We are SO eager to pack our bags and go on our big trip, but the answer to the question is "No, we have no travel plans yet." If you know me, I like to have a plan and it is a bit unnerving to have no idea when we embark on our journey. Back in May when our agency said, "Yes, of course you'll bring her home this summer" I had it all figured out. I thought for sure we'd bring her home at the end of July, take the month of August to get acclimated to being a family of 6 and then begin our homeschool year in September. Nice and neat. Ha!
Slowly, our departure date has slipped closer and closer to the fall. I am beginning to learn that this adoption process is not nice and neat. It involves trusting God and letting go of control. God is not surprised by the twists and turns. He is not surprised by the steps forward with paperwork and the steps back. I have to trust that His timing is perfect. And I need to remember that every step of the way He will be with us. What a wonderful promise!!! Oh how I wish though that He would send me an email or text message and let me know the plan. ;) This has been a very hard lesson for me to learn. (Frankly, I've been a bit moody about it!)
Good news: Our dossier was FINALLY submitted on July 25th. Praise the Lord! (Ukraine only accepts older child adoption dossiers on Thursdays.) Coincidentally, this was our 15th wedding anniversary so it is a definitely a date we will remember.
Other news: Due to the change in Russian adoption laws, more families are seeking to adopt from other Eastern European countries. What this means for us is that the 2-3 week approval time for dossiers is now running closer to 7 weeks. (maybe more, maybe less?) We are praying we hear from Ukraine by September 12th, if not sooner. Will you join us in praying?
When we receive contact from Ukraine, they will tell us when our appointment with the SDA is in Ukraine. That should be between 2-4 weeks from our dossier approval. Perhaps we'll travel in October?
Technically, this is the closest we have been to knowing our travel date so far and yet we still do not know. Our dossier is sitting in a stack somewhere in Ukraine. Fully translated and ready to be examined and reviewed. We are praying with hope that it will be soon, but also trying to prepare our hearts for later.
Contact with Irina: We have been sending letters and small packages every 3-4 weeks. A dear Russian women from our church has been translating them for us and we pray that Irina receives them and that someone is kind enough to read them to her. (I don't know what her Russian reading capabilities are.) She is not able to send us anything back, so it is all very one sided. We'd love to know how Irina is doing, but we have no way of knowing. It has been almost 7 months since we said goodbye at the airport and my heart aches to hear her voice and give her a hug. In the meantime, we look at pictures, watch the video we took at Christmas and remember our 3 minute long phone call on April 14th.
I haven't had a chance to share that on the blog, but it is a huge praise that our agency director visited Irina's orphanage in April. While she was there, she was able to call us and put Irina on the phone for a very short conversation. I wish I thought ahead to tape record it! The call came at 5am on a Sunday morning and we were delighted to hear her little voice speaking both in Russian and in English. She was coached to say a few phrases to us, that of course, were delightful to hear. "I love you and I miss you." I can't believe that was already more then three months ago! Oh how we wish we could call her again, but it just doesn't work that way.
In the meantime, all we can do is prep for our school year, get her room ready, read lots of books on older child adoptions, parenting an adopted child and PRAY! Pray for her protection. Pray for her heart. Pray for the Ukrainian courts to process things unexpectedly quickly. Pray for the boys.
It has been very therapeutic for me to decorate her room and organize her closet. I just finished sewing her curtains and made a bedskirt to go along with the bedding. The boys helped me paint letters to hang in her room that say her name. I hope to post some pictures soon!
All in all, we trust that God is good and He has a plan. However, this "pregnant" Momma feels a bit overdue!! I'd like to be induced, please!!!
Thank you for praying! Let's bring our sweet girl home!!!!!
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Friday, July 5, 2013
Dossier, Distractions, and Delights!
A very quick update for those of you wondering...
* It seems that just when we think we understand what's next concerning paperwork, there are more twists and turns. This has been a great test/ learning opportunity when it comes to patience. I still have a LOT to learn in this department, so God keeps allowing me opportunities. ;) Darin sent off a stack of documents to our adoption agency freshly marked with their apostilles. (An apostille is a seal that is attached to all our documents verifying that they are genuine and that the notaries are indeed real notaries. All our documents for the dossier need an apostille.)
* The government offices in Ukraine are closed all this week and not accepting any dossiers next week. They will begin accepting dossiers on July 15th.
* Our dossier will still need to be translated before it is submitted. Please pray that this is a swift process. Please also pray that we have caught all the mistakes. It seems at every turn there are new hurdles and backtracking to correct the errors of others. Pray that we will be gracious, all the while advocating for our daughter.
* On a fun note... I finally cleaned out Irina's closet of all the random things that get stored in an extra closet. (You do that too, right?) Now, everything in her closet is for her! Almost all the clothes we have for her are the result of generous contributions of both new and used clothes from friends. I have her bed set up with a pretty quilt and pillow shams. I'm still hunting for just the right dresser/bookshelf on craigslist and am eager to sew her coordinating curtains. This has been very special for me.
* I'm not sure if it's "pregnancy brain" or what, but I've struggled with being distracted and forgetful. Really scatterbrained!! I need to praise God for my husband who is handling all the paperwork. He is juggling his heavy work load and all this paperwork, not to mention being a husband and dad too. It is such a relief to know that Darin is handling all of it and know that he is handling it well!
* I'm also busy cleaning out our attic of all the boys baby stuff since we won't need it anymore. Slowly, I am making progress selling items and adding money to our adoption fund. It's only a small dent to the cost of the adoption, but it feels really good to contribute in some way. God is teaching me to trust Him to provide what we need. I'm not a big risk taker and this feels risky, but I believe in my heart that God is calling us to take this risk. The benefits of walking closely with Him and trusting Him, far outweigh the risks. Please contact me if you know someone looking to buy some boy clothes or other baby gear. I have some really cute stuff!
Prayer Requests:
* That the dossier will be translated quickly and ready to be submitted ASAP!
* Irina's safety and protection - both outwardly and inwardly
* Continued prayers for the boys... that God will be preparing their hearts for the upcoming transition.
* That we will trust God for His provision.
* For our family of 5: that God will enable us to extend grace, forgiveness and love to one another in the midst of distractions and demands. Particularly, that I will be "present" and enjoy each moment with the boys instead of fast forwarding in my brain to our future with Irina.
* It seems that just when we think we understand what's next concerning paperwork, there are more twists and turns. This has been a great test/ learning opportunity when it comes to patience. I still have a LOT to learn in this department, so God keeps allowing me opportunities. ;) Darin sent off a stack of documents to our adoption agency freshly marked with their apostilles. (An apostille is a seal that is attached to all our documents verifying that they are genuine and that the notaries are indeed real notaries. All our documents for the dossier need an apostille.)
* The government offices in Ukraine are closed all this week and not accepting any dossiers next week. They will begin accepting dossiers on July 15th.
* Our dossier will still need to be translated before it is submitted. Please pray that this is a swift process. Please also pray that we have caught all the mistakes. It seems at every turn there are new hurdles and backtracking to correct the errors of others. Pray that we will be gracious, all the while advocating for our daughter.
* On a fun note... I finally cleaned out Irina's closet of all the random things that get stored in an extra closet. (You do that too, right?) Now, everything in her closet is for her! Almost all the clothes we have for her are the result of generous contributions of both new and used clothes from friends. I have her bed set up with a pretty quilt and pillow shams. I'm still hunting for just the right dresser/bookshelf on craigslist and am eager to sew her coordinating curtains. This has been very special for me.
* I'm not sure if it's "pregnancy brain" or what, but I've struggled with being distracted and forgetful. Really scatterbrained!! I need to praise God for my husband who is handling all the paperwork. He is juggling his heavy work load and all this paperwork, not to mention being a husband and dad too. It is such a relief to know that Darin is handling all of it and know that he is handling it well!
* I'm also busy cleaning out our attic of all the boys baby stuff since we won't need it anymore. Slowly, I am making progress selling items and adding money to our adoption fund. It's only a small dent to the cost of the adoption, but it feels really good to contribute in some way. God is teaching me to trust Him to provide what we need. I'm not a big risk taker and this feels risky, but I believe in my heart that God is calling us to take this risk. The benefits of walking closely with Him and trusting Him, far outweigh the risks. Please contact me if you know someone looking to buy some boy clothes or other baby gear. I have some really cute stuff!
Prayer Requests:
* That the dossier will be translated quickly and ready to be submitted ASAP!
* Irina's safety and protection - both outwardly and inwardly
* Continued prayers for the boys... that God will be preparing their hearts for the upcoming transition.
* That we will trust God for His provision.
* For our family of 5: that God will enable us to extend grace, forgiveness and love to one another in the midst of distractions and demands. Particularly, that I will be "present" and enjoy each moment with the boys instead of fast forwarding in my brain to our future with Irina.
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