Prayer, Petition, Thanksgiving...

Charlie and I certainly haven't been bored since I last updated our blog.   But I've been a bit of a "bump on a blog" (my new nickname bestowed upon me by Charlie, which really was quite funny when he said it), because I've been busy praying, petitioning and giving thanks over a few things... it is now time to share, as we believe, we are still on the right path, and God remains on His throne.

This past week we were told by our facilitator, Konstantin that it looks as if we'll be headed to Ukraine the middle to end of December.  In the very beginning of our adoption process, we had hoped to bring Lena home this summer past.  We then learned that Lena had never been put on the National Registry in Ukraine, which means, that a child is available for adoption only by a Ukrainian Citizen for a period of one year, prior to being available for international adoption.  Lena had been in the orphanage (actually it is a boarding school, not all children in the school are orphans) for 5 years, and for some unknown reason had never been placed on the registry.  It was the end of November of last year, fairly early in process, that we received this information, so we assumed we were looking at the end of October or first of November to travel.  Then very recently, it was changed to the end of November, first of December.  Keeping in mind we have been told from the beginning that the time frame was uncertain.  But really how often do we "believe" we're living in uncertainty??  Gotta put a name to it, a date to it, a reason for it... anyway we finally believe that we have received accurate information, not that anyone was trying to deceive, we've just been working with incomplete information, which seems to be the way it is when working with any government agency, home or abroad.  It has now been confirmed that Lena has successfully passed local and regional registrations and has been successfully registered at the SDA (State Department of Adoption) level and will become available for international adoption sometime during the period of December 16th through the 28th. 

So now let me explain why this information was cause for some serious prayer and petition. 
The longer we wait, the larger the chance that another vote could take place to put a moratorium on adoptions, actually the vote is again scheduled for October 8th.  We're hopeful it will once again be postponed, or voted down.  Another reason, everything shuts down during the Christmas (keep in mind that Ukraine celebrates Christmas January 7th, so it will be a very long holiday season) and New Years Holidays, the SDA, courts, and U.S. Embassy.  Could a 3 to 4 week trip turn into 5 or 6??  
And it was our hope (more like counting on) that the adoption would be completed by the end of this year, so we could take advantage of the "$13,000 adoption tax credit" this coming year.
 
So now on to the Thanksgiving.
Last Tuesday and Wednesday, the guys from our church were out to finish Lena's bedroom!  Actually they got all but a couple things completed, but were here yesterday to finish it up.  It's absolutely perfect!!  Words can't express how grateful Charlie and I are for the work that's been done, and the hearts that it took to complete it.  Lena's bed is made, and pictures are on the wall.  I still have a few more decorative things to do, and then the only thing missing will be Lena.
Then this past Saturday, Charlie and I were able to spend another hour on the phone with Lena with the help of Galyna.  It was just as wonderful and fun as the first time.  Lena was excited to begin English lessons with a tutor that Konstantin was able to set up for us.  Her first lesson was yesterday.  Lena laughed and said, NOOO!, when Charlie told her that next time we talked we would not be using Galyna, that she would be her own translator.  :]

This is what we hear God telling us, and notice, it is not a suggestion, we're told to do it, it is possible.  
Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always, I, will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts in minds in Christ Jesus.

So we plan on spending Christmas in Ukraine!!  Actually 2 Christmases, we'll celebrate ours the 25th of December, Ukraine's on January 7th.  Our first Christmases and a New Year spent with Lena, how great is that!!

Vote smote... nothing happens without HIS ok.  Remember?

And what's $13,000??  We've seen Him do much bigger things than that!

We would ask, as our journey continues, please continue to pray and petition with thanksgiving with us!

Charlie and the "bump on the blog"  :]

Lena's room is ready!

only thing missing is Lena...

stars on her ceiling!

Libby on her bed... :]

Giving Thanks.

Today has been a very good day. 

To that I say,
Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthians 5:57

Early this morning we received this information from our facilitator, Konstantin:
"Ukrainian parliament just POSTPONED THE VOTING on introduction of moratorium on international adoptions based on request of Parliamentary Committee on Youth and Sports, which sent a letter to Head of Parliament stating they need more time to prepare the proper language as to moratorium and align accompanying legislation. No new date on voting was discussed.  My guess is that several months will pass before parliament will return to this issue.  I will keep you posted as I hear more news."
Later he explained further why he is thinking it will be several months....in short to wait on Russia and follow in their footsteps. They are working with the US now on a bilateral agreement without a moratorium. So we could see the same down the road with Ukraine.

Slept well last night, knowing that there were a incredible number of people praying, which even the thought of is both amazing and humbling, and knowing that nothing happens without HIS o.k. (thanks Roxie, well said).   

So the postponement of the vote would have been enough to make my day, but having the guys here today and tomorrow from our Church to finish Lena's bedroom has absolutely put this day down on the list of best days.  And if that wasn't enough, we also heard from Konstantin regarding our dossier, it was received yesterday, and is already being translated!  Giving Lena the credit on that one, think her comment about making our dossier "FIRST PRIORITY" may have had something to do with it... :]

Charlie and I look forward to talking with Lena again Saturday morning, and are grateful that we will have nothing but good news to report!

Mind if I break out in song again?   Our God is greater!  Our God is Stronger!  God you are higher than any other!! 

Dossier done, and headed to Ukraine!!

Success!!  Today Charlie and I were successful in getting our dossier out the door and headed to Ukraine! 
I feel a huge sense of relief, some of which I believe comes from the thought that we have finally accomplished something so tangible, substantial, something that leads us closer to bringing Lena home... 

This evening Charlie and I are not going to think about what documents need to be completed, we are not going to wonder if there are any errors, if someone has received a document, who needs to return a document, if we will ever see that document again... about appointments and instructions, if the language is correct, that there are no corrections or marks, or edits or writing over, that the documents are impeccably clean and tidy, that our dossier is complete.

This evening we are tired, yet refreshed. 
 
Godspeed dossier.  We look forward to following after soon...

Have to admit... Our God is Greater.

Have to admit, the first several days after hearing the news of the vote taking place in the Ukrainian Parliament next week, I was having a difficult time focusing on anything but the possibility of a negative outcome.  I kept trying to take every thought captive, to reflect on the truth of who God is, and trust in His plan, no matter.  But the negative thoughts and the raw feeling in the pit of my stomach persisted.  Things began to look up this past Saturday morning when Chris Tomlin serenaded me with:
There is an endless song
Echoes in my soul
I hear the music ring
And though the storms may come
I am holding on
To the rock I cling

How can I keep from singing Your praise
How can I ever say enough
How amazing is Your love
How can I keep from shouting Your name
I know I am loved by the King
And it makes my heart want to sing

I will lift my eyes
In the darkest night
For I know my Savior lives

And I will walk with You
Knowing You'll see me through
And sing the songs You give

Charlie on the other hand, has had a sense of peace all along.  He shared with me on Sunday morning, that when praying, he had clearly heard God's voice say, "all will be fine". 
That along with the words:

Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome and power
Our God, Our God...

And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
What can stand against?

Which we sang at church on Sunday, was just what I needed to hear to bring me back to a place of peace.

Which also turned out to be extremely timely (anyone surprised, certainly not me), because today Charlie and I were heading to Phoenix to have our Dossier apostilled and forwarded on to Ukraine (we received our I171H form this past Friday)!

But it ended up being a monumentally unsuccessful day...  Charlie and I had just driven through the wide spot in the road of Peeples Valley, when I realized I had left a dossier document on our copier at home, we turned around to retrieve it.  It was a close call, but we got back on the road, we were good to go. We arrived at the Secretary of States Office in Phoenix an hour and 45 minutes later for apostilles.  It is there we discovered Charlie's salary statement needed to go to Springfield Mo. for apostille, which I should have known, this due to our marriage license needing to go to CA for apostille (documents must be apostilled in state where notarized).  Charlie and I made the decision to go ahead and send what we had, and forward his salary statement on, in a couple days.  We then drove 20 miles to the nearest DHL shipping location (carrier recommended), Charlie suggests I check the documents one more time just to make sure we have them all.  It is then that I realize the gal at the SSO stapled two separate documents together with one apostille, good grief, we then had to drive 20 miles back for the document to be separated and apostilled... so a 20 mile return trip to DHL, and we find out our dossier will cost $180.00! to ship to Ukraine, and then another $80.00! to ship Charlie's salary statement (1 page mind you) in a couple days. Some evaluation, decision made, we will wait a few days and send everything together.  So I ask Charlie, "you think God is trying to tell us something?"  He say's, "nope it's definitely Satan, God would have just had us shot".  :]  Yep, an absolutely ridicules day, couldn't help but laugh.  Good news, we made it home safely!  So please keep those prayers coming, we're gonna need them again in another day or two... :]

We continued to laugh when we read an email we received from Konstantin, our facilitator in Ukraine, Lena is aware that our dossier is headed that way.  Apparently she was in touch with him today, giving these instructions, "make sure when Charlie and Judy's documents arrive, they are translated FIRST PRIORITY, ahead of any other families who may be in line for translation"!  Charlie and I would have to agree!  :]

Still singing our God is Greater!

PLEASE PRAY WITH US!!

We've heard that International Adoptions can be quite a rollercoaster ride, up until now it's been pretty smooth... below is a note we received from our facilitator, Konstantin yesterday, can't say we loved hearing the news, but are keeping the faith, and proceeding as planned.  We may not have control over the outcome, but we know who does, and we will trust HIM. 
Although I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm anxious for the week of the 20th to come and go... It's been a long 24 hours, I have a feeling it's going to be a long 12 to 15 days.
Charlie and I ask you to continue to pray with us over the next 2 weeks. 

Dear all, Ukrainian parliament returned to work 2 days ago and today the official schedule of bills was published for September. The rumors that voting on moratorium on international adoptions are being confirmed: the voting to suspend international adoptions will take place between September 21 – 24, 2010. The language remains the same: introduce moratorium on international adoptions with foreign countries which have not signed bilateral agreements with Ukraine specifying adoption procedures. United States has not signed such agreement yet. Who will be affected by moratorium (families with submitted dossiers or families already in country or families who had court hearing) is not clear yet.

As of today my guess whether moratorium will in fact be supported is 50%. Previous voting on the same subject with same language did not receive enough votes on June 1, 2010.
I hope to know more in coming days and if I get more news – I will share it. Thank you for keeping Ukrainian orphans who are hostages in political games in your prayers. K.

Charlie and I asked the following questions, and received the following answers:

How big was the margin of votes against this moratorium in June?
THEY LACKED ABOUT 50 VOTES OUT OF 225 THEY NEEDED TO VOTE FOR IT.
Do you see support for the moratorium growing?
HARD TO SAY, WILL KNOW MORE NEXT WEEK.
What is Ukraine looking for in a bilateral agreement with the US concerning adoptions?
LISENCING FOREIGN AGENCIES IN UKRAINE (MAKING ADOPTIONS MORE EXPENSIVE FOR PEOPLE WHO DO IT INDEPENDENTLY), PUSHING MORE REPORTING FROM FAMILIES ON DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN.
Are the children/Lena aware of this vote coming up?
NO, AT LEAST NOT YET.

We also know that adoptions in Ukraine have been put on hold only once aftering many attempts to suspend or stop them, I believe that year was 1996.

So am attempting to hold on to Psalm 37:3
Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Delight yourself in the Lord
and He will give you the desires of your heart.  You know what that is...

71 minutes of pure JOY!

This past Saturday morning, Charlie, Lena and I had our first phone conversation together, it was 71 minutes of pure joy!!

With the help of Galyna we were able to connect with Lena in a way we had yet to do... it felt natural, it felt right.

Lena has a wonderful sense of humor!  She's quick!  Something we had not experienced through our email correspondence.  Of course Charlie, being Charlie, teased her a bit, and I'm delighted to report that Lena definitely gave him a run for his money.  Not only is she quick, but her delivery was right on, even with a translator!  Soo soo fun!  I believe Charlie is, and will be in need of much prayer, I'm convinced that Lena has already succeeded in wrapping him around her little finger, there is absolutely no doubt she is wrapped around his heart.  My heart. 

We talked of, horses of courses, none will be staying in her room, but she thinks she wants to sleep in the guestroom in the barn from time to time to be close to them, she will be taking GREAT care of them.  She likes the idea of taking riding lessons, and thinks learning to jump obstacles might be fun. She understands that there may be times when she might become angry with us as we parent her, but she tells us she will sit and think about what we are telling her, and will know we have her best interest at heart, we told her we would remind her of this conversation when the time comes... :]  She tells us that she is almost always in a good mood, which we agreed is a wonderful way to live.  She is excited to compete in volleyball, and is looking forward to the opportunity to travel to new places, she says she is happy to go anywhere!  A wonderful idea that she once saw for her room, are stars on the ceiling, so at night she can look up and see them shinning above her.  No problem there... when we asked if she needed anything, her reply, "would it be possible to send me a fly mask for Uncle Peti's horse Sultan.  I would like to give Uncle Peti (a friend), a gift for letting me spend time with Sultan."  Absolutely!  What a very nice thing to do.

Of course so much more was shared, most importantly to report, both Charlie and I hung up feeling as if our hearts might explode, and both on a mission, Charlie's, to buy a fly mask, mine to find some sticky glow in the dark stars... :]

Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The Lord has done great things for them." 
Psalm 126:5

~ and boy oh boy are we filled with laughter and songs of joy!!

We look forward to our next conversation, and we won't be waiting long...

Update: We're still waiting on our I171H form to arrive, hoping to find it in the mailbox this week.  We were also told this weekend that it looks as if our travel to Ukraine will be the end of November, or possibly the first part of December.  We have understood from the beginning that travel time is uncertain, but had hoped it would be early November... Charlie and I trust that God's timing is perfect.  But will also be praying for sooner rather than later.  We invite you to join us in that prayer.

All this and Jesus too?

The Puritan sat down to a meal of bread and water and prayed,

"All this and Jesus too?"

Overwhelmed by Jesus and His love for us...  That's how I'm feeling.

We have been in touch with Galyna (translator), she is excited to help, and we are so excited to receive her help.  Galyna worked with the Goodness Family in communicating with Kristina by phone, when we explained who we were, and how we came to contact her it became a celebration.  Seems Galyna had not only spoke with Kristina, but Lena too!  She told us how Lena had shared about us, that Lena was happy that she would soon be moving to America with her new family, that they lived in Arizona, and had horses!  I really enjoyed hearing about ourselves from Lena's perspective through a person we had just met by phone.  Surprisingly not strange at all, just absolutely wonderful...  so this Saturday morning, 6:45am our time, 9:45am Galyna's time, and 4:45pm Lena's time, Charlie and I will be enjoying a chat with Lena with Galyna's assistance.

All this and Jesus too?

This morning I had the pleasure of speaking with Linda Goodness again.  Positive, fun, generous, insightful, brave, kind, encouraging, passionate, wise, that along with a contagious laugh and a wealth of information that she shares about their own experience so unselfishly is what I'm finding in my new friend. And then she did the sweetest thing, she put Kristina on the phone! I spoke with Kristina! She has a beautiful voice, and is speaking English. I told Kristina we hope to bring Lena home in November, she said, "Thank you, Thank you."

All this and Jesus too?

Kristina asked me to tell Lena hello, which I will gladly do Saturday morning.  Kristina is home, and doing great!

All this and Jesus too!!