Hello all,
It’s been about 2 weeks since my last update and there is so much to share! First of all, Jon completed the (adoption) paperwork! HOO-RAY! The night he finished, he came out of the office, raised his hands up in the air and said, “It’s DONE!” We are so thankful to have that behind us. We’re told that’s the worst of the paperwork, but I’m skeptical. J We’ll see. With that being finished, we were able to send off two huge stacks of paperwork (each with a huge check)…one to the adoption agency and one to USCIS for immigration approval. The wait time to get approval is about 4 months right now. We can take our first trip to Russia without that, but we’ll have to have the approval before we can take our 2nd trip. As far as the agency paperwork, now we wait for our acceptance packet and we’ll go from there. Hurry up and wait. That seems to be the motto for adoption.
Our second praise is that Leanna has been cleared for adoption. In Russia there is a registry that all orphans must be on for 1 year to give Russians a chance to adopt them before they’re opened up to other countries. We finally got that confirmation on Thursday. We were also told that Leanna’s orphanage director told our agency that Leanna is ‘waiting for us to come.’ I told the agency that to my knowledge Leanna doesn’t know that we’re adopting her. I was told that she must’ve figured it out.
Which leads to our third and most wonderful praise…we had our hosting training yesterday and were given permission to tell Leanna that we’re adopting her. This takes such a huge burden off of our shoulders…NO SECRETS!!
The training yesterday was eye opening. Encouraging and heartbreaking all in one. My favorite part of the day was when a panel of adopted kids were lined up on the stage for a Q & A session. We were told that most adopted kids do not want to talk about their past, so the fact that these ones were here to do just that was NOT common. 6 children…2 boys and 4 girls ranging in age from 11 to 17. 2 of the girls were from Leanna’s orphanage and they both know her. One question that was asked was if they felt comfortable talking to their parents about their past. They all shook their heads. One girl…a sweet, beautiful girl named Tania said that her past was her past. Once she had a family and a new life, she only wanted to look forward. Her past is ugly…her future is beautiful. Her past does not matter anymore…only her future. As she was speaking, I could not help but think of Philippians 3:13, “But one thing I do; Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Amen. We were told by one of the boys that the orphans are told (by adults and children) that it’s their fault that they are orphans…that they did something to deserve it. That they are not worthy of anything more than being an orphan. Not worthy of love. They are pointed at, laughed at, ridiculed everywhere they go (by adults and children). They are ‘trouble.’ Their shame is inescapable. It’s with them always. Tania said that one reason she did not want to talk to her parents about her past was because of the shame she felt. What if her parents didn’t want her anymore after hearing about her past? What if they decided she wasn’t worthy of a family and sent her away? How could they really love her knowing what her life used to be like?
I realized yesterday just how much influence the father of lies has in the lives of orphans. As if the above weren’t enough, one of the girls said that her teacher showed her school class a movie about 9/11 and told them that’s what would happen to them if they came to America. (Yes, the teacher said this!) Americans are so ‘crazy on terror’ that we practice our killing skills on the orphans. Another girl said she was told that American families just wanted her to sell her or kill her or because one of their own children was sick and they needed her for her body parts. The attitude in Russia is that Americans are rich and wasteful. We throw old things away and buy new ones…why would it not be the same in regard to children?
I admit, after this Q & A session my heart ached. It aches just repeating all of that here. I was thankful for the break we took right after this session. I ran for the ladies room where I could finally release the sobs that had been building the whole time the kids talked about their experiences. I just can’t imagine living with that kind of shame. Or believing that I am not valuable or worthy of love. Especially as a child. It was in those moments that God confirmed to me that this will not be our last adoption. I knew it already. I told Jon back in December when we were discussing adopting Leanna that I thought we’d end up with 5 kids. Today I know we’ll adopt at least one more after Leanna. When we did our home study, we were told that we can have 2 people per bedroom…so technically we could adopt 2 more after Leanna. And our van already has 8 seatbelts…who knows? All I do know is that Leanna will not be it. Hearing these kids speak about their past, their present and their future was powerful. I know this sounds silly since each of you have been adopted by God and already know this, but God. Is. In. Adoption. Is He ever!
Jon and I were able to talk with the two girls from Leanna’s orphanage and ask them a few questions about her. I don’t feel at liberty to share everything, but one of the girls said that Leanna came from a ‘very bad family.’ She said it twice while we talked with her. A very bad family. She told us how and why Leanna came to the orphanage and all I can say is that God has had His hand on her. For a long time. He has been orchestrating things in Leanna’s life and our own to bring us all to this point at the same time. And I am so thankful. Thankful doesn’t even do it. I am overwhelmed with God’s love. For His grace and incredible mercy in Leanna’s life. For His plan and His timing. Leanna could be in a very different place right now.
Friends, I am so sorry for another long email. I told myself this one would be shorter. I have more to share about our training today, but I’ll let you digest this first. J I’ll leave you with a prayer request since that’s why you’re all getting this update. J Leanna is away at camp until right before she comes here. It is not the kind of camp we would pay to send our children to. It is not a safe and happy camp. Please pray for Leanna’s safety and protection while she’s at this camp near the Black Sea.
Those of you with children, go hug them and tell them you love them.
As always, we thank you for your continued prayer support.
Jon & Amy
I am not sure how you held it together until you made it to the ladies room. I would have been crying my eyes out right there. That is just horrible what the kids have gone through and have been told.
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