A Recap from Nepal with Pictures

It all started with a dream, BANAU, on January 16, 2009...

2 Years, 2 Months and 14 Days later on...

March 30, 2011, 3PM EST, Dulles Washington DC...

our son, Trek FINALLY became a United States Citizen!!!!!!

What a journey the Lord has taken us on! We have now been home for week and three days and Trek is doing wonderful!

For those of you who checked in for updates in Nepal, I apologize for not doing them. I'll try to fill you in on what we did. For starters we stayed with the PUMA girls and Mary and Fran. While there we were subject to the infamous KTM load shedding schedule, which meant we had up to 14 hours a day with NO power. This is part of the reason I didn't update.

Yup, we learned a lot on this trip. For starters....we take for granted being able to flip a switch and have lights any time of the day, use a microwave to quickly warm something up, bake something in the oven, use the computer at any time and have hot water when you feel the need to take a shower. These are just a few things that come to mind. PUMA boys and girls minus Mary and Fran. We LOVE these kids! We need to go back and spend more time with them.

Okay so I don't know how much of this you all want to read, but I want to journal as much as I can remember so I most likely will break this up into several posts. We'll see how it goes.

We began our second trip on March 6 by driving down to JFK in New York. We had dropped the girls off with our wonderful friends (who happen to have 1 child and 3 teens...bless their hearts for taking our two) the night before so we could get an early start but we forgot a couple major items and needed to see them before we left. So on our way to NY we made a pit stop in Carmel. We forgot to leave some money with Linda and Robin forgot her coffee. We finally hit the road around 9ish with everything we needed in hand...the most important being my anxiety medication and scripture verses to meditate on.

When we landed in Kathmandu Nepal on March 8th after about 35 hours of uneventful traveling (thank God) and were greeted by Padam, Mary, Fran and Trek!! It was so wonderful to be back in Nepal to see our little boy, visit our friends and hear the honking of horns in Kathmandu!

Trek was all smiles and came right to us and even rode back to the house with us from the airport and didn't cry! That just confirmed the work the Lord was doing in his little life the time we were gone.

For the first week and a half we stayed at the boys home at night, but spend our entire days with the girls. Fran happened to be heading back to the States for a well deserved break and she offered us her room at the girls house once she left, which we took her up on her offer. We were much more comfortable in her room. We were sad to see her go, but did enjoy staying there. She is still in the US and is coming to Maine the end of this month and she'll be staying with us for several days! Can't wait to see her! Mary will be coming as well in a couple months!

Once we got settled in our room our first line of business was to get Trek seen at the IOM (International Organization for Migration) this is where he had his medical check/clearance to enter the US. Because he was over two he had to have a TB test which he hated, but passed. His paperwork was sent to the US Embassy on Monday the 14th and then it was just a matter of waiting for his visa approval. I guess this is a good place to talk about his visa. Just in case any of you were wondering....I was convinced that his visa approval was going to be waiting for us at the Embassy when we landed. As a matter of fact as soon as we got settled into the house I sent an email to them letting them know we were in Nepal and gave them our in-country cell phone numbers and was sure that they were going to call us that day with approval. At the end of the day when we didn't get a call, I didn't worry too much and just figured it would come the next day or Friday at the absolute latest! Anyway I was pleased that we had his medical appointment over with and knew on Monday the 14 we would be good to go (literally)! I even called my mom and we talked about the possibility of trying to change our return tickets home so we could leave early. Well Thursday came and went with no call, Friday came and went with no call so I was pumped for Monday! Monday came and went with no call.

There were other families under us that began to get approvals while we sat there waiting. Up to this point the blog that was set up for pipeline families had been pretty 'spot on' as far as order of approvals, but for some reason once it became our turn....it all changed. I think now the Lord was teaching me again that everything is in His time. Not mine.

I tried to not worry too much and just knew that it would be there in a couple of days at the longest. Well the entire week passed and Friday the 18th came and went with no word from the Embassy. At this point, I was an emotional mess. I did not understand what was taking so long, why we continued to sit there waiting, wondered if our paperwork was missing, if maybe in was going to be an intent to deny.....I was totally 'fleshing out' (my sin nature) and not putting my faith into practice but instead I was letting the worries and what ifs fill my mind.

All I can say now is....

poor Mike.

He was so good and patient with me. He kept encouraging me to take some time to get alone with the Lord and read and pray and of course he also prayed with me all the time. He kept telling me everything would work out and to not worry. He reminded me in scripture that we are not to worry but take every thought captive. Even though at the time I probably didn't act like it, I really loved the strength he displayed and the certainty that the Lord was going to bring us through this.

I did begin to make phone calls and send emails to our attorney and someone in Washington who was working on these rebuttals/approvals to find out if they could at least tell us where our paperwork was and maybe how close they were to making a decision. I didn't get any real good feedback from anyone, so all I could do was wait. You know I've always had a bit of a problem with being patient, and thought I learned that lesson when we adopted Noelle. But the Lord showed me I hadn't learned that lesson and He was continuing to teach me.

I knew we wouldn't be getting approval over the weekend so I started looking at the calendar and knew that if we didn't get approval by Tuesday the 22nd at the latest, we would have to extend our trip. So we prayed hard over the weekend and again thought okay on Monday we'll be sure to get the approval. Yup, you guessed it. Monday came and went with no word! So with nothing left to do and having power so I could use my computer... I got on facebook and asked a couple of my friends to add this visa issue to the prayer vine at church. We knew we needed at approval the next day (Tuesday) or we were looking at more money to change our return date and being away from our girls even longer.

Tuesday, March 22 came and I decided in the night (because I couldn't sleep) that I was going to contact the Embassy to ask them some questions, like IF we got approval that day or Wed. would they be able to Trek's visa so we could leave on Monday the 28th as planned. I wanted to know if they knew where our paperwork was. I wanted to know if they would call or send an email with approval and what time of day did they make their calls.

I talked with April at the Embassy and she told me that IF we did get approval (which they didn't know anything about our case) we would need to be in country for another 8 to 10 days....which meant we would have to change our tickets. She told me she would call with approval and that if I didn't hear by 5:15PM it hadn't come. She tried to encourage me to sit back and just wait, because that was all I could do. They knew nothing. It was all up to USCIS and Washington at this point. So we tried to keep busy that day and Mary and I went to several places and did some shopping and came home around maybe 1ish or 1:30.

I was putting some of our stuff away in the room when my phone rang. I answered and it was April from the Embassy. I was not overly excited about her calling because I had spoken with her earlier and I had emailed some paperwork to her and thought she was calling about that. She asked me how I was doing and I said okay. She proceeded to say...."well, I'm calling because I have some really good news to share with you...." I began to trembled, tears started flowing as I sat in Fran's room and listened as she told me that Trek's visa was approved!!!

PRAISE THE LORD!!!!

I composed myself and then reminded her of our earlier conversation that day about us leaving on Monday the 28th at 8:30PM and wondered if there was anyway possible to get it by then to save money. She looked over our paperwork and saw that everything was there and said she would do everything in her power to have it for us before we left.... even if it meant picking it up on the way to the airport. AHHHH!

Well my kids want to eat so this is where I will end todays entry. I'll post more tomorrow about all the fun things we did while we waited for the coveted visa along with more pictures and how we got the visa.

Philip and his wife and daughter.

Fran & Mary (I can't believe I didn't take more picture of them...with Trek...ugh!) Daddy & Trek The store across the street had some soda and snacks. We visited them occasionally :)

Houses next to the girls home. A little boy Trek's age lives in the house on the right. Cute little guy (wish I had his picture too). I'm telling ya, my mind was not focused on anything but his approval over there.

Building a new wall at the girls home.

Me

VISA APPROVAL!!

Just shy of 7 months from the referral of our son....we have an approval to bring him home!!

Thank you Jesus!!

Trek loves to point at the airplanes flying over head and will get all excited and pat his chest.

Trek, buddy...less than a week and you'll be on one on your way home...finally!

Last Update State Side

We are leaving for Nepal on Sunday, so this will be our last update state side.

Visa approvals continue to come in almost daily praise the Lord! We currently are 4th in line and have been waiting 12 days so far. This means we're likely to get our approval next week! Who knows, maybe his approval will come tonight....wouldn't that be wild!

Trek is doing fantastic! We Skyped him the other day. Of course we know he doesn't really understand what's happening, but Fran & Mary have been telling him Daddy and Mommy are coming to get him. He loves to look at the airplanes flying over the house and point to them while saying dada! Isn't that sweet.

So I'm going to throw out some specific prayer requests....

1. That his visa approval will be issued ASAP!
2. That the Lord will protect us while traveling and staying in Nepal and keep our girls healthy and happy while we are away.
3. That the Lord will prepare Trek's heart for the transition to come in the next week.
4. That the Lord will provide ALL we need financially before we leave.
Let me share what I mean by this....

As of right now we have $812.00 to bring with us. Out of that we know we need to pay...

$404.00 for Trek's visa
$100.00 for his medical appoint (hopefully not more)
$200.00 for our visas to enter Nepal for a month and all three exit visas
$250.00 for a rental car & gas to get us to JFK in New York

These are just the necessities that we can think of and as you can see....we're running short. This is not figuring the cost of food while over there or leaving money for our girls while we leave...nothing extra. The Lord has always provided and we are believing He'll do it again for us. This is our final sprint to the finish line. Please pray with us about these things!

So please pray with us that He will provide.

Blessings,
Mike & Tonya

PS. Once we receive Trek's approval, we'll open our blog again. Stayed tuned. Oh yeah, IF we get his approval before we leave....I'll let you know! Grace & Peace

Okay, here's the update.

Well, girls, I hope I don't disappoint you with this blog update : )

Mike and I have been throwing around travel dates, airlines to travel with, and it's been so hard as to know when to leave. We had been praying we could take the girls with us and if we could this would all be so much easier. I'm tired of having my kids be on opposite sides of the globe. But we don't have enough $ and so just Mike & I are going back. We have some friends that are coming back to Maine and they will be staying with the girls the entire time we're gone.

I think most of you know how much I dislike flying. The strange thing is I can talk about going back, and I say all the time..."If I could bring the girls, I'd jump on a plane tomorrow and go over...." Well, talking is one thing, purchasing tickets is another. Last night after looking at several flying options we settled on our flight. That is why I'm feeling happy, excited and sick all at the same time. Girls, I'm just saying that once we made that final decision and I knew when I'd be flying my stomach started turning...for real...it makes me sick. My body just responds in a weird way and it's completely out of my control. It's the weirdest thing. I wish my body would stop behaving in such a manner...I mean good grief. Fear is an awful thing. Especially when we are fearing something that hasn't happened. This morning I decided it was time to dig out one of my books again. I took it with me last time we traveled to Nepal. This is one of the first entries....

When fear shapes our lives, safety becomes our god. When safety becomes our god, we worship the risk-free life. Can the safety-lover do anything great? Can the risk-averse accomplish noble deeds? for God? for others? No.

The fear-filled cannot love deeply. Love is risky.

They cannot give to the poor. Benevolence has no guarantee of return.

The fear-filled cannot dream wildly. What if their dreams sputter and fall from the sky?

The worship of safety emasculates greatness. No wonder Jesus wages such a war against fear.

So with that we are flying Qatar and are leaving on March 6 at 10:50PM from JFK and we'll have one stop in Doha. We'll arrive in Kathmandu on March 8 at 11:45AM. Our return flight....leaving KTM on March 28 and with a stop in Doha, Washington D.C., and will land in Boston on March 29 at 8:30PM. I'll start picturing this photo in my mind and listen to her words of wisdom : )....

Did a little research and wanted to share it with you.

Your chances of being involved in an aircraft accident are about 1 in 11 million. On the other hand, your chances of being killed in an automobile accident are 1 in 5000. Statistically, you are at far greater risk driving to the airport than getting on an airplane. However, the perception is that you have more control over your fate when you are in your car than as a passenger traveling on an airplane. Experience shows otherwise, considering that over 50,000 people are killed on the highways every year.”

So, Miss Tonya… I want you to know that I will be ESPECIALLY praying for you on your DRIVE TO THE AIRPORT… but once you’re seated ON the plane, my mind will be at ease, knowing that you’re safe and sound!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also, I wanted to share a mental picture with you that really helped me on my 1^st flight…I just kept envisioning the ENORMITY of the ALMIGHTY GOD compared to our teeny little plane and even our WORLD (which He holds in the palm of His hand)…. And I pictured Him gently gliding our plane along its path (which HE IS! Because He alone is in control of all weather, all gravitational forces, all EVERYTHING!!!!!) and it calmed me to just imagine His mighty hand lifting us along through the air towards our child. (kinda like this picture I’m attaching)

I think one of my biggest reasons for being a bit unsettled, besides the flying and leaving the girls again is the fact that we still don't have his visa. So this is again another step of faith for us. Some probably are wondering why we would we go before we get it. Well.....because as soon as we do get it we want to be there so we can bring him home and ticket prices are high already. If we wait and purchase within a couple of days it will be LOTS more. There is a blog for all the Nepal pipeline families and it has lists of all the families and where they all are in the process. So far everyone who received an RFE (request for further evidence) and has submitted their rebuttal has gotten their child's visa approved. Well there is one family who didn't get approval, but didn't get denied either. USCIS needs some more info from them. The lawyer and investigator team we are using has won every case to date! We are just trusting and believing Trek's will be approved once it's reviewed.

Originally we thought our rebuttal would be sent the 21 of Feb. well, the investigator got his work done quickly and our first draft of our brief has been written and it's in the hands of our attorney now. We have been told they plan to mail it out by the end of this week or first of next week. Praying for this week! Every day counts!

Once our brief leaves her office it takes about a week to get to New Delhi and then possibly another day or two to be assigned to an adjudicator for review. There are a handful of officers and most cases are being approved at day 13,17 a couple at 23 days and one as early as 8 and one at 10 days. So it's really hard to know just when we'll hear. But based on that information we are thinking we may hear something by the week of March 7th. Wouldn't it be wild if we hear before we even leave?! That's what I'm praying for!

So you can imagine all the emotions running through my body.

We got another picture of Trek the other day with a message from Mary saying that he "LOVES being silly!" Here's the picture of him soaking in the sun :) His cheeks are looking chubby! Oh, I can't wait to squeeze him and kiss him!
Keep those prayers coming!

Oh yes, one more thing. We've had people wondering if we are collecting items to bring back to the orphanage or what our plans are. It's too hard to bring items with us. While we were over there last time we saw the huge need the children's home had. If anyone wants to help them with practical needs such as clothes, shoes, a sink for the home, etc. please use the Chip In on the top left side of the blog. We need all the money by Feb. 28 so we have time to get the cash to bring with us.

Blessings!

You girls are too funny!

Just so you can all sleep tonight, I can tell you we did not get his visa yet. So be praying about that still! Okay, I'll post tomorrow and get you all up to speed.

Love you....good night!

May God hold you in His hand until We can be with you

I'm glad most of you are able to still follow our journey to Trek. It probably seems weird to go private just weeks before this part of the journey is over, but we felt it was the right thing to do until we have his visa in our hands. I usually don't get too many comments, so I was kind of surprised to see so many requests for invitations we got. I'm happy you're here :)

So last Saturday we had our benefit dinner and auction. We were just amazed, humbled and blessed by all those who came, baked yummies, and donated auction items and food! We could have never done it without all of you! So thank you!!!! We were so blessed to have Mike's cousin and wife do the emcee & auction for the evening. If you guys read this....you're amazing....we love you....thank you! Kathy, a sweet lady at church, offered to do all the cooking! She wanted to help take some stress off of me and thought by preparing the food and having it served would help.....it DID!!! Thank you! I talked with her on Sunday and she thinks we served about 280 people! We had families coming an hour after we started. We had to ask people to give up their tables after they finished eating to make more room for others. What a blessing. The Lord is so awesome in that He is in every detail. We had been given 60 pounds of spaghetti and had about 13 gallons of sauce and we used every last drop with none left over, but had enough to feed everyone! We ended up with about 1200 roll, bread sticks and enough salad to feed 400!!! Crazy! Okay, I know you all want to know what we raised...some of you already know but for those who don't....once all the money is in we will have raised........$6200.00!!!!! Praise God!!!!

Now you're probably wondering what does this mean for us and what's next. Good question. We had been praying for 10,000 which I know is a HUGE number, but the reason was so we could pay for the attorney, investigator, replace our travel money we needed to use to secure the A&I and bring our two girls with us to Nepal and wait there until Trek's visa is issued. Here's what we know now.....
1. The Lord abundantly blessed us with 6200.00 to work with!
2. Yesterday we mail the final pymt to our attorney. As far as we know she is PAID IN FULL!!!!!
3. We found out Sunday morning that our investigation is 100% complete and will be on our attorney's desk Tuesday morning (TODAY)!!! He had quoted us $3500.00 and he told us our investigation would only cost....$2600.00!!! Praise the Lord again!! I just have to say how blessed I am by this mans honesty and integrity. I'm just saying that he is a local Nepali and Nepal is one of the world poorest countries and he gave us a quote that we agreed upon and he rightfully could have charged us that amount, but is doing it for less. That impresses me. We wired his payment in full yesterday!!!
3. We have begun pricing tickets and with needing to pay for Trek's visa, medical appointment, our visas, Trek's plane ticket home we have just enough money almost to the penny for just two people to go. There are 4 of us. So know the conversations begin as to what two go. It's either Mike and I or Mike and Robin (our 16 year old daughter).

We had been praying all along to have the opportunity to go over as a family and serve in the orphanage until his visa was approved at which time we'd come home. We think the only way Robin can be away from school for 5 weeks or so would be for her to home school the remainder of the year. She not digging that at all! She wants to go, but does not remotely like the sounds of home schooling. Noelle wants to go, but if Robin stays home, would it be easier for her to stay with her. We have some wonderful friends who have offered to stay with our girls the entire time we would be gone whether it is two weeks or five weeks.

Unless the Lord provides in a way that we are not expecting it is looking like Mike and I will be the ones returning to Nepal, just not sure as to how soon to leave and what date our return date should be. One thing is final....we are no longer 'fund-raising' for this adoption anymore. Period. The Lord has been so gracious and faithful and we feel it's time to be done. If he lays it on someones heart to do something, that is between them and the Lord.

So please be praying with Mike & I as we seek the Lord in making our travel plans.

Trek is doing great! We got another update yesterday and he is doing wonderful. We can't wait to hold him in our arms again! We are so excited to have our family complete, all living together! What a ride this has been! We are thankful and excited to see another rebuttal approved yesterday! I really believe it won't be long now! Here's praying to a speedy rebuttal and approval!

KISSES IN THE WIND (The Waiting Child's Lullabye)

I hold you in my heart and touch you in my dreams.
You are here each day with me, at least that's how it seems.

I know you wonder where we are... what's taking us so long.
But remember child, I love you so and God will keep you strong.

Now go outside and feel the breeze and let it touch your skin...
Because tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.

May God hold you in His hand until I can be with you.
I promise you, my darling, I'm doing all that I can do.

Very soon, you'll have a family for real, not just pretend.
But for tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.

May God wrap you in His arms and hold you very tight.
And let the angels bring the kisses that I send to you each night.

--- © Pamela Durkota, written for Josh

I'm not a fan of Dixie Chicks, but I do like this song and it seems appropriate.

HALF A WORLD AWAY
By Jill Work

A half a world away
Sometimes it seems we’re so far apart
But a half a world away
Is not too far for a journey of the heart

My little one, my bundle of joy
I’m waiting for you
My precious son, my baby boy
I know you’re waiting too

A half a world away
A child waits for a family of his own
While a half a world away
A family waits to come bring him home

My little one, my bundle of joy
I’m whispering a prayer
My precious son, my baby boy
I hope to soon be there

I hope that we
will no longer be
a half a world away.

I think he likes ice cream :)

Brain Freeze

Did you miss me?

It's been weeks it seems since I've blogged. It's been busy around here and if we're friends on facebook you know why.

I am in the thick of planning a benefit dinner and auction to raise the money needed for the legal fight we are in to get Trek's visa.

I will tell you, I'd rather have a yard sale any day over this! There is a ton of work involved especially when you're doing 98% of it yourself. But I won't complain the Lord is faithful as always and He has provided all the food! We have Olive Garden providing 500 bread sticks and salads for 100 people, Angelo's is a local Italian restaurant and the are providing 60 pounds of spaghetti, Texas Roadhouse is giving us 400 rolls and their sweet butter....yum! We have another restaurant that is providing all the sauce and last but not least a small local pizza shop is going to pick up any slack in salads and or sauce!! Oh yeah, Pepsi is giving us 25 cases of soda :) So the food is looking and sounding great! We even had a group of ladies offer to prepare and serve the dinner! Yahoo!!!

So I went back and forth with some of my friends on what to 'charge' for tickets. We settled on $5.00 a ticket and children under 4 are free. Do you know how many tickets one needs to sell to raise thousands of dollars??? I mean people, friends we are trying to raise in the vicinity of $10,000.00 dollars! Oh my...that's a LOT of tickets! So far we have raised about 670.00 in tickets, which is wonderful! Many from people who live out of state and even the country but want to show their support. We love you guys and couldn't do it without you!

The auction is what I'm focusing on now. We are praying for large items to draw in the public. Also we are having a dessert table and hoping to raise lots of money there. I'm trying my best to not get too freaked out about what we need to raise and rest in the Lord and believe that He'll provide again like He has in the past. All I can do is what seems logical and leave the rest to Him. I know He is able!

So for any of you out there that has not bought tickets...it's not too late!

Now for an update on Trek's case....

We have heard that the investigation is complete and now we wait for our attorney to get all the information and wait for her to write our rebuttal. Praying that she gets it finished ahead of schedule, which happens to be Feb. 21.

Trek is doing wonderful! He looks like he is filling out. I think he's gained a little over 2 pounds! He is saying dada and mama! We were skyping him Sunday night and he was trying to rub Mike's head....so cute! As wonderful as he is being taken care of, it's so hard not being the ones to care for him! We are praying everyday that the Lord will provide so we can go over as a family in February and stay there until his visa is issued. So far every rebuttal that has been submitted has been approved thank God! Some people have asked how we could leave and not work....this is the neat thing.... the type of work Mike does allows him to do it anywhere in the world as long as he has the Internet. So as long as the Lord provides the means for us to get back over there Mike will continue to work. The other 'issue' people ask about is Robin's schooling. We would have to home school the remained of the year (I think) and she seems willing to do that or see what ideas her teachers might have. What I can tell you for certainty is... we are ready to be living together as a family the way the Lord intended us too! We think of the verse Psalms 68:6 often... "God places the lonely in families.... " I don't mean to be a broken record in saying we are so thankful for PUMA, but that is not his family. He needs to be with his daddy, mommy and two sisters who all want so desperately to be with him!

So, I'm reading another great book, Radical (taking back your faith from the America Dream) by David Platt. I liked this particular quote I just read today...

This is how God works. He puts his people in positions where they are desperate for his power, and then he shows his provision in ways that display his greatness.

We have seen this time and time again through Trek's adoption and I believe He will continue to display his greatness! Please keep praying with us and for our little boy!

A Tandem Ride With God

I used to think of God as my observer, my judge, keeping track of the things I did wrong, so as to know whether I merited heaven or hell when I die. He was out there, sort of like a president. I recognized His picture when I saw it, but I didn't really know Him.

But later on, when I met Jesus, it seemed as though life was rather like a bike, but it was a tandem bike, and I noticed that Jesus was in the back helping me pedal. I didn't know just when it was He suggested we change, but life has not been the same since I took the back-seat to Jesus, my Lord. He makes life exciting. When I had control, I thought I knew the way. It was rather boring, but predictable. It was the shortest distance between two points.

But when He took the lead, He knew delightful long cuts, up mountains, and through rocky places and at break-through speeds; it was all I could do to hang on! Even though it often looked like madness, He said, "Pedal!" I was worried and anxious and asked, "Where are you taking me?" He laughed and didn't answer and I started to learn to trust. I forgot my boring life and entered into adventure. And when I'd say, "I'm scared", He'd lean back and touch my hand.

He took me to people with gifts that I needed, gifts of healing, acceptance and joy. They gave me their gifts to take on my journey, our journey, my Lord's and mine. And we were off again. He said, "Give the gifts away; they're extra baggage, too much weight." So I did, to the people we met, and I found in giving I received, and still our burden was light.

I did not trust Him, at first, in control of my life. I thought He'd wreck it, but He knows bike secrets, knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners, jump to clear high rocks, fly to shorten scary passages. And I am learning to shut up and pedal in the strangest places, and I'm beginning to enjoy the view and the cool breeze on my face with my delightful constant companion, Jesus.

And when I'm sure I just can't do any more, He just smiles and says... "Pedal."

(Author unknown)

I'm thrilled to share with you that the money has come in for us to secure the investigator and lawyer. This does not mean we have all the money needed. We still have a LOT to raise!

I do want to clarify one thing. The dinner and auction is NOT tonight, it's January 29 @ 5PM.

Now that Christmas is over, I am beginning to work on collecting items for the auction and dessert table. So, if you're reading this and have a business or have something you'd like to donate or if you want to make some sweets for the dessert table please contact me at tonya@mpdcad.com.

Would you please pray for something else? We know God is in control of all that is going on and we totally believe He'll provide every penny needed to pay the lawyer and investigator. He's provided all along, why would be doubt it this time? Something that we have been talking about and praying about is this....somehow the Lord making a way for us to be able to leave the beginning of February and stay in Nepal until we are able to bring Trek home. The Lord would have to work out the details of course, but if Mike could somehow do his 'regular' job from over there and we are able to continue to pay our bills, he could work the times they have electricity and the times they are without it, we could work/teach/play with the children and didi's (care takers of the orphanage). It would be like a short term missions trip for a month or two serving in an orphanage! There is so much that needs to be done there and with wanting Trek in our custody as soon as possible this would just be an awesome thing to do. Would you please pray about this with us.

Please continue to spread the news about the petition! If you haven't taken a minute to sign it please do it now. Click HERE to sign.

To make a donation click HERE.

Fighting the US Government to bring Trek home

Orrington family fights to bring Nepalese child home

BANGOR DAILY NEWS PHOTO BY KEVIN BENNETT
“I’m excited about it,” said 16 year-old Robin Davis (left) at her Orrington home on Friday. “I’ve wanted a sibling forever, and I’ve always wanted a little brother.” To the right is her 4-year-old sister, Noelle, who was adopted from China.
12/24/10 07:50 pm Updated: 12/25/10 01:44 pm
By Nok-Noi Ricker
BDN Staff

ORRINGTON, Maine — Trek was 5 days old when Katmandu, Nepal, police found him abandoned on the streets of the Asian country’s capital city. He has lived for two years in an orphanage with little food and no toys while waiting to be taken into someone’s home and heart.

“He’s only 17 pounds,” said Tonya Davis, who, along with her husband, Mike, has fallen in love with the youngster. “He’s this little peanut.”

The Orrington couple feel a calling from God to spread their love to children in dire need and adopted Trek earlier this month with hopes to have him home for Christmas. But U.S. government red tape is preventing the child from getting a visa.

“Back on Aug. 6 the U.S. suspended adoptions with Nepal,” Tonya Davis said. “They did it because they believe the paperwork Nepal was providing is fraudulent.”

The government of Nepal issued the Davises their referral letter on Aug. 1 approving their match with Trek, just beating the U.S. moratorium.

The good news is that those already matched with a child are in the pipeline and their paperwork will continue to be processed, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website states.

“There [are] about 80 pipeline families and we’re one of them, the only one in Maine,” Tonya Davis said.

New adoptions have been suspended for abandoned children in Nepal because “the Department of State has concluded that the documentation presented for children reported abandoned in Nepal is unreliable,” the USCIS website states.

The U.S. is not alone in suspending adoptions from Nepal. Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom recently suspended adoptions based on similar concerns, the website says.

The State Department sent a team of investigators to Nepal in August to review the 80 adoptions in the pipeline and found nothing fraudulent, but even so it still is requiring adoptive families to jump through very expensive hoops, Mike Davis said. The pipeline families are now required to hire a private investigator in Nepal to look for the parents who abandoned their children, as well as a U.S. lawyer to process all the paperwork, he said.

The lawyer and investigator are expected to cost about $10,000, and that’s money the Davises don’t have.

Add to that the fact that a clock is ticking away toward a deadline.

“We have 87 days,” Tonya Davis said.

“Our countdown started on Dec. 3,” the day their adoption paperwork for Trek was completed, her husband said. “They are asking for the impossible.”

“What kills me is these children have been adopted by U.S. citizens and it’s the U.S. that is denying the visas,” Tonya Davis said.

People at the orphanage named the 5-day-old boy police gave them two years ago Pratik. The Davises have renamed him Trek Pratik Davis.

The Orrington couple have a 16-year-old daughter, Robin, and adopted their second daughter, Noelle, from China in January 2008. Robin said she has always wanted siblings and is excited to have a little brother to share her life with.

Tonya and Mike Davis left for Nepal on Thanksgiving Day and spent three weeks in the country trying to get everything done in order to bring Trek home. They returned on Dec. 16 empty-handed.

“I believe it will happen,” Tonya Davis said.

“We are committed to him no matter what,” Mike Davis said. “He’s our son.”

The couple met a couple of U.S. missionaries online when they first started doing research into a Nepal adoption two years ago. The missionaries have taken their adopted son into their home to await his visa.

“He’s safe,” Tonya Davis said. “We could not have left if he had to go back to that orphanage.”

When the couple first met their son, he was malnourished and had burns on his face from being out in the sun all day long, every day. Those burns since have healed.

The couple keep in contact with Trek and their missionary friends through the Internet telephone service Skype.

Presents for their 2-year-old son are under the Christmas tree and a stocking has been hung for him, even though they don’t know when he will get to open them.

“We’re still praying for a Christmas miracle,” Tonya Davis said.

“Someone high up in Washington could sign the paperwork and he could be home by New Year’s,” her husband said.

The Davises are holding a benefit dinner and silent auction to raise money at 5 p.m. Jan. 29 at Calvary Chapel in Orrington.

Those interested in more information about Trek Davis’ adoption process can check out Tonya Davis’ blog, www.ifwehavefaithofamustardseed.blogspot.com.

Tonya Davis said people also could support their family and other pipeline families by signing an online petition that is sent directly to U.S. senators and members of the House of Representatives. So far, 10,491 petition letters have been sent, she said.

The petition can be found online at petition2congress.com/3867/bring-stranded-nepali-adoptees-home-now.

If you want to make a donation click
HERE

Would you also PLEASE re-post this on your blogs & facebook!

Please Help Bring Our Son Home!

PLEASE Re-post on your blogs and facebook!!!

To donate click HERE

Benefit Dinner & Silent Auction

to bring home Trek Davis from Nepal.
Calvary Chapel Orrington
January 29, 2010
Time to be announced.

Our son is stuck in Nepal because the United States won't issue his visa.
The US is adding additional burden to families by requiring us to hire an attorney and private investigator. These are added costs that we never expected to have to pay. It's going to be $7500.00 and the investigator will be either $2500.00 or $3500.00.

Time is against us right now. We have 87 days to send in a rebuttal to the United States Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) in New Delhi. The clock started ticking on Dec 3.

The most urgent need for next week is the 2500.00 3500.00 to hire the investigator. Plus we will need to pay at least 500.00 to 1000.00 to retain the lawyer.

It sounds like the lawyer will allow us the month to try and raise the additional money needed. So please pray with us that the Lord will bring in about 4000.00 or more in just a few days so we can get started.

Keep the dinner and auction in prayer. Pray that business will donate all that's needed and that lots will come! We are going to try our best to get the local news to do a short interview with us announce the dinner. Please pray! I honestly don't want to move to Nepal for two years if it's not 100% necessary. I feel like we need to continue to fight for Trek!


Here's a signature on the new petition that I thought I'd share. It pretty much tells it like it is. Please re-post on your blogs, facebook, twitter along with the petition link and the new blog with all the children waiting.

She's stuck in Nepal and it's getting cold there. Orphanage is subsisting on porridge and lentils. My daughter flew there and signed the adoption papers two months ago, but the U.S. Embassy still hasn't produced a visa for the toddler, and so the little one can't enter the U.S. SO frustrating. There are 56 American families stuck in this red tape tragedy. Go to this website to see PHOTOS of the little kids, and then click on the link there and PLEASE sign the petition. http://theywaitnepal.blogspot.com/

Forward this to everyone you knows so they will sign and forward it too. We're hoping for 10,000 signatures by the end of the week. Maybe President Obama will grant the children humanitarian relief status and issue visas for them all. At this point, it's too late to the kids to be home for Christmas or Chanukkah, but maybe we could aim to have them all home by the New Year??????

When you read the petition, you'll know what the whole story is, but essentially, the Nepal Government had declared that all these kids are "orphans available for international adoption"; but the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security wanted to make sure that the children really were orphans so they took about four months to investigate all the kids' orphanage records, and then on December 15, 2010, both Departments declared that NO FRAUD, and NO CHILD TRAFFICKING was found in ANY of their investigations. Thank Goodness!!

But then they said that they want each of the adoptive parents to produce evidence confirming that NO FRAUD and NO CHILD TRAFFICKING has taken place and they've given the adoptive parents 87 days to produce that evidence. Without the confirming evidence, the Embassy will issue a denial to EVER produce a visa. So the new parents have to hire Nepali lawyers and Nepali private investigators (which costs thousands of dollars) to try and track down some police officer or passerby who found the newborn lying on the side of the road two or three years ago. It's a nightmare of frustration because Nepal, like any other third-world country, is more interested in the basic human needs of feeding and caring for the foundlings than in creating official reports and filing them in triplicate so that some U.S. official can be satisfied with a Western idea of proper papertrails years later. None of the adoptive families speaks the Nepali language, and most of them are back in the U.S., desperate to get their new children home. After paying all the normal costs of international adoptions, these investigations are draining the families terribly. Some are selling their homes rather than abandon their children. They've met the children, bonded with them, fallen in love with them, and just want to get them home to proper feeding, medical care, and LOVING FAMILIES.

My daughter has been pursuing this adoption for three years now. I was so hoping my Mom would get to meet the little girl, but, at 99 years of age, my Mom passed this August. But, my 99-year old mother-in-law is still with us and so we can still have FOUR generations of our family together, if only that toddler's visa would come through in time for Great-Grandma Mollie to meet her.

http://theywaitnepal.blogspot.com/

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

They Wait

Petition

I'm adding a new Chip In button to help with the legal fight we now find ourselves in.

Correction

I misunderstood something and need to correct it. I guess if we want to move to Nepal and start a business it would cost 25,000.00. This is NOT our intent. So disregard that. My brain is shutting down, so that's it for now.

Home Sweet Home...but for how long?

When fear shapes our lives, safety becomes our god. when safety becomes our god, we worship the risk-free life. Can the safety-lover do anything great? Can the risk-averse accomplish noble deeds? for God? for others? No.

The fear-filled cannot love deeply. Love is risky.

They cannot give to the poor. Benevolence has no guarantee of return.


The fear-filled cannot dream wildly. What if their dreams sputter and fall from the sky?

The worship of safety emasculates greatness. No wonder Jesus wages such a war against fear.


{Jesus} said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hand and My feet, that it is I Myself. Luke 24:38-39

The LORD spoke his word to Abram in a vision: "Abram, don't be afraid. I will defend you, and I will give you a great reward." Genesis 15:1

"Am I a God near at hand", says the LORD, "and not a God afar off?" Jeremiah 23:23

It is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:13

Update on orphanage. Out of the $3600.00 that was given for the children at the orphanage, we were only able to get our hands on $1200.00 while we were there. Leaving $2400.00 left to be spent on them. We took care of the needs of the baby room and purchased food, bought emergency lighting for when they don't have electricity. $500.00 was used to give to a different children's home that was in need of blankets. We also brought Maya, Trek and the orphan girl to the hospital for their checkups.

We will be going back soon and will be reassessing the needs. We plan to purchase shoes and jackets for all the children (something very needed). We know they have a huge need there, but at this point do not feel comfortable with giving cash to them. So if anyone wanted to give to help the children still can do so by contacting us (the Chip In has expired). We are looking forward to going back and blessing them in the name and love of Jesus!

Okay now that, that is out of the way let me update you on Trek and what is happening. First of all, he is doing wonderful! I know we have said it a hundred times, but we are soo thankful for PUMA and Mary and Fran and Padam and just the group of believers there! Trek is happy and getting into a good daily routine, for his playtime, eating great, napping and he sleeps great at night. Praise the Lord for a strong little man! So he's doing wonderful and we miss him terrible! We can't wait to have him in our care, which brings me to the update on his visa.

Still don't have the visa. We (group of parents & supporters) continue to send letters, make phone calls, try to get local and national attention to this issue, but still have not seen anything happen on a government level. Very frustrating! So we will continue this fight, but in the meantime we need to work towards our RFE (request for evidence). We were issued our RFE on Dec 3 (our adoption day) and have 87 days to send in a rebuttal. Up to now we had not gotten a lawyer because of two reasons....1. we truly believed that the Lord would intervene before we got to this point, 2. we don't have the money...again another reason we believed the Lord would work this out before we got to this point. But here we are and we are faced with some major decisions to make. We did contact a lawyer and she is working with lots of other Nepal families...and seems to be having success. She sent us a very encouraging email letting us know how she could help us and it was refreshing to read because of her optimism. I called the office to get the fees and about lost it. I guess I shouldn't have been shocked, but I've never needed a lawyer for anything and had no idea what kind of fees we'd be looking at. I have no idea who reads this and you may read this and think we're crazy and that her fees are fair and inexpensive....and you may be right, but we don't have a 'rainy day' account, we don't have retirement money being set aside, we don't have stocks and so on. We live week to week and that's just where the Lord has us right now and we will choose to be happy and rest in Him. So the lawyer is asking for a $6000.00 retainer. $250.00 for that is for our initial meeting to find out who to use for an investigator(an additional expense) and what our next steps would be. She needs the money ASAP! I told the office lady that we would love to have her work on our case, but we don't have the money. She said if we couldn't get the money then our only option would be to move to Nepal for the two years required. At that point we would pull our case and live in Nepal for the two years and then come home on a 'family visa' vs. 'orphan visa'. So as you can imagine my mind is racing wondering what we are suppose to do. My choice would be to not have to move, but we are willing to do whatever the Lord leads us. But if we were to move, there is still a ton that would have to happen to make that possible! We can't just leave when we have bills and things to take care of here. To work in Nepal one would have to purchase a working visa of some sort and that is $25,000.00 so if we don't have 6 thousand, how do we find 25 thousand??? Anyway...that's what is going on with the visa issue. We still pray for the Lords intervention and that we get word that the US government will just issue these and let these children come home.

God is good all the time! All the time, God is good!

Goodbye Nepal

Are you tied up in knots? "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7). Strong verb there. Cast. Not place, lay or occasionally offer. Peter enlisted the same verb Gospel writers used to describe the way Jesus treated demons. He cast them out. An authoritative hand on the collar, another on the belt, and a "Don't come back". Do the same with your fears. Get serious with them. Immediately cast them upon God.

Worry is an option, not an assignment. God can lead you into a worry-free world. Be quick to pray. Focus less on the problems ahead and more on the victories behind. Do your part, and God will do His. He will guard your heart with His peace....a peace that passes understanding.

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5

We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair....For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory...For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:8, 17-18

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts You. Isaiah 26:3

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31

Please keep us in prayer today. It will be a hard day for us. We are leaving the hotel soon and will be bringing Trek to his temporary home. We are sad to have to leave him, but thankful the Lord has placed such wonderful people in our lives and Treks lives to help us through this. Please keep our travels in prayer as well. It's gonna be a long journey home!

We have loved our time here in Nepal. The Lord has been with us.

Goodbye for now Nepal. We WILL be back!

Last Full Day In Nepal

Feed your fears, and your faith will starve.

Feed you faith, and your fears will.

Jesus could have calmed your storm long ago. But He hasn't. Does He want to teach you a lesson? Could that lesson read something like this: "Storms are not an option, but fear is"?

God has recorded His accomplishments in Scripture. His Resume includes Red Sea opening. Lions' mouths closing. Goliath topplings. Lazarus raisings. Storm stillings and strollings.

His lesson is clear. He's the commander of every storm.

The LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. Isaiah 59:1

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

Today was our last full day in Nepal. We met up with Mary and Fran and hit the streets to load them up on necessary items for Trek and Maya. That kept us busy until about 3PM. Now we are back at the hotel gearing up to pack his stuff to bring over in the morning and of course get our stuff packed up for the long trip home. As you can imagine we have mixed emotions with leaving. We can't wait to get home and see our girls and friends and family, but it's so hard leaving our son here. We are so thankful for the PUMA family. Honestly if they couldn't take care of him one of us would be staying. I could NEVER put a child back into an orphanage!

I know that doesn't sound like an exciting day, but that's about all we did. I did take pictures today for your viewing enjoyment. Note....the picture are all backwards. Not sure how to get them in order. I guess start with the pictures from the end of the day and work your way to the beginning.

The one who HATED the elevator when we first got him, now likes it!

Wanted to get a nice picture of him outside the hotel. Guess not.

Maya enjoying her pineapple pizza.

Maya loved her balloon. She kept whacking me on the head with it :)

Trek with father Christmas. Nope, didn't like that either.

The children waiting patiently for Mary and Fran to find the two missing wheels on Maya's stroller.

Maya wanted to be held by Mike all day.

Trek in the taxi.

Sunday In Nepal

I don't have a lot of time to journal this morning because this is our last full day here and there is lots to be done.

Yesterday we pretty much hung out with the girls at the house. Which every day Trek does better and better. Praising the Lord for that. We took him, Maya and another baby from the orphanage to see the doctor. Trek HATED the doctor. I thought she was really nice and was excellent with the kids, but he would tell you different. She said his lungs were clear, no ear infection and he is tiny for his age, but with good food he'll gain quickly. He's been malnourished. He weights 17.6 lbs and is 31 inches short :). Maya looks in good health too! He and Maya will be put on de-worm meds in a few days. Sounds like about all the children that come from an orphanage get them from the water.

The baby we took, we thought might have CP. She's 18 months and has never stood. Her head is the normal size for an 18 month old, but her body is the size of a 6-7 month old. The doctor said it was from not eating enough. She said unless they start feeding her more or she can be moved to a different home or someone adopts her.....
So be praying for her!

Oh yeah, we also visited some ancient place where the King lived like a couple hundred years ago. It was neat to see, but so sad....there are so many people that come here and worship gods/idols. I was able to share with Sumitra that it did break my heart because those idols and gods can't help them. I shared with her that there is only ONE LIVING GOD....JESUS! They think the cows are gods.....

He's the God of this City, Country!

Here are some pictures from our day.