Finally Some News!

Ah, finally something tangible to report! I spoke with Orson, the director of our adoption agency, last night.

I was actually calling to get some reassurance about the whole adoption process in Kazakhstan because I have been following another couple's adoption and they've run into some astonishing issues, with not one, but two birth moms returning to reclaim the first and then the second of the baby boys they have been trying to adopt. Well, Orson did a good job--these really are amazing circumstances, and just by the way, God is doing monumental things thru this poor woman whose heart has just been crushed. Her spirit has not. She is going up against the birth mom, an 18 year old girl who is now pregnant again. The police actually took her first child away from her because the neighbors complained of wild parties and the incessant crying of a baby!

I digress, but man, it has just been a tremendous story to see unfold while waiting for our own to begin!

So, last night, Orson gave us the good news that our dossier had cleared the Ministry of Education, for real this time. And it is now with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We should have our invitation to travel in 10-15 days. At that time, around April 2oth, we can Fedex our passports to the Embassy of Kaz in DC for our visas.

If any of you who live in the DC area would like to help us by going there in person, we would be eternally grateful. The embassy is in the embassy district and apparently things that get done in person go more smoothly and quickly I've been told. There is a service called the Assistant Stork but they charge something like $50 per visa and we need 5! I would reimburse any of your expenses and lunch at the, gosh I can't even remember the name of it anymore, ya know the Grill, or 1789 or Perry's or whatever else is now posh or popular these days.

So, once we have those visas, we will book our flights. I'd love to use some of the FF miles we have, but last minutes travel arrangements don't really jive w/ cheap. Darn. So we'll pay $1500/person and probably go ORD to FRA to ALA to UKK, oh yeah! Can't I just go thru labor one more time? Do flights this long offer epidurals? Am I starting to chicken out or what. It's the lack of sleep. Just like during a real pregnancy, I can't sleep toward the end, so I might as well go ahead and have the baby--I'm up all night anyway. This time though I dream of being in an orphanage and not being able to understand what anyone is saying, and trying to get some kind of medical info because my new son is throwing up.

I remind myself to put on the Full Armor of God including the Sword, God's Word, "Do not be anxious about anything. In everything, by prayer and thanksgiving, make your requests known to God, and His peace, a peace that surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and minds through Christ Jesus." A peace that surpasses all understand...that's what I need. And today is Good Friday. The day my best friend took the bullet for me. And you. He is so GOOD. Peace.