Snow Day!

We have a snow day today -- no school for Caden and Cali!  Luckily I also do not have to work today and we have no appointments or lessons or committments.  These days can be such a blessing.  I love having the opportunity to just simply be at home, be a mommy and be a "homemaker" (though I could do better at the cooking part!).   I hope you find a blessing in today as well.

As for adoption progress, nothing yet.  The orphanage director has a truck but it is currently not running so he is having to hop on these trucks called tap-taps that take people from place to place.  Pastor Steve was planning to go back down to Haiti yesterday to help keep things moving, so I hope he made a safe trip.  Haiti may have a week-long celebration but they don't have snow days!

Recap

Well, another week begins and I am hoping that Haiti is winding down from its week long Carnival celebration.  So to recap (I like to repeat things so I keep it straight in my mind!):  this week our paperwork should be translated and everything submitted to the US Embassy in Port au Prince, Haiti.  Then, as I understand it, they review everything and tell us (the orphanage director) when and where to get Carson's medical exam.  After the exam is done, they give us a visa appointment to which Carson, Ryan and I will attend together in Haiti.  From what we've been told, the visa appointment is, on average, 2-4 weeks from the time they have everything.

One month from now, we could have our sweet boy!  I hope and pray this is so!!  I'm also getting tired of looking at our Christmas tree :)   I'll post again when we know more!

Have a blessed week. 
Sincerely,
Elizabeth

Haiti's Carnival

Amy emailed us a picture of Carson's passport, it was a glorious sight!

However, we learned that this week is the carnival celebration in Haiti.  THEREFORE, our adoption process is on hold for this week.  While we were hoping to get the last of our documents translated and then all of our paperwork into the US Embassy in Port au Prince this week, we will now be waiting until their celebration is over.   So what could have been 3-5 weeks more is now likely 4-6 weeks more.  Oh, it's the way it goes, I guess.

Romans 15:13

¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.


Have a blessed Sunday and week ~
Sincerely,
Elizabeth

Passport!!

This is a BIG day for the Hedlund Family!  We ALSO just received news from Amy that Carson's passport is ready to be picked up!!!  The orphanage director was told he could pick up his passport tomorrow!!  WOW!!  Two major steps for our adoption today, thank you dear Father!

Now, moving forward... Carson's medical exam and translated paperwork should happen next week.  Then, the US Embassy in Haiti told Amy it will likely take 2-4 weeks to get a visa appt once they have everything. 

Thank you again for your prayers.
Sincerely~
Elizabeth

USCIS re-approved!

We received our approval letter from the US government today giving us the "reapproval" to adopt Carson.  Since we had to update our fingerprints before they expired, we needed this re-approval letter before we could travel to Haiti again.  This is great news!   The adoptions office now forwards this info to Haiti and to the National Visa Center in preparation for Carson's visa!

Now, hopefully over the next 8 days, we will also hear that his passport has been printed.  Thank you for your prayers for us, we can feel them!

Sincerely,
Elizabeth

Prayer request

We received word from Amy that Pastor Steve was back down in Haiti with a missions group over the last several days.  This time, he wasn't working on our adoption but doing mission work.  One of their team members was working on a roof and had a heart attack -- he passed away in Haiti.  The team is coming home today and his funeral will be on Monday.  Please pray for his family and loved ones and the missions team that was with him when he died. 

Sincerely,
Elizabeth

Distractions

My mind is full of them today--distractions.  After working Friday, Saturday, Sunday, I need to regroup.  Luckily I'm off work today, the kiddos are in school and Ryan is off to the paint store (he's building a great bay window bench/cabinet for my mom and stepdad's house!).  I'm trying to read my Bible, yet struggling to focus, thinking about things I need from Target, Valentines for classmates, Valentine cookies that have yet to be made, Carson's passport, Caden's science fair project, Cali's 100-days-of-school project, my dear friends that I don't see very often because life is busy, my stepmom who's birthday happens to be Valentine's day (praying for her comfort as my dad isn't here to be with her), missing my baby boy who isn't home yet, starting to wonder if maybe we SHOULD take down the Christmas tree and put Carson's presents somewhere else, wondering if I should register for medical conferences knowing that I may not be able to attend because I may be in Haiti (then wasting money...) and the list goes on and on.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who's mind is distracted like this... right ??  Is this due to my own type A personality or is this also due to the scheming of the devil to keep me from strengthening my relationship with my Holy Father?

Paul writes: "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." (Ephesians 6:11)  He states that we should begin each day with this armor of protection:
the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace (shoes), shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit (the word of God)...and pray in the Spirit on all occassions with all kinds of prayers and requests. (Ephesians 6:14-18)

Please God, help me to stand firm in faith with the armor of protection everyday. 

May your week be blessed.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth

Ramblings

There likely won't be any major updates for the next week or two or three since we can't do anything else until Carson's passport is printed.  So unless I need to vent or share a devotion or revelation or anything else, we'll be waiting for his passport.  Oh, except for an update from USCIS to hear that they are approving us again.  I have called and Ryan has called them, we both left messages.  I felt like a bumbling mother pleading for them to take notice of our case and understand the urgency of the matter.  However, I wonder how many "urgent" cases and inquisitive parents they have calling daily to check on their status!

I also asked Amy if there was any way we could get Carson's height and weight.  I think he's 18 month - 24 month size and I have all these great clothes given to us by my dear friend Kristin, clothes that were once worn by her boys Nicholas and Matthew (hi guys!!).  I also have an adorable 18 mos size snowsuit given by my mom and stepdad, but now not sure if it will fit! 

Anyway, I'm rambling again now.  I will hopefully have some updates soon!  Have a blessed week all.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth

It is Well

Last night as we were getting ready to say our bedtimes prayers, I suggested we pray for a miracle: that Carson's passport be printed this week.  From everything I've read, it usually takes 2-3 weeks to get a passport printed, so getting it done this week would be truly a miracle.  They agreed!  Now, if this does not happen, we will still praise our Father who is in control of each of these steps and I keep reminding myself, God is good and God is in control.  Some days are harder than others as you can read in the tone of some of my previous posts :)

Today I was remembering the day my dad died.  We are approaching the 5 year anniversary of his death, early morning March 31st.  The day before, he was brought into the emergency room and we took turns going back to see him.  At one point, I was alone in the ER suite with him and the technician who was doing his heart echo test at the time.  He said to me, "No more trials and tribulations."  He knew his life on earth was coming to an end, though he never did admit to me that he was dying.

I am in awe when I think about how past Christians have survived this earthly life with great faith despite great trials.  One of those was the author of one of my favorite hymns, It is Well with My Soul.  This song was written by a man as he sailed over the area of ocean where his four daughters recently perished in a shipwreck.  Only shortly before that tragedy, he lost his great wealth in the Chicago fire.  Yet, he wrote: it is well with my soul.  This is the first verse and chorus of this hymn:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
--Horatio Spafford, 1873

Father, please help me to always know that it is well with my soul, despite whatever trials and tribulations may come.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth

MOI Approved!!

We received an email last night that we are  officially approved by MOI and now waiting for Carson's passport to be printed!!  I tried to imagine the orphanage director yesterday taking 4 toddlers on a 2 hour road trip, leaving at 6am for a 9am appt at the passport office, with no car seats, no juice boxes or goldfish crackers, no DVDs of Veggie Tales for them to watch on the way, through the heat and bumpy crazy roadways... Wow.  It truly is amazing that this stuff gets done down there and no one falls out of the truck!

Needless to say, we are elated!  We still have all the steps as outlined in the last post, but this IS a major milestone!  Thank you GOD!

With that said, I have to say that on my way home from work last night (I didn't know this news yet), I was brought to tears by my thoughts.  I have cried out many times in the last several months, "Oh God, I can't DO this anymore."   I was reminded that in a recent quiet time reading His word and through prayer, I felt as if He was saying to me, "Then stop DOING.  Trust ME, I've got this covered!"   I told you these things so that you can have peace in Me.  In this world you will have trouble, but be brave, I have defeated the world!  John 16:33

This is sooo out of context for me, someone who likes to know what expect, who gathers as much info as possible to make a well informed decision, who loves to organize and keep things straightened up.  Messy is difficult and the unknown is almost impossible for me!  Yet this process is teaching me to trust, growing my faith, learning to rely on God and less on myself. (I can still try to keep my home clean and organized though:)

I leave you with this~
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Matthew 11:28

Thank you all. 
Sincerely,
Elizabeth

Step by Step

Yesterday I had some time at work to search adoption blogs. I told my husband I like to read blogs because I'm looking for information, for other families' timelines, for homecomings (confirming that the children do really come home!) and for reassurance.  What I found was mostly disappointing: other families in the same position, having the same feelings, the same thoughts, the same frustrations, similar miscommunications, basically on the same rollercoaster.  I did find a few with joyous homecomings, yet only after a long arduous process and wait!  I got home from work believing that I better just throw my timeline in the garbage because there really is no predicting anything. 

As I was contemplating going to bed while Ryan was working hard on our taxes, he let me know we had an email from Amy.  My heart always skips a beat when those emails come in.  She was told yesterday that Carson was going in today for a 9am appt for verification of his passport!   We also received our updated homestudy yesterday for the USCIS office and was able to mail that in today!

Does this mean MOI has approved us and is now going to print his passport?  After verification today, I believe this is what it means!  From the reading I've done, it seems to take 2-3 weeks to get a passport printed.  From there, Carson will then get his medical exam, documents will be translated to English and all papers will be sent to the USCIS office in Port au Prince, Haiti.  By that time, we hope that USCIS will have reviewed our updated homestudy and given us the final approval as well.  Then they review everything and give us a VISA appt, this will indicate when we travel.  From what I've read, getting this final approval and VISA appt can take a few weeks or a few months. 

Soooo, day by day, little by little, step by step we go...  my faith tells me there is an end in sight--God is good and He is in control, my heart tells me it feels like it will never end...

Please continue to pray. 
Sincerely,
Elizabeth

Still

Nothing to report yet this week.  Still waiting to hear from Amy that our paperwork has received final approval from MOI and still waiting to hear from Kristin that our revised homestudy is ready to send back to USCIS.  Still waiting... 

Growing up living on the lake we were able to see many beautiful evenings when the water was still -- calm and quiet.  When the sun was going down, it was simply breathtaking and calming.  This "stillness" was peaceful and mesmerizing, a wonderful momentary escape from reality.

Now, this "stillness" is so much different, so frustrating, so confusing, so discouraging and so maddening at times.  Part of what makes this so difficult is the fact that there is nothing that we can do and we have no endpoint, no due date.  This feels like an incredibly LONG painful labor with no end in sight!

Please understand that if I don't call or try to connect with you, it may be because it takes all I have just to maintain my home and family and get through the day.  Some days I just can't talk about it anymore.  I am so thankful for your thoughts and prayers, love and support. 

Sincerely,
Elizabeth