Family News

Sharing My Heart!

September 10, 2008 10:05 am by Wendi

I am writing to day to share my very inner most feelings about Nick’s adoption. As you know we have been in the process of trying to bring Nick home for nearly two years. There have been delays after delays. We received word from our agency two days ago that Russia is requesting information regarding Elijah’s adoption. I could not believe what I was reading! The agency said they are not sure what type of paperwork will be required and will let us know as soon as they are notified by Russia. It is truly amazing to me because first of all Elijah was adopted from the very same region in Russia where Nick is. Also, we provided each and every one of the post placement reports on Elijah as required by Russia. Those reports are filed in the MOE (Ministry of Education) in the Krasnoyarsk region. So, my thoughts are “What else could they possibly be wanting?” I was truly upset and totally disheartened. I would like to be able to tell you that my faith is unshakable and that I just stood tall and said, “God has a plan and it is all in His time.” BUT the truth of the matter is that I fell apart! I began to question whether or not bringing Nick home is what God wants. Trevor and I discussed all of this last night and both of us agreed that neither of us really know what it is God DOES want. Trevor told me the way he has always prayed for Nick’s adoption is that if this is God’s will that we bring Nick home to open doors for it to happen. And it seems doors keep getting slammed shut! We talked about the fact that maybe its not God closing doors but the devil himself. It is just so hard to know sometimes whether or not something is in the will of God or not. I told Trevor I was just about to the point of giving up and coming to realize this is not supposed to happen. I sat and I cried and told him I honestly do not think I can take much more of this roller coaster ride. I said I cannot even concentrate on everyday life anymore. This is always in the forefront of my mind. My heart yearns for my boy to be home but is it time to admit this will never happen? Trevor and I agreed…neither of us knew the answer.

When I awoke this morning the dream I had last night came to mind and I thought what a silly dream! I was wondering why I would dream something so ridiculous! I dreamed I was a surrogate mother and it was nearly time to deliver and to hand over this precious baby to its parents. When I arrived at the hospital I realized that I could not do that…this baby belonged to me and Trevor. Even though this baby I was carrying was not our biological child…I had carried it and it was OUR baby! I knew there was no way we could give up this baby. I ran and I hid so no one could take “our” baby from us! I was frantic at the thought! I awoke before I gave birth and as I said I didn’t know why I dreamed such a dream but it dawned on me after a few moments…we CANNOT give up and we WILL NOT give up on bringing our son home! With all that is within us we will continue on! God will have to do it all, that is for sure! I truly believe God gave me that dream last night to show me we must continue on. My faith has been renewed and I know I cannot give up my son. He is worth all the battles we have endured and all the obstacles that still may come our way. But notice the word ‘endured”. God has brought us through the battles and will continue to do so!

An online friend by the name of Wendy McLaughlin posted this writing a few days ago on one of the adoption forums I frequent a lot. It was posted with the intent to encourage adoptive parents who are feeling discouraged and weary, as they wait for their child to come home. When I read this I wept because it is the hard, cold truth and all of the heartache Trevor and I have to go through is nothing compared to what Nick will face if we don’t bring him home. This gives me strength and determination!
Thank you, Wendy!!

An Orphan’s Life

I will never know the warm embrace of a mother.
I will never know a place called home.
I will never be tucked in at night.
I will never know all is right with the world.
I will never play catch with my dad.
I will never feel the ocean breeze in my hair.
I will never see the sunrise from the window of a plane.
I will never own the clothes on my back.
I will never eat popcorn in a darkened theater.
I will never run barefoot in a spring rain.
I will never have someone to catch me when I fall.
I will never watch fireworks explode in the sky.
I will never eat until I’m full.
I will never sit in a candle filled church.
I will never see a look of pride on my Dad’s face.
I will never ride a shiny new bike.
I will never dance at my prom.
I will never graduate.
I will never have someone to call for advice.
I will never make it on my own.
I will never stop wondering how my life could have changed
-if someone had taken me home-
for always.

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Happy Birthday, Nick! We love you!

August 27, 2008 9:52 pm by Wendi

KISSES IN THE WIND (The Waiting Child’s Lullaby)

We hold you in our hearts and touch you in our dreams.
You are here each day with us, at least that’s how it seems.

I know you wonder where we are… what’s taking us so long.
But remember Nick, we love you so and God will keep you strong.

Now go outside and feel the breeze and let it touch your skin…
Because tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.

May God hold you in His hand until we can be with you.
I promise you, my baby, we’re doing all that we can do.

Very soon, you’ll have a family for real, not just pretend.
But for tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.

May God wrap you in His arms and hold you very tight.
And let the angels bring the kisses that I send to you each night.

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This Is So True!

August 26, 2008 9:09 am by Wendi

CHARLES SCHULTZ PHILOSOPHY

You don’t actually have to take the quiz. Just read this straight through and you’ll get the point. It is trying to make an awesome point!

Here’s the first quiz:

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for
best actor and actress.

6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The facts are, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

6. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.

Easier?

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.

“Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today …… It’s already tomorrow in Australia.”

—– Charles Schulz—–

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Things Happening!

August 16, 2008 11:05 am by Wendi

Hi, to all! So sorry I have not posted in such a long while but it has been difficult to know what to say! Things are moving right along with us bringing Nick home. Our dossier is sitting in Krasnoyarsk Russia as I write this. It is now just a matter of Russia issuing our invitation to travel to meet our son. I truly feel that will come next week!

It has been a difficult last few days for me because of the situation between Russia and Georgia. At any moment the situation could have escalated to a point of no return. My fear as well as the fear of all families who are waiting to bring their children home, has been that Russia would shut down adoptions. I was not even able to look at Nick’s pictures without crying. To see him standing there with the orphanage in the background, hanging on to the little radio we sent him was more than I could bear. His little angelic face was hard for me to look at. I just could not fathom the idea that he may never get to come home. I kept asking God why He would have brought us this far and then to not bring Nick home to his baby brother and all his family who are waiting for him with open arms. I had to come to grips with the fact that God has a plan in all of this and He is bigger than any of it. And as my friends, John and Jenni told me…God is bigger than the boogie man and he can surely handle bringing Nick home! They gave me the scripture Romans 8:28 and that is what I am standing on now.
God has given me a peace and I am believing Nick WILL be home soon.

I would like to ask everyone to please continue to pray for Nick and his home coming! What an exciting time it will be to see Elijah and Grace and Nick together! What is going to be so awesome is to see Nick and Elijah when they see each other for the first time since Elijah was 18 months old and Nick was four years old when they were separated at the orphanage. Wow! Just imagining that becoming a reality is overwhelming!!

God bless you all and thanks for being their for us.

In His Love,
Wendi

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Much Better News!!

March 31, 2008 11:48 am by Wendi

The latest news is that no regions in Russia are closed to adoption!! Praise the Lord! Things are moving right along in Russia and there is no rumors of anything changing in the near future.

Our agency emailed me last week and wanted to know how close we were to completing our dossier. They said Russia had contacted them and wanted an idea as to when they could expect to receive all our paperwork. So, that is very good news…the Russians are asking about us! We should be able to complete our dossier within the next two weeks. It is not so much the completing the paperwork but after we get everything completed and all forms notarized then we have to send everything to Austin to be apostilled. It is all just a very time consuming operation. We try to work on paperwork each day but with work, our babies and life in general our time is limited. We just do the best we can with the time we have. Our goal is to have it done within a couple weeks. Once we have it all done and get it sent to our agency then they send it all to Russia to be translated. That usually takes a couple weeks. Once that is done we could get a call at any moment saying we can travel on our first trip to meet Nick. Getting closer each and every day! Thank you, Jesus!

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Sad News Today

March 26, 2008 10:00 am by Wendi

I felt I had to share some very distressing news that I heard just this morning. At least 10 regions in Russia have “shut down” international adoptions at this time. No one knows if this is a temporary situation or something that will be resolved soon. This situation is due to the fact of another adopted Russian child has reportedly died at the hands of the adoptive parents. I have placed a link below to the article about the death of this child. I have emailed our agency to find out if our region, Krasnoyarsk, is one that is affected by this “shut down.” I will update as we learn more information. We are very upset and saddened by this and all we have to cling to is that God knows best and sees the whole picture. His ways are not our ways and we must trust Him in this. We ask that you pray for our family and Nick and for all the other waiting parents and their precious children waiting to come home.
http://adoption.about.com/b/2008/03/17/another-russian-adoptee-has-died-adoptive-mother-father-in-jail.htm

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My sixth grand baby is on the way!

March 17, 2008 4:06 pm by Wendi

I want to let everyone know I am gonna be grandma again!! My son, Chris and daughter in law, Jennifer are expecting a baby October 21! I am so excited I don’t know what to do! What an awesome blessing! They both will be the best parents a child could ask for. I can hardly wait to get my hands on my SIXTH grand baby! I know he/she will be the most beautiful baby in the world and will be loved beyond measure. Thank you, Jesus for entrusting this precious gift to Chris and Jennifer and to our families.

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Another Blessed Day

March 14, 2008 7:34 pm by Wendi

It is Friday night and God has blessed us with another wonderful day! Trevor and I got Elijah out of school early today and went to Longview for lunch and to do a little clothes shopping for the kids. These two babies are growing so that seems we can’t keep them in clothes! Or shoes! We went by Brother’s gym today. That is what Elijah calls it cause that is his brother Chris’ gym. Elijah loves to go there and punch the punching bags and turns flips on the mat. We didn’t get to stay long because we had to get our shopping done and get back home in time to pick up Gracie from Granny’s house. We really had a nice day together and now the kids are watching Little Einsteins and will be going to bed in a few minutes. They have a big day tomorrow at our church…it is our annual community Easter egg hunt. Always an awesome time! I look forward to it as much as the kids do, I think!

Have a blessed and safe weekend and remember to give thanks to our Lord and Savior for giving his life to save us.

In His Love

Wendi

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Krasnoyarsk, Russia

March 13, 2008 10:19 am by Wendi

I thought perhaps some of you would be interested in knowing where our Nick lives right now. He is in an orphanage in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. It is actually in Siberia. He has been institutionalized since the age of two years. I have posted the link below which will tell you about this region where he is.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krasnoyarsk

Blessings,

Wendi

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