Day 14

It has been a while since our last update. We know this. We have needed some time to process. We had quite a lot of information about our daughter, making it easier to prepare our minds for adding her to the family. She has grown up in a family environment and knows what it's like to bond and love. She was also well prepared for adoption by her foster family. Things went about as smoothly as an international adoption can go. At least so far.

However, we had very little information about our son. He is 9, has lived in an orphanage his entire life, and was called a "healthy child" by the caretakers. That was about the extent of information we had until we met him on Monday. Though our adoption training prepared us well for the unexpected, experiencing things in real life has still thrown us off a bit. We have some unanticipated challenges to face with our little guy. Challenges that we don't fully understand ourselves yet, so it is hard to communicate to anyone else. 

Both Jason and I need your prayers as we assess and figure things out. Being away from home and our 5 other children for 14 days is wearing on us. Trying to parent 2 new children through a language barrier, who don't fully trust us yet, is tiring. Being in uncomfortable surroundings and eating unfamiliar food adds to our stress, but also gives us a taste of what our new children will feel when they arrive home in the US. 

Playing Hot Wheels

We are trying to lean on Christ who gives us strength. We are asking for wisdom, and we know He will give it. More updates coming when we are able! Here's a few pictures from the last several days.

In the garden at our hotel

Ever had a Japanese noodle salad?

The entrance to Wal-Mart. We thought the cab driver
 had dropped us off in the wrong place. Nope. There
really is a Wal-Mart in the basement of these apartments!

Uno has been a life-saver in the hotel!