Thanksgiving

We have so much to be thankful for this year! God is so amazing and has been so good to us.

Little did we know a year ago what God would bring our way in a year. We had no idea we would have been to Ukraine and back, and that He would have brought two girls to us that we hope will become our daughters!

Actually this journey began about two years ago. We knew that the year 2008 would be a special one for our family. Mark and I would be celebrating our 30th anniversary, and Annie would graduate from High School and Nathan would graduate from college. We talked about what we could do to celebrate this big year. At first we thought about a cruise.

But as time went on we all came to feel that if we were going to spend that kind of money we would rather use it to do something beneficial for others, rather than just have fun ourselves. We began to think about a mission trip. We had no idea where we would go, but we all began to pray about it.

Our prayers were answered last December when 10 college students from Lubbock Christian University came to stay overnight with us during a choir tour. They were all talking about a mission trip to Ukraine in the summer. When we expressed interest they said, "You should come! We need more people on our team, especially adults!" So our decision was made.

We applied and received information from Eastern European Missions. We became part of "Team Inspire" and began to prepare to leave for Ukraine on July 13. We would be working in a youth camp and teaching Bible lessons and giving Bibles to the children.

The experience of our family going to Ukraine was life-changing. It was not nearly as comfortable and luxurious as a cruise would have been. I'm sure the food was not at all what the food on a cruise would have been! But Mark and I and Nathan and Annie all agreed that the blessings that came from the trip have been amazing and so much greater than a mere vacation. The blessings have been ongoing.

I think we've all grown in our faith and our trust in God this year. God has shown us that we as humans often walk around with our fists closed trying to take care of things in our own ways, but God wants us to open our fists and hold His hand. Then He can take us on wonderful faith journeys which involve great blessings.

As we struggle through this adoption process we are trying to remember those lessons of faith and trust in God. He will bring this all about, because it is all from Him. We are so thankful for what He is doing.

We're thankful we are growing a relationship with our girls. We've met a woman here in Albuquerque who is originally from Russia. She has translated the letters and drawings the girls have sent to us. Her name is Anjella, and she has been so gracious to help us. Our dear Valya in Ukraine continues to keep our relationship with the girls growing. She has traveled to Mariupol twice by train now, and is planning to go again in a few weeks before Christmas.

We've sent gifts to Valya and the girls. It was so much fun to buy gifts for them and to mail them off. We can't wait to hear from them and to know how they feel about what we got them. I hope they will just know that we love them. We long to be with the girls face to face. It is hard to be patient. We are praying for that. However, we are so thankful that God is providing this time to grow our relationship with them. They are really becoming our daughters!

We are extremely thankful for our dear Christian brothers and sisters and all the support we are receiving throughout this endeavor. The Riverside congregation has set up a fund that people continue to contribute to. As of this past week we have half of what we anticipate as needed expenses - $14,000! It is unbelievable to see such an outpouring of generosity from sweet people - especially during a time of economic struggles. We are so grateful.

Yes, God is so good to us. He has truly blessed us this past year. I pray that He will show us ways to bless others more as we continue to learn how to keep our fists open and hold His hand.

May you all know God's blessings. Happy Thanksgiving! Face each day with gratitude!
Love, Dawn