Thai Tuesday-Masman Curry and Lots of Prayers

Please, if you are reading this, stop and say and prayer for the Thai government and the military. Today, the Thai people woke to the military chief declaring martial law across the country.  There has been ongoing political unrest in Thailand for over six months now as the opposing parties argue over who should be prime minister.  I don't pretend to understand all that is going on in Thailand, but I am praying for peaceful resolution, and soon.

If you want to read more about what is going on in Thailand, you can click here. It is definitely discouraging to read of the ongoing unrest in Thailand.  We are told that adoptions are still being processed, but it certainly seems to have slowed things down. We are praying that many first approvals are granted tonight (Wednesday morning in Thailand) at the board meeting.

Well, it wouldn't be Tuesday around here if we didn't have a little Thai food.  I have to say, I took a shortcut tonight and used a packaged curry. Not my favorite, but it worked!

First, I started with these two ingredients. 

Next, I diced up some chicken and potatoes.

 

After cooking the chicken in the sauce, I added the potatoes and some peanuts and that was it.  Masman Curry. 

Not nearly as good as the curry you can get in Thailand, but it was edible!

Bittersweet Update Time

As I have mentioned before, we receive an update on our kids every four months or so.  When we know it is update time, we wait expectantly for an email to come saying the update is here. We get a little giddy with excitement wondering how our kids will have changed, what they will look like, what we will learn about them. 

This is our third update since we have been matched with our kids and wow, is it such a bittersweet thing. 

Bitter because we are watching our kids grow up though pictures.  They are growing and changing, and we are sad that we are missing so much of their little lives.  They change SO much in between every update, they get a little bigger and they are going through phases without us.  They are no longer drinking from bottles (Thai kids generally take a bottle until age 3-4). They are toilet trained.  Now I know, some of you are thinking, that's amazing!  Not really, it means we missed another stage. 

Sweet because we get to see their precious faces and they are beautiful!!  I wish I could share them with you, but we have been asked not to share them publically.  Trust me though, they are beautiful!  It is also sweet because we can tell they are being well taken care of.  They have smiles on their faces and they are sitting close to their foster mom.  They are wearing clean clothes and their hair is being taken care of (our little girl has the most adorable pig tails!), all the little things.  And trust me, we notice every little detail of these pictures.

This update was especially sweet because we finally know (we had just been told to assume) that they know about us.  In the pictures we received, they were each holding the bears we sent them, and the reports said that they enjoy looking through the album of pictures we sent and they point to us and call us "Mommy" and "Daddy".  Marc and I agree, it is kind of a crazy thing to think that there are two little kids on the other side of the world calling us "Mommy" and "Daddy".  Crazy amazing!! 

We are in love with them.  We don't know exactly how we can love two little people who we have never met so very much, but we do.  We love them. And we cannot wait to get a call saying that we have first approval and can travel to bring them home. 

Will you pray with us?  The Thai Adoption Board will not be meeting this Wednesday morning like they normally do, they will be meeting on Thursday morning, May 8th, so our Wednesday night, May 7th.  So, we will be having "Thai Wednesday" instead. At any one of these meetings they could grant us first approval.

Speaking of bittersweet, I am reading an excellent book right now with that very word as its title.  It is true of so many things in life, not just our updates, so many things are bittersweet.  But that is a whole other blog post for another time!

Thai Tuesday-Kai Phat Met Muang

The Thai Adoption Board is meeting again tonight, well, morning over there. They are meeting right now. They are visiting with families who are in country to pick up their children and they will be reviewing files of families, families like ours, who are waiting for First Approval.  There are families who have been waiting for First Approval for many more months than us....we are asking God to intervene and that many approvals will be granted at this meeting.

Tonight we made a Chicken and Cashew Nut dish for dinner and we thought about and prayed for our kids even more than we normally do....after all, it is Thai Tuesday!

For those of you who are interested you can find the recipe below:


First, mix in a bowl and set aside:

1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
3 tablespoons chicken broth
1 teaspoon sugar

I usually double this for extra sauce.










Next, cut an onion in wedges and thinly slice a red (or yellow or orange) pepper and set aside.

Third, brown about 1/2 cup of cashew nuts over medium high heat in a tablespoon or so of vegetable oil.  They will brown very quickly, so keep a close eye on them. Once brown, set aside in a bowl.

Forth, take a handful of dried chili peppers and snip the ends off of them. Discard the seeds or keep some of the seeds to give the dish some spice.   Brown the chilies for a minute or two and then set aside in the bowl with the cashew nuts.

Fifth, brown the onions and set aside in a bowl. Now you have all of these items prepped.

 

Sixth, stir-fry a tablespoon or so of minced garlic until light brown in the same oil used for the nuts and chilies.  Then add a pound or so of chicken that has been thinly sliced. And stir-fry on medium high heat. 

 

Finally, add the red pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Then, add the onion, sauce mixture, cashew nuts, and dried chilies and heat for 1-2 minutes.  I also usually like to add a couple of green onions cut into one inch pieces, but I didn't have any tonight so we left them out. 

 

And there it is, Kai Phat Met Muang!  Serve over jasmine rice and enjoy!

 

The Cross is Enough

I am ashamed to admit that I have, at times, questioned God and even had moments of doubting His love for me.  Crazy I know, but sadly, its true.  Sometimes I get so focused on myself that I fail to see the big picture.  Sometimes I have such a myopic view, that all I can see is what is right in front of me.  "Why me?" I have questioned Him.  "Why not me?", I have asked. 

If Jesus, never did anything else for me ever again, He has done enough.  He died for me. 

Did you read that?  He. Died. For. Me.

For doubting, ungrateful, worrisome, impatient me.  He died for me. Wow, talk about humbling.  Talk about love.  Jesus Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice, He was beaten and betrayed. He hung on a cross and allowed nails to be hammered into his hands and feet because He loves me.  He gave His life, His very life, because He loves me.

Did you read that?  He. Loves. Me. 

The cross is enough, its enough.  If God never saw fit to give me anything else in my life, He gave me Jesus.  He provided a way so that I could have a relationship with Him, so I could have the hope of Heaven and eternity with Him. 

This Easter, I have stood in wonder, soaking it in, the depths of His love for me.  Oh how I long to stay focused on all that He has done, instead of on what He has not yet done.  He has a plan, always a plan.  His ways are perfect and He has redemption in mind.

If you are reading this blog and you have never experienced the wonder of the cross, if you have never experienced His personal love for you, what are you waiting for?  Jesus' death on the cross makes such a difference, no, it makes all the difference in my life and it can in yours too. 

John 3:16-18 is a great place to start reading if you want to learn about the cross.

Thank you Lord, for the cross, it is enough.

Thai Tuesday-Surf and Turf

Today was Tuesday, Thai Tuesday, if you read my last post!  We so enjoyed hearing from a few family members and friends who were eating Thai food and praying for us and our kids.  We cannot even begin to say what a blessing and encouragement it is to have others walk this road with us.

I wore my Thailand necklace today....somehow it always makes me feel a little closer to my kids.


We are praying for you dear country of Thailand!

We enjoyed a little of our own Thai food tonight! We made two of our favorite recipes and I thought I would share them on here in case anyone is interested in trying them out.

I found some steak and salmon marked down at the grocery store over the weekend and that was the inspiration for our meal.  The only other ingredients I had to buy that I didn't have on hand were Asian shallots and limes.  These are both pretty simple dishes and great summertime ones as you cook the meat of the grill. (Bless my dear husband for cooking in the cold and rain tonight!)

Thai people love their sauces!  There is always at least fish sauce on the table when you eat a meal in Thailand and often a chili sauce of some sorts as well. What makes these two dishes so yummy are the sauces, a perfect combination of salty and sweet and salty and sour.

The first dish we made is called "Yam Neua Yang Nahm Toke" or "Sliced Steak with Hot and Sour Sauce" (from The Food of Thailand cookbook).

Here is what is needed:

12-16 ounces lean sirloin or fillet steak
2 tablespoons fish sauce (I promise it tastes good mixed in!)
4 tablespoons lime juice (fresh is best!)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
3-4 Asian shallots, finely sliced
a few lettuce leaves to serve (optional)

Heat the grill to medium.  Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the meat.  Cook for 5 to 7 minutes on each side, turning occasionally. 
Once the meat is done, using a sharp knife, slice the cooked beef crossways into strips. 
Mix the fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and chili powder in a bowl.  Add the Asian shallots and the slices of beef.  Serve over jasmine rice. 

Sliced Steak with Hot and Sour Sauce

 Thai Glazed Fish (from America Grills Cookbook)

 

 2 fish steaks (swordfish, salmon, halibut, etc.)
Thai Glaze:
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon lime peel, grated
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
Red pepper flakes (optional)
Juice from one lime

Mix first six glaze ingredients in a bowl. Preheat grill to medium high.  Lightly spray fish steaks with canola oil, and place on hot grates.  Sear for about 2 to 3 minutes or until sear marks appear.  Flip over to a clean section of the grates to sear the other side, about 2 to 3 minutes. 
When both sides are seared but fish is not quite cooked through, remove it to a tray away from heat, and brush on the glaze.  Turn, and repeat on other side of fish.  Fish is done when center is opaque and approximately 145 degrees.  Place fish steaks on platter, and sprinkle with lime juice.

 

Thai Glazed Salmon

 As I mentioned, my husband is the grill master, he also humored me by taking the pictures of our dinner!


Gin Khaw Aroy!

 We actually found out on Friday that the Thai Adoption Board is not meeting this week because of the Thai holiday.  It is the Thai New Year, also known as Songkran, right now. So, while there is no meeting this week, we appreciate all the prayers for our kids and the board, because the prayers are needed, whether it is a meeting week or not.  They will be meeting next Wednesday morning, Tuesday night our time. 

Anyone else what to join in on Thai Tuesdays?  If you are not feeling adventurous with your cooking, maybe you can find a Thai restaurant nearby!  And whether you eat Thai food or not, would you please consider praying with us every other Tuesday evening when the Thai Adoption Board meets? 

 

Questions

On almost a daily basis, I am asked at least one of these questions, "When are you going to go get your kids?", "What are the next steps?", Why is it taking so long?" "Do you know anything new about your kids?"

So for those of you who have had these same questions, let me try to answer them.

Question: When are you going to go get your kids?

As soon as we are told we can!!  If we could get on a plane tomorrow, we would.  In all reality, it will probably be late fall before we can travel to Thailand to bring our kids home. 

Question: What are the next steps? 

The next step for our adoption is called First Approval. We were matched with our children by our U.S. agency, Holt International.  We are now waiting on the Thai Adoption Board to officially approve that match.  All of our paperwork is done, it has been done since late 2012, but there are many cases ahead of ours, and so we wait. 

Once we receive First Approval, we will receive some important documents that we need to file with the United States Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) office so we can get permission for our children to become U.S. Citizens.  Once we get that approval (called the I-800 approval) we will be able to travel to Thailand.

Question: Why is it taking so long?

If only I really knew!  One reason is that the Thai adoption board only meets two days every month and there are many things that they have to do when they meet.  Another reason is that, since this past fall, there has been a lot of political unrest in Thailand that has slowed a lot of government work down.

Question:  Do you know anything new about your kids?

No! The last report we received on our children was in December.  We only get updates on them every four months and the updates really tell us very little.  We know that they are together in foster care, and we are told they are happy, otherwise we don't really know a whole lot. We should get a new update in the next few weeks, and we will definitely share what we can from the update.

I am so thankful that others are interested in our adoption.  I hope that people always feel free to ask questions, it shows that they care. Probably the best question I have been asked though, is a pretty simple one... 

Question: How are you doing? or How are you doing with the wait?

The Answer:  Some days I am doing just fine.  I am able to focus my eyes on Jesus and feel so very blessed by so many people and things in my life.  I know that it is just a matter of time and our children will be home with us.

Other days, I am not so fine.  Other days, I get down, I look around me and see people with their children and long for that to be me.  Some days I feel like it is never going to happen, and I am tired of waiting. 

This "How are you doing with the wait?" question is definitely the most helpful one.  It gives me a chance to share where I am at, whether it is an easy day of waiting or a hard one.

Thanks for reading along, asking questions, and being interested in our journey....our journey to get Beyond the Wait!

Thai Tuesday

Today is Tuesday! And what my husband and I are declaring "Thai Tuesday". 

What does this mean, you ask?   Let me try to explain.

First of all, note that Thailand is 11 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, so when it is Tuesday night in Virginia, it is Wednesday morning in Thailand.

Every other Wednesday morning in Thailand the Thai Adoption Board meets.  The Thai Adoption Board is who we are waiting on to officially approve our children being matched with us.  Once they officially approve our match, called First Approval, we will be two-three months away from traveling to bring our children home. 

The Thai Adoption Board has a lot of things to accomplish at these meetings, one of which is to grant First Approvals.  There are many families who have been matched with children who are waiting on First Approval. A year ago, most families got First Approval about six months after they were matched.  Now, it seems to be taking a year or more for families to get First Approval.  It has been eight months since we were matched with our children and began waiting on First Approval. Eight. Long. Months.

There is not much we can do while we wait for First Approval, so we have decided that every other week, when the Board meets, we are going to eat Thai food for dinner (Yum!) and pray for the Board.  We pray for them other times too (and eat Thai food other times as well!), but Tuesday nights we make sure to spend extra time in prayer for this group of Board Members. 

Tonight we ate Khow Soi, a Chicken Curry Soup with Thai Egg noodles, for dinner.  We are praying that today in Thailand, the Thai Adoption Board will grant many First Approvals, that God would give them great speed as they go through files, that they would sense an urgency to get children with their families, and that they would even decide to have an extra meeting or two in the months to come. 

Khow Soi (Pronounced-"Cow Soy")

Please pray with us (and eat Thai food too if you can!).  You can help us bring our kids home!  Prayer makes a difference!