This is my first time

Just know this is my first time creating a blog and I really don't have any idea as to what I am doing. If you are a pro and know an easier way to leave comments or regarding the permissions, passwords things, e-mail me. I will appreciate your input. Blessings!!!

Pluggin along!

Ok, traveling paperwork is complete. Now, Mark must drive to Columbia to get docs apostilled. I hate it, but he'll have to make another trip to do the same thing with additional documents if and when we travel on a second trip. Please be advised that Adrian does NOT know why we are going or, even yet, that we are going. We do not want him to know the reason for this trip and he will be told it is a mission trip (which it is). So hopefully, we can get these docs overnighted to CWA this weekend and then we can get a travel date next week. I'll post it here as soon as I know. Later!

Paperwork

We have to redo most all of the paperwork. Only part of it has to be done before we go on this first trip though. Umm, today I ordered 2 original marriage certificates to be signed by the Judge in Beaufort so as to be ready for apostille in Columbia. The Home Study and other docs will be overnighted to us and should be here tomorrow. I have about 10 documents to fill out and get to our attorneys office for notarization. Then, hopefully Friday, Mark will run all these documents to Columbia to get the Secretary of State to prepare them for international apostille. Then we will overnight all this to CWA so that they can send and get us an appointment for approximately the middle of February. Can you even imagine how cold it will be there?? I'm shivering just thinking about it.

Did you say Russia???

As many of you know, Mark and I have always considered adopting a brother or sister for our little boy, A. We adopted A in 2001 from Romania and he is just a wonderful person. His soul is so good!! We had almost talked ourselves out of it when we went to a Family Life Marriage Retreat on Hilton Head and ran into the very people who had turned us on to Christian World Adoption about eight years ago. Our thoughts prior to this weekend were "we've waited too long, we're just too old to be parents again in our 40s". Our son, bless his heart, has prayed for a sibling. So, anyway, this couple was adopting again from China. She was in her 40s, and he was in his late 60s and had had a heart transplant. We felt as if God was saying, oh no your not too old. And so the process of adoption for a second time began.

Over the past year, we have completed our dossier and it has been translated and delivered to Kyrgystan where we had decided to adopt from. This little country is next to China and below Kazakazstan. We were referred a little boy back in October, but a medical specialist here in the USA advised us not to adopt this little fellow. Bout broke my heart.

So, I had not heard anything since and was basically very discouraged as was Mark. We had inquired about getting our international fee returned should we decide to terminate our contract. Then they asked if we would be interested in viewing the upcoming special needs list. Excitedly, we agreed and after filling out all the paperwork we waited for it to be displayed. One little 6-year old girl caught our eye, and so we requested information on her. To our surprise there was already a waiting list for almost all of the children. This list was e-mailed to 400+.

At that point, I figured it was about the end of our road. I inquired about whether we could change to Russia or another country to which I was told we could but there was no guarantee as to how long we would wait. I said we'd consider this option, but I knew Mark was ready to call it quits at this point.

The next morning, I prayed for this roller coaster to end and that God would help me with my grieving for a child that would not come. When I got home that day there was an e-mail asking me to contact my case manager about a little boy from Russia.

Before I opened the information regarding this little boy, I prayed again that I would know if this was of Him. I just adored this little ones' photo. He will be 6 years old this summer. Mark and I struggled immensly as to whether this was where God was leading. I determined not to try and influence Mark but to accept his decision as God's. In the Russian program, you receive very little information of the child, you travel and meet him or her, and then decide as to whether to accept the referral. That is where we are. We are going to go to Russia, meet him and decide. It would be very hard to say no, but we have another child with issues to consider. So, keep us in your prayers and I will post everything to this little blog. Cherie