Only GOD!

I wanted to give a little update and say first that we are STILL waiting on that passport for Bella to make our travel plans. But we expect it to be ready any day now and plan to hop on that plane REALLY soon. Possibly by the end of next week or weekend? Though we aren't 100% certain...we are hopeful. Stay TUNED. But something else very exciting has happened that I want to share.

There have been many things that have blown my mind along the way of this long journey of adoption to India for Bella. We have seen GOD move in ways we could just not even explain, and Him change us in ways we had not expected....and one of my favorites is the people that He has woven into our story! and it has made this journey SO BEAUTIFUL. Perhaps you've seen in my other blog posts some of these connections....but this one I have yet to mention. This particular person and plan that God has woven into our story..... is so exciting for me on so many levels... and I have been absolutely giddy about sharing this portion of our journey with you. BUT....I am going to let THIS person tell the story for you. You can read it here Amanda Lehman Blog for yourself. ONLY GOD can put these things together....and it's these things that cause us to love HIM even MORE!! More on this later. :-)


With JOY,

The LORD has done great things for us and we are filled with JOY!!! Psalm 126:3

Why the Name- BELLA?

So many have asked questions along the way about our choice for the name, Bella.

*is that her "real" name or a name you gave her?
*how did you decide on the name Bella?
*how will she receive the idea of a "new" name with her being an older child?

So, I thought that I'd share the answers to those questions. :-)

After we dove into the paper work process of our adoption full force and we began to wait on our referral for our daughter.... we entered the phase of the adoption process to which most Adoption Agencies call being "paper pregnant". Kind of a fun analogy for us adoptive mama's. So we did what most mama's and daddy's do when you are "pregnant".....You start thinking of baby names!

Immediately, I knew that after a house full of "J" names for all the guys.....that I wanted another "B" name for us girls! With that in mind I started taking a look at our journey with the LORD so far and all that HE had done to bring us to "this" point. One of the many things that God used in speaking to our hearts about adoption was a movie called.....you got it....."BELLA" It's a beautiful film about adoption that really moved us during God's call for us to adopt.

So that was a "B" name for sure. But, because of my love for the study of the Scriptures, I'm all about the biblical meaning behind a name. (That's how I determined our boys names as well.) So I had to check this out first to make sure it was one that described our journey to adopt. Bella means "Devoted to God" in Hebrew....(and of course "beautiful" in Spanish) Yep....I'd say that meaning definitely describes this path we are on. If it weren't for GOD and our following him in devotion and faith....we would have never entered this wonderful journey to Bella to begin with. After all....this is ALL about HIM!

After getting approval from daddy and the two big brothers....we voted a "YES" for the name Bella! As I began to share the name with other family members, my sweet Aunt Robin reminded me that my precious grandmother (who I never met but adored from what I knew about her) was Winnie "Belle".....I knew that it was a done deal after making that connection. Knowing this is the "middle" name of my sweet daddy's mom.... makes it all the more SPECIAL for me. So, Bella it was. No doubts about it.

Of course all of this was decided with the idea that we were adopting an infant at that time. And as you know God changed that scenario quickly. We realize that with Bella now being an older child she may have a preference about her name and we will gladly do what makes her comfortable. However, we do plan to keep her "Indian" name (another post for another time) for sure to be her middle name. And she can have the choice to use either of her names. And until we complete the final adoption papers once she is here in the USA.... nothing is set in stone and can be changed if needed.

After their inquiry...we did tell the orphanage just last week the name we had chosen and their response was...."It's BEAUTIFUL and suits her WELL"! I couldn't agree more....but we'll see how our little Miss feels about it very soon. We realize so many things will be difficult for her and we don't want this to be one more difficult thing. BUT... One way or the other that little girl is getting a NEW last name when she gets HOME and her adoption is final! We can't wait for her to be one of "us"! Until then....more on all this name business.

With JOY!

Psalm 126:3

Caring for TWO!!!

In just about 3 weeks we should be on a plane to India and holding our sweet girl! Can you believe it? It's finally here! For awhile it felt like it might not ever happen. When we FINALLY received our No Objection Certificate we began to see some light at the end of the tunnel. But when we unexpectedly and miraculously got our Court approval in only 2 short weeks, I began to hyperventilate. This is REAL! THIS IS REAL!! I am just so excited and we know that our Bella is too! She has been waiting just as long as we have.... eagerly anticipating our coming for her! Oh the JOY!

When we began this journey almost 4 years ago we had no idea what in the world the LORD had planned or was in store. As I blogged about before....we started out with the intention of adopting a baby girl. BUT GOD had other plans. He changed our hearts in many ways during this LONG journey and changing our hearts from adopting an infant to an older child was definitely something HE communicated very clearly as we listened to His heart as we walked forward with Him in faith. (I'll blog about that sometime soon)

Another thing the LORD changed our hearts on.... was the number of children we wanted to adopt. Not only did we change our home study to reflect a much larger age range in a child, we also opened our hearts to the idea of a sibling group. We were willing to be used anyway the LORD saw fit for our family concerning the orphan. and if that meant two at one time...we would gladly do it!

And then the time came when we finally received our referral (of an older child) for our sweet girl Bella. Our referral consisted of one child. HOWEVER, what some of you may or may not know is....Bella has a brother. YEP. There are TWO children! We inquired about this immediately and were told right away that her brother who is older than she, was un-adoptable. As happy as we were to finally see and know our daughter, our hearts broke as we stared at the picture of this precious boy and wondered why we weren't able to adopt him too.

Though the reasons for him not being cleared for adoption are still unknown to us, we still hoped there was something we could do. We asked if we could keep in contact with this child and care for him from a distance for any needs that he might have and the answer was YES! There are a couple of neat ways (that God has orchestrated) that we can go about doing this....and so we anxiously await what He has in store. Who knows what might come of all this later down the road. But we are happy to be able to take care of this sweet boy on some level.

So with that said.....we will be CARING for TWO! :-) and not to mention this certainly turns into requested prayer for us and for sweet Bella. We will be able to visit with her brother one last time before we bring her home. This will be a sweet visit but also as you can imagine a VERY difficult one for all of us. My heart breaks already just thinking about it and the hurt our daughter will have leaving her brother behind. So, we ask for your prayer support over this matter.
We are sure there will be some difficult days ahead, but OH....the JOY that is set before us is worth it ALL!

With JOY!

Psalm 126:3

COURT

We got word this morning that we passed court!!!! We were all so shocked that we passed COURT so quickly!! Bella's passport is being applied for and we hope to travel in just 2-3 weeks! I will keep you posted. :-)

SDG!!

Brittnie

NOC!!!!

It has been one year almost to the day since our referral.....but today we received word that we finally got our NOC (No Objection Certificate) for Bella!!!

That is all my heart can handled to say for now....but I wanted to let you all know!!!
I will be posting some updates and travel estimates SOON!!

Thank you to all of you who have been faithfully praying for our sweet girl. Those prayers have been heard and we are SO excited and rejoice in our great and mighty KING for answering those prayers!!!

Joy!
Brittnie

Waiting on Jesus

Waiting on Jesus
December 24, 2011

This year has been a big blur. It seems as if it’s only been a few weeks long, yet I hardly remember any of it. How can time past this fast without me knowing it? Does this have to do with my age? Is this what I have to look forward to from now on?...years passing by in a matter of minutes? I woke up this morning and realized that I have been living with a teenager for almost a year now. (This could explain some of the blur?) This year we celebrated our firstborns 13th birthday! Is this possible? And my baby? Well, the last time I gave birth was 10 years ago. So, there is no longer a baby in this house. What in the world has happened here? This just can’t be right. And both these boys cause us to be filled with wonder and swell full of proud joy and I hold tight to the precious moments flying by. Savoring every moment I can.

A friend said to me at the beginning of this year, “2011 has got to be better for your family than 2010”. And a couple of days later, I got a terrifying phone call from Jeff- breathless and voice waning, I heard the words, “I crashed and it’s bad”. Knowing that he was at a motocross track that day with a friend and aware of his history of making jumps on his motorcycle that take my breath away, I imagined the worse. After hospitals, surgery and weeks of rehab, though it was tough, I’m so thankful that it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. But this was only January. What would February bring? To my shock and surprise, just shortly after Jeff’s accident, I got another phone call. This time, a phone call bringing the best news ever! Now I was hearing the words, “you have a daughter!" These are words we had waited to hear for a couple of years now. We finally have our Bella. Little did we know what was in store for us next.

After receiving an estimated time-frame of when paper work would be approved and travel would be possible we braced ourselves for a wild summer including a trip to India to bring our long awaited child home. In the meantime, we watched miracle after miracle unfold. The LORD began weaving different people into our story and we watched prayers being answered left and right. From bringing long sought out translators for Bella’s specific language that no one had heard about around here… to friends taking trips to visit our daughter with updates, pictures and videos...to God bringing in over $30,000 to meet our outrageous adoption costs to travel to pick up our girl. He was moving mountains and we were getting excited! Sweet friends showered us in June to help us with the many needed things to bring home a daughter while mom and I prepared a wonderland of a pink room for her and a place to forever call home.

And it all came to a screeching halt when summer came and went and we still had no daughter at home. We were given news that there were delays in India and paper work was not moving and it could be months. So, beginning in August we walked into a different kind of season of waiting. One that would bring so much heartache and hurt, one that would bring me to the end of myself and force to me to fix my eyes on Jesus alone. Waiting day after day, month after month, now no longer to hear words that speak, “we have a daughter”, but ones that bear news that we can “go get our daughter”. Knowing that we weren’t the only ones now waiting on this news, but that on the other side of the world waited another who longed for her mama and daddy to bring her home. This is now a longing and yearning so strong, that I eagerly awake every morning- before eyes even open - and reach for my phone to check for news that will bring two worlds together.

Yet we still we wait. But I know waiting is never in vain. God is teaching me even now as our family has transitioned into this Advent season and we have been reflecting on biblical History. “Advent.” The word comes from a Latin term that means “ toward the coming." I’ve been reminded of many others who long waited, yet did not wait in vain. Noah waited for the rains of salvation, Abraham waited to be the father of many nations, the Israelites waited for the Promise Land, David for a kingly throne as a young man and the list goes on and on. Ultimately they were all a part of a people who waited generation after generation for a LONG awaited and prophesied Messiah. A lineage of people who’s longing and yearning gave birth to the One who was to come. Jesus, the one in whom we now rejoice. Let’s face it…. waiting is very hard, and in a culture that has no patience to wait on anything, we as the Bride of Christ, now find ourselves waiting like the saints of old once again. Paul tells us, we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons. Romans 8:23

It’s no coincidence this time of observing Advent has caused me to shift my focus of waiting on Bella, to a focus on my waiting of my own adoption. So many similarities. Am I just as eager each morning that I wake up to hear news of our daughter to anticipate also the coming of the One who will soon come back for me? Even now He too is preparing a home for us. Jesus says, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” John 14:3 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, Philippians 3:20. It’s so easy to eagerly anticipate the glittery things this season brings. But I wonder if we are eagerly waiting on Jesus for His return? He is coming again…..and this begs the question, “are we ready”? What if each morning we awake with eager expectation of a new day with the possible coming of a returning King? To be sure, some have grown weary and have even fallen asleep and we may question why He delays. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

Waiting on the Lord is never in vain. Our waiting on Bella has not been in vain. As the end of this year draws to a close, I’ll not only be eagerly waiting on our daughter, I’ll be eagerly anticipating the One “toward the coming”. I’ll be waiting on Jesus. Ready for His return.

Merry Christmas!

The Wilbanks

Waiting on Bella to come HOME!

Nothing

No updates
No changes
No Bella
Nothing

So many of you continue to ask about updates on our approval to go and get Bella. And we don't have any. In Sept, CARA in India asked for another 3 months to finish backlogged paper work for 550 families and they told us they would have them all completed by Dec. 31st. We were hopeful we'd know something by Thanksgiving and as that time quickly disappeared I have been clinging on to a Christmas surprise. But as of today, we've been told that there has been no updates from CARA to our orphanage on our paperwork.

We know that God won't be one second late on His plan for our daughter to come home. However, honestly, that just flat out doesn't erase the hurt and the ache I feel in my heart over my little girl. As if the first two years waiting on a referral weren't hard enough....it's almost been a whole year since we were matched with our precious girl.... and it's almost unbearable that we've still not gotten approval so that we can bring her home.

So, until then, we continue to eagerly and expectantly WAIT.... and PRAY.... and HOPE daily that some good news will come soon.

Another Beautiful Adoption Story

The Stewarts from Together for Adoption on Vimeo.

An UPDATE!!!

Friends,

We have waited for for 4 months to even get word that India has received our paper work and today that was confirmed! I believe this is evidence of answered prayers! So, the good news is, they have received our paper work and have reviewed it! But there is also bad news. They are requesting 3 additional documents. I can put those together fairly quickly, run them down to Montgomery to have them apostilled and mail them off for India by Wednesday. But these are more delays that can affect us by weeks!

Although India wants hard copies of these documents.....a copy of them can also be received via email in the mean time. (hoping that is a benefit to us!) So, at this point when India receives our additional paper this could go a couple of different ways. We could go back to the bottom of the 550 cases, or be at the top waiting to be approved.....or some other weirdness in between those two options. But, I'm so encouraged that there is some movement here! At the same time, the enemy is still hard at work on our family and has still not let up on me in regards to my health. So, I'm asking you....for those of you that have entered into the battle with us, to keep fighting for us in prayer! Keep asking God for the things that seem impossible and the miracles we need to get this baby girl home!

Lastly, another blogger friend sent this post to me as a way of encouragement tonight and I can't tell you just how much of an encouragement it was. (thank YOU Meredith!!) It documents my EXACT THOUGHTS and FEELINGS on this adoption and the battle that we are in and our desire to fight for our child to come home. Please consider reading this. It is SO SO good!

Till she comes home,

Warfare Prayers and a Miracle

Friends,

We are in need of your prayers. Let me update you and tell you why.

Our papers for Bella went for approval to New Delhi in June this summer. At that time we were told we would received approval in about 15-30 days to which the papers would then be forwarded on to the state courts and spend another 30 days and then we would apply for passport and bring Bella home by the end of the summer.

Obviously, none of that has happened. In fact, our papers are still in New Delhi and going on 100+ days now. The last several weeks we were notified of back log in paperwork in Delhi that was causing delays but that they would complete all backlogs by September 3oth and we remained hopeful as that day was quickly approaching... that our papers would be approved and we would move on to the next step.

But, September 30th had come and gone and we still had no approval. We've been notified of a remaining backlog of 550 adoption cases and they have now indicated that the pending adoption cases are projected to be cleared by December 31st 2011. We don't know where we stand in that 500+ adoption cases....but we are in there somewhere and now have no idea just how much longer this will take. Regardless, bringing Bella home by the years-end is fading quickly. It's looking more like it will be next year sometime. We are extremely disappointed to say the least.

On another note, over the course of the last couple of weeks I've been experiencing some serious difficulties (medical in nature) that by all means have proven to be nothing but spiritual warfare.
This attack from the enemy has drained me both physically and mentally to where at the end of the day I am weak and exhausted. I have been clinging to the LORD just to get through each day. I have experienced some extreme opposition to say the least.

This experience has me gathering thoughts on how these continued adoption delays could also be warfare related. It wouldn't surprise me. We've had all kinds of difficulties, road blocks and set backs along the way, but this time it just feels offensive. I was reading just last night a few other adoption blogs about how the enemy brought on extreme attacks during the home stretch of their adoptions. Similar situations such as ours were mentioned. I was even reminded of Russell Moore's statement,

“Adoption and orphan care is not charity; adoption and orphan care is not another denominational program. Adoption and orphan care is spiritual warfare, because adoption and orphan care is about Gospel and about mission.”

And that just about sums it all up. The enemy would like nothing more than to try and put an end to this adoption....or delay or discourage or distract. With all that said, I am asking you to please consider entering into some warfare praying for us and our Bella. At this point, there is no reason why she could not come home! We are ready, she is ready, her room is ready.....and travel expenses have been fully funded. (PTL) We just lack one thing......our DAUGHTER!

This is not to say that we think we know the best time for Bella's homecoming or that we are doubting God's perfect timing and sovereignty. By all means....HE KNOWS BEST! and we trust Him completely and know His plans and timing will not be thwarted or delayed. But at the same time we have a real enemy that would love to opposed us in every way with the Bringing Home of our "orphaned no more" daughter. SO.....I'm sensing the need to call on prayer warriors to join us in this battle to get our Bella HOME. And SOON!

This is going to take a miracle to make all this happen by the end of the year....but that is what we are hoping and praying for. And we KNOW that our BIG GOD is capable of the impossible. So, will you join us?

We desperately covet your prayers.

Some Bloggy-Changes

As we round the corner of this adoption and make our way to our sweet daughter Bella, I decided to update the blog a little..... and give it a new look!! I have also created a new blog "button". I would love it if you would grab the html code for our button and share it on your blog or website. We would love to invite as many that would like to join us on our journey and watch God continue to do AMAZING things as we bring our Bella HOME!!!

If you are receiving this post as an email you can click here to go to my updated blog. Bringing Justice Blog

**update**
We received news that "they" are still behind in processing adoption paper work. What should take about 15-30 days to process is taking 90+ days for us. We ask that you continue to pray for us as we wait for God's perfect timing to bring Bella home

Some really exciting news about what God is doing in the waiting and some new pictures of our girl to come SOON!

Football and Bella?

******Extension on sale is now Wednesday Sept. 21st!

Yeah...well this is the only time you'll see me blogging anything about football. :-) Thanks to some dear friends of ours.....they are helping us with our remaining adoption expenses. See info below.

Smoked Boston Butts for SALE
just in time for Football!

BIG FOOTBALL Weekend 9/24/11with 2 HOME games!

Alabama vs. Arkansas at Tuscaloosa

Auburn vs. Florida Atlantic at Auburn

Get game ready and pre-order a Smoked Boston Butt for your gathering or tailgate party!

$35 each or 2/$60

3-5 pounds after cooking

All proceeds will benefit the Wilbanks adoption of Bella

Jeff and Brittnie Wilbanks have been in the process of adopting their little girl, Bella, from India for 2 years. Please help them raise the remaining funds to bring her “little butt” home to Alabama. You can read more about their journey at www.bringingjustice.blogspot.com

Pickup times are Friday, September 23 at 6 pm or

Saturday, September 24 at noon at

Hoover Regions (the Met) RV Park

Contact Romin to order at romin@securethinking.com or 321-231-3364.

Cash or checks accepted at pickup

Plan your football weekend now!

Deadline to order is Wednesday, September 21st at Noon

Hosted by Romin and Audrey Hirschy/Travis and Anne Diggs