Good News!

After a very long, very dry spell of nothing happening, we finally have good news! Our final homestudy arrived in the mail on Saturday! Also in the mail on Saturday was the Bureau of Immigration appointment letter to have our fingerprints taken on January 31. We're moving again, praise God! We have several other letters and forms we now need to have notarized and approved by the adoption agency in Florida, then when that's all done we have to take everything to the Secretary of State's office in Santa Fe for the apostil, or special notary designation. Then we send it all off to Ukraine to be translated. After that, 3 documents are submitted to the Ukrainian National Adoption Board requesting permission to submit our documents. We are given an appointment to submit our documents. Once the documents are submitted and if/when they are approved, then we are given a date when we can go to Ukraine to get the girls! If all goes well, we are praying it will be in early summer.

As I shared in the last post, our girls were in Canada for the holidays. Because of that, our friend, Valya, was not able to go take our Christmas presents to the girls, as well as other items the church and my students sent to all the orphans. In addition, the church had collected money for Valya to use for the children. This past weekend Valya and another friend of ours in Ukraine, Vicki, went to Mariupol to see the girls and deliver all the gifts. Let me just let you read about the experience in Valya's own words from an email she sent when she returned home:

Dear Dawn and Mark, Hello !!!!
I have just come back from Mariupol. Everything is O.K. Vicki came on Saturday and
helped me to carry bags because there were many things.
We gave girls many hugs, rested a little and then went shopping. We asked them what they need and made a list, asked the teachers what kids need and spent three hours shopping. We bought underwear, warm socks, gloves, hats, tights, shampoo, bars of soap, washing powder, things for girls, toilet paper, high boots for Ella,Zhanna, Yanna, sneakers for Katia and of course candies and cookies. Both boys and girls were happy to get things which your colleague has sent toys, bracelets, socks and other things.
Ella and Zhanna were excited to get gifts from you; they were happy and thanked you for hats, dolls, pencils and especially digital cameras, at once they began to make pictures. They showed me a photo album from Toronto (Pete and Diane) gave them, very nice pictures, girls enjoyed staying there. I will send you pictures, I took a camera and this week I will develop all pictures and send you. Ella and Zhanna have also signed you cards.
They thanked all people who collected money. I stayed in the bedromm with Ella and Masha, Zhanna and Katia are living next room. Girls always share clothes and things and seem kind and polite. They have a dog which sometimes sleeps with them and domestic rats. They all love pets.
Teachers were friendly and thanked for help, everytime they have good attitude to us. I am glad that Vicki helped me to go shopping and choose clothes. On Saturday it was raining heavily and we were wet. It was snowy and watery on the ground, but we did it. On Sunday it was snowy and slippery. In the morning Zhanna, Ella and Katia went with me to the market and again we did shopping. We also bought clothes and fruit, candies for smaller kids ( you remember Slavik and his brother who always climb) and they were happy to get toy-cars and pencils. Of course, we cannot help each kid but we try to make them happier. Please, tell everyone who gave money thanks. Little kids were very happy and joyful for toys.
I think that in April or May Vicki and I will go to visit them again, but this time if you do not mind we'll organise a little party with a cake and will drink tea together and will have games and socialising.
Dawn and Mark, you are wonderful people I have ever met in my life, I think everything will be O.K. Girls love you and want to live with you, when I was reading your Christmas cards they were listening attentively. Mark is a great father.
Love, you
Valya,
And thanks for praying for our trip.

That just about says it all, doesn't it? We are thankful that God is in control. We look forward to bringing our girls home. Thank you for your prayers, and please keep praying! God is so good.
Dawn

A New Year. A New start. Everything new, fresh, clean. Why am I feeling so "un-new" then? I think it's because, humanly, I still get bogged down with self. So much of my thinking is all about self, instead of about God. I, myself, keep me from experiencing "newness!" Christ has come to make all things new, but I get in the way.

I think I've been pondering this today, on the Sunday afternoon after New Year's, and before the Monday morning back to school because I get so overwhelmed with "my feelings." Although I enjoy teaching, I'm feeling dread about going back to school tomorrow. I've enjoyed the leisure of the holiday weeks so much. Going back to the everyday grind does not encourage feelings of "newness."

I also dread saying goodby to Annie and Nathan tomorrow. We've totally enjoyed them being home the last two weeks. We went to see movies, we played games, we stayed up late talking, we slept-in late and we enjoyed eating way too much. They'll both be driving back to Texas tomorrow, and I know the house will be very quiet this week. That doesn't encourage feelings of "newness." That just makes me feel old and sad.

Even thoughts of "New Year's Resolutions" and a desire to make physical and emotional changes, while bringing some energy, doesn't bring "newness." It also brings feelings of apprehension about the fear of failure and concern about what people think about me.

There it is again . . . me. I can't feel new because of "me." The apostle Paul said, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW creation; the old has gone, the NEW has come!" II Corinthians 5:17. My problem is that I keep forgetting that I am in Christ! I keep feeling that I'm in ME!

So, for today, (and tomorrow and everyday after) I will choose to die to myself and remember that I am in Christ as a NEW creation, and my feelings are just feelings, but my goal is to glorify Him in all things. That helps to get my focus off me and put it on Him in total trust and confidence as He leads and guides me and provides for me each day of my life.

This focus has to be applied to our continued efforts at the adoption, as well as every other aspect of our lives. I reported in the last posting of this blog that our homestudy would be finalized and sent to us soon. Well, it still hasn't happened. But rather than fret and fume, we must simply trust that, as new creatures in Christ, it is all under control! God will take care of the timing and the details! He has a plan.

One of the unexpected events of that plan occured over the holidays. We learned the week before Christmas that Zhanna and Ella would be going to Canada for the holidays. That's all the information we were given at first. We had all kinds of questions: Who were they going with? Why and how were they going? Who was paying their way?, etc., etc., etc. We even had thoughts that another family was trying to adopt them. However, a few days later, we received an email from a couple in Canada by the names of Diane and Pete. They explained that they are in the process of adopting a girl from Ukraine, named Katia, who is a friend of Zhanna and Ella. Katia has been to Canada for the past two summers through a special exchange program, but this family is just now pursuing adoption. The family paid for Katia and our girls to all fly to Canada for the Christmas Holidays!

What started as a negative quickly turned to a positive. We've communicated via email for the past two weeks with the girls, sending pictures and letters back and forth. We talked on the phone a few times, and although the language is an issue, it was just a blessing to hear their voices. Zhanna played a song on the piano for us, and we received pictures of them ice skaking and playing. I'm attaching a picture of Zhanna, Katia, and Ella on ice skates.

They will be returning to Ukraine on January 7, and Valya plans to travel to Mariupol to see them on January 10. She will finally be able to take our Christmas presents to the girls. I'm anxious to hear how they respond.

So, there you go . . . all things new. We must simply put it all into God's hands and trust that "He's the Man with the Plan!" It's amazing that when I get the focus off "me" and trust in "Him" I "feel" so much better!

One last message before I go. Christ also gave us a message about newness. He said, "A NEW command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34-35. Could it be that when we get our minds off ourselves and think about loving each other, we then feel the "newness" of what Christ came to do in us? I believe that to be true.

Happy NEW Year! May Christ live in you and in me and in all of us. May we love each other more in 2009. We continue to appreciate your prayerful support on behalf of our family and Zhanna and Ella.

Peace and Blessings to you,
Dawn