Focus on the Family

Well, it looks like we have a new air date. Focus on the Family contacted us today to let us know the program will air on January 10th. If you don't get Focus on the Family in your area, you can listen on-line here...http://oneplace.com/ministries/Focus_on_the_Family/

They have an archive area, so if you can't listen on the 10th, the program should be available for several weeks.

Nothing yet from the embassy. They are working a half day today, so they are probably gone by now. Anticipating hearing something by the end of the week.

We'll keep you posted...

Blessings,
Amy

Hab 2:3 -- But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.

Delivered

Samantha's package was delivered to the US Embassy in Guatemala this morning. Our prayers were answered, someone was there to signed for and accept the package! Now we wait. We should hear within the next week when our Embassy appointment is. Well, it's time to get off the computer and try to get something constructive done today.

Blessings,
Amy

DNA is on it's way!!

For some reason, Samantha's DNA results were NOT held by LabCorp until next year. They were sent FedEx, today! Praying somebody is at the US Embassy tomorrow to sign for them. If so, we could be PINK very, very soon. We'll keep you posted, keep praying!

Blessings,
Amy

Until the New Year

We heard from LabCorp this morning. Samantha's DNA has been sent to the doctors for review and calculations. When it is signed...it will be held and not mailed until the new year due to the fact that the embassy is closed until 1-2-08 and they will have no one there to receive the mail.

It's okay. God is in control of the timing and, as we've seen demonstrated very clearly in the last few days, knows exactly when we need to be back in Guatemala.

Merry Christmas!!

Blessings,
Amy

Jeremiah 29:11-14 -- For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me. I will be found by you," says the Lord. "I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and bring you home again to your own land."

DNA Done!!

Samantha's 2nd DNA test has been done and the sample arrived at the lab in North Carolina on Monday. There's a small chance that the results could be at the Embassy before Christmas. If they were received tomorrow, we might be PINK for Christmas. What's PINK? Glad you asked! A PINK is an email from the US Embassy giving us our appointment date to get Samantha's visa. She's almost home! We're seeing PINK dates for January 8th. We're praying our appointment is close to that, as the Prado's children are back in school January 14th and we'd really like to be down there while they are still on vacation. We'll see what God has in store!

Blessings,
Amy

Our Visit

There is not enough time or space to tell you how amazing our visit to Guatemala was. I am so thankful that we took the step and followed God's leading and headed down.

Friday evening, our foster family surprised us by being at the airport with Samantha when we arrived. This sounds much simpler than it really is. You see, in Guatemala, there isn't a nice waiting area for people awaiting arriving flights. Everyone just stands around outside. Also, there are no monitors anywhere in the airport to give you flight status. Our flight happened to be an hour late, so our family spent 2 hours at the airport, just waiting. They are truly amazing! We were taken by how much bigger Samantha was. She slept through the whole thing, but Rob got to hold her for a few minutes. Being exhausted, we opted not to take her with us Friday night and decided to meet our foster family (the Prados) at the hotel Saturday morning.

Saturday morning, we had breakfast, took a short walk and then anxiously awaited the Prados arrival. Samantha was delightful. After a few minutes of conversing with them through an agency interpreter, we set off with them for the day. We went to their home, where we met the entire family, which numbers 42, and had a traditional Guatemalan lunch. Then, it was back to the hotel to spend the evening with Samantha.

Sunday morning, we headed out again. This time, we visited their new home, which they should be moving into soon. We sat on folding chairs in the living room and shared tortilla chips and Orange Crush while Jenny and I attempted to communicate with each other through the use of a pocket translator! It was comical at times, yet we were able to understand the general meaning of the conversation. It was a blessing to be in their new home and hear a little of their dreams and goals. Then, it was off to Pollo Campero to pick up lunch which we ate at the United Nations park. The park was incredible. It's HUGE! It's divided into the different regions of Guatemala, so there's a Tikal area and an Antigua area and a Peten area...We had our picnic next to the Mayan ruins in the Tikal area. Rob and Samantha enjoyed climbing to the top of the pyramids and the jumping down! It made my heart stop a few times, but what are Daddys for? After the park, we headed to Jenny's sister's home for a pinata party. I cried through most of the 2nd half of the party. The family was so sweet. Everyone kept bringing my napkins and telling me not to worry about Samantha, that they loved her and would take good care of her until our return. There weren't words to tell them that I wasn't crying for me, or because I was leaving without her, but I was crying because I could see how loved she was and how beautiful their culture is. I was grieving the fact that I can't recreate that for her. I know God has an amazing plan for her life, which includes being part of our family. What we will give her is precious and special, but different. I know that's okay, but I still needed to grieve that a little bit. After the party, the Prados returned us to the hotel, where we said good-bye to our littlest princess.

How thankful I am that we had the opportunity to see a piece of life as Samantha has known it. We will forever treasure this weekend. To God be the glory for all He has done!

You can check out new pictures from our recent visit in the slideshow at the bottom of the page.

Blessings,

Amy

Rom 16:27
To God, who alone is wise, be the glory forever through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Things are moving!

Samantha's BC is done, her passport is issued and her DNA has been authorized! This is one of the few times, we love to see charges on our credit card!

We can't believe that in a few short days, we'll be visiting the beautiful country of Guatemala and snuggling and loving our new baby girl! Her foster family has invited us to a birthday party on Saturday at their home for Samantha's foster mom. Please pray for us as we step way out of our comfort zone and go experience life as Samantha's known it for 10 months. We're excited, but very nervous.

Had to share the newest pictures of our adorable daughter. May they put a smile on your face today.

Blessings,


Amy

Col 2:5 -- For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you.

Pro 15:13 -- A glad heart makes a happy face

A Mixco BC!

We received news from our agency today that our attorney picked up our Mixco BC! We are one very big step closer to bringing our little girl home. Now we wait for the results of a second DNA test and then wait for a visa appointment with the embassy in Guatemala City.

On another note, Rob and I decided to take a quick trip to visit our Guatemalan princess. We leave Friday afternoon and return Monday afternoon. We'll have Samanth all day Saturday and Sunday, and Monday morning. We're taking Christmas gifts for her and her foster family. When we booked it, we didn't know that our birth certificate had been issued. It won't be easy to hand her back to her foster family, but this time we know we'll be back very soon to bring her home FOREVER!

Thanks for your continued prayers.

Blessings,
Amy

Habakkuk 2:3 - But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.

Medical Update

Samantha saw the doctor on Dec 5th. She is now 17 lb 9 oz, length 70.5 cm (27 3/4 in). Doctor comments: healthy, curious, smiley, babbles, 2 syllable words, has slight cough, crawls! We are more than ready to have her home! Praying that Mixco releases her birth certificate and lets our daughter go!



Our love,


Amy

Giving Thanks

I've mentioned before that we are blessed with a wonderful foster family. Although Thanksgiving is not a Guatemalan holiday, on Thanksgiving Day, they prepared a special meal and had an evening of giving thanks with Samantha. Yesterday evening, we received pictures of their special celebration. Enjoy!

Blessings,
Amy

Waiting

Why is waiting so hard? We've been out of PGN for almost 4 weeks and there has been no movement on our case. Samantha is now 10 months old, and we haven't seen new pictures in too long! We're waiting for Mixco (the little town Samantha was born in) to issue a new birth certificate listing us as her parents. Rumors are flying as to why it's taking so long. I won't speculate on that, since I really don't know. I think we'd feel better if we were seeing some movement, but we haven't seen anyone recently who has received a birth certificate from this little town. Is there comfort in knowing we're not alone in this?

I read some challenging and encouraging things in my Bible study today. I'm studying the minor prophets. The title for this week is Habakkuk - Following God in the Low Places of Life. (You really think that applies?!?) Anyway, the quote for today is..."Pride is reflected in our unwillingness to trust God with what we don't understand. It is always distinguished by a lack of faith - we have to try and fix things ourselves since we refuse to trust God...Habakkuk had this problem, and God's response to him was pretty blunt. Verse twenty of chapter 2 literally reads Hush before Him." Psalm 46:10 runs through my head, even as I type this...Cease striving and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted among the earth.

We miss our little one so much. It's not at all like being pregnant and waiting for a delivery. At least when you're pregnant, you carry your little one with you and you have some sense of when it will be completed. We have no sense of that right now. We could have a birth certificate tomorrow, or not for another 6 weeks. We don't know, but God does. I'll leave you with this thought...FAITH - Forsaking All I Trust Him. Day-by-day, moment-by-moment, I forsake my way and trust His way; I forsake my agenda and take His agenda; I surrender my opinion and trust His word. As I do that, I walk in faithfulness.

We'll keep you posted...

Blessings,
Amy

Bumped!

Focus on the Family has bumped our program. They warned us that could happen. Once we hear when it's rescheduled, we'll let you know. In the meantime, enjoy the new picture of our youngest daughter.




Blessings,
Amy

We are OUT!

We got "THE CALL" from our case manager today. Amazingly, Alex had trouble reaching us. We weren't home and I wasn't near my cell phone and Rob was at lunch! Fortunately, Alex was persistant, and finally reached me on the cell phone. I don't think I'll ever forget her asking if I'd checked my email in the last 5 minutes. When I said I hadn't, she responded, "If you did, you'd find a copy of the PGN decree for Samantha!" Wahoo!!

So, now what?!? A new birth certificate will be ordered, listing us as Samantha's parents. Then, the US Embassy orders a DNA test to verify that Samantha is the baby we started this process with. After that, we are issued a visa appointment (for everything else, there's MasterCard!) at the US Embassy in Guatemala City. Once we have that date, we book our flights and head to Guatemala!

Blessings,
Amy

Proverbs 25:25 -- As cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a far country. (NKJV)

Focus on the Family

Many of you know that this adoption journey really gained focus (no pun intended) when we heard a week of programming by Focus on the Family last November. Through that and much prayer, we began to see that God wanted to continue building our family through the miracle of adoption. Upon accepting Samantha's referral, we sent Focus a note thanking them for being a part of what God was doing in our lives. Several months later, we were contacted by a producer who asked if we would be willing to share our story and allow Focus to use it. We were thrilled! That conversation led to a phone interview earlier this summer. Yesterday, we received a letter from Focus, informing us that they will be airing our story on their radio broadcast, Wednesday, November 14th, as part of a compilation of stories from families who are adopting. If you don't get the Focus on the Family broadcast in you area, you can listen to it here:
http://oneplace.com/ministries/Focus_on_the_Family/

As we've walked this road to adoption, one of our constant prayers has been that our lives would glorify God in the choices we make and that others would be drawn closer to Him as they witness the miracles of walking by faith. Would you join us in praying that others would be touched as they hear our story, and the story of other families who have taken this step of faith. Maybe some will hear God calling them to adopt or to support a family who is. Maybe some will start an orphan care program in their church. Or maybe someone will have an area of their life totally unrelated to adoption, where they will be challenged to trust God. Whatever the case, we're excited to see what God will do!

Blessings,
Amy

The one thing I ask of the LORD—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD's perfections and meditating in his Temple.
Psalm 27:4 NLT

…I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,...
Philippians 3:13 NLT

Doctor's Visit

Samantha visited the doctor on October 30th. She is growing well and now weighs 17 pounds, 2 ounces. The cute little outfit is one we took down in August. Seeing her wearing it brought back wonderful memories of our visit.

There is still no change in our case status. Unfortunately, PGN is closed until Tuesday. They closed today to celebrate All Saint's Day, a huge Catholic holiday. The closures Friday and Monday have to do with the Presidential elections taking place on Sunday, Nov 4th. So, we continue to wait. Yet, in the midst of waiting, we are thankful for little gifts of pictures and medical updates which remind us that she's doing well.


Enjoy the pictures!















1 Chronicles 28:9-10 "And Solomon, my son, get to know the God of your ancestors. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and with a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and understands and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. So take this seriously. The Lord has chosen you to build a Temple as his sanctuary. Be strong, and do the work."

9 Months Old

I haven't posted in a while. Not much going on. Today our sweet princessa is 9 months old. It's a bittersweet day as we wait to hear something from PGN. We're sitting in the black hole of "No change to your case." That basically means that nobody knows anything. Eight weeks and 2 days ago (but who's counting?), we entered PGN. We're seeing other people with "in" dates very close to (and some after) ours coming "out" of PGN. This is good, it means we're close. So we wait. We pray. We wait some more!

God has blessed us with communication with our foster family. This week we received new pictures of our girl. She looks happy and healthy.

Keep praying that we hear something soon. We could use a "second wind" right about now. We've been told that the wait from being out of PGN until our US Embassy Visa appointment is the toughest. To be honest, we're ready to be in that "tough" stage!

We'll keep you posted...

Blessings,

Amy

Psa 40:5
O Lord my God, you have done many miracles for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them.

Urgent Prayer Request

We learned this week that the Guatemalan government moved up the reading of the "Ortega Law", a law that would have devastating effects on the adoption process in Guatemala. In short, the law will halt all adoptions from Guatemala to the United States as of Dec 31st. Currently, there is no "grandfather clause" attached to the bill. This means all cases currently in process, if not completed by Dec. 31st, would be indefinitely tabled. There is no plan for when they would resume or what the requirements for adopting under the new law would be. There are rumors that a committee is working on a grandfather clause and will try to attach it as an amendment. Our prayer is that before the law is finalized, the Guatemalan government will add a provision allowing in-process adoptions to be completed under the current law. We are also praying that the grandfather clause will cover all the children currently in the system who don't yet have a waiting family. For instance, our agency has 21 little boys and 8 little girls who have not been referred to a family yet. We are praying that they would be allowed to be adopted under the current system. Otherwise, they may never find a "forever family." The final vote on the law will take place Tuesday October 9th.

Blessings,
Amy

Psalm 146

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, I tell myself. I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God even with my dying breath. Don't put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there. When their breathing stops, they return to the earth, and in a moment all their plans come to an end. But happy are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God. He is the one who made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He is the one who keeps every promise forever, who gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The Lord frees the prisoners. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts the burdens of those bent beneath their loads. The Lord loves the righteous. The Lord protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked. The Lord will reign forever. O Jerusalem, your God is King in every generation! Praise the Lord!

Doctor's Visit

Samantha saw the doctor on October 2nd. All looks good. She is now 16 lbs 1 oz and 68 cm (approx. 26 3/4 inches). She was laughing, smiling and putting everything in her mouth. From the pictures we can see that she has gotten her ears pierced. Something her foster family asked if they could do and we consented to. She looks beautiful. Thank you again for your continued prayers as we await her arrival home.

Blessings,

Amy

Uncertainty

From the beginning, we knew that international adoption could be uncertain. We've faced that many times, but not nearly as much as we face it now. Last week, President Berger, the Guatemalan President, announced plans to suspend all intercountry adoption with American families on January 1, 2008. President Berger’s plans also call for the suspension of adoptions currently in-process. Does this affect Samantha? Possibly. At this point, we really don't know. If we get through PGN without a KO, we should be out by the end of October. Reality would say that's highly unlikely. Most families get kicked-out at least once. Our faith reminds us that God called us to this and it's in His hands. We are clinging to scripture and to our faith in a Sovereign God.

So, what can you do? PRAY! I've included a link to the JCICS (Joint Council on International Children's Services) site which lays out a comprehensive response to President Berger's announcement. If you'd like to make contacts, here is who to contact and what to say...http://jcics.org/Guatemala5000.htm#Participate. JCICS has asked that for maximum impact all contacts be made October 9, 10 and 11. Those days are days that really need to be covered in prayer. Prayer that people make the contacts and that those contacted listen to what is being said. So many of you have been walking this road and praying alongside us for months. We are moved to tears when we consider how blessed we are. Would you join us again, praying specifically on the 9th, 10th and 11th? We cannot tell you how badly we want our little one home. We know our faith is growing and we are being refined as we walk through this. Thank you again for standing with us, for supporting us and for holding our arms up when we're too tired to go on. We'll keep you posted.

Blessings,
Amy
Hebrews 11:1 What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.

Happy Birthday - 8 Months Old!

Today, Samantha is 8 months old and we have been in PGN for 4 weeks without a kick-out (that we know of!). I don't have any major news to report, no new pictures, no new medical information. But, being a milestone day, I thought I should say something! When we started this journey last year, I prayed that God would bring our daughter home for Christmas this year. At this point, that dream is still a possibility. One of my dear friends reminded me that we can pray expectantly and believe that God may honor our expectations. So, I am doing just that. I know that God may have another time line, and that's ok. But, for now, all we want for Christmas...is our Samantha at home! Happy Birthday, little one.

Ear Infection

Well, it becomes clearer every day that Samantha is meant to be ours. At her 7 month check-up, she has her first ear infection. A common malady among the Carr children! Doctor reports fever and cough but no difficulty breathing. She now weighs 15lbs 5oz and is 67 cent. (approx. 26 1/2 inches). Her visit was this morning at 11:30. It's amazing to me that we already have this information. Please join us in praying for her healing and for strength for her foster family. Caring for a sick baby is always tiring. We'll keep you posted...

Blessings,
Amy

We're IN!!

It's been quite a week already. As of yesterday, we had heard nothing from the embassy. So, yesterday morning (day 71) we contacted our Congressman's office. Last night, on our agency chat, our director informed me that we had been submitted to PGN yesterday. I panicked. Why would our attorney put us in without pre-approval? Well, it turns out, we got pre-approval on Friday. The embassy just mistyped our email address, so the email never made it to us! (charrfamof5 is wondering what's going on!!) Fortunately, our attorney was also emailed the information so her office picked up the document this week and WE'RE IN PGN!! If all goes well, and we have no kick-outs, we could be out of PGN in the next 8-10 weeks. (Considering we waited longer than that for our pre-approval, that doesn't sound so long.) Once we exit PGN, the attorney meets with Samantha's birth mother for a final signing and then Samantha is officially ours and a birth certificate listing us as her parents will be ordered! The good news is, I can stop wearing out the mouse clicking the "check mail" button!

I have to say, that through all this, I am incredibly grateful for our agency and, especially, our case worker. What a blessing they have been...keeping us informed, helping us wait, encouraging us when things look dark. They are just another one of God's wonderful provisions for us as we walk this road. Thanks for taking the journey with us.

Blessings,
Amy

Day 64 and Counting

Some of you are probably wondering if we've forgotten to post the good news of our PA. Unfortunately, that isn't the case. We are now on day 64 and still counting (you'll notice the counter at the bottom is now posting negative numbers, I thought it would be more fun to count down than count up, who knew then we'd go below zero!!) The good news is we should have news any day. The bad news is the embassy is closed for training and we've heard there will be no PAs issued this week. Ugh! So, we continue to wait. We'll let you know as soon as it arrives. I know I say it often, but really, we can't thank you enough for you prayers on our behalf and on behalf of our little girl. Thanks for journeying with us!

Doctor's Visit

Samantha saw the pediatrician on August 7th. She weighs 14 pounds 4 oz and is 42 cent. long (16.5 inches). Good report. She received some vaccinations, so looks a little grumpy. Can't say I blame her! No smiles, but she's pretty serious most of the time and I'm sure the doctor's office is not her favorite place to be.





We continue to wait for our PA from the US Embassy. They are closed today for a Guatemalan holiday, the day of our Lady of the Ascension. They will also be closed Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week for training! We hit the 60 day mark on Friday, so praying our PA comes before then.

I feel like a little girl waiting for Christmas! I can't even tell you how many times a day I check our email! I wonder who will see the message first, Rob or me? God is at work!!


We appreciate your prayers for us and for Samantha and her foster family. The political climate in Guatemala is a little unstable right now. Praying for protection and peace. Thanks for partnering with us!

Blessings,
Amy

Home Again

Well, we made it home. I've mentioned several times that we're learning much about resting and trusting God. Our trip home was quite an adventure. To begin, our flight from Guatemala to Houston was about 4 1/2 hours late. Apparently, when the flight left Houston for Guatemala, they got about 100 miles out and lost cabin pressure, so had to return to Houston. We were supposed to have a 5 hour layover in Houston, so we knew there was a real possibility we'd miss our connection to Reno. This would mean spending the night in Houston and taking the first flight out the next day (8/7), getting into Reno at 11:30am. Not horrible, except the 7th is Nathan's birthday and we really wanted to be home.

The Guatemala airport is currently under construction. Advertised to become the best airport in Central America. From the looks of the plans, it's going to be a very nice airport. However, right now, it's a mess! We sat in the waiting area listening to a symphony of power tools while the lovely smell of diesel wafted in the air! About 2 hours into our wait, it began to rain. So the sound of rain pounding on a tin roof was added to the noise. It's an open air airport, so with the rain came very cool air. Added to this, I had come down with a cold and was feeling miserable.

Anyways, 4 1/2 hours after our scheduled departure time, we finally left Guatemala. Our flight pulled into Houston at 8:05. The flight for Reno was on time (of course!) and was scheduled to leave at 9:05. So, we sprinted off the plane and headed for immigration. We cleared that, grabbed our luggage off the conveyors (it was some of the first luggage off) and headed for customs. We cleared customs in a matter of minutes and dashed over to recheck our luggage. Then it was off to security. We were feeling pretty optimistic until we got to security, where about 200 people were in line ahead of us. But, it moved very quickly and we cleared security with about 20 minutes remaining until our departure. As Rob reassembled our carry-ons, I headed to the flight screens to see which terminal and gate we needed. God is good...our flight was in the same terminal, so we didn't have far to go. We made it to our gate just as they called our row to board.

We made it home for Nathan's birthday and all is good. The trip was a huge blessing. Much answered prayer. Samantha's foster family is wonderful. Her foster mom, Jenny, truly loves her. Jenny is married and has two beautiful children. Her family lives in an apartment over the house Jenny's mom owns. Jenny's mom helps care for Samantha and is VERY attached to her. Jenny and her husband attend a Christian church and the love of God is evident in their family. We enjoyed dinner with them, getting to know them and seeing that Samantha is in good hands. Samantha is their 3rd foster child. They presented us with a little photo album full of candid pictures. What a blessing.

We can hardly wait to go back and bring our precious girl home. Until then, we rest in the assurance that God is not only sovereign, but He can be trusted.

We are looking forward to hearing from the US Embassy in the next few weeks. Then, it's on to the Guatemala court. There are some upcoming things -- elections and holidays -- that could significantly slow down our adoption. Fortunately, our hope is not in the government, but in our God who can do more than we can ask or imagine! Our agency is telling us that Christmas pick-up is pretty optimistic and it may be Spring before we bring Samantha home. As I ponder that, a little voice in the back of my head says, "Trust me." Who knows what will happen as we wait for God to work. Romans 15:13 says "I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." God is our hope and our confidence.

We'll keep you posted...

Sunday

Well, we´ve had a wonderful time. Attended a great service today at Iglesia del Camino. It was a bilingual service. Good worship and preaching. Lots of adopting families there. Many stories. Some tears today, but now feel at peace, knowing that God is working for us. Isaiah 64:4 - Since the beginning of time, no eye has seen, no ear has heard of a God like you, who works for those who wait for Him. Claiming that verse as we head home.


Yesterday we toured Guatemala with a new friend, Allison. What a blessing she was. We saw the Hotel Santa Domingo, an absolutely amazing museum and hotel. We had lunch at Cafe Condessa and then visited the market. Samantha fell asleep on the way to the market, but perked up the minute we entered. Looks like we have a shopper-in-training! On our way home from the market we took a tuk-tuk. Kinda like a moped with a cart to ride in. What an adventure that was! One of the highlights of our trip, for sure.



Samantha has warmed up to us and now smiles when she wakes up and sees us. It will be hard to say good-bye today, but have much peace about leaving her, knowing we´ll be back soon. As you can see from the picture she loves her Daddy (Papí)!



Thanks again for partnering with us in prayer. We have lots more pictures and about 45 minutes of video if you want to see it! Don´t be afraid to ask, we´re more than happy to show her off!

Our love,
Amy

Day 2

Well, Samantha is a trooper! We slept pretty well last night. Kinda like being first time parents again, you hear every noise she makes! Hoping tonight will be a little more restful. We can tell that she`s quite attached to her foster family and is missing them. Keep reminding myself that this is a good thing, as it shows she can attach (thanks Deb!!).

Today we´ve allowed Samantha to set the schedule. She took a good nap and I can hear her upstairs now chatting with her Papi. Headed out to Central Park today. Need to find a teething ring of some kind. Right now the teething ring is my pinkie finger in a bottle nipple! Whatever works, right?

Thank you again for your prayers. Was reminded again today of why we´re doing what we´re doing. Was listening to a Chris Tomlin song while knitting on the balcony overlooking the fountain (yes, it´s rough). Anyways, the song is ¨How Awesome is the Lord Most High¨The last verse is:

Where You send us, God we will go

You´re the answer, we want the world to know

We will trust You when You call our name

Where You lead us, we´ll follow all the way

Raise your hands all you nations

Shout to God all creation, how awsome is the Lord Most High!

What a journey this is turning out to be as we learn to trust God more with each step.

Enjoy the pictures.

We are here!

After an eventful trip with a delay in Houston, we arrived in Guatemala City around midnight. Our shuttle was waiting for us and our very kind driver took us immediately to the hotel.

Samantha arrived around 10:15 this morning. Unfortunately, there was a miscommunication with the foster family. Jenny, Samantha´s foster mom had been given the message that she was to come to the Radisson for photos, not for dropping Samantha off with us. So, she was surprised to see us and somewhat unprepared. Samantha came with a cute outfit, a few blankets and one bottle! Jenny felt terrible.

We assured her that we had plenty of clothing and extra bottles, so it wasn´t a big deal. After Jenny left, we took Samantha to our room and Rob had the priviledge of giving her her only bottle. I took on the task of going out to find formula and bottles. I was successful with the formula, but not with the diapers. The only Farmacia within walking distance was out. So, back to the hotel desk for help. After communicating our dilemma, the girl at the desk assured me she could help and would send diapers to our room. About 15 minutes later there was a knock on the door. When I answered it, there was a very kind woman with 2 band-aids! Apparently my communication didn´t go as planned! With gestures and some pointing to Samantha´s bottom, we finally got across what we needed. She returned a few minutes later with swim diapers. Now, those of you who haven´t used swim diapers might not understand that they don´t hold water...just poop! So, more gesturing and trying to communicate and we finally got two diapers! I now know the word for diapers...pañales!

We found a small market in Antigua and we are now more equipped to get through the evening. The only thing we need are a few toys. Samantha appears to be teething and Jenny mentioned that she loves chewing on teething rings. We have a map with two possible stores, so we´ll head out soon to try and find something.

Well, Samantha´s fussing, so I´m going to go. We´ll post pictures soon.

6 Months

Well, Samantha is now 6 months old. We got a new medical today. Doctor's report is good. She now weighs 13 pounds 8 ounces and is 64.5 centimeters (25.39 inches). Doctor notes that Samantha has a little clear snot occuring (I'm sure she'll love me for posting that!), explores everything, and takes objects to mouth. We can hardly believe that we'll be seeing her in just one week! For those of you who don't know (or have forgotten), we head to Guatemala August 1st. Samantha will be delivered to us on August 2nd at 10AM. We head out to La Antigua to stay until Sunday. Sunday afternoon we return to Guatemala City and fly home on Monday.

We have been truly amazed at the people God has put in our path who will be assisting us on our journey. By no coincidence, our Pastor is friends with several people in Guatemala who have generously agreed to be available to us while we're there. We are looking forward to meeting each of them.

We believe we'll be taking a laptop with us. If this is the case, we'll most likely be able to update our blog while in country. So, stop by and see what we're up to.

Specific prayer requests for our journey are posted in the margin. Thank you for partnering with us in prayer.

Blessings,
Amy

PS -- You can view the other new pictures in the slide show at the bottom of the page!

Happy Birthday - 5 Months Old!

Today, Samantha is five months old. I can hardly believe it! It's been an emotional weekend. Thoughts of her birth mother and the courageous decision she made to give birth to our daughter and relinquish her. We are eternally grateful. Our prayers are with her, hoping and praying that God will send someone across her path who will introduce her to the true Lover of her soul. As our church begins its Hispanic ministry and welcomes a new Hispanic pastor on staff today, we wonder who God will bring across our path and who we might have the awesome opportunity to minister to and share the love of our God. While we may never have the opportunity to share with Samantha's birth mother, we do have the opportunity to share with others every day and maybe be the answer to a prayer someone else has prayed.

Samantha, know that we love you so much already and are doing all we can to bring you home soon. We are counting down the days until we see you in August. We can hardly wait! Happy birthday, princesa.

It's a Match!

We just got the call from Alex, our case manager. DNA is a match! Greater than 99% probability that the woman claiming to be Samantha's birth mother is indeed the birth mother. So we keep moving. The US Embassy now needs to issue a pre-approval (PA) indicating they plan to give a visa to Samantha. They have up to 63 days to do so. Lately, we've seen PAs issued as soon as 45 days. It seems to depend on where you fall in the pile of embassy papers. Let's pray that things keep moving and we don't have to wait that long. We'd love to have PA before our visit in August but we continue to trust His sovereignty and know His timing is perfect. With God, all things are possible!

June Doctor's Visit

Samantha saw the doctor on the 15th. Report is good. She now weighs 12 lb 6 oz and is 63.5 cm long (25 inches). Doctor noted...healthy, good cry, holds head up, heart and lungs normal, has a little bit of a cold. You can tell from the pictures posted below that she isn't feeling too well! For some reason, these pictures were harder for us to see. Maybe because she isn't feeling well, and we long to be there. She's getting good care, we know that; but we want her home! Thanks again for all your support.

DNA Done!!

We got the wonderful news this morning that the DNA test has been done and the lab work is in the US being processed. This is great news! We should have results Tuesday.

We also got the news that all the family court interviews should be done by the end of this week.

There are four times at which the birth mother has to sign stating she still intends to place Samantha for adoption. Initially; at the DNA test; when interviewed for family court; and at the end. It now looks like we've passed three of those.

So, what's next? Once the DNA test is complete, we start counting 63 days from the date of notarization. We expect our PA from the embassy on or before that day. While we're waiting for that, a social worker in Guatemala is writing her report based on all our documents and her interview with the birth mother. Once she completes that report we head to PGN without a PA. Our case is reviewed there. Hopefully, the reviewer will accept all our documents, and then kick us out (KO) because we don't have PA. Then, once we get PA, we get resubmitted to PGN complete.

Thank you for your prayers. We're so excited to hear our DNA is already done. What a great way to start the weekend!!

The Process

Some of you have asked about the DNA testing. Here's the deal. The US requires verification that the woman presenting herself as Samantha's birth mom is in fact the birth mother. To verify this, our attorney makes an appointment at a lab in Guatemala City. Her office notifies Samantha's birth mother of the appointment and she shows up at the appointed place and time(hopefully!). The foster mom will bring Samantha to the same place at the same time. Pictures are taken of Samantha with her birth mother and then DNA samples are taken. The samples are shipped overnight to a lab in North Carolina. It takes about three days to get the results which are emailed to us, faxed to the US Embassy and to our adoption agency. As long as the DNA is a positive match, the adoption can continue. We are not expecting any problems. Once the US Embassy receives the results they have at least 60 days (which they are currently taking full advantage of) to issue a pre-approval of a visa. Those of us in the adoption world call this the PA. Once there is a PA, we can proceed through the Guatemalan court system (PGN). While we can't see the future or anticipate how quickly things will move, we are still hopeful that we will have Samantha home by Thanksgiving. It's a crazy process involving two very bureaucratic governments who don't always see eye-to-eye! So, we wait and trust that El Roi the God who sees is watching over our paperwork and our daughter and knows exactly when she will be home! Thanks again for all your support. It means so much to us!

DNA Authorization

It came today! The charge we've been waiting for. The Embassy in Guatemala authorized DNA testing. Samantha and her birth mother will have to show up at the lab together for testing. Imagine this will be a difficult day for the birth mom. Praying she'll have peace in the process and that we'll have a positive test soon!

May Doctor's Report

Just received the translated doctor's report for Samantha's May 11th visit. How good our God is! Doctor noted...social smile, babbles and good head control. God knew when we saw pictures on the 12th what our concerns would be and He had the doctor address them before we even thought them. Things like this remind us that we are walking where God wants us to be and He is with us every step of the way.

Visit Photos

Sue was in Guatemala today and visited Samantha. Received numerous photos from the visit. We'll most likely have more photos of Samantha at this age than we have of Kayla or Nathan! Wishing we could see a picture of her smiling. Wonder if she can hold her head up by herself.

Referral Accepted

It's Good Friday and we've accepted a referral for our new daughter. She was born January 25th in Guatemala City. Her birth name, Virginia Monserrat. We will name her Samantha Jo.