The adoption application is in the mail!

Although we hoped to get the adoption application in the mail weeks sooner, we did finally get everything together and were able to get it in the mail on December 6th. We have applied with Holt International which was the first US agency to do international adoptions. They have been around the longest and seem to have a great reputation. Right now we're waiting to hear from them saying they received it. Apparently it takes an average of 24-28 months from application to placement. It feels really good to have that ball officially rolling. And the thought that we might actually be parents in approximately 2 years is exciting.

Quick Update

Sorry for the long lapse in blogging. Our internet is bust at home and I've been out of town for the last week and a half. I've got a short time on the internet here at Starbucks so I'll just give a quick update.
Andrey and I went to Chiang Mai for a wedding. Andrey only stayed for the weekend but I extended my stay to last the following week. Being in CM was so much fun! I was able to get caught up with my friends and get to enjoy CM in the nicest time to be there - cool season. I really miss life there I gotta tell ya so it was hard at times not to cry about not living there anymore. I mean, it's a really nice place to live! But i decided not to let those emotions get too strong or else i might have never come back to Cebu. Well that's not true, of course Andrey was here and I was quite happy to get back to him. Now that I'm back I'm looking forward to the good things we have going on for us here.
In 5 days, we will travel again. We're headed to Mexico for Nerdfiesta - a gathering that happens every 1-2 years of 5 of Andrey's college buddies, their wives and their children - oh and at times, some parents. The last Nerd gathering was in Chiang Mai in December 2005. Since then we've been planning this trip to Mexico. Andrey and I decided to leave a few days early so we could be with our friends who live there for Christmas. We leave on the 22nd and return Jan 11. It's going to be a great time.
I'll post photos of my time in Chiang Mai soon...

Thanksgiving 2007 in Cebu City

Living in the Philippines was not going to stop us from celebrating my favorite holiday. So last night we had a feast! It was so fun. We had 12 guests join us for a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Our guests were either midwives from Glory Reborn Clinic (GRC) where I work or friends from our church - the Cebu City Vineyard. Since a lot of people from the clinic go to our church, most everyone knew each other. The menu included an 18 pound (8kg) turkey (of course!), stuffing, gravy, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, cream cheese corn, lemon almond green beans, cranberry sauce, whole grain buns, and apple and pumpkin pies complete with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. For many of the Filipinos who joined us, it was their first Thanksgiving meal ever. They told me they were so happy to get to experience such a special occasion and were glad to be a part of it.
Filipinos always say that a meal without rice is not a meal, it's only a snack. They say they never feel full if they don't eat rice - even if the "snack" is a plate of spaghetti or a greasy cheeseburger with fries. Apparently they still feel hungry and long for their next real meal. So I respectfully challenged this with our Thanksgiving dinner. I thought if the the Filipinos still feel hungry after THIS meal, then I'd concede that what they say is really true. Well after inquiring about this post-meal I can say that NOW, the saying goes something like this: Filipinos do not feel full after a rice-less meal, EXCEPT when they eat Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings and especially when they go back for seconds! Yes! I feel so accomplished.
After dinner we all gathered and shared what we are thankful for. I shared that being surrounded by 12 friends (there were many others who couldn't make it) was evidence of God's blessing on us in such a short period of time (5 months) of living in Cebu and how thankful we were for the friendships and community we enjoy here. I shared how grateful I am to God for the privilege to be a part of the work that goes on at Glory Reborn clinic and to work with so many talented midwives. It was a rich time.
So today, I'm looking forward to tapping into those leftovers. We have a ton! Praise God for His abundance!

Stuffing the turkey...thanks, Andrey for cutting off my head

Kim & I and the turkey that's about to go in the oven

Me, Kim, and GRC midwives Tess & Nhing peeling apples for pie

Tess & Nhing asked if I'd teach them to make pie. It was my pleasure and it made the whole process easier and more fun.
I love you apple pie
Hello delicious turkey getting a gravy bath
The pre-dinner rush. Nhing is on gravy duty. Thank God for helpful friends!
Our guests:

Weekend Plans

This afternoon the admin department at Andrey's work is taking a team-building retreat and they've invited me and Andrey to come along. We're excited because we get to stay at a pretty nice resort for 1 night. Apparently there's going to be a karaoke competition (yes!) which I, in particular, am excited about. It will be hard to compete with Filipinos who no doubt LOVE their karaoke. At any rate, it will be good for team-builing...err, unless I lose and then become angry and throw a fit (have i done that before?). Wait, that only happens when I lose to Andrey so unless we go head to head I'm sure I'll keep my cool. Besides he can't beat me in karaoke! No way!
So we'll be back Saturday evening so Andrey can play basketball (he just joined a league with a bunch of local pastors, he has a uniform and everything!) and I'm on for a 24 hour shift at the clinic from Sunday morning to Monday morning.

The Road to Adoption

Many of you know that Andrey and I have been considering adoption for some time now. We thought we might be able to adopt a Thai child while living in Thailand but that was around the time when we realized we might not be in Thailand for much longer. Since we've been in Cebu we have been researching the possibility of adoptng a child from here. We learned that applying for a domestic adoption is not possible prior to living here for 3 years. That brought us to exploring the possibility of an inter-country adoption.
We've been in contact with an agency based in the U.S. that does inter-country adoptions. We've learned that it is potentially possible for us to adopt a child from the Philippines as U.S. citizens living overseas. That means the process would be similar to what we'd go through if we were living in the U.S. and wanted to adopt a child from another country. After months of compiling information and a lot of prayer, we are currently preparing our application for adoption. We hope to have it in the mail by the end of the week.
This is incredibly exciting for us, even though we know it means we will have to wait an average of 2 years to receive a child. It is also an emotional journey, for me especially. I can't help but think that it is not normal to have this much time to contemplate being parents. The usual scenario does not involve decisions regarding what kind of child you want - what ethnicity, what age, what situation, what emotional and/or health issues you think you might be able to handle. The typical scenario does not involve having to present yourselves on paper to strangers and hope that you come across as a potentially good parent. Especially when you have no idea how good or bad you are at it yet!
So I'm posting about this because I would like to share my thoughts and feelings regarding this journey with you. Most of you know our situation and have encouraged us over the years. We have taken those encouragements as words from the Lord that he has a purpose for us in this time of waiting, that he will in fact fill our desires with good things, and that we are to trust in Him fully. For us right now that means not pursuing fertility treatments. Right now we sense the "go ahead" to pursue adoption. Through these things, our intention is to give God all the room he needs to work a miracle. It is a miracle that we are trusting him for - however he chooses to do it - and knowing that he will get all the credit.

"George?"

Check this out. We saw this billboard yesterday on the side of the road. ACT is a school that trains nurses and then arranges visas for them to live and work in the US and Canada and other English-speaking countries. But who knew George W was in on the recruiting? We couldn't pass it up.

Short Week Long Weekend

It's been a short work-week for Andrey. Monday was the day for neighborhood elections and so was declared a national holiday, Thursday was All Saints Day and today is All Souls Day; both of which a very big catholic holidays. Most Filipinos spend at least some time with family visiting their deceased relatives' graves.
So Andrey was home with me again today which was nice. We've had quite a lot of time together having just come off of a month furlough. We recently remarked that all the time together has been good for our relationship and hasn't caused us to become sick of each other. We're thankful for that.
We had a fun day yesterday. We stayed home in the morning with our usual Saturday-morning-like routine of making breakfast, drinking coffee, listening to music and working on our computers. We even called some friends in DC and I had a good talk with my mom. In the afternoon we picked up our friend Kim and went to try out the pool at our friend's housing subdivision. Unfortunately it was closed for the holiday so we ended up going for a walk in the neighborhood which happens to be up a mountain. There are some nice views of the city up there. We went to Starbucks after for a treat and I saw a gal there I had met briefly in the past who I knew was a single missionary so I asked her to join us for dinner. She came back with us and we enjoyed some yummy chili, cornbread, and salad. It's nice to make another friend.
Today we went to look at a house for rent. We don't need to move until March but the owner of the house is eager to find someone now who can commit to renting her house beginning in March. It's super close to where we're living now. We weren't that excited about the place, as it's kind of old and dingie but we may be able to make it work since it's in our price range. We'll see.
So the rest of today we really just were at home together working on our computers. I'm finally starting to get caught up with things and with keeping in touch with people. Oh we did manage to go downstairs and play 2 games of pool. Andrey beat me both times. I don't like losing but i'm getting better at handling it like a mature adult - an impressive skill at 32 don't you think?
We may watch a movie soon. I'm extremely tired for some reason and it's only 8:45pm. Lame. Let's see if I can talk Andrey into watching the romantic comedy (Licensed to Wed, i think it's called) instead of Transformers.

Climbing for Coconuts

It's Thursday morning and we're both at home because today is a holiday at Andrey doesn't have to go to work. We're sitting in the living room after breakfast relaxing and enjoying our coffee. Andrey looks out the window and sees a man climbing a very tall coconut tree just outside the lot that our house is on. Then we realize there are two men climbing two trees. These guys are incredibly agile! We think the trees look to be at least 60 or 70 feet tall. What they do is climb the tree, kick the coconuts down and sell them. Here are a few shots. Look close for the climbers. This guy is still climbing

This guy is perched at the top kicking the coconuts down

Haenlein Family Reunion in North Carolina - Photos

, Mom & Dad

Aunt Jeni with Morgan & Maddie

Jen & Paul

Saying Goodbye

View from our cabin - Blue Ridge Mountains

Hike with Morgan, Zack, and Maddie up to Looking Glass Rock

Resting on top of Looking Glass Rock

On top of Looking Glass Rock

View of Looking Glass Rock

Luke, Dad, Paul, & Andrey

Andrey, Paul, Jen & Luke

One of the several unsuccessful attempts at a family photo

Mom, Morgan, and Jen

Luke, Jen?, Paul?, Morgan, and Dad

Cebu Weather

It's so HOT! I checked the Weather Channel online to see what the temperature was. It's 87 F(31 C), mostly cloudy, 81% humidity, and apparently "feels like" 101(38 C). Yes, it does. Now I feel validated. When I come out of my air conditioned bedroom to refill my glass of water in the kitchen it's like walking into a steam room. Yesterday Andrey and I spent time in our un-airconditioned living room working on our computers. We had at least 3 fans going to make it bearable. Maybe this will give some perspective to some of you who might not be enjoying the cold.

Furlough Summary

Sorry friends. As you may have noticed I haven't done a thing on this blog for at least 3 weeks. Sorry about that. We're back in Cebu after a fine month spent in the US and Canada. I'll start by giving a synopsis of what's gone on since my last entry.

We had the most FABULOUS time in Nova Scotia with Andrey's family until October 11. It was such a relaxing and refreshing time for both of us. A highlight was seeing an influx of relatives (including Andrey's last living grandparent, 85-year-old Grandma Loewen) come from Saskatchewan & Manitoba to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. While they were in town we surprised Marilyn with an early 60th birthday celebration brunch. She was surprised and entertained as we, with all the cousins, wrote and performed a rap for her - complete with kazoos, shakers, homemade drums and stick-on mustaches. Here's a shot of the occasion taken by our very own Uncle Allen (thanks, Al).

"Sixty schmicksty, she's still quicksty, our radiant hero nears 6-zero!"

We also spent some time at the numerous nearby beaches and took a trip to Cape Breton (see last post). Here's a great family shot (by Allen). (In fact most of our pics from this trip were taken by others since our camera was being repaired in Manila while we were away.)

After our time in Nova Scotia we traveled to Montgomery, Alabama to be with my parents for a few days prior to driving to North Carolina. In North Carolina we met the rest of my family members who came up from Tampa for a week in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The time with my family went exceptionally well and we were so blessed to spend time with everybody. We had a lot of fun. It was the perfect time of year to be in North Carolina. The weather was cool at night, warm in the day, and the leaves had just begun changing. We did some hiking, visited a few waterfalls, watched NFL, played games and ate really well. At the end of the week we stayed with dear friends Pam & Charlie Lee in Asheville until our departure on October 23rd. I'll post some photos of North Carolina and more from Canada soon.

Weekend in Cape Breton

Good news! This blog entry that I wrote weeks ago and thought I had lost has just been found! So here it is...
During our time in Nova Scotia we took a 6 hour road trip to nearby Cape Breton Island, which apparently is one of the most beautiful islands in the world - or so said a survey by Conde Nast Traveler magazine in 1999. It was a beautiful drive (and a comfortable one because we took the RV) with some amazing views. We stayed in Cape North (the very northern tip of the Atlantic Coast) in a small inn that used to be a general store in the late 19th century. From the back of the inn it was a short walk to the ocean. We took kayaks out to Four Mile Beach which we had completely to ourselves. Thanks Mom & Dad! Here are a few photos.

What I am thankful for in North America in Autumn

• Drinking water right out of the tap (the tap water in Canada tastes excellent, by the way)
• Not worrying about getting Dengue fever when I get bit by a mosquito
• Maple products, goat cheese, brie, fresh salmon, frozen berries, non-Asian pears, real orange juice, scones, microbrewed beer, fresh corn on the cob, cranberries, fresh pumpkin, chips without MSG, crackers without trans fat, prepared salsa in a jar, whole wheat tortillas, yams, turkey, tender beef
• Being able to leave food on the counter without ants crawling all over it
• Enjoying hot drinks and hot soups because it's cold outside
• Open space, trees, birds, nature, parks, lakes, ocean boardwalks...space!
• Sidewalks
• Clean air
• Cool air
• Very minimal sweating
• Not constantly feeling thirsty & getting dehydration headaches
• Only needing 1 shower a day
• Driving faster than 50km/hour (30MPH)
• Not getting stared at or laughed at (fitting in)
• Watching sports on TV during the day
• Family

Solidarity for Burma

We stand against the injustice in Burma and stand with the oppressed.

"Not by might, not by power but by My Spirit."

Get an update: www.irrawaddy.org, http://www.newsdeskspecial.co.uk/burma/

Sunrise over Porters Lake and the Promises of God

Yesterday I woke up earlier than anyone in the house (not a common occurrence). It was still dark so I thought I’d better get up and watch the sunrise since I rarely am awake and alert before the sun. I took the short walk to the lake and sat on a rock. It was incredibly quiet and peaceful except for the occasional car (there’s a main road just between the house and the lake). There wasn’t much wind so the lake was almost completely glassy, enabling a clear reflection of the trees on the other side. It is in nature and quiet and stillness like this that the presence of God is almost tangible. It brought me to tears because it is this feeling that I long for in Cebu but have yet to discover space to experience it. This lasted for about 5 blissful minutes… until the attack of the local mosquitoes. I thought, “no problem” because I was wearing long pants, socks, shoes and long sleeves and so there wasn’t any bare skin for the bugs to bite – or so I thought. As I struggled to regain the much-desired sense of peace by ignoring the annoying creatures, I soon found myself scratching several bites on my forehead and thighs. They bit me right through my pants! “Why did you create mosquitoes, God?” I asked. “I just can’t think of any good purpose served by mosquitoes!” In the same moment I wondered how many times do we ask God this question about things we don’t understand? Like the fact that Andrey and I do not yet have children after 3 ½ years of trying, waiting and hoping. And how is it that a homeless, mentally ill woman in Cebu has given birth to 15 children, all of which are in children’s homes waiting to be adopted? Why is a woman like that fertile when we, who can provide a stable, loving home are not? Where is the reason in that? What possible purpose could that serve? I clearly have no idea. Just like I have no idea why mosquitoes exist.

But I have a choice. I can either live according to what I see with my eyes or I can live according to the precious promises of God: “[The Lord] satisfies your desires with good things” and “Blessed are those whose hope is in the Lord.” I have a choice to put my hope in the ability of my human understanding or I can put my hope in Jesus who is faithful, loving, compassionate, and wise. Someday I’ll ask him to explain to me the purpose of mosquitoes and the purpose of this time of waiting for children.

Family Times in Nova Scotia, "Canada's Ocean Playground"

It’s our 5th day in Halifax, well actually we’re just outside of Halifax in a town called East Lawrencetown where both Andrey’s parents (Lou & Marilyn) and Andrey’s sister & brother-in-law (Lisa & Mike) have houses. Aside from the joy it is to be with family, we are thoroughly enjoying getting to know this new place where our family members have recently relocated to from Western Canada. There is much to explore, as there are numerous bodies of water, trails and woods full of fir & maple trees in nearly every direction. Andrey’s parents live on a lake and Mike & Lisa live on the ocean. It is not a highly populated area so there is a lot of space, it is quiet and there is very little traffic. It is an incredible contrast from Cebu.
Some highlights from the last few days include: not being on an airplane; not needing the alarm clock and sleeping in as long as our body clocks allow; many home-cooked, delicious meals made by Marilyn; a gorgeous 12 km bike ride from Mom & Dad’s house to Mike & Lisa’s on the Trans-Canada Trail with Andrey on a warm, sunny day; an inexpensive round of golf (for Andrey & Lou) at a beautiful course on a hill with an incredible view of the ocean; sight-seeing and hanging out in downtown Halifax; warm but not hot enough to sweat, beautifully clear, sunny weather; and getting to know Mike & Lisa’s 10-week-old Springer Spaniel puppy named Stella. Cebu feels oh so far away.

View of the lake from Lou & Marilyn's house Lisa & Mike's house on the ocean

Trans-Canada Trail
Bike trip

Views from the golf course

View from the Citadel of Halifax Harbour

Lisa & Stella