White Nights

We have arrived in Ian's city and right now, they are experiencing White Nights. It is amazing, it is SO SO bright outside right now and it will stay daylight until after midnight! I don't know how anyone can sleep around here! The idea of running around in sunlight at midnight is just to exciting to sleep! We will be in the streets! LOL, if just on the street outside of our hotel! I just cannot pass up a chance experience this new, strange thing.

Last time we were here, it was cold, snowy, and the streets were covered with dirty snow. The city now has a much different feel! People are en mass in the parks sunning themselves and we finally see children on the streets, something we did not really see much of last time we were here.

Tomorrow is sight seeing day and then straight to work on the court speech, the 8 doctor medical exam, and preparing to see Ian again. Ian is not at the orphanage. He is at a camp on the Bay of Finland and I cannot wait to go there to see him. It is unseasonably hot here too, but I don't mind the heat at all. I think the natives do though.

Our hotel has no elevator LOL, poor Craig had to lug up our bags. Tomorrow the Clark Family arrives to this same hotel and we will spend much of this part of journey together with them.

I'm exhausted and my stomach hurts, kind of badly, been like this for a week now and I am concerned that something is a miss. Please pray that it is just stress and a lack of consistent diet and exercise and nothing more.

Later, we will venture out for some bottled water that is not $20 per bottle.

TTYS

Witness

Last Friday, we witnessed a miracle

we waited

flashing the peace sign, for the elevator doors to open

waited for our first glimpse of them

and then, just like that

they were home

Eliisa Vika

an orphan no more

has finally come home

To read Corrie Koenig's blog post on Eliisa Vika's homecoming, click HERE

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many, many thanks to Corrie and Abe and all 5 of their sweet little girls for allowing me to photograph and share in

Eliisa's Homecoming Day

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GOD has given us such EXTRAORDINARY people, all adopting from Eastern Europe, special needs orphans, to share in the miracle of the journey that I am still, at this hour, totally overwhelmed by what

my eyes witnessed today

ALL praise and glory to him

for it is NOT that we are rescuing them

it is all rather that

HE rescued US

Because I LOVE them ALL, here is a little blogroll of my peeps

we are all in this together

and oh yeah

we leave in 1 day!!

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We are traveling at the same time, staying in the same hotel, have court on the same day, and I will return with this mom in August to fetch our angels! This family has supported Ian's adoption financially

THE CLARK FAMILY

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We will have a celebration, God Willing, dinner on Thursday night after court with this family, who generously supported our adoption of Ian

THE BOWEN FAMILY

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My very best-est Far Away Friend, who are in-country right now adopting my soon to be new nephews

THE CANNELL FAMILY

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The family of the little girl I inquired about on the same day as Ian, hoping to bring them both home, this is a special little girl to be sure. She will come home to my homestate of Wisconsin!

THE HIGBIE FAMILY

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An adoption warrior like never before, a mama who waits for her own chance, while she yells loudly for others, always putting her own needs second

THE TAM FAMILY

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A family in the wings, prayerfully and step-by-step getting ready to announce their journey to a little sweetie in Ian's groupa!

THE PETERSON FAMILY

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A big Ian supporting family, in the midst of a beautiful time, the first trip to meet their son, with our same agency, hope to meet them one day!

THE KREHBIEL FAMILY

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NEXT POST

FROM Mother "R"

T-minus 6 days!

In just SIX DAYS

we will cross the ocean AGAIN

for the 2nd of 3 trips

this time without our love Ari,who will be being spoiled and loved on and carted all over Eastern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois by his family

(BTW, because family rarely ever gets all the credit they truly deserve for all they do for us, here are their names and please add them to your prayers too! Starting at the top row (standing) from Left to right: AMY, TIM, LINDA, RICH, my mom CHRISTINE, CINDY, DAN, JIMMY, ROSE, JANE, and my cousin IAN! Middle row (seated): RICK, TIM JR., DALE, LAVERN, AUDREY, WAYNE, ME. Bottom row (on the grass): DENICE, NATE, JENNA holding JACK, LAUREN, COURTNEY, MORGAN holding ARI, and LUCAS.)

This journey we make is to take the biggest step we have ever attempted to take, and stand in front of a foreign court and plead our case for

Ian's walkin' papers!

can you tell he is SO ready to go!

strangely, I am not nervous about court

I AM however, nearly sick to my stomach with nerves over seeing Ian again

WILL HE RUN TO US?

WILL HE SMILES AT US?

WILLHE RUN FROM US?

WILL HE CRY?

WILL HE REMEMBER US?

This meeting holds a bigger anticipation than the last for me, and Craig is so even keel that he is being a real cool cucumber!

The mom (me), is freaking out! LOL

PLEASE ADD MY MOTHER CHRISTINE TO YOUR PRAYERS THIS WEEK AS SHE IS TAKING CARE OF ARI FOR US AND GOING TO BE FLYING BACK AND FORTH TO ATLANTA IN THE NEXT MONTHS TO HELP US WITH ARI AND THEN AS NEEDED, WITH SWEET IAN.

THANK YOU ALL AND YOU WILL SEE ONE MORE POST FROM ME BEFORE WE LEAVE

and....make sure you follow along our journey in country as I have a spectacular surprise planned for Daddy who recently told me that we need to have more fun!

WATCH OUT DADDY, strap yourself in, hold on!

because here comes the FUN of a lifetime!

PS - Just in case you were wondering, we are still in need of donations to complete Ian's adoption. We are waiting for news of a grant that could end our need to beg strangers for money LOL, but that word will not come until July 27th. We are going to be $7,000 short without the grant, and $2,000 short if we do get the grant. So, PRAY FOR THE GRANT! We will find out in Russia, after court, when we can return for Ian. It will not be ten days later, as we first had hoped. It will be sometime in August. Still, we need to buy plane tickets, book an apartment for Ian & I, and get ready for all of the expenses associated with the final trip. Right now we have about $300 in our FSP.

Thanks for spreading the word!