Approved!!

Merry Christmas! Several weeks ago our daughter said that she wanted two things for Christmas. One was a wardrobe for her American Girl and the other was a positive decision from the judge. Well, today we got that gift! Our positive decision came....finally! We are so thankful and praising God! We shouted, screamed, jumped up and down, cried and rejoiced. Thank you Jesus! -wendy

Home Again!

We made it home yesterday afternoon and were thankful to have made our flights despite the delays and bad weather in Europe. It is good to be home with our children and sleeping in our own bed last night felt so incredibly good. I have posted some updated photos of Noah above. We were not able to post photos while in Kazakhstan but didn't want you to miss seeing how he has changed and grown.

The final part of our hearing is tomorrow. We are hoping to have some good news by the end of the week!

Noah Timur turns 2!

Saturday, Dec. 18th was Noah's birthday. We celebrated with a party hat and some sort of little cupcake/cookie thing. The party hat didn't stay on too long and the cream filled treat was ok. I have a feeling the baby house doesn't supply too many sweet treats for the little ones. Noah didn't like that whipped cream on his fingers. He kept holding his hand out to be wiped and he only ate 1/2 of the birthday treat. Shane ate the rest. We learned on one of our earlier trips that Noah was considered a "foundling". We were told he was found on an older woman's doorstep as an infant and it was that woman who brought him to the baby house with no name, no birthdate or background information. His birthdate was given to him by the baby house.....Dec. 18th it is!

At the moment we are waiting in the Almaty airport. Our flight has been delayed and we are afraid we may miss our connecting flight in Frankfurt. Nothing we can do, though. Hopefully everything will work out fine! Can't wait to get home. -wendy

Happy Indepence Day

Happy 16th of December,

Today was Kazakhstan’s Independence Day: A country less than two decades old. Most things were shut down… that is except for our ride to go see our boy this morning. We had a good day with him and he was pretty spunky. He even threw his first fit and smacked his Tupperware of goldfish. He can turn it on and off pretty fast. He laughed a lot today as well which was great to see. It’s fun to see a little more of personality coming out again. It is very endearing to see him retrieve a toy and then back slowly into his place on Wendy’s lap. He definitely hoards toys, food and anything else that he finds desirable.

We have received news of yet another approval here in Taraz and so things seem to be humming along just fine yet always seemingly slower than we would choose. All in God’s timing. The judge came to observe us and another US American couple in the afternoon yesterday and stayed about five minutes. He made a few comments like… “He can walk now” and “he’s grown so much.” …Yes your honor that’s what happens to little children over the course of a year! Anyway, we are thankful to have that behind us as well and after two more days with Noah, we will be headed for home. Because of the holiday, all flights out of Taraz are sold out so it looks like we’ll be driving once again… Yee-ha!

OK one good story- On the flight to Taraz we sat in an exit row. I looked up by where the oxygen masks drop down and saw a placard that read: EMERGENCY ROPE. OPEN HERE AND THROW ROPE OUT WINDOW. (I’ll let you imagine how that works but I got a good laugh out of it).

We miss our kids, the Christmas atmosphere, and comfortable pillows and can’t wait to be home, hoping to return soon for the 4th and last time!

Shane

Made it!

We finally have arrived in Taraz! Travel was going great until the very last little leg from Almaty to Taraz. Our flight was delayed and delay and then eventually canceled due to dense fog. Fortunately it left the next morning and we had a beautiful flight over the Kyrgyz Mountains! Sorry we haven't updated until now. We had some internet issues.

Our court hearing went fine yesterday. Shane was asked about a dozen questions and I was asked two! Nothing unexpected, really. We were told that two more things needed to happen before we would get a decision. One is the judge visiting us at the baby house with Timur. Second, there is an additional hearing where a couple of witnesses (local Kazakh couple) will testify that they would not have wanted to adopt Timur when he was available for domestic adoption. Both of those things were scheduled for next week Tuesday. We explained to the judge that our return flight was on Dec. 20th and we really wanted return as planned due to family, holiday, and job circumstances. He understood and said that would be fine. He will come to the baby house today and we didn’t need to attend the hearing with the witnesses. So we will not learn of his decision before we leave which is a bummer but we are thankful we didn’t have to stay longer and try to get our flights changed to still be home before Christmas.

Of course the highlight of being here so far is seeing our boy again! Oh, he is so stinkin’ cute and has changed a lot. He is taller, walking and making little talking noises. He even said, “Mama” although pointed to our coordinator- not me! Can’t blame him for the confusion. AND- he didn’t cry much at all. I think the yogurt and goldfish crackers helped. We played, looked at books, built towers and gave lots of kisses. It was such a joy! Can’t wait to get him home with Micah, Emma and Elijah. Can’t wait for many of you to meet him. He is a sweet little boy.

There are also four other families here spending time with their little ones and waiting for court. We were happy to see them all and continue to pray for each of the families. Praying that we all get through this mess soon and get our little ones home! Thanks for your prayer and thoughts and words of encouragement. Our time here is going by quickly so for now we will enjoy Kazakhstan once again and love on our little Timur as much as we can! -wendy

On a side note- the first of the Taraz families is going home tomorrow with their little one! Yippeeee!

Off to court....again!

Hello friends,

We are off to Kazakhstan! This morning I had an email informing us of our new court date! Tuesday, Dec. 14th is the day. We were sort of thinking we weren't going to have to appear in court again, but we do. So preparations are being made. We are excited to be moving forward. We are excited to see our little Noah again. Honestly, I was freaking out a little bit today thinking about all the things that needed to be done in the next 10 days!

We would appreciate your continued prayers as we prepare to fly to the other side of the globe once again. When we titled this blog "Walking by Faith" I never anticipated our journey being this hard and this long. But we continue to have faith and trust that He will sustain us as we make one more step in bringing our little guy home to us soon.

-wendy

One family celebrates!!

It is a happy day for one of the 8 families adopting out of Taraz, KZ!! Two weeks ago our friends, B and J got a YES from the municipal judge! That is a huge praise and thanksgiving. And today they received the stamp that officially makes them parents! They get custody of their little boy tomorrow! We are so excited for them and thankful for what this means to us as well. These friends decided not to appeal to the Supreme Court but to instead return to the municipal court and sort of start over. It's a long story with lots of details but in the end- it worked!! And we are so happy!

What does this mean for us? Our paperwork has been updated, signatures of local families who would not have wanted to adopt Timur over a year ago have been sought after (it seems that is what the judge wanted), and it's now been all resubmitted to the court. We are feeling positive at this point. We are unsure of the time line, but pray the judge will give us his positive decision soon!

Below is a photo we took of our little Noah Timur with B and J's little guy! We think of them often and are so thankful they finally got their boy!

Gratitude

Hello dear friends and readers,

It has been awhile since our last update so I thought I would share our latest progress with you. For quite some time we have been sort of at a stand still in regards to our adoption moving forward. Several months ago we were encouraged to "lay low" and wait it out...see what would happen with the other 7 Taraz cases. Our Taraz coordinator hoped that in time the situation there would resolve itself and we could move forward with a decision from the judge.

Two weeks ago we were asked to prepare updated documents. I have to admit that I grew very tired of preparing documents. But if it means we are one step closer to getting Timur home with us, documents we will prepare! This meant trips to the doctors, medical forms filled out, 2 sets of updated fingerprints, updated financial statements, updated employment letters, a trip to the notary to have all documents notarized, a trip downtown for apostilles (basically a notary for the notary all printed up on a piece of paper with a shiny, gold seal attached), and finally a trip to FedEx to ship them all off to the other side of the globe! Phew! And although we have done this many times before, there definitely is this pressure to have it done perfectly and like yesterday!! But we did it and the documents made it to Taraz with no problems. So now our dossier is being updated and resubmitted to the courts. We are hopeful that we will have our court hearing in the next month. It's exciting to know that things are progressing but it still seems to take FOREVER.

I attend a bible study and a couple of weeks ago we were studying gratitude. The author writes this about giving thanks:

"Thanksgiving doesn't depend on the way you feel moment by moment, nor is it a polite courtesy. Your urgent duty is to respond in gratitude to all that God has done and is doing for you. To be grateful is to recognize God's hand on everything that touches your life. Every breath you draw is a gift of His love; every moment of existence is a gift of grace, for it brings with it other immense graces from God. Gratitude takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly aware of new wonders, and praises the goodness of God. Those who are grateful know that god is good not by hearsay but by experience."

We never imagined our adoption would be this difficult and although we are going through this trial that seems to be lasting way too long, we can look back and see how God was at work. He is changing hearts, answering prayers, providing, and giving us an unbelievable amount of grace and peace! We are blessed and have so much to be thankful for. Today I was thankful for another snapshot of Timur (see above and notice the HUGE booties!!) He is growing and getting bigger. Oh how we long to have him home.

When you think of us, please pray things move along quickly. And pray that God will make a way for our little one to come home. I would also ask that you continue to think of the 7 other Taraz families still waiting for their little ones as well. Some of these families are applying to the Kaz. Supreme Court and some of these families are sort of starting over at the municipal level (in an expedited fashion). It's our prayer that all of us will be granted our children very soon and just bring them home. -wendy

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thes. 5:18

He's walking!

Last week we received some photos from a couple who is still in Taraz waiting it out. It was pure JOY to see Timur again and this time standing on his own and walking. We miss him terribly but it is nice to know that our friends are checking in on him and updating us whenever possibly.

We won't be hearing from the judge for awhile. It was suggested that we "lay low" for a bit in hopes that the situation changes for the best which may then help our case. It is hard waiting..very hard, but we will try and be patient and pray that God continues to work in a mighty way.

be amazed

A friend share this verse with me yesterday:

Hab. 1:5 "Look at the nations and watch- and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told."

We were suppose to hear our decision from the judge today, but the hearing was canceled due to the fact that the people who were suppose to be there (baby house people, Department of Education, etc.) were attending appeal hearings for four other families. So we continue to wait. "Maybe tomorrow," we were told.

Looking back, we would have never expected we would be in this place of waiting and wondering what is going to happen next. I knew adopting wasn't exactly easy, but I had no idea! We had a plan- or so we thought and it's not quite working out the way we thought. This verse in Habakkuk reminds me that God IS working and this his plan is amazing. He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or can imagine. And so we continue to wait trusting in Him and his perfect timing. -wendy

Hope

"I have it. Haven't lost it". Those were the words of one of our fellow Taraz adopting friends and I echo her words. We are still hopeful.

We received an email this week stating that there is a hearing scheduled regarding our case on July 7. We assume this will be for a decision from the judge. We covet your prayers...again.

Rom 15:13 "May the God of HOPE fill you with all JOY and PEACE in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, you may abound in HOPE."

Just an update

For those of you who are following our blog closely you have probably been waiting for an update. Well, we have been waiting for an update ourselves! We don't really have anything new to share at this point. Our agency has been in contact with our coordinator in Taraz. We haven't received a decision from the judge because our coordinator was delaying things. She hopes that if something good happens with the other families who are in the appeal process that might help our case. A few days ago, we asked that the decision be made and not be delayed any longer. If we were to be denied, we would like to begin our appeal process as soon as we can. We continue to pray it will be a positive decision and we will be able to bring Noah Timur home soon.

Our daughter asked me that other night, "Has the judge made his decision yet?" I replied, "No not yet. We are still waiting patiently." She then confidently stated, "Well, the longer he takes to make the decision, the more we get to pray about it."

Thank you all for your encouragement, your hugs but most of all your prayers. We are not overwhelmed, scared or feeling in despair. We are just tired of waiting and we miss our little boy! -wendy

Standing Still...

It's been a while since our last post, especially for those who have followed our journey closely, so here is an update and some thoughts... We're back, recovered from jet-lag and waiting for the decision of the judge. There are 7 other families, all who have now received denials from the judge (AKA- no baby!) These families have begun an appeal process to the regional court, hiring lawyers, more paperwork, time, money, etc. We have been told that our decision will be made by the judge this week (May 25).

It is interesting that our Blog is entitled "Walking By Faith" because we don't seem to be doing a whole lot of walking lately. I'd much rather be in control right now but having sat in Airports, on planes and in cars, we now sit at home and wait. Yet I am reminded of the profound lessons that can be learned and reinforced through difficult circumstances...(It would just be nice if we could learn from other people's difficult circumstances, but that's not how it usually works does it?) I'm thinking about Joshua (in the Bible) who was given the daunting task of leading the Israelite people into the promised land. It's not by coincidence that God just happened to wait until the Jordan River was at its highest flood stage to give them the go-ahead(obvious poor planning, right?). God promised Joshua, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."(Joshua 1:9) And the first people to cross were commanded, "You shall stand still in the Jordan."(Joshua 3:8b) One day before, the people were promised, "...Tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you."(Joshua 3:5) And God acted in a miraculous way by stopping the flow of the river so all the people crossed on dry land. It sounds a lot like the Israelites who stood at the edge of the Red Sea with no visible way out and Moses said, "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD."(Exodus 14:13)

At times everything within us wants to move, to act or to take initiative by some sort of evasive maneuvers, but God says, "Wait, Stand firm, Stand Still." I have been encouraged by Psalm 20 as we wait and trust that God is mighty to save. We pray for Noah Timur, for the other families involved and for their children as they begin the appeal process. We've been in God's word and in prayer constantly and so my thoughts are therefore saturated by God's promises and words of life. God parted the Red Sea and stopped the Jordan and we trust that God can command his angels concerning us compelling the judge to approve our case allowing us to bring Noah home. Whatever God does, we know that it will be for our good and for his glory so we wait with a true sense of peace that passes understanding, but remember that our waiting is an active waiting as we are called to... "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."(Romans 12:12)

"May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright."(Psalm 20:5-9)

Thanks for all your support, your prayers and your encouragement :)

It's A Small World

What are the chances that being in Taraz, Kazakhstan, a somewhat unfamiliar country on the opposite side of the world, we would run into some Americans one of whom is from the Holland/Grand Haven area? Well, we did!! Our two young American friends are here for the school year teaching English. We visited them in their apartment today and were invited into one of their classrooms this afternoon. The students’ assignment was to basically have a conversation with us in English. They were delightful teenage girls with lots of great questions. It was a joy. One of the questions asked was if we missed America or would we like to stay and live in Kazakhstan? Apologetically I replied, “We definitely miss our children and no I would not like to stay and live in Kazakhstan. Sorry.”

Baby house visits are the same. Timur seemed crabby and clingy yesterday but was in a much better mood today. He has been very quiet and timid. I think more so than when we were here in January. Although I believe that he recognizes us each time we go to get him, we are still taking him away from what he knows and is used to…his little playmates, his caregivers, and his room. We think the transition will be hard and maybe even scary for him. We continue to love on him and pray that his move to West Chicago will be a smooth transition. -wendy

Just another day...

We continue to enjoy our time in Taraz and at the baby house with Noah Timur. There are now 4 other families here with us and it's a joy to see them bonding with their little ones as well. Again today we spent some time outside with Noah. We are unsure how much he gets outside. When we are out, he is quiet and seems to take it all in. He often looks like he can hardly see because the sun is so bright.

We also learned that apparently Timur has a "biter" in his group and unfortunately he fell prey to that biting child. Yesterday when we picked him up from his room, I asked what the red mark was on his cheek. The caregiver said he was bit. Today the red mark was definately more pronounced and I think we even saw teeth marks. Oh well, I suppose in a giant crib with 7 other one year old, that's bound to happen.

Along with the photo of the three of us, you will see it was laundry day. Actually every day seems to be laundry day at the baby house. At first I wondered why there were only little pants hanging and not too many shirts. Then it dawned on me that because the babies don't wear diapers, there are certainly going to be more pants than shirts that need to be laundered!! -wendy

Victory Day

Not only is today a day of celebration for Moms it is also a great day for the country of Kazakhstan as it celebrates it’s 65th anniversary of the victory over Germany during WWII. The scene around our hotel which is near the center of town felt like New Year’s Eve in Times Square. We ventured out to witness the military formalities and parade. Other than that it’s been a low-key day. We are headed back to the orphanage to see Noah at 3pm and are happy to see a daily increase of his comfort level with us (…again).

Yesterday was a good day with Noah and we spent most of the time outside since it’s been absolutely beautiful weather. Then we met 3 other families who are in the adoption process (2 from Canada) and went out to supper together. It seems like we’ve been away from home a long time yet it’s hard to believe we will be leaving in 5 days! We continue to pray for the court observation day on Thursday and Noah plans to pull out all the stops with the judge and his entourage.

And happy Mother’s day to all the moms out there!

Ahh....much better!!

Posted are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure. The scenery pictures were taken on the way from Almaty to Taraz...beautiful mountains and the country side colored by thousands of poppies!

The photos of Noah Timur were taken yesterday and today. Today was a hundred times better!! Praise God.

Tears of Joy? Doubtful!

Today 2 things happened. One, we had our court hearing. Things went as expected and it was quick. We stood before a judge and answered questions like why are we adopting? Why Kazakhstan? What were your impressions of Timur? Why did you choose him? What is your background, jobs, family? Shane was asked the majority of the questions and I was asked a few follow up questions. There were about 7 others in the room who were a part of our case. Pretty simple, really.

The second thing was visiting Noah Timur at the baby house!! I went upstairs to get him from his room and he took one look at me and cried AND it definately was not tears of joy! We were with him for about 2 hours and he cried most of the time. Sometimes it was whimpering and sometimes a hard cry. We walked outside, had a snack and just tried to keep him content. We are not too concerned and will continue to see him each day until we leave. The judge and "his people" will come to the baby house on Thursday the 13th to observe us with him. We are confident that by then, he will be a happy baby. -wendy

Familiarity is a GREAT thing!!

Well after 10 hours of sitting in an airport and 13 hours of sitting in an airplane and 9 hours of sitting in a car we are here! All went well! We decided that this time around we both felt so calm and peaceful. Everything is familiar. We knew what to expect, where we were going and who we would see. However, the person we most wanted to see today, we didn't see. (bummer!!)

Tomorrow morning at 10:30 we will head to court for our hearing and after lunch we will go to the baby house and see our little one! Pray that our hearing goes well. We are not nervous but will be thankful when it is over. We are also praying there will be familiarity for Timur as well as we spend time with him tomorrow afternoon! We will write more later but wanted to let you know we made it! -Wendy

We have a court date!

"The heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps" Proverbs 16:9

"Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!" Psalm 27:14

TRIP 2 IS MAY 3-15 with our court date scheduled for May 6.

Praise the Lord! A little over 3 months after our first trip, We have tickets and are returning to Taraz for a court date and to see Noah Timur. We are so excited and markedly more confident and at peace as: We know the airports, we are familiar with the area, we know where we'll be staying, we know our translator and coordinator, we know of other couples who will be there and most importantly (although he likely won't remember us) we have met and fallen in love with a precious, one dimpled, 16 month-old beautiful boy by the name of Timur - soon to be Noah Timur Sterk!

All your prayers are felt and God's timing and omniscience (as always) far surpasses our comprehension. We rejoice at what lies ahead and our family is overjoyed that we are taking another step closer to bringing Noah home.
(It's an added bonus for Emma that she'll get two birthdays since we won't be back by May 13).

John 14:8 "I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you."
NOAH... I WHISPERED THIS IN YOUR EAR WHEN WE SAID GOODBYE AND FINALLY, WE'RE COMING TO YOU!

Waiting Patiently

It is has been six weeks since we left Taraz and left our little one behind. Six weeks ago we thought we would be returning by now or at least have a court date on our calendar. And we've got nothing. Many have asked about the latest details and what we know right now is that there have been some delays. We have heard that our paperwork has been received by the courts as well as an official document stating that Timur is legally adoptable. We also know that our documents are being reviewed by court officials. We have US friends that we met while in Taraz who were also adopting and it seems they have experienced delays as well. So- we just wait. We really have no control over the situation but to sit tight, PRAY and wait. Although we have children here at home to tend to and jobs and responsibilities to keep us busy, it still very hard to think about Noah sitting in his giant crib day in and day out. Each day that goes by does bring us closer to getting him home but it also another day that he is in an orphanage without us! We pray daily for him and for this part of the process to move along quickly.

These are some specific requests if you would like to pray along with us:
-a court date!! We will still LOVE to travel this month!
-patience and peace as we wait for our court date
-compassion and graciousness in the hearts of the Kaz. judges
-continued good health, strength and provision for Noah Timur
-and all the other details (even the ones we haven't thought about yet)

Elijah who is now 2 y/o has this thing he does every time we pray whether at the dinner table or before bed. With his little head bowed he chants, "Baby Noah. Baby Noah. Baby Noah." And he will continue to do that until the person praying says something about Baby Noah. I am not quite sure if Elijah fully comprehends what this Baby Noah thing is all about or the fact that a new little one will be coming in and taking over his territory but he knows to pray. And it is a sweet thing to hear and see.

-wendy

Is. 37:31 "But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

At home with family - but not really?!

We have now been home about 10 days after our first trip. So many friends and family have been supportive far beyond our expectations and for that we are truly grateful. Many have asked, "So what was it like?" My answer to them probably included some of the following thoughts:

God gave us an overwhelming sense of peace as we left our three kids for a three-week global adventure! Our time in Kazakhstan was extremely challenging and difficult while at the same time being abundantly rewarding as we met a beautiful little one-year-old boy who captured our hearts. God gave us an incredible unconditional love for him in such a short time…(of course our family HAS been praying for this unknown baby for well over a year). We fell in love with little Noah Timur only to come to the end of our three weeks and face the reality that we had to say “goodbye.” John 14:18 continued to echo in my mind… “I will not Leave you as orphans, I will come to you…” Ultimately, I don’t care about the reality of the court’s custody status. Noah IS OUR SON and we can’t wait to get the little rascal home. What’s it like? Ultimately, financial impact, the 12-hour jet-lag, the foreign food, culture and language all fade into background… Picture coming home to 3 young children whom you haven’t seen in three weeks, only to be hit with the reality that you have left one of your sons on the other side of the globe! Yes, I’ve felt better things in my life but we continue to trust in God’s timing and have been given a continued sense of peace. Having peace, however, doesn’t mean a lack of emotions as I have shed tears more days than not. After missing several weeks, it was a joy to be encouraged in worship and I leave you with a few words of one of the first songs we sang at church after being back:

"Where You send us
God, we will go
You're the answer
We want the world to know

We will trust You
When You call our name
Where You lead us
We'll follow all the way..." -Chris Tomlin

Continue to pray with us as we await our second trip for our court date in about 5 weeks (Lord willing). ~Shane

We are home!

After one long car ride, 2 long flights, and hardly any sleep we are home! Our flight landed yesterday afternoon and we were greeted by mom and dad Sterk, Micah, Emma, and Elijah! It was a joyous and tearful reunion! Praise God for traveling mercies, our family, our Kazakhstan baby, and our own bed!

Our Guardianship appointment on Friday went well and we received consent to petition the courts for the adoption of Timur. We have been told that our court date will be about 4-6 weeks from now. We are happy to be home for now and will be excited to return and be one step closer to bringing him home. Before leaving Taraz on Saturday, we made a quick stop to the baby house to say good bye to Noah. We smothered him with kisses and said we would be back. One of his caregivers said that he had been "naughty". We asked why and she said that he just wants to be held all the time. He cries until someone picks him up, and when he is put back down he is unhappy again. Over the last 2 1/2 weeks, we fell in love with a little boy. We loved on him as much as we could and it's nice to know that he felt it!

Opposite Sides of the World

Hello Friends. Well, tomorrow is our last day in Taraz and then we begin making our way home. I remember several months ago I felt so anxious and so full of fear about leaving my 3 children to travel to the other side of the world- a place I knew nothing about and not knowing what to expect!! Just the thought of it brought me to tears many times. Through lots of prayer, God filled me with peace and I can say that this has been an incredible journey (and it's not over yet!). We have fallen in love with a little boy who will now be the one we are leaving behind! We are torn but know that in time we will ALL be together on the SAME side of the world as a family!! What a celebration that will be.

After seeing Timur today we got a tour of the city by our translator. We saw several mausoleums and heard ancient stories. We heard chanting, saw people kneeling in prayer, and placed coins in the holes of mausoleum walls (to make a wish). It wasn't the best of weather- snow and slippery roads and sidewalks- but it was neat to take in some more the culture that we will one day share with Noah. Tomorrow we will begin to pack, have our guardianship council meeting in the afternoon and celebrate with our new friends who are also adopting by going out to dinner!

It's coming to an end

The last 2 days have been delightful with Timur. He's been happy and playful. Someone told us yesterday that Timur is a clever baby compared to the others in his group. (Of course that made us smile!) We saw his cleverness yesterday when Shane was stacking books on top of each other to make a tower. AFter stacking and then knocking it down, Timur proceeded to copy Shane and building up the tower again. He was so very careful placing books, toys, kleenex, and cars. HE also mimicked Shane putting a ball on his head. Such a smart little guy! We are seeing more and more into his little personality and it's so fun.

All of a sudden the week is going fast and our bonding is about to be complete. We have been taking pictures over the last 2 weeks to show or "prove" that we have indeed been bonding. We need to get many of the photos developed and put into a book for the baby house, the courts, and the guardianship council. We have our appointment with the guardianship council on Friday. We have been prepped as to what questions they may ask. This council is the one that gives us approval to petition the courts for adoption. So many steps!

It's seems we have been away for a long time and we are anxious, so anxious, to get home to our 3 kiddos!! We miss them terribly! But getting home to them means leaving one behind and that will be tough. But God has brought us this far. He will not leave us or Timur. A friend emailed today saying she has been praying daily, sometimes hourly, for us. We know that so many of you are praying and we are so thankful!! This has been an amazing journey! God has been so faithful and answered so many of our prayers. Thank you, thank you!!! We love you!

Noah Timur

Noah Timur was rather cranky today. He liked eating a little banana but that was about it. We did bundle him up for a short walk outside. We were hoping maybe some fresh air would feel good. (They keep the bonding room so so warm!) After our walk he fussed and fussed and eventually fell asleep on Shane. Oh well....we are all entitled to a cranky day, I suppose. There's always tomorrow.

The Food

There should be such a thing as foodlag. We lost 12 hours in time when we came here and they call it Jetlag. But we also lost our diet, as we knew it when we arrived here. Some of it, such as the ramen noodles, granola bars, tea, hot chocolate and trail mix was familiar. It wasn’t what I normally would consider lunch or supper but we’ve made do. Of course then there are the experiences in going out to eat. We discovered quickly that there are several levels of misunderstanding at restaurants. There is first of all the Cyrillic alphabet, which is some weird combination between Hebrew, Greek and English alphabet among others. However, gaining your confidence in reading these words simply helps you to be able to read what you don’t understand. Then just to top it off, you see letters you don’t know and find out that many things are written in Kazakh which has it’s own alphabet! Well, after managing through the maze of letters and language, we have managed to order several different things such as chicken soup, Shish kabobs, a steak dish, French fries and pizza. Pizza here in Kazakhstan is slightly different than our western concept of this great food, even if you aren’t from Chicago. Wendy had a vegetarian pizza one night, which consisted of corn and peas. Last night I decided to order an “American” pizza that had mutton sausage on it. Also, none of the pizza has sauce on it. Since we’ve arrived, I have tried chicken, sheep, cow and some sort of pickled octopus or herring dish. Don’t tell Abiah but somehow, horsemeat has found itself on most menus. I say, chalk it up to experience. We are taking it all in and are very thankful for the opportunity to soak up Kazakh culture.

Bonding--Day 7

Bonding is now half over and Noah is way over halfway out of his shell. His personality is in full swing and he’s going to give Elijah a run for his money. Our mini-mom (Emma) will have a blast and we can’t wait for the day when we actually get to bring him home. Until that day, we are enjoying the moment of each day and each hour we get to spend with our new son while longing to be home with our other children. God has already given us such a deep love for, and a close bond with Noah that it sometimes feels silly that we are facing another week of “bonding.” Although there is a big part of us that would love to simply pick him up and head for home, we have grown in our appreciation for the “process”- the mandatory bonding, the paperwork, the local notary public documents, the pictures with the orphanage psychologist, doctor, coordinator, etc. along with the towering stack of paperwork that has grown over the last year (sometimes referred to as the paper pregnancy). You hear horror stories about baby trafficking and adoption abuse and yet everything that we are going through is a way for the government, the orphanage and adoption agencies to ensure that these precious little ones are found safe, loving and caring homes where they will can grow and blossom and flourish.

Of course bonding is only a couple hours each day. That leaves time for creative meals in our room, writing on the blog and catching up on e-mail at the internet cafe, going out to supper, spending time with the other 3 couples adopting, walking to the grocery store, working on reading and speaking Russian, watching movies and reading. A book that we are reading together since we arrived is Adopted For Life by Russell D. Moore. I would highly recommend it for anyone who has adopted, is thinking about adoption, or simply wants to understand more about a Godly understanding of adoption.

We are so blessed by Joe and Amy Paglia who are caring for our 3 children at home until tomorrow, which is when my parents are traveling from Holland to stay with them for the remainder of the time. This will be a good change of pace for the kids and will give Delilah (Joe and Amy’s dog) a break from being chased around the house by Elijah.

Thank you so much for all your thoughts, prayers, comments, e-mails, etc. while we are away. It’s comforting to know our family is being bathed in prayer and that our kids and our church are well cared for in our absence, although it doesn’t make being away any easier. It’s a little warmer than the sub-zero temps from last night so we are headed out for a walk to the store to get some fresh air after being in dry radiant heat all day…

Well, that’s all for today -- Dasveedanya! Shane

Enjoy!

A new discovery....

After having it snow all day yesterday, we woke up to a very pretty (and very cold) winter wonderland! There haven’t been any signs of snow since we got here and the temperature has been mild- in the upper 40s. Because of the fact that we walk just about everywhere we go (and I didn’t bring boots)- it was a rather harsh change.

Thinking back to this morning brings a smile to my face. As we have already said, our weekend visits with Noah Timur were fun. Each day we can definitely see changes in his mood and behavior. He is getting to know us. So I was thinking yesterday that this is how he will probably be from now on- happy, content, very aware and fun. I was wondering, “What will we blog about?” Well, today proved that there is still more to little Timur they we aren’t aware of quite yet. He started off very quiet and hesitant, ate some yogurt and then really let loose. He was so happy! We found that he is very ticklish. That made for some great big giggles- both for Timur as well as Shane and myself. He was busy playing with toys, rattles, a bell and even a balloon. AND we discovered that he can crawl! The slightly inflated balloon offered great entertainment and so I placed the balloon away from him, set him on his hands and knees and off he went. It wasn’t fast, but he could do it. What a delight. We imagine that he doesn’t really have the chance to crawl much because he is in a giant playpen most of the day. We praise God for the changes we see each day. We will look forward to another visit with him tomorrow and how he might surprise us again! The rest of the day has been busy with walks to some local stores and a trip to the big grocery store. We plan to go out to a Turkish restaurant tonight (with our translator thank goodness!!).

Jer. 33:3 “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”

Another new food--bananas!

The third day of bonding is over and every day is more fun and seems noticeably better than the last. God is so good! No tears today and Timur was full of smiles. (There were of course tears from us as we read one of Amy Paglia’s many cards that she sent along to be read on specific days during our stay☺) Noah Timur loves bananas… In fact one of his caretakers said he eats VERY well. This seems apparent by his chubby cheeks and draw to food. Although we don’t get to see most of the kids as they remain in their perspective areas, we had the opportunity to see all of his group/playmates today and even got a picture of all of them in the playpen because our bonding took place right outside his room just like yesterday. It was great to be able to talk to one of his caretakers for a little while. She was very friendly and it was apparent that she cares deeply for all the kids she works with. She told us that Noah sleeps very well (even without a diaper at night), eats very well, enjoys a good pacifier and is a very content, mild mannered baby. We also saw a card that contained the information of different babies in his group. Noah and one other baby had a blank under their birth date and we were told that they weren’t exactly sure when his birthday was. I’m thinking his caretakers and the doctor here simply guess and assign a birthday to some of the babies. We also saw a last name on a card today which we aren’t sure yet was his real name or assigned name. This verse continues to run through my head during our days here… “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:18) Along with feeling very blessed as we spend time with our new son, the days here have been spiritually rich as we live into a new understanding of the reality that God has adopted each of us into his family. This correlating reality has moved me to my core and makes me eternally grateful for a heavenly father who loves me unconditionally, who comes to me, claims me, and who was even willing to sacrifice his only son for my sake. Praise God for adoption!

A pretty snow is falling as I’m writing this in our room. It’s a good afternoon to lay low, relax, watch a movie or read. Love to you all!
-Shane

Yogurt it is!

Today was a beautiful day in Taraz. The sun was out and the temperature was in the upper 40s. We just returned from a long walk to the “bazaar” which was just a lot of people selling a LOT of stuff. We did happen to find a nice little dried fruit and nut stand and are currently snacking on pistachios and dried apricots. Yesterday we began our official bonding period with Noah Timur. We were in a room with 2 other adoptive parents all of us playing with our little ones. The room was so very warm and very stuffy. The children are brought to us all bundled up. Timur was again wearing his pink quilted pants. He had on 2 shirts and also a button up jacket AND a stocking cap. The poor little guy was sweating. I did take off the hat and unbutton his jacket but the orphanage care takers are not too fond of stripping the children of their layers. They may catch a cold! We had a nice visit and he was content. He still cries on and off but nothing major and there are hardly any tears. We think it’s a fake cry.

This morning again we left for the baby house. Because our usual room wasn’t available, we went upstairs to a small area right by his room where he eats, sleeps and plays. While our translator asked for Timur we could peek in and see where he spends his days. It was a big room with 2 very large cribs. The cribs had 3-4 babies in them. Some were standing (facing a tv that was blaring) and some sitting. Several of them smiled at us as we peeked in. They were so cute. The room had many toys, walkers, and swings and was quite clean I thought. A woman came into the room from around the corner and she was carrying naked little Timur. She put on a diaper (otherwise he doesn’t wear one…not sure how that works), dressed him and brought him over. First thing I noticed was that he wasn’t wearing his quilted pink pants or so many layers. Also he smelled good- like soap. Of course he cried a bit but again, not too hard. We played, read books and had a number of photos taken. Photos need to be taken each day to show the courts we did complete the mandatory bonding period. Today we thought we would try feeding him something- yogurt. I asked what he eats each day and was told “porridge”. I asked what exactly she meant by porridge and she said it was some meat, potatoes and veggies- all mixed and mashed up. Yogurt would be a nice treat new however, we were instructed more than once to make sure it was not cold yogurt. It needed to be room temperature. They think cold foods or drinks will cause sickness, sore throat, etc.. He loved the yogurt and we became good friends! When he was finished, I put the spoon in the yogurt cup, set if off to the side and he cried and cried! So yogurt it is! We will bring more tomorrow. When it was time to leave, a woman came to take Timur back into his room and placed him in the crib- standing up!! Hanging onto the side, he walked around his crib batting a toy on the side. We waved good-bye and will look forward to another visit tomorrow.

Again, I must say that he is a sweet boy. There is something strange, though, about this idea of a bonding period. It doesn’t feel like there is a lot of pressure or that it’s forced, just different. I love spending time with him, getting to know him but I just wish I could be doing it in the comfort of our own home with the rest of our family-- doing life. I know that will come soon enough so for now, we thank God for him, for his life and for this opportunity to experience Kazakhstan, his native land.

He smiled!

It was a new day in Taraz and we were excited because the night before Shirin had called and told us that we could go to Umit (the baby house) and see Timur. So, yesterday (Wednesday) in the morning, our driver Kanat, the third we’ve had on this trip, picked us up at the hotel, and took us to the orphanage. We went into one of the “bonding rooms” and Shirin brought Timur to us. This being our second time seeing him, we weren’t as much of a shock to him and he actually could look us without crying. There was a visible sense of seeing him relax as he reached out for the few toys that we brought for him to play with. We even saw just enough of a smile to see one dimple appear on his face. (look out Emma!)

The orphanage and most buildings in Taraz are quite warm and culturally, people seem to think that if you get cold, you will catch a cold so many precautionary measures are taken to avoid any sense of chill. Timur was brought to us in a thick pair of underwear (we aren’t sure if he is already potty-trained or if that’s just the way they do it here), thick pink quilted pants, and several layers on top as well which of course also had some pink on them. I guess you work with what you have. He also had thick socks with thick, fleece mouse slippers over top of his socks. The poor guy was sweating but I’m sure he wasn’t about to catch a cold! We’ll ease into the stripping off the layers as we don’t want to offend the cultural norm. Anyway, we had a great time with him although it was only a few short hours. He fell asleep in Wendy’s arms right at the end. All in all… a good bonding day. The bad news was that it wasn’t official “bonding” yet because he doesn’t come off the registry until the 15th despite some efforts to make that happen. So bonding will officially begin tomorrow which means we get to see him every day for two weeks. Our hope and prayer is that they can schedule the guardianship hearing on the same day that the bonding period ends. This would enable us to then fly home on Saturday the 30th or 31st. We’ll keep praying towards that end.

This morning, after Wendy slept for 13 hours (I think she better be recovered from jet-lag now) we had a light breakfast and took a long walk. It’s fun to people watch and to take in all the sights and sounds of Taraz. It’s very interesting to hear loud speakers boom out the Muslim “call to prayer” followed by a loud chanting recitation from the Koran. We saw some huge mosques and found a nice little shopping center a few blocks away. Tonight, the plan is to buy a rotisserie chicken and have potatoes and carrots on the single burner we brought along. I’m writing here in the hotel and then we are headed to the internet café a few blocks down to jump drive this onto their computers since we haven’t found a place yet that will let you use your own computers with their internet. Thank you for your prayers and support each day we are away. We have had some moments of homesickness but God has sustained us and strengthened us with his peace even here… half way around the world. -Shane

We're here!

Hello friends,
Sorry we haven't been able to update until today. It's taken us some time to get settled in, work on internet details, get some sleep etc. but we are here and enjoying our time so far. Let me start with our flight landing in Almaty, Kz. We arrived Monday at 3:00am! Needless to say, we were exhausted. Then we hopped into a car that would take us to Taraz. The trip was a long one- 8 hrs! 8 hours in a very small, cold car. (The heater didn't seem to work real well..brrr) When it was finally morning and the sun was coming up we were surrounded by snowy mountains. It was beautiful. We got into Taraz and were taken straight to the baby house. We met with our translator and adoption coordinator. Then we went to the hotel. We have a nice 4 room apartment! That was a treat and it's very comfortable. We had some time to rest, have a little lunch and then return baby house to meet "some babies". That confused us because we had already been matched with a baby we thought, but we just went along with it all. When we arrived at the baby house the second time we waited with our translator while our coordinator talked with the orpahnage director and doctor. Not really sure what they were talking about but we waited patiently. Again, we thought we would be seeing several babies and having to choose one. BUT- at one point the doctor left and returned with our little one- Timur (tee-moor). The doctor motioned us to come near and faced Timur towards us and he immediately got a big lower lip and started to cry and cry. The Doctor comforted him, faced him to us again and he cried and cried--big tears. We were led into an office where the doctor placed him on my lap. He's crying and I am about to cry but held it together. Then for about a 1/2 hour Shane and I just held him, tried to entertain him and keep him from crying. Such a special time. The translator told us that the children don't see many men so I am conviced he was afraid of SHane, NOT me! :)

He is a sweet boy..fair skinned, light hair and big blue eyes! That is funny to us because most of the people we see, actually almost all the people we see around us are dark haired, dark eyed, Mongol/Asian looking. AND- he's very chubby! Big round cheeks. He's heavy! I think he probably weighs more than Elijah! After holding him and loving on him a bit, the doctor came back and took him. We then were asked what our first impressions of him were ("He's wonderful!!") and is he our choice? (Absolutely!!) We can't even imagine thinking "well, no, let's see another one". Seems so odd and so strange. We are hoping to begin our bonding process tomorrow. We can't wait to see him again.

While driving in the car to Taraz, I had all these emotions running through my head. i was so so tired, first of all from the long flights and virturally no sleep. I was freezing in this cramped little car and a little nervous driving so far with a man that spoke probably only 5 words of English in the middle of the night (and it was a foggy night too). Anyways, I was feeling like we were going to the ends of the earth for this little one. A verse came to my mind. It's the verse that says nothing can seperate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. And now after seeing Timur and holding him, all that traveling and lack of sleep and long freezing car ride was worth it all. We will do what it takes.
Thanks for your prayers and words of encouragement.
-wendy

Good Morning From Frankfurt

We arrived in Frankfurt to a scene much like we left in Chicago. Crews Plowing snow from the runways, piles of snow everywhere, de-icing planes, etc. Although we were delayed almost two hours, our flight from Chicago was a smooth one. Of course we miss our kids ALOT already. Not to worry... I'm sure Delilah (The Paglia's dog) will take great care of the kids as Joe and Amy Paglia stay with them. Although my body tells me it's 4:30 in the morning, the reality is that it's 11:30am and we are about to lose another 5 hours on our next flight.

What a gift it is to have internet access, leather chairs, free mochas to sip on and a quiet place to spend time here at the Admiral's lounge (thanks to the connection of a close friend).

So far, all we have collected is a stamp in our passport that proves we've now been in Germany so that's it for now...

2010...a year of changes...

A couple of nights ago, we were reading devotions with the kids and it was about "changes". We talked about this past year and the many ways things have changed for each one of us and for our family as a whole. Micah said he's become a better basketball player and piano player. Emma said she has changed because some of her clothes are too small. We all agreed that Elijah has changed because a year ago he wasn't doing much as a baby and now he is running around the house, talking like crazy and has become a very spunky little boy! We talked about looking forward to a new year with many new changes- one of them being-- a new family member! Emma told me this morning, "When I think about it, I get really excited about a new brother." We look forward to this change in our family this new year. What a joy our adoption journey has been already and we haven't even met the little guy yet.

Besides just sharing our adventure with you, we desire this blog to also be a reflection of the goodness and faithfulness of our Heavenly Father. He placed this whole crazy notion of international adoption in our hearts over a year ago and now continues to provide for us in so many ways. When I think back to the beginning phases of the adoption process we had so questions. Questions like where to adopt from? How long will we be gone? What about the financial aspect? I think I also had an idea or a little plan of how it would happen. Well, my plan was not His plan and my thoughts were not His thoughts. Many months ago, I would have never thought we would travel so far, be gone so long and have to travel so many times (3 trips required!!). That would not have been my idea of a good plan. God closed the doors on my plans and showed me that his way was better. He has opened new doors and we continue to confidently walk through them trusting that He will guide us. Last night I was talking with the kids about us leaving and friends and grandparents staying with them and Micah, who is a little worried and uncertain about this next step in the adoption process, asked me, "Why can't you just go down there quick and bring him home?" Believe me, I have thought that same thing many times. I responded by saying that first, we have to follow the rules. Then I reminded him that God will watch over us as we travel and them as they stay home with friends and family. We need to trust!

We praise our Heavenly Father who placed the thought of international adoption in our hearts over a year ago and who continues to provide for us and faithfully lead us.

the journey continues.....

As many of you know, Shane and I have been on the road to international adoption. It's been a journey of prayer, many ups and downs, lots of patience, and much anticipation. AND- it's just about to get very exciting!! You see, after about a year filled with mounds and mounds of paperwork we are about to board an airplane that will fly us to the other side of the world and there we will finally meet, face to face, our little one from Kazakhstan. We will be leaving Saturday, Jan. 9th and we are ready! And so this is our story. We hope this journal will be a way for you to share in our journey.