As our love for Pierre and Ange-Laurette grows with each day...so does the list of activities on the calendar, the number of typical squabbles with 4 kids in the house, and the hours of homework that is so much tougher for them. It is so good to just sit and read through past journal entries to remember what a miracle they are and how much we prayed for this new "normalcy."
We had a new adoptive parent we met say that adoption is not "all fun and bliss" and should be considered over a long time and through much prayer. But we also know that God plants seeds over a long period of time for some of us adoptive parents...and that he watches closely to see if we are willing to just simply "obey" when called. That is more our story. That has added lots of "education" along the road since we did not do all the preliminary research...but it laid the absolutely critical foundation of FAITH and LOVE that has helped us endure the trials.
Each time I am needing just one word of advice, his Word is there. Today, this well-known verse pulled through:
"Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
1 Cor. 13:7
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Humbled to be recognized
(from Stephanie Herseth Sandlin's website...a friend found this when she "googled" my name :) We also want to personally thank Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin for taking time out of a hectic campaign to invite our family for an ice cream cone to celebrate this nomination, and just for her to check in on the kids. What a genuinely, caring person...and fun conversations!
HERSETH SANDLIN NOMINATES BRUCE AND JILL LEAR OF WATERTOWN AS ANGELS IN ADOPTION
Washington, DC (October 1, 2010) – Today, U.S. Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin announced she has nominated Bruce and Jill Lear of Watertown as 2010 Angels in Adoption. The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI), which orchestrates the Angels in Adoption program, will honor 140 Angels at an awards ceremony and gala event in Washington, DC, October 6, 2010.
As a member of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI), Rep. Herseth Sandlin nominated the Lear’s for recognition as part of CCAI’s Angels in Adoption program. This program allows for Members of Congress to “honor the good work of constituents who have enriched the lives of foster children and orphans.”
“I am so pleased that Bruce and Jill Lear were able to bring their adoptive children, Pierre and Ange-Laurette, to the U.S. after the tragic earthquake that struck Haiti,” said Rep. Herseth Sandlin.
Two days after the earthquake in Haiti on January 14, 2010, Jill and Bruce Lear contacted Rep. Herseth Sandlin for assistance in securing temporary visas for their two adoptive children, Pierre and Ange-Laurette. The children’s orphanage was badly damaged during the earthquake, as was the building that processed adoptions.
Rep. Herseth Sandlin and Senators Johnson and Thune worked with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to assist the Lears in bringing their son and daughter from Haiti and to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where Bruce and Jill Lear joined them.
The Angels in Adoption program is CCAI’s signature public awareness campaign and provides an opportunity for all members of the U.S. Congress to honor the good work of their constituents who have enriched the lives of foster children and orphans in the United States and abroad. “The Angels in Adoption program is unlike any other program in the Nation’s Capital. Because of it, over 1700 “Angels’ have come to share with Washington their adoption experience and left with a renewed excitement of all that adoption makes possible,” said Kathleen Strottman, Executive Director of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute.
CCAI is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness about foster children in the U.S. and the millions of orphans around the world in need of permanent, safe, and loving homes. CCAI’s goal is to eliminate the barriers that hinder these children from realizing their basic right to a family.
HERSETH SANDLIN NOMINATES BRUCE AND JILL LEAR OF WATERTOWN AS ANGELS IN ADOPTION
Washington, DC (October 1, 2010) – Today, U.S. Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin announced she has nominated Bruce and Jill Lear of Watertown as 2010 Angels in Adoption. The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI), which orchestrates the Angels in Adoption program, will honor 140 Angels at an awards ceremony and gala event in Washington, DC, October 6, 2010.
As a member of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI), Rep. Herseth Sandlin nominated the Lear’s for recognition as part of CCAI’s Angels in Adoption program. This program allows for Members of Congress to “honor the good work of constituents who have enriched the lives of foster children and orphans.”
“I am so pleased that Bruce and Jill Lear were able to bring their adoptive children, Pierre and Ange-Laurette, to the U.S. after the tragic earthquake that struck Haiti,” said Rep. Herseth Sandlin.
Two days after the earthquake in Haiti on January 14, 2010, Jill and Bruce Lear contacted Rep. Herseth Sandlin for assistance in securing temporary visas for their two adoptive children, Pierre and Ange-Laurette. The children’s orphanage was badly damaged during the earthquake, as was the building that processed adoptions.
Rep. Herseth Sandlin and Senators Johnson and Thune worked with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to assist the Lears in bringing their son and daughter from Haiti and to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where Bruce and Jill Lear joined them.
The Angels in Adoption program is CCAI’s signature public awareness campaign and provides an opportunity for all members of the U.S. Congress to honor the good work of their constituents who have enriched the lives of foster children and orphans in the United States and abroad. “The Angels in Adoption program is unlike any other program in the Nation’s Capital. Because of it, over 1700 “Angels’ have come to share with Washington their adoption experience and left with a renewed excitement of all that adoption makes possible,” said Kathleen Strottman, Executive Director of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute.
CCAI is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness about foster children in the U.S. and the millions of orphans around the world in need of permanent, safe, and loving homes. CCAI’s goal is to eliminate the barriers that hinder these children from realizing their basic right to a family.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Still more firsts!
I will never get over the joys of experiencing things for the first time with these kids. The trees changing colors and then dropping leaves to the ground...the high school homecoming game with everyone dressed in purple and gold and balloons released...the parade with painted vans with roofs cut off and full of high schoolers...
...dressing up in costumes to go door to door for bags of candy...and (even on Halloween) orange lights lining the roofs of houses! Pierre said, "Mom, Halloween is beautiful!" Just wait until Christmas! They can't seem to get enough and always appreciate the newness of each holiday.
Life Light Concert
We took the kids and my nieces to the annual LifeLight Christian Concert south of Sioux Falls, SD. We hadn't been to the concert since 2008...the weekend that we decided to sponsor a child online (which resulted in this BIGGER step :). During an intermission from the bands, the speaker showed video of orphans in Ethiopia. He shared that sponsoring them with monthly contributions could truly change lives. Then he asked all 100,000 of us to join hands and pray for these children. As Ange-Laurette held my hand up high with hers, I was almost in tears. Afterward, I asked her, "Did you know that this is the place that we first started on this adoption journey? Haven't you heard us tell how we went online to sponsor a child?" She asked what sponsoring meant. I said that families could send money to the orphanage each month for a certain child while they waited to be adopted. Then I went on to explain in detail how we saw this face on the computer screen that led us to decide to adopt instead. I said, "Do you know whose face that was? YOURS!" (You have to know Ange-Laurette to appreciate her response.) She lightly hit me on the arm and said, "Mom! You should have sent me the money!" We roared with laughter.
That next day in school, the kids all shared what they did fun over their Labor Day weekend. Pierre proudly shared that he got to go to a Justin Bieber concert. The kids were amazed! I explained that actually it was a Christian concert, but not Justin Bieber. Pierre said matter-of-factly, "Oh well. Same thing." :)
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