So the person who was supposed to show up to the important meeting on the other side of the world today did not show up! This is a GOOD THING for now. Our hope is guarded.
So what does this mean exactly?
Take one guess......
MORE WAITING! But I'm not complaining, because that would not be exercising patience, now, would it?
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Standing on the edge of a cliff
Picture a cliff, of the Grand Canyon variety.
I stand with my toes at the very edge of it, looking down at the depths of the valley below. But the gravel is loose, and I start to loose my balance as my toes start to slip off the edge. Arms swinging like windmills, with just one toe left on the edge as I try to right myself, there is just a moment where I'm frozen in place....one foot on the edge, the other out over the vast canyon below me, it is in that last second that I wonder if I'll ever get both feet on land or not. I know, in that very instant, it will take nothing less than a miracle to get me there.
That is where I am today.
We received an email this morning (this afternoon in Ianna's country). A final decision as to weather or not we'll be able to adopt her will be made tomorrow.
Tomorrow.
It has all come down to tomorrow.
I read the email, then called Dean and could barely speak, much less read it to him. Our hearts are fragile right now, tomorrow we'll know weather or not we'll be sweeping up the pieces.
I stand with my toes at the very edge of it, looking down at the depths of the valley below. But the gravel is loose, and I start to loose my balance as my toes start to slip off the edge. Arms swinging like windmills, with just one toe left on the edge as I try to right myself, there is just a moment where I'm frozen in place....one foot on the edge, the other out over the vast canyon below me, it is in that last second that I wonder if I'll ever get both feet on land or not. I know, in that very instant, it will take nothing less than a miracle to get me there.
That is where I am today.
We received an email this morning (this afternoon in Ianna's country). A final decision as to weather or not we'll be able to adopt her will be made tomorrow.
Tomorrow.
It has all come down to tomorrow.
I read the email, then called Dean and could barely speak, much less read it to him. Our hearts are fragile right now, tomorrow we'll know weather or not we'll be sweeping up the pieces.
Monday, September 27, 2010
A tiny piece of news
As in weeks past, this week will mark yet another decision for Ianna. When I got the email I freaked out a teeny, eensy, weensie bit.
My dear friend Kaci helped bring me back to earth a bit when I was getting worked up and scared. I thank God every day for good and wise friends who know how to talk me down from scary places! Kaci and her husband, along with a few other new friends of mine, have walked this road before us, in the same country. God is so good to connect me with these people who have both feet firmly planted in his word AND have adopted and understand the hysteria that sometimes comes with the territory.
So I will hold fast to what God did way back in April when the miracle that is Ianna appeared in our lives. Maybe tomorrow when I have time I'll tell you some things about me you may not know!
In the meantime, this week is yet another week of prayer for Ianna. That God's plan for her is put into motion, whatever that may be.
My dear friend Kaci helped bring me back to earth a bit when I was getting worked up and scared. I thank God every day for good and wise friends who know how to talk me down from scary places! Kaci and her husband, along with a few other new friends of mine, have walked this road before us, in the same country. God is so good to connect me with these people who have both feet firmly planted in his word AND have adopted and understand the hysteria that sometimes comes with the territory.
So I will hold fast to what God did way back in April when the miracle that is Ianna appeared in our lives. Maybe tomorrow when I have time I'll tell you some things about me you may not know!
In the meantime, this week is yet another week of prayer for Ianna. That God's plan for her is put into motion, whatever that may be.
About fundraising
In the last couple of days, a couple different people have emailed me privately to ask how they can donate to our adoption fund through Reece's Rainbow or other organizations.
At this time, we're not able to collect funds for our adoption, at least not in a way that is tax deductible.
As soon as our homestudy is complete, and we have approval from our adoption agency, we can begin the fundraising...IF we need to fundraise.
That said, I would like to offer HUGE praises to God, because all of our puppies are now sold, and in another 3 1/2 weeks they'll all to to their new homes. Getting to raise a litter of puppies is a joy. Watching each family leave with their new family member is a blessing. We have been blessed immensely. While the profit from the puppies is just a beginning, it's a good solid beginning. I want to thank every one of our puppy families for helping bring our girl home. I know they're all following our journey here, and I feel like our family has just grown. (FYI, this is where you start referring to me as "the crazy dog lady"! LOL)
At this time, we're not able to collect funds for our adoption, at least not in a way that is tax deductible.
As soon as our homestudy is complete, and we have approval from our adoption agency, we can begin the fundraising...IF we need to fundraise.
That said, I would like to offer HUGE praises to God, because all of our puppies are now sold, and in another 3 1/2 weeks they'll all to to their new homes. Getting to raise a litter of puppies is a joy. Watching each family leave with their new family member is a blessing. We have been blessed immensely. While the profit from the puppies is just a beginning, it's a good solid beginning. I want to thank every one of our puppy families for helping bring our girl home. I know they're all following our journey here, and I feel like our family has just grown. (FYI, this is where you start referring to me as "the crazy dog lady"! LOL)
Sunday, September 26, 2010
The meaning of "transfer"
What does it mean when us bloggers refer to a child who is "in danger of being transferred"? It countries in Eastern Europe, that usually means that the child is going to be transferred to a mental institution, and most of the time they are not able to be adopted out of those institutions.
The facilities in Eastern Europe are divided by age groups, and they vary a bit depending up what country and region they're in, but for the most part, they are birth-4 or 6 years old. Whatever the top age is, that is the "transfer" age.
In most facilities, birthdays aren't "celebrated", especially transfer birthdays. If it is a transfer to an institution where they cannot be adopted out of, for those with disabilities that is no different than a death sentence. The child, along with his file, is loaded into a car (often for the first time ever in his entire life!) and driven to the next facility. Sometimes the difference in the level of care in the new place is so dramatic the child looses the will to live within days or weeks.
I want you to do me a favor. Take just a few minutes and read this post. It is not going to be easy to read. If you're like me, you're going to need tissues to read it. You may need to walk away from it for a minute, (As I thought of George, I had to walk away because I was physically ill.) but please come back and finish reading it. Please...for them...come back and finish reading.
The facilities in Eastern Europe are divided by age groups, and they vary a bit depending up what country and region they're in, but for the most part, they are birth-4 or 6 years old. Whatever the top age is, that is the "transfer" age.
In most facilities, birthdays aren't "celebrated", especially transfer birthdays. If it is a transfer to an institution where they cannot be adopted out of, for those with disabilities that is no different than a death sentence. The child, along with his file, is loaded into a car (often for the first time ever in his entire life!) and driven to the next facility. Sometimes the difference in the level of care in the new place is so dramatic the child looses the will to live within days or weeks.
I want you to do me a favor. Take just a few minutes and read this post. It is not going to be easy to read. If you're like me, you're going to need tissues to read it. You may need to walk away from it for a minute, (As I thought of George, I had to walk away because I was physically ill.) but please come back and finish reading it. Please...for them...come back and finish reading.
A PICTURE!!!! FOR REAL!!!!
Copied from a public news website,
In Serbia, in 2007, Mental Disability Rights International did an investigation of an institution called Kulina. If you google images for "Kulina Serbia" you'll find some of the most difficult to see images you can imagine. If you go here you can read the full report of that investigation. It is NOT for the faint of heart.
The little girl pictured above is one of the children who was found in that institution. Due to the horrific conditions found in Kulina, many patients were transferred to other facilities. The little girl pictured above, along with 9 other children, were transferred to a MUCH nicer facility in Belgrade. I know, I've seen it with my own eyes, and I have met her. She is growing and thriving. Unfortunately her time there is running out. She is, again, facing that dreaded word "Transfer". Please continue to pray for her, and someday I may be able to update this site with much different pictures of her.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Restless
I am feeling so restless.
I'm done gathering documents. On Monday or so we'll have the draft of the homestudy report to review, then the final draft will be printed up. Then everything will be ready to send off to USCIS.
That means our job on this end is done.
All that is left to do is wait. Raise some money, and wait some more.
This week we had new windows put in the house, so I'm very anxious to see the difference in heating costs this winter!
So now what?
I've sit on online searching for something, only I don't know what. I find myself on Reece's Rainbow, looking at the same faces over and over again. What or who am I hoping to find there?
November is coming far too fast. Too fast for Ianna to get home by the end of it. Nothing happens in that country the month of December since they shut down for the month for Christmas. It's getting less realistic to hold out hope for November.
And yet, I haven't given up yet. Not yet. Maybe that's why I'm so restless.
Here's to praying we get some word on Monday.
I'm done gathering documents. On Monday or so we'll have the draft of the homestudy report to review, then the final draft will be printed up. Then everything will be ready to send off to USCIS.
That means our job on this end is done.
All that is left to do is wait. Raise some money, and wait some more.
This week we had new windows put in the house, so I'm very anxious to see the difference in heating costs this winter!
So now what?
I've sit on online searching for something, only I don't know what. I find myself on Reece's Rainbow, looking at the same faces over and over again. What or who am I hoping to find there?
November is coming far too fast. Too fast for Ianna to get home by the end of it. Nothing happens in that country the month of December since they shut down for the month for Christmas. It's getting less realistic to hold out hope for November.
And yet, I haven't given up yet. Not yet. Maybe that's why I'm so restless.
Here's to praying we get some word on Monday.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
For Yulia
Yulia is living on borrowed time. My friend is doing an Ipad give away to contribute to a grant fund to get Yulia into a family. Maybe YOU are Yulia's family? Yulia's family is out there and may not even know it yet. But even if it's not you, maybe you can help bring her home? Hurry, her time is running out!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Dreams
Last night I kept having dreams that Dean and I had children we kept forgetting that we had committed to adopting! We'd go get Ianna, only to find there was another girl or boy waiting for us that we'd forgotten we had committed to. We'd get that child, and there would be another...and so it would continue.
All these children we kept having to come up with money for, and the money kept falling out of our pockets into our hands, as if God was saying, "It's been there all along, silly!" and we had worried for no reason.
Every time there would be another child, I was worried about where we were going to put him or her when we brought them home! So we would get the next one home, and there we would find new rooms in the house that we had forgotten we had!
It was craziness!
Now, I'm off to bed. Tomorrow we have a houseful of new windows being installed, and I have to dress for a funeral around the window crew.
Lovely.
All these children we kept having to come up with money for, and the money kept falling out of our pockets into our hands, as if God was saying, "It's been there all along, silly!" and we had worried for no reason.
Every time there would be another child, I was worried about where we were going to put him or her when we brought them home! So we would get the next one home, and there we would find new rooms in the house that we had forgotten we had!
It was craziness!
Now, I'm off to bed. Tomorrow we have a houseful of new windows being installed, and I have to dress for a funeral around the window crew.
Lovely.
Monday, September 20, 2010
About those miracles
Today God worked one of those miracles we were talking about. Not one for my family, but for a little boy on the other side of the world. One little boy is no longer "lost", he now has a forever family! Praise God for Aaron and the Nalle family!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
God can do ANYTHING, right?
I know God can do anything. ANYTHING.
a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g.
There is an entire book full of miracles that He performed, and I, personally, have witnessed miracles he has performed in my life, and in the lives of my friends and family members. I'm sure you have probably witnessed many as well.
There are 15 weeks left in 2010. We expect to have our homestudy report in our hand by the end of next week, and can then send it off to USCIS for approval.
We're under a time crunch. If we can complete one adoption before the end of 2010, as in...get one child's feet onto U.S soil by midnight on December 31st, we should have the funds to complete a second adoption next spring. It will take noting less than a miracle for one adoption to be completed by the end of the year. NOTHING LESS!
We believe in miracles! Do you? What kind of miracles will God pull off in our family this year?
a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g.
There is an entire book full of miracles that He performed, and I, personally, have witnessed miracles he has performed in my life, and in the lives of my friends and family members. I'm sure you have probably witnessed many as well.
There are 15 weeks left in 2010. We expect to have our homestudy report in our hand by the end of next week, and can then send it off to USCIS for approval.
We're under a time crunch. If we can complete one adoption before the end of 2010, as in...get one child's feet onto U.S soil by midnight on December 31st, we should have the funds to complete a second adoption next spring. It will take noting less than a miracle for one adoption to be completed by the end of the year. NOTHING LESS!
We believe in miracles! Do you? What kind of miracles will God pull off in our family this year?
Friday, September 17, 2010
Whew!
Homestudy visit is DONE! Is it a good or a bad thing when the social worker says, "Wow, your family is really interesting!" I'm going to take it as a good thing, cuz that's how I roll.
Right before she left I showed her the puppies. They're irresistible now!
Right before she left I showed her the puppies. They're irresistible now!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Home visit
Tomorrow is our home visit! If you've been reading my facebook status updates, you know I'm feeling a little stressed out lately. What is the social worker going to look at? (Please tell me she's not going to look in the laundry room.)
I know she is going to want to see Ianna's bedroom. And that we have smoke/CO detectors. What else?
Have I mentioned I have a litter of puppies here? Have I mentioned how much a litter of puppies happens to smell? Thankfully this visit isn't happening a month from now because the smell only gets worse from here! And thankfully there are only 5 puppies and not 13 like we've had in previous litters! I think I'm gonna go buy a frozen apple pie to put in the oven at...oh....say...4:00 so the house is smelling good and yummy! (thanks to my sisters for that suggestion! Here I thought she meant to bake one from scratch! Silly me! HA!)
For now, I'm going to go soak in the tub with a book and FORCE myself to go to bed early tonight. I've been staying up late too many nights in a row, then my nights have been interrupted, so I've been struggling to stay motivated during they day. Lots to do tomorrow. Goodnight!
I know she is going to want to see Ianna's bedroom. And that we have smoke/CO detectors. What else?
Have I mentioned I have a litter of puppies here? Have I mentioned how much a litter of puppies happens to smell? Thankfully this visit isn't happening a month from now because the smell only gets worse from here! And thankfully there are only 5 puppies and not 13 like we've had in previous litters! I think I'm gonna go buy a frozen apple pie to put in the oven at...oh....say...4:00 so the house is smelling good and yummy! (thanks to my sisters for that suggestion! Here I thought she meant to bake one from scratch! Silly me! HA!)
For now, I'm going to go soak in the tub with a book and FORCE myself to go to bed early tonight. I've been staying up late too many nights in a row, then my nights have been interrupted, so I've been struggling to stay motivated during they day. Lots to do tomorrow. Goodnight!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
A PICTURE!!!!
Ok, this is NOT the picture you were waiting for, but it was a good teaser, wasn't it? Yeah, well it's the same type of teaser I got yesterday! See this envelope?
It is supposed to be a ticket with an appointment to get fingerprinted with at the immigration office. But it's not! Instead its a letter letting me know they've received my $836 check and have created a file with my name on it, and will be sending me a ticket at a later date. Isn't that nice of them to let me know I now have a file? Now why in the world wouldn't they process the whole thing at once, giving me a date, print the ticket to mail to me instead of this letter telling me they'll send me a ticket "later"? No wonder the federal government wastes so much money.
Feeling renewed
I think most adoptive parents will say that at various points throughout the process they hit some valleys. Times where they just felt not only overwhelmed, but flat out hopeless about the circumstances. The past few days was certainly one of those points for me. I knew exactly why it was happening, but I didn't know what to do about it.
The problem was Dean and I were not in the same place emotionally and spiritually and I couldn't just grab his hand and drag along. He was feeling really scared about stuff and not talking and I was doing the "It'll all work out in the end." and it was driving him crazy. It didn't help that we've been really busy and had not taken the time to sit down and talk about what was going on.
Last night we had a homestudy class. I realized I get to talk to other adoptive parents all the time, but Dean doesn't. We were the only family there who is adopting for the first time, the others are on their second or higher adoption. This was the first real chance Dean's had to sit down and hear other adoptive parents talk, particularly about the money flying out the door, and how scary that is sometimes, and fundraising, and wondering how they're coming up with the next chunk of cash, etc. He's anxious to connect with other adoptive families so we have a support system in the adoptive community. I feel well connected, him...not so much. We'll be fixing that.
The meeting got out about an hour earlier than we expected so we had time to stop somewhere and just sit and talk. It was nice to finally regroup from the past couple of weeks. We talked about our options for the very near future, and we prayed for Ianna and the people in charge of making the decisions for her future. The whole evening has me feeling re-energized and like I can almost see the light at the end of the homestudy tunnel! If we can just get the homestudy done that is a major hurdle!
The problem was Dean and I were not in the same place emotionally and spiritually and I couldn't just grab his hand and drag along. He was feeling really scared about stuff and not talking and I was doing the "It'll all work out in the end." and it was driving him crazy. It didn't help that we've been really busy and had not taken the time to sit down and talk about what was going on.
Last night we had a homestudy class. I realized I get to talk to other adoptive parents all the time, but Dean doesn't. We were the only family there who is adopting for the first time, the others are on their second or higher adoption. This was the first real chance Dean's had to sit down and hear other adoptive parents talk, particularly about the money flying out the door, and how scary that is sometimes, and fundraising, and wondering how they're coming up with the next chunk of cash, etc. He's anxious to connect with other adoptive families so we have a support system in the adoptive community. I feel well connected, him...not so much. We'll be fixing that.
The meeting got out about an hour earlier than we expected so we had time to stop somewhere and just sit and talk. It was nice to finally regroup from the past couple of weeks. We talked about our options for the very near future, and we prayed for Ianna and the people in charge of making the decisions for her future. The whole evening has me feeling re-energized and like I can almost see the light at the end of the homestudy tunnel! If we can just get the homestudy done that is a major hurdle!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
hopeless
Today it all feels hopeless, just hopeless. And yet how can I have so little hope when everything God has said and done in the last 5 months and 4 days has been yes, yes, yes, and more yes? I am the one keeping the hope going for the two of us, and it is exhausting. I am the one keeping the faith about money and it is exhausting.
When things get in the least bit difficult, some people tuck their tails and run while others tie their rain gear a little tighter and lean into the wind. I'm headed to find my rain gear.
When things get in the least bit difficult, some people tuck their tails and run while others tie their rain gear a little tighter and lean into the wind. I'm headed to find my rain gear.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Nothing
There is nothing to report because our family profile was not submitted.
............Insert long dramatic sigh here...................
Instead Ianna's case was discussed at length, and the options for her. (which are not many.) I'm not able to give all the detail. Some day, I'll be able to come back and fill in the blanks. All I can say for now she needs even more prayer that she did last week. How can that be? How can I ask for even MORE?
In the meantime, we are plugging along on our homestudy. We hope to have it done in the next three weeks.
Documents left to collect:
Physical for me and Angela
Left to do:
Attend Class on 9/13
1 Homestudy visit
Expenses left:
Homestudy: $1300 (due at second visit, sometime in the next two weeks)
Adoption Agency: $2000 (due asap)
Country fee $8000 (when we travel, whenever that is)
Airfare: $3500 (this will depend upon if all 3 of us go, or just me. Right now the plan is all 3 of us. Also includes airfare for the child we're bringing home.)
Hotel, meals, etc: $1500
The fact that we had to buy a car this week set us back a bit so we're scrambling a little to come up with our next $3300. If we had another 6 weeks we'd be fine, but we don't. Our prayer? That the four other puppies sleeping in my office get sold, because getting them sold will cover the cost! Our puppies are ALWAYS sold by now, so it is very strange to us that our phone has been silent. I've even had people test my website email to make sure it's working! Once this next $3300 is paid and our homestudy completed there are a couple of older child adoption grants we can apply for. Then things won't seem quite so scary!
............Insert long dramatic sigh here...................
Instead Ianna's case was discussed at length, and the options for her. (which are not many.) I'm not able to give all the detail. Some day, I'll be able to come back and fill in the blanks. All I can say for now she needs even more prayer that she did last week. How can that be? How can I ask for even MORE?
In the meantime, we are plugging along on our homestudy. We hope to have it done in the next three weeks.
Documents left to collect:
Physical for me and Angela
Left to do:
Attend Class on 9/13
1 Homestudy visit
Expenses left:
Homestudy: $1300 (due at second visit, sometime in the next two weeks)
Adoption Agency: $2000 (due asap)
Country fee $8000 (when we travel, whenever that is)
Airfare: $3500 (this will depend upon if all 3 of us go, or just me. Right now the plan is all 3 of us. Also includes airfare for the child we're bringing home.)
Hotel, meals, etc: $1500
The fact that we had to buy a car this week set us back a bit so we're scrambling a little to come up with our next $3300. If we had another 6 weeks we'd be fine, but we don't. Our prayer? That the four other puppies sleeping in my office get sold, because getting them sold will cover the cost! Our puppies are ALWAYS sold by now, so it is very strange to us that our phone has been silent. I've even had people test my website email to make sure it's working! Once this next $3300 is paid and our homestudy completed there are a couple of older child adoption grants we can apply for. Then things won't seem quite so scary!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Heavenly Herbicide
"But if we hope for what is still unseen by us, we wait for it with patience and composure." Romans 8:25
I am working so hard on that "patience and composure" part. I have a long way to go in that area. Ack! Who am I kidding? I'm not even patient at all, and I can't even begin to describe "composure" to you.
God has spent 14 years with me in this garden called "patience" and "control", making me pull weeds day after day, year after year. Just when I think I have the rows clear of all the weeds, I look over and new ones have sprouted in the first rows I did. I'm tired, hot, thirsty, and my back hurts. If I don't keep pulling the weeds, my garden will be choked out by all the weeds and that's all I'll have left. But if I DO keep pulling them, and doing what God has me set out to do, my garden will eventually produce some beautiful bounty, one that I can even share with others.
Over the course of today I have watched a couple of families who participated in yesterday's fasting prayer get wonderful news! What a wonderful event that was to participate in. As I read their stories and prayed for their families, I thanked God for letting me see Him working in the lives of all these people, because it gives me hope for Ianna when sometimes I feel overwhelmed by all that lies ahead. Did you know doubt is fertilizer for weeds? It makes them multiply exponentially! Today my weeds were in the form of several emails, composed but unsent, to our facilitator on the other side of the world. I wanted to ask if she'd heard any news. That's not being very patient, is it? I know she will contact me as soon as she gets word. But doubt + fertilizer x weeds = unnecessary worry.
Thankfully I never sent the emails. Instead they sat in my draft box...waiting....tonight when reality kicked in and I was able to comprehend what it was all about, I deleted them. I must be patient. I must go back to pulling the weeds, and praying weed killer on them!
I am working so hard on that "patience and composure" part. I have a long way to go in that area. Ack! Who am I kidding? I'm not even patient at all, and I can't even begin to describe "composure" to you.
God has spent 14 years with me in this garden called "patience" and "control", making me pull weeds day after day, year after year. Just when I think I have the rows clear of all the weeds, I look over and new ones have sprouted in the first rows I did. I'm tired, hot, thirsty, and my back hurts. If I don't keep pulling the weeds, my garden will be choked out by all the weeds and that's all I'll have left. But if I DO keep pulling them, and doing what God has me set out to do, my garden will eventually produce some beautiful bounty, one that I can even share with others.
Over the course of today I have watched a couple of families who participated in yesterday's fasting prayer get wonderful news! What a wonderful event that was to participate in. As I read their stories and prayed for their families, I thanked God for letting me see Him working in the lives of all these people, because it gives me hope for Ianna when sometimes I feel overwhelmed by all that lies ahead. Did you know doubt is fertilizer for weeds? It makes them multiply exponentially! Today my weeds were in the form of several emails, composed but unsent, to our facilitator on the other side of the world. I wanted to ask if she'd heard any news. That's not being very patient, is it? I know she will contact me as soon as she gets word. But doubt + fertilizer x weeds = unnecessary worry.
Thankfully I never sent the emails. Instead they sat in my draft box...waiting....tonight when reality kicked in and I was able to comprehend what it was all about, I deleted them. I must be patient. I must go back to pulling the weeds, and praying weed killer on them!
PRAISE GOD!!!!!
LOOK AT WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR AARON!!!! Never again will we call him the "Little Boy Lost"! Aaron has a forever family now! PRAISE GOD!!!!!
Little Boy Lost
Lord, to you no child is lost, no child is forsaken. We know that you are using Aaron, and the path Rob and Julia are on, to pave the way for many more children to come out of the institution he is in.
A new path is never smooth. It takes time, and the feet of many before it is worn smooth. Rob and Julia are the first to travel this path. The are laying down the first stones, and nobody knows where to put them. Most of them are not even cut! It takes a strong journeyman to make such a path through the wilderness, and Rob and Julia are just that. Their children at home are strong too, or you would not have chosen them to be part of the journey.
Today's court is is the laying of the last foundational stones.
Lord, your journeyman are tired. They have battled long and hard to for this child. They have followed your every directive without fail. They are the best of warriors in this battle for the orphan. At this very moment, they are sitting in a court room in Ukraine, with Aaron who everyone feels should not be there. We know you had your reasons Lord, even if we cannot understand them. Lord, in this very moment in time, bring peace and calm to the hearts of Rob and Julia, to Aaron, and to all the others involved. Peel away the onion layers on the heart of the judge, and let her see the possibilities for this boy, and for all the others behind him. Let the blood of Christ wash over that courtroom now, and let all who sit inside be protected, and blessed in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
A new path is never smooth. It takes time, and the feet of many before it is worn smooth. Rob and Julia are the first to travel this path. The are laying down the first stones, and nobody knows where to put them. Most of them are not even cut! It takes a strong journeyman to make such a path through the wilderness, and Rob and Julia are just that. Their children at home are strong too, or you would not have chosen them to be part of the journey.
Today's court is is the laying of the last foundational stones.
Lord, your journeyman are tired. They have battled long and hard to for this child. They have followed your every directive without fail. They are the best of warriors in this battle for the orphan. At this very moment, they are sitting in a court room in Ukraine, with Aaron who everyone feels should not be there. We know you had your reasons Lord, even if we cannot understand them. Lord, in this very moment in time, bring peace and calm to the hearts of Rob and Julia, to Aaron, and to all the others involved. Peel away the onion layers on the heart of the judge, and let her see the possibilities for this boy, and for all the others behind him. Let the blood of Christ wash over that courtroom now, and let all who sit inside be protected, and blessed in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
A Fasting Prayer
A Boatload of Dreams is hosting a Fasting Prayer for Orphans today. (sorry, I'm just now finding out about it!) If you've been following along with Aaron's family, you know tomorrow is a HUGE day for him. This little boy, who has never been out of the Ukrainian institution where he has spent his entire life, is being forced to go to court, before a judge, who will decide if he can be adopted. It is craziness. This will happen at 3:00 a.m. our time. THEY NEED OUR PRAYERS!!!
As for us, our profile was presented to the Ministry Officials in Ianna's country last night. I cannot give you all of our personal details here, but just know if they approve our family profile it will be monumental. Not only for Ianna, but for other families who want to adopt from this country. And, if they approve our profile, Ianna's casemanager will be contacted, and it will be explained why it is not a waste of his or her precious time to register this child for international adoption just because she has craniofacial differences.
Oh, how I long for the day when I can share pictures and videos for you. I have many just burning holes in my hard drive waiting to be posted here!
Please join my in a fasting prayer for Aaron and Ianna as we wait to hear the news on each of the children. We should hear about both of them within a few hours of each other!
As for us, our profile was presented to the Ministry Officials in Ianna's country last night. I cannot give you all of our personal details here, but just know if they approve our family profile it will be monumental. Not only for Ianna, but for other families who want to adopt from this country. And, if they approve our profile, Ianna's casemanager will be contacted, and it will be explained why it is not a waste of his or her precious time to register this child for international adoption just because she has craniofacial differences.
Oh, how I long for the day when I can share pictures and videos for you. I have many just burning holes in my hard drive waiting to be posted here!
Please join my in a fasting prayer for Aaron and Ianna as we wait to hear the news on each of the children. We should hear about both of them within a few hours of each other!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
TONIGHT
There is still the step of getting Ianna legally registered for international adoption. If our profile is accepted, it will be an incentive for her case manager to get her registered since they will know there is already a family pre-approved to for her.
Guess who will not be sleeping the next couple of nights? Who am I kidding? I didn't sleep LAST night! LOL
Monday, September 6, 2010
HERE IT COMES!!!!
Ok, this is MAJOR folks! This is a HUGE step, and it needs MASSIVE PRAYERS!!! THIS is why my stomach was in knots the other night, only I didn't know why until now!
Today I got an email from the other side of the world.
Later this week, our family profile will be submitted to the officials of Ianna's country. This is the profile I labored over, to get every word just right. It is the one I sent back in July to have translated into their language. It is this profile that describes our family, tells our story, and why we....us....Dean, Angela and I, would be a family worthy of adopting a child from their country, between the ages of 9 and 11 years old, who just happens to have Apert syndrome.
Our family is a complicated one; difficult to explain to someone who doesn't speak your language and lives by different laws. Did I say the right things? Did I say enough? Too much? Will they find us worthy? Please Lord, YOU told us we are worthy, let them see that too.
Today I got an email from the other side of the world.
Later this week, our family profile will be submitted to the officials of Ianna's country. This is the profile I labored over, to get every word just right. It is the one I sent back in July to have translated into their language. It is this profile that describes our family, tells our story, and why we....us....Dean, Angela and I, would be a family worthy of adopting a child from their country, between the ages of 9 and 11 years old, who just happens to have Apert syndrome.
Our family is a complicated one; difficult to explain to someone who doesn't speak your language and lives by different laws. Did I say the right things? Did I say enough? Too much? Will they find us worthy? Please Lord, YOU told us we are worthy, let them see that too.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Prayers in the Night
While it is the middle of the night here in the midwest of the U.S, the other side of the world is just waking up. It is the quiet of the morning there.
I picture my friend sitting at her table, finishing a cup of coffee before she heads to work.
Her day is exhausting. Every day she cares for the children in the care center where Ianna lives. She does the best she possibly can with what little funds she is given. Her love for them is genuine. Were it not for her, children like Sasha, Jovan and Christina, or Griffyn (just to name a few) would not be tucked into beds in the homes of their forever families as I type.
Every day, this woman must struggle against a society that has deemed these children "unadoptable", instead finding ways to beg and plead their cases to those who make the decisions, that yes...there ARE families who WANT these children.
I know this woman's heart is weary. I know she is tired. I know she must wonder how she can keep doing her job day in, and day out. Once in awhile she gets to see miracles. She gets to see the Sasha's go home! She gets to see the Jovans, Christinas, Griffyns and the few others go home! This month there are a few others who will be going home. They are miracles too!
But there is one....there is one child who I know she does not think she will ever see join a family. She has told me time and again. When we were there, she was excited that we would want to adopt her, but once the error was found, she lost all hope. It is an error that CAN be fixed, but there are many variables, and the variables in this case are stacked against this child. Still, they are not impossible.
Tonight, in the middle of the night, I feel an urgency like no other night before. Decisions are now in hand of those who make them.
Lord, please bless this woman as she enters the doors of the care center today. Let her see, hear, and feel your miracles. Let her know what a blessing she is to these children. Let the staff around her understand how valuable she is is. Let them feel her strength, even when she doesn't feel strong herself. Let the children feel her loving touch. Let those who make the necessary decisions for this child see her value, let them see that here she could have a very normal life, in a family that is hers FOREVER without threat of ever being moved again.
Lord, you are the ABBA father.
Mark 14
35He (Jesus) went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. 36“Abba, Father,”h he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
I picture my friend sitting at her table, finishing a cup of coffee before she heads to work.
Her day is exhausting. Every day she cares for the children in the care center where Ianna lives. She does the best she possibly can with what little funds she is given. Her love for them is genuine. Were it not for her, children like Sasha, Jovan and Christina, or Griffyn (just to name a few) would not be tucked into beds in the homes of their forever families as I type.
Every day, this woman must struggle against a society that has deemed these children "unadoptable", instead finding ways to beg and plead their cases to those who make the decisions, that yes...there ARE families who WANT these children.
I know this woman's heart is weary. I know she is tired. I know she must wonder how she can keep doing her job day in, and day out. Once in awhile she gets to see miracles. She gets to see the Sasha's go home! She gets to see the Jovans, Christinas, Griffyns and the few others go home! This month there are a few others who will be going home. They are miracles too!
But there is one....there is one child who I know she does not think she will ever see join a family. She has told me time and again. When we were there, she was excited that we would want to adopt her, but once the error was found, she lost all hope. It is an error that CAN be fixed, but there are many variables, and the variables in this case are stacked against this child. Still, they are not impossible.
Tonight, in the middle of the night, I feel an urgency like no other night before. Decisions are now in hand of those who make them.
Lord, please bless this woman as she enters the doors of the care center today. Let her see, hear, and feel your miracles. Let her know what a blessing she is to these children. Let the staff around her understand how valuable she is is. Let them feel her strength, even when she doesn't feel strong herself. Let the children feel her loving touch. Let those who make the necessary decisions for this child see her value, let them see that here she could have a very normal life, in a family that is hers FOREVER without threat of ever being moved again.
Lord, you are the ABBA father.
Mark 14
35He (Jesus) went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. 36“Abba, Father,”h he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
Thursday, September 2, 2010
I600A
Today I put our I600A in an overnight envelope to Lewisville, Texas, to request an appointment to get fingerprinted by the Department of Immigration or something. I dunno. Someone is gonna fingerprint us again only this time it's "fer real". LOL The first time is just for the criminal background check, which is why we only pay $25. But this time it is the read deal, and costs $670, plus $80 for each person over 18 who lives in the house.
Now, usually you don't make this request until your homestudy is complete, but ours is waiting on one piece of paper. (ok, three, but who's counting?) before our first visit, and a class we have to go to on the 13th. Then about the time the homestudy is done, the USCIS (the place we sent that check and numbered form to) will send us a fancy ticket. That ticket is an appointment date for the immigration office in St. Paul where we can get our fingerprints done. Then those fingerprints are sent, along with our completed homestudy, BACK to...umm....Texas or something. Total time for all of this is about 3 weeks, give or take 6 months.
By the time these things are done, we will have heard SOMETHING about Ianna. Right now all I get from the other side of the world is silence.
Just silence.
Now, usually you don't make this request until your homestudy is complete, but ours is waiting on one piece of paper. (ok, three, but who's counting?) before our first visit, and a class we have to go to on the 13th. Then about the time the homestudy is done, the USCIS (the place we sent that check and numbered form to) will send us a fancy ticket. That ticket is an appointment date for the immigration office in St. Paul where we can get our fingerprints done. Then those fingerprints are sent, along with our completed homestudy, BACK to...umm....Texas or something. Total time for all of this is about 3 weeks, give or take 6 months.
By the time these things are done, we will have heard SOMETHING about Ianna. Right now all I get from the other side of the world is silence.
Just silence.
What about the others?
This is copied from my other blog. It is a post I wrote while on my trip to the other side of the world this past April. This story needs to be shared. Please link to it (but please don't copy it!)
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There are many children in the orphanages who will never be adopted, either because nobody wants them, or because they have been deemed "unadoptable".
When I met "M" (pictured below in my previous post) and after spending some time with her, I made the comment, "She has so much potential! She will take off if only she is given the chance at a family." The staff looked at me as if I had just grown 3 heads right before their eyes.
You see, in their culture, "having potential" doesn't have the same meaning it does to me. To them, it means being able to have a college education, or at a minimum go to a regular school. To me it means the child has the DESIRE and ABILITY to communicate, and I can see how quickly he or she attempts to interract with me. For M, it took less than 5 minutes to teach her three signs. "Me", "More", and "camera".
There comes a point when someone has to decide which children's names will be placed on the list that says they are free for adoption. "M", wasn't one of those children. When we asked why, we were told, "Who would want her? There are so few families, we save the spots for those who are more likely to find a family."
Later, a staff person asked me to explain to her what I meant when I said a child had potential, because clearly "smart" to me had a different meaning than it did to the people of their country. You have to understand, this person has a heart for these children. She will FOREVER be a friend to me. She is working against a society who doesn't understand WHY in the world we would want these children. Is it any wonder their biological parents don't want to take them home when they will only be stared at by strangers, and ridiculed by their friends?
I explained that there is a family for EVERY SINGLE CHILD THERE, no matter how severely delayed they are, even if they are nothing more than breathing lumps of skin and bones taking up space. To be honest, after years of institutional life, there are many children who would fit just this description. But somewhere, deep inside them, is a spirit, and a spirit doesn't need a whole, fully functioning physical body to live! So yes, there is a family for every child, but those families will never know their child is out there...waiting...unless they are made available for adoption and we can talk about them! Without exposure to the world of parents who are searching for THEIR child, these children will die a miserable death. Just last week, two children died in this facility...and they died alone.
I pray that we convinced her to get every child on that list that they can. While it seems an impossible goal to find a home for every child, God has no limits! HE knows where every child belongs, weather it be in his arms or in the arms of earthly parents.
Here is a child who is considered "unadoptable".
Do you see how big my hand is on his chest? Guess his age. No, you're not even close, guess again. He is 21 months old, and he is the size of the average American 4 month old. This lack of growth doesn't have anything to do with his heart condition, but rather his life in an institution with a lack of physical stimulation. He has Down syndrome, and a severe heart defect....and he is blind. He was afraid of me when I first touched him. A voice speaking sounds he doesn't understand, a hand he couldn't touch because he had socks over them to stop him from chewing on them. And yet, it only took a few minutes of stroking his face, and talking to him softly, telling how much God loves him, before I got this
Giggles that came all the way from his toes!!!! And with that giggle the tears came streaming down my cheeks, because the reality was just too much for me to comprehend.
This boy spends his days in a crib, either sitting in an infant seat on the floor (or sometimes it's sitting in the crib) or just laying in his bed, waiting for the next time a caregiver has a moment to come check on him. If he's lucky, they'll have time to hold him. He has a roommate who will be going home to his forever family soon. A little boy with no arms and legs, but is cognitively normal. His other roommate cries all the time, but her cries are not always answered. Even so, she'll go home to a family before too long.
But this boy? No. Not him. He will spend his days isolated in the darkness of blindness, listening to the sounds of the world go by in the hallway, all the while waiting.........just waiting.......and eventually his waiting will end and he'll find himself in the arms of a father who loves him more than any of us ever could.
But this boy? No. Not him. He will spend his days isolated in the darkness of blindness, listening to the sounds of the world go by in the hallway, all the while waiting.........just waiting.......and eventually his waiting will end and he'll find himself in the arms of a father who loves him more than any of us ever could.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Sometimes I have to be slapped in the face
Sometimes that's what it takes for me to wake up and take a look around at reality. Does that ever happen to you? Maybe I was just so wrapped up in the goings on with whelping new puppies that I couldn't see what was happened, or rather, what wasn't happening around here!
And here I was, whining that nothing was happening with the homestudy and other stuff.
Of course nothing was happening! Why in the world would God be moving anything forward when I wasn't getting my own pieces done? Because even though I only have two tiny pieces left to do, the fact is, I still needed to do them, and I was putting them off without any good reason other than I didn't want to drag Angela along to do them. That would be an inconvenience...GASP! Well, there is also the fact I don't have a car of my own to use at the moment. I do have my in-law's car here, but I promised not to use it unless I *have* to. Monday or Tuesday I'll have a care again. THANK YOU GOD!
So this morning I was on the phone with the homestudy agency. I've been trying to get in touch with them for a few days, and we kept missing each other. Remember yesterday when I said, "This is where you remind me everything happens for a reason."? WELL IT DOES!!!! Together we decided to do a couple of steps out of order while we wait for something to come back. I'm going to go ahead and get our I600A filed (that's fingerprints) and the social worker from the homestudy agency is discussing something with the USCIS or something like that (I get all those agencies confused!) and then they'll be here for their first homestudy visit. Dean and I will be attending our homestudy training class thingy on the 13th, so we are ROLLING!
And here I was, whining that nothing was happening with the homestudy and other stuff.
Of course nothing was happening! Why in the world would God be moving anything forward when I wasn't getting my own pieces done? Because even though I only have two tiny pieces left to do, the fact is, I still needed to do them, and I was putting them off without any good reason other than I didn't want to drag Angela along to do them. That would be an inconvenience...GASP! Well, there is also the fact I don't have a car of my own to use at the moment. I do have my in-law's car here, but I promised not to use it unless I *have* to. Monday or Tuesday I'll have a care again. THANK YOU GOD!
So this morning I was on the phone with the homestudy agency. I've been trying to get in touch with them for a few days, and we kept missing each other. Remember yesterday when I said, "This is where you remind me everything happens for a reason."? WELL IT DOES!!!! Together we decided to do a couple of steps out of order while we wait for something to come back. I'm going to go ahead and get our I600A filed (that's fingerprints) and the social worker from the homestudy agency is discussing something with the USCIS or something like that (I get all those agencies confused!) and then they'll be here for their first homestudy visit. Dean and I will be attending our homestudy training class thingy on the 13th, so we are ROLLING!
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