Not Registered Yet

Happy Friday, Everyone! We received a short message from our agency today. The MOE has our documents, but the regional operator did not have time to review them before the weekend. So we're hoping for some news about registration next week. We're also still hoping to make our first trip the first week of May. Thanks for your continued prayers!

Joel & Clarion

A Bit of Good News

We heard from our agency today. Our papers should be submitted for registration next week. We're hoping that they won't need any additional documents. We also have tentative dates for our first trip. We will most likely be in Vlad the first week of May to meet our little guy, although May 2 is a Russian holiday. But that should be ok. We've been given the go-ahead to order the visas, so we're busy working on that tonight. But we'll be waiting on purchasing tickets until we have some definite travel dates. Please keep us in your prayers. Thanks!

Joel & Clarion

Waiting!

Waiting is hard! We've been here before. This adoption is proceeding like lightning compared to our last one. But waiting is still hard, no matter the time frame. It's hard when you look at the picture of that little smiling face which has been your desktop wallpaper on your computer screen for weeks and stuck to the door of the fridge, but you have yet to actually meet him. It's hard when you think about his birthday being less than a month away and you wish he could celebrate it with his family. Yes, waiting is hard.

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, King David wrote (Psalm 27:14): "Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!" That's what gets us through the waiting! We know that the Lord's time is best. How do we know that? We know it in Christ. "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons" (Galatians 4:4-5). God's work of adoption came to fruition in His time, the best time. And it was in the works even before God laid the foundations of the earth!

So where are we in our adoption journey number two? Waiting! We're waiting to be registered in Vladivostok. We're waiting for travel dates for trip number one. We're waiting for sicknesses that keep plaguing everyone in our family to go away!!! We're waiting...waiting on the Lord. We're taking courage. We're praying for our little guy, for those who are caring for him, and for other adoptive families who also wait. Speaking of other families, please keep our friends the Overstreets in your prayers. Their waiting is even harder than ours. Any day now they should be receiving news of a court date. Any day now we should be getting news of registration and travel dates. It's so close. "Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!"

Joel & Clarion