Happy 2nd Birthday Joshua

Our two year old is one of God's greatest blessings to us, and we love him more than tongue (or keyboard) can tell! He talks constantly, loves to sing (ABC's, Jesus Loves the Little Children, the B-I-B-L-E, and a dozen other songs), runs most of the time, and can count to 20 (usually skipping 15 :). He loves to "read" his Bible and other books with us of by himself, which often involves pulling most of the books out of his bookcase. He also loves to play outside and see his friends at Mom's Day Out, Sunday School, and other church events (I can almost always get him in the car if I start naming the people he is going to see when we get there :). He loves his grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles and other family members and friends and wants to know the name of everyone he sees in person, in pictures or in his book ("Who's that?" is probably his favorite phrase). He loves to "help" mommy in the kitchen by taking pitchers and containers out of the lower cabinets while I cook, but he is getting better at putting things back. He is eating well and growing more independent in that area among others. He does love to say, "No", whether or not he really means it. He is relatively compliant for a 2 year old. When he does go to the tantrum, it doesn't usually involve screaming; he simply lays down, leans his head back, and says, "Fit". He loves to color and play with stickers...and I'm sure he'd love markers or paints if his mom had the courage to brave the mess :). He knows all his letters and can usually name one or more things that start with each one, and he's beginning to understand counting (which is so dear to mommy's heart :). He loves to watch Elmo, anything Sesame Street, and his "Bible Movies" which we usually watch when he wakes up so mommy can finish reading her Bible. While there are challenges every day, we know more and more why God tells us that children are a blessing. Joshua certainly is that in our lives!

Exciting News

We want to share some exciting news - Andy and I have begun the process of adopting a child from Russia!

This has been a work in progress for about a year now, but we firmly believe this is what God is calling us to at this time. About a year ago, Andy began thinking about the possibility of adopting, but I was not in favor of it at the time. Andy dropped it for the time being. However, a few months later, God began to impress upon me that this was what He wanted us to do. However, by that time, we had begun taking some fertility medication to enhance our chances of becoming pregnant, so we opted to continue with those plans for the time being, knowing that God was still in control, as He always is. As you know, we experienced a miscarriage in November. Since that time, God has continued working on our hearts and has clearly shown us that He wants us to adopt at this time. Looking back over the last year, He has used friends who have adopted, books we have read, speakers we have heard, and circumstances to bring us to this point. We have seen God more clearly throughout the journey, and we know He has good things in store for our family, even though the road may be challenging.

So now I'm sure you may have a lot of questions. Let us answer a few.

First, why Russia? Well, Andy and I talked about this and explored various adoption options but through some doors being closed, the age of the child we were looking for (younger than Joshua), etc. we kept coming back to Russia. Russia currently has 750,000 orphans, so it is a huge need there. We considered adopting from America, but personally felt uneasy with some of the complications as well as felt excited about being a part of God's work in another nation.

Second, what "type" of child do we want? We would like a child as young and healthy as possible. For Russia, that means the youngest child we could bring home would be about 1 year old, though the child might be closer to 18 months by the time we bring him or her home. Also, we did not specify a gender preference on our application, but due to the high demand for Russian girls in adoption, we will probably be referred a boy.

Third, how long will it take? We have been told that it could take anywhere from about 12 to 18 months from start to finish, so it will be a long process, though not as long as many other options we looked at. We began our process in January, so we expect to travel possibly by the end of 2011 but more likely in the first half of 2012.

Fourth, what agency are we using? We were looking for a reputable, Christian adoption agency, so Andy researched and called quite a few to gathering information. We settled on Buckner International, a Baptist organization which some of our family members have ties to. They have been doing adoptions for decades and came recommended by reputable charities like Shaohannah's Hope. We have heard nothing but good things and have been impressed with this organization thus far.



Fifth, what are the steps in the process? While we can't say for sure exactly what the process will look like (since we've never done this before :), this is how we presently understand it. We finished "Application Part 1" for our agency in January. This was a relatively short, introductory set of documents to make sure there were no red flags before we really dove into the paperwork. We will mail our extensive "Application Part 2" tomorrow. This has taken us about a month to complete. It contains many of the background information and documents that our agency will need for the US and Russian governments. We are also working on our Home Study, which is part of the process for acceptance with US immigration. After Application Part 2 is approved, we will begin working on our dossier for Russia. I'm sure there is other paperwork and steps, so we'll keep you posted. After all paperwork is completed, we will wait for a referral (recommendation for a specific child) from Russia to come from our agency.

Sixth, what will our travel plans include? Currently for Russian adoptions, most parents will make 3 trips. Once we receive and tentatively accept our referral, we will travel to Russia, meet that child, have a secondary medical evaluation of that child done, and set a court date. Then we will return to Russia in one to two months to attend our court date. After court, there is a mandatory 10 day waiting period before we can take the child home. We could simply stay in Russia, but with Joshua at home and Andy's work, a 3 week trip would not be feasible. Finally, we would travel to Russia to bring our child home! Both of us would not have to go on this trip, but bringing a young child we have just gotten to know and who may never have been outside a Russian orphanage on very long plane rides just seems like a 2 man job :).


Andy and I would certainly appreciate your prayers as we go through this long process that I'm sure will be filled with challenges. Here are some of our current prayer requests:

• Pray for our child in Russia, wherever he or she may be (most likely in utero or in an orphanage) that God would provide loving caregivers and resources to provide for his or her needs, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, until we are able to care for him or her ourselves.


• Pray that God will draw Andy and I closer together through the process.


• Pray for us through this spring as we are adding the adoption tasks to already busy schedules (2 year old, my busy Women's Ministry calendar, and Andy's Professional Engineering exam in a few weeks to name a few). Pray God would show us how He would want us to prioritize our time to best glorify Him.


• Praise God for the encouragement of friends and family as we continue to share with others.


• Pray for us as we answer questions and respond to the concerns of others when we share our news. Pray that these discussions will open doors for us to share what God has done and is doing in our lives and share the gospel.

• Pray for us as we make financial decisions, that God would show us how He wants to provide the funds for the adoption.


• Pray that our "Application Part 2" will be processed smoothly in the next few weeks and that our Home Study will continue to progress.

We look forward to sharing more with you as we move along in the process. And, yes, this does mean the blog is back in operation :).









Love,
Andy and Dana (and future big brother, Joshua)