Coming home - in pictures

Here you go, it took me a few days, but here's some pics of the sweet homecoming.  Life is good, oh so good, but it is an adjustment with almost doubling the number of kids!  And boy, having 3 kids within 13 months of each other is chaotic! mostly fun, but hugely chaotic!  More ups then downs, which is good, more sleep would be nice, but I'm sure that will come too.  It takes getting used to from everyone!  God's blessings are enriching our lives every day!

Leaving the orphanage to finally go HOME

One final night in Kampala - excited to have things that belong only to them!

Story time before a final sleep in Uganda

All set to take off - BA has great service and gives the kids their own "travel pack"

Figuring out these earphone thingies

Mmm mmm, no more matoke and g-nut sauce!

Zeke quickly captured the hearts of the friendly flight staff

As did Kaysia

Almost there - Landing in Calagary

You can almost feel the excitement building!

the kids (including the big one on the end :) ) waiting with anticipation!

Oh what a sweet reunion it was! Zeke ran straight to daddy and melted his heart all over again!

Discovering their forever home for the first time - "Hey that's me on the wall!"

My BED - the face says it all

Home sweet home! - couldn't be happier!

And to all those who physically came out to the airport - a BIG thank you!  You all made the arrival very special and memories that will last a life time!  To those who were there in "spirit" also a BIG thank you!  You all have been SO supportive and your prayers were and still are HUGE!  Thank you for praying Cher and the kids home and thank you for continuing to pray as we figure life out as a family of 7!!  WOW, I love saying that so much its worth saying again - a family of 7!  Blessings to you all!

Teach

Some pics...

We are home!  And I don't want to keep all of you waiting too long, so here's a few to "tickle your taste buds" so to speak.  I'll try to get more and in sequential order when I have more time.

First of many family protraits

We were hungry on the way home - McDonald's was easy for a first NA restaurant experience (self-family photo). Notice Zeke and Kaysia are more interested in the food then the pictures :)

As I type this, this is what you would see - she has been on my lap most of the morning.  SO.SO.AWESOME! Thank you Jesus!

More to come in the next few hours/days - depending on time :)  We.are.so.blessed!!  Blessings to you,

Home and Happy in Canada,
Teach

They're coming home!

I am just WAY too excited to sleep and even though I should be working right now, I am just way too excited for that too!  Kaysia and Ezekiel and my beautiful wife are all getting ready to board the plane in Uganda for the long journey home!  Its here, the day is finally here! This is real, I know it is (somebody pinch me).

I was chatting with a friend last night and was asked where I saw God in all of this, with this all quickly coming to an end.  I sat back and said, "Where do I begin?!?" Friends, I can't even begin to explain how visible the hand of God was in EVERY part of this, especially this last trip to Uganda to finally finish this!  There is no other explanation for this then God and only God! He set His PERFECT plan into place long before Cher and I even thought about adoption, long before we were married, yes even long before we were born.  He knew when and how I would meet Kaysia for the first time on that mission trip - He set it up and then spoke to me when I need reassuring.  He nudged Cheremi's heart (and mine too) that we still had a son there that needed us now too.  He moved in the orphanage director's heart to give us our son's name, when her policy is to NOT let people adopt two children at a time.  And that was just the beginning of this story!!  God was there in court each and EVERY time, working out His perfect timing.  He was with us when we were a family split apart for almost 6 months and He comforted us when I had to leave the two kids in Uganda and come home.  He sustained us while we waited (not always patiently) for His plan to come to light so that everything was JUST RIGHT for us to return to court.  He made sure our case went to the specific judge that He wanted, even though we were expecting a different judge.  He softened the judge's heart to rule in our favor even though he is opposed to international adoptions.  He found people that needed to be found at just the right moments.  He set the dates, the hours, the minutes, yes even the seconds in order that everything would fall into place PERFECTLY for us to get our rulings, and paperwork and provincial government letter and visas and courier at EXACTLY the right time - a time that seemed impossible to happen by human standards (good thing He's God and not just a man!) He is bringing my wife home with the two kids even as I type this, just the way He had planned.  Friends, I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of what God has done throughout this process, and I only know what I saw and experienced, not to mention what He was doing behind the scenes! There is some MAJOR glory that goes to God for ALL of this.  Like I said it is God, only God - "to God be the glory, great things He has done!"  Oh what a story and testimony He has given us!

And just in case you didn't know already, you are all invited to share in the celebrations of Cher and the kids landing at the airport tomorrow, Tuesday, September 21, at 7:50PM.  Please, if you are able and want to, come to the Calgary International airport and welcome them home with me!  We would LOVE to see you there (we would love to have as many people as possible)!! There's going to be some pretty major celebrating God's goodness tomorrow - if you hear someone shouting YAY GOD! from your home, it might just be me when I see them coming through those doors!  Thanks for coming along with us on this journey.  Pictures to follow over the next few days of the homecoming.  Blessings,

Celebrating God's victory,
Teach

Tuesday...

I have longed to write this blog for a VER VERY long time!  My wife and kids are coming home!!!  The visas arrived via courier today.  Cheremi has them in hand and is now ready to come home WITH the kids!  They leave Uganda and arrive home this Tuesday, Tuesday September 21, 2010!  Oh what a day that is going to be!!

We want to invite all of our friends and family to come to the airport and help welcome them home!  We want to celebrate, we want a BIG crowd!  It is a truly momentous day and YOU are ALL invited.  Now I know that it will not be possible for many of you to come, simply because you do not live close enough to drive to Calgary, so we will take a TON of pics and let you share in the home-coming via pictures on the blog.  BUT for those of you who do live close enough to drive or who are up for a bit of a drive, COME, come to the Calgary International Airport on Tuesday, September 21, 2010.  Their plane lands at 7:50 PM and we want as many people as possible waiting for them at the gate to celebrate their home-coming!!  Friends, you have been such a big part of this journey, please come and share in its happy ending!  God is SO good!! The writer if our life stories has written a pretty incredible story to bring us to a new chapter in our lives and we could not be more excited to see the new chapter begin!  Why not share in the new beginning with us?  Blessings,

Shouting a BIG ol' YAY GOD!

Teach

VISAS!!!

Well, its late, real late, but I can't sleep... do you know why?!?  WE HAVE BEEN GRANTED VISAS FOR OUR KIDS!!!  I want to SHOUT it from the mountain tops!  YAY GOD!!  You not only moved that mountain, You smashed it, crushed it, flattened it, demolished it and blew the tiny specks away!  To God be the glory, great things He has done!

Our kids are free.  They have been released from Satan's hold that was stopping them from coming home.  Christ has gained this victory and sent Satan running with His tail between his legs.  Two more kids are coming home, to their forever homes!  In the words of my dear friend, Linn, can I get a YIPPEE JESUS?!?

The CHC in Nairobi is couriering them today (Friday) to Kampala and they will be in Cher's hand soon.  AND not long after that, she and the kids will be boarding a plane and COMING HOME!!!!  Working out the final details on the return trip and will post it along with when the visas arrive in hand when it happens..

Thank you, friends for walking with us down this long road.  Thank you for praying with us and for us.  Thank you for storming the gates of heaven for our kids.  Thank you for fasting. And thank you for blessing us in a way that is beyond words.  God heard your prayers, He saw your hearts for these two orphans and He released them.  Thank you just doesn't seem like enough!  Blessings,

Teach

"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." I Cor. 15:57


"and the LORD brought about a great victory." I Chronicles 11:14b

One more mountain moved, one more to go!

Today we received the letter we needed from our provincial government in order for the visas to be issued. This is the LAST, the FINAL, the END (boy it feels good to be able to finally say that) of the things the CHC in Nairobi needs before they said they would give us the visas for Kaysia and Ezekiel!

Over the last 10+ months they have added requirements and added requirements and added requirements... you get the picture BUT, my friends, they have no more requirements to add, they have promised they would be satisfied with what we now have given them.  They have told us they will issue the visas!!

This is the LAST mountain to be moved before we can bring our kids home - the LAST mountain standing in our way! Well, this week has been all about God moving mountains.  We have seen Him doing mighty things this week!  AND this week is not over and there still stands one mountain in our way.  Can God do it?  There is no doubt in my mind! He is the God of the impossible, He has moved impossible mountains this week and I know He WILL move this last mountain!  We are praying for one last miracle tomorrow (actually over night while we sleep here in NA).  We are praying the CHC issues AND couriers the visas to Kampala tomorrow and that they arrive on Saturday for Cheremi to pick up.  WHEN this happens, Cheremi will be able to come home with the kids on Monday. Oh what a glorious day that will be!!  More on that to come after we get the visas.  Stay tuned friends, more GREAT, AMAZING, AWESOME and GLORIOUS news to come!  Blessings,

Still standing in awe of our Father,

Teach

One Mountain Moved...

Just a quick update because I am expecting to put more good news up here in the next 24 hours.

WE'VE BEEN GRANTED FULL ADOPTION FOR BOTH OUR KIDS!!!  YAY GOD doesn't even begin to express the praises in our hearts right now!  Wow! Full adoption orders.for both kids.from a judge who is opposed to foreigners adopting Ugandan children. God.moved.that.mountain!!  Cher said she could see the hand of God over the court room and directing that judge.  Awesome, just awesome!

Now to collect paperwork, scan and email to the right people and then visas! Expecting to see God in more incredible ways VERY soon! More news to come... keep praying! Blessings,

Standing in awe,

Teach

A lot to be Thankful for...

Well, I am home in Canada.  The trip was good, although I was worried a little about making my connection in London because we left an hour and a half late from Uganda - exactly the time between my flights, uh oh!  Thankfully, the pilot made up some time in the air and I had exactly 30 mins to from landing to catch my flight (10 of which were spent taxiing to the ramp). Needless to say, I ran through the terminal, waited anxiously through the security check line and ran to my gate, making it just in time - thank you Lord!  My luggage was not as successful as I was, but that is only details.  God kept me safe and got me home in time to begin a new school year today.  Not the most amazing first day of school ever, but it got done.  Again, thank you Lord for endurance, energy and strength today!

I landed in at the airport only to find out shortly afterward that the judge did not show up again on Monday - very disappointing!  Thankfully, we were NOT defeated because today the judge was there and agreed to hear one, and only one case - OURS!  YAY GOD! Cher said it went pretty much like we expected and the judge will make a ruling on Friday, unless it is declared a national holiday (interesting how it works in Uganda that national holidays aren't determined more then a few days in advance) in which case we will get our ruling on Monday.  Either way, our case was heard and a ruling will happen shortly!  Thank you Jesus!!

Cher was in good spirits this morning when I talked to her and she said she really felt "at peace" about it all.  Another answer to my prayers and SO very comforting to know that God gave my wife peace today!! Thank you, Lord.  He is SO good and SO gracious, sustaining His children even through the toughest trials!

Tomorrow (Wednesday) is a BIG day.  A day of prayer and fasting for ALL orphans.  A day where like-minded people join together to petition our good and gracious God to break down the walls, to move those mountains, to break the chains and release the orphans home to their forever families.  It is extra special for us because so many of you have committed to adding our kids to your prayer list and will be remembering Kaysia and Ezekiel when you pray and fast tomorrow.  Thank you for joining us tomorrow.  I am excited to see our kids and so many others freed to finally go home! If you don't know about this, please jump over to "A Place Called Simplicity" and read about it here and consider joining us.  It will be something that will truly bless you as you pray for something that is so near and dear to the Father's heart.  Praying expectantly and with anticipation, believing God will make it happen SOON! So much to be thankful for today, even the small stuff like a running hug from my kids when I got home from work tonight.  I am so truly blessed!  Blessings to you as well,

Teach

Update and prayer...

I'm sorry I haven't been able to write an update until now.  The internet has been down at our Guest House, so we are out in town at another internet spot.

Here's what I can tell you... Court on Friday didn't happen.  The judge did not come to court because he had a sick friend that he went to visit instead.  Unfortunately, these are the kind of things that happen in Uganda.  To say that we were disappointed and discouraged would be an understatement.  Friday was not the day God has already chosen for our kids to be released.  We wait expectantly for that day!

Where does this leave us?  Well, I am heading to the airport in the early morning (Monday 6AM, Uganda time).  I have to work Tuesday and have taken all the time off I can - my employer has been more than gracious and understanding!  As I am boarding the plane, Cheremi will be stepping into the court room with the two kids.  We are believing the judge will be there this time.  So as I head home, I leave my wife and two children behind.  It is not a place I wanted to be, but here I am.  God's strength is the only thing carrying us through right now - "for when I am weak, then Christ is strong!"

What do we need from you? Prayer! A lot of prayer!  Here's what you can pray for:
1) Strength for both of us as we continue this fight - For me as I travel home to be with our other kids and begin back to work after over 10 months of being off work. For Cheremi as she stays behind to finally complete this (court, rulings, paperwork, visas).
2) Safety - for me as I travel and for Cher as she stays in Uganda.
3) Patience - God's timing is perfect but it doesn't make it easy to understand or wait for.  It is difficult and prayers are often the only thing that keeps us going
4) Finances - God has miraculously provided everything we have needed for this adoption and we know He will continue to do so, even in this time when we are facing more expenses again then we had thought.
5) Our kids, all 5 of them - Kaysia and Zeke are SO ready to come home to Canada.  They ask for it, and you can see they are ready.  Trae, Nate and Nea have been SO good through this stressful time and are anxiously awaiting their brother and sister being home.  Our family has been in limbo for over a year and we cannot wait for the day when we can live a bit more "normal" life with everyone under one roof (not that life is ever normal, but at least we all will be together :) ).
6) Officials - pray for the judge to be in court and make a speedy ruling, pray for the judge's clerk to have the written paperwork ready quickly so we can send it to the CHC in Nairobi, pray for the lawyers as they plead our case for exemption to Ugandan adoption law so we can be granted full adoptions of K & E, pray for the CHC immigration officer to be satisfied once she gets the documents and grant our visas, pray for the AB government to email the letter we need from them to the CHC quickly once they receive our court documents and pray for both governments to keep the doors of adoption open and even make it easier so other families and children don't have to go through what we and other families have gone through.

I'm sure I am missing something but if you pray for that, it would be a great place to start!

Also, we are still trying to figure out how it looks for Cheremi to come home with the kids.  We need to figure out someone who can travel with her to come home because I am leaving.  It would be really nice if someone could come and stay with Cher in Uganda until the process is complete (we are praying for less then 2 weeks, and possibly only 1 week) and then fly with her and the kids to Calgary.  We are willing to pay for flights and some basic accommodations, etc. but need to figure out the right person and work out all the details.  A couple have come forward and we are trying to figure the details.  If it is on your heart to help in this way, please email me at james.schalk@gmail.com and I will get back to you.

Lastly, our dear dear friend Linny at A Place Called Simplicity has posted an amazing post to pray and fast on ours and other families adopting behalves, please go and read it and consider fasting with us on Wednesday! It will make a HUGE difference and means a lot to us!

That's it for now.  We will try to keep updating you on what is going on.  For now, thanks for your prayers and keep them coming!  Blessings,

from Uganda for the last time,

Teach

Prayer for tomorrow

Tomorrow is a BIG day!  Tomorrow we are excited to see how God is going to work everything out.  Tomorrow we will be one step closer to bringing our precious son and daughter home.  Tomorrow we go to court, appear before a new judge and try to get our ruling and paperwork.  We need your prayers.  If you think of it, around 12 AM MST we will be at court.  Sometime (shortly hopefully) after that we will stand before the judge and he will hear our case.  I will be honest with you, today there is a whole mixture of emotions and nerves. Pray for favor with the judge. Pray that the judge will be willing to grant our adoption of Kaysia and Ezekiel. Pray that he will even be able to give his ruling right then or even later in the day.  Pray we can get the paperwork we need and pray our visas will be granted.  In the next 24 hours, we are trusting and expecting God to show up BIG! We know He can and are asking boldly that He does, believing He will.  Please join us in prayer!

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” 1 John 5:14–15

Lord we are asking for You to release our children. Give us a ruling and visas so we can bring them home! Thank You for being in control of this all. Amen

Blessings,

In Uganda

Teach