A little more info

I had been waiting until we discussed the opportunity with our kids and had sufficient time to pray about it, but now I can share a little more. A few days ago, our social worker presented us with an unusual opportunity for adoption in Ukraine. It seems there is a boy in foster care that needs to be adopted due to some circumstances in the foster family. We got a little bit of information about him and a picture. After talking to the kids about it, we have decided to go for it. Of course at this point we're cautiously optimistic, and proceeding as we had before. Our dossier is in Ukraine and being translated again, and we're just waiting for submission and our appointment. Dave and I will be fingerprinted again on Wednesday afternoon. Please pray for that because I basically have no fingerprints... they don't tell you in nursing school that that could be a problem since nurses tend to wash their hands so much. In any case, Merry Christmas! This is the first Christmas since traveling and expecting our son to be home with us, which is proving to be more difficult than I could have imagined. But we're happy and pressing forward with joy in the Lord!

An Opportunity

Well, we've been presented with a unique opportunity. We'd like to ask you to pray for us as we decide if this is something God wants us to pursue. We will share more as we get closer.

Well, that part is finally over...

The birth mother's final court hearing was yesterday, and the judge ruled to give her parental rights back.  We have felt that this conclusion was coming for a while.  Although it wasn't the conclusion we wanted, we are glad we can close this chapter.  We pray that this is good for the boy, and that his mother can keep her parental rights.  While we could appeal this ruling, that seems futile at this point.  We would have little chance of winning and this would just drag on for several more months. Our goal throughout this adoption has been to provide a home for a child without one. In a way we were able to do that. Without us spurring this mother on to change her life and try to regain her rights, he would be staying in an orphanage or completely changing his life by coming to a new country.

While this hurts, we do have a plan from here.  We plan on trying to adopt from Ukraine one more time.  We will need to update some of our paperwork, as much of it expires in November.  It will take a couple of months to get everything updated.  The cost won't be as great as starting over completely, but will be more than completing an adoption we had already started.  Once everything is approved again, we will head back to Kiev to get another referral for a child.  We hope to travel there in January, assuming all of our paperwork is completed and approved by then.  In the meantime, please pray that we can get all paperwork completed and approved, and that we will choose the referral for the child that God wants for us when that time comes.

Closing the Chapter

Well, I'm not sure what to type exactly, but this morning my devotional was about waiting expectantly. Waiting in faith on the Lord to change my circumstances, and know that any minute He's going to. We got an email from our social worker who heard from the facilitator in Ukraine. They said that they'd likely get a result some time in October. I know what you're thinking, October is next week. And it is, but in Ukraine everything seems to work a little more slowly. But I am waiting expectantly, for a conclusion to this chapter. I can't help but think that we can't give up hope about this child or the next, but know that whatever the Lord has for us will be right in the end. As I think about the roller coaster of emotions this process has been for us, I am so grateful for each step and each day. I am thankful that in my weakness, God is strong, and that He has given such amazing strength to Dave to drag me along on the days I want to give up. I am thankful for each person who has come along side us and supported us even when the process doesn't make sense, and it would have been easier to question why we were continuing and what we were doing wrong, because certainly if this was God's plan it would be going more smoothly. We don't have the answers, and I am thankful for that. If I knew, I wonder if that would make it any easier? I still pray each day for our boy, and know that God has a plan for his life, and I pray that one day it will be realized. I pray that God's glory would be revealed in His time. In the meantime, we continue with life, not giving up, and waiting expectantly.

The Master Plan :)

Well here is where we are after the meeting today.  We will wait for the final ruling from the judge on the mother's court case.  We think that will be by the end of this month.  Obviously, if the judge rules in our favor, we will head back to get that child.  If the judge doesn't rule in our favor (expected), we will work on updating and resubmitting paperwork to get referral for another child from the Ukraine SDA.  Our dossier that we sent is tied up in the court system in Bilgorod. So getting it back at this point is pretty much impossible. We will work on submitting a new dossier and other paperwork.  It will take a couple of months to do all of this, so hopefully we will head back to Ukraine around the first of next year.  We talked to our facilitator about finding a child in a region he is familiar with and feels confidant that we can successfully complete an adoption there.  He thinks he can do that.  We feel God wants us to adopt from here, so we are giving it one more try!  Thanks for your prayers!

Some Thoughts

This is extremely difficult for me. I don't think I can fully convey the pain we're in right now, but we're trusting that God is in control. We're thankful for the time we spent with him and that his mother is really trying to be a better mom, but grieving the loss of our boy, and what we thought was going to happen.  I think seeing my children grieving is the hardest thing I've ever had to endure. I'm reminded of the overwhelming feeling I had the first day we were in Bilgorod, that this just wasn't going to happen. I have been trying to not just go by emotions, so I thought maybe I was just overwhelmed by being separated from our kids... being in a completely foreign place. So I went along and poured my heart into our adoption. I am praying for God's mercy on our family during this time when we don't know why we're here or what's going to happen with this. But God is good. Even though these circumstances stink, He is good.

Not good news

I don't know what to say.  This process has dragged on forever.  Now the mother says she has a job and her bills are paid.  The judge is going to take some time to verify the job and think about this.  Our lawyer thinks that if the mother is telling the truth that she will get custody back.  I guess we will find out the outcome in a couple of weeks.  We aren't sure what to do if the mother gets custody back.  Please pray for us and what we should do.