Some Questions Answered

I’ve had quite a few questions about Brooke, so I thought I’d answer a couple of them here.

#1) Will she be adopted even though she has health problems?
-Yes, there is a program called “The Waiting child Program” that is strictly for parents who want to adopt children with various health issues. Some people wait up to a year to be matched with one of these children, so yes, I believe she will be adopted…hopefully very soon. (I explained this is an earlier post..so click here to read more)

#2) Why couldn’t your family adopt her?
When couples first apply to adopt, they are given a health checklist which basically is a list of health problems a child might have. You check any you would be open to and to what severity (mild moderate, serious). We checked quite a few, but none of the problems Brooke developed were ones we had agreed to. In addition to that, her problems were serious and were going to require extensive care. The agency felt she would be better matched with a family who had previously requested such needs and were better prepared to meet her medical needs. My head agrees, but my heart doesn’t.

How to pray for Brooke.
· Pray her condition doesn’t’ worsen and that she can have a relatively normal life.
· Pray she is placed with a Christian family who will nurture her physically and spiritually.
· Pray the doctors in Korea can find the source of her problems and treat them effectively.
· Pray that she comes to know Christ as her Savior.

Adoption Update

We found out today that we are not going to be able to proceed with our adoption due to the health problems Brooke has developed. In the span of a month, she has gone from seemingly healthy to having serious issues. It has been determined that she will be placed with a family who has requested her specific medical issues and has been approved to take on her various needs. We will be placed at the top of the list of people waiting to be matched with a baby. We greatly appreciate your prayers and although we are heartbroken we know God’s plan is always perfect and He is always good, even in our sorrow.

“The Lord Gives and the Lord takes away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Update on Brooke

All adoptive parents receive regular medical updates on their children. We get one every month. Upon Brooke being referred to us, we received her entire file which included all of these medical check-ups. We had a doctor look at everything and she was deemed to be in great health by her American & Korean doctors. (Just FYI, Korea has health care which is on par with the US. They’re a very affluent, developed nation) This last Wednesday we received a new medical update, like always, but this time there were some noted problems that were newly discovered. She had an EEG and it was determined by the neurologist that she was having seizures. There was other information noted too, but for the sake of her privacy and the length of my post, I’ll spare you those details. At any rate, as various doctors reviewed her file, her prognosis became more and more uncertain. There are many risks and unknowns associated with her symptoms and right now there is no way of telling how all of this will affect her.

When we applied to adopt, we were admitted into the “Regular Korea Program” which means we were approved and agreed to adopt a healthy baby girl. There is an alternative program called the “Waiting Child Program” which is a program where couples are approved to adopt a child with certain health problems, some mild, moderate and others severe. (The parent choose what they are open to) Because we are not in the Waiting Child Program, we are not approved to adopt a child with major medical problems. Brooke could very possibly be facing some major health issues. If it is determined that she is, then we will not be permitted to adopt her. We are still awaiting more reports which we expect on Monday, but honestly, we don’t expect her prognosis to improve. We have had a couple doctors look at her file and they are all saying the same thing. (which is not good)

Please pray in the following ways:

1. Pray God is glorified and lifted up regardless of the outcome.
2. Pray for Brooke’s health.
3. Pray that Brooke is placed in a Christian home with parents who love her, even if its not with us.

We do love you all, but honestly, we don't want to explain this over an over as it is a painful subject. We kindly ask that you don't call and ask for more information, because right now we are struggling. Thank you so much for love and understanding. We deeply appreciate your prayers and support. It means more than you'll ever know.

Psalm 51:17 "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."

Prayer Specifics

We went on a small trip over Labor Day weekend to visit family. While there we saw many cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and friends. We were so overwhelmed by everyone’s excitement and interest in Baby Brooke. We greatly appreciated all the people who stated they were already praying for her quick arrival home. Thank you SO much for that! We are moved by your love and concern! I did want to give those praying some very specific things to pray about:

1. Pray we get her “legals” from Holt Korea ASAP! (her “legals” are papers that prove she is an orphan, prove she was relinquished legally, prove she is healthy, etc…)

2. Once we get “legals” they are sent to immigration. Pray we get our i600 immigration form approved ASAP so she can get her Visa. (Immigration can be a huge mess…so please pray this goes smoothly!!)

3. There are many other smaller things to pray about, but these are the two major things looming right now that could slow down her arrival!

Thanks to all of you! We are so grateful of your support and love!