Summit 9 in Nashville

Last month Hailey and I traveled to Nashville to attend Christian Alliance for Orphans' Summit 9.  It was an honor to represent All Blessings Intl. at my third Summit, which exploded in registrations with 2600 participants from 25 nations and 49 states.  Registration actually closed the week before Summit due to maximum capacity.  Clearly God is moving His Church to care for orphans.

It is difficult to describe how it felt to worship, connect and even cry alongside believers from around the world who share my passion for orphans, foster care, missions and adoption.   Every speaker and breakout session was moving.  The session on deinstitutionalization examined the ramifications of institutionalized care and passionately discussed how to find permanent solutions for children without families.  I listened to a panel of multi-ethnic adoptive families and laughed and grieved as they shared the joys and challenges they face in daily life.  I was especially moved as I listen to Emily Richards, the daughter of Stephen Curtis Chapman, speak on the theology of adoption, God's father heart for his children and the "forever family" that we are adopted into when we become believers.

The above photo was taken for a Summit photo contest on "hopes and dreams" for orphans.

There were many unexpected surprises during the trip.  On the first day of Summit I received an email from our former adoption agency notifying us that our adoption paperwork had been returned to them by El Salvador.  They wanted to know if they should shred it.  This email stirred up painful emotions that had been hidden in the depths of my soul.  As I listened to David Platt, author of "Radical" (the book that all of my outreach team members are required to read), speak in the closing session, I was shocked by his heartbreaking journey of a failed adoption.  David and his wife tried for many years to adopt a baby girl in Nepal, but their dream died when Nepal closed for adoption.  They later adopted a baby in China and started a ministry in Nepal as a result of their passion for the country of their broken dreams.  I couldn't believe the parallels in our stories!

As David shared about their failed adoption, the floodgates opened and I began to weep uncontrollably.  I wept as though I was grieving a stillborn birth or a miscarriage.  I wept for the injustice that we experienced with our first agency and for a country that struggles to create family plans for abandoned children.  I had no idea that I needed to grieve so deeply and it was truly healing for my soul.  As I gazed at Hailey through my tears,  I was reminded of God's redemption.  He truly does work all things together for good.  If He had not led us to adopt in El Salvador, we would not have been led to Hailey.  We also may not have become aware of the desperation in orphanages in El Salvador and may not be leading trips today.  It was so special to be sitting next to Larry and Tammie May, dear friends who adopted in El Salvador and have supported our adoption journey, as I wept.  Larry served with me in El Salvador last year and their family has become part of our family.   I loved introducing Hailey to "Uncle Larry" and "Aunt Tammie".  We are forever family.

Throughout the week I loved spending time with other former El Salvador and Guatemala team members and numerous families who have adopted through All Blessings.  Hailey and I stayed at the home of Phil (Larry's brother) and Amy May, who served with me in Guatemala in 2011.  The Mays adopted their beautiful daughter, Sophie, in Guatemala four years ago.  It was so precious to watch Sophie and Hailey play together.  The Mays will be serving on our team again this November and have become very dear friends.  Thanks "Uncle Phil" for babysitting Hailey!

Lisa Bussard and her daughter served on our 2011 Guatemala team as well and hope to return this year.      The Bussards played a significant role in collecting jeans and raising funds for uniforms for the children at Casa Bernabe orphanage.  Lisa and Amy took me on a tour of Nashville after Summit and I fell in love with the city.  I was also struck by the Southern hospitality and hope to bring our family back one day.

I enjoyed another "girls' night out" with an amazing group of adoptive moms during Summit.  Heidi Weimer (pictured below in the middle) has a powerful adoption story and founded "We Have Room" with her husband.  I loved spending time with Heidi and Tabitha Lovell, the travel agent for our  outreach trips.  Tabitha has been a tremendous blessing handling all of our international flights and she is currently in the process of adopting in Congo.  I loved spending time with such inspiring women!

Jon and Christella Hudson recruited a team of twelve to serve with me in El Salvador last May.  The Hudsons also adopted their son, Freddy, through All Blessings in Korea.  They drove all the way from Kentucky so that we could spend time together and I even experienced Tennessee's famous, "Cracker Barrel" restaurant.  Aren't these kids adorable?

One of the highlights for me in leading orphan outreach teams has been the incredible people that I have met along the journey.  Every trip has been life changing and every team member has become like family.  I am so thankful to All Blessings for the opportunity to lead teams to experience the father heart of God for abandoned and orphan children.  The location for Summit 10 has not yet been announced, but I hope to be there next year!  Stayed tuned...

Stuffed Animals for El Salvador

Help Jordan and Aidan to meet their goal of collecting 100 stuffed animals for El Salvador!  Our missionary partners in El Salvador, Kurt and Susan Ackermann, have recently begun visiting hospitalized children.  They have a vision to bring stuffed animals as gifts for the children with scripture attached to each animal.  Last week our boys launched their final "Ripple Kids" project at our elementary school with their stuffed animal drive.

Jordan and Aidan shared about the project in front of the entire school and spoke about the fact that El Salvador is the poorest country in Latin America.  The entire student body was challenged to bring new or gently used stuffed animals.  Way to go boys!  Let us know if you have stuffed animals to donate!

Headed to Court!

It's official!  Last week we received our "Notification of Adoption Hearing" (after four trips to the courthouse grappling with paperwork).  On June 26, 2013, Haesook Hwang will legally become Hailey Jane Ramsey.

We can't wait to celebrate and make it official.  If you live in Southern California, please join us for the court hearing at 1:30 pm.  We will be hosting a celebration at our home immediately following the hearing and everyone is welcome!

"A father to the fatherless, a defender of the widow, is God in his holy dwelling". - Psalm 68:5

So Proud of Aidan!

Let's face it.  Parenting can be really, really hard.  Today we face challenges that our parents never faced with easy access to the Internet, iPhones, an increase in predators, pornography and the list goes on and on.  There are days when we struggle, cry and pray for wisdom over the lives of our children.  There are nights when I collapse on the couch and wish for a "do-over".

But sometimes there are moments like the one we had today at Aidan's fourth grade awards ceremony.  Every year our school honors each student in a particular area of academics or character.  Mike and I arrived at the awards ceremony this morning wondering if Aidan would be honored in writing, arts, science or reading.  Our hearts were filled with awe and joy as we listened (over Hailey's giggles) to Aidan's teacher speaking about our precious son.  His award was entitled "Community Service and Beyond".  His teacher talked about his heart of compassion and how it is reflected powerfully in his writing.  She spoke of how he cares for others, and especially his concern for orphans after adopting his little sister.  She also spoke about his community service through our school's Ripple Kids program and our boys' most recent project, the "Stuffed Animal Drive for El Salvador."  While we desire for our kids to excel academically, our goal is to raise children with godly character who are compassionate about the world.  Today we felt one step closer to that goal as Aidan was recognized for being a young man of character.  We will rest well tonight as we celebrate the young man that he is becoming.

Way to go Aidan, we are so proud of you!

Reflections on our Adoption Journey

On September 7, 2012, it finally happened.  After five years of waiting, fundraising, praying anguished prayers, and questioning God’s timing, our baby girl was finally placed in our arms in Gangnam, South Korea.  Haesook became Hailey Ramsey and found her “forever family”.  It is a day that I will never forget.  Hailey’s “Gotcha Day”.

In 2007 we sensed God calling us to adopt.  Through a series of supernatural events, this calling was confirmed and we were thrilled to be adding a third child to our family.  We had no idea that God had an unbelievable journey ahead, filled with twists, turns, miracles, heartache and indescribable joy.  We believed that God was leading us to adopt in El Salvador and announced the news to the world.  After two years of paper chasing, fundraising and waiting, I had the incredible opportunity to lead a short-term outreach trip to El Salvador with our adoption agency.  What I discovered on that trip would break my heart and change my life forever.

In November, 2009, I boarded a plane with three other naïve and hopeful Americans (who were also hoping to adopt in El Salvador).  We were thrilled to be bringing gifts and encouragement to the orphanage, and expectant to connect with children in need of forever families.  When our dusty van finally entered the compound, it was impossible to hold back our tears as children rushed to the van with shouts of glee.  Over the next few days we held and kissed babies, toddlers and teens, played games, sang songs, and fell in love with the precious children.  We were shocked when we learned that adoption was frowned upon in El Salvador and our agency was not being honest about their program.  But our God had a plan that was bigger than any of us could have dreamed or imagined. 

It just so “happened” that the founder of a small, Christian adoption agency was in El Salvador helping one of her clients while we were there.  We met this mighty woman of faith, filled with compassion and mercy, and she welcomed each of us into her agency with open arms.  Two months later, she offered me the opportunity of a lifetime.  Would I be open to leading short-term orphan outreach teams back to El Salvador on an ongoing basis?  My answer?  Absolutely!  I had fallen in love with El Salvador and my heart was broken by the realization that most of these children would never be adopted.  Although our adoption journey was now in question, I had left my heart in El Salvador and the opportunities to serve these beautiful children were endless.

Over the past three years, I have been honored to lead six teams to El Salvador and two teams to Guatemala. Each trip has been led by His Spirit and the Lord has worked in powerful ways as we have loved on children, met with government leaders, assisted the poor and worshipped alongside our Latin brothers and sisters. I have been overwhelmed over and over again as I’ve considered the fact that I would  not be leading these teams if God had not led us to adopt in El Salvador. 

In 2010, after much counsel, prayer and research, we withdrew our adoption case from El Salvador, losing $15,000.  We applied to a program in Korea and were immediately accepted.  Over the next two years, God did the impossible as we raised close to $35,000 to cover our adoption costs.  In June of 2012, we received the phone call we had prayed for and finally saw the face of our Korean princess.  We accepted the referral and were filled with anticipation as we prepared to travel to Korea to bring our daughter home. 

Proverbs 19:21 says that “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will be established.”  When our family opened our hearts to adoption, we had no idea that God was leading us into a lifetime of orphan advocacy.  We have been amazed at the privileges the Lord has given us in starting the So Cal Orphan Care Network, birthing a thriving orphan care ministry in our church and leading teams to Central America to serve orphans.  We have been honored to be part of The Christian Alliance for Orphans and to participate in The Orphan Summit.  God’s ways are truly higher than our ways and His timing is perfect.  We finally have our little girl in our arms and there is one less orphan in the world.  God has expanded our borders and allowed us to serve His orphans throughout the world.  We are overwhelmed by His goodness, his Father-heart for us and the calling He has placed upon our lives.  

The Stroller as an Attachment Tool

Before traveling to Korea, we read many books and even attended classes on attachment.  We knew that attachment was a major factor in bonding with internationally adopted children, and we were prepared to do whatever Hailey needed to attach as quickly as possible.  We had no idea that the stroller would be such a huge attachment tool for our precious Hailey!

Haily absolutely LOVES to be near me in her stroller (if she's not being held).  Providentially, we moved to a one story home last April with wood and tile floors.  We have never lived in a one story home and have always had carpet.  We know that God led us to this home for many reasons, but one specific purpose was the easy use of strollers for Hailey.  I use the stroller daily when I'm washing dishes, putting on make-up, folding the laundry and can't hold Hailey.  We often joke that we have "stroller parking" in our entry, since we usually keep two strollers "parked" there at all times.

Hailey often experiences anxiety when we go in and out of the house.  If I set her down on the floor upon entering the house (because I usually need to put away my purse, bags, etc.) she immediately panics and cries.  However, if I set her directly into the stroller, she is as happy as can be!  Since Hailey is so heavy, I have been unable to use a carrier, but the strollers have been a wonderful solution.

Hailey loved trying on my shoes while I was getting dressed on Valentine's Day.  This is one of my favorite photos of Hailey (and she's chilling in the stroller, of course!)...

Today we had our final visit with our social worker.  Korea requires four post-placement visits with a social worker before an adoption can be completed.  We have met with our social worker, Joe Ramirez (with Angels Haven Adoptions) for almost six years while living in three different homes!  Today Joe affirmed that Hailey has changed dramatically since arriving home and has transitioned well.  Hailey didn't want to be held, so I put her in the stroller and pushed it near him.  I had to capture the final visit on film! We are so grateful to be nearer to our court date for finalization and to hearing the judge pronounce Hailey as "Hailey Jane Ramsey".   Stay tuned for updates on the court date!

A Month of Celebrations!

This past month has been filled with many memorable moments in our family.  While we continue to watch Hailey progress in her walking, language development and attachment, we also celebrated major accomplishments with our boys.

Jordan officially became a Boy Scout!  The Cub Scouts has been the perfect environment for Jordan to thrive in and he loves it.  He and Mike worked very diligently to earn the awards required for the "Arrow of Light" award, which he received last week along with his other troop members.  Jordan had an unforgettable experience at his first Cub Scouts camp this past fall and recently told me, "I wish that Boy Scouts met every week"!  He has "bridged over" to Boy Scouts Troop 243, which meets at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Tustin, and we cant wait to watch him grow and flourish in his new troop.

Aidan recently completed his i9 flag football season and was drafted to the Tustin Western Little League AA Angels team.   His football team won their final championship game and Aidan was awarded the "Sportsmanship Award" for being a strong team player and encourager.  Way to go Aidan!

We also celebrated a huge accomplishment for Mike this month.  After completing a two year, intensive Bible training course and serving full time for many years as the elder over missions, Mike was ordained as the Missions Pastor at The Village Church or Irvine.  It is such a blessing to serve the Lord together as we oversee missions and orphan care/adoption in our church body.

We have so much to celebrate and so much to be grateful for.  "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.  His love endures forever". - Psalm 136:1