Russian Adoption: January 2008

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my sweet mother-in-love's birthday. I don't think she'd mind me telling you that she is 60 years old today but doesn't look a day over 50! Here's a picture of her and her favorite grandpuppy. She's an elusive girl when it comes to picture taking so this was the best I could do.=)
Happy Birthday Mom! We are all so blessed to have you in our lives. Thank you for your constant prayers, love and support. You are the woman of Proverbs 31; a wife of noble character, more valuable than rubies. You set about your tasks vigorously and do not eat the bread of idleness, you extend your arm to the needy. Your husband is respected and you are clothed with strength and dignity. You speak with wisdom and faithful instruction is on your tongue. Your children arise and call you blessed, your husband also and he praises you. "Many women do noble things but you surpass them all." A woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
We praise you and we love you Joyce Goeppner!

Thank You!

Thank you all for your words of love and support and for your many prayers. It is humbling to realize how much we are loved and prayed for by so many. We love you all and ask that you continue to keep us in your prayers as we wait to travel and bring our sons home! Please pray that our court date would not be canceled, that the weather in Russia would not hinder our travel plans or anything else while we are there, pray for that the Lord would show us favor with the judge and with everyone handling our paperwork and pray that we would bond with our boys while we are there and that the transition for all of us would be smooth.
I've sent off our passports for our visas. I bought our plane tickets, yikes!! I am currently gathering all other needed paperwork and slowly checking off things from my long to-do list. I am so EXCITED!!!!!
There are a few of you that have requested to read our blog after it goes private but have not given me your e-mail address. I need it in order to give you access to our blog. Please click the "e-mail me" button on our blog. Thanks!

News Flash: This just in.....

I was in Wal-Mart a few hours ago picking up some extras for our future trip to Russia when my phone rang. I recognized the ring tone as my husband's so I dropped my stuff into an empty cart and sat down on a chair in the pharmacy section to take his call. I answer and he says "hold on a sec" when he gets back on the line, I hear our FC's voice and my heart starts racing. "What now Lord?", "what else could they possibly need from us now?", I thought. Kristen asked how I was and then said the words I've been longing to hear for a very long time, "you've got a court date!". What!!! We just mailed the needed document yesterday, how is this possible? With God, all things are possible! It seems that our friend Yelena, the one who carted us around everywhere in Russia, went to the judge and pleaded with her on our behalf to get us a court date on February 19th, the day before our HS license expires and she agreed!!! God is so good!! So I sat in Wal-Mart praising the Lord as we called family members to let them know the amazing news. I picked up a few more things and headed out of the store in a daze. We are going to Russia, we are going to have a court date, we are going to get our boys and bring them home! They will be home on March 11th, 2008, 7 days before my birthday. What a gift!! We'll also get to celebrate our oldest son's birthday on February 23rd, another amazing gift!
Last night I had my first dream about our boys. We were in Russia, at their orphanage getting them all bundled up and ready to leave and take them home. My dream has come true! Praise the Lord for He is great and worthy to be praised!! Thank you all for your many prayers for us. Please don't stop, we need them as we prepare to travel. Please pray that we would keep our court date, families have had them postponed in the past. Pray that God would give us peace and wisdom as we prepare to bring our children home.
Side note: I have gotten many requests from all of you, wanting to continue to read our blog once it becomes private. Thank you! Our blog will become private on February 11th.

Mission Accomplished

We made it home last night a little after 9pm. It was a LONG day of driving! The documents were apostilled and sent off to their destinations. The one we sent to the family that will be personally delivering it for us should arrive by noon today, the other we sent directly to Kras ( it was our backup) it should arrive in 4-5 business days. I feel good about it, knowing that we did all we could to try for a February court date. Ultimately it's up to the Lord and His plan for us. Please pray that His plan includes a February court date though!=) Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement, it means so much to us.
Stacy, thanks for following our story. Our kiddos are in Sosnovoborsk also. I'll be praying that you get your court date soon. Maybe we'll see you over there! Please send me your e-mail if you'd like to continue to follow our adoption, we're going private soon. Thanks!

A window of opportunity.

Well, the Lord has opened a window for us and we are scrambling through it! We heard from our FC today who spoke with Dr D and it seems that if we can get the one document to Russia asap then we have a small chance of getting a court date in February. I'm certainly not holding my breath but I am absolutely willing to do whatever it takes. So, we will be making another trip up to Tallahassee tomorrow morning. Our first stop will be in Orlando to pick up the needed document from our social worker and then we're off to the state's capitol to get it apostilled. Then we will send it immediately to Russia where it will be translated and submitted to court by next Wednesday, Lord willing, in order for us to get the chance for a court date next month. Please pray that the Lord will go before us and bless our effort. Thank you all so much for your words of encouragement and your prayers, we covet them.

Bummed Out!

After weeks of anticipating "the call" of an upcoming court date, I am sure now that it will not come as soon as I had expected. Remember that post I wrote about expectations a while back? I need to practice what I preach! I should have known better, keep your expectations low. I have and continue to expect great things from God but I think my expectations were on people and that is never good.
Anyway, I found out last night after our agency had closed for the weekend that 2 more documents are needed before we can receive a court date. The most frustrating thing is that I have no control over getting these documents completed as they need to be gathered by our home study agency. What's more is that one of them actually needs to come from the state and all of us in the "adoption wait" knows how long that can take! Monday is a holiday so no work happening then and when I do get the documents, they still need to be apostilled! So a February court date is pretty much out of the question at this point and we will not be able to celebrate our oldest son's 4th birthday with him as we had hoped. I'm incredibly frustrated right now. I know it's all in God's timing and that He is in control but knowing that doesn't make the wait easier. Almost 2 1/2 years ago we started this adoption and we are STILL waiting!! Please pray for me, I'm in a bad place right now. Thanks.

Update

Still no news of a court date but there is some good news. First, our region is no longer requiring us to have a CPS letter submitted. This is great news as it was near impossible to get! Second, families from our agency and region that traveled before us are steadily getting their court dates. One just got her court date yesterday! I'm hoping this means that we're next because there is only one other family that traveled before us in the month of October and then our dear friends the Swingles traveled with us. I'm nervous that there is some document in my required list that has expired or I have over looked. The update from our FC also said that families will only receive their court dates if all of their needed paperwork is submitted so I'm freakin' out a bit! I hope to talk to my FC today to make sure that we're all set.
One more update, we are planning on making this blog private after we get the news of a court date. In fact that will be our last public post. If you would like to continue to keep following our story, please drop me an e-mail.
Thank you all for your continued prayers.

Kras Weather

Everyday I check the weather in Krasnoyarsk to see how cold it is. As I type this post, it is currently -33 degrees!! How do you go outside in that kind of weather without your face freezing off? I guess it's good that it's almost midnight there because most people are probably sleeping. I'm praying that our boys are warm and snug in their beds right now. Next week we are hoping to hear some news of court dates! Lord willing, we'll get ours.=)