By Wes (June 29, 2007 @ 10:47 pm)
Recent events in our lives have prompted me to think about the power and nature of prayer, and in specific the prayers of kids. Our boys, and especially Ezra, have been praying for Julia’s adoption to “go through smoothly”. Literally, this number one prayer request has been prayed for twice a day at home (and once a school each day in his grade 2 class) for a year and a half. Add all of those up, and that is a hefty prayer petition before our Father God. We know that this item has been on the prayer lists of you all as well…
And yesterday, we finally had a piece of good news – REALLY good news! Julia is now, officially, an Enns!! It’s been a long Kenyan road (which, as you know, has huge potholes and washouts along it), but yesterday the judge announced that he approves of Julia’s adoption into our family, and so according to Kenyan law, she is ours forever.
Ezra and Zay were ecstatic (how could they help it with all the jumping around and hugging going on?!), and we remarked how their prayers had been answered. We’ve been talking to them all along about what to do with unanswered prayers, as we were seeing that things in her adoption were not going ‘smoothly’ as Ezzie prayed everyday. But, what if they did go smoothly, and we just didn’t know it? We are so thankful for the answer that God has provided for our prayers, and that we can be assured that Julia will continue to be part of our blessed family.
So, to bring you up to speed, this event is huge, but by no means signifies the ‘end’ of all things Julia. The judgement needs to be documented, and submitted to the permanent records. Then, we’ll be needing to start work on other paperwork and documentation in order for her to recieve her Kenyan travel papers (like a passport), so we can then apply for Canadian visa / passprt / citizenship. Much of this process is unknown at this point, as things are changing in the Canadian bureaucracy re: adoptions processed outside Canada. We could just get a travel visa for her, but this process would take at least 5 weeks, and since school here starts for me on Aug. 7, this precludes us coming home this summer. We hope, however, to all be able to come at Christmas, and so will be working towards that end. We’re not sure of how it will all work out, but we know that with continued prayer and your support, God will come through for us again.
Feel free to drop us a line – we really enjoy hearing from you. I’ll try to get some pictures up next week…
The Enns’
By Wes (June 12, 2007 @ 2:39 pm)
To be quick and to the point…for those of you that haven’t yet heard, our judgement day did not occur on Friday, June 8th – that is to say, the day happenned, but our judgement did not. Long story short, the judge did not rule on our case, and then went on vacation for two weeks. So, we are now waiting until June 29th to hear the ruling. After which, we can begin the paperwork. Can you say frustrating? I knew you could.
So, here we are, beautiful Nairobi on a nearly deserted campus – and it’s really not so bad. The weather is fantastic, we have the run of the place, and our family is together. We also seem to have some pretty fast internet right now! 
So, we continue to wait, and think about when we will be able to get back to Canada for a visit. With the late judgement, and then at least 5 weeks of paperwork to get Julia out of the country, it looks bleak for a summer sprint out West. But, we continue to process and think and plan and dream. We pray that God will lead us to the decisions that he wants us to make. And in the meantime, we strive to be content in our circumstances, regardless of what they be. We are reminded that things are worse for other families adopting here, and we are blessed daily by the glory and sunshine of our kids (all 3 of them!).
Thanks for praying for us, in all the ways that God has shown you how to pray. Your encouragement to us is immeasurable. I’ll try to get back to you in July to let you know how things stand then. Till then –
The Enns Clan
By Wes (June 6, 2007 @ 4:45 am)
I’ve been thinking about golf lately (this is not new news). But, interestingly, the game closely it resembles our adoption process of our beloved Jewel.
The goal of golf, like that of adoption, at times, seems like an impossible task. How in the name of all that is good is it possible that I will be able to smack a very small white ball from one point to another 500 yards distant, and coerse it into a cup about the size of a good sized coffee mug? With my swing, sometimes it seems like it is impossible. And yet, sometimes, things seem to mesh well, the ball goes in approximately the right geographic direction, and the number of swats is well within the appropriate range (at least for me). And, so, you eventually find yourself walking up to the 18th tee, looking back to see where you’ve come, and noting that you still have some work to do. The last hole is an imposing one – water on both sides and behind the green. But, the big dog has been good to you so far today, and so you get out the big stick. Looking ahead, there is much to do, and much depends on your next steps. And even after the last hole, there is the paperwork to do – signing the card, paying off all your debts that you incurred in the silly moments of the round, thanking the rest of your foursome, and then actually getting into your car and driving home in a less than reckless fashion.
This is where we are now…on the 18th teebox. Much to do yet, but the end seems to be just around the corner. On Friday, we will hear the judge’s verdict about our adoption of Julia (either ‘it’s all good’ or ‘here’s a little more to do’). Then, begins the arduous task of getting the adoption order completed, procuring the necessary travel papers, and going to the high commision to get Canadian travel approval. Much depends on these steps, and they are by no means easy ones to take. But, we are doing what we can to ensure that they get done as quickly as possible, by asking for some strategic help. And then, and only then, will we be able to get on that plane to Canada. It will be a rush of a month, with times of high stress and quick decisions. Please pray with us towards us being able to get things done, for the Kenyan adoption proceedings to be efficient (this may be asking a lot, but its worth a shot) and quick, and for us to make the right decisions at the right times.
I’ll keep you posted about what happens on Friday!
Hoping for a birdie,
The Enns’
