A Name for Our Son and an Update on Things

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! A little late, but nevertheless a heartfelt wish from our family to yours. I truly hope you experienced a joyful holiday.  We did!  How can you not when you have a 5 year old little girl and a 2 year old son with whom to enjoy it? ;-) It was magical, beautiful, sacred, and sweet, a lovely holiday shared with our wonderful families and friends.  What was especially sweet was to receive many sweet gifts for our littlest man, books, a blanket, and toys for him to come home to!  His gifts are still wrapped sitting under our tree, waiting for his little fingers to open them.  How I look forward to that day!

Our littlest man officially has his American name too - Benjamin!  We named him and I even have it engraved on a ring from my hubby, along with my other children's names, a gift for Christmas. LOVE IT. Thanks Hun! Makes it quite official! (Check out the rings made at this etsy shop called: Cinnamonsticks) 

Why Benjamin?  Well...... many little reasons. #1. We love how it sounds.  We each love old-fashioned names with character and the potential for nicknames which Benjamin certainly has: Ben, Benny, Benj, Benji, etc.). #2. It goes nicely with his middle name, his Korean name, which is Tae-Ju, which we understand to mean "Great Wick" or "Great Light".  He is Tae-Ju to us, actually more Tae-Ju than Benjamin, and we are adjusting to his American name.  We plan to call him "Benjamin Tae-Ju" when he comes home to help him adjust to his first name, and enjoy the recognition of his middle name.  #3. Its Hebrew, which is cool because of our Hebrew roots really and its a name found in the Bible for Benjamin was the younger son of Jacob and Rachel, and father of the smallest tribe in Israel.  #4. It all really comes down to this: In naming our children we have felt the Lord lay a name on our hearts, a name we just couldn't let go of really, that kept coming to both of our minds and have found that the Lord laid the name Benjamin on our hearts for our son. There you have it.

As for an Update:
1. Its 2013 - This is fabulous because this is the year in which our son will come home to us!  We have been waiting for this year since August when EPs kinda slowed/stopped being issued, and we found out there wouldn't be movement for him until "the new year".
2. There are Emigration Permissions (EPs) being issued which is great.  Mainly they are being approved to finish out the 2012 EP quota right now, but hey, movement is movement and its great to hear babies will start coming home soon! 
3. We are realistically looking at March to May, possible June for traveling to South Korea to meet and pick up our son.  Here's how we figure it: "Legals" are paperwork which come stateside from S. Korea about 2 months or so before an EP is submitted for approval.  Nothing has come yet for our son, but hopefully will VERY soon (PLEASE PRAY for THIS!).  Once an EP is submitted, a child now goes through family court for further approval, and then will be approved, which could take an extra couple weeks longer than the former process.  Once an EP is approved, we will wait 1-2 months to travel, during which Benjamin will get his visa and visa interview, etc. and Mommy and Daddy will be figuring out travel plans.  Once we get travel call, we will leave the states within a week or so to go get him. ;-)  So, see how June seems sadly possible..........but we're trusting God's timing to bring us together and staying hopeful and enjoying our family in the meantime. 

We would love to have you come alongside us in prayer.  Here's how you can pray:
1. A new packet of paperwork has been requested  from our agency, as there are new documents now needed by South Korea under the new adoption laws. Please pray for us to get this paperwork together quickly.
2. Pray for healing - everyone in our family (and MANY extended family too) have been sick this week.  Please pray especially for my husband, who has had it all, almost!  Ugh, poor guy! We praise God for healing too, as we are recovering!
3. Pray that God will prepare our family for welcoming Benjamin home and patience and optimism as we wait.  We rejoice with others who are receiving EPs, and long for the day it'll be our son. 
4. As we continue to sort out the financial cost of adoption, we seek God's wisdom and provision and leading in this process, and what steps to take to honor Him.  Its all for His glory!
5. We need to have a home study update, because our adoption is taking longer than expected.  So please pray that happens soon and goes smoothly, as it should be just fine. We want to be ready!
6. PRAISE the Lord its a new year and movement is occurring in the Korea program. This is great and encouraging! 
7. PRAISE God for the wonderful joy of Christmas, for the grace of God to send His son to earth to show us what LOVE really is!  PRAISE God for a beautiful holiday for our family, for the sweetness of our kids meeting Santa, for the joy of hearing our son point to "Baby Hesus" as we drive by him on Van Buren Rd., for nice snow in the perfect amount, and for God's provision of Adam to be home with us quite a bit in the past week!  We are also so thankful to get to see most of our family over the holidays (miss you Jay and Holly and kids)!  We are so thankful for our loving families who are an endless blesssing!

It appears I liked lists today, and numbers, must be how my brain is working today, its been a paperwork kind of day.  Thanks for stopping by, for sharing in our adoption journey.