Happy Birthday Sarah!

Yesterday was Sarah's 3rd Birthday! It was a day full of mixed emotions. Yes, we were happy that she was turing three. But, we were also sad that she wasn't home with us celebrating.

We managed our grief with "Shopping therapy!" A few weeks ago we went to town as a family and bought her birthday presents. We bought a new outfit and some fun new dolls. Holt, our adoption agency will allow us to send Sarah small, flat, lightweight items, that can be included in their weekly Fed-Ex packet to Vietnam. Our birthday package, when we were finally done putting it together, was neither small, flat or lightweight, but we sent it anyway and thankfully they made room and sent it on to her. We also felt the need to celebrate her birthday yesterday as well. We went to Toys R Us and let the kids pick out small toys that can be taken with us when we travel to get her. We also made cupcakes and had our own Birthday Party or should we say Pitty Party.

Prayer Shower!

A few weeks ago, in the early hours of the morning, I prayed a specific prayer. I asked God to give us some good news about Sarah today! I was very worried about her health and wanted desperately to have her home. In my mind the good news I hoped to get was a call from Holt saying we had received the approval for her providence. But, a few hours later I got a call from a good friend from church. Julie had also been praying in the early hours of the morning and was praying for our family and our adoption process. She told me that during her prayer time she had a unique idea. She wanted to throw our family a prayer shower. Neither one of us had a concrete idea of what that would be like. But, what it turned out to be was a wonderful evening, blessed with good friends gathered around to pray for our little Sarah and our family. Prayers for her health, our waiting, and God's perfect timing to bring her home.
God had answered my prayer for good news that day. It wasn't exactly what I had prayed for but God knew exactly what I needed.

Later that week we got a report, not that our application was approved, :( but that Sarah had been checked out by a nutrition specialist and that her health seems to be improving. Thank you God! And thanks to all that prayed with us at the shower and those who prayed for us other places.

An update from Vietnam.

One thing we have come to excitedly come to anticipate through this adoption process is our quarterly updates on Sarah. Every three months we get a new set of pictures and an update on her. This quarterly update, however, provided mixed feelings and emotions. The pictures were great! She was wearing the outfit we had sent her at Christmas. But, her health update wasn't great. In this past year she has only gained 1 1/2 pounds. She is still considered malnourished in the 2nd degree (U.S. doctors would call her failure to thrive). She is doesn't want to eat or drink and she had to be given I/V fluids twice in the last quarter, due to dehydration. It is hard to know your child is sick, but it is VERY hard to hear when you are half a world a way and can do nothing to help. I am more anxious than ever to have her home and to have her checked out by American doctors. And as cousin Katie suggested, "if all I had to eat was rice, I wouldn't want to eat either. Maybe she just needs some McDonald's french fries!"

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, not let it be fearful. John 14:27