Rush-huh? Wait, Wait, and Wait Some More!

Thanks to the O'Shields, for my post title today.  Rush-huh???  Wow...today was a day of sitting and WAITING...and although, E would claim we were rushing, I'd beg to differ.   Yes, we were swamped with lots to do, but it was HURRY UP and WAIT!!  Really it fits right in with the entire adoption process...but it was a productive day of WAITING so, I'm not complaining.  

It all began at 11:15 this morning.  E came to pick us up to go to the notary.  There I insulted the notary by walking in and saying, "Privet" with a smile on my face.  Apparently, "Hi" was too informal for the setting...opps!  So much for trying to use my Russian.  Then, I proceeded to sign a document in black ink so they had to white it out, and make a copy, so I could re-sign my name in blue ink.  Opps again!!  Finally, I signed both documents correctly and we were outta there.  I couldn't get outta that place quick enough...as I couldn't seem to do anything right.

We had about 30 minutes to spare, so E took us for drinks, before we headed to the orphanage to pick up the social worker.  Well, upon our arrival to the orphanage, E called the social worker to let her know we had arrived.  Problem…she did not answer her phone.  O no!!  So E went in (leaving us in the van) to find out what the hold-up was.  She came back and it wasn’t good news.  The orphanage doctor was upset to still have our babies because there is an outbreak of chicken pox among the children.  And when a child in the orphanage gets chicken pox, they are taken to the hospital immediately.  She was concerned that C’s son may catch them.  Thankfully, lil’ V has already had them so there isn’t a concern with me not being able to bring her home...but we don't want lil' E getting them.  Anyhow, long story short, the doctor requested we pick up our babies a day early.  As you can prolly imagine…I was ECSTATIC and thought it was the best thing ever.  :)  Praise God...a day earlier!!  I'm ready!!!

This news was not what E wanted to hear, however, as the social worker was running an hour behind schedule and we needed to get not only get lil’ V off of the registry today, but we also needed to apply for her passport…and time was slipping by the minute.  Finally, an HOUR LATE (and yes we sat in the van for the entire hour, OUTSIDE the orphanage), the orphanage social worker steps outta the orphanage and we quickly drive to the police station, where once again we SIT and WAIT in the van for TWO HOURS while the social worker does her thing at the police station.  FINALLY, she walks out with our necessary paperwork.  Lil’ V is now off of the registry…woot woot!!!

Back on the road, we weave through the traffic and quickly try to beat the clock to get to the passport office to apply for lil’ V and lil’ E’s passports.  Praise God, they haven’t had 400 applications yet, so we take a number (I’m 311) and take a seat to WAIT for our turn.  Thankful to be able to apply for her passport, I hardly notice the wait.  Once they call my number, I go in, sign my name on a piece of paper and we're on our way outta there.  Getting passports done today means we should be able to pick up lil' V and E's passports on Friday (and Saturday if need be)...a day earlier than planned.  Another praise!!!

We quickly race downstairs to exchange USD for Rubles and it’s off to the train station we go.  We purchased our train tickets for Sunday afternoon, as we have to head to Moscow to do more paperwork at the Embassy.  Once tickets are purchased it’s back in the van we go.  It’s now dark and after 7 pm…a long day of waiting, but much has been accomplished!!  Time to finally say good-bye to Sergei and E and time to go eat.

After dinner at…yes, you guessed it…Pizza Hut, we went to the best TOY STORE ever!!!  I got the best doll baby for lil’ V.  It say a ton of Russ*an phrases and is even dressed in a lil’ Russ*an outfit…so cute.  Then I found the lil’ mammoth from the Russ*an “cartoon” a “Mother for lil’ Mammoth” the adoption story of a mammoth by an elephant (I posted this on here a while back, but here it is again if you missed it)…

Then, because I really want her to be fluent in both Russ*an and English I brought her a Russian sound book that says the sound for each “letter” and then also allows her to write the “letters”.  I think it’ll be great practice!!

One more thing...we returned to the hotel to find lil' V's and my luggage had arrived while we were out shopping :)  So thankful to not have to buy clothes and stuff for lil' V tomorrow morning.  Sadly, Steph is still without her suitcase and she's not happy. :(  Well…that was my productive day of waiting…now to TRY to sleep (as if that's possible) as last night I got a whopping three hours.  Tomorrow morning at 9:15, I will head to the orphanage to take my daughter outta the orphanage which she has spent four years of her life.  Please pray for her…as I’m sure the happiest day of my life, may very well be the scariest day of hers…leaving everything she has ever known.  :( 

Still Waiting...

I am still waiting for my court date to finally adopt my precious daughter, lil' V.  I am anticipating receiving a court date the end of this month, for sometime in late November.   When I return to St. P*te, I will be in-country for four or five days.  Day one will be spent having the ever dreaded medical exam with multiple doctors (ughhhhh), day two will be spent visiting with my baby girl (wahoo), and day three will be the ever awaited court hearing (anxious).  After going to court, I will have a ten day waiting period (longest ten days of the entire process) where I will return to the states, before I can finally bring lil' V home.

My paperwork has been received and is currently getting translated, in St. P*te.  Once it is translated it will be presented to the judge, and then I will receive my court date.  So...now what?  Well, while I wait, I prepare.  I purchase everything that I could possibly need in the first few weeks for lil' V...new clothes, new shoes, a coat, a toothbrush, toys, books, and SOOOOoooooo much more.  I pray...for God's protection over my lil' girl's life while she's away from me.  I pray that she is loved and being well taken care of.  I pray that she will come to know my Heavenly Father.  I pray for the day I bring her home.  I pray...and pray...and pray.  I pray without ceasing. 

And I find myself becoming more concerned with the remaining funds needed to bring her home.  I know the Lord will continue to provide, but as I look at the remaining expenses, as well as my bank account, I find myself praying to see a flood of funds pour in.   And so...the fundraising continues...

The lastest fundraiser is: 

If you are interested in participating please contact Jessica or myself.

You can also still become a Piece of the Puzzle by purchasing a puzzle piece for $10.  308 pieces remain.  To learn more about this fundraiser please click here:  Becoming a Piece of the Puzzle

Thank you all so much for your continued love and support throughout this long process! 

A Load of Emotions

So, here I am, a week after spending three days getting to know my daughter, a precious lil’ girl, who the Lord is blessing me with.   What a blessing that is coming from an act of obedience!!  He is placing a sweet child in my family!!!  Praise God!

The last few weeks, have been a struggle for me, full of numerous emotions, imagining the life my baby girl has lived thus far.  It breaks my heart to think that my daughter has had no one to hold her when she was sick and not feeling well.  When she fell down and scraped her knee, I picture her caregiver quickly cleaning it off and then telling her to move along--not caring whether it hurts, not giving her a hug, not asking if she's okay and not giving her a kiss.  My heart just breaks with these thoughts, knowing that this continues to be the way things are, for her, even though she has a momma, who loves her dearly and wants to care for her, but can’t because there are 5,000 miles separating us. 

It doesn’t seem just or right.  In fact, it seems just plain wrong, and angers me.  My baby, regardless of how well cared they care for her in the baby home, she is still living as an orphan:  a life absent of a mommy.  It’s one thing when you don’t have a mommy, but when you do and that mommy wants nothing more than to bring her home and love her, but is forced to wait and remain absent from her life, is heart wrenching.  That is where I find myself…sitting and waiting.  Waiting for a court date, followed by waiting for the 10 day “waiting period” and then finally traveling for the THIRD time to bring her home.  It just seems so far away, full of WAITING…November 27^th, is my estimated travel date for court, 10 days after my baby turns 4.  Another birthday spent in an orphanage…another year gone by without a mommy.  Yes, that is the sad reality facing my dear lil’ V…and unfortunately, it’s not just the reality for my baby, but for millions of children around the world.  Depressing.

So, although my body is here, my heart is there. While I wait, I pray, I trust…knowing that our future is really in the hands of the Great I AM.  And during this time of WAIT (ugh the most dreaded word in my vocabulary, right now), I have had to find something to occupy my time and energy.  Otherwise, I can guarantee I would have already drove myself and those around me CrAzY!!!

So, what am I putting my energy into?  I have committed the next three months…and the rest of my life to advocating for orphans around the world.  One does not have to look very far in Scripture to gain an understanding of God's Dream for the fatherless.  His "dream" is that the fatherless be placed in families, and that the orphans and widows be cared for.  Our God hates injustice and promises to be a stronghold for the oppressed.  Although we may not "like" every bump and turn in the roads of our lives, we can be confident that "He works all things for good," and ultimately, in the end, our God’s plan preserves!

God's Dream is Bigger than our Passions. 
If there are two truths that I have grasped in the last three years, it is these:
1 - Children are "God's dream;" it is His idea, His mandate, that we be "fruitful and multiply." 
2 - From Genesis (3:15) to Revelation (12:17), we see that there is a battle raging for the "woman and her seed."  It cannot be denied that there is a WAR against our kids... for their hearts, their minds, their innocence, their destiny.  It is my mandate as a mother to go to war - in prayer- for my kids!  And that is what I commit to do, for lil’ V and the remaining 163 million orphans around the world!

I am confident that God's dream is bigger than my passions.  My passion, of course, is getting orphans home (particularly my daughter) sooner than later.  This passion is painful at times - manifested as a lump in my throat, a ball of steel in my gut, or a welling of tears in my eyes.  I look at her pictures with longing, and the picture of the many orphans I have met around the world.  I wish I could hop on a plane tomorrow and bring her and so many others home.  

Through it all (including the dreaded wait), I am certain that God's Dream is steadfast.  He started me on this journey and He will continue to lead me to her, and lead her home.  I am LIVING God's dream!  What an amazing thought!  In addition, God continues to remind me, that there is a "spirit of adoption" among my dear friends.  We have a word that has been given to us, which then prompted us to do more than talk about the injustice in the world, but to go live out His passion.  For all of you who have encouraged and supported me on this journey, I thank you, from the bottom of my heart.  With your help there will be one less orphan…one more child with a family… one more life changed.

Please remain posted as I begin advocating for precious children around the world, waiting for a mommy and daddy to come to them and show them true hope, love, and a life worth living.  It’s all summed up in two small words:  SIMPLY LOVE!!!