First U.S. Embassy appointment

Tuesday, October 11th. Thank you so very much to the one(s) who have donated to Zeph's adoption funds! Just a quick reminder: 1 or 2 days left to donate tax-deductible through Reece's Rainbow, if you were thinking about it. After that we'll still be able to fund-raise through the end of October with the "Scentsy" fund-raiser and "Just Love Coffee" will have our store up for one more year to help with costs related to caring for an adopted special needs child.

Ah! No pictures today but I promise to put some more up soon!

Our date to go to the U.S. embassy and turn in some paperwork, pay the fee for Zephaniah's visa. But today was also a heated day here in the same city we are in because one of the largest trials had taken place and today the sentence was handed down - 7 years in prison to the ex-prime minister. There were large crowds and police all over the place. There were "scuffles" but no riots, thank God. It's a very heated matter here and it could have been worse. We are thankful it was not. When we arrived at the U.S. Embassy there was some problem with the door being broken (??) so we waited a few minutes but then our facilitator lead us parallel to a large line of people, passing them all by. All six of us. Large families are practically un-heard of here. Further, we were being glared at. It was obvious we were American and so many of those people would be waiting hours and hours in line at the chance to get a visa to travel here for whatever reason. We were sent to the very front, opened the door and we walked right in, our appointment had been for 9am. We went through security, gave them all 5 of our passports, went on to the place to give them the papers they needed, paid the fee for Zeph's visa and then were told we have to come back tomorrow at 2pm for another appointment to sign papers and be interviewed.

I couldn't help but feeling like we are so very blessed to be on our way home - to have such a place for a home! I felt like a titanical ship was sinking and we were granted passage on a lifeboat. It occurred to me the picture here - we have adopted Zephaniah - he will soon have something none of those people have (at least not easily) - American citizenship. Automatic. Done deal. He's "in" once we reach U.S. soil he becomes an American automatically. The world is drowning. Drowning in sin, in hopelessness, in fear, in sadness, loneliness. But God made the way through Christ so we could become citizens of Heaven. You've all seen that sticker or t-shirt "Not of This World". What meaning it has. This was but a small taste of what it will feel like to be at the great judgement and see all the poor souls who will not be able to enter in through the gates of heaven. How will they glare at us? How will we wish we could take just one more with us? How will we wish we had shown love to them so they, too, would want to follow God? And then what joy will we feel to finally be "home", to have made it, to hear "well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord".

As we get ever so close to returning home with our little boy anticipation builds! We long for home.

We ask for prayer. Zephaniah has many diagnosis we did not know about until the day we met him here in his country. We know he is our son so it did not matter. Of greatest concern to us is that we find out if he has a seizure disorder or something particular causing seizures. We pray it will not be serious. The seizures, we were told, started as febrile seizures (usually temporary condition related to fever) but that just recently he's had a grand-mal seizure and some other "episodes" (non-febrile). There are also concerns about his circulation, temperature regulation, possible (diagnosed here) brain abnormalities, heart condition, hernia, and the list goes on. In addition we suspect a possible type of infection and are praying he will test negative for it. We are trying very hard to get him an appointment to be seen as soon as it is possible in the States. We want all of this free and clear (or cared for as best as possible) so we can focus on bonding and family time. We are praying for fast appointments, smooth and fast referrals, caring and wise doctors. Most of all we are praying for healing. Yes. We want tests to show he's healed. I'm sure this is what every parent would want. No parent wants their child to suffer.

We thought we'd come home with a relatively healthy child and just be working on getting him fitted so he could walk (and trust me - this is coming! He really wants to walk!). This is more than we first figured but we know God has a plan through this and we know He is going to have the last say here. He is The Great Physician and He gives wisdom to whom He chooses - so please pray that He will impart wisdom to us, as Zeph's parents, wisdom to the health-care providers as well.