It's driving me a little crazy that I still can't publicly post any pictures of Samuel! Hopefully that will change soon. We will be allowed to do so as soon as we have our Letter of Approval (LOA) from China. I can't wait for you all to see him. He is such a handsome boy with a beautiful smile!
Our dossier got to China last week, and is now at the CCCWA (China Center for Children's Welfare and Adoption). I'm hoping it is logged in by now, and that we will get our Log In Date (LID) in the next couple of days. Then we can start counting the days till our LOA, and I am praying they will be short! Yes, I mentioned this in my last post, too, and I'm sure it is not the last time you will be hearing about it, haha.
Meanwhile, we are still Skyping with Samuel and his foster parents every Friday evening. The gift of this is immeasurable to us. When we were in process for Caylie, we never even dreamed such a thing was possible. It is such a blessing to us to be able to get to know him and for him to get to know us before travel. It will make things so much easier and comfortable when we finally meet in China. His foster parents are wonderful Christian people, who care for him very much, and work very hard to prepare him for adoption. They are extremely gracious and open with us about things Samuel is dealing with and what we should plan for and expect. We are so very grateful to them.
However . . . due to circumstances, Samuel's foster parents are having to leave their ministry of living and working in his foster home. (It is a large, church-run group home.) We got this news on Friday evening when we were Skyping with them, and it absolutely breaks my heart. Amy and Donald are such precious people, and I don't want to lose them. I certainly don't want Samuel to lose them. They have been the ones who have loved Samuel and helped him through the initial trauma of losing his long-term foster parents last May. They are the ones who have taught him about Jesus and what it means to trust Him and to pray. They are the ones who have seen to his education and have worked very hard to prepare him for adoption and for his new family. They love him very much, and it is heartbreaking to me to think of him having to lose them now, when there are still months before we can be there for him. And it also hurts my heart for them.
So, please pray for this situation. Please pray that God would hold Samuel's heart tenderly, and that He would give peace and grace through these next days and weeks. Pray that Samuel would understand the situation as best he can, and that he would not be hindered any further in understanding that we are his FOREVER family, and will NEVER leave him. Pray that he would understand that God has a GOOD plan for his life, and that He is always faithful to those who trust in Him, despite what circumstances look like. We are thankful that the woman who founded this home is coming back to live there and care for the children. Sandra is a godly woman also, and I know that she loves Samuel. She is very much involved in preparing him for adoption and teaching him what it means to trust in God. Please pray for Sandra, as well, that she would have wisdom as she takes on this role, and for Amy and Donald, as they leave a ministry that they have poured their whole hearts into for several years.
A bit of extra fun stuff . . . I am so thankful for two friends who have recently traveled to Samuel's foster home to adopt their own children, and have taken care packages to him in their suitcases! (Thank you so much, Nichole and Martha!) We have been able to send him many photos of our home and family, as well as some clothes, toys and candy treats. And this week a rep from our agency is going to China to visit the waiting children, and she will take yet another package to Samuel! Such a blessing to all of us.
Thank you for your prayers, friends, for our adoption process and for Samuel. Our Father's heart is for the orphan, and He continually shows us that in many ways.
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