moving forward

We've spoken to Viktorija on the phone 8 times in a week and a half. She should be released from the hospital on Thursday. She will then have to stay out of school for 1 week before she can join her classmates in school. Being in the hospital with no TV and little to do, she spends her time thinking about coming to America to live, what American school will be like, and most of all, "can I come to America in December?". That is a question we get with EVERY phone call:-) When we spoke on Friday, she told us she had a list of 5 questions she wanted to ask us. Three of those questions were related to school, one was about when she can come to America (of course), and the last thing she had written was, "Thank you for wanting me". We wish she could be with us now. But, instead, our lives have been busy with the endless paperwork, online studies, meetings, and running hither and yon for necessary documents. We had our final home study visit last Friday (8/27). Once the homestudy report is complete, the next step is the immigration process and dossier preparation. Immigration approval can take up to 2-3 months . Of course, we are fervently praying that this happens much quicker!

Viktorija's education is a priority. We found out that putting her in a public school in not an option until her adoption is finalized (that will take about a year). So, we are in prayer about what is going to be best for Viktorija. We have an appointment with Southlake Christain Academy this Friday. There are so many unknowns....at what grade level will she test? Will she be able to start mid-year? Will she get the assistance she might need in regards to language? Throughout all of this, my job situation might be changing. My priority is to be available for Viktorija after school everyday. I'm not sure that my employer is willing to agree to this.

There are days I feel the stress and pressure of all of this, and I wonder what we are thinking...Mike is a rock and and doesn't seem to worry at all as he plows through all of the paperwork/budgeting. Then I remember that this is the path God has chosen for us and we need to be trusting and faithful to Him.

Viktorija Hospitalized!

When we called to speak to Viktorija again today, we were told she was in the hospital. Very scary! The young boy who answered the phone did well to understand and explain in English that she was sick. He gave us Viktorija's cell phone number and we called immediately. She was excited to hear our voices. Apparently her "mom" had taken her to the hospital with a high fever. She was trying to tell us that she had lots of shots and would be in the hospital for about 10 days. She called it "mening". Is that meningitis?!?! Since we don't know for certain what is happening to our child, we've contacted our adoption liason, who will then make contact with the Latvian adoption attorney, to find out the actual situation for us. Talk about hard....we immediately felt scared for her, and want to be there to hug her and support her. Please pray for Viktorija's health.

We spoke on the phone for about 35 minutes! Her spirits were up as she spoke about the adoption. She said that from now on she would refer to us as mom and dad. She was also telling us that she has had a sad life since her birth mother left her at the orphange when she was 4 yrs old. She stated that before coming to America and meeting us, she felt like she had a terrible life. Now she said, "I know that Jesus has a beautiful plan for my life". "He meant for you to be my parents". We, too, believe that God placed this angel in our lives for a special purpose. I'm praising our heavenly Father for the fact that she does know that God has a plan for her life!! She told me she misses our hugs and kisses everynight at bedtime. She said, "Julie, I wish I could hug you". She explained that in her foster home nobody gives goodnight hugs and kisses.

I'm sure many of us take for granted that we have family routines. I will never take that for granted again! We can't fully imagine what these children feel or what they've gone through. But, if in the end, they know that they DO have a purpose, they can blossom and become all that God wants them to be.

Hearing Viktorija's sweet voice....

Today was a wonderful blessing! We were able to call our sweet Viktorija for the first time!! We did not have the luxury of a translator like we were hoping. But, we actually did fine. She was able to understand most everything we said to her. And, she is still doing well with her English. She told us she cries sometimes when she sees a family beacuse she doesn't have a daddy and mommy. At that time is when we asked her if she would like to be adopted by us. There was shocked, momentary silence on the other end of the line. The she said, "what?" We, once again, explained that we wanted to be her parents forever. She gave an excited "yes!" and told us she has been praying to God everyday that she could come back to us. Of course, we were choking back the tears. Then she told us that she has been continuing to read her Bible every night too. This also choked me up. What a blessing to know that she might realize that Jesus does have a plan for her, and that she is so loved by Him, and us. We had made Viktorija a photo book of her time with us to take back to Lativa with her. She has been proudly showing it to her foster family and friends. Apparently many have said that she looks like me and Mike, and we all looked like a family. Little did she know at the time that we wanted so badly to make her a part of our family. Now she knows our intent and that she is WANTED. Now she wants to know "When, When, When?" That, we don't have an answer for at this point. But we tried to let her know that we are doing everything we can to come and get her (it was hard to explain without translation). Our phone call was truly a gift!

We have been forging onward with all the documentation and requirements necessary for this process. Mike has worked so diligently! I'm truly thankful for all he has been doing. I know if he could leave for Latvia tomorrow, he would go! He is doing everything he can to help expedite this whole process as quickly as possible.

For those that are keeping us in your prayers, the following are some specific prayers we have:

1) Viktorija ( in general)

2) Funding this adoption.

3) A smooth and speedy process

4) Safe travels (3 trips to Latvia are required)

5) Getting Viktorija enrolled in school and English tutoring

6) Our patience as we proceed

THANKS to all of you very special people who continue to support us through encouragement and prayer!!.

The begining of our journey

It has been almost 2 weeks since our precious Viktorija returned to Latvia. We miss her so much!! The first couple of days we shed many tears. But, by day 3 we were ready to get busy with all the mounds of paperwork, meetings, and background checks required for adoption. Mike has worked diligently on getting all the paperwork in order. I've been truly amazed at his fortitude and determination! Being an engineer has taught him to cross every "t" and dot every "I" many times. This will prove quite valuable as we move along in the process.

Thus far we have had part of our home study done, sent in our application paperwork, gotten fingerprinted, and a criminal backgroud check done. Although we've done a lot so far, there will be so much more ahead of us. We each have 10 hours of online training to do, specifically for a Latvian adoption, in addition to everything else.

I've heard from other adoptive parents that this process can be EXTREMELY frustrating. But, honestly, we feel pretty calm. God has placed wonderful, christian people in our path. We feel very confident in the knowledge and efficiency of our home study agency, as well as our adoption liason (agency). Our patience may be tested along the way, but God's timing and plan are perfect. He knows when Viktorija is coming home, and we will accept that.

Our liason, Kelly, spoke with the attorney in Lativa (she handles all of the adptions in Latvia) to ask if Vikotrija has been "cleared" for adoption, and if she wanted to be adopted. Within 5 hours we had a resounding "YES" to both questions!!! Praise the Lord for that! The attorney even got phone numbers from where she is living!! The next step we are working on is making contact with Viktorija via phone. Some coordination will have to take place...they are 7 hours ahead of us, we need a translator to have a 3-way call with us, and we have to make sure she will be at home when we call. I pray that within the next several days we will hear her sweet voice.
We want to tell her ourselves that WE want to make her a permanent part of our family, and that we love her very much.

I just wanted to give an update for those that are wondering what we've been doing since she left. Busy, busy, busy!! Please continue your prayers. We thank you:-)

Our Farewell

It's hard to believe that 5 weeks ago we stood anxiously and nervously in the airport awaiting the arrival of our host child, Viktorija. I was so nervous, I felt as though my chest would explode! Fast forward to today...Viktorija's departure. We could NEVER have imagined how difficult the "good-byes" would be. Tracey went with us to the airport to take pictures. You could see the sadness in the eyes of all the host families. Certainly many tears were shed. Those that are planning to move forward with adoption had, at least, that bit of comfort. The hard part was not being able to tell Vikotorija that we want her. In case something should happen that an adoption couldn't happen, they don't want the children's hopes dashed.

We had time at the airport together before they took the children through the gate. We played a couple of games of UNO to keep her distracted. But, as the time drew near I could sense her anxiety. Moments before she had to leave us, we prayed. She then clung to me and shed the first tears I have seen from her in all of the 5 weeks she's been here. It was truly heartwrenching. I was doing my best not to sob uncontrollably. As she walked away, I felt such an emptiness. It was like our own child was leaving us. Another host family that we've had the privilege of getting to know, Kirk and Beth Blevins, understood completely. I thank the Lord we had each other to lean on. These are special people that I feel will be a part of our lives forever.

Yesterday Viktorija was given a gift of $10.00 by Mike's mom. She asked Mike if she could go shopping and get something for me. She came home with a a lovely candle (that smells wonderful!), and a silver necklace with a dolphin on it. She knows I like dolphins. It was quite touching that she would do something so thoughtful and unselfish. I don't know when I'll take the necklace off:-)

Last night, Viktorija was reading about the birth of baby Jesus in her Bible. I asked if she knew why Jesus was born. And, she told me so He could die for us. I was happy to know that she understood this. She promised to continue reading and learning English.

I'm so thankful that we listened to God's call to be a part of the hosting program. This has been by far one of the best experiences of our lives. God has worked a miracle in our lives, and we are trusting Him as we continue on this journey. For all of you prayer warriors out there, we need your prayers for a smooth and speedy adoption process. Our hope and wish is to have her with us by Christmas. But, this will probably take a miracle.

Below is a message (in English) that Mike gave to Viktorija (in Latvian) scented with his cologne (she likes Mike's cologne) that I think sums it up best....

When God makes parents

He places a special hole in their hearts.

One place for each child He wants to send.

Sometimes that child grows out of love,

safe and warm under her mother’s heart

until she is ready to meet the world.

But sometimes God sees two people

With open hearts and empty arms.

So the angels spread out, searching high and low,

and east and west, for just the right children.

Then tenderly, carefully they guide them home.

Viktorija, since the day your angels led you to us,

We have loved you and have yearned to be there for you.

Now our hearts are yours, and our arms are open.

Thank you, God, for Viktorija!

For our friends that think this blog is coming to an end, you're incorrect. We may not blog as frequently, but we will keep you all posted on the progress of our future with Viktorija. Thank you all for being a part of this journey with us. We love and appreciate each one of you. Your prayers and encouragement are invaluable.

Sincerely,

Mike and Julie