Good morning!
I'm sitting at my computer at work looking at a picture of the beautiful children thinking about what it will be like to have them in our home. It seems surreal. I obviously have selfish reasons for wanting to bring them back . . . it's as if I feel that the empty space in my heart is finally going to be filled. However, there are other very important reasons, as well. I was surfing the net the other day and have spent much time looking into the lives of the children in the orphanages of Ukraine. There are some grim statistics of the children that age out of the orphanages. 60% of the girls will seek a life of prostitution and 70% of the boys will face a life of crime. I look at the pictures of each of these little faces. Faces that are so innocent and naive . . . it's hard to believe that this is the course that many of their lives will take. We understand that the children from this particular orphanage do not have exposure to religion. We are very excited to have the opportunity to show Kateryna and Mykhailo the heart of Jesus.
I have been communicating with the Executive Director of the adoption agency. She will be sending us the documents for our home study soon. As soon as we have completed the needed documentation, our home study will be scheduled. We are told that there are also classes we have to take in Indianapolis, as well. We are eager to get things going, as we know the time will pass by very quickly!
I am excited as I have learned that I will be eligible for leave through the Family Medical Leave Act when it comes time to travel. My company is being very understanding about the time that I will need. I will be able to use some of my sick days, so I will even continue to receive a paycheck while I'm gone! What a blessing!
Diane
Friday, October 30, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Friends & Family Rock!!!!!!!
Yesterday (Sat. 10/24) we decided to announce our decision to adopt from Ukraine via Facebook. We are amazed and deeply touched by the number of our friends and family members who have commented on our Facebook (both mine and Di's). Many have approached us at church and have expressed how happy they are for us. God has truly blessed us with an awesome network of good friends and a very loving and supportive family. We love all of you and will continue to keep you update as things progress. Thank you for sharing our journey with us. You Rock!!!!!!!
Love,
Rick
Love,
Rick
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Great News!
Well . . . things appear to be moving right along! We have been speaking with Lydia, the Director of the Ukraine program at MLJ Adoptions in Indianapolis. The facilitator has selected the children that will be hosted this December. These children will be available for adoption thereafter. Lydia sent us pictures of a sibling group that she had in mind. All four!! After Rick and I caught our breath, we decided that four would be too many. She then emailed us to let us know that she was gathering more information on a sibling group of three that she wanted us to consider. The children that she was presenting to us were children that were cleared for adoption, but not available immediately. We told her that we would pray about the three children. We were feeling somewhat ambivalent, as we felt that three might be too many for us to handle. God gave us our answer. We learned that two of the children were adopted by a Ukranian family. The other was not yet available for adoption as she needed a minor surgery.
Lydia also mentioned that there was a sibling group of two (one boy and one girl) that would be available in the near future. Rick and I both had a strong feeling about these two. We asked that she send us pictures and we would pray about it. After much prayer, we have consented to pursue adoption with these children! Their names are Michaylo and Katyrina. Michaylo turned 8 in September and Katyrina turned 10 in July. Lord willing, we will host Katyrina in December. Only one representative from each family travels, and it is always the oldest. Lydia communicated to us that she would call us back when she found out when the children will be available for adoption. She contacted us a few days ago to tell us that they will be available between February and April of next year! Wow! This is earlier than we thought! We are awaiting a call from the home study coordinator to get our home study underway. While we are excited, we still have some hurdles to jump over. Please pray that the host program will stay in tact, and that we will be able to meet Katyrina in December. Please pray that Rick will get medical clearance. Please pray that our home study gets completed soon so that we can start applying for adoption loans and grants.
Lydia also mentioned that there was a sibling group of two (one boy and one girl) that would be available in the near future. Rick and I both had a strong feeling about these two. We asked that she send us pictures and we would pray about it. After much prayer, we have consented to pursue adoption with these children! Their names are Michaylo and Katyrina. Michaylo turned 8 in September and Katyrina turned 10 in July. Lord willing, we will host Katyrina in December. Only one representative from each family travels, and it is always the oldest. Lydia communicated to us that she would call us back when she found out when the children will be available for adoption. She contacted us a few days ago to tell us that they will be available between February and April of next year! Wow! This is earlier than we thought! We are awaiting a call from the home study coordinator to get our home study underway. While we are excited, we still have some hurdles to jump over. Please pray that the host program will stay in tact, and that we will be able to meet Katyrina in December. Please pray that Rick will get medical clearance. Please pray that our home study gets completed soon so that we can start applying for adoption loans and grants.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Our Story . . .
Many of you know our story. However, for those who don't know, we thought we'd include a glimpse into our lives for the past six years.
Rick and I got married in July of 2003. There was no question in our minds as to whether we wanted children. Those of you who know us realize that this is our passion in life. Our desire was to have children right away. However, God had other plans. After trying for a year, we decided to start infertility treatments. Four rounds of Clomid, 3 rounds of artificial insemination paired with shots, and 1 round of IVF . . . still no baby. In fact, the doctor told us that we had failed fertilization, which only happened in 2% of the population of individuals that undergo IVF. We switched doctors and transferred to the largest and most succesful infertility clinic in the nation. We were able to get an appointment with the clinic's director. Surely, we should have success, all variables considered. We were able to get pregnant with each of the next three rounds of IVF. However, we could not sustain the pregnancies. In 8 1/2 months time, we miscarried three times. This was SO difficult as I feel that God has created me to be a mother. Each time that I would see a pregnant woman, I would cry inside asking God WHY he has not gifted us with a child. Each time that I would see Rick patiently interacting with children I would cry out to God and ask him why He has burdened him with a wife that is infertile. I would have envy for women that would talk about the joys (and even the challenges) of motherhood. God showed me another perspective, however. He showed me that there were orphans that were envious of those that had someone to call "mom and dad". He put people in my life that were experiencing the joys of being adoptive parents. Throughout this infertility journey, painstaking as it has been, we have been increasingly convinced that God's plan is for us to adopt and care for his orphans. James 1:27 says this, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: To look after orphans and widows in their distress". In May of 2007, Rick and I became aware that a cousin that had been estranged from the family for some time had given up custody of his child. This 5-year old boy had been placed in a foster home. We contacted child protective services and learned that we would have priority consideration being that we were family. Long story short . . . the case was terribly mismanaged and it was three months before we were able to petition to the courts for custody. By this time, the judge ordered that the child stay with his foster family as he felt that the child had bonded with them.
Last summer, we were told of a family member that was adopting through a Ukranian host program. Rick and I prayed about it and it felt "right". After talking with my cousin about her experience, we immediately picked up the phone and contacted the director of the Ukranian program. We learned that this program allows the prospective adoptive parent and child to get to know one another prior to initiating the adoption. The children that are brought over to the states are between the ages of 7 and 14. We have been corresponding with the director a lot this past few weeks. There is a group of approximately 10 children traveling to the states in late December. We have turned in our application to host. We ask for prayers for discernment as we embark upon this new road in our journey. We will keep you updated as we learn more!
Rick and I got married in July of 2003. There was no question in our minds as to whether we wanted children. Those of you who know us realize that this is our passion in life. Our desire was to have children right away. However, God had other plans. After trying for a year, we decided to start infertility treatments. Four rounds of Clomid, 3 rounds of artificial insemination paired with shots, and 1 round of IVF . . . still no baby. In fact, the doctor told us that we had failed fertilization, which only happened in 2% of the population of individuals that undergo IVF. We switched doctors and transferred to the largest and most succesful infertility clinic in the nation. We were able to get an appointment with the clinic's director. Surely, we should have success, all variables considered. We were able to get pregnant with each of the next three rounds of IVF. However, we could not sustain the pregnancies. In 8 1/2 months time, we miscarried three times. This was SO difficult as I feel that God has created me to be a mother. Each time that I would see a pregnant woman, I would cry inside asking God WHY he has not gifted us with a child. Each time that I would see Rick patiently interacting with children I would cry out to God and ask him why He has burdened him with a wife that is infertile. I would have envy for women that would talk about the joys (and even the challenges) of motherhood. God showed me another perspective, however. He showed me that there were orphans that were envious of those that had someone to call "mom and dad". He put people in my life that were experiencing the joys of being adoptive parents. Throughout this infertility journey, painstaking as it has been, we have been increasingly convinced that God's plan is for us to adopt and care for his orphans. James 1:27 says this, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: To look after orphans and widows in their distress". In May of 2007, Rick and I became aware that a cousin that had been estranged from the family for some time had given up custody of his child. This 5-year old boy had been placed in a foster home. We contacted child protective services and learned that we would have priority consideration being that we were family. Long story short . . . the case was terribly mismanaged and it was three months before we were able to petition to the courts for custody. By this time, the judge ordered that the child stay with his foster family as he felt that the child had bonded with them.
Last summer, we were told of a family member that was adopting through a Ukranian host program. Rick and I prayed about it and it felt "right". After talking with my cousin about her experience, we immediately picked up the phone and contacted the director of the Ukranian program. We learned that this program allows the prospective adoptive parent and child to get to know one another prior to initiating the adoption. The children that are brought over to the states are between the ages of 7 and 14. We have been corresponding with the director a lot this past few weeks. There is a group of approximately 10 children traveling to the states in late December. We have turned in our application to host. We ask for prayers for discernment as we embark upon this new road in our journey. We will keep you updated as we learn more!
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