Wednesday, February 23, 2011

John 4:18 I will not leave you as orphans....

The Lord has promised in John 4:18 "I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you." Thank God for his promises.

Today we completed our interview at the embassy and everything went very smoothly. We met the Miller family who are also completing their 3rd trip.

We are happy to go tonight to Lido and spend time with Jana's foster sister and our friend Indra. Tomorrow we will pick up her visa and visit with her former foster sister also.

It is a little warmer today but still sooooooo cold.

I am so thankful for God's hand in this adoption and that Jana is our daughter.

We look forward to being back home in our own beds and taking a nice shower :)

Thank you all for your prayers.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Day 1 in Latvia

It was so cold today but we enjoyed walking out in it for short periods of time.

We had the embassy doctors visit today and everything went smoothly. We then headed to the passport office to apply for Jana's Latvian passport in her new name :)

We did a lot of walking and stopped by several different malls to get out of the cold. Found some good deals on boots. We ate at the small Lido restaurant but we are looking forward to going to the big Lido maybe Wednesday night. Kostya is enjoying the food and wants to get Russian food next time we go to Lido. Jana and Koy both like the Russian tv channels.

Tomorrow we will pick up Jana's passport and that is all we have to do so we have to whole day to sight see. We are headed to Old Town.

We are so thankful of the blessings God has given us through this adoption process and I look forward to bringing Jana home permanently as a Benton :)

Sunday, February 20, 2011

We have arrived :)

Well i just have to say it is sooooooooooooo cold here. Going from 70 in Atlanta to -6 here in Latvia is a little bit of a shock to my system.

We had quite a few delays due to high winds in New York and deicing in Prague but we still made each flight with plenty of time. It was a smooth process expect the bumpy ride to NY. Kostya broke out in a cold sweat and got really nauseous but he survived.

We headed out to find a store and ate some pizza. By the time we returned our ear, toes, and fingers were frozen.

We are so glad to be here finishing the last step in this speedy adoption. We praise God for his provision and making a way for this to happen. Jana misses home where it is warm. Kostya is enjoying TV in Russian.

Tomorrow we are off to the medical appointment. Pray everything goes smoothly.

God bless you all and thank you for your continued prayers.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Off We Go!!

Well we are about packed and ready to head for Latvia in the morning. The last few weeks have been very difficult. I know that Satan was trying his hardest to make life difficult. Each of us has been struggling with health issues. However, God is bigger than all that and despite our struggles we are so excited about making our final trip to Latvia.

The final trip is for the embassy medical exam and getting visa and passport in Jana's new name. She will travel home as a Benton :) which of course she has been a Benton since day 1.

Please continue to pray for our travels and that our health will improve so that the trip is enjoyable.

God has made so many miracles happen to allow Jana to become a part of our family and we stand in awe of His love for us.

May God bless each one of you - stay tuned for updates from Latvia.

God bless, Paula