Saying Goodbye

This morning was one of those moments. You know the ones, right? It was the kind you think about for so long and then when it happens, it's over in an instant and like a blur to remember. I had thought about the words I needed to say, the things I wanted to make sure I covered, and the gratitude I longed to express. And now, I'm sitting here and I'm not sure exactly what jumbled mess fell out of my mouth.

I had been sitting on the news for a little while, unsure when would be the right time to tell the team that I would not be back to coach another season. I didn't want to take anything away from them or from the seniors' final year, so I decided to wait. The banquet was too much of a celebration, so I thought today would be a good day, our family match day-- the last day I would have a large portion of my team together. But really, there is no good day for that kind of thing. Even though I knew what was to come, my heart broke as the words came out.

I did my best to share what led to my decision and what didn't, but I want to make sure that no one misses it. 

1) I am not done because the seniors are done. It is true we are losing 4 amazing girls this year, but even if we were keeping the entire team, I would not be returning. We had an incredible team this year, but I know the team is going to be filled with remarkable young women again next year, too. There would never be an easy time to walk away from this program.

2) I am done because I have had and have seen parents that support their children. My parents attended every recital, were spectators of nearly all tennis matches, and I knew they cared enough to be there for the things that were important to me. Zeeland East parents are exactly the same way. We have had so many parents come to our matches and tournaments, supporting us from the first day of practice to the final banquet. Now, my son is at the age where he is starting his own activities, and I don't want to miss a thing. Coaching demands a lot of time and energy that I want to be able to devote to my family. I'll still be in the cheering section [I'll be the loud one, no doubt], but it's time for someone else to take on those additional responsibilities.

3) In the end, this is about obedience. I've thought about how I could balance it all and make it work, but I know that's not an option. I'm quite certain my players and their parents know that I'm striving to follow Jesus with the decisions I make, and this is one of those. Last year, when I thought I may not be returning to coach due to the adoption (no news on that, by the way), I was beside myself with grief. But now, even though it's not easy, I know it's the right thing, the right time, and what I'm suppose to do. There are a lot of instances where obedience to the Lord is hard but filled with His grace. And that's where I am. I hate feeling like I'm letting people down, especially my girls, but honoring the Lord is my top priority, even when it's tough.

4) I am so thankful that I was given the opportunity to be the varsity coach for 7 years, to coach with my dad, and to be part of these girls' lives. They have brightened each dreary March, achieved big goals, and taught me more than they will ever know.

What's next?

I don't know, and that's okay. I trust Him, not only with my life but also with the team. It may seem silly, but watching something that has been such a huge part of my life being handed over to someone else isn't easy. Yet I know, this is right, and I'm excited to see how the ZE tennis program continues to grow in the future as it has gone from 14 girls to 29 in the last five years. It has been a blessing to watch that happen and know the girls who have represented ZE on the court.

Love and Blessings,

Coach

Delay, Name, CAFO

There haven't been any real updates because there hasn't been much to say. Until now...


1. The match meeting in March never happened. This was due to some paperwork not being finished in Lesotho and there is still no word. I think I chalked this up to normal adoption problems. They warn you from the get-go that something will happen during the process to slow things down. But it finally occurred to me that Scripture address this. Ephesians 6:12 says that "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." I was reminded this week about how much Satan hates families and is the author of brokenness. So, I'm not taking this stalling as a typical adoption thing any more. This is war. This is evil trying to keep children from families, and I will be praying against it. Please join me in presenting these requests to the Lord.


2. We have a boy name picked out, in the event that we have a son joining our family. We actually have two boy names chosen, should we get twins. We're going to prepare ourselves with two girl names as well so we'll be ready, but those are taking a little more time. And nope, we're not telling!

3. I went to my first Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO) Summit this past Thursday and Friday in Chicago. It was incredible. I'll be sharing more of what I learned, things that pricked my heart, and life-changing stories I heard. For now, I want to share how blessed I've been by the two women I knew going into Summit and the rest I met while traveling to and from there. Going into this adoption, we knew we had a supportive community around us, but to have these women go before me in this and offer wisdom and love means more than I can express. I know that once we get our child/ren home it will be even more meaningful. They have shared their experiences, their struggles, and their mission-- blessing me immensely. Like I said before, this is war, but these women are strong in the Lord, so victory is sure.

Show us!

We picked up our t-shirts yesterday and they are incredible! I especially love watching John and Lydia run around with them on. If/when you get shirts, can you PLEASE take a picture and send it to us? We'd love to save them and show our new child/ren the people who supported this adoption.

The only real news at this point is that there will be a match meeting in Lesotho this week (Lord willing)! That may mean we are matched with a child or children, or it may mean that others families are and we just move one step closer to it being our turn.

I know this wait can be excruciating for some, but for us, we are content. We are busy with grad school, coaching tennis, swimming lessons, BSF, motor movement, and trying to see family and friends when we can. We would love to be matched this month, but we are going to keep plenty busy either way!

Also, we realize we've only been at this for 6 months. We made our first contact with the agency on Sept. 9, 2013, and here we are waiting already. This is not typical! So we wait in eager expectation, knowing the Lord is working and that His plan (and timing) is perfect.

In the meantime, ORDER THOSE SHIRTS and SEND US THOSE PICTURES!

Thanks, friends.

May it be for His glory!

Rollout

I'm not a fan of Obamacare, but now I do have a little sympathy for the rollout disaster. Apparently we have more interest in our shirts though...

Everything is ready to go! There are now long-sleeve t-shirts available, too.
The only issue that can't be completely remedied is the shipping, so here are your two options:

1) If you need multiple shirts shipped, place an order for one shirt and pay $5 for shipping.  Then place another order for the remaining shirts and mark the pick-up option.  They will all ship together for the one price.
OR
2) Pay the $5/shirt and they will just credit your card for any shipping over $5. (So if you buy three shirts, you'll pay $15 in shipping but they will credit your card for $10.)

OR
Come visit and get the shirts while you're in town!

Here is the link:
http://www.trenchapparel.com/lesotho

Remember, everyone you know will want one of these, so share the link and make sure they know The Jeffries appreciate their support!

Let me know if you have any questions or if something isn't working correctly, and I'll do my best to help!

Last piece of the puzzle

I normally like cutting to the chase instead of beating around the bush, but not today.  Today I'm all about metaphors and analogies. See what I did there?

I also really like puzzles.  Lame?  Perhaps.

So with that in mind, these last six months have been spent putting together a big jigsaw puzzle. There have been the pieces with straight edges, making it clear where they belonged, and there have been other pieces that though not difficult, just took time to maneuver into place. But there was finally that moment when the very last piece slid among its comrades and it was complete.

Today was that moment.  We received our I-797 from United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and have been officially approved to bring two children from Lesotho into this country. That is it. We have completed every form, jumped through every hoop, and are now able to wait.

So the puzzle is complete.  However, what we knew from the beginning was that we were doing the puzzle with blindfolds over our eyes, and we still have no idea what the picture is going to look like. What sweet relief we have knowing that our portion is complete and the One who created the puzzle is standing by, waiting for the perfect moment to reveal His picture.

Please keep praying for us.  Pray for our family (the members here and in Lesotho) who are going to be changed by this experience.  Pray that, while it will be an adjustment, we will all be made more into the image of Christ through this adoption.

May it be for His glory!

What all the cool kids are wearing

Did you check out the fundraising thermometer?  I mentioned in my last post that I was hoping the upcoming t-shirt fundraiser would push us over the halfway mark, but we reached that and FAR BEYOND after a handful of donations that came in last week!  THANK YOU!!!

I got word a few days ago that our dossier has arrived in Lesotho! A match meeting is scheduled for the end of March, so all we need now is our approval from USCIS. We were told 2-4 weeks and today was exactly 2 weeks. Pray that it arrives soon!

In other exciting news, the t-shirts are ready!  And, if you're living in Michigan or pretty much anywhere else that is still experiencing all the back-to-back arctic blasts, there are sweatshirts available too!

The t-shirts come in kid sizes (2,4,6), youth sizes (8,10,12), and adult sizes.  And let me tell you, these are nice shirts.  The company we are working with was very emphatic that we go with a shirt that won't lose its shape or look worn/pilly after washing.  You can choose what you want to order and then specify if you'd like to support us (The Jeffries) or our friends, The Freriks, who are also adopting from Lesotho.  There is also an option to just give a donation, even if you don't want a t-shirt.  But, really, who wouldn't want one of these?!

So go and buy one! Wear it!  Buy one for each of your kids, or maybe two so they will have something to wear when the other one is in the wash. Buy one for your spring break travels so you can tell others about the children from Lesotho who will have forever families in Michigan.  And when you wear it or see it in your drawer, pray!  Pray for the children without families.  Pray for families that are in the adoption process.  Pray for countries to operate with integrity and for other countries to open their doors to adoption.  And pray for parents who have released their children for adoption and whatever circumstances surround that decision.

If you want to go the extra mile, share this link on your favorite social media so others can support us while being dressed on the front edge of fashion.  Don't keep a wardrobe staple like this to yourself.

https://trench-apparel.squarespace.com/lesotho

Thank you!

Ronnie

David and I celebrated Valentine's Day by having our fingerprints done.  We had to drive to GR where they have this hard-to-find building filled with a million seats, which is bizarre since you must have an appointment to be in the building.  We walked in and had to immediately present our appointment form and identification.  We had to take a seat (there were plenty from which to choose) and fill out a form.  Then the form was reviewed for accuracy and we were sent to sit in another gigantic section of chairs.  And wait.  And wait.  Then the finger prints and we were on our way.

I LOVE meeting new people, so why would the USCIS be any different?  The man who looked over our forms was named Ronnie.  I'd guess he is in his 70s.  I started talking to him when he held up my license to make sure it was a picture of me.  Later he commented on the fact that my birthday was coming up; I told him not to remind me.  I shared how awful it was since David is younger, so I have to be in my 30s while he is still in his 20s.  He told us that his wife, Luella, is 13 years older.

Ronnie went on to tell us that she is in a nursing home, enduring Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.  He visits her every morning before work and each evening.  He feeds her and spends time with her even though she has no idea who he is or any recollection of the life they had together.  She cannot talk or move on her own.

What a picture of love on Valentine's Day.  What sacrificial, ever-enduring compassion.

He wished us well in our adoption process, and we told him we'd be praying for him and the road ahead.  Will you join us?  Pray for comfort for Luella and peace for Ronnie.  Pray for relief from pain and them both to love Jesus.  Thank you, friends.

In other news, t-shirts are coming!  We are doing an adoption fundraiser by selling some sweet shirts.  Stay tuned for pictures and a link where you can order.  We are almost halfway to our fundraising goal, so hopefully these shirts will push us over that!