Give Me A Hug

While we were in Russia and for at least 6 weeks after we arrived home, Anzhela would not hug or kiss us. We would tell her we love her often and attempt to hug her but she would pull away. We did not push it but we continued to tell her that it is important to tell your family you love them and to hug them. We would then hug and kiss each other and say, "I love you Papa" or "I love you Moma". She would just watch us.
While in Russia, bedtime was difficult but once home we've been able to get into a routine. Don and I put her to bed together. We say prayers, read a book, and then we tuck her in. She pulls the covers up over her head so we can't kiss her or hug her. At first, we would just say "goodnight Anzhela, we love you." And we would leave her room. After a few nights, we decided to hug and kiss her anyway. So, when she pulled the covers up over her head, Don would get on one side of her bed and I would get on the other and we began hugging her and kissing her through the covers. She would just laugh and giggle, eventually pull the covers off her head, and say goodnight to us.
One thing about Anzhela is that she demands our attention. When she wants something, she calls us and expects us to come to her. A few weeks ago, she was calling me to come to her bedroom. I was folding laundry and told her I would be there in a minute. She kept calling, "Mom, Mom" so I went to her room. She was standing in the doorway with her arms stretched out and she said, "Give me a hug!" Then she hugged me like there was no tomorrow. I was really caught off guard but once she pulled away I said, "Wow, that was the best hug ever! Thank you Anzhela, I can't wait for more!" She beamed.

Since that day, she is very free with her hugs for both Don and me. She will not kiss us but she gives us hugs frequently throughout the day. I love it and so does Don. Bedtime has changed a bit. Now, once we are finished with our story, she has to hug each of us and then we tuck her in. Bedtime has become a very special time for us.

Thanks for stopping by.
Blessings,
Elizabeth





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It's Gotta Be Blogger's Block!

I am really having a difficult time blogging these days - not sure why. I guess I just have "Blogger's Block"! I have been blogging for a little over 2 years. During that time, I have had periods where I just couldn't blog. I don't know why it happens. What I can say is that when I feel the urge to blog, there is no stopping me. In fact, when I have the urge to blog the words just flow, I don't even think about it. Right now, I have about 6 unfinished posts. I am hoping I can get them finished by the beginning of December.

We finally bought a used camera in late October so we are taking photos of our Angel like crazy since we feel we missed a good 6 weeks without a camera. We were also able to replace my crashed computer in late October so now I am working on organizing our photos. I tried to upload a slideshow of the few photos we downloaded before we lost our camera but I am not happy with it. I will have to work on it.

Well, I am just blogging to blog right now so I will sign off. Hopefully, the "Spirit" will move me soon and I will start posting more.

God Bless,
Elizabeth
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Has It Really Been Two Months?

Two months since "Gotcha Day". Wow! That is hard to believe! Don and I both feel a little guilty for not posting sooner but it has been absolutely crazy! We had two computers crash. We also lost our camera bag, camera, and (sandisks with photos) on the flight from Moscow to Atlanta. Just broke our hearts! We have prayed that whoever finds our bag would please just send us the disks - keep the camera we really don't care about it. But the photos are just not replaceable.

It seems it's always something. We have this black cloud that follows us around. Don reminds me frequently that "rain falls and the sun shines on the just and the unjust alike" I really should look up the actual scripture sometime. Anyway, we have a computer now and decided to do a quick update for those of you who have been looking for news.

First, to everyone who helped us get to Russia and back, God Bless You! We think of you all everyday and will never be able to thank you enough. Know that you are in our prayers everyday.

Second, we apologize to everyone who have been waiting to hear news about our Angel. It has just been a wild two months! Gotcha day was September 8 and we returned home September 18. I am not going to lie, the ten days after our Angel joined our family was difficult. The language barrier was a major challenge. We really worked on our Russian and felt we were prepared but it just wasn't enough. However, we have been home about 6 weeks and she is such a joy. I can't imagine our family without her. The struggle was worth it and we are sure God meant for us to be a family.

So, may I introduce our Angel to you?

We have called her our Angel since we began the adoption process. We knew she was meant to be part of our family the minute we received the referral. We had no doubts.

We promise we will post more this week. I have kept a journal of our entire trip and since we returned home and hope to blog over the next few weeks some of my thoughts during the experience.

Please scroll down for a small slide show of photos in Russia.
Blessings,
Elizabeth



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Touring Nizhny Novgorod

As we wait for Gotcha Day (9/8/09), we have been taking in some sites around Nizhny. We've enjoyed many activities as well as the wonderful weather. The Pedestrian Walk, also known as Bolshaya Pokrovskaya street, is right around the corner from our apartment. We've walked up and down many days. There are also several great cafes to sit and watch the people.

We spent an afternoon at the Kremlin. We took in the beautiful gardens, architecture, history, and views of the Volga River.

Several evenings we enjoyed free outdoor concerts in front of the Nizhny Novgorod Drama Theater not far from our apartment.

Yesterday, we walked along the Lower Volga Embankment and took a day cruise on the Volga River. It was a beautiful day and the trip only cost 200 rubles/person or $6.00/person.

This is definitely a beautiful and historical city. We have really enjoyed our time here.

The scenery and cathedrals are just breathtaking. This is a photo we took from the river of the stairs at the end of the Pedestrian Walk. This is one of the many beautiful cathedrals. We took this photo from the Kremlin on our walk back to our apartment. It was just at sunset.

Tomorrow is Gotcha Day. Hopefully, we will enjoy a few more sites with our Angel. Later today, we will prepare for her arrival. We are going to get a small cake, decorate the apartment a little, and have a celebration with our Angel and Julia. I guess one could say, "Gotcha Day is the first day of the rest of her life!"

We will try to post again before we leave Friday for Moscow. However, we have had difficulty posting on our blog at the apartment and may not make it back down to McDonalds for free wi-fi. Please check back later this week or the weekend for our updates.

Blessings,

Elizabeth

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Fun Time With Our Angel

Today we had a great time visiting with our Angel. We walked through the neighborhood by the orphanage. She played on the swings for a short time and then took us to a little toy store. She said she wanted to show us some "koo-klas" (dolls). She was especially fond of a Barbie Doll and a baby doll similar to a Cabbage Patch Doll. She told us she didn't have any dolls. That made me sad. We told her we would get her a doll when we get home.

After the toy shop, she took us to a lake. We walked across a footbridge and back. Then she decided we needed to have a throwing contest. She gathered rocks for us to throw and who ever threw the farthest won! Of course, she won every round. She laughed and giggled as we tried to throw farther than her. She also made sure she gave Don the smallest rocks. He would make faces at her and whine, "mah-lyen-kee" (small). She just laughed and giggled. I love hearing that giggle! It makes me smile.

We walked by a produce stand and she was looking at the watermelons. I asked her, "kak et ah pah RU ski?" and she answered "arBUS." My daughter taught me how to say watermelon in Russian!

As we walked back to the orphanage, we stopped at a market because she wanted to buy some treats for the other children at the orphanage (hmm, this is a good thing). We bought juice, pastries, and cookies. Oh, well, at least the juice was healthy!

As we approached the orphanage, several children were standing in the door waiting for us. Apparently, the caregivers told the children that our Angel was being adopted and that we were from America. As we walked up, they began saying "hello" in both English and Russian. They followed us down the hallway smiling and chattering. I recognized one of the little girls from our previous trip in January and I smiled at her. She walked with us and stuck by my side. It was time to say "goodbye" to our Angel again - I really hated that. We gave her hugs and kisses and told her we would see her again on Tuesday. She wasn't too forthcoming with her hugs - we'll work on that!

As we turned to leave, the other little girl was still by my side. She tugged at my arm and said, "I want to live in America too." Oh my goodness, I just about burst into tears. Don overheard and was touched by her as I was. This little child made an impression on us in January and here she was again tugging at our heart strings. There are so many children in the world wanting families - it makes my heart ache. Tonight, we are praying for all the orphaned children in the world - we pray that God will keep them safe and find them families.

For in this hope we were saved. But for hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. Romans 8: 24-25.

Blessings,
Elizabeth

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Shopping With Our Daughter

Today, we took our Angel shopping for an outfit for Gotcha Day. We went to a large children's store with clothing, books, shoes, games, many other items. We told her she could pick out an outfit (any kind) for when we pick her up from the orphange. She picked a pretty party dress and fancy flower print shoes. She also wanted a pair of heavy weight tights. Now, I know it is typical to bundle-up children in Russia but she would die wearing those tights in Florida. It took a little doing but I managed to talk her out of them. One day, she'll thank me. While she tried on her dress, I found myself thinking, "this is a milestone, we are shopping with our daughter." There will be many more milestone shopping days in our future as we watch her grow to become a young woman. Okay, I'm getting ahead of myself here - let's get her home to the USA first!

Although she had a good time shopping, she seemed a bit distant. She didn't want us to take any photos of her, she wouldn't sit by us during lunch, and she wouldn't try to talk to us much. She may have some worries that we won't come back for her. We hope she feels more secure now that she has a "special dress" for the day we pick her up from the orphanage.

We are praying she warms to us and we can have a smooth transition.

Thanks for following our journey,

Elizabeth

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The Judge Said "YES"

We were both up this morning before the alarm went off. Although we prayed about this day, we were nervous. Other than our wedding day, this is probably the most important event in our 13 years of marriage.
Dimitri arrived about 8:15am to prep us for court. We spent about 1 1/4 hours preparing. He told us what to expect and reviewed court questions with us. We decided I would go first. There has been a lot of talk about the judges focusing on the husbands because many are not as involved in preparing the homestudy and dossier as the wives. Both Julia and Dimitri did not feel this was accurate in Nizhny.

We arrived at the court house about 9:50am and our hearing began at 10:00am. I spoke first, after I told "our story" the judge opened it up for anyone in the court room to ask me questions. No one had questions except the lady from "the administration" (I am not sure who she was and will have to get her role clarified). Regardless, her questions were the most difficult. Once the judge was satisfied with my testimony, she told me to sit down and asked Don to stand and tell "his story".

Don's testimony lasted about 30 minutes. Once he sat down, others presented information for the court and then the judge left the room to deliberate. She was gone about 5 minutes. Don and I held hands, actually squeezed hands, and quietly prayed. When she returned, we all stood and she read her ruling. Our adoption application for our Angel was approved by the Nizhny Novgorod Court! No translation needed - we knew exactly what she said!

I don't really know how to explain the emotions that washed over me hearing those words. I asked Don to explain his emotions at the moment - his response was the same. It is just difficult to put it into words. Happiness, joy, relief..........

Here is a photo of me with Julia, Dimitri, and the social worker. We are all happy because the judge said "yes!"

The bottom line, we are thrilled beyond words! Now we begin the 10-day wait. That's 10 working days by the way - we expect to have custody of our Angel September 8 or 9.

Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.

Psalm 36:5

So, we are here waiting again. But God is so faithful.
Elizabeth

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Seeing Our Angel Again

We went to the orphanage to wait for our Angel to arrive from camp. The camp was about 2 hours outside the city and the driver was stuck in bad traffic. We waited until about 3:15pm before they arrived. She was surprised to see us but very shy and wouldn't talk too much.

While we were waiting, we visited with the orphanage director and she shared some photo albums depicting the history of the orphanage. It is quite apparent the children are well-cared for. But I was struck by how sad their eyes were in all the photos. More affirmation that adopting our Angel is "the right thing to do."

We took her to get her passport photos - yes, although it seemed a bit premature, we took it as a positive sign! We also got a quick bite to eat. She started to open up and interact a bit. After our visit, we drove her back to camp. Saying "goodbye" was difficult but we were very hopeful that the next time we saw her she would officially be our daughter.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.... James 1:27

Preparing for Court,
Elizabeth

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The Train to Nizhny Novgorod

Last night we left Moscow around 11:30pm on the overnight train to Nizhny. The train seemed new and very clean compared to the train we rode in January.

I had trouble sleeping and found myself up around 3:30am staring out the window. Don was sawing zzzs and I was thinking about our Angel. Has she missed us? Does she think about us? Does she remember that we are coming back to get her? Is she scared? Oh, so many questions. One day, I hope she will share her feelings with us.

Around 5:00am, I went to freshen up and brush my teeth. When I came back, Don was awake. We decided to order practice our Russian and order some coffee from the attendant. We weren't sure how to ring her so Don went to find her and place our request.

She came to our compartment and brought us coffee with milk. She giggled when we asked her how much in Russian. We paid her and a few minutes later she came back with granola bars, candy bars, and cookies. We each took something and asked her again in Russian. She giggled again and took a few rubles from us. The coffee and snacks were probably complimentary - oh well at least we made her giggle!

Not long after our coffee, we pulled into the train station. We saw Julia waiting on the platform. The minute I saw her, I got butterflies in my stomach. Wow - this is real, we are really here again and this time we are bringing our Angel home!

We loaded our luggage in Julia's car, picked up a few groceries, and she dropped us off at our apartment. This would be home for the next 18 days.

Julia told us our Angel was at summer camp and did not receive our letter that we were coming. The Director of the orphanage sent a driver to bring her to the orphanage to see us. We would go to see her around 12:30pm. We were filled with excitement and anticipation as we began to unpack and settle in.

Blessings,
Elizabeth

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Counting Down: Take Off

Well, we are in Atlanta relaxing before we take off for Moscow. It is by the Grace of God we got here! What a morning! Our house was in total chaos. We were both extremely stressed out this morning. Trying to pack, take care of those last minute issues, etc... Our friend Karen came to drive us to the airport - I am sure we were a spectacle! She sat quietly and patiently in our living room sipping coffee and watching us. We managed to pull ourselves together enough to pack up the car and get to the airport with just minutes to spare. We did forget a few things but we are sure we will survive. Just think, the next time we will be in this airport, we will have our Angel with us and she will be a US citizen. Wow!

Thanks Karen! You are a true friend!

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Blessings,
Elizabeth

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Counting Down: Days 3, 2, 1

The days are flying by. It seems there just isn't enough time to accomplish everything we wanted to. How do you plan for the unexpected? You don't - you just have to stay flexible!
We have last minute documents that were sent off for apostilling and we pray they arrive back here in time for us to take them with us. We had a few work issues to settle, bills to pay, arrangements for the house while we are gone, arrangements for the cats while we are gone, stop mail, broken toilet to take care of, .... well, you get the picture. There is so much we wanted to do before we left but we are not going to get to everything. We have tried to be organized but have fallen a bit short. Oh well!
I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is. Collossians 2:5
Well, I may not be the most orderly person, but I am definitely firm in my faith.
Thanks for following our countdown,
Elizabeth



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Counting Down: Day 4

Oh, my goodness - only 4 days until we travel! It seems there is so much to do. Tomorrow is my last day at work and it won't come too soon. I really wanted to take off the entire week to be able to get ready for our trip - but just couldn't swing it. So, I am meeting myself coming and going.

Don worked today on finishing up our Angel's room. We had a practice Skype run with my best and dearest friend in California - I think it will work just fine. We spoke to the bank and our new bills are in - we will pick them up on Thursday. Things are really coming together.

We also found out that a few documents we thought we needed to get prior to traveling are not needed - YEAH! We sent our Angel a letter (email) telling her "We Are Coming!" We sent our last packet of documents to the courier in Tallahassee to get apostilled for us. We should have them back Thursday to safely pack to carry to Russia. It's really going to happen!

PRAISING GOD TODAY FOR: fundraising success; donations that keep coming in; less documents necessary to take on Trip 2 (notice the happy fundraising thermometer!).

We want to thank everyone who has supported our fundraising efforts and/or donated to help us bring our Angel home. We are so greatful for your help. God Bless You All.

Blessings,
Elizabeth
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Counting Down: Day 5

What a hectic day! I was up and on the road by 6:15AM - so much work to finish before we leave on Saturday. The beginning of the semester is always a crazy time of the semester and facing the reality of being gone for close to 1/2 of the term makes it more chaotic. I know it will all work out.

I had a faculty retreat to attend so I did not have much time to follow-up with other things that really needed my attention. We found out that we needed a document from another county notarized and sent for apostilling. In the middle of my retreat, my phone buzzed and an email came in from our agency. Guess What! I will not have to have medicals in Moscow after all!!! Woo Hoo! What great news! That email came in at the right time - I was just getting ready to call my family physician to get an order for lab work - now I don't have to! Plus, we will save money - those specialist exams are quite costly.


After work, I stopped and shopped for a few outfits for our Angel. So, I have to ask " when did 10 year old little girls begin wearing bikini underwear?" Am I out there too much in that I do not want my child to wear "adult underwear?" What is with Hanes and Fruit of the Loom. Don't our children grow up fast enough? I was so surprised! Needless to say, we do not have any underwear yet for our Angel.

When I got home, Don was smiling like the Cheshire Cat - what, what? I asked. Then he showed me, we received another donation. WOW! How can anyone question that God's faithfulness is unending? We are so blessed by what God has done over the past few weeks. Some would say that stepping out in faith is risky business. We say, we must be willing to step out on faith - even when it doesn't make sense.

We had our travel meeting tonight and we are just about ready to hop on that plane and bring our Angel home. We have a few documents to send out tomorrow and then we are set to go!

PRAISING GOD TODAY FOR: My medical being cancelled in Moscow; receiving another donation to help us complete Trip 2 and bring home our Angel! Angels among us.


Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

Be sure to stop by tomorrow, we will update our fundraising thermometer with the amount of funds received through fundrasing and donations.
God Bless,
Elizabeth


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Counting Down: Day 6

Today, we finished painting our little Angel's room. We were so concerned the colors would not look right. However, I have to say we came up with a great plan and the room looks great. We also put together a bookcase for her room. So, all that is left is to touch up the stripes and the ceiling and put her bed together. We should have everything done by tomorrow.

All that we will have left to do is shopping for some clothes and gifts for our Angel and getting the rest of the house ready for our month long absence.

We have friends who will be looking in on our house and another friend who will be stopping in to feed and water the cats. We are working on whittling down our "to-do" lists but they just keep going. Hopefully, the lists will start shrinking by Wednesday otherwise, we will never get to our plane on time!

We received an email with list of documents and lab tests we need prior to leaving next Saturday. I am a little stressed about this since we only have 5 working days until we leave. Nothing is ever easy!

PRAISING GOD TODAY FOR: Making progress with preparing our Angel's room; working together.

Again, thanks for following our adventure,
Elizabeth

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Counting Down: Day 7

Okay, so whose idea was it to paint stripes?????

We are still basking in the joyful glow of yesterday. What an amazing day! Today, we were trying to finish up our Angel's room. E-how made it look so easy. Well, I have to say painting stripes is not difficult but it is tedious! Sometimes, I wish I didn't get these bright ideas - what a job. But I have to admit it does look good and we know our Angel will love her new room. Watch for photos later this week.

PRAISING GOD TODAY FOR: Another donation; making progress on our Angel's room

Blessings,
Elizabeth

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Counting Down: Day 8

Today started out as "just another day in paradise". Yes, to me it is paradise. I love Florida. Now, I must admit when I am glowing, my mascara has run down my cheeks, and my deodorant has failed me, I wish I still lived up north. But most of the time, I love it here. I experience joy everyday on my drive to work. We live on a cape and have to cross a bridge to get just about anywhere. So, I cross a bridge over the Caloosahatchee River to go to work every morning. I love looking out over the water and seeing it glisten in the morning sun. It makes my day.

Today, I woke up like any other. Hit the snooze button 2-3 times (Don hates that!), get up, brush teeth, make coffee, pet and feed cats, pray, shower etc...... head out the door hoping to miss any tie ups on the bridge or I-75.

I had just started the car, loaded my Pimsleur Russian CD, and buckled my seat belt when I looked up to see Don waving at me to come back into the house - he was on the house phone and he had the strangest look on his face. Immediately, I thought "oh no, something has happened." I jumped out of the car, left it running with the door open, and ran up to the house. When I walked in, Don was on the phone saying, "you want to give us how much?" When he saw me, he covered the mouthpiece and whispered someone wants to give us some money for the adoption. I was dumbfounded - and began a quick scroll through my head trying to remember the grants we applied for and had not heard from. Hmm, seems we heard from every one we applied for so what is this about.

Finally, Don took a moment to tell me that someone was following our blog and felt that God led them to help us out. Wow! How amazing is that! I have to admit, I burst into tears and Don soon followed. We have believed that God would provide and He did.

Today, my drive over the river was absolutely glorious!

PRAISING GOD TODAY FOR: Receiving word of a considerable donation, the generosity of others.

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12

Thanks for following our adventure,
Elizabeth

Just One of Those Moments

Okay, so this is a bit unusual for me - 3 posts in one day??!! I just seem to have a lot of thoughts hanging out in my mind that I need to share.

Recently, we have had so many asking us about our decision to adopt, why we chose Russia, why didn't we adopt from US, and why are we continuing such an expensive endeavor when we are short money. Well, how can you get others, especially nonbelievers, to understand being "called by God" to adopt? I am not sure I really do a good job of explaining so I have added this to my daily prayer list.

What I have become quite adept at is explaining why people should adopt and/or support those who are adopting. When Don and I had our booth at Mango Mania, we handed out information about adoption. Here are some of the statistics* we found:

• Every day 5, 760 more children become orphans
• Every year 2 million children become orphans in Africa alone
• About 143 million orphans in the world today will spend an average of 10 years in an orphanage or foster home
• Although about 250,000 children are adopted worldwide annually, about 14 million will grow up as orphans and age out of the system
• In Ukraine and Russia, 10%-15% of children who age out of an orphanage commit suicide before the age of 18. Sixty per cent of the girls will be lured into prostitution.
• Many children who age out will accept jobs that ultimately result in their being sold as slaves

*Adapted from the Home for Good Foundation www.hfgf.org

So, knowing these statistics and meeting our little girl in January, how could we NOT complete our adoption.

We have to get back to Russia, we have to bring her home, we have to set up our adoption ministry, and we have to help others adopt.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress....James 1:27

Thanks for letting me share,
Elizabeth
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Counting Down: Day 9

Only 9 more days until we travel! The adoption is starting to feel very real. Today, we are catching up on work and making work-related arrangements for when we are out of the country. It seems our To-Do List is getting longer rather than shorter. Every time we mark off an item, it seems we add two. Oh, well!

The most recent item added to our To-Do List: put together our Angel's bed.

Several weeks ago we found a bed and nightstand online through JC Penney for a great price (less than $250.00 total!); they were on clearance. But when we placed the order, the bed was backordered until August 31. I was very disappointed so I put a note in the comments section of the order form that we were adopting and it would be really great if the bed arrived by August 14 so we could finish up our little girl's room before we left. Penney's called us and said they could not guarantee the bed would get here before we left and they wanted to make sure we still wanted to place the order. We said yes and that we would pray it arrived by August 14. Well, last evening around 8:30PM a UPS truck stopped in front of our house. Strange, I never saw a UPS truck out that late. Guess what, he delivered the bed for our Angel!

This morning around 11:00 FedEx delivered our Visas - whew! It seems many have received their visas the day before or the day of travel. What a source of stress for everyone. Can't believe ours arrived a week in advance! Amazing how God works isn't it!

PRAISING GOD TODAY FOR: Receiving our Angel's bed; receiving our visas; and realizing that we have grown leaps and bounds in our faith.

Blessings,
Elizabeth

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The Financial Truth, Faith, and Obedience

We have had a few emails and comments about our financial needs. I would like to clarify where we are right now and what we will do if we do not raise what we need in 9 days.

At this time, we estimate our adoption will cost $51,492.58; that is up to the time we come home with our Angel in September. We will have additional adoption related costs once we bring her home. The main reason our costs are so high is that we have been in the process for over 3 years due to the reaccreditation halt 2006-2007. Essentially, we made no progress in our adoption from May 2006 through January 2008. Yet, we still kept our homestudy and dossier updated during that time period.

Our agency, and I am sure others, provides a fee schedule reflecting the costs of adopting from a specific region. These fee schedules are also based on completing the adoption in about 12-16 months not 3+ years. Since we began our process in 2005, the fees and expenses have increased about $13,000. In addition, the required documents have changed several times during the process resulting in increased costs and every document we submit to the State of Florida for apostilling costs $10.00 each. As of August 1, 2009 we have spent $1230.00 in apostille fees and we still have another set of documents to be apostilled before we travel (we are waiting on the final list from our agency). I have not included here the costs of a courier, overnight mail, or FEDEX which are expenses not accounted for on our fee schedule. Once we are home with our Angel, I am going to compile a complete expense sheet to share with others to help plan for those unexpected costs.

I think it is important for you to know that when we first submitted our dossier in May 2006, we had 2/3 of the funds needed for our adoption saved. And we had a feasible plan to save the final 1/3. We did not know or anticipate the financial challenges we would soon face. On one hand, we were fortunate we had the money saved to deal with lost jobs, underemployment, and a few medical issues. On the other hand, we tapped every resource we could (including our adoption savings) to meet our living expenses, bills, and mortgage. Just as many of you reading this blog, we were hit hard by the economic downturn.

Honestly, when we received the first call about a little girl in September 2008, we had no idea how we were going to pay for the rest of the adoption expenses. Don is in real estate and he had several deals come through that provided the money for Trip 1 to meet our little girl. In January 2009, we believed Don's work would bring in the final funds to get us back to Russia to bring our little girl home. Unfortunately, his deals fell through and we have been working on raising the remaining money since.

The goal of $25,000 on our fundraising thermometer is actually what we estimated we needed for trip #2. Of that, we have currently raised $6,907.00 by fundraising alone. In addition to fundraising, we have saved and tapped into and tapped out other financial resources such as a personal loan, IRA, and credit cards along the way.

Right now, we are still short the needed finances to complete Trip #2. As of this morning, we were short about $2,000.00. Sadly, around noon today, we found out that a real estate transaction Don has been working on fell apart and he will not get the commission before we leave next week. So, we are now short a lot more - about $5,000.00 more.

We feel like the rug was just pulled out from under us. Once again, you know who is meddling in our lives. Sometimes it feels as if we just can't get a break. So, there is only one thing left to do: we are laying it at the cross. We are continuing to prepare our home for a little girl and we are continuing to prepare to leave next Saturday.

QUESTION: "What will you do if you don't raise the money you need?"
ANSWER: "We are going to Russia regardless - we believe that God will provide."
QUESTION: "Don't you think you are being irresponsible and reckless?"
ANSWER: "We call it being Faithful and Obedient."


In Christ,
Elizabeth


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The Countdown Begins: Day 10

Here we go - 10 days until we travel. I have decided to do a countdown and share what we are doing the last 10 days before we leave.

Today, I went back to my doctor to pick up my lab results and medical form. As much as I hated the thought of more lab work and physical exams, our family physician and her staff are wonderful and have made the process a lot less stressful than our previous physician. They are all very excited with us about our adoption. They even put a photo of us and our little Angel on the bulletin board in their office. I have to admit it was a good feeling picking up the paperwork and checking off one more item on my To-Do List.

We still need to finish painting our Angel's room but my back is not cooperating after my fall. So, I have been working more on finalizing my schoolwork so I don't have to worry too much while I am on leave. Two wonderful colleagues are going to cover for me but I want to make sure they are all set and don't have to do much prep work.

I think I will be up to painting tomorrow evening or Friday evening. Our goal is to have her room finished Saturday and we should be on schedule even with my little fall. We will post photos of her room once completed. It is really looking good despite our worries with the colors she picked out.

PRAISING GOD TODAY FOR: An anonymous donation of $100.00 received today.

Thanks for stopping by,
Elizabeth

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Counting Pennies

Well, we have 11 days until we travel. We are still fundraising and hoping to raise the final funds needed to bring our Angel home. We have been tossing our change in a large jar for the past year or so. It's time to cash it in and add the money to our adoption fund. So far, we've rolled $186.35 in coins and we have one more small jar of change. Right now, every penny counts.

We just updated our fundraising activities to reflect what we've raised so far (see right side of the screen).

Don put my ring on EBAY - we are praying someone bids on it - if you are interested, click on the photo of the ring and you will be linked to EBAY.

Also, we still have some soap, candles, and lotions left from our "Mango Mania" weekend. We will be adding those items later today or tomorrow. Please stop by frequently to see what we are up to.

Thanks for your support,

Elizabeth

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So Much To Do........

First, let me apologize for not posting sooner. We have just been extremely busy. Despite our lists, excel spreadsheets, and stuff for Russia boxes we (mostly me) are just meeting ourselves coming and going. How can anyone plan for the unexpected?

Last weekend, Don had a toothache and bought himself an emergency root canal - he was down for 2 days. Needless to say, he is behind on his "honey do" list. Yesterday, I was painting our Angel's room and found myself flying through the air and landing flat on my back. Don heard me scream and came running. I have to say, the fall knocked the wind out of me. And by the time Don came in, I was just laying on the floor trying to remember how I got there. Then I started laughing, and laughing, and laughing - I must have really been a sight. Today, I am very sore and not able to get much done - I am not laughing anymore. Now, I am starting to fret about everything we have to do to get ready to travel in 12 days!!!!

We are asking everyone who follows our journey to pray God will provide the last pennies we need to bring our Angel home. Again, we have had a few unplanned expenses that are impacting our finances. We know who to blame for that (hint: his name begins with a S). He is just not going to let us have an easy time even as we get closer.

We are still working on fundraising for the last bit of funds we need. We are being blessed daily by the generosity of others and we are truly amazed at the response we've received. Two fellow adoptive families transferred Sky Miles to Don's account which will help with our Angel's ticket. We were very surprised to find out that they were able to transfer 5, 000 miles for $50.00 and Delta gave a 2,000 mile bonus for each 5,000 miles. If you are interested in transferring Delta Sky Miles to help us bring our Angel home, please email us at murrayadoption@yahoo.com. We currently have 54,000 miles and we need 90,000 miles for our Angel's award ticket - if we can use Sky Miles for her ticket it will save us $890-$1500.

We are so close and continue to pray. We have faith that God will provide - but our human nature gets in the way sometimes and we find ourselves worrying just a bit.

Don put my jade ring on E-Bay, we are still selling fundraising items through our online store (www.heartforadoption.net) , and I am tempted to ask the neighbors if I can check out their sofas and chairs for loose change (just kidding)! But, seriously, we are still thinking of ways to raise what we need. We only have 12 days and we are open to any suggestions.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Jesus Christ. Philippians 4:6,7

Thanks for following our adventure,
Elizabeth

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Happy Birthday Pappa - You Have a Court Date!

Woo Hoo! Yippee! Hip Hip Hooray!

WE HAVE A COURT DATE - CAN YOU HEAR ME SHOUT?

What a most wonderful birthday present for Don!

You know, if anyone has a doubt that our Angel is not to be ours, they just need to look at our story and all doubts would disappear. We have been in this process for over 3 years and we have definitely faced many challenges during our journey. But now, as we receive our court date, we know it was all in God's timing - we were just a little ahead of Him in our planning! Ha!

We slowed our adoption process down because of financial and health reasons in the fall of 2007. In January and February of 2008, we heard from our agency wanting to know our plans. We prayed about it and decided we should get our documents updated and resubmitted to Russia. We spent March through August updating our homestudy and dossier. Our timeline for the past 1 1/2 years looks like this:

• August 12, 2008 - Dossier to Russia (3rd times a charm!)


• September 15, 2008 - Heard from our family coordinator about an older girl


• September 16, 2008 - Contacted our family coordinator that we were open to an older girl, our little Angel


• September & October 2008 - Worked on regional documents hoping to be registered


• November 12, 2008 - Registered in Nizhny Novgorod Region


• December 4, 2008 - We got the call - referral for a little Angel


• December 5, 2008 - Phone consultation with International Adoption Physician


• December 8, 2008 - Accepted referral for our little Angel


• December 16, 2008 - Received travel itinerary


• January 9, 2009 - Left US for Moscow


• January 12, 2009 - MOE appointment and met our Angel (my birthday) Found out our Angel's birthday is the same day as my father's


• January 16, 2009 - Returned home


• January 17, 2009 - Let the fundraising begin!


• February through April 2009 - updated documents preparing to travel


• April 2009 - Unable to travel lacking finances - continued to fundraise


• May, 2009 - Updated documents hoping for June court date - Judge on vacation


• June, 2009 - Unable to get June court date - updated homestudy and dossier hoping for
  July court date


• June 18, 2009 - Documents sent for Apostilling lost


• June 19, 2009 - Told we would not be able to receive July court date


• June 24, 2009 - Documents still missing - began redoing all 22 documents


• June 27, 2009 - Missing documents arrived to our home via USPS - very strange


• June 27, 2009 - Updated documents sent for Apostilling - found documents sent to agency


• June 29, 2009 - Documents received by agency and sent onto Nizhny to be submitted to
  court on July 3, 2009


• June 29, 2009 - State unable to Apostille our updated documents because they ran out of
  Certificate paper - honest it really happened!


• July 1, 2009 - Documents Apostilled and sent FEDEX overnight to our agency


• July 2, 2009 - Documents received by our agency and sent via DHL to Russia - hoping to
  arrive in enough time to be submitted to the court on July 10 so we can get
  a court date in August


• July 10, 2009 - Heard our documents were submitted to the court


• July 16, 2009 - Heard our documents we okay but something was needed for our little
  Angel's documents


• July 19, 2009 - We received our court date!!! (Don's birthday)

Whew!!! And that was just the past 1 1/2 years!

Now, I don't want anyone just starting the adoption process become discouraged by our experience. We have had many many unusual things happen and our process is definitely not typical.

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

Praising God and Dancing the Happy Dance,
Elizabeth and Don

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The Judge Has Our Documents!

Well, after many obstacles, the judge has our documents in NN. Now we wait and pray for a court date. We should hear next week sometime.
On our knees praying that we will return in August to bring home our little Angel.

I will wait for you, O Lord; you will answer, O Lord my God. Psalm 38:15

Thanks for stopping by -
Elizabeth

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Mango Mania Meltdown

This past weekend we participated as a vendor at Mango Mania. It is a popular event in Southwest Florida sponsored by the Pine Island Chamber of Commerce. We thought it would be a good idea to set up a booth and fundraise for our adoption as well as provide information on adoption awareness. We handed out fliers we made about us and our story with information about why people should adopt and/or support those who adopt on the back - we also listed some adoption statistics.

We had great expectations that we would raise over $1,000 based on what we heard from others who participated in the past. We contacted a company, Ladybug Blessings, and purchased some lip balms, soaps, fireless candles, and loofahs to sell as a fundraiser. Ladybug Blessings is a great company with a heart to help families with adoption fundraising and they were very helpful getting us started on our booth. They had a Mango Parade with a Mango Queen. We even got into the "Mango Theme" and had mango papaya soaps and loofahs as well as passion fruit soaps and loofahs. We also decorated our booth go along with the theme. We were up at the crack of dawn both Saturday and Sunday with great anticipation.

Well, meltdown is the operative word here. It was so hot, I swear the soles of my shoes were melting! You could see the heat rising from the asphalt. People were melting in the sun and seemed to go more for the Mango Smoothies than our Mango Loofahs! Sadly, we sold very little - we didn't even break even on the fee for our booth. We were very discouraged and felt quite guilty on our way home for spending money on such an event and not breaking even. This was so supposed to be the event that brought in last funds we needed to get back to Russia! As we drove home, Don was asking me, "What did we do wrong? Why didn't this work for us?" I just had no answer and really felt bad because it was all my idea! I prayed a lot about it before I paid the fee and really felt it was something God wanted us to do. I was definitely scratching my head on this one. I was just so sure God spoke to me about this festival.

As Don and I discussed what we felt was a major failure, I kept thinking there just has to be a positive here. And my mind kicked into gear looking for that silver lining I just have to find no matter what. And I found it!

I am convinced God led us to Mango Mania not to raise funds for our adoption but, instead, to raise adoption awareness. We spoke to many many people about adoption, why we decided to adopt, why we chose Russia, the number of orphans in the world, how to get started, where to get grants, etc.... So, if just one person we spoke to decides to adopt, isn't that worth our time and what we spent to be a vendor? Oh, yeah, definitely!

Once again, I am reminded that our fundraising efforts are more than just raising money (See It's More Than Just Raising Money) We may never know what impact we had that hot weekend in July, but I am sure a life or lives will be blessed because someone stopped to talk with us.

But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. Psalm 71:14

Blessings,

Elizabeth

By the way, we still have a lot of product that we did not sell, if you think you might be interested what we have, please email us at murrayadoption@yahoo.com.

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And the Fundraising Continues........

We are so close to bringing our little girl home, we just cannot give up! We are still fundraising. You can view our fundraising activities at http://www.heartforadoption.net
One of our fundraisers was set up for us by another adoptive mom. She is so generous and set up a E-Show for us through USborne Books & More.
Here is the flier she made for us:

Usborne Books & More
Adoption Fundraiser
For Elizabeth and Don Murray

June 10-July 19, 2009

Usborne Books has educational and entertaining books for all ages. Browse the website and get some great books for your family.

Shop online at www.ubah.com/HOS145809 and your purchase will help to bring the Murrays’ little girl home from Russia. Your order can be shipped to your home right away or can be shipped as a gift to another address.

Please contact Heather at heatherb@kidsbooks365.com if you have any questions about any of the books or products. She will also be glad to make recommendations of books for any children in your life.

Thanks for making a difference in the life of an orphan!

PLEASE consider buying some books to support us in bringing home our Angel. Our book fundraiser ends Sunday, July 19 - Order today so you don't miss out!

We have another fundraiser this weekend. We will have a booth at the Mango Mania. This is supposed to be a great venue for bringing in money. We will let you know how it goes.

PLEASE pray for us that our weekend is successful and we can raise the final funds needed to return to Russia. Our fundraising thermometer has been inching up, we now need it to jump up!

If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. Matthew 21:22

We believe!

God Bless,

Elizabeth and Don

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Our Documents are in NN!

Woo Hoo! We are very happy today because we heard our paperwork made it to NN and in the hands of our facilitator. Yipee!

We will be on pins and needles the next week waiting to hear about a court date. Thank goodness we have a lot going on.

We will keep you posted.

God Bless,

Elizabeth