Derry Prenkert

Follow The Numbers to Another Miracle Story...

2011-12-28T12:00:00.000-05:00

Posted over the past 48 hours on Facebook and Twitter:

11
11.25
2+
o+0<
14
7.02
123<365
5/3
2
3
5589

So, here we go:

After 11 years, Janelle found herself struggling to keep up with us on vacation, constantly getting car sick, and craving pickles. The day after Thanksgiving (11.25) Janelle bought a couple of sticks at a Pharmacy, and used them. They both came up postitive (2+).

That's right. JANELLE LYNN PRENKERT IS PREGNANT (or if I were to put it into an emoticon o+0<). 14 weeks pregnant to be exact. We are looking at a due date of July 2nd (7.2).

It took a while to settle in. The Ultrasound we saw at the doctor helped confirm the reality that we are moving from 1 child to 3 in less than a year (123<365); that next Summer this household will have 3 children under age 5 (5/3).

Yet, these 2 parents are absolutely blown away by the 3 miracle stories that God is granting us the privilege of calling our children.

Isaiah 55:8,9
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Follow the Numbers

2011-12-26T21:55:00.001-05:00

@derryprenkert on Twitter.
www.facebook.com/derryprenkert on Facebook

Posted so far:

11.25
2+
o+0<
14
7.02
123<365
5/3
2
3
5589

The code revealed here at www.derryprenkert.com 12:00 p.m. Wednesday, December 28.

Mery Christmas!

2011-12-25T16:11:00.000-05:00

From David Crowder Band and 4,000 Youth Workers with camera phones.

The Hobbit

2011-12-24T14:28:00.002-05:00

Oh. My.
Thank you for the Christmas present Peter Jackson.
Now all I have to do is wait for a year.

Passage - Life Verse #3

2011-12-08T18:47:00.001-05:00

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Philippians 3:7-11

Moving students from Religion to Relationship to Spiritually Reproducing... it's why NMC Student Ministries exists. Everything we do keeps this goal in mind. Moving past a stale, rules-driven, empty label of Christianity and into a relationship with the Almighty Creator of the Universe is at the core of my personal story.

There's plenty of things we can pursue with our lives. There's plenty of people to meet. There's plenty of knowledge to be gained. There's plenty of goals we can have. Yet, whenever I read Paul's words in this passage, something rises up inside of me and says, "YES! That's where I want to live."

Paul's words are chucked full of relationship language. I wish I could say I'm there all the time... where everything else is "rubbish" in comparison to knowing Christ, but I'm not. That's why I love the next three verses of this passage:

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:12-14

Passages - Life Verse #2

2011-11-19T13:51:00.001-05:00

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Matthew 22:34-40

I can tend to be wordy in my story telling or explanation. I love the side stories that go along with the main plot. Yet, I love it when someone is able to sum up a huge issue, happening, or idea with a sentence or two. When I ran across the Greatest Commandment passage during my Time Alone with God (or as we call it at NMC Student Ministries, TAWG) when in college, something hit deep.

The two commandments resonated with me deeply...

1. Love God with everything you have.

2. Love others (Jesus defined "neighbor" pretty broadly in other passages) in the same way you should love yourself.

I've dissected this passage trying to learn the historical, textual, theological significance of it.

I've come to realize this passage is not a pathway to salvation but a call to godly and holy living.

I've wrestled with what it looks like to love your neighbor without loving your neighbor's sin.

Ultimately, what continual blows me away is the deep truth of verse 40... if these two commandments were a coat hanger, you could hang every other commandment on one of them. So, if I can nail these two commands, I can nail the whole of scripture.

I try to make it a point to pray with or over my kids nightly. One key phrase I pray over them, or that Katylynn will now pray out loud, is, "God, help (Katylynn/Moses) to learn how to love you and love others."

When asked for a "life verse," I rarely quote this one, because it's a passage and not a verse.

Matthew 22:37-40 is a "life verse" for me that I'm praying to be a life verse for my kids.

Passages - Life Verse #1

2011-11-18T08:31:00.001-05:00

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:33

I'll often be asked if I have a "Life Verse." A life verse, as I understand is a verse or passage of scripture that God has more or less branded on to your life. It will likely tie in to your direct calling. When asked, I have several verses that come to mind (hence #1 as a part of this post). This tends to be the primary one I'll give.

I love to be about "kingdom" business. When I gave my life over to Christ in September 1995, I remember looking at a friend kneeling at the alter next to me and saying, "If I'm doing this, it's all or nothing. I'm done living for myself." Unfortunately, that statement has been a little more tough in practice than it was to simply declare it. Yet, I find myself most alive, most in my "sweet spot" when I am...
... involved in something that clearly glorifies God's character and God's calling for mankind.
... taking part in something that will live beyond me.
... wearing my "eternal eyes" and not just a "momentary monacle" (a really dumb illustration I often give when speaking).
... a part of something significant.

When I seek HIM first, things don't necessarily get easier, and they don't necessarily change, but things do seem to fall into proper place and perspective.

A common prayer for me: "God, let me advance your Kingdom today. Get my eyes off my Kingdom."

Passages: I John 4:19

2011-11-16T08:30:00.000-05:00

We love because he first loved us.

I John 4:19

I was in High School. I wasn't pursuing after Christ. I had a ton of religion and no relationship with Christ. I had to sit through church services on Sunday morning and Sunday night. I would do anything to pass the time... Tic Tack Toe, drawing, passing notes, and sometimes when I was really board, reading my Bible.

I can't remember the exact date or even year, all I remember was I was in High School. As I leafed through my Bible, I realized for the first time there was the book of John, but there was also the book of I John. I started skimming through I John. When I hit chapter 4, verse 19 something just made me pause.

It was a simple statement, but it spoke to me. I am able to love because of God's love. In that moment, I decided to do something I'd never done before. I was going to memorize the verse and where it's found. Don't get me wrong, I had memorized verses before, but every other verse was because I was told to or it was so I could earn a patch for my "Missionary Cadet" sash. This time my memorization was different. It was the first verse I ever memorized because I thought it would be good to memorize.

I don't think I memorized another verse or passage of scripture until I fully surrendered my life to Christ my Freshman year at Bethel College. After that moment and in the years since, I have committed many passages to memory. This one will always be a special one to me. Both for the message and for the reality that God was speaking love to me as I was running away from him.

Passages

2011-11-15T19:49:00.001-05:00

Kind of funny that I'm heading on a vacation and I'm going to kick out a blog series. Normally vacation time means no blogging. I figured I would switch The concept of "Passages" is to throw out passages of scripture that are especially meaningful to me an the story of why. Look for more to come over the next few weeks.

Converge Is Back

2011-11-04T19:25:00.002-04:00

After a few month break, I was able to get back to the Remedylive studios to record several new episodes of Converge. We did a little reformatting to the show...
New set, shorter episodes, and series.

I'm excited about the 4 episode series with Terry Linhart about where we are discussing how the Christian teen can make a global difference.

Here's part 1:

Converge EP01 Terry Linhart from remedyLIVE on Vimeo.

Here's part 2:

Converge EP02 With Terry Linhart from remedyLIVE on Vimeo.

Part 3 will air live Sunday at 7:30 p.m. on Remedylive.You can also watch archived episodes of Converge here.

Sell This House!

2011-10-27T21:42:00.000-04:00

Our house is on the market!

If you know a young couple, a renter looking to own, or an older couple looking for a retirement home, let them know 802 Locke is a great option!

Our listing: http://www.hahnrealtyandauction.com/realestate.php?action=show&id=665
You can call Brandi Kitson to set up a showing: (574)773-4184

Thought for the Day

2011-10-25T15:25:00.000-04:00

I am a youth pastor.
I am a husband.
I am a parent.
I am a follower of Christ.
I am a child of God.

Rarely do I feel like I'm fulfilling these roles with excellence all at the same time.
I tend to find 1, 2 and 3 at battle against each other.
I see number 4 as the one that can bring 1, 2, and 3 into balance.
When it gets down to it, 5 is something I need accept more than perform.

Trale Lewous Cracks Me Up

2011-10-21T08:39:00.001-04:00

Our tech guys discovered a fantastic series of videos at a conference they attended. We've been showing them at the beginning of our Wednesday Nights in Senior High.Enjoy Trale's Skittles commercials:

A Month Without a Post

2011-10-17T16:17:00.002-04:00

Yes, it's been one month with no blog posts.
No, I'm not done blogging.

I once heard a story (probably apocryphal) of the 19th century Native American leader who was being brought to Washington to meet the President. With his handlers, he endured the noise and dirt of a ride on the iron horse. They stuffed him into a carriage, hustled him to the White House steps. At which point, the indigenous leader sat down and refused to move. “You have to hurry,” shouted the handlers. “The biggest chief in America is waiting to meet you!” Said the Native American leader, “Your chief will have to wait. Right now I must wait here to give my soul time to catch up with my body.”

As I've processed through:

The major activity of the Summer .
The adoption of our son.
The significant, humbling, yet appreciated attention these activities brought to us publically.

I realized I just needed to step back and let "the soul behind my writing" catch up with my blogging.
The break is fairly open-ended. I'm not quite there yet, but believe very soon I will be back with some thoughts, rants, reviews and ideas.

This Week in Thoughts

2011-09-16T21:30:00.000-04:00

He has been a great friend. I'm so glad we met in college. On Dan Weiss while writing him a note for his 35th Birthday.

What is the culture of our Student Ministries right now? While be challenged by a godly member of the NMC family at our staff meeting.

The culture we create will make or break this one. While working with a think-tank on a significant move we are looking to make with NMC Student Ministries.

It's so good to have her back. Wednesday when Janelle (my wife just in case you didn't know) rejoined our administrative team one day a week.

This one's all you God. On Wednesday Night as we had a flooded alter at the close of our Senior High gathering.

I'm really ticked. My grace bank is depleted on this one. On Wednesday Night when a gal came up to me to let me know her Droid X phone was stolen from her seat while she was at the alter. (Glad to report she got it back the next day).

I would be okay if the Colts could draft Kellen Moore next year. He could sit under Peyton Manning for 3-4 more years then take the reins. Tonight as I watch the Boise State Broncos against Toledo.

I have one amazing family. Thank you God. Thursday while getting our family pictures taken.

5 Thoughts on the The Colts

2011-09-08T17:15:00.000-04:00

It was going to be 5 thoughts on the NFL, but with news of another neck surgery and 2-3 month recovery, I thought I'd zero in on the Colts.

Thought #1 - Go sign David Garrard to a one year deal.
He knows the division. All reports are that he is a quality guy. He's younger and more versatile than Collins.

Thought #2 - I will still watch the Colts weekly.
There are Colts fans and then there are Peyton Manning fans. I have no problem with either. I'm a Colts fan. I really started cheering for them when "Captain Comeback" Jim Harbaugh (now coaching the 49ers) was the QB. I can understand how some fans will not watch a Manningless Colts. The style of offense is thoroughly entertaining. It may be very painful to watch this season, but I'll still watch. I love Dallas Clark, Austin Collie, Jeff Saturday, Dwight Freeney, and Robert Mathis. I'll still watch.

Though #3 - I think the Colts could still win the Division.
I'm not saying the Colts will win the division. I'm just saying they could. Think about it... the Jags just threw away this season dropping Garrard. The Titans have a new coach and new quarterback in a severely shortened off season. Clearly the Texans are the favorites for the division. If held down and forced to make a prediction, I would predict the Texans to win, but they've had the same talent they now have for the past three season. They seem to consistently find a way to lose despite.

Thought #4 - Go with Delone Carter.
Joseph Addai drives me nuts as a RB. He looked fantastic at the beginning of his career. Lately, if he's not injured, he runs as if he's afraid of getting injured. It's time to move to a new feature back. If Manning is really out for the season, I say go with a RB by committee setup. Next season, put Delone Carter in that role.

Thought #5 - This season may help shed light on how great of a QB Peyton Manning is.
In this whole conversation of Manning missing time, I've heard a statement again and again, "No player is more important to his team than Peyton Manning."
There's plenty of debate on who's the best in the QB position. It's a 6 person argument in the "current" debate... Manning, Brady, Rodgers, Roethlisberger, Brees, Rivers. Brady and Manning get thrown into the "all-time" debate with the likes of Montana, Elway, Unitas, Favre and Marino.
Here's my thing...
IF you take into light the team history with him as QB in 13 seasons (11 winning seasons, 11 Playoff appearances 7 Division Champs, 2 Conference Champs, 1 Super Bowl),
IF the statement that "No player is more important to his team than Peyton Manning
IF the Colts tank this season.
THEN Peyton Manning is the best Quarterback in the NFL, is he not?
I tend to agree in theory that no player is more important, but we've not had a chance to see that in theory in meaningful action. I guess we get to see it now.

5 Thoughts on Social Networking

2011-09-06T09:59:00.001-04:00

Thought #1 - Although some think it's a pipe bomb, I think it's a knife.
Pipe bombs are pretty much intended to inflict harm or destroy things.
A knife can inflict harm, but it can also spread butter on bread.
From it's inception, a pipe bomb has little to no intention for good.
A knife is mostly intended for good yet can easily be used for evil.
It's all in how you use it.

Thought #2 - It's not necessarily made communication better or easier.
It's made communication faster. It's made availability better. The problem is that if I want to communicate something to a group of people, I have about 4 different ways I need to communicate it to get the word out. One person's preferred communication is email while another person no longer even has email. One person prefers a text message while another doesn't have an unlimited text plan. We have to work harder and with more layers now than we used to when it comes to getting the word out.

Thought #3 - It's best used for humor or inspiration.
When I pull up my news feed, I love to get a laugh or get a warm fuzzy. I get annoyed when people choose to preach, condemn or slam.

Thought #4 - Adults have more to learn than teens.
I get asked if I'm worried about teens and Facebook. I often respond, "Not as worried as I am about adults and Facebook." I find myself cringing more often at inappropriate or poorly thought out posts by parents of teens rather than teens. I find myself wondering, "Does that person have their computer open to anything other than Facebook all day" with adults more often than teens.

Thought #5 - I love that it lets the world be smaller.
While we were in Uganda and in need of prayer warriors to rise up, we received word back from Indiana, North Carolina, California, Florida, Kenya, India, Germany, the DRC, and Mexico that people were praying. That is just awesome! I love that I can send a note of encouragement to my brothers in India who I haven't been able to see for 2 years. I love that I can interact face to face with my son and daughter when I'm 6 hours away. I love I can stay connected with the world I've interacted with through a tiny computer or phone screen.

5 Thoughts on College Football

2011-09-05T03:30:00.000-04:00

*The following are personal opinions.

Thought #1 - It's all about having a team.
I could not get into college football for the longest time. If I didn't have anything else going on, I could turn a "big game" on and watch it. I'm surrounded by ND, Michigan, OSU, and Nebraska fans. I decided to become a fan of a team last year. I jokingly picked Boise State in light of the pain in the butt they seem to be to the whole BCS system. In the process of watching their games, I actually became a fan. I'm much more interested in college football now.

Thought #2 - A full ride scholarship is pretty nice "pay."
Lot's of investigations, recruiting violations, pay for play allegations, and potential sanctions in the offseason. With all this talk there have been those complaining that colleg players are "exploited" for the benefit of the institutions they play for. The conclusion many make? College players should be payed for playing.
Faulty conclusion. The majority of college players are getting their college education for free. My years of paying off college debt tell me that's a pretty awesome "paycheck."

Thought #3 - The BCS is indefensible for determining a National Champion.
I can understand the argument that the BCS system makes every game count a lot more than a traditional playoff setup. I can understand that there is no way to create a clear-cut play off with as many teams are invlved. I do think it's not that far off from making a much more valid system. Personally, I like the "and 1" idea where the top four face off in two of the BCS Bowls and the winners play for the championship. Even better, I'd love to see 6 Super conferences, 2 at large bids, and an 8 game playoff... I know it will never happen, but I'd like it.

Thought #4 - The Games are too long.
It's funny how a major complaint of Major League Baseball is that the games are too long. College games last 4 hours. The halftime needs to be cut down.

Thought #5 - I really think this is Boise State's year.
I'm a fan, what did you expect?

5 More Thoughts

2011-09-02T21:50:00.001-04:00

Well, the 5 Thoughts are getting me back into blogging; so I think I'll go ahead and continue another week...
Monday - 5 Thoughts on College Football
Tuesday - 5 Thoughts on Social Networking
Wednesday - 5 Thoughts on Summer Movies
Thursday - 5 Thought on the NFL
Friday - 5 Thoughts on ??? Here's the deal... You tell me what you want to hear 5 thoughts on in the comment section. I'll pick one and write on it.

5 Thoughts for NMC

2011-09-02T10:30:00.001-04:00

Thought #1 - The story is much more than the staff.
I met with one of our SOAR intern's college supervisor this Summer. As we sat in the Fieldhouse, he said, "So you are a church of 2500+ in a small town, tons of ministry and outreach going on, how did this all happen?" I get this type of question a lot.
I will be quick to point out the fantastic leadership of our Senior Pastor and the significant tenure of many pastors on staff (4 at 20+ years, another 5 at 10+ years). But, I will also say that the greater story of NMC has to be the dads, moms, teens, businessmen & women, teachers, stay-at-home moms, who have leveraged their gifts talents and abilities for the sake or our mission. YOU are the story.

Thought #2 - We have been blessed, now we are called to be a blessing.
One of the biggest reasons I have sought to lead our Student Ministries to pursue initiatives like Maasai Night, Kids In Need, or Teens and Trafficking is that I want our students to take the incredible blessing they are living under and bless others.
Luke 12:48 - From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

Thought #3 - If the building gets taken out, we better still meet.
We are blessed with a pretty awesome facility. Yet, the church is not the building... it's the people.

Thought #4 - If your a parent, say thanks to the volunteers investing in your kids/students.
I get a lot of thanks from parents for investing in their student. I really appreciate those thanks, but the truth is that my investment in students is significantly less than our Small Group Leaders and Youth Class Teachers. They are the "hands on" people at NMC Student Ministries and NMC Children's Ministry are the volunteers. When you pick up your kid from the Depot, be sure to say thanks! When you see your student's Small Group Leader, let him/her know your appreciation.

Thought #5 - If you aren't serving, it's time!
The health of this church inside and outside it's walls is directly proportionate to the amount of people choosing to be participants in God's Kingdom over being spectators of God's Kingdom. We desperately need Male Workshop and Small Group Leaders in Student Ministries. Children's Minsitry can always us more teens and adults willing to invest in our kids. GET IN THE GAME!

You know, I wonder if any of you reading this thought one of my thoughts would be "OUR GREATEST DAYS ARE JUST AHEAD?" Well, it wasn't, but I do believe it's true.

5 Thoughts for Dads

2011-09-01T12:36:00.001-04:00

Thought #1 - It's the most important job you have.
It's a battle to figure out when your work should end and family time should begin. It's tricky as you seek to be the provider of your family, live out the calling of ministry on your life, and then be the Dad you are to be. YET, what good is it if you gain all the rest of the world and forfeit your family. I remember in 2009 as we were working on our Kids In Need initiative with Student Ministries. I was researching through the "major giants" facing children of the world. I was driving to lunch and I was struck with a thought, I believe from God... "Be careful that you're efforts to help Kids in Need around the world does not produce Kids in Need in your own household."

Thought #2 - Be Engaged with your kids.
Stoic parenting sucks. I know you may not be naturally excitable or affectionate. I'm not necessarily either of those myself. Get off your butt and play catch. Get down on the floor and play barbies. I don't think there's such a think as overhugging, overkissing, or overtelling your kids "I love you."

Thought #3 - Remember your wife.
Now, I know this may not be a thought for all dads. There may be some single dads out there. The truth is that some of the single dads may be single dads because they neglected this thought. My wife is an awesome mom. She is the glue that holds us together as a family. She is a support. She's a riot. She deserves to be hugged. She deserves to be served. She deserves a night out alone and a date night (preferably with me). She deserves it. Your wife deserves it too.

Thought #4 - Back off on the sports field.
Not just the sports field, but any place where your kids are involved in an activity. Support, cheer, encourage, and maybe every once in a while, coach. Your son or daughter won't become a pro. You can't go back and play sports through your kids again.

Thought #5 - The greatest gift you can give your kids is your intimacy with God.
Fall more in love with Jesus today than you were yesterday. They are watching you for cues. They will model your cues. I see it all the time in Student Ministries. Show me a dad who is passionately pursuing Christ above all else, and more times than not, I'll be able to show you a son or daughter who is doing the same.

*By no means am I a pro on any of these. In fact, I can say each of these are or will be a struggle for me to live out as a dad.

5 Thoughts For Student Athletes

2011-08-31T07:34:00.000-04:00

Thought #1: Practice and Play Hard.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, (Colossians 3:23)

Thought #2: Lose Well.
It's easy to win well.

Thought #3: You probably won't play past High School.
Enjoy other parts. It is not your life, it's just a part of your life.

Thought #4: Tell your parents to lighten up.
I know, a lot of times, it's more important to them than you. Don't be afraid to remind them your a STUDENT athlete.

Thought #5: Let this privilege push your toward responsiblity and not entitlement.
I'll let Michigan State QB explain this one. He does it much better than I ever could.

5 Thoughts For Youth Pastors

2011-08-30T22:31:00.001-04:00

Thought #1: You are valued.
There is a generation that is looking to be led to something significant. You are important to the kingdom.

Thought #2: You will get beat up.
You will get criticized, ostracized, and vllainized by parents, students, coworkers, satan, and yourself. It WILL HAPPEN.

Thought #3: You won't get everything done.
There will always be one more phone call, one more project, one more meeting, one more sporting event. Sometimes you just gotta say no and go home.

Thought #4: Who you are is more important than what you do.
What good is it if you gain the whole ministry world, yet forfeit your soul? Let your relationship with Christ be the priority and let your ministry flow from that... not the reverse.

Thought #5: You are replaceable.
If the ministry would tank without you, you've failed as a leader. The Holy Spirit is the only irreplaceable!

5 Thoughts

2011-08-30T08:23:00.001-04:00

Time to start blogging again. Going to do a mini-series called "5 Thoughts". I'll throw out 5 thoughts for a group of people. It will go as follows:

Tuesday: 5 Thoughts for Youth Pastors.
Wednesday: 5 Thoughts for Student Athletes.
Thursday: 5 Thoughts for Dads.
Friday: 5 Thoughts for NMC.

Here we go!

From Brown CIty, Michigan

2011-08-07T18:59:00.000-04:00

It's been 2 1/2 weeks since I've put anything up here. You can read the post below to see why. In the time that I haven't written, there's been a ton going on. I'm now at the Missionary Church Michigan District's Family Camp in Brown City, Michigan where I'm speaking to the High School Youth. Janelle and the kids will be driving up tomorrow to join me for the rest of the week. Here's a few quick shots on what's been going on.

We were featured on the Lifesong for Orphans Blog 2 weeks ago. Lifesong played a role in our adoption in providing a matching grant.
Moses broke his leg 2 weeks ago. He fell off our bed when we weren't in the room (he's been able to crawl off by himself), so we don't know exactly what happened. It's either some weak bones due to malnutrition or he caught it some strange way. It was a clean break, but it was set right in place. He's not in a cast, but can't put any weight on it for 4 weeks. We're filling him up with calcium and praying for a quick healing.
The NMC Student Ministries Team has been all over the place. Jess Noelle, Kyle Neeley and our SOAR Interns ran a fantastic NMC Preteen Camp August 1-3. Geoff Cocanower was the Director at the Missionary Church North Central District's Teen Camp, and all reports are that he did a fantastic job! Chris Lehane is leading worship up here with me, and as an added bonus our Senior Pastor Dave Engbrecht begins speaking to the entire camp tonight! Two-a-days are in full swing, and the school year is just around the corner. I'm grateful to be a part of a team that loves making a difference for the sake of the Kingdom at NMC and away from NMC!
SOAR is winding down. I have been blessed with 4 FANTASTIC interns this Summer. With our travel to Uganda and the making adjustments with Moses at home, I have not been able to be around with them as much as I'd like. The time we have had together has been great, and they have been an amazing group to work with. 3 graduate from college next year. If your looking for a youth pastor in a year, let me know, I have 3 top-notch candidates!
We are ready to stay at home for a while. I counted it up last night, since taking Moses into our custody June 23 till next Saturday, August 13, Moses and Katylynn will have spent 20 nights in a bed other than their home. I will have spent 26. God has been faithful, and we have had some great times together. We're ready to settle in for a little bit!

The Hangover

2011-07-21T10:56:00.000-04:00

From Mid-June till last Sunday, we have been on an absolute whirlwind. I have had to breathe a little bit since returning from Summer Camp. Here's a few quick hits:

I have seen some of the best immediate follow-up and action steps this year after our Camps.
Janelle and I had a little date with Harry Potter Tuesday evening. It was nice to get away with just the two of us. As far as the movie, Janelle LOVED it. I really liked it. I've read the book three times and listened to it a couple... so it was pretty much impossible to turn the book into a completely acceptable movie. There are 3 things I wish they had stayed more true to the book on; invisibility cloak, memories from Snape, and final fight scene (trying not to give anything away), but in the end, I won't complain.
Our family of four is adjusting extremely well. Moses (I'm calling him Mose or Moze... not sure how to spell it) is smiling and laughing a lot. Katylynn took a while to overcome jet lag, but is doing great.
We still have a lot of travel ahead of us till mid August. Next week, we head up to Ludington for a little family time, just the four of us. Then, August 4 I head up to Brown City Camp in Michigan to speak at their Senior High Gatherings. Janelle and kids will join me for 1/2 of the camp. This wasn't necessarily how we pictured our first month as a family of four (we thought it would happen no later than the end of May). At the same time, we're trusting God knew the timing and have a feeling the positive out of this is that the constant in Moses' adjustment will be us rather than a place.

We're soaking up the moments.

Saturday Night Session

2011-07-17T00:54:00.000-04:00

I HAVE COUNTED THE COST.
FOR THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR I SUBMIT TO GOD'S WAYS OVER MY WAYS.
I WILL NOT BE GRIPPED BY FEAR.

If you wonder what the words above are all about, ask a Senior High Camper when we get home tomorrow evening.

God met with us tonight. As we came near to Him, he came near to us. It was powerful.

Crud Wars

2011-07-17T00:38:00.001-04:00

You ever want to take part in a giant food fight? That's pretty much what happened at "Crud Wars"

Round 1: Oatmeal
Round 2: Maple Syrup
Round 3: Mayonaise
Round 4: Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
Round 5: Applesauce
Round 6: Shaving Cream
Round 7: Dog Food

Kind of Crazy.
Extremely Disgusting.
Great Memories!

Friday Afternoon/Evening Pics

2011-07-16T11:46:00.000-04:00

On the Schedule for Today

2011-07-16T09:24:00.000-04:00

Students are currently in TAWG (Time Alone With God).
Worship and Session including an introduction to the ministry Claim Your Campus and a time of dreaming with God.
Lunch
Crud Wars (oooooh ya!)
Free Time (Lake time, Cornhole, Basketball, naps, finishing up boats)
Boat Races!
Supper
Group Picture
Evening Session
Campfire
Goodnight

Praying God will be all over it from beginning to end!

Pictures from our TAWG Experience

2011-07-15T14:49:00.003-04:00

8 stations focused on the God's Greatness or the call to let God be the Greatest in our lives. 15 minutes at each station examining God's word and responding creatively. In that end, a powerful response in worship mainly initiated by the students.

It was a great morning.

2011-07-15T14:00:00.001-04:00

We had more fun than should be legal at Cedar Point Yesterday. Students laughed and played together. In the process, some new friendships were forged.

Day 2 Morning Session

2011-07-14T12:52:00.000-04:00

Our theme at this Camp is GREATER THAN. The ultimate point is to catch there is nothing/ no one, GREATER THAN our God. We will walking through various thoughts in the process.

This morning's focus was on the fact that we together, we are GREATER THAN we are alone. Ultimately we are not alone. Through some unique ways of sharing, laughing, and even crying together, I think we all came to grips that the reality is that we are not alone in our struggles, our backgrounds, our hopes and our dreams. Maybe the biggest thing that is holding us back from seeing this is our pride.

As we closed out praying together, I could see that we are going to have a fantastic time at Cedar Point connecting with each other, and we may get on a few roller coasters in the process.

Some Pictures from Day 1

2011-07-14T12:39:00.002-04:00

A Prayer for Senior High Camp

2011-07-14T07:14:00.002-04:00

God

You are near.
I know that every single person is at this Camp for a reason. As we have prayed through the names and the process, it’s been very clear that you are bringing us together in this place for a reason. As we head into this day, may every second be blessed. May we not waste one.
Breakfast
TAWG
Session
Lunch
Cedar Point
Let what seems so simple, make it extraordinary.
What seems frivolous and fun, bring purpose and intention.
For the one who is doubting if they should be here, confirm that they should be.
For the one who has done this far too many times, make it fresh.
For the one who is just looking for a friend and the one looking to be a friend, collide.
For the divine appointments, the moments of joy, the moments of perspective, the GOD MOMENTS… may you simply be God.

You are here.
Amen.

Chosen Generation

2011-07-13T20:43:00.002-04:00

1st session. Singing, "We are a chosen generation. Rise up holy nation. God we live for you." BOO. YA.

A Quick Update: We Are Here

2011-07-13T16:35:00.000-04:00

We have arrived at Beulah Beach Camp. We're pretty sure we didn't lose anyone along the way!
In all seriousness, it was a great trip. New friendships are already being formed. Supper is in 90 minutes, followed by a giant game of capture the Flag with greased up watermelons as the flags.

Tonight's kickoff session starts at 8:00 p.m. Be praying for Geoff as he sets the table for where God wants to take us over the next few days. I truly believe He is ready to do some very special things here.

Beulah Beach Camp

2011-07-13T15:20:00.002-04:00

My view for the next five days.

Good Stuff From Junior High Camp

2011-07-12T10:24:00.000-04:00

I'm hearing great stuff from the Staff at Junior High Camp. It sounds like it's been some great fun, some great times in worship, and a GREAT move of God.

Check out Geoff Cocanower and Chris Lehane's blogs for some more details and pictures. I'm praying that these 4 days of perspective on the mountaintop will translate into growth as our Junior Highers head home today.

A Change in Blogging Focus

2011-07-10T11:55:00.000-04:00

As Moses mentioned, he will be on a bit of a hiatus from the blog.

At the same time, there's plenty more to be blogging about. One thing in particular is our NMC Student Ministries Summer Camp. The Junior High is currently at Beulah Beach for their Summer Camp. From what I'm hearing from Chris Lehane and Geoff Cocanower, they are off to a great start!

Senior High will be leaving on Wednesday. I'll be doing some posts and updating here (as well as on the NMC Student Ministries Parents page) on what's happening and how to pray.

ON A PERSONAL LEVEL
I'm a mix of excited, overwhelmed, and confused as we march toward Wednesday. I have obviously had my attention elsewhere over the past 3 weeks. Much of the work I needed to get done in preparation was completed before departure. I need to put the finishing touches on a few things and prep some messages, but for the most part, I just need to get on my face before God and seek direction from Him on what He wants to accomplish.

Janelle and the kids will be joining me for the last part of Camp.

More to come...

A Note From Moses

2011-07-09T12:31:00.003-04:00

Hello everybody.

You know, after two weeks with my Mama and Daddy, I've substantially progressed. I felt in appropriate for me to take a moment of your time to write a quick update on everything from my perspective.

I spent the night in my new home last night, and I'm very excited to get acclimated to my new life. As I do this, I just wanted to make sure you all are aware of a few things.

It's time for me to lay low on the blog for a while. Daddy wanted to make sure those back home got to know me a little bit and were sure to lift us up in prayer while we were in Uganda. He and I had a little talk this morning, and we decided my life doesn't need to be on display for everyone to see every little detail. Daddy will probably post some pics of me and updates every once in while. He'll definitely be blogging about other topics (NMC's Summer Camps, for instance), so feel free to stop by and see what he has to say about that stuff.
I'm excited to meet you, but please give me some time. Mama was telling me there are to be a lot of people that look and talk like her, Sissy and Daddy who are saying they can't wait to meet me. I'm excited to meet you, but I would really appreciate it if you gave me a little time to get acclimated to all these new sights, sounds, smells (I saw a horse on the road... they don't even do that in Uganda). I guess there are some other key family members and friends my parents want me to meet first. If you see me with my Mama or Daddy at church (and it may be a couple weeks before that happens), it may be best to keep from crowding around me. Don't worry, I'm going to be around for a while now. I'll come around in a few weeks
Please keep praying for me, as well as my family. I really think I like my new bed, my new toys, my new town, my new home, and my new family. But, it's just a lot of new. I'm kind of confused by it all. On top of that, in the next few weeks, I'll be traveling to two different Summer Camps Daddy will be speaking at. I have to go visit some doctors to check on my health.

Thank you for praying for me and supporting my Mama, Daddy, Sissy, and Gran Gran as they came to get me.

With Love,

Moses Andrew Prenkert

Heading Home

2011-07-08T16:17:00.002-04:00

We are on our way home from Detroit airport. After a lengthy but fairly pain free immigration interview. Moses met his Nani and Bubby.

Thank Yous

2011-07-08T07:09:00.004-04:00

"It takes a village to raise a child."
-African Proverb

No, this is not a quote by Hilary Clinton. It is an African proverb she wrote a book from. The quote is actually quite profound and true. In my role as a youth pastor, I've seen what can happen when an entire community (family, church, school officials, neighbors) can come around students and get hands on in their lives.

"It's takes a village to adopt a child."

-Derry & Janelle's Proverb

There have been so many people that have been key in making the journey to Moses Andrew Prenkert joining are family that I couldn't name them all. But, we want to try anyway by highlighting a few by name or by group or category.

Our Parents and extended families: Thank you for unashamedly welcoming this little guy as your grandson, nephew or cousin. Thank you for standing with us through this whole process. Specific thanks to Jeanette, my mom, for journeying with us and making the time here much more kid focused than dish, laundry and cleaning focused.
NMC Student Ministries Staff (Chris, Geoff, Kristy, Megan, Jessica, Anna, and the SOAR Interns): Thanks for your continued flexibility through all the uncertain travel times. Thanks for picking up what I could not carry over this time. Thank you that you have been more than simply co-workers in this process. You have been co-laborers, feeling the pain and holding my arms up in prayer, laughter, and encouragement through it all.
Our closest friends: Who allowed us to take the mask off at times and speak openly and honestly. For your encouraging texts, your prayers, your excitement & anticipation over the whole process. I would name you, but I think you know who you are, and I wouldn't want to leave any out.
NMC Student Ministries: For taking up a challenge to address Kids In Need worldwide, and forcing Janelle and I to practice what we preach.
NMC Staff and Leaders: For stirring our heart for the nations and for orphans. For allowing me the flexibility to travel and be completely a part of this process.
NMC Family: For your continued prayers, encouragement and support through the whole process.
HOLT International: For all your help in getting us connected to Moses. For making the process as smooth, legal and clear as possible.
AFC Uganda & the QE Care Center: For finding Moses and caring for him until we could. He will forever carry your investment forward!
HOLT Uganda Group: Only you know exactly what we have been walking through. You have been a source of insight, encouragement, a fantastic venting spot, and we look forward to seeing your kids grow in their forever family as ours does as well.
Lifesong for Orphans: For your incredible matching grant.
Show Hope: For your gracious grant.
Prayer Warriors: To go through and name you all specifically would be very, very hard. It will be very exciting to recount the ways your "gap standing" opened and closed doors, guided paperwork, and fought off the enemies schemes.
Anyone who bought a T-shirt, Cards, Wallet, or Auction Item: Your funds were key for bringing him home.
Anyone who gave me a coke cap, 12 or 24 pack code: Again, you help get the funds to bring Moses home.
Those who gave freely: So many financial gifts we never sought, but God brought through you. We don't name you because we would hate to take away from your heavenly reward that is coming!
Candy and Emily: For allowing us to see the joy of adoption, and confirming in us that God has a different plan than normal for building our family.
Katylynn: For being the voice of God more times than once in some of our darkest times.
Hands, Mouths, ears, and shoulders: Hands that wrote encouraging words. Mouths that encouraged, prayed and challenged in appropriate times. Ears that listened. Shoulders that let us cry when needed.
Jesus Christ: In him we live and move and have our being. For calling us toward the least of these, and the promise that every time I look into my son's face, there's a little glimpse of You (Matthew 25:40; Matthew 18:5)

We say Thank you and God Bless to the "village" who has moved this family from 3 to 4, and we look forward to stewarding the precious soul that God has entrusted us with!

With Love and Appreciation,

Derry and Janelle

I Know He's an On-time God, but This is Ridiculous!

2011-07-07T10:35:00.000-04:00

We were supposed to get a call at 3.
At 3:10 we started calling around to everyone we needed.
At 3:30 we were in utter confusion. At risk of no Visa and not going to be able to change our tickets.

I posted on Facebook and Twitter:

I cannot begin to describe the spiritual attack that is happening right now. Pray against confusion, chaos. Pray for a car. Pray for a call.

You all must have started praying!

At 3:45, a car and driver loaned to us by another person at the apartment.
At 4:00 p.m., a call from the Embassy while stuck in traffic... "Your Visa is printing now."
I hop on a boda boda (motorcycle taxi) and head to the Airline office to get Moses ticket printed.
Janelle stays in the car heading to the Embassy.
Janelle gets to the Embassy at 4:30 (15 minutes before close) and picks up Visa.
After a credit card rejection, a broken ticket printer, and an amazingly kind KLM and Kenya Airways agents assistance, I get Moses' airline tickets 5 minutes before office close.

WE ARE ALL HEADING TO THE AIRPORT IN ONE HOUR!

Thank you to all who are praying. God hears and answers prayer. He fights for us.

Pray for our travel home. Some specifics:

Immigration from Uganda. Lot's of paperwork to be shown and cleared.
Smooth flights and connections.
Rest for the kids during the flights.
Immigration & Customs in the U.S. We've been asked to leave 2 hrs after arrival for an interview at immigration.

Lord willing, we land in Detroit at 12:50 and will be home in Nappanee Friday evening!

Update from our Embassy Interview: So Far, So Good

2011-07-06T10:22:00.000-04:00

We returned from the Embassy about 30 minutes ago.

Everything was in place and our Visa request was accepted!

This means that we will have his Visa no later than Friday. They are aware that it would be very helpful to us if we can get the Visa by 3:00 p.m. tomorrow (8:00 a.m. back home) so we can get on our Thursday evening flight. They couldn't promise this could happen as paperwork has to be submitted and run through (a lot of computer processing that can't be sped up).

If the Visa is not available in time, we have decided that Katylynn, my mom, and myself will still return Thursday evening. We will move Janelle and Moses' tickets to Friday evening (as of yesterday, it will cost us $1500 to do a ticket transfer for just one ticket). Katylynn, mom and I would stay in Detroit Friday Night and all come back home Saturday once Janelle and Moses lands. This is not ideal, but we're confident this is the wisest path. It would be very hard for Mom to go alone with Katylynn, and if I were to travel alone with Moses, there would be significantly more hesitation by airport security and customs to have a male traveling with a foreign child.

Please continue to pray that the paragraph I just wrote will be a moot point.

It would be much better emotionally, financially, and familialy (just made up a word) if we were all on a plane tomorrow night.

God's favor has very clearly been on us today (from our emotions, to Moses' spirit during the interview, to having a very smooth interview).

The great news for now is we will all be home by this weekend, and this little guy will take his first steps on U.S. soil!

We're heading out for a feast of a celebration!!!

Praising God and continuing to trust Him,

Derry and Janelle

A Little Twist to the Day

2011-07-05T14:46:00.000-04:00

Late last night, or early this morning Kristy Mikel and Amanda Yoder arrived on a bus ride from Kenya to spend a couple of days with us. For those not in the know, Kristy is spending a year and Amanda 2 months in Kenya at the AGC Baby Center. Amanda graduated from our youth group last year and Kristy, well the ties to our family are many:

She graduated from NMC.
She worked as my administrative assistant at NMC for 8 years.
She is one of Janelle's best friends.
She is also one of Katylynn's best friends.

Katylynn didn't know that she was going to get to see "Twisty" (as she calls her) until Sunday night. As she woke up this morning, she ran out to the couch where Twist was sleeping and gave her a great big hug and a kiss.

As I posted in our Call to Prayer, Katylynn has been extremely homesick. Emotional meltdowns have been a multiple-times-a-day occurance. Today was night and day difference. Both Kristy and Amanda have been able to play with her, read to her, hold her, and simply brighten up her day.

They have also been a huge breath of fresh air to Janelle, Mom and I. There's just something nice about having familiar faces around.

Our day consisted of...

A beef and noodles and mashed potatos lunch extravaganza a specialty we packed from home just for the Kenya gals... but I must way we also enjoyed it thoroughly.
Souvenir shopping at the national theater. We got a lot of very cool things including a purple outfit and a purple bottle cap purse for Katylynn.

A visit to the KLM office by me. We reserved a seat for Moses (on Janelle's lap). I also walked through the various scenarios we may be running into if our Visa is delayed. As the lady behind the counter pulled up the screen to see the current cost difference if we are to have to change tickets, she did some typing, then looked up at me and said, "I really hope that you don't have to change." Let's just say the ticket costs have gone up significantly over the weekend! All the more need for prayer.
Lots and lots of laughs and cuddling from Moses. The little guy is really getting comfortable with us. He is calling us all by name... Mama for Janelle, dah-dee for me, Diddy for Katylynn, Gamaw for my mom.

We ate supper at the most Mzungu (African word for white people) place we can find, The Spur Steakhouse.
Twisty reading to Katylynn for bedtime.

Tomorrow is the big day for the Visa Interview. We are getting picked up from our apartment at 1 p.m. (6 a.m. Indiana) for our 2 p.m. appointment. It's crazy to think we could be 48 hours from boarding an airplane to head home. It's unnerving to think we really don't know what will happen.
We are anxious & uncertain, but also knowing we have an awesome God who has blessed us with an awesome family and some awesome support people back home.

A Call to Prayer

2011-07-05T04:53:00.000-04:00

A 24 hour window for prayer.

Our Visa Interview is set for Wednesday, July 6 at 2:00 p.m.
There is an adoption investigation by the US Embassy that has to happen for our Visa to be processed (when there last Wednesday, the investigation was not done.)
There is a Visa Medical exam that has to be submitted for us to be able to go (when there last Wednesday, it had not been submitted).
IF all goes well, they are telling us we need to leave 48 hours for the Visa to be issued. That is IF all goes well. Visas have been issued as quickly as the same day as the interview.
We have return tickets purchased for Thursday, July 7, returning to Detroit July 8.If you know your math, Wednesday 2:00 p.m. + 48 hours does not add up for us to board our plane Thursday night.
If we have to reschedule our tickets we are looking at a $350-$1000 per ticket charge (when I checked on a one day switch, it was $450 increase).
Katylynn is very homesick. She is a trooper. She understands we cannot go home till it’s okay to bring Moses with us, but it’s getting tougher and tougher.
Junior High Summer Camp leaves the day after we are set to return.
Senior High Summer Camp leaves July 13. I’m supposed to go.
July 13 is Moses’ 2nd birthday. If we can’t travel by then, we will have to purchase a ticket for him as well.
God is our refuge and strength, but we are emotionally thin.

So, there’s a bunch of what’s going down.

Here’s the Bottom Line…

We have about a 24 hour window that is crucial for this process from Wednesday, July 6 at 2:00 p.m. (7:00 a.m. back home) to Thursday, July 7 at approx. 2:00 p.m. (7:00 a.m. back home) where we need a successful Visa interview and an actual Visa issued.

We are asking if there would be an army of prayer warriors who would commit to fast and pray on our behalf over this period of time (7:00 a.m. Wednesday to 7:00 a.m. Thursday).

Our God is Greater,
Derry and Janelle

Pictures from our Safari Time

2011-07-05T03:02:00.000-04:00

Sick Before Better

2011-07-01T06:52:00.000-04:00

Woke up this morning to our little guy tossing up his breakfast and then some. Pretty helpless feeling. Doctor told us to expect this over the 48 hours after seeing him. It's actually a good thing. He has to get a little worse before he gets better. He's napping soundly right now.

There is a good chance we will be able to go on our Safari tomorrow through Monday. Aside from the very awesome opportunity, this would be a great chance to get out of the apartment and the city. Our apartment is nice, but outside of a very small balcony, there is no outside area for the kids to roam around. To get anywhere from our apartment, we have to take a taxi. It can make you a little stir-crazy at times.

Please be praying for Moses' health. Pray for Katylynn's too. She's had a little stomach trouble, but nothing that has slowed her down.

It Was Bound to Happen Sometime

2011-06-30T14:56:00.000-04:00

Today was pretty low key, but encouraging. Outside of some potty struggles, the fever was not present and he was very sweet and jovial. We were also contacted twice, once from our main contact here and once from the Embassy, and both gave us optimistic reports concerning the potential for our interview going well on Wednesday.

We took a walk in the a.m. then after lunch headed over to the Country Club we have access to through our apartments. There is a playground area there were Katylynn and Moses had a blast. We also went swimming, and again both kids loved it.

It was while we were in the playground that it happened. I knew it would happen sometime. He was a 7 year old boy named Stallone (yup, that was his first name). He was a sweet little guy who was quick to introduce himself to me and ask me my kids name. After introducing Katylynn and Moses, he looked at Moses, then to me, then to Katylynn, back to Moses, then to me.

"Why is he brown and you are all white?"

I started to explain that we were adopting him, but he interrupted, "Is his mother brown?"
I started to explain again. He interrupted again, "Did you change his color?"

I took a different slant. I explained that his mom and dad who had him were not around anymore, and we were going to be his mom and dad now. He seemed to understand. I looked at his mom and shrugged. She said, "Very good lesson for my boy. Thank you, and God bless you for what you've done!"

Many have asked us if we have thought through the "race issue" as we adopt. The answer is yes, we have thought about it a lot, and we don't know what lies ahead, but it's worth any insult or obstacle we may face.

Some have called us "color blind". We are not color blind. We are quite aware of the amazing colors God has created on this earth. We just happen to love all those colors and would love to see them present in our family.

The fact is that the question, "Why is he brown and you all are white?" has likely been asked multiple times already, but just not to our faces. I'm sure it will be asked again. I doubt every time the response will be, "God bless you for what you've done!"

To say we don't care would be incorrect. I think we care deeply.

I think the correct thing to say is that we refuse to let skin tone deter us from seeking to live out God's call to look after his children.

To Our Aarons and Hurs

2011-06-30T05:19:00.002-04:00

I sent an email out to several of my teammates at NMC updating them on our situation. In that email, I asked for continued prayer and included this line:
"We need some Aaron and Hur's to lift our arms right now in battle"

Here's the story in reference to that line:

Exodus 17:
8 The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. 9 Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.”
10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

Last night upon hearing our news from yesterday, we received two different messages (from people who did not receive my email mentioned above) referencing their intent to be our Aaron Hur.

I can't tell you how encouraging the simple phrase "I'm praying" or "we are praying" has been to us. To know we are arms are being lifted up through those who are praying for us allows us great confidence in the fact that we are in a position where our steps will be guided by God.

To our Aarons and Hurs out there. Thank you. We deeply need, value and appreciate you!

Another Story

2011-06-29T17:01:00.000-04:00

In the midst of the chaos of today, Katylynn was such a trooper. While we were sitting in the Doctor's Office, Katylynn said to Janelle, "Mama, I want to go back to the Unison States" (here name for the U.S... it's too cute right now for us to correct).

Janelle asked her if she wanted Moses to come back with us. She said she did. Janelle explained that if we want that to happen, we are going to have to stay some more days. But she also asked Katylynn why she wanted to go back. Her response (not word for word, but pretty close),

"Because I have so many more toys at home in the Unison States. The boys and girls here don't have many toys. You know Mama, I think we should go home to the Unison States and get some of our toys and bring them back here to the boys and girls who don't have many toys."

In an already emotional day, tears filled my eyes. Tears of pride, for a little gal that God is building compassion inside.

A Tough Day

2011-06-29T16:40:00.002-04:00

Today started with promise and anticipation. It has ended quite differently.

Our Visa Appointment at the Embassy was set for 2:00 p.m. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we arrived at the Embassy was 2:30. It looked very much like weren’t going to see us because of our tardiness, but with some major apologies and the look of shock on Janelle’s face, the assistant we were working with asked us to wait and see what she could do.
So we waited. Moses was super fussy and seemed pretty overheated while we waited. After about 20 minutes, we were called back in.

It was not good news.

There were two important pieces of paperwork that had not arrived yet for our interview to take place.
There would be no way we could do our interview today.
Visa interviews only happen on Mondays and Wednesdays.
July 4, Monday is a holiday.
The earliest we can come in again for the interview is next Wednesday.
If all goes well then, it will take up to 48 hours for our Visa to be issued.
Our Flight is set to leave next Thursday Night.
The math doesn’t add up.
Oh, and as a little added bonus… one of those pieces of paperwork has a chance to not be ready even next week.

As we explained to this amazing assistant (seriously, she was so helpful and gracious) our situation with the timing, she took some steps to see if she could potentially speed up the process to make it more likely the Visa would be issued by next Thursday. No promises, though.

We walked out of the Embassy deflated and defeated. We drove over to the location where one of the missing pieces of paperwork was coming from. We were profusely apologized to and assured it would be sent expeditiously.

As we drove back to the Apartment to break the news to mom and Katylynn, our host here affirmed us to not be discouraged. The Visa can be turned around. We were struggling, but holding on to hope.

Moses had slept in my arms for much of the drive back to the apartment. He was burning up in my arms. We got into the apartment and I broke the news to Mom & Katylynn while Janelle took Moses’ temperature.

102.1

We called our host back, and he was showing enough other symptoms that she decided it be best to take him to a Doctor. After 3 hours of tests, examination, and tears (man that kid can cry) we were informed of multiple issues that were coming into play that needed addressing. For the next 48 hours, that little guy is going to not be feeling well as he takes the necessary medicine.

We were planning on going on a 3 day safari to Queen Elizabeth Park tomorrow. The Doctor said we should not do this with how Moses is feeling. This was our big surprise for Katylynn (fortunately we hadn’t told her about it).

And Strike Three. We’re out.

As we sat in the Doctor’s Office, I stared at Janelle and she back at me completely dumfounded. What just happened? I had mentioned in a previous post that everything was going so smoothly that I could see the Enemy throwing a wrench into things, but this was an entire Stanley Tool Shop.

To be completely honest, I haven’t had a more heart-breaking, frustrating, emotional roller coaster of a day since the day my dad died.

So, what now? Well, as some who I've already been in contact with have reminded me...

1 Thesalonians 5:24
The one who calls you is faithful, and HE will do it.

2 Corinthians 4:15-17
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Ephesians 6:12-13
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

We're going to continue to stand. We are grateful for those who have been standing with us. Right now we need you to continue to stand.

Pray:

That both reports will make it to the Embassy asap.
That Moses' will sleep well and that his little body will heal up quickly.
That something miraculous might happen over the next couple of days, and we may see unexpected progress before the weekend.
That Katylynn will stay healthy. She has been a feeding post for mosquitos. They are not bothering her, but when she gets bitten they turn into massive bumps. Also pray for her emotionally. She's having to adjust to having a little brother enter as a toddler as well as deal with Culture Shock. She's doing so well.
That we will keep our eyes on Jesus above all else.

Today started with promise and anticipation. It has ended quite differently.
It has ended with uncertainty.

It also ends with
FAITH in the One who has brought us to this point.
HOPE that the miraculous may take place, and
LOVE for a little boy who is, at the end of the day, still our son!

2 p.m./ 7 a.m. MUCH PRAYER, MUCH POWER NEEDED!

2011-06-28T13:52:00.000-04:00

We would love a little prayer at 7 a.m. EST tomorrow (2 p.m. Uganda). That's our appointment time with the Embassy. Everything seems in order, and it has been a super-smooth process so far, and judging by those who have gone before us, this should be the easiest part. Yet, I can't help but think the Enemy would love to throw a wrench in the whole process right at the end. We would love a huge covering over us as we head in.

Pray that:

all paperwork will be in order and present.
our nerves will be calm, our hearts speak, and we will shine the light of Christ.
those interviewing us will have a peaceful, and light-stress work day leading into our interview.
Moses will be in a great and sweet mood for the trip.
Mom and Katylynn will have an enjoyable time
we will have an okayed Visa by 7:30 a.m. EST (the process should only last 30 minutes).

Moses' first stroller ride. HE LOVES IT!

A Collection of Thoughts from Uganda

2011-06-28T09:41:00.000-04:00

It's been a week since we left the U.S. Lot's has changed.
I think I'm going to nickname my son "Duke." I've never seen so much poop come out of a kid.
My mom has been a huge blessing on this trip. She has helped us with Katylynn in times where we need to focus in on Moses, she's helped with food and dishes, and it's just been awesome to have her be able to bond with her grandson.
There are fewer better things known to mankind than taking a nap next to your kids.
One thing that may be better is watching Janelle be a mom. She's the bomb as a mom (yup, I really just wrote that).
There have been so many people who have made this experience possible. At some point, there's a long post coming concerning that.
Moses is a little sponge. He's always watching and mimicking. Today, I sat and said word after word which he in turn repeated. This afternoon, he tried to put his seatbelt on after watching us do this several times.
Speaking of seat belts, there are no car seats here. It's not going to be fun to retrain Katylynn and to get Moses acclimated to a car seat for the first time.
Strollers too. No strollers. However, I took the two for a test walk on our sit and stand, and Moses loved it. The whole time he was making motor noises.
It's still a little surreal to be honest. We know we've got him. We're loving every minute of it, but we're anxious to get tomorrow's Visa Interview done. From there, it's smooth sailing.

Amazing Day of Meetings

2011-06-27T09:56:00.000-04:00

Before I get into this post, I want you to know that we will not be sharing a ton of the details concerning Moses' back story. We feel it is best to allow that to be a story that Moses can determine how he'd like it shared in public forums.

We visited some amazing people today who without their intersection into Moses' story, he would not be taking a nap in the room next to me. We met the community chairman and the police officer who found Moses and connected him to the organization that took Moses into their care. We also were able to visit the area where Moses was orphaned. As we toured and heard more details outlining the conditions and situation that led us for him to come under our care, we realized that he has been saved from what would have likely been a life of hell (one of our earliest prayers for the child God would lead us to).

We then went on to meet an amazing family who took Moses under foster care for 6 months. When there were some developmental struggles appearing in Moses, he went to stay with this family who cared for him and loved him dearly. From the moment we arrived till the moment we left, they were ecstatic and appreciative to see Moses again as well as meet us. They were incredibly gracious people and they could not stop showering us with hospitality and appreciation. This family will continue to be a special family to us as we move forward in life.

On another note, a little moment that again made me so happy to have Katylynn in Uganda at such a young age. We were walking through the community where Moses was found when Katylynn pointed to a mud looking thatch and said, "Daddy, that's where the chickens live."

For a moment, I wanted to pretend like that was true and agree with her. I decided to see if we could make it a teachable moment and told her, "Honey, that is not where chickens live. That is where people leave. It's someone's home." She was confused but as we continued to talk she began to understand that there is a different world out there from the one she is growing up in. I asked her what she thought about the home and she said, "It's sad."

Just a nice little moment of perspective.

It's almost time for Supper. Thanks for praying all.

IMPACT and GO teams

2011-06-27T03:47:00.002-04:00

Today there are two teams from NMC Senior High heading out to allow God to stretch and use them. I am excited for the journey ahead for them. You can follow what's happening with each team...

IMPACT Dominican - www.korylantz.blogspot.com

ChicaGO SEMP Team - www.gotrips.blogspot.com

Last night before going to bed, I passed this email on to our leaders to share with our teams:

Dear IMPACT and GO Teams,

It's Sunday Night here in Uganda... Sunday afternoon back in what Katylynn has now officially called the "Unison States." As my two kids (wow, that' fun to write) are fat asleep and I get ready for bed here, my heart and mind has been very focused on you all. I don't know how to say this any other way,
I have been very burdened to pray that God would wreck every one of your lives in the days to come. Yup, that's right, I want to see Jesus ruin your lives.

To explain a little further, my prayer is that through your time you would see that any other path but passionately following after Jesus would be pointless, and useless. I'm praying that you will be so wrecked and ruined toward any other thing than serving our Savior, that you will surrender yourself to
His Will and submit to His Ways.

May you be challenged in ways you have never been challenged.
May you be stretched in ways you have never been stretched.
May you experience the move of the Holy Spirit in ways you've never experienced.
May you practice bold obedience in ways you have never practiced.
May you see your life IN HIM in ways you've never seen.
May you be wrecked and ruined for everything else but serving Jesus!

Matthew 16:
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

Tomorrow you begin a journey that has the potential to change your life, the lives of your teammates, and the lives of those you come in contact with. Know that there is a family halfway around the world who is seeking to pray for you regularly.

You are Loved,
Derry

Our Sabbath: I Lost It

2011-06-26T15:41:00.005-04:00

We were all a little slow getting up this morning. Our taxi was here at 9:15 to take us to church. Watoto Church is fairly famous worldwide. Chris Tomlin featured their Children's Choir on the Hello Love Album. A few things that struck me about this church:

We got there 30 minutes early for the 10 a.m. service (they have Saturday night, then 8, 10, 12, and 2 on Sunday). There were a swarm of people lining up outside waiting to get in. Those in the current service exit to one side, then those heading into the next service file from the other side.
They are a church with eight sites in Uganda and one in Capetown, South Africa.
The service was very African, but in English (Kampala speaks mainly English). They have also been clearly influenced by the Passion and Hillsong Worship Movement.
It was very Connection-esque (our Video venue at NMC) in it's worship style.
We were sitting in the 3rd row. As I looked behind me, every seat was filled.

There was a Children's Ministry available, but because we didn't want to freak Katylynn out, and we're working on the bonding deal with Moses, the kids joined us. They did great (we only had to take each one out once). Katylynn loved the music. So did I.

Janelle handed Moses over to me after her arm was falling asleep. We started singing the song "Mighty to Save." As I began to process the lyrics and think through all that was happening in that moment, I lost it.

I serve a Savior who is the hope of Nations. As I stood in a church that was started in 1983, at the time when the country was war torn and many would be running, I realized how true the statement is. As I worshiped alongside my Ugandan brothers and sisters in Christ, many with needs very different than mine, I was reminded at the heart of it all, our greatest need is for a Savior. He is all our hope.

My Savior Can Move Mountains: There have been a lot of mountains in this process. Whether financial, emotional, political, or mental... there have been no hurdles to big for my God to overcome. It was at this point the tears really started to well up.

My God is Mighty to Save: I always look at this line through the salvation experienced by death and resurrection of Jesus on the cross. Although the song clearly seems to point toward what you may call "spiritual" salvation, our God is not limited to simply that. My God saved my little boy from dying when he was abandoned. He saved him from a life on the streets as an orphan. He saved him from a life spent in an institution. He saved him so they he could become a part of our family. At this point, I was gone.

Fortunately, I was sweating a lot, so I could simply wipe my forehead and then make a sweep of the eyes so as to not let too many know what a wreck I had become. Yet, every tear was filled with deep appreciation for the reality that MY GOD IS MIGHTY TO SAVE!

The rest of the day included lunch, some grocery shopping (this kid likes to eat), a couple of good naps, and Moses' first exposure to the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Katylynn loved explaining each character to Moses. Moses sang along to the songs and had a huge smile on his face!

Katylynn has been amazing! She has been key in helping warm Moses up. He clearly loves her, and she loves her baby brother back. They have laughed together a lot, and already had a couple of good disagreements!

Some key ways to be praying:

Janelle/Moses fun bonding. Janelle was the first of us that he found comfort in, and we're thinking that he gets somber when he is in her arms or near her. I think we all know Janelle is not a very somber mommy, so just pray for lots of giggles and fun times together.
Visa Interview. It doesn't happen till Wednesday, but it's key that it works on Wednesday. One little misprint, a missing document, or some missed step could cause for delay. Everything seems to be in perfect order, but the adoption law and process in Uganda is an ever-evolving deal.
Key Visits tomorrow. Tomorrow we visit the place where Moses was found as well as the home of a lady who took him into foster care for a few months during a time where he was not developing well. These are huge parts of his story that we want to capture and understand so we can share with him years from now.

One Less

2011-06-25T14:48:00.000-04:00

This song has been resonating with me since I first heard Matthew West perform it live last October. Remove "girl" from the lyrics, and it's my story:

There's one less broken heart in the world tonight, and here is what his smile looks like:

Saturday Pics

2011-06-25T09:02:00.000-04:00

Our day has been pretty relaxing. We went swimming and had lunch at a Country Club that our apartment grants us access to. Moses and Katylynn are playing "ball" with Grandma right now. He's talking and laughing a lot; clearly getting more and more comfortable around us. His countenance has changed. I really think he gets that he has a family. He calls me "dada" and Janelle "mama" every once in a while. It's still mind-boggling to think that we are all together.

Praying For Our Adoption: The Weekend

2011-06-24T10:33:00.000-04:00

Some simple ways to pray:

Rest: We're all very tired. Pray especially for Katylynn that she would get adjusted in time.
Moses Adjustment: The changes for him are drastic. Pray that he will know and see love from his new family, and that will surpass all other things lost.
Family Time: We're moving from a 1 to 2 kid family. Grandma is a huge blessing to have along. Pray we will simply bond together.
Health: We are all feeling well. Pray it will stay the same.
Culture: While here, we have an opportunity to become more aware of the country and culture Moses is coming from. Pray God will give us insight into this world.

Some Pics from Today

2011-06-24T10:12:00.000-04:00

The Probation Officer who worked our case.

Katylynn thought it was really important that Moses get a Mickey doll since she had a Minnie doll. She gave it to him this morning. He loves it.

At lunch. We went to the Food Court where we ate with Moses the last time we were here. He clearly remembered our previous time together. The minute he sat down, he started tapping his hand on the table and looking at Janelle and I. When we were there the time before, we played for a long time a mimicking game where I'd tap the table and then he would as well.

Our little guy.

Katylynn was such a great gal today, we gave her a little playground time at the play place.

I Think People Are Praying

2011-06-24T09:49:00.000-04:00

In my prayer post yesterday, I outlined 4 key aspects with our trip and asked that people would pray through this bullet list:

Embassy Appointment
Visa Medical
Various Key Contact/ Landmark Visits
Embassy Interview

I also mentioned that, if everything goes smoothly, we may be able to get the entire process done by next Friday. Well, I think there are people praying.

Embassy Appointment - Katylynn was awake from 12:30-3:30 a.m. last night. I don't think her little body has made the time adjustment. This made our 6:45 wake up time extra rough. I think I've maybe slept 11 hours total over the last 3 nights, and Janelle maybe has a few more she was able to get on the plane ride. Needless to say, we were pretty loopy as we headed in to our 8:00 a.m. appointment. This led to me carrying a cell phone and my insulin pen to the Embassy (which aren't allowed). It wasn't too much trouble. I just had to turn them in until we were done. My exhaustion also led to me leaving a couple of key documents in our vehicle that we were supposed to have with us. Again, not a huge issue. I just had to run outside and grab the papers.
We received the permission for the Visa Medical and our files were reviewed. Everything looked to be in order. Dorah stayed behind and talked through next steps. When she came out, she told us she had good news. Our Visa Interview is set for Wednesday! We were thinking Friday would be great news.

Visa Medical: There was one trick with our Visa Interview. The Visa Medical exam has to be completed in time. There is a TB test that must be included for this to happen. The TB test takes 3 days to read, and our medical appointment was set for Monday. This meant the test would not be completed in time for the appointment. Dorah said we would go by the Doctor and plead for them to see us today. She said it would need a miracle and we need to pray. Dorah worked her magic, and God worked his even more. The receptionist for the Doctor was incredibly helpful and set the appointment up for today.

Key Contacts/Appointments: From there, we went back to the apartment to pick up my mom, Katylynn, and Moses (it was just Janelle, Dorah and I up to this point). We met the Probation Officer who was assigned to Moses' case. She is the government worker who was the one who reviewed our files, Moses' files, and determined if we would be recommended for custody of Moses. She was a fantastic lady. It was also a great moment to be reminded of God's meticulous providence (shout out to Pastor Dave Engbrecht on that phrase). To think of the many people and many specific things that needed to fall into place in order for us to be matched with Moses is beyond mind-boggling.

Back to Visa Medical: We then went in for Moses' appointment. The Doctor was actually a little late to see us and was incredibly apologetic. We were quick to let her know there was no need to apologize in that she was willing to make adjustments to see us. The Doctor was an amazingly kind lady. She was very sweet to Katylynn as well as Moses. The checkup went great. As she reviewed our files, she let us know that because Moses was under age 2, no TB test was necesarry. After our 10 minute appointment, she let us know everything was fine. The paperwork would be sent to the Embassy by tomorrow!

Visa Interview: We're set to go on Wednesday. Everything is in order. If the interview goes well, it will take a couple of days to get the Visa documents (hopefully before the 4th).

Just to be clear, this type of stuff doesn't happen. Delays are the name of the game in international adoption (just read back on my blog posts over the past two years).

This weekend will be spent as a family. Tomorrow we will be heading to a Country Club (included with the apartment) for some pool and play time. Sunday, we will go to church at Watoto. More bonding time on the way!

Praying for Our Adoption: The Layout

2011-06-23T15:10:00.000-04:00

We still have two weeks till we arrive back home, and there is a lot that needs to happen. Things look to be in decent order, but we have several key appointments and steps that need to take place between now and heading home.

Embassy Appointment – Tomorrow we go to the Embassy to talk through our process to this point, get a key document for the Visa Medical appointment (read below) and set up our visa interview time.
Visa Medical – We hope to go to the Doctor on Monday to run a physical and necessary tests to get him permission to travel to the U.S. One test is a TB test which can’t be read for 72 hours.
Various Key Contact/ Landmark Visits – This does not have to happen in order for us to get home, but we plan to meet with several people who factor into the story of Moses, and visit the area where he was found and taken into the care of those at the Care Center.
Embassy Interview – This is the biggie… the final step to gaining permission to travel home.

If all goes totally smooth, the entire process could be done by next Friday. We are praying for that, but we also know that things rarely go “totally smooth.” As you can see, the Embassy Appointment, Visa Medical and Embassy Interview all build off each other. If a wrench gets thrown in early on, it makes for delays on all fronts. Fortunately we have a few extra days built in to account for that, BUT we also have some very exciting plans if all goes smoothly.

Join us in praying as we seek to bond as a family and do our due diligence to finish up this process. Pray through that bullet list above. We'll let you know how to pray as time goes along as well.

A Little Rundown of our Day

2011-06-23T15:09:00.001-04:00

It’ 9:10 p.m. here as I type this. It’s 2:10 p.m. back home. My daughter is sleeping in the room she is sharing with her Grandma. My son is sleeping in the room that he is sharing with Janelle and I.

Yup, that last sentence really just happened. Our son, Moses Andrew Prenkert is in our custody.

For traveling with a 3 year old, our flights went really well getting here. Katylynn slept for at least half of 2 out of the 3 flights. On our second leg (Amsterdam to Nairobi) the KLM staff loved her. We got in to Uganda at 11:00 p.m. last night and somehow fit all our luggage into the car.

Our main coordinator here, Dorah, then informed us that our first two choices for housing had no availability, and our third choice was going to be $50 more per night than originally planned. She had arranged another option and we decided to go for that. It’s a nice little 2 bedroom apartment with open main room. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have a pool like the others did. Fortunately, we get free passes to a country club that has a fantastic pool, play area, workout machines, hot tubs and saunas.

We crashed then had to get going very early to breakfast (about a 5 minute walk from our apartment). We were then picked up by Dorah and headed to the Action For Children Headquarters for Orientation and laying out the agenda for our remaining 2 weeks (hopefully) here. It was there we were informed that the plan was for Moses to come and be with us today! From there, we hopped in the vehicle and made the trek to Moses’ home for the past year and 10 months.

Katylynn and mom were both a hit at the Care Center. The kids were incredibly intrigued by Katylynn’s pale skin and light hair. They also found about everything she said to be absolutely hilarious. Mom was a hit, I think, because those her age are a rarity in Uganda… and I’m not saying my mom is ancient. A Civil War, AIDS epidemic, and Malaria will do that to a country.

We had a great time with the staff and kids at the Care Center. When we got a quiet time together, I let Katylynn know that all the boys and girls we were playing with didn’t have Mommies or Daddies. She struggled to understand this, but when I told her that was why people like us are coming to be mommies and daddies to the kids, I think something clicked (actually I know it clicked, evidenced by the fact she prayed for all the boys and girls that we met, that they would all get mommies and daddies). We have the most precious picture of Katylynn walking hand in hand with a little guy who is actually named Junior.

Grandma and Katylynn kept a decent distance from Moses while at the Care Center, just to make sure he could get reconnected to us and to not freak him out. He cried right when we arrived, but calmed down quickly and was good to go the rest of the time.

It came time for us to leave the Care Center. Tears were not at a shortage, on either parties ends. The staff at the Care Center cried mixed tears of joy and sorrow.

Tears of joy to see “One Less”.
Tears of sorrow to have to say goodbye to one they had loved, cared for, and parented for the past 20+ months.

Our tears were mainly joy. Yet, there is a level of empathy an deep appreciation you have to have for those who have stood in the gap to allow today to happen.

Both kids slept the whole ride back to our apartment. When we arrived, Moses was awake and good to go, but Katylynn had another 1 ½ of sleep. Mom and Janelle took off to do some grocery shopping while I got a little one on one time with my boy. When Katylynn woke up, the two had their first play time together… rolling the ball and coloring. Moses was extremely comfortable with her and really livened up through the afternoon. We started talking back and forth (he in Lugandan and I in English).

Janelle and Mom arrived back after a 45 min. drive to the grocery store and a 5 min. drive back (traffic, T.I.A.). We ate our first supper as a family (Spaghetti) and then the kids zonked out. We’re trying to actually get a little more settled in now.

So, to summarize... in the past 24 hours, Katylynn has spent her first moments in another country, mom met her grandson for the first time, Katylynn met her brother for the first time, we saw Moses for the first time in two months, and at the end of the day, the Prenkert family became in the flesh what we have been emotionally and spiritually for quite some time... a family of 4!

Brother Sister/ First Play Date

2011-06-23T11:32:00.000-04:00

It was too cute not to post immediately!

Meet Prenkert #4

2011-06-23T10:53:00.001-04:00

I am honored to introduce you to Moses Andrew Prenkert.

We arrived in Uganda last night.

We visited the care center this morning.

We took custody this afternoon.

He is sitting on my lap as I type this.

I'll post a lot more details later, but for now, wanted you all to hear the update, know the name, see a face.

Praying for Our Adoption: General Specifics

2011-06-20T20:49:00.000-04:00

As we head into trip 2 to Uganda, here are some ways you can specifically be praying over our trip in general:

Travel: Four of us going. 2 Connections on the way there. Lots of luggage. Customs. Time Change. 3 1/2 year old. We are praying for smooth and event free travel.a
Custody: We will go to visit Junior at the Care Center until the staff at Uganda feels he is comfortable enough to come into our custody. This could take a day or it could take a week. We are praying it will be closer to a day.
The Embassy Appointment: The thing that has to happen some time between June 23 and July 6 is an appointment at the Embassy to get Junior's Visa. We can't set the appointment till we arrive. We are praying for a quick and event free appointment.
Katylynn: A 3 1/2 year old is traveling on 3 planes to get to Africa. She is going to be welcoming a new member to our family. She is going to see poverty and orphans up close. We are praying God will move in her little heart and also guard her little heart.
My Mom: I'm so excited my mom gets to enjoy this experience with us. It's been about 10 years since she traveled out of the country. She's leaving her business for 2 1/2 weeks. My dad's birthday is July 4 while we are gone (my dad died in 2009).
Health: Janelle got sick last time. It wasn't fun. It would be less fun if Katylynn got sick.
Bonding: We get the chance to be a family while in Uganda. We are praying God will quickly and supernaturally place a bond in all our hearts.
Kristy: There is a chance Kristy Mikel will be able to come over and visit us while in Uganda. A few things need to come into place to allow that to happen. We are praying that will happen.

Praying for Our Adoption: A Bit of a Timeline

2011-06-20T07:43:00.002-04:00

First off, this is all so tentative that I hesitate to even write anything about our timeline while in country. The big deal is the appointment with the Embassy. We won't be able to set that up till we arrive.

There is a lot that will be determined once we are there, but here is an extremely rough idead of what lies ahead:
(Uganda is 7 hrs ahead of EST)

Tuesday, June 21: Fly out of Detroit
Wednesday, June 22: Layover in Amsterdam & Nairobi. Land in Uganda 11:30.
Thursday-Friday, June 23-24: Orientation; potentially visit Embassy to set up appointment. Go see Junior. If all goes well, we'll take official custody and he'll come to the hotel with us.
Saturday-Sunday, June 25-26: No adoption business. Spending time together as a new family. Attend Watoto Church.
Monday-Friday, June 27-July 1: Appointment at the Embassy (hopefully). Visits to various landmarks and people connected to Junior and his story. All other Adoption related work.
Saturday-Sunday, July 2-3: Weekend stuff. Spending time as a family. Church service or if adoption business isn't done, go on a Safari.
Monday-Wednesday, July 4-6: If all adoption business is done, go on a Safari. If it isn't, pray like crazy and do everything we can to get it done!
Thursday, July 7: Fly out of Uganda
Friday, July 8: Layover in Amsterdam, arrive back in Detroit

Summer Camp 2011

2011-06-18T00:25:00.000-04:00

I leave for Uganda in 4 days. If all goes well, I'll return one day before our Junior High departs for Beulah Beach Camp. Over the next 4 days, I'll be working like crazy to get a lot of my responsibilities for camp in place. As I've worked on it so far, I'm fairly convinced this is going to be a GREAT year. I believe God has some GREAT things in store for those who will be there. Even more, I believe God has things in store for students when they get home that will be GREATER THAN what happens at camp.

If you are a Junior or Senior High student who hasn't signed up, you still have an opportunity to get registered. The Final Deadline is Sunday, June 26. If interested, download all you need to register by going HERE.

Adoption Update: BOO YA. AWESOMESAUCE.

2011-06-16T14:27:00.002-04:00

Last Friday, we received word that Junior's passport was completed, but had misspellings. This marked us at 6 weeks since returning from trip 1. We had been told we would be home 2-4 weeks, with 6 being a worst case scenario.

On Sunday, I told Janelle that I was at a point where, if we hadn't heard anything by today, I was going to call HOLT and ask if it would be okay for us to simply go to Uganda, begin bonding with Junior, and potentially see if our presence in country could speed the process along. She agreed.

After work yesterday, I told Terry what I was thinking of doing today, and he agreed it was a good idea.

30 minutes after talking to Terry, while in line at Taco Bell, I received a call from HOLT... "In our staff meeting today, we discussed your situation. Although there are things we were wanting to see completed that still aren't, we feel it would be best for you to go ahead and travel to Uganda to begin the bonding process. Also, your presence may help speed the process along."

BOO. YA.

So, calls were made and research was done on flights. When I opened my email to see the best proposed flight dates and times, I saw an email from HOLT with the title "CASE UPDATE". They received word today that Junior's passport has been corrected. His medical checkup is scheduled for Monday. These were the two steps we've been waiting on. So, it all came together, and here we go!

AWESOMESAUCE.

Flying out Tuesday, June 21. (Janelle, my mom, Katylynn and I)

The plan is to be back home Friday, July 8. (J, K, Mom, Me and JUNIOR!)

God is good. He is faithful. His timing is perfect.

Here's an Awesome Dad!

2011-06-08T09:02:00.001-04:00

One goal I have is to consistently have my kids call me a two syllable name. When young, I want to hear "Daddy". When they get into adolescence and the teen years I want to see Dad become a two syllable word. I had them. It was those times where my dad would do something incredibly goofy or embarrassing in an effort to get me laughing. I would look at him and say "Da-ad." I'm not talking about making your kids feel ashamed of you. I'm talking about those moments where, as marko says, they may be saying, "Dad, you're such a dork," they are really saying, "Dad, I love you."

Well Dave Price is my hero. I've seen the story in multiple spots, but basically Dale caught on that his 15 year old son Rain's bus route would run back by his house after he boarded. So, what does any caring stay-at-home Dad do? He decides to come up with 170 different outfits to where for each day of school, stand outside as his son passes on a bus full of peers, and wave. For example:

Check out http://waveatthebus.blogspot.com (blog done by Dale's wife) for a post on each day. This video shows every day of pictures as well:

If you're a dad reading this, may you find ways that you can be a fool for your kids that makes memories and reminds them that they are loved!

link love to marko

Youtubesday: Gungor

2011-06-07T10:15:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I posted some Youtube Videos. Today is a music edition of a band I've been listening to quite a bit. Gungor's Liturgical post-rock has me completely hooked.

About Gungor:

The Earth is Yours in a Forest (the album version is one of Katylynn's favorite songs. It's awesome to watch her dance and sing the chorus)

White Man (fairly controversial, I guess, but extremely Biblical, I'd say):

You Have Me (a great prayer)

This Summer at NMC Student Ministries

2011-06-06T21:32:00.003-04:00

Based on my blog postings, you may wonder if I'm even working at NMC anymore. I am, and I work with a fantastic team who has been beyond gracious and helpful as I've sat in some state of limbo over the past several months. We are charging forward on multiple fronts, and I'm very excited about the things going on here.

SOAR Interns: There are 8 total, and 4 of them (Colin, Tim, Cortnery, and Carter) are involved in Student Ministries. These 4 are fantastic individuals who have truly dove in and are hungry to experience ministry.
ChicaGO SEMP: We have a team of High School students that are heading back to SEMP! SEMP was the original week-long evangelism training/experience that we tied into over the Summer. Due to some shifts in the experience and then calendar issues, we have not attended a SEMP for 4 years. We are excited for our team of students and leaders to head to Moody Bible Institute June 27-July 2.
IMPACT Dominican: There's also a team of 20 students and 5 adults heading for our 3rd stop in Moca, Dominican Republic June 27-July 7. This team has been in training since January, and I'm so excited to have Kory & Ali Lantz, Dan & Katie Weiss, and Jessica Noelle leading this crew.
Summer Events: We're doing something a little different this year. We have 2 Junior High and 2 Senior High one day trips. The goal of these are to simply get together to build relationships among students and leaders. Tomorrow the Junior high takes off for an afternoon of Mini Golf, Go Carts, Batting Cages, and Video Games at Hackers in South Bend. On Thursday, the Senior High head to Deep River Water Park for the day. Coming in July is a Senior High trip to the Dunes. In August, the Junior High will be heading to Indiana Beach.
Summer Camp: This year's theme is GREATER THAN, and we're praying that God will do things greater than he's ever done before. The amount of kids signed up has been very encouraging.
Sunday and Wednesday Programming: From Preteen through Senior High I feel like we're offering some of the best programming and teaching we have offered in quite a while.

I love the team I work with. As I've had to continually hand off responsibilities while we wait in limbo, they have taken and ran with some fantastic stuff. I'm looking forward to a great Summer.

On Trite Sayings & Christian Cliches: Salve versus Salt

2011-06-03T16:43:00.001-04:00

I made a the following comment in my last Adoption Update:

Trite sayings (it will all work out in the end) and Christian cliches (It's all in His timing) are more annoying than helpful (just a little brutal honesty there).

I've had multiple conversations over this comment. Some were apologies from those who were afraid they had done this (which if you are worried, don't sweat it). Many were those who have walked through trials or tough times and were simply saying "Amen" or "Thank you for saying that."

One was from a friend who has walked this adoption path before us. Another was a dad who just found out his 2 1/2 year old was autistic. There was also the one who had recently walked through a divorce. In all cases, they echoed what I've been feeling.

We know that for the most part, everyone is well-intentioned when offering up their words of encouragement or advice.
We know that God's timing is perfect, his ways aren't ours, that He's in control, that "this too shall pass", and on and on.
We don't want to get annoyed with this encouragement and/or advice. For some reason, it feels like salt instead of salve on a wound.

So, as a guy who's walked through three valleys (nearly 7 years infertility, death of dad, current adoption wait), and a guy who has had to be present in multiple valleys, here's some thoughts on what words can serve as salve:

"I'm sorry," "This is tough," "This sucks, man" etc. It's the phrases that simply recognize that a person is walking through the tough times. Here's the key though, leave it at that. No additions. What we often what to do is say "I'm sorry, BUT..." and then we throw in the added thoughts. These added thoughts may be completely true and valuable advice. The problem is that the BUT overshadows the identity with the pain, and empathy, sympathy and compassion can be quickly lost.
"I'm praying for you." I'm not saying you should say this if you aren't or don't plan to pray. If you are willing to, it's amazing what this does. First, the statement is a statement that says, "I stand beside you." Second, it says all that needs to be said as far as encouragement or advice. You are lifting that person up to the One who is in control, who will work things out, etc. Third, there's something supernatural that is at work as you pray. I can't explain it, but I've experienced. I have and even now feel the prayers of those lifting me up in tough times.
NOTHING. Seriously, say nothing. I'm not saying avoid the person. Actually, make sure they know you are there, but let your presence speak instead of your words. One of my favorite parts of the story of Job is the moment when his friends first show up after he gets everything stripped away from him...
Job 2:13 - Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.
I love it. The power of presence. Interestingly, this is about the only thing Job's friends did correctly. When they decided to open their mouths, they gave Job terrible advice and thoughts. Sometimes, it's a hand on a shoulder or a hug. Sometimes, it's just looking someone in the eyes and giving him/her a nod.

I am beyond grateful and amazed at the many who have come alongside us in multiple ways. We greatly appreciate those who authentically care. These are merely thoughts running through my head right now and reminders to myself as I seek to love my neighbor as myself.

Running Through My Mind

2011-05-30T09:29:00.000-04:00

For me, Memorial Weekend normally marks the beginning of Summer. It feels a little less "Summery" this weekend due to the fact I thought we'd all be together as a family by now, BUT it still feels like Summer.
My daughter is picking up our family room right now and saying, "You have to clean up if you want to get something to eat." Funny.
I watched the King's Speech this past weekend. It's a moving film with some great acting.
We're in the midst of re-dreaming trying to tackle the high school to young adult transition as a ministry. In my opinion it is the most complex, yet crucial transition. We have many more questions than answers with this all. We're leaning in and seeking to think outside the box.
Everyone keeps asking when we think we'll be heading to Uganda. All we know is soon. If you would have asked me two weeks ago, I would have guessed we'd be there bay now. Now, I really think we'll be going by the end of next week. I'm really hoping we'll be heading out this weekend.
It's so weird, although this wait between trips has been tough, I can't believe May is almost over.

Praying For Our Adoption: Waiting on a Passport

2011-05-27T20:53:00.000-04:00

We received word on Tuesday that things were progressing well in filing the necessary paperwork. The application for a passport has been submitted. The passport looks to be the final thing we need before we are able to travel back.

We were hoping and praying we would receive news today that all was in place and we could plan our trip for early next week.

Didn't happen. Nothing will happen in Uganda over the weekend and we will hear nothing from Eugene, Oregon till Tuesday. As we near a full month since being back, we find ourselves longing to get back. Patience is thin. Trite sayings (it will all work out in the end) and Christian cliches (It's all in His timing) are more annoying than helpful (just a little brutal honesty there).

We wait. We struggle. We trust.

Pray for our son. Pray he is well loved and healthy.
Pray for patience.
Pray for a passport.

Praying for Our Adoption: Court Orders Complete!

2011-05-20T15:13:00.001-04:00

I sent an email to HOLT assuming we were heading into the weekend with no progress (it was9:00 p.m. in Uganda). 30 seconds later my phone rang. It was our contact from HOLT letting us know good news. The Court Orders were completed!

From here, the staff in Uganda staff has three steps to complete.

Get one more letter from a Ugandan government branch..
Get a birth certificate.
Get a passport.

There is a chance these could all be completed next week. We are praying that will be the case.

By the way, this order is what makes us OFFICIAL GUARDIANS of our son. Although he's been "ours" in our minds and heart for a while, this is the significant legal step.

BOO YA!

Praying For Our Adoption: Update to Say there's No Update

2011-05-18T15:52:00.000-04:00

We have no court orders completed yet. They were supposed to be done last Friday, but have been delayed. We've been told that it hasn't been uncommon for these orders to be delayed up to a week. There are about 3 more steps that have to happen after the court orders before we can travel. None of those steps can be sought until the court order is in place.

As it is currently 10:30 p.m. in Uganda, we know nothing will happen today. As you head off to sleep tonight and any night till you hear otherwise, would you join us in petitioning the Almighty God to calm the storms and make clear the path for the court orders to be completed? Also, pray for us, that we will keep His perspective.

As we pray for action, we also wait upon God's timing.

Where I Want to Be

2011-05-17T10:02:00.002-04:00

I feel like my worship/prayer life is borderline hypocritical.

I tend to cringe and have a little battle in my mind and heart when I'm challenged by a worship leader who says, "Only sing this if you really mean it." The reason being that more times than not, I find my prayers to be, "God, I'm struggling to, but here's what I want to do for you." I find the attitude in the songs I sing to be, "God, I'm not quite there yet, but this is where I want to be."

My wife recently had a conversation with a student during a worship session (we were singing songs together) where she just seemed unengaged/ emotionally dead. The gal told Janelle, "I can't sing these songs because I don't mean them." My wife, as only she can do, helped the gal unpack her thoughts and that statement. This gal was at a bit of a stalemate in her walk with Jesus. She'd let some areas of her life slip, and she was feeling terrible about it. Janelle encouraged her to take up a different attitude as she sang that night. She gave her permission to sing, not about where she currently was, but for where she wants to be.

Currently, this song fits that mold for me. God, I sing this song not because I'm there, but because it's where I want to be...

Praying For our Adoption: Calling Prayer Warriors - "Jesus, Calm the Storms"

2011-05-15T20:50:00.001-04:00

We're currently reading through the Jesus Storybook Bible at bedtime with Katylynn. It's a great book that came recommended by Jon McCallon (JH Pastor at SouthEast Christian Church). It's a fantastic book that takes many stories throughout scripture and points toward Jesus. As we've walked through the stories, there have been several times I've been moved or challenged by the presentation of the stories.

Tonight was one of those nights. We're currently into the New Testament stories. We read about the moment where Jesus calmed the storms. The following section caused me to pause:

Jesus stood up and spoke to the storm. "Hush!" he said. That's all.

And the strangest thing happened... The wind and the waves recognized Jesus' voice. (They had heard it before, of course -- it was the same voice that made them, in the very beginning). They listened to Jesus and did what he said.

We've got several storms and potential storms as we await permission to travel back to bring our boy home:

There was supposed to be a significant court report filed Friday, but due to some backup in the system it did not happen. This report has to be filed before we can move forward.
Once that report is filed, there are two other key steps that need to happen. These steps have a bit of a tenuous history as far as timing as well.
There are some political demonstrations scheduled for tomorrow. These demonstrations have been going since April and have had their share of violence surrounding them. There is tension in the country. That tension feels like it could be escalating.
There was a strike by the lawyers in the country two weeks ago that shouldn't effect our process, yet it adds to the storms.
Airline Ticket prices are skyrocketing. We can't purchase till we have a date. Short notice will likely be happening which will take them up even more.

Ultimately, these "storms" leave room for us to be uneasy, fearful, and yearning to get back quickly. I'd be lying to say I haven't moments where I wonder if Jesus has been sleeping on us. I refuse to live in that mindset, yet tonight, I was moved to simply ask Jesus to SPEAK and calm the storms so we can move quickly.

Would you join in praying humbly yet boldly that Jesus would speak into the storms? Pray specifically...

That a court order would be filed in the next 48 hours.
That the next two meetings would happen by the end of this week.
That there will be peaceful demonstrations.
That we will be with our little guy before Memorial Day Weekend.

As an added AWESOME moment tonight, I explained (as well as I could to a 3 1/2 year old) to Katylynn the metaphorical picture of storms surrounding us bringing Jr. home. I asked her if she wanted to pray with me. She said yes. I asked her what she wanted to pray. She said, "Jesus, please don't let there be any more strikes in Uganda." The kid is listening and comprehending, and I'm grateful for the faith-filled prayer of a child.

Adoption Update: Still Waiting

2011-05-10T15:50:00.001-04:00

A couple hours ago I posted an update saying we would be heading back to Uganda May 17. Well, we just received a call with a major curve ball letting us know we will not be returning that date. It doesn't involve any danger or problems with the process. It really involved a significant miscommunication.

We're trusting God, and believing we will be back in Uganda before the end of May.

KP Transformation, Haiti Night, & Ripples

2011-05-10T08:11:00.000-04:00

Last night was special. Janelle, Katylynn & I had the opportunity to travel to Keller Park Church in South Bend to be a part of Haiti Night. Kory and Ali Lantz have been living in the Keller Park neighborhood for the past year and a half seeking to be a part of a movement to see the area transformed for the sake of Christ. One key avenue has been through the ISI group they have formed.

ISI is for Iron Sharpens Iron, and the group is made up of teens from the area who have shown themselves to be respectful, reliable, and ready for discipleship. Last night, this group of teens put on a night to build awareness and raise money to help build homes for those affected by the Haiti earthquake.

The night was special to me for multiple reasons:

Nothing pumps me up quite like teens seeking to be a part of God's global work. The night did exactly that. The teens chose the focus of the night and came up with a game plan on how to raise the money.
Kory and Ali are two of NMC's own. They are being spiritual multipliers.
To see where several of these ISI kids are at in their life journey as compared to a year ago is fantastic. They've had their bumps and bruises, but ultimately they are moving forward in their life decisions and pursuit of Christ.
Kory and Ali were somewhat inspired by what our students have been doing at NMC. Geoff Cocanower (our Senior High Coordinator at NMC) was there last night, and I sent him a text stating, "You do realize this is another ripple of Kids In Need? I mean, it's much bigger than that, but if our NMC students only knew..."

All in all, a fantastic night where I'm guessing $2,000+ was raised to build homes in Haiti. Well done ISI kids, you advanced God's Kingdom last night.

Wiggling Bugs?

2011-05-06T21:31:00.000-04:00

So, are these bugs moving?
Look at the picture as a whole, and they are.
Focus in on a single bug, and you will see that they are not moving and you are experiencing an optical illusion.

In the In-Between Times

2011-05-03T10:16:00.000-04:00

As a little kid, my church had a youth pastor named Steve. He played a mean acoustic guitar, which was near blasphemy to many in rural Indiana at that time. He had a pretty cool folk sound to him (it was the 80s, so it worked well). I have a feeling he was a master of making the most of a moment around the campfire.

Anyway, when he sang, I vividly remember two songs he sang in church.

One was the The Crayon Box Song:
Red is the color of the blood that he shed.
Brown is for the crown they laid upon his head.
Blue is for royalty,
Yellow is for the Christian... who's afraid to tell.

(been about 25 years since I've heard the song, and I can still picture him picking away and singing... power of music)

The second was a song called "Love Him in the Morning":

Love Him in the morning, when you see the sun arising,
Love Him in the evening 'cause He took you through the day,
And in the in-between time when you feel the pressure coming,
Remember that He loves you and He promises to stay.

When you think you have to worry,
'Cause the things you have to do,
Remember He's not in a hurry,
He's always got time for You,

I randomly woke up with this song in my head this morning. I say randomly, but as I was singing it in the shower this morning (yes I sing in the shower) I hit the "And in the in-between times..." line and did pause.

These next weeks are a major in-between time filled with angst, anticipation, fears, and impatience. I want to get back to Uganda and get my son home. Yet, I will remember that He loves me. I will remember His promises. I will remember He is in control. I can trust Him.

Home. Where from Here?

2011-05-02T10:01:00.000-04:00

Home:
We had a fairly incident free flight back home. The one exception was that security was EXTREMELY tight in Instanbul... we now wonder if it had anything to do with last night's events in Pakistan (or maybe it's always really high in Turkey. Who knows?) Anyway, Janelle progressively felt better as we flew. We picked up a very wired but tired Katylynn and headed home. She was extremely excited to see us this morning as she walked into our room. We're excited to see her again.

Where from Here?
We know we will be asked this question multiple times in the days to come. The answer, we wait for permission to head back. We know it will not happen before May 13 and should happen within a couple of weeks after that date. At this point, the plan is for my mom and Katylynn to join us for trip 2 where we will do all visa work and meet with the U.S. Embassy.

Praying:
Here's some specific ways to be praying.

For all necesarry paperwork to be completed quickly and thoroughly.
For Jr.'s health.
For the progress of relationship between us and Jr. to stick during the time seperated.
For peace in Uganda: Tensions are currently high in the country. Although escalating tensions and violence could factor in our timing, this prayer is bigger than a prayer for our adoption. This is a prayer for a Nation that has overcome some significant tragedy in it's more recent history.

Thank you to all for your continued support and prayers.

Preparing to Head Home

2011-04-30T07:12:00.000-04:00

Tonight we will make our journey back to the United States. As we do, we head out with anticipation as well as uncertainty. Anticipation that we are now one significant step closer to bringing our boy home. Anticipation in that we know we will soon be returning to this country for the final details to bring him home. Uncertainty in that we do not know the date for sure. Uncertainty that yesterday's events (riots) in this country have the potential for escalation that may hinder the process.

Ultimately, we head out trusting the One who has guided and provided in every step of the process thus far.

As we fly out tonight, please be in prayer for Janelle. She got pretty sick last night and will be making the trek at well below 100%. Pray for a calm stomach, no headaches/dizziness, and gentle rest as we fly!

Thank you to all who have been following along and praying. If you are interested in more details (names, pictures, etc) we may be able to post some soon. If not, I will be working on a way to make this blog private so we can allow those interested to see more detail without too many being able to view.

Ode To Kristy Mikel

2011-04-29T16:51:00.001-04:00

Very few things could distract my blogging attention away from our time here in Uganda (please note not a single post on the royal wedding). There is one. Today is Kristy Mikel's last day in the Student Ministries Office. In mid-May, Kristy will be responding to God's call to serve one year (at least) in Kenyas with WGM's Volunteers In Action program.

Kristy graduated from NMC. She was in one of Janelle's first Small Groups. She has served in an administrative role w/ NMC for nearly 8 years now. She is, in many way, the glue that has held us together over those years (especially the last three as Janelle headed home to be with Katylynn). Although she will be missed, I am so stinkin' proud of her for taking this step of faith. I also love that she has chosen to live out NMC Student Ministries purpose to create Spiritual Reproducers both at home and around the world.

I would encourage you to follow Kristy's journey over the next year at kristymikel.blogspot.com!

Kristy thanks for serving our students faithfully.

Thanks for being an amazing teammate.

Thanks for making me look way better than I actually was in ministry on more than one occasion.

Thanks for being a fantastic friend to my wife.

Thanks for loving and caring for my daughter as if she were your own.

Thanks for surrendering your heart and life to Jesus.

Thanks for walking the radical path.

Thanks for serving selflessly.

Thanks for your example!

May God use you in ways beyond what you could ever ask or imagine!

You are dearly loved.

Scary Beginning, Fantastic Middle, Tough End: Court Day

2011-04-29T15:45:00.000-04:00

SCARY BEGINNING:
This morning we woke up and put on our nicest outfits we brought. This was the main reason we had to be in the country at this time. Our court hearing. As we had breakfast, Jr. arrived at the hotel with his care giver. We ate together and then received the call about some demonstrations that had potentially turned violent. Out of concern for our safety and the slight chance that the court could shut down, we were looking at the possibility of missing our appointment... a.k.a. rescheduled flights, unknown timetables, and whatever other complications.

In all this, the staff working here with us were fantastic, and clearly had our best interests in mind.
We got the word out to many simply asking them to pray.

FANTASTIC MIDDLE:
We received a call a little after 11 letting us know that they had checked the path we would be traveling and felt very comfortable that we could make it to the courthouse. We left the hotel just before noon, made it to court, had the hearing, and returned approx. 1 p.m. The hearing went well. Everyone was very kind and it was well run.

We then were able to spend the rest of the afternoon with Jr. We took him out to eat, played together, and skyped big sister & Grandma. After all that, Janelle and him fell asleep on the bed side by side. It was a great time together. He is an amazingly content little boy who is going to be a ton of fun.

TOUGH END:
We had to say goodbye... for now. It wasn't fun.

From here, we have some downtime through tomorrow that will include some shopping and connecting with two NMC Grads who are studying abroad before flying out at 2:00 Sunday "morning".
We wait for the court papers and other information to get into place before heading back (2-4weeks).

In the meantime, our prayer is that he will be well loved, remain healthy, see our faces when he closes his eyes, and know that we will be together soon!

A Beautiful Noise

2011-04-28T14:32:00.000-04:00

He laughed today.
He laughed a lot.
It was a beautiful noise.

Between Bubbles, playing ball, tossing him in the air, and him rolling on the ground, we got the laughs we were praying for! Today was our last day visiting him at his current "home" for this trip.

Tomorrow, Lord willing we head to our court date. If you're up between 4:00-7:00 a.m., say a prayer for us as it will likely take place some time during that time frame.

Twists, Turns, Skype, Ball, and a Smile

2011-04-27T15:14:00.001-04:00

Today at a glance:

Some twists and turns came our way today that proved to be God-ordained by the end of the day.
Jr shows a high level of comfort around Janelle.
He's still a little timid and nervous around me, but definitely warming up.
We were able to have some amazing 2 on 1 time with Jr. today.
Thanks to Skype, he was able to meet his Nanny and Bubby (Janelle's parents), Big sister Katylynn, Grandma Prenert, and Kristy Mikel today.
At the end of our time together, he and I were able to play "ball" (roll, throw, & kick the ball) back and forth. We got a definite smile out of this time!
It was an encouraging day!

Continue to pray for the bonding and court date Friday!

A Little Update

2011-04-26T16:10:00.000-04:00

We are approaching a full 24 hours in Uganda. We are pretty exhausted and plenty exhilarated. We arrived last "night" (7 hours ahead here) around 2:00 a.m. and were able to fall asleep pretty quick. After some orientation in with our host organization here we were able to head out and meet our little boy (officially referring to him as "Jr" from here on out). We had been given a heads up that Jr would likely be a little nervous and maybe even upset around us to begin with but not to worry.

They were right on. He was very scared at first (and still somewhat scared of me by the end of the visit), but all that unfolded in the 2 1/2 hours we were able to spend with him was pretty amazing.

Some quick hits/ thoughts from today:

There is something amazing about a mom, whether physically biological or "spiritually biological" (made that term up about 2 hours ago). What I witnessed between Janelle and Jr was nothing short of a miracle. The kid was snuggled into her like you wouldn't believe by the end of the time.
Hearing the series of events that created the convergence of Jr on the verge of becoming a Prenkert only confirmed all the more that God is in the middle of this all.
There are plenty of orphans in the world. If you're a married couple of parenting age and have never thought about adopting, can I ask you to at least take a moment to prayerfully consider?
No two kids are the same. No two adoptions are the same either.
I'm praying I can get a huge smile and a belly laugh out of Jr before we say goodbye (for now) to Jr.

Keep praying for the bonding over the next 3 days. Pray for a smooth court date. We saw prayers answered today.

A Note On Privacy

2011-04-24T14:10:00.000-04:00

At the recommendation of our adoption organization, we are not going to be posting many specifics on our blog concerning the adoption. This would include his name, any pictures of him, or specifics on those working with us. This is to best protect and respect those working through this process on the Uganda end. If you know the process up to this point, you'll be able to track perfectly well.
If you know his name or other details, we ask that you refrain from using it when commenting here or on other social media sites. We'll be able to give a little more detail on our Facebook profiles (Janelle and Mine) because our privacy settings are in a way that only friends can see.

We'll keep updating on ways to be praying and our activities!

HERE WE GO!

Praying for our Adoption: Event Free

2011-04-23T19:14:00.000-04:00

This process has taught us the importance of flexibility and the reality that very little can be certain until completed. All signs point toward this trip being fairly free of any major curve balls, but international flights, crossing cultures, lots of driving, and a court hearing all have potential for issues, frustrations, delays, and/or complications. We are hoping for a smooth trip, planning to be flexible with whatever may came, and praying that this will be an "event free" trip.

Would you join us in praying for the same?

Praying for our Adoption: Bonding Time

2011-04-22T21:11:00.000-04:00

We should get 3 days with our little guy before the court date. When I say "days," I'm really not sure how long we'll be able to be with him each of those days. We will be staying at a hotel that is quite a drive to the Care Center where he's at (we've been told numbers anywhere from 90 minutes to 2 1/2 hours). He will not be able to come stay the night with us on this trip. So, the reality is that our time is limitted, and we are hoping to capture every minute. These are going to be the first moments of bonding. Please pray that God will be able to begin to multiply the time spent together and fill in the 20 month gap that has been present to this point. Pray for a supernatural Father/son; Mother/son; Father/Mother/son bond to take place over the 4 days total (3 days at care center; 1 day at court) we hope to share in this first trip!

*Special note: You may notice that I have removed the name or our boy from this blog. That is out of an effort to be cautious as many eyes can see this blog. We want to be sure to protect him as well as be sure to hold off on major details until things are finalized. We will not be posting any photos or specific details (names, locations, etc) on this blog until things are more finalized.

Praying For our Adoption: Hello & Goodbye

2011-04-21T09:40:00.002-04:00

It's been like a 18 month pregnancy without having a due date till the 17th month. We have known we would have a 2nd child in our family since September, 2009. We've known it's a boy and his name since August 2010.

We pray for him daily, wonder about him regularly, and anticipate having him sleep in the room across from us nightly.

This first trip contains a significant beginning and ending that will be a gigantic ball of emotions.

The first time we meet our 21 month old son. We have no idea to what level he's been prepped for our coming or who we are. We know he has a little scrap book that contains several pictures of us and other loved ones. Yet there's a whirlwind (I use that word a lot in correlation with this process) of thoughts, questions, and emotions as we walk into that moment.
Will he be scared of us?
Will he recognize us from the pictures?
Will we recognize him from the other babies at the Care Center?
Will he, as we've been praying may supernaturally happen, know right away that we are his mommy and daddy?

More than any other emotion, anticipation is at the top of this moment for us. Please pray that God will present in that room when he hug, hold, talk... simply spend time with our son for the first time on Tuesday, April 27 (really, really early a.m. for you here in the States).

The ending is the different story. He won't come home with us this trip. We will be returning to the States for 2-4 weeks (hopefully no longer) before heading back to do the final steps in Uganda to get him home. Our last moment with him this trip will be Friday, April 29... almost immediately after receiving custodial permission from the Ugandan court.

I remember the moment Katylynn's birth mom brought her to us and left the hospital. Our greatest moment of joy was contrasted with Emily's greatest moment of pain. I'm learning joy and pain colliding together can be a common theme in adoption.

Pray for this moment, that we will have holy angels surrounding and ministering to us as well as our son as we have to say goodbye to each other for just a little bit longer. Ugh, even typing it messes with me.

Praying For the Adoption: Kairos in Kronos

2011-04-20T14:46:00.004-04:00

Trip one is a whirlwind. It's very short with much we want to accomplish. One specific way to pray for us is that we would make the most of our time in the limited time we have.

In Greek, the word for "time" that is measured by a clock is Kronos. The word for "time" that is measured as opportunity is called "Kairos". Please join us in praying for easy airline connections, smooth travels, smooth transition to time change, short waits at the courtroom... those "Kronos" issues, but most importantly that God will bless every "Kairos" moment along the way!

4/24 - Easter Sunday
10:20 p.m. Fly out of Chicago

4/25 - Monday
5:05 p.m. Land in Istanbul, Turkey
6:35 p.m. Fly out of Istanbul

4/26 - Tuesday (7 hours ahead in Uganda)
1:10 a.m. Land in Uganda
Check in to Hotel and rest
Orientation with coordinators
Visit our son for the first time.

4/27-28 Wednesday-Thursday
Time with our son during the day.
At Hotel in evening

4/29 - Friday
Head to court in the morning.
With our son waiting for Court hearing.
Court Hearing for custody.
After Hearing, say goodbye to our son till the next trip.
Potentially spend some time with some NMC college students.

4/30 - Saturday
Free Day

5/1 - Sunday
2:10 a.m. - Fly out of Uganda
8:30 a.m. - Land in Instanbul
11:20 a.m. - Fly out of Istanbul
3:15 p.m. - Land in Chicago

Praying For our Adoption

2011-04-19T20:14:00.001-04:00

The support through this whole international adoption process has been overwhelming. It has come in multiple forms, but one that has especially struck me has been the prayer support. The amount of people letting us know they are praying, and even more specifically how they are praying has been AWESOME! Even more awesome has been the way we've seen God miraculously work in the prayer. Two ways:

Miraculously guiding prayers: We have talked with those who have told us ways they've been led to pray that are simply spot on with where we are at or what we've heard is going on with our little guy.
Miraculously answering prayers: We have prayed and asked others to pray in specific ways only to see God answer those prayers specifically.

We now approach pivotal moments in the international adoption process. Next week is the first of two trips. Starting tomorrow, I'll be posting some specific ways we would value prayer as we head into this trip. Would you be willing to join with us in seeking God?

*conVERGE Technical Difficulties

2011-04-18T09:59:00.000-04:00

We ran into some technical difficulties on last night's episode of *conVERGE and it wasn't able to air live on Remedy.fm. Fortunately, we were going to do a repeat Easter Sunday, so this week's episode will air then.

I'm actually really excited about the focus of that show and our guest. I met Jeff Eckart just a little more than a month ago at our Fanning the Flame Services. Jeff is the director behind a movement that I believe has the potential to change the face of the American Middle and High School. Claim Your Campus is a simple concept, but a huge vision.

Students united every day in prayer at every middle school and high school in America.

The thing is, the movement is gaining ground! At NMC, we're looking to challenge our students to join the movement for the 2011-2012 school year. If you're a youth leader, check this out. God is all over it!

Those who don't want to wait till Sunday to see the *conVERGE episode with Jeff from Claim Your Campus can view it right now on the Remedy Video blog. GO HERE.

Believe

2011-04-16T11:57:00.010-04:00

We are checking out the Believe Conference for Jr High students. It's put on by Christ In Youth (CIY). John Mccallon is bringing it. If you work w/ Jr High students and are looking for a weekend retreat, this is a FANTASTIC option... www.ciy.com/believe