Finally!!!

Today we finally made it to our destination!  Headed to the children's inspector first and picked up the inspector and found our way to the orphanage, after a little while they brought the kids in!  They had asked us if we needed to go to the bathroom first, but I said no because I didn't want to miss seeing "V"'s face as soon as possible!  Jeff chose to go and mised being the first one to see him. 
"V" had a shy smile on his face and I got a bit of an awkward shy hug first, then after he sat down beside me he looked at me and said, "Mama" and I replied, "Vsegda" which means forever in Russian.  He smiled and I hugged him tight.  He was very excited to turn and see Jeff - he went and gave him a hug too, a little more comfortable now.  He sat so sweetly beside me for a while and then he had to write a letter to say that he wanted to be adopted by us, which he did with no hesitation!

I was happy that he remembered everyone's names - he only stumbled a bit over Payton's but only once.  We had to make a quick exit because we had to go to the notary to get our paperwork started.  We went to the only notary in our city and he was very busy - said he couldn't see us until next week.  Well that doesn't fit in to our plan of hoping to have court next week so we ended up having to go to a notary about 30km away.  

Funny thing is that she noticed I had notarized Julie's paperwork and she warmed up to me and began asking about what was required to be a notary in the US - I replied $30 and an application.  Here it is quite different and she enjoyed telling me.  I must have made a good impression because she gave me a really nicely bound book about notaries in Ukraine with her picture bookmarked. 

We then headed back on a near empty tank (had visions of having to walk back!).  Since we had to get up around 3am this morning and head out we decided to go back to our apartment and get to bed early.  Tomorrow we will get a bit more paperwork done and head to the orphanage.  It will be the big day to discuss names!  Praying he likes his new name.

I hope to write more tomorrow.  I am so exhausted I don't have much to share today......

Today, and impressions....

Today we will be going to pick up the necessary paperwork to go to the region where the orphanage is and start the process to get a court date.  It has been difficult being so close to "V" and not seeing him, I am so anxious to see his beautiful face and to hear him call me, "Mama" again. 

When he visited this summer he called me "Mama" a million times a day, but when we got to the airport on the day he left he stopped calling me "Mama" and called me, Lydia.....it broke my heart that he had to seperate his feelings and to draw back.  I want him to know how much we love him and that he will soon have a "Mama" forever....and a huge family!

Yesterday we brought some souveniers, and you know you have been to the slope too often when the guys recognize you!  LOL!  Oh well, he gave me a good price (or so he told me).  We will go back today as Jeff has a list of items to buy. 

Unlike most adopters who do blogs, I have not written much about my impressions of the country.  After being here so often I just don't think of it as often. :)  It is so funny here though........you will go in a nice restaurant and find the hole in the ground toilets - how nice of a restaurant does it have to be to have a real one?  I have also decided that the people here also walk different than Americans do - they have a purpose to it and a fast stride, where Americans have more of a lazy walk or a saunter. 

You will also not find any respectable female in Ukraine NOT wearing her boots!  Short ones, spiked ones, knee high, thigh high, boots of all shapes, and colors!  Also - natural haircolor here is not appreciated by the wormen - almost every woman I see has her hair colored - old and young alike.  They always look so stylish and I always feel so dowdy here!

So - for now that is a snippet of what it is like in Ukraine.  Not much news to report yet, tomorrow we will hit the ground running, trying to complete the process in the least amount of time possible.  We should be able to be home by Christmas - or that is our goal! 

Please keep us all in your prayers!
Blessings,
Lydia

SDA TODAY!

We finally made it to the SDA today and had our appointment!  The photo they showed us of "V" was so sad - it was taken when he first came to the orphanage.  Basically though our appointment was short and there were no surprises.  We did a little shopping on the hill, went to the embassy for Jeff and had lunch.  Not too exciting.  We will not leave for the orphanage until Wednesday but we are hoping to hear something  by Friday about when the possibility we can have court. 

Not much to really write today...I am looking forward to posting when we have exciting news.  I can't wait to see "V"'s sweet face!  It is so cute - the girls email and ask now about "Griffan".  Praying he likes his new name! :)

Love to all!
Lydia

We made it!

We made it safely to Kyiv after spending a beautiful day in Munich!  The weather was amazing and we didn't even need our coats!  We had the traditional German food - bratworst and German beer.  Not too bad!  It is such a beautiful city.  After a long day we finally made it to Kyiv at 10:30pm - we were exhausted and slept until noon the next day. 

Spent a non-eventful day yesterday - Susan and her little boy Cayden joined us and we went to eat and that was about it.  Today we will go to buy souveniers and hang out.  Tomorrow is our appointment with the SDA and we are hoping for good news that we will get our referral and get to head on to the orphanage. 

Nothing exciting or newsworthy as of yet.  People are still wearing the masks here due to H1N1 but only a few. 

Will hopefully post good news on Monday! 

"Adopting one child won't change the world; but for that child, the world will change."

I love this quote...I have been thinking about it on and off today.  I also happened to be flipping through channels and saw a clip of Bruce Wilkinson (one of my favorite authors) talking about his new book: YOU WERE BORN FOR THIS: Seven Keys to a Life of Predictable Miracles.  I mention both the quote and the book for a reason....families that are adopting are often told we are "amazing" for doing what we are doing.  It isn't that we are amazing or anything special but that we have come to understand that we can truly be the change we want to see in the world (another quote I love!). 

In the book (that I am going to go out tonight and buy to read on my trip) YOU WERE BORN FOR THIS, Bruce suggests that we are the vehicle that God uses to deliver miracles.  Isn't that a beautiful thought?  For example, our family is the miracle that our Ukrainian children needed....and God blessed us to be the deliverers of that miracle.  We could have said no - and we could have missed out on the blessings that God has brought in to our lives, through the children that we are privileged to care for, the friends we have met, and the job that I feel that I was purposed to do!

I pray that each and every person that takes the time to read this will be encouraged to seek God and take part of being God's plan for someone's miracle.

You can listen to Bruce Wilkinson talk about his book here: You Were Born For This...part 1.

Excitement, relief, ton of things to do...

We finally have our new appointment date with the SDA!  I am thankful to finally know - the relief is a welcome feeling!!!!!!!  I had been praying that it would be on 11/23 and God answered that prayer!  We are excited to finally make the preparations to go and get our son!

With a Christmas miracle in mind - we could make it back by Christmas Eve!  If we do - Praise God!!! and if we don't - Praise God!!!  I am learning that He is in total control and that every day is His to do with what He sees fit.  It is not an easy lesson to learn and I still struggle - but it is getting a bit easier.  Feel free to remind me of this when I am whining because I miss my family after beeing overseas for 4 weeks! 

Now the flurry of activity begins!  Due to the holiday travel - we have to leave on Thursday of next week instead of Friday as we thought.  So we now have 6 days to get everything done!  We are in pretty good shape since we had started - but now I have to organize that sea of suitcases and do some last minute errand running! 

We decided to go ahead and get the H1N1 vaccine - our doctor suggested it due to us being overseas and the outbreak there, he felt it put us in a higher risk than if we stayed here.  One more thing to get done...but better safe than sorry.  I bought dayquil, nyquil, immunization boosting vitamins, and miscellaneous cold/flu meds to take over.  I also have a friend who is donating a box of masks to take over - we will give what we have left to the orphanage to use. 

All the families I am working with also got their travel dates - let's just put it this way - there will be alot of hoosiers in Ukraine over the holidays!  Everyone is so excited to begin their journey - the anticipation has been building and finally they can spring in to action!  It is funny how quickly the excitement wanes in light of so many things being out of their control....I just pray that God will give them (and me!) the strength we need to hold on and to walk the path He has already ordered.  It is one thing being able to "talk the talk" but a whole other situation in being able to "walk the walk".  Your faith is stretched beyond what you could ever imagine - but somehow you get through it and come out so much stronger on the other side. 

My prayer for each and every family is that God will be glorified in every way, every day.  That they will be an encouragement for each other, and hold each other up when needed, just like in the battle in Exodus: 
Joshua did what Moses ordered in order to fight Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill. It turned out that whenever Moses raised his hands, Israel was winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, Amalek was winning. But Moses' hands got tired. So they got a stone and set it under him. He sat on it and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on each side. So his hands remained steady until the sun went down. Joshua defeated Amalek and its army in battle.  Exodus 17:12 

I will try to update as I can while I am gone!  I am excited to see all that God has planned and to share that with you!  Please pray for our health, our families health, our new son's health, and all of our safety.  I pray that this Thanksgiving - we will truly understand the meaning of thankfulness and from where our blessings come....God bless.

Sad today....

I am facing today with some sadness - not because of our travel delays but because of regret.  If you have not read Katie's latest blog entry - I encourage you to do so - it is the November 8th entry.  (in fact - read it first and then read mine!)

This 21 year old girl has touched my life so profoundly.......and is making me face the regret in my life but also encourages me to have the determination to change.  Katie quotes Francis Chan from one of my favorite books (CRAZY LOVE), "How we live our days, is how we live our lives."  She points out that many of us have wasted days in waiting on something instead of living in the moment.  I am sad to say that I have wasted too many moments in my life - waiting...just like the past few days. 

While I have not gotten very upset over our delay - I have not taken advantage of it either.  Today I will take the time to enjoy the time I have with my daughters - before I have to make our new son a priority.  More snuggles, more secrets, more individual time with each of them before "V" comes home and needs our focus and attention.

This reminds me of another favorite book of mine by John Piper "A LIFE NOT WASTED".  I don't want to look back at my life and see alot of regret - I want to try to live my life in such a way that I can find a way each day to glorify God.  If I can learn to do that and teach my children to do the same I will be happy - or if we at least strive to live our lives that way I will be pretty happy. 

My favorite quote from the book is, "Only one life, twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last."  Can you imagine living our lives in which every decision we make is weighing whether it will be done in Christ's name and have lasting value?  How different would our lives be?  I know mine would be vastly different.

So - the point of my whole entry today is to encourage you to live each moment........or at least to do the best you can.  I hope that Katie's post encourages you to live.......

Disappointment....stupid pigs...........

Thanks to the H1N1 virus (aka - swine flu) our scheduled departure date for Ukraine is postponed indefinetly....and for now we wait....  Next Friday we "may" hear some news but we are told that it is likely at least a 3 week delay.  I am sorry for us, for the families that it is affecting and mostly for the children who now have to wait longer......

Please pray for the situation in Ukraine - that they will lift the quarantine as soon as possible.  Please pray for "V" and the other children who have to continue to wait.  Also pray for the health of the people in Ukraine. 

I know that God is bigger than H1N1 and that I can trust Him on our timing. 

Time for a Celebration! We got our appointment date!

Today we got the email from Ukraine with our State Department of Adoption appointment for Monday, November 9, 2009!  We will leave on Friday, November 6 for Ukraine!

As you can guess we are happy!  We want to surprise "V" and show up!  I can hardly wait to see his sweet face and to squeeze him so tight! 

It is so amazing that it has happened this quickly!  If you look at my timeline it is only 12 weeks from the time my husband said yes until we have our appointment!  So, it will be about 4 months from start to finish!  Quite an accomplishment for an international adoption!!!  Thank you God for your blessing!!!!  I will be posting some during our trip and will fill in even more after our trip!  Stay tuned for more to come....Please keep us, our family, "V" and the process in your prayers!

Little Ray of Sunshine on a Crazy Day!

Thursday was a crazy day!  Started off hearing that a family that is wanting to adopt a girl turning 16 had their dossier submitted but they wouldn't give them a travel date because the local USCIS had not sent the approval to the embassy.  So to start off the day I met them at the USCIS office and tried to find out what needed to happen - unfortunately they had no clue....so I made plans to wake up at 2am to call the embassy in Ukraine to find out what we needed to do.

Later that day, I got emails from Ukraine telling me that families dossiers had alot of mistakes by the Secretary of State's office....I love that Jenya said, "The Secretary of State must be tired because he is making alot of mistakes."  Had to make plans to get all the documents re-apostilled on Friday - fortunately I had the families do extra copies and was able to pull all but one document together.

But the little ray of sunshine in the day was receiving a letter from Ukraine from "V"!!!  Unfortunately it was in Ukrainian cursive - no way I could read it!  Luckily Val and Jenya came to my rescue and translated!!!  It warmed my heart to read what he had written:
Hello, this is the letter from V. I love you and DO wait you to come in November. I miss you so much. Thank you for your present. And thank you for everything. I love you all - whole family and really want to join you soon. As you said I prayed to come to you! I miss all family so much, and I miss Takers (Tucker) and Riley .

Kisses. See you soon!
V

Not much longer sweet boy and we will be there!!!!!!!!

The Waiting Game....and how much God cares!

I just had a friend text me and ask if there was any news on our adoption and I sent her a text saying, "Wait, wait, and wait some more..."  Literally within a minute of me sending it I got a new post on Facebook that said, "Caught up in the wait today?  We're praying for you.".  Amazing how God reaches out to us and shows us how much he cares - even on the little things!!! 

Here is the message from Show Hope that was linked to the Facebook post:

Faithfully, I Will Wait
Posted on October 13, 2009 by mckensey . http://ow.ly/ueC2


As I drove the back roads to work this morning I had the radio playing like usual. A song came on that I’ve heard quite a few times lately but today it stuck a different cord within me.

I’m waiting. I’m waiting on you Lord.
And I am hopeful. I’m waiting on your Lord
Though it is painful. But patiently I will wait.
Typically I sing along with an inward focus thinking about things in my life I’m waiting for. That special someone, for God to answer something I’ve been praying about…but today my heart went out to all the families that are waiting for their child to come home. I thought of the two hundred plus names that sit on my computer waiting for us to get notice that it’s time to travel so we can send them their grant award. With China and other countries slowing so dramatically over the past years, we hear story after story of families who have made the decision to adopt, started the process, are ready to make this happen but for now they are simply stuck waiting.

I will move ahead bold and confident.
Taking every step in obedience.
While I’m waiting. I will serve you.
While I’m waiting. I will worship.
While I’m waiting. I will not faint.
I’ll be running the race. Even while I wait.

I think for all of us it’s easy to get caught up in the wait. Wondering when it will happen, wondering why it’s taking so long. But the next line calls us to live while we’re waiting. Keep running, keep serving, keep on living and try not to focus on the wait. Easier said than done that’s for sure.

I’m waiting. I’m waiting on You, Lord.
And I am peaceful. I’m waiting on You, Lord.
Though it’s not easy. But faithfully, I will wait.
Yes, I will wait.

To all of you out there who are caught up in the waiting know that I’m praying for you today. As I’m paying the bills, running reports, responding to e-mails, and going about my daily routine, you are on my heart and mind!

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:14
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. Psalm 130:5

The Power of One - Revealing God's heart and His glory!

Katie from the previous post with her 14 beautiful daughters!  Please read more about Katie at http://www.amazima.org/!  She is a true example of what one person can do if they trust God and are faithful to His call.  My prayer for Katie and her daughters are that God will bless them even greater in Heaven than they could ever imagine and that they would continue to be an inspiration to others.  She has accomplished so much at such a young age - I can't imagine what more she can do (I should say what God can do through her).  I know that someday Katie will hear God speak to her, "Well done good and faithful servant." 

Post that will make you question your life...by Katie

This past weekend I was at an adoption conference in Nashville and was informed about a beautiful 20yo girl that is living an amazing life for God in Uganda.  At 20yo she has moved to Uganda to be a teacher and care for orphans.  She has personally adopted 14 children (remember she is only 20!).  I hope you will take the time to read some of her posts.  She has made me question my committment to God and what I am doing with my life.  The link I have provided will take you to her blog. 

Let's just say that after reading some of her posts....I want to be Katie when I grow up.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007
http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2007-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&updated-max=2008-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=30


it is pouring. it is freezing. the power has been off for days and the water lines are down. yet i stand in the middle of 25 children praising and thanking the Lord. our usual outside worship has been taken indoors due to the storm, so instead of praying together, the children are praying in their individual rooms. i am in the primary boys room which is home to our boys ages 6-10. i have never seen anyone so alive with love for their Maker. some stand with their hands in the air. others, like me, so overwhelmed with awe, have fallen to their knees on the cold, cement floor. the beautiful sound of 26 voices lifted in prayer drowns out the beating of the rain on the tin roof. God is so in this moment, i feel so full of His love, that my heart threatens to burst. this is not something i can explain to you. this is not something words can ever capture. this feeling is bigger. the splendor of God in this room takes my breath away. we all pray out loud and our voices mix into one, all different word, but the same message: thank you. THANK YOU.



at first glance, it would be easy to feel sorry for these little boys. their clothes are tattered, they sleep on old, dirty mattresses, they walk to school barefoot in the rain. they have no electricity, no running water, and it is raining so hard that the whole compound has become a muddy swamp. but you should not pity these children, in fact, you should envy them. i know i do. at six years old, these children know what it is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. these children know the Greatness, the Wonder of our God.



when was the last time you prayed out loud for 30 minutes? when was the last time you spent as little as half an hour listing to the Lord all the reasons that you love Him, thanked Him for all He has done for you, or even simply marveled at his awesome grace?



ive had people ask me why africa is so impoverished, even had people tell me that it is a cursed nation. africa is not impoverished. these children are not poor. we are. we put value in things. these children, having no things, put value in God. we put our trust in relationships, these children, having already seen relationships fail, put their trust in the Lord. this nation is blessed beyond any place, any people i have ever encountered. God has not forgotten these people, in fact, i believe He has loved them just a little bit extra.



i sit here freezing and wet in this pitch-black room as the rain beats on the roof, and God is so close i feel i can touch Him. my deepest prayer is that i could know that Lord as well as the first-grader next to me. all my senses are full of His greatness. Gods glory has fallen down into this place and is soaking us even deeper than the rain. i never ever want to be dry.

Our Last Document!

I received an email from our local USCIS officer today that my I171-H approval to adopt was put in the mail yesterday and I should receive it today!  That is the last document I need to complete my dossier - so it will be off in UPS tomorrow on it's way to Kyiv! 

Six weeks from start to finish (could have been 5 if USCIS hadn't stopped at "S" last week - I did it in 5 weeks in 2007)!!!  In two weeks our dossier will be submitted to the State Department of Adoptions in Kyiv and we will await our travel date!  We have asked if possible to have our appointment on October 26th or 27th - I figure it doesn't hurt to ask!  We could potentially be home for Thanksgiving!  

I am so thankful that it has been quicker this time - it is hard to wait when you feel that "your" child is far away and needs you!  I pray for all the children who wait and all the families waiting to go and get them!   I confess it is not something I do well...........

Here is a poem about waiting....

The Wait by Russell Kelfer

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried;
Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate...
and the Master so gently said,"Wait."

"Wait? you say wait?" my indignant reply.
"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!"
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming your Word.

My future and all to which I relate
hangs in the balance and you tell me to Wait?"
I'm needing a 'yes', a go-ahead sign.
Or even a 'no,' to which I'll resign.

You promised, dear Lord, that if we believe,
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
Lord, I've been asking, and this is my cry:
I'm weary of asking! I need a reply.

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate
as my Master replied again, "Wait."
So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut,
and grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting...for what?"

He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes met with mine...
and He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.

I could give all you seek and pleased you would be.
You'd have what you want, but you wouldn't know Me.
You'd not know the depth of My love for each saint.
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint.

You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair;
you'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there.
You'd not know the joy of resting in Me
when darkness and silence are all you can see.

You'd never experience the fullness of love
when the peace of My spirit descends like a dove.
You would know that I give, and I save, for a start,
But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

The glow of My comfort late into the night,
the faith that I give when you walk without sight.
The depth that's beyond getting just what you ask
From an infinite God who makes what you have last.

You'd never know should your pain quickly flee,
what it means that My grace is sufficient for thee.
Yes, your dearest dreams overnight would come true,
but oh, the loss if I lost what I'm doing in you.

So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see
that the greatest of gifts is to truly know me.
And though oft My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all is still "WAIT".

WOO HOO!!!! Fingerprint letter came today!

I am happy to report that the much awaited fingerprint letter came today!!!!  Doing the happy dance!!!  Now one last step in our dossier completion is our USCIS I171-H approval to adopt!  We are praying that it will be here no later than October 6 - which will give us a week to get it notarized, apostilled, mailed to Ukraine, translated, certified and submitted on October 14! 

Please keep us and the other waiting families in your prayers! We're all anxious to get our children home!

Tick...Tock...wait...wait...and wait some more!

I am happy and a little sad at the same time.  My friend Julie got her fingerprint letter today from USCIS - one step closer to getting to Ukraine!  I took my application and hers and dropped them off together but my letter didn't come.  I am hoping it is just slow mail and mine will be here tomorrow...praying it will be!  I also sent her dossier to Ukraine at the exact same time I sent mine and what happens??????  Mine gets to Ukraine a day later!  Our facilitator gets our dossiers registered to submit the same day and guess what?  Her appointment is October 13 and mine is October 14!  So it seems to be that I am destined to be a day later....which I am okay with as long as it is only a day or so! :)  Now we pray that our fingerprints are processed QUICKLY!!!!!  We need our approval to be in Ukraine no later than October 10th!  Please pray that USCIS will be timely!

Out of the mouths of babes - or Children say the darndest things!

Yesterday my girls were talking about being adopted and Payton said that she had 3 moms - a biological mother, a Godmother and a real mother. Melted my heart!!!!!!! The other girls chimed in that I was her adoptive mother and she replied to them,  "Mom isn't adopted." 

I told her that I liked being her real mom!!!!!

The Countdown!

Yesterday officially marked the 2nd week of my submission of USCIS - now I am awaiting the "offical" letter for fingerprints. Each day rushing out to check the mail anxiously hoping that the letter might be there! After fingerprints - then it will be the nervewracking countdown for the I171-H USCIS approval! THe last document needed for my dossier (paperwork).

I also got good news yesterday - my dossier will be submitted on October 14! And we can expect to travel 2-4 weeks after that - so we are on target for late October, early November. The news was received slightly deflated because I was also told that if I had my USCIS approval, my dossier could have been submitted today............kind of takes a bit of the joy out of it! But I am trying to trust God's timing - I know how my clients feel during the wait and even on the 3rd adoption, the wait isn't really any easier.

For me, once it was in my heart to adopt (knowing or not knowing the child) I have had the sense of urgency to get to "My" child. As a mother, when you know your child needs you, your first instinct is to get there immediately! That is how I feel - one day away from "my" child is one day too many! One more day of them feeling unloved, scared, lonely is one day too much! I would be on the next jet out of here if it were possible!

At least when you are expecting, you know where your child is, and the care they are receiving and that is a comfort. The wait can still be hard but in adoption, everything is seemingly out of your hands - your paperwork depends mostly on the efficiency of some government clerk to do their job in a timely manner, your employer to cooperate in getting a letter the way it needs to be done, your doctor to fill out a form as directed, the list goes on......then when your paperwork finally gets to Ukraine, you wait some more...

The end result is well worth the effort, the wait and the emotions. When you are home with your child and you can see their happiness, it is overwhelming. Just like when you may have glanced upon your newborn. Watching them at a school function and realizing that it may be the first time they had someone in the audience for them, celebrating their accomplishments, and seeing them blossom under your love and the security of a family is priceless.

So for now I wait....praying that some person at USCIS will do their job and send me my *(&^%#@$# approval so that I can go get my boy already! :)

What is in a name?

For those of you who know me personally - you may know that unintentionally I began a naming trend with my kids - one that has gotten away from me. I didn't set out to do but it has ended up that way. When I was 13, I picked out the names Logan and Jordan and fortunately my husband liked them and that is what we named our son and daughter.

When I was pregnant with my 3rd child, I sort of liked the idea of naming a daughter after my mother but wasn't sold on "Grace". I was watching a show called Models, Inc (a Melrose Place spinoff that tanked) and there was a leading female character named Grayson. I didn't like the meaning of the name or that it had the word Gray in it - so I changed the spelling to incorporate the name Grace (and the meaning - undeserved gift) with the word "Son" after Jesus - so her name means "An undeserved gift - which we received through the Son". Graceson the end result.

Then came Lauren, meaning "crowned" and I thought of how she was going to now have a new life and was victorious over the old and how they used to crown runners with the laurel wreath in the olympics. Paul refers to this in his writings in the Bible.

Okay - so many of you may wonder why we would change the name of our daughters from the names they were given and that are from their heritage. Some disagree with it - that it is taking away who they were and their heritage. When we were adopting Lauren, we were also a bit torn as to what to do, but when we met Lauren and saw she was only 5 months old and found out that she had not been named by her mother but given her mother's name we decided to give her a new name (we had chosen Lauren but had decided that we would give her Ukrainian name as her middle and call her what was best). While in Ukraine I met a missionary who had also adopted and I shared this indecision with her - she reminded me that whenever God did anything new in a person's life that he gave them a new name reflecting their new circumstances (ex. Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Paul, Peter).

I thought that was a wonderful perspective to have! So, then not only did I have the trend of names ending in "N" I decided at that point that the names had to have great meaning.

Okay - now for Katelyn, her name came from my one of my favorite Bible verses "Pure and faultless religion is caring for orphans...James 1:27. Katelyn means "pure". Humorous side story is that when I first decided on the name Katelyn, I thought it meant "light" and I went on and on in my prayer journal about the symbolism of light in the Bible. Her Ukrainian name was Yelena, and when I looked up the meaning it meant "light".

I chose Payton because it has a couple of meanings - one is "village of the warrior" which where we live we are the Whiteland Warriors, and where she is from is where the Russian navy (warriors) is docked. Plus the Scottish version of her name means "royalty" or "of noble birth". Now she is God's family and is the daughter of a king!

At last, it is time to name our new son! It has been a family affair of throwing out names ending in "N" and then looking up the meaning! Jeff, my husband, has been a huge help in throwing out names such as "Lantern" which he told me meant bright light! LOL!!! He has also contributed "Cotton" and "Bison" - needless to say he doesn't get final say! The girls all seem to think they have the right to name him - of course they all 5 have different names they like! While I appreciate their opinion, I remind them it is the parents decision and they will have the opportunity to name their children!

Jeff and I seem to agree on one name - Griffan (yes spelled with an "a" instead of and "i" - which happened when we were naming Payton (first had Peyton and then Graceson pointed out all our kids have 2 syllable names, ending with "N" and all have a "a" in it - see what I mean on how it got away from us? :) I found that in Welsh that it means, "strong in faith". I also love the symbolism of what a griffin (gryphon) is.

SYMBOLISM OF GRIFFIN: In symbolism, the griffin combines the symbolic qualities of two solar creatures, the lion and the eagle. It is the king of birds and lord of the air united with the king of beasts and lord of the earth. Griffins are a symbol of the sun, wisdom, vengeance, strength, and salvation. The griffin's ability to soar like an eagle made him an emblem of poetic and spiritual inspiration.

The griffin's dual nature led it to be associated with Jesus Christ, God and man, king of heaven and earth. The eagle half of the griffin signified Christ's divinity and the lion half represented his humanity. During the Middle Ages, griffins were symbols of Christ's resurrection. The strength of the lion and the wisdom of the eagle combined in the griffin symbolized the strength and wisdom of God. "Griffins are protrayed with a lion's body, an eagle's head, long ears, and an eagle's claws, to indicate that one must combine intelligence and strength." Besides - what 11yo boy wouldn't think it is cool to have his name come from such a cool creature?

Funny thing is his name, Vadym is derived from Didymus which is also Thomas. Thomas means twin. When I was going to have Graceson, I prayed fervently for twins (boy and girl). In adoption lingo - whenever you adopt a child that is less than 9 months in age from one of your children it is called "ARTIFICIAL TWINNING". I never dreamed that God could answer that prayer 11 years later in this way! God does have a sense of humor!

So the long and short of this rambling post is that a family should do what THEY feel is best for them and the child. A couple adopting from infertility may have a name that has a significant meaning to them and should have the opportunity to use it - it isn't a right only give to people naming their biological children. In our family - Vadym would have stood out from Logan, Jordan, Graceson, Katelyn, Payton and Lauren. We want him to feel as much a part of our family as he can. Plus since God is giving him a new beginning - I want to celebrate that new beginning with a new name. It is a name that speaks to what we want for him and one that includes him in his brother and sisters. We are not trying to rob him of his heritage but to give him a sense of belonging. Each family will be different in what they decide - there is no right or wrong answer.

A Picture Speaks A Thousand Words

Do any of the children in this picture look like orphans? 4 out of 5 of them were (well technically one still is but prayerfully not for long!). I think this picture shows what love can do to change a child's life. When "V" was here, he said that being with us in America was like a dream he could have never imagined. You can see the happiness on his face! Look at all of them closely - which of them knows what it was like to beg for food? Which of them was diagnosed as "failure to thrive"? Which of them deserved what they got? Which of them was born in to a safe and loving environment? Which of them is not worth the effort it takes to adopt?

The sad truth is that there are thousands upon thousands of children just as beautiful (well almost :) speaking from a mother's heart), just as precious and just as deserving as these children to be loved, to have the security of a family and the opportunity to know God.

If only more Christians would step out of their comfort zone and really focus on TRUE RELIGION as defined by God, there would be more photos of FORMER orphans like this. Below is a song that I wrote (I am not a songwriter!) - please read the words and think about it. Is an orphanage good enough for your children? The Bible says to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Is there any cost too high to save YOUR child? Too many times I talk to families that are considering adoption but choose not to because of the cost (not always financially - usually emotionally, or too much out of their comfort zone). Thankfully, Jesus didn't count the cost for us.....

LOVE DOESN'T COUNT THE COST by Lydia Tarr

Mommy, How much did I cost? (child's voice)

Verse:
There’s no price on the value of a life – I just knew
Price was not considered in deciding to love you.
When I saw your face, I didn’t stop to count the cost,
Nothing really mattered then, I knew my heart was lost.
Love doesn't count the cost.

Chorus:
No need to measure sacrifices made
The cost of love, the price I paid,
All I knew
Is when I met you,
love didn't count the cost.

Verse:
If you were to measure all the wealth upon this earth
None of it would equal a portion of your worth.
Too many children wait, so much stands in the way,
Precious lives lost, for no one wants to pay.
Love doesn't count the cost.

Chorus:
No need to measure sacrifices made
The cost of love, The price I paid,
all I knew
is when I met you
love doesn't count the cost.

BRIDGE
How do I value the the time it would take,
Or the sacrifices I would make?
Who said love doesn’t cost a thing?
The truth is… love doesn’t count the cost.

Verse:
When Jesus came to save, was it all about the price?
His blood was shed so we might live - total sacrifice.
What did he do when it was time to pay?
Did He let the cost get in His way?
He didn’t count the cost.

Chorus:
No need to measure sacrifices made
The cost of love, The price He paid,
all He knew
is when it came to you
love didn't count the cost.

Too many children waiting,
precious lives are lost,
is there no one willing?
Love should never count the cost.