Waiting, waiting, waiting . . . . .

After the last blog posting, you should have seen us go into overdrive! We contacted our social worker, Malisa, and asked her to generate the additional addendum document to our homestudy. She did it that day, had it notarized and mailed it overnight to us. We received it on Thursday morning, April 2, and Mark drove it up to Santa Fe immediately for the apostile. He got that done and then took it directly to the Fed Ex office in Albuquerque to mail express mail to Ukraine. It would arrive in 3 business days, but at a cost of $123! Add that to the expenses of the overnight mailing, the trip to Santa Fe, the cost of the apostile, etc., and that one document cost us about $200! Whew! But it's all worth it. Vanya received it on Tuesday, he translated it on Wednesday and drove it to Kiev on Thursday, April 9.

That and other paperwork was submitted to the Ukrainian State Department of Adoption (SDA) by Vanya last week. We hoped to get a date then when we'd be asked to come to Ukraine. Nope! Not yet! Vanya then submitted our entire dossier yesterday. Were we given a date? No-o-o-o! We were informed that we'd be told in 10 to 14 days. Oh-h-h-h! The waiting is so long! It is so hard not to be anxious!

We find ourselves worrying about all the little details and the timing and how it will all work out. We were told that we may need to be there in about a month from now, but we have so many other commitments to deal with before we can go. I have my commitments at school. 22 of my students are going to State History Day next Friday. I'll find out then if any of them will go to National History Day in Washington D.C. in June. (I probably won't get to lead that trip this year, as I have the past 3 years.) Mark and I are going with my 8th graders on a mission trip to work with the poor and homeless at Love and Care Ministries in Abilene April 27 - May 1. Annie comes home from college for the summer on May 2 and Mark will help her haul all her belongings home. Nathan graduates from college on May 9, so we'll be returning to Abilene then. After that I have 2 more weeks of school with all of the end of the year grading, report cards, packing up the room, 8th grade graduation ceremony, May Day Play Day, etc., etc., etc. Mark has commitments of ministry and counseling and teaching. It gets so overwhelming when you worry it out to the last detail.

But then we take a step back and look at the entire journey. We see so clearly that God has been actively involved in every step that has been taken. Everything has happened at exactly the right time. Why should this be any different? When we turn our trust over to God and allow Him to work in us and through us, we experience peace. I wish I could remember to do this all the time! I'm so fickle and frail! I must die daily, and continually give my life up to God. Then He can work. He has shown us that over and over again this past year throughout this adoption process. It has certainly been a faith - builder!

The girls' room is done! It is so adorable! I want to have an open house one Sunday before we go and invite all our friends and church family over to see it and to pray in it. I want the walls to be bathed in prayer before the girls come!

So, for now, we are waiting. But we trust that this is God's perfect timing, reflecting His pure and perfect and loving will for us. We'll continue to wait and hope and pray. He is so good. We know He'll take care of us and all our needs. After all, "consider the lilies and the sparrows!" God takes care of them, and he'll take care of us and Zhanna and Ella, too.

In Peace and Love and Trust,
Dawn