We are so excited to be coming home soon. We are looking forward to having our entire
family in one country and under one roof. I am looking forward to a few
luxuries like warm showers, air conditioning, and driving. As you can imagine
it will be a big adjustment for all of us.
After all, I haven’t driven a car in over 14 weeks and the girls can’t
believe that I can drive a car (or that there is a machine that will do the
dishes)!
The day we met them seems like so long ago now. Three and half months of fostering two girls
in a different country has brought about many challenges. We are still learning
and working through some of those challenges and they are still trying to bond
with us. While they have made great
strides in understanding the role of mom, dad, and big brothers, we have so far
to go before they understand these new roles in a different country and as a
family of six.
We have learned some valuable life lessons on this journey
and we are in the midst of learning many more. We have felt the love and
support near and far from our family and friends and we look forward to the day
when you all get to meet our precious daughters.
Many of you have asked what the girls need. Right now, they
need to learn to trust that their mom and dad will provide the basic
necessities in life for them. They need
to know that they are surrounded by people that love our family. One thing that
we have learned in the last months is that our girls get very overwhelmed with
“stuff” or gifts. Keep in mind that when
we met them all they had were the clothes on their backs. The few toys and clothes we had brought for
them caused much confusion and angst for them.
They didn’t know how to handle having choices in toys or clothes. It offered up many learning opportunities for
all of us, but the big lesson learned was that right now, less is best. If you
wish to purchase something for the girls we ask that it comes in the form of a
gift card. That way we can purchase what
they will need in future months.
Many have also asked how you can help our family. That question alone is a true gift to us as
you have already done so much. We need
continued support and prayers! We need
family and friends to listen without judgment.
We need people to understand that their will be days when we will need
to cry and vent, but it does not mean we don’t love our children. We need people to bring us meals, but
understand that we may not be able to visit when you deliver. We will be tired
and life will be messy for us in these next few months. Please don’t be offended
if we don’t return phone calls or texts, it’s not personel, it just means we
are in survival mode!
Living in a developing country for the last few months I have
witnessed poverty on a daily basis. I have stood in public health clinic lines
to get care for our girls. I have visited orphanages and have been learning
about the great need for missionaries in Nicaragua . I too will need a little time to adjust back
to “American” life. I have so much to
share about my experiences here, but will probably not say much at all. Give me time, I won’t need to hide or stay
quiet for long!
We just can’t say Thank you enough, we are so blessed with
an amazing network of support!
