A Year Ago

One year ago yesterday Kimberly and I were standing in an orphanage in Kotlas, Russia and they walked in with 10 month old Nicholas–our first meeting. A year ago we were finishing up our second meeting with him. He played hard for 3 hours and crashed in his daddy’s lap. This would be the last time we would se…e him for 41/2 months when he came home to us (January 2010). Somehow, it all seems so long ago now.

 

At Home Week 3

 

A Natural with the Dogs

Nick seemed to accept the dogs right away.  He pets Deyrni about twice a day and he never has seemed scared (even of our 45 pound Sweet Wheat, Annie).  Napping with Deyrni (Click to enlarge):

 

A Pic of Our First Glimpse of Family As We Got off the Plane

Ahhhh! Sweet home!

 

Nicholas is Home!

Brian left the 8th of January to go to Russia and pick up Nicholas.  He will turn 15 months in just a short time–the day he comes home to be exact. The train from Kotlas arrived Monday morning where Brian’s hotel was (Arkhangelisk, Russia) and soon thereafter there was a knock at the hotel door!  After 2+ years there Nick was, finally ready to come into our family. He was asleep (see the pic below) but woke soon thereafter and played blocks with Daddy!

They had a lot of running here and there to do and a lot of paperwork to complete and wait on.  A lot of things could have gone wrong but God showed favor.  Even when Brian got sick (a little food poisoning) for a few days, thinks went smoothly and Brian says God blessed with sweet assurances even in the midst of the nausea.  Just short of 2 weeks later on January 21 Daddy and Nick arrived in the Lexington airport to see Mommy for the first time since August 2009.  She couldn’t hold back the tears.

Nicholas has been home for just over a week now.  His favorite word is “ba”  and he has also said Daddy and Mama and he can moo like a cow and find his nose (25% of the time).  We are all adjusting well and having a great time being a family.

 

How to Pray toward Increased Awareness of the Worldwide Orphan Crisis

Please join Dan Cruver, Director at Together for Adoption, in prayer…

…praying that:

1. 10 pastors in each state will preach a sermon for the first time that proclaims God’s heart for the orphan. Result: 500 churches begin thinking about how they can care for the orphan.

2. 10 pastors in each state will preach a sermon series that considers God’s work of adoption within the story of redemption and how it should inform our care for orphans. Result: 500 churches think about adoption and orphan care more deeply than they ever have before.

3. 10 pastoral staff teams in each state will prayerfully work through Russell Moore’s Adopted for Life to explore how they may equip and mobilize their people to care for orphans. Result: 500 pastoral staff teams uniquely positioned to mobilize and unleash their people for the sake of the orphan in unprecedented numbers.

4. 10 churches in each state will lead their church’s children through God’s Heart for the Orphan . . . and Me! Result: The next generation catches a vision for God-centered orphan care.

5. 10 small groups in each state will prayerfully work through Adopted for Life. Result: 500 small groups mobilized to care for orphans that have not yet been cared for.

6. 10 churches in each state will launch a vital orphan care ministry. Result: 500 churches caring for orphans in substantial ways for the good of thousands upon thousands of children.

7. 10 churches in each state will contact their local Department of Social Services to ask about how they might serve their state’s foster children. Result: 500 churches testifying to the glory of the gospel in both word and deed.

8. 10 colleges will have someone preach in chapel on gospel-centered orphan care. Result: Hundreds of college students commit to caring for the orphan through the local church.

9. 10 seminaries will have someone preach in chapel on gospel-centered orphan care. Result: Hundreds of future pastors and missionaries gripped by the importance of caring for the orphan by the power of the gospel.

10. 10 churches in each state will send a group of people to attend one of the following: Adopting for Life conference, Summit V, Tapestry (2010 conference TBA), or Together for Adoption Conference 2010. Result: 500 churches networking with other churches for the sake of orphans all over the world.

Imagine the results if God should so graciously choose to do far more abundantly than we ask or think . . .

 

Home from Second Trip

Outside Court Just After Our Big Day!

We’re home!

It took over 32 hours to get to Russia because we were affected by the snow storm in Chicago (besides other delays, we sat on a plane for 5 hours before taking off… then we were in the air 9 hours just to get to Germany…then after a layover 3 more hours to Russia). It was really not bad, however,  for motivated travelers like us!

We had a good trip and we were so happy to see Christmas being celebrated in a land where many people once wanted it, but were forbidden it (open celebration was not an option in the days of the Soviets).

God was very good to us from start to finish.  We praise Him that court  went very smoothly and the stern judge even smiled at our photo album of us and the baby.  We did very well with our court speeches.  The adoption was granted without question!  Our translator, Natalia, and the adoption agency representatives were awesome.  They are really “on top of things.”

There is a mandatory 10 day wait (from our court date which was Friday the 11th) before the court decision confirming our adoption can legally be signed.   This wait is just a formality and we already consider ourselves to officially be his parents.  We convinced Sergei, the Minister of Education (who represents orphan affairs), to allow us to ask for a waver of the 10 days.  The judge did not grant the waiver, however, because she said there was no legal grounds to do so.   Legal grounds for waiving this includes a life-threatening or very serious and urgent medical issue.  Most general medical issues are cared for by the orphanage doctors and Nicholas is in too good of health to be classified as an emergency case.  He would have to be facing surgery for it to qualify as an emergency and for us to get the waiver. But we are very thankful that he is not an emergency case!

As it turns out it did not matter whether the wait was waived.  Friday (the day of our court hearing) was the last flight from the remote location of the orphanage (in Kotlas) until sometime after the Russian holidays (Russian Christmas is January 7th).  We wouldn’t have been able to get him out of Kotlas even if the 10 days had been waived, as we were in the larger city of Arkhangelsk for court and couldn’t have gotten to Kotlas.    So, it will likely be the second or third week in January before we can pick him up.

We make plans but the Lord directs our steps (Proverbs 16:9).  I truly believe that!  God ordained this outcome for our good and for his wider purposes.  Why do we have to wait another month to see Nicholas and to bring him into our family?  Only God knows, but we completely trust his wisdom and intentions for us (Romans 8:28). Kimberly and I are resting in the goodness and power of God right now.  He could have made things otherwise but He chose not to for His good purposes. It was hard to leave our baby behind, but if the Lord wills, we will have him home in January.

Here’s a few pics from our trip (click to zoom):

Munich Germany at Sunset

In the hotel in Arkangel Russia

In Arkangel

Last Day Breakfast in St. Pete

Shot at 3AM on way to airport in St Pete

 

Court Date!

We’ve been assigned a court date!  Pray for us as we travel in early December.

There is normally a 10 day waiting period after the court date before parents can pick up their child.  Sometimes judges wave the wait, but it is very rare lately.  Our agency basically told us there’s no chance of getting it waved but we believe with God all things are possible.

If the date is waved we will have him home before Christmas.  If not, we may be pushed into January to pick him up because of holiday schedules in Russia.  We believe God is going to make a way.

Please join us in praying for a waiver or for some other intervention that will allow us to get him home ASAP.  He is safe in the orphanage but it is really a minimal existence for a thriving 13 month old! We are trusting God to place him in our family for his second Christmas.  Last Christmas (2008) Nicholas was just 2 months old and in the orphanage.  What a difference this year will be.  May it be so!  Here’s our guy.  Pray for us.  Pray for him.

Note: Links on this blog that say “automatically generated” are generated by Google.  They are not part of our blog. FWIW

 

Happy Birthday Nicholas!

He’s 1 today, October 21st 2009.  Happy birthday little wonder!  We can’t wait until you’re home!

 

The Baby’s Name

We decided on a name for the baby and filed a court petition for a name change.  It’s official now:

Nicholas Brian-Luke Goard