I received email notification today that we have an appointment for April 26th!!!! I am SOOOOOO excited!!!! We received notice last week that we were approved to adopt but we thought we would find out yesterday when our appointment was. Our appointment was not assigned yesterday, so I was anxiously waiting to hear from my translator today. I nearly jumped out of my seat when I saw that there was an email from him. It is really nice to finally have a definitive date.
So now, I have so much to do in such a short period of time. We still have not painted the bedroom or finished refinishing the dresser for our daughter's room. I am hoping that will get done this weekend. I still have to book my tickets and start packing. Hopefully the tickets will get booked tomorrow. The packing will be done over several days. :) I still have a few things to pick up for the trip, so I will also have to do some shopping. We have most of the money in the bank, so I will have to make arrangements for the bank to get new bills for me to take. I should get a call tomorrow to let me know when to expect that to be available. I have tried to get everything at work done so that it will be as painless as I can make it for my co-workers. I am sure I will forget something, I typically do.
Thank you so much for helping us financially, praying for us and supporting us as we proceed through this adoption. We really appreciate all that our friends and family have done for us and share with us. We love you all.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Monday, April 2, 2012
No appointment yet
We still have not received notification of our approval and appointment date. It is hard to wait and wait with no information coming. I know that all will happen in God's timing. He is laying the path before me and I will follow that path when the timing is right. God is never too early, and never too late.
The finances are falling into place. We have received donations and have saved money at every chance. The amount we have still need is around $5,000. Thank you so much to everybody who has given us their donations and support for the adoption. We sincerely appreciate all that everybody is doing to help us.
We have made some progress in preparing the bedroom we are preparing for our daughter. The carpet is out and the walls are being prepared for painting. I have never refinished furniture before, but I am trying to do that now with an old dresser we have not been using for some time. I hope it will be pretty and look well done when I get finished. It certainly won't be good if it looks like very poor work when I get done. I am learning a lot as I go along.
The finances are falling into place. We have received donations and have saved money at every chance. The amount we have still need is around $5,000. Thank you so much to everybody who has given us their donations and support for the adoption. We sincerely appreciate all that everybody is doing to help us.
We have made some progress in preparing the bedroom we are preparing for our daughter. The carpet is out and the walls are being prepared for painting. I have never refinished furniture before, but I am trying to do that now with an old dresser we have not been using for some time. I hope it will be pretty and look well done when I get finished. It certainly won't be good if it looks like very poor work when I get done. I am learning a lot as I go along.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Thank you!!
I wanted to write this post to publicly say THANK YOU to all of you. So many people are donating to our adoption fund and stepping in beside us to bring our daughter home. People we have not even met are chipping in financially and with many prayers for us. Thank you seems inadequate, but I don't know what else to say. Your sacrificial giving and your intercession in prayer for us are an amazing testimony of the God who loves us all and brings His people together to see full implementation of His grace and mercy for an orphan who is seeking love in a family. My husband and I are not taking this journey alone. God is leading us and making the path for us to walk with Him, and the path that our daughter will take to meet Him in a very personal way. We are encouraged by all of you who are joining with us as you follow along and we feel your support in every step we take.
I have not yet received a travel date. I am ready to go as soon as I get word that everything has been approved and an appointment date and time have been granted. I will most definitely post on her when I do receive more information.
I have not yet received a travel date. I am ready to go as soon as I get word that everything has been approved and an appointment date and time have been granted. I will most definitely post on her when I do receive more information.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Dossier Submitted!!
Our translator was successful in submitting our application!! I have been excited all day after hearing such great news!! Now we wait to hear back from the agency on whether or not they will approve us to adopt. If they permit us to adopt, they will set us up with an appointment to meet with them to obtain a referral to the orphanage where our daughter is. I really am praying for sooner rather than later. I am ready to go any time they tell me to be there.
We are updating the room that will be our new daughter's room. I don't think it will be done by the time I leave, but I hope it will be done before I get home with her. We are only doing things on the weekends and evenings after work so it will take a lot longer than it would if we could work on it full time. But, it will be nice to have her come home to a nicely painted and decorated room. Girls are more interested in how things look than the slew of boys I have at home now. As long as the boys have a comfortable place to sleep and food to eat they could really care less about anything else.
I pray frequently that God will pour out His favor on us as we walk this journey. God understands the intricate details of weaving families together when new members join in. I believe that if we seek Him at all times and let Him guide us, the adjustment will progress more positively than if we try to force things to happen based on what we want and when we want it. I pray for patience for all of us as we draw nearer to the time that all will fall into place physically and logistically, but not necessarily in place emotionally and in relationship building. Please continue to pray for us all as we proceed into the next step of the adoption process.
Also, pray for me as I travel for the adoption. It is unsettling to think about leaving my husband and my boys for several weeks as I am in Ukraine to complete the adoption. We are asking God to give us favor and make our process as easy and smooth as possible. I would really like to be home in as short a time as possible.
Thank you for praying with me and for me and my family. God's favor and guidance is what we seek most.
We are updating the room that will be our new daughter's room. I don't think it will be done by the time I leave, but I hope it will be done before I get home with her. We are only doing things on the weekends and evenings after work so it will take a lot longer than it would if we could work on it full time. But, it will be nice to have her come home to a nicely painted and decorated room. Girls are more interested in how things look than the slew of boys I have at home now. As long as the boys have a comfortable place to sleep and food to eat they could really care less about anything else.
I pray frequently that God will pour out His favor on us as we walk this journey. God understands the intricate details of weaving families together when new members join in. I believe that if we seek Him at all times and let Him guide us, the adjustment will progress more positively than if we try to force things to happen based on what we want and when we want it. I pray for patience for all of us as we draw nearer to the time that all will fall into place physically and logistically, but not necessarily in place emotionally and in relationship building. Please continue to pray for us all as we proceed into the next step of the adoption process.
Also, pray for me as I travel for the adoption. It is unsettling to think about leaving my husband and my boys for several weeks as I am in Ukraine to complete the adoption. We are asking God to give us favor and make our process as easy and smooth as possible. I would really like to be home in as short a time as possible.
Thank you for praying with me and for me and my family. God's favor and guidance is what we seek most.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Quick update
Our translator has our application!! It has been translated and notarized. Everything is ready for the application to be submitted to the agency. This week has holidays Thursday through Sunday, so our translator was not able to schedule an appointment to submit on Monday, March 12th. He is planning to go to the agency and try to submit even though he doesn't have an appointment. Please agree with us in prayer that he will be able to do that. Our translator will have to travel a great distance to submit and it and it would be preferable to not have to make that trip multiple times. If he cannot submit on Monday without an appointment, he will have to schedule an appointment for the next Monday, assuming one will be available on that day. We are praying that I can travel as soon as possible, so we really are hoping for no more delays.
Also, please be praying that the rest of the money will be available. We are still a few thousand dollars short for the total cost. God has called us to this and God will see us through to the completion of it. We believe that God has the finances already set aside. We are just praying that those will be made available to us before I get on that plane.
I will post again Monday night to let you know if our application was submitted. Have a great weekend.
Also, please be praying that the rest of the money will be available. We are still a few thousand dollars short for the total cost. God has called us to this and God will see us through to the completion of it. We believe that God has the finances already set aside. We are just praying that those will be made available to us before I get on that plane.
I will post again Monday night to let you know if our application was submitted. Have a great weekend.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Application in the mail!!!
Our application was officially sent to to Ukraine via FedEx today. Vernon and I had meetings today so my best friend Lynn took that package to FedEx for us. Like I have said before, I have such wonderful friends and family. Lynn said that it should arrive in Ukraine on the 7th. Our translator will submit it on the 12th. Then we wait for a notice to travel and an appointment. I am so excited!!
But, I covet your prayers more and more every day. The closer we get to being able to travel for the adoption the more I pray for our daughter. At this point in time, she does not know that she is being adopted. She is unprepared for what lies ahead. There are choices to make, based on what she thinks life will be like but without any real perspective on which to make those choices. She will have to leave her entire world behind and move into the unknown. A new home with an unfamiliar family, a new language, a new culture. She will have to learn how to live with parents telling her what to do, where to go and when to get back. She will move from an environment with little support and few expectations to an environment where she will be supported and encouraged to dream. If she works hard she can make those dreams become a reality. She will be immersed in high school while trying to come to terms with all of these other issues. High school is hard enough without all of these other issues piled on. She needs your prayers. It will be very difficult for her.
It will also be difficult for the rest of our family. Our oldest daughter moved out of the house a couple of years ago so the boys will have to adjust to having a sister in the house again. Personalities may mix well or they may clash. We will have to learn what makes her happy, what makes her sad, what makes her angry and so on. We will have to build relationships, learn how to trust each other, and learn how to become a "family". It doesn't happen over night. We all need prayer. God's intervention and wisdom are what we seek the most. God's intervention in everybody's hearts, to give us patience and compassion all across the board. God's wisdome to know when to stand firm and when to exhibit grace and mercy. God has called us all to this journey and he will walk with us every step of the way. He won't make everything perfect, but He will walk through the challenges and the victories beside us.
Thank you for your prayers and for your support. Be blessed.
But, I covet your prayers more and more every day. The closer we get to being able to travel for the adoption the more I pray for our daughter. At this point in time, she does not know that she is being adopted. She is unprepared for what lies ahead. There are choices to make, based on what she thinks life will be like but without any real perspective on which to make those choices. She will have to leave her entire world behind and move into the unknown. A new home with an unfamiliar family, a new language, a new culture. She will have to learn how to live with parents telling her what to do, where to go and when to get back. She will move from an environment with little support and few expectations to an environment where she will be supported and encouraged to dream. If she works hard she can make those dreams become a reality. She will be immersed in high school while trying to come to terms with all of these other issues. High school is hard enough without all of these other issues piled on. She needs your prayers. It will be very difficult for her.
It will also be difficult for the rest of our family. Our oldest daughter moved out of the house a couple of years ago so the boys will have to adjust to having a sister in the house again. Personalities may mix well or they may clash. We will have to learn what makes her happy, what makes her sad, what makes her angry and so on. We will have to build relationships, learn how to trust each other, and learn how to become a "family". It doesn't happen over night. We all need prayer. God's intervention and wisdom are what we seek the most. God's intervention in everybody's hearts, to give us patience and compassion all across the board. God's wisdome to know when to stand firm and when to exhibit grace and mercy. God has called us all to this journey and he will walk with us every step of the way. He won't make everything perfect, but He will walk through the challenges and the victories beside us.
Thank you for your prayers and for your support. Be blessed.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Mountain tops and valleys
Well, so much has happened, I don't even know where to begin.
We received confirmation from Open Arms Adoption that we have been approved for their services. Open Arms Adoption is a ministry from a church in Columbia, South Carolina. They accept donations on behalf of adoptive parents to help them fund the adoption expenses. This is a service that gives tax deductions for people who donate to help fund adoptions. When a donation is submitted, 100% of the donation directly contributes to our adoption fund. If you are interested in helping fund our adoption and help us bring our daughter home you can send a check made payable to Christian Life and write Open Arms-Tygart Family in the memo line to the following address.
Sad to say, but we still have not sent our application to our translator. Fortunately, we did get the approval from immigration services. As we were doing a final check of documents and getting them ready to scan in and send to our translator, Vernon noticed that the addendum to our home study was signed and notarized the day after their license expired. We asked if they could just back date the letter by a day or so. They said they could not. Even though we had been discussing it for weeks, I did not know that I was supposed to officially request an addendum in writing. I sent the official request in writing on the first of February, so that is the earliest date they can put on the addendum. You guessed it, their license expired the 31st of January. So, we have been waiting for the agency's license renewal for two weeks. Vernon got the call this morning that the license has finally been signed. Now the agency has to update the addendum and call us so we can go pick it up with a notarized copy of the agency's license. We should be able to get the apostille very quickly after we pick up the addendum and license. When we have that we can send our application to our translator. I am hopeful, once again, that we can do that within the next few days.
We had originally hoped to have our application done and in the hands of our translator when the agency in Ukraine opened for business on February 1. We are now not going to have in our translator's hands by the first of March. We had hoped to be traveling by mid-March, but it is now looking more likely going to be mid-April.
It seems that we go from a mountain top of excitement with another completed document to a valley of oh-no, I can't believe we have another glitch. This roller coaster ride is dizzying. I keep telling myself, and my friends keep telling me, it will all happen in God's perfect timing. We know this with 100% certainty. When we were preparing to adopt our son we had delay after delay. We were denied adoption by the Ukraine agency because of a couple of glitches in our paperwork. Then Ukraine quit allowing international adoptions. We questioned if we had misunderstood God's calling. Door after door seemed to be closing in our face. We still knew that our call was certain, but the obstacles seemed insurmountable. We rode the roller coaster of mountain top to valley many times. We waited a while to see if we could confirm deep in our hearts that we were absolutely, beyond any doubt hearing from God. We were still certain. I went to Ukraine with my daughter and a friend in 2008. We went to the orphanage where Josh was at with a missionary friend that we were staying at her house. The director allowed her to take our son Josh, my friend's future son Grisha, and two other boys to her house for the weekend so we could spend some time with them. It was amazing to meet the boy I knew God was calling me to adopt and raise as my son. So, as you can imagine, I talked with Vernon when I got home and we prayed even more to confirm God's calling. We decided to start the paperwork a second time, following what we knew was God's calling. We completed the document trail and went to Ukraine to adopt Josh. We had several mountain top moments and several valley moments, but we made it through. It wasn't until after the adoption was complete and Josh had been home that we realized the role that each delay had played in the completion of God's plan. Josh told us that, if we had completed the adoption paperwork the first time he would not have agreed to come home with us. Josh was still young enough at that time to have been too afraid to come. He would have been too young to have proven to his family that adoption was what he wanted. We had discussed the possibility of him not agreeing to be adopted and had decided that we would choose another child in that situation. But, we would not have Josh with us. I can't imagine life without Josh. He is my son in every way. I don't want to imagine life without him.
Now, here we are again riding the roller coaster of adoption. Mountain top to valley. With each turn of events we may be dancing with joy or fighting off frustration and disappointment. But each turn of events just confirms even more how much we need God's mighty hand directing our paths. Whether it is a mountain top kind of day or a valley kind of day. It will all fall into place in just the right spot on God's timeline. One day we will be able to see how it all fits and can praise God specifically for each delay and each victory as they helped bring God's plan to fruition in our lives.
Have a great week. I will post again when we get our last documents pulled together and have sent the application to Ukraine. Thank you so much for the encouragement in this process. Friends and family are true blessings.
We received confirmation from Open Arms Adoption that we have been approved for their services. Open Arms Adoption is a ministry from a church in Columbia, South Carolina. They accept donations on behalf of adoptive parents to help them fund the adoption expenses. This is a service that gives tax deductions for people who donate to help fund adoptions. When a donation is submitted, 100% of the donation directly contributes to our adoption fund. If you are interested in helping fund our adoption and help us bring our daughter home you can send a check made payable to Christian Life and write Open Arms-Tygart Family in the memo line to the following address.
Christian Life
1722 Denny Rd.
Columbia, SC 29203
Sad to say, but we still have not sent our application to our translator. Fortunately, we did get the approval from immigration services. As we were doing a final check of documents and getting them ready to scan in and send to our translator, Vernon noticed that the addendum to our home study was signed and notarized the day after their license expired. We asked if they could just back date the letter by a day or so. They said they could not. Even though we had been discussing it for weeks, I did not know that I was supposed to officially request an addendum in writing. I sent the official request in writing on the first of February, so that is the earliest date they can put on the addendum. You guessed it, their license expired the 31st of January. So, we have been waiting for the agency's license renewal for two weeks. Vernon got the call this morning that the license has finally been signed. Now the agency has to update the addendum and call us so we can go pick it up with a notarized copy of the agency's license. We should be able to get the apostille very quickly after we pick up the addendum and license. When we have that we can send our application to our translator. I am hopeful, once again, that we can do that within the next few days.
We had originally hoped to have our application done and in the hands of our translator when the agency in Ukraine opened for business on February 1. We are now not going to have in our translator's hands by the first of March. We had hoped to be traveling by mid-March, but it is now looking more likely going to be mid-April.
It seems that we go from a mountain top of excitement with another completed document to a valley of oh-no, I can't believe we have another glitch. This roller coaster ride is dizzying. I keep telling myself, and my friends keep telling me, it will all happen in God's perfect timing. We know this with 100% certainty. When we were preparing to adopt our son we had delay after delay. We were denied adoption by the Ukraine agency because of a couple of glitches in our paperwork. Then Ukraine quit allowing international adoptions. We questioned if we had misunderstood God's calling. Door after door seemed to be closing in our face. We still knew that our call was certain, but the obstacles seemed insurmountable. We rode the roller coaster of mountain top to valley many times. We waited a while to see if we could confirm deep in our hearts that we were absolutely, beyond any doubt hearing from God. We were still certain. I went to Ukraine with my daughter and a friend in 2008. We went to the orphanage where Josh was at with a missionary friend that we were staying at her house. The director allowed her to take our son Josh, my friend's future son Grisha, and two other boys to her house for the weekend so we could spend some time with them. It was amazing to meet the boy I knew God was calling me to adopt and raise as my son. So, as you can imagine, I talked with Vernon when I got home and we prayed even more to confirm God's calling. We decided to start the paperwork a second time, following what we knew was God's calling. We completed the document trail and went to Ukraine to adopt Josh. We had several mountain top moments and several valley moments, but we made it through. It wasn't until after the adoption was complete and Josh had been home that we realized the role that each delay had played in the completion of God's plan. Josh told us that, if we had completed the adoption paperwork the first time he would not have agreed to come home with us. Josh was still young enough at that time to have been too afraid to come. He would have been too young to have proven to his family that adoption was what he wanted. We had discussed the possibility of him not agreeing to be adopted and had decided that we would choose another child in that situation. But, we would not have Josh with us. I can't imagine life without Josh. He is my son in every way. I don't want to imagine life without him.
Now, here we are again riding the roller coaster of adoption. Mountain top to valley. With each turn of events we may be dancing with joy or fighting off frustration and disappointment. But each turn of events just confirms even more how much we need God's mighty hand directing our paths. Whether it is a mountain top kind of day or a valley kind of day. It will all fall into place in just the right spot on God's timeline. One day we will be able to see how it all fits and can praise God specifically for each delay and each victory as they helped bring God's plan to fruition in our lives.
Have a great week. I will post again when we get our last documents pulled together and have sent the application to Ukraine. Thank you so much for the encouragement in this process. Friends and family are true blessings.
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