Views of Moscow

Pressing On

Nothing new to report on the adoption front. But lots of progress on the addition today and the electrical passed inspection. The next big hurtle is for the plumber to come. Not sure when that will happen. I noticed the other day that some of the trees actually have buds on them. We have had such crazy weather, warm one day and cold the next. Lately I think I might feel a bit like the bud. Still all bundled up but waiting impatiently to burst out. I've been living without a dining room for almost a year (the furniture storage room) and rooms packed with boxes and stuff since my mom moved in. Don't get me wrong, it has been a blessing having her here. But I am ready to help her get settled so I can start to move things around and feel settled too. If things continue at the current rate, I could definitely see her moving into her own place next month. The timing would be great, but then again the Lord does always have the timing thing down. When I feel like things are completely out of my control, the best therapy seems to be to move the furniture around. I don't know if anyone can relate to this, but somehow I feel like I have managed to have change and bring about order. I have been warned by numerous people to really take advantage of the time to get things in order and cleaned out because there just won't be that kind of time for a long time.
So I plan to rejoice in the "down" time and get all the 99 projects I have going on completed!!

FLASHBACK:
I left for Moscow for what was going to be a 5 hour flight. It was soon 6 hours and then 6 1/2 hours and then finally we landed. Then I waited almost 2 hours to get my luggage. I kid you not!! Later I found out the my flight had been rerouted due to the fact that the airport was fogged in!! Still never understood why the luggage took so long to get. But my ride wasn't there when I finally got through, but I made a phone call and we met up shortly afterwards. The plan initially was for me to take a tour of Moscow, but since I arrived so late, I was able to just go to my hotel room and spend the night. It ended up being a blessing. I was just so happy to be able to stretch out and listen to the news in English!! The next morning I met up with the Moscow translator's wife and we were able to tour around the Kremlin and Red Square. It was really interesting talking with her and learning so much about Russia's history. Afterwards we returned to the hotel and she returned home. I ventured out on my own and found a McDonald's. What a wonderful sight!! I thoroughly enjoyed my french fries!! The next day I was off to the airport and the 11 hour flight to Atlanta. I sat next to a Russian woman who was living in the states and she spoke very good English. It made the time fly. From Atlanta I caught my flight to NC and was met at the airport. Once back I began collecting new documents that took until the end of November. One more arrived in December and it was in December that I first got the notice about a FBI clearance. So now you are up to date as to where I am in this progress!!

A Sigh of Relief!!

Today I found out that all my apostilled documents including my FBI clearance made it to AWAA. Now they will head on to Russia. I really hope and pray that this is the last of what I need. I did speak with the people chasing down a new birth certificate and as of yesterday it has not been processed. Please continue to pray that this will get sent off quickly and there will be a quick turn around time. I just can't express what a huge relief it was to get these documents through all the steps and turned in!! Now I just wait. I work in a nursing home and it is amazing how supportive the staff and all the residents have been. I love the fact that so many of them are praying and wanting to be posted on the progress. Today I was just so happy that my documents had arrived that I was content to not even think about when I will go to court. As I was passing one of the resident's room, she asked me if I had heard anything. I replied yes and no, meaning that the documents were in, but still waiting on the court date which might be a little while. She then said, "well the Lord knows" and then quickly added, "but I wish He would hurry!"
I started this job 3 years ago this May and the adoption process officially in June of the same year. As I thought about her words, I had such bittersweet feelings. There have been a lot of residents over the years of this process who have gotten so excited about the adoption and told me how they couldn't wait to see my child. Sadly a lot of them have passed on due to illness and some have gone home after completing their therapy. And some have gone home and then come back and asked me if I have gotten my little girl yet. To which I have responded not yet. I have also seen staff come and go. But in light of all the changes, I have constantly been encouraged and supported. I want to be that way in the lives of others too whether it is in getting better and going home, completing school, seeing their child graduate or get married or most importantly grow in their relationship with the Lord. I am so grateful for my family, friends, co-workers and adoption chat group friends for their support and encouragement during this journey. But even more I am grateful for those in my live who have encouraged and supported me in my walk with the Lord!

Monday Trackings

The world of technology is really amazing. Today I was able to confirm that my FBI clearance made it to West Virginia, my copies of documents to Virginia and my apostilled documents are on their way from Raleigh to Virginia. And those are being delivered overnight at that!! A long way from the days of the pony express. But as amazing as technology is, sometimes I find that it is so easy to depend on it for so many things and at times it can be a huge distraction of my time. I can easily find myself spending hours researching or looking for the best bargain and realize that the time has slipped away. It has been a great way to communicate with friends and family who live far away, but the written word can't always communicate the emotions behind the words. There is nothing like seeing some one in person or talking on the phone. In a lot of ways that is how it is with the Lord. I can read his word and there is a lot that is communicated through the Bible, but there is something about coming before him in prayer. I really like the fact that I can be in prayer at any time and it doesn't have to be complicated or rehearsed or spoken eloquently. I can share my heart and he knows the emotions behind it even when sometime it is hard to put those emotions into words. It is also good to know that I don't have to have a tracking number to find him and that he is available 24/7!!

FLASHBACK:

When the caregiver brought Natalie into the room, she was shy at first. But soon we were playing together. The translator was wonderful!! Not only did she translate my questions, Natalie's responses but she did a great job of taking pictures and videotaping for me. We were able to spend about 2 hours together and I really got to see her personality and skills shine through. There was just so much about her that I just liked!! After the time together, I went back to the hotel and straight to bed!!! The next morning I went back to the baby home and we played together for another 2 hours. But then it was time to leave. As sad as it was to leave, I knew this was the child that the Lord had for me and I would be back. At that time I really thought it would be in January. Once I left we then had to go back to the director's building and fill out paperwork. We then had to go to a government office and there I officially requested to adopt and signed more papers. From there we had lunch and did a little sightseeing and shopping. Above is a picture of the Chapel that Krasnoyarsk is famous for. They have weddings there on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. I was able to see several of the brides arrive. I then returned to my hotel. The next day I was up early and headed to the airport for a 9:00 AM flight!!

Prayer Day

Today the families in my chat group associated with my adoption agency have set aside today as a day of prayer. If you would like to join us , here are the most common requests: court dates, document gathering, referrals, financial provisions and travel mercies. My requests all centered around my document gathering and the FBI clearance, which God has already answered. So the main request I have is for a court date and the arrival of my documents at the adoption agency and on to Russia. We have seen some incredible answers to prayer the last 2 years that I have been a part of this group. It has also been so good to have people who know exactly what you are going through and feeling. It has been neat to meet people virtually and maybe some day in person who you have shared the journey with. Thank you so much for your commitment to walk this journey with me

and to be in prayer with me!!

FLASHBACK: At 11:00 I met the Krasnoyarsk team and we headed out to the Ministry of Education. I met with an official there who was very nice and she asked and answered questions. From there we headed over to an orphanage where the main director was housed. She reviewed Natalie's history with me, asked me questions and I asked her questions. Finally around 2:30 we headed over to the orphanage or the Baby Home as they refer to it that Natalie lived in. There I met with the director/doctor at that home. She reviewed the history again and answered more questions. Finally they asked if I was ready to meet Natalie. I had to wait a little bit as she had been taking a nap. A caregiver opened the door and walked in with her. (Above: View from the hotel of Krasnoyarsk.)

Progress-Woo Hoo!!

Today I was able to pick up the other documents that I needed from the home study agency. At this point they are on the UPS truck making their way to Raleigh to be apostilled. They will arrive tomorrow. Still waiting on the FBI approval and it appears that will not be on the way until tomorrow. NEWS FLASH!! Paused a moment and went back to check the UPS site and it was picked up and is on its way!! Woo Hoo!! That means it will be here tomorrow and then back to West Virginia to be apostilled!!! Thank you so much to those of you who have been praying!!!
On another note, there has been significant progress with the addition to the house. The heating system is in and passed inspection. There has also been a lot of work this week with the electrician. It is so exciting to see these two major events in my life progressing where I can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel!!!
In some ways that must be how it is for the Lord. He sees us so slowly growing in our Christian walk and then all of a sudden it seems like we just take off and really start understanding the Bible and the principles and we are able to apply them in our lives. I will be glad when the addition is done and I will be glad when I don't have to chase documents and wait for "the call" but I am also so glad that I am still a work in progress!

FLASHBACK:
Since I didn't have a place to stay, I went on to the airport. I should mention that I had to switch airports and they were about 2 hours apart. So I walked and sat and walked and sat at the airport until 10:30 that night when I boarded the flight for Krasnoyarsk. It was a 4 hour flight and a very small plane. And again I was unable to sleep. I arrived at 7:30 AM local time (4 hour difference) the next morning sleep deprived. I was met by the driver and the local coordinator. They were very nice and took me to my hotel. It was not the hotel that I thought I would be at. But it was fine except that one elevator kept getting stuck. I figured that out early on and avoided it!! I was able to eat breakfast there, take a shower and best of all just stretch out on the bed. I didn't want to take a nap because they were returning at 11:00 and I wanted to be ready to go meet my future daughter.

A Hint of Good News

Today I was able to pick up one of the documents I needed. So now I am copying 2 of the 5 needed documents. I also called the FBI today and found out that my police clearance will be going out in the mail either tomorrow or Friday!!! They could read the prints and so now I have to get that document apostilled but that will not take long. The is a HUGE answer to prayer! Another family received a court date today. They traveled about 2 weeks after me. But I don't believe they had to get the FBI clearance. I am happy for them as they started their adoption process a month or two after me. They go on the 19th of February, so I am more convinced that I will travel in March. That may not be a bad thing as I just checked the weather in Krasnoyarsk and it is negative 17 degrees F. Brrrr! That is not the wind chill, but actual temperature!

Flashback: Took a little break from this section, but I am ready to continue on. On Tuesday October 9th, 2007 I got a call and was asked if I could travel on Saturday. The emotional side of me yelled, Of course! And the practical side said, Absolutely not! So the two sides compromised and I was scheduled to leave the following Tuesday on the 16th. What a crazy week it was trying to get a plane ticket, a VISA to enter the country, pack, find transportation to and from the airport, manage to come up with clean money (no writing, old or ripped) and also work. But everything fell into place and on the 16th at 9:30 AM I left my house to meet my future daughter! I had heard earlier in the week that there had been a lot of delays with the flights. I left NC worried that I would miss my connection in Atlanta. But I arrived in plenty of time and right before I boarded, I was able to meet another family from my agency that was traveling over for their court date. They had been waiting over 2 years to bring their son home. They flew first class (A feat I hope to copy on the way over) and I did not see them again until we landed in Moscow. It was a 10 hour overnight flight and I think maybe I slept about an hour. Upon arriving, they waited for me and helped me get through customs. Once through I met my driver who would take me to a hotel for the day (my flight to Krasnoyarsk did not leave until 10:30 PM and I had arrived at 10:30 AM-local time) where I planned to take a shower and sleep for a short time. When we arrived in Moscow there was snow on the ground! We got to the hotel and some how my reservation had not been made or it had not been booked (I was not sure exactly as the driver spoke fair English. With less than a week's notice, I can see how this happened) and there were no empty rooms.

The Hills and the Valleys

I travel about 20 miles to get to work one way. Most of this is on a two lane road through the country. There is one section where I go up a hill and down a hill and repeat this 2 more times. There are times when I am on the cell phone and when I go down the hill I sometime drop a call and lose communication with the person I am talking to. Then there are the days like today , when it is still dark and I am heading to work and there is freezing rain falling. The last several days have felt like I am constantly stuck on that section of the road.
I feel like I am at the top of the hill making progress with this process, only to go down hill and to feel like I am at the bottom. There at the bottom, I am not able to communicate with anyone; some how I can't seem to make them understand the urgency of getting their part of the process completed so I can move to the next stage to bring Natalie home. But then I go up the hill and I am encouraged because I can see all around and I can hold onto the fact that I know that God will complete this adoption. On days like today, I feel like I am slipping and sliding. But the interesting thing is that I don't go off the road and my car doesn't flip over and eventually I am at work safe and sound.
Today I began the process to collect the additional documents. Jump in the car with me as we start up the hill. First I contact the home study agency to get a copy of the license of the social worker who did the home study. Turns out that social workers in NC don't have a license but work under their agency's license. So now we are going down the hill. I pass on that information to my family coordinator who lets me know what to do in that case and how to proceed. Yeah, we are coming up the hill again and I pass that information onto the Home Study agency. So then I head to the county courthouse and pick up a document that I have gotten no less than 5 times. As I am talking to the ladies, they say something that later makes me stop and realize that I have gotten the wrong document. Of course this hits me as I am almost home. Going back down the hill, but I make a call to the correct office and I get a message that they will be moving so their offices will be closed for 3 days, but I am able to shift and start climbing again because it is not until the 25th. A very nice lady answers my questions and I assure her I will be back tomorrow to get the correct document. Off to the bank to get another document notarized and the woman informs me that they are now only able to notarize certain documents. hmmm. Going down hill again, but then she realizes that all she is doing is notarizing my signature and we are good to go and up the hill I go. I leave there and head off to UPS to overnight my request for my birth certificate. I give them the address and they can't send it because the address is a PO Box and they require a street address. Here we go down again. But there is a phone number so I call and wait and wait and finally I am told that they have no street address to send it to. So I am thinking I don't want this to go just in a regular envelop. But the nice woman at UPS informs me that the US post office can send packages that you can track to PO Boxes. Woo Hoo, we are going up the hill again. So now it is 4:45 PM and the post office is across town. But I get there and there is only one person ahead of me. The nice postal worker tell me that it will be there at 12 noon tomorrow and here is the tracking number and it is sent off for only a fraction of the cost that it would have been at UPS.
As I pull out of the post office the rain is falling and it is not freezing as I drive on a nice level road home!

Bumps in the Road

Not much time to write tonight, but did want to post so those who have been following my progress can be in prayer. Today I found out that I need an additional 5 documents for the court before they will schedule a court date. My understanding is that the Ministry of Education does not want to share the documents so I have to obtain more copies. Four of those are fairly easy to obtain. The other one is my birth certificate. I was born outside of the US because my father was in the military. So I have to go through a complicated process to obtain this even though I am a US citizen. They estimate the time to be about 4-8 weeks. So I am asking for your prayers that it will be less, like maybe 2 weeks. Still waiting on the police clearances so please continue to pray for a quick turn around time for these documents.
It has been such an emotional roller coaster these past several weeks. I continue to be grateful for all the support and prayers.

Snowy Saturday

The last several days the weather channels have been predicting snow for today. It started snowing about 2 1/2 hours ago and has been steadily snowing. I would say that there is a "dusting" on the ground. I have heard predictions from 1 inch to 1-3 inches, 2-4 inches and 4-6 inches. I also heard that the snow would start after midnight on Friday, Saturday morning after 8 and around late morning. It actually started about 1:30.
I was thinking when I started this adoption process the "prediction" was 9-12 months to complete the process. At this point I am at 2 years and 7 months. All this to say, that we can make predictions based on the information that we have to the best of our ability, but we cannot always account for all the factors that can influence the final result. It may be the temperature is warmer than initially thought or the wind is blowing from a different direction. Or documents are held up or changed.
But there is no "prediction" with the Lord. He is Who He is and He doesn't change. There is great comfort and joy is that.

Flashback:
Well, October 2006 came and went and no reaccreditation. The next rumor was February 2007. Then April 2007 and then we got word that it was going to happen in July!! And guess what? It did!!! It took about a month to get all the necessary documents to the different regions and some regions it took longer. At the end of August, I got 2 medical diagnosis and had to make a decision whether or not to proceed at this point. I spoke to a local pediatrician that several people had recommended. It turned out that she had been specializing with international adopted children the last 10 years. So everything we talked about we were speaking the same language so to speak. At that point I decided to pursue this referral. But some documents from my dossier had to be updated and I was frantically working on them. I also had to be re-registered in Krasnoyarsk although my dossier had been registered in February of 2006. At the end of September, I finally got all the referral information including a name. I met with the pediatrician about a week later. I was so nervous, but she was wonderful and I accepted the referral on October 1, 2007. Her name will be Natalie and she is 3 1/2 years old. The next step was to wait for a travel date to meet her.

Finding the Unexpected

It did snow in the wee hours of the morning. I woke up at 5:00 and watched it fall so quietly. There is something about being up early when the rest of the world is asleep. Schools were canceled last night so there was something so peaceful about it. But when I actually had to get up and go to work, the snow had already begun to turn to freezing rain. Tonight there is ice on the trees and shrubs and a different kind of beauty.
The other day I was looking for a medical form. I could not find it anywhere. I went through my desk at work, at home and even looked in the car. I finally started going through every file in my filing cabinet. I never did find it, but I came across a reimbursement check from an insurance company from November. Some how it had gotten filed in my credit union statements and was never cashed. I was so focused on finding the medical form that I never expected to find any thing else. In light of recent fee increases, it was a reminder that the Lord will provide my every need and that the provision comes in ways that I am not expecting. I think not only does the Lord provide financially in unexpected ways, but in relationships, job opportunities and even in new ideas and ways to do things. As I continue to wait for my FBI clearance, the Lord reminded me that the original requirement was a police clearance for all states lived in during the last 10 years. The other state I have lived in has been Massachusetts. So today I contacted the Mass office and found out that I should be able to get the clearance in approximately 7-14 days. So I have sent off for this. I am not sure if I will get the FBI clearance or the state clearance first, but at least I feel like there is hope that the clearance will come sooner rather than later. So once again, I find that when I am looking for something expected, the Lord delights me with the unexpected.

Flashback:
Once I found out that I was registered in Krasnoyarsk, I began waiting for a referral. Based on what I had seen for other families that usually occurred after a month. So March came and went, April came and went and no referral. May arrived but no referral. Instead what came was reaccreditation, a new word in my vocabulary that would make a permanent place in all my conversations when asked how the adoption was going. As of May 17, 2006 most agencies that had accreditation to operate in Russia, lost their accreditation. In the past it took approximately 3 months for new "accreditation" to take place. Once that happened, agencies were able to continue to work. Since the agencies did not have accreditation, then many of them were not able to give referrals or continue with court dates. At first most people felt that it would occur in the 3 month period. But there were major changes going on with Russia and how future adoptions would be carried out. So the 3 months came and went and no accreditation. The next rumor was that it would probably happen in October. So we all continued to pray and hope for it. In October 2006, the family coordinator I had left for personal reasons and I gained a new family coordinator. This was a major change. But instead of feeling like this was a bump in the road, I felt like it was a huge blessing. She continues to be my family coordinator and I could not begin to say what a wonderful job she does or the incredible support she has been through everything.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!

To those of you in New England, you may have had more than your fill. But here in NC, this is the first real chance of snow we have had all winter. But the predictions are shifting from snow to sleet to freezing rain. Ugh!!
Today I decided to call the FBI and check on my fingerprints. But I actually did not ask specifically about my prints, but more about the process. I was told that they compare the prints to every print they have ever had a file for all 50 states for the last 99 years!! Can you just imagine how many prints there are???? That gave me a better idea why it does take as long as it does.
So today I am continuing to count my blessings along the way. Along with my adoption journey has been my addition journey. I have often joked that I need to join AA for for my Adoption and Addition support. In March of last year, my mother moved in with me with the idea, that I would add on an addition (an in-law suite) for my mom. That way she would have support and she could also be a support to me. But we would each have our own space. The plans had been drawn up for a year and we were just waiting for her house to sell. It did in March and she moved in on St. Patrick's Day. I would have to dedicate a whole different blog to all the issues with the addition. One week I would see progress with the adoption and nothing would be moving on the addition. Then there would be progress with the addition and no progress with the adoption and so on. But since the first of the year, there has been steady progress on the addition. So I am grateful as the little touches are being added. A good friend said, maybe all the delays with the adoption are due to the fact that the Lord is waiting for the addition to be finished so your mom can be settled before you go!! That makes a lot of sense to me. The Lord knows that 3 year olds can be hard on Grandmas 24/7!!

Flashback:
In February 2006 I found out that I was registered in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. Krasnoyarsk in located in Siberia. It is a 4 hour FLIGHT from Moscow. I read the other day that it was -34 degrees F. Yes, that was negative 34!!
Here is a little information about Krasnoyarsk that I have copied:

Krasnoyarsk is an administrative center in the East Siberian region of Russia with the population more than 3 million people. The city is divided by the Yenesei River into two parts.
Krasnoyarsk is one of the earliest settlements of Siberia. It was founded as a fort in 1628 by Cossack Andrey Dubenskiy. It was a wooden fortress with a wall with five towers. For 100 years Krasnoyarsk played the role of frontier advanced post. During its existence it was never conquered. When Siberia was finally joined to Russia in1690 the fortress officially received the status of a town.
The extension of the Great Siberian Post Road in 1735 stimulated further development of the city. Gold discovery and the arrival of the Trans-Siberian Railroad accelerated Krasnoyarsk growth.
In 1934 the Yenesei province was reorganized into Krasnoyarsk Territory and Krasnoyarsk became its administrative center.
In 1960 one of the largest hydro power stations was built here.
Today there are more than 150 enterprises in Krasnoyarsk. The Krasnoyarsk Territory is very rich in raw material areas. There are plants producing chemicals, aluminium, wood products and synthetic rubber .
Many well-known in Russia people were born in Krasnoyarsk. Nowadays Kransoyarsk is a cultural center with eight theaters, five museums, a hundred public libraries and sixty seven clubs.
The Kransnoyrask region attracts by its nature which includes several zones such as tundra, taiga and arctic desert. Ist fauna consists of great number spices of birds and mammals. The climate here is not as severe as in Taimir. During the summer the temperature rises up to +30C degree, but in the winter it drops to -30C degree.

Blessings Along the Way

My fingerprints did arrive at 9:50 AM yesterday morning at the FBI office. Yeah!!! Of course I just had to check today to see if some amazing miracle happened and they were on their way back to me. But of course it is too soon. Sigh. I also found out that I must have the document before a court date can be scheduled. Sigh again. So keep praying that it is not another 3 weeks to get the clearance back but that they will arrive ASAP!
So with that little disappointment, what is a woman to do but shop? I had 2 big items on my registry for the shower. I received gift cards and some cash to use towards them. The first item was a little kitchenette that I know Natalie will have hours of fun playing with. It was listed at $118 and with shipping it was going to cost over $173!! How could I justify spending that much just on shipping? (Not available in the store) So I went to the wonderful world of Google and did a little sleuthing. Found the exact item for $109 with free shipping!! Next was a stroller that was listed at $99 and went to purchase it. Turns out the one I wanted was on clearance for $49!! So God continues to bless me in the midst of the bumps in the road. He is just reminding me that when I focus on only the completed task, I can miss the little blessings along the way.

Flashback:
So I began to gather the documents needed for the new sister agency (of course they were all different) and meet with the social worker from the Home Study agency. During this time I was told that it would be important to have a psychological evaluation included in my home study report and that I should wait to apply for my I-171H form (which is approval from Homeland Security to bring an adopted child into the country) until the home study was completed. So I found a psychologist and set up the appointment. I met with him and at the end of the visit, he told me I had to schedule another appointment to take a standardized test to be included in the report. I could not do that for another week. So I completed that test and waited for the results and waited for the results. Finally after about a month I was told the report was on the way. I waited for it to arrive and after a week and half it was still not here, then I called the office to find out that no one knew what was going on and the psychologist was on vacation and would not be back for another week to 2 weeks. Finally he came back, located the unmailed envelop and then sent the report. Several weeks later the home study was done (now it is October) and I send off my money and request to Homeland Security (later I find out that they could have been done concurrently.) I wait for about 6 weeks to get an appointment and then wait for another 6 weeks to get the results. Meanwhile, I am gathering other documents and having them notarized. Which of course should not be a big deal, right? But Russia requires that the notary's commission be good for 2 years. The interesting thing to me is that all the documents are only good for one year from the date they are notarized. Then all documents have to be redone. Are you starting to get a feel for how many trees I have killed? At this point in the process some of my documents have been redone 4 times. Once those documents (and when I say documents, I am talking between 20-30 total documents though not all are expiring at the same time) must then go to the capital of the state they were notarized in. For example if you are living in NC but were born in SC, you must get a notarized copy of your birth certificate from SC and then send it back to SC capital. Once the documents arrive at the capital, they are apostilled. That means a cover sheet is placed on it with an official state seal. In NC it cost $10 for every document that is apostilled. Remember the documents are only good for one year. Finally in January 2006, my dossier is completed and sent to Russia to be translated and registered in a region.

Shower of Love

As I work through the initial shock and then disappointment of not getting my FBI clearance, I am so gently reminded of the Father's Love. Today as I sat in church thinking too much on this, a gentleman sang a song. I think it is called The Father has the final Word or something along this line. The first time I visited this church 2 years ago this March, I went with my friend Lisa to an evening service. I think it was in the middle of waiting for reaccreditation. This song was sung that night. I will have to try to get the words, but the gist of it talked about how circumstances can seem like everything is falling apart despite all that you are doing and at times you are wondering about your faith, BUT the Father has the final word. And that is really what it is all about, isn't it? So no matter what happens or when it happens, the Lord has the final word. There is a lot of comfort in that. He just reminded me once again, that he has it all under control.
This afternoon several friends threw a shower for me and many of my friends came! I was so blessed not only by their love but their excitement to meet Natalie (the name I have chosen for my daughter.) As we watched the video, it was so sweet to hear their comments and see how precious they all thought she is. Some how sharing her with them has helped there be grace again for the wait. I am also so grateful for their gifts and I know Natalie will be to!!
As Sunday winds down, I can honestly say that I was able to slow down and truly enjoy this weekend!! Tomorrow back to the job and memorizing a new UPS tracking number!

Flashback: Once I heard back from AWAA, the next step was to locate an agency to do my homestudy. At the time I signed up with AWAA, they were not licensed to do homestudies in NC. I went with Children's Home Society of NC. The homestudy is one of the most important document in your dossier. The dossier is a collection of documents that must be acquired, notarized and apostilled (that is a state seal placed on the document.) In about 2 weeks I heard from the social worker and we set up a time for her to come to the house. Meanwhile I began collecting other documents that I would need. I think I had gotten about 3 when I got a call from my FC. That stands for Family Coordinator and that is the person at the adoption agency who coordinates all your paperwork and guides you through the process. It turned out that the sister agency that they worked with in Russia had not managed to get their reaccreditation. At that time, agencies underwent yearly or maybe every 2 years (I'm not sure) procedure known as reaccreditation to continue working in the country. The process at that time usually took about 3 months. Since this was taking longer the agency was going to switch me to another sister agency and would send the new document list requirement. This was the first of many "bumps in the road" to come.

The Weekend

It is funny how often we look forward to the weekend except when you are in the adoption process. That means 2 days where offices aren't open, mail doesn't go out and UPS doesn't deliver. I find myself busy working during the week days and at times franticially trying to get to an office, get a document notarized and making it to the UPS office before the last pickup.
I always think, I will slow down and enjoy the weekend but then the weekend is here and gone and I am back on the run again.
But today I want to really stop and hold on to this time. Today I have been so encouraged and my heart touched by so many people who don't understand the delays in the process any more than I do. Yet they have set aside their precious weekend time to reach out to me. I am truly thankful and grateful that I am not alone on this journey!!

Flashback: In April after I attended the conference, I began to really pray and research the adoption process. (I now realize I have learned far more by living it!) I checked into a variety of countries. Some I was limited by the fact that I was single, some because they were closed countries (no longer allowing adoptions) some because I would have to spend too much time in country at one time (the irony at this point is that the second trip to Russia is now about a month) and some I just didn't feel were the right country for me. Through the narrowing down process and praying I knew Russia was the country that I was going to adopt from. So I then began the next phase which was to locate an agency that I felt was right for me. It is amazing how many adoption agencies there are. Some specify in a few countries and others work with a lot of countries. I knew that I wanted to go with a Christian Agency and after doing some leg work I decided on America World Adoption Association. In the mean time I had switched jobs, stepping down from a management position to a staff position so I would have the time to spend with my daughter in the future. Little did I know that I would need that time to process and chase all the documents needed. On June 6, 2005 I submitted my application to AWAA.

Perspective

Last night after I posted my blog, I checked the UPS site (again) and imagine my surprise when I saw that my fingerprints were in transit and on the way!! I was so excited and today they arrived at my home about 9:30 in the morning. I drove home from work this afternoon and quickly opened the package so I could send them off to WVa to be apostilled. As I pulled them out of the envelop, I noticed a letter attached. The letter stated that my fingerprints had been rejected!! What???? How could this be? After waiting 3 weeks to get them back and they were rejected!!
The letter went on the explain that the quality was low and they could not be read. What a huge disappointment.
So I quickly gathered everything I needed and headed out the door to the police station to get another set, holding back tears. I arrived at 4:40 knowing they closed at 5:00. They told me that someone different would need to do the prints. So they called an officer and then came to the window. At first I felt my heart sinking as I was sure they would tell me that they could not do them and I would need to come back Monday.
But they informed me that an officer needed to come in and would I mind waiting for 10 minutes. Of course I wouldn't mind. The officer was very kind and gracious and completed 2 fingerprint cards for me just in case!! My fingers were inked extra just to make sure the prints were dark enough and hopefully in better quality. They then told me that there was no charge since they don't charge when the prints have been rejected.
I left there and headed over to the UPS office where I was greeted by my second family. Seriously, 3 of the employees have been with me every step of the way. (I will explain more about the procedure in my flashback sections, but so many documents are sent back and forth via UPS so you can track them.) They also were so kind and compassionate and cheering me on that this will be the last step and there will no more problems. So the fingerprints should be in WVa on Monday. Please pray that they are able to process these at a much quicker rate.
As I drove back home feeling so disappointed and discouraged, I had to stop and think that in the scheme of things, it was a disappointment, but it was not the end of the journey, just a bump in the road.
Today a man I know lost his wife without the opportunity to say good-bye and another person I know lost his job. So my set back seems so minimal compared to what they are experiencing. I don't understand why this adoption process has been so difficult, but I do know that God is in control. He so gently reminds me of the "big picture" and helps me to keep things in perspective. My child will come home and it will work out. How, when, why, why not are questions that I don't have the answers to and may never have. But when I place things in perspective the one question I do know the answer to is Who has it all under control and Whose timing is always right.

Three Weeks

Today marks 3 weeks since my fingerprints were received at the FBI office. I am waiting for a Federal Police clearance to proceed with the adoption process. Yesterday I finally spoke to someone who was very pleasant and offered to help if I had not received my clearance by tomorrow. I have been checking my UPS tracking number (I have the 18 digit number memorized) and the clearance has not been sent out. So there is no way it will arrive tomorrow. This is the last document I need to proceed to the next step which is to have a court date set. I would greatly appreciate your prayers that it would be sent out tomorrow!

When I lived in Romania and returned to the United States, one of my prayers was that the "adventures" (which there were many in Romania) would not stop. God has certainly answered that request. Hence; the name of my blog. This was also my theme on my newsletters that I sent from Romania.

Flashback:
To say that this adoption has been an adventure would be an understatement.
I think I have thought about adoption on and off throughout the years. In 2002 I decided to move from Boston to be closer to my family. I moved south to NC and some of my family also moved south. I knew it would be important to have a good support system in place and to have my family close by if I did pursue adoption. In 2005 while cooresponding with a former neighbor, I discovered that he was in the process of adopting a child. He really encouraged me to look into adoption. It turned out that I would be heading to Boston in April to attend a friend's wedding. The wedding was on a Sunday and that Saturday there was an adoption conference. The Lord never ceases to amaze me the way he times things. So I attended the conference and really learned so much and got just a tiny glimpse of what was involved!!
That was the beginning for me.

Friends

I've been thinking about starting a blog for quite awhile now, but just have not gotten around to it. As time approaches to return to Russia, I think what a great way to keep everyone updated without having to go over the same information again and again and without worrying that I forgot to include someone in an email.

Today I had the opportunity to talk with a friend that I have know for over 11 years. Even though we don't talk as often as we would like, there is something to be said about a friend that you can just open your heart up to and pick up just where you left off. It is also so good to have friends who are praying and cheering you on in the journey of adoption.

I think part of the reason I have hesitated to start a blog, is because I wasn't sure how to write about this process that I started so long ago. Then I realized why not write it just like a movie. Write about the present with flashbacks to how I arrived to where I am today. So that is what I plan to do.