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