Where are we??

I hadn't realized how long it really had been since writing...so I'm very sorry to those who check back and get no information.

We have our last Home Study appointment on Friday morning, after which the social worker will hopefully write a favorable report allowing us to adopt.  Once we have the home study, we will send it to Russia and wait for it to be translated.  After translation, our in country personnel will submit all of our paperwork for a court date...that's hopefully all going to happen by October 1st...but that's just best case scenario. 

In the mean time, we are finding ourselves watching the videos of our family together more and more often.  We are ready for our family to be back together.

Please continue to pray that the writing, translation, and submission of all documents goes quickly and that we travel before we ever thought we would.

Thanks, as always, for your love and support.  We need it.  And appreciate it greatly!

MORE. больше.

This blog, thus far, has been mainly about Sveta's journey home...but today it's about a little bit MORE.


MORE, because God is always giving more than we deserve. 

I heard a story tonight about Cory Ten Boom and her father riding on a train.  I won't go into the story - but it made me again remember that God will only give us what we can handle, when we can handle it.  He never gives us MORE than we can handle...even though sometimes it seems like MORE. 

MORE, because we are at a place where we're having to trust God MORE.

MORE, because the more Barry & I walk this journey together we see God's purposes in our waiting and trials...we get MORE time to pray for Sveta and prepare our home and hearts for her to arrive.  We get MORE time to invest into learning how we want to parent.  We get MORE chances to share how God is orchestrating each detail of this family coming together.  We meet MORE people who understand God's heart for adoption...and become MORE encouraged with each conversation.  We have MORE opportunities to spend time with our Creator and understand his call on our family.  And one of my favorites...we have MORE intentional time together...because we know that soon it won't just be us anymore - and as much as we are looking forward to two becoming three, we are savoring our "us" moments.

MORE, because on Tuesday we will begin our second home study with a new agency, since our original agency is on the blacklist.  This new home study means MORE meetings, MORE paperwork, MORE money, and MORE waiting...but we've gotten good at waiting. We realize that waiting isn't fun...so we try to wait actively and make use of all of the moments we have as we count down to the moment we're all waiting for!!

As you wait with us, enjoy the photos of our Sveta's room!  

"Waiting for the phone to ring"

The phone rang at 6:22, and I ran to see who it was.  The number began with 317 so I knew it was an Indianapolis number.  I breathed a quick prayer of "please," and I know my God hear the longer meaning of "Please let it be Nadya (name changed) with news about the adoption."

My God answers prayers.  As soon as I heard the Russian accent on the other end of the phone I breathed a sigh of relief...she called back.  I explained to her our predicament and asked for her advice.  Let me pause here:

• Predicament as we understand it::  The people in Leningrad that accept the documents for post-    placements is not the same entity that creates the blacklist.

• Our questions::  Will it be quicker to update our homestudy?  Or will clearing our Home Study agency from the blacklist take less time? 

Nadya began to explain that she was not able to call Russia this morning because she did not get up on time as she just returned from being out of town, but that she would call Russia in the morning and try to find out more so she can answer our questions more accurately.  She said I could call her tomorrow to check back with her.  She said that it was no problem for her to get up very early and call...she's amazing.  But, she also said that she can't promise that she'll be able to get ahold of the correct people - or that the phone system will work long enough for them to finish a conversation.

Here's where you come in:  Pray that when Nadya calls tomorrow early morning that she will immediately be able to talk to the correct person, and that he/she will be able to resolve this issue once and for all for us (either that the agency is cleared, or that they won't help us).  We really just need a clear answer on yes we can move on, or no, we've got to go the redoing the home study route.  We just want to move.

Also, pray for Barry, Sveta, and myself as we continue to spend time apart.  I know how difficult is has been for Barry & I at times.  We miss her miserably...but I can't begin to imagine how long this wait has been in the life of a three-year-old.

On a fun note, there are a few little ones at church whose families are praying for us continually...so much so that they are constantly asking when "Feta" (they can't say Sveta) is going to get home from Russia.  Every time I hear them ask it makes my heart happy knowing that our little one already has friends waiting for her...on top of a whole community of friends and family that love her already.

Thanks for loving and caring for our family.

If only we could find the camera...

I really was hoping to have pictures of Sveta's room up by now - but Barry and I seem to have lost the camera.  We have NO idea where it could be!  So, as soon as we find it - or decide to buy another, I'll put pictures up.

On a different note, we have something we need you to be praying about.  Our Home Study agency is officially on the blacklist in Russia.  This is not a good thing at ALL.  The agencies we are working with seem to think that we will be able to get a letter from the region where they were placed on the blacklist stating that everything is ok now.  This letter needs to be written in one region and then given to the officials in Vladimir, and they must accept the authenticity of the letter.  If that happens, we will be able to submit our other documents and we will know a court date.  If that doesn't happen, we will have to go about getting a new/updated Home Study (up to a 6 week process).

So, here's what we'd like you to pray:  That the letter is written and accepted by the end of the week.  The agencies seem to think that we should know more by Friday, so we are just praying that we'll have the letter and even a court date by then.  God can do anything!!  We know that this is in His timing, but if I'm honest, I'd really like His timing to be in line with Friday.  :)  We are looking forward to bringing Sveta home, and we'd rather not have to go through more paperwork trails and headaches....but if that's what it is going to take - we'll do it.

On a great note of provision::  Barry was planning on going to Brazil with a team from church...but we decided with the timing of the adoption, we just couldn't chance him being in Brazil when we got the ok to go to Russia.  We decided this after having purchased his plane ticket...however the travel agent just called and said we'll be getting back a significant chunk of the money!  Praise God...we'll be able to us it for the flight to Russia...or at least it will cover Sveta's flight home.

God is so good.

Diplomas & Deeds

The paper we have been waiting for and praying for came in the mail yesterday!!  I saw the envelope and new immediately what it was...as I tore it open I was shaking from being so excited.  Then I saw it.  It looked very different than I had imagined.  I thought it would be on special paper with the form number (171-H) printed large in the top corner.  Instead it looked like a normal paper and had the form number written very tiny in the bottom corner.  None the less I was THRILLED that the paper was here and began jumping around the house almost in tears because of joy. 

A while back I rejoiced at the culmination for four years of hard work when I received my diploma.  Later, I rejoiced when I signed the deed to my first house.  I also rejoiced when I signed our marriage license...but this, this was different.

Even though I worked so hard on some of those important documents, I was more thankful for this paper.  This paper was God's doing.  Yes, we filled out a few blanks and got our fingerprints taken, but this form had been given to God.  We had been begging for Him to allow the officer handling it to approve us to care for an orphan, and to send us the form SOON. 

He is FAITHFUL.  He is.  We are grateful.

What this means (as long as our home study agency can stay off the blacklist) is that we are able to apply for a court date.  The paperwork will arrive in Russia next week and our in-country person will go to Vladimir and apply for a date.  Once she does, we'll work on flights and be headed back to Russia.  We will let you know details when we hear of them....in the meantime, will you rejoice with us?  That God is for us...and no one can be against us!  He is faithful!

Jessi

Agencies

Thank you for praying.  Please keep it up!  Our God is good, and His timing is perfect.  We know that He has a plan for this road bump too. 

When I wrote the last blog we knew very little about the blacklist issue.  Here's what we've come to understand:

An agency can go on the blacklist in Russia for many reasons, but one of them is because post-placement reports have not been received on time, or sufficiently.  This is most likely the case with our agency.  Our home study agency, thankfully, has only worked with two families in the region in which they are being "accused" (for lack of a better term).  So, they have all 8 post-placement reports and are apostilling them today.  They will send those to Russia for our placing agency to translate.  Once they are translated they will submit them in the necessary region and get a statement from that region about all of the documents being in.  Hopefully our region will accept said statement.

In the meantime, we need to try and get a court date ASAP!!  We have been waiting on one form - the 171-H to come back from the US Immigration Services.  When I called on Wednesday our officer was reviewing our form (even though we thought she'd look at it Monday).  I again told her that I had to have it by the end of the week, and she seemed to be uninterested in my time table.  :)  I'm still praying that it comes today or tomorrow.  If not, I'll be calling the officer again on Monday morning.  It can't hurt - right? 

Once the 171-H is received we will FedEx it immediately to Russia for translation.  Then our placing agency will be able to register us in Vladimir and they'll grant a court date.

On a fun and exciting note:  I was a TON of Sveta's clothes yesterday and when I finish this post, I'm going to pack them into her cute little backpack.  That way when the call comes that we need to leave for Russia her stuff will already be packed up and ready to go.  I will be able to instead focus on packing for myself for 4 weeks, finalizing who's traveling with us, and book flights, etc.

Again, thanks for prayers and concern.  God has got it.  I know He's working out the perfect timing so that we can be in Russia during the time He planned!!  And most importantly - bring Sveta home when He desires!

PRAY....HARD!!!

We just received word that there may be some major issues with our homestudy being accepted in Russia.  If we can't remedy the problem (which has nothing to do with us) quickly our court hearing will likely be pushed back by many months...or we will have to spend a great deal of money to quickly have another homestudy completed.

Please pray with us.