Expectant Arrival

 We have been encouraged to share more of our current story of adoption with you today. Here is a bit more of a look "behind the veil", to understand more of the personal details of this story. Much of the letter below was written by Richard as a letter to our Ministry Partners, those who support our family as missionaries with Monthly financial support and/or Prayer.

(Just being silly ...and getting used to the Moby Wrap for bonding as baby arrives :)

Dear Friends ,
We are updating you on a wonderful “God Story” today! Several weeks ago, we were asked by a missionary who is the founder of the Orphan Justice Center and deeply connected to ministry in the Marshall Islands, if we would adopt a baby about to be born within a month or so. Ever since our “YES!!” we have been readying a place in our home and heart for this little one as we have also been racing through all the details needed to adopt a little one from a foreign land across the sea.
And here we find ourselves once more, walking out the Truth that as God specifically brings His Call to something in your life, He then will wow you with His plans to complete that call!
And wowed we have been!! We have been given extra strength and stamina in these first weeks of my incredible job assignment with the OJC to also push through all the fingerprinting, paperwork, doctor visits, case worker interviews and visits of a Rush Home Study. Life in these weeks has been full of avocation for this little one and his or her family as we have been talking through details for their arrival and birth with lawyers and doctors, case workers and travel agents.
Adoption so clearly displays that we all are a part of God’s incredible family tree. And how He wants as many as possible in His family line! We have been in awe of the outpouring of His heart for this helpless, priceless baby through the hands of His children. The end of our Master Bedroom is now COMPLETELY outfitted with every need a newborn would have, all brought by loving hands who heard this story. It has been Gillian’s delight of course to nest and pray for this little one in the midst of this love!! Many of you have touched our hearts with your messages of blessing, your prayers over us, and financial gifts. We are so blessed by you!
And now we are SO close to meeting our baby. Just the other day, we received word from a doctor in the Marshall Islands that the birth mother is healthy enough to travel. BUT she is very close to giving birth so time is essential to get her on a plane in the next 4-6 days while this “health window” is still open. It is for the baby’s best to be born here in the States. There is a wonderful plan in place for the mother’s care and living situation for after the birth that she is excited about. Her current situation is one of great danger and much poverty. This will be a new beginning for her, a real rescue.
Just last night we received a message from the birth mother through a relative here that she is greatly looking forward to this adoption and that she loves us and chooses us from afar as well. She is asking her relative, who is Renee Loux ‘s daughter, “When am I able to come?”
We are hoping that our brothers and sisters in Christ will be able to help us with that answer this week. We have done all we can in readying our home, heart, and legal standing to receive this young mother and adopt this precious child. All that is needed now is the money for airfare to bring this mother and her toddler child to Kansas City.
Almost $3,500 has been raised over the past weeks!!! Wow!! We absolutely trust that God will provide the remainder of the funds we need from a variety of people who have His heart to help the Fatherless and the Vulnerable.
What we now need is an additional $2,500 to be able to fly the birth mom and her toddler to the US. They will then be met by someone here who speaks Marshallese and who has a connection to their family. They will spend the night in a hotel for one night to allow the mother some rest.
130,000 frequent flier miles would get them to California.  The airline that flies out of the Marshall Islands is United Airlines. This number of miles represents the bulk of their trip. At this point (California), we will most likely switch airlines to Southwest to bring them home to Kansas City.
We would like to invite any of you who have airlines points or “miles” to donate them to this cause?  Or perhaps you may know a friend who has miles to give? Or, the link to use to bless with a donation of the funds needed is:  http://tinyurl.com/clkx6jp
We need you to know, that this story is even greater than the miracle of God knitting two family lines together via adoption. Yes, even beyond the story of a miraculous and powerful physical rescue, this story is about the eternal saving of a family line.
Due to decades of intentional Gospel ministry in the Marshall Islands, Renee Loux and her family have received the trust and love of the people there as well as have seen many transformed by Christ. Even in the past several weeks, due to the influence of the love of God in these missionaries in their home, one of our birth mother’s sisters, who also just had a baby!, accepted Christ with great joy. Two of her young sons were also profoundly touched by the love of God here and Renee reports that their behavior went from totally out of bounds and scared, due to their painful background in the Marshall Islands, to trusting and loving under the influence of the love of God—transformation in a matter of weeks!
This sister is now going back to the Marshall Islands to bring Christ to her husband and family there. Another sister, in a visit to Renee’s family here, is opening her heart to the living God as well. The other day, she visited our Global Prayer Room and was deeply touched by the Presence of God; she has asked to be continually brought back to worship Him. We believe that they and their household “SHALL BE SAVED”. As I had the privilege of holding our baby’s cousin in my arms the other day, I prayed blessing over this family line and claimed God’s inheritance of Himself for these precious babies and their family.

(Our new baby's cousin,Benjamin, born just over a week ago. Held by Renee Loux's son, Sasha )
 

Thank you for partnering with us as we hold out our hands to embrace the growth of God’s Family! We have much joy in this work and are so honored to walk it alongside of you!
Much Love and Blessings,

The Tucker Family (Psalm 10:14)