Harvesting Hearts in Vietnam

Excitement not over yet!

2008-04-01T11:39:00.000-07:00

I really thought by now the "fun" would have worn off and the kids would be saying "do I have to" when asked to help with Eli and Emily. Not so AT ALL. It is still like having friends over 24/7. They still argue over who got Emily up last who gets to get Eli out of bed in the morning. It been two monthes since we've been home and the kids are still drooling over Eli and Emily. There is no doubt that God has given them a heart for orphans. They are ready to adopt again. They see no good reason why we can't just start the whole process over again. I am so proud of each of them. Brett has no doubt had the biggest adjustment, but his heart is adjusting just like we expected. He is becoming a wonderful Big brother. Eli is learning new words almost everyday there are some words we wish he would understand more quickly - I think he understands somethings, but pretends he doesn't. I guess that is just normal for a two year old. He plays so well with the kids. He is very good while we are doing school, he either sits at the table with us, plays quietly around us, or when he starts getting out of hand I put him in the play pen with legos and he'll play for hours. Emily is doing great too. She has gain approx. 3 pounds and is finally beginning to eat. She is so good natured, but is still quite a "mommy's girl". God's has certainly blessed us with two wonderful children.

2008-04-01T11:32:00.000-07:00

Some new pics of Eli and Emily

2008-04-01T11:17:00.000-07:00

A New Normal

2008-02-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

We have been asked so many questions since we've been home about how everyone is adjusting. It's been hard to answer honestly up till now. The first week that we were home was very difficult for so many reasons - adjusting to the needs of two new children,teaching them how to eat, how to play with a toy, how to trust that we would be there when they woke up, and so many other things. We also had to adjust to the new needs of our own children. We had to step back into our rolls of running our farm business. All this along with providing clean clothes for everyone and operating with very little sleep since before we left for Vietnam made giving a positive response to any question almost impossible. But now that I can say I've had an 8 hour night of sleep, I have a much different perspective.
We are so very thankful to our family and friend for providing our family with the basic survival needs that first week. I didn't have to cook once. Famiy and friends brought dinners, lunches, and even breakfast foods so we never had to leave the farm. Grandma Beth brought diapers, wipes, formula, baby food, and even an extra crib. We are so grateful for our families and our friends.
Now to answer a few questions. How are we adjusting? Jeff tells me so often, I get tired of hearing it, that "nothing good comes easy". Well, while it hasn't been easy it has been easier than we expected. The trip to Vietnam, while not easy, was much, much easier than everyone expected. We are so grateful. We are starting to see a new normal. Emily has had little to no adjustment difficulties. Eli on the other had made us both wonder if we hadn't made a big, big mistake until about 3 days ago. He had never eaten anything before. He had only had a bottle. While eating was not difficult for him to learn, eating right was. He only wanted things that tasted good and refused to eat if it wasn't his taste. Anyone with little children know that this is the first place little ones start their manipulation of their parents, this and naptime. Jeff or I were not in the mood to be manipulated. To make a very long story short, we won! And as a result Eli is behaving wonderfully so far.
As for our own children, I don't think that they will ever stop arguing over who gets to change the next diaper or who gets to feed the next bottle or who gets to get Emily out of bed. They absolutely love Eli and Emily and I am positive they will never regret this adoption. Take you Lord for these loving children you have blessed Jeff and I with.
I have to go for now. I'll write more later.

Emily

2008-02-13T12:02:00.001-08:00

Oops could figure out how to get pictures in last one.

2008-02-13T11:46:00.000-08:00

Pictures

2008-02-13T11:42:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure how many of you are still looking at this blog, but I finally had a little time to take some good pictures when the kids would cooperate. I will post an update about how the kids are doing a little later.

Made It Home!

2008-02-04T11:04:00.000-08:00

We finally arrived home Saturday morning at about 5:30 am. It is now Monday at 2:00pm and we are very sleep deprived. I will try to write more tomorrow about Eli and Emily's return home. And include pictures. I can't thank you all enough for all your prayers. They got us through when we were too tired and too overwhelmed to pray. Love you all!
Jeff and Sherri
Clay, Erin, Suzanne, Brett, Elisha, and Emily

Lost in Hanoi

2008-01-30T19:08:00.000-08:00

Last night a pen pal of Trinity's from Hanoi met us at our hotel. She wanted to take us all on a tour. Jeff and I have not been up for many sight seeing adventures for many reasons. However, Trinity has wanted desperately to do some sight seeing, so we took her friend up on a short walk around the lake, a visit to a temple(by the lake) and dinner. Well, it was a long walk...cold rainy, and very, very, very crowded and this is an understatement. We ask her to call a taxi for us. No taxis show up. We decide to walk some more still no taxis big enough for a group of 10(imagine that). So, Hue(Trinity's friend decides to call some rickishaw drivers over to help us. After price negotiations and seating arrangement were met, we piled into 3 rickishaws and headed for a restaraunt. This is as close to death as I have ever been. Clay and I(Sherri) and Emily in one, Jeff,Eli,Brett, and Suzi in another, and Trinity,Erin, and Hue in the other. Clay and my rickishaw was 1st. We were in traffic busier than Chicago at rush hour and it was hard to tell which side of the street we were supposed to be on because everyone drove where ever the heck they wanted. At one point we were facing a bus head on and we were only about 30 foot away from it. We peddled across on coming traffic many times, finally we arrived at the restaraunt all in one piece. We got out of rickishaws soaking wet but thankful to be alive, but where was Jeff, Brett, Suzi, and Eli. Nowhere. Hue told us to go sit inside, (but it was an outside resteraunt. Ten minutes went by and still no Jeff. I felt it was getting time to pray or ...... I said a quick prayer for God to calm me down before I did something irrational. I stepped out in the street and there was Jeff, Brett and Suzi in their bright colored raincoats.(Thanks Grandma Beth) Jeff was very close to hijacking the rickishaw and peddling himself. However, in this city that would have been a worse move.
We are leaving Vietnam tomorrow morning at 11:05 am and will arrive home at approx. 9:40 pm Chicago time. We pray the weather doesn't present any problems. We are so ready to come home. We will post pictures when we get home. Love you all and see you soon. Thanks for praying it really helped.

Jeff and Sherri

Happy Birthday to Me!!

2008-01-28T00:07:00.000-08:00

Never thought I'd be spending my 40th b-day like this. Jeff and I are going out on the town tonight while the kids have some bonding time. Good luck with Eli. (we are going to the hotel restaraunt) What an experience in a foreign airport. Almost nobody speaks our language at least face to face but it seems like every anouncement is made in Vietnamese and English. So at least we know when to board the plane. Many more stories on this later. We arrived in Hanoi at approx. 12:00 midnight got to hotel about 1:00am. Slept very well. We met with our coordinator at 8:00 am. to fill out visa applications for Emily and Eli. Everything looks good so far. We had pancakes and bacon for breakfast and you would have thought it was the most expensive meal in the world the way we all enjoyed them. We won't be able to post much as internet is more expensive here. We'll try to post on our Wednesday. Thanks for praying for the Urban's it must have worked. Someone may want to fill us in on how the Huntington Homeschool Eagles did at state. Thanks. Thanks for praying for us to and thanks for your comments. Love you all.

Jeff and Sherri

Last Post from Ho Chi Minh

2008-01-26T21:07:00.000-08:00

Don't know what internet availability will be like in Hanoi. Hope we will be able to post some. To be honest, it is difficult to get away from the kids (Eli and Emily) to post or email anything. Eli clings to Jeff at all times. I think the poor fellow is scared to death. Even when Jeff is holding him sometimes he cries. So much ajustment for them and us. Our kids are doing well and being very helpful. It is such a blessing to have them here. The growth in faith and maturity the have been very evident. They also wouldn't mind staying here a little longer. They are getting good at bargaining with the locals for item they wish to purchase. Yesterday Suzanne wanted a braclet, the lady told her it was 3 US Dollars, Suzi said 1 USD, the lady said 2 USD and Suzi said no 1 USD, and the lady took her 1USD and gave her the bracelet. Clay and Erin have done their share of bargaining to we just haven't witnessed it. They are getting pretty good at crossing the streets here to. Believe me this is no small task here. It seems like there is a million motorcycles on the streets at all times. It seems like mass confusion on the streets to us but we are getting used to it. We comforted our tummies a little last night with Pizza Hut. It was delicious. Hopefully I will be able to post from Hanoi, but if not we will be home Saturday late p.m. (The Good Lord Willing)
We love you all, thanks for your prayers!!!!!!
Jeff and Sherri

Going to Hanoi

2008-01-25T17:59:00.000-08:00

We will be leaving Ho Chi Minh City tomorrow night(Sunday night here you Sunday a.m.) We will arrive there approx. 11:30 p.m. We will meet with our actual coordinator on Monday. Plan to see Ha Long Bay on Tuesday. A three hour drive from Hanoi to the sea then a boat ride on Ha Long Bay. Wednesday we are scheduled to meet with the Embassy and Thursday scheduled to receive Visas in the A.M. Looks like we will probably fly home Friday evening, your Friday morning and arrive home sometime Saturday if my timing is correct. About the Eli and Emily: Emily is much smaller than we expected approx. 14 lbs I would guess. She is a good baby and very adorable. Eli is also very adorable but is clinging to Jeff at all times making it difficult when Jeff has had to leave for meetings. Hopefully finished with those Jeff only meetings. However it was nice for me to be able to stay at the hotel with all kids and not drag them along. Wish I could send pictures but as long as it takes me to post a blog, I don't think I have time to sit hear and wait on the pictures to upload. (But I do know how Curt,Julie,Doug and Maudie) We would like to ask for your prayers again for our new friends the Urbans from Oklahoma. Their blog site is Urbansworld.blogspot.com. Julie and Melissa E.you'll want to see it. They are going through so so so much. It make our stuggles seem light. Please pray also that our plans go according to schedule as we are really ready to come home. I got a poem off of the Urbans Blogsite I want to include:

Legacy of an Adopted Child

Once there wre two women
Who never knew each other.
One you do not remember
The other you call Mother.
Two different lives shaped
To make yours one.
One became your guiding star
The other became your sun.
The first gave you life,
The second taught you to live in it.
The first gave you a need for love
And the second was there to give it.
One gave you a nationality,
The other gave you a name.
One gave you the seed of talent,
The other gave you aim.
One gave you emotions,
The other calmed your fears.
One saw your first smile,
The other dried your tears.
One gave you up because it
Was all that she could do.
The other prayed for a child,
And was led straight to you.
And now you ask me the age old question?
Which are you a product of?
Neither my darling, neither,
Just two different kinds of Love.

Thank you for your thougths and prayers!!
We found ourselves looking very forward to your comments too!! The keep us feeling close to home!! Love to you all!

Jeff and Sherri

Still praying for you Lori and family!
Have fun in Florida Becca and family hope your all well.

God's Perfect Timing

2008-01-23T23:07:00.000-08:00

Sorry we haven't had a chance to post a new blog until now. What an experience we've had so far. We got to our hotel Monday night at 7:00pm Vietnam time. Just got settled into 2 rooms. Phone rang. Our coordinator called. Interpretor(Tham) will pick you up at 7:30 am to take you to Vung Tau orphanage to get your daughter. Paper work not finished on son. We all Pray and go to bed. Phone rings at 10:00 pm. Our coordinator calls. We are to move hotels at 7:30 am then go to orphanage. We are all very tired, but the move would put us all together on same floor and give us more room and a swimming pool. Ask for pictures of this when we get home. Up at 6:00. On 2 1/2 hours drive to orphanage by 8:15. While driving interpretor says that we will not be able to see Eli at all. We smiled and said OK and prayed. Jeff and I had more peace about the situation that day than we have ever had to that point. Arrive at orphanage, can't discribe feelings. Nanny is holding our Emily on balcony as we drive up. We aren't sure but we think it is her. We walk up to balcony. A woman meets us and asks us to sit. We can't communicate with her at all except through signs. Tham is some help. Pretty soon they bring Emily. Feelings to difficult to discribe. Lots of tears, and pictures thanks to Trinity. Director desides to bring out Eli. More tears. He is scared. We give him a toy and tell him we'll come back and get him soon. They take him away. We leave. (All happens in 15 min.) We go straight to giving and receiving ceremony. (Ask me to discribe this later) Emily officially ours. We are leaving Eli in good hands the director and facilitator and nanny's seem to love the children very much. Tham and Tao(Tham's daughter) and our driver take us to a very beautiful place to eat. I hope our pictures will do it some justice. Reminded me of Maui yet much different. While we are eating, being entertain by food preparations at our table and the food itself, watching the fishing boats and enjoying the overall beauty of God's amazing world, Tham receives a phone call. A huge smile comes on his face. He puts phone down and tells us, "Let's get boy,!" Told we could take Eli to hotel but all paperwork not finish yet. MIght be 3 or 4 days. More tears. Eli not ready yet so we drive around VungTau. See amazing, amazing, amazing beauty including a giant 4-5 story statue of Jesus. Go get Eli. Not quite as easy as Emily. While signing paperwork for Eli. Tham's phone rings again. He smiles and hangs up. "Paperwork is done on boy lets go to ceremony." More tears and praise to God! Not a moment to soon He timing is PERFECT indeed! We take Eli. We drive around some more till people are ready at Giving and Receiving. We go to Eli's Giving and Receiving Ceremony. Long drive back to HCM City. We are very, very tired. Order room service. We pray and talk and thank our Amazing God. Not much sleep for new parents. Must be in lobby at 8:15am to go apply for passports and get medicals done on children. (More on this later) Arrive back at hotel around 12:00 noon. Eat peanut butter and bread. Kids babysit while Mom and Dad rest. Jeff goes with Tham to get tickets to Hanoi. We fly to Hanoi Sunday night at 9:30 pm. Not sure when meeting will be in Hanoi but all has gone quickly so far. Pray with us that it will continue. It is amazing what happens when we quit trying to figure things out on our own and just trust God. We cannot tell you how much your prayers mean to us. It is so cool to be able to talk to friends and family who are thousands of miles away. Did some walking around today will do some more exploring tomorrow. Going on a boat ride with Tham on Saturday. We are going to try to find a good greasy cheeseburger tonight. Will try to post more soon. Thanks so much for your prayers, we can surely feel them all the way over here. We love you all.

Jeff and Sherri

We are officially a family of eight!

2008-01-22T06:37:00.000-08:00

It has been a very long day and a very long last four days or was it only 3? We arrived at 6:30 pm to our hotel got a phone call at 7:30 pm from our translator and he told us to be ready in the hotel lobby at 7:00 am to go and pick up Emily. Your prayers and ours were answered about an hour after Emily's giving and receiving cerimony today. We were having lunch at the most beautiful spot on the Vung Tau Beach without Eli. We were getting ready to return to Ho Chi Minh a two and a half hour drive, when our translator received a call from Hanoi saying Eli's paper work was ready. Not a momment to soon! We went back to the orphanage and picked him up and took him straight back to the office we had just been at for Emily's Giving and Receiving Ceremony and had another one for Eli. They are both beautiful and seem to be very good natured. Eli is pretty scared though and clings to Jeff. Emily is a very good baby. Our kids are very very excited and are a tremendous help. We will write more later as we are very tied now. We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for praying.

Blessings,
Jeff and Sherri

Hello from the other side of the world!!

2008-01-20T16:28:00.000-08:00

We are finally in Hong Kong. It was a very long flight, but we are here and all is well. Kids did excellent. We have 7 more hours to wait here and then we have a 4 hour flight to Ho Chi Minh. Meant some people at O'hare Airport that are traveling to Ukraine to adopt a 4 year old orphan who has Down Sydrome and heart problems. The also have 4 children of their own that they had to leave at home and will be gone 3 weeks and may not even be able to bring her home this time. They are a very loving family. There names are John and Charissa Urban please say a quick prayer that they can return home with little Eva.
We'll blog as soon as we can from HCM.
Love you all and thanks so much for your prayers.
Glad you got home safely Mom and Dad.
Hi Mom, Love ya

Hello from the other side of the world!!

2008-01-20T16:26:00.000-08:00

Vietnam, Here We Come!

2008-01-19T06:31:00.001-08:00

Assurance Farmer Style!!!

2008-01-19T04:42:00.000-08:00

In my early morning preparations I came across this verse in my journal that I had written April 13th as I was preparing to plant corn last spring. At that momment we had about 3 inches of fresh fallen snow on the ground.(not exactly a planting scene.) As always the weather causes us some concern and anxiety, but there was something so beautiful and peaceful about that blanket of snow. I found this comforting verse in my Bible that day. In a very different way this verse is comforting me today. Hopefully you can make the connection. "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:10-11.
May God Bless You and Keep You!
Jeff

One More Day

2008-01-18T06:42:00.000-08:00

For those of you who read the earlier blog I posted this morning, I had to delete it because I counldn't edit it. The sun is shinning bright now and the day is looking up our tickets are now in Fort Wayne. And Fed EX just pulled in my drive..............as I was typing. Our tickets were still in Memphis according to Fed Ex tracing department this morning at 6:10 am. But they are hear now. Praise the Lord!
We have had many difficulties along the way but "God our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea," Ps.46:5 Your cards, comments, and phone calls of encouragement are part of his strength manifesting itself to us.

Thank you friends and family our love and prayers are with you all.

Countdown: "2-days"

2008-01-17T03:16:00.000-08:00

We are going to have to take Eli and Emily's pictures off the blog before we leave. Also, are attorney ask that we be positive in our comments on this blog we ask that you will also be positive in your comments. I'll explain when we return. Thank You!

Wow! It is times like this when I'm thankful I have memorized a few Bible verses. The one that is getting us through right now is Phil. 4:6. "Do not be anxious about anything, but by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Jeff and I are definitely experiencing what some would call anxiety. Heart pounding every waking hour, trouble focusing on the tasks ahead, the list goes on. So many unknowns, so much to look forward to and the fact that there is an issue with Eli weighs on us heavily.

We were told last night that we would probably get to see our children the day after we get there. And may be able to take them with us the same day. We are excited about that. We are looking forward to the Vietnam climate and cuisine, too. It will be upper 80's to lower 90's. We heard many comments on the food and we are excited about that too.

Thanks for Praying!

We're getting there!

2008-01-16T05:17:00.000-08:00

Hello,

Thanks to everyone for there prayers the last few days. They have been challenging, but we are excited and almost ready to go. The toughest part is not knowing for sure how long we'll be gone. We want to thank Rebecca Hollenbaugh, good friend and cousin, for help me set up this blog. We want to thank Josh,Kevan,Kendall, Arlen, Pete and Taylor for covering for us while we are gone!
I'm sorry this blog is a little out of proportion right now. I don't know what I'm doing for sure. It's all an experiment.

Love you all,

Sherri

Journey to Eli and Emily

2008-01-12T11:16:00.000-08:00

Latest Pictures of Eli and Emily
Eli is 17 monthes old in this picture and 22 monthes now
Emily is 5 monthes old in this picture and 7 monthes old now