We have all our papers! Tomorrow morning we will send them to be reviewed before we have them apostilled. Praying we can mail them overseas next week! Please pray that we will find any mistakes or problems with the documents now, before we mail them. Pray for favor with the officials and that we will travel at the exact time that God has planned. Please also continue to pray for the Lord to provide all the needed funds.
If you read any of the comments on the blog you know that we found out that a group from Texas went to Ukraine on Wednesday to minister to orphans there this month. Can you believe that they are in the camp with our kids this week! How great is that! Please pray for their time there. You can check them out at passionforukraine.blogspot.com
I'm so thankful the children have people there to love on them this week. Gayla had a birthday on the 10th. We sent her a letter weeks ago but do not know if she received it yet. Can't wait until we can throw her a party!
There is no contact with Andrei right now. I've been praying we will come across someone who may see him as they travel there. I just want him to get a hug, to know someone cares and that he is loved!
Believe me, we will let everyone know when we mail our dossier. They Lord has amazingly provided all the funds we've needed so far. It's been incredible to watch.
Our hope is to have a fund raiser at church in a couple weeks. The attorney I work for has offered to spend a day doing simple wills and donating the money to our fund. She will do the wills for half price so it will be great for people needing estate planning and it will be a huge blessing for us. I'll post the details soon so people can spread the word and participate.
Thanks so much for everyone's encouraging notes. We really need the body to walk with us through these days.
Blessings!
Open Arms
...caring for orphans and adoptive families...
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Unexpected Blessings!
We've become friends with a couple who are in Ukraine now to adopt their two beautiful daughters. They surprised us last night with this amazing photo of our kids! The children asked them if they could get a letter to us. They pulled out paper and pen for the children and the kids sent us a note. God is so amazing!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Current Status
"Lord, when doubts fill my mind, when my heart is in turmoil, quiet me and give me renewed hope and cheer" (Psalm 94:19 LB).
We finally have all the documents for our dossier! EXCEPT, we found out yesterday that some of our documents will expire before six months so we need to redo about 11 items before we can send things off. It's so easy to become discouraged, to feel like it's two steps forward and three steps back. So we choose to sit quietly before the Lord and be renewed.
We will be trying to take care of a lot of these items tonight and Friday. Pray we have favor with the different offices we will need to contact. OKAY! Well it's time to press in harder! Let's roll up our sleeves and get busy! We want our children home!
We are tired....but more determined than ever before.
Please continue to pray for the children as their school year is over. Pray that they will have a safe summer.
Last night we met with another woman from our church who is in the process of adopting their 4th child. We are working to start a ministry in our local body to help fellow believers find their role in helping orphans find families. We will let you know more as God reveals the details.
We have a passage of scripture we believe is personally for us. Monday night, I (Steve) had a time of prayer with a close friend. It was great, refreshing and encouraging. He called me early Tuesday morning and told me the Lord directed him to the following passage:
The Lord says: "Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east (Ukraine), and gather you from the west (South Carolina). I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth."
(Isaiah 43: 5 & 6, NASV)
Waiting for them to come,
Steve and Carol
We finally have all the documents for our dossier! EXCEPT, we found out yesterday that some of our documents will expire before six months so we need to redo about 11 items before we can send things off. It's so easy to become discouraged, to feel like it's two steps forward and three steps back. So we choose to sit quietly before the Lord and be renewed.
We will be trying to take care of a lot of these items tonight and Friday. Pray we have favor with the different offices we will need to contact. OKAY! Well it's time to press in harder! Let's roll up our sleeves and get busy! We want our children home!
We are tired....but more determined than ever before.
Please continue to pray for the children as their school year is over. Pray that they will have a safe summer.
Last night we met with another woman from our church who is in the process of adopting their 4th child. We are working to start a ministry in our local body to help fellow believers find their role in helping orphans find families. We will let you know more as God reveals the details.
We have a passage of scripture we believe is personally for us. Monday night, I (Steve) had a time of prayer with a close friend. It was great, refreshing and encouraging. He called me early Tuesday morning and told me the Lord directed him to the following passage:
The Lord says: "Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east (Ukraine), and gather you from the west (South Carolina). I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth."
(Isaiah 43: 5 & 6, NASV)
Waiting for them to come,
Steve and Carol
Thursday, May 28, 2009
The Children
A few pictures to enjoy!
She loves to make things to send us.
What beautiful smiles!
Holding the flowers Galia sent us until we can hold the children.
James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above...
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Memorial Day Weekend
Hi Everyone,
Learning Russian is still a daily event. Word by word we keep trying to improve. We have one class a week with a Ukrainian tutor. She asked us last week if we would have a translator or be traveling alone. We told her both....She shook her head, "God help you...He will, it will be okay, He will help you." I think she was just trying to comfort herself. We're too ignorant to be concerned. Walking through the house there are little yellow stickers on various items. No real rhyme or reason, just the stickers I happen to have and know what they mean. I just have to remember to read the stickers, they're not just there to be pretty! Pray for us, please!
We have a new addition to the family. Emily and Tim now have a baby girl. Caitlin Grace Ellisor arrived last Sunday morning, very early, 10 weeks earlier than planned. She weighed in at 3lbs. 8 oz. There were many complications but we are so thrilled to say that Mom and baby are both doing great. Hopefully she can come home in a couple of weeks. Grace is such an perfect name. God's grace brought her here!
There is one other addition to announce. Rebekah and Tim2 announced they are expecting baby #3. She's due in January. Grandbaby number 7 on the way! Yeah!
Steve and JD are in DC this weekend to attend Rolling Thunder with two of my brothers and some other friends. I can't wait to hear the details. It's always a very emotional weekend.
We've been giving a lot of thought to the plight of orphans, our real motivation behind our decision to adopt and what our part of the solution really looks like. One dear friend challenged me at the beginning of the process. She said, "I don't think you will look back in ten years and regret this if you do it. But you most probably will regret it for the rest of your life if you don't." She's right.
I heard a song yesterday that says it best. (words below) There is so much to do. We don't need to ask if He wants us to do something, but rather what He has for us to do. You can listen to the song on You Tube.
Wanting to give everything,
Carol
The Motions
by Matthew West
This might hurt, it's not safe, But I know that I've gotta make a change, I don't care if I break, At least I'll be feeling something, 'Cause just okay is not enough, Help me fight through the nothingness of life
I don't wanna go through the motions, I don't wanna go one more day, without Your all consuming passion inside of me, I don't wanna spend my whole life asking, "What if I had given everything, instead of going through the motions?"
No regrets, not this time, I'm gonna let my heart defeat my mind, Let Your love make me whole, I think I'm finally feeling something, 'Cause just okay is not enough, Help me fight through the nothingness of this life
'Cause I don't wanna go through the motions, I don't wanna go one more day, without Your all consuming passion inside of me, I don't wanna spend my whole life asking, "What if I had given everything,
instead of going through the motions?"
Learning Russian is still a daily event. Word by word we keep trying to improve. We have one class a week with a Ukrainian tutor. She asked us last week if we would have a translator or be traveling alone. We told her both....She shook her head, "God help you...He will, it will be okay, He will help you." I think she was just trying to comfort herself. We're too ignorant to be concerned. Walking through the house there are little yellow stickers on various items. No real rhyme or reason, just the stickers I happen to have and know what they mean. I just have to remember to read the stickers, they're not just there to be pretty! Pray for us, please!
We have a new addition to the family. Emily and Tim now have a baby girl. Caitlin Grace Ellisor arrived last Sunday morning, very early, 10 weeks earlier than planned. She weighed in at 3lbs. 8 oz. There were many complications but we are so thrilled to say that Mom and baby are both doing great. Hopefully she can come home in a couple of weeks. Grace is such an perfect name. God's grace brought her here!
There is one other addition to announce. Rebekah and Tim2 announced they are expecting baby #3. She's due in January. Grandbaby number 7 on the way! Yeah!
Steve and JD are in DC this weekend to attend Rolling Thunder with two of my brothers and some other friends. I can't wait to hear the details. It's always a very emotional weekend.
We've been giving a lot of thought to the plight of orphans, our real motivation behind our decision to adopt and what our part of the solution really looks like. One dear friend challenged me at the beginning of the process. She said, "I don't think you will look back in ten years and regret this if you do it. But you most probably will regret it for the rest of your life if you don't." She's right.
I heard a song yesterday that says it best. (words below) There is so much to do. We don't need to ask if He wants us to do something, but rather what He has for us to do. You can listen to the song on You Tube.
Wanting to give everything,
Carol
The Motions
by Matthew West
This might hurt, it's not safe, But I know that I've gotta make a change, I don't care if I break, At least I'll be feeling something, 'Cause just okay is not enough, Help me fight through the nothingness of life
I don't wanna go through the motions, I don't wanna go one more day, without Your all consuming passion inside of me, I don't wanna spend my whole life asking, "What if I had given everything, instead of going through the motions?"
No regrets, not this time, I'm gonna let my heart defeat my mind, Let Your love make me whole, I think I'm finally feeling something, 'Cause just okay is not enough, Help me fight through the nothingness of this life
'Cause I don't wanna go through the motions, I don't wanna go one more day, without Your all consuming passion inside of me, I don't wanna spend my whole life asking, "What if I had given everything,
instead of going through the motions?"
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
It's here!!!! or It's there!
The last form from DSS! Now we wait for immigration to do their thing. The Immigration Lady told us she had up to 90 days to make her recommendation but, depending on her workload, she usually finishes much sooner. We are praying for "much sooner". This past weekend, Carol & I had prayed that if anything was blocking DSS from finishing, He would stop it and let the documents proceed. Well, it looks like He did just that!
Now, our prayer is that He would open the floodgates and fill the storehouse with all the funds He promised. Carol and I are trying to wait patiently but we are READY to go get our kids. Yeah, I know we must wait on Him. Patiently... with a good attitude... listening for His word "GO!"
He gave me a word last Sunday. He said that the "finances were so far above anything we could do in our own strength" that we needed to "stop striving" and just watch Him perform His miracle.
OK,God, You're on. You are the Star of the show and everybody is watching the stage to see You perform Your miracle. It's all about You and for You. Thanks for letting us be a part!
We are eagerly waiting and watching...
Steve & Carol
If you would like to donate to our adoption fund, click here.
Now, our prayer is that He would open the floodgates and fill the storehouse with all the funds He promised. Carol and I are trying to wait patiently but we are READY to go get our kids. Yeah, I know we must wait on Him. Patiently... with a good attitude... listening for His word "GO!"
He gave me a word last Sunday. He said that the "finances were so far above anything we could do in our own strength" that we needed to "stop striving" and just watch Him perform His miracle.
OK,God, You're on. You are the Star of the show and everybody is watching the stage to see You perform Your miracle. It's all about You and for You. Thanks for letting us be a part!
We are eagerly waiting and watching...
Steve & Carol
If you would like to donate to our adoption fund, click here.
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