Hello everyone!! Boy, you never know what will happen next. Well, here it is…
We live on (technically Jason Drive), though our street says Jason Court, as well as most of our documents…except our deed. In the beginning I thought perhaps this might be a problem, but then nothing was said…here as we try to prepare final documents for court, it matters…We are rushing around trying to get documents corrected, or at least added “also known as Jason Court”…we are praying that we can get these documents sent out today so we will have them back in time to send them off for the “final” time to Russia…I wonder sometimes if it will ever end…if I had time, I think I’d cry…no time now…We are praising the Lord that one of our deeds states “Jason Court”. We are praising the Lord because the woman B talked to called him back to point it out to him and that he could run a copy from the internet…we know the Lord is working.
If you think of us, pray for us, that we will have docs in on time…trusting this to be God’s timeline as well.
In His Watchcare,
Joy

I just knew I was smart and had all our paperwork complete and ready to go. NOT. While we don’t have a ton, we do have a few things to rework, due to wording. We are trusting the Lord to help us complete these things so we can return very quickly. We are excited to be hearing positive things regarding possible return dates. Keep us in your constant prayers, as we are ready to hold our little doll in our arms again. I think the hardest part of leaving was that she was told we are “mama and papa” and we were there to play with her and love on her for two days…and then the next day we didn’t come. ;o( Will she wonder where we are? Will she give up that we are coming back? I don’t worry so much about safety, etc, since I know she is in the arms of my Father…Who better to take care of her than her Creator? I just pray He will put her back in our arms soon, that we might be His arm pieces, that we might be His love to her…

We are trying to get all paper work completed by September 4th…I know all things are possible with Him…

In His Watchcare,

Joy

Well, we are home and were back at work today!! Yes, believe it or not, I was there, not with bells on though!! ;o)
I can’t believe I’m still up. I think it is all the excitement regarding upcoming news on our process and court dates. We are anticipating it happening soon.
It was nice to be in my own bed last night, and though I couldn’t think of getting things together today to cook, it was nice having breakfast and coffee at home this morning!!
I will say it was hard leaving Russia. Of course because our little sweetie is there, but also because my heart attached to the people of Russia somehow, and I found I was sad to leave the country itself.
I’m thankful the Lord has put a peace in my heart regarding having to leave our Little Bit. I can see she has been well taken care of and the Lord has been answering our prayers regarding her.
The boys have enjoyed looking at the videos and pictures. Corwin said in a sad voice….”I just wish I could have been there”. Made my heart sad… But I know it would have been so hard on them. There were several meals skipped, just due to the mad dashes we had to make throughout the day as well as many car rides and sooooo much plane travel.
We look forward to going back soon, and trust the Lord to continue to clear the way for us, going before us…
Praising Our Wonderful Father,
Joy

Well, we are on our way home but not back to life as it was.  We now have a vivid picture of our new daughter and her environment.  I told Joy this morning that it brings a whole new feeling as we pray for her.  We now know so many new details about her that we have only imagined up until now.  She is so full of life…we can’t wait to bring her home to share our lives together. 

This has been a fun trip though we were very exhausted at times.  We hope to see more things the next trip when we have more time.  We stayed downtown Moscow last night and prices are very high.  We went accross the street to Starbucks (a little taste of home) and spent over $20 on coffee and a one dessert.  We have to learn a little more Russian next trip.  We survived as many speak English but it was a challenge at times when we were without a translator.

We are still here. Have nt had free wifi so using the phone. It is nt as easy typing. We are at the airport now. We have an hour wait so had fun window shopping.
We had a wonderful 2nd visit with our girl. She was so full of energy. She wouldn’t let B hold her but did tease him and gave him a hug a few times. We were able to take her outside to play a bit. Some of the other children were outside and asked her who we were. She told them momma. Was I beaming. Oh yes. Just before we left we were able to walk her to lunch. She went straight in and sat down. I went and sat behind her and loved her up a little. They told her to tell us goodbye. She gave us hugs and then we left. Yes with tears. The director told us “don’t worry”. Surprisingly I don’t feel panicked though very sad. I know the Lord is taking care of her as he has been doing all of her 3 years of life. I pray that we will be able to return in the next month to bring her home. It will all depend on how quiCkly we get our paperwork complete. We will be waiting on an updated homestudy to reflect our change in finances since I have gone to part time. Pray with us that this will be to us in record time. I know He is in control and He will get us back to her in His timing.
We left a picture book for her as well as the doll. I pray she will understand we are coming back for her. I have all ideas she will be ready to go when we return just from the openness she had toward us. I prayed that her little heart would be prepared for us and it was very obvious God was good to us and did indeed prepare her.
Have I said recently how blessed I feel to be on this journey? I’m so thankful the Lord has allowed this incredible journey. I have truly enjoyed being here in Russia, experiencing this incredible culture. I’ve also enjoyed being here with b. We’ve had so much time to spend together exploring and talking. He’s a great travel partner and kept me safe. My knight in shining armor. ;o)
Well I guess ill go ahead and post this and willpost again when we get home.
Das ve danya
Joy

I was touched this morning as I read yesterday and today’s devotion…since we are between the two! I’ll share it: Psalm 116:1-2  “I love the Lord, because He hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because He hath inclined His ear unto me, therfore will I call upon Him as long as I live.” I have loved Him before now, but when He so sweetly hears our heart’s desires and gives them to us, surely it draws us closer to Him in a way that only He could do. The Lord heard our hearts…exactly what was in our hearts, and gave us our desires in this sweet little girl. We will praise Him always for this bundle of blessing…

Joy

So it has officially begun…Mommy and Papa are taken in by her little charms.  At the MOE we were told we would now go to meet her and to charm her. I’m not sure if she was charmed, but we were!! When she came in the room, she was very shy, but cutting her eyes at us. She had a few toys that she’d carried with her, two little dolls. It just so happened, Mommy had two very similar dolls, but mine had a brush!! She took them right away, though she wouldn’t yet make eye contact. The director and our translator talked with her and tried to get her to interact, and I kept talking to her and offering her toys, books we’d brought. I would say maybe about 10 minutes and then she got out of the director’s lap and was standing beside me, not looking at me, but cutting those eyes again…those big beautiful brown eyes!! Boy are we in for being charmed the rest of our days.  After a little while, they brought in some cookies and apple juice. While she ate I rubbed her hair and talked about the rain, and she just took it all in. By then the director  had left and it was just Brent, myself, Yelena, and Yelena (our translator). She took a while to eat, drinking out of a tea cup!! (She’s ready to play tea boys! Guess you better practice up!!) After she’d finished, we offered some of our cookies, and she went to town on them. Once she was finished, I picked her up and pulled her onto my lap. That was it, she was on my lap the rest of the time. She’d get up momentarily to pop one of Papa’s bubbles, or to pick something up, and then right on my lap again. Though she didn’t go to Brent completely, she did pop the bubbles, throw the balloon back to him and put some toys in his hands. I had brought a bag of foam “beads” and a plastic string, and I showed her what to do, she was all about that. It took a long time, but we strung every single bead!! Then she wanted to take each one off. There were easily 70-80! Too fun. I had also brought a tiny bag with hair bands in it. She took these out of the bag, and then put them back in about 10 times. She even put one on Brent’s finger. I know what to bring for the plane ride back with her, not typical toys, but things to string, and things to take out of bags and put back. Every now and then, she’d organize the bag, and put all the toys in it, cleaning up. Then she’d go through the bag and pull things out. She was very unsure about the play-doh, but curious. She had me take it out multiple times then she’d take it out of my hands and put it back in the container, and then close the lid. At one point I picked her up to see the toys on the top shelf and she just giggled, but clung to my neck for dear life!! She held my neck the entire time, tightly. It made me wonder if maybe they are not picked up a lot once they start walking, not sure on that. I showed her my necklace with the picture of the boys and told her “bratzia” (brothers) and she laughed out loud, and kept looking at it and then she went to my earrings. She let me hug her tight and kiss her. I told Yelena, ok, we’ll take her with us today!! ;o) She laughed. We had a wonderful time playing with her. At the end, when her care giver came for her, she went running, making sure she’d grabbed the doll I’d made for her. The translator and director had told her it was a gift for her from Mama and Papa. She was too cute with it, and really seemed to attach to it. (I’ve been sleeping with it for days so it would smell like us. Sounds silly, I know, but we’ve been told smells are very important.) Yelena told her to run give Mama a hug goodbye, and she ran with arms open to me and hugged me so tight. Then she told her not to forget Papa, and again, she ran with arms open to him, but not so tightly. ;o) Her care giver told her to clean up the toys, and she went right over, put everything in its place, including my toys into the bag. She was then told to shake Michael’s hand who had just walked in. She was a bit shy about this, but she did comply, if hesitantly, then ran back to the caregiver. She told us das-ve-danya, and then she was gone…

I know this is a lot of detail, but I don’t want to forget any of it, for my sake and for hers when she is older. We were excited to see pictures of her when she was just an infant, as well as one at 1yr, 2yrs, and then the current. They said we’d get to have them.

As for B and I, we were so tired last night, we skipped supper, and went to bed at 7:00. We decided we would just see if we slept through the night. I don’t think either of us could have held our heads up at the table. But, here it is, 1:30 in the morning!! It might not be a bad thing though, since tomorrow morning we have to get up at 0′dark thirty to catch our plane to Moscow for our physicals. We have some paper work we have to change, due to wording, so that presses on me heavily. I know that once we get that straight, our court date can come. I know it will seem an eternity before we return. Though our room has been very nice, when we return we were told we should be able to rent the apartment here. That will be very nice, especially after our “Gotcha day”, when we bring her home with us.

Well, we are going to start getting dressed I think, we will be chomping at the bit to eat breakfast this morning!! Food has been delicious thus far. And no, I don’t think I will be loosing any weight on this trip!! Oh well. We have to leave at 9:00 this morning to go to notarize our signatures for our statement that yes, we want to pursue this adoption…do we ever!! I’m thankful the Lord has given us strong confirmation in our hearts that this is our child. When she walked in it was so surreal!! I wasn’t sure what I’d feel…but it was like when I saw the boys for the first time, it was love at first sight. I think Papa was pretty smitten as well! We will get to see her again this evening, and I think another family is coming with us on this visit to visit their child.

Well, that is all for now…as if it wasn’t enough!! ;o)

In His Watchcare,

Joy

Here in Kras…beautiful area…we are in our room now, soon to eat breakfast. Good flights…I have tasted my first Borsche. It was very good. We were told no dairy, but I already messed up…it came with sour cream. Brent ate the butter. This was last night…seems ok for now. We’ve not been lacking for food thus far, just sleep.
Just for the record, Brent promises to never complain about my talking. There was a gal who talked for at least four hours on our first flight…none stop. We got to the point of just laughing because it was so unbelieveable!!!
Talk later when on the computer instead of phone.
In His Watchcare,
Joy

Yay, we are in Moscow. We’ve been able to have a nice snooze and shower. Feeling much refreshed. In a short bit we will head to the next airport. George our driver was very proficeint at getting us to the hotel, even taking us staight to the front of the line. He reminded us of our time,and when he’d be back’Moscow time. It feels so unreal to be here…
In His Watchcare,
Joy

Praise the Lord! We arrived in Moscow without any problems. We have some downtime to relaxe before flying on to Kras.