stamp before his one-way visa is issued) was scheduled, which would indicate we are 1-3 days from receiving TC. HOWEVER, last Thursday I received an email saying that the agency staff in Korea were going through Tay's paperwork and noticed they had misplaced a document needed to send his paperwork to the embassy and that we had to have it redone and sent asap to prevent further delays. I feel like we have hung tough for most of this process with the waiting and unknowns, but this one hit me pretty hard. I was expecting travel call, not "we have not even sent your paperwork to the embassy yet and have lost a document that you will have to redo for us to be able to proceed." So, I had to reschedule my patients (thanking God for the flexibility in my job), drive home to print off the missing forms, bring them to be notarized, and meet Michael 'just in time' at the post office for him to sign and overnight the package to our agency in Oregon with the hopes that it will make it there in time to be sent with the weekly mail sent out to Korea on Friday afternoons. But we did it...our redone forms were sent on their way to Korea on Friday afternoon and expected to arrive Monday or Tuesday of this week. We are not sure what this means for travel time but are hoping that when they receive this document Taylor's packet will be sent to the embassy for approval and (hopefully) quick travel approval. Needless to say, I am emotionally wiped out and a little discouraged. I am ready to go get my little boy and feel like we have waited long enough. But I know that His ways are higher than my ways and His thoughts are higher than my thoughts. He was not caught off-guard by this paperwork mishap and is sovereign over the processing of this adoption. From past trials of my life, I know that God's Word is the only rock to stand on and that it is living and active (Heb 4:12). I know that His grace is sufficient for me and His power made perfect in weakness (2 Cor 12:9-10), so I pray that God gets great glory as we continue along this road.

I am sure many of you are wondering why I always put scripture throughout a lot of my posts. The answer is simple: This is where I find rest and peace, power and strength to keep pushing on when there are ups and downs along the way during this adoption process. I know and have experienced that the Truth really does set me free (John 8:32)!! So here we are, watching and waiting, somewhat anxiously if I am being totally honest, for God to make the way for us to bring Taylor home. Below is the verse that has been on my heart the most over these past couple of weeks. I ask that you pray that we would stand firm on these truths and that God may be glorified in our journey.

Have you not known? Have you not heard?
 The LORD is the everlasting God,
  the Creator of the ends of the earth.
 He does not faint or grow weary;
  his understanding is unsearchable.
 He gives power to the faint,
  and to him who has no might he increases strength.
 Even youths shall faint and be weary,
  and young men shall fall exhausted;
 but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
  they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
 they shall run and not be weary;
  they shall walk and not faint.
(Isaiah 40:28-31 ESV)

Until next time, Amanda

Riding the Rollercoaster...

I know it has been a while since I have updated everyone on how our adoption is going, and we have been asked by several people, "How much longer until you get to go get him?" or "It seems like the dates keep changing and getting pushed back. Do you think you will get him any time soon?" Well, you know the rollercoaster at Six Flags that goes upside down (was that Six Flags? who knows)? Well, it goes upside down in the forward direction, then in the backwards direction and kind of lingers there going back a forth a few times at the bottom of the loop, then takes off going forward really quickly. So, we are in that lingering part of this adoption rollercoaster ride. As stated in my previous post (the one I posted lightyears ago), Taylor was in fact submitted in the first batch of EPs (emigration permits...basically applying for approval from Korean Ministry so that a visa can be issued)...that was March 5. We were told to expect approval of the EPs during the following 1-2 weeks; however, we did not get approval until this past Monday, March 26.

Soooo, I am so glad to say that the next step in the process is the travel call, which we were told to expect 2-4 weeks from last Monday. A sister agency has already starting giving travel calls, and, as I type this, there are 3-4 families that I know of who are on a plane right now headed to Seoul to bring home their sweet children! We are watching their journeys via their blogs and praying for them as they enter a much-awaited phase of their lives (some have been waiting as long as 3 years!). Our adoption agency has informed us that they expect the first travel calls to begin the second week of April. I have basically been refreshing my email inbox every 15 minutes since then between the times of 6 PM (8 am SK time) and Friday afternoon for new information about travel calls and when they will start issuing travel visas (i.e. passports), which usually indicates 1-2 days until you get "The Call." And we are so ready! Really, I have one large suitcase filled with toddler toys, clothes, medicines (hoping we will not need them), etc. for our precious two-year old. The second suitcase if filled with gifts for an amazing foster mom, foster father, foster siblings (adult children of foster parents who are helping care for him), Holt social worker, our tour bus driver, the MDs and nurse who have been caring for our little one each month during well-baby checkups, etc. I am already learning that Taylor's stuff takes up all of the space. Everything of mine is in a backpack carryon ;) Carseats are installed, room is ready, vitamins are being taken (anticipating we will need just a 'little' boost of extra energy these next few weeks)! All we need now is the green light for travel!

Please pray for our little guy and his foster family as we are nearing that bittersweet family day! It has been one year last Friday since we were matched with our sweet boy. So many emotions that we know we need God's grace and peace and wisdom to navigate these next several weeks. I hope to sit down and write a better blog in the next few days and certainly as we get that travel call and spend some time in S Korea meeting and getting to know Taylor and seeing is birth country. There is so much more to tell about a precious friend who will be traveling with me (Michael is unable due to extenuating circumstances), the story of my getting time off from work, our plans for attachment, etc. So, until then, God bless!

Amanda

P.S. Oh yea, we are back in Louisiana! I miss Birmingham so much it hurts sometimes because we were so blessed/spoiled by God with such an amazing faith family and friends that demonstrate radical obediance and abandonment for the sake of the gospel on a regular basis, but we are enjoying being back around family and friends here on our home turf and being able to catch up with friends. We are working on getting plugged into a local church here and looking for an area to plant ourselves for at least the next few years :) I mean, who knows where God will send us!

Two years ago today....

In a maternity clinic in Osan, Gyeonggi, Korea on February 6th, 2010, a little boy was born. Soon after his birth, this little boy was placed with a foster mom where, one month after he was born, the social worker states that "he is doing well with exceptional care and love from his foster family." I cannot help but be overwhelmed with gratitiude as I imagine the courage of both of these precious women to sacrifice a piece of themselves so that this child, our child, has the hope of life with a forever family. Tonight as I type this it is 10:30 a.m. on February 6th in S Korea where this little boy is playing and, mostly likely, opening a few presents from his sweet foster family. I pray for him as he enjoys his last birthday in the country where he was born, with the only family he has ever known, praying that God is preparing his heart to transition to his forever family. But, perhaps even more than that, my heart breaks for a foster mother who knows that she only has precious weeks left to love and care for a little boy she has had since birth, a child she has held during sickness, whose boo boos she has kissed diligently, whose first steps she has celebrated, a child she has carried tirelessly in a baby carrier and fed rice cereal; this is the child she will have to say goodbye to and hand over to strangers who she prays will love and care for him as much as she has for the past two years. God, please give her peace and warm her heart that she may know this little one will have the unconditional love from a mother and a father that are just over the moon for him! I also think of a woman who placed her child for adoption and, mostly likely feels a sense of grief and loss on this day, a day when she gave away a piece of herself so her baby boy could be taken care of in a way that she was not able to. God, grant her peace during this time and freedom from guilt as she imagines where he is and if he is well loved and cared for. He is.

 Happy 2nd birthday our sweet Taylor boy!

At two years old, here are few things our little fella is doing halfway around the world: runs alone (ready or not), steps up stairs while holding, plays well in Gymboree, takes off his own socks, stacks several cubes, waves byebye, helps at home (haha..imagining him with a little toy broom), winks (oh yea, he's a charmer). He can also say these words (in Korean, of course): milk, water, mama (my personal favorite), daddy, what?, and several more. He also has 8 teeth on top and 8 on bottom (and from the pictures, he definitely uses them often). We are ready to bring you home and chase you around little Taylor!

So, in case you are wondering why we are not posting pictures of us holding him yet, here is an update: the Korean ministry decided not to process any EPs (passports) for the month of January but say that they plan to begin processing them again in mid-February. This means that if we are in the first batch of passports submitted, it will be anywhere from 3-12 weeks until travel. We hope to have him home by April/May. We are just hanging on tight as he ride this crazy roller coaster to Korea. Thanks for following! God bless.

Taylor and his foster mom received their Christmas care package. This is Tay at 22 months.

Big Big News!!!

Okay, so a lot has been going on in the Murry household these past few months, much of which I could not share on the blog for various reasons. So, it is time for an update and sharing of big news (to come at the end....hang with me ;) So here goes, around late September/early October Michael and I began to sense a pull to move back to the Livingston, LA area where we are from. I knew the answer to the question before I even asked our adoption agency but went ahead and shared with them our desire to move back to Louisiana so that Taylor will grow up knowing family and friends we have grown up with. They answered with a definite "no" because our agency does not have jurisdiction to place in Louisiana. What we did find out was that we could move after the first post-placement visit after bringing Taylor home, approximately one month after Tay is home. With all of the Korean government rules and with there being a quota for the amount of passports issued each year, we were told in November to expect travel around April 2012 at the earlier, with May or June being more likely. Well, on November 11 I received a phone call from Holt (our placing agency), where A told me that she took a "shot in the dark" and decided to call the Korean agency and ask if they would make an exception and allow us to move to Louisiana with permission for completing our adoption in Louisiana. Long story-short, they said, "Yes! But move quickly!" So that is what we are working on....moving back to Louisiana!!

You would think that would be enough busyness and chaos to keep us running around like crazy people...but no. I will have to share in another posting, but Michael had to have an emergency appendectomy about two weeks ago that should have been routine but was not. There were complications but he is back home and doing well (maybe 85% back physically). That will take another blog posting...

We also knew that we would be moving into an apartment in Louisiana and could not keep our two lab retrievers in an apartment. So project "Find Marley and Jake a Home" began about 4 weeks ago. Again, another blog posting, but they are in a wonderful home with a family with two kids in a country town in Georgia.

So....moving along as expected right? Yeah right. When you sign up for adoption, just remember that anything can happen, and it really is a rollercoaster ;) When you think you are on track and moving along according to schedule, know that change is probably coming!! *clears throat*

So...yesterday I received an email informing us that Taylor is scheduled to have his visa physical (a medical examination done before being submitted for passport) on January 5th (Jan 4th our time). That struck me as odd because this is usually only done just before the child is submitted for their passport. Well, I called LL at our Holt adoption agency and was told that apparently Taylor's adoption is being expedited and that it looks like he will be submitted in the first batch of passport submissions....making travel as early as mid-February!!!!! Yikes!!! Okay, this is the Big Big News! We may be traveling to S Korea next month to get our little boy! Ahhh!!! I have mostly been in excited shock! This means a lot of scrambling around to get moved, working in new job, and paperwork completed and submitted so he can be brought to Louisiana versus Alabama where he is currently approved to come. This also means informing a new employer that I really really would like at least 6 weeks off, even though I just started. I just accepted a full-time position as a home health occupational therapist and am worried that they will not approve the 6-8 weeks off I was hoping to get if we traveled later in the year (or even keep me as an employee if I request it). I need a job but need to care for my little one appropriately. I am kind of freaking out with anxious and excited emotions. I do not want to rush attachment. Please pray that God will soften hearts, make clear paths, and provide us with resources and a means to care for Taylor the way He intends. Blessings to all who are waiting. I hope to see some of you in S Korea! How incredible would that be?! Bring it on 2012!!!!

Christmas Care Package!

We are excited about the Christmas season and the opportunity to spend time with friends and family, but are also waiting in eager anticipation of the new year when the EP quota (i.e. passports given to children for international travel each year) is reset and children can again be approved to come home to their families. We now hope to travel some time from April - June and appreciate your prayers that the Korean Ministry would be generous and timely in approving more children to travel next year. It is crazy to think this will actually happen and that the sweet little boy in the pictures and videos we have treasured will actually be in our arms in a few months. It is exciting to think that all of the holidays we are celebrating now will be the last ones we experience

without Tay.

In the meantime, though, we have to love him from afar. Last week we shipped Taylor's second care package, his Christmas one, filled with some goodies for both Taylor and his foster mom.

We sent him a recordable book with us reading to him so that he is able to get more familiar with our voices. We plan to send him video of us talking to him, showing him his room, singing to him (maybe?) in the next package we will send (probably in January or February) so that we can best prepare him for the transition into our family. We tried to say "I love you" on the greeting page of the book with the hopes that that is what they hear when they open it. We sound really goofy to ourselves but I guess that is just preparing us for the crazy things we will find ourselves doing/saying when we become parents! We also got him a laugh-n-learn puppy, Thomas the Train toy, and light-up ball that were recommended by some ladies in my FB adoption group. Thanks ladies! We finished off his gifts with a couple of outfits and a book about monkeys. The outfits are usually more for the foster moms who have to recycle clothes with their foster children, and, because children are getting older in the foster homes with the new EP situation, we figure a couple more outfits would be nice.

I do not know how in the world you go about lavishing thanks and love on the woman who has sacrificially cared for your child during his first years of life, but this is where we will start. Apparently these Almond Roca chocolates are a great treat in South Korea but cost much more than they do here (Walmart $5). And what mom does not need energy, sleep, and stress relief? Hopefully this sugar scrub, body lotion, and bubble bath will allow some much earned pampering this Christmas ;)

"Itty bitty living space" - quote from Aladdin for all you Disney fans. That is what I think about every time I have to cram all of this love and fun into a small box to send halfway around the world. : ) Hoping it gets there in time for Christmas (they said it would) and that we get some cute pictures with him playing with his toys!

The train you see in this picture is different from the one above because the first one did not work, and we had to settle for a Percy train instead of Thomas because that is all they had left ;)

Also, we received 57 t-shirt orders, which will add up to about $700 that we can put towards our adoption fees and travel expenses! Yay! Thanks to all who have supported us in this way. We have also be selling all sorts of things on Craig's List and are able to raise that fundraiser thermometer just a little further towards our goal. Another praise is that Lifesong for Orphans, the ministry that awarding us an interest-free loan to help pay for the up-front adoption fees, is extending our deadline for repaying that money until June 2013 because our travel was delayed. This is an answer to prayer and will greatly reduce the immediate need for funds by travel. So, thank you all of your prayers and encouraging words. We are amazed at what God is doing in our lives and how much He has blessed us to even be on this journey to bring Taylor into our family.



Last call for adoption t-shirts!

Hello everyone! Just wanted to let you all know this is the last call for ordering adoption t-shirts to have them in time for Christmas. I am planning to send in the orders with sizes and types (short or long-sleeved) of shirts in tomorrow morning so that our t-shirt guy can go ahead and get started on them. They are very cute, and we are very excited about this cool way to raise money for the adoption.

Also, when you get your t-shirt we would love for you to send us a picture of you or your kids wearing the Seoul Train t-shirts (and let us know where you in the U.S.) so that we can show Taylor all of the support he had when he is older ;) Again, short-sleeved shirts are $20 and long-sleeved are $25. If you live outside the Birmingham, AL or Livingston, LA areas, select the option with $5 added for shipping so that can send them directly to you when they come in. Sizes range from youth medium to XXXL. Happy ordering!

Countdown for getting your t-shirts...

...in time for Christmas! We have sold about 32 t-shirts so far and are super excited about spreading our adoption cheer to Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, South Carolina, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Thanks to everyone who has ordered a t-shirt to celebrate our adoption with us and to help us bring out little boy home next year. We are so grateful for your generousity and and willingness to help out during this crazy holiday season. Special thanks to my FB/bloggy adoption friends. You guys are a priceless source of support and encouragement as we go through this rollercoaster experience together and have kindly answered all of my random adoption process/travel questions and rejoiced with the little milestones achieved along the way. I thank God for this wonderful support group. Also, my coworkers at Comfort Care Home Health have stepped up big with this t-shirt fundraiser! 22 t-shirt orders! You guys are awesome...enough said. Thanks also to everyone who has sent us words of encouragement and prayed to God on our behalf and for Taylor as he grows and is prepared for his new family. I feel like I am giving a speech at the Oscar's. All that to say, we are very grateful for friends and family (and some kind strangers) who are in this with us.

We know it really does "take a village" for this thing to happen and are dependent upon God's grace and sovereignty to accomplish His purpose to care for the orphan.

I wanted to give everyone another chance to order t-shirts and have them in time for Christmas. For this to happen, I will need your orders (and money if possible) by next Thursday, December 8, so that the t-shirt guy can make and send them in time for me to get them to you guys. If you know want t-shirts but are not quite ready to pay for them, shoot me an email so we can work something out. For us to make the maximum amount of money, we will need to have 48 orders total.  See my last post for details on payment and pictures of the t-shirts. Thanks everyone! Merry Christmas!

P.S. If you are in Louisiana, we will be down for a few days during the holidays and can deliver the t-shirts to you when they come in so you can skip the shipping price if you like.