Hi Everyone!
I am sorry it has taken so long to give an update but a combination of jet lag and hitting the ground running with work, doctor’s appointment, etc I haven’t had a moment to sit and let my brain take it all in.
I thank you all for your many prayers and words of encouragement through this whirlwind of an adoption. The last trip in Latvia was very smooth and an enjoyable trip. Kostya and Jana enjoyed the week spending time walking around the city enjoying the -6 degree weather . Jana was able to see her foster mom’s daughter and her foster sister before we left as well as a chaperone friend we hosted at Christmas.
Jana commented that the doctors in Latvia weren’t very good because they didn’t even make her take her shoes off .
We arrived home to a very busy week filled with doctors appointments, tennis matches, soccer games, dance lessons, etc. Kostya has a fractured back and is in a brace for 6 weeks and Jana has an abnormal heart rhythm that we just have to monitor. Please continue to pray for their healing.
I stand in awe of the way God moves mountains when necessary. It has been only 9 months since we heard about Jana and know she is our daughter permanently. I pray that each one of you will be blessed for your part in bringing our daughter home and making sure there was one less orphan in this world. If you are interested in hosting a child of your own or you want to help others to be able to host and eventually adopt, please check out the new listing of children available to host this summer. All bios and photos are now online and ready for viewing. Go online today and read about the special children available for Summer Hosting 2011. Most children are allowed to be placed for hosting nationwide. Pray about your participation in this summer’s program or forward this information to another family who may be willing to host an orphan in their home. Sign-in to view photo listing:
http://www.newhorizonsforchildren.org/horizons/prephoto.html
A friend shared a devotion last Thursday which talked about luke warm Christians. Revelations 3:16 says ‘So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth” I don’t know about you but I don’t want God to spit me out! He also says he will stand at the door and knock waiting on us to act. I pray that each of you will be on fire for Christ and step out in radical faith to take care of orphans and widows in the year to come.
We look so forward to what God has in store for our family in the year to come. Please continue to pray for us and that God will use us in a mighty way to accomplish His purpose.
God bless, Paula
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
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.
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 :)
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.
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
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
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Final Trip Scheduled!!
Our final trip to Latvia is scheduled for the week of February 20th.We are so excited to be finishing the final step :) This week corresponds with our February break. What a blessing that will be so Jana won't miss school and I won't have to miss work.
It is so hard to believe that just 6 months ago we were hosting her and our adoption is final. Jana has adjusted so well to her new family and we are so blessed to have her as our daughter. I am so thankful for the many people who interceded on her behalf before we found her and our families behalf as we moved through the adoption process. God has been so faithful to provide and guide us in every step of the way.
We received an email a few weeks ago about another young boy whose adopting family had backed out only two weeks shy of his 16th birthday leaving him nearly without options. We prayed through this decision and prayed with our kids but felt we weren't the ones God was calling but we are so thankful that the Kilgore family listened and responded with obedience. What great joy we felt that God had saved this boy from a certain fate. We pray the Kilgore's will be abundantly blessed as they move through their adoption process. We pray for them as they wait for travel dates. God promises he will look after orphans in their distress and we praise Him for what he is doing.
Thank you all for your continued prayers and please cover us as we travel to Latvia. Kostya will be joining Jana and I on this third trip and he is so excited. I am praying that God will use this time for renewing and bonding and that He will bless our time together. Please continue to pray that God will provide for our needs as we have a few unexpected expenses for this third trip. We are trusting that God will meet our needs.
May God bless each of you and that He will touch your hearts for the orphan.
It is so hard to believe that just 6 months ago we were hosting her and our adoption is final. Jana has adjusted so well to her new family and we are so blessed to have her as our daughter. I am so thankful for the many people who interceded on her behalf before we found her and our families behalf as we moved through the adoption process. God has been so faithful to provide and guide us in every step of the way.
We received an email a few weeks ago about another young boy whose adopting family had backed out only two weeks shy of his 16th birthday leaving him nearly without options. We prayed through this decision and prayed with our kids but felt we weren't the ones God was calling but we are so thankful that the Kilgore family listened and responded with obedience. What great joy we felt that God had saved this boy from a certain fate. We pray the Kilgore's will be abundantly blessed as they move through their adoption process. We pray for them as they wait for travel dates. God promises he will look after orphans in their distress and we praise Him for what he is doing.
Thank you all for your continued prayers and please cover us as we travel to Latvia. Kostya will be joining Jana and I on this third trip and he is so excited. I am praying that God will use this time for renewing and bonding and that He will bless our time together. Please continue to pray that God will provide for our needs as we have a few unexpected expenses for this third trip. We are trusting that God will meet our needs.
May God bless each of you and that He will touch your hearts for the orphan.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Happy New Year :)
What a roller coaster year 2010 was. We lost Brad's dad and my grandad this past year but God also blessed us with our new daughter Jana. We are truly so grateful for all the many blessings God has poured out on our family.
As I reflect on the new year coming I wonder what great things GOd has in store for our family. Sometimes I fear where he might take us or what he might ask us to do but my experience has shown that when we are obedient the blessings are immeasurable. I know this that God continues to place the plight of orphans on my heart and I wait in anticipation for how God is going to use us to accomplish his instructions of taking care of orphans and widows.
People often comment on how expensive adoption is and of course it is not cheap. Ours would not be possible without our many friends and family partnering with us to make it happen along with Lifesong for Orphans and Promise 686. However, I wonder why we in America don't think twice about dropping $35,000 for a new car or truck that we will wear out and discard so quickly but we think the same amount to save a child is too much to pay?
I pray that each of you that read this blog will contemplate how God is calling you to take care of orphans and widows. Even if you don't feel led to bring one in your home you can help make it possible for others or take care of those who cannot be adopted. Start your new year by making a committment to help - check out the following organizations - http://www.servintl.org/ - SERV has an orphanage in Lodwar, Kenya, New Horizons for Children http://www.newhorizonsforchildren.org/horizons/hosting.html, Lifesong for Orphans http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/ , Promise 686 http://www.promise686.org/
May God bless you this new year. Thank you for your continued prayers as we wait to complete our adoption of Jana. Please also pray for all the hosting families and hosted children that God will give each direction regarding adoption.
God bless, Paula
As I reflect on the new year coming I wonder what great things GOd has in store for our family. Sometimes I fear where he might take us or what he might ask us to do but my experience has shown that when we are obedient the blessings are immeasurable. I know this that God continues to place the plight of orphans on my heart and I wait in anticipation for how God is going to use us to accomplish his instructions of taking care of orphans and widows.
People often comment on how expensive adoption is and of course it is not cheap. Ours would not be possible without our many friends and family partnering with us to make it happen along with Lifesong for Orphans and Promise 686. However, I wonder why we in America don't think twice about dropping $35,000 for a new car or truck that we will wear out and discard so quickly but we think the same amount to save a child is too much to pay?
I pray that each of you that read this blog will contemplate how God is calling you to take care of orphans and widows. Even if you don't feel led to bring one in your home you can help make it possible for others or take care of those who cannot be adopted. Start your new year by making a committment to help - check out the following organizations - http://www.servintl.org/ - SERV has an orphanage in Lodwar, Kenya, New Horizons for Children http://www.newhorizonsforchildren.org/horizons/hosting.html, Lifesong for Orphans http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/ , Promise 686 http://www.promise686.org/
May God bless you this new year. Thank you for your continued prayers as we wait to complete our adoption of Jana. Please also pray for all the hosting families and hosted children that God will give each direction regarding adoption.
God bless, Paula
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