Catching up...

Okay, so it's been a few days since we returned to the states and it's been over a week since I've blogged. I really need to go back and catch you and myself up on what our last days in Latvia were like. You see, this blog is my way of journaling so that one day Lilia and the rest of our family will be able to look back on this journey and remember all that we experienced. So, let's start with Thursday!
Thursday, December 1
We had a free day! Nothing scheduled at all today, so we asked Lilia what we should do...shop!!! Well, this worked out perfectly because we had a lot of souvenirs to buy for our loved ones back home. We headed out late in the morning and headed down a little side street that we had not yet explored. It was a great choice! This little street had so many adorable little shops with amber (baltic amber is everywhere here), ornaments, mugs, and other handmade treasures. I must say that the amber vendors and stores are quite alluring here, they make the most beautiful jewelry and these little trees with amber "leaves". Everywhere you go in Riga, there is amber for sale. Lilia never misses an opportunity to look at it (so of course we had to sneak in necklaces with amber hearts for both girls stockings! Shhhhh, don't tell!). We also got to see the old City Wall and enjoy some more of the beautiful architecture of this city. We ended up at the Central Markets, of course! After buying lots of fun souvenirs and gifts like handmade wooden spoons, perfumes, and amber trees we headed back to the apartment. Thursday evening we also got Lilia's picture taken for her US Visa.
Friday, December 2
This morning we slept late and then got ready for our US Embassy visa interview appointment. Daina picked us up at 11:15 and off we went! We really didn't know what to expect from this appointment and Bob was a little nervous. However, once we got through security and into the actual "interview" we realized that this was no big deal. We were called up to a little window where a very nice English speaking woman smiled and greeted us. She looked at our papers and asked how we planned to educate Lilia while she was on the visitor visa and I very politely said "I will homeschool her". That was it! She said "Okay" and handed us our paperwork telling us to come back on Monday to pick up the Visa. YAY! I love easy interviews! So, back outside we went to wait for Daina's son to pick us up. We had brought along a cake for two girls who are waiting to be adopted by another family here. Their mom asked us to deliver a birthday cake to them for her and Daina agreed to take us to their orphanage which is near the Embassy. Have I mentioned how kind Daina is and how much I enjoyed her company? Not only did she take us to the orphanage, but she walked up to the door with us and spoke with the worker there for us, explaining who the cake was for and who it was from. She translated for us and was a big help. We had decided on Thursday that we would go to Dome Cathedral for an organ concert on Friday night, so in the evening, we headed out to eat dinner before the concert. We ate at an awesome restaurant called Il Patio Pica. It is a 200 year old restaurant in the basement of this building. Old brick walls and arches, gorgeousness! We really liked the atmosphere and the food here. We will return! This evening we also found a great little book store where we picked up some cook books, travel books, and Lilia found a book whose title was "Lilija"! Of course she had to have it (this book became the first one that I have ever seen her actually read and finish!). I enjoyed myself at the organ concert, dad and Lilia tolerated it well. That cathedral is beautiful and the organ pipes are massive! It was beautiful to here the choirs singing and the organ playing. I'm glad that we experienced it. As you've heard me say again and again, God is always working behind the scenes. This evening was no exception. As we were standing in the lobby waiting to be admitted into the cathedral, a woman who was sitting beside us on a bench leaned over to me and said, "Are you from America?" We said, "YES!" It was so good to meet someone American. We began to talk and found out that she is from Pennsylvania too and she was there on her third trip for the adoption of her son! Amazing! We have met so many people throughout this process and it is so nice to have these common bonds that tie us together in inexplicable ways. It is an encouragement from God himself each time that I meet someone new, like He is saying "you are not alone in this".
Saturday, December 3
I loved Saturday!!!! This day was one of the best we had during our stay in Latvia. We had decided at court on Wednesday that we would go to Ziemeli to pick up Lilia's monthly "allowance". This would also be a great oppotunity for Lilia to see the rest of her friends who hadn't been there on Monday and say goodbye to her best friend Glorija. We were all very happy to be going, Lilia more than us, as was obvious by her constant singing and dancing all morning! It's difficult to put into words how it makes you feel to spend time in the place where your daughter has grown up for the past 5 years, where she has developed friendships and relationships, where she has slept and eaten and played. It is a place that brings great joy and at the same time great sadness. With every good memory there is also a bad one. We can tell that Lilia has been loved and cared for while she has been here, but it doesn't change the fact that it is an institution or that the things that brought her here have left scars on her heart. That being said, we so enjoyed our time with these children. I could stay and play with them all day! The looks on their faces when they hear us speak and realize that we are from America is priceless! The camera is a source of endless entertainment and joy as they each want to have their picture taken and of course see it! We were blessed to be able to meet little Elvis who will be hosted here in PA by another family this Christmas. This little ball of energy so enjoyed our visit. He loved the camera, hugs, and roughhousing. I could just see how much he needs the love and guidance of a family and I am so glad to know that he will soon have that opportunity.
We left Ziemeli and headed over to visit at Inese's apartment. What a pleasure to finally be able to spend time with this precious woman who has meant so much to us over this past 10 months! She has loved Lilia and encouraged us from the very beginning. Once again, it is just amazing how God puts the perfect people into our lives just when we need them. We spent hours just talking and visiting with our dear friend and her beautiful foster children and it was an amazingly blessed afternoon. We decided that we should head back to Old Town so we hopped on the tram and headed off. After just a few stops, two young girls hopped on and Lilia got very excited. Here these two girls were friends of hers and they all sat together and chatted the entire trip. We ended up inviting them to join us for some McDonalds for dinner and they eagerly accepted! As we sat down to eat, we soon discovered that young Victorija had only been to McDonald's one other time in her 9 years of life! She was so excited to be able to eat there and I was once again reminded of how spoiled I am. My children have eaten at McDonalds and other fast food restaurants so often they think it's just a part of life. We don't realize just how blessed we are. Those girls enjoyed every single bite of that hamburger and french fries and they thanked us with such sincerity. I wish they knew just how thankful we were to have had the honor of sharing in this meal with them! I wish they knew that God used them to teach me yet another lesson in life about being thankful, about counting my blessings and about giving of myself every opportunity that I get! We returned to our apartment that night with so much joy in our hearts!

Oh Happy Days!!!!

So, I really need to catch up! Monday, after I blogged about our beautiful Sunday adventures, we experienced yet MORE adventures! Imagine that! Since then, we have been very busy "bonding" and having appointments. So, let's begin with Monday afternoon...
We had already made arrangements with Lilia's orphanage to go for a visit on Monday afternoon to deliver gifts for some of the kids and to take a boy from Lilia's group out shopping for a new coat and to dinner. We decided to head out early and take the tram to Meza Park which is near the orphanage. Oh how I wish it were nicer weather! This park is huge! It is pretty much a gigantic forest with filled with fun things to do. The zoo, unfortunately was closed. But, we headed down this beautiful path through the forest and Lilia was on a mission! She led us straight to these huge playgrounds and we had so much fun! We enjoyed the swings, the ropes, and all of the spinning things (Lilia's favorite). It was a lot of fun for all ages and we laughed, a lot. Soon, we decided it was time to start our walk to the orphanage. It is amazing the contrasts of old and new, of wealth and poverty in this city. As we walked, we saw so many beautiful homes and right beside them, shacks. I am saddened by the chasm that seems to exist between the rich and the poor and I pray that bridges are being built between them. The street beggars simply break my heart. Often they are found kneeling on both knees, completely still with their hands held out in front of them. This position brings tears to my eyes each time I see it. Bob couldn't take it any longer and finally gave some santimi (cents) to one the other night when we were on our way home. I don't know what exists here for these people in the way of help? I pray that there is somewhere they can go and get a hot meal and a place to lay their head at night.
So, where was I? Oh yes, our orphanage visit! Well Lilia was so excited that she ran ahead of us and we could barely keep up. She walked into the director's office and spoke to her (in lots of Latvian!). I have no idea what she said!? Then, she was off and running again...to the next building. Here, we made it up the stairs to her "group" area where we found two handsome young men lounging on the couchs watching TV, Alex and Arturs! These are the boys we came to see, so we gave them their gifts and they disappeared! Off to their room to go through the "loot"! Pretty soon, Lilia disappeared as we got a nice little tour of her living conditions. We sat and visited with two of the workers and waited, and waited, and waited....you get the idea?! Our daughter seemed to have forgotten us! She reappeared, with a friend who was dressed and ready to go with us for dinner and shopping. So, we headed out to catch the tram with 4 kids. I have to admit that I had no idea what to expect from them. I was amazed! These kids were so well-behaved and mannerly. On the tram, one of the boys got up to give his seat to an elderly woman and I was so proud of him. At dinner, they were worried about ordering too much food. While we were shopping for a coat for Alex, he worried about spending too much money and was so careful to only enter stores that were "reasonable". It was a pleasure to spend the evening with these amazing kids and we were very blessed by it.
Tuesday...this was the day that our court appointed social worker was scheduled to visit in the early evening. So, we woke up and got right to work cleaning up the apartment and preparing for the visit. Lilia really got into this and she worked very hard to make sure that her room looked just perfect. At 1:00, we had plans to meet with another adoptive mom and her daughter, Anna for lunch. We were happy to be able to meet Linda and Anna. Linda had been the one to deliver our dossier to Daina back in July so this was special for us. We enjoyed our afternoon together and lunch at Lido's. We stopped by a flower stand and picked up a nice little bouquet for the table and bought some pastries as well. Our visit with the social worker went well. Lilia was nervous at first, but she soon opened up and began to share about her experiences with our family and her time in America. We laughed a lot and enjoyed a very relaxing and pleasant visit. Tuesday ended early with us heading to bed at 8:30! We were beat! Lilia asked to sleep on the couch, which she says she has never done! It was so funny, she was so excited about this and she went right to sleep. I wish I had taken a picture.
Wednesday...ahhh! Finally! Today, was court day. We woke up bright and early to get ready for our court appointment. This court appointment was so special because this is the day that they decided whether or not to "approve" of our adoption and allowing us to maintain custody of Lilia until the adoption is complete. After sharing how our week had been and our feelings for Lilia...they said, we find that it is in the best interest of this child that she be adopted by the Callen family and that she remain in their care until the adoption is complete!!!! WOO HOO!!!!!! Praise God!!!! Thank you!!!!!!!!!! Lilia looked so happy during this announcement and Bob and I of course couldn't stop smiling. I was proud of myself for not crying. Of course, that came later! Lilia requested that we just go back to the apt and get comfortable, have hot tea and watch a movie...so, that's what we did! Bob headed out to grab a few groceries for us and returned with lilies for Lilie!! She was so excited! We even all took a nap in the big old king sized bed in the afternoon! Of course, we returned to Lido's for dinner (thanks, Linda for introducing my husband to this restaurant! He may never go anywhere else again!). It was a good, good day (as Lilia would say)!!!

A Blessed Sunday, in any language!

Once again, I'm going to go back to yesterday. It's only 10:30 in the morning here now and our day has not yet begun. Yet, my heart is still overflowing with memories and joy from yesterday!
Our new friends, the Matheny's, invited us to join them for church yesterday and we were so excited to be able to go and to worship with other Christian's here in this country that has seen so much suffering and is really still just beginning to trust in God. A very small percentage of the population here are Christ followers, but we were blessed to meet with 40-50 of them yesterday. We walked in to the sound of contemporary Christian music in English and I was already excited! The spirit of worship throughout their service was so amazing and I was overwhelmed by a feeling of joy in hearing them worship through songs in Latvian. It is such a beautiful language, but most of all, I was amazed to realize that God hears millions of people worshiping Him in thousands of languages all around the world and He understands every single one. What a beautiful beautiful sound He must hear!!! I am so glad that we went and I am so glad that the pastor's daughter was willing and able to sit behind us and translate the service for us. I loved how their service moved so freely and with so much "structure", there would be talking, then song, talking/prayer, then song, etc....it lasted for nearly 2 hours, but no one was looking at the clock! I'm sure that you can tell just how much I loved it! Also, they announced that next Sunday, will be baptism and we are so excited for Lilia to experience this. Even right now, we are having the most amazing discussion about what this means. She has never heard of this before and we love being able to share with her what it means to a Christian. Her heart is so open to the things of God and what the Bible teaches!
Yesterday we also enjoyed Christmas in Doma Square. Old Town is coming alive with the Christmas spirit and it is beautiful! We tried to go to a First Day of Advent Christmas concert at St. Peter's Cathedral, but they had run out of room so we strolled down the street to Doma Square to enjoy all of the Christmas festivities. Lilia had her first candied apple and our family shared a bowl of traditional Latvian soup that had been cooked over an open fire. We saw Santa Claus and the kids were so excited! Even Lilia followed him around and smiled so big. She had her picture taken with him and then he kissed her on the cheek. She was so embarrassed and later asked, "Why did her kiss me? " We told her that he loves her, he loves all children. She said "NO!" It is so hard for her to believe that she is loved and special, but she's beginning to understand. Last evening after we got back to the apartment, I heard her say "Me is a special girls". I was so glad to hear this from her! She finished off the night with a very special "first"...her first time taking a bath! The other day at the market we had bought her a bath soak (the ones you drop in and they fizz and turn the water colorful and scented). I lit a candle, turned on music, and she soaked for a long time. She loved it!

Tabita, our translator with the kids

Rigas Baptistu

Christmas in Doma Square

What a joy it is to share these special moments with her. To see her face light up when she experiences something new and wonderful. To answer all of her questions about God and the Bible. To hear her talk about why we love her and how God put this amazing love in our hearts! What a blessed Sunday!!!!!

New friends, Old friends, and Old Town...

Heading to the movies!

Meeting Inese!

Meeting the Matheny's!

Today was a busy, exciting and full of blessings kind of day. We started out at a decent hour and had a nice quiet breakfast in. We decided that it would be a good day for a movie because it was going to be rainy and besides, we needed something new to do that would take up some of our day. Sometimes, the days seem like they will never end...
We headed out in the drizzle and walked to the Forum Cinemas to see a movie. It's about a ten minute walk and we enjoyed walking arm in arm through the streets. We got to the theater and found out that the movie we wanted to see, Johnny English, wasn't playing for another two hours! So, back out into the pouring down rain! We stopped by Rimi (a frequent stop for us) and picked up a few things we needed for the apartment (water, eggs, juice, etc.). We were looking forward to meeting up with our "Old Friend", Inese this evening after the movie, so we cleaned up a bit around the apt and chatted with Bob's mom back in the States on FB. And, back to the movies we walked! We had a really great time. Johnny English was hilarious and Lilia was just about rolling on the floor laughing! The theatre here is awesome, with super good food, comfy seats and lots of choices.
We headed back to the apt again and soon enough, Inese arrived for her visit! It was so amazing to finally meet her! For those of you who do not know about this amazing lady, let me fill you in...Inese used to work with Lilia in her orphanage and she became our source of connection to Lilia back in January through another friend and host-momma in the States (thanks, Stephanie Norman!). Anyway, we have grown to know and to love her as a friend over this past year and were very anxious to finally meet her! So, at 4:00 she arrived and we began a nice visit with her. About 20 minutes into our visit, our Latvian cell rang! Now, we are not very popular here in Latvia, but suddenly we feel like we are. I should back up and tell you that the world of adoption is a small one with close connections made very quickly sometimes between adoptive families. Also, Daina, our attorney had called us last night and asked if we would be interested in meeting another family who is here right now to adopt a sibling group and they are from Wisconsin. We of course said "Yes!". So, we had been given their contact information and had e-mailed them this morning early. So, here is Michele (the adopting mom) on the phone and their family is right outside of our building in Doma Square! Of course, I invited them right up! Party at the Callens!!!!
What a fun evening of meeting "old friends" and "new friends" in this beautiful old town!



The markets

I'm typing this post with only one hand because my other one has been held captive by my beautiful new daughter, and I love it! It has been such an amazing two days here in Latvia with her, I'm going to go back to yesterday...Thanksgiving! What a day of thankfulness it was for us! We all slept in, way in! Lilia didn't get out of bed until noon! We had a great breakfast together of eggs, toast and sausages.Then we got ready to head to the markets to grab all the "fixings" for our Thanksgiving meal. What an amazing place the markets are! 4 huge hangars connected together and full of vendors!! It's unbelievable really, and we all loved it! We are finding that there are so many places here that Lilia has never seen, so many things that she has never experienced and we are thrilled to be able to experience them with her!
So, we headed home with all of our goodies to make dinner together. We decided to have our "Latvian chicken" with homemade cranberry sauce, cucumbers, mashed potatoes, pastries filled with cheese and spinach and some yummy desserts. Lilie was such a big help and we had so much fun working together in the kitchen.
Thanksgiving was full of laughter and joy for all of us. We were able to talk with our children back home in America and know that they are being well cared for and loved in our absence. We were able to be with our daughter here and watch her heal and find joy in being loved and cared for. We were able to celebrate our marriage and the life that we are sharing together which God has filled to overflowing with love, love for Him, for one another and for our 4 beautiful children that He has seen fit to bless us with. We are so thankful for this past year and all that He has brought us through together. There has been much joy, many sorrows, and tons of love!!! And as we shared these things with Lilia and taught her about this American holiday called Thanksgiving, I was overwhelmed by how great His love is!
Again this morning we slept in until 11 o'clock! It's crazy how late we can sleep here. At home Bob is up by 6 or 7 at the latest every morning and I am up by 7:30 or 8:00. However, once we're up our days are full of activity. There is so much to do here. Shop after shop, tourist attraction after tourist attraction, restaurant after restaurant...you get the picture?! Today, we walked up the street to a great little pancake place for lunch/breakfast and then headed over to St. Peter's to ride the lift to the top of the steeple to see the view of Riga. It was a fun experience and Lilia loved being able to do this. We walked around some small outdoor markets and enjoyed all of the beautiful handmade clothes, jewelry and other items. Lilia and I LOVE these little markets and vendors and shops!

What a day!



The fog! This was when we were nearly
on the ground!

OH MY! That about sums up this day...where do I begin? First, I will go back I guess and finish up yesterday. So, as we were about to touch down in Riga, I saw exactly what I thought I would see...FOG and lots of it. We were nearly on the ground before we could see ground, but once we could it was so beautiful! Forests and countryside everywhere. It was like a fairytale. It was easy to get out of the airport and we quickly found our "angel", Venita. She is the woman who helps manage the apartment we are staying in when the owner is out of the country. She had promised to meet us at the airport so that she could help us find a taxi and get to the apartment. What a tremendous blessing this was! First of all, I don't know the first thing about taxis, I also had no idea where we were going (just the address), and lastly I know no Latvian!!! So, Venita was truly like an angel for us. She took care of everything and I officially LOVE that woman! We spent a short while settling into the apt and then headed to the bank to exchange some money for Lats so that we could eat and go to the market. We ate a yummy pizza (simple bacon) at Charlie's Pizza which is just 3 doors down from our apt. We also had some delicious fried dumplings. We couldn't believe how cheap it was to eat there! 5 lats!!! SCORE! We also ventured through Old Town to the Galerija and shopped at Rimi (a small grocery store). By this time, I was EXHAUSTED! So, we headed back to the apt and we went to bed at 6:00! After a 4 hour "nap" we were up and ready to talk to the kids on the phone at 11:00. Thanks to my new friend Melatonin, I was able to go right back to sleep and slept until 6:00 a.m.

Our first time with Lilia at court

Here we are, finally TODAY!! COURT DAY!!!!
So, Daina and her son picked us up at 8:45 to head to court. I was excited, nervous and well...very nervous. But, Daina has this amazing way of putting you at ease. By the time we pulled up to the court, I wasn't at all nervous. She had explained that we would get to see Lilia at 9:00! That we would then meet with the social worker from the orphanage to discuss her history and answer any questions. We stood in the hallway waiting for them to arrive and pretty soon there she was peeking around the corner of the stairwell!!! I went straight to her and we hugged, she looked so amazing! Oh, how I missed that girl! And, then things got a little...crazy...
Lilia kept looking past Daina and the rest of us, down this small hallway. Finally, she just simply walked away from us as we were entering a small conference area. I asked where she was going and Daina went to see. Things got a little hectic from there, but we quickly found out that her mom and grandma had been sitting in that hallway where we met the entire time and she was going to them! Oh my! I was floored! Bob and I just looked at each other and I said to Daina, "is this normal?" to which she replied "NO!" After much fuss and lots of translation, etc we were able to get Lilie into the room and it was decided that they would stay in the hallway until we were done at which time Lilie would be allowed to say "goodbye" to them. Needless to say, it was a very uncomfortable situation for Bob and I. Daina was none to happy about it either. But, we want Lilia to have closure and to feel comfortable so what do you do?
Court itself went very well! Thank you, God!!! Lilia was very positive and happy. Everyone was kind and not too intimidating. ;) In no time at all they placed her in our custody and then it was time to go back to the hallway to say goodbye. We waited (very patiently) and after a few minutes she was done. She became a little emotional when I asked her how it went and if she felt okay? I don't know what was said between them, but I get the impression that she's made to feel rather guilty and like she is the bad person in this situation. Bob and I are praying that she is able to put distance between her and this woman who has caused so much stress and turmoil in her life. We know that in the months to come, keeping distance between them will be a great challenge and that Lilia may be rather mad at us from time to time. We are already taking steps to protect her here and we will continue to do so at home.
It is a fine line we walk, one that must be respected and handled with great care, we are up for the challenge.
We tried our best to enjoy the rest of the day. We did some sight-seeing and shopping together, spent some quiet time at the apt and went out for a celebration dinner at TGIFridays (yes, there's one just down the street here!). We thoroughly enjoyed our cheeseburgers and fries and had a lot of laughs. Just what we needed tonight!

Our travels...

So, I have a little time this morning and thought that blogging about some of our travel adventures would be fun. First, let me just say that Bob and I are NOT travelers! We both have only flown ONCE and it was a nonstop commuter flight to Orlando! (I know that doesn't really count since we didn't even have to pick up our luggage!). Anyway, you can imagine how much of a learning curve there was for us as we made this trip 4,000 miles, and 3 flights away from our home!
First stop, Pittsburgh International Airport...no problem! We got there in plenty of time, made it through check-in where we met a young woman who has two sisters adopted from Eatern Europe, made it through security (no body scans or pat-downs, woo hoo!), had lunch and found our gate! We departed on time and arrived in Newark early!!!
Second stop, Newark...okay, this is where we started to see our "innocence"! So, we had a 3 hour layover here (which ended up being 4, because we were early from our first flight). So, we hung out on the councourse, had some Starbucks, read, listened to music and called home to say "hello"...we continuously checked the board for our gate but it wasn't being announced. Let's just say that by 5:00, we were getting pretty nervous and Bob had this "gut feeling" (God speaking?) that he should go to the information desk and ask about our flight. Thank you God, because we were in the wrong part of the airport and we needed to go like a mile, through security and find our gate! Our flight was departing at 6:10!!!! So, we hoofed it across the airport, through security (with one body scan-Jamie) and to our gate just as they were boarding our section!!!! [long sigh.........]
The flight from Newark to Frankfurt was "tight" and I don't mean time-wise, I mean it was economy class and there was no room to move! I was in the middle of Bob and I really nice guy from Paris. I'm glad he was nice, because we were VERY close for 6.5-7 hours! Between drinks, snacks, dinner, movie, and breakfast...I didn't get much sleep. That would have been fine accept for the time change which made it 7:00 a.m. when we arrived rather than 1:00 a.m. I was tired, and here were all these wonderful German's wide awake starting their day! So, again we were ahead of schedule! This time we knew to immediately find our where departures were and get there! Oh my goodness, Frankfurt's airport is huge!! We walked for what seemed like miles to get to our departure gate, but at least we had lots of time! 
Our last flight was quite an adventure as well. We were drive across the tarmack by shuttle bus to get to our plane. It was small and overcrowded. We were late getting off because they had loaded some of the wrong passengers! Oh my! But, alas we made it to Riga! 30 minutes late, exhausted and thrilled to  be here!!!!

Our day of rejoicing

First, let me apologize for the silence since August 23rd. I know just how difficult it is to tolerate "silence". We have been waiting, without any word from the courts since our paperwork all arrived in their hands months ago. But, today we received our referral!!!! For those of you who have not adopted, you may not know what this is or what it means. So, let me explain...
Today we received a referral from the Orphan Court "introducing" us to our future daughter. We were given information regarding who she is and her history and asked if we would "accept" this referral?! YES, YES, a million times YES!!! This is nearly the last step in the waiting part of this process. Now, we wait (for a shorter period of time) for an invitation to travel to her country and meet with the court officials.
As I responded to that e-mail this morning, the reality of what we are doing hit me. We have committed to loving, teaching, raising this child as though she were "born to us"! I said it before, and I believe it's worth repeating again, I love ALL of my children. Whether I have physically birthed them or God has birthed them in my heart, they are mine! I talked to Bob about this today when he stopped by the house for lunch. I asked him what he would do if we got there, met with the courts, found out that there were things we did not know about her? What if???? And do you know what my beautiful husband who has the most amazing heart for God said? He said "It would make no difference to me!" You see, we cannot take lightly this gift of another child being added to our hearts and our home. We cannot assume that all will be perfect, that there will not be struggles and heartaches. What we must do is love Lilie "as though she were born to us"!!! And she was, she was born into our hearts. Placed there by a loving God who knew before we did that she was ours. And so, come what may, we will love her. We will accept her and we will do all that is necessary to teach her about the love of her Savior.
Today is a good day! In the midst of our rejoicing however we must remember those who still wait. We must remember those children who are still orphans, waiting for a family to love them, accept them and teach them about the love of their Savior! I have spent a great deal of time today rejoicing and praising God for his goodness, and I have also spent a great deal of time today praying for those families and children who still WAIT!

Waiting...

       I know that this may sound strange, since we have been waiting for over 7 months...but, I feel like the true "waiting" has finally begun! Today, I mailed the last official piece of paper needed by Latvia. So, as of right now, we wait. We wait for a referral, we wait for a court date, we wait to be able to board a plane and fly to another country where our daughter is also...waiting!
       Still, there is never really a time where there is nothing to do but wait. The anticipation of making this journey and all that needs to be done to prepare is overwhelming at times. We are trying to do all that we can to prepare ourselves and our children. It's ironic really, that we must say "goodbye" to our children here at home this time, so that we can reach the child who we've had to say "goodbye" to twice before...we are so thankful that it will be such a short one! It's amazing how much we are able to get done in such a short period of time when it is required of us as well. Gathering funds, making arrangements for children, pets and our home to be cared for, and preparing documents, and the list goes on and on.
        It is remarkable really, how much peace we have been able to have in the midst of all of this. All of the things that would normally make me fall to pieces with worry and fear, have no control over me. Bob and I have spoken so much recently about how God has been working out every detail. We are so glad to be able to wait, even while we keep moving, with a sense of peace. We rest in the knowledge that He is working out every detail, and so we keep moving forward and...waiting! 

Adoption Journey Update...How far we've come!

                                  



Our Jigsaw Puzzle!



            It has been very busy past 7 months for our family. As many of you know, this past Christmas we hosted Lilia, a 13 year old orphan from the country of Latvia. Our family decided to bring the mission field into our home during this holiday season to teach our children a valuable life lesson, that giving of ourselves was more important than getting gifts. We also felt very drawn to the idea of impacting the life of an orphan through simply sharing our home, our love and our faith with a child who desperately needed to know that someone cared! The bible tells us to “go” and share God’s love, to “give” without expecting anything in return and to “love” as Christ loves us without any stings attached. So, on December 13, 2010, Lilia entered our home (and our hearts). Since that day, so much has happened, it would be nearly impossible to share all of it with you here. However, on January 15, 2011, when she boarded that plane and flew back to her country we knew without a doubt that she was to be our daughter and so our journey into the wonderful world of adoption began!

            Here we are 7 months later and 2 hosting visits with Lilia behind us. We have completed our homestudy and been “approved”, we have gotten passports, background checks, immigration approval and completed a dossier…All together we have spent countless hours and nearly $12,000 to get to where we are. God has been amazingly good to us. Through the kindness and generosity of others, we have raised nearly all of this money! It has been so amazing to watch how God supplies every need at just the right time. What a wonderful way for our children to learn about faith and God’s promises. Being able to spend 5 weeks with Lilia this summer was such a blessing. Our children were missing her nearly as much as we were and it did them so much good to spend that time with her. While she was here, Lilia was able to go with us on a trip to Harrisburg to have her dossier paperwork “apostilled”. This was a great experience for her that not many adoptive children get to be a part of. She was also there when I mailed all of this paperwork to a family who would hand deliver it to Latvia for us. Her excitement was overflowing. She is so happy to know that she is loved and wanted by us. Seeing us actually putting everything together and the confirmation that the adoption is really happening changed her world.

            So, as I sit here writing this today, we are on the final leg of this process and I would like to share our current needs with each of you so that you may be praying for us and supporting us in whatever way you feel lead. We exhausted our adoption fund to send the dossier and have it translated, and so we truly need to begin fundraising again. Our paperwork has now all arrived in Latvia, is being translated and submitted to the courts. Which means, that in the immediate future, we will be traveling to Latvia to meet with the courts and the embassy and, hopefully, bring Lilia home! While this is very exciting, it is also a little scary for us as we need over $10,000 to travel! We are certain that God will provide all that we need just when we need it, just as He has all along. However, we have continued to do our part by saving, selling whatever we can, and coming up with fundraiser ideas. We plan to continue these efforts trusting that God will move in the hearts of others and open doors for us financially.  

            We hope that you will consider supporting us in some way, either through prayer or giving, or both. Many of you have been so faithful in your support of us already and we want you to know how much we appreciate it. If you feel lead to give, here are some ways that you may do so:

-We have an adoption fund set-up through PNC Bank called “Love for Lilie” and money can be deposited into this account by anyone, anywhere in the US.

-We are having a jigsaw puzzle made from a family photo taken by our dear friend, Amy Craig who is a photographer. We are “selling” pieces of this puzzle for $5 a piece. Each piece will have one name written on it (we suggest buying one for each family member) and when it is assembled we will frame it and hang it in Lilia’s room as a reminder of all of those who helped bring her home! If you would like to buy a piece, please send us cash or a check made out to Love for Lilie with a note that includes the name or names you want written on the piece(s). Our address is 609 Spring St. Scottdale, PA 15683

-We are selling t-shirts through an adoption fundraising website called Adoption Bug. The link to our personal “store” is www.adoptionbug.com/loveforlilie

-We also have a coffee fundraiser going on at www.justlovecoffee.com/loveforlilie

-We will be selling Delallo hoagies again the second weekend of Sept. (the 10^th and 11^th)! This has been a very popular and successful fundraiser for us. Hoagies are made fresh on Saturday and Sunday and will be available for pickup/delivery on either of these days. They are made with all premium bread, meats and cheese from Delallos and include provolone, Virginia ham, hard salami, lettuce and tomato. If you are interested in buying and/or selling hoagies for us, please contact us immediately by phone or e-mail (724-806-0117 or fivecallens@zoominternet.net).

We have even more ideas and suggestions for fundraisers that we may be doing in the future, stay tuned.

Again, thank you all for your love, encouragement and support!! We truly couldn’t do any of this without those who God has brought alongside of us and words will never be able to express to you how much we appreciate each of you. We anticipate that we could be traveling to Latvia as early as September or October, so please keep us in prayer as we have a lot of preparation and planning to do before that time.

With love and gratitude,

The Callen Family

(Bob, Jamie, Rachel, Nathan, Jackson, and Lilia)

  

Sorry...

Okay, so I had such good intentions of blogging at least once a week during this hosting visit with Lilie. As you know, this did not happen. It has been 4 weeks since Lilie came "home" to visit and now, we only have 6 days left until we once again put our girl on an airplane to fly back to her country and an orphanage where she will wait for us to come and get her. We are thankful for the peace that we have in knowing that she is well cared for and loved there. Still, it is never easy to say "goodbye" to a child that you love.
We have had such a wonderful time with Lilie this summer. Our days have been full of gardening, swimming, playing games, going to church and visiting with family and friends. Lilie's English has improved so much in the 5 months that she was away and she is able to communicate her needs, wants and feelings to us so much better. It has been such a joy to just sit in bed with her at night and talk about her life, her dreams and her hopes for the future.
We have also made attempts to get into a good routine with chores, manners, and other typical "everyday" life lessons that our children have been learning since they were very small. It is such a unique perspective that we have, seeing a 13 year old who was not given this opportunity to learn the "basics" of life. There are times when she looks at me and says "But, why?"...okay, that is usually what she says to me everytime! But, you know what, she's getting it. She is even starting to notice when someone else has made a wrong choice, and you better believe that she let's us know about it!!
Well, my time has run out.
I will try to finish up another time...until then, thank you for your support and your prayers. They mean so much!

9 More days until June 30th!!!

So, 9 more days until Lilie is here!!! We are ALL soooo excited to have her back in our home. This morning, Jack asked me "Mom, is Lilie coming?!" with so much excitement sparkling in those little eyes of his and the biggest smile on his face. When I said, "Yes, next Thursday!" he screamed with joy! Rachel is thrilled to be having her sister back, she is outranked around here most of the time with two little brothers. She has been counting down since she found out that we were hosting again.
Yesterday, we recieved confirmation that Homeland Security received our I800A application, so now we wait for a fingerprinting appointment. I am really hopeful that we can get done with this dossier before Lilie arrives so that it can be sent to Latvia. It seems like the time is just flying by and I'm not getting everything done like I wanted to, but I keep reminding myself that it will get done! God has been so faithful and good. He has been putting it all together, piece by piece, just like a puzzle. I can't wait to stand back one day and look at the whole thing finally complete and see how beautiful it is!
Speaking of puzzles...while Lilie is here, we are going to be having her pick out a puzzle that she likes so that we can begin to sell pieces of it, putting it together with everyone's names on the pieces, and hang it in her room when she comes back forever. We know that this will be a beautiful reminder to her and to us in the years to come of just how many people prayed for us, supported us and loved us through this journey! We would love for each family to buy a piece for each member of their family so that everyone's name will be on there individually. Once we have purchased the puzzle, I will post a picture of it on here. If you would like to purchase pieces now, that's fine. They will be $5.00 a piece and you can send cash or checks (made out to "Love for Lilie") to this address:
609 Spring St.
Scottdale, PA 15683
Just be sure to indicate what name you would like written on each piece (one name per piece is all that will fit). Thank you for being a part of this journey. One day, when it is complete, we will stand back and see it completed and we will remember that you had a part in this beautiful plan! 
June 30th, here we come!!!!!!!!!

Moving ahead!

So much has been happening around here lately, and while I cannot share every detail, I would love to share some of it. We have received our approved home study and have filed for CIS Immigration approval!! It is finally time to get our dossier together and get is sent to Eastern Europe and we can't believe that we are moving forward. The timing couldn't be more perfect for us as we were hoping to have it all wrapped up by the end of June when Lilie arrives for hosting. God has been answering prayers "on speed-dial" as I like to say. We had a crazy week a few back and I was feeling pretty frustrated. After asking for prayer and calling on His promises myself, He started answering (and quick!)...
Now that things are coming together so well, I feel that I can share some more of the information that I couldn't before. Back in February we found out that Lilie was not yet legally "free" to be adopted! What a difficult thing to hear. We had believed that she was even when she was here with us so this news was rather devastating. We found out that there was a chance for her to be "freed" in March, however the day came and went and she was NOT "freed". More devastation...So, we waited and we waited...Our next opportunity was June 2nd. Praise GOD!! She is now "free"!!!
It has been such an exciting time for us. We are anticipating Lilie's visit from June 30th through August 4th, we are working to get our dossier together, and anticipating a referral to adopt! We have raised and saved so many funds toward our adoption that it is surely only because of God's greatness and love. We have been able to pay every fee and expense as they have arisen and it looks like that's just going to keep on going! It is amazing to watch Him working out every detail, truly amazing! As I sit here, I am preparing to write out another check to pay for upcoming expenses with our agency and I know that our account will be drained, yet I am not fearful of this. I am confident that He will provide the next fee and the next until we bring our girl home.
This journey has been one of many ups and downs, but mostly it has been filled with blessings. Every time that we have felt weak, He has given us strength. Everytime that we have doubted, He has given us peace. Everytime that we needed the finances, He has provided (in so many ways). Journeys are amazing things. They test your endurance, they test your faith and they give you an amazing new perspective on life. While ours is far from over, we are thankful for all that we have learned so far and we are looking forward to what the rest will bring. We are moving ahead!!

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1

Spring...new life, new hope

Oh, how I love spring! Everything's beginning to grow and bloom and spill over with color in our yard, and I love it!! The garden is planted, the strawberries will be ready for picking in another month, and the backyard has come to life with our new hens. With spring, comes the promise of new life and a hopefullness that I don't find in any other season of the year. I love the smell of flowers blooming, freshly mown grass, and rain in the air. I love watching my children run and play in the yard, giggling and jumping. I love the way the sun warms my back as I work in the garden and the way the dirt feels in my hands. This has to be the best time of year.
We have been taking pictures of all of the things we are doing around the house to send to Lilie. We hope that she will enjoy the gardens, the chickens and all of the things that our family values and enjoys. We know that she will enjoy the pool! We took the cover off the other day and we are anxious to tell her that we are getting it ready for the summer. She talks about it every week when we talk on the phone. We are praying that this time next year, she will be here with us, helping plant the garden, feed the chickens and enjoy the outdoors during spring. She can't believe how warm it is here in the spring and summer since it is so much cooler in Eastern Europe.
School is winding down, too. Both here for our children and for Lilie. She was telling us the other day about her grades and the end of the year school trips that she is looking forward to. She seems to be doing well in school and we are proud of her efforts. It is hard to imagine what a big change it will be for her when she is here. School is so very different in America. But, we are confident that she will rise to the challenge and with lots of support and encouragement, she will do well. Our Rachel is so excited that school is almost over. She is in those final days where field trips and fun days abound, and she is loving it! Nathan is about to finish up his first year of school and is anxious to spend lazy days by the pool and in the sand box. We are so proud of him for how well he did this year. Jack will be "graduating" from his first year of preschool in just another week and a half. It's hard to believe how much they are all growing up.
So, everyone, enjoy your spring! Take time to look around at all that is new and beautiful in the world around you. And, when you see a lilie in full bloom, say a little prayer for our Lilie that she will be home with us soon...And, remember that with spring comes the promise of new life and new hope!

Mother's Day and such...

This Mother's Day was so bittersweet. I enjoyed a beautiful breakfast in bed from Bob, Rachel, Nathan and Jackson along with gifts and cards and lots of snuggle-time! What a great way to start the day. We went to church and spent the afternoon visiting our moms. It was a lovely day, really. But, as is so often the case lately, something was missing. The absence of our sweet girl is ever-present on my heart and mind, especially on days such as these. I am so looking forward to next year, and praying that our family will be complete. For the first time, I will be the mother of four! That is something that I never anticipated saying, but it sounds great!
Life has been crazy and hectic with so much going on. We finished up our homestudy on April 23rd and the draft was sent in to our agency today to be approved!! Now, we begin the moutains of documents that need to go in our adoption file and dossier as well as begin the application process for our I800A. The list goes on and on and sometimes I wonder if it will ever end?! I know that it will though, someday. I also know that it is well worth every signature, initial, dollar, and stamp.
Summer is quickly approaching and with it comes the joy of seeing Lilie again, spending long days with the kids swimming and biking, camping, and gardening. We are so looking forward to all of the blessings in store for us this summer and pray that we will take the time to savor them as they rush by.

It's been a long time...

Oh my goodness, it has been a long time!! The past month has been absolutely full of things to do and somehow I just never had the opportunity to sit down and write! So, here I am...
First, to update everyone on what has been going on with Lilie and the adoption process. Our home study paperwork is complete and we are preparing for our interview with the social worker on Saturday!! We are thrilled to be wrapping up this part of the process as it has taken us much longer than we anticipated. Who knew that paperwork could take so very long?! We are prayerful that all will go well and we will have an approved home study within a few weeks so that we can move forward with the next step. God has been so good to us through this all. Every financial need that has come along has been met just when it was needed. It has been amazing to see His provision and the generosity of others as well. It is an awesome experience to physically see God at work in your life!
Lilie is doing well. She is enjoying some new activities such as gymnastics and basketball at the orphanage. She also recently was able to go swimming and to the circus! She has been busy with school as well. We keep telling her that she needs to learn English, "study hard and practice" we say. She just laughs! She continues to look forward to our phone calls each week and giggles her way through each one. It is so good to hear her laughing. She is becoming full of questions and loves to share her thoughts with us too. She always wants to know what we are doing, what Rachel is doing, and she always asks if she has to go back to the dentist this summer!! Her director told us this week that she has been asking lots of questions about God and reading books about Easter and God. We were so glad to hear that she is curious and that she is in a place where her caregivers are willing and able to provide her with answers! She may even begin to attend a local church and be able to participate in Sunday School there! God is working out every detail and we are so grateful!
As we have mentioned before, when you follow God's calling and are doing His work, Satan always attacks. It seems that he does not want to give up yet. In our personal lives, we have been facing some challenges. We would like to share some of those with you now in the hope that you would join with us in prayer. The following are the things that we most need your prayers for:

- Bob's dad has been feeling ill for quite some time now. He is weak and tired. He runs high temps for no reason and his blood counts continue to be low. The doctors are trying to find out what is wrong and are running many tests, however we still have no definite answer. The stress of this is great on Bob, his dad and his wife, and on the whole family. Please surround him in prayer. Pray specifically that answers will soon come and that the family will move forward with whatever treatments are necessary. Also, pray for peace and strength for his dad as he battles with doubts and fears that cause his faith to be shaken.

- Please pray for me. I have a very difficult time asking for prayer for myself, however I feel that it is necessary at this time. I am not going to go into detail, but I will share with you that I feel that attacks of others are becoming stronger. I guess that my honesty and the passion that I have for ministry is being misinterpreted as judgement by others. I would like to say that I have never said anything that wasn't from my heart and said with honest and pure intentions. I am a  person who believes that God intends for us to share what He is doing in our lives so that others may be able to see Him and want what we have. Pray that my words would be tempered with a lot of love and that they may have a positive impact on those around me.  

- Finally, pray for our family and Lilie as we prepare for her to return to our home for hosting this summer. Pray that we will be able to implement the appropriate amount of structure and rules so that she will know what is expected of each member of this family. We feel that this is an opporunity to begin to integrate her into the family and begin to form attachments that will be so important down the road. We are praying for wisdom in handling behavioral issues and developing a healthy routine.

I would like to finish by saying that we are so grateful for everyone who reads our blog, keeps in touch with us through FB, e-mails, and phone calls. We feel your prayers and your support is one of the things that keeps up going. We will continue to pray for all of you. Our prayer is this, that everyone who follows our journey will be touched by God's amazing love and that this will motivate each one of you to action. We pray that whatever it is that God is calling you to do for Him, you will do it and do it well!!
If anyone feels that God may be calling you to host a child this summer or winter, please check out New Horizons website at  www.newhorizonsforchildren.org
The current child photo listing is available there if you complete a very brief pre-application (for safety and security reasons). Lilie is not alone and the other children who have stories much like hers are in need of hope and love too! Have a Blessed Easter with your families, and take time to remember all of those who have no family this Easter!!!

Blessings in disguise

As I sit here still basking in the glory of this day, I felt compelled to write it down. Amidst the normal everyday duties of motherhood and the sad news of a family member not feeling well, God shined today.
I spent this day not doing household chores or even work, but rather praying for my father in law and enjoying my life the way that it is TODAY. And, great things happened as they often do when I spend my day this way. Bob's dad is being discharged from the hospital with no major complications found, praise God! And, as we do each Friday, we spoke to our girl!
However, today was even more special and exciting. Rachel, who has been missing Lilie like crazy became very upset last night when our impending phone call was mentioned. Not surprisingly, as this has become a source of frustration for her every week. With the 7 hour time difference, we always call in the morning. Calling after school would mean waking everyone over there up out of a deep sleep! So, Rachel has missed every conversation only to hear about them from us later. Not today! Today, we decided that she should stay home from school until after our phone call. She was elated! And so it is that our girls were able to hear one another's voices for the first time in over two months...
Lilie has also been asking about Rachel you see. "How is Rachel?" "What is Rachel doing?" "What is she playing?" Etc and so on... It was so fun to hear them giggling and chattering back and forth on the phone. Lilie (with the help of a translator) wanted to know why Rachel was home, what time is it there, what are you doing tomorrow, Rachel, no school????? And, Rachel, all she wanted to hear and say was "I love you and miss you, big, big, big!" When we were getting ready to head out the door to school afterward, she said, "Mom, she sounds even cuter on the phone then in person!" That girl went to school with the biggest smile on her face. 
We are so excited that we are going to be hosting Lilie again this summer. While we would love to know that she never has to leave again, we are thankful for the opportunity to make memories with her and get to know her even more this summer. This time, when she gets on that plane, we will know with certainty that it's just a "see you later"! And, we pray that it will not be long until we are on a plane flying to her! Sometimes the things that are the biggest disappointments turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Our hopes of traveling in the summer slipped out the window a little over a week ago and we were devastated. But, we have chosen to rejoice in this opportunity to see her and hug her and bond with her through hosting. That's what we're going to do! In God's time, we will have her here forever...

A change in perspective

    I have recently been attending a ladies bible study in addition to my "regular" church activities which include Sunday School, Worship Service and Wednesday night bible study. During this time, I have been noticing God orchestrating a theme, weaving together the lessons and prayers of those around me in a spectacular way. He has been revealing this "lesson" not only to my heart, but also to my husband's. Therefore, I thought that I must share this most valuable "lesson" with all of you! I pray that my writing may do justice to it.
    Let me begin by saying that throughout this journey (from hosting to adopting) there have been those who have supported us through prayer and words of encouragement and their gift to us is priceless. However, there have also been those who have caused us to feel discouraged at times. Some people have said that we were "crazy" to bring an adolescent from another country, culture and background into our home to live with our 3 children. She may be dangerous in some way, they said. How will you communicate with her? How will you afford it? Aren't you worried? You can imagine the hundreds of responses that we have received...and the fear that Satan tried to root in our hearts. And so, it was that God began to battle Satan for our hearts and minds. It took a change in "perspective" to teach us such an important lesson.
    Service and Love. Isn't that what Jesus's ministry on earth was all about? He came not for those who were healthy, wealthy and righteous, but rather for those who were sick, hungry, thirsty and poor. He spent his entire 3 years of ministry helping others. He healed bodies, he healed hearts, he provided for the needs of all of those who demonstrated their need for him. Jesus never used words without action! This is how he won the hearts of so many. It wasn't a great sermon, although he spoke with wisdom and authority. Jesus Christ went where there was a need, he stepped out of his comfort zone and right into the midst of sin and darkness. After all of this, he gave the Great Commission, and he said that we (anyone who calls themselves a follower of Christ) are to go and do the same!
    Finally, I have gotten to the point of all of this. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord! When we say that, we attach ourselves to what it really means. We recognize that we must be like Christ, that we must love the unlovable, we must care for those who cannot care for themselves and we must demonstrate God's love to all of those around us through action! We also recognize that we will often feel uncomfortable, worried, maybe even frightened and that it is during these times of personal sacrifice that God will be glorified! We have decided to choose to see the world through His eyes and not our own. What a change in perspective!Each day we must decide that we need Him to help us, to guide us, and to forgive us. We are humans who struggle with pride and selfishness, just like everyone else. But, we know now that we are capable of so much more because He is in US! He feels up all the empty spots, strengthens our weaknesses and quiets our fears. If only we ask Him to. 
    One of my favorite scriptures lately has been this one, "So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now!" (2 Corinthians 5:16) When it is tempting to listen to those that list the things that we should worry about, I remember this verse and I stop evaluating this situation from a human perspective. Instead, I look at it through Christ's eyes and I know without a doubt that we are doing what Christ would do. Isn't that what it's really all about? We trust in Him completely. He will provide all that we need. We are just people. There is nothing amazing about us. What is amazing is how God can use us if only we change our perspective!

Silly Lilie!

Today we spoke to Lilie. Our weekly call to her is becoming more and more fun and animated each passing week. She giggles and she teases with us now just like when she was in our home. It is so fun to hear her laughter across the miles and to know that she sooooo looks forward to our phone calls! Today she talked to us much more than she usually does in English. She even sang me "Happy Birthday"! Papa told on me! We laughed and reminisced about her birthday, which we celebrated together while she was with us. I told her how the people at the restaurant sang to me just like they did to her on her birthday, and she thought that was great! We told her how so many people are missing her and ask about her often and she began to name everyone that she could remember, "Mama, Papa, Jackson, Nathan, Rachel, Nanny, Pappy, Grandmama, Amy,....and, and, and" and she would have me name everyone I could think of! She is so silly and I love it! My nickname for her began when she was here with us, "silly Lilie"! It fits her perfectly!
We know that we are blessed to be able to talk to her every week. We do not take for granted that others have been so willing to help us to keep in touch with Lilie through phone calls and packages and messages sent. Though we feel the weight of the thousands of miles as well as the 2 months that have separated us, we have a peace that can only be from God. We fully trust in Him to work out every detail, to move hearts and hands, to catch our every tear. Don't get me wrong, there are days when I miss her so much that I can only cry and pray. But, those days are far outnumbered by days of great joy and hope. In just a few days, we will be done with all that we have had to complete for our homestudy. Then, we wait for the social worker to come out to our home and complete the process! I would have never imagined that it would take us more than 2 months to do a homestudy, but then again, I knew virtually nothing about international adoption before we began this journey! We cannot wait to move on to the next step, to know that we are that much closer to having her here with us. Until then, we are thankful for these moments, when we hear her voice, her laughter and her "I love you, Mama and Papa".

I miss Lilie

I  miss Lilie so bad I wish she were here. I pray for her every night saying I hope shes okay and asking God to be with  her. Lilie was my best freind and I guess she is now going to be my fav sister!I'm so glad we're adopting her. Lilie and I  had so much fun playing with each other and laughing and joking around. I miss her laugh! I even told my dad one time ''Why couldn't the rule be we can keep her for a year?''. That is how much I miss her. Before we even knew about lilie I wanted a sister so bad and I knew that I would have one  someday even though my mom said shes not going to have another baby!Can you all please pray that lilie can come home to us I really miss lilie and so do my parents.
                                                                Rachel

God is working!

Feeling so overwhelmed with emotion today. We got to speak with Lilie on Thursday for the first time in 16 days. It was so wonderful to hear her sweet voice, as it always is. We had the pleasure of someone there who speaks English well to help with some translation this time. We asked if there is anything that Lilie needs from us, so she translated that for us and Lilie's answer rocked our world. She said that she needs her family and she wants to be here with us, asking us to bring her home this summer for hosting. Most 13 year old girls would have had a list of things; shampoo, make-up, clothes, crafts, school supplies, etc. But, the only thing on sweet Lilie's heart is "family"! Is there any wonder why we are doing what we are doing?
Thursday was a big day! Without giving too much detail, we also received great news regarding the adoption. News that helps us to feel comfortable moving forward. We know now that God is working out the details, we can see His hand in it all and we know that his timing is perfect.
So, armed with this knowledge and the joy that our conversation brings, we are moving ahead! Our homestudy paperwork is almost all together and we pray that by the end of this month our homestudy will be done. We so need prayers right now. Please pray that the wheels keep on turning in Eastern Europe, that we are able to get all of our paperwork done and the homestudy completed as quickly as possible and that above all else, God's plans are fulfilled for Lilie! We also really need those who have been called to give to do so at this time as we will need to have the funds together to continue moving forward. So far, God has provided us with just what we have needed each step of the way! We are confident that He will continue to do so!

New Horizons for Children

For those of you who don't know how we came to know Lilie, this post is for you!
This past October, we heard about an organization called New Horizons for Children. They are a non-profit that works to bring children from Easern European countries to America twice a year for 4-6 weeks on "hosting programs". We had never heard of such a thing before and were very curious. You see, we had always felt that God had placed children, and particularly orphans, on our hearts. Even when we were dating, Bob and I would often discuss adoption and foster care and we both were moved by the plight of children. But, as many of you know, life happens! We were married, buying a house, having children, and balancing life and careers and although the subject still came up from time to time, it wasn't at the top of our "list". Then, about a year ago, we began to discuss foster care and trying to decide when this might become a reality for our family. So, when we heard about this ministry opportunity, we were so curious!
We went to their website, looked over their mission and the photo listing of children...children, waiting. Waiting to be loved, waiting to see what "family" looks like, waiting to be tucked in to bed at night, waiting to hear about God and His love for them, just waiting! We prayed, oh did we pray! We knew almost immediately that God wanted to use our family for this purpose.
It's not an easy thing to do, to open up your home, your heart, your entire "safety zone" and welcome a stranger in. God never said that doing His work would be easy, but He did say that He would provide all that we need. We knew that we were being called, and how exactly does one say "No" to God's call on their life?! We've told several people who have questioned our decision this, "We would never want to stand before God one day and have him ask us why we didn't move when He said Move!" Oh, I don't even want to think about having to answer that question, it makes me tremble to even consider it.
Looking back on these past several months, I can say with complete certainty that we have done what God has called our family to do and we wouldn't change a thing! We have met a beautiful, amazing, and special girl who has become a part of our family in a way that we could have never dreamed of. Even if she were to never actually live here, she will still always be with us. Through this process and the trials that have come with it, we have drawn closer to one another and to God then we ever have before. We have been tested, we have been questioned, we have faced the enemies fury. At times, we questioned ourselves, but the God of all wisdom and mercy has continued to make it clear that He is in control!
We pray that some of you who are reading this post will feel the call to bring the mission field into your homes this summer. We pray that if God is speaking to you, you will not say "No"! The children who come to America on these trips do not come here expecting to be adopted. They come here to have fun, to learn new things, to see America...but, while they are here, so many find hope, love, faith and a family! If you want more information about New Horizons for Children and what they do, go to http://www.newhorizonsforchildren.org/
There you can see the photolisting of the children who are currently available for hosting by simply filling out a very brief form (they do not want the photos and bios to be public knowledge, but reserve these for those considering hosting). Just because you give them this information, does not mean that you are committing to host! I urge you to just take a look, pray for these children, and consider what it is that God may be calling your family to do!  

Being cautious

I spoke with our facilitator yesterday and she was wonderful to share much information with me regarding this process, which is so foreign to Bob and I. However, as so often happens when you learn new things, we have become somewhat frightened by some of the information. We have decided that in an effort to be cautious and not to jeopardize the possibilty of our adoption of Lilie that some changes to our blog and the information shared here need to be made.
You may notice that we have deleted some of our past posts which included details that we have decided are better left private. We will also be using only Eastern Europe from here on out, and all mention of the country that we are attempting to adopt from will no longer appear on this blog, so we ask that you also refrain from mentioning the country in your comments. Thank you. Any other identifying information, such as region, orphanage, etc will also no longer be present.
We will however, make every effort to continue to communicate our feelings and our journey in a cautious way. We know that many people are interested in praying for and supporting us in various ways, and we truly appreciate each of you. Therefore, we do not want to shut down the blog completely at this time.
Thank you for your understanding and support. Keep on praying! God bless!

Snow Day

As I enjoy this wonderful "snow day" with my three beautiful children, I can't help but be sad for the one who is not here today. Everything seems to remind us of her. The last snow day we had was spent sled riding with all four of them, playing games and sharing the day making memories. As we played UNO, at 7:30 this morning, Rachel talked about Lilie's love for that game and how she hopes that she has taught it to her friends there. The boys mentioned her several times today as well. It's funny how so many little things remind them of her presence here and of her absence. 
I pray that we have some answers from the courts soon, because I am finding it increasingly difficult to be still and know that God is in control. I am a "fixer"! I want to get it done, all of it, now. Oh, God, you are workng on me, aren't you? So, I will continue to do my best to rest in Your care and know that your timing is perfect and your way is always the best way.

The gift of love...

Today was one of those days. A day that just felt "blah". Like there was just something not quite right about this day in particular. Truly, it took me all day to figure out that this day marked one month!

Lilija opening her package from us last week

So, today is February 15th. That means that it has been one month since Lilie got on that plane and flew back to Latvia. One month since we said, "see you later". One month since we lost a piece of our hearts. Today is the first time in weeks that I have cried. I am missing her deeply today. I think it's that I'm wondering how many more of these "months" do we have? If only one month feels like this, what is month 3 or month 6 going to feel like? Oh, what I would give to just hug her, hold her hand, "google translate" with her! I want to know what she's thinking, feeling, doing...and it's so difficult for her to tell us. I guess we should look at it as one month closer to her being home! Yes, that's what we need to do, celebrate this month of progress and the time we had with our girl... we really should!

We have gotten nearly all of the documents and paperwork together for our homestudy and we are just waiting to get the final word from the attorney in Eastern Europe that we are good to move forward. We have gotten to know some amazing people through this process as well. Some of whom we are sure will be friends of ours forever and have been such a wonderful support system for us. We have gotten to speak with Lilie 4 times now by phone and received one letter from her. Just last week, she received a package from us with letters from Bob and I and Rachel as well as some fun little things we knew she'd love. A worker at the orphanage was kind enough to take pictures of her opening our gift, and we really appreciated this opportunity to see her. She is wearing clothes that we had gotten her while she was here, a necklace that Bob's mom got her for Christmas and a bracelet that was also a gift!  

So, Bob was talking to Rachel about our phone call with Lilie today and she says "It's not fair! You guys get to talk to Lilie while I'm in school, but I'm the one that misses her the most!" "More than Mom or I?" Bob asks. "More than anyone!" Rachel replies.  And after I spoke with Lilie today, I had to rush to Jackson's preschool to perform my duties as "lunch mommy". So, I arrive and Jack says to me, "Mommy, did you talk to Lilie?" I said, "yeah, buddy, I did" and he says, "so, why isn't she here?!". He was so serious, and it broke my heart. Even the little guy misses her. 

After dinner, the kids wanted to play Wii for a little while. Of course, Rachel decided that a game of Wii Dance Party was in order! (In honor of Lilie, who's favorite game on earth is Wii Dance Party!). So Rachel, Nathan, Jack, Mommy and Daddy joined in an exciting rendition of "Womanizer" (Lilie's favorite dance number!).

A visit with Aunt Beth and lots of Wii Dance Party!

All in all, it turned out to be a pretty good day. Bob and I were able to talk to Lilie on the phone today for the first time in 12 days. It was so good to hear her voice. I know that may seem silly. It's not like we have some great conversation. Her english is so poor that she really understands only about 1/10 of anything we say or ask! She says, "yes" to just about anything! But, it's like medicine for the soul just to hear her voice, truly it is. When she giggles, which she did a lot of today, it melts my heart. There is nothing better than knowing that she is happy and loved. That's really what it's all about, those phone calls. It's our way of connecting with her heart, telling her that we're still here for her and we care.

We have discovered through all of this that love is truly a gift. It costs the ones who are giving it something and it is priceless to the one receiving it. It has cost us the pain of seeing our daughter fly away on an airplane unsure of when we would ever see her again. It has cost us the comfort that we used to cling to. It has cost us the ability to close our eyes to those who are hurting and lonely. However, we can say with all honesty, that we would do it again and again and again. It is so worth it, because in the end, we have given one little girl more than she could have ever dreamed of or hoped for...the love of a family! As Lilie would say, "In America, family is good, family is LOVE!"

We love you, Lilie and God loves you, too!!!

Super Bowl Weekend - Hoagies!!!!!

So, this past weekend was Super Bowl weekend and that means, food!! So, we held a hoagie fundraiser to raise money for our adoption! We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of those who helped in some way to make this fundraiser a success. We had several people willing to sell for us, which was a huge help. Also, great family and friends came together on Saturday afternoon to "build" the hoagies and get them ready for delivery. We were able to build 350 hoagies in about 4 hours! Thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone who sold, built and delivered hoagies!!!! We could not have done it without you!! We raised just over $600 with this fundraiser (including small donations)!

With Saturday being such a huge success, we moved on to Sunday...after church on Sunday we built 36 more hoagies here at our home with the help of a great couple from our church. It only took us a half hour! Which was great considering that it was Super Bowl Sunday, we needed to get ready for the big game!
All in all, it was a very busy but very blessed weekend! We had an amazing time of fellowship with those who were so willing to give up their afternoon to help out and we had a great time watching the Super Bowl as a family on Sunday night.

We plan on having another hoagie sale in the future. We are discussing when this might happen. We will keep you posted!