It's A GIRL!!!!

BIG NEWS!!! HUGE NEWS!!! We have a refferal!!!!

That's the part you expected. Get ready for the part you didn't expect!!! She's six years old!!!

She is beautiful and precious and I just know that you will all fall in love with her just like we have!!!

I know. I know it's not exactly what we were expecting but we are so excited and feel so good about this little one as a match for our family. I'll tell you all about it. Here are some of the questions I bet you're asking.

Had you been thinking about an older child?

Russ and I have been very open to an older child adoption. We have done EXTENSIVE research into bonding etc... Our main concern in adopting a child older than Kaitlyn was that we needed to have significant knowledge that this child had bonded with people in the past. Research shows that a child who has bonded in the past will most likely bond again.

How did you decide that this was your little girl?

A month or so ago I was reading the news on the internet about the horrible devastation in Guatemala due to the mudslides. I told Russ that I thought that maybe our little girl would come to us through this tragedy. He told me to call the agency and check it out. So I did. I asked them if any children had come available for adoption due to the mudslides. Our case worker told me that it was very unlikely that it would happen anytime soon. So I dismissed it and went on.

So Friday I got an e-mail from the agency saying that there were several new waiting children available. "Waiting" means they are ready to be adopted but have not found their forever family for some reason. In this little girl's case it was most likely because she is a bit older than most children adopted from Guatemala. I immediately looked at the pictures and shared it with Russ.

All weekend Russ and I prayed and talked and wrestled with whether this was our little girl. By the end of the weekend we were feeling that maybe this was right but we didn't know much about her yet.

Monday I called and e-mailed asking for information on the little girl. The director of Guatemalan adoption said that they had not recieved all the information on the little girl yet as she was a very new referral. She would e-mail the Guatemalan agency but said it may take till the end of the week. Russ and I just prayed.

Three hours later I recieved her information!!! Just another little miracle. What's more amazing is what was in the information.

This little girl is from a very poor family. Her mother loves her sincerely. When the hurricane hit their village it was wiped out. They lost what little they had. Their home and their harvest and any hope of having a harvest next year. This was the final straw in a series of many things (which we will keep private) that had caused her mother to consider adoption.

Her mother placed her in foster care and told the agency if she wasn't placed immediately for adoption she would come get her. She wanted her to have a good family. The mother came back to get her after two weeks but the little girl told her how well she being treated and that an American family would come get her soon. Her mother felt that this was the best thing for her daughter. The little girl says that she wants to be adopted.

I know that this is probably an extremely difficult situation for most of us as Americans to understand. We can't fathom what these people face on a daily basis. Guatemala is a beautiful country and full of wonderful culture and people.

It is an extremely impoverished country. Many people live in corrugated tin houses with no running water or heat and mud floors. Education is a luxury and food is not always readily available. Many babies die from malnutrition. This is life in a third world country.

I think of it as the show survivor but it's real life. No games, no million dollars and no medical team standing by.

This mother and child are faced with a decision to have her stay in a situation where she may not have enough to eat or even a roof and she may be unsafe or come to America. They know she will be well clothed, well fed, educated and loved. I can only pray that I would be as unselfish as this mother if faced with making that decision for my child. She is beyond amazing and noble in my estimation.

She came to us through the mudslides just like I thought. She was well loved and bonded with her mother. As soon as we read her story we knew she was ours!

We called the agency immediately and told them that we would like to accept the referral of this little one. Adopting out of birth order requires special permission from our social worker and a panel of Dillon social workers. We were approved today by both!!

What do you do next??

A LOT OF PAPERWORK!!! Don't expect to see me around much for the next couple of weeks. I will be busy working on getting my baby girl home from Guatemala.

In the next week or so we will hopefully turn in our dossier. (a collection of documents that represent you in court in Guatemala) Then we wait and wait and wait for our slow government and their slow government to process a million things. We will get to bring her home sometime between March-June. We are praying for March but will trust God for His timing. In our waiting time we can go visit her in Guatemala. So we are planning to go a couple of times while we wait. It looks like we may have some proud grandparents coming too!!!

We will send her scrapbooks, letters and whatever we can to help her feel more comfortable with the transition. We will also send letters and pictures to the birth mother so she will know who we are. We can only pray that it will give her some measure of comfort and peace. If the birth mother wants to meet us we would love to do that. We are told that many Guatemalan mothers feel too ashamed to do that right away. We will pray for her.

Can the parents change their mind?

The parents have the right to change their minds and parent their birth child until the time we bring her home. However, it is extremely rare that this happens. If the parents make this decision we will be fully supportive of them in every way. We would love to help them in whatever way we can. It would be very difficult for us but we would rejoice for them. Then our home would be open for another child who needs a home. We would be given a new referral almost immediately and incur no extra cost. (except the cost of extra visits) To us this wouldn't be a failure but another part of God's plan.

What will your little girl do now?

She will stay with the same foster family until we come and get her. She is already bonding very well with them. We are so grateful for wonderful foster mothers who give their hearts to care for these children.

Will you change her name?

Her name is Mirna Aracely. We will most likely change it to Krysta Zoe but we want to speak with her first. Many adoptive children want to change to an American name so they will not feel different. We may consider making it a second middle name. Krysta Zoe Mirna Weir. Then she can choose what to go by as she gets older. We'll see.

For now I'm calling her Zoe cause' I just think she looks like a Zoe!!! What do you think???

We have our homestudy and immigration appointment scheduled!

I am so excited! Yesterday we got an appointment with immigration for Friday morning at 8:30. We get to go give them lots of money, get fingerprinted for homeland security or something and get permission to bring our little one to the US. :0)

Then our social worker called and scheduled our first homestudy visit for Saturday at 9:00 am. YEAH!!! So we're totally excited that things are starting to move right along! We're also a little frazzled trying to get everything done on time. I'll let you know how it goes.

We made it home..

We are officially safe at home! We wanted to let you all know. Here is what has happened the last week.

Last Tuesday- We're thinking Hmmm... there's a hurricane coming our way. We should keep an eye on that. Tuesday night we start gathering important documents and sentimental stuff just in case.

Last Wed- WHOA! Now it is a momma cat 5 hurricane and it's coming straight after our HOUSE. We decide to get out quick and head to grandma and grandpa's house in central TX. Our electricity goes out with a slight breeze! Kaitlyn is so excited about a surprise trip to Pop and Nonny's house but she's on edge all day. I think she's picking up on our stress. Thanks for taking in the evacuees grandma and grandpa.

Last Thursday-We watch the weather and news ALL DAY AND PRAY!!! Then we walk around grandma's and remind ourselves that our house is just stuff and it's not what's important. Then we check our insurance policy. :0) I explain to Russ that it will be VERY DIFFICULT to do our adoption home study if WE DON'T HAVE A HOME!!! We watch more weather and news and feel SO SORRY for our friends stuck in horrible traffic. Some for 24 hours!! There is no gas on evacuation routes and no food in the stores and restaurants.

Last Friday- We hang out with our friends who have evacuated to my parent's house. Thanks mom and dad!! It was their little girl's 3rd birthday and we weren't going to let some little cat 5 ruin that!!! Sam and Wendi and the girls also join the crew. They are staying at Sam's parent's house.So we head to Cameron Park Zoo in Waco. (Which is so great by the way) and have pizza and cake at the house. The girls are in little girl heaven. Cake, animals and ring-around-the-rosies!

Hurricane Rita is downgraded to cat 4 and then 3. Then she heads away from us. By the end of the evening we are feeling like we may have a house when we get back to town but the gas to get there may cost $20.00 a gallon. We're still praying.

Saturday- We dodged the bullet. Amazing!!! Our electricity at our house didn't even go out. That is nothing short of a miracle! We feel so bad for those who have no electricity and damage to their homes and businesses. Mostly we're just so relieved that everyone is OK. We start to pack up to go but then we hear the mayor ask people to stay put and come home in stages. No work or school on Monday. So instead we visit with the family and go hang out with Sam and Wendi. Good times!

Sunday- Sounds like things are SLOWLY getting back to liveable in Houston. Convoys of food and gas are being delivered. Kaitlyn hangs out with Polka Dot and Grandpa. Russ and I go to see Flight Plan. I like it. I think it just stresses Russ out! When go to pick Kaitlyn up she tells us, "Bye Bye Mommy. Night Night. I stay Olka Dot House. I play here mommy!" So we let her spend the night. What happened to my baby??? She's all grown up and independent!

Today- We pick up Kaitlyn (who still doesn't want to leave) and head back to Richmond. There is a lot more traffic than usual on our route but it's not horrible. We get back really easily.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Our hearts and hands will continue to do what we can for those who have lost so much during Hurricane Katrina and Rita.

We are changing countries!

Russ and I are going Guatemalan! We have decided to switch from the Korea program to the Guatemala program. We are staying with our agency. (we love them) Just switching countries.

The Korea program and the Guatemala program are similar in many ways and are wonderful programs. Originally we were very interested in the Guatemala program but were scared away by the price tag. It is a LOT more expensive than the Korea program. We were very concerned that we would not be able to handle the additional expense so we went with Korea.

As we have gone through the process we have discovered that there is a great need for families to adopt from Guatemala. We feel like God is asking us to take a leap of faith and trust that He will provide the funds. We are so excited to see what the next year holds for us. Here are some things you might like to know aboout the Guatemala program.

-we have requested a girl

-most babies are referred (matched with parents) at about 1 month old

-most babies come home at 5 1/2 to 7 1/2 months of age

-the majority of babies in Guatemala are given up due to poverty

-we can visit our baby girl once in between referral and bringing her home

-we may be able to meet the birth mother

-our little girl will be in foster care until we go get her

-we will get pictures and medical reports once a month until we go get her

We will complete a home study and submit our paperwork/dossier to Dillon International for approval by the Guatemalan government.

We will wait 2-5 months for a referral/match of a baby girl.

We will receive travel clearance to travel to receive our child 5-7 months after accepting an assignment.

What Is Our Timeline?

Many of you have been wondering where we are in the process of our adoption. I thought I would share that with you. At this point we have are about to start our homestudy. I'll give a timeline of what has happened so far. Keep in mind that Russ and I have not been rushing the process. We are not in a hurry. So the process is perhaps a little slower than for somebody who is really pushing to get it done.

MAY 16, 2005- Sent in the initial application. This is just a short form with basic info. They also ask you basic questions about why you want to adopt and your family support unit.

JULY 16, 2005- Attended the Dillon International Adoption Conference in Dallas. It was very helpful and informative. We really enjoyed it.

SEPTEMBER 6, 2005- Our formal application is officially approved!!! The formal application includes medical exams saying you are healthy, fingerprinting, marriage license, birth certificates, references etc.... It seems overwhelming but if you just take it one task at a time it's really not that bad.

Right now we are just waiting to get our homestudy scheduled. It could take a few weeks or a few months depending on the schedule of the social worker. She will come to our home and interview us and make sure our home is a safe environment for children.

After that we will be placed on a waiting list for Korea. How long we will wait is dependant on so many factors. Korea's wait is longer right now than many other countries but we felt God leading us that way. I'll discuss why we picked Korea in another entry. Anyway we are open to special needs children that have correctable or minor issues. That may shorten the wait significantly. I just really have no idea!!! It could be soon or two years from now. This is the part where I get to embrace my COMPLETE LACK OF CONTROL!!!!! SWEET!!!

How Can You Pray?

Please pray for God's perfect timing in this process. We believe that even though this baby will not come from my body God knows who he/she is even now. Just as he brought us Kaitlyn- our pure gift- He will give us this child. We want to be ready and willing and PATIENT!!! I don't want to be tempted to rush this or drag my feet.

Psalm 139

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

¹⁶ your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

Why Do We Want To Adopt?

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" — Romans 8:15

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 1:26-27

Of Course not everyone is called to adopt. We all have our gifts. The way we share with the world. 1 Cor 12 is clear on how important all our gifts are when we use them as a unified body.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=53&chapter=12&version=31

However, I have known for a very long time that adoption was a large part of me. I have what I call the "adoption gene."

It all started a long time ago in a little town called Heidelburg, Germany. I (Angel) was an army brat overseas and attended a youth group in a nearby town. The youth ministers were Todd and Karla and they were amazing. While they were in Germany they adopted a baby boy from Romania. They named him Caleb. He was like the youth group baby or something. He was always around and such a joy. From that point in time I knew that God was calling me to adopt. Where would Caleb have been if Todd and Karla hadn't taken that leap of faith? What joy and growth would they have missed if they hadn't had such amazing courage. They changed their lives. They changed a little boy's life. They changed my life. They changed the life of the baby we will adopt..... The ripple effect of their faith goes on and on. I've been out of touch with them for years but I pray that someday they know what a profound impact they have had on me. Todd and Karla if you see this let me know!!! I love you both.

So needless to say the question of adoption actually became part of my dating criteria. Along with the question, "So what is your major?" I would ever so casually slip in the question, "So what do you think of adoption??" Russ was very open to adoption AND he hates seafood so I knew we were a match made in heaven!!! :0)

We don't see adoption as a "plan B" only to be made by those experiencing infertility. I am so grateful for this opportunity. According to my faith God treasures adoption and chose to adopt us as His own children. He also chose for his son Jesus to be "adopted" by Joseph. Joseph raised Jesus as his son although he was not biologically linked to him. I feel honored to have an opportunity to experience God's heart for adoption.

John 1:12 – “But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.”

Ephesians 1:5, “…having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,”

http://awaa.org/stories/adoptiongene.aspx

This is a website of a wonderful agency. They have so much wonderful info that truly expresses my heart on adoption. We chose another agency based on country and post adoption support but we have great respect for America World. In fact Steven Curtis Chapman adopted through them from China several times!

If you want to check out our WONDERFUL agency Dillon International here is the link

http://www.dillonadopt.com/

Welcome to our blog...

So I guess I'm joining this new generation of "bloggers". I know some of you techie type people know exactly why it is called blogging. Please fill me in! BLOGGING?? I have many reasons for wanting to start this blog.

One main reason is that Russ and I are adopting from Korea. I have been so blessed to see other blogs where people are sharing their experiences and pictures. It brings hope and clarity for me to read their rich experiences.

When we discovered Kaitlyn (our first baby) would have to have surgery for metopic craniosynostosis we scoured the internet. The most helpful things we found were websites made by parents telling us about what we were about to face. We recorded Kaitlyn's surgery day by day on our family website. www.russandangel.com We have had many families e-mail tell us it helped them.

My prayer is that this blog will serve as

1. An encouragement to other families who are going through the adoption process

2. A tool for those considering adoption

3. An update for our friends who want to keep up with the process

4. A journal of this journey of faith we are embarking upon

5. Just a record of life in general to look back on

The reason I am naming this blog Faith's Journey is that I believe that is what adoption is.Generally this is what my life is. Believing in what we cannot see.

FAITH=Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence

Hmmmm sounds scary huh? Even irrational.... Or maybe it's the most reasonable thing we do as human beings. To believe in more than ourselves. To embrace the fact that we don't know or see everything. Why is faith so hard for me? I think it's because I have give up my illusion of control.

From what I can tell adoption is going to be such a lesson in Faith's Journey.