Monday, December 31, 2007
Eating Us Out of House and Home!!!
Maria is definitely feeling better and Suzanna is learning how to eat different foods. When the girls first arrived home Maria tried everything put in front of her and pretty much liked it all. Suzanna didn’t want to try anything new and could even make herself sick trying any kind of vegetable. When Maria got so sick on the medication for her parasite she stopped trying anything new and didn’t want to eat much of anything. Tonight was so great. I made my lasagna that even has loads of spinach in it and both Maria and Suzanna had three helpings!!! They loved it! We are so proud of Suzanna, too, because she ate the tiny bit of raw spinach for her salad first without any complaining. She was proud of herself, too. Remember these girls are used to eating only rice and sometimes got chicken for a treat, so this is a real accomplishment!
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Celebrating Three Weeks at Home!!!
As we come up on three weeks home with Maria and Suzanna tonight at 11:00 p.m., I realize it will take me so long to update you first on our trip and then on all the many things that are going on in our home now that the girls might be getting married before I ever catch up! So for now I’m going to change tactics and fill you in on our life as a family of seven first, then I will continue to journal our trip to Liberia, as we still want to share those experiences with you as well.
Life for the last three weeks has been very full, sweet, difficult, exhausting, fun, busy, loud, and most of all blessed! The girls are doing amazingly well in adjusting to their new home and lives despite all the health issues they are also having to deal with. They are sleeping wonderfully all night long and eating well on the days they feel good.
Each week has had its high points and its low points. During their first week Maria and Suzanna were introduced to the movie Sound of Music, ice cream, a neighborhood and neighbors, the tall buildings of downtown Houston, lots of new foods like vegetables, cutting down a Christmas tree and decorating it, and playing football and kick ball in the cul-de-sac with their brothers, sister, and some new friends. Maria was the best about trying new foods and eating them. She is not much of a sweet eater and it took three nights to find an ice cream flavor she liked. Suzanna really doesn’t like the healthy foods like vegetables and fruits, but really likes the sweets.
The first Wednesday they were home we took Maria and Suzanna to the Texas Children’s Hospital International Adoption Clinic. We quickly found out that poor Suzanna is deathly afraid of needles. It took two nurses and both David and I to hold her down so they could draw blood for the many tests they had to take. I have never seen fear like hers before; it broke our hearts. Thankfully she recovered quickly and was smiling, laughing, and singing on the way back home. We also learned she is double jointed as she completely turned her arm around when the nurse stuck the needle in; we thought she had pulled her arm out of its socket! Needless to say this was a traumatic day, but a much needed one in diagnosing any health problems. We are also fortunate to have a place like the international adoption clinic to work with.
The next day we decided to do something much more fun and went and cut down our Christmas tree and brought it home and decorated it. They had lots of fun, but are definitely not used to being cold! Both girls had hot cocoa for the first time; Suzanna loved it and Maria was not so fond of it.
Friday we had to go to our pediatrician to get the girls’ TB test results read which both thankfully were negative. Then off to the Social Security Administration office to apply for Social Security numbers!!! We really know how to have fun don’t we?!?! We then met a wonderful couple from our church, Mark and Nicole Watson, who took the kids’ Christmas picture for our annual Christmas letter. Poor Maria fell asleep on the way and then just was not in the mood for smiling for a camera. Nicole took lots of pictures and we just hoped we would find one good one to send. We were walking away when suddenly Maria asked Nicole to please take her picture. Well the model in little Miss Maria came out then! I wish you could have seen her pose and flash her beautiful smile that we have all come to love. We quickly hustled all the kids back and Nicole began to take lots more pictures. As you can see we finally found one and the girls are definitely fitting into the silly Young clan very well!
Communication has been more difficult than we expected. Liberians drop all the last sounds of every work plus speak very quickly. We keep asking the girls to repeat things very slowly for us. What’s funny is that if one girl is trying to say something and we don’t understand it, the other girl then will come up and clearly say, “She said,” and then the rest is a carbon copy of the fast and non-understandable words we didn’t understand in the first place.
We are also finding out that they don’t always understand us. That first Saturday the three girls were cleaning the kitchen after breakfast as I was making my hot tea. I watched as Suzanna rinsed her fork off and then proceeded to try to put it back in the silverware drawer instead of the dishwasher. Although all of us had been teaching the girls how to clean the kitchen each day, she just didn’t get this. Of course we promptly put all the silverware in the dishwasher not knowing how many times she had done this!
One of the funniest miscommunications took place the second week the girls were home. On Monday of that week Suzanna spiked her first temperature with her malaria and became very ill. (More on the malaria later.) Of course I didn’t know it was malaria that day and thought she had just picked up a virus that I didn’t want everyone in the house to catch. That afternoon I made her a pallet to sleep on in the playroom and was asking her questions to see if I could determine what was wrong with her. She told me her stomach hurt and nodded yes when I asked her if she felt like she was going to throw up. I quickly went and got our small bathroom trashcan that the kids always use in these circumstances just in case they don’t make it all the way to the bathroom. I explained several times what she should do if she felt like she was going to throw up and couldn’t make it to the bathroom and she nodded that she understood. Later I heard her in the bathroom and when I went to check on her I saw the trashcan in the bathroom. I knew she hadn’t vomited so I asked her why the trashcan was in there. She didn’t answer so I walked over to look and found urine in the trashcan! So much for my detailed explanations! David said that at the orphanage when the children were sick they might have put bowls or cans next to their beds for them to use. We know that many families in Liberia use cans for toilets so who knows. This will be something a year from now we can all reminisce about and have a good laugh at.
The most difficult part of communication is that some of the time the girls just won’t answer us. This is especially hard when we are trying to determine why they are pouting (a huge cultural thing) or why they are sad. These children just aren’t used to sharing their feelings and have trouble even naming them. The most important thing I have to learn is not to take it personally. When the girls first got here they mostly talked with each other, which is to be expected, but this was especially hard on Aubrey. Unfortunately, Aubrey has inherited from her mom the tendency to have high expectations and want everything perfect and wonderful for everyone. Thankfully all three girls are communicating more and better with each passing day. One night last week after we had put the girls to bed, Aubrey got up and came to ask me if she and her sisters could stay up just a few minutes longer and talk! I could hardly contain my excitement. When I hear the three of them having fun and laughing together it is beautiful music to my ears!
Now on to some of the health issues the girls are having which all started during their second week at home. As I wrote earlier, Suzanna spiked a high temperature on Monday of last week complete with terrible shivering and a headache. She woke up the next morning feeling great but then the same thing happened that evening. I called the doctor at the international adoption clinic and she said it could be a virus or it could be malaria. The doctor explained that malaria is cyclical with its symptoms; in other words she would have the symptoms approximately at the same time every day. The symptoms are high fever, shivering, sweating, and a headache, all of which Suzanna had. I took her to our pediatrician on Wednesday to have her blood tested for malaria. Thursday we found out she indeed had malaria. We were not able to get her the medication until Saturday. The medication used for treatment is the same that David and I had to take before, during, and after our trip to Liberia. Suzanna had to take twice the dose though. We started her treatment on Sunday morning and were told it could make her sick at her stomach. Two hours later she began vomiting, spiked another temperature, and was shivering uncontrollably. I sat in the bathroom holding her for hours. It was terrible. The doctor on call for the adoption clinic finally asked me to take her to the emergency room to make sure that the malaria had not deteriorated her health or that the malaria parasite had not grown past what we could treat her with on an outpatient basis. Poor Suzanna had to have blood drawn again! Tests all came back looking good and they sent us home with a prescription for an anti-nausea medication. She took this each day with her malaria medication and had no more problems! The whole way to the emergency room that afternoon I cried and just thanked God that she was now home where we could take care of her. She was probably infected as an infant and has had spells of this disease on and off her entire life. I just couldn’t help but think of the times when she was sick and wonder if there was anyone holding her when she was vomiting and shivering, or comforting her. Suzanna had blood drawn again yesterday for the fourth time since she’s been home to see if the medicine has completely eradicated the disease; we should know something early next week.
Maria also has some health issues that we have to take care of. The doctor at the clinic heard a heart murmur that she believes to be benign but wants it checked out anyway. We took her in yesterday for an EKG. She also tested positive for a parasite and Hepatitis B. She had additional blood tests yesterday that will be sent to a liver specialist that we will see next Friday. These tests will tell us more about her hepatitis like if she is a carrier or actually has the disease. I went in for the first of my three immunizations against Hep. B yesterday. David, Riley, Luke, and Aubrey already have been immunized. We are still waiting on tests to see if Suzanna has immunity to it or if she has to be immunized as well. Maria was given a strong antibiotic for her parasite that almost immediately affected her great appetite. She no longer wanted to try anything new and just picked at her food. By Christmas day she was hardly eating anything. She was no longer smiling and only wanted to sleep. She did enjoy Christmas morning but all went downhill after that. On Christmas night she began to cry and told me she missed her friends. We talked about this for a while and then prayed for them. The next morning Maria began vomiting. She continued for the rest of the morning, but then ate a pretty good lunch and her smile came back for a couple of hours. She took a nap again and woke up sad again and not feeling well at all. She threw up again right before supper and fell asleep in David’s lap right after we finished eating. The next morning she started vomiting again. I took her to the pediatrician where she threw up again. I was so worried; she had lost three pounds since the previous Friday. She does not have three pounds to lose. Maria is in the 5th percentile on her weight and age. The doctor said that the parasite and the medication were at war with each other and making her very sick. She gave her the same anti-nausea medication Suzanna was taking along with another medication to treat the parasite with. Our adoption clinic doctor said it was not as effective in treating the parasite so we will have to check her to see if the parasite is gone for good next week. By Thursday evening our sweet Maria was back to herself again. She was smiling, laughing, having fun, and best of all eating better. Maria also gave her Daddy and I the best gift we could ever ask for that night. After saying our prayers, the girls each gave Daddy kisses goodnight and when David told Maria he loved her she said, “I love you, too.” I then put all three girls to bed with kisses and was leaving the room blowing kisses, saying sweet dreams and I love you girls when Maria said those same beautiful magic words, “I love you, too!”
David and I have decided that it is going to be hard to really determine their behavior and what it means until they are healthy again and feeling well. It is also difficult to do any obedience and character training. They truly behave just like toddlers, but not only do we have to train them, we have so much unteaching to do, also. These precious girls only know “survival of the fittest” and now have to learn to be part of a family, something Suzanna knows nothing about and Maria knows very little about. God in His amazing grace has prepared us for the challenge!
Now we will talk about more fun moments during the last three weeks. Late in the second week the girls received cards and some money from my best friend in college and her husband from Roswell, New Mexico. This was a real answer to prayers because the girls really wanted bikes which they call cycles. That evening we went to Wal-Mart and let the girls pick out their bikes and helmets. They had so much fun! The next day, Friday, which is David’s day off he began to teach them how to ride. After a while he came in the house and said he was going back to Wal-Mart to buy training wheels. The girls had just completely missed the important developmental skill of learning how to pedal a bike. He needed them to concentrate only on that and not on both balancing and pedaling. They were just too heavy to hold up while teaching them to pedal. We both worked with them all afternoon just trying to get them to keep their feet on the pedals and to pedal forward instead of backwards. That night as we fell into bed exhausted we looked at each other and both said we were too old for this! The next morning we were at again and the girls did much better. Each day they improve just a little; before long we will be able to remove the training wheels. They both love their cycles!
Christmas was wonderful! They both enjoyed all the little gifts like hair accessories and jewelry in their stockings. We gave both girls Itty Bitty baby dolls from American Girl and they love their babies. Maria named her baby, Little Angel, and Suzanna named her baby, Princess. All three girls spend lots of time taking care of, bathing, feeding, and dressing their babies. Suzanna has put Princess in a carrier a couple of times to take her with us when we had to go out and has also ridden her bike with her baby on her back in the carrier.
Neither girl seemed overwhelmed with any part of Christmas but looked like they enjoyed themselves. They met David’s mom and her husband Chuck for the first time that day. David had told the girls that when Grandma got here they needed to run to her with their arms wide open and yell, “Grandma!” They actually did it and gave big hugs both to Grandma and Pa Chuck! We had to add a card table to the end of our table and put two tablecloths on to cover both! It was really my favorite part of Christmas to look at our table with our five blessings from God with two of their grandparents and to wave way down the table to my husband of 22 ½ years! In David’s prayer at Christmas dinner he thanked God for enlarging our family and our table!
I want to share just a couple more cute things. This past Thursday when Maria finally started feeling better I got out our wedding album and shared it with the girls. They loved it as they love looking at pictures all the time. They got a huge kick out of the picture of me stuffing wedding cake into David’s mouth. The minute he got home that evening they ran and got the album and wanted to look through it again with him. They laughed again hysterically when they got to that picture. They are continually asking me to take pictures of them and always want to see it on the viewer. We sure are glad we bought that digital camera for our anniversary! We look forward to putting together many, many more photo albums of our new family and giving the girls a heritage of love and tradition.
When we haven’t been in a doctor’s office, which has been most of the time, we have loved playing Pick-up Sticks, Old Maid, putting a jigsaw puzzle together, and watching movies. So far Cinderella has been Suzanna’s favorite and today I think Mary Poppins became Maria’s favorite. She loved the singing and dancing and asked to watch it a second time as soon as it was over.
Maria has begun parroting each of us most of the day. She wants to learn everything! It is fun listening to her repeat everything we say. I bought the girls’ Usborne’s book, First Thousand Words and they both love it. It is a great tool to introduce them to the things in our lives as well as to teach them the words and how to say them.
Both girls continually laugh at Riley, Luke, and especially David. I know this is no big shock to any of you. At the emergency room while I was trying to comfort Suzanna I asked her to tell our pastor’s wife, Johnnie, which of her brothers was the silliest. She immediately named Luke. Riley began calling both girls, sweetheart, right away. After a few days, Maria asked him not to call her that anymore! Riley, Luke, and Aubrey have been so patient in teaching the girls how to do the daily chores, how to ride their bikes, and how to play different games.
We are looking forward to taking them to church for the first time on January 6th. Our wonderful church family is giving our family as well as another family who adopted a little girl from China a shower on Sunday, January 13th. The girls and I will start back with Little Women of Virtue in January, also. Of course we will also start back to school, too. I look forward to it, but am feeling a little overwhelmed at the same time. I appreciate all prayers!
My heart is so full! I have thanked God everyday for the last three weeks for making me a mother of five; I thanked David tonight for the same thing. It has not all been roses or easy, but I wouldn’t trade a second of it. It has not been easy for the kids either, especially for Aubrey, but again I thank God for choosing our family to grow more and more like Him through all this. Please be in prayer for the health of Maria and Suzanna. Pray that God will continue to pour out His wisdom, grace, and patience on us as we teach Maria and Suzanna how to be part of a family, as we teach them in righteousness and character, as we teach them the three R’s, and most important as we teach them about the unconditional love of their Heavenly Father and the ultimate sacrifice He made to adopt them as His children, too.
Following are a few pictures from the last three weeks. I still haven't had time to learn how to do this properly but at least this time you have the story first and then the pictures. As soon as we have time to download pictures from Christmas we will post them here as well. Enjoy!
Life for the last three weeks has been very full, sweet, difficult, exhausting, fun, busy, loud, and most of all blessed! The girls are doing amazingly well in adjusting to their new home and lives despite all the health issues they are also having to deal with. They are sleeping wonderfully all night long and eating well on the days they feel good.
Each week has had its high points and its low points. During their first week Maria and Suzanna were introduced to the movie Sound of Music, ice cream, a neighborhood and neighbors, the tall buildings of downtown Houston, lots of new foods like vegetables, cutting down a Christmas tree and decorating it, and playing football and kick ball in the cul-de-sac with their brothers, sister, and some new friends. Maria was the best about trying new foods and eating them. She is not much of a sweet eater and it took three nights to find an ice cream flavor she liked. Suzanna really doesn’t like the healthy foods like vegetables and fruits, but really likes the sweets.
The first Wednesday they were home we took Maria and Suzanna to the Texas Children’s Hospital International Adoption Clinic. We quickly found out that poor Suzanna is deathly afraid of needles. It took two nurses and both David and I to hold her down so they could draw blood for the many tests they had to take. I have never seen fear like hers before; it broke our hearts. Thankfully she recovered quickly and was smiling, laughing, and singing on the way back home. We also learned she is double jointed as she completely turned her arm around when the nurse stuck the needle in; we thought she had pulled her arm out of its socket! Needless to say this was a traumatic day, but a much needed one in diagnosing any health problems. We are also fortunate to have a place like the international adoption clinic to work with.
The next day we decided to do something much more fun and went and cut down our Christmas tree and brought it home and decorated it. They had lots of fun, but are definitely not used to being cold! Both girls had hot cocoa for the first time; Suzanna loved it and Maria was not so fond of it.
Friday we had to go to our pediatrician to get the girls’ TB test results read which both thankfully were negative. Then off to the Social Security Administration office to apply for Social Security numbers!!! We really know how to have fun don’t we?!?! We then met a wonderful couple from our church, Mark and Nicole Watson, who took the kids’ Christmas picture for our annual Christmas letter. Poor Maria fell asleep on the way and then just was not in the mood for smiling for a camera. Nicole took lots of pictures and we just hoped we would find one good one to send. We were walking away when suddenly Maria asked Nicole to please take her picture. Well the model in little Miss Maria came out then! I wish you could have seen her pose and flash her beautiful smile that we have all come to love. We quickly hustled all the kids back and Nicole began to take lots more pictures. As you can see we finally found one and the girls are definitely fitting into the silly Young clan very well!
Communication has been more difficult than we expected. Liberians drop all the last sounds of every work plus speak very quickly. We keep asking the girls to repeat things very slowly for us. What’s funny is that if one girl is trying to say something and we don’t understand it, the other girl then will come up and clearly say, “She said,” and then the rest is a carbon copy of the fast and non-understandable words we didn’t understand in the first place.
We are also finding out that they don’t always understand us. That first Saturday the three girls were cleaning the kitchen after breakfast as I was making my hot tea. I watched as Suzanna rinsed her fork off and then proceeded to try to put it back in the silverware drawer instead of the dishwasher. Although all of us had been teaching the girls how to clean the kitchen each day, she just didn’t get this. Of course we promptly put all the silverware in the dishwasher not knowing how many times she had done this!
One of the funniest miscommunications took place the second week the girls were home. On Monday of that week Suzanna spiked her first temperature with her malaria and became very ill. (More on the malaria later.) Of course I didn’t know it was malaria that day and thought she had just picked up a virus that I didn’t want everyone in the house to catch. That afternoon I made her a pallet to sleep on in the playroom and was asking her questions to see if I could determine what was wrong with her. She told me her stomach hurt and nodded yes when I asked her if she felt like she was going to throw up. I quickly went and got our small bathroom trashcan that the kids always use in these circumstances just in case they don’t make it all the way to the bathroom. I explained several times what she should do if she felt like she was going to throw up and couldn’t make it to the bathroom and she nodded that she understood. Later I heard her in the bathroom and when I went to check on her I saw the trashcan in the bathroom. I knew she hadn’t vomited so I asked her why the trashcan was in there. She didn’t answer so I walked over to look and found urine in the trashcan! So much for my detailed explanations! David said that at the orphanage when the children were sick they might have put bowls or cans next to their beds for them to use. We know that many families in Liberia use cans for toilets so who knows. This will be something a year from now we can all reminisce about and have a good laugh at.
The most difficult part of communication is that some of the time the girls just won’t answer us. This is especially hard when we are trying to determine why they are pouting (a huge cultural thing) or why they are sad. These children just aren’t used to sharing their feelings and have trouble even naming them. The most important thing I have to learn is not to take it personally. When the girls first got here they mostly talked with each other, which is to be expected, but this was especially hard on Aubrey. Unfortunately, Aubrey has inherited from her mom the tendency to have high expectations and want everything perfect and wonderful for everyone. Thankfully all three girls are communicating more and better with each passing day. One night last week after we had put the girls to bed, Aubrey got up and came to ask me if she and her sisters could stay up just a few minutes longer and talk! I could hardly contain my excitement. When I hear the three of them having fun and laughing together it is beautiful music to my ears!
Now on to some of the health issues the girls are having which all started during their second week at home. As I wrote earlier, Suzanna spiked a high temperature on Monday of last week complete with terrible shivering and a headache. She woke up the next morning feeling great but then the same thing happened that evening. I called the doctor at the international adoption clinic and she said it could be a virus or it could be malaria. The doctor explained that malaria is cyclical with its symptoms; in other words she would have the symptoms approximately at the same time every day. The symptoms are high fever, shivering, sweating, and a headache, all of which Suzanna had. I took her to our pediatrician on Wednesday to have her blood tested for malaria. Thursday we found out she indeed had malaria. We were not able to get her the medication until Saturday. The medication used for treatment is the same that David and I had to take before, during, and after our trip to Liberia. Suzanna had to take twice the dose though. We started her treatment on Sunday morning and were told it could make her sick at her stomach. Two hours later she began vomiting, spiked another temperature, and was shivering uncontrollably. I sat in the bathroom holding her for hours. It was terrible. The doctor on call for the adoption clinic finally asked me to take her to the emergency room to make sure that the malaria had not deteriorated her health or that the malaria parasite had not grown past what we could treat her with on an outpatient basis. Poor Suzanna had to have blood drawn again! Tests all came back looking good and they sent us home with a prescription for an anti-nausea medication. She took this each day with her malaria medication and had no more problems! The whole way to the emergency room that afternoon I cried and just thanked God that she was now home where we could take care of her. She was probably infected as an infant and has had spells of this disease on and off her entire life. I just couldn’t help but think of the times when she was sick and wonder if there was anyone holding her when she was vomiting and shivering, or comforting her. Suzanna had blood drawn again yesterday for the fourth time since she’s been home to see if the medicine has completely eradicated the disease; we should know something early next week.
Maria also has some health issues that we have to take care of. The doctor at the clinic heard a heart murmur that she believes to be benign but wants it checked out anyway. We took her in yesterday for an EKG. She also tested positive for a parasite and Hepatitis B. She had additional blood tests yesterday that will be sent to a liver specialist that we will see next Friday. These tests will tell us more about her hepatitis like if she is a carrier or actually has the disease. I went in for the first of my three immunizations against Hep. B yesterday. David, Riley, Luke, and Aubrey already have been immunized. We are still waiting on tests to see if Suzanna has immunity to it or if she has to be immunized as well. Maria was given a strong antibiotic for her parasite that almost immediately affected her great appetite. She no longer wanted to try anything new and just picked at her food. By Christmas day she was hardly eating anything. She was no longer smiling and only wanted to sleep. She did enjoy Christmas morning but all went downhill after that. On Christmas night she began to cry and told me she missed her friends. We talked about this for a while and then prayed for them. The next morning Maria began vomiting. She continued for the rest of the morning, but then ate a pretty good lunch and her smile came back for a couple of hours. She took a nap again and woke up sad again and not feeling well at all. She threw up again right before supper and fell asleep in David’s lap right after we finished eating. The next morning she started vomiting again. I took her to the pediatrician where she threw up again. I was so worried; she had lost three pounds since the previous Friday. She does not have three pounds to lose. Maria is in the 5th percentile on her weight and age. The doctor said that the parasite and the medication were at war with each other and making her very sick. She gave her the same anti-nausea medication Suzanna was taking along with another medication to treat the parasite with. Our adoption clinic doctor said it was not as effective in treating the parasite so we will have to check her to see if the parasite is gone for good next week. By Thursday evening our sweet Maria was back to herself again. She was smiling, laughing, having fun, and best of all eating better. Maria also gave her Daddy and I the best gift we could ever ask for that night. After saying our prayers, the girls each gave Daddy kisses goodnight and when David told Maria he loved her she said, “I love you, too.” I then put all three girls to bed with kisses and was leaving the room blowing kisses, saying sweet dreams and I love you girls when Maria said those same beautiful magic words, “I love you, too!”
David and I have decided that it is going to be hard to really determine their behavior and what it means until they are healthy again and feeling well. It is also difficult to do any obedience and character training. They truly behave just like toddlers, but not only do we have to train them, we have so much unteaching to do, also. These precious girls only know “survival of the fittest” and now have to learn to be part of a family, something Suzanna knows nothing about and Maria knows very little about. God in His amazing grace has prepared us for the challenge!
Now we will talk about more fun moments during the last three weeks. Late in the second week the girls received cards and some money from my best friend in college and her husband from Roswell, New Mexico. This was a real answer to prayers because the girls really wanted bikes which they call cycles. That evening we went to Wal-Mart and let the girls pick out their bikes and helmets. They had so much fun! The next day, Friday, which is David’s day off he began to teach them how to ride. After a while he came in the house and said he was going back to Wal-Mart to buy training wheels. The girls had just completely missed the important developmental skill of learning how to pedal a bike. He needed them to concentrate only on that and not on both balancing and pedaling. They were just too heavy to hold up while teaching them to pedal. We both worked with them all afternoon just trying to get them to keep their feet on the pedals and to pedal forward instead of backwards. That night as we fell into bed exhausted we looked at each other and both said we were too old for this! The next morning we were at again and the girls did much better. Each day they improve just a little; before long we will be able to remove the training wheels. They both love their cycles!
Christmas was wonderful! They both enjoyed all the little gifts like hair accessories and jewelry in their stockings. We gave both girls Itty Bitty baby dolls from American Girl and they love their babies. Maria named her baby, Little Angel, and Suzanna named her baby, Princess. All three girls spend lots of time taking care of, bathing, feeding, and dressing their babies. Suzanna has put Princess in a carrier a couple of times to take her with us when we had to go out and has also ridden her bike with her baby on her back in the carrier.
Neither girl seemed overwhelmed with any part of Christmas but looked like they enjoyed themselves. They met David’s mom and her husband Chuck for the first time that day. David had told the girls that when Grandma got here they needed to run to her with their arms wide open and yell, “Grandma!” They actually did it and gave big hugs both to Grandma and Pa Chuck! We had to add a card table to the end of our table and put two tablecloths on to cover both! It was really my favorite part of Christmas to look at our table with our five blessings from God with two of their grandparents and to wave way down the table to my husband of 22 ½ years! In David’s prayer at Christmas dinner he thanked God for enlarging our family and our table!
I want to share just a couple more cute things. This past Thursday when Maria finally started feeling better I got out our wedding album and shared it with the girls. They loved it as they love looking at pictures all the time. They got a huge kick out of the picture of me stuffing wedding cake into David’s mouth. The minute he got home that evening they ran and got the album and wanted to look through it again with him. They laughed again hysterically when they got to that picture. They are continually asking me to take pictures of them and always want to see it on the viewer. We sure are glad we bought that digital camera for our anniversary! We look forward to putting together many, many more photo albums of our new family and giving the girls a heritage of love and tradition.
When we haven’t been in a doctor’s office, which has been most of the time, we have loved playing Pick-up Sticks, Old Maid, putting a jigsaw puzzle together, and watching movies. So far Cinderella has been Suzanna’s favorite and today I think Mary Poppins became Maria’s favorite. She loved the singing and dancing and asked to watch it a second time as soon as it was over.
Maria has begun parroting each of us most of the day. She wants to learn everything! It is fun listening to her repeat everything we say. I bought the girls’ Usborne’s book, First Thousand Words and they both love it. It is a great tool to introduce them to the things in our lives as well as to teach them the words and how to say them.
Both girls continually laugh at Riley, Luke, and especially David. I know this is no big shock to any of you. At the emergency room while I was trying to comfort Suzanna I asked her to tell our pastor’s wife, Johnnie, which of her brothers was the silliest. She immediately named Luke. Riley began calling both girls, sweetheart, right away. After a few days, Maria asked him not to call her that anymore! Riley, Luke, and Aubrey have been so patient in teaching the girls how to do the daily chores, how to ride their bikes, and how to play different games.
We are looking forward to taking them to church for the first time on January 6th. Our wonderful church family is giving our family as well as another family who adopted a little girl from China a shower on Sunday, January 13th. The girls and I will start back with Little Women of Virtue in January, also. Of course we will also start back to school, too. I look forward to it, but am feeling a little overwhelmed at the same time. I appreciate all prayers!
My heart is so full! I have thanked God everyday for the last three weeks for making me a mother of five; I thanked David tonight for the same thing. It has not all been roses or easy, but I wouldn’t trade a second of it. It has not been easy for the kids either, especially for Aubrey, but again I thank God for choosing our family to grow more and more like Him through all this. Please be in prayer for the health of Maria and Suzanna. Pray that God will continue to pour out His wisdom, grace, and patience on us as we teach Maria and Suzanna how to be part of a family, as we teach them in righteousness and character, as we teach them the three R’s, and most important as we teach them about the unconditional love of their Heavenly Father and the ultimate sacrifice He made to adopt them as His children, too.
Following are a few pictures from the last three weeks. I still haven't had time to learn how to do this properly but at least this time you have the story first and then the pictures. As soon as we have time to download pictures from Christmas we will post them here as well. Enjoy!
All showered, greased, and ready to do hair.
Maria does Suzanna's hair and then does her own. She always does the cutest job!
Silly Girls
Another picture Maria asked me to take. They are each holding a remote control to their ear! Girls!!!
Maria and Suzanna in a favorite place.
One of the many pictures Maria and Suzanna asked me to take of them!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Enjoying Our First Evening Together
Following are several pictures that go with last night's post of our trip to Liberia. I don't know how to put the photos in where yesterday's blog is; sorry! I'll eventually learn all this! Enjoy the photos and our journal which follows (the first two days only for now).
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Journal of Our Trip to Liberia
David has had all the fun with the blog since we've been home learning how to post some of our trip pictures, but now it's my turn to do the talking, or in this case the writing. We've wanted so much to share with you our experiences in Liberia but just haven't had the time as our beautiful girls, Maria and Suzanna need all our time and attention. As I have some time now because David is working a security job tonight and the kids are all in bed, I thought I would tell you about our trip. We know you are anxious to hear how things are going now that the girls are at home and we are just as anxious to tell you. However, we want to start with the trip because it is vital in understanding what we will share with you about the girls and also we want to tell you about it while it is still so fresh in our minds and hearts. This will be a long post because I plan to try to tell about our whole trip so you might want to read it in parts when you have the time.
Because I know it would be cruel not to mention anything about the girls, I will let you know that they are fitting into our family wonderfully although not without some issues as is to be expected. They are eating and sleeping great. They have beautiful smiles and laughs most of the time. The girls continue to be very loving and affectionate with David and I. The interaction between all the kids gets better with each passing day. We are dealing with some health issues with both girls. The worst right now and in need of your prayers is that we found out Thursday afternoon that Suzanna has malaria. She has been sick all week with high fevers, shivering, and headaches either in the afternoon or evening. We will start her on a medication that should eradicate it tomorrow morning. The medicine could make her feel nauseous and possible cause vomiting, headaches, etc. Please pray that she will experience little to no side effects so that she can enjoy her first Christmas with her new family. We promise lots more on the girls and what it's been like with them home soon after Christmas when I will have time to post again. Thank you for your patience.
One last note: You have probably noticed that I'm spelling Suzanna's name different. This is because this spelling is how we were told she spelled it and so we had it this way in our dossier. The way it is spelled in the dossier is how they wrote it on her new birth certificate, court decree, visa, and passport. We have to spell it the way it is on those documents for insurance, social security, etc. purposes. We will decide later if we want to change it back to the way it is spelled on her original birth certificate. Sorry about the confusion!
Sunday, December 2 After leaving Houston Saturday, December 1 at 8:15 am we finally arrived in Monrovia, Liberia on Sunday, December 2 at 7:40 pm via Dallas, New York, Brussels, and Dakar. Liberia is six hours ahead of CST. We never got off the plane in Dakar, just sat on the ground for an hour to unload and load new passengers. As we took off from Dakar we knew we were in for the trip of our lives when the airline attendants walked up and down the aisles spraying insect repellent and making the announcement not to worry because it wasn't toxic to humans! It was dark and raining in Monrovia when we landed and even more humid than Houston if that is even imaginable! We deplaned on the tarmac and walked to the very small, old, and run down terminal building. When we got to the entrance a man was standing there holding a sign with my name on it. We found out the next morning that PLAN didn't tell ACFI that David was coming too. Just another miscommunication in a very long line of them! Anyway, it felt great to be greeted. The gentleman worked for immigration and was asked by Lillian, who works for ACFI and met us at the airport to take us to our hotel, to help us. He showed us what to do and helped us with our luggage. He then took us out of the terminal where we met Lillian and our driver. So many young men were there just begging us to let them help us with our bags but we were told NOT to do that and both Lillian and our driver were very stern with these young men. We got in a very old and small foreign car and headed out of the airport. We had only gone a few yards when the driver pulled over and got out of the car to pull up his headlights! As he got back in the car he introduced himself like this, "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Young, I am Isaac. That is Isaac, son of Abraham and father of Jacob!" As we drove in the rain and stifling humidity along the very dark roads (remember there is no electricity in Liberia accept for those who can afford generators) he would honk his horn almost continuously as would the other drivers on the road. We were told that Liberians do not use their horns in anger as most Americans do; they use them just to let others know they are there. Isaac definitely knew what he was doing, passing lots of slower cars, swerving to hit all the holes in the road that he had memorized. God blessed us with Isaac because we felt safe and comfortable immediately! We noticed lots and lots of people both young and old walking along this road from the airport into town. The airport is about an hour from town.
I know this post is going to be exceptionally long so I need to stay on track as much as possible, but I do have to stray just a little for a minute just to show you how small our world really is even when you are traveling half-way around the world! We had deplaned in Brussels and were looking for a bathroom when two women we recognized from the plane came up to us and asked us where we were going. When we told them Liberia they said they were, also. One of the ladies was going to pick up her two adopted daughters from the Acres of Hope orphanage. The other lady was a friend helping her. We told her we were doing the same and then I asked her where they were from. They were from Albuquerque, NM where I was born and raised!!!
Monday, December 3 Seide and a new driver pick us up at the hotel at 10:00am. Seide works for ACFI and is the lady who had our power of attorney to do the adoption for us on the Liberian side. She informs us that we will first go to ACFI and then we will be taken to the orphanage where we can meet the girls. We tell her that PLAN had told us we could take the girls with us for the week. She says no that we cannot have them until after the girls receive their Visas on Thursday. Our driver is John Arkoi (the "r" is not pronounced). Besides getting our daughters, Maria and Suzanna, John is the best part of our trip. I will share more about him as we go, but for now I will tell you that God undoubtedly put him into our lives that week. We were truly blessed by a God-loving man with a huge heart. We will never forget John and miss him terribly already.
John drove us all week long in a small yellow 80's Nissan. The back seat was torn and we could feel the springs under us and again no air-conditioning. John had one handle for the four windows. When it would rain he would grab it off his dashboard and roll his window up enough to keep most of the rain out but not completely so we could breathe, then pass it back to David so he could roll up his and mine. John would then have to pull over, get out of the car, open Seide's door and pull her window up with his hands and then took a stick, which he also kept on his dashboard, and wedged it between the window and the rubber to keep the window up! As we drove all over Monrovia that week we noticed most of the taxis looked pretty much the same!
As we drove the few miles to the ACFI office the first thing we notice is the large numbers of people, including children, walking up and down the streets. The roads are busy with mostly taxis all honking and swerving to keep out of all the huge craters in the roads caused by mortar shots and landings during the war. Some holes could not be missed and we felt every single one in that tiny old backseat! We cannot do justice in our descriptions of Liberia; it truly is something you have to see to believe. Most buildings are burned out and are full of bullet holes, yet people are living in these. It is dirty with trash piled high in lots of places randomly along the roads. Everywhere you look there are lots of people, again including children, selling everything under the sun. We saw people selling items such as Q-tips, washcloths, gum, bagged water and milk, shrimp and crawdads in a hot sauce, all to earn enough money to buy their one meal for the day. Women and girls walked along carrying huge water coolers, bread, lemons, and much more all on their heads! Some of these women were also carrying babies and small children on their backs in lapas. We even saw a couple of men walking around carrying a small artificial Christmas tree completely decorated on their shoulders! What a sight! It was loud in the city with all the honking and people yelling to sell their goods. Sadly, we saw way too many young men walking on crutches with one leg gone or an arm gone. These men had their limbs brutally amputated by the rebel forces during the civil war.
We arrived at the temporary ACFI building behind small dwellings right on the beach of the Atlantic Ocean. As we drove up people people were cooking outside and children were running around and playing. The building was long and rectangle in shape built with only thin sheets of plywood. Each office had a small square hole cut out for a window to let in both the only light source and the only air! Seide took us to her office first and told us to have a seat. A few minutes later she came back for us and took us down a thin hall to another office where we were introduced to a Reverend Kaye. Without looking at us he told us to take a seat. Seide sat on a bench behind us. We sat there for a few minutes while he looked through some paperwork. Finally he began to talk to us or should I say reprimand us for writing our letter to the President of Liberia in August. Both David and I sat perfectly still and quiet as he told us how shocked, embarrassed, and upset they were about the letter and the fact that the President sent her sister to ACFI to investigate. He explained that our case took so long because they had so much trouble finding both of the girls' families. This was the first time we ever heard this explanation! I won't go into all he said because it's just not important enough. We will end this by saying just this--we both felt like kids in trouble with the principal and the darkness we felt had nothing to do with the fact that there was no electricity. Another important note--all of the paperwork we received concerning the adoption is dated in September--after the President received our letter!
I didn't say a word the entire time! I know it's hard to believe, but I knew I could say nothing that would make a difference, and that I couldn't take any chances on getting our girls out of there. David was absolutely wonderful! He explained that we wrote the letter out of desperation for Maria and Suzanna who had been our daughters since we chose them from their pictures way back in August of 2006. He explained how much we loved them and that we had to do everything in our power to protect them and get them home. Reverend Kaye shook our hands and accepted our apology.
John then drove us with Seide to the orphanage which is about an hour drive into the bush of Liberia. We crossed the only working bridge in Liberia, the other one is broken into a "V" in the river it crosses. As we left the city, we also left the paved roads. We just thought those were the bad roads! These roads had huge craters and were full of water from the rains. We also left behind buildings and began to see little villages with huts made of mat walls. We still saw so many people walking up and down the roads selling their wares. Also, people had little tables, some with mat coverings, set up on the side of the road and in front of their houses selling all kinds of items. Again, the sights, sounds, and smells were amazing. We saw laundry hanging on trees and walls and lying on the roofs of these small houses. We saw women and children sweeping their dirt floors with homemade brooms. People were cooking outside. Children and babies were playing in dirty water and unimaginable filth. Anywhere there was a large amount of water, even a puddle, you would see young men filling buckets with the water and using it to wash taxis and motorcycles. The women were washing their clothes with water in a bucket and a washboard or down at a river or creek where you could also find lots of naked children swimming. As we drove we saw lots of groups of children in different school uniforms. These children mostly go to private schools. All schools end at about 1:00 p.m. so they don't have to feed the children.
At long last we arrived at the orphanage! The buildings are made of cinder blocks all painted a bright turquoise. We came to a building with a porch on it. Here we met, "Mama Brown," who is the head of the orphanage. She was a large friendly woman who hugged us both. Children started gathering around us as we stood on the porch looking out on the large dirt yard with the dorms surrounding it. We had just been there a few minutes when we noticed off in the distance a woman walking towards us holding hands with a little girl with a huge smile who we knew instantly was Suzanna. The minute she saw us recognize her she ran up to greet us with a hug that nearly pushed me over! We were hugging and kissing Suzanna when out of the corner of my eye I caught the sight of another little girl brush past me and then began hugging on David's leg. It was Maria!!! Words cannot describe what I felt those first few minutes or even hours of meeting our daughters for the first time. It was absolutely joyous!!! My heart was so full! It was just as special as the births of Riley, Luke, and Aubrey! They both just loved all over us. They hugged us, touched us, played with my hair, put their hands up to mine!!! Oh my gosh it was amazing!!!
After a while each girl took me to their dorms and showed me their rooms. As we were walking I noticed lots of foam mattresses lying on the dirt yard smelling like urine. The dorms were dark and bare. Most of the rooms had one set of bunks and one twin bed or two sets of bunks. There were no sheets or pillows on the foam mattresses in most of the rooms. Each girl showed me where they slept and introduced me to their friends. In one of the dorms I noticed the children were being fed a bowl of rice with a few beans on top. We then walked back to the main building and sat on the porch steps and took some pictures and just hugged on each other!
David and I brought a suitcase full of balloons and suckers for the kids so Mama Brown came down to us and gave us two bags of suckers for both Maria's and Suzanna's dorms. We then walked back to the dorms and proceeded to hand out the suckers to the girls. So many hands just desperately reaching out for one small sucker! Most said thank you. Then a few girls came out with paper and pencils and started asking David and I to write our names and addresses down for them so they could write us. We did this for quite a few girls. While I was signing one I felt a girl pulling at my arm and calling me Mom. She asked me to come in because she had to whisper a secret to me. Suzanna and I followed her in and she began to tell me that her mother had been killed in the civil war and that something happened to her dad which I couldn't understand. She then begged my to find her a family. I asked her to write her name for me and promised I would do my best. As Suzanna and I were leaving the dorm she ran to me and grabbed my arm and said, "Mom, please don't forget me! Please don't forget me!" I will never forget that moment or that girl. All I could find out about her from Seide is that she is 11 years old. If any of you reading this or if you know someone who might be interested in becoming Comfort's family please let us know!!! Please pray for Comfort and the thousands of other orphans still in Liberia.
We met Suzanna's grandmother who works at the orphanage and both of the girls' dorm matrons. We were back on the porch with the girls when Seide announced that we could take the girls back to hotel with us to spend the night since our meeting the next morning at the Embassy was so early and we wouldn't have time to drive out to get the girls. She made it very clear that we would have to bring the girls back Tuesday afternoon and wouldn't be able to come back for them until after we had their Visas on Thursday. The girls were very excited about going with us and Suzanna pulled me back to her dorm to one of the bedrooms where there were several small trash bags hanging on the end of one of the beds. They were full of clothes and she reached in to grab some. I explained to her that we brought clothes for them so she didn't need any. Everything about that place just broke my heart.
While driving back to the hotel the girls just continued to touch us and examine us. They also were very interested in all the sights on the way. Seide told us that except for their medicals for their Visas they had not been away from the orphanage. Since Suzanna had lived there since right before she turned three she was especially interested. She eventually sat on David's lap to see better and Maria laid her head in my lap. All I could think of was how much I loved these precious girls and I just kept thanking God over and over for getting them to us at last!
When we arrived at the hotel the girls were full of smiles and giggles. They jumped on the bed almost immediately. I then took both girls and had them shower. They did this very fast as they were just used to someone pouring a bucket of water over their head as they washed themselves. They were thrilled with their new clothes! The sandals were too small for their feet! Suzanna is the largest of the two, but the youngest. We were surprised at how small Maria was because in all the pictures she looked bigger than Suzanna. They quickly put on the sweatshirts we brought them for they were way too cold in a room with air-conditioning! We then took them to the hotel restaurant for dinner. We ate pizza!!! We then went back to the room where we showed them their backpacks and the coloring books, crayons, stickers, and magnadoodles we brought them. They were so excited about everything. Marie wrote her name on her magnadoodle and at one point heard one of us say the word, little. She immediately popped up on the bed and said, "Little, l-i-t-t-l-e, little!" After changing into their pjs and brushing their teeth we laid in the bed and I read two bedtime stories to them! We tucked them into the twin mattress the hotel provided for us. (The hotel only has rooms with one large bed or with two twin beds. When we explained that we would be needing a bed for our girls they brought us a twin mattress from one of the other rooms! The hotel was so wonderful to us and so accomodating to our every need.) They both fell asleep quickly and slept the entire night. I didn't sleep much at all. I spent most of the night just staring at them and just praising God for His faithfulness! Everytime I would doze off I would hear one of them move or make a noise and I was wide awake starting all over staring at them and praising God! It was one of the most wonderful nights of my life.
Well it is past 1:30 am and I've been typing since 10:00 pm. I write like I talk...way too much!!! I must go to bed now for I am exhausted. I promise I will finish with the trip as soon as possible! There is so much more to share!
Friday, December 21, 2007
Monday, December 17, 2007
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Back in Houston
These photos from the airport say it all. Welcome HOME Susannah and Maria! (and David and Suzanne!)
Friday, December 7, 2007
We're on Our Way Home!
Suzanne called this morning as they were finishing lunch at the hotel. The girls are great and they have spent the morning visiting and coloring with David and Suzanne. Their plane leaves Liberia a little after 1:00 p.m. CST today.
I will say that Aubrey and the boys are as excited as 3 kiddos can get! We are off to buy their sisters some shoes and go by the house to drop off surprises for the girls that friends from church have brought by for them. The count down is on! They are almost home! God is so good! : )
Shannon for ALL 7 of the Youngs
I will say that Aubrey and the boys are as excited as 3 kiddos can get! We are off to buy their sisters some shoes and go by the house to drop off surprises for the girls that friends from church have brought by for them. The count down is on! They are almost home! God is so good! : )
Shannon for ALL 7 of the Youngs
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Praising God & Goodnight!
Suzanne and David have the girls, everything is final and they are all sleeping at this time. They picked the girls up from the orphanage, went back to the hotel, washed up, ate in the hotel restaurant, and returned to the hotel room. The girls put on their PJs while Suzanne went to take a shower. When Suzanne returned the girls were fast asleep! They start their two days of travel Friday morning and asked for continued prayer during this time. They are looking forward to hot showers and sleeping in their own beds. They are so thankful for the prayers and love all of you have showered them with during this time. They will try to call when they arrive in Chicago on Saturday.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Prayer Requests
David & Suzanne called this morning to talk to the kids. Afterwards, Suzanne shared a few prayer requests with me to pass on:
- They go to pick up the visas tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. (9:30 a.m. CST) Please pray that they are ready when they arrive and all information is correct. Also, pray that all paperwork is in order.
- After picking up the visas, David and Suzanne will be driven to the orphanage. Please pray that there will be favorable weather between now and then. This is not the rainy season. When they have gone to the orphanage, however, the rains have caused such huge ruts in the roads that water comes into the vehicle as they are driving. So, please pray for sunshine!
- As the Youngs travel home on Friday, David and Suzanne have asked if we would be in prayer for the girls that they would be at peace and not be frightened during the flight home.
They will try to call tomorrow sometime and if they do, I will post any updates. They said to tell everyone they feel your prayers and love all of you so much!
Shannon for the Youngs
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Everything Is Moving Along
Update from Suzanne, entered by Shannon Robison
David & Suzanne were picked up by their representative on Monday and taken to the orphanage to pick up the girls. When they arrived, all of the children greeted them asking them to sign pieces of paper. They said the children are all so beautiful! They took Maria and Susannah with them back to the hotel. They called our house to talk to the children yesterday, but as you read from yesterday's entry the connection was quite poor. However, Aubrey did get to say hello to both of her sisters.
Suzanne and I had another poor connection today plus the time delay for our speech to travel, but we were able to have a few minutes of conversation so she could give me more information to share with all of you. I know David and Suzanne have so much to share and I couldn't get all the questions to her the kids have asked and they could not tell us everything they wanted to share, but here is the bit we received:
The girls are beautiful, sweet, and quiet. However, Susannah lives up to her nickname 'Flowergirl" as she is bright, sunny, smiling, and busy on the go-go-go! They found out that Maria's nickname is "Grandma" and Suzanne says she is just that; a caring, loving, child that attends to every one's needs! Suzanne said that as soon as they all woke up in the morning at the hotel, Maria was quick to make both beds. Maria enjoyed keeping the hotel room tidy and David said that every time a suitcase was opened, Maria was right behind to close it and keep everything in it's place. : )
Suzanne also shared that the bonding was instantaneous! The girls have not been able to keep their hands off their parents! They are constantly touching David and Suzanne's faces, arms, playing with their hair (okay, well, Suzanne's hair). Aubrey said the girls are probably rubbing their Daddy's head! Also, Suzanne said that while they were in the waiting room at the US Embassy, the girls kept playing with Suzanne's hair and braiding it.
When David & Suzanne called today they had just returned the girls to the orphanage. It is policy to do this, although David and Suzanne did all they could to keep the girls with them. I am pretty sure I understood that they will be able to get the girls back once the visas are ready. Suzanne said it was awful having to take them back.
Suzanne also shared that the conditions & situation in Liberia in general is beyond what they read and heard about. The poverty and desperation is everywhere they turn. David & Suzanne were stopped by a man on the street who was a wood carver. David thought for sure he would ask for money. He did not. Instead, he shared that he had a family and four children that he was having trouble caring for, but most especially his youngest who is two. He asked David and Suzanne if they would please adopt his young girl! David and Suzanne were so taken aback. David did get all of his information and also told him who to contact in Liberia for help in this area.
Suzanne also was approached and pulled aside by a young girl at the orphanage who had a secret to tell her. This young girl literally pulled Suzanne back to the dorms and sat her down. The girl, whose name is Comfort, proceeded to tell Suzanne that her mother died in the war two years ago and then told Suzanne what happened to her father. Even though Suzanne didn't quite understand this part, she understood that her father was gone. Comfort held on to Suzanne and looked into her eyes and pleaded for Suzanne to find her a mother. Comfort said, "You have to find me a mother, please."
At this point in the telephone conversation with me, Suzanne broke down. She feels so much joy and such sadness all at one time. She asked for prayer for this sweet girl and the other children desperately needing families.
She said they cannot wait to go pick up the girls for the last time. Shortly, thereafter, we lost our telephone connection. Please continue to pray for the visas to be finalized quickly! Also, please pray for Aubrey who has a pretty bad head cold. She wants to be feeling well for when her sisters arrive on Saturday. I will update again if I receive another call!
David & Suzanne were picked up by their representative on Monday and taken to the orphanage to pick up the girls. When they arrived, all of the children greeted them asking them to sign pieces of paper. They said the children are all so beautiful! They took Maria and Susannah with them back to the hotel. They called our house to talk to the children yesterday, but as you read from yesterday's entry the connection was quite poor. However, Aubrey did get to say hello to both of her sisters.
Suzanne and I had another poor connection today plus the time delay for our speech to travel, but we were able to have a few minutes of conversation so she could give me more information to share with all of you. I know David and Suzanne have so much to share and I couldn't get all the questions to her the kids have asked and they could not tell us everything they wanted to share, but here is the bit we received:
The girls are beautiful, sweet, and quiet. However, Susannah lives up to her nickname 'Flowergirl" as she is bright, sunny, smiling, and busy on the go-go-go! They found out that Maria's nickname is "Grandma" and Suzanne says she is just that; a caring, loving, child that attends to every one's needs! Suzanne said that as soon as they all woke up in the morning at the hotel, Maria was quick to make both beds. Maria enjoyed keeping the hotel room tidy and David said that every time a suitcase was opened, Maria was right behind to close it and keep everything in it's place. : )
Suzanne also shared that the bonding was instantaneous! The girls have not been able to keep their hands off their parents! They are constantly touching David and Suzanne's faces, arms, playing with their hair (okay, well, Suzanne's hair). Aubrey said the girls are probably rubbing their Daddy's head! Also, Suzanne said that while they were in the waiting room at the US Embassy, the girls kept playing with Suzanne's hair and braiding it.
When David & Suzanne called today they had just returned the girls to the orphanage. It is policy to do this, although David and Suzanne did all they could to keep the girls with them. I am pretty sure I understood that they will be able to get the girls back once the visas are ready. Suzanne said it was awful having to take them back.
Suzanne also shared that the conditions & situation in Liberia in general is beyond what they read and heard about. The poverty and desperation is everywhere they turn. David & Suzanne were stopped by a man on the street who was a wood carver. David thought for sure he would ask for money. He did not. Instead, he shared that he had a family and four children that he was having trouble caring for, but most especially his youngest who is two. He asked David and Suzanne if they would please adopt his young girl! David and Suzanne were so taken aback. David did get all of his information and also told him who to contact in Liberia for help in this area.
Suzanne also was approached and pulled aside by a young girl at the orphanage who had a secret to tell her. This young girl literally pulled Suzanne back to the dorms and sat her down. The girl, whose name is Comfort, proceeded to tell Suzanne that her mother died in the war two years ago and then told Suzanne what happened to her father. Even though Suzanne didn't quite understand this part, she understood that her father was gone. Comfort held on to Suzanne and looked into her eyes and pleaded for Suzanne to find her a mother. Comfort said, "You have to find me a mother, please."
At this point in the telephone conversation with me, Suzanne broke down. She feels so much joy and such sadness all at one time. She asked for prayer for this sweet girl and the other children desperately needing families.
She said they cannot wait to go pick up the girls for the last time. Shortly, thereafter, we lost our telephone connection. Please continue to pray for the visas to be finalized quickly! Also, please pray for Aubrey who has a pretty bad head cold. She wants to be feeling well for when her sisters arrive on Saturday. I will update again if I receive another call!
Monday, December 3, 2007
They have the girls!
An update: Shannon Robison phoned me this morning to let me know that Suzanne called her! The connection wasn't that great, but Suzanne and David were in the hotel room with the girls. Aubrey even was able to talk with one of her new sisters, but with the bad connection it was a short call just to say "we have the girls!" They are going to try to call back later in the day. So, keep checking for updates, and keep praying as they do all the paperwork and meetings to bring the girls HOME!
Saturday, December 1, 2007
They are on their way!!
Here's a photo from the airpot this morning! David and Suzanne are on their wait to get the girls!! What an exciting and emotional week ahead! Please continue to pray for them! I'll be posting news from them if they are able to access a computer.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Our Trip to Liberia
We still can't believe it, but we are actually leaving in just two days for Liberia, Africa to pick up our two daughters, Maria and Susannah, and bring them HOME!!! How Great is Our God!!!!!!! More good news--we received word Tuesday that A Child Waits awarded us a grant in the amount of $3,000!!! God is so faithful to provide; all of our adoption and travel expenses have now been taken care of!!!
Our plans are as follows:
Saturday, December 1----Depart Houston, Texas
Sunday, December 2-----Arrive Monrovia, Liberia
Monday, December 3----Pick up Maria and Susannah from orphanage!!!!!
Tuesday, December 4----File I-600 paperwork at US Embassy
Wednesday, Dec. 5-----Possibly meet girls' families/buy souvenirs, etc.
Thursday, Dec. 6-------Pick up Maria's and Susannah's Visas from
Embassy
Friday, Dec. 7--------Depart Liberia early evening
Saturday, Dec.8-------Arrive home with our daughters!!!!!!!
Please join us in prayer for the following:
1. Travel mercies: safety, protection of health, all logistics to work out smoothly and efficiently.
2. Pray that God will give us lots of open ears and hearts on our long trip to hear our great story and that He will receive ALL the glory.
3. Pray that our meeting and time with the girls will be blessed and that bonding will occur quickly and easily.
4. Pray that the filing of our I-600's and the obtaining of the girls' Visas will go smoothly and efficiently. Pray that there are NO delays or complications.
5. Pray for God's will in meeting any of the girls' families and that He will bless the meeting for all involved.
6. We have a 6-hour layover in Chicago on the way home. We have made arrangements to meet the family that adopted Susannah's 12-year old cousin, Linda. Pray that God will bless this time for all.
7. Pray that God will ease any and all fears that Maria and Susannah may have and that He will fill them with courage and hope in their new future. Pray that both girls will come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior as they come to understand His love and mercy for them through their earthly and heavenly adoption stories.
8. Pray for Riley, Luke, Aubrey and the Robison family while we are gone. Pray for health protection, safety, endurance, peace, and joy for all.
9. Pray that God will continue to fill us with wisdom, discernment, patience, endurance, and grace during our trip and especially when we return home where our adoption journey will truly begin.
Thank you for all your prayers and for sharing this beautiful journey with us.
Our plans are as follows:
Saturday, December 1----Depart Houston, Texas
Sunday, December 2-----Arrive Monrovia, Liberia
Monday, December 3----Pick up Maria and Susannah from orphanage!!!!!
Tuesday, December 4----File I-600 paperwork at US Embassy
Wednesday, Dec. 5-----Possibly meet girls' families/buy souvenirs, etc.
Thursday, Dec. 6-------Pick up Maria's and Susannah's Visas from
Embassy
Friday, Dec. 7--------Depart Liberia early evening
Saturday, Dec.8-------Arrive home with our daughters!!!!!!!
Please join us in prayer for the following:
1. Travel mercies: safety, protection of health, all logistics to work out smoothly and efficiently.
2. Pray that God will give us lots of open ears and hearts on our long trip to hear our great story and that He will receive ALL the glory.
3. Pray that our meeting and time with the girls will be blessed and that bonding will occur quickly and easily.
4. Pray that the filing of our I-600's and the obtaining of the girls' Visas will go smoothly and efficiently. Pray that there are NO delays or complications.
5. Pray for God's will in meeting any of the girls' families and that He will bless the meeting for all involved.
6. We have a 6-hour layover in Chicago on the way home. We have made arrangements to meet the family that adopted Susannah's 12-year old cousin, Linda. Pray that God will bless this time for all.
7. Pray that God will ease any and all fears that Maria and Susannah may have and that He will fill them with courage and hope in their new future. Pray that both girls will come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior as they come to understand His love and mercy for them through their earthly and heavenly adoption stories.
8. Pray for Riley, Luke, Aubrey and the Robison family while we are gone. Pray for health protection, safety, endurance, peace, and joy for all.
9. Pray that God will continue to fill us with wisdom, discernment, patience, endurance, and grace during our trip and especially when we return home where our adoption journey will truly begin.
Thank you for all your prayers and for sharing this beautiful journey with us.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
We're Going to Liberia!!!!
We received a wonderful call from Judy at PLAN yesterday telling us that the interview with Susannah's birth mother went well so we can now go get the girls!!! We will be leaving Houston on Saturday, December 1 and returning on Saturday, December 8, with our daughters, Maria and Susannah!!!!
I will give you all more specific times, prayer requests, etc. next week. For now the prayer we need is for the grant that we applied for from A Child Waits to be approved. Judy has told us to purchase our tickets at the last moment possible, which is next Thursday, because they will not give us the grant once we have purchased the tickets. We will have to overnight our check to our travel agent in Pennsylvania on Wednesday. Please pray we will hear good news about the grant early next week. Also, please pray that we will be able to get everything done that needs to be done in the short time we have and that there will be no major complications or delays.
We are awestruck, humbled, and moved to tears as we experience God moving in our family this way and watching Him grow our church spiritually AND physically!!! We are so thankful that we get to experience all this with each and everyone of you!!! This will be a Thanksgiving and Christmas to remember!!!
I will give you all more specific times, prayer requests, etc. next week. For now the prayer we need is for the grant that we applied for from A Child Waits to be approved. Judy has told us to purchase our tickets at the last moment possible, which is next Thursday, because they will not give us the grant once we have purchased the tickets. We will have to overnight our check to our travel agent in Pennsylvania on Wednesday. Please pray we will hear good news about the grant early next week. Also, please pray that we will be able to get everything done that needs to be done in the short time we have and that there will be no major complications or delays.
We are awestruck, humbled, and moved to tears as we experience God moving in our family this way and watching Him grow our church spiritually AND physically!!! We are so thankful that we get to experience all this with each and everyone of you!!! This will be a Thanksgiving and Christmas to remember!!!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Adoption Update--Very Exciting!!!
It is with much excitement and great pleasure to bring you more good news on our adoption!!! It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the Young home because we have been told that barring any tragedies we will have Maria and Susannah home with us for Christmas!!!!!!!!!!! Following is an email we received yesterday afternoon:
Hi David and Suzanne, Just wanted to let you know that Maria’s birth mother went to the Embassy on Tuesday and was interviewed, and cleared. But the consular did not have time to interview the second birth mother. That will hopefully take place this coming Tuesday. Once it does, and if this one clears as well, these girls will be ready to go. As soon as I have word, then I will notify you to go ahead and plan travel. Please pray that we get good news. Take care, Judy
Early this evening Judy called us and told us to go ahead and apply for our Visas and to make tentative flight arrangements to arrive in Monrovia, Liberia on Sunday, December 2 returning the following Friday or Saturday!!!!!! Are you jumping up and down yet?!?! Aren't tears of joy the best?!?! Our song is on full volume now!!! Aubrey and I (Suzanne) don't know if we will be able to ever fall asleep!!!
Please pray that everything will go smoothly on Tuesday with Susannah's birth mother and that she will pass the interview, also. Pray that God will provide all the necessary funding to bring the girls home. We know this travel date is no surprise to Him and that He will provide!
We also want to take a moment and thank all of you that donated items to our garage sale and helped us with it. A huge and special thank you goes to Angela Frye, AKA Garage Sale Guru!!! We earned right over $1,000 that weekend!!! God is so good!!!!
We thank you once again for your prayers, support, and encouragement throughout this journey. We love you all!!!
Hi David and Suzanne, Just wanted to let you know that Maria’s birth mother went to the Embassy on Tuesday and was interviewed, and cleared. But the consular did not have time to interview the second birth mother. That will hopefully take place this coming Tuesday. Once it does, and if this one clears as well, these girls will be ready to go. As soon as I have word, then I will notify you to go ahead and plan travel. Please pray that we get good news. Take care, Judy
Early this evening Judy called us and told us to go ahead and apply for our Visas and to make tentative flight arrangements to arrive in Monrovia, Liberia on Sunday, December 2 returning the following Friday or Saturday!!!!!! Are you jumping up and down yet?!?! Aren't tears of joy the best?!?! Our song is on full volume now!!! Aubrey and I (Suzanne) don't know if we will be able to ever fall asleep!!!
Please pray that everything will go smoothly on Tuesday with Susannah's birth mother and that she will pass the interview, also. Pray that God will provide all the necessary funding to bring the girls home. We know this travel date is no surprise to Him and that He will provide!
We also want to take a moment and thank all of you that donated items to our garage sale and helped us with it. A huge and special thank you goes to Angela Frye, AKA Garage Sale Guru!!! We earned right over $1,000 that weekend!!! God is so good!!!!
We thank you once again for your prayers, support, and encouragement throughout this journey. We love you all!!!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Shouting From the Rooftop!!!
We are now officially shouting from our Champion Forest roof!!! PLAN called a few minutes ago and said the court documents came in! Maria Faith and Susannah Grace are now officially our little girls!!! ACFI is still waiting for the signed report from the Ministry of Health which should be completed by November 1. Once that is in, ACFI will deliver the report and the court documents to the American Consular for the pre-investigation in the Visa process. We were told this could take several weeks. Once that is done then we wait for an embassy appointment and we can make travel arrangements to go get our girls!!!
Please continue to pray for God to cause things to happen quickly and efficiently. Also, please pray that God will provide the money we will need for travel, which is very expensive.
Thank you again for all your prayers and support. Isn't it wonderful to finally hear some good news from the Youngs?!?! Can anyone hear our theme song, How Great is Our God, playing?!?!
P.S. I (Suzanne) really did get on the roof and shouted, but then I embarrassed the kids in front of their friends because I froze trying to get down. Not a pretty sight!
Please continue to pray for God to cause things to happen quickly and efficiently. Also, please pray that God will provide the money we will need for travel, which is very expensive.
Thank you again for all your prayers and support. Isn't it wonderful to finally hear some good news from the Youngs?!?! Can anyone hear our theme song, How Great is Our God, playing?!?!
P.S. I (Suzanne) really did get on the roof and shouted, but then I embarrassed the kids in front of their friends because I froze trying to get down. Not a pretty sight!
Spelling of Susannah's Name
We have been spelling Susannah's name the way Children Concerned was and it is different on their birth certificate. From this point forward you'll see her name spelled Susannah instead of Suzanna.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Adoption Update
We have good news and bad news to share with you today. The good news is that God answered our prayers and changed the hearts of PLAN and they have decided to continue to work with us in bringing home Maria and Suzanna.
The bad news is that when Judy Elkins was in Liberia she found out that nothing had been done with our case yet. We suspected this but are still extremely hurt. We explained to Riley, Luke, and Aubrey last night that even though we are very sad about this that we cannot look on this last year as wasted because God has been and is continuing to work out His perfect purpose and plan for our family, including Maria and Suzanna, and most important for His kingdom and glory.
Please continue to pray for God's protection of Maria and Suzanna as well as hope and patience for them as they wait to come home to us. Pray that God will cause all people to work together efficiently and quickly to bring the girls home as soon as possible! Pray that God will give us and Pastor Ted discernment and wisdom as we work with PLAN to bring the girls home.
We love you all and appreciate your prayers and support more than you will ever know.
Below is a picture of Maria and Suzanna that Judy sent from her trip to Liberia.
The bad news is that when Judy Elkins was in Liberia she found out that nothing had been done with our case yet. We suspected this but are still extremely hurt. We explained to Riley, Luke, and Aubrey last night that even though we are very sad about this that we cannot look on this last year as wasted because God has been and is continuing to work out His perfect purpose and plan for our family, including Maria and Suzanna, and most important for His kingdom and glory.
Please continue to pray for God's protection of Maria and Suzanna as well as hope and patience for them as they wait to come home to us. Pray that God will cause all people to work together efficiently and quickly to bring the girls home as soon as possible! Pray that God will give us and Pastor Ted discernment and wisdom as we work with PLAN to bring the girls home.
We love you all and appreciate your prayers and support more than you will ever know.
Below is a picture of Maria and Suzanna that Judy sent from her trip to Liberia.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Prayer Needed for Adoption
As most of you know we wrote a letter to the President of Liberia in August. In that letter we outlined our adoption process, our troubles with ACFI, and our understanding of the deplorable conditions of the orphanage where Maria and Suzanna are.
Monday morning I (Suzanne) received a call from Judy Elkin's assistant, Susan, who told me that while Judy was in Liberia last week she found out that we wrote the letter and that the President sent her people to investigate ACFI. I was told that this caused great embarrassment to ACFI and that because it seemed we couldn't trust PLAN to do their job they were no longer willing to work with us. They told me that we would have to contact ACFI in Liberia directly and handle the adoption on our own if ACFI would agree to work with us.
After talking to the Executive Director of PLAN, a woman named Margaret, for nearly an hour I was able to get her to reconsider this decision until Judy returned from her vacation on October 1st and we all had a chance to talk things over. David will be taking this call and hopefully we will be able to have Pastor Ted on the phone, also.
Please pray over the next two weeks for God to soften the hearts of everyone involved to make the right decision based on what is best for Maria and Suzanna. Please pray for wisdom and grace for David and Pastor Ted as they speak with PLAN. Pray that God will continue to strengthen us in this battle and that He will receive ALL the glory. And, as always, please continue to pray for God's will in Maria's and Suzanna's lives and for their protection.
Thank you again and again for your prayers!
Monday morning I (Suzanne) received a call from Judy Elkin's assistant, Susan, who told me that while Judy was in Liberia last week she found out that we wrote the letter and that the President sent her people to investigate ACFI. I was told that this caused great embarrassment to ACFI and that because it seemed we couldn't trust PLAN to do their job they were no longer willing to work with us. They told me that we would have to contact ACFI in Liberia directly and handle the adoption on our own if ACFI would agree to work with us.
After talking to the Executive Director of PLAN, a woman named Margaret, for nearly an hour I was able to get her to reconsider this decision until Judy returned from her vacation on October 1st and we all had a chance to talk things over. David will be taking this call and hopefully we will be able to have Pastor Ted on the phone, also.
Please pray over the next two weeks for God to soften the hearts of everyone involved to make the right decision based on what is best for Maria and Suzanna. Please pray for wisdom and grace for David and Pastor Ted as they speak with PLAN. Pray that God will continue to strengthen us in this battle and that He will receive ALL the glory. And, as always, please continue to pray for God's will in Maria's and Suzanna's lives and for their protection.
Thank you again and again for your prayers!
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Update/Prayer Requests
We want to update you just a little and then let you know of several ways you can pray in the next few weeks.
As of our last update, we still have no answers to our questions about the lies and contradicting information we have received concerning our adoption of Maria and Suzanna. Judy Elkins, Director of International Adoptions at PLAN will be traveling to Liberia on September 11th. She has asked us not to send our contract and fees in until she returns from her trip and feels confident in our adoption.
Two weeks ago we received word from our adoption group moderator that the Ministry of Health in Liberia was in the process of shutting down the orphanage that the girls are living in. Judy Elkins confirmed this through a PLAN worker in Liberia. However, this week we received another email from PLAN stating that ACFI is reporting it as rumor. Due to the lies and deceptions from ACFI we are not believing it is a rumor. In addition, another family who is adopting from the same orphanage, is in contact with a pastor in Liberia who has been checking on the family's children the last several months. He is reporting that the conditions at the orphanage are going from bad to worse. He is doing what he can, but it is not enough.
We are also receiving reports that due to the deplorable conditions at the orphanage, the lack of food, and the closing of the orphanage that some of the families are coming and taking the children home. We have absolutely no idea if the girls are still there or how they are doing.
We have written and mailed a letter to the President of Liberia outlining the history of our adoption process, describing the present situation at the orphanage, and appealing to her authority as President as well as to her heart as a mother to help the children and to bring Maria and Suzanna home to us as soon as possible. We had to mail the letter to the Liberian Embassy in Washington DC because there is no postal service in Liberia.
We have also been busy completing two different adoption grant applications.
Here is how you can pray:
Pray for Judy Elkin's Liberian trip in the following ways:
Thank you as always for your continued prayers and encouragement. We will never be able to express our gratitude for all you have done for us throughout this journey.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Adoption/Prayer Update
As most of you know in mid-April we were given two pieces of bad news concerning our adoption of Maria and Suzanna. First we were told that all the information on both girls was found to be wrong and ACFI was bringing in Suzanna's father from Sinow, Africa (a 3 day trip) to give consent for the adoption. Second, we were told that ACFI in the states would no longer be able to process our adoption and we were given to an agency in Oregon called PLAN Loving Adoptions Now. If we want to bring Maria and Suzanna home we have no choice but to go through this agency.
After two months of constant calling and emailing we finally found out that Suzanna's father had come in and given his consent to the adoption. During these months we were told various pieces of news concerning the progress of the adoption, most of which were conflicting and/or suspicious. While bringing these facts to PLAN's attention (first part of July) we were told that Suzanna's mother had come in to give consent and while she was there she told ACFI that Suzanna's father had abandoned her while she was pregnant and she had no idea where the father was!!!!!!!! Yes, you read that right! Of course we immediately asked who the man was that came in to give consent for Suzanna's adoption!
We have since then requested answers for several questions before we feel comfortable proceeding. The two main questions that must be answered are about Suzanna's father and why our case has been in Africa for over 10 months now and they are just getting consents when this is the first step in the adoption process. In the last few days in speaking with PLAN we are being told we may not get these answers.
We have definitely been deceived by ACFI and others right from the beginning of this adoption process. PLAN has said they don't like the word "deceived" but blame it on culture. We have a difficult time accepting this. We have our family to protect--including Maria and Suzanna.
Just when you think things couldn't possibly get worse they do! A new Consular for the American Embassy in Liberia took over in July. She has made it very clear that her mission is to SLOW down adoptions from Liberia. She is allowing VISA's to be granted only one day a week with extreme rules attached that are making things very difficult and slow--her mission.
We are now hearing from two families that have just recently returned from Liberia that ACFI is monitoring all letters coming from the children and are not allowing the older children to write for the younger ones. We have heard nothing from our girls since February. We have also been told by these families that the children are not getting enough to eat and are getting much thinner.
Dear family, we desperately need your prayers. Please pray for God's wisdom and discernment. Pray that His light will show us the truth in this terrible darkness. Pray for His continued protection of us and Maria and Suzanna. We are working with a corrupt organization (ACFI) and are not sure how much we can trust PLAN. We do know we can trust God and His sovereignty; He is in control! Pray that God will soften the American Consular's heart towards adoption. We are heartbroken, weary, and discouraged. Please pray James 1: 2-4 and 1 Peter 5: 10-11 for our family.
Thank you again for your continued love and prayers. We love you!
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