do you remember this past year when we sat denied for 7 months?

where from january until july we wondered and waited?

we hoped and prayed?

we wrote appeal letters.

our agency contacted officials every two weeks in hopes for a positive update.

silence.

silence continued.

then more silence.

would we lose K?

was there anything else we could do from so afar away?

then in july, we learned that an advocate was willing to go before officials and plead our case.

a quiet woman of influence.

a woman whose heart beats wildly for the orphans.

she would be sick most of her time in country.

she would first go and see K.

then before the committee and advocate for us. plead for us.

she would fight until she got answers.

she would boldly, yet respectfully, stand her ground that this child needed a family and we wanted to be that family for K.

after dark months and silent silence,

the committee's decision was overturned by the end of july and approvals came in september!

and then a gift came the day after thanksgiving.

the day after we got to FaceTime with K.

 we touched the hand who touched K.

this quiet woman of influence met us on our trip through the northwest.

she wasn't at all what i pictured.

she was so much more!

this woman, a grace-filled instrument of God, plays a huge part in our adoption story.

she put her hand on K for about 10 minutes and rubbed her back and begged God for mercy.

she was willing to go.

to take a risk not knowing the outcome.

she did this for strangers. she did this for an orphaned child.

and we are the recipients.

it is not common for adoption families to meet other adoption families and advocates who fight alongside them.

this was such an undeserved gift.

a gift upon a gift.

for we saw K in real time then within 24 hours we touched the hand that has touched K.

#onlyGod

timeline update:

it's been one month from yesterday that our case was registered in court in K's city.

it seems that we are still sitting and waiting on a hearing.

pray with us that our case would receive attention and have all the documents needed to get us a hearing with a good judge this coming week.

continue to pray for this adoption to be completed. nothing is ever certain until we have her in our arms.

and we ask that you pray for a big unspoken request. as in this entire story, we have needed God every step of the way to intervene and overturn. we have one issue that needs His favor and intervention. please pray. will tell you the full story soon!