It's almost 1AM and I'm beat, but WE ARE HOME! As Sarah said in the last post, Pat drove down to get us in Milwaukee. So, no "homecoming" pictures, but that's ok. The really important thing is that we are home, Elijah is HOME and is officially an American citizen! And I must say Elijah is a CHAMP traveler! He held it together better than I did. :-) More details coming...not sure when. But we are home!
THANK YOU LORD!!!!!!!!!!!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Almost home...
The flight from O'Hare to ATW got canceled, so my dad and Debbie's husband (PD) are driving down to Milwaukee (Mom, Debbie, and Elijah can take a bus from Chicago to Milwaukee) to get them. They probably won't be back here until midnight now. Please Pray that there is NO FOG, and they have safe travels! Ok, now I'm pretty sure that the next post will be that they made it home! :) YAY!
There is NO way I'm going to bed.... :)
There is NO way I'm going to bed.... :)
So Close to Home Sweet Home... PRAY!
Hi all! This is Sarah posting on my mom's blog again. My mother called a little while ago and they are back on American soil, even if it is only the airport! They are in O'Hare (Chicago) right now. The first time she called she said that as of right now their flight from O'Hare to ATW wasn't cancelled or delayed, but the flights leaving at 2am and 5am were cancelled do to fog. The second time she called she said that their flight was delayed one hour, so instead of getting in at 9pm it would get in at 10pm.
I just got off the phone with Ashley (Debbie's daughter in-law), and she had just gotten off the phone with Debbie and now it isn't coming in until 11. Soo, it's now two hours late, but so far, as far as we have heard, it hasn't been canceled. Please pray that it doesn't get delayed again!! And pray that Elijah is feeling a little better for his last flight. He has had a cold and has slept an hour of fitful sleep at the most. Thank you for praying! They are almost home and the next post will hopefully be that they have made it HOME!
THIS WAITING IS DRIVING ME CRAZY!! 4 HOURS!!! AHHH!!!
Waiting not so patiently,
Sarah
I just got off the phone with Ashley (Debbie's daughter in-law), and she had just gotten off the phone with Debbie and now it isn't coming in until 11. Soo, it's now two hours late, but so far, as far as we have heard, it hasn't been canceled. Please pray that it doesn't get delayed again!! And pray that Elijah is feeling a little better for his last flight. He has had a cold and has slept an hour of fitful sleep at the most. Thank you for praying! They are almost home and the next post will hopefully be that they have made it HOME!
THIS WAITING IS DRIVING ME CRAZY!! 4 HOURS!!! AHHH!!!
Waiting not so patiently,
Sarah
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
WE HAVE ELIJAH'S VISA!
Just wanted to take a minute from packing to let you all know that we have Elijah's visa! What does that mean??? It means we are free and clear to leave the country!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU LORD!!!!!!!!! We are DONE w/ paperwork on this side of the world anyway.
Elijah has done amazingly well with all our running around the last 2 days. His cold is noticeably worse tonight, but we had a really LONG morning/afternoon, so he's a bit out of sorts. Please pray his runny nose won't cause his any ear discomfort on the plane tomorrow. Of course, please pray for all to go smoothly w/ the flights too and he continues to be a champ traveler.
If I get time before bed, I'll try to post pics from the last 2 days and our experiences that may be helpful to RR families coming behind us. We have to be ready be 3:30 am, so I can't stay up too late. :-)
Blessings to all of you and thanks for praying us home!!!!
Elijah has done amazingly well with all our running around the last 2 days. His cold is noticeably worse tonight, but we had a really LONG morning/afternoon, so he's a bit out of sorts. Please pray his runny nose won't cause his any ear discomfort on the plane tomorrow. Of course, please pray for all to go smoothly w/ the flights too and he continues to be a champ traveler.
If I get time before bed, I'll try to post pics from the last 2 days and our experiences that may be helpful to RR families coming behind us. We have to be ready be 3:30 am, so I can't stay up too late. :-)
Blessings to all of you and thanks for praying us home!!!!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Days of Elijah Day 26 - GOTCHA DAY!!!
WOOHOO!!!!!! Elijah is OUT! Out of that orphange FOREVER and EVER and EVER! :-) PRAISE GOD for His absolute faithfulness and goodness. I can't say that enough. God is SO GOOD!
Onto our day...we did our morning visit as usual. Just before we finished up, Marina called said the passport was ready. Our regular driver was busy, so we had a new "kid". (He was 21 and drove like a wild man!) Anyway, "Ursula" gave me the passport and we are good to go! After finishing packing, cleaning our apt a bit, and paying the landlord the final 2 days of rent, we were off to the orphanage.
He did great in his 2nd "machina" ride on the way to the train station. Our train left at 4:26, but we were there before 4pm. That was great! This particular train is VERY long - so long you can hardly see the end. And depending on what track it is on, one usually has to go down steps, under tracks and back up. But not us! We walked right up to the train, and our car was right there by the main entrance to the tracks. Thank you Lord! See, we had lots of stuff (extra food and water too) and the stairs would have been difficult. We will have to repack and organize before getting on the plane, that's for sure.
Elijah did GREAT on the train. It was AMAZING! It was like it didn't even phase him at all. Thank you to all that were praying! He had some snacks, a little supper, played, more snacks, more snacks (he likes to eat!) and then it was jammies and bedtime. I put a bunch of the train's blankets on the floor, covered with a clean sheet and he was pretty contained down in there between the 2 benches/beds. He slept great! At least 10 hours I think. He does the cutest little sucking thing with his tongue. I'm sure it's a self-soothing thing, but no rocking back and forth, so that's good. I did try snuggling with him on my bed, but it was just too close for him. He kept hitting me, so I knew it was too much for him. He did great on the floor. When he woke up, he just laid there playing with his hands until we turned on the light and got him up.
So, there you have it - "Gotcha Day"! Have I mentioned lately how all this still seems so surreal? I honestly don't think it is going to really hit me until we get home and have our whole family together. We are almost there...2 more sleeps here and then we are off - headed for home. I can not wait! It was one month ago yesterday that Pat and I left on this adventure of a lifetime. It seems like a lifetime ago. But all of the sacrifices we have made are all just temporary and short-lived compared to the wonderful blessing this precious child of God has and will continue to bring into our lives. Thank you for all of your support and prayers! We couldn't have done it without you or without the love our Heavenly Father!
Onto our day...we did our morning visit as usual. Just before we finished up, Marina called said the passport was ready. Our regular driver was busy, so we had a new "kid". (He was 21 and drove like a wild man!) Anyway, "Ursula" gave me the passport and we are good to go! After finishing packing, cleaning our apt a bit, and paying the landlord the final 2 days of rent, we were off to the orphanage.
 |
| Clothes in hand - let's go get him! |
 |
| First time I saw his legs and toes! His feet are very, very, very dry. :-( |
 |
| Yep, socks over the tights...I didn't want the nannies to think I was going to neglect the poor child. The tights and sweater vest are from his first mama. |
 |
| Just about ready! "Thanks big sister Sarah for the cool hat!" |
 |
| Saying a tearful good-bye to their sweet "Aloysha" (I was tearful too...) |
 |
| Walking out the door for the LAST time! |
He did great in his 2nd "machina" ride on the way to the train station. Our train left at 4:26, but we were there before 4pm. That was great! This particular train is VERY long - so long you can hardly see the end. And depending on what track it is on, one usually has to go down steps, under tracks and back up. But not us! We walked right up to the train, and our car was right there by the main entrance to the tracks. Thank you Lord! See, we had lots of stuff (extra food and water too) and the stairs would have been difficult. We will have to repack and organize before getting on the plane, that's for sure.
 |
| Getting on the train! |
 |
| In the cabin - he was done in the Ergo. |
 |
| "Hey, look! I look like a little American boy!" |
 |
| A Christmas present from Auntie Debbie "Spa-see-ba" |
Elijah did GREAT on the train. It was AMAZING! It was like it didn't even phase him at all. Thank you to all that were praying! He had some snacks, a little supper, played, more snacks, more snacks (he likes to eat!) and then it was jammies and bedtime. I put a bunch of the train's blankets on the floor, covered with a clean sheet and he was pretty contained down in there between the 2 benches/beds. He slept great! At least 10 hours I think. He does the cutest little sucking thing with his tongue. I'm sure it's a self-soothing thing, but no rocking back and forth, so that's good. I did try snuggling with him on my bed, but it was just too close for him. He kept hitting me, so I knew it was too much for him. He did great on the floor. When he woke up, he just laid there playing with his hands until we turned on the light and got him up.
So, there you have it - "Gotcha Day"! Have I mentioned lately how all this still seems so surreal? I honestly don't think it is going to really hit me until we get home and have our whole family together. We are almost there...2 more sleeps here and then we are off - headed for home. I can not wait! It was one month ago yesterday that Pat and I left on this adventure of a lifetime. It seems like a lifetime ago. But all of the sacrifices we have made are all just temporary and short-lived compared to the wonderful blessing this precious child of God has and will continue to bring into our lives. Thank you for all of your support and prayers! We couldn't have done it without you or without the love our Heavenly Father!
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Days of Elijah Day 25
Prayer request: Debbie has a bad cough and Elijah's nose has been "goopy" (nice medical term, huh?) for a couple of days. Please pray for healing for both of them! And protection for me too if you will. Thanks!
We had a wonderful day today! Well, it started a bit slow as we waited an hour this morning to hear back on when the driver was going to pick us up to get train tickets. By the time we got to the orphanage, we only had about 20 minutes there, but that was ok. Debbie got to hold a special little boy, while I held Elijah and helped one of the nannies put up the Christmas lights I brought in. I figured it was after Christmas, so I could let my blinky-flashy-drive-my-husband-crazy lights go. The boys were fascinated by them! Mission accomplished. :-)
Then we went to get train tickets for tomorrow afternoon. We ended up buying 4 "births" in a 2nd class car. Otherwise, since Elijah needs a ticket, we would have been split up in first class and that's not going to happen. When we got home, we had lunch, put on our church clothes and went shopping! Ha ha...We knew we weren't coming back to the house before church. We found a "second hand" store. (Ashley, your mom wanted me to tell you that she picked you up a few things there. Hee hee) I found Elijah a pair of shoes, since I had only brought boots for him. I also got some clothes for the "boys" to help even out the pink a bit in the grouppa wardrobe. After that, we walked down to the HUGE market where the busses pile in 2 or 3 deep. It wasn't as organized as the market by the orphanage though and we didn't find anything we wanted. We bussed it out to the market by the orphanage quick as I knew exactly where to get what I wanted (a bowl, cup and spoon for Elijah on the train) and made it back to church just in time.
The church service was wonderful. It felt great to have worshipped our Lord on (or right after) Christmas. The kids did a cute skit. Although, we couldn't understand what they were saying, we go the jist of it. The choir is amazing! Some of the choir members had "special music" and sang this song acapella (video below). I love this song and I learned tonight that this song originated in this country and is a national Christmas carol/song. I think it's called "Carol of the Bells". So, next time you hear it, remember it's been translated to English. My understanding is that most of the people here did not grow up with our traditional Christmas carols and have only learned them since the church started 14 years ago.
We were also able to see the children of the church get their Christmas stockings/gifts. Over half of these kids are from the orphanage (the older kids one). Very special! I wanted to post a photo of them for my kids since they helped me pick out the stockings and many of the treats inside. :-)
After church, we took the bus out for our afternoon visit, even though we missed a good half hour of it. I'm so glad we still came though. Elijah showed us a new sign tonight - the sign for "fish". Sarah sent a photo of her goldfish along with Debbie, so it's now in his photo album. He signed it a couple times tonight, although never for the camera of course. I also found out another need that the nannies have for the grouppa room. A microwave. She showed me how their hot plate thingy doesn't work and in order to heat something up, they need to plug the sink, fill it with hot water and set the pan in it. For each meal, one nanny will go down to the kitchen with pots labeled with their grouppa number. They bring them back up hot. But I'm sure there are times when they need to reheat something. Maybe even for their own lunches, which is perfectly fine with me. So, I'll go back to the "all things electric" store in the morning and see what I can find. If it will make their lives more comfortable and the lives of those boys, I'm all for it.
Finally, we had a nice dinner with the Spitz's at the Skazka restaurant. This might be my 5th or 6th time there...the waiter has recognized me that past 3 times. LOL It was so nice to just sit and talk with them, instead of trying to talk on the bus or walking down the street. It has been a true blessing to have them here with us and I'm so thankful for the Lord's timing to have us here together for a few days anyway. Please continue to pray for them as they have court on Thursday morning.
And guess what's happening right now?!?! Elijah is sleeping for the LAST night in his crib in a room with 6 other boys. I was telling him tonight how much his life is going to change tomorrow. :-) He has NO CLUE! I'm SOOO excited!!!!!!!!!!!! Please pray all goes well with getting the passport and on the train ride. Pray he sleeps well, and eats and drinks well. Please pray all goes well with the Embassy appointments on Tues/Wed too. Next time you hear from me, we'll be in the capital city and I'll have "Gotcha Day" photos to share!!! Praise God!!!
We had a wonderful day today! Well, it started a bit slow as we waited an hour this morning to hear back on when the driver was going to pick us up to get train tickets. By the time we got to the orphanage, we only had about 20 minutes there, but that was ok. Debbie got to hold a special little boy, while I held Elijah and helped one of the nannies put up the Christmas lights I brought in. I figured it was after Christmas, so I could let my blinky-flashy-drive-my-husband-crazy lights go. The boys were fascinated by them! Mission accomplished. :-)
Then we went to get train tickets for tomorrow afternoon. We ended up buying 4 "births" in a 2nd class car. Otherwise, since Elijah needs a ticket, we would have been split up in first class and that's not going to happen. When we got home, we had lunch, put on our church clothes and went shopping! Ha ha...We knew we weren't coming back to the house before church. We found a "second hand" store. (Ashley, your mom wanted me to tell you that she picked you up a few things there. Hee hee) I found Elijah a pair of shoes, since I had only brought boots for him. I also got some clothes for the "boys" to help even out the pink a bit in the grouppa wardrobe. After that, we walked down to the HUGE market where the busses pile in 2 or 3 deep. It wasn't as organized as the market by the orphanage though and we didn't find anything we wanted. We bussed it out to the market by the orphanage quick as I knew exactly where to get what I wanted (a bowl, cup and spoon for Elijah on the train) and made it back to church just in time.
The church service was wonderful. It felt great to have worshipped our Lord on (or right after) Christmas. The kids did a cute skit. Although, we couldn't understand what they were saying, we go the jist of it. The choir is amazing! Some of the choir members had "special music" and sang this song acapella (video below). I love this song and I learned tonight that this song originated in this country and is a national Christmas carol/song. I think it's called "Carol of the Bells". So, next time you hear it, remember it's been translated to English. My understanding is that most of the people here did not grow up with our traditional Christmas carols and have only learned them since the church started 14 years ago.
We were also able to see the children of the church get their Christmas stockings/gifts. Over half of these kids are from the orphanage (the older kids one). Very special! I wanted to post a photo of them for my kids since they helped me pick out the stockings and many of the treats inside. :-)
After church, we took the bus out for our afternoon visit, even though we missed a good half hour of it. I'm so glad we still came though. Elijah showed us a new sign tonight - the sign for "fish". Sarah sent a photo of her goldfish along with Debbie, so it's now in his photo album. He signed it a couple times tonight, although never for the camera of course. I also found out another need that the nannies have for the grouppa room. A microwave. She showed me how their hot plate thingy doesn't work and in order to heat something up, they need to plug the sink, fill it with hot water and set the pan in it. For each meal, one nanny will go down to the kitchen with pots labeled with their grouppa number. They bring them back up hot. But I'm sure there are times when they need to reheat something. Maybe even for their own lunches, which is perfectly fine with me. So, I'll go back to the "all things electric" store in the morning and see what I can find. If it will make their lives more comfortable and the lives of those boys, I'm all for it.
 |
| Studying for the quiz he'll have on Thursday night on siblings' names. :-) |
Finally, we had a nice dinner with the Spitz's at the Skazka restaurant. This might be my 5th or 6th time there...the waiter has recognized me that past 3 times. LOL It was so nice to just sit and talk with them, instead of trying to talk on the bus or walking down the street. It has been a true blessing to have them here with us and I'm so thankful for the Lord's timing to have us here together for a few days anyway. Please continue to pray for them as they have court on Thursday morning.
And guess what's happening right now?!?! Elijah is sleeping for the LAST night in his crib in a room with 6 other boys. I was telling him tonight how much his life is going to change tomorrow. :-) He has NO CLUE! I'm SOOO excited!!!!!!!!!!!! Please pray all goes well with getting the passport and on the train ride. Pray he sleeps well, and eats and drinks well. Please pray all goes well with the Embassy appointments on Tues/Wed too. Next time you hear from me, we'll be in the capital city and I'll have "Gotcha Day" photos to share!!! Praise God!!!
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Days of Elijah Day 23 & 24
Merry Christmas again! Our Christmas Day is almost over. I hope you all enjoyed your day. Happy Birthday, Jesus!
To be honest, I was too emotionally spent last night to blog about our day. That happens sometimes. :-)
Yesterday, we had our normal two visits with Elijah. I think I mentioned the other day that he is starting to push the limits a bit. That hasn't changed much the past two days. For whatever reason, he pretty much refuses to walk outside on his own. I'm not sure why. He even refused this morning when the nanny (Tatianna) took him out of the stroller as we walked up the driveway. I think as he is coming more "alive" he realizes this whole orphanage thing isn't all it's cracked up to be. Soon, my son...very, very soon. But he did, however, take off several times today while we were chatting with the Dave and Summer outside. Yep, he's just a normal kid. :-)
Ok, onto our day yesterday - Christmas Eve day. Sarah sent several crocheted hats and a large, thick blanket along with Debbie when she came. We brought them in yesterday morning. (Oh, I should mention that all of these photos were taken with permission. They seem to have really slacked off on the "no photos of other orphans" rule.) Sarah, I'm so very proud of you for all of the time you have put into making all the hats and blankets you sent over. May the Lord continue to grow and nuture the desire you have in your heart to serve and help the orphans of this country and this world.
Ok, onto Christmas Day! I had told myself last week sometime that if his passport didn't come on Friday, I was going to buy myself some lilies (or liliums as the flower lady says). I LOVE lilies! So, I did buy some today, but I didn't keep them. :-) I brought them to Dawn, the sweet missionary that hosted all the missionaries for Christmas today! They invited us to be part of their Christmas celebration today. We were so honored and thrilled to be there. It really made for a wonderful day! Since we couldn't be home or have Elijah today, the Lord blessed us with wonderful Christian fellowship! And they all speak English! I hadn't realized how hard my brain was working to listen/decipher and try and say a few Russian words. I really felt my brain relaxing, and it was pretty much mush by the end. LOL Debbie and I are SO grateful!
To be honest, I was too emotionally spent last night to blog about our day. That happens sometimes. :-)
Yesterday, we had our normal two visits with Elijah. I think I mentioned the other day that he is starting to push the limits a bit. That hasn't changed much the past two days. For whatever reason, he pretty much refuses to walk outside on his own. I'm not sure why. He even refused this morning when the nanny (Tatianna) took him out of the stroller as we walked up the driveway. I think as he is coming more "alive" he realizes this whole orphanage thing isn't all it's cracked up to be. Soon, my son...very, very soon. But he did, however, take off several times today while we were chatting with the Dave and Summer outside. Yep, he's just a normal kid. :-)
Ok, onto our day yesterday - Christmas Eve day. Sarah sent several crocheted hats and a large, thick blanket along with Debbie when she came. We brought them in yesterday morning. (Oh, I should mention that all of these photos were taken with permission. They seem to have really slacked off on the "no photos of other orphans" rule.) Sarah, I'm so very proud of you for all of the time you have put into making all the hats and blankets you sent over. May the Lord continue to grow and nuture the desire you have in your heart to serve and help the orphans of this country and this world.
 |
| Here's one little guy with one of the hats on. |
 |
| This is Elijah's half of the sleeping room. His crib is on the corner. |
 |
| Where he sleeps...#14 |
 |
| Elijah modeling of Sarah's hats |
 |
| And another... |
| **(Image removed for privacy reasons)** |
| Yesterday afternoon, we had a little a party for the grouppa boys. I brought in bananas, cookies, a bunch of theses spiky balls, and this fun pop-up tent for them to play in. They had a BLAST!!!! |
 |
| The tree in Lenin Square is finally lit! Very pretty1 |
 |
| We went out to celebrate Christmas Eve last night to the Shazka restaurant. This is the unique presentation of chicken kiev I mentioned in an earlier post. It is VERY yummy! The sauce is a creamy dill. |
 |
| I bought these socks from a sweet old babuska near the market. I wanted them for the boys in the grouppa. They are hand-knit. She only wanted $6.25 for them! I totally felt like I was ripping her off. I looked for her today as I was going to buy more and make her take more $, but she wasn't there. I'll look tomorrow. |
 |
| When we closed out Elijah's bank acct, the money is donated back to the orphanage. It was transferred to the company that is replacing the interior doors on the second floor. This would not have been my first choice, but they were in tough shape. This is the outside of his grouppa room. |
 |
| Two of the blankets Sarah and her friend, Rachel, sewed together. I will try and tell the nannies that the blankets are for the boys, not the chairs... |
Ok, onto Christmas Day! I had told myself last week sometime that if his passport didn't come on Friday, I was going to buy myself some lilies (or liliums as the flower lady says). I LOVE lilies! So, I did buy some today, but I didn't keep them. :-) I brought them to Dawn, the sweet missionary that hosted all the missionaries for Christmas today! They invited us to be part of their Christmas celebration today. We were so honored and thrilled to be there. It really made for a wonderful day! Since we couldn't be home or have Elijah today, the Lord blessed us with wonderful Christian fellowship! And they all speak English! I hadn't realized how hard my brain was working to listen/decipher and try and say a few Russian words. I really felt my brain relaxing, and it was pretty much mush by the end. LOL Debbie and I are SO grateful!
 |
| Only $5 for this beautiful bouquet! |
 |
| Swinging fun with Auntie Debbie - It's about time I got behind the camera! |
 |
| Intently studying our family photo |
 |
| Elijah and Rachel will have a blast on the teeter-totter next summer! |
 |
| Group photo at Christmas dinner! We were so blessed! |
Merry Christmas!
I just wanted to get a quick post to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! AND to tell you that I got THE call from Yulia this morning...Elijah's passport is published and will be in TODAY! What a wonderful gift on this VERY warm Christmas Day! (No white Christmas here - it's 66 deg F right now...)
Of course, the passport office is closed today and tomorrow, so we will pick it up on Monday around noon probably. Depending on the timing, we most likely will spring him outta of the orphanage Monday right after his afternoon nap and head straight to the train station. I would have loved to have had "Gotcha Day" today or tomorrow, but the orphanage "powers" are not in on the weekend to sign off on paperwork, which I don't even have anyway.
I'll leave you with part of an email my dear, wise husband shared with me this morning. I pray you all have a wonderful Christmas, celebrating the birth of Christ our Lord.
"Remember the joy of the season is not the gifts we receive under the tree or the holiday feasts that we attend, but it is the joy of the new born baby, Christ the Lord. And where God has placed us this year is half way around the world from each other, but with Him there with each of us, I know he has exactly where He wanted us to be, doing the things that are very important to Him and that which glorifies Him."
Of course, the passport office is closed today and tomorrow, so we will pick it up on Monday around noon probably. Depending on the timing, we most likely will spring him outta of the orphanage Monday right after his afternoon nap and head straight to the train station. I would have loved to have had "Gotcha Day" today or tomorrow, but the orphanage "powers" are not in on the weekend to sign off on paperwork, which I don't even have anyway.
I'll leave you with part of an email my dear, wise husband shared with me this morning. I pray you all have a wonderful Christmas, celebrating the birth of Christ our Lord.
"Remember the joy of the season is not the gifts we receive under the tree or the holiday feasts that we attend, but it is the joy of the new born baby, Christ the Lord. And where God has placed us this year is half way around the world from each other, but with Him there with each of us, I know he has exactly where He wanted us to be, doing the things that are very important to Him and that which glorifies Him."
 |
| Elijah says "Merry Christmas" too! |
Friday, December 24, 2010
No news yet...
I keep checking the phone to make sure it's on...just waiting for it to ring and for Yulia to tell us Elijah's passport is here...not yet though... God's timing is ALWAYS perfect. If there is one thing (ok, perhaps it's been more than one thing) that I've learned during this whole process, it is that God's timing is ALWAYS perfect. So, I will rest in that. There is still a little time left for today, but it's not likely at this point. (2:40PM) But please pray it comes Monday at the VERY latest. If it doesn't, we won't be able to hold our flights home on the 30th, and it would most likely be into the new year before we get home.
I'm SO excited for Dave and Summer! They got "the call" from Yulia and their court date is set for Thursday!!! They will get in before the end of the year and the 2-week virtual "shut down" here due to New Year's, Orthodox Christmas (Jan. 7th) and Old New Year's (Jan. 14th). That is GREAT news for them and their little princess, Isabelle. She really needs to get home as soon as she can. They ALL do!
Elijah was...ummm...testing the boundaries today. You know, just like any normal toddler/preschooler does. LOL But, I guess that's good that he is feeling more and more comfortable with me. I'll post some photos and/or videos later on after our afternoon visit. SO hard to believe it's Christmas Eve. I hope you all have a very wonderful, blessed Christmas with your loved ones. Please don't ever take that for granted.
I'm SO excited for Dave and Summer! They got "the call" from Yulia and their court date is set for Thursday!!! They will get in before the end of the year and the 2-week virtual "shut down" here due to New Year's, Orthodox Christmas (Jan. 7th) and Old New Year's (Jan. 14th). That is GREAT news for them and their little princess, Isabelle. She really needs to get home as soon as she can. They ALL do!
Elijah was...ummm...testing the boundaries today. You know, just like any normal toddler/preschooler does. LOL But, I guess that's good that he is feeling more and more comfortable with me. I'll post some photos and/or videos later on after our afternoon visit. SO hard to believe it's Christmas Eve. I hope you all have a very wonderful, blessed Christmas with your loved ones. Please don't ever take that for granted.
Last Update on the Vote
GREAT NEWS!!!!! THANK YOU FOR PRAYING!!! GOD IS FAITHFUL!!!
This is what Andrea, RR director, had to say about the vote. I just changed the name of the country to "Elijah's country". :-) As she said, I hope this news leads to MANY new commitments for children in this country. If you are reading this, and wondered yourself, NOW is the time. They don't have a moment to lose. Be obedient and jump into the arms of your Savior. He WILL catch you! :-)
All, as expected, the vote did not even happen yesterday. And it won't happen before the new year. And when it does happen, it will be a vote to go Hague, not for moratorium or anything else. This is what our team has known and told us all along, and what we fully expected.
Reece's Rainbow is prepared with a Hague accredited partner (one we already work with and trust) to continue adoptions without interruption in Elijah's country, with our same amazing team of helpers and facilitators who have built this program from the ground up.
A few thoughts for you to keep in mind at all times:
1) Do not get caught up in the hype and speculation of other blogs or opinions....because that is all it is.
2) When we know something *legitimate*, we will always pass that on to you immediately. We are all sitting on pins and needles like the rest of you. ;) I know it is hard not to be concerned, we should all be concerned, but not panicked or stressed out.
3) Families who have been considering a child/children in Elijah's country should not hesitate to make those commitments. We have raised thousands and thousands of dollars in new adoption grants for these children!!! God forbid if some crisis should happen later in Elijah's country (which we highly doubt), there are hundreds of other children to consider in other country programs. But please do not be wary of Elijah's country, they go through cycles of change like this all the time, and we just roll with the punches.
I hope to recv lots of new commitments for these kids in Elijah's country now that this new information is available. Folks can breath a sigh of relief and just go with the flow! But take advantage of these super-size grants while they are available!
Anyone with questions can write me off list at andrea@reecesrainbow.org
This is what Andrea, RR director, had to say about the vote. I just changed the name of the country to "Elijah's country". :-) As she said, I hope this news leads to MANY new commitments for children in this country. If you are reading this, and wondered yourself, NOW is the time. They don't have a moment to lose. Be obedient and jump into the arms of your Savior. He WILL catch you! :-)
All, as expected, the vote did not even happen yesterday. And it won't happen before the new year. And when it does happen, it will be a vote to go Hague, not for moratorium or anything else. This is what our team has known and told us all along, and what we fully expected.
Reece's Rainbow is prepared with a Hague accredited partner (one we already work with and trust) to continue adoptions without interruption in Elijah's country, with our same amazing team of helpers and facilitators who have built this program from the ground up.
A few thoughts for you to keep in mind at all times:
1) Do not get caught up in the hype and speculation of other blogs or opinions....because that is all it is.
2) When we know something *legitimate*, we will always pass that on to you immediately. We are all sitting on pins and needles like the rest of you. ;) I know it is hard not to be concerned, we should all be concerned, but not panicked or stressed out.
3) Families who have been considering a child/children in Elijah's country should not hesitate to make those commitments. We have raised thousands and thousands of dollars in new adoption grants for these children!!! God forbid if some crisis should happen later in Elijah's country (which we highly doubt), there are hundreds of other children to consider in other country programs. But please do not be wary of Elijah's country, they go through cycles of change like this all the time, and we just roll with the punches.
I hope to recv lots of new commitments for these kids in Elijah's country now that this new information is available. Folks can breath a sigh of relief and just go with the flow! But take advantage of these super-size grants while they are available!
Anyone with questions can write me off list at andrea@reecesrainbow.org
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Days of Elijah Day 22
What a fun, beautiful day we've had so far! The weather is absolutely beautiful the past few days. 65 deg F at the moment! I've had plenty of days where I've worn my long underwear, heavy gloves, and hat, but not this week! Max and Debbie brought the warm weather with them. I'm thankful. :-)
A few other exciting things:
***We have flights booked for our trip HOME!!!! Even though we don't know for sure when we will get Elijah's passport, I went ahead and reserved/paid for some seats for us, so we had them. Due to the holidays, flights next week are getting slim pickings, so I scheduled them for Thurs., Dec. 30th. We will be able to hold those flights if Elijah's passport comes tomorrow (Friday) or Monday. We need two business days in the capital city at the embassy for a medical visit and visa processing. Our travel agent said availability on the 31st is pretty slim, so PLEASE PRAY we are able to make our flight as scheduled. IF Elijah's passport comes tomorrow, we will have "Gotcha Day" tomorrow too!!!!!!! (Gotcha Day means we take him out of the orphanage for GOOD!!!) We would then head to the capital on Saturday then. Oh my, what a Christmas Eve it would be!!!!!!!! :-)
*** Debbie's suitcase may be here tonight or tomorrow morning! Praise God! Sarah, my daughter, sent gifts along with her for the orphanage, so it would be wonderful it would be here before we left again. :-) A HUGE thank you to Max for calling and checking for us. Oh, by the way, the other day when Max was traveling with us around the city, I decided it really rocks to have someone with you that speaks Russian. LOL UPDATE from this afternoon: Max called (again) to check on the suitcase and they said either tonight before 6pm or early tomorrow morning. Debbie decided to stay home - just in case. And low and behold, it came!!!! Praise God!!! She looks like a new woman in a different colored sweatshirt. LOL
*** We have English speaking friends here with us! :-) Dave & Summer Spitz arrived yesterday morning on the train and met their beautiful little girl yesterday! http://www.luckytolovelyla.blogspot.com/ She's beautiful and they are in love. :-) They had their first long visit with her this morning. I remember those emotions of the first visit. It is fun to be on the other side of that, but I have great anticipation for them as their love grows for their sweet princess. I've had the honor and pleasure to "show them ropes" so to speak with the "marshuka" (bus) as our visiting hours are at the same time. Their apt is just down the street from ours, so we are able to walk to the bus stop together. What a blessing to be able to meet them and get to know them better! We even had our first market shopping experience together today. Fun! They did great and are going with the flow. PLEASE PRAY for them so they can have court by the end of the year!
*** We hope to have a little party with all the boys in Elijah's grouppa tomorrow afternoon. I have some balls for them, bananas and cookies. (I also bought balloons too, but I found out people with Shea's type of spina bifida have a high chance of being allergic to latex, so I'll bring them home for our kids. I'm sure they won't mind...) I also got a little pop tent for them too. I hope they are able to keep it. I thought it would be fun for them to crawl in and out of. I asked the very nice nanny yesterday that speaks some English what was on their wish list for the kids. I finally understood that they had to ask the doctor for ideas. :-( I've learned that she also is very "by the book" though. Hopefully, she will get back to me. We would like to bless the grouppa with a few new toys. UPDATE from this afternoon: I found out this afternoon (through charades with the nanny :-)) that a gift I could buy them is a wall heater for the main grouppa room. They have one in the sleeping room, but not in the main room. I was very honored to gift them a heater. I went to the store where we were this afternoon to get something for Summer, and picked one out. It was less than $40, but the lady gave me a discount. After I paid I told her "detsky dom" (baby house) and she shook her head yes. She gave me the discount because she knew it was going to the orphanage. How sweet is that! And this is something that will make a huge difference for those precious boys left behind...
Ok, enough rambling for today. I'll leave you with some great photos and videos that Debbie took. It is very nice to have my own personal pro-wanna-be photographer. :-) We were outside for the whole morning visit - so wonderful!
When Pat was still here, we taught him how to make a "doggy" noise. There is a nice orphanage dog that we see on our walks. He used to just make a single grunting sound, but he's doing MUCH better now! SO cute!!!
Auntie Debbie had a little tangerine in her backpack, so we went over to the other side of the grounds to see if Elijah would take it from me. He did great with it! I peeled all the "chewy" stuff off of it and he loved it! He was patient with me. I'm so happy he accepted food from me! That can be a big deal from some institutionalized kids. We are definitely not over the hump with food issues, but this is definitely a good start.
A few other exciting things:
***We have flights booked for our trip HOME!!!! Even though we don't know for sure when we will get Elijah's passport, I went ahead and reserved/paid for some seats for us, so we had them. Due to the holidays, flights next week are getting slim pickings, so I scheduled them for Thurs., Dec. 30th. We will be able to hold those flights if Elijah's passport comes tomorrow (Friday) or Monday. We need two business days in the capital city at the embassy for a medical visit and visa processing. Our travel agent said availability on the 31st is pretty slim, so PLEASE PRAY we are able to make our flight as scheduled. IF Elijah's passport comes tomorrow, we will have "Gotcha Day" tomorrow too!!!!!!! (Gotcha Day means we take him out of the orphanage for GOOD!!!) We would then head to the capital on Saturday then. Oh my, what a Christmas Eve it would be!!!!!!!! :-)
*** Debbie's suitcase may be here tonight or tomorrow morning! Praise God! Sarah, my daughter, sent gifts along with her for the orphanage, so it would be wonderful it would be here before we left again. :-) A HUGE thank you to Max for calling and checking for us. Oh, by the way, the other day when Max was traveling with us around the city, I decided it really rocks to have someone with you that speaks Russian. LOL UPDATE from this afternoon: Max called (again) to check on the suitcase and they said either tonight before 6pm or early tomorrow morning. Debbie decided to stay home - just in case. And low and behold, it came!!!! Praise God!!! She looks like a new woman in a different colored sweatshirt. LOL
*** We have English speaking friends here with us! :-) Dave & Summer Spitz arrived yesterday morning on the train and met their beautiful little girl yesterday! http://www.luckytolovelyla.blogspot.com/ She's beautiful and they are in love. :-) They had their first long visit with her this morning. I remember those emotions of the first visit. It is fun to be on the other side of that, but I have great anticipation for them as their love grows for their sweet princess. I've had the honor and pleasure to "show them ropes" so to speak with the "marshuka" (bus) as our visiting hours are at the same time. Their apt is just down the street from ours, so we are able to walk to the bus stop together. What a blessing to be able to meet them and get to know them better! We even had our first market shopping experience together today. Fun! They did great and are going with the flow. PLEASE PRAY for them so they can have court by the end of the year!
*** We hope to have a little party with all the boys in Elijah's grouppa tomorrow afternoon. I have some balls for them, bananas and cookies. (I also bought balloons too, but I found out people with Shea's type of spina bifida have a high chance of being allergic to latex, so I'll bring them home for our kids. I'm sure they won't mind...) I also got a little pop tent for them too. I hope they are able to keep it. I thought it would be fun for them to crawl in and out of. I asked the very nice nanny yesterday that speaks some English what was on their wish list for the kids. I finally understood that they had to ask the doctor for ideas. :-( I've learned that she also is very "by the book" though. Hopefully, she will get back to me. We would like to bless the grouppa with a few new toys. UPDATE from this afternoon: I found out this afternoon (through charades with the nanny :-)) that a gift I could buy them is a wall heater for the main grouppa room. They have one in the sleeping room, but not in the main room. I was very honored to gift them a heater. I went to the store where we were this afternoon to get something for Summer, and picked one out. It was less than $40, but the lady gave me a discount. After I paid I told her "detsky dom" (baby house) and she shook her head yes. She gave me the discount because she knew it was going to the orphanage. How sweet is that! And this is something that will make a huge difference for those precious boys left behind...
Ok, enough rambling for today. I'll leave you with some great photos and videos that Debbie took. It is very nice to have my own personal pro-wanna-be photographer. :-) We were outside for the whole morning visit - so wonderful!
When Pat was still here, we taught him how to make a "doggy" noise. There is a nice orphanage dog that we see on our walks. He used to just make a single grunting sound, but he's doing MUCH better now! SO cute!!!
Auntie Debbie had a little tangerine in her backpack, so we went over to the other side of the grounds to see if Elijah would take it from me. He did great with it! I peeled all the "chewy" stuff off of it and he loved it! He was patient with me. I'm so happy he accepted food from me! That can be a big deal from some institutionalized kids. We are definitely not over the hump with food issues, but this is definitely a good start.
 |
| Introducing "Luda" Shea told me her name tonight. :-) I found out Shea is a little tattle-tale too. LOL Anyway, this is the sweet woman Debbie blogged about and the same one that I got all teary eyed with over Shea a couple weeks ago. She loves him dearly and wants to see him have his own family. I'm SOOO thankful Shea has his perfect family coming for him. Can't wait to tell you all about them! :-) (with their permission of course) |
 |
| His teeny tiny hand in mine... |
 |
| You can see above how dry and beat up his cuticles are, so I try and rub lotion on them as much as I can. |
 |
| Just too cute not to share! |
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Becoming a Joseph
(Another guest post - this time from my dear husband. :-))
Up to this point you have mainly been following the blog about our adoption through the words and posts by my wife, Jill, with a few additions from our daughter. She has done an extremely wonderful job sharing our story and it will be a great record for us to treasure and cherish in years to come of our adoption story and how we brought Elijah home to his forever family.
I thought that maybe it was about time to share just a little of myself and my feelings with all of you about Elijah and our adoption. I titled it “Becoming a Joseph”, and not because of the middle name we chose for our son, but because of the way I have learned to relate to Joseph, the father of Jesus in the Bible. I feel that I can understand him more and what he was like and maybe some of his feelings. You don’t read much about him in the bible, but what little there is you start to realize what type of man he must have been. How he took care of his wife (Mary) and his family, and how much he truly loved and sacrificed for his son.
You see Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus and he could have easily just turned his back and walked away, and no one would have thought bad of him for doing this. But through a calling on his life from God and the love he had for this little baby he became the true father that he was meant to be. He brought this little child into his life to love him and provide for him just like he was his very own child. I don’t know if the term adoption was used back then or not, but that is exactly what Joseph did, he brought this little child into his family and Jesus became his son.
If you have been following our blog from the beginning, you may have remembered back in the middle of October that I needed to make a trip to Indianapolis to get a document redone for our paperwork. Well, that trip is over a 12 hour trip and you can get a lot of praying in when you are in a car by yourself for that long. I took full advantage of that opportunity. You see the trip was for my son and I never had any second thoughts about having to travel that far. I would have gone half way around the world if needed for my son, for any of my children. During my time of praying, God reminded me about the story of Joseph and how Joseph would have also done anything for his son.
When I finally stopped to rest for the night I looked up all of the scriptures I could find on Joseph. The more I read, the more I understood what a perfect model of a father Joseph was and how by following his examples I can become more of the fathers God has calls me to be. Joseph loved his family unconditionally, he gave up everything for them, he went so far as even going to Egypt, and yet it was never about himself but it was always about his family. In many ways that is how I have felt this whole adoption process has been for me. It has been mostly about Elijah, some about my wonderful wife and a lot about God and how He has worked in it all. I have kind of felt like the passenger in the back seat of the bus, but for those of you that really know my personality that is where I would prefer to be anyways, unseen, unheard, and in the back row. So reading and studying about Joseph has taught me many things, but mostly it has taught me how to become a better husband and better father.
There is one more piece to this story that God has shared with me and that happened when I arrived back home from my trip. Every year, we put a large lighted nativity set in our front yard for Christmas. It consists of Mary, Joseph, Jesus, 3 wise men, a shepherd and some sheep. When I arrived back home to my surprise Joseph was not working, he was the only set of lights that was not working. So when we drove up the road to our house you could see there was something that just wasn’t right about the scene. God used this image to show me that even though I would like to be the Joseph and not be seen, without me in the picture it is just not complete. So when I finally had some free time, I went to work to fix Joseph again. I am happy to say that he is now back in the picture and it looks much better. The scene is now complete again.
For all of the husbands/fathers out there that are going through the same process that I did, rest assured you are not alone. My prayer for you is that you like me may learn to become a little bit more like Joseph. That we learn to love and support our wives a little bit more each day and above all for the children, whose lives depend on us that we can be there for them in all of their needs.
Pat
Up to this point you have mainly been following the blog about our adoption through the words and posts by my wife, Jill, with a few additions from our daughter. She has done an extremely wonderful job sharing our story and it will be a great record for us to treasure and cherish in years to come of our adoption story and how we brought Elijah home to his forever family.
I thought that maybe it was about time to share just a little of myself and my feelings with all of you about Elijah and our adoption. I titled it “Becoming a Joseph”, and not because of the middle name we chose for our son, but because of the way I have learned to relate to Joseph, the father of Jesus in the Bible. I feel that I can understand him more and what he was like and maybe some of his feelings. You don’t read much about him in the bible, but what little there is you start to realize what type of man he must have been. How he took care of his wife (Mary) and his family, and how much he truly loved and sacrificed for his son.
You see Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus and he could have easily just turned his back and walked away, and no one would have thought bad of him for doing this. But through a calling on his life from God and the love he had for this little baby he became the true father that he was meant to be. He brought this little child into his life to love him and provide for him just like he was his very own child. I don’t know if the term adoption was used back then or not, but that is exactly what Joseph did, he brought this little child into his family and Jesus became his son.
If you have been following our blog from the beginning, you may have remembered back in the middle of October that I needed to make a trip to Indianapolis to get a document redone for our paperwork. Well, that trip is over a 12 hour trip and you can get a lot of praying in when you are in a car by yourself for that long. I took full advantage of that opportunity. You see the trip was for my son and I never had any second thoughts about having to travel that far. I would have gone half way around the world if needed for my son, for any of my children. During my time of praying, God reminded me about the story of Joseph and how Joseph would have also done anything for his son.
When I finally stopped to rest for the night I looked up all of the scriptures I could find on Joseph. The more I read, the more I understood what a perfect model of a father Joseph was and how by following his examples I can become more of the fathers God has calls me to be. Joseph loved his family unconditionally, he gave up everything for them, he went so far as even going to Egypt, and yet it was never about himself but it was always about his family. In many ways that is how I have felt this whole adoption process has been for me. It has been mostly about Elijah, some about my wonderful wife and a lot about God and how He has worked in it all. I have kind of felt like the passenger in the back seat of the bus, but for those of you that really know my personality that is where I would prefer to be anyways, unseen, unheard, and in the back row. So reading and studying about Joseph has taught me many things, but mostly it has taught me how to become a better husband and better father.
There is one more piece to this story that God has shared with me and that happened when I arrived back home from my trip. Every year, we put a large lighted nativity set in our front yard for Christmas. It consists of Mary, Joseph, Jesus, 3 wise men, a shepherd and some sheep. When I arrived back home to my surprise Joseph was not working, he was the only set of lights that was not working. So when we drove up the road to our house you could see there was something that just wasn’t right about the scene. God used this image to show me that even though I would like to be the Joseph and not be seen, without me in the picture it is just not complete. So when I finally had some free time, I went to work to fix Joseph again. I am happy to say that he is now back in the picture and it looks much better. The scene is now complete again.
For all of the husbands/fathers out there that are going through the same process that I did, rest assured you are not alone. My prayer for you is that you like me may learn to become a little bit more like Joseph. That we learn to love and support our wives a little bit more each day and above all for the children, whose lives depend on us that we can be there for them in all of their needs.
Pat
Days of Elijah Day 21
 |
| Hey, look where are coats are? :-) It was VERY nice today! |
Jill asked me to guest blog today. My name is Debbie and I am very honored to be here with Jill on this amazing journey God has placed before us. This is day 21 for Jill but day 3 for me. I arrived Monday morning by train and have been busy ever since. Today we started out the morning finishing up the last bit of paper chasing. It took longer than expected so we only got to see Elijah for 30 minutes. When we arrived, he was outside with his grouppa in the play area. As soon as he saw his mommy, he signed mama and made his way over to her. I stood back amazed watching this beautiful gift from God playing with his mommy. I mentioned to Jill that in the 3 days since coming, Elijah has gotten cuter each day. She said it is because he is now living! He is thriving on the love and attention he so desperately has needed and deserves. When we went back for our 2nd visit it was getting dark so we went to the indoor play area. He is all boy and loves to knock down block towers and bang on anything to make noise. He mimics anything you show him and works hard at learning new things. He loves to page through his forever family album and is beginning to point correctly to his family when Jill mentions each name. He is so smart!!!! I cannot wait to see what God has planned for this special little boy and am so grateful to be part of his life. Spending Christmas away from my family now seems all worth it because of Elijah. Very soon, perhaps by Friday he will be released from the prison doors of an orphange. Could there be a better gift this year than that?! Doubtful!
Now onto a more serious note:
Today while we outside one of Elijah's nannies who speaks very little english, gestured to me. She placed her hands over her heart and simply said "American's please help" and she pointed to her group of children. She told me through gestures she was sad Elijah was leaving but happy for him. She is asking for more Americans to come help with the other children. Her tenderhearted plea has made me cry today. I think of the children being left behind with no hope and no future. I have been asking God where I fit into all of this. For now, it is being a voice for these children. I am sending out a plea. For those of you reading this blog, if you have ever had thoughts/desires to adopt..do it! Do it now!. Time is of the essence. Each day these children wait is another day closer to their final destination..an instituition where they are left to defend for themselves and die. God has intended greater things for these children and it certainly is not where they are now. Make a difference..please.
This Christmas - Toby Mac
Be sure to watch/listen to this awesome song! :) (If you are on the blog, make sure to turn off the playlist at the bottom of the page!)
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Days of Elijah Day 20 - It's OFFICIAL - OFFICIAL!!!
Elijah is 100% Birschbach now!!! The birth certificate says so! :-) Praise God!!!
We had a very busy day, but very productive and wonderful! We left a little after 8AM and dropped Max off at the bus station. He was able to catch a bus back to his home city instead of waiting for the train tonight. I'm so grateful he was able to get home sooner. He is SOOO busy, especially this time of year. I'm SOOO grateful for all he did for us (including getting us a tour of the orphange yesterday - more on that a different day).
The driver helped us get in line to pick up the court decree. We waited on the same benches outside the judge's office while the secretary prepared the court decree...10 copies - all "stitched" together with thread with a seal over the knot so nothing could be added. It took a little while and no one was ushered past us in handcuffs, so it wasn't nearly as entertaining this time. :-) But, still very exciting!!!
The city itself was pretty hilly as well. Very narrow and steep streets.
After Yulia made the initial application, we had to wait about 45 minutes, so Debbie and I took a stroll around a bit of the city. (Have I mentioned this process is a lot of hurry up and wait?) The church above was right across from the Vital Records Office, so I used that as our landmark so we could get back again.
After the birth certificate was in hand, we booked it back to our city to get his new tax ID #. Yulia wanted to get in before they had their lunch break, and we made it. That stop was quick!
Next, we got to get my handsome son to bring him for his passport photo. The nannies had him all dressed up for this momentous occasion! Isn't he cute??? They found a little suit coat for him. :-) He was darling. They told Yulia they tried to find a bowtie for him, but couldn't. They did the best they could, but it breaks my heart and speaks to the poverty of this orphanage. His pants really were this pink (girl's pants), it's just not the photo. Like I said, they do the best they can with what they are given.
We waited at the passport office for our 3pm appt until 3:20, which is not too bad here actually. And guess what Stephanie?!? "Ursula" was in a pretty decent mood. Yulia was pretty surprised how nice she was. Yulia had warned us that this lady in charge of the passport office/photos was the most difficult to work with in the whole country. So, thank you for praying.
We finished up our day of running around by visiting our special guy after he had his snack that he missed while out getting photographed.
What's next???
We wait for the passport to come back from the capital city. Yulia said best case would be Friday, but, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we should be home by the end of the year! After we receive the passport here, we spring Elijah out of the orphanage, travel to the capital and have 2 business days at the embassy, then HOME! Please continue to pray us home and that Debbie's suitcase gets here before we have to leave. Guess where they found it??? O'Hare! Funny, huh?
We had a very busy day, but very productive and wonderful! We left a little after 8AM and dropped Max off at the bus station. He was able to catch a bus back to his home city instead of waiting for the train tonight. I'm so grateful he was able to get home sooner. He is SOOO busy, especially this time of year. I'm SOOO grateful for all he did for us (including getting us a tour of the orphange yesterday - more on that a different day).
The driver helped us get in line to pick up the court decree. We waited on the same benches outside the judge's office while the secretary prepared the court decree...10 copies - all "stitched" together with thread with a seal over the knot so nothing could be added. It took a little while and no one was ushered past us in handcuffs, so it wasn't nearly as entertaining this time. :-) But, still very exciting!!!
 |
| 10 copies - It's OFFICIAL!!!! |
The driver picked up Yulia from the train station while we waited and we headed off to Elijah's birth city to obtain a new passport. It was a beautiful ride, even though it was a bit hazy. The city we are in is pretty level (where people live anyway), but the ride to his city was mountainous.
 |
| A bit of snow on the mountain |
 |
| An Orthodox church with gold stars on the...what is that called? Onion dome things? |
 |
 |
| It was WARM here! Very, very mild! It was so refreshing to so much GREEN. These are irises and little pansies (not in bloom). |
 |
| Playing with the macro lens on Sarah's camera that I borrowed for the trip. (I had to throw that in there because I know she misses her camera. :-)) |
 |
| The outside of the Vital Records Office. Government offices are tucked in unique places here. But look at the pink sign on the right...scroll down. |
 |
| Juli - this one is for you! :-) It cracked me up that there was a Mary Kay office next to the office we got his birth certificate. LOL |
 |
| WOOHOO!!!! It's hard to believe ALL that went into getting this ONE piece of paper! 6 months of paper chasing, thousands of dollars, LOTS of love and a whole lotta prayer! Thank you! |
Next, we got to get my handsome son to bring him for his passport photo. The nannies had him all dressed up for this momentous occasion! Isn't he cute??? They found a little suit coat for him. :-) He was darling. They told Yulia they tried to find a bowtie for him, but couldn't. They did the best they could, but it breaks my heart and speaks to the poverty of this orphanage. His pants really were this pink (girl's pants), it's just not the photo. Like I said, they do the best they can with what they are given.
 |
| Elijah's first ride in a "machina" with his mama! He did really, really well through the whole process. |
We finished up our day of running around by visiting our special guy after he had his snack that he missed while out getting photographed.
What's next???
We wait for the passport to come back from the capital city. Yulia said best case would be Friday, but, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we should be home by the end of the year! After we receive the passport here, we spring Elijah out of the orphanage, travel to the capital and have 2 business days at the embassy, then HOME! Please continue to pray us home and that Debbie's suitcase gets here before we have to leave. Guess where they found it??? O'Hare! Funny, huh?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)