Heather Mitchell

On this journey to bring our daughter home, God has taught me on an even deeper level how reckless His love is for each of His children. The lengths He will go, the mountains He will climb, the walls He will kick down, leaving the ninety-nine, for one. For you, for me, for my daughter, Hope.

We don’t deserve it yet He gives Himself away. He chases after us, fights for us, pays the price for us. Before we spoke a single word, He was singing over us. Before we took a breath, He breathed His life in us.

Lord Jesus, To think you have sung over Hope since the very beginning. You gave breath to her frail tiny lungs and spoke life over her then as you do now. You have given Hope a home, claimed her as your own. Chosen her, moving mountains on her behalf and on ours.

Though I do not deserve it, you have given my wondering heart a home. I am your one out of ninety-nine. You left your fold to chase after me. I am yours. Fully known, wholly embraced, recklessly loved.

This post was inspired by this song.

Adoption Update:

Today, July 6, 2018 after many years of waiting, God has graciously answered our prayers. Today the adoption for our daughter Hope has gone into effect!!

We had our court date in Bulgaria where we were represented by our Bulgarian adoption agency on Friday, June 29th and after a seven day waiting period the adoption is now effective. If you remember, we prayed for a July court date, another amazing answer to prayer!

The next step is to wait for the declaration of Hope’s adoption to be created, processed and translated. This can take up to a month. After this Hope’s new birth certificate will be made. Once she has a birth certificate than a Visa appointment can be scheduled. We will then get the green light to buy our plane tickets!

We should have tentative travel dates in the next week or two. We’ve been told to anticipate traveling as soon as late July or early August! Our agency is very impressed on how quickly things are moving for us. The average wait between trips in usually 3-6 months. Our wait, God willing, will be closer to 2 1/2 months.

Thank you, Lord!

We also had such a wonderful time at Hope’s birthday fundraiser this last weekend. We felt surrounded and supported by so many friends and family members. It was amazing to celebrate God’s faithfulness with so many who have encouraged and prayed for us through our adoption journey.

All together we raised almost $1500!! This brings us much closer to meeting our financial goal which will be used to cover all our travel expenses for Robert and I and for Hope’s return flight. As well as post adoption visits and other adoption related expenses. (Visit here to learn more about our financial goal and expenses.)

If you missed the big day, please know that you were missed and we hope to share more about our trip to meet Hope with you soon.

We can’t do this alone. Not now and not in the years to come. We need a village to adopt. You are our village, each playing a significant role in our adoption journey. If you feel a heart tug to partner with us in reaching our financial goals you can donate here.

We also need your prayers. Please pray that this next phase of waiting for Hope’s adoption deceleration and birth certificate will go smoothly and as quick as possible.

Pray for Hope’s heart as she continues to wait for her family. Pray for His provisions and protection over her and over our entire family. Pray for His peace as we continue to prepare our home and hearts for Hope’s homecoming.

Our hearts are so full. Grateful to all who have linked arms and hearts with our family to help bring our daughter, Hope home. We thank each and every person who has supported us through prayer, encouragement and financial support this last weekend and through the years of waiting. Thank you so much! We are ever grateful.

To God be the Glory, Forever, Amen.

 

This last week has felt as if it were a dream. God has been more than gracious in every last detail. Smoothing our path and answering pray after pray, receiving clear confirmation after clear confirmation every step of the way.

Our time with Hope was better than we could have imagined. Each day her sweet little personality was being unveiled to us more and more. Her overall demeanor changing, relaxing and trusting us little by little.

From our time with Hope’s caregivers we could tell that she is well cared for and genuinely loved. She has been given a pet name, a term of endearment. Translated from Bulgarian her nickname is Little Mushroom because the caregivers say she is sweet, small and fluffy. Hope is incredibly sweet and she is small with just the right amount of huggable and kissable fluff.

Our last day with Hope was a treasured memory that will help to hold us in the months to come as we wait to return and bring her home. Our day started out with her first ever car ride to a cute little photo studio for her passport photos. Hope was dressed in a red and white striped Hello Kitty dress and she looked so beautiful.

The whole way to the photo studio she was wide eyed and curious. She seemed to liked the car ride there as long as we kept moving. Her picture was taken between crying and on the car ride back she was even more upset. The experience was all too much and she was ready for her nap. The blessing in our first outing together was that I was able to hold her the whole time and on the way back to the orphanage I softly sang to her and she became quiet and relaxed in my arms.

I believe it was one of our first of many breakthroughs in her beginning to trust me to comfort and care for her. This will take time and a lot of patience on our part yet I have hope that God will work in miraculous ways in restoring and healing our daughter.

After her morning nap we were given the opportunity to feed Hope her lunch. This was our third opportunity during the week and the other feedings were not very successful. We are learning that Hope needs slow transitions and being placed in a different room with all new things to see is not ideal for her to relax enough to eat. Even so, most likely because of our bonding time in the car she was much more peaceful and allowed me to feed her a good portion of her lunch. This time did wonders for my mama heart. This was yet another first that I will forever treasure.

After lunch, Hope takes an afternoon nap. This was our time of the day to explore her beautiful city. Hope’s birthplace rests along the Black Sea. It is a charming city and our time here only solidified our love for Bulgaria.

In the late afternoon we returned to Hope’s orphanage for our last visit. We prayed for God’s strength as we would soon say our goodbyes. Like each morning and afternoon visit we took Hope to the outdoor playground and garden. The grounds are very well cared for with many large trees, expansive grassy areas, roses and irises as well as a few playground areas and even a hedged off area with many turtles.

Each day as we carried Hope out to the playground area we would walk through a pathway with roses of a many colors on each side. Each time Hope would kick her feet and happily coo and babble. Her face lighting up with joy, her big brown eyes full of wonder. Monday was her first time ever experiencing the outdoors. In four short days, she has come to love our time outdoors.

During this last visit as during each visit, we spread out a quilt with a few select toys, textured balls, a little picture book and her family album. She would intently look at her photo album touching each page as if she already knew each of our faces. She is very intent, focused and curious in her play and we would spend our times together closely interacting and using each moment as an opportunity to draw her out of herself. By Thursday we could see more and more of her true personality. The sparkle in her eyes brighter, the giggles and smiles more frequent. It was a gift to see her coming out of her shell and coming into more of who she truly is, our daughter Hope. This gives our hearts encouragement knowing that in time, Hope will fully bloom into all she is created to become.

Robert and I wanted this last visit to be a special time that we prayed would bind her hearts to ours at an even deeper level. We spoke a few select verses and we each prayed a blessing over her. As we played and took each opportunity to connect and cuddle her we played worship music and I again sang over her. Hope was peaceful and content as she quietly played and interacted with us. This time was sacred, I believe even a holy experience. A sweet memory I will tuck into my waiting and weary mama heart to give me hope in the days and months to come.

As I conclude this post, we are sitting in our hotel room on the fourteenth floor in the capital city of Sofia. My heart is grateful for all that we have experienced this week and for the gift of so many treasured moments with our baby girl.

Today we fly home. I miss our four other children yet I long to be with Hope again. I pray that we will have the strength to leave our daughter’s country and for this time of separation to pass quickly. We know in our hearts that in the grand scheme of things this time away from Hope is very short. Soon very soon, we will bring our daughter home.
His love has come and He is making a way. To God be the Glory, Forever, Amen.

We leave for Bulgaria this Friday! It’s all beginning to feel real. Early this week I was at Walgreens shopping for last minute travel items when I decided to stroll down the baby isle. In looking at sippy cups, tethering toys and biscuits, my eyes began to suddenly well up. It took every bit of my strength to not cry like a baby. I felt this overpowering feeling of relief, gratefulness, joy and a mix of all kinds of emotions. Most of all, I felt a deep sense of honor. In all the world, I am chosen to become Hope’s mama. What have I ever done to deserve this?

God is so gracious in every last detail. We will fly out Friday for Munich, Germany. On Sunday morning, we fly from Munich to Sofia, Bulgaria. On Mother’s Day, I will set foot on Bulgarian soil and experience for the first time, my daughter’s beautiful birth county. Best Mother’s day ever!

Monday the 14th, we travel from Sofia, to Hope’s orphanage which is about a four hour car ride. We will visit with Hope Monday-Thursday. Friday we travel back to Sofia to sign paperwork and Saturday we return home.

Please keep us in your prayers. Robert and I will take this trip alone and our other children will be with grandparents. Pray for our children as this will be the longest stretch of time any of them have been away from us. Also pray for the grandparents stamina throughout the week.

Pray for our time as a couple and safe and smooth travels. Pray for our time with Hope. Pray for bonds to begin to grow and connections to be made for Hope. Pray for our hearts and hers when it’s time to say goodbye on Thursday.

We have made a lot of headway in completing all needed paperwork for court. We wait now for our immigration approval which will set in motion Hope’s Bulgarian court date. Pray that approval will come as soon as possible. We may have the opportunity to travel for Hope’s homecoming trip as soon as August if our court date is set for June or July.

Lord Jesus, we pray that every last obstacle from the evil one will be crushed, claiming VICTORY over Hope’s life and future.
To God be the Glory, Forever! Amen.

““Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43:18-19‬ ‭

There has been many times in our long wait that God has felt silent yet now I can see more clearly that He has never been still. He has been at work in every last detail. Making a way for His precious child, His beloved daughter to have a new life and a family. I am humbled and my heart is so grateful that I can bear witness and participate in His plan to rescue, redeem and restore. Bringing forth beauty from ashes.

Please join us in prayer today as we send off our 33 pages of Immigration paperwork (I-800 form). The approval of this document sets in motion our court hearing in Bulgaria. The sooner the court hears our case, the sooner we can bring our daughter home.

Lord, we see your fingerprints of faithfulness all through out our adoption journey. You are doing something new! Continue to break down every last obstacle, making a clear path to bring Hope home as soon as possible.

To God be the Glory, forever, amen.

It feels a little surreal to actually write this post. My stomach has butterflies and my mind is scattered. This feeling reminds me of first falling in love with my husband. I want to pinch myself to see if this is all a dream. It feels all too good to be true. Yet the day has finally arrived, last Wednesday we received THE CALL. The call our family has anticipated and waited so long for, just two days shy of thirty-nine months.

WE HAVE BEEN MATCHED WITH OUR DAUGHTER!!!

At first sight we were awe struck, our daughter is breathtaking! With big dark chocolate brown eyes and heart shaped lips, she will have your heart at “Hello”.

She is not yet two years old and is more amazing than we could have imagined. About a year ago, God gave us the name Hope which we feel sums up our long faith-filled journey to bring our daughter home. God has revealed himself in so many ways and confirmed that she is handpick by Him for our family. We see now why we waited so long. Our sweet Hope is more than worth all the many months of waiting and years of longing.

When we told our kids about their sister, they were overjoyed. Everyone proclaiming how cute she is, asking a million questions and talking over one another. Our home is now a buzz of constant excited energy, which is our norm but this level is an all time high. With all the praying, dreaming, preparing and piles of paperwork we have done together as a family, our hearts are ready, our arms wide open. God has planted love in very fertile soil. Love is in full bloom in our home!

There are so many details to share and I know you will all gush at Hope’s photos yet we will be unable to share any online until she is officially ours. Even so, we hope to give regular updates about our progress and prayer needs.

We will take two trips to Bulgaria. Our first trip will be for a week long visit to Hope’s orphanage. Our second trip will be 3-6 months later. Hope will be officially ours soon after arriving in country on our return trip. During this trip we will work with the US embassy to bring her home.

Our first trip is soon! We will leave for Bulgaria in just three weeks on May 11th. This trip will be a time to get to know our daughter and talk in detail with those caring for her. We will do our best to post an update while in Bulgaria. We can’t wait to finally meet our daughter and to take in as much of her birth place as possible. We look forward to the adventure ahead!

Prayer needs:

♥️ That all will go smoothly with Immigration paperwork (I-800 form) because this gets the ball rolling with Hope’s Bulgarian court date. The sooner the court date, the sooner she will come home.

♥️ For the many other forms we needed to fill out. That this too will be completed in a timely fashion and won’t feel too overwhelming.

♥️ For all the many details that need to fall into place for travel. From packing to making sure all is taken care of for our children. Robert and I will travel alone the first trip and the kids will be with their grandparents.

♥️ For a hedge of protection around each member of our family. For peace that surpasses all understanding as we prepare and wait for our little girl to come home.

♥️ For wisdom on how to best prepare, reassure and love on our children in this time of transition.

♥️ For our time with Hope. That bonds will begin to form that will lead to a healthy attachment with our daughter. For her heart, mind and body in all the changes that will take place for her in the coming months.

Thank you for all your support, your prayers and for walking this long yet hope-filled journey with us. We are ever grateful.

“The heart has a far greater capacity for pain than can even be imagined—because it can love far greater than ever imagined.”
-Ann Voskamp, The Broken Way

More than four years ago, I felt compelled to tell of the story which was unfolding in our hearts and home. I was eager to begin the journey of adoption, sensing God strongly calling our family to take this leap of faith, free falling into His secure embrace. Not allowing fear to hold me back from stepping into all that God had in store for me and my family.

In my very first post entitled Free Fall, I concluded with a prayer. I ask that God would break my heart for that which breaks His heart. Little did I know just how deeply my heart would break and how this simple prayer would transform me. My heart longs and aches for our daughter in Bulgaria. I can not wait to meet her and hold her for the first time. To play a vital part in her healing and transformation from orphan to beloved daughter.

Yet, this longing and ache I have experienced in the waiting is only the tip of the iceberg. The heartbreak I feel goes much deeper. There is an undercurrent, that at times threatens to overwhelm me. My eyes have been opened and the lens in which I see humanity has shifted.

I have come to understand more fully my own brokenness and how God has made me. Realizing at a deeper level, how my experiences both good and bad have shaped me. My resolve has been strengthened to live wholeheartedly into the unique ways He has called me to share in His transformative work.

I can’t say that I have any answers to why we suffer in this life. I won’t give any platitudes to ease or dismiss the pain and grief that we each experience. Why death comes too soon or why babies are abused and neglected, abandoned and orphaned. Why some live with abundant resources while so many more live in scarcity. I have wrestled with God over these hard questions for most my adult life.

Yet, in the in between and not yet, I have found Jesus. He stands in the gap of my unanswered questions, holding me in the
in between and the not yet. He sits with me in my darkest, deepest pain. I have come to truly know Him as one acquainted with my sorrow.

Jesus promised that He will not leave us as orphans, He will come to us. He has given us His Holy Spirit, our ever present comfort. Yet we wait, all creation groaning for the day when…

“‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.””
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭21:4-5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Despite this great hope, we live in the tension between the brokenness in the here and now and the promise of eternity. I can’t ignore the ache that I feel from the sorrow that I see all around. How can I live this one beat up life with a constant aching heart? I fear that I have nothing of value to give. How can I, in my weakness, make any difference?

The one and only answer is Jesus. He picks up our broken pieces in his nail scarred hands. It is through His wounds that we are healed, made whole. It is in our weakness that He makes us strong. Strong enough to see the brokenness in others and bravely enter into their pain. Once in a while this comes in the form of doing something. Mostly, it is simply being present. Silently sitting and listening, fervently praying, patiently waiting, bearing together, holding tight to another’s hand.

From the cracks and crevices in our own bruised and busted up lives, His love seeps through, His comfort overflows. Jesus is near to the broken-hearted. When He is near, there is more than enough, immeasurably, exceedingly, abundantly more.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1:3-5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Lord, give me your eyes and heart for others. Break my heart for what breaks yours. Help me to not be afraid to live into all that you have created me for. (Prayer written in first Magnolia Heart post, Free Fall, Dec. 2013)