Are you on the fence for adoption?

Here is a video of a dad talking to dads who are on the fence. The video certainly is meant for the moms too. Sometimes it is the dads who feel called and they are trying to get their wives on board.

I'm not sure why the words on his shirt are mirror imaged but it actually says "147 Million Orphans"...that is ONE HUNDRED FORTY SEVEN MILLION...how can our God possibly be happy with that?

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and
the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows
in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by
the world." James 1:27

"Taking a child He placed in their midst, and putting
His arms around it He said to them, "Whoever receives
one child such as this in my name, receives me; and
whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who
sent me." Mark 9:36-37

There are many fears when we consider taking a step in faith...for some the steps are small and others they are huge. We are told over and over and over to NOT fear. Fear used to control my life is so many ways. The longer I've been on my own spiritual journey and trying to become the daughter God created me to be many of my fears have dissipated. Thanks to Satan those fears try to sneak back in from time to time but not to the extent they once were and I'm able to let go of them faster. Someone once told me to imagine taking Satan by the back of his neck...walking him to an open door...and giving him a swift kick in the rear end. That immediately puts a smile on my face.

"Greater is He who is in me than he (devil) who is in the world." 1 John 4:4

"No trial has come to you but what is human. God is
faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength;
but with the trial He will also provide a way out, so that
you may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:13

The Adoption Process...1st Trimester

THE HOME STUDY.

We are working with God's Children Adoption Agency Inc. The agency is out of Fergus Falls, MN but our social worker lives in Moorhead. The adoption home study is a detailed report of our family prepared by the social worker. We, the adoptive family, need to gather a variety of documents and answer many questions on paper and through interviews.

*Application for Adoption
*Individual Fact Sheets (age 18 and older)
*Statement of Faith (parents only)
*Child Characteristic Form (adopted child)
*Disclosure Form
*Statement of Understanding
*Completed Reference Form (3 references needed)
*Confidentiality Statement
*Consent Form
*Preliminary Questions Worksheet
*Copy of Adult Birth Certificates
*Copy of Certificate of Marriage
*Medical Physical Forms (everyone 13 years of age and older)
*Physician's Statement of Health (for those under age 13)
*Physical Description of Your Home (specify bedroom for adopted child)
*Family Picture
*Signed Authorization Forms (age 18 and older for background checks)
*Completed Fingerprint Cards (age 18 and older for background checks)
*Interview with Pastor/Priest
*Verification of Income
*Verification of Investment Assets
*Verification of Liabilities
*Verification of All Insurances
*Verification that Adoptive Child will be covered by Medical Insurance
*Completion of Adoption Training (6 hours online and 4 hours from a book)
*2-3 Home Study Visits (interviews from social worker about our childhoods, marriage, parenting, faith beliefs, and interview with kids)

As of Feb. 6th all we have left is one more home study visit (interview with the kids and parenting), which we will be doing in Moorhead, and I'm awaiting Joey's statement of health from his pediatrician. Everything else is done (I hope) for the home study...yeah!

THE DOSSIER.

Dossier...pronounced "doss-ee-ay"...is a set of legal documents and adoption papers used in international adoptions. Each country has its own set of required documents for the dossier. The documents need to be notarized by a Notary Public (a public servant appointed by state government to witness the signing of important documents). The notarized documents then have to be apostilled by the State Government (an official certification that the document is a true copy of the original). Not all countries require this, however, Ukraine does. Each Apostille costs $10 (in ND)...the notaries have been free.

Gathering documents for the dossier is considered to be like the 1st trimester of a pregnancy. Usually the 1st trimester of a pregnancy is no fun if "morning sickness" is involved and maybe a lot of praying so you don't miscarry. I am "5 for 5" for NO morning sickness so my 1st trimesters were easy as far as that part goes. Putting together and gathering documents has been a bit frustrating at times. The thought did cross my mind a time or two that maybe this adoption is not God's will for us. Like for instance...we sent our first dossier document "Child Specific Petition" (which had to be notarized...took 3 times before we got it right...and apostilled) to our facilitator in Ukraine on Dec. 24, 2009. This form states that we are specifically asking to adopt "Isaiah". Hopefully then he will not be "given" to any other family. Three weeks later we still had not heard if the CSP arrived in the right hands. I emailed my concerns to my Reece's Rainbow Ukraine assistant. She did not know what could have happened other than the document got lost in the mail. I used USPS to mail it and was unable to get a tracking number as it went internationally. I waited a few more days and decided to redo the CSP...had it notarized and got another apostille for it. This time I thought I would send it FedEx so I could get a tracking number. It cost me $12 and some cents through USPS so I thought a few extra dollars for FedEx to be able to track it would be worth it. I walk up the the counter and tell the gal that I would like to send this letter to Ukraine. She types some stuff into her computer and then tells me what it would cost. After I picked my jaw up off the floor I replied back, "Did you say ONE...HUNDRED...ELEVEN...DOLLARS and 70 cents?" She said yes and went on to say that some countries even cost more. I walked out of the store faster than I walked in. What I wanted to send was one 8 1/2 x 11 size yellow envelope with 2 pieces of paper and 1 staple...that is all. And it would have taken a little over a week to get there. So I started asking God for some insight. What's up here? Did you not ask us to adopt this little boy? Are You sending us a sign that we made a mistake...after all, this was our FIRST dossier document and it wasn't so easy to put together. I will TRUST in You. I WILL TRUST in YOU!!! That was Jan. 19, 2010. My plan was to resend it through USPS with LOTS of prayers in the next day or two. The very next day I received an email that our CSP was in the hands of the person it needed to get to!!! Thank You God!!! Thank you for stopping me from spending that extra $111.70. Thank you for telling me that we are making the right decision and doing Your will. Thank you for reassurance and peace.

Back to the Dossier...these are some of the documents we need to gather...all need to be notarized and apostilled.

*Petition for adoption
*Child Specific Petition (2 documents)
*Home study report
*Agency license
*Social worker's license
*I-171H form
*Employment statement for husband
*Employment statement for wife. In case she is a housewife it should be clarily stated in the home study and a seperate petition from wife is not required.
*Proof of home ownership
*Proof of home mortgage
*Medical certificate for husband
*Medical certificate for wife
*Marriage certificate (2 documents)
*Passport copy for husband (4 documents)
*Passport copy for wife (4 documents)
*State Police clearance for husband
*State Police clearance for wife
*Letter of obligation (2 documents)
*Power of attorney (1 for Yulia, 1 for Serge Zevlever, 1 for Marina and 2 blanks).
*Copy of Doctor's License (1 from each doctor if different)
*Petition for Interpol (2 documents)
*1040 tax form from previous year
*Power of attorney from one spouse to another (2 documents...one each parent) (do not mail with dossier...hand carry)

So this is what has kept me busy for the most part for the past month. Right away in the beginning it all seemed so overwhelming and scary and hard, but the more I read over instructions and got the hang of things and asked questions it got easier and easier. We still have a lot to do before the 1st trimester is over. It has been about 11 weeks since we commited to Isaiah. About 13 weeks is one trimester in pregnancy. Usually the 1st trimester in adoption is much longer depending how fast you work to get all the documents needed. We know we don't want to travel until June (after springs work) so we have some extra time.

"Have A Little Faith"

Lyrics for "Have A Little Faith" by Michael Franti & Spearhead
(song is to the right in the playlist)

I know it's hard when you're down
And the bad times seem to follow you around
And you got no reason to show
Don't let it go, oh no

And when it's 3 in the morn
And you've told your whole life story to a telephone
And the radio's the only thing to let you know
You're not alone, oh no

Just have a little faith in me
I have a little faith in you
So have a little faith in me
Don't let it go, oh no

And I wish I was there
Just to run my own fingers through
Your worries and cares
Even though I fumble and fall
Don't let it go, oh no

And when the rain falls down
You know the flowers are gonna bloom
And when the hard times come
You know the teacher's in the room
And when the sun comes up
You know that I'll be there for you
Don't let it go, oh no

Just have a little faith in me
I have a little faith in you
So have a little faith in me
Don't let it go, oh no

Just have a little faith in me
I have a little faith in you
So have a little faith in me
Don't let it go, don't let it go
Dont' let it go, don't let it go
Don't let it go

Just be strong for me, I'll be strong for you
Just be strong for me, I'll be strong for you
Just be strong for me, I'll be strong for you
Just be strong for me

Don't let it go, don't let it go
Dont' let it go, don't let it go
Don't let it go, oh, don't let it go
Oh, don't let it go, oh, don't let it go
Don't let it go

Best Christmas Gift of 2009

A few days before Christmas I received an email from Reece's Rainbow telling me that there is a volunteer over in Nikolaiev Ukraine...the city where Isaiah lives. She was wondering if I wanted to be in contact with her to get some questions answered. Of course I said YES! On Christmas Day I received an email from Alisha McClintock. She answered some questions and we exchanged phone numbers. She called the next day and we talked for an hour.

A little about her and her husband...from how I understand it. Dan and Alisha were born and raised in the USA. They've lived overseas for the past 8 years. Dan plays basketball for a different country every season. This season they happened to be in the same city as our Isaiah. They have no children but are in the process of adopting 2 little boys from Ethiopia. http://ethiopianmommydaddy2be.blogspot.com/ They chose Ethiopia because that country has the most orphans and they chose boys because there are so many orphaned boys. While in these different countries Alisha volunteers at orphanages. Not just anyone can go to these countries and knock on an orphanage door and expect to start volunteering. There is a process she has to go through to get approved. Even then there is only so much she is allowed to do. She is not allowed to take pictures of the kids. Dan will most likely be in Nikolaiev until June but as soon as they get their referrals for their 2 boys from Ethiopia Alisha will move there to be closer to them.

Alisha only found out about Reece's Rainbow one month ago. She fell in love with a little boy with special needs in this orphanage but she felt they could not adopt him as she has back problems. She wanted to help in someway by getting awareness out to someone to let them know about kids like this...to give them a chance to be adopted to have a forever family. After some research she was led to Reece's Rainbow and found me and another mom (who is adopting THREE 2 year olds with Ds at the same time from the same orphanage as Isaiah).

We found out that there are 10 rooms with 10 kids each. They have 3-4 nannies per 10 kids and they are very well cared for. It is one of the better orphanages. They have hot water and heat. They are well clothed and are on a feeding schedule. They get medical attention and the rooms are set up to be more home like...living room area, toy area, etc.

A couple months ago there was an outbreak of H1N1 in Ukraine. No visitors/volunteers were allowed into orphanages and the nannies wear face masks to protect the kids. Ukraine does not allow the H1N1 vaccine. I was very happy to hear that.

Alisha told me about a Big Brother/Big Sister program they have there. We can hire someone to spend one on one time with Isaiah for one hour about 3 times a week. This Big Sister (or brother, whoever we pick) would be allowed to take photos and send them to us and give us more detailed updates. Alisha is going to get me more details.

Alisha did send me some pictures of in and around the city of Nikolaiev and of the outside of Isaiah's orphanage. The orphanage ones were just taken today. Seems like a dream. Feeling very blessed to have been given this opportunity and to know that Isaiah is well cared for, warm, not hungry, safe and all those other things mothers worry about.

THANK YOU Dan and Alisha for all you do to make life a little better for those without a voice. You are an inspiration to me. I would guess some days it is hard to distinguish if YOU are being "Jesus" to these orphans or if THEY are being "Jesus" to you. One day, God willing, I WILL be doing what you do...even if just for a few weeks at a time.

Play area at Isaiah's orphanage.

Front of orphanage.

Lyrics to "Here I Am" by Downhere.

To hear this song click play in the playlist to the right.

Sometimes Your calling, comes in dream
Sometimes in comes in the Spirit's breeze, yeah
You reach for the deepest hope in me
And call out for the things of eternity

But I'm a man, of dust and stains,
You move in me, so I can say

Chorus
Here I am, Lord send me
All of my life, I make an offering,
Here I am, Lord send me
Somehow my story is a part of Your plan,
Here I am

When setbacks and failures, and upset plans
Test my faith and leave me with empty hands
Are You not the closest when it's hardest to stand
I know that You will finish what You began

And these broken parts You will redeem
Become the song that I can sing

Chorus

Overwhelmed by the thought of my weakness
And the fear that I'll fail You in the end
In this mess, I'm just one of the pieces,
I can't put this together but You can

Here I Am, Lord send me
I want to live my life as an offering
Here I Am, Lord send me
Somehow my story is a part of Your plan,
So Here I am

Here I Am, all my life an offering to You, to You
Somehow my story is a part of Your plan
Here I am


There is no other song that I have heard at this point that comes any closer to how our adoption story is being played out...starting from a dream 8 years ago. "Somehow my story IS a part of Your plan." We are all called to serve our Lord in different areas. I feel called to serve in THIS area. I feel so blessed to have been able to be a stay-at-home-mom. There is NOTHING I would rather be doing. I WANT to live my life as an offering...to help my Lord where ever He is calling me to help...and right now I feel it is mothering.

Adding another child with special needs to our family won't be all fun and games. We know that. It won't always be easy BUT it WILL be good. Love will prevail because love IS a choice NOT a feeling.

"Faith, Hope, and Love. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us." Romans 5:1-5

Out of all the names...THEY picked Isaiah.

Isaiah wasn't always Isaiah. The orphans on Reece's Rainbow all have different names. Isaiah's "real" name was Ilya. There was another little boy with the name Ilya also so they changed "our Ilya" to Isaiah...out of ALL the names in this world.

Joseph (our Joey) wasn't always Joseph. His original name was Isaiah...read the story in another post.

Coincidence???

Nope.

God?

Yes!!!

Back when I was pregnant with Joey, I went onto the internet to look for baby boy names. I've never had to look for baby girl names as I've had the same name since I was around 8 or 9 years old. (MAYBE someday I will get to use it. God only knows at this point.) Anyway, I was looking for a biblical name going through the alphabet...A-Z. By the time I got to the "I's" I hadn't found one yet but when I saw "Isaiah" I knew that was in the running. Along with the name being biblical I also wanted one that was not very common. The only other Isaiah I knew was "Isaiah Edwards" on Little House on the Prairie...my all-time favorite TV show. I then got to the "J's" and found "Joseph". I looked up the meaning for both names and then stopped the name search. There was no need to go on to the "K's". After finding out the meaning of "Joseph" I went straight to Darrell and told him we ARE having another boy...as the meaning of Joseph is "God shall add another son". We had no plans on finding out the baby's gender but I knew...I just knew...it was going to be a boy.

The meaning of Isaiah is "salvation of the Lord" or "the Lord helps me".

Are we being sent to help Isaiah or is Isaiah being sent to help us???

Both...definately...both.

Isaiah Joseph.

The Lord will help us by sending another son.

Perfect.

Making a Difference..one life at a time!

A little boy walked carefully along a crowded beach, where starfish by the hundreds lay there within his reach. They washed up with each wave, far as the eye could see and each would surely die if they were not set free. So one by one he rescued them, then heard a stranger call, "It won't make a difference...you cannot save them all." But as he tossed another back toward the ocean's setting sun, He said with deep compassion, "I made a difference to that one!" Author Unknown

I received this poem on a plaque from a dear friend on Nov. 1st, 2009...the day RR opened their Christmas Angel Tree project. We both knew the meaning of this poem and how it relates to orphans however, this time it wasn't meant for orphans but for something totally different. Little did we know that, that day it really WAS meant for ONE certain "starfish"...my orphan Isaiah.

Most would call this a coincidence but I don't believe in coincidences. (This particular friend and I have had many "coincidences" in the short 8 years of knowing each other...sometimes it is hard to believe exactly how many...both big & small ones.)

Definition of "coincidence" at Dictionary.com...

*a striking occurrence of two or more events at one time apparently by mere chance.
*synonyms: accident, luck, fate.

Definition of "coincidence" at Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary...

*the occurrence of events that happen at the same time by accident but seem to have some connection.

Definition of "coincidence" by Steph Becker...

*GOD.