If I had a nickel for every time I said that phrase over these last 4 months, our support would be covered for months! As missionaries on furlough, most conversations start like this…
“Your back!”
“Yep.”
“For how long?”
“We don’t know… yet.”
“When are you going back to
Kenya?”
“We don’t know… yet.”
“What will Tavin and Taleah
do when you leave?”
“We don’t know… yet.”
“Are you going to rent your
place again?
“We don’t know…yet.”
I could go on, but you get
the idea. For this lengthy yet over due
post, I try to explain our redundant, ambivalent answer given to many reasonable questions, and hopefully
pray for us. I wanted to refrain from writing till we had some concrete news to share
but details are far from settled… Sooo:
We are currently on furlough
with a USA immigration (USCIS) visa for Henry that expires September 27th.
Henry is 100% adopted - our child, our son; but since we adopted as residents
of Kenya, USCIS requires us to have legal and physical custody of Henry for 2
years while living outside the USA after
the adoption finalized (November 2014). We’ve been in USA since March 28th
and this time does not count towards the 2-year requirement rule. (Note: this would not be a current problem if we were not detained by Kenya's adoption moratorium that went into effect in the middle of our process.) Sooo, (it gets more complicated):
In May, Henry's hearing was
informally checked by BOCS. He failed those tests, which led to more formal
testing in June. In July, Henry was
diagnosed with bilateral nerosensorial profound hearing loss. In other words,
he can’t hear information. (Think if you only heard loud garbled
announcements made at airports… Yeah. That’s Henry’s world of sound. Fyi
though - doctors/audiologists are AMAZED at his coping strategies Click link for how Henry hears you.) Henry is
now a candidate for cochlear implant surgery that involves mega money, tedious
therapies and time-time-time.
Our dilemmas
that require the repetitive “We don’t know…yet” are:
1.
Do we do
the surgery and when? Henry will loose whatever natural hearing he has if we
elect to go this direction. We need a long stretch of time in USA for it to
benefit Henry.
2.
How do
we finance this? Henry is not a citizen yet so insurance for him in USA is
E.X.P.E.N.S.I.V.E. He does not qualify for government medical programs because
he is not a citizen. Every grant program we seen so far has citizen
requirements.
3.
How do
we start this process that needs consistent attention if Henry is not allowed
to stay in USA or get citizenship?
Things
we’ve done to discover solutions to the “We don’t know…yet” are:
1.
Prayer –
prayed and praying!
2.
Researching
speech development for children with hearing loss and how to introduce hearing
to a child who has never genuinely heard the variety of sounds that form
communication.
3.
Filed
our $350 visa extension for Henry with the USCIS.
4.
Contacted
our US Rep. Scott Tipton asking him to contact USCIS on our behalf and request
Henry’s citizenship. This will help free us to make decisions that are in our
family’s best interest and continue working as missionaries without travel
restrictions.
What’s
happening now?
1.
Henry
got hearing aids this week. The
aids will only enhance the sound he can already hear. They are the first step
to introduce hearing changes to Henry. He is also attending a summer school
session to help with socialization.
2.
We wait,
patiently, persistently, proactively for God, knowing He works all things well.
3.
The
ministry in Kenya continues – We interact with the management team regularly. Resource
Center files are completed via our internet correspondence. The mamas keep meeting regularly for bible
study and a new tailoring class starts soon.
Saying, “We don’t know… yet” to
Henry’s situation and our pending mission strategies (implementing orphan caregiver
programs and taking DIGGS Resource Center model to African leadership
conferences) is difficult, except for the word - yet. That word carries hope because we know Jesus - the One who knows all. He directs the universe and has the hairs on
our heads numbered. Nothing escapes His attention. His love for us is
unlimited. We remain confident in Him - faithful God.
Those who wait on the Lord
are not put to shame. Psalm 25:3.
We are abundantly grateful
for your continued support at this time. Please be free to connect with us
through phone calls, emails and comments. We love hearing from you.
Praises:
Mark and Lisa have a full
schedule of speaking for August.
Tavin has a full time job and
his own vehicle.
Taleah does part-time work
and dance.
Henry continues to thrive and
adapt well.
The ministry in Kenya keeps
functioning without crisis.
Prayer:
Favor with USCIS.
Some health issues for Lisa.
Henry’s continued
development.
God’s wisdom for pending
decisions.
One of the mama’s we worked
with, Rose Brenda, was in a serious motorbike accident. She is pregnant
medically unstable.
 |
| Big brother drives! |
 |
| Ants in Kenya are a big problem but Taleah likes these ones. |
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| Henry gets new "ears!" and our amazing audiologist. |
Asante sana for your prayers, support and encouragement
hugs from the haugers
Ooo0o
