We actually DO KNOW what Vanya is thinking!!!!

Ok, you all might not even believe this, but we got to talk to Vanya on the phone yesterday. Didn't I just say 2 days ago that we had no ability to communicate with him? God has been so very good to us. A friend of ours (whom we've actually never met), has a boy at Vanya's camp who just acquired a cell phone for his birthday. Well, she generously offered us to call his number and see if he could locate Vanya. Within minutes, we were talking with him.....awesome.

Our conversation was so very sweet, as they all have been. He said he wishes we could come sooner and he was so excited to have us come to Ukraine....especially having a Papa in Ukraine, because he has never had that. As I got to thinking about this statement, I really wanted to identify from his perspective what it's like going from "no Papa" to "Papa". I concluded that besides the relationship itself, having a "Papa" means having a family identity. Having a "Papa" means having protection. Having a "Papa" means having provision and being taken care of. Having a "Papa" means having a forever support, affirmation, and love. When Vanya was here with us this summer, I told him that Jim is a good man to call "Papa".

During this time of difficult waiting, we thought we'd get Vanya thinking about all that he can expect when he gets here. We told him of the many preparations we're making. Then Jim asked him if he would like to play on our church's volleyball team with him. Vanya practically giggled and very sweetly replied, "Whatever you say, Papa. I'm with you". You could hear the sheer excitement in his voice. It was priceless.

Along with the phone call, would you also believe we got an email from him today? We have no idea how he accomplished this, but he did. I want to share his tender and personal words with you:

email 8/28/11

"Oh my family. I really miss you. I can't wait until we meet. With God's help, we will meet a lot earlier. I pray every day that everything would go well with my adoption. Love to everyone. Tell everyone "hello" and give kisses until we see each other again. Vanya"

Please continue to pray with us and with Vanya that all does go well with the adoption and that with God's help we will be united even sooner than expected.

So, I'm beginning to accept the fact that I actually have very little ability in this process, but GOD IS ABLE. Who knows what tomorrow might bring?

What Could Vanya Be Thinking Right About Now?

In my previous post, I shared a lot about the process that our family is going through as we prepare to graft Vanya into our family. Has anyone wondered what the process is like for him right about now?

Sadly, it has been almost 2 weeks since we were able to talk with Vanya, and at this point, we have no ability to be able to talk with him again until we see him (sigh). When we were able to Skype, however, we did get a sense as to what he might be thinking during this time of temporary separation. He said things like, "I wish you could come sooner than September or October", "The officials are just reviewing my documents, right?", "I miss you" and "I love you". In many other ways, he expressed his desire to be with us.

You know, as Jim and I have talked about adoption over the years, we always knew that if we were ever given this privilege, we would also receive the blessing of a deeper understanding of what it means for us to be adopted into God's family. (If you need a refresher, check out Ephesians 1:5-14.......AWESOME passage of scripture.)

Couple thoughts...

Before Vanya left, we gave hims LOTS of pictures, letters, gifts, memorabilia, etc. Yes, these things were meant for him to enjoy, but they were more intentionally given to him as a deposit to remind him that "we are coming back for you". Similarly, as children of God, we have also been given many deposits.....things that remind us that God will make good on His promise to come back for us. The greatest of these deposits is the Holy Spirit, which guarantees our inheritance until the Day of Redemption (Eph. 1:13-14).

Having been adopted into God's family, we anxiously await Jesus' return so that we can be united for all of eternity. We wish it could be sooner.... In the same way, what an incredible day it will be when we can look Vanya in the eye, give him a great big hug, and say, "You are ours! You are not an orphan anymore! You are a forever part of our family".

Finally, after our adoption is finalized and we travel home to the U.S.A, as soon as Vanya's feet touch U.S soil, he becomes an American citizen too!!! What a picture of Ephesians 1:5-14.... We are adopted as God's children through Jesus according to His pleasure and will. In Him, we were chosen. In Him, we have redemption, the forgiveness of sin, and the riches of God's grace. We have been given the Holy Spirit who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance. And lastly, as said in Philippians 4:20, "Our citizenship is in Heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ."

So, what could Vanya be thinking right about now? He's probably thinking a lot of the same things we are thinking as God's adopted children. Check out this video.....



We'll be smiling, Vanya. We will definitely be smiling.....

"Pre-Adoptive Pregnancy"

My kids and I recently had a conversation about Vanya. Nathanael said, "Mom, you're pregnant with a 5'8", 120 lb. baby"!!! I laughed, but then realized, that it is true! Having been through 4 pregnancies, I recognize the feeling. The anticipation, the preparation, and yes, even some morning sickness. Although we don't know for sure, it appears that I am in my 3rd trimester and am still awaiting to hear an official due date.

Jim has noticed some weird behaviors too, like sorting my silverware drawer and re-organizing clothes closets. He shot me a funny look and my response was a sheepish, "I think I'm nesting". (lol) Check out this description of "nesting" from Pregnancy Weekly:

"Around the fifth month of pregnancy, the "nesting" instinct can set in. This is an uncontrollable urge to clean one's house brought on by a desire to prepare a nest for the new baby, to tie up loose ends of old projects and to organize your world.

Females of the animal kingdom are all equipped with this same need. It is a primal instinct. Just as you see birds making their nests, mothers-to-be do exactly the same thing. The act of nesting puts you in control and gives a sense of accomplishment toward birth.

Nesting brings about some unique and seemingly irrational behaviors in pregnant women and all of them experience it differently. There seems to be no end to the lengths a nesting mother will go to prepare for her upcoming arrival."

Along with the strange behaviors comes the pure excitement of a new family member. So far, I'd have to say that adoption feels a lot like pregnancy and the rewards will prove to be the same too, as is promised by God. "CHILDREN ARE A BLESSING FROM THE LORD".

Praise The Lord!

We are thanking and praising the Lord today upon hearing that our dossier has been successfully submitted to the SDA in Kiev, Ukraine. We will probably not hear anything for about 2-3 weeks while our documents are being reviewed. But then, upon acceptance of the paperwork, we will be invited to travel and go get our boy! Don't underestimate your prayer in this process and thank you so very much for the prayers on our behalf. Even though this is a long process, our agency told us today that we are fortunate to have it moving along quickly and relatively smoothly.

So, what do the next few weeks have in store? For us, we will be preparing for Vanya's transition into our family.....everything from heating his room downstairs to figuring out the best education options. And yes, more paperwork to be working on too! For Vanya, however, these next few weeks may be very difficult for him. He will most likely be moving to a Tech School on Sept. 1st and be living rather self-sufficiently in a larger city. Also, since we have no way to communicate with him, he won't have the luxury of knowing that indeed things are moving along just fine. Please pray for his safety and also that he would have no fear or doubt set in. Pray for him as he begins to have closure with his friends and family in Ukraine. Pray that he would get connected with the evangelical church in the city where his school will be.

You all have been a tremendous support. Thank you so much for "owning" this with us. We will be sure to give an update whenever we get some news.

Documents Delivered......

5 short days ago, I complained about the $123 paid to FedEx to deliver our 5 precious papers to Kiev, Ukraine. Today, however, I'm thanking God for FedEx. We got delivery confirmation that our documents successfully made it to Ukraine today (even earlier than expected). Our current request: Please pray that our dossier can be submitted this Monday to begin it's review. Pray too, that the review goes quickly, smoothly, and ends in a travel date that isn't too far away.

We covet your prayers.

"Thank you, Lord for each lesson learned and for each miracle experienced in this process. Thank you for the prayers of our dear friends and family. We praise you for being both sovereign and good. We trust you with all that remains, with all that we cannot see, and with all that You have planned. Thank you that Vanya is Your son......that he has already been adopted into Your family and is being loved by You every day."

What's Your Best Guess?

Well, Monday was a rather long, stressful day full of pending phone calls, emails, and decisions on how to best fix the 2 errors in our paperwork. By 3:00 though, we were able to manage a solution for the one error and we were also able to drive to pick up another needed document, get it notarized, apostilled, and mailed off to Kiev. Would anyone like to take your best guess as to how much it costs to send 5 sheets of paper to Ukraine? $123. I almost fainted in the FedEx store after hearing that and not having eaten anything all day.

So, we are thanking God and praying that all will be correct and arrive on time for the dossier to be submitted in Kiev on Monday. Please pray with us towards this end.

On another note, we were able to skype Vanya for the third and last time yesterday. The American couples who were at the camp have now left, so we no longer have any means of communication. We had a very sweet conversation with Vanya. He seemed especially soft and sincere and expressed a lot of love to the family. After he leaves camp on August 30, he moves to a city to begin a Tech School on Sept. 1. We are concerned about this transition for him and would again ask for your prayers for God's protection over Vanya.

Prayer of Protection and Perfection!

Today, we had the precious opportunity to skype with Vanya again. I wanted to share a small bit of inspiration with you that came from Vanya's own words to us today. Jim and I were telling Vanya how excited all of our friends and family (and even some strangers that we've met recently)are about his adoption into our family. His response was a very clear smile and then he said, "I've never had that before". Is anyone crying yet? Here is a 16 year old boy who has never consistently been loved, supported, and celebrated! Thanks to each of you for doing this with us!

As an item of prayer, we received news today that our dossier, which was to be submitted in Kiev on Monday, has 2 errors. This is most certainly a set back as it can sometimes take a lot of time to make even make minor corrections to these types of documents. Even in my disappointment, I am choosing to trust in God's timing. "Sooner" may not be "Better" for reasons we don't understand. However, we NEED PRAYER FOR THIS PROCESS. I haven't mentioned it before, but we are actually on a ticking clock of about 4 months remaining to complete this adoption. After this allotted time, the United States will stop the process because of Vanya's age. We really don't have any time to lose.

Please pray for speed, protection, and perfection of our documents! We will be tackling the corrections on Monday and would very much appreciate being covered in prayer.

Thanks to each of you and don't underestimate your impact!

A surprise "Hello" from Ukraine!

An Unexpected Blessing....

Wow!!!! Would you all believe that in the last 24 hours we were able to find out about an American couple that is currently at Vanya's camp and was able to set up a skype session for us this morning???? Reflecting on our journey, God has blessed us in so many ways, both big and small. This was a pretty big one! When we had to say goodbye to Vanya just over a week ago, we had no leads and no expectation of being in touch with him until we actually traveled to Ukraine.

It was great to just see him alive and well on the other side of the world. It was even better to be able to tell him how much we love and miss him. He was all smiles and even got to introduce us to one of his best friends! He introduced us as his family!

He expressed his love for us and said he wished we could come and get him sooner than September or October. We, of course, said the same.

We told him that we have his pictures up all over the house and that our family just isn't the same without him here. And somehow all the kids got talking about how Mama hasn't stop crying this whole past week. Oh well.....this kid has got to know how much he is loved!

So, what an amazing provision of God, especially for this Mama's heart!

Mid-journey

We are not at the beginning of our adoption journey, but at a junction which we welcome all of our precious friends and family to journey with us. Please partner with us in prayer as we hope to bring Vanya home in the next couple of months!

We got news today that our dossier (final documents) are translated and will be submitted to the SDA in Kiev on Monday!