Leaving in a few hours!

We have been going full-speed ahead since receiving the call Tuesday night about heading to Rwanda May 1! WOW, really leaving tomorrow!!!! In a few hours!!!

The orphanage has some needed items that we learned about Wednesday morning. We sent the word out to friends and I posted the need on facebook. We have received hundreds of dollars and TONS of donations. We left a bin on our front step labeled "Donations for Rwandan Orphanage" and each time I came home or walked by the front door, there was MORE! Thank you to everyone who gave! We cannot wait to fill and weigh the enormous bags tonight!

Here are just a few of the donations...

LEAVING!

Our heads are SPINNING! Our case worker just called and asked if we'd be available to leave FRIDAY...in 2 days! Ahhhhh-we are so excited! We are leaving Friday morning and will hopefully be holding Myles in our arms Saturday afternoon!!!!!

Travel Dates

We will most likely be traveling Friday, May 8! We have tickets on hold!

Waiting again

Here is our precious son, Myles Mugisha Greer. We cannot wait to bring him home...but have to. Rwanda now requires a letter from the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion (MOGFP) in order to get a passport for adopted children. So, we wait. We are so so so so ready for Myles to come home. Hopefully we will have travel dates soon. Please continue to pray that we can go to Rwanda to bring our son home!!!!!!

Travel Dates

We should be hearing Monday about our travel dates!

Reversing Wretchedness

My dear amazing mommy friend Susan, who writes for Christianity Today, recently started a blog focused on raising preschoolers. Her recent posting is titled "Adoption: Reversing Wretchedness." (click on that title to go read it) I hope her words move you to action like they did me.

He's Ours!!!

The court session went through and the gavel smashed down declaring that:

MYLES MUGISHA GREER IS OUR SON!!!!!!

Next steps: Friday our judgement papers will be picked up from the court (hopefully!) and then the Rwandan passport needs to be processed. We hope to have a better idea of our travel dates next Monday or Tuesday. Hopefully we'll be with Myles the first week in May!!!!

Court in Session

In a few hours, a court session will take place in Kigali, Rwanda to determine whether our Myles becomes an official member of our family. He will be given two new names- his first and last names will be gifts from his new family, us. We will keep the name that was given to him by those who found him abandoned, as his middle name--but hope to use it often, as the meaning of it describes him perfectly. I am filled with anticipation, with hope. I would love to hear that gavel smash on the table at the end of the court session tomorrow. The resounding noise would declare that he is no longer an orphan, but now a son...a brother...a Greer...OURS. He has been our son for months now. God put this deep, supernatural love in us for our precious Myles. I had been dreaming about those eyes for months before we saw them in his referral picture. When we got our referral call, Myles took my breath away for a moment when I looked at him on our computer screen--because I KNEW him. I loved him already...and didn't know how to respond.

Myles-whenever you read all of these posts, I hope that you know that you are so incredibly loved by your parents. We ache to have you as part of your family with everything in us. Someone is always missing here, and that's you. My arms long to hold you and make up for the months that you have gone without our physical and emotional love. I know that you have not been alone-that He has been watching you, but I also know that your Creator has planned for you to be part of this family since before you were born. Did you know that your grandfather ("Gramps") called me the morning of what could have been your birthday? He had been thinking and praying for you, and said that he strongly felt that it was the day of your birth?!! Now, learning what we have about you, this is true! For some reason, our union as family was supposed to be delayed like this...but we have ALL been praying for you and loving you from afar. We love you, sweet boy.

Surprise Shower for Myles

Yesterday, Saturday, the doorbell rang at 8am-only to find a new diaper bag on our front step. Inside was an invitation to a shower for Myles (see slideshow). Friends have been telling untruths for weeks in order to shower our family with gifts for Myles. It is so incredible to experience this outpouring of love for our son, who isn't even here yet--but we all love so intensely.

Our close friends organized the shower to be held at HOPE International (where Peter works), and Peter had no idea (even though they were setting up in the conference room the day before)! The girls asked me to come early-and we had a really precious time of prayer for Myles (THANK YOU!). The room couldn't have been more inviting and beautiful-candles, chocolate fountain, lovely brunch, a corner set up just for children, a power point of our blog and music from it...even a new glider chair to spend hours with Myles :) Some sneaky friends even created a REGISTRY for Myles at Babies R Us, so naughty and hysterical! THANK YOU!!!!!

COURT DATE!

WE GOT OUR COURT DATE!!! A week from TODAY, Monday, April 20th--hopefully our adoption will be finalized in Rwanda!!!!! Who knows, maybe we'll be traveling a few days after that!!!

HOOOOORRRRRRAAAAAYYYYYYYYY!

Good Friday

We just got some ADORABLE pictures of Myles in his crib in the orphanage...holding and cuddling with the blanket we sent, the family picture book, and the dragonfly toy. It was so so good to see him again in pictures! We are still anxiously awaiting our court date. Last week the Rwandan national time of mourning began (the genocide that began in April of 1994). Most government offices were closed, thus the delay in our court date being planned (we assume). REEEEALLY hoping to hear of the court date in the next few days. We cannot wait!

Rock-a-Bye Myles

I'm just going to put it out there. I'm sitting here looking into the eyes of our son-the picture in front of me of Myles (we can "find him" in any room of our house)--he's in a frame or two in all of them. I cannot wait to hug this little boy and tell him how much I've missed him. Tell him how I've longed for him for months, whisper in his soft ear how much I have ached for him, both physically and emotionally. There is NO difference in this "paper-pregnancy" compared to my two biological pregnancies-the longings and indescribable desire to protect, smother with touch, and love unconditionally, are just overwhelming. I absolutely hate what he has already been through in his short life-that he was kept warm and safe in his mother's womb for 9 months, only to lose her forever only a few short months later. We grieve with him already at this deep, deep loss. At the same, incomprehensible moment, we are insanely overjoyed that God has given us Myles as our son. I sat in his nursery last night when Peter was reading to our other two children. I rocked in the rocking chair and closed my eyes. I pictured him in my arms and sang silently to him in my heart. I "sang" the words that my mother and mother-in-law came up with for Keith when he was born-- to the tune of "Rock-a-Bye Baby":

Rock-a-bye Myles,
Sent from Above.
The Father has made you
With Perfect Love
The Shepherd will guide you
All your life through
So rock-a-bye Myles,
Mommy loves you.

Home Study Update

We just had our home study update this afternoon-an hour of making sure our file stays up-to-date with Gladney. We have all of our child abuse and criminal clearances for both PA and MA completed again this year, and are just waiting on medical forms for each member of our family. We're looking forward to a week of (hopefully) hearing about our court date!

Myles' Hugs

My friend in Rwanda visited Myles at the orphanage yesterday. Here's what she shared with us:

"I just got back from seeing Myles! He really is a sweetheart! I gave him some hugs from you and he just smiled! I told the sisters that I had "met" you and you were sending a blanket and some things for his crib. They were very happy!"

Evidence of a happy, sweet, adorable boy and delightful caretakers. Makes the heart happy!

Care Package for Myles

Friends of mine brought us a super soft blue and brown blanket for Myles-one whole side is incredibly SOFT and the other side is gentle satin. The kids and I bought a teether-friendly picture book filled with our family pictures for Myles. We also found this firefly Lamaze toy that looks like endless fun :) It was really emotional watching the children intently hug and kiss Myles' blanket before sending it to him.