Amazing blessing.

   Since January our family has been in the legal process with Luke, our foster son once again. This time the process has been to receive permission from a family court judge to leave the country with him, to return for a brief visit to the States. This process, as with most processes here has proven to be much longer and bit more of a roller coaster than we had imagined.
     We began by submitting our paperwork and all the documents to verify our need to travel. You see, we cannot leave Peru with him just by saying that we want to go home and visit our families. No, we have to have specific reasons and documentation to support that. So, ultimately our hearts want to go home to see our family and friends, but the reasons that we are going are for a wedding and for Nathan to teach at a residency program in Texas. After the submission of letters from the medical university, contracts for wedding venue, and the wedding invitation we were able to speak with the judge. He was very cautious, as we are foreigners wanting to travel outside of Peru with a baby that is not yet legally adopted. So he requested many more documents like a verification of our residence here, documents showing that Nathan is on the board of our clinic, our house contract. All of these are to prove that we plan to return and that we are committed to being here. The most costly document of all that the judge wanted to see in march were our plane tickets (round-trip). Both Nathan and I were a bit concerned to buy tickets not knowing if we would officially receive permission or not, but decided that our process would not move forward if we did not step out in faith and buy them. So that is what we did. Bought tickets for April 17 not knowing if we would really leave Peru.
   After many bumps and turns in the process we were granted official permission with all the seals and signatures last Friday, a little less than a week before we were scheduled to leave. Talk about perfect timing. I would love to say that all along the way that we felt confident of the Lord's plan and that it would be perfect for our family, but we did not always. We have wanted to go to the states so badly, not because we just love the states, but because we want the people there who we love to meet our family. If we had not received permission we would have been disappointed, but I think this process has taught us to accept what God gives us. He could just have easily decided that our family would only send Nathan to the states this year and that the boys and I would go another year. And that would have been ok. But for now we can rejoice that He has given us the desires of our heart and is allowing us to travel as a family. It will be good for us to remember the Lord's faithfulness to us in giving us this gift when we have processes here that don't work out how we would like. He is still the same faithful God.
   So, all that said, Nathan, Noah, Luke and I will be boarding a plane tomorrow night for the US for the first time as a family. We will get to be a part of the very special wedding of Nathan's brother and his soon to be wife. We will get to see our family, many of whom have never met our kids. We will get to reunite with friends in Texas, Alabama and Georgia. And will get to enjoy some time of relaxing with our family. To God be the glory great things He has done.