A Recap of Amazing Grace – The Last 3 Weeks

This blog was written by Phil late Thursday in Congo, but wasn’t posted till later in America, as Jaime and Phil are travelling Friday.

Last Saturday, I posted a blog entitled “A Month Ago.” If you haven’t read that one yet, it might be good to read that one first. Exactly a month ago today (9/6), was the day when a little guy was placed in my arms. This same little guy today (10/6) has been placed in my family! The legal documents take effect as of Monday, but that doesn’t mean this process is or has been smooth sailing – it just means we have a great God at the helm of this voyage guiding us through these waters.

John Newton who was a sailor for many years on a slave ship before Christ saved him, wrote in his most famous hymn Amazing Grace: 

“Through many dangers, toils, and snares, 

I have already come

‘Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far 

and grace will lead me home.”

My last Sunday in Congo (September 4) at church I sang that song as special music with Josie and Gabe and Didier. Since then that song has been replaying in my experience, and that line in particular has become my anthem as I trust in daily grace and Future Grace (a phrase John Piper has written a whole book on). What are some of the dangers, toils, and snares I have already come through?

Right before my first trip to Congo the darkness of the death of my son was the storm I had to pass through. My original voyage to Congo in August came through a literal storm as well, Hurricane Irene which delayed our first trip a full day, but ‘grace hath brought me safe …’ On our return trip from DRC in September we heard word that morning that we were to drive to the airport for our flight home that 1,000 rebel forces had been let out of local jail (the morning we were about to drive through town not knowing what to expect on the road … good for your prayer life!). That ended up not being a problem but we did both get detained from our original flights for other reasons, as you know if you’ve been reading this blog. Then on our final flight home we were coming out of D.C. on the anniversary of 9/11 when security was on high alert for terrorist threat for D.C. and New York! But as Spurgeon once said, God’s sovereignty is the pillow on which we can lay our head at night. I chose not to share all that at the time so as not to unnecessarily alarm mothers reading the blog … but when you know and trust the God of Providence that Newton knew so well you can join him in saying:

“Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come

‘Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home.”

 

 

Is Congo safe? No, and neither is California in certain parts – in any place there are places you don’t go. But as we trust the Lord and follow His guiding hand of Providence with faith and wisdom there is no safer place to be than in God’s grace anywhere on planet earth.

What are some of the things His grace has brought us through just in the last 3 weeks? Here are some of the potential toils and snares through which we’ve already come recently:

1. In the last 3 weeks we learned that court costs for us to re-adopt this second time would be several thousand dollars higher than our first adoption, and that the tax benefits for adoption were changing in 2012 in such a way that would prevent us from being able to adopt next year for complicated reasons. We also learned we needed to have our adoption complete in Congolese and U.S. Courts even sooner than we originally thought, and the normal adoption finalization process in the U.S. with social workers, court dates, etc., also we were not sure was possible for us 3 weeks ago, but we continued to pray.
2. In the last 3 weeks we also found out the courts in Congo were on strike and might continue to be for many weeks which could effectively stall and prevent further our chances of completing an adoption in 2011, but we continued to pray.
3. In the last 3 weeks we were also informed by a U.S. official that travelling in Congo after the elections (late November or December, the very time I had prayed to be able to travel to Kinshasa) would not be safe for Americans, another seeming door-closer for our narrow window of hopes to complete an adoption in 2011. Additionally, Didier would be out of the country in the 2^nd week of October and was planning on coming to America from late October to early December, so even if I could come to Congo for 2-3 weeks for adoption, without Didier as escort and no one else in his church driving or speaking in English … well, you get the idea. But we continued to pray.
4. In the last 3 weeks we also heard of a situation in the country that I can’t fully share here that potentially threatened the future of the orphanage and adoptions. But we continued to pray.
5. 3 weeks ago even if we didn’t have the above challenges on timeline, we had no idea how we could financially pull off a second adoption after our first loss. But we continued to pray.

3 weeks ago our earnest prayer was that God might allow us to adopt Matteus before the end of this year if it was His will and that His will might become clear soon. This prayer began to be answered faster than we could ask or think (as Ephesians 3:20 says God is able to do).

As we prayed regarding #1 above, further research determined that some of the higher court costs are for those who have not completed a U.S. homestudy investigation and when parents do not appear in DRC before the adoption judgment. So we began to research the opportunity of Jaime travelling to DRC which not only saved some money but also expedites the adoption for both Congolese and American governments when both parents have seen the child before judgment, and makes the adoption final when you enter the States rather than scrambling to complete in U.S. court before end of the year.

As we prayed regarding #2 and #3 above, the Judge and his staff in God’s Providence (longer story than I can share here) were able to still complete our case by God’s grace and favor, even though most other cases have come to a grinding halt with the political situation. Didier said in his country this is truly a miracle. The fact that we have adoption judgment as of October 10, just in time for our tight timeline, for me to go to Kinshasa (the capitol) to complete the process while Didier is in Zambia, and then to come back to meet him and possibly travel back to the States with Didier and Matteus at the end of this month before the political situation becomes problematic in November and the country effective shuts down … all this can only be explained by the predestinating orchestrating God of Ephesians 1:11, the God who Proverbs says holds the hearts of kings in His hand like channels of water and can turn it whichever way He wishes. God has turned the hearts of a number beyond what I can share in a brief blog, by His sheer grace which I have found more amazing through this journey, and trust His grace will lead me home.

As we prayed regarding #4 above, God moved in mysterious ways and allowed us to unique opportunities to minister and has done some amazing things that I hope to be able to share sometime in the future. Again as with the loss of our son, there was potential on another front for great discouragement or depression by Didier and the orphanage community, but this dreaded cloud also had mercy behind it. Jaime and I have been able to minister in unique ways in light of this, which is one of the reasons God comforted us in our tribulations (2 Cor. 1:3-5). On Thursday Didier shared how very happy and very encouraged Annie was and Mama Angelique at the orphanage and others to continue in the ministry, knowing how much their American Christian church family loves them and has shown kindness to them in gifts, cards, prayers, etc.

As we prayed regarding #5 (sometimes not with as much faith as we should) God opened the floodgates of heaven. Without any fund-raising or even letting people know specifics of needs for our trip, within 3 days of booking our flights, God provided through gracious gifts that exactly covered all our airfare! No one knew the amount but us and God!! We have experienced afresh the truth of Philippians 4, and would encourage you to read that chapter to be encouraged further. Some of our needs (v. 19) were not just financial but practical and logistical that God provided, like how on short notice were able to get tickets and cover all the bases to do all that needed to be done. That could be its own other post … and maybe will be when I have time, evidences of grace in God’s Providence over the last 2 weeks alone.

Just in the last 24 hours alone, God’s grace was so evident as we left early in the morning and got all our papers done at the very close of the business day! Didier originally was going to run into town in the morning and then come back for us later but since we were up early, he said we can go together. Which was a good thing in God’s providence and foresight, because the extra hour it would have taken him with the original plan wouldn’t have left us enough time to get everything done before our trips tomorrow. But God in His sovereign superintending care gives us just enough grace for each day, so that we keep trusting Him each day and so that our trust in Him grows for tests of faith in the future.

[Quick update from Friday night in Kinshasa: Matteus and I arrived on a turbulent flight but unfortunately our luggage did not. Please pray that it will arrive tomorrow as I packed light since I had my son on my lap and only our most essential baby stuff and documents but no change of clothes for me after a hot sweaty day, no toothbrush, fresh undergarments, etc. But we’re here at least and Jaime is on her way home to arrive Saturday in CA Lord-willing]

There are still potential toils and snares still to come in Kinshasa … our biggest prayer request is that we can get our passport for Matteus processed ASAP next week (Lord-willing by Wednesday 10/12) in our super tight timeframe, because if it is not done before we meet at the embassy our timeline could get delayed more than 2 weeks. But as we pray and then do all we can, we sing more fully from hearts of faith:

“Tis grace that’s brought [us] safe thus far, and grace will lead [us] home”