The Blog I prayed I would NOT have to write.............

The Blog I prayed I would NOT have to write:

These last few days I have been having many flashback memories of last year the weeks just before Christmas. I had just come home from meeting Lovely for the first time and was filled with the THRILL of having a daughter again, while at the same time the Devastation of learning that she would NOT be granted a medical Visa, meaning she would NOT be home for Christmas!
It was SO hard to prepare for Christmas with that news. I waited till the very last minute and finally put together a small package for her for Christmas to send with a family going to visit their child and remember crying,and crying as I mailed it wishing I was not sending her a package but handing it to her myself! We consoled ourselves with the words we were told “not this Christmas but next” and held on tight for that amazing event!
Well, a few weeks ago when I learned that so many families were traveling to Haiti near Thanksgiving I again cried as I put together a little Christmas gift for Lovely, but this time it was more like a “just in case she is not home by Christmas” kinda thing. I really thought that we would actually arrive in Haiti in time to give her that gift ourselves.
So, now flash-forward to last night. We got an email and saw in print what both Jim and I had NOT wanted to say out loud to each other.......it will NOT be this Christmas either!
Will it be soon? Absolutely!!! Are we still just a few short weeks away? You bet we are!!!! Are we 2 weeks away? No, we are not.
Are we again crushed? Of course we are.
Are we hopeless? No, of course not!
We still KNOW that we HAVE A DAUGHTER AGAIN!!! In Haiti there is a finalized Adoption Decree with her first name and OUR last name!! She IS a Jamieson already!!! We now need a Passport and A Visa and then OUR daughter really will come home! We don't understand all the reasons for each step taking longer then we prayed but we understand that God is NOT surprised at all by the process or the time it is taking. I also can tell you that even right here in the good 'ol USA the process of Adoption can have kinks and turns and take longer then you expect! This we also know from experience :-)
You may remember I mentioned that Elijah came to us just one week before Christmas and Julian just 2 weeks after Christmas.......well, Lovely will come very near one of those same times! The rest of that story is that both of the boys were born in another state and due to the laws of taking a baby (even a baby you have legally adopted) to another state are very strict so we had delays in getting each them home after they were born as well! So, we are not unfamiliar with adoption laws,procedures, and most of all delays. I can also tell you that the moment that each of them were in our arms and we were on that airplane home with them ALL OF THE THOUGHTS AND FRUSTRATIONS OF THE DELAYS just were instantly GONE~INSTANTLY! And, I know the same will be true when we put that little traveling home outfit on Lovely and get on that airplane and wave goodbye to Haiti and hello to Oregon! So, I've dried my tears-----for right now at least, and we will get a tree and get it decorated and we will have an amazing Christmas....our LAST one without Lovely home!
Thanks for holding on tight with us for this ride, for loving us, for not asking too many questions that we do not have answers to, for supporting us, and MOST of all for praying and praying for Lovely and All the other children and families waiting for their first Christmas together too!!!!
We love you all so much,
Shelly,Jim,Elijah, and Lovely