First off.... ALL the Canadian-Congo kids that were stuck have now all come home as of this weekend! Praise God! Our Canadian ambassador, Ginette Martin has worked incredibly hard beating down the DRC government's doors every day for exits. Andrea Bastin, our Immigration Consultant here in BC has worked equally as hard on this end, making the connections with Foreign Affairs, senators, MP's, PM, etc. God has really blessed their efforts.
http://www.international.gc.ca/media/aff/news-communiques/2016/03/28b.aspx?lang=eng
The transition with Kenzie & Katie into our family has gone really well!! Yes, there are hard days, esp. for those whose birth order has somewhat changed. But a good kind of hard. Sharing, tolerant, irritated, jealousy, love, patience, kindness, self-control... just regular family life...and busy! :-)
We've been hibernating for most of the winter...
Family agrees with our new little girls! Every child loves to belong and it really shows - they're thriving and are eager to participate in everything. Bonding with daddy is happening....slowly... with Les's new job, he's able to be at home early so he can see the girls before bedtime. Men just weren't their favorite people in their previous life so it's taken some time to realize their daddy is an amazing, loving, gentle man who would do anything for his kids. They're getting that now.
Now that their English vocabulary has increased, they talk non-stop. LOL. Asking a ton of questions about everything. It's amazing what sponges they are - they rarely speak Lingala anymore. When the sun shines, they want outside. We've kept them in most of the winter because with the cold, they were always getting a bad cough.
Their older siblings are pouring alot of love into them, even the big boys.
The de-stressing has taken some time for me. It's unbelievable how stress affects one's health. (infestation of Congo head lice which resulted in all 4 girls' buzz cuts - noticed after our littles were home for 6 weeks). We've had to reorganize our homeschooling schedule and learning to be more flexible. Most learning isn't done in a textbook but with real life skills, walking through valleys together.
We've had our share of doctors visits, lab tests, & medications over the past few months. So thankful for medical care at our fingertips. Girls are in great health other than the normal parasites one gets from lack of sanitation.
Medical cards, Name changes, new Citizenship Application with new names, and finally today we were able to apply for their Canadian Passports! Woot. Our 5 year adoption paperwork has come to an end! Praise God!
(potty training for one is next on the agenda)
We're able to reflect back and look at all the blessings we've received during this journey. The Canadian-Congo adoption group is a close-knit group. Our kids know each other and will keep in touch. The 2 1/2 months spent with our girls last summer has given us a huge advancement in bonding. The memories of our time spent in the DRC is valuable to our daughters. What a faith-walk. It seems we have less theological answers to the how and why things happen the way they do. For His glory. So that no one can boast.
1 Corinthians 1: 26-31
26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.
27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
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| This girl is always smiling |
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| they must be feeling at home as getting along this well becomes less frequent |
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| Think Dad can take a few minutes off work for a visit? |
A little bit of paint and organizing, we have 3 girls in one room and the clutter removed from our livingroom/kitchen and we now have a school room! De-cluttering feels so good.
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| Unfortunately this tidy room only happened once |
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| Happy to have a school room where the big girls can shut out the noise |
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