One Chapter Closes...

I have sat at my computer many times and tried to write this blog post only to either delete my words or just walk away. There are just some things in life that are not easy to put into words.  Many of our readers have been asking how things are going with Warrior now that we've been home almost two months. In short, beyond HARD!!! We didn't go into this adoption expecting a cake walk, and we knew the journey would be hard.  But we never could have imagined how this story would end and end so quickly.

A lot of people knew we were having struggles, but many did not.  We chose not to let everyone know all of the details.  After much prayer and seeking Godly counsel, it was abundantly clear that our family was not the family that Warrior needed to grow up in.  He needed to be in a home without children, or with children that are mostly grown. Even through our physical and emotional pain, we only wanted what was best for our Warrior in the end.  Matt and I don't want to go into the details at this time because some are just too painful to talk about. I will tell you that Matt and I have complete peace about this decision.  The "peace that passes all understanding" which can only come from God above.

"Bringing Our Warrior Home" - Warrior leaving court

On September 17th, we gave notice to our adoption agency that we were ending the adoption.  Within 12 hours, we were given a court date and time (September 25th) in which Matt had to appear with Warrior to turn him over to the orphan court in his region.  Needless to say, we frantically pieced together airfare, hotel and transportation.  Matt and Warrior traveled this past Sunday and Monday.  They arrived in L@tvia on Monday afternoon.  After two days of walking around the streets of Rig@, they appeared in court.  Matt prepared a two page statement that he read to the court.  The entire statement (with translation) took about fifteen minutes.  The statement contained recommendations for the type of family Warrior is suited for.  We know that the court accepted these recommendations and will add them to future hosting and adoptive descriptions to potential families.  Warrior was in the room the whole time.  The court did not ask any further questions of Matt as they had been made aware of our struggles previously.  At court, they were very appreciative and were sad that we had gone through what we had.  They were glad that Warrior was happy to be "home".  At the end of the court proceedings, Matt was able to say goodbye to Warrior.  This goodbye wasn't reciprocated, however, as Warrior was eager to see his friends and his home.

Prior to the trip, for the past two weeks, Warrior had been saying repeatedly that he wanted to go "home", "L@tvia", "Rig@" - not only during rough moments, but also during the good moments.  We took this as additional confirmation that we were making the right decision.  Our Warrior was telling us that this house was not his home.  On the night before the flights, Matt told Warrior he would be travelling to L@tvia with Papa in the morning, and  Papa would be returning to America.  He understood he was leaving America and returning to his orphanage.

Even though we were only a short chapter in Warrior's life, our prayer is that it will be one which will have a huge impact on the rest of his life.  Before Matt took Warrior to court on Wednesday, he prayed with him and told him to keep Jesus in his heart and to be a light to others.  Matt and I may never know what seeds were planted and how they will grow, but we know our God loves Warrior so much more than we ever can.  He will protect him and watch over him.  When Matt and I started this blog, we never realized the impact our blog title would have until recently. Warrior is finally "home" with his caretakers and his friends.  Our family will advocate for this child in hopes that he will find a home that will be the environment he can grow and thrive.

We are thankful to all of you who have prayed for us along this incredibly difficult journey. We are also very grateful for the meals and words of encouragement. Matt and I never saw this day coming, but God did. Even through our mourning, God has made his presence known. He is ALWAYS faithful and ALWAYS on time!!!

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." -Romans 8:28

As we close this chapter for our family and take the time to heal, we know only good will come out of this situation.  Our kids have seen a part of the world that very few people will ever see in their lifetimes.  Our kids have seen the scars decades of Communist rule has left on this small Baltic country.  Our kids have seen homeless children play instruments on the street to make money for food.  Our kids have given clothes and money to homeless L@tvian children and adults.  Our family has answered the call to host an orphan child.  Our family has answered the call to adopt, even though the ending is far from what we expected.  Our family has experienced an emotional roller coaster, but through it all, I hope that our kids will see the faithfulness that our whole family exhibited.  It has been amazing to watch the hand of God work through all of this; from the beginning to the end for our family. Our family was only a part of one chapter in Warrior's life, but I can say I know God is not finished with our Warrior. There will be many more chapters to come. Warrior, we love you and we will pray for you as long as we are alive! You will always hold a special place in our hearts and family.

Rainbow Matt saw when leaving court in Latvi@. Warrior was happy to finally be going "home"

Please continue to pray for us as we grieve and process all that has happened recently.   Please also pray for us as we become a family of six again and begin to heal.  We know many may not understand why this happened, and why we decided to do what we did, but please respect our privacy and know that we did just what God asked us to do.  We know that this was in the best interest of our family and Warrior.  Sometimes obeying God doesn't always make sense to others. As we have found out first hand, the hardest things to do in life are to trust that God knows what He is doing. Let me tell you He does...ALL the time! We may never know why this happened, but we do know God will be glorified through all of this!

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven..." -Ecclesiastes 3:1

Tweens and Cell Phones

This week will be bittersweet.  This Wednesday, our nation will remember the lives lost on September 11th, 2001.  I will never forget coming home from work early that terrible day twelve years ago to find my 9-month-pregnant wife standing in front of the television watching the news coverage having labor pains.  Two days later, on September 13th, 2001, 2:07 PM, we had our first child, Rebekah Faith.  So, this Friday, we'll celebrate our twelve year-old's birthday!

Last night Rebekah was so proud to show me her new cell phone:  a very small toy phone made out of Legos!  She had made this as a joke.  She said that many of the girls on her soccer team (Rebekah is the oldest player!) have a cell phone, but she's one of the ones that do not.  I asked her how that made her feel, and she said she doesn't care, and that it doesn't bother her at all.

This week, as we celebrate her birthday,  I am one proud "Papa".  I have a tween who doesn't care that she's the only girl her age without a cell phone.  She is an excellent homeschool student.  She is a fantastic soccer player, and she's been a great sport through this adoption journey so far.  She has been a tremendous help to her mom and me with her new L@tvian brother.  Happy Birthday Rebekah!  I love you!

Words That Sum Up How I Feel

This article, written by Elliott on his blog, sums up how I feel.  I'm glad he was able to put this into words.  I do not think that it is by accident that he wrote it on August 29th, 2013, which happened to be our darkest, most fearful day of this entire process so far.  I read this blog post on Saturday the 31st, and I shared it with Kristie later that day.  If you have the time, please read it in its entirety.

http://snapshotsfromourjourney.blogspot.com/2013/08/superheroes-not-needed.html

"Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart."  ~ Prov. 3:3a ~

"I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations."  ~ Psalm 89:1 ~

"I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness."  ~ Jeremiah 31:3b ~

"Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,  for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."  ~ Lamentations 3:22-23 ~

The Henrys and the Puzzle

The Henrys are a great family in Illinois that are also in the process of adopting an orphan boy from Latvi@.  Like us, they hosted their child last winter, the same time we hosted Warrior.  They were able to host their child a second time this summer.  They are raising money to fund their airfare for their Trip 1 to bring home their child.  Please consider donating to their "puzzle" fundraiser...

http://thehenryswish.blogspot.com/

On another note, we have been home one month now - which is so hard to believe.  We've had our Warrior almost seven weeks!

Social Worker Visit

We have our social worker "pre-placement" visit today...

Adjusting and Reading

So here we are, six weeks with our Warrior, over three of those here in the US.  We've come so far, but yet we have so far to go.  We would like to thank those that have done so much for us since we've been home.  I'm blown away at the generosity that our homeschool and church families have shown us.  They've accepted us where we are, and they've accepted our Warrior where he is.  Thank you again.  Although he seems to be adjusting, I do have to remind myself that he is probably wondering to himself when is it going  to end and when will he go back.

Warrior is learning more English every day.  He's saying three and four word sentences.  He says his own name as we pronounce it in America.  While he is still very clingy to Kristie, I try to show him that Papa can do bedtime, mealtime, and other things, and that he doesn't have to be in the same room as her 12 hours a day.  We're also showing how the girls can help him with things as well.  He doesn't always needs his Momma to do everything for him.  Each night, I give him a long bath and let him play with his toys in the bathtub.  He enjoys this immensely.  Kristie and I usually take turns putting him to bed.  He sleeps from 7:30 to 7:30 most nights.

We're teaching him how it really is a requirement to lift the toilet seat up consistently, not just whenever you want to.  We're teaching him how our dog, Pepper, isn't really a mean, loud creature that wants to separate him from his Momma.  We're teaching him that is really is ok to eat a diet that doesn't consist of only hard-boiled eggs, cucumbers and yogurt.  There really are many wonderful things that we like to eat here in America.  Although he tests us constantly, he is slowly learning what is accepted and what's unacceptable in this house.

We have learned that if he does not get a midday nap, then he sleeps better at night and later into the morning.  He doesn't wake up at 4AM and feel the need to wake up the rest of us singing at the top of his lungs.  Kristie and I have learned that it's best to lay out his clothes and his pajamas, else he rummages through all the clothes and has a hard time making a decision on what to wear.

Sarah is now our middle child.  She has two older sisters and two brothers younger than she is.  Of all the kids, I think that she is having the hardest time adjusting to this new normal.  I ask that you pray for Sarah as she tries to find her place.  Next month, she hopes to audition for a part in our local community theater's December production of Annie!  Wish her luck as she gets ready for her audition...

Each day is a new and exciting challenge.  Frustrations still abound, but we are getting used to this strange little fella, and I think he's getting used to us.  We are waiting for our dates for Trip #2.  At this rate, it will probably be November when either Kristie or I go to Latvi@ to finalize the Latvi@n side of the adoption.

I've been trying to catch up on my reading here lately.

While I was in Latvi@, I read the biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a good, but very difficult read.

More recently, I completed the gut-wrenching autobiography by Dave Pelzer called "A Child Called It" about one of the worst child-abuse cases ever reported in the US.  As hard as it was to read, I could not put this book down, and I read it in one night.

I'm currently reading "The Boy Who was Raised As A Dog", by Bruce D. Perry, M.D.  I hope that this book can help me understand the difficult upbringing that our Warrior has had.

"At one time, we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived, and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But, when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.  He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having hope of eternal life."  ~ Titus 3:3-7 ~

Our New Normal Isn't So Pretty....At Least Not For Now!

Our new normal. You may be wondering what it looks like. Some picture an adoptive family's new normal as a beautiful, loving and possibly euphoric high. I mean after all you are saving the life of a child who should be eternally grateful to you for what you are doing. Unfortunately, I think in general there are several misconceptions about adoption and bringing a hurt child home. While it is a joyous time to bring home a new family member, it is also a difficult time of transition, one that won't happen overnight. Our little guy left behind all he knew, his caregivers, his food, his constant immersion in his language, his friends, his routine, etc. He is suffering a loss while we are experiencing a gain. Bring both of these worlds together and you have a mess.    

It's hard to talk about the reality of what our new normal looks like. Why?  Because not many people understand what we have done.  We don't want to hear from anyone, "Well, if it's so hard why did you adopt?" and "you knew this was going to be hard, so you can deal with it".  We have days filled with tears where we feel isolated and completely alone.  We have days where we wonder if we made the right decision. In these times, we're reminded of God's faithfulness to our family throughout this whole process. Who are we to doubt what God has called our family to do? Who are we to want to give up so quickly on this child and send him back?  When we were adopted into Christ's family it wasn't conditioned upon how we acted or things we did.  He already knew we would sin and fail daily.  He knew we would constantly need Him!  Doesn't this child deserve the same chance?  After all, he is loved by God.  Satan wants us to believe otherwise.  He attacked our whole family in Latvi@ and he hasn't stopped since we've been home. In the same way, we need you to accept Warrior where he is in life, not where you want him to be.

Our little boy comes from a place Matt and I or anyone else may never truly be able to fully grasp. Can you imagine being unwanted and abandoned at birth? Can you imagine "failing to thrive"?  Can you imagine being in a baby house for 4 years where you are left to comfort and soothe yourself because no one ever comes to hold or rock you? Can you imagine getting to the point where you quit crying because no one comes to feed you when you are hungry? Can you imagine being left in a sterile crib for hours a day so no one has to deal with you? Can you imagine not knowing how to speak or communicate your needs verbally because no one took the time to teach you how to speak?  Fast forward to our child's two years in the orphanage beginning at the age of four. There, he was finally taught words to give him a voice (some good words and some bad words), and at the same time he was given freedoms he should never have been given for his very young age. He learned behaviors which aren't acceptable in our home; pinching and biting just to name a few.  I witnessed the scratching and hitting during my brief time at his orphanage.  Our little guy has a few scars on his face which I can only imagine were from a scratching match.  He witnessed things so inappropriarate that adults shouldn't even see, let alone a six year old.

So now, take this child and place him into a loving family. What do you expect? Instant bonding and reciprocation of love? Think again! This child entered our family a fighter.  He is slowly learning what it means to belong and to be loved. He's learning how to share with our children without hurting them.  He's learning what appropriate touch is and how to not touch others inappropriately.  He's learning what it's like to have a male figure leading the household. He's learning how to sit at a table and use table manners.  He's learning what it's like to have a mom and a dad. He's learning how to bond with all of us as a family.  He's learning about how to not touch a hot stove or iron or pick up knives and play with them in the kitchen.  He's also learning how to not run out in front of cars because he could get hit.  Does this sound like a child who is ready to join the world outside of our home?  Does this sound like a child who is ready to play with other children? 

Since we've been home, we have faced and are continuing to face many challenges with our little guy. As strange as this may sound, the love we have for him is an acquired love.  Matt and I daily pray God will help us to see Warrior through His eyes and not ours.  During this huge transition time, we kindly ask for you to respect our needs for our family.  We have listed our current needs and some candid things we don't need as this would only complicate matters.

What we don't need:
1) Constant reminders that we got ourselves "in this mess"
2) Criticism about the choices we are making to raise our new son (it will be different than how you raise your children.)
3) For you to ask our son if he likes it here (He is confused and still getting over the loss of all he knew in Latvi@. He thinks our house is America and when we leave our home, he thinks we are leaving America.)
4) Strange looks and stares when our little guy sticks his tongue out at you or mocks every word and movement you say and do (At this time, he has zero social skills and is learning how to appropriately act around other people/strangers.)

What our family needs right now:
1) Support and encouragement
2) Patience as we try to become a family of 7
3) Prayers
4) Privacy as we learn to adapt to our new normal
5) Understanding that for a long time we won't be able to do a lot of the things we did before we left (attend church as family, attend homeschool coop, entertain visitors, go on play dates, etc.).

Today, we took Warrior to a child psychologist that specializes in adoptive children that have been institutionalized.  This doctor was recommended by several friends who have seen her over the years.  We were hoping that this specialist could talk with him, hear our concerns and perhaps help us crack some of the bad behaviors and weird habits.  Instead, she observed him play and talked to us for the majority of the meeting.  She took a total of two hours and spent this time getting to know us and observed him play.  During the session, we learned so much about why he does the things he does.  The doctor observed some things that we had never even noticed.  We were assured by her that he truly is at a two year old's level.  She attributes many of his behaviors to his "failure to thrive" early on after his birth.  She instructed us on how to comfort him and respond to some of his behaviors.  In a way, she helped re-program us on how we should view him and how our bio kids can adjust as well.  She reiterated that this will be a long and challenging road with this child.  For friends and family reading this, please know that our family will never be the same.  We have a special needs child.  He will be taught differently than our other kids.  He'll be given different treatment that our other children.  He'll be delayed for a long time as he basically starts his life over from infancy.  Towards the end of the session, she looked me in the eyes and said that "it is a miracle" that he is even alive today.  Friends and family, please look at him as a two year old, not a six year old.  He may get "younger" before he gets older.

Also, today, we received a huge box from FedEx from an anonymous donor. If the donor is reading this, thank you so much!  This gift was a huge blessing!  This package along with the meals we've received, emails and prayers mean more to us than you can image.  During the past two weeks being home, we've had many many lows.  Your gifts, meals, kind words and thoughtfulness have come at the exact time that they have been needed.  Thank you again!

Thank you!

Thanks to a friend here in Newnan who mailed us a check to help offset some of our agency fees!  Also, a family member who used our Donate button and donated via PayPal!  Thank you!

Trip 1 Completed and The Dog Barn

Friday was the longest day in recorded history.  It started for us at 2:15 AM Rig@ time (which is 7 hours ahead of the Eastern time zone) when Kristie and I set our alarm to wake up and finish packing.  We woke the kids up at 3:00 and we were loaded up in our apartment manager's van by 3:30, and we were off to the airport in the rain.

We had three flights - 2 hr flight to Frankfurt with a short layover there, a 9 hour flight to Newark, NJ and our final 2 hour flight to Atlanta.  Considering such a long travel schedule, the kids did well.  Warrior slept for most of the long flight, but he was very restless for the portions of the flights that he was awake.  He got very upset each time our plane landed, that he couldn't just walk right off the plane.

All that aside, when we landed in Atlanta, we'd been awake for over 24 hours.  We were greeted by several families from our small group and several family members in Atlanta at the top of the escalators with posters and banners.  And despite the exhaustion, we were ecstatic to finally see everyone!  United lost one of our bags, so I had to have them put a trace on it (it was finally found and delivered to our home at 5 AM Sunday morning).

Saturday and Sunday were very rough as we tried to get our sleep schedules back to normal and as Warrior started to get adjusted to his new home.  We're trying to get him settled into our rules and routines.   He has no concept of a mom or a dad or a sister or a brother.  Warrior is a two-year old trapped inside of a six  year-old's body.  He is lacking developmentally due the environment he's grown up in.  He has health problems.  He has a very small frame.  He has scars on his face where kids in the orphanage have scratched him badly.  Everything he does, he does to test us and get on our nerves.  He wants to know what his boundaries are, and he yearns for reassurance that this is not a temporary arrangement.  But, Kristie and I are committed to showing him the love of Christ and our family and working through all of the bad junk.

We'd like to give a special thanks to Diane and The Dog Barn in Sharpsburg, Georgia, who kept our dog, Pepper, during the three weeks we were gone.  Pepper loves the attention that he gets and the fun that he has every time he has stayed at The Dog Barn.  Thanks to Diane also for taking Pepper to the vet for us when an insect stung him causing him to limp for a few days.  We couldn't ask for better arrangements for our furriest family member!

This boy loved his airplane food.

It's not Hawaii, but it'll do.

My super-Warrior-helper during the flights.

Back to soccer.  First night of practice was tonight (Monday).

Trip 1 - Day 18 - Last Day in Rig@

Today was our last full day in Rig@.  Warrior woke up today thinking we were going to hop on a plane any moment.  He started packing all of his stuff into his one bag - whatever he could get his hands on went into the bag!  He was running around here saying, "America, America!"   Rachel and I left early to take Chuck Kelley some of our non-perishable foods (some of which had been given to us) so he could keep them in his apartment for other adoptive families.  Chuck was kind enough to show us his two most recent paintings.

Once we were back at the apartment, we packed our lunch and headed to the park in Rig@ one last time.  We ate lunch, fed the ducks and pigeons and got some last pictures of this magnificent park.  On the way out of the park we ran into the sweet L@tvian lady we met on the train heading to the zoo two weeks ago.  She was walking in the park with her grandson and she remembered us.  She didn't understand a word of what we were saying, so it was very difficult to converse with her.  She let us get a picture with her and her grandson.  We then split up and Kristie, Rebekah and Rachel did some final souvenir shopping in Rig@ while I took the younger kids for one last trampoline jump (the trampoline where you pay for your kid to jump for 10 or 20 minutes).

At 2:30 I called a taxi to pick me, Rachel and Warrior up to go to the Embassy to get his visa.  It only took a few minutes at the Embassy.  I was handed his L@tvian passport with a new page for his US visa.  So we're good to go to travel back to the US with our L@tvian.

As we finish packing and cleaning up this evening, it seems like we've been here an eternity.  During these three weeks, we've seen a lot and done a lot.  We've learned a lot of history.  (In its entire existence, L@tvia has only been a free country a total of just over forty years!)  This is a magnificent and beautiful country.

We'll need prayers for a safe and easy journey back to the US.  We'll leave at 11 PM Eastern Time Thursday (6:00 AM Friday L@tvian Time).  We'll fly to Frankfurt, Germany, then to Newark, New Jersey.  Finally landing in Atlanta around 5 PM Friday afternoon.

Thanks for following our journey on this blog (and those that are following it on Facebook).  We will do our best to keep this blog going as we transition into a family of seven in the US.  I will have a short trip back to L@tvia probably in October for a third court appointment.  Warrior and I will travel back to L@tvia for one final time for one week hopefully some time this winter.  When our Warrior comes back in the US at the end of the third trip, he will be a US Citizen.  He will always carry dual citizenship in both countries as long as he is alive.

Thanks again, and we look forward to catching up with friends and family in the US soon.

Beautiful Rig@ Park

Pondering what it's like to be a duck

As Sarah would call this:  Angel Light

Feeding the ducks

My new favorite building in Rig@

"1873"

Rig@ Canal

The L@tvian lady and her grandson

100% WANTED and LOVED!

****You know when you hear songs on the radio and you hum along, but they don't really have any meaning?  Then one day out of the blue, you completely get the song and the message coming across loud and clear. That is exactly what happened when I heard Dara Maclean's song "Wanted".  Please take a moment and listen to the words of this song.  This trip and this adoption have made the words to this song come to life.  Our Warrior is WANTED and has been wanted and loved by God since before he was born.  May he always know he is wanted by our family, but more importantly wanted by God and loved unconditionally!****

Our day began with our normal morning routine of breakfast and getting ready for the day.  Our lawyer picked us up promptly at 10:15AM (Latvi@n time) and drove us to our 2nd orphan court hearing.  Our little Warrior was happily singing on the ride there.  His happy-go-lucky demeanor quickly changed once we were in the court building and his orphanage director walked in.  He wouldn't even make eye contact with her.  She could tell he was scared she was coming to take him back to the orphanage.  Once everyone had arrived at court, Warrior and I were taken in to the room to talk to the court ladies along with his orphanage director.  Matt and our other children waited in the hall.  He was not happy to be in the room, and I could tell he was uncomfortable.  He was answering, "NO" to everything they were asking.  While I don't speak Latvi@n, I was able to pick up on a few things they were asking.  He told them "NO" to coming to America and he said he didn't want his mama and he didn't want to go back to the orphanage or to his home in Rig@.  I could tell he was tired of all of the questioning.  Once they realized he had enough, they welcomed Matt and our translator into the room.  They proceeded to question us for about 30 minutes about when we were going to start school with our children, how Warrior's behavior had been for the past few weeks, how our children felt about him and how we were feeling about going home.  Once the ladies of the court approved us to travel home with our Warrior, you could tell he was happy.  He seemed relieved to know he was going to be riding back with us in our car rather than his orphanage director's car.

Our next stop was the US Embassy for our interview to get his visitor's visa.  Since the embassy was closed for lunch, our lawyer drove us to a mall so we could have lunch.  After lunch, we found a bookstore and did some quick shopping before meeting back up with our lawyer to head to the embassy.  Once at the embassy, we went through two security check points and sat in a room waiting to be interviewed.  Not knowing what to expect, I think we were all a little nervous.  Our older girls were full of questions we couldn't answer because it was all new to us as well.  Finally, a very friendly US Embassy employee grabbed a chair and sat down with us in the lobby. He started making small talk about where we were from, if we liked the Atlanta Braves and what we had done while in Latvi@.  I think he spoke to us for maybe 10 minutes before letting us know our Warrior's visa would be ready to pick up tomorrow.  I think Matt and I were pretty shocked at how easy the process was.  Our lawyer drove us back to our apartment and we hugged goodbye.  It was a feeling of relief to be done with the legal aspect of trip one!

During our court hearing, we learned a few new things about his mother and family which we had not been told before.  We learned he had an older brother who was under the care of a legal guardian (meaning he can't be adopted) and is a very good football player (Latvi@n soccer).  The hard part for Matt and I was learning his mother who had abandoned him at the hospital had passed away this year (some of this information conflicted with what we had previously been told).  Knowing this fact just about ripped my heart out.  Anyone who knows me knows how sensitive I am and how I can cry at the drop of a hat.  Well, that is just about what happened.  I was crying along with the orphanage director.  As if this wasn't enough, once we got home, we started reading over some of the paperwork from the court.  We learned 5 other families had shown interest in adopting him, but chose not to because of his health issues.  WHY???  Why did my son get looked over by so many families?  Why did he have to stay without a family for so long? The answer is simple.  Our special Warrior is OUR blessing from God.  God chose us to be his parents and his family and for that I am so thankful!!!  While the pain in my heart hurts for him for things he doesn't yet know, I'm so blessed to be able to take him home and show him the same love our God has shown to me.

As I finish washing and hanging the last of our loads of laundry, I'm reminded how adoption is an amazing example of our own adoption into Christ's family.  When I get frustrated with our Warrior and all of his bad behaviors, Christ gently reminds me of how He loves me unconditionally despite my many flaws.  It is physically hard for my flesh to love someone and give love to someone who bites me, pinches me and lashes out at me for no reason.  But, since I am filled with Christ's love, I am able to give His love to this special little boy despite what he does to me.

Please continue to pray for our family especially as we travel on Friday to bring our Warrior home!  Matt and I would like to thank all of our readers who are faithful to keep up with our journey.

Trip 1 - Day 16 - Old Rig@

This morning, I returned the rental car to the airport.  Rachel and Warrior rode with me.  It was raining here, so traffic was blocked up in some areas.  We dropped the car off and took a taxi back to the apartment. 

Later we all went out for lunch.  After we ate, we split up and Kristie and the girls went shopping for a few souvenirs.  The boys and I went to the trampoline park and then back to the apartment.

After dinner, Rachel, Rebekah and I had a tour of Old Rig@ with missionary and artist Chuck Kelley.  He focused on the historical aspects of Rig@, from the founding of the city all the way up to recent history: the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.  We learned so much from him, and I hope to write much of it down in a future post.  For now, here are the photo highlights.

Tomorrow is our second court hearing, and then it's off to the US Embassy for Warrior's visa interview.

Walking in Riga Park.  According to Chuck, the park gets better every year.  Rig@ns are no longer under Soviet control and this park is a source of pride for them.

This statue was made to mock the last Swedish king who lost control of the region to the Russians.

The barracks built by the Russians, later occupied by the Nazis.  Today, this is dignitary housing for people such as the US and Chinese ambassadors, to name a few.

This monument was built in memory of eight L@tvians who were shot in the public park by the KGB in 1991.

The white castle looking building was the former Presidential Palace.  It burned six weeks ago and is being restored.  It had been under renovation for a year, so the president was not living there at the time.

House of the Blackbeards built by the Germans.  Destroyed in WWII and recently restored.  The president currently resides here.

View from the top of the Gutenburg hotel.

I think these girls have learned a lot on this trip...

Kristie finally found the honey store!

Trip 1 - Day 15 - Jurmala Beach

We still had the car for today, so I was able to drive our Warrior and Rebekah to Warrior's follow-up appointment this morning on the outskirts of Rig@.  We arrived a little bit early, and we were able to meet with his doctor right away.  The doctor spoke English, so we didn't need the help of the translator for this visit.  This doctor had been seeing Warrior for a couple of years.  While we were talking, she was finishing a document in English for us to take that had all of his medical history since birth.  She was excited that Warrior was coming to America.  He told her he was scared of flying.  When we wrapped up, she said goodbye to us and wished us all the best.

When we arrived back at the apartment, we all piled into the car and drove to Jurmala.  This is a beach city just to the west of Rig@ along the Gulf of Rig@.  It reminded me of St. Simons Island, Georgia.  We found a beach access spot and parked and walked along a sandy path to the beach.  As we approached the beach, and Warrior saw the water for the first time, he dropped his pants and started running to the water!  Apparently, he's never been to the beach before!  The water was cold, and the beach air was hot.  But, this didn't stop all five kids from playing and swimming in the wave-less water.  We ate our lunch that we had packed on the beach and made it back to the car a couple of hours later.

On the ride back to the apartment, we detoured and went out of our way to drive by Warrior's orphanage (also in Jurmala).  The other kids and I didn't get to see it when Kristie visited a couple of weeks ago.  His orphanage is in a very small town that has just a few cross streets.  No stoplights or stores.  As we approached it, Warrior's demeanor changed as if he knew exactly where we were going.  We slowly drove by it, and we saw a young boy and girl across the street on the playground unsupervised.  Warrior looked upset as if he wanted to go in. Perhaps he misses his friends there.  As we drove away, he was fine.  After a few minutes, he was singing and playing again in the car.

We made it back to the apartment and got cleaned up.  We headed back out to a pizza place near Freedom Monument in Old Rig@.  

Jūrmala (Latvian: [juːrmala] "seaside"; German: Riga-Strand, Baltische Riviera) is a city in Latvia, about 25 kilometers west of Riga. Jūrmala is a resort town stretching 32 kilometres (20 mi) and sandwiched between the Gulf of Riga and the Lielupe River. It has a 33 km stretch of white-sand beach, and a population of 55,580, making it the fifth largest city in Latvia.

While Latvia was a part of the Soviet Union, Jūrmala was a favorite holiday-resort and tourist destination for high-level Communist Party officials, particularly Leonid Brezhnev and Nikita Khrushchev. Although many amenities such as beach-houses and concrete hotels remain, some have fallen into disrepair. Jūrmala remains a tourist attraction with long beaches facing the Gulf of Riga and romantic wooden houses in the Art Nouveau style.  (Wikipedia)

Warrior's Doctor's Office

Jurmala Beach

Seth playing in the Gulf of Riga

The playground across the street from the orphanage.

Leaving Jurmala.  This sign is very symbolic of this adoption journey that we're on.

Seth with his "spikey hair" - on the way to eating pizza this evening.

Angry Birds pizza

Rachel waiting for her pica!