Treasures in Heaven

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

that though he was rich, 

yet for your sakes he became poor, 

so that you through his poverty might become rich."

 - 2 Corinthians 8:9

I was tempted to go and read this verse to my kids but it wasn't for them to get it, it was for me. My daughters are probably never going to get how much we have given for them to become our daughters. But I will never really get how much my Savior gave up for me when He left the riches of Heaven to come and be born to a poor family in a stinky stable. Sometimes I am tempted to think about the "riches" we gave up in order to adopt our girls. Although we have never actually been rich (according to American standards), reminiscing about our old life sure makes me feel like we were once living the high life and are now stuck in the pigpen. A few years ago I couldn't stop thinking about redoing the floors in my lovely house. I looked at samples for months and waited for the tax return to come in so I could see which texture/color we could afford. We were finally out of debt and I could finally let myself think about things like hardwood vs tile. I can't remember exactly how it happened but our tax return ended up paying for a stack of expensive paper called a "dossier" instead of flooring. As I sit here staring at the cracked green tile (with dirt caked in the cracks) I ended up with (as a by product of that tax return) I'm reminded that my God has quite a sense of humor. Somehow we ended up moving to a stinky stable of a place with floors that look like rotting guacamole living off less than we did as newlyweds. Only now we live in a country where almost everything is 3 times more expensive and there are 6 mouths to feed instead of 2...and usually extras hanging around hoping.

Yesterday the girls and I copied, focused and prayed together on Matthew 6:19-21. You would think that "laying up treasures" would not be such a struggle while living in Haiti but for two little girls who have never had any worldly treasures this is one of their bigger struggles. They are constantly wanting more and more and I am constantly reminded of my own struggle with sin in this area to be content in and with all things. 

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

The girls had no problem identifying what material "treasures on earth" they would like to lay up nor relating to the fact that such treasures will eventually break, rot, or be stolen...we can definitely relate to "thieves break in and steal" around these parts. I asked them what "laying up treasures in heaven" could possibly mean since we can't take material treasures with us to heaven and heaven is already full of such anyways? We talked about it and figured that the only treasure we can take with us to heaven is people. People are treasures. People are the reason Jesus left the riches of heaven in order for us to gain the riches of heaven. I told the girls that we left the riches of America to give them the riches of family and to share the riches of the gospel with others in Haiti that may not know our Jesus. Sometimes we feel foolish for starting a process that we do not have the means to finish without a lot of help. We rest in the fact that this is part of His plan to allow others to share in the riches He deems worthy (people) and lay up treasures in heaven with us!

We are right now in desperate need of $600 to submit Esmée's dossier (that is now ready) to IBESR. There is a serious time limit for this as IBESR just reopened after months of being closed and will be closing again within the next week or two. If we don't get her updated dossier re-submitted in time there is a chance we will not be able to complete her adoption. We had to get her former last name changed from the father (who we now know isn't her bio father) to her deceased bio mother's last name. Because her name is changed ALL the documents that her name is on throughout the entire adoption process have to reflect this change as well. We are hoping and praying that because we have already been approved through the process once, the changes can be approved quickly. But the next step toward this end is re-submitting her file to IBESR. There is a fee for this and with the lawyer and facilitator fee included the charge to resubmit Esmée's file is $1,000 (of which we have paid $400 already and promised to try to get the rest to the facilitator very soon). We simply do not have the other $600 nor a way to get it other than asking for help. We couldn't have known all this adoption process would entail when we started and expect there are more surprises around the bend, but also know that our God will enable us to complete what He started…somehow. Through His poverty we became rich. Through our poverty we pray that others will experience the riches of His grace as well. 

While feeling extremely discouraged over several current situations we are facing and seeking God's Word for wisdom and comfort, I was extremely encouraged by the verses that followed 2 Corinthians 8:9. 

"And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago, but now you also must complete the doing of it, that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have. For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have."

2 Corinthians 8: 10-12

We have given all that we are and all that we have. Please help us with what we do not have in order to "complete the doing of it" according to the Father's perfect will and timing. It is a small miracle that we and our facilitator were able to acquire (and pay for) everthing needed to redo Esmée's dossier as well as complete Elita Marguerite's. We praise the Lord for this and believe that He will surely finish what He started as we continue to press on in faith and obedience. 

There is one other urgent prayer request in addition to the urgent need for adoption expenses to be met. We need to locate Marguerite's bio aunt to get a notarized affidavit from her. We do not have her number and our facilitator is having a difficult time getting the number from our old facilitator. We now have Marguerite’s passport and her entire original dossier translated into English ready to submit to the U.S. Embassy in order to approve her visa. Except for this one thing they requested (the affidavit). Please pray that we will find the aunt and get this completed very soon. The Embassy has already granted us one extension on thier request and the latest we can now turn in the affidavit is September 17th. We need to locate her now!

If you would like to contribute to our urgent need of $600 for Esmée's resubmission fee to IBESR, please donate on the Paypal on this blog. 

Because of Him that became poor for me,

Elisabeth