Can’t Believe It

We can’t believe it has been one year today that we finally arrived home with all five of our children! Time truly flies way too fast. What an amazing year of accomplishments for our little ones. School, church, friends and endless activities, once new and overwhelming are now merely routine and pure enjoyment. We cannot imagine our lives without them. We celebrate them and what God has done. They are beautiful.

 

His Love, Joy & Hope

“Trick or Treat!!!” Something our three new children would have never said one year ago. For they were stuck in a place no child should ever have to experience. Now as they walked proudly from house to house on our street, getting candy while grinning from ear to ear, that memory seems to fade into the background and is slowly replaced with unending love, joy and hope. I can’t think of a better gift . . . and I also can’t forget this is what our Heavenly Father has done for us. Our daily routines, busy schedules and stressful moments all distract us from that wonderful thought . . . God’s unending love, joy and hope that He freely gives to us. What a thought.

“Mom, no . . .”

Ice cream, birthday parties, pretty dresses, pizza, macaroni, ketchup, strawberries, praying and swimming. Seems like a random list of unrelated simple things and activities, right? Not even close. This list is extremely important in my little 7-year-old daughter’s mind. For they all represent something that she did not have before coming home to us. During dinner over the last few weeks her mind starts reviewing what she now has, comparing it to what she did not have while in the orphanage. She consistently starts the conversation with, “Mom, no . . .” (as she points to the object or the thing while shaking her head), “we didn’t have this in the orphanage.” She is slowly realizing what she was robbed of, what was never given to her and what had been taken away, while she sat and waited for a family. What is absolutely amazing about all of this is the fact that she does not act angry or forlorn in any way. Her heart and mind tend to focus on all the new and wonderful things that are now available to her . . . something that challenges me and would most adults. Her thankfulness is a part of her everyday conversation and she is always the first to say, “Thanks mom.” Being thankful for what we have, the present and for the simple things is what life is all about. The biggest blessings come when we are content and thankful for what is right in front of us . . . not thinking about the past or the future. Again, our children continue to show us strengths beyond their years, while reminding us that we are to “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  I Thessalonians 5:18.

 

Happy 4th Of July!

Happy 4th Of July Everyone! What a blessing to live in a country where the possibilities are endless. So proud to be American . . .

Together At Last!!!

Just to catch you up a bit, we have officially received all three kids from the orphanages, spent over a week waiting for paperwork in Kiev, and finally got home last week!!! The look of pure joy and freedom filled our children’s eyes as they walked away realizing they would never see the orphanage again. As we arrived to get our youngest son, he saw us from about a fifteen foot distance, pushed his way around the caregivers and came running with his arms out ready to be picked up. Words cannot describe the feelings we had when the moment finally came for our children to leave the orphanages forever. Now home, all five kids have been enjoying spending time together and it is absolutely amazing to see the bond that is quickly forming. There is no doubt God planned this from the start and we are confident He will carry us through each day and in the years to come. Recently, our new son and daughter were determined to practice writing all the names of family members . . . realizing they now come from a big family with loads of love. Below is a picture from when we left the final orphanage and finally had our children together at last. Thank you for all the prayers!

Court Day Finished!!!

We had a successful court day and are so thankful to be finished!!! As two of our children walked into the court building they unknowingly passed us due to all the commotion and new faces around them. My husband called their names to get their attention and they quickly turned around. Without any hesitation, our daughter shouted excitedly in Ukrainian. We quickly asked the translator what she had said . . . “They came for us!!!” As we paused, it was as if time stood still for a moment and the statement continued to ring in our ears . . . It strongly reminded us of the verse in John 14:18 when Jesus said, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” At that very moment we felt so intensely privileged to be a part of a bigger plan . . . bigger than any of us and greater than we could ever imagine. For these little ones are at the heart of our Heavenly Father, precious, priceless and worth every sacrifice. For we all were orphans without a Savior at one point. However, that all changed the day Jesus died for us . . . giving us eternal life and adopting us, making Him our Heavenly Father. When our daughter said, “They came for us”  it was like Jesus was saying so clearly, so gently . . . “I came for you.”

Thank you for all your prayers and support. We pray each one of you feels how much your Heavenly Father loves you . . . He came for you.

“It Must Be Nice”

Just the other day someone mentioned to us, most likely before thinking, “Wow, it must be nice that you can travel across the world and just pick up kids that look like you.” Their comment caught us so off guard and left such an imprint that we felt it pertinent to address the statement. First of all, yes it is a blessing that God has provided so we can travel across the world, to a dangerous foreign country, to rescue children, who have no family . . . and yes, they may happen to look like us. However, people that are not educated in the adoption world fail to see is that these children were hand picked and ordained for our family by the Creator of the universe. We don’t merely travel to another country in hopes of a small vacation, then sit down with binders and say, “let’s see which child has my blue eyes . . .” We have NO control over the process and it would be highly illegal to try. Just as a pregnant mother has no control over the color of her child’s eyes. All we can say to this statement is, “Are you kidding?” Is choosing to risk our lives a fun choice that we make on a whim? Is sacrificing money and time away an easy choice. No.

Yet, others are still inclined to remind us how it must be nice to get kids that are already older and less work etc. Again, if you are uneducated in the adoption world then this sounds like a normal thought. However, people fail to understand that once you adopt, the process of “unteaching” these children begins. They require an intense amount of love, understanding and patience to learn a healthy way to live and thrive. Up until they enter your home, it has been a survival game to say the least and that is all they know. So instead of teaching a biological baby/toddler how to grow up, we stand in as intercessors for these children who need to relive a healthier childhood with their forever families, and then grow past it into a thriving adulthood. We say all this to help shed some light for a lot of people. We are still not sure why certain comments are said. We don’t take them personally so please do not tip toe around us. However, we do feel it completely necessary to clarify and address the statements when they are made, hoping that others will learn, change and possibly open their hearts to the idea of adoption . . . and in the end be richly blessed.

Home At Last! . . . at least for a little bit

After much prayer and consideration we are so excited to announce we are adopting a sibling group!!! God has faithfully opened the doors and continues to show us His plan for our family. We cannot wait to share more details about our children after court and official documents are completed. Until then, we thank you for your continued prayers and look forward to sharing with you!

Initially, we spent a total of two weeks in Ukraine and decided to return home in order to wait for our court date, since it can be quite a lengthy process. So far we have been home for two weeks. We are thoroughly enjoying time with our children and getting back into routine. One thing is for sure, there is no place like home and there is no place like America! As we wait to return we continue to prepare our house for more children and our hearts for a huge transition. We are confident this is God’s leading for our family and it gives us unspeakable joy to see His plan unfold. Though the climb will be steep we know God will give us the strength, the peace and the provisions to press on while enjoying our growing family.

However, no matter how busy we get while “preparing,” our thoughts continue to go back to our children as they sit and wait in separate orphanages . . . until one day very soon, when they will finally reach their forever home. We plan to travel back to Ukraine for court in the next few days. We want to thank you for your faithful prayers and as always we will keep you updated. The video below is a great reminder that every child has a dream to belong and be loved. We feel honored that God would use us to bring these little ones home while pointing them towards Him. Watch it through and you will be touched.

 

Arrived In Ukraine

We finally arrived in Kiev, Ukraine after 24 hours of travel! The first two days were filled with our SDA appointment and paperwork in Kiev. We were blessed to have a successful SDA appointment and left that day with a referral to see a sibling group. God is truly guiding our every step and making this process an amazing faith journey. Two days ago we arrived in the region of the orphanage. We have been very busy visiting the children, doing paperwork and trying to get settled in our apartment. Being back in Ukraine is very familiar, and at the same time we are getting to know new regions, people and processes. We are continuing to pray for guidance as we move forward and God is showing us each day His miraculous plan. We thank you for all your prayers and thoughts . . . they mean more than you know!

The door that leads so many families to their children

 

Memorials in Kiev