As we make the final preparations for another Christmas, and what we hope to be the last Christmas with just the two of us, we look towards the coming year with anticipation of the unknown as we come towards the climactic end of our journey towards completing our family dream. Will we really be traveling as soon as February? Do we have everything we need and everything in order? Will it be a boy or a girl? Will it be one child or a sibling pair? Are we really ready to travel half way around the world?
In our weekly email from our caseworker she shared the following Christmas song about adoption that pretty much sums up our feelings this Christmas and our hopes and dreams of next Christmas, not to rush things since time flies already. Please copy and paste this link into your web browser to hear the song on Youtube titled “Merry Christmas” by Third Day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAwYBBuXIyM
The lyrics are below if you would like to follow along:
"There's a little girl trembling on a cold December morn
Crying for momma's arms
At an orphanage just outside a little China town
There the forgotten are
But half a world away
I hang the stockings by the fire
And dream about the day when I can finally call you mine
It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas
As I hang the tinsel on the tree and watch the twinkling lights
I'm warmed by the fire's glow
Outside the children tumble in a wonderland of white,
Make angels in the snow
But half a world away you try your best to fight the tears
And hope that heaven's angels come to carry you here
It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas
Christmas is a time to celebrate the holy child
And we celebrate his perfect gift of love
He came to earth to give his lifeAnd prepare a place for us
So we could have a home with him above
It's Christmas time again and now you're home
Your family is here so you will never be alone
So tonight before you go to sleep, I'll hold you in my arms
And I'll tell you from my heart, and I'll tell you from my heart
I wish you Merry Christmas"
The end of this year has brought all sorts of suprises regarding the adoption. Once we found out what region we were assigned to we joined a message board of families who have already adopted from Taraz or like us are headed that way. We have made contact with a family that may be traveling the same time as us and two who have recently adopted from there. One of the families actually lives in Ellicott City not far from us. How nice it will be to know that there is another child from the same region in the area for our child or children to connect with.
Last but not least, as we attempt to learn the Russian language before our trip, not going so well, we discovered that a friend of ours has a daughter-in-law who is from Russia. They just moved back here to the area this summer. It looks like we may have a tutor/translator to help us out here at home.
May you all have a blessed Christmas and a prosperous New Year!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Celebrate this special season with a special gift
As we prepare for Christmas this year our thoughts are upon the children in the baby houses and orphanages in Kazakhstan. We look forward with anticipation to the thoughts that next year there will be a young child in the house. There is something special about witnessing the Christmas season through the eyes and wonderment of a child. It makes it extra special.
Our International Adoption Agency, Adoption Ark, supports children overseas in multiple ways through out the year. Recently they sent out an email listing ways that others can assist them in their efforts during the holiday season and throughout the year. If you are interested in helping with the effort to assist the children in the baby houses and orphanages below are some of the ways they suggested.
OPTION 1
“What if Adoption ARK earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Or how about if a percentage of every purchase you made online went to support our cause? Well, now it can! GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!
GoodShop.com is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 37 percent of each purchase to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, ebay, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop and every time you place an order, you'll be supporting your favorite cause.
Just go to www.goodsearch.com and be sure to enter Adoption ARK as the charity you want to support. And, be sure to spread the word! visit GoodSearch or GoodShop .
OPTION 2
Happy Holiday, Kid
Those who work in adoption field know for a fact that perspective adoptive parents mainly desire to adopt young kids: babies or toddlers. Kids who are 4 and up are considered for these clients to be ‘too old’. Please think about it! Even combination of such words as ‘kid’ and ‘too old’ is an awkward combination. However, many orphans who dream about parents might never have an opportunity to experience family life because perspective adoptive parents consider them to be ‘too old’. At the age of 5, a kid might be too old to be desired by a loving family!
Adoption Ark’s mission is to help orphan kids, especially kids who need it the most – special needs kids and older kids!
Adoption Ark proposes a new program “Happy Holiday, Kid!” We think that it is a good time to be reminded about orphans who might never have a chance to be adopted and might never experience holidays shared with caring family members! We invite everyone who might be interested in making an orphan’s life a bit brighter, to participate in the program!
Here we have some older kids’ photos and IDs. We propose that you write greeting cards to one or a few of them (you can choose as many as you want) – on major holidays the child of your choice celebrates in his or her orphanage, in his or her home country.
How does this program work? You can choose one or a few kids and sign up to participate in the program. The process of signing up is easy, quick and absolutely free. You will receive the child’s first name (only! please be informed in advance that there is no possibility for us to release any confidential personal information about the child) and a list of MAJOR holidays in his or her home country.
The only thing you will have to do is to send greeting cards to us (to Adoption Ark), addressed to the kids you want to support and we will forward your cards to the regional representatives, who will bring them to the specific orphans to whom they are addressed. A few simple words of care, a funny picture on a greeting card, a smiley face, a silly drawing, anything of such nature may bring a smile to the child’s face and brighten his or her day.
We want to state it clearly: we will not accept any monetary donations or any gifts for the kids. This program is designed to put the message across – that we, adults, do care for orphan children regardless of their race, regardless of their nationality, regardless of their ages! This program is designed to raise awareness of older kids who grow and live in the orphanages.
Participation in the program is absolutely voluntarily and you can stop to do it at any time – no questions asked. Adoption Ark will not send you any reminders or any requests for cards --- it should be your pleasure to write a few words for the orphan of your choice.
If you have never met an orphan, you can not even believe how happy the kid might be when he or she receives a greeting card from abroad. Think about these kids –affectionate or reserved, polite or mischievous, proper or funny, active or shy – they all need attention, love and care! Please consider your participation in the program. We promise to deliver all cards to the kids of your choice. A simple holiday greeting card can brighten a day for a kid in a foreign country. They all look up to the sky. They all see bright stars. They all make wishes. Let’s just send them our greetings and hope that their wishes will come true. Happy Holiday, Kid!
For the full list of kids and for the free application to sign up for the program, please inquire at kids@adoptionark.org
OPTION 3
Christmas Projects 2008
During the holiday season Adoption ARK receives many calls asking "What do the children need this Christmas?" The answer depends on the country the children are living in and the condition of the orphanage. Adoption Ark, with your help, would like to make The Winter Holidays extra special living in orphanages around the world.
Project #1 Our Annual Celebration of the New Year For Orphans In The Ivanovo Region
Every year Adoption Ark is commited to bring the holiday spirit into children's' lives. Last year we sponsored a huge celebration of all orphanages in the Ivanovo region. In addition we provided gifts for orphanages that became special for our team. This year we would like to raise $2000 to support a celebration the New Year for our dear older children residing in this region. The usual celebration is a concert with children and adults participating. The funds are needed to help buy costumes and decorations; in addition we will provide each child in the sponsored orphanage with a gift.
Project #2 Help for Special Needs Orphans in Russia
Special needs houses for older children may be a sad place to visit. While children's' basic needs are met, they often times do not receive any formal education. However the situation is changing. One special needs orphanage in Pscov had their first school year with a program designed for special need kids. Adoption Ark would like to raise $1000 to buy educational materials and sports equipment for kids in Pskov. In addition we would like to make donations to other special needs orphanages.
Project # 3 Helping Orphaned Children that have Cancer
We want to help orphans who have cancer to collect money for their treatment and medical care. We know of such orphans living in Kazakhstan, Russia and other countries. Those who want to donate to the project 'FIGHT CANCER' please put a note on your check that the money is to be donated towards this project.
Project #4 Kazakhstan Orphanage needs Basic Supplies for the Children
Two Kazakhstan orphanages asked for the donation of: 8 vacuum cleaners for groups of kids and 1 steam vacuum cleaner for musical center and sports room. glass-wooden case for medical supplies 8 cvarz lamps (lamps that clear the air) Special oven for making bread and other pastry Sports equipment Total requested $5,000 Adoption Ark donates $1000 towards this project. With help of our sponsors we have collected $3,500 but we still need to raise $1500 to meet this goal.
Project #5 Christmas Presents
Adoption Ark raised funds for Christmas gifts for older Bulgaria orphans. We will appreciate any donation for this cause.
Donations can be made through Google checkout by clicking on the "Donate to Orphans" button or you can mail your contribution to:
Adoption ARK
830 Buffalo Grove Road,
Suite 103
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089
PLEASE WHEN YOU SEND A CHECK INDICATE THE PROJECT YOU WOULD LIKE TO DONATE TOWARDS. IF WE HAVE REACHED OUR GOAL FOR YOUR INTENDED PROJECT, PLEASE INDICATE IF YOU ARE WILLING FOR YOUR DONATION TO BE APPLIED TO ANOTHER PROJECT THAT HAS NOT YET MET ITS INTENDED GOAL.
Warm thoughts go out to all of you this special time of the year. Thanks for all your support and prayers as we make our family a reality in 2009.
Our International Adoption Agency, Adoption Ark, supports children overseas in multiple ways through out the year. Recently they sent out an email listing ways that others can assist them in their efforts during the holiday season and throughout the year. If you are interested in helping with the effort to assist the children in the baby houses and orphanages below are some of the ways they suggested.
OPTION 1
“What if Adoption ARK earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Or how about if a percentage of every purchase you made online went to support our cause? Well, now it can! GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!
GoodShop.com is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 37 percent of each purchase to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, ebay, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop and every time you place an order, you'll be supporting your favorite cause.
Just go to www.goodsearch.com and be sure to enter Adoption ARK as the charity you want to support. And, be sure to spread the word! visit GoodSearch or GoodShop .
OPTION 2
Happy Holiday, Kid
Those who work in adoption field know for a fact that perspective adoptive parents mainly desire to adopt young kids: babies or toddlers. Kids who are 4 and up are considered for these clients to be ‘too old’. Please think about it! Even combination of such words as ‘kid’ and ‘too old’ is an awkward combination. However, many orphans who dream about parents might never have an opportunity to experience family life because perspective adoptive parents consider them to be ‘too old’. At the age of 5, a kid might be too old to be desired by a loving family!
Adoption Ark’s mission is to help orphan kids, especially kids who need it the most – special needs kids and older kids!
Adoption Ark proposes a new program “Happy Holiday, Kid!” We think that it is a good time to be reminded about orphans who might never have a chance to be adopted and might never experience holidays shared with caring family members! We invite everyone who might be interested in making an orphan’s life a bit brighter, to participate in the program!
Here we have some older kids’ photos and IDs. We propose that you write greeting cards to one or a few of them (you can choose as many as you want) – on major holidays the child of your choice celebrates in his or her orphanage, in his or her home country.
How does this program work? You can choose one or a few kids and sign up to participate in the program. The process of signing up is easy, quick and absolutely free. You will receive the child’s first name (only! please be informed in advance that there is no possibility for us to release any confidential personal information about the child) and a list of MAJOR holidays in his or her home country.
The only thing you will have to do is to send greeting cards to us (to Adoption Ark), addressed to the kids you want to support and we will forward your cards to the regional representatives, who will bring them to the specific orphans to whom they are addressed. A few simple words of care, a funny picture on a greeting card, a smiley face, a silly drawing, anything of such nature may bring a smile to the child’s face and brighten his or her day.
We want to state it clearly: we will not accept any monetary donations or any gifts for the kids. This program is designed to put the message across – that we, adults, do care for orphan children regardless of their race, regardless of their nationality, regardless of their ages! This program is designed to raise awareness of older kids who grow and live in the orphanages.
Participation in the program is absolutely voluntarily and you can stop to do it at any time – no questions asked. Adoption Ark will not send you any reminders or any requests for cards --- it should be your pleasure to write a few words for the orphan of your choice.
If you have never met an orphan, you can not even believe how happy the kid might be when he or she receives a greeting card from abroad. Think about these kids –affectionate or reserved, polite or mischievous, proper or funny, active or shy – they all need attention, love and care! Please consider your participation in the program. We promise to deliver all cards to the kids of your choice. A simple holiday greeting card can brighten a day for a kid in a foreign country. They all look up to the sky. They all see bright stars. They all make wishes. Let’s just send them our greetings and hope that their wishes will come true. Happy Holiday, Kid!
For the full list of kids and for the free application to sign up for the program, please inquire at kids@adoptionark.org
OPTION 3
Christmas Projects 2008
During the holiday season Adoption ARK receives many calls asking "What do the children need this Christmas?" The answer depends on the country the children are living in and the condition of the orphanage. Adoption Ark, with your help, would like to make The Winter Holidays extra special living in orphanages around the world.
Project #1 Our Annual Celebration of the New Year For Orphans In The Ivanovo Region
Every year Adoption Ark is commited to bring the holiday spirit into children's' lives. Last year we sponsored a huge celebration of all orphanages in the Ivanovo region. In addition we provided gifts for orphanages that became special for our team. This year we would like to raise $2000 to support a celebration the New Year for our dear older children residing in this region. The usual celebration is a concert with children and adults participating. The funds are needed to help buy costumes and decorations; in addition we will provide each child in the sponsored orphanage with a gift.
Project #2 Help for Special Needs Orphans in Russia
Special needs houses for older children may be a sad place to visit. While children's' basic needs are met, they often times do not receive any formal education. However the situation is changing. One special needs orphanage in Pscov had their first school year with a program designed for special need kids. Adoption Ark would like to raise $1000 to buy educational materials and sports equipment for kids in Pskov. In addition we would like to make donations to other special needs orphanages.
Project # 3 Helping Orphaned Children that have Cancer
We want to help orphans who have cancer to collect money for their treatment and medical care. We know of such orphans living in Kazakhstan, Russia and other countries. Those who want to donate to the project 'FIGHT CANCER' please put a note on your check that the money is to be donated towards this project.
Project #4 Kazakhstan Orphanage needs Basic Supplies for the Children
Two Kazakhstan orphanages asked for the donation of: 8 vacuum cleaners for groups of kids and 1 steam vacuum cleaner for musical center and sports room. glass-wooden case for medical supplies 8 cvarz lamps (lamps that clear the air) Special oven for making bread and other pastry Sports equipment Total requested $5,000 Adoption Ark donates $1000 towards this project. With help of our sponsors we have collected $3,500 but we still need to raise $1500 to meet this goal.
Project #5 Christmas Presents
Adoption Ark raised funds for Christmas gifts for older Bulgaria orphans. We will appreciate any donation for this cause.
Donations can be made through Google checkout by clicking on the "Donate to Orphans" button or you can mail your contribution to:
Adoption ARK
830 Buffalo Grove Road,
Suite 103
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089
PLEASE WHEN YOU SEND A CHECK INDICATE THE PROJECT YOU WOULD LIKE TO DONATE TOWARDS. IF WE HAVE REACHED OUR GOAL FOR YOUR INTENDED PROJECT, PLEASE INDICATE IF YOU ARE WILLING FOR YOUR DONATION TO BE APPLIED TO ANOTHER PROJECT THAT HAS NOT YET MET ITS INTENDED GOAL.
Warm thoughts go out to all of you this special time of the year. Thanks for all your support and prayers as we make our family a reality in 2009.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Still anticipate a February vacation to Kazakhstan
The latest report from our caseworker is that they still expect us to travel in February sometime. What once seemed like it would never be a reality has suddenly turned into a light at the end of the tunnel. We are now at a point we feel we aren't being premature in making out lists of what to take and starting to gather items for the trip.
We have little by little picked up things as we have come acrossed them. I think we are pretty set on electronics, battery chargers, converters, surge protectors, adapters, etc.
The tradition is to take items to give to certian people as token of appreciation for assisting us in country and caring for the children. We have been picking up items here and there that we thought might make good gifts. I guess it is time to go through all the items that we have collected and just stuck in the closest for later and actually see what we have accumulated and what we still need.
Our caseworker gave us pros and cons of turning the 2nd and 3rd visit into one long visit. I think her best advice was to wait until after the 1st trip and then decide if we would rather make 2 more long round trips or stay for a 5-9 weeks and only make one more long round trip at the end. Obviously the more time we spend in country after the first trip the less time we may have to spend at home when we get back before we have to return to our jobs.
Hopefully santa will be generous to us this year and bring us the coveted LOI for Christmas so we can actually set a travel date.
We have little by little picked up things as we have come acrossed them. I think we are pretty set on electronics, battery chargers, converters, surge protectors, adapters, etc.
The tradition is to take items to give to certian people as token of appreciation for assisting us in country and caring for the children. We have been picking up items here and there that we thought might make good gifts. I guess it is time to go through all the items that we have collected and just stuck in the closest for later and actually see what we have accumulated and what we still need.
Our caseworker gave us pros and cons of turning the 2nd and 3rd visit into one long visit. I think her best advice was to wait until after the 1st trip and then decide if we would rather make 2 more long round trips or stay for a 5-9 weeks and only make one more long round trip at the end. Obviously the more time we spend in country after the first trip the less time we may have to spend at home when we get back before we have to return to our jobs.
Hopefully santa will be generous to us this year and bring us the coveted LOI for Christmas so we can actually set a travel date.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Belated Happy Thanksgiving News
We learned today that our dossier has evidently made it through the MFA and has been assigned to the region of Taraz. See the link to a Map and Fun facts about Taraz on the lower right hand side of this blogsite. We're not sure if that means we cleared the MOE yet or not. But at least we have a region so we know a little more as to where we are going. Don't know the actual city or town yet. They anticipate we should be traveling in February of 2009. This region assignment, like any of them, comes with pluses and minuses. On the plus side, it is in the southern part of the country just west of Almaty which is where we would leave from on our final trip. Is a little warmer in the winter than the northern part of the country which boarders Siberia. The minus side of the equation is that it is one of the regions in which court dates can be hard to come by and delay the process. It also may require 3 trips. On the plus side, each trip is relatively short compared to the original forecast of 6-8 weeks on the first trip. Our agencies guestimate based on timelines over the last year is the following:
Bonding period - 2 weeks (plus a couple extra days for travel and paperwork)
Time waiting for court – 3-6 weeks
Court – trip lasts about 1 week
Waiting period after court – 15 days (this is mandatory appeal process)
Paperwork processed for child – 2-3 weeks
Parents can pick up child – trip about a week long or child can be escorted home
Word on the message boards is that the time waiting for court is very unpredictable. A family from our agency that traveled over the summer only had a 3 week wait but there is another family (not sure if they are with our agency or not) that has been waiting for 11 weeks for a court date.
From what we have been told it looks like it will most likely be a boy between 2-3 years of age. Nothing is definite. So we still don't know exactly what to do about fixing up our new childs room.
Since it is the holiday season time seems to be moving more quickly with all the activity so February will be here before we know it. Hopefully the new year will bring the coveted LOI (letter of invitation) which gives us the stamp of approval to travel.
Bonding period - 2 weeks (plus a couple extra days for travel and paperwork)
Time waiting for court – 3-6 weeks
Court – trip lasts about 1 week
Waiting period after court – 15 days (this is mandatory appeal process)
Paperwork processed for child – 2-3 weeks
Parents can pick up child – trip about a week long or child can be escorted home
Word on the message boards is that the time waiting for court is very unpredictable. A family from our agency that traveled over the summer only had a 3 week wait but there is another family (not sure if they are with our agency or not) that has been waiting for 11 weeks for a court date.
From what we have been told it looks like it will most likely be a boy between 2-3 years of age. Nothing is definite. So we still don't know exactly what to do about fixing up our new childs room.
Since it is the holiday season time seems to be moving more quickly with all the activity so February will be here before we know it. Hopefully the new year will bring the coveted LOI (letter of invitation) which gives us the stamp of approval to travel.
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