Division of Labor

We knew from the start that the adoption process would involve a lot of paperwork. We were right. From reading other adoption blogs, we know that we can expect a lot more paperwork when we get to Ukraine. And with three children, it will be even more. Then, since our I-600s were filed at USCIS in Omaha, the adoption paperwork will have to be sent back to Omaha for the completion of the I-600s while we wait in Ukraine for the approval so that the State Department can issue visas for the children.

This adoption process involves a lot of time, a lot of paperwork and a lot of patience. Steve has been doing most of the paperwork and making most of the arrangements. Gail said that this was only fair. She had all the labor for the first three children, so now it is Steve's turn.

More Than We Can Ask Or Imagine

When we began this adoption journey a year ago, we thought we would do the necessary paperwork, go to Ukraine and return home with two new daughters. Needless to say, we knew it would try our patience, prove frustrating and take a long time to complete. What we didn't realize was that apparently, God had more than that in mind for us. It has been a year, our dossier has been submitted and we are waiting for our appointment. But, the last year has also brought other changes to our routine. Even though there have been about 12 children from Ukraine adopted in the Omaha area, we were some of the first to attempt to adopt children that would be over 16 by the time of the adoption. This meant that some of the paperwork that is normally submitted to the US Embassy in Kyiv after the adoption, instead had to be submitted to the USCIS office in Omaha, before the 16th birthday. After much research and after asking many questions (and occasionally even getting an answer) we have made it to this point. During this process, the number of children we are planning to adopt has changed to three. This has resulted in having our home study amended and some additional paperwork. As we have progressed through the process, we have been getting questions from other families who want to adopt children that are "aging out". It is a little overwhelming to think that we can be of assistance to others, even when we have not yet completed the process ourselves. Steve's first comment was,"Why are we giving you advice, we don't have any kids yet, so we don't know if we are doing it right." So far, we have had nearly one request a month for information on adoption. When we came to the crossroads in September 2006 and decided to follow the call to adopt, little did we know that God would put on our hearts a love and concern for not only the children that we will adopt, but for all the orphans in Ukraine. He has shown us a way that we can make a difference in the lives of people that we don't even know, in the US and in Ukraine. We have met so many fantastic people, both here and in Ukraine that have a love for these kids and are working to provide a future for them, the ones who are adopted and the ones who are not. Check out www.YouthOfUkraine.org for other ways that people are helping these kids.

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us. Ephesians 3:20

Dossier Submitted

Our dossier was submitted to SDA today. Oleg says he hopes that we will get a December or January appointment. Pray for December. We are anxious to get to Ukraine to continue the process.

For those of you who read this and would like to help the orphans of Ukraine, but don't feel called to adopt, there are other ways that you can help. One of our favorites is Youth of Ukraine. This ministry involves Julia and Sergey Yarovoy, a Ukrainian couple who have a heart for these orphans. Their mission is:

"The ministry for the children from the orphanages and broken homes. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27

The main goal of our ministry is to introduce children and teenagers from the orphanages and broken homes to know the Lord Jesus Christ. To tell them that He died on the cross for their sins and that they can have personal relationship with God the Father Who loves them and cares for them.

We are working on achieving this goal by fulfilling three main needs of these children.
Spiritual
1. Having Bible studies.
2. Providing a Bible or a New Testament for every kid who doesn’t have one.
Social
1. Building friendships with them and having discipleship relationship with them.
2. Organizing seminars on such topics as addictions, relationship with the opposite sex

and other essential issues.
3. Organizing sport and musical events and also summer Christian camps.
Material
1. Medicines, clothes, school supplies, toys and so on.
2. Finances for studies.

We think that orphans are not only those children who don’t have parents but also those who don’t get love and care from their families (their parents might be addicts or just emotionally distant and inattentive to them). That is why it is our hope and prayer that through our ministry God will fulfill their needs as well.

To change lives of the teenagers is possible by changing mentality of their parents. One of our long-term goals is to work with their parents and supervisors."

We met Julia and Sergey when we were in Odessa in May. They are truly making a difference in the lives of these children. Please check out their website at: www.youthofukraine.org

The Crossroads

At our church, we talk about the crossroads. A crossroads is a place in life when God presents you with a situation that requires a choice. You can choose to continue life as it has been (sometimes known as being in a rut) or you can choose to make a change, which could potentially change your life in a profound way. It can also be explained as choosing to live your Christian life via the tourist route or via the adventure route.

That Sunday in September 2006 was definitely a crossroads point in our lives. We both felt the call to make a change and move toward the adoption of teenagers from Ukraine. With our children grown, and at an age when many people are retiring or at least thinking about retiring, we chose to get out of the rut and embark on the adventure route of international adoption.

People have asked us why we decided to adopt teenagers and not young children. Steve's first response was "I don't want to be 80 years old when they get to college." Our age was a consideration, but we also enjoyed the years when our three children were teenagers. There was only 3 1/2 years spread in their ages, so they were all in high school together for one year and all in college at the same time. I guess we thought that if we survived it once, we could again.