Sunday Prayers

Who can even keep track any more?  Not me!  Here is what I can keep track of: court is one week from tomorrow!!!!  (and just to be clear, it's already tomorrow in his country!)  We could not be more thrilled to see the next part of this ride start.  I can't say "end" because it's really just getting started.  Today though I told Wes that it was getting a bit surreal.  Danny will be our first child, so to think that a four year old is going to be living with us in a month or so is so strange.  I wonder if families who have other children feel this way.  Anyway, what you came here for: here are this week's requests for prayer:

1. Danny: please pray his heart and mind have been prepared for us to come bring him home
2. Danny's orphanage: the judge requested some additional paperwork about Danny, please pray it reached the court in time so we aren't delayed
3. Us! We still have some last minute things to do to finish being ready for him to come home
4. Airfare: costs have gone up pretty significantly in the past few weeks, please pray we can find reasonable fares to fly on.

Again a short list this week.  Next week I will be back with just one request: that court goes well!

Sunday Prayers

First I want to thank everyone who has donated and committed to donate to the orphanage roof repair fund.  As I said in my previous blog post if the roof is not repaired soon the orphanage may have to close the kitchen, and I honestly don't know how they will feed the children. Heartbreaking for Dr. A to have to possibly make this decision, so we are very thankful for the support of our family and friends.

Here are this week's prayer requests

1. Danny: he is constantly in our hearts, we pray that he is as ready to come home with us as we are to have him here!
2. Court Dates: I'm going to be real here for a minute: I'M GETTING VERY IMPATIENT AND IRRITATED.  :)  So many of our friends who are at the same place we are have their dates yet, and we have heard nothing.  Please pray that we receive our dates soon, and that they are within two weeks.  We are still praying to bring our boy home in May, and it's getting harder to believe that will happen.
3. Donating: please pray about donating.  We know times are tough, but I can promise your money will go to the best cause I can currently think of: leaving a legacy behind for our son.

Thank you for continuing to pray with us.  It's wonderfully appreciated!

Sunday Prayers "are we there yet" edition!

To simply answer my own question: no.  We are not "there" yet.  I haven't heard any updates from our facilitator in a few weeks, which means there is nothing new to tell.  I promise that if there was she would let us know.  The next steps are as follows: 1. MOJ signs our final documents; 2. A judge is assigned to our case and court is scheduled; 3. We wait 3-5 weeks after court to pick our boy up!!!  Now, I'm honestly hoping that we get to skip straight to step 2 in this process. This happened recently to a friend of ours, so I have hope!  Here are this week's prayers:

1. Danny: we hope that Baba Mila is still seeing him as often as she can, and that he is being prepared for life in a family.
2. The Dean Family: Autumn is traveling on March 24th to pick her kids up!  She is still short around $1,000 to complete the process.  Will you please click HERE and support her? Even $10 will help!
3. Court Date!  Please pray this is the week we get our next does of news.  We are all getting antsy over here to have him home!

Thank you for continuing to pray!

Sunday Prayers

Wow, I am beginning to think that a "Spring Break" should be compulsory for adults as well as children! This week has been tough, nothing adoption related, just life in general.  Without any further ado here are this week's prayer requests!

1. Danny: continued prayers for his safety, health, and happiness while we are waiting for word that he will be home with us!
2. The Adoption Process: please pray this is the week that the MOJ signs off on our final paperwork so we can have judge and court date assigned.
3. Our family & friends: we are all in need of prayers, as Satan tends to attack when you least expect it.  We are all waiting eagerly for word on the adoption, but we also have to live "normal" lives and could use all the encouragement we can get!

Thank you friends!

I did it!

Well, unfortunately we still don't have an update on the adoption process, but we KNOW God is in charge and His timing is perfect.  So we will continue to wait patiently.  In the wait-time we continue to get ready for our son to come home to us.  The past few weeks we have been working on his room, specifically his bed, which my awesome husband built and stained himself!  I'm so proud of him, and the bed.  I've also been working on filling his closet with cute little clothes and shoes.  So much fun shopping for him!  Here are this week's prayer requests:

1. Danny: please continue to pray that Baba Mila is showing him our pictures and telling him about life in a family.
2. Autumn Dean's adoption: please consider donating to her.  She only needs about $2400 to be fully funded to pick her kids up!  Dean Family FSP
3. Adoption Process: pray that our facilitator is feeling better this week, and that we get news that the MOJ is moving quickly again!


That's it.  I'm trying to keep our list pointed for now, as we have very specific things to pray for.

your prayers are coveted any day of the week

I'm afraid the weekend got away from me again.  Just too much to do in so little time.  (Can anyone say with me "Jessica needs a vacation"?) 

Also going to admit here first....I'm a little disappointed.  My last blog talked about a friend who is in need of funds for travel.  And we've gotten only $60 in donations.  Autumn still needs around $2400 in order to have enough to go pick her kids up.  I will also tell you that many families in Autumn's (and our) situation are really sweating the rising fuel costs as well.  We just don't know what that will do to the cost of airfare.  Please consider donating to the Dean family.  Here is a link directly to their fund:  Dean Family FSP.

I had really hoped that my next post (this one) would contain an update on where we are in the adoption process.  But there hasn't been an update yet, and I'm working on patience as a virtue so I haven't asked. 

Here are prayer requests for this week:

1. Danny.  do I really need to explain again?  :)
2. Our facilitator: Toni is so busy right now, which is a great problem!  Please pray for her servant's heart and that she has enough hours and support every day to get done what she needs to.
3. Autumn Dean's family and donating.  Is it on your heart?  Please prayerfully consider.

I'm going to leave the list short this week.  I think these three items need focus this next week.  Please consider them, and join us in prayer.

Thanks friends!

Sunday Prayers

I feel like a bad blogger lately.  All it seems I've been able to keep up with is a once a week post that really isn't that tough to write!  I hope you are still following along!

1. Danny: As always at the top of our list.  He's probably completely forgotten us by now, so I pray that Baba Mila is going through the photo album with him!
2. MOJ & Judge: Please pray this is the week we are submitted to the MOJ, and that our documents work through their system quickly.  Please also pray for a judge who is quick to schedule our court date and make a decision on our adoption.
3. Us: We are juggling many things right now, including full time jobs, our home, and getting ready for our son to come home.
4: YOU: that's right.  Please pray for you.  Pray for God to speak to you about an orphan or orphan ministry, or even something else that He is breaking your heart for.  I guarantee this is not an easy pray, and the task at the end may not be what you expected, but your life will be better for having prayed it.

That's it!  Pretty simple this week.  If we get any updates I will be sure you keep you posted!

Sunday Prayers: I've completely lost track

Well one of our prayers has been answered!  Our facilitator has our Article 5 letter and it will be headed off for authentication tomorrow.  Once that is back, and the rest of our forms are translated we will be submitted to the Minister of Justice's office for final approval.  With that news I bet you can guess what our next prayer requests are!

1. Danny....safe, warm, happy and well loved until we can get there.
2. MOJ: that the office can move quickly to get our final petition signed off on, and a judge assigned soon.
3. For our Judge: pray that he or she will promptly schedule a date to hear our case as soon as they receive the assignment.  Pray also that a decision comes quickly and the approval gets signed as soon as possible.
4. Us: still working hard to get ready for our family to grow by 1.  :)

Thank you friends and family!  Know we appreciate you and all you've done for us on this journey.

Sunday Prayers "determined not to forget" edition

For some reason this is getting harder and harder for me to get done.  I'm not sure if it's another of Satan's plots to take our attention away from our adoption, or if it's just that life is getting in the way while we continue getting ready to bring our little guy home.  Last night I caught Wes staring at the fridge, but this time the door was closed. ;)  I asked what he was looking at, and he said it was Danny's picture, and it's amazing how happy it makes him!  We are head over heels in love with our little guy, and just can't wait to get back to him!

Here is a quick re-cap of where we are in process: a. We have our copy of immigration approval, and our attorney is waiting for an appointment at the US Embassy in Sofia so she can get our article 5 letter; b. Our Stage 2 documents are all notarized, and I'm taking them to Austin tomorrow to be apostilled and they should be in B by Thursday for translation; c. Once everything is translated and she has our Article 5 letter our attorney will submit our final documents to the Ministry of Justice....this is a month process; d. A judge will be assigned and prayerfully will schedule our court date as soon as possible; e. 3 to 5 weeks after our court date we will get to go pick our boy up!  We are still climbing a mountain but I feel like we are finally at "high camp" (for any of you who have ever climbed a mountain) and working our way to the top!  It's exciting to be here!

Here is a list of things we still need to get done around the house to be ready for Danny: a. EVERYTHING!  Ok, maybe not, but it's still a lot, including finishing his room, and general decluttering of the house.  I probably need to resign myself to putting all my breakables up, but they are so pretty on the shelves in the dining room.  Maybe we will wait and see, that is if we get brave!

Finally, what you are actually reading all this for: PrAyEr ReQuEsTs!!!!!

1. Danny: please pray that he is warm and that his orphanage has power....there is a rowdy winter storm just churning over Eastern Europe and the highs this past week didn't get above 20*f!  Also pray that Baba Mila is talking to him about family and us, and life in America.
2. Our Attorney: has so many families in process right now, about 15 of which are waiting for court dates.  She is a busy lady who works so hard on our behalf.  Please pray for Satan's attacks on her to cease so that she can continue to do a good work.
3. Us: still working hard at our jobs and around the house.
4. The Process: Please pray that all of the remaining steps in our process are handled with speed so that we might get our boy home sooner than we ever expected.  We would love to have him here in April, but that's a stretch right now.

Thank you so much for continuing to pray for us and with us.  I can tell you that since I started writing this post weekly we do not feel the stress or pressure that we felt at first.

Sunday Prayers *late edition

I messed up. We were having so much fun with our Sunday that I flat forgot to blog! Even after Crystal reminded me to! Guess that's what will happen when we get home with Danny and I'm just preparing you. Yeah, that's it. I meant to forget. Or whatever. Here we go!

1. Our SON. Please continue to keep him in prayer. We feel so blessed that he seems to be in a 'good' orphanage, but it's still not home where he can be loved on daily. Please also pray that Baba Mila is taking lots of time to talk to him about family and home, and showing him our pictures.
2. Our Process. I'm a little frustrated with myself here, but we are down to only one last form that needs to be signed, and I have an "appointment" to get it done on Thursday evening. Saturday while the bank is open we will get it all notarized, and early next week apostilled. We hope and pray (and beg?) to have it in the mail headed to B by middle of next week.
3. ALL the other families: Many MANY families (like 12) have been waiting since before Christmas to be moved to having court dates scheduled. At least two were told today that they will hear soon. Please keep these families in prayer, encourage them through God, and pray they get their littles home soon. VERY SOON.
4. Jessica & Wes (hey, that's US!) We are both spending these next four to five months before we get him home working very hard at our jobs so we won't be missed while we take some time off with our son. Please pray that our respective employers will make it easy for us to be away and will pave the way to some flexibility in the first few weeks he is home.

I think that's it for now. Thank you again for praying with us and for us. While we are beginning to see the light at the end of this tunnel it's still a pretty small speck in the distance!

Sunday Prayers vol. 30

We have been home for a week.  A whole week gone off the 4-5 more months we have been told it will take to complete the final steps in the adoption process.  So I guess that leaves us somewhere between 19 and 24 weeks left.  Somehow 4-5 months sounds shorter. To me anyway!

Here you go, and thank you in advance for praying!

1. Danny: please pray he is continuing to be prepared mentally and emotionally to be a part of our family.  Also pray for Baba Mila to be preparing herself for him to leave. (they are very close)
2. Us: we have so much paperwork still to complete, and honestly haven't really started on it yet, other than immigration.  Please pray our doc's office gets our medical forms back this week, so we can work on notarizing and apostilling.  (Yes, AGAIN!)
3. Our Families & Friends: All are SO excited to meet and love Danny.  Please pray for them as we all prepare to bring him into our world, and everything changes.


That's pretty much it.  It's quiet here until we are ready to send off the second round of paperwork.  Thank you for following along!

Sunday Prayers vol. 29 (I missed last week!)

Well it's pretty early on Sunday for this (I've done really well until traveling last week) weekly post!  But, due to overwhelming jet lag I'm awake!  And so taking advantage.

Here are this week's prayers:

1. Danny.  We LOVE him!  I can't believe he is our son for the rest of our lives.  Please pray that Baba Mila does go through the photo book with him in the next few months and that she talks to him about family and moving.  Also pray that when we return in 4-5 months that he is ready to come home with us!
2. Us.  Again: jetlag! We both are back to work this week, and need to be on top of our games since we will be out for extended periods of time once we have Danny in the US.  These next few months it's important that we put as much energy as we can into our jobs so we aren't missed while out.
3. Paperwork. The monster strikes again!  Now it's time for Round 2 of paperwork.  Tomorrow I will (hopefully & prayerfully) get our final application to USCIS in the mail.  This is the one piece that will take the longest, so we want it on the move!  Everything else we will be working on as the next few weeks go by.  I'd love to have our final package in the mail by 1st of February.
4. The other children in the orphanage.  It's our understanding that there are 2 babies with DS there, but neither family has terminated their rights yet, which means they aren't available for adoption.  Both require heart surgery, and for some strange reason the families (both!) believe surgery will cure Down Syndrome.  We all know this is not true, so please pray that someone can explain to them in a way they will understand so that the children can be listed for adoption.  Early intervention is best, and the sooner they are in a forever family, the better!
5. The orphanage workers.  Everyone we met is so nice, and seems to really care about the children.  Please pray they will not be weary by their work, and that if they don't believe in God that they will see His Light shine through us and Danny.

Thanks to each of you who have followed along.  I want to also thank the people who leave negative comments on our blog.  I know you believe you are doing what is right and good, but KNOW, with conviction, that adoption is a good thing.  Children in institutions get only very, very basic needs met, and that is all.  Children in a family have the world at their feet....yes, even those with special needs!

Sunday Prayers vol. 28 Christmas Edition!

I can not believe that in less than a week we take off to meet our son!  It's also amazing to imagine what next Christmas will be like with him here.  We are pretty sure that holiday celebrations at orphanages are small at best, and probably don't include specific gifts for individual children, so Christmas 2012 will be like nothing he has ever seen!  I can't wait!!!  (In fact I sort-of want to begin shopping now!)  Here are this week's prayer requests......

1. Danny: please pray his heart is prepared to meet us and accept us as his Momma and Daddy. Also, tomorrow is his 4th birthday, so pray it is happy, and they let us throw a little party for him while there!
2. US!!  Safe travels, no flight delays, good sleep (I do not sleep on planes, so this will be interesting) and safety driving across a foreign country with our driver and facilitator.
3. Our team!  We are so blessed to work with an amazing team both here in the US and in Danny's country.  I'm so looking forward to meeting everyone and spending some time with them.
4. Our families and friends!  You have all been so incredibly supportive, and we could not appreciate you more.  Each of you are in our prayers as we embark on the next steps of this journey.

Merry Christmas to each of you.  We pray that you know the peace that comes from knowing Christ!

Sunday Prayers vol. 27

I've been a bad blogger!  December is so crazy work-wise that I am barely keeping it together, add getting ready to leave for a week to that and I'm out of time!  Please forgive me for not keeping up better.  Honestly, there isn't much new info to tell.  Two weeks from today we will be arriving in Danny's country, but if you've been following along you knew that already!  Here are this week's prayer requests:

1. Danny....please pray his heart is prepared to meet us and accept us as his family.
2. Dexter.  There is still time to make your tax deductible donation!!!
3. Wes and Me: We have so much to finish up to be ready for travel.  Please pray our time is multiplied and our anxiety is eased.
4. Travel: pray for on time flights, easy lay overs, and trips through customs in various countries (THREE!) Oh how I hope we get our passports stamped in both of the countries we will go through.


Thank you again for praying with us and for us.  In two weeks I will be posting from Danny's country!

Sunday Prayers vol. 26

Less than three weeks until we leave to meet Danny!!!  Today we were (finally) decorating for Christmas, and I realized just how unfriendly to children literally all of our ornaments and decorations are!   I also realized that next Christmas we are going to have to do the tree put-up and fluff during nap time.  Can you imagine the excitement of an almost 5 year old who has probably never seen a Christmas Tree!?  At least my mommy heart hopes he gets excited!  Anyway, this week's prayer requests:

1. Danny.....please pray that his heart is prepared to meet us.
2. Orphanage Staff: we have absolutely no idea what we might be walking into, as our facilitator hasn't ever been to Danny's orphanage. Please pray that they take pride in their work, and care about the children.
3. Our facilitators: we aren't sure who our driver will be, but please the whole team in prayer.  Their work is tough, but they love it and the children they work for.
4. US!  We have lots to do, including celebrating Christmas, and 3 full weeks of work to get through before we leave.  Personally, I'm praying for the time to fly by....I want to see my boy!!!


Thank you (a million times) for continuing to pray with us!  Can't wait for week 29 when we are posting from Danny's country of birth!

Sunday Prayers vol. 25

Four weeks from today we will be in the same country as our son!  I can't believe I just wrote that...makes it so real, and reminds me how much I need to get done in a pretty short amount of time! Here are the goods for this week:

1. Danny

2. Dexter....please consider donating, and remember all donations are tax deductible.

3. Us....like I said, lots to get done, plus full time jobs to do as well.

I think that's it for this week, nothing too specific, just straight forward.  Thanks for praying!

Sunday Prayers vol. 24

I was afraid I was going to miss today's post, as crazy as this afternoon has been!  It would be so much easier to skip writing after running around all day trying to get ready for this week.  However, I think that is just what Satan would want, and I'm not going to let him dictate my life! :)  Below are this week's prayer requests, thank you so much for praying with and for us.

1. Danny!!!!!  We will be meeting him in 5 weeks! Please pray for his heart and mind to be prepared to meet us.
2. Dexter....yes, we have met our fundraising goal of $1,000, but would love nothing more than doubling that to make his adoption easier on his forever family.  Please pray about donating to him, and remember that every dollar goes directly to his forever family, and is tax deductible for you! ($35 gets you a precious ornament for your tree too!)
3. Wes and Me....we have much to accomplish between now and leaving to meet Danny, including a full month of work!  Please pray for us to have a spirit of service to those we interact with on a daily basis, as well as the patience to get through it! (yes, I just asked you to pray for us to have patience....big risk here!)
4. Off Adoption Topic: Please keep my sister-in-law and brother in your prayers as well.  Their baby boy is due pretty much any day now and we are praying for a healthy and easy delivery for mom and baby!

I'm going to leave today's list a bit short.  We have so much to do, and greatly appreciate all that our families and friends have offered to help out with.  If we miss thanking you in person, thank you!

Sunday Prayers vol. 23

I don't even know how to begin this post.  As you can imagine I was really hoping to have some new information about the adoption and our travel dates but I don't.  At this point in time there is nothing new to know.  But as soon as I do I promise to let you all know!  Below are this week's prayer requests, including some things we are very thankful for.

1. Danny.  Not only do we ask that you pray for him, but we ask that you thank God for him!  We are thankful every day to be on this journey, and are learning so much while we walk this road.

2. My wonderful husband will be home in a matter of hours!  Prayers of thanksgiving that he spent the past two and a half months away safely, and will soon be here!

3. Movement in our adoption.  This is pretty important since our dossier has been in country for a month now.  We would really like to meet Danny in January, but at this point we just don't know if that is God's plan for us.  Please pray that He shows us the way.

4. Cost of plane tickets!  So far the best deal I'm seeing is well over $2,000 which is significantly more than we have budgeted.  We know that it will all work out for the best, but as a frequent traveller I hate nothing more than paying so much for travel!

5. Dexter: this one is great news!  We have already exceeded the $1,000 mark in fundraising for him.  Thank You!  We really appreciated the help.  If you haven't already donated we are still going strong since the Angel Tree is through the end of December.  All donations to Reece's Rainbow are tax deductible!

Thank you for praying!

Sunday Prayers vol. 22

I was really hoping to be here giving away our travel dates...even though that's a bit dangerous in this day and age what with break-ins and all.  But I don't have them yet!  I am as disappointed as you are, don't worry.  We are hoping to get them next Friday.  Here are this week's prayer requests

1. Danny.  Please begin to pray for his transition from institution life to family life
2. Dexter....have you considered donating or adoption?
3. Wes will be travelling home next weekend!
4. I have a big deal working that I should hear about this week.  While I would really love to get everything we proposed I think that's a long shot....so please pray God's will be done.

That's it!  Pretty short and sweet list this week.  We genuinely appreciate you praying with us for 22 looooonnnnnnggggg weeks.  :)

Sunday Prayers vol. 21

I want to give you a quick update on where we are, and what is happening next in this crazy adoption process before getting to this week's Sunday Prayers list.  Wes is still working in Connecticut.  He has officially been there in 4 different months since he left in August, worked all through September and October...and now it's November.  Crazy!  We don't know exactly when he will be home, but we do know for sure that he's going to come for Thanksgiving, the jury is out on whether or not he will have to go back.  Work has also been keeping me busy, which is the saving grace in all of this! God has abundantly blessed us to be able to add to our savings during the past few months, and we are eternally grateful that we have more than we need right now.

Next in the adoption process is submission of our Dossier to the Ministry of Justice in Danny's country.  That will happen TOMORROW!!!  It is our understanding that it is basically a formality of our adoption process, and we will receive a verbal referral and invitation to come meet our son for the first time.  I am barely able to contain my excitement, and you know I will be on pins and needles until we receive our travel dates.  We are hoping to have our travel dates by the end of this week so we can begin to shop for plane tickets.  Since I am a planner by nature I have searched already, and I'm a bit overwhelmed at what I'm seeing price-wise.  We expect to be traveling at some point in January. Thank you in advance for praying for us this week.

1. Danny....please begin to pray for his transition from orphanage life into family life.  We are praying that the assimilation is easy for him, and that he immediately feels at home with us.

2. Dexter...he is going to be #2 on my list now!  Please consider donating to his adoption fund.  Have you ever considered adoption?  He is a perfect age to bring into your family and fit right in!

3. Travel: dates and airfare.  Our prayer is for God's timing to continue to be perfect in all of this, and that the prices on airfare begin to come down.

4. Our Jobs: please pray for safety for Wes as he continues to be away.  Please also pray for me as the end of the year is a very busy and stressful time.

5. Our Eastern European facilitator: Toni works very hard for many families while dealing with many government agencies and folks who oppose her work.  She deserves to always be in our prayers.