Sherri & Kalina

Meeting Kalina

On Monday we held Kalina! She's two months old. Her birthday is actually June 28. She has beautiful deep brown eyes. She stared very intently at us. The nuns are really nice at the orphanage. It's a Mother Teresa orphanage in Dhaka called Missionaries of Charity. One nun told me that even though Kalina can't talk yet, she understands love and can feel that I love her. She's very delicate and feminine. We could just visit for a short time because we had to meet the magistrate about the adoption. Today we go to the American Embassy to get approval to bring Kalina home. Please continue to pray for us.
Bangladesh is very different from the US. Traffic even scares Nadeem! There are rickshaws, scooters, buses, and cars all over the road. Nobody stays in their lanes or follows traffic rules. There are beggars everywhere. Even small children have come to me and refused to leave. They'll even follow you down the road knocking on your car window. It is a bit hot here, not much hotter than home, but there is often no air conditioning. Hasan's apartment ("flat") is nice and has air. This is a religious holiday month (Ramadan), so the people fast from sun-up to sun-down. We often hear the call to prayer outside. We eat as usual. For breakfast we eat eggs and fruit like at home. For other meals we eat the Bangladesh food. It's sort of like Indian food. Nadeem and I both like it. Hasan's family is very kind and hospitable. They've helped us enormously with the adoption. We have recovered from some mild jet lag and are glad to have more energy. Unlike the US, you don't go places quite as freely. Traffic is so bad that it takes 1 hour to travel 10 miles. There is a lot of poverty. So far we've only had time to focus on the adoption process, so I can't share much else about the places in the city. Hasan says that Dhaka is about the size of Suwanee.
I'm eager to share more good news about Kalina and the adoption soon! We do have photos. If technology cooperates, I'll try to post some. Thanks again for your love and prayers.
"And we know that all things work together for the good of those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose." -Romans 8:28

Our trip has begun!

Nadeem and I are in Paris now, halfway to Bangladesh. We'll arrive in Dhaka at 8 pm on Sunday-that's 10 am our time. So far our trip has been smooth. Today we had dinner in Paris. Our flight leaves in an hour. Hasan will travel with us for the remainder of the trip. We should meet Kalina on Monday! Thanks for praying for us! As of now we plan to return on September 29. We can't wait to introduce you to Kalina!

Leaving Today!

Our flight leaves around 8:00 p.m. tonight. We'll arrive in Paris on Saturday and in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Sunday. As of now we still do not have full US approval to return with Kalina, but we're walking forward in faith knowing that this has been God's plan from the beginning. We hope to update again soon with much joyful news!

Growing in Faith

Nadeem's thoughts: Okay, I know I am 40, but I am about to quote the Pussy Cat Dolls, "Be careful for what you wish for because you might just get". Yes, this all started out with a simple prayer, "Lord, I just want to grow closer to you, grow in Faith, and desire you above all else". That's when my happy little earthly life changed. James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. I don't know about pure joy, maybe hell. I was always too prideful to even think about adoption. I guess that is probably the biggest obstacle between man and God, pride. The first thing God told me to do is be the leader of my family. Sounds easy, but it is incredible hard to do and be selfish all at the same time. A selfish man cannot be a good leader. To be the leader of your family or at your job you have to humble yourself to the people you are trying to lead. We men tend to put ourselves first and we can't do that if we are to love our wives like Jesus loves the church. A very tough battle! The second thing God told me to do is adopt a child from Bangladesh; the ultimate battle of humility. Men take a lot of credit for their children, even though the credit belongs to God. I guess in this case all the glory goes to the Father. What's the third thing? I don't know but neither did Abraham.

A faith journey

At this point, we still do not have US approval to bring Kalina home with us. The reports from "man" are discouraging. Yesterday we were told that it might be impossible to complete the US requirements and get clearance before our plane leaves on Friday. Today we learned that we will most likely be able to leave for Bangladesh on Friday, but the final approval to return to the US may not come for a long period of time. We're on a challenging path. When God first put in our hearts to adopt from Bangladesh last fall, it appeared to be impossible. There are no adoption agencies that work there, and you must be a citizen of Bangladesh in order to adopt one of their children. Later in the fall, we learned that Nadeem has dual citizenship with the US and Bangladesh-at least in the eyes of Bangladesh-since Nadeem's grandfather used to be the ambassador there. Nadeem has never lived in Bangladesh, so we had no idea that this was the case! God started to open doors for us and show us the way. We know that this is God's plan, and we know that He'll complete it. Please continue to pray for us and for Kalina!
"With man this is inpossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." -Mark 10:27

Leaving soon!

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and words of encouragement! We are so grateful for all of the friends and family that God has blessed us with. We're leaving on Friday to start our incredible journey.