“I have chosen you…”

Do a search on the word “chosen” in your Bible. You will quickly find that God did a lot of choosing. God the Father chose us to be His children before we knew Him. That is a huge statement…one that I am starting to understand through a paradigm shift that is taking place. We have chosen Alex to be our son…before he knew us. Okay, its easy to just let that roll and move on…but really. We have chosen him and he doesn’t even really know us. He has read about us through e-mails and messages. He has heard about us from others. We have even talked a few times via Skype, though it was a bit awkward for him because he has never seen us. Yes, pictures…but never really seen us or met us face to face…reached out and touched us. I used to wonder what was going through his mind. What did he think of me. What did he think of this whole thing…does he really believe we are adopting him FOREVER!? A few days ago this whole thought process came crashing down on me…THIS IS EXACTLY HOW GOD FEELS ABOUT ME! And Alex is feeling the same things I have and do feel about God. (NO…I am NOT calling myself God in any way) As the father who has chosen Alex to be my son, I soo long to see him, to touch him, to talk to him, to hug him. I want to be with him and him with me. I want him to love me back too! It’s crazy that this is what God feels about me…and you! Right now Alex doesn’t really know me. I have not proved my love for him yet in a tangible way that he can see, though we have put countless hours in doing paperwork and jumping through all of the hoops required. We have spent time both planning and in prayer for Alex…but he has not seen that yet. We are preparing a room for him…but he hasn’t seen that yet either. For Alex, each day is life as usual but with a flicker of hope that maybe what he has been told is true…a family wants to be his “forever family”. There is fear that it’s just a dream that will fade and disappear. Even once we see each other for the first time…there will still be a vast canyon of trust to cross. We have to earn his trust, love and confidence…but it will be worth it all…and we are willing to do what it takes.

Our relationship is a journey…a process that will take some time. As we spend time together we will grow to know one another and he will learn about my heart. As Alex gives me opportunities to prove my love he will understand my commitment and love for him. I have to be careful not to overwhelm him but to help him work through his fears, mistrusts, self reliance. Roads I have walked and things I have felt…

How many parallels can this process of adoption take? Let your heart just walk down this path with God…you will find He takes on a totally new and fresh perspective. “I have chosen you before you knew Me”. He is waiting with more anticipation than we can ever understand…

Still Learning…and Still Waiting

This journey of adoption is a process. No microwave drive thru process, though many would say that is exactly what we have experienced so far. Yes, we have been EXTREMELY blessed at how quickly and smoothly things have gone so far. But attention to detail is the key as we have learned. Tomorrow we will get the last few documents notarized (some for the third time) which will then complete our dossier package. Monday…it’s off to get every page of that dossier file apostilled. (Don’t worry if you don’t know what that means…we didn’t until a month ago. It simply means that the state certifies that each page is authentic and true and has been properly notarized. Maybe a little over simplistic, but that’s how I understand it. All of the documents need this state apostille seal on it for the Latvian government to recognize them and accept them, thus the importance of this piece in the process.) We have learned that attention to EVERY detail when completing the paperwork and notarizing things is pretty important.

Once we get everything apostilled we will then overnight the package to a new found friend who is traveling next weekend to Latvia for their second trip in the process of adopting their daughter from the same orphanage where Alex currently lives. We hope to send some “goodies” too for Alex.

For those who have asked, we are at about 16% of the way financially in the adoption process. We are about 45% of the way financially in the hosting process. We are very thankful for those of you who have helped get us to where we are so far. The next immediate hurdle ahead of us is the initial translation and Latvian attorney fees…about $2300 needed when the dossier lands in Latvia in a week. This journey is all about Hope and walking in faith. We thank you for supporting us and enabling us to give hope to Alex and change his life forever as we become his “forever family”.

Please pass our story and the links to our blog to all who you know. Make sure you check out Cindy’s blog too! www.MyJourneyCollections.blogspot.com

A Message from New Horizons for Children

The following is a message from New Horizons for Children. Is hosting a child something that you would consider….

Dear Friends and Families:

We ask now that you please begin to pray earnestly for each of the children yet to be hosted. In the photo listing, you will see several children from Ukraine, Latvia and Russia who we desire to find host families for them, so they can come to the states this summer on our 5 week Orphan Hosting Program.

If you’ve not heard about New Horizons for Children, please visit our website at www.NewHorizonsForChildren.org to see how a small, non denominational, Christian ministry has grown and helped more than 750 orphans as of this past Christmas’ hosting program! It would not have happened if it weren’t for folks like yourself, who continually pray for these children that God led us to in January and February of this year, to locate and identify as a candidate for the next host program.

Not everyone is called to host. Not everyone has funds to host children, but they feel called. It takes 4 kinds of people to make this program work for the glory of our Lord. You may one of the important tools that God is calling now to help each of these children. Pray about which one you are??? Are you supposed to host a child or children this summer and share the love of Christ with them? Are you supposed to place a scholarship of some amount for a particular child so their hosting family is able to host them? Are you supposed to be a prayer warrior for one or more of these children, and pray without ceasing that their host family finds this program, and is blessed with the funds to follow through? Are you a potential adoptive family who might be interested to host and or meet the children while in the states this summer to find your son or daughter?

New Horizons for Children is NOT an adoption agency and therefore can make absolutely no promises about any particular child regarding adoption or availability. Each child was presented to us during our interviews this past January and February as being eligible for adoption by their orphanages or foster parents. The children are not told of this aspect of our program and adoption is never spoken of to them directly, as we would never desire to offer something we could not deliver. Any resulting adoptions would need to go through accredited adoption agencies and we can counsel you as to which ones have current accreditation and experience in the countries where we serve.

New Horizons for Children, Inc, is a non-profit, non-denominational, Christian ministry, serving orphans from Eastern European orphanages through hosting programs in the USA twice a year. Our ministry targets older school-age orphans who are often looked over in international adoptions. However, we also work with a couple of orphanages that have younger physically handicapped children. While we do list their ages, realize that institutionalized children are typically 1-3 years smaller in size and younger in maturity compared to American counterparts.

If you have questions regarding a particular child(ren) on this list, please call our office at (678) 574-4677 and we will be happy to discuss further details with you.

P.S. We are seeking grant opportunities to apply for assistance for the hosting program. If you know someone who is part of a private foundation or serve on a board of a company that offers grants to non-profit organizations, please contact Le Ann immediately at 678-574-4677 x1.

God bless you on this journey!

Le Ann, Renee, Michelle, John (Northeast), Jane (FL) and Linda (TX) , Joni (CA), Jennifer (NC)

www.NewHorizonsForChildren.org

Acworth, GA (678) 574-4677

Stage 2 Begins!

Sorry it’s been over a week since I last posted. Things are still moving forward quickly with the adoption. We have completed the Home Study and I picked up the paperwork today. Monday our paperwork will go out to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services to get our approval to adopt. During this time we will complete our dossier and get it over to Latvia to start the translation process. Our goal is to have the dossier completed and ready to go by the 1st of April. This will put all of our paperwork in Latvia except for our “approval to adopt” from the US CIS. Once that approval is issued it will be sent directly over to Latvia and our entire package will then be presented to the Latvian Court to be processed!

Our fund raising is coming…though slow. The next few weeks are going to challenge our funds. If you are interested in helping with our hosting, please visit: http://www.active.com/donate/2009summerorphans/LifeIsBigger  we are currently at 27% of our goal.

If you are interested in helping bring Alex home to his forever family (help with the adoption), please contact us directly. We are only at about 14% of the adoption expenses covered. We hope to have an easier process soon.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support!

More info from Latvia…

A couple of other notes of interest…

I have had the opportunity to talk to Alex a couple of times via Skype. Thank you technology! It has been great to talk with him the few times we have been able to chat. Yes, there are long moments of silence, when I am trying to figure out how to communicate to him what I want to say…and if Alex doesn’t understand…he is silent too. Kind of awkward but we both think it is funny. I have called to the orphanage in Latvia a number of times and been able to speak to one of his caretakers, named Santa. (How would you like to be able to say that you live with Santa!)

Santa has been very nice to talk to and helpful in helping Alex and I communicate when we seem to get stuck on a word. She has also helped me to understand the schedule at the orphanage. We have also been able to send messages to each other through an application similar to MySpace. This is also the same tool that I use to send Alex messages and pictures most every day or two.

On Monday of this week I received a message from Santa…she no longer works at the orphanage where Alex is. She has been transferred to another “social institution” as she called it. CRUD! I had just lost one of my connections to Alex. Santa was kind enough to send me the e-mail address for the new caretaker who had replaced her at the orphanage. I sent a message to Ginta…and she responded! Her English is very good and she writes me in English so I don’t have to try and translate her messages. I have tried to call her number several times so far this week but have been unable to get thought. I will keep trying and work to build a relationship with Ginta as well as Alex.

Did I say that we are excited….and looking forward to late June when Alex arrives….

Progress still continues…

It has been what feels like a week since I last posted and the progress still continues. It is exciting to see how things continue to unfold.

Last Thursday we completed out last home study meeting and left with a short list of loose ends to wrap up. Most everything is simply following up to get a few pieces of paperwork back from either government agencies or doctors…go figure. No big deal. The expectation is that we would next begin working on our dossier and have it ready to go to Latvia in the next month or two. Then comes the e-mail Saturday morning. It is simply to inform us that our dossier is being requested to be ready to go to Latvia on the 17th of March…less than three weeks away! No time to rest, just keep pushing forward. A couple of challenges are the fact that we have to come up with a pretty good size chunk of money to send to Latvia with the dossier. It’s for the attorney, translation and a few other fees…just $2,300! Oh…and the $1000 for the dossier preparation. No big deal…God has a lot more than that and we are trusting Him to provide that in the next two weeks.

Today we officially have been accepted by the adoption agency. Our long application is in and our home study/adoption coordinator has done her part in getting us locked in with the agency. Now it’s just another $2,500 for the agency.

All of this seems a bit overwhelming at times..but it just reminds me that we are still making progress and we are still moving forward. We are very thankful that things are still moving…and at what seems to be an above average pace.

Thank you to those of you who have stepped out in faith and donated to help bring Alex home. Our hosting fund is at about 27% of goal currently. Our adoption fund is at about 6% of what we will need. Thank you!

To those of you who would like to donate,

~ For those interested in donating toward the hosting of Alex, please visit: http://www.active.com/donate/2009summerorphans/LifeIsBigger  ~ For those interested in donating toward the adoption of Alex, please contact either Cindy or I directly.

To everyone…Thank You for your prayers, encouragement and support!

Blog Site Problems

Technology…don’t you love it!

It seems that there is a problem with the blogger site and it is not posting entries properly if you are using Internet Explorer. Everything seems to work fine if you are using Firefox or Safari.

For the problems, I am sorry… I will continue to pester Google-Blogger to get this fixed.