SIBERIA!!!

We just found out that Jonathan is coming from Krasnoyarsk.....a city in Siberia! We have the city, paperwork is there, now we just need to see his face!! That's the next step....as soon as Russia approves us. I can hardly contain my excitement!!! God is good :)

GOD IS WORKING!!!!

Here we are in March & I am happy to report that God is working in this adventure of our Russian adoption! He had some surprises in store for us this past weekend that were just a few pieces of the puzzle, but offered much needed encouragement as we wait for our approval from Russia & referral of our son. Here we go.....

I had not planned to go to our church's women's retreat this past weekend (even though I wanted to) and on Wednesday of last week I was surprised with a last minute spot that was open. I knew God had a specific purpose in me being there. The theme for the weekend was "The World Awaits You" which was definitely fitting for my life right now. On Saturday morning, God revealed why I was there. Our pastor's wife spoke about letting God be your GPS-do we follow His plan for our lives when He asks us to do something hard & uncomfortable like Abraham, or do we run away, try to take the "easier" road, & hide from God like Jonah? She shared the story of their family adopting two boys from Columbia several years ago & it was like God hit me on the head & said, "Pay Attention! This talk was written for you!!!" It was definitely encouraging & gave me new perspective on this journey.

While I was still away on Sunday, Andrew & the kids were at church. He was completely surprised with a large donation to our "adoption fund" from a church family!!! The Lord keeps surprising us with how He's providing the financial side of the adoption. WHAT A BLESSING!!!! It gets better....after church our pastor introduced him to a young woman who was adopted from Russia when she was a child. She wants to get to know our family & help us in any way she can with all of this. As an added bonus, she still speaks fluent Russian!!!! Isn't God amazing how He brought so much encouragement & so many details together in one weekend while Andrew & I were in two separate places?! Only He can do that! If you doubted what we were doing, were skeptical, or had no clue why a family with 3 kids would adopt another one from a foreign country, all I can say is how can you doubt now?! I have made the choice to enjoy the rest of the journey, awaiting the next surprise around the corner, even if it's not what I expected. Our hope is that our story of faith through this adventure will inspire people to jump in with both feet when God asks them to do something out of the ordinary & scary. The adventure continues.....I will share when we get our next surprise!