Where are things now?

It's been a while since we've shared with our family and friends where we are in the adoption process. The reason for that is much of our time has been spent obtaining/processing paperwork. All of the work we've (well, mostly my wonderful husband) been doing has been put together to form our dossier. This is a large packet of documentation that is sent to Latvia first for translation prior to review by the ministry of affairs. Once all of that takes place, we will receive an invitation to go to Latvia for our first court appearance (we will make 3 trips total). I am so happy, and thankful, to say that our dossier went to Latvia a week ago with a family traveling on their final adoption related trip! That is a HUGE weight lifted! We are now awaiting our information from the US Dept of Immigration. They have scheduled our fingerprinting (this will make the second time we will have to be fingerprinted) for Nov 5. Once that is done we should receive our immigration documents within approx 8 days. Then we will send that paperwork to Latvia.....and wait.

We heard from our adoption liason that our hopes of getting Viktorija here by Christmas are very slim. But, we know God's timing is best. We speak to Viktorija on the phone once a week. She sounds so good! She is so full of hope (thus the middle name we've chosen for her...HOPE). She seems at peace now with whatever the time frame is. Although, she would like to come home now, she has gained understanding about the adoption process through her foster mom, her psychologist, and our openness about each step of the process.

With every day that passes we love her even more. We so look forward to the day when we can hug her again! When we asked her what she is looking forward to most she responded, "to see you and hug you and kiss you". When asked what will be her favorite thing about coming to America she responed, "having a family!".

I try to imagine how it will feel for her to come home and know that she never has to leave again. All of the little things we take for granted, she thinks are fantastic. We have spent a lot of time in the mountains this month and we constantly find ouselves saying, "I'll bet Viktoirja would like to see that sunrise", or "I'll bet Viktorija would like to see the "Fall colors", and the list goes on. Everything will become so new again, looking through the eyes of a child.

Please pray for all the orphaned children that will be coming for 5 weeks at Christmas with New Horizons For Children. I've been watching their pictures on the website and with every child that is selected by a host family, I thank the Lord. This is another opportunity to make a huge impact on a child's life. I'm so thankful that we chose to follow God's lead in the Summer when we hosted Viktorija. I am now so humbled that I will be her mom. I can't imagine loving a child more!

anxiously waiting

Mike and I got away to the mountains for a couple of days this weekend. A much needed escape from the computer and paperwork. We made sure to get home in time to call Viktorija today (taking into account the 7 hour time difference). Last week was to be her first week in school since her hospital stay. She informed us that she missed Thurs and Fri due to a fever (cold and stomach ache). Mike and I just looked at each other with sadness when she told us that she was going to the doctor tomorrow. It seems like she's been sick since she returned to Latvia!! She never even had a sniffle while she was here with us. She expressed concern that if she didn't get well "maybe they wouldn't let her come to America". We tried to assure her that we are coming for her soon. She's a tiny girl. I don't know that her little body can take too much of this. She just needs to be here with us so we can get her the care she needs. I think stress and anxiety aren't helping the situation. She told us she was sad that she couldn't go to church today. She wanted to "talk to God". We told her that God listens no matter where you are.

This entire process is a lesson in faith. We have no other choice but to trust that God is in total control of this situation. He knows how much we want to be with Viktorija right now (esp. when she's sick). We covet your continued prayers for Viktorija, and for us as we move forward with the next step.

VIktorija on the mend

Viktorija was released from the hospital on Thursday (9/9)....FINALLY!! We spoke to her on the phone today and she sounded good. She is happy to be starting school on Monday. She said, "Now time will go fast since I will be in school". Of course, she wanted to know how "the documentation" was coming along (for the adoption). We continue to try and explain that everything will happen in God's time, and that we are working VERY hard to get things completed. I think Mike is trying to break an all-time record for the fastest adoption ever :-) Our final draft of the home study should be in our hands next week, and then we are on to step 2 (out of 3 major steps).

We had a pleasant surprise in the mail yesterday...our first letter from Viktorija. It was a 2 page letter that was quite newsy and well-written. She admitted to having some help with translation. But, it was very sweet and expressed her gratitude for bringing her to America and showing her the love of a family. The letter included a "portrait" of our family, drawn by her. It included her, Mike and me, and our two dogs, Cosmo and Rosie, and her stuffed animal, Ella. For those who don't rmember, Ella is the animal she created at build-a-bear workshop. I had placed a recorded message inside Ella's body that told Viktorija how much we love her. She stated in her letter that she sleeps with Ella every night and thinks of us.

Viktorija's desire and need for a family makes me realize how much we all take for granted. She has had 12 years to think about what it would be like to have a "real family". She will soon know, and we will spend the rest of our lives letting her know just how special she is and how blessed we are to have our daughter.

People have said to me that we are doing such a great thing adopting an older child. But, this is what Jesus did for me when I accepted Him as my savior at the age of 13. He "adopted" me into His family. If He could accept me at that age, with all my sin and rebellion, then our adoption of Viktorija is really a very small step of obedience to Him. God gave us this love for Viktorija, and He knew before I was even born, that someday I would be a mom to this special young girl. It is my hope and prayer that I will be the example of the godly, christian woman spoken of in Proverbs.

With all of the hours spent on research and paperwork (Mike says he's spent over 200 hours thus far!), the financial aspects, anxiety, and excitement, we believe we are taking the path God has paved for us. We are honored and excited that He shose us to be Viktorija's future parents! Thank you for your continued prayers.

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:-)