Tuesday, March 29, 2011

It's Finally Our Turn

I know I have left all of you hanging for a long time.  I am sorry!  We have had a fun, but busy few weeks.  My friend from Germany had to bear with the constant ups and downs of this adoption, but we also tried to do some fun things.  We enjoyed beautiful weather at the beach and saw a lot of dolphins.  We went shopping all over Metro Atlanta.  We got to enjoy the beauty of God's creation all around us. 
We even went to the circus-although you can "enjoy" the circus at our house at any time for free.  :)  But it was a fun, almost free event, so how could I resist?
Now that Ulla has returned home and our dossier is officially in Vika's country being translated and waiting to be submitted, she expects me to at least keep her updated here.  I promise I will update more frequently so you guys can follow along and pray with us through each new milestone.  Yes, we finally received our final approval (aka Golden Ticket) from the Department of Homeland Security.  YIPPEE!!!!  It was a rollercoaster ride to get it here, but through it all, God was so faithful.  Thanks to the Reynolds family, we got our dossier to Vika's country overnight, literally!  THANK YOU!!!
Speaking of the Reynolds family, please help lift them up in prayer as they are officially in country right now to adopt their two precious girls, Leigha and Aurora.  For anyone, who would like to make a commitment to be a prayer warrior for them as they are in country and completing their adoption and beyond, I will add a piece in your honor to their quilt in memory of their baby Dasha.  Please leave me a comment if you would like to have a part in this very important ministry. 
Vika-Legs in Full Casts
So, what can you expect from us over the next few weeks?  Well, right now all of our paperwork is being translated and will be submitted to the State Department of Adoption probably April 21 (since there is a two week shut-down in April).  Approximately one month after that we should be traveling to bring home Vika-Lord-willing.  After months of preparing, praying, and waiting, it feels so good to be here.  At the same time, it is very overwhelming at times to think of the reality of traveling in less than two months from now - having to raise the remaining of our funds, packing, making preparations for our house and our girls (yes, sadly, we have to leave them here), etc. 
 
But God has done so much for us since we first went on this journey.  I was reminded on Sunday in church, how great a price He had to pay for my salvation, my adoption into His family.  I deserved the cross, and yet Jesus died on the cross for ME, in my place!  All of the heartaches, all of the time spent, all of the hardships, all of the money spent, all of the sacrifices we have experienced through this adoption journey to Vika, don't even begin to come close to what Jesus did for us so we could be adopted into His family! 

Feels Like Pulling Teeth
Over the next few days, I will be posting some opportunities where you can get involved to help us raise the remaining funds to bring home Vika.  Our church is hosting a Spaghetti Fundraising Dinner for us (THANK YOU!!!), there will be a vote for a matching grant we applied for next Monday, we will have a special giveaway, hold a yard sale, a bake sale, and some other little fundraising efforts.  God has done great things for us, and I know He will continue to do so!  Thank you for your faithful support and prayers for us!  We need them now more than ever!

3 comments:

  1. Yeah! Dossier in U is great to hear! Congrats, can't wait to see you on your way!

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  2. Yay, you're getting closer every day!!! Praying for you guys!

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  3. YAY!!! I LOVE this news - oh how I wish we lived closeby so I could help you with all your fundraising efforts, NOT to mention finally meeting Vika's mommy, daddy, and sisters! You all continue to be in our prayers. Much love!

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