Good news from the missions team

Today God answered another prayer.   I got to visit with a member of the RR missions team about my boys.  All is well.  The team got to go visit the orphanage my boys are staying in and got to love on them for a little while, hold them and play.  I am forever grateful for this information and update as it rarely happens for adopting families. 


Both boys are doing well.  They are learning how to sit and vocalize and are both very alert.  Both are in about 12-18 month clothes.  Both boys were not afraid of being with new people and loved, loved, loved all the attention,  which is a good thing, because with our crew, there will be LOT'S of attention once we get them home!


We were told we will need to take heavy winter clothes for them when we go as it is getting very cold there already and we still have several weeks until we go before our travel date.  I will be on the look-out for size 18 month winter snow suits, little boots, etc.They could not estimate what size shoes they might be wearing because their little feet were all bundled up. 


**The one thing the team mentioned that the orphanage NEEDS is CLOTH diapers.  The orphanage has NONE and the children were wrapped up in soiled blankets as their diapers.  I happen to be in the midst of making some so we will take these over when it is time to travel.  I'll also be on the look-out for good, used cloth diapers on Craigslist and garage sales.  We want to bless the orphanage with these so if anyone reading this has any you would like to donate, please contact me here ASAP and we will be honored to take them as well.

NEW Pictures makes a mommy's heart sing

Reece's Rainbow has a team in EE right now on a mission trip and guess what they did??  They visited the orphanage my boys are in and took some of the most precious pictures of Matthew and Michael I have ever seen.  They have grown so much.  We cannot get them home quick enough. Enjoy!

                                         

Matthew-age 22 months

              

Michael - age 4 years

 

      

PRAISE AND GLORY TO GOD!

We just received word that the government in Eastern Europe has decided to POST PONE the vote for an undetermined amount of time!  Adoptions WILL be allowed to continue during this time! PRAISE GOD, OUR FATHER!  He is in control!


Isaiah 49:25 But thus says the LORD:

"Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, And the prey of the terrible be delivered; For I will contend with him who contends with you, and I will save your children."

Time of Vote is in 20 min...Calling all Prayer Warriors

I JUST found out that the vote in Eastern Europe that decides whether or not to continue to allow adoptions will be taken at 6:00pm their time which is 10:00am our time.  That is in less than 20 minutes!  Please join me all you prayer warriors in covering this vote in prayer for the next hour or so.  God has this!

We have the all clear...and now the vote...

That ONE piece of paper we have been waiting for.....came today!  We have the all clear to adopt BOTH boys!!!!!  I give thanks to God for once again moving mountains on our behalf.

The vote to continue allowing adoptions or stop them is tomorrow.  Technically, it happens tonight while we are all sleeping.  Please be in prayer that this vote is voted down and adoptions will be allowed to continue.

John 14:18

"I Will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you" John 14:18

Two Urgent Prayer Requests

1. The country our boys are from has decided to hold a vote on Tuesday, September 21.  If this vote passes, there will be either a moratorium on adoptions or a complete halt to all adoptions in this country.  Please join us in prayer that this vote is voted down and adoptions will continue.

2. We received news that we need one specific document from the country our boys are from in order to adopt Matthew. Without it, he cannot be adopted by anyone.  Please be in prayer that this document will be provided so we can continue our quest to bring home BOTH Matthew and Michael. 


God knows both these situations, they are not surprises to Him.  We'll ask for His favor and follow where He leads.  We'll continue to do all that is humanly possible to bring home both Matthew and Michael and leave the rest in God's mighty hands.

Olga

Sweet Olga has gone to live with Jesus.  She was a precious little girl who lived in the same orphanage as Matthew and Michael.  She was transferred out of the baby house to an institution due to her age and lived only a few short weeks once there.  Please, please pray for the kids left behind and especially those who are fixing to be transferred.  Their lives depend on it.  Dance with Jesus sweet Olga, dance with Jesus!

Happy 4th Birthday, Michael

Today is Michael's 4th birthday.  We will celebrate this day in a BIG way when we get the boys home!  It will be a day filled with love, laughter, freedom and cake!!   How I long to celebrate this day with you, Michael!!  Hold on sweet boy.  Mommy and daddy are coming for you as fast as we can.  You are not alone any more...

Happy 4th birthday, Michael!

SaturdaySurprise in the Mailbox

My husband stopped by the mailbox after work yesterday and brought in a letter from  "The Department of Homeland Security".  Hummmmm, we just received notice via email on Thursday that our I600A had been approved so it is wayyyyy too early for our I-171H to arrive in the mail.....or is it???

This is what was in the envelope:

 The pink pages stopped me in my tracks because in the world of I-600A's, pink slips mean that the USCIS need more evidence in order to process your paperwork.  Well, evidently, in the world of I-171H's, pink paper means.....APPROVED!


God literally moved mountains for this one piece of paper, literally moved paper mountains!  I am humbled to be in the midst of such things. 


I called our social worker and now dear friend, Ashley, and shared the good news with her and we rejoiced and gave words of thanks in prayer over the phone together.  You have no idea what a trooper Ashley was during the process of our homestudy.   Her long hours of research, weeks of compiling our HS and dedication are awe inspiring. God led us directly to her and He began the process of this very moment several years ago.   We had no idea His works were already being laid out when He crossed our paths more than three years ago.  Very humbling!


SO, there you have it, our mailbox surprise.  The long-awaited, USCIS I-600A approval called the I-171H.  

WHATS NEXT:

This document will now go to the Texas Secretary of State to be Apostilled.  We'll then send it, along with all our other documents, to EE to be translated and submitted to their adoption entity called the SDA.  Then we wait for our travel date to go to the SDA appointment which will be the 'official referral' for adoption for Matthew and Michael.  After the SDA referral,  we get to go meet the boys at their orphanage, then receive a Ukrainian court date and go to court to legally adopt them.  There will be a 10 day wait period after court and on the 11th day, WE CAN GO GET THEM and bring them home!  There will be some legal paperwork once back in America but I am told this will be a breeze.

It's so nice to see the end in sight, still quite a ways off, but in sight.  I often wonder what, if anything, the boys have been told.  Do they know there is a family in America who are desperately trying to get them out of the orphanage?  Do they know how much we love them and what a big part of our family they already are?  My mind often races to them as they lay in their cribs day after day trying to offer comfort to them, trying to will my love to go to them, trying to tell them to hold on, we are coming!  Thank you, Father, for taking care of our boys in our absence.  Please continue to give the orphanage workers a soft heart, gentle hands and great patience as they carry out the day-to-day care taking of our boys.

Fall Family Photo with all 8 kids....sort of!

Our 12 year old son cropped in Matthew and Michael into our Fall Family Photo so they would be included.  This will be the LAST  Fall family picture without all 8 children.  Good job, Jason!  The picture turned out very sweet.

I-600A APPROVED!

We received a call from our US Rep. office and an email from our USCIS officer this morning saying that our I-600A was approved yesterday!  Now we wait for the I-171H to arrive in the mail, have it apostilled and then we can send our dossier to EE as soon as that one last pesky document is signed in EE.  Getting closer...