Midwest journey peppered with family moments

I apologize that it has been so long since my previous post. I have to admit, I didn't even send out Christmas cards this year. It's not that I didn't think deeply about what I would write and what format would be most appropriate, it's just that I ran out of time. So here we are visiting the Midwest, enjoying all of the amenities that Ohio has to offer, from close friends and family, to Panera bagels. (It is 1.5 hours to the nearest Panera from where we live)

We have had some development in the adoption which we are thrilled about. We now hold the final copy of our home study, notarized and all. This took some time because as many of you may remember, we had completed our final meeting back in August. With this home study we are able to apply for adoption grants, apply for immigration, and begin to wrap up some of the loose end of our dossier. It will still be some time before we submit our paperwork to Rwanda, but it is these landmark moments that bring true joy to the experience at hand.

I can't say that the past couple of months have been spent outside of frustration, but what I can promise is we have felt the Lord's presence along the way, whether the day be doused in doubt or primed with hope. I can't remember a time in my life where I have realized more that God's timing isn't necessarily my timing and I think I share that with anyone within ear shot. The more time that is spent on this part of our journey, the clearer the goal becomes...to bring our little girl home to her forever family.

I hope your holiday has been as wonderfully warm as ours and that the His peace which transcends all understanding is with each of you.

Cider Pressing and Home Study all in one weekend

Howdy folks. Incredible weekend. We received the rough draft of our home study on Friday which was followed by the updated version of our home study contract on Saturday. We had the chance to review the contents of the twenty page home study document this weekend and will send it back to our caseworker in the morning for her to review. Her goal is to send it onto the agency in Virginia by Thanksgiving. Once this is approved we will send in our I-600 application. Moving forward..praise the Lord. Thanks for your prayers and words of encouragement as we continue to slowly meander through this process.


We did some cider pressing this weekend which will be the last of the season.
Our neighbor has an old press from the 1800's which just adds to the beauty of the experience.
I don't think I have ever tasted such yummy cider in my whole life.


As for other happenings, not all that much to report. We are just enjoying each others company as we prepare to hunker down for the long winter ahead. We have already broken into the hot cocoa, the wool sweaters, and I will soon be putting my bike away for the winter. Randy on the other hand will ride through the winter with his studded tires. He is so hard core.

Lastly, Grayson asked if we could go to Jerusalem today. I told him that would be a pretty expensive trip and we would have to save for a long time. He chimed in, "After we go and get the baby in Rwanda, then we can start saving to visit Jerusalem." I asked why he wanted to visit there and he remarked, "That's where Jesus was and I would like to go someplace that Jesus visited as well." So maybe we will be heading to Jerusalem sometime in the future. Who knows where our footsteps will take us.

The weekend

Finally a weekend where we can be a little lazier than usual, no major running around to speak of, hot cider on the stove, pizza dough rising... I am Laura Ingalls or so I like to imagine. I love nothing more than snuggling up with my warm cup of whatever and reading about this time period, fictionally of course. Jeanette Oke has done a beautiful job of capturing me through her Love Comes Softly series which I am almost finished with book 4 of 8. If you are looking for a little break from the day to day you are facing, I cannot recommend another book so full heartily. I think you'll love it.

As many of you know, I recently returned from a visit with my parents in Las Vegas. Here they are at Valley of Fire cuddling.



Here I am climbing about because thirty is the new twenty. I had a close call on one of the sandstone structures and began sliding rapidly, but thankfully caught myself on a ledge. Will gear up next time.



Going to get back to crocheting a blanket. I promise to share something when we hear from the home study folks. Lifting it up!

Coffee Anyone?

Alright, so I have got some very exciting news for all of you who like coffee...no love coffee. We have a fantastic opportunity to raise a few additional funds by selling some really good coffee. Please stop by our storefront at http://www.justlovecoffee.com/thestahleys From here you can purchase fair trade coffee or other delightful products. For every pound of coffee and T-shirt we sell, we receive $5.00 toward our adoption. What's even more incredible is that we can continue up to a year after the adoption is complete. Woo Hoo! It is possible to do a one time purchase by clicking on the individual bag on the lower section of the screen. The shipping is the same for two bags and what we have done is signed up to receive 2 bags every other month. So please share this link with your friends, your kin folk, or anyone that just likes a good cup of coffee.

Fall is slipping away and winter is sneaking in behind. We actually had flurries here today. Not sure how I feel about that, but with each season that passes, we are just a bit closer to meeting our little one. No new news on the adoption front. Please pray for our home study as it sits in limbo while we wait for our home study agency contract to be revamped to state all the specifics that need to be stated. It has been 10 weeks since we have completed our final meeting. I have not felt one bit anxious because the Lord has been carrying any raw emotion that attempts to seep in. He is soooooo good!

Bumps in the road, broken cars, and backpacks

It has been an interesting week or so since I have been in touch with you. I received a call early in the week with excellent news about our home study. We have been on pause for about eight weeks because of the the referral that is not set to happen for a very long time. But, our Maine case worker met with her agencies Central Office for a meeting to discuss our case and determine how they wanted to proceed with this adoption. It was decided after much discussion that they would like to continue to work with us but, would need to tweak our contract a bit so that the wording is very specific as to what services they are able to offer to us. So, with that being cleared up, we are hoping to receive that document in a week or so and then we will be able to review our much anticipated home study. We just continue to praise God for His perfect timing. Even though in the midst of the wait, it doesn't feel perfect, we are continuously encouraged by the fact that our Creator has "got this one all planned out."

Our car has kicked the bucket this week. We had a few opportunities to experience our car while overheating. Thankful that we are not in a desert nor were we far from where we could still be helped by friends. We think we have found another automobile that will be a good fit for our family. Interesting story...Randy was down in New Hampshire (he had just dropped me off at the Portland airport) to look at this car that we found through Uncle Henry's. Well, she is a beaut, minus the transmission (a rough shift into second gear) so Randy offered them less and they didn't take it. He leaves feeling very disappointed, but immediately begins to pray for the Lord's will, hoping that they will meet in the middle. About forty five minutes later, Randy gets a call from the little family owned dealership. The owner felt bad that Randy and Gray had driven four hours to look at the car and then asked if they put a new transmission into it, would he still be interested? Ummmmm...God, thank you for clarity. We are hoping to pick up our new addition (the car that is) next weekend if a few more things fall into place.

I am writing this post from Las Vegas, hence the airport drop-off. I am visiting my folks, taking in some mountain views, and eating...often. I am relaxing, reading, and jogging in an attempt to prepare for the next leg of the adoption process. We still have a long road ahead of us before we meet our little girl, and then a lifetime of adventure after we bring her home. Thank you for your continued prayers and support. We feel blessed to have each of you walking alongside us as we continue to hike uphill.

Kum-by-ya, my Lord, Kum-by-ya

Marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers, whoever decided that this would be a good combination was an absolute genius. We had a wonderful opportunity to camp out last weekend with some new friends. I have to say that it may have been one of the best times that we have had since moving to Maine.



The trees on the way to New Hampshire and Vermont were definitely in peak on both sides of the long stretch of Hwy 95.



There was a bit of rain the first night, but the following two days shared around a camp fire were truly memorable! We ate our fair share of snackies...had to if we were to stay warm through the below freezing nights.



I shared a tent with Gray and Randy shacked up with bears and a lone chipmunk in the lean-to. (there really were no bears at our site) I worried about Gray each night as he continued to snuggle deeper and deeper down into his sleeping bag, but he rose each morning bright eyed and bushy haired. It was our first trip with another family in quite a long time.

Actually we have only gone solo since having Grayson, our last trip with a group involved rafts, many laughs, and expensive pizza, but that is a story for another blog spot) Anyhow, if you are thinking that camping with kids is not pleasant, you are mistaken...just take more than your own with you.



Grayson and Dominik played all weekend. There was actually time for stimulating adult conversation over cocoa and chicken sausages. (again we wanted to be warm in our sleep)

So now we are home preparing our apartment for the pumpkin carving that is to commence this weekend. We watched a little pumpkin didy called, "Spookley the Square Pumpkin" (thanks mom...he has already asked to watch our special family movie in the morning again...this may be a re-gift if you have small children of your own, be on the lookout.) This will be Gray's first carving so I am anticipating a fun-filled evening.

A quick update on the adoption...we are still on hold. The snag started a couple of weeks ago but is nearly sorted out. I ask for prayer on the 20th when our home study coordinator shares our case with the central office. (our agency in Maine is not equipped to handle the referral process(this is when Rwanda refers a child to us, still very far away) and Rwanda is still firming up how they plan to proceed as they continue to lay down the foundations of international adoption with their country. Also, pray for the minister in Rwanda that works on the adoptions, her family has H1N1, so lift them up for a fast recovery.

That's how things are looking in the artic north. I should have more information next week and will be thrilled to share it. Until then, Kum-by-ya, my Lord, Kum-by-ya.

Not much going on here

I really haven't been putting off posting, but nothing has really been going in the world of adoption. The meeting portion of our home study has been complete for just over six weeks now and now we are still waiting for the written portion to make its way back to us. All in good time...Our God is faithful and I am holding true to the scripture that says "be anxious for nothing."

On other fronts things are well. Randy just might defend his thesis before Christmas which would be a load off of him as well as our family. Grayson has transitioned pretty well into the next round of school. They should be starting up this week with some curriculum so I am expecting that he will be creating haiku poems within the month. I have been enjoying the fall. I am not taking any course work this semester so that has left me with more time to spend with my family, read, crochet, and bake. The problem with me baking alongside Randy is that we may get fluffy for the winter. The good news is that we live up North, so fluffiness is flattering.

I will share more once more is available to be shared. But for now, take in the palette of colors that the Lord has blessed us with this fall. If you are in an area that appears to be palette less, just be still for a moment, something is bound to catch your eye.

Home study hoopla

Well, it's official...we have been approved. We had our final home study meeting yesterday and after all questions were answered and every past detail of our lives overturned, we have become approved to bring a child home from Rwanda. Our home will be approved for a healthy 0 to 8 year old! (please note, we have requested a girl under the age of one, which we couldn't be more thrilled about) When will our little one be home you might ask...Sometime within the next year would be my answer. Our home study will now be written, reviewed, re-written, re-reviewed, and then a final copy should be produced. Very exciting. With this document we will be able to apply for grants (YEAH) as well as fill out the application for immigration. Many details are still hinged on this document so I will keep you all posted as to when it has actually come into fruition.

More news on our front...Randy's folks will be joining us in a couple of days. The whole family is gearing up for a much needed visit with family. Grayson has been counting down the days until he can hug grandma and grandpa. I have a few ideas up my sleeve that involve salt water, sand, and seagulls, so we'll see where our anti bikini bodies land in the coming week.

Summer is coming to a close (farewell mosquitoes) and fall is knocking on our front door(hola snow). School will be in session in about one week. I have a lighter load this semester, with only one course while Randy will frantically be calculating how many words he needs come up with in order to create his thesis...he plans to defend it by Thanksgiving.

Gray has started at a new school and is transitioning nicely. He will be four in about a month which just about knocks my socks off. He makes me laugh daily and amazes me more often than that. I am such a proud mama.

Signing off with our heads lifted

Yardsales, dossiers, and home study's...ohh my.

I know that it has been a very long time since I have last written and I apologize. But, I have to say that it is because we have been in the midst of gathering all of Orono, Maine's stuff and storing it in our basement for our ginormous yard sale.



We had the opportunity to utilize one of the town's parks and through volunteers and lots of hard work, we set up and tore down for two days.



The first day, Randy hauled about eight 8x10 trailer loads of stuff to be purchased via donations. By day two we had just over three trailer loads to display.



By the end of the day, less than two loads remained and the forecast for the following day was calling for rain. So even though our sale was cut short by a day, our Recycling for Rwanda fund was boosted by $1700.00, the total of the first international fee installment. Wooo-hoooo!!



Now, our dossier is under construction and coming together one document at a time. We had our first conference call this week with America World and the other families that are in the process of adopting from Rwanda. It was such a blessing to listen in on questions that I didn't even have yet, but now will not need to ask. I am learning so much about legalities and hope that this is not only preparing me for our adoption, but that we will have the chance to share information and experiences with friends and their future adoptions.

Home study highlights...Hmmmmm...our first meeting was a little over a week ago. It was a great introduction to our coordinator Stephanie. We had the opportunity to share a bit of where we have come from and where we are hoping to end up. I don't believe a better match could have been made with our family. Grayson was very well behaved and dare I say, shy.



Where do we head from here? Well, we have sent our birth certificates and our marriage certificates back to the states that they originated in to be certified. We are praying for their safe and quick return. We are looking for prayers for the certification of the rest of our documents. Our home study will continue this Tuesday and Thursday and will culminate on August 13th. We are requesting prayer for those meetings and over the creation of the actual home study document that will be a part of our dossier. At this moment we have our heads lifted high as we continue to raise the funds that will be necessary for this adoption to happen. I want to leave you all with one final piece. I came across this yesterday when looking at pieces of Rwanda. I hope is moves your hearts for this country as it has mine...think gratitude for all things, big and small.

From babies to peanut butter to Jesus and a set of binoculars

I wish I was three and a half every now and then only because of the pure simplicity of the way the world is through their eyes. Grayson has been full of questions recently...some I wasn't expecting quite yet. Late last week, we were finishing breakfast when Gray asked, "How did I get into your belly?" My response, "well son it's a bit complicated, but the short end, God put you there, the long end, it involves some information on the birds and the bees." Gray's response: "Oh, is that smooth or crunchy peanut butter." Hmmmmm...I must have been pretty captivating.

Randy and Gray had a father son day on Saturday and ended up at an ice cream shop munching on a cone, when Randy saw that there was church on on that church, you guessed, a giant crucifixion. We have been reading about the crucifixion of Jesus, a tough subject for an adult to grasp, let alone a child. Randy started talking about what we have been reading in the bible and Gray had a picture of what this big word meant. "Jesus died, somebody died Jesus...why? Dada, that's not OK to die our friends."

Now cut to the shot of him and I a few days later in the midst of our nighttime routine, books and milk, topped off with brushing of his teeth and a bit of the bible. I think we may have been in the middle of an Olivia book when Gray brought up the ice cream and Jesus. He shared with me the entire experience that he shared with his dad.

"Mama, Jesus died. He died on the cross. Why."

Well, there were some people who were mad at Jesus because He was God's son and they didn't agree with what He was saying. They did not make the wise choice. It is not OK to hurt our friends.

"Mama, you know what, we should go and get Jesus off of that cross and bring Him home so that I can show Him my binoculars. I think He would really like my binoculars."

Gray, Jesus can see your binoculars from heaven. He is here and near. In fact, He wants to live in your heart forever and help guide you through your life, you just have to invite Him in.

(Gray lifts up his shirt) I don't see Him, where is He mama? And where is heaven?

It has been a wonderful week. As you can see, we have been blessed with quite an inquisitive little guy.

I Saw What I Saw, by Sara Groves

I have been so blessed by this song and this video and even though I have seen it on other blogs, I just felt moved to share it with my audience, believing that you may not have already been touched by Sara's touching lyrics and moved by the images of Rwanda through her eyes. Thanks Sara for being inspired by our Maker.

Being paper pregnant without the morning sickness

We have started requesting pieces to our Dossier this week. This is also referred to as the paper pregnancy and at the rate we are moving, it could take just as long...not really. We have requested our birth certificates and marriage certificate from all over the United States. I have talked with our insurance provider and our employers and put in a bid for letters to be created that claim we are legitimate insurees and employees. We plan to work on our financial statement this weekend and a few other bits and bobs. The online adoption training is going well. It has been such a resource for shedding light onto what to expect...possibly, depending on your child, their orphanage, their caregivers, etc.

On a different note, I had one of those God moments earlier today. I haven't told Randy about it yet, actually, come to think of it, I haven't shared it with anyone but the cat and that is only because she felt it appropriate to lay at my feet during it. I was coming up to our bedroom to get ready for a run when I felt washed over with this urgency to pray. I instantly fell to my knees at the foot of my bed and just began spilling my heart to the Lord. I was on the verge of tears, praying for Rwanda, the child, Randy, Grayson, and then it flew into prayers of thanksgiving, and then there was peace. It's not like there wasn't peace before the prayer, but this peace was unmistakably brought onto my heart by the Lord. "Be anxious for nothing, but in prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to the Lord, and His peace which transcends all understanding, shall guard your heart in Christ Jesus." (Phil 4:1, paraphrased) I have been praying over this scripture for a month and then it played out at the foot of my bed.

One more log on the fire for this evening...we have been abundantly blessed with the response from our Maine neighbors. Each day this week, we have come in contact with several bags of bottles and cans from people that we know well to people we are meeting for the first time. Thank you so much to each of you who has shared with us. The "Recycling for Rwanda" fund is growing! Amen

Bottles and cans gallore

We have been truly blessed this past week. For example, we have been carrying on with our usual family walks, collecting recyclables whenever they present themselves. Well this evening we came across the house that we have been eying up for a little over a week and randy finally stepped up to the door and knocked. A college kid came out and Randy asked him about the several bags of cans and bottles that have been laying in their yard and by the end of the conversation that was sealed with handshake, they were ours. The photo shares about three quarters of what was available.

We were contacted today by our coordinator from America World and received a plethora of documents in an email which will eventually amount to our dossier. For the next several months we will be putting together a rather large set of documents that will eventually amount to a paper orchestra of who we are and why we would be excellent parents for a child that waits. We have been praying and are finding that there are quite a few prayer warriors lifting us up. Thank you and please keep them coming because I have heard that this is where it can get a little rocky. We'll keep these posts as detailed as possible so that you all can share in the experience.

Small pieces...big blessings

I have this Jars of Clay song stuck in my head head, the lyrics go something like this:
I'm gonna show you love in every language.
I'm gonna speak in words that need no form.
I'm gonna give you what you never had before.

We are still in the very early stages of our adoption process, but things are on the move and I have to believe that God is on the move also, especially in the hearts of his creation. Even folks that may not know Him, their hearts are yearning for Him and His work within this adoption. We have been sharing the news like any proud parents would be, that we will eventually be sharing our love with a little one from Rwanda, a new family member, a new little Stahley. We are in awe at how people are moving to share with us as we share with them...from bottles and cans to bicycles, to boxes full of donations for our upcoming yard sale. We are so excited to share this experience with everyone! Love needs no form and though our child may receive hugs and kisses in the orphanage, they will soon know love, unconditional love.

Rwanda not Uganda

Just a cute story. I guess yesterday at Gray's school the teachers were talking about the adoption and one of the teachers said, "I think they are adopting from Uganda." Grayson overheard and piped in, "No Dana, not Uganda, my sister or brother is coming from Rwanda." It made me smile, I thought you would smile too. Another awesome tidbit is that his school is planning on sharing some books with the kids about adoption so that they can become familiar with it. This really touched my heart and made me so thankful for the community that we are in.

The agreement has flown the coop

She has been sent in, the agreement that is. We have sent out the agreement to the agency as well as the application for our homestudy. (These are two seperate organizations, the home study is done in Maine obviously and the adoption agency is located in Virginia) The next step is for a contract to be drawn up so that the home study can be administered. Once the adoption agency receives the agreement, we will be assigned a family coordinator who will work with us as well as our home study case worker for the entire duration of our adoption journey...very exciting stuff. So for the next couple of days we can relax a little and just enjoy each others company. Today is Randy and my 7 year anniversary. Funny, I have no seven year itch. Please continue to pray for Rwanda, our child that may already be within the world, and for our journey. Patience!

Glory to our God

We received the green light today. Now the real adventure begins. America World had received several applications over the past couple of weeks which means the Lord must be working on several hearts and preparing several homes for the work ahead. So, we got the call today at about 4:10 and because Gray has been home sick for the past couple of days, we were here to retrieve it. Randy came home around 5:00 and Gray was standing on a chair holding a sign that said, "We are going to Rwanda." I think it was a nice moment. I have also begun to make some connections here in the local community which is thrilling. Who would have thought that adoption would lead to making connections. I am just really looking forward to the journey and taking it as a family. Gray asked if the baby was coming home today. Soon, dear, soon.

Day nine and counting

We have begun the road less traveled and have applied for adoption using America World as our agency. We our excited, scared, in prayer and wonder, and steadfastly growing in our love for the Lord and one another. We have been praying for a girl or a boy from Rwanda to be a part of our forever family. Do you ever wonder how you get to where you have gotten from where you have been? I look back over the years I have been given and can remember talking about adoption as a nice thing to do, eventually, but didn't actually imagine that I would be a participant, that the path would be one that would be traveled by my own feet. What a beautiful opportunity we have been blessed with experiencing. Please pray for our family as we wait to hear back from the agency. One day at a time.