1 Corinthians 3
3:10
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds.
Since I just created this Blog, I will be updating everyone with our family news of the past year and bring you to date as we anticipate our travel to Ukraine. We hope to receive an appointment date by the end of the summer. Thank you all for your patience as I recollect these events.
To begin, we began with our Home study and it was completed at the end of July 2006, approving us to adopt 2 children. Simultaneously, during this process we gathered all of the other documents required by the Ukraine authorities. These were items such as our marriage certificate, comprehensive medical examinations, financial statements, photos of family and home, petition to adopt, commitment to complete post -placement reports, FBI fingerprints (our home study also included State fingerprints and clearance), Immigration approval to adopt (USCIS clearance also requires biometrics fingerprints which are hi-tech, just in case they missed something , I guess) , copy of deed to our home, passports, copy of first page of passport and a the list goes on a bit more. Next, of these documents must be certified, notarized, some require a True and Accurate form attached that we have to get notarized , stating that this is a real copy. Then after everything is notarized it must be apostilled (which Mark correctly identifies as "notarizing a notary"). This plethora of paperwork took us a few months. Then after we had it all done, we were informed that the new adoption authority in Kyiv, Ukraine the State Department for Adoptions and Protection of Rights of the Child , which I will refer to as SDA in future posts, is going to require that couples wanting to adopt unrelated children, must submit a complete dossier for each . In a nutshell we would need to send away for more copies etc... I felt like I was getting really good at this so I said, "Oh, well , just get it done."
Now it was October by the time our 2 dossiers arrived in Ukraine and were being translated to Russian. Since there had been significant changes with the adoption authority, they would not be accepting new dossiers from foreign , prospective adoptive parents (yep, we are foreigners!) until January 2007. So we began a new phase of waiting.
We used this time to begin to rearrange bedrooms since our home has stairs at every entrance, we researched our options of making the house wheelchair accessible. Since our home is too small to accommodate an elevator shaft the solution was a new deck and ramp to the main level. Mark and I moved our bedroom to the second level and decorated the master bedroom for our new boys.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
THE SEEDS ARE PLANTED
Isaiah 61:11 (NIV)
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.
THE ANNOUNCEMENT
God is growing the Wollschlager family in a new and special way and we are delighted to share this news with all of you.
AT THE HEART OF IT
In early January 2006 Theresa received an e-mail from Rainbow Kids, a non-profit networking program that helps prospective adoptive families find a "Waiting Child" by making available a tri-monthly newsletter that features the faces and short biographies of special needs children. These children are from a variety of countries, most of which have no foster care system in place therefore leaving most of these children in a permanent state of disparity. As Mark and I have committed to a sacramental marriage covenant, we are open to our Father’s gift of life whether it is a child born of the womb or in the heart.
LORD, ARE YOU TALKING TO ME?
As I studied the faces of these precious little ones , my heart strings were plucked time and again. "Oh if only I could bring all of them home and love them", I moaned and sighed with an ache in my gut knowing this may have been a noble , however unrealistic expectation. So I will pray for each one , I resolved, that God, in His mercy would choose a family for each one and now I had done what little I could, so I thought.
I CHOOSE YOU!!!
It is March 15th, 2006. I received my first of three newsletters for the month and anticipating my usual mix of emotions, I anxiously opened it up. As I gazed into their still eyes, some dancing with hope, despite their peril, I wept inside and out once again. Then only with the grace of a mother’s love I saw for the first time a child that I just could not take my eyes off . "This seven year old boy has spina bifida and desperately needs surgery for his condition. He also has a hernia that needs repaired and club feet. This boy is in a very poor orphanage and needs out as soon as possible. He is not getting any medical care and he is not being educated. We need to find him a family quickly."
The little boy’s story read. "How Lord ?, I whispered so only He could hear. I didn’t wait to hear His answer but continued down the page to view more children. When I came to an angelic face and this bio:
"As of June of 2005, this little boy was 105 cm tall and weighed 13 kilograms. He has Cerebral Palsy and uses a wheelchair for mobility. Right now he is not able to walk and we aren’t sure what his potential will be with treatments that are available in the United States. He is a sweet and kind boy who is very gentle. We met him in September when we visited his orphanage. He is in desperate need of a loving family who can help him to reach his fullest potential."
I thought of my own nephew, Joshua, who is such a blessing to our family and struggles with the many of the challenges of CP. I thought about all of the medical resources that we have in our community, my personal experience of caring for children with these specific needs and therapies that could give this little one a fighting chance. A chance to express himself and show his true value as a child of a King. But most of all, I thought of all of this space in my heart, a space that I have affectionately named the" God room". No matter what I do I cannot make it feel complete , but whenever I allow God to come in and be the interior designer, the room has always felt more beautiful instead of smaller though, it grows larger as it is filled with a greater capacity for His love."
And so I whispered again, even softer so certainly only He could hear, "how Lord?"Then with some hesitancy I signed off and went about my daily business
WHAT IS YOUR ANSWER?
Over the next several nights I tossed and turned, my thoughts would awaken me in the early hours and I could not rest. images of these 2 little boys kept going through my mind. "Make your will my own and I will do it", I pleaded. I waited with great expectation hoping for my own large burning bush experience. Sorry to burst your bubble and I hope I do not lose your interest, but I confess, that didn’t happen. Instead, within my God room I heard Him whisper ever so softly but in His usual loving way, so just I could hear, " Trust Me". Now I do believe that God will ask us to do difficult things out of love for Him but not impossible things (that is His specialty). So I challenged Him, "Excuse me, Father, but there is a matter here, quite a large one in fact, no there are several items I can think of.... "Trust Me" . "Yes", I will , I replied.
NOT JUST A MOTHER’S HEART
By now some of you may be wondering, (especially you men) "Hey, what about Mark?", after all he is the other better half of this team. Well after several days of processing, so I could make a reasonable presentation, I went to Mark expecting one of those "Are you nuts" kind of looks. Of course if you know Mark , he is too kind to do that ,or worse say it, so I just got one of those blank, non-expressive, trying to hold back looks. After he absorbed what I was saying he gently responded with his concerns, the same that I had, the initial adoption expenses, our home has stairs everywhere (the boys will be in wheelchairs), What about our family vehicle?......You get the picture a few challenges. "Maybe God is just working on me, Mark lovingly responded, taking some ownership and trying to soften the blow. So being the optimist that I am, and already having researched most of these questions, I asked if he would give me a bit of time to find solutions to the rest of our questions. The next day I had every question answered and Mark expressed confidently that we must proceed . So it begins, the paper chase attached to International Adoption and the anticipation of the arrival of our two new sons, born in our hearts.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.
THE ANNOUNCEMENT
God is growing the Wollschlager family in a new and special way and we are delighted to share this news with all of you.
AT THE HEART OF IT
In early January 2006 Theresa received an e-mail from Rainbow Kids, a non-profit networking program that helps prospective adoptive families find a "Waiting Child" by making available a tri-monthly newsletter that features the faces and short biographies of special needs children. These children are from a variety of countries, most of which have no foster care system in place therefore leaving most of these children in a permanent state of disparity. As Mark and I have committed to a sacramental marriage covenant, we are open to our Father’s gift of life whether it is a child born of the womb or in the heart.
LORD, ARE YOU TALKING TO ME?
As I studied the faces of these precious little ones , my heart strings were plucked time and again. "Oh if only I could bring all of them home and love them", I moaned and sighed with an ache in my gut knowing this may have been a noble , however unrealistic expectation. So I will pray for each one , I resolved, that God, in His mercy would choose a family for each one and now I had done what little I could, so I thought.
I CHOOSE YOU!!!
It is March 15th, 2006. I received my first of three newsletters for the month and anticipating my usual mix of emotions, I anxiously opened it up. As I gazed into their still eyes, some dancing with hope, despite their peril, I wept inside and out once again. Then only with the grace of a mother’s love I saw for the first time a child that I just could not take my eyes off . "This seven year old boy has spina bifida and desperately needs surgery for his condition. He also has a hernia that needs repaired and club feet. This boy is in a very poor orphanage and needs out as soon as possible. He is not getting any medical care and he is not being educated. We need to find him a family quickly."
The little boy’s story read. "How Lord ?, I whispered so only He could hear. I didn’t wait to hear His answer but continued down the page to view more children. When I came to an angelic face and this bio:
"As of June of 2005, this little boy was 105 cm tall and weighed 13 kilograms. He has Cerebral Palsy and uses a wheelchair for mobility. Right now he is not able to walk and we aren’t sure what his potential will be with treatments that are available in the United States. He is a sweet and kind boy who is very gentle. We met him in September when we visited his orphanage. He is in desperate need of a loving family who can help him to reach his fullest potential."
I thought of my own nephew, Joshua, who is such a blessing to our family and struggles with the many of the challenges of CP. I thought about all of the medical resources that we have in our community, my personal experience of caring for children with these specific needs and therapies that could give this little one a fighting chance. A chance to express himself and show his true value as a child of a King. But most of all, I thought of all of this space in my heart, a space that I have affectionately named the" God room". No matter what I do I cannot make it feel complete , but whenever I allow God to come in and be the interior designer, the room has always felt more beautiful instead of smaller though, it grows larger as it is filled with a greater capacity for His love."
And so I whispered again, even softer so certainly only He could hear, "how Lord?"Then with some hesitancy I signed off and went about my daily business
WHAT IS YOUR ANSWER?
Over the next several nights I tossed and turned, my thoughts would awaken me in the early hours and I could not rest. images of these 2 little boys kept going through my mind. "Make your will my own and I will do it", I pleaded. I waited with great expectation hoping for my own large burning bush experience. Sorry to burst your bubble and I hope I do not lose your interest, but I confess, that didn’t happen. Instead, within my God room I heard Him whisper ever so softly but in His usual loving way, so just I could hear, " Trust Me". Now I do believe that God will ask us to do difficult things out of love for Him but not impossible things (that is His specialty). So I challenged Him, "Excuse me, Father, but there is a matter here, quite a large one in fact, no there are several items I can think of.... "Trust Me" . "Yes", I will , I replied.
NOT JUST A MOTHER’S HEART
By now some of you may be wondering, (especially you men) "Hey, what about Mark?", after all he is the other better half of this team. Well after several days of processing, so I could make a reasonable presentation, I went to Mark expecting one of those "Are you nuts" kind of looks. Of course if you know Mark , he is too kind to do that ,or worse say it, so I just got one of those blank, non-expressive, trying to hold back looks. After he absorbed what I was saying he gently responded with his concerns, the same that I had, the initial adoption expenses, our home has stairs everywhere (the boys will be in wheelchairs), What about our family vehicle?......You get the picture a few challenges. "Maybe God is just working on me, Mark lovingly responded, taking some ownership and trying to soften the blow. So being the optimist that I am, and already having researched most of these questions, I asked if he would give me a bit of time to find solutions to the rest of our questions. The next day I had every question answered and Mark expressed confidently that we must proceed . So it begins, the paper chase attached to International Adoption and the anticipation of the arrival of our two new sons, born in our hearts.
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