Blogging... a new experience to share our experience

Okay, so if you've found the blog, you know there is something new going on in our world. God has put us back on the journey of adoption. We truly thought we were done. We hadn't really even thought about it since December 2007, but here we are. Let me try to answer at least some of the questions before you even ask.

Why did you stop last time?
We truly believe that the timing was not right in 2006-2007. God has always taken care of us and opened the doors we needed to walk through. At that point in time, the doors required battering rams to enter, so we stopped.

Why are you starting again?
Our hearts were moved by the stories of a friend who took a mission trip to an orphanage in Ukraine this summer. There is such a great need and we believe it is God's plan for our family.

UKRAINE?!?!
Yes, Ukraine. My family heritage (on my mother's side) actually traces back to that region and, like I mentioned above, the need there is great. (I'll try to post some of the orphanage statistics for you.)

Are you looking for a baby?
No. We believe we are called to adopt a school age girl... probably in the 6-9 year old window. In Ukraine, if a child has a sibling, they must be adopted together.

Does that mean you're adopting two?
We're really not sure. Ukraine does not pre-match families with the children, so we will not know until we get there. If God has 2 girls for us, then I guess we're adopting two.

Do you have to go there?
Yes, Dan and I will travel to Ukraine and probably be in the country for a month. Sometimes the process takes as much as 6-8 weeks. In that case, at least one of us would come home, probably at the 4 week mark, and the other would either stay to finish the process or make a second trip.

What about Tim?
Tim is excited! He's a bit guarded, understandable since last time we visited with kids he never got his desired sibling, but he is excited. He will have a wonderful team of people here with him while we are gone keeping his world spinning.

What can we do to help?
Now, pray! To say the timing of this entire process is in God's hands is a vast understatement. We know that He has the power to make our government (and theirs) process things more quickly or more slowly than typical timeframes. We are prepared to travel this journey on God's timetable. That said, if we are able to receive our approval from the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) soon, it is possible we could be traveling as early as November. We could also be traveling anytime between that and next August... we'll keep you posted.
Later, help us learn how to raise a girl (or girls) who know how to walk, talk and feed themselves. Our world is going to be a very different place...



I expect you have lots of questions... so do we! :-) Feel free to ask and we'll do our best to answer.