Pictures, and a Prayer Request

We had a great Thanksgiving break! We were able to spend time with some family, nearly complete our Christmas shopping, decorate the inside and outside of the house for Christmas, wrap almost all the gifts, meet up with friends as they headed back home to Illinois, have a date night, visit Santa, and see a couple of movies.

Here are a few pics from our weekend...

William and cousin Alli

Cousin Anna

Cousin Drew

Dinner with some of Zack's family

Michael, William, Hannah, & Emma (the children of our best friends from college) at the Dwarf House

William and Santa

We have lots to do this week as we begin to prepare our dossier. But one task in particular has me with knots in my stomach: our dossier medicals.

In my opinion, this is by far the most stressful part of the adoption preparations. Back in 2007 when we went for our dossier medical exams, it took us a total of ELEVEN (11!) visits to our doctor's office to get them right. That doesn't count the visits for our home study medicals, stopping by to get the letterhead for our dossier medicals, and returning for vaccinations and prescriptions just before going to Ukraine.

If you have a moment, please pray for us this week. Zack and I go tomorrow for our medical exams. Pray that the staff there will recognize the urgency and importance of this, and that they will treat the situation with a bit of compassion.

And please pray as we try to get a few other documents checked off the list this week. They are not necessarily difficult to obtain, but it does take some planning when both of us work full time!

Much Thanks

It has been a great Thanksgiving for us. Time with family, time off from work, lots of good food, movies, shopping, decorating, wrapping... we've been busy and we've been having fun! That's why the blog has been quiet. Hopefully you haven't noticed because you've been busy with all the same fun!

We'll be back soon...

Darya & the Crazy Love project

Lydia is 11 years old. She is one of 5 children, and her 2 youngest siblings have down syndrome. And Lydia's is attempting something "crazy"...

Recently, Lydia's heart was moved by a child on Reece's Rainbow named Darya. She started raising funds for Darya's adoption fund. Then (in Lydia's own words), "I asked my mom if I raised $20,000.00 could we go get Darya ourselves and be her family. My mom said yes, if I raised that much money she would know it was from God..."

So this is Lydia's Crazy Love project. She is trying to get to her goal by Thanksgiving. You can read their blog HERE and you can make a tax deductible donation by clicking HERE.

Great news - they've already surpassed the $10,000 mark!! (At noon yesterday, they were just past $5,500.)

Winners!

So I totally forgot to video the event, but William drew the winners for the blog giveaway!

The Kaysers were the first to be drawn. Since they've already read the book, they asked it be given to another family. But they will be getting the Starbucks card!

And the second winner is the McConnell family, so they'll soon be reading Adopted for Life!

I personally believe that this book should come with the agreement that after reading it, you must pass it on to another family. It's THAT good, and I hope that our blog readers will take the time to read it.

Thankful

We had a busy weekend, so I didn't take the time to blog. Saturday marked 2 years since we had court (read about our court day HERE), and yesterday was 2 years since we celebrated Thanksgiving in Ukraine (read about that HERE). We're looking forward to the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, followed by lots of Christmas celebrations and the 2nd anniversary of Gotcha Day and America Day for William.

And speaking of Thanksgiving, I've been inspired by several blog friends to do a post on being thankful.

I am of course thankful for family, friends, home, church, car, clothes, food... and most importantly, God's grace and forgiveness.

But here are some less obvious things I'm thankful for:

1. The door opening to the garage as I get home from work (and the little face that comes from behind that door)
2. The way Zack looks at me, even when I have no makeup on
3. The first 90 minute of my work day, when I'm the only one in the office
4. The fact that Zack does all of the laundry and vacuuming in our home
5. The sound of Veggie Tales Worship from down the hall when I wake up in the morning
6. My phone calls with my mom on the way home from work
7. A friend who calls to check on me when she noticed I wasn't as energetic as usual
8. An adoption coordinator who is amazingly helpful and always honest & realistic
9. A delicious cup of tea made just for me by my sweet hubby
10. Dirty fingerprints on our glass door
11. Songs that come on at just the right time and speak to my heart
12. The scratches on the left rear of my car - where William tried to help wash the car with a scrubbing sponge
13. The fact that my youngest niece and William are only 1 month apart in age
14. Time with my guys in the car, when we can sing together, talk together, and just be together
15. The laughter that fills the house when Zack & William have "wrestling matches"
16. BAH! (the sound William makes when he jumps out from the dining room to "scare" us EVERY TIME we walk downstairs)
17. The Powell family, and the God-initiated fact that they we ended up just an hour away from them while in Ukraine
18. Our children's birth mothers
19. The little white dog hair that attaches to my clothes and furniture - a reminder of our sweet little four-legged baby girl :)
20. The sound of my husband singing and playing his guitar

My first blog award :)

Thanks to Christine for my very first blog award! Christine is blogging to help raise funds for Kiril from Reece's Rainbow.

There are two rules to accepting the award:

1. Accept the award, and post it on your blog, together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his/her blog link.
2. Pass the award to 15 other blogs. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they've been chosen for this award.

Fifteen is a big number (and a few of my faves have already been nominated). So you can label me a non-conformist rule-breaker. But here are my EIGHT nominees...

1. What Box? You've probably read posts about or friends the Davis family. Well this is my good friend Deanna! Deanna has such an amazing heart and is a gifted writer. She writes about day to day life, and on occasion she reflects on their 3 years of mission work in Germany.
2. The Never Ending Story This is Stefanie (& Bill's) blog about their 4 Ukrainian cuties. Peter was adopted in 2006. William, Patrick, & Joseph were adopted in 2008. And they're now in the process of adopting from Ukraine once again! (We're hoping we might get to see each other while in country next year!)
3. The Great Adventure I've gotten to know Marcie through blog, email, and telephone over the past year. She & Josh just returned from Ukraine a few weeks ago with their precious daughter Isabel. They used one of our fabulous facilitators :)
4. Just Living 'the dream' I love reading Shad & Jen's blog! This is another family that I've never met in person (we hope to meet one day, though!) but I feel like I know them. It was awesome to watch as they brought home Grace & Grady from Ukraine. And I so enjoy following along with the happenings of their 5 kiddos!
5. No Greater Gift Quite some time ago I was captured by the face of Ruslana on Reece's Rainbow, and began praying for her. And a few months ago I found out a family had committed to her. It's been great to follow their blog - and also exciting to watch as they were led to adopt an infant with DS while waiting to travel for Ruslana. They're about to leave the country to get Ruslana, so their blog will be private for a while. But please pray for this sweet family and their journey!
6. Georgia on my Mind, Ethiopia in my Heart Chad & Candy are in the process of adopting from Ethiopia. Candy and I met on fb through a mutual friend - it's funny how many people you meet through the word "adoption"! Candy has such a fun sense of humor, and it's awesome to watch as they wait for God's plan to unfold.
7. The Dahlbys Heather & I met in high school, and she is one of my sis-in-law's best buds. We reconnected during our journey to William, and now we enjoy keeping up with each other through our blogs. Heather is a fantastic photographer, and I always enjoy seeing her 2 blond headed cuties and their latest adventures!
8. Isn't She Lovely Shay is another friend with a great eye for photography! Her oldest daughter is my bro-in-law's girlfriend. Shay's youngest daughter was born in China, and this family is in the process of adopting another daughter from China.

Reece's Rainbow

As we continue with Adoption Awareness Month, today I'd like to highlight Reece's Rainbow and their ministry to orphans throughout the world.

Andrea Roberts is the proud mom of Reece, an adorable young man who was born with a little something extra that makes him extra-special! Reece was born with Down Syndrome. And in 2004, Reece's Rainbow was started "as an outreach program serving new families with babies with Down Syndrome" in Atlanta. In 2006, the program expanded to promote the international adoption of children with Down Syndrome. Click HERE to learn more about Reece's Rainbow.

They've also expanded to promote the adoption of other special needs children, called "Other Angels" - click HERE to learn more about them.

You can click HERE to see many of the faces of children who've been united with their forever families thanks to Reece's Rainbow.

You can sponsor a child through the Christmas Angel Tree Project by clicking HERE. When you donate $35 or more, you will receive an ornament of your sponsored child.

You can sponsor an adoptive family by clicking HERE. International adoption is not cheap, and these families can definitely use the extra help as they seek to bring their children home.

Or if you're interested in adopting one of these children (that includes Vera!!), click HERE to see some of their precious faces. And click HERE to learn more about the requirements for adoptive families.

$1,320!!!!!!!

WOW! We raised $1,320 in just 2 short months!!!

We will do the drawing for the book & Starbucks card in the next couple of days, and will announce the winner here on the blog.

Thanks to everyone who made donations. If you'd still like to donate to Vera, it's not too late. You can make a donation to her fund by visiting Reece's Rainbow. Just note that the donation is for Vera in Eastern Europe on the Other Angels page.

And thanks to everyone for your prayers for Vera. Please continue to pray that a family will commit to Vera's adoption very soon. Her time is running out.

If you have any questions about Vera or would like further information, you can CLICK HERE to contact Andrea at Reece's Rainbow.

Donate Today! (new chip in)

I thought by putting the end date of my chip in as Nov 17, the chip in would run THROUGH Nov 17. But instead, it ended it and wont' let me restart it. So I just created a second chip-in on the left for anyone that would like to donate today.

Please make a difference in this little girl's life by making a small donation into her adoption fund!

Keep in mind that we have already raised $1250, so whatever is raised today will be added to those funds. All donations from both chip-ins are eligible for our giveaway/raffle!

LAST DAY!!!! Please donate!

~Today is November 17th~

the last day of Vera's fundraiser

Please consider a small donation to Vera's fund today.

The more money that goes into her account, the better the chances of a family committing to her adoption.

So let's boost that total!

Adoption Update

I had forgotten that I told everyone I'd share the latest on our adoption once the fundraiser goal was met.

We are scheduled to submit our dossier to the SDA (Ukraine's State Department of Adoption) on May 6th!

Of course, as with anything adoption-related, this is subject to change. But we're very excited to have a date on the calendar and a goal for getting everything finalized, updated, etc. If we stay on schedule, looks like we'll be spending a good chunk of our summer in Ukraine. That will be a welcome change from the Ukrainian winter we experienced the last time!

Vera's Fundraiser

Just a reminder that today and tomorrow are your last chances to donate to Vera's fundraiser and be entered into our giveaway. While we did surpass our goal last week, that doesn't mean the fundraiser is over. The more that we can raise, the better Vera's chances are for finding her forever family. (And remember, all donations are tax deductible!)

Attachment Resources

I had a request for resources on the topic of attachment.

Of course, my attachment posts address the attachment challenges that adoptive families face. While there are always exceptions to the rule, in a traditional biological parent/child relationship, attachment will likely occur naturally/instinctively through the providing and caring for the infant. So these resources are going to primarily address adoption attachment.

And just a reminder that I'm only speaking from experience and conversations with fellow adopters - this is not "expert advice"...

Books:

• The Connected Child, Karen Purvis
• Beyond Consequences, Logic, and Control, Heather Forbes
• Shepherding a Child's Heart, Tedd Tripp
• Attaching in Adoption, Deborah Gray
• Ten Things Adoptive Parents Should Know

Other Resources:

• http://empoweredtoconnect.org/
• Heart of the Matter (video series)
• Adoption agencies and social workers are also great resources for learning more about attachment.

Thanks to several adoptive families for helping me with this list! If you have other resources to share or would like to comment on those I've listed, feel free to do so in the comments section below.

A Favorite

One of my favorite pictures from our time in Ukraine was taken 2 years ago today...

I'm so thankful for this precious boy that God entrusted to us.

And I'm so thankful for my wonderful husband, and the amazing father that he is to William.

Goal Reached!

It's not Mission Accomplished: that won't be true until we learn that a family has committed to Vera. But for now, I'm excited that we've surpassed our goal for Vera's fundraiser!

Fundraising will continue through November 17th as originally planned, because the more we can raise, the more we increase Vera's chances for finding her family.

Please join us as we continue to pray for someone to give her the opportunities she deserves, so that she can reach her potential and experience the love of a forever family!

The Last Friday Five Dollar Challenge: $65 needed!!

We are only $65 away from our goal!!

And it's Friday, which means it's time for the very last Friday Five Dollar Challenge. We can surpass the goal today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CHALLENGE

We're challenging at least 5 blog readers to donate $5 to Vera's adoption fund today.

MATCHING FUND

A matching fund is in place that will match donations made today

(up to $50 will be matched)

My birthday is Tuesday, and that will mark the conclusion of the fundraiser. But why not give me an early birthday gift, by getting us to our goal today? Thanks in advance for helping Vera!

Do Not Donate to Vera's Adoption Fund.... Today...

Stop. If you were thinking of making a donation today...
DON'T DO IT!

Instead, make your donation tomorrow! Tomorrow is Friday - the final Friday in Vera's fundraiser -which means it's also the very last Friday Five Dollar Challenge.

So please consider making a $5 donation to Vera's fund tomorrow. Your $5 will be turned into $10 thanks to a matching fund (the fund will match the first $50 donated tomorrow). Let's blow past the $1200 mark tomorrow and see how much more we can do for Vera and the family that commits to her adoption!

And remember that every $5 donation you make equals one entry into our raffle!

* Several have asked if we might adopt Vera. We've prayed about her (and other children), but God is leading us in a different direction. But this fundraiser is a way we can help a family who might be waiting for a little nudge to step up and claim their daughter. We can't wait for Vera's family to commit to her and give her the life she deserves! *

Keep Your Distance

As I continue to blog in honor of National Adoption Awareness month, I'd like to talk a little about attachment.

Remember: I am not an expert. I am an adoptive mom, writing from personal experience.

Attachment is a critical bond and connection between parent and child. In a healthy attachment, the child recognizes the parents as providers and knows that he/she can go to the parents for any need. In a traditional parent/child relationship, this bond is formed very early in life, as the parents seek to meet all of the needs of the child.

So when a family adopts a child older than an infant, there will have to be a conscious effort to create a healthy attachment. The child has probably seen many adults moving in and out during their early years, including a revolving door of caregivers. In their eyes, the introduction of the "parents" just means more caregivers. These caregivers do seem a little better, in that they're providing more individual attention (and often providing clothes, gifts or other treats).

The parents arrive home with the child, and friends & family naturally want to help. But the child needs a constant and consistent demonstration of what a parent is, and these opportunities can facilitate the child attaching to the parents. Even little things are important, like tying a shoe, serving a snack, repairing a broken toy, or taking the child to the bathroom.

And all of this is also an opportunity for the parents to attach to the child. By sacrificially providing for the needs of the child, the parent is building his/her role in the child's life, and creating a specific and special place for the child in his/her life.

We were blessed with a fairly smooth attachment process with William, but we made deliberate efforts to make sure it went as well as possible. Back in March 2008, I wrote THIS BLOG POST about his attachment. I got a few unfriendly responses from anonymous writers (critics see reluctant to sign their name), and supportive comments and emails from fellow adopters. There are varying opinions, but the fact is that every child is different, and every adopted child has his/her own unique background and history.

If you haven't adopted, this might sound kooky. But if you haven't been there, it's hard to understand. Once again, the best thing to do is to be a good friend and respect the situation. It's not a bad thing to offer to help, and it shows that you care. But don't be offended if the parent declines the assistance (or if they ask you to go grab the casserole out of the oven while they hold the child, instead of the other way around!).

Awkward Moments for Adoptive Families

Chances are, if you haven’t adopted, you know someone who has or wants to. So in an effort to educate you on how to be a better friend to these families, I present my Top 10 Adoptive Family Issues. I’m no expert, and every family is different, but these seem to be among the most common concerns and complaints I hear from fellow adopters. Hopefully you’ll learn something that will help you be more compassionate with those who choose to build their families through adoption!

1. When people began asking questions about William’s parents after he arrived home with us, my first instinct was to get defensive and say “What do you mean? We’re right here!” But I’ve learned to say, “we have a little information about them, but we’re thankful that he was taken care of until we could bring him home.” (If the questions continue, I let the person know that there are some parts of our adoption experience that are private.)
2. “I have a friend who couldn’t have children, and as soon as they adopted, she had one of her own.” Sure, the intentions are good. And yes, I know families where this happened. But while you might not mean anything by it when you say “one of your own”, this can be pretty hurtful to an adoptive family. William IS our own. Our names are on his birth certificate, he is our son, and we would do anything and everything to protect him. That story also makes it sound like families are settling for adoption because biology wasn’t on their side. When we chose to adopt, we did NOT settle. Our desire was to be parents, and God led us down the path that we travelled.
3. We are open with William about his adoption (on an age-appropriate basis). But we’ve also told him that what he wants to share is up to him. If you have questions about adoption, that’s fine. But it’s best not to ask them in the child’s presence. The child might not be aware of certain aspects of his/her adoption, might not want it to be a topic of discussion, or might get embarrassed about it. While William’s adoption is significant, it does not define who he is. Consider the family (and specifically) the child’s privacy.
4. Don’t belittle the birth parents. You don’t know their circumstances. And in almost every case, their choices gave the child better opportunities and better chances.
5. There are so many adoption horror stories out there, and adoptive families have heard plenty of them. So don’t make it your mission to tell them about your best friend’s cousin’s roommate’s butcher's adoption nightmare. They are aware of the risks, and they need your support more than your criticism. As we learned by watching Bambi, “if you can’t say somethin’ nice…” (the situation is different if you are speaking from personal experience, but even then, use extreme caution and care)
6. Adoption is expensive. If you have a genuine interest in adoption and want to find out costs, that’s one thing. But never ask a family how much their child cost.
7. And on the topic of finances, “If you can’t afford adoption, how will you be able to afford a child?” If you have biological children, you probably didn’t have to fork over $20-50k at the hospital. Families that are trying to raise funds for adoption might not have that kind of money sitting around. That’s a lot different than having the funds necessary for everyday upbringing and care of children.
8. “He is so lucky,” “You are such good people,” “it takes a special kind of person to do that”… We are not saints. We don’t have some sort of magical abilities that make us right for adoption. The thing that we do have is a heart that is open to God’s will. And as Christians, we are ALL called to orphan care. (James 1:27). We are NOT all called to adopt. But we are supposed to provide care to orphans in some way. Are you a Christian? If so, how are you answering God’s call?
9. For those with multiple children, I’ve heard of getting the question, “Are they real brother/sisters/siblings?” I know what the person means, but first of all, that’s a personal question. And most people I know that encountered this question got it from strangers. The strangers will sometimes even ask the child! Are you kidding me?!? Second, it discounts adoption and pretty much labels it as “fake”. If you don’t know, it’s probably not any of your business anyway, so don’t ask.
10. The best thing you can do for an adoptive family is support and encourage them. Offer up prayers, help them financially if they are trying to raise funds for adoption, provide them with a meal when they arrive back home, get together with mutual friends and stock their pantry or decorate their yard for their arrival back home (this is especially nice for international adoptions where the family has been gone for a long time), clean the house for them, run errands for them, ooh and ahh over their new child*, and just be their friend.

* Limit physical contact with the child. The parents are trying to form a bond with the child. I’ll write more about this topic another day!

Nov 10, 2007

You can click HERE to read about what we were doing two years ago today, including the description of William officially "claiming" me as HIS mommy.

$115

That's all that's left to reach our goal for Vera. Please consider making a tax deductible donation today!

My blog friend Courtney had commented on a previous blog post, and said "Every time I read your blog I just can't wait for Nov 18th to get here so you can share adoption news with all of us!"

Just remember - if we can meet the goal for Vera BEFORE Nov 18th, I'll share our news then. But no news until we reach $1200!!

Why Ukraine?

We have been asked this question many times over the past few years, usually simply out of curiosity.

The answer is easy, and yet it's not. Prior to our decision to adopt, we knew nothing about Ukraine. I was pretty sure it was in Europe. But I didn't know what the people looked like, what language they spoke; nothing about the culture or the economic climate of the country.

Once we decided to adopt, we began to consider various countries. Among the factors in our decision was the length of time it would take to go through the process, and the age of the children available. We had been pursuing parenthood for nearly 5 years, so a shorter timeframe was desirable. We also weren't insistent on a baby, and would actually prefer a toddler or preschool age child.

So why did we go to Ukraine to find our son?

God called us to Ukraine

That is the foundation of our "Why"

People and events crossed our path in what can only be explained as God-ordained circumstances. In particular, we learned about a family at our church who had 3 children adopted from Ukraine. They'd just returned from adopting the older 2, and once we learned about them, we set up a time to meet with them. They answered our questions, and gave us some great resources. They told us that Ukrainian adoption typically moves faster than most others*. They told us how infant adoption is not possible from Ukraine, and most people were adopting children between the ages of 3 and 5*.

We met that couple in our small group - a small group we'd been attending very sporadically. But we were there when they were there, and I don't consider that chance. Almost as quickly as we met with them, they moved on to a church closer to their home. God obviously crossed our paths intentionally, and I'm so thankful we were obedient to His will.

As time went on, there were other events that further confirmed His plan. These events demonstrated that it was all HIS plan, and He showed us over and over that we were where He wanted us.

If you (or someone you know) has questions about adoption from Ukraine, we are always glad to help. You can email us by clicking HERE.


* Keep in mind that with any adoption situation, circumstances and "norms" change with time. Governments make rule and requirement changes, programs close, agencies get suspended, etc. There are no guarantees in adoption - but then again, how many areas of life come with a guarantee?

The Blind Side

Michael Oher is 6'4" and weighs in at 310 pounds.

Our son is just a bit over 4 feet, and is hoping for a day when the scale hits 50 pounds.

So what do these two have in common? They were once orphans, but are now forged securely into a family that loves and supports them. The circumstances of their adoptions are as different as night and day, but that doesn't matter. And they aren't perfect, but no child is. But they are children who are worth the effort, the heartache, the ups and downs, the triumphs and trials.

And so are all the other children who are without a family right now. Please prayerfully consider how you can make a difference in the life of an orphan.

Oh, and in case you were wondering who Michael Oher is... he is the subject of the new movie The Blind Side. I encourage you to check out THIS SITE with comments by Steven Curtis Chapman and clips from the movie (thanks for sharing this site, Michelle!). I cannot wait to see this movie!

Nov 9, 2007

One year ago today, we met our son for the very first time. I've not experienced the actual process of birthing a child, but I can't imagine that my experience felt that much different (minus the labor pains, contractions, pushing, etc. - which I didn't mind forgoing!). Our son was presented to us: scared, pale, not knowing how to speak [our language], and very unsure of the whole situation. And we each held him in our arms, with a sense of awe and wonder.

As I do everyday, I thanked God this morning for allowing us to be William's parents. I kissed his forehead and told him I love him before heading off to work. This afternoon I'll arrive home and he'll probably run out to meet me in the garage like he does most days. He'll open the car door and give me a hug. And I imagine I might hug him a little tighter & a little longer, thinking of that first hug we shared 2 years ago today.

Read my one year reflection HERE.

Read our original post HERE.

November 7, 2007

On February 7, 2007 we officially made the decision to adopt from Ukraine. And on November 7, 2007 we were sitting in the office of the SDA (Ukraine's State Department of Adoption).

EXACTLY NINE MONTHS LATER :)

At 9AM that Wednesday morning, in Room 14, we were shown the photos of 6 little boys, all between the ages of 2 and 7. There were some precious faces in those files, but none seemed to be our boy. Then finally the kind lady showed us one more file, the file that melted our hearts! We listened to the information, but we knew we'd found our son.

We were told we could pick up the paperwork on Thursday afternoon, and then may proceed to his region. The plan was to leave very early on Friday morning (Nov 9th) and drive to the southernmost part of Donetsk to see the boy.

Friday Five Dollar Challenge

CHALLENGE
We're challenging at least 10 blog visitors to donate $5.oo to Vera's adoption fund today

MATCHING FUND
A matching fund is in place that will match donations made each Friday
(up to $50 matched each Friday)

We are SO close to our goal - just $220 left to get there.

Make your donation today, and make a difference for Vera!

Nov 6, 2007

Nov 6, 2007

We left Atlanta on Monday and flew to Frankfurt, then onto Kyiv, arriving Tuesday around 1PM. The flights themselves were uneventful, but we got very little sleep. And then we stepped off the plane and into Borispol Airport.

Have you ever had a moment where you felt like a complete outsider? I'm betting most of you recall that feeling at some point during your early teen years! Even if you were among the most "popular", there were likely certain circumstances where you felt out of place, uncomfortable, and unwanted. You felt like everyone was staring at you, talking about you, judging you.

That's how it felt as we entered the airport. Add to that the fact that everyone around you is speaking another language, and you probably get the picture. I always try to be honest in my writing, especially considering the fact that there might be people reading our blog who are preparing for their own adoptions. No one prepared me for this part. While it certainly got better, at this moment I was feeling scared and isolated.

Alex, our VIP escort, sped us through everything, got our bags and the appropriate clearances, and led us to the arrivals area. There we met Sveta and Leonid. Sveta would be one of our facilitators. Leonid is the husband of our other facilitator, and would also serve as our driver. They were friendly and quickly got us loaded into Leonid's very roomy and clean VW van.

And off we went. We stopped to buy some minutes for the phone we'd be using. Then we went to the grocery store. Keep in mind that we were jet-lagged and experiencing significant culture shock. Sveta was so kind, and pointed out suggestions to tide us over for the next few days. But we were overwhelmed, to say the least. We walked out with what should be enough food to get us through Friday or so.

Leonid drove us further into the city, and the four of us carried our bag up the stairs and into the very nicely furnished apartment. Sveta sat down with us and went over what to expect at our SDA appointment the next day.


They said their goodbyes, and left us. And we pretty much collapsed. It was still early afternoon, but we took some Amb!en and slept for several hours. We got up, had something to eat, and let friends & family know we'd made it safely. We got unpacked (yes, all of our luggage made it with us - Awesome!), and settled back in for the night.

Next stop: SDA.

You can read our original post from 11/6/07 by clicking HERE.

Vera and Mary

This is Mary - a spunky, beautiful, energetic, and very determined 6-year-old, with a smile that will light up a room. Isn't she adorable?!?!

Like William, Mary was born in Ukraine. And like William, she came to America and into the home of her forever family at the age of 5. If you've never taken the time to visit this blog, you've missed out on the awesome story of Mary.

Well I love, love, LOVE this post that Michelle wrote about Vera and Mary. (Michelle is one of my favorite blog friends, and I hope that one of these days our families will finally get to meet in person!) Mary's diagnosis was very similar to Vera's, and her progress since being home is amazing.

I am confident that there are families out there right now who are seriously considering bringing Vera into their family. We are praying fervently for those families.

Just look at Mary: her potential, her progress, and her precious smile. She's a testimony to what love can do! The same is true for Vera.

"Adopting one child won't change the world;

but for that child, the world will change."

Flashback: Nov 5, 2007

Nov 5, 2007

Zack's parents drove us to the airport. We were very early, so we sat at the gate and read for a while. Finally, we boarded the plane. We got settled into our seats (unable to get bulkhead, a big disappointment for my 6'5" guy, but we managed nonetheless).

And then it really hit me.

I looked at Zack. And I said something like, "This is it. This is the last time we'll go off as just the two of us. The next time we're in Atlanta, we'll have our son with us!" I think this was the moment when it really started to feel real. Everything up to this point had been exciting. But for me, this moment cemented all that we had done over the past 9 months.

At 4:40 PM ET our flight departed Atlanta, heading for Frankfurt Germany. We arrived in Frankfurt on time. Within 10 minutes of getting off the plane we were at the gate for our next flight. We waited for about 2 hours - in a sort of haze due to lack of sleep - and prepared for our next flight.

Destination: Kyiv, Ukraine.

Another Vera update... URGENT NEED

Detailed information about Vera was just added to the Reece's Rainbow site.

As I had feared, she is facing institutionalization in the very near future. Please don't let this happen. I am confident that there is someone out there who has been considering Vera - please contact Andrea today!

from Reece's Rainbow...

Infantile cerebral paralysis, double hip dysplasia, systemic violation of the speech (middle level) She is very friendly and smiley girl. She eats herself, can walk holding somebody`s hand. After spending some time with her you start understanding Vera`s speech. According to caregivers words she is very prospective girl, she only needs individual support and treatment.

Vera is facing the mental institution soon.

Please someone give her the life she deserves!

Who is Vera?

For those that are new to our blog, I wanted to re-post some general information about Vera. She is 4 1/2 years old and currently lives in an orphanage in Eastern Europe, waiting on someone to step up and be her forever family. If you have any interest in pursuing her adoption, please contact Andrea Roberts at Reece's Rainbow.

Born April 8, 2005

Vera is a darling, energetic and happy little girl. She has mild CP and is able to walk on her own. She is very capable and smart. She is already 4 and needs a family quickly!

Our Adoption Prayer

Two years ago today, we were doing our last minute packing, preparing to leave for Ukraine the next day. We were excited, anxious, nervous...

For several years, we had been praying that God would bless us with a child. For the past 9 months, we'd specifically been praying for our son in Ukraine.

The image to the right is the prayer card that we had posted all over our home, our cars, and our desks. God answered our prayers with the son that He had chosen for us. That little 5 year old has grown up so much in two years. He is such a blessing, and we are thankful that God has entrusted him to our care.

Each day, I thank God for my son. And now, I pray a similar prayer for our second child: for his/her health, happiness, and security until we can get to Ukraine and bring him/her home with us.

* Less than 2 weeks left for Vera's fundraiser. Please make a tax-deductible donation today. Every little bit helps, and gets us that much closer to our goal. And please continue to pray for a family to commit to Vera's adoption!

Ukraine & the Flu

It appears that the flu is hitting Ukraine hard. While the numbers may not be astronomical in comparison to some countries, the medical care and resources in Ukraine are limited and vaccines & treatments are not generally available like they are in America.

Ukraine has issued a 3-week ban on large events (concerts, rallies, etc.). They have closed schools and universities as well. And there are rumors going around that the SDA (Ukraine's State Department of Adoption) might take similar actions in regards to upcoming adoption appointments.

Please pray!

• Pray for the doctors and medical professionals there, that they will be able to work quickly and effectively to minimize the impacts.
• Pray for the people there (especially in the poorer and rural areas): that they will understand how to safeguard themselves from the virus and recognize the symptoms.
• Pray for the orphanages, that they have disinfectants to keep things clean and medications to keep children well.
• Pray for families over there right now, in the midst of adoptions: that they will stay healthy and get back home with their children soon.
• And pray for families who were preparing to travel in the next few weeks for adoptions.

http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/51689/

http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/51732/

Adoption News!! And a Raffle!!

We have news about our adoption that I would like to share! But as promised, all adoption-related news on our blog will be about Vera until we reach our goal of $1,200.

So here's the solution - let's get to the $1200 goal early! Once the goal is reached, I will post our adoption news.

So if everyone reading this will make a small tax-deductible donation to Vera's account, we can quickly raise the last $330 and I can share our news with all of you. Just think - if 33 people gave $10, that would be enough to reach our goal!

And as an added bonus...


Every $5.00 you donate = One Raffle Entry

We want to pass along our copy of the book Adopted for Life (awesome book!) to another family, and I've decided this is the way to do it. The winner of the raffle will receive the book and a Starbucks gift card... because a good book in one hand only gets better with a nice cup of coffee in the other hand!

This raffle might not sound as exciting as those who have given away an iPod, or a wii, or a digital camera. But to me, the content of this book is worth far more than any of those items!

If you've previously made donations , your donations also earn entries into the raffle.

National Adoption Awareness Month

November is National Adoption Awareness Month

Like last year, my plan is to blog every day this month about topics related to adoption (general adoption info, a bit of reminiscing about where we were 2 years ago, and info on our upcoming adoption). I pray that God will speak to you in a real and personal way ,and will lead you to make a difference in the life of at least one child.

God calls us to care for orphans and widows. He isn’t calling some of us, but ALL of us. That doesn't mean He calls all of us to adopt, but it does mean we are to care for them in some way.

During this month, I challenge you to find a way to answer His call:

• Make a donation to Vera's adoption fund, and pray for a family to commit to her through adoption (just click on the "Chip In" on the left-hand side of this blog)
• If your church has an adoption or orphan ministry, get involved in it
• If you know a family that is trying to raise funds to adopt, support them with prayers and/or monetary assistance
• If you have a specific country that is close to your heart, find an orphan support organization that you can contribute to financially or through other service
• Check out Reece's Rainbow, a special needs adoption organization. They just started their Angel Tree program and you can sponsor a child for as little as $35!
• Or maybe you feel called to add to your family through adoption.

Every child needs a family. YOU can make a difference in the life of a child. Please prayerfully consider how you can answer His call.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1: 27

Happy Halloween!