And they will be called......The boys name revealed

James   Chapter 1

Greetings from James

1This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I am writing to the “twelve tribes”—Jewish believers scattered abroad.

Greetings!

Faith and Endurance

2Dear brothers and sisters,^a when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

5If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.8Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

9Believers who are^b poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them. 10And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field. 11The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements.

12God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. 13And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong,^c and he never tempts anyone else. 14Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. 15These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

16So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. 17Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens.^d He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.^e 18He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.^f

Listening and Doing

19Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 20Human anger^g does not produce the righteousness^h God desires. 21So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.

22But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

26If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.27Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

Introducing the two youngest Oehlhof Boys.....

                                                       James and Joseph

Named after James (Jesus' brother). The book of James gives us practical ways to live and a specific command to care for the widows and orphans of the world.  James proclaimed his faith and shared the gospel with the world after Jesus' death.  We pray our James will one day have faith in the savior and live his life for the Lord.

Joseph- Jesus' adoptive father here on earth.  Maybe the most obedient man on earth in the face of adversity.  He followed what the Lord called him to do, no matter the loss of his name, his home, his future.  He could have easily walked away from this pregnant women, but he faced the Lord on his knees and obediently obeyed.  We pray this little boy will learn to obediently follow the plan the Lord has already spun into place for his precious little life.

 Joy-overwhelming Joy-- this is how Huahua lives her life.  Enjoying every bath, bubble and giggle.

There's a phrase about adoption that says resonates with me every time I wonder if we are leading our family in the direction the Lord is calling us.  "I always questioned if I was ready to adopt and then I realized, no child was ready to be an orphan."   God designed us to be part of a family.  He designed children to have parents, siblings and feel loved in a family unit.  Nothing is more clear than the bond created between these two girls in this past year.  They are so closely connected and compassionate to one another my heart skips a beat to see them yearning to be with each other.   Huahua delights in joy when her sister returns from school as if Christmas day has arrived! Jordan told me in secret she can't wait to save up to $20 so she can buy her sister her own barbie doll for her birthday.  Only four dollars to go!  So selfless Jordan-  very proud of you!
We thought adoption was about "giving a family" a  child, but wow has this family been blessed through adoption. 

 This year we read the real Christmas story before opening our presents.  Each child read a portion and we talked about the best present we have ever been given, Jesus, our savior.

Dad got a great gift with all his little people on it!  It says "Dad's six pack".  Huahua enjoyed opening her presents this year.  The paper and bubble wrap are her favorite things.  She neatly lined up her presents along the floor.

My oldest baby turned 11 on Dec 21.  He just had his party with 4 of his friends.  A great time was had by all,  could barely tell we had 10 kids in the house!  Just warming up....

                                       This little one was on cake clean up duty.

Decorating for Christmas...She used these mostly for medical instruments to take vitals.  Might be a sign she is going to be a doctor or has spent way too much time in the hospital!

                                           Notice the tape cast on the right foot!

The youngest gets to place the angel on the top of the tree.  Huahua has the honors this year, next year Joseph Shi Feng Yu.

   Celebrating Christmas with Great Grandpa at his nursing home.  She asked to sit on his lap.
                                                          So sweet!

 Making Christmas cookies for the first time and making a really big mess!  Decorating and eating a lot of frosting and sprinkles in the mix!  Oh so fun :)

Can you believe one year home???  Here we are in the Dr office getting another shot.   Only one this day.  Poor girl has had 17 immunization shots this year to "catch" her up.  She truly is a miracle to have survived living in an orphanage without a spleen (which fights infection)  without any immunizations and with 1/2 a heart.  Praise God for his protection!  So thankful we were granted to be her family and get to enjoy this spunky smile!

One year celebration!!!!!!!  We had a special Chinese meal and lots of yummy desserts.  Huahua knew this was her special day and was very proud of her family.

 I made her scrapbook with all her first year photos and her time in China with us.  I was a very difficult book to assemble and grieve the time we missed with her. Huahua asked where Mommy and Daddy were in the earlier pictures when she was a baby.   So hard when we don't have the soothing answers.  Adoption is born out of loss and it will never completely goes away, we manage it.  We move forward and teach Huahua how she is loved by her China mama who gave her life and loved her so much to make the most difficult decision.

This was one of the fortune cookies we opened during the 1 year celebration!

I ache for a woman on the other side of the world who will never know the sweet girl she gave birth to is safely home within a family, cherished deeply and tenderly loved. I hurt for Huahua that we can not give her all the answers to her beginning she may ask, but we promise to walk beside her as she follows her dreams. We will teach her that she was uniquely designed by God, with a specific purpose and we are her forever family.  Her beginning has a meaning and significance and one day God will reveal his glory through her story.

                                      Now is she not the cutest Mary you have ever seen?

                                                   A little twister fun!!!!!

             This is our idea of camping out! in the Living ROOM!  BY THE FIREPLACE!

Boys ADOPTION UPDATE:

No LOA yet  :(  Letter of acceptance has to be right around the corner.  Please pray for the boys as they are awaiting us to come!!!!  Today is day 55 of our wait for this piece of paper.  It starts to be excruciating as the days tick by.  After receiving this LOA we should travel in about 8-10 weeks.    We have raised $16,200 of our $30,000 goal to cover our in country expenses (2 orphanages fees) travel expenses (flights, hotels, meals).  That leaves only $13,800 to go!  Thank you for all your support and prayers!

Time to still jump on board and help bring our boys home!!!!

Two ways to donate:
1. On the home page of this website.

2. Checks to “Lifesong for Orphans"
 (Oehlhof #4819) to assure it goes to the correct account.

         Please mail to Lifesong for Orphans
         PO Box 40
         Gridley, IL 61744.

And there are T-shirts still available too!

Email lkietzke@hotmail.com

Nesting---Preparing for the boys

We are among the hardest part of adoption---the long wait for the LOA (letter of acceptance) from the C. government.  The boys are preapproved for our family and all our paperwork sits on their desks awaiting final approval.  Although this time hurts, we must recognize everything will happen according to God's perfect will and timing.  Our dossier (the packet of paperwork sent) is littered with the message of Christ and how we live our lives for Him.  Everyday this packet of paperwork sits upon the desk of a worker and maybe, just maybe, His glory will shine through to those who have yet to hear the good news.  We pray our wait is not in vain and there is a purpose for everyday.

In the meantime I feel the nesting urge to prepare our home for their arrival.  Rooms are being painted and redecorated. Boys will all be on one floor sharing a bathroom.  The girls have redecorated with butterfly stickers and love their new room.  The first night after our big make over, I asked Huahua to take care of her dirty clothes.  After a few minutes I thought what could possibly take her so long to dispose of her clothes a few feet away in the dirty clothes closet.  She had went two flights of stairs, to use the clothes shoot on the second floor.  She was really tired, but such a good listener!  Old habits die hard.

Today we met with our social worker for our year follow up.  Can you believe it's been almost a year since sweet Huahua joined our family.  Part of us feels like she's been with us forever and then there are haunting reminders that she carries pain from her past.  Adoption doesn't end when we bring a child home, we will forever work with her to process her trauma.  She is beyond her years in street smarts and emotionally an infant at times which I love to cuddle, hold close to assure her no one will ever hurt her again.  One year ago in a ceremony we promised to protect, love, and provide for her as one of our own but we had no idea what a gift we would receive in return.  She is pure joy, with a side of spicy CQ sassiness to boot!  We love you sweet girl.
Tonight she wanted nothing more than to snuggle into bed with her big sister, jie jie. (Jordan)  She loves her, adores her and wants to be her at all times!  Jordan treats her sister with such kindness and gentleness, teaching her so much.  I am so proud of her!  Looking forward to the new bonds the brothers will create.  Justin and Jackson are such good buds now, we know they will teach their new brothers how to love and care.  Of course there will always be an occasional battle of the wills, but that's how life rolls.  It's the ability to solve our problems in a reasonable, respectful way that we are striving to teach.

Some of our recent adventures......

                                                        Halloween 2013

 The family (except Huahua) volunteered at Feed my Starving Children one afternoon.  What a great experience for us as a family to serve others.  We packed dry meals for those in need across the world.  The children learned to work hard and have fun while giving of themselves and serving.

 Everyone tool turns at different jobs, either scooping food, weighing the bags, and packing boxes.                           We had so much fun they did not want to stop when our shift was over.
                                   And we even got to keep our hair nets are a souvenir.

                                          Dad was given the heavy lifting job!

                                           Princess Huahua always good for a laugh

 Jordan and Huahua sledding at Thanksgiving up north at Grandma condo.  They hit the jump and loved it.  Dad was saying under his breathe "please don't hit the jump, please don't hit the jump" and they hit it right on target!  Laughing all the way :)

                               SNOW....................a DELICIOUS AFTERNOON SNACK!

                                          All the play time is hard work....time for a nap!

                    Building her first gingerbread house...It was very hard not to eat the candy.



Sorry it's sad....no new pictures of the boys....  We cling to the knowledge they will be home soon and we can love them and take as many pictures.  Between now and then we wait on the Lord and his direction for our lives.   We have successfully raised about $5,000 of the $30,000 of our goal.  Praise God and thank you to all who have donated for bringing hope to these young boys.  Donations are tax deductible and accepted through the home page of this blog or checks can be sent directly through LifeSong for Orphans.

We still have shirts available too...

Sizes large and XL left in kids and adult. Colors sport grey and orange (as shown by our great models)  XL kids is the same size as an adult small.  Makes a great Christmas present!

The Agony of the Wait

We are now in the toughest part of the adoption journey--- awaiting the formal letter of acceptance (LOA) for our two boys.   This is the longest waiting period throughout the adoption process and there is nothing we can do to speed things up or know how or what our file is doing on the other side of the world.  More importantly we have no way of knowing how our little boys are doing.  We just pray that the Lord covers them in his gracious hand of protection.  Whenever anyone complains of being cold lately, I simply remind them, two of our children sleep without heat tonight (It's 50 degrees at night).  Not to sound depressing, just a fact and a reminder to be grateful for what you have.  In the meantime we have rearranged our bedroom situation and de-cluttered to accomodate the expecting growth of our family!  All the kids have taken delight in preparing where the new little ones will be sitting at the table, some discrepancy still, but bedrooms are all confirmed and agreed upon!  Yesterday as we were moving things upstairs, Grandpa showed up, unannounced at the perfect time to move the heavy furniture.  I was not looking forward to moving the dressers and beds around!  A gift from above for me :)

The second time around my heart aches for other reasons that it did the first time.  Last year at this time I was aching to hold Huahua and assure her heart health was maintaining.  Now we are calmer in some ways.  Maybe like a second pregnancy, second time adoptive parents are more calm about the process, but there are pains I can't shake.  We know two little boys are going to join our home, our family and be given a life of hope and a future.  We are getting prepared, the process will be difficult and we will have struggles while we acclimate to a family of eight.  But there are millions, yes, millions of faces, no not just faces, but real children with personality, passion, and potential -living alone and left to fend for themselves.  Some may be "lucky" to have the shelter and food of an orphanage, but emotionally they fend for themselves.  This is completely and utterly wrong!  My heart, selfishly aches to hold our new sons, but my heart is in agony for those children who will never know the love of a mother's arms holding them.  My heart screams for families to find meaning in a little soul and call one of these orphans their own.

Sunday our pastor spoke about examining our lives to see if we are living for earthy or heavenly treasures?  Where is our focus in our lives?  Where do we commit our resources and time?  Does it bless ourselves or humanity and ultimately the Kingdom of God?  Do we live to be like Christ or are we just becoming more critical of others?

John 2:16-17"For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever."

We are so fortunate to have been given this opportunity to be the parents of all of our children.  This past week another mother, and dear friend, is in Boston and has been awaiting for her sweet daughter to wake up and heal from her miraculous heart surgery.  We have talked back and forth a few times.  Interesting enough as she was picking up her daughter in China only five short months ago, I was sitting in a hospital room awaiting for my sweet Chinese princess to heal from heart surgery.  God ways are so much grander than anything we can imagine and the peace he can bring us in the waiting only comes from our faith in him.  Why do we accept these battles when we know full well there will be pain... because the Lord led us and asked us to serve him.  He walks us through and we confidently know His will, will prevail!    We have the opportunity to teach our children what truly matters and bring them to know the peace of heavenly treasures.  The glory is and forever will be to God!  

If you feel led to be part of bringing our boys home, please consider a tax deductible donation to our adoption fundraising campaign.  You can donate from the home page of the blog or send a check to LifeSong for Orphans.  ***Donation Checks payable to “Lifesong for Orphans”.  In the memo, note Oehlhof  #4819 to assure it goes to the correct account. Please mail to Lifesong for Orphans, PO Box 40, Gridley, IL 61744. Lifesong has been blessed with a partner that underwrites all U.S. administrative and fund-raising costs (TMG Foundation and other partners). That means 100% of your tax deductible donation will go directly to the OEHLHOF adoption. 

Everyone who donates to our adoption fund will have their name on a piece of this puzzle in their honor.  You will be a part of our journey forever.  Thank you for your prayers and support. 

Take Hope When Tests Come

James 1:2-4  2My Christian brothers, you should be happy when you have all kinds of tests. 3 You know these prove your faith. It helps you not to give up. 4 Learn well how to wait so you will be strong and complete and in need of nothing.

"OverWhelmed" ---LID (LOGGED IN DATE)

Yesterday was a day when we realize we just go with the flow and only God is in control!  As a parents of children with medical needs, the day may not go as planned and we have come to accept the changes in our day.  The easier we move with the changes and allow others to walk along aside us the smoother the day goes, no matter the outcome.  Faith in the one who created these special little bodies comforts me knowing He will guide us in their care.

Huahua spiked a fever with her immunizations.  I called the clinic in the morning and when her Dr returned the call late afternoon she said after consulting with hemotology clinic it was urgent for her to be treated with IV antibiotics because of risk of bacterial infection.  Without a spleen, Huahua is in a dangerous position when she spikes a fever and unable to fight off infection.  The time frame for her to receive treatment is critical and we are so thankful for her primary doctor's diligent management of her care.  As we preparing to head to AWANA last night, Ryan headed of the the ER with Huahua.  My Mama heart ached not to take her, but the two of them had a wonderful experience bonding together through her evening of treatment.  Daddy's have a special way of being extra silly to make things not hurt so bad. 

The other three kids and I went off to AWANA and continued our night while Daddy and Huahua managed the medical side of things.    The lesson I was teaching was on thankfulness.  Do we live our lives in a manner that show we are thankful for everything we have?  From the freedom to vote, be educated, receive medical care, speak our minds, worship our God freely, and share the gospel to one other.  Do we really live in a way that says Thank you God for everything you have given to me, and mostly we should be thankful God's son as our redeeming savior?  The children at AWANA are now is midst of of a friendly competition to raise money for WORLD VISION in that others might receive some of the benefit of our glorious earthy riches we have already received.   They are showing their generosity to other children in the midst of their thankfulness. Are we willing to be part of something really big and make a difference?

A great song linked to World Vision is "Overwhelmed" by Big Daddy Weave.  We watched this last night with the children.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiGb14tTaH4

We should all be overwhelmed by the Lord's creation, beauty and everything he has provided and done for us in our lives!

NEWS OF THE DAY!!!!!

We have LID!!!! Logged in China!!!!  For those of you without the cheat sheet. This should have taken a few weeks, but it took only two days!!!!  Our social worker has never seen this happen in the same week!  Beijing (yes the entire city), where the CCCWA is located in being shut down because of pollution next week.  So in our favor it looks like they were busy clearing off their desks before their break.  Pray for those living in a region where the pollution is this bad.  Pray for these workers as they return rested and refreshed ready to process adoptions for children awaiting their families.  The next thing we await is Letter of Acceptance (LOA) which can take up to 3 months.  Huahua was an amazing 6 weeks.  We know who really controls the time frame of adoption :)

NAMES ANYONE???  To be announced soon....

Yesterday when I told HuaHua this little guy was going to be her brother, she lit up with a smile and said " He looks like me!"  And then she found out he was three years old, (just like her) 

laughter erupted throughout the house!

If you feel led to contribute to the finances of these sweet boy's adoption, please click on the donate button on our home page.  It's the easiest way to contribute a tax deductible donation through Lifesong for Orphans.  Thank you for your support and prayers!

Updates and BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!

When she crashes, she crashes hard.  We don't typically put her down for naps anymore because she won't go to bed until 11 pm then.  Although I am thankful she listens to her body and rests when needed.  This day she made a little fortress, under the pool table, for the princess to rejuvenate her precious self.    Medically we are still working to bring her oxygen levels up.  The new medication is having some unwanted side effects.  Initially seemed to raise her oxygen, but long term now we have not seen the results as expected.  We have a little room to increase the medication, and will reevaluate just before Thanksgiving with an ECHO and cardio appt.    The other option is to close her fenestration value, which gave her really good reading while under sedation.  Long term though there are possible complications with that route as well.   She saw the general surgeon today regarding her mal rotation of the intestines.  Final result is we will only monitor her symptoms, as the surgery is too risky for a child with her type of heart condition. (30% mortality are not good odds going into surgery)   She is finally healthy enough to start some vaccinations again tomorrow.  Although not our favorite thing to do, I am glad we can finally get back on track.  Another testament to the miracle she truly is..... When she came to us she had already lived 2 1/2 years in China, in a massive orphanage without a spleen to fight infection, not immunized!  Praise God for the protection over her life!

We love to play outside and Huahua loves the fresh air like most children.  Fall has been exceptionally beautiful this year with the leaves staying on the trees a little longer.  Simple experiences of walking through the crunchy leaves, finding catapillars, even when they pee on her, have been so incredible.  She sees things for the first time and can verbally express her new found passions and dreams and shares with us her little heart.  How did we get to be so lucky?

She is also an entertainer and an orchestrator of the show.   She can be bossy, sassy and manipulative too.   But how do you survive life in an orphanage without these basic skills.  Mature beyond her 3 years in some respects and still an infant needing swaddling in other moments.  We pray for time to heal her wounds and for her to allow us to walk beside her as she heals.

Did we mention she does like to ride the pony, but when he's not available, the dog works too!  Good boy Bubba Gump.

With a smile like that, why wouldn't she get away with everything?















Snuggling with Daddy after the races at Pecatoncia.  The boys had their award banquet and she cheered real loud for them.  Go gaga's!

First Trick o Treat--  Was not sure why these people kept giving her candy.  She was happy after the first three bags of M & M's.  But then realized more houses= more candy and said I like this, This is fun!  As a mother I thought she would be afraid of the decorations, but NOT so much!  She walked up to the guy who was hiding under the table with his head sticking out of the bowl (and had a scary mask on)  plainly patted him on the head and ask him, "why do you have your head in the bowl? " Never mind the mask!   She commented the skeletons were broken.  Maybe with a stomach like that girl you're headed to medical school to be a surgeon.

                                                                Halloween 2014

So you might have wondered why have we been so short on updates.  Well extra busy, with some extra paperwork, for someone extra special.  You see when you say, "Yes Lord I will follow you, I will go where you send me", your submit your life and will to Him.  And in the same time there is something so freeing because you know your are doing what you are intended to do, there is a peace that transcends all understanding.  Is it easy, without struggle?  No, but peace is found.  Here is our littlest Oehlhof.....

He just turned three in August and also has a congenital heart condition.  Medical details to be figured out as we get more information from his orphanage.  But really it doesn't matter because he is our son, chosen to be ours by the one who knows it ALL.

How do we bring these two boys home from China?  With your help.  First prayers to prepare them to be a part of our family and then major financial support.   We estimate this adoption will run around $60,000 and we need to raise about $30,000.  We are approved through "Lifesong For Orphans" to receive donations upon our behalf as a non profit entity.  100% of donations given to Lifesong will go directly to our adoption and are tax deductable.

There are a couple ways to give a tax deductable donation.

  1. Donation Checks payable to “Lifesong for Orphans”.  In the memo, note Oehlhof  #4819 to assure it goes to the correct account. Please mail to Lifesong for Orphans, PO Box 40, Gridley, IL 61744. Lifesong has been blessed with a partner that underwrites all U.S. administrative and fund-raising costs (TMG Foundation and other partners). That means 100% of your donation will go directly to the OEHLHOF adoption. (Note: In Following IRS guidelines, your donation is to the named non-profit organization. They retain full discretion over its use, but intend to honor the donor’s suggested use.  Individual Donations over $50 or more will receive a tax-deductable receipt. Donations receipts under $50 will be sent upon request. Lifesong is a 501 (c) 3 tax exempt organization.)

 2.  To donate online go to www.lifesongfororphans.org/give/donate .  Select “Give to an Adoptive Family.” Complete the online form and fill in “Family Account Number” and “Family Name” fields.   OEHLHOF  #4819   Note PayPal charges an administrative fee (2.9% + $.30 USD per transaction).

3.  Click on the donate tab on the home page of this website.  Donations go through paypal and are accepted through "Lifesong for Orphans".  Note PayPal charges an administrative fee (2.9% + $.30 USD per transaction).

Thank you for your continued support in our journey to follow where the Lord has called us to go.  We are blessed immeasurably and cannot wait to meet our sons and bring them home!