Life With Janaa

It's 12:24 am...finally in America!!!!  Long flight, easy travel....Janaa was the best ever.  We're going to bed...at our house...more details later.

WE HAVE THE VISA! WE ARE ALLOWED TO COME HOME!  So...We will fly out Friday morning at 6:00 a.m.  We have to check out of our hotel tomorrow at 1:00.  We'll leave our stuff here and spend time at the mall which has a cool aquarium, maybe.  We'll come back get our stuff and hang out at the airport.  Yes, it will be a long "hang out", but we have a ton of luggage, we've changed hotels so many times and we'd have to be up by 2:30 a.m. anyway.  We decided it might be easier to have a slow morning tomorrow with some fun in the afternoon and just make it through the long trip.  Please pray as we travel!

The Embassy was actually very easy to work with after we got our paperwork in.  We were also informed that we do not have to wait two years to get her US citizenship.  We were uncertain of that, but she will automatically become a citizen because we, her parents, are citizens.  As long as we keep her Thai passport renewed she can maintian dual citizenship. 

This evening we met back up with the Scotts at a park here in Bangkok.  It was a beautiful night and another great time of fellowship.   How blessed we have been.  We also found out today that Rachel's roommate will be on our flight back to the States.  That will be fun too.  Hey Becky,  how many songs from So Long Farewell do you think we could sing on the plane before being kicked off?

We probably won't have internet after tomorrow morning so America this may be the last you hear from us before you see us!  Thailand, We haved been blessed to get to know and love you.  We will miss each of you so very much.  Thank you to everyone who housed us, fed us, gave us a ride, translated for us, directed us, made arrangements for us, prayed for us and loved us.  It is truly the family of Christ.  Mommy Rachel, Chay "Prince Charming", Aree "Baby", Jirapa, We will miss you and love you more than any other.  You are each talked about and prayed for several times a day. 

Praise God from whom all blessings flow...

Twas the night after Veteran's Day and all through the house, not a creature was stirring....except for the big sewer rats down on the street that I've been told to ignore while I'm walking around Bangkok....and me!  It's only 9pm and about 20 minutes ago Rachel and Janaa both crashed.  I'll be joining them soon enough.  It's Tuesday?  Feels like all the days are the same.  No real schedule.  No real consistency....wait, yes the one thing that is consistent is the running.  Go here...go there...and so on.  There are basically three steps to this process when you're over here: 

1. Approval from the Thailand Department of Social Development and Welfare (Adoption Board)
2. Approval from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (formerly the INS) - part of the US Dept. of Homeland Security
3. Approval from the US Embassy Consulate - part of the US State Dept - here in Bangkok

We finally passed through step number 2.  I will write more about this later...We have our interview with the embassy tomorrow at 10am, that's 10pm eastern for most of you reading this.  We're shooting for the visa to probably be issued Thurs, and leave Thailand on Friday.  Lord willing, that's what should happen.  I don't know if I've said it or not, but I want to say a special thanks to everyone that has prayed, sent a kind word, whatever it is, many of you have been a great support to us through this...some of you from the very beginning.  To quote a lyric from the The Fray - "Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same"  I don't think they were thinking of adoption when they wrote this...but it sure fits our last two years. 

We switched hotels yesterday....I think I mentioned that....I really can't remember.  Anyway...We love this new place...it's definitely the place we wish we had been last week....spacious.....one bedroom apartment...for those of you that remember my apartment I lived in Clemmons, this room is bigger than that.  Having Internet all the time has been the best thing.  I took for granted not being able to just get on whenever I wanted.

I got the ATM thing figured out.  So we have cash again....we had it, just couldn't get to it.

Hmmmmm...anything else?  I know why the people (for the most part are so thin).  They eat rice and noodles all the time and walk everywhere.......I can't wait to weigh myself when I get home....maybe I lost some weight?.....probably not. 

Am I rambling?  Maybe I should go to bed. 

I just found out that if we don't get her visa tomorrow and catch a flight on Wednesday we can't fly out until Friday.  Don't get me wrong I have loved it here and I could live in Chiang Mai...BUT BANGKOK!!!!  One day spent here is one day too long for me.  Besides we are ready to be home.  We miss our friends and family.

Even though these last few days have been very unsettling, I have felt as if there was a greater reason.  I came to Thailand feeling as if there were more to this than just the 3 of us becoming a family.  I am sitting in Chiang Mai at the moment trying to process the day.  About 8 hours ago I met my precious Janaa's birthmother.  All I have thought the past few days is, "Who can know the mind of God?" 

I had prayed that we would at least see her village if nothing else, and we did.  However, as we left that day I felt incomplete.  I had a deep desire to meet her mother, but felt as if the Lord was saying that it wasn't the time.  I left Chiang Mai feeling as if I needed to be content never meeting her, but I couldn't stop praying that one day it would be possible...expecting years down the road to visit.  I was very frustrate with the INS office, but felt again that there was a very specific reason.  I NEVER thought that I would board a plane fly back up here and meet her mother.  God IS so good.

She is a precious lady who loves Rotjana very much.  I will never forget the tears that filled her eyes the first time we met.  She is soft spoken with a kind and loving demeanor.  I had also prayed, NEVER thinking God would answer this, at least on this trip, that I would be able to get a photo of her with Rachel and I.  Yet, if I can get the site to work you can see for yourself. God is bigger than anything we can think or imagine.  What an incredible time and opportunity. 

Above all else Rachel was able to share with her that we are Christians and that Jesus loves her.  Jesus loves Janaa.  While she wasn't there Jesus was and has taken care of her the last 4 years.  She was also able to give her mom a short book explaining her value in Christ.  I think we both feel as if she has already read it, but please pray she has.  She seems to have a very tender heart and she knows that we love both she and Janaa.  Please pray that Rachel will have an opportunity to be involved in her life and continue to share Christ's love through Janaa's story.  We also have an open door to send her mail so pray that I will have the right things to say and send to her.  Though God's plan was not for her to live her on earth with her, I pray we will have eternity to glorify God for the great and wonderful things He has done.

I fly out tonight at 10:15.  I'm feeling about as exhausted as I've ever felt in my life.  I know the Lord is carrying me through.  There have been moments where I thought I just couldn't take another step or open my eyes.  Such as my trip to Cambodia. Yep, never thought I'd go there. My visa expires tomorrow so Ed took us up to the border and I've seen Cambodia, not much to report.  I only saw a few yards and they were very filthy, but I do have another stamp in my passport. 

We hope to fly out on Thursday.  Pray that our papers are accepted tomorrow and we can come home.