Jeremy and Rachel Smith

Updates

• Update 259

  Day 1008. Adopt from Liberia. Everyone needs a Paige.

  December 31, 2024

  Today’s video includes my dear friend, Paige! I have 132 pounds of good will and excitement headed to Liberia. Thanks so much to everyone who brought gifts, sent gifts and sent words of encouragement and prayers of hope. Next video will be from New York!

• Update 258

  

  Day 1008. Adopt from Liberia.

  December 31, 2024
  Happy New Year! Blurred for their privacy.:) Here are our 3 kiddos waiting for us in Liberia. If anyone is looking for a last minute tax deductible donation, we could use it. Our decision to add a 3rd, has an increase in fees of $12,900, plus the $250 monthly pre-adoptive care to cover the basic needs of each kid. So far, we have had $2,416.00 in donations towards that $12,900.00 goal. $10,484.00 to go! We are so excited to see our family grow, even amidst such a challenging situation. Thank you for the ongoing encouragement as we continue down this road of international... Read moreparenting. It seems like every day someone helps, sends words of hope, drops off textiles, and other resources, and just asks how we are doing. Each of these gestures pumps hope into our veins and helps us keep…. …going.

• Update 257

  Day 1007. Adopt from Liberia.

  December 30, 2024

  Day 1007! Leaning to visit in 48 hours…

• Update 256

  

  Day 1006. Adopt from Liberia.

  December 29, 2024
  Liberia. 2025. As I prepare to journey to Liberia to visit the kids we are trying to adopt, I realize this is day 1006 of our adoption journey. Today is the 1006th day of our efforts to acknowledge a tragedy, and try to give a backup option. Although we cannot legally complete our kids’ adoptions at this time, we can be a part of their lives. For me, that involves just getting on a plane. I’m taking gifts and hugs and words of affirmation that they have not been abandoned or forgotten. There is no way to make this tragedy “right”. The... Read morestate of orphanism is dangerous for children who find themselves caught in it. But how close can we get? How close to “right” can we get for these kids? And what does that mean for today? Today, I’m packing. I’m thinking about their names and faces and how to help them know they are valued and important. Better than that, how can I convince their peers of that same idea? How can they spend time with me and walk away seeing themselves in the light of hope found in the future they can’t see yet for themselves? I’ve monogrammed cups and facilitated gifts for matched kids with their families. I’ve hunted down specific shoe sizes for kids that need them. I’ve tried to find technology tools to assist their caregivers in doing their best work. I’ve cried for the days lost and laughed at the ridiculous sight that is my suitcase. I’ve bought jump ropes and soccer balls and markers and books and snacks and clothes and toys. I’ve let go of my anger at the injustice of this process, and embraced intentional international parenting. I’ve hugged my American family and prepared to board a plane to the other side of the world. My presence provides a bridge to home for the 3 kids we will adopt and the 30 others waiting and hoping for the same outcome. There are so many things I want to say and want to fix regarding this situation. Accepting the gap between what I want, what should be, and what IS today, remains difficult, but not impossible. For today, I will take what I can get with a grateful heart and an open mind. Our adoption has not been the experience I thought it would be. As I move through that disappointment, it’s becoming easier to see that regardless of their zip code, I am able to be their mother today. And I am going to do the absolute best job at being their mother, regardless of the limitations of distance or time. That privilege of parenting could never be lost on me. Keep…. …going. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

• Update 255

  Day 997. Adopt from Liberia.

  December 20, 2024
  Thank you to everyone who has reached out after my most recent video of our decision to adopt a 3rd Liberian child, #6 overall to permanently join our family. Although my American born daughters are quick to remind me that we really are now up to 9, because of the fosters. And yes, they are correct. The fosters remain in ways we cannot fully describe. Their presence echoes in the walls of our house and the beat of our hearts with every step we take. If they need us, my door is open. There is always space for them. It’s... Read moreexciting to think about this next addition. Like an ultrasound picture full of hopes and maybes and “I wonders”. This process is hard. It’s frustrating and it’s not fair. We live in a fallen world, surrounded by failing people and failing systems. A fallen world is a fallen world. But what rises from it? What rises because of it? And what role do we have in that? Will we be paralyzed by fear or doubt or frustration at what’s not fair and what should be? Or will we say “what else can we do while we continue on this road that lies in front of us?” In my frustration with God that he has not just made this whole thing fair and finished, I still go back to that one question, “What would you have me do?” Sometimes it’s a whisper, sometimes it’s a scream and sometimes it’s a polite request. And sometimes it’s a sob without sound. But it’s always the same question. “What would You have me do?” Because we all get to choose. You can look at what Jesus chose and make your own choice. And when you do, you have the chance to throw your hat in the ring to have a front row seat for the miracles that can float up from the disaster of our humanity. Throwing a hat in the ring ins no small choice. It costs so much and it’s no guarantee. But, it allows for what could be. I want to see more floating miracles. The disaster is exhausting. I want as many silver linings as we can find in the ashes of this mess. To those that support us, thanks for sitting next to us. I know it’s a hard ask and a painful watch to keep at times. It’s so much easier with you there with us. This international parenting venture is not one done without an army. As we watch the next chapter unfold, I hope our story brings you hope, because your role in my story brings me more hope than I thought existed in this life. Your persistent encouragement makes our resilience possible. Our resilience chases saving these 3 lives. And nothing is more important than a child’s life. Keep…. …going.
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