Saturday, July 09, 2005

Thank you!

The journey that has led up to the adventure is past, and now our adventure in adoptive parenting has begun. So, with this chapter of our lives coming to a close, we want to offer a final blog post. It's simple, but it's the most meaningful of all our posts.

Thank you...

- to all the people who commented on the blog, emailed us directly, and otherwise contacted us to encourage, support, and pray for us and our kids. You know who you are, and we would not have made it, emotionally or spiritually, without your daily outpouring of love and support. Just as you looked forward to reading our blog each day, we couldn't wait to wake up in the morning and read your humorous and heartfelt words. We will forever treasure all of those words.
- Vera and Mit, without whom we never would have made it 2 days in Taraz. We hope and pray that you are reading this blog, because you truly have a gift from God to do what you do. You are blessed, and your amazing talents were a blessing to us for our time in Taraz.
- Marina and Sam, who still have never lost an American family in Kazakhstan! We tried real hard, but somehow they kept us safe and sound.
- The Morin and Miller families, who helped us, prayed for us, talked with us about the craziness that is Kazakhstan adoption, and were just plain God-sent friends for the better part of 2 months while we were all a little out of sorts and 14,000 miles from home.
- Marlene Shea at Delta Airlines. Who knows where we'd be if it weren't for your persistence and superb service. Perhaps someday you'll get to meet the monkeys!
- To the incredible Frankfurt based flight crew on the Frankfurt-to-JFK Delta flight for making us so comfortable and overwhelming Lena and Dub with love and attention as they became American citizens.


Thank you God, Jehovah Jire, who provides all things...

- for calling us to adopt children
- for giving us a vision with these words on Fathers day 2004: "Somewhere in Kazakhstan there are kids of some age waiting for their mom and dad to come get them. We don't know who they are, how old they are, or where they are, or where they are from, but I am their Daddy and Angel is their Mommy. We must now wait for God's appointed time until we meet them, but we already love them."
- for fulfilling that vision with William Roscoe and Miriam Helena, our monkeys, Dub & Lena
- for Karla Anderson, who faithfully walked us through all the initial questions and paperwork
- for Lori at Little Miracles, who saw us through to the end, answering all our last minute panicked questions
- for allowing us to tell our families in person, and for allowing us to maintain a bit of discretion until we could do so
- for moving our paperwork through immigration, translation, the Kazakhstan Consulate in NY, the Kazakhstan Ministry of Foreign Affairs at exactly the perfect timing. God's timing is always perfect.
- for several tests of our faith and willingness to simply accept your plan for our lives and this adoption process
- for providing a wonderful friend at the City of Conyers records office to clear the path for Kevin's youthful indiscretions to be finally and officially cleared.
- for FedEx, when it absolutely, positively, had to be there overnight. Our Kazakhstan visas within our passports, 2 days before we were to leave.
- for the diligent people at the Kazakhstan Consulate in NY, who recognized our dilemma, and turned our visas around in 1 day instead of the normal 5-7 business days.
- for modern communications, which allowed Angel to call Kevin from the highway in Louisville, KY to give him the news that we had gotten our referral
- for the amazing generosity of our Christian friends, who enabled us to fly to and (mostly) from Kazakhstan in the amazing comfort and luxury of international business class. Only God can provide hearts so willing to give.
- for providing exactly the funds we would need to travel and stay in Kazakhstan for 56 days
- for blessing Kevin's business, so much that he could put all of his daily work in the hands of his Christian business partners, leave for 56 days, and causing the business to grow during that time.
- for giving Dub & Lena such loving, open hearts that they can feel comfortable at home in any surrounding, even though they've never been in any other surrounding except the Umit Baby Home in Taraz, Kazakhstan.
- for providing us with a home that is well-suited to two toddlers, with a big room for them to sleep and play in, a big back porch for them to get rowdy in, a playground in the backyard, and a neighborhood now positively busting with new children!
- For Mary Alice, who turned her own life upside down to house-sit for us for 8 weeks, including walking our beloved doggie, dealing with our insatiable and insufferable cats, and taking perfect care of the place we call home to the extent that we did not have to think once about what we would do - or did do - while we were gone. You will always have a place in Fezzik's and our hearts, and in our home!
- for somehow getting us through a 46-hour marathon trip home, on standby for every flight, with limited pull-ups, no sleep, very little direction, and unlimited and totally undeserved grace.
- for giving Lena and Dub a limo ride home at the end of that surreal journey
- for all the people at the Church of the Apostles, our spiritual home, who embraced us and our journey as if it were a mission of the church itself, and whose staff leads us past the sometimes rough waters of jumping into toddler-dom with two feet just by showing us which room they belong in.
- for America, and all the military who protect her on a daily basis. Until we spend far too much time away from our home land, we tend to take it for granted. Forgive us God, and forgive us all you who serve in the military, for not appreciating everything about the greatest nation on Earth, the U.S.A.



God provided every detail and dollar down to the final day, and we rely completely on Him to provide for the growth, strength, and maturity of these incredible children, His children, for whom we are blessed to care for a season. Thank you, God! You truly are the Great Provider, Comforter, and Father to the fatherless!

Blessings,
Kevin, Angel, Dub, and Lena

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congratulations to all of you. Thank you for sharing your adventure. We are all so happy for you. Send a picture every now and then, if you can find time. I'm sure your lives are quite busy now; in a wonderful new way. WOW!!
Faith is a funny thing.
Take care
Kathy

Anonymous said...

Blessings and love to you all!
You will remain in my thoughts and prayers. Thank you for sharing your marvelous, spirit-filled journey with us.

Smiles and blessings,
Jennifer

Anonymous said...

I have so enjoyed your day to day reports on your "adventure." I will miss them. Could you start a new weekly (or even monthly) blog on parenting -- or watch them grow--or some such?? Those who are far away won't be seeing your "monkeys" very often and would love to watch some of the stages as they "blossom." In any event, thanks for sharing an important part of your lives.
Aunt Tincy in Texas

Anonymous said...

Kevin and Angel..
I've been praying for you but just heard about your blog from Trish Bruce...I read it all in one sitting and cried..(thank you for the warning to get tissues).. This is an amazing blessing of God..and your faith and persistence are inspiring.

We've got a whole group of great young adults here at the church in Impact who LOVE to babysit so just let us know...although Trish may not let anyone else take her spot...I can't wait to meet them and hug them both..welcome to Atlanta Lena and Dub...

Anonymous said...

Jude 24-25
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
Thanks for sharing,
Katherine L.