Russian Language

For my birthday last year, Staci and Dwayne (my sis and bro-in-law) gave me a Russian Language book and CD set. I started working on it a little a while back and had no success. The Russian language is hard! The letters in the Russian alphabet look very little like our English letters. Now I took Spanish in high school and the Spanish alphabet still looks quite similiar to the English alphabet so it wasn't so bad (then again I was ten years younger and my brain was a little more resilient). To this day I still sing our alphabet rather than say it, and I still sing the Spanish alphabet if I ever need to recite it. So I decide last night that I'm going to make a tune and sing the Russian alphabet to help me learn it better. Do keep in mind that I am one of the most musically challenged people on this Earth. So Benji and I are sitting on the couch last night watching American Idol as I am trying my best to come up with some sort of tune to help me learn this darn Russian alphabet...he's laughing so hard at my music "inabilities" that he can't take me seriously. Let's just say that translators will be crucial for us as we are in Russia. After many attempts to even learn common phrases, the only one that I can seem to remember is "nyet" which mean "no" in Russian, but when written looks like "Her"...go figure! Well at least I know how to say no! Hopefully soon, I can report back with more Russian phrases, and who knows I may even record my Russian alphabet song. HA!

Yay!

We sent our paperwork to USCIS (United States Citizens and Immigration Services) on Janurary 12. Well, it has been sent back to us three times. Each time has been because it wasn't quite right (note there is nothing stating what all needs to be done or sent anywhere on any of the paperwork...you literally have to guess). The last time we sent it off, I was sure that it was accurate. Well effective April 1, they will only take money orders. Did it tell me that when they sent the paperwork back in March? Nope? So of course they sent everything back once again and had a letter stating that we needed to sent a money order that personal checks were no longer accepted. So, we made another attempt to get this paperwork correct, because it is quite crucial in an international adoption. Yesterday, there was an envelope in the mail from Homeland Security. This time instead of a letter telling me that they can't process the documents for whatever reason, it had a letter stating that everything was properly sent and that they are processing it now. So that's a big YAY for us!

A little progress

We recieved the rough draft of our homestudy this week. There were just a couple of small details that needed to be changed. So now agency # 1 is finalizing it and sending it to agency # 2 to retype it all so that it will be legit for Russia. The process is taking a good bit longer than I had hoped but we trust that the hold-ups in the process are God's way of getting the timimg perfect for the little one/s that he already has chosen for us. As frustrating as it has been, we just have to rely on the fact that God is already preparing the way for us.
We have recently found out that our church is doing a BBQ fundraiser for us next month. We are so touched by those who have taken this on to help us out financially. We have a great church, and we are really blessed with a great church family. So a huge thank you goes out to our church family as well as a few of our friends who have also helped out with selling tickets.
Benji and I are so amazed by everyone that God has placed in our lives to help us with this adoption. We both have great families who have supported us 100% and who have worked very hard to help us raise the money, we have a great church family who is taking on this BBQ fundraiser to help us, we have an extended church family who has already done one amazing yardsale fundraiser for us, and we have some of the best friends in the world that have given us support from day one and who have also been a part of each fundraiser. We thank God for each and every person that has played a role in this adoption. We love you and are so thankful for you!

Claiming our victory

Our home study has now been sent off for approval. We have a few more things to finish on our dossier, none of which should take too much time. So we are moving right along. However, there is a little road block that is fast approaching...money. The next step is about $6,000. We have no idea where it is going to come from or how we are going to have the money but we are claiming now that we WILL have it. Last week I read a blog of a family that is also persuing a Russian adoption. They have already gone for trip one and met their precious child. They have a court date coming really quick, Russia wants them back within 2 weeks to pick up their child. I can only imagine how excited that they are. Yet they are lacking about $11,000. Without the funds, they will be unable to get thier child. If they can't come up with it soon, the child will be adopted by someone else. I am crushed for them. I can't even begin to imagine what they are feeling right now. So I do ask that anyone reading this blog please pray for them and their finances.
Today in church, Pastor Addison preached on claiming your victory. He was saying that you need to go on and say thank-you even before you recieve what you are praying for. He called everyone to the front and had everyone call out their need at the alter. Benji and I headed down to the front, both knowing that we are about the face a huge financial wall in our adoption. I have no idea what he called out. As Pastor Addison called the congregation to call out and thank the Lord for needs and burdens. I said thank you to God for the financial miracle that he is sending in regards to our adoption. Everyone else was calling out their own individual needs. I couldn't even hear my own voice so I knew no one else could hear me either. Pastor Addison came down from the pulpit and touched Benji and I and said a prayer for us in bringing our baby home...and our finances in getting our baby home. He really has know idea how soon this financial "road-block" is approaching. So it was amazing to me that he came to us and only us in the back of the crowded alter to pray for exactly what we are needing. After church, a church family member approached Benji about listing his home...God is moving and he is moving fast.
So I am claiming it now, that the $6,000 that we are going to need to proceed, will be in place very soon. I can't wait to report back on this blog that God has blessed us and answered our prayer...and I will be reporting back because I have all the faith in the world (even though it waivers from time to time) that God already has a plan set in motion to get us through this, and to get our babi(es) home.

Final Home Study Visit

On Wednesday Benji and I went to meet with the owner of our new home study agency. She informed us that she was bringing Donna on as an employee of her agency so we will be able to continue to work with Donna for the home study as well as for our post placements. This is great news for us because Donna is great and we hated having to lose her. All around this home study situation did set us back a few weeks but it is working out great for us.
Then yesterday, I had to go to Athens to do my final interview with Donna. It went very well, but she makes conversation so easy. Thank you Ashley for riding with me, and making the day very eventful and less stressful.
So we are now done with everything that we can do for our homestudy. We should have the completed homestudy within one to two weeks. At that point we will be waiting on our passports to come in. It is still going to take about 3 weeks for our passports to be in. That should be plenty of time for us to finish up the dossier requirements. So it is our aim to send everything to Russia in the next 4 weeks or so. It is at the point that we have to send the paperwork off to Russia that we have to have another rather large payment. We are hoping to be approved for some grant money but we are not sure how long it takes for the grant money to come through. We trust that God has a plan set into motion for the money to be there when we go to submit our paperwork to Russia.

Moving forward

So after the last post, we discovered that the home study agency that we had found to help us out was not accredited, and we must use one that is accredited. So back to square one. Thanks to Renee and her super internet research skills, we found one more company. This company is accredited and has agreed to take us on...and get this...possibly cheaper than the original home study (praise God!). Yesterday we had our conference call with Kristen (our adoption coordinator). We were able to get a better feel of the process and estimated time frames. She told us that we are pretty far in and that if we really push it, we can be sending our dossier (paperwork) off to Russia within a month or so. So within the next two months or so (and yes this time frame is a slight stretch, but very possible) we can be waiting for our referral. We now have the green light on the home study issue, and we are moving forward. I've been excited, but after our conference call, the excitement level has been really boosted.
I know that it is really pushing it, but we are praying very hard to have our babi(es) home this year. It is more reasonable to think maybe this time next year, but we are praying very hard to that this all falls into place this year. With God all things are possible. Matthew 19:26

Hopefully a solution has arrived

The past week has been very hectic. We found an agency willing to take over our case, then they found out where we live and it was just too far away for them to service us. We have talked to agency after agency, with no on willing or able to take us on. I really hate to admit it, but we were both to a point to where we didn't think that there was going to be a solution at all. We had talked to several agencies that were not able to pick up where our agency left off but they were unable to help us even start over. Several were on the "ban" list, some only did domestic adoptions, some were already out of business, and some just weren't able to work with us due to travel time to get to our house. I'd be lying if I said we weren't questioning God's calling. If this is what God was calling us to do then why was every door closing? Then yesterday we found one last shot. There was one more company left to try. We called as well as our current home study agency and they have agreed to take over where the other company left off. They will charge for their service, so we will be coming out of pocket a little more than expected but it's really not bad at all. It sure beats starting all over. Now everything is not set in stone just yet with the 2nd company, but they are trying to get on it and get it done fast. So yesterday, we went to the social security office because I have, after seven years, still failed to legally change my name. We were in and out of the social security office in five minutes. So now my name is legally changed. Next stop was the birth certificate office (we needed 2 copies of our birth certificates for our dossier), which I went to a few weeks ago but it was so packed that I left, but on this day there was no one else there. So we were in and out quick. A funny tid-bit: They lady at the vital records office asked why we needed our birth certificates. When we told her, she said and I quote "Maybe y'all will get twins". Then we went on for passport pictures, and we got a discount. This week sure has been better than last week. Things really seemed to just begin to fall into place yesterday...just when I was begining to second guess....shame on me.
I also want to note that my dear friend Ashley moved back home this week from Illinois. I personally think that God sent her back here to help me with the insanity of this process. She'll keep me laughing even when I want to cry.
And also, we want to thank Gayle. I have read the letter that you wrote three times already today and it has choked me up every time. Thank you for your donation and your part in helping us bring our baby home. You are so special to us, we love you and the girls like family.
So we have so much to be thankful for right now. God has really shown us just how much he is in this with us. Every night, when Benji and I pray, we ask God to hold our hand through this adoption. He as done just that. Even when things seem like they are falling apart, he's right there. Holding our hands tightly, telling us to hold on, another door will be opening soon.