Pray with me at 7:30 PM

Dear friends and family!
Tomorrow morning I will go before the US Consulate and request Kevin's visa. They can choose to grant me the visa, or they can choose to investigate the adoption. I am asking each of you to kneel with me at 7:30 and pray about this meeting tomorrow.

Good Morning!

Today is a big day! We are praying for smooth waters as we petition for Kevin's birth certificates. It will be a long day as we wait. (with 4 kids!)
Please pray for us today as we go forward!
Love you all!

Earthquake

Well....there have been a lot of "firsts" on this trip. The earthquake was a bit much! We were without electricity for the day, but we are no longer in the dark!
We went to church with Kevin's friends from the alburgue, and he was able to say a final "goodbye" to his best friend.
We are anxious to come home and we miss all of you very much!

We are New Parents (officially today)

The adoption is final. We are the parents of 4 chldren! Thank you for your prayers! We still need them!!

He Wipes Away All Of Our Sins

We spent another beautiful day at the beach! We played hard!!! We brought back a truckful of sand to the hotel.

As I stood on the beach today, I was reminded of something very important. It always amazes me to watch the waves go in and out. I love the way it washes away all the imperfections from the sand and makes it look brand new. Just like the Father does to me when I receive forgiveness for my sin. All my mess ups are washed away and I am made new. I have made plenty mistakes and goofs during this process, but He has made me new each time I have confessed my mistakes. Thank you Jesus!

Bonding in a small hotel room???Hummmm?????

Whoever thought spending 2-3 weeks in a hotel room attempting to bond is a good idea, needs to rethink the process.

Just Another Day At the Beach

We started "school" today. Kevin and I started some English lessons on the computer (thank you Cyndi K.), and the other 3 worked on their school work. It was a nice peaceful morning. Kevin is a very quick learner. After a sandwich in the hotel room, we spent the afternoon at the beach. The waves were even bigger today. All of us had a wonderful time! We came back to hotel for showers and went out for dinner (more chicken ;P).
We continue to learn more about Kevin Arnold, and he learning more about us. More than anything, I want him to know how much he is loved. Not only by the 5 of us, but by his Heavenly Father. So afraid the language barrier is not getting the message across. All I can do is hug and kiss on him and tell him how much he is loved.
Miss you all very much! Please continue to pray for a miracle on the early return.

Little Blessings

The Lord continues to give us little blessings here and there. A mission team from To Every Nation is in Trujillo today, and we were able to attend church with them and have lunch! It was such a blessing!!!!
We continue to bond as a family. There are so many things to learn about one another, but God is blessing our time together!
We miss all of you!

New Friends

If you ever visit Peru, be ready to meet some wonderful people and make new friends. The people of Peru are so friendly. We have made a new friend with the hotel guard. He is always there to greet us when we return. Mark has been able to talk to him about the Lord. Please pray for J`esus. Katie and Michaela are meeting each day with the front desk girl and practicing English with her. Jon is very busy with Kevin Arnold. They are already acting like brothers!
I am sooo proud of my family! They have been so wonderful during this time. Jon looks at me throughout the day and says, Äll things are possible with God!
We are all doing well. We will see you all soon!

La Playa

We had a wonderful day at the beach. The sun and fresh air were a perfect combo! The kids played for hours. Yes, there are some sunburns! We have been given permission to fly to Lima on the 31st. Please pray as we wait out the days.

Legal Guardians

We are now Kevin's legal guardians. It has been a busy day with paper work. The computers in Peru seem to never have any ink, so we spend a lot of time searching for a computer with ink.

Please pray for Katie. She is in the hotel today with a very sick tummy. We have been able to get her some antibiotics and some electrolytes.

We will try to go to the beach tomorrow.

Miss you all!

A Glimpse Into Kevin Arnold's Heart

He has a heart as big as Texas!
Kevin only eats half of all his meals. He asks the waiter to please put the rest of his food into a bag. He then walks the streets finding someone to give his leftovers. Yesterday, he saw a homeless man sleeping in the square, so he makes sure to bring him food. At dinner last night, he even took the man his leftover lemonade. Thank you Jesus for softening his heart to the less fortunate!
Keep praying!

My God Shall Provide All My Needs

Today has been a rough day! We have been very discouraged and felt very defeated. Everything we have experienced today is very normal, and it is actually a good thing. We did not get to have dinner until 9:00p.m. and we were totally exhausted. I really didn't feel like walking the long distance to the restaurant, but everyone was hungry so we went the many blocks.
When we arrived at the restaurant, we were greeted by a sweet young Peruvian man. He was very polite and patient with my limited spanish. While we were eating dinner, he quietly approached the table and wanted to ask us a question. He asked, "Are you christians?". We told him we were and he told us he knew Jesus. When we were leaving the restaurant, he gave Mark a napkin with a verse written on it. It was 2 Corinthians 15:58-"So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord's work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless".

Full Circle

Our year long journey came full circle today! At 12:25 p.m., our son walked into our arms! It was a moment that I will relive many times. The look on his face was priceless. He and his brother and sisters have talked nonstop since our meeting him.. He has continuosly hugged all of us. He jumped into Mark's arms. He kisssed my check and said the sweetest words, "Mama". Thank you Jesus for allowing this blessing.

OH MY GOODNESS!

Tomorrow is the day I have dreamed about for a very long time. We will hug our son for the first time! SO many things going through my mind.
Love you all!

Prayer Request

Mark was bending over to plug in something this morning and his back went out. It sent him to his knees. We were able to get him back to the bed and that is where he has been all day. The kids and I went exploring. I managed to get us back to the hotel without incident!
Please pray Mark's back heals. We leave for Trujillo early in the morning. Less than 24 hours until we meet our son!!!!!!!

Good Morning!

A new day in Peru! So many new sounds! Everyone is still sleeping.
We will go to the Indian market today (one of my favorite places in Lima). We will be meeting my dad and his team for a few hours! Can't wait to see him. (I know it has only been a little more than 24 hours). We have been able to say hello to friends here in Lima, and even found a Starbucks!
Katie's quote for yesterday; "I never knew McDonalds could taste so good!"

Love y'all!

Overwhelmed!

We made it safely to Lima, Peru. The flights were fantastic! All of our luggage arrived with us! Our driver was at the airport and drove us to our hotel. We went to bed about 2 a.m. and had to be in the lobby at 8:00 a.m. We had an appointment with the Secretary of Adoption, then on to the consulate, and then to sign some papers. We are ovewhelmed!!! Prayers are requested as we continue to move forward! We are less than 3 days away from hugging or son!!!

Sure wish we had learned some more Spanish!

We were able to do a little street evangelism today. The kids passed out salvation bracelets. I think we are all going to take a little siesta!

We miss you all very much and appreciate your prayers!

Bags Are Packed!

Well, all the bags are packed and weighed. We will all be holding our breath as they are weighed at the airport.
Today, I have been unusually quiet. I have been doing a lot of thinking. Things will never be the same for the Luedecke family. We haven't had a major change in our life since our last child was born. There are so many emotions right now. In a few days, a little boy will never go to bed again wondering if he is wanted or loved. In a few days, we are going to be parents again! In a few days, Jon will be the BIG brother, and Katie and Michaela will have TWO brothers. The empty chair at the dinner table will no longer be empty. Jon will share the backseat with someone. Will all FOUR of my children know just how much I love them? So many changes......

LISTS!
You would think after 12 months of dreaming about the day we would leave to get our son I would be better prepared. For those of you who know me know better. I dislike lists! They make me a nervous wreck! But, I have been forced to create and work from a list as we prepare to leave on Thursday morning. The shampoo, toothpaste, sunscreen and hand sanitizer have been purchased. (Cross those things off the "LIST")
Tomorrow, I will do laundry one more time before we leave. If it is in the suitcase, don't touch it!
Lila's reservations have been made at the kennel.
I know we will probably forget something, but I am sure we will survive!
Who knows, maybe this "list thing" could become a habit???

We are leaving for Peru!!!!

After 12 months of praying, crying, grumbling, and questioning, we have been given the final approval to travel to Peru to adopt our beautiful brown eyed boy!! We serve a mighty God!

We will keep you posted as we continue on our journey. Your prayers are appreciated!

STILL WAITING......

The week is winding down and still no sign of our papers. Yes, it is frustrating. The "labor pains" are becoming stronger and more aggravating. We will continue to pray for the papers to get to the correct person and then to us!

Have a blessed day!

Well, I thought if I was going to begin blogging about our journey I probably should tell you how we got started.
I guess the most often asked question is, "Why adopt?" "You guys have 3 children already! Why more?" My answer is always, "Why not?" "Children should want for toys, video games and cool gadgets, but NEVER EVER should a child want for a family!"
My desire to adopt has been lifelong. You see, at the age of one day old, I would NEVER EVER want for a family. My sweet parents picked me to be their daughter forever! Adopting is what I have always wanted to do. Yes, Mark and I have been blessed with three tremendous kids. They are wonderful, healthy and our joy. But the desire to add more to our already hopping household was always on my heart.
The desire had become so strong that I prayed that God would either take the desire from me, or increase the desire in Mark's heart. Well, I guess you know how God answered that prayer.
In 2007, Mark and I began the adoption process through Child Protection Services. Our plans were to adopt a child who was in the CPS system. We knew we would be able to adopt an older child, so we began the long process of paperwork and classes. We had taken 4 of the 8 courses and we were blindsided. In Feb., someone who had heard about our decision to adopt contacted us about the possibility of adopting a baby that was due in June. In March, we met the birthmother, and fell in love with her. We talked many times and began making plans to adopt a little girl, who we had decided to name Olivia Faith. During this time, I found myself searching the scriptures for calmness in the situation. Jer. 33:3 was the verse I kept coming back to many times. Without too much detail, Olivia Faith was not who God had for us. She was never to be ours, but we now know God truly has a plan for all of us. Yes, our hearts were broken, and adoption was not talked about for a long time. The days were filled with the everyday busyness of homeschooling our 3 kids. (That will keep you very busy!) I was reading a book during this time about being content. This was something I was struggling with in a way that was indescribable. It was consuming my days and nights. Also during this time, God revealed why we were not to adopt at this season of our life. My mom was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. I had the privilege of watching my mom fight a very brave battle. As I watched her, I was amazed at how content she was. I was having quite a pity party! She never complained, she always smiled and thanked her Jesus! How thankful I am to have had the privilege of her example. The Lord was doing a work in my life during this personal storm. I was humbled before God as to how much He had blessed me. I confessed out loud to him that I was sorry for always wanting more and rarely content. I thanked him for blessing me with 3 great kids, and I confessed my desire to be truly content. How thankful I am for a patient and loving Savior. He brought me to a point where He was waiting with open arms.
In March 2009, my dad was able to return to Peru, a place he loves dearly. He was going to a place called Hogar de Esperanza, an orphanage in Trujillo, Peru. On March 15, 2009, he called our home during dinnertime. When I answered the phone, it was obvious he was filled with emotion. (for those who know my dad, this is pretty common!) The first thing he said to me was, "I found your son." I was overwhelmed. He began to tell me about this sweet brown eyed boy, who had obviously stolen his heart. He wanted to talk to Mark, and I could see a huge smile on Mark's face. When Mark finished the conversation he said, "This is what God has been preparing us for....."
During the past 11 months, I have learned many things about my Jesus. He grows sweeter each day and His Word becomes dearer each time I read. We as a family have claimed two verses: Eph. 3:20 "...He is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope for.", and Psalm 138:8 "The Lord will work out HIS PLANS for my life-for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever..."
I am still a work in progress, and continue to learn how deep the Father's love is for me. Please pray for our family as we continue on this journey.

Good morning! I wanted to give everyone an update on our adoption. We are nearing the one year mark, but are hopeful that we will be in Peru soon. God has been faithful throughout the entire process.

Our documents should be arriving in Lima very soon. We will need an Article 5 letter stating we have permission to enter the country with the intent to adopt. This step should be quick, so we are anxious!

We will let you know when we get the "go ahead".

Serving Him!