It has been too long since I last updated the blog. Now summer is over, school has begun, and football season is in full swing around our parts. It is hard to believe that today is the last day of September.
As you know we were hoping to have gone to Russia by now. In June, we were told we could get our referral as soon as four to eight weeks. Well, after August came and went we began to realize that something was probably wrong. As it turns out, our region just wasn't giving out referrals. They didn't have any children available in our preferences. This region was supposed to facilitate eight adoptions this year. At this point, they've only done two - and the last one was in May. They are free to do whatever they want, though, and we have to just accept that. Such is the nature of Russian adoption!
So, as much as we didn't want to do this again, CHI recommended that we change to a different region. We could have stayed in Yaroslavl out of stubbornness or trust their knowledge and recommendation to leave. So, we are back in the region of Astrakhan. We were in this region for a very short time early this year before we moved to Yaroslavl.
The good news is that as of right now Astrakhan is moving and requesting families. We were able to gather enough documents needed for our registration in Astrakhan in a matter of a few days. This allowed our documents to get hand delivered to Astrakhan through a family who was traveling there for their first trip. Sending documents this way was much quicker than mailing them. We still have a lot of other documents to get together for when we go to court in the future. But, we should get registered in this region this week. This could mean that we may be able to travel as soon as the end of October. If that were the case, we would be receiving our travel dates in a few weeks. It is always hard to share time lines and dates, though. We've always seen those dates come and go, which is hard. We are hoping, though, that this time things will be different.
If you'd like to know more about Astrakhan, I wrote about it in this post. The main difference in this region is that we will travel "blind", meaning that we will not receive a referral until we get in the region. Also, many of the children in this region have Asian features due to its close proximity to Kazakhstan. We do have some apprehension about traveling "blind", but just have to believe that God will give us the wisdom to make the decisions that we'll face. We are hoping and praying, though, that we'll be able to accept our first referral.
I'm sure many of you wrestle with the same questions we wrestle with as you support us on this journey. Wouldn't it be easier to just give up and quit? Probably. Is the Lord trying to show us that this may not be the road He has for us? Maybe. Is there a better option out there? Possibly. Why are we (they) still doing this?
Well, that question evokes much more than a one word answer. I was actually thinking about this a few weeks ago as I was driving to Montgomery in a torrential down pour, after an extremely stressful morning of collecting the recent documents we needed to send to Astrakhan. I was very frustrated about the fact that nothing about this journey has been easy - especially the events of that day. As I drove 40 mph on the interstate barely being able to see a few feet in front of me, I asked myself the same question raised above...Why are we still doing this? Well, I remembered that we are still doing this because there is still a child on the other side of the country, whom we already love, who still needs a family. We are doing this for him. And I'll just tell you, when I begin to remember this reason and picture the son we hope to have, I can't help but smile. All the frustration, all the sweat and tears, all the waiting - he is worth it all.
We are also still doing this because the Lord has yet to release us from this journey. He has actually done quite the opposite and has continued to confirm that we are where He wants us. We are so thankful for the reminders, because we do question often. The Lord gave a verse to my Dad that he passed along to us. It has been amazing how much this verse just seems to keep popping up everywhere. It always serves to remind me to keep persevering:
"For the vision is yet for the appointed time;
It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail
Though it tarries, wait for it;
For it will certainly come, it will not delay." Habakkuk 2:3
I also like how this verse is translated in the Message:
And then God answered: "Write this.
Write what you see.
Write it out in big block letters
so that it can be read on the run.
This vision-message is a witness
pointing to what's coming.
It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait!
And it doesn't lie.
If it seems slow in coming, wait.
It's on its way. It will come right on time. Habakkuk 2:2-3
One last thing - we have begun reading an excellent book on the theology of adoption and the journey of adopting a child. We highly recommend it! The book is called Adopted for Life by Russell Moore. Here is a link to the book.
I will be sure to post of any new future developments. Thanks for your continued support and prayers.
