“Jodi Miyama, AGCI’s VP of Adoption, recently returned from Burundi with a heavy heart. While visiting shelters throughout Burundi, she was met with the same plea again and again: we need formula. Jodi met and held children and babies suffering from severe malnutrition and witnessed infants fed soda when formula was unavailable. Burundi is consistently ranked as one of the poorest countries in the world and we are heartbroken to see children suffering and unable to have their most basic needs met. Chronic malnutrition is the single biggest contributor to under-five mortality, makes children more susceptible to disease, stunts growth, and severely alters a child’s IQ.” ~AGCI Formula Fundraiser After seeing this update and sharing it with the kids, Ansel prayed about this request and decided this was the perfect time to donate the money set aside for food from the Bike-A-Thon. We discussed that this would be the best way for us to get formula to orphans in Burundi. He made a $500 donation to the formula fundraiser. We are prayerful that orphans will get the nutrients they need through this donation. Who knows maybe our son will be affected and blessed by these generous donations? If you would like to continue to help raise money for formula click the link below. Since the ball was rolling on the Bike-A-thon money, we spent some time researching soccer balls and air pumps to fulfill that part of the fundraising goal. We placed an ordered for 60 soccer balls, 10 bags (that hold 6 balls each), 2 air pumps with 7 nozzles for each bag. The last piece of the Bike-A-Thon was to purchase shoes from the Shoes that Grows Company. Our Shoe That Grows fundraiser is still in progress, but we are excited to announce that we have enough funds to make our first purchase of 50 pairs of shoes! We are hopeful to order those shoes soon and have them delivered to another adoptive family in order for them to take them when they travel in the next few months. Dusty and I plan to take the soccer balls and pumps with us when we travel, but by having another family take the shoes we reduce the number of extra bags each family has to check. The Shoe that Grows has changed slightly since we began raising money. This new and approved shoe will greatly improve the wear and function of the shoe. We are excited to get these shoes on the feet of children in Burundi. You can still make a donation to our Shoe that Grows fundraising page. We can continue to send shoes with families as they travel. God continues to move and do amazing things in our wait. I am so proud of how our children want to make a difference in the world around them. We love that they are in love with their little brother. I can’t wait until they are all together! Thank you again to all of you who made our Biking for Burundi event successful. Because of your support my children’s dreams of helping others had become a reality. Biking For Burundi Impact 28 friends and family members joined the day of the event 182 laps were completed 136.5 miles were walked or biked $500 donated to purchase formula for Burundi orphans 60 soccer balls were purchased 10 sport bags were purchased (to hold 6 balls each for shelters) 20 air pumps were purchased (2 for each bag) 70 extra nozzles for air pumps (7 per bag) 50 pairs of The Shoes that Grow were purchased 2 TSA approved duffle suitcases to transport it all Countless lives affected and our hearts open to God’s plan for our family.
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Our hearts are all in for a heart-shaped country in the heart of Africa. We are following the heart of God to a little boy in Burundi. From day one our children have said that Burundi looks like a heart. I love the symbolism. Our wait continues, so what now? We focus on what we can control. We still have an active campaign with the Shoe that Grows. Last summer our son hosted a Bike-A-Thon to raise money to provide for orphans in Burundi. Part of that campaign was to work with the Shoe that Grows to provide shoes for children in Burundi. Please join us in making a difference for children in Burundi! Every $20 means one incredible kid will receive life-changing shoes! Consider giving one, two, or more pairs! My children purchased a pair of these shoes to wear. They are amazing and will possibly change the life of a child in Burundi. Together we can make a difference! Click the link below to make a donation to our The Shoe That Grows campaign. It's been a very unique season in our adoption process. The matching committee in Burundi met the week before Christmas. This is always exciting news! Normally after they meet it takes a few weeks to finalize paperwork and get information to agencies. But this time one of the required government signers did not sign the documents before leaving on holiday. We were informed he should return January 6th. This, for me, was a blessing in disguise. I knew the decision had been made. The families that were going to be matched had been matched. I didn’t have to check my phone and email nonstop to see if it was us while going through our Christmas celebrations because I knew no one would know anything until January 6th. I thank God for that peace during that season. It was a gift to release that angst and focus on now. To be present with my family and focus on what Christ has and continues to do in our lives.
January 6th came and went. Information was all over the map as to why. A couple more weeks went by and we learned that on December 23rd the President of Burundi declared a new city to be the capital of Burundi. A news source shared this: “Authorities announced they would change the political capital from Bujumbura to Gitega, which is located over 100 kilometers (62 miles) to the east. The current capital will remain the nation’s commercial center, while five ministries will be established in Gitega beginning 2019, spokesperson to the president Jean-Claude Karerwa Ndenzako said on Twitter.” * Moving the five ministries was going to be our next hiccup. The first Ministry to make the move in the first weeks of January was the minister of Solidarity, the signer we were all waiting (not so patiently) for on the referrals. He did get those files signed, but there were and are lots of questions about how this move will impact adoption as the Central African Authority is under the Minister of Solidarity. The Central African Authority (one man) is the driving force for adoption in his country. The shelters are all located near the current capital, Bujumbura**. At least the ones that have been identified and trained to prepare children’s files. What will this distance do to the progress of matching children with their forever families? As January came to an end we learned that while the Minister of Solidarity was going to be in the first wave of the move to the new capital, for now, the Central African Authority and the judicial system were staying in Bujumbura. While they will need the Minister of Solidarity for matching meeting (I believe he is legally 1 of 5 required official positions that must be present at matching) and his signature on that paperwork, the groundwork can continue uninterrupted for now by the Central African Authority and our agencies in-country staff member, Pierre. Finally, as February began we learned the files were on their way to our agency. A period of peace was slipping into a period of uncertain time frames. A time of leaning harder on God. We learned on February 8th that our agency had finally been told the numbers and families that had been matched. At this point, they don’t share that information with families. Once they have all the documents the next waiting period would begin. On February 15th we learned that AGCI had all the files in hand. This part of the process is normal but felt to stretch out so much more because of the long wait from December. During the following weeks, all those documents would be translated from French and Kirundi into English. Then they would be reviewed by the staff at AGCI to ensure that each file meets the requirements of the Burundian adoption laws, the Hague adoption laws, the US Immigration qualifications that state a specific child fits in the parameters set by the family. And more importantly, the parameters set on our home study and Immigration documents. On February 22nd we learned that 7 children had been placed and that those families had already been notified. That might have been 7 families or it might have been less as some families may have been matched with sibling groups. Either way that is a large number of children who are now part of loving homes with their forever families. We were not one of those families. At that same time, we were also notified that they had a "couple" of files that they needed to get clarification on before notifying families. They had contacted the Burundian Government seeking those clarifications and documents. We were told once that information was obtained any families affected would be notified and then an email would be sent letting everyone know that families matched had all received a call and if you didn't receive a call, then you were not matched during this committee. My world crashed a bit that night. Zooming out, there was nothing but good. 7 Children had homes and families. My family was safe. My husband was there and supportive. We were all healthy and I believe in my depths that God is still holding our little one until we can. Zoom in and my heart was still breaking. I felt like I had been kicked in the gut and I couldn’t find my breath. I knew God hadn’t said no yet, but the odds were so against us. I long to have this little one in my arms. I feared how my heart would break all over again when we told Ansel and Sophia. Watching their hearts break and long to have their brother home might be more than I can handle. ALL I could do was call out to God. I keep thinking of the song Thy Will by Hillary Scott. “I know you are good but this don’t feel good right now. And I know you think of things I could never think about. It’s had to count it all joy distracted by the noise. Just trying to make sense of all your promises. Sometimes I gotta stop and remember that you’re God and I am not. So, Thy will be done.” In my emotions, my words were lost. I must have sung this song or parts of it a million times the following week. The week of February 25th-March 1st was a trying week. I tried not to over process. I tried not to allow the what-ifs to monopolize my brain space. I sang those words. I tried not to excessively check my phone to see if I missed a call or my email to see if I had gotten the final word. The odds of being matched had gone way down, but we didn’t have a no yet. I spent hours reading God’s word and praying for His peace and presence. I found I was going to be okay with hearing not now, but not now didn’t only affect right now. Not now means not knowing who he is going into the summer. Not knowing when the committee will meet again and the fear that brings. It means not knowing at the start of the school year. It means not knowing on our oldest son’s 13th birthday. It means not knowing at Thanksgiving. It means not having him home this Christmas. Those, those are the moments that make not now so hard to hear. When I came up for air I realized that another committee could meet before any of those marks, but time keeps marching forward. By Thursday, February 28th, I was crying less often. I was breathing a little lighter. I was releasing the heartache to God. I was waiting for the second shoe to drop then, we could officially tell our children God said, "Not yet". On March 1st we received the official email that stated we had not been matched with a child during the December meeting. Not yet still isn’t a NO! We know God is still and has never stopped working to bring our son home. We know He sees things we don’t. How do we move forward? We focus on all God is doing and we humble ourselves to help Him serve and love others. We focus on the blessings we might have missed in our sadness. Zooming back out, things are still okay. We are looking for what God is doing in our wait. The unknown of the capital move could be scary or overwhelming, but we are choosing to see that maybe there are children in that area being cared for by local families that can be identified and find forever families. Or families who can find support through prevention education to keep their children in their homes and not have to send them to be cared for in shelters. Who knows, maybe our son is there? Maybe moving the capital means he will come home? Moving the capital brings other people into a small village to provide support, food, and economic growth. God can use this move to bring awareness for orphans and adoption. We continue to pray for our agency. That they are making God-honoring decisions. We continue to pray for the Central African Authority and his family. This man is not only responsible for adoption, but all humanitarian needs for Burundi, the 3rd poorest country in the world. This is one busy and dedicated man. We continue to pray for Pierre, our agency's in-country staff member. He works diligently to train shelter directors on preparing children's files. He spends time educating people about what adoption is and what it is not, clearing up myths about adoption. I know all these parties are working tirelessly to bring families together. I don’t always understand the process, but I am grateful for all they do that will lead me to my son. Please join us as we continue to pray for the matching committee to meet again soon. For our son’s paperwork to be ready, and for it to be obvious to the committee that we belong together. *shared from MOVIN' ON UP Burundi’s president is moving the capital to another city By Abdi Latif Dahir December 26, 2018 ** I believe what I am sharing to be correct, but I can only share information I have been given by our agency. |
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AuthorMy name is Deidra Miller. I have been married to my wonderful husband, Dusty, for 17 years. We have two biological children and our family is growing again. We prayed for 2,786 days and God answered our prayers. More days (almost 4 years) have been added as we wait for God's perfect plan for our family. We can't wait to meet our beautiful twin boys! Archives
October 2022
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