And then we were HOME!!!!

Yes, we are home!  Praise the Lord!  I am sorry I did not update you all sooner!  Thank you for all your prayers!  I felt myself carried in prayer the whole way home and I am so grateful.  Eliisa did AWESOME!!!  We had no problems when we went through immigration and the officer who handled our case was by far the kindest officer that I have met in this entire journey or during any other dealings I have with any government entity!  All glory be to our Lord!  I will fill you in on all the details very soon and upload some pictures.  Our wonderful friend Gretchen and her son Ari were at the airport to capture our homecoming in pictures.  We are so BLESSED!  Please keep Gretchen and her husband Craig in their prayers as they are about to travel for their second trip to have court for their son, Ian.  He is also in Eastern Europe, but in a country that is MUCH more difficult to adopt from than where Eliisa was.  You can follow their journey, here.  :)  More to come soon!  Thank you for all your prayers!!!  Keep the coming as we are adapting to our new life at home.  Right now, we are "baby proofing" on a whole new level.  :) 

We are Homeward Bound and One More BIG Prayer Request

Praise the Lord, we will be leaving for home early tomorrow morning.  We will be leaving our "home" at about 3:30 a.m. (or 8:30 p.m. ET today in the U.S.) to head to the airport.  I can hardly believe it!  The medical appointment and embassy took us pretty much all day, but we got it all done.  There is however one small problem with Vika's passport, and that is why we really need your prayers.  Since Eliisa has two middle names, they were unable to put both on her passport in this country.  They were supposed to write out her full name on another page within the passport, but they failed to do so.  So, her immigrant visa and her birth certificate have her full name; however, her passport does not.  The officer at the embassy said, this may be a problem when we immigrate into the United States.  PLEASE PRAY that there will be NO problems.  I know both Eliisa and I will be very worn out by the time we reach immigration after a long day of flying, and there is really nothing that I can do either.  Thank you for praying us through this entire journey and praying us home!  Your love, encouragement, comments, and prayers mean so much to us, and we could never have made it to this point without you!  I am finishing up some last minute packing, and then we will be ready to leave in a few short hours.  I will do my best to let everyone know that we made it home!  I'm sorry, no pictures today.  I did not even take my camera with me today.  Here we come! 

Still Here! :)

Yes, we are still here, still in the capital city of Eliisa's country and still in the rain, but still hanging in there and still alive!  :)  I'm sorry I did not update the blog yesterday.  I had put Eliisa to bed, and THREE hours later, she was still not sleeping!  I was a little weary to say the least! 
Yesterday, we ventured on the metro to finally meet up with the Colemans.  They were delayed even longer than we were delayed with their interpol clearance, and so the Lord worked it out that we could see each other in "real" life!  We are so thankful for all they did for us!  It was wonderful to meet them, their daughter, Ashley's mom, and their newly adopted son!  Ashley had fixed a wonderful lunch, and we just talked and kept Eliisa entertained for a while.  It was so nice to be able to fellowship and pass the time more quickly.  I think Eliisa also enjoyed being able to get out of the "house."  And although it had rained on and off during the day, both coming and going, we did not get rained on!  What a blessing.

We were not able to go to our second embassy appointment today because Eliisa's passport has not made it here yet.  It is supposed to be on the overnight train right now, and should be arriving in this city tomorrow morning at 6 a.m.  Please pray that there will be no problems, or we could be delayed again. I am so thankful that it was issued today and that it is on the train here!  So, tomorrow, we will have the medical appointment first (it's required in order to obtain the visa), and then at 2 p.m. we will have our embassy appointment.  We may run into the Colemans again for both of those appointments as they are also finishing up tomorrow and Lord-willing traveling home on Saturday.  So, this morning, I planned to get out and do something on our last day of having nothing to do.  It was raining, but not constantly, so I decided to take the Metro with Eliisa and visit a beautiful park.  It took me a while to orient myself once we got off the Metro and it was raining pretty heavy, but we were able to find the park, enjoy playing on the playground, and just walking through the park and enjoying the beauty while the sun peaked through the clouds.  Eliisa really enjoyed the playground, but she has obviously hardly experienced a playground in her life.  She had no idea what she was supposed to do on the slide.  But then once she did it a couple of times, she couldn't get enough of it.  I am glad that I brought the stroller for this adventure, because it would have been way too much walking for her.  We stopped and picked up a late lunch and then headed back to our room in the seminary to skype with Abe and the girls.  Eliisa is definitely seeking any attention she can get, even if it is negative attention. She has a tantrum every time I am on the phone.  It is really amazing how quickly she figured that out.  :)  Lord-willing, things will settle down as we get home and get into a routine as a family!  I took a few pictures of the last couple of days for you to experience these last few days with us.  I will try to update you all with a quick update tomorrow.  Lord-willing, we will be leaving the apartment around 3 a.m. on Friday morning (which is really still Thursday in the U.S.) to get to the airport for our flight to Amsterdam (just for you Leanne!:)), and then from there back to Atlanta.  I am praying that we will be able to get window seats for our transatlantic flight so that it will be a little easier on the people around us.  :) 

Embassy Part 1-DONE!!!

This morning at 9 a.m. was our first embassy appointment.   I was a little nervous with all the paperwork stuff-which turned out to be completely unnecessary!  We have been through so much paperwork-this was a walk in the park!  I was picked up by a taxi, who had a little difficulty finding where I was at, so we had to walk a little to where he was in the rain.  Then we had to get the passport pictures from Y.'s husband, who also had a difficult time finding us.  But we found each other, and eventually the driver found the embassy, and I found Niko-a little late but it was no problem!  He is such a wonderful driver and "helper."  He had all the remaining documents I needed save one.  He checked to make sure that I had everything I needed and walked me inside the embassy past a long line of people standing in the pouring rain waiting for their turn.  Eliisa's ticket out of her country is an easy one as a child of an American citizen.  For most people who want to leave this country even just for vacation to America, it is VERY difficult-most will never be granted permission to leave for fear that they will leave and NEVER return.  If you wonder how I know this for sure, I recently spoke with someone who is from Eliisa's country and how he applied for exactly such a visa to leave this country, and all the hurdles he had to go through to get it.  In the end, it was a divine act of God that he actually got permission to leave. 
Anyways, I went through security screening and then was ushered into another building where a kind officer helped go through all the paperwork to make sure it was completed correctly and that I had everything.  We paid our fees and out the door we were.  We will return either Wednesday or Thursday (depending on when we get the passport) at 2 p.m. for our second appointment where we will officially receive a bundle of paperwork and Eliisa's visa, and we will be FREE to come home!  Hallelujah!!!
The past few days since returning to the capital city have not been an easy transition.  Yes, Eliisa has done extremely well and continues to do well for the circumstances that she is going through.  Over the past five years, she has acquired some very typical though very challenging orphanage behaviors, most of them she probably acquired during the last year in the institution where she was at.  She has a difficult time expressing her needs and controlling her behavior when she is frustrated or hurt or needs something.  She does not know how to understand "No," and that "No" really means "No" in mama's book.  It is my responsibility as her mama to keep her safe, so there are times when I have to say no even when I know all that she has been through and my heart hurts for her.  She is also having a very difficult time going to sleep at night.  NOT because she is not tired, but simply because she is being exposed to so many new experiences.  We have also had a LOT of rain, and getting out is very difficult in the rain in a city where no one speaks your language, and a society that has very little tolerance for children with disabilities.  Eliisa has some very typical food issues as well.  For example, if I give her food in her hand to put in her mouth, she will not put it in her mouth, but rather hold onto it forever in case there is nothing more to come.  Also, when it comes closer to the end of a meal, she will start to just keep the food in her mouth rather than swallow it.  Again for fear that she will not get something else later.  Many of the issues she faces are typical for a 6-12 month old.  It will take time to give her the security she needs to know that we love her unconditionally, and that we will be here to provide for all of her needs-physically, spiritually, and emotionally. 
At no point in this adoption journey, did I doubt that it was God's will for us to adopt Eliisa.  However, I have had plenty of doubts that I/we would be capable to finish this journey, and to bring her home, and to give her what she needed to heal from the past wounds and to overcome the physical and emotional difficulties she has.  However, the Lord is reminding me daily that He is NOT asking me to be capable to give her everything she needs, but He is asking me to be a moldable vessel to be used by Him to give her everything she needs.  I am learning how to be that vessel of clay that the Lord needs me to be, and sometimes, just like in the hands of a potter, it requires some "beating, bending, and stretching."  I have given Him plenty of resistance as He has been trying to mold me. Lately, it has required a lot of bending, beating, and stretching, and I am sure in the weeks to come, there will be much more. :) Please pray for strength and endurance as we make it through these past few days here in Eliisa's country.  I am weary and lonely and ready to come HOME!  I know it is tough on Eliisa to be in this place of transition as well.  There are only so many things you can do in a little room on a rainy day!  :)  Also pray for Abe and the girls as they prepare for us to come home.  This second trip has been harder on all of us, and the lack of communication with each other has made it even harder. 
I have no new pictures of our day today, as it was cold, windy, and VERY rainy, but I have the promised pictures that Alla sent me.  Enjoy!  :) 

Guess, what I got to hear today?

Well, I heard a lot of things today.  Most of the things I heard, I can very gladly live without, but today, I got to hear this:

Other than that, it was another rainy day in the big city.  :)  Tomorrow morning will be our first embassy appointment.  Please pray that I have all the forms and that they are all filled out correctly.  We are nearing our final day.  PLEASE come quickly FRIDAY!!! 

A Rainy Day in the Big City

The whole time we were in our region, we did not have ANY rain, and since I have been to the capital city with Eliisa, it has rained every day.  :)  Eliisa did not sleep too soundly during the night as she fell out of bed at least three times.  A couple of times, she went under my bed, and I lifted her back into her bed.  I was debating just setting up a bed on the floor tonight.  :)  When she woke up this morning and after she had had some breakfast, she started to scream and was unconsolable.  I am not sure why or what was bothering her.  I did give her some Motrin and after about 20 minutes, she calmed down and there were no more tears the rest of the day, so that makes me think that maybe she was in some kind of pain.  I am just glad and praise the Lord that she did stop.  Our morning was very quiet after that, and then around noon a group of missionaries to the orphans in another city about two hours away came for a visit.  We went to a traditional restaurant.  The drive there was incredible.  So many cars and buses just gridlocked while it was pouring down rain.  I imagine it would have taken us about fifteen minutes to walk there.  Instead it took us an hour by van.  The problem is that when it rains the sidewalks become very hard to navigate, and virtually impossible to navigate with a stroller.
So, we drove and talked.  Eliisa really loves driving in the car, which will be really great when we get home.  I see a trip to Florida and a trip to the mountains in our near future.  :)  Eliisa got a little anxious while we were getting our food.  It was sort of set up like a buffet style.  You go through the line and pick what you want to eat and then pay and sit down to eat.  It was quite crowded and loud, and Eliisa got impatient.  Thanks to Pastor Misha, she calmed down once he took her somewhere quiet.  We sat down and ate and talked some more and drove back to the seminary, which was again a long drive.   Eliisa slept sitting on my lap for most of the trip.  We got back and Alla, Oksana, Nadia, and Pastor Misha got on their way back home, while Vika and I enjoyed laughing and playing.  She loves to laugh and giggle and once she figures out how to have fun on her own, there will be no stopping her.  It is really interesting how she will just sit and do nothing unless I come and entertain her.  She can have all the toys in her reach and a lot of space to walk around and play in, and yet, she does not know what to do with the freedom she has.  Hopefully, once she sees her sisters playing, she will understand that she is allowed to play and enjoy herself.  Here are some pictures and a couple of videos of our day.  I will add some more later as Pastor Misha and Oksana took quite a few as well.  Tomorrow, Eliisa and I will try to venture to church together.  I am looking forward to and praying for some fellowship. 

How Great is Our God!

To tell you the truth, I was feeling like writing a much different post today.  But the Lord reminded me that dwelling on the negative aspects of my life never brings me anywhere.  However, when I choose to take my eyes of my misery, He has the opportunity to show me all the GREAT things that He has done in my life, and I can keep on moving forward, and He can use those things to work GOOD in my life.  Yes, this second trip has not been easy.  Yes, I am looking forward to home more than I ever thought possible for many reasons.  Yes, I do not enjoy being stretched to my very limit and beyond, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, but I know that through it all, the Lord has blessed me with so much. 

So, I thought I would share some of the wonderful blessings, He has blessed me with on this second trip.  The list would be too long to share in one blog post, but here are some of the highlights:

• All of the main paperwork is done and we are safely in Kiev.
• Eliisa Vika has done EXTREMELY well through this whole ordeal.  Remember that she has very rarely been outside the four walls of the orphanage she has been in.  She has not experienced riding in cars, buses, trains, etc.  She does not know about the loud noises that she has heard, like the train blowing his horn right as we walk past it, or cars honking their horns, and buses blowing off steam as we walk directly past them, or dogs barking, etc.  She cannot express her needs, and I am just getting to know her and her needs.  It is much like having a newborn, except that she has learned not to cry for things because it would not do her much good.  She has been very patient with me as I learn to meet her needs, and we get to know each other.
• How much joy Eliisa Vika has to give me.  How can I be discouraged when I look in her face and she always has a smile or a giggle in spite of all that she has been through?  I am so undeserving of the blessing of her in my life.
• I got an internet connection, and was able to skype with the girls and Abe today for the first time since leaving home!  How can I even praise the Lord enough for that? 
• I have been supported and lifted up in prayer and truly been carried by those prayers on this second trip.
• I have met many wonderful people on this journey, who have given of their time and energy to help out when I had no idea what I was doing.
• I am able to stay in a dorm at a seminary for a great price.
• I was able to venture out and go shopping today, and although it rained while I was doing this errand, it rained the whole time I was in the store, but not before and not after.  :)  
• I was able to navigate potholes, construction zones, busy streets, stairs, etc. with a 5-year-old in a stroller and groceries and water, and I did not even get runover or stuck or worse.  And Eliisa Vika just sat in the stroller quietly the whole time.
• I was given two CDs with music that I brought with me by my dear friend Ulla that have been wonderful encouragement and given me a renewed strength in the Lord . 
• I have had wonderful friends and family who have sacrificed so much to be help Abe as he has the girls all to himself for the first time ever.  I think he is looking forward to me coming home.  :)  Sometimes, going away is good for a new perspective of what we mamas do in a day. 
• The girls have done so well with my being gone.  I am so blessed!  I was at my breaking point today, and then I got the chance to talk to them, and to hear how well they are doing, and how much they love me and their new sister, and my spirit was just instantly lifted.
• Even though there have been extremely few people who speak any English, I have been able to communicate at least the most important things.
• Although I have traveled the train by myself on two occassions without any idea who would be in the same compartment with me, the Lord was so good in giving me "good" companions, who have even been willing to help me to get out of the train quickly with all my luggage, printer, and Eliisa Vika. 
• This morning, I was blessed by a visitor knocking on my door with some freshly prepared food and some markers and paper for Eliisa.  What a blessing from a complete stranger! 

You see, the list could go and on, but this is just from the last couple of days.  I am blessed above measure.  I leave you with a picture, a video, and a song that I have sung many times, but really got a new meaning for me today.  I am sorry about the lack of pictures.  I am obviously NOT the photographer in our family, and it is a little hard to take pictures and take care of our new daughter at the same time, and we really didn't do anything of significance today.  :)  If it wasn't for Abe, we would have NO pictures of our life at all.