Answer

Answer

As many of you know, we followed up with our hosting experience by asking the Lord if we should adopt Eduards & Helena.  We thought that we wanted to, and the only way we knew to see if that was what God had planned for us was to try.  So we asked our adoption agency to seek an answer from the Latvian Orphan Court whether they could be adopted.

Well today we finally (after waiting 4 weeks) got an answer from the Orphan Court, via our Latvian attorney and our adoption agency.  It seems that Eduards and Helena have said that they do not wish to be adopted.  I think God has been preparing my heart for this answer from the beginning, but we still thought we should try.  According to the OC, they will ask again in a few weeks, which may mean that they feel an international adoption would be a good situation for E & H.

     This is very disappointing, but we have been praying all along that the Lord would open or close the door so that we would know what we should do.  In a way I am relieved that we have some type of answer, rather than just NOTHING.  I am also surprised that the OC asked them whether they wanted to be adopted, when we have been told all along that the children would not be asked (according to Hague International Treaty) unless we had progressed with our adoption pre-application!  (I am still waiting to receive my passport).  Perhaps this is God's way of shutting the door before we had gone too far??  We tried to be a good testimony to them, we felt that the Lord gave us love for them, and them for us, and they even prayed to invite Jesus to be their Savior.  We made sure that they understood that it was between them and God, and not to do anything like that to please us, God knows their hearts.          We can only pray for them now, and continue to email, and express our love.  If the OC is willing to ask them again, that is okay with us.  I so wonder what they and their aunt thought of when they planned to be a part of the hosting program.  I guess every situation is different, and when I heard that the foster mother was their aunt, I really wondered if they would even want to leave her.  I so wonder what the situation is with their own mother.

Thank you to everyone who has so faithfully encouraged us and prayed for us.  For now, we ask that you pray for E & H, that God will make Himself real to them there in Latvia, and that if they change their minds about being part of our family, that we could find that out.

Saying Goodbye!

Hello Friends & Family -

Sending Eduards & Helena off at the airport

Well it was not easy saying goodbye yesterday to Eduards and Helena.  I think they were sad, but also excited to go back.  Emotional feelings have been the hardest thing for them to express all along, and I wonder if that is something that they have never experienced in life - expressing emotion.  Our last week together was so good, including a visit to the National Zoo, a small local (Mt. Airy) carnival, a horseback riding lesson, a camping trip and introduction to my sister Gail & family in Swanton, Maryland, more visits to Dr. Hummers for fillings, Adventure Park and dinner with the DeChosa family, and of course, lots of swimming!

A day at the National Zoo with Annie's family

Ariel DeChosa delighted us with his piano!

At the beginning of this adventure in hosting, we hoped and prayed that we would be able to share the love of Christ with Eduards and Helena, and with God's help we feel that goal has been accomplished.  Each night before bed we spent some time reading Bible stories, and discussing God's love and how he has His hand in our lives.  The last afternoon and evening, we shared God's plan for our salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ, using a gospel-sharing tool called the Evangecube.  As we explained what God is offering to us, Eduards and Helena said they would like to ask Jesus to be their savior.  We made sure they knew that we loved them either way, and in no way were we forcing this, so we are hopeful that their choice to pray and ask Jesus to be their savior was truly from their hearts in response to His work in their lives!  When you live with someone every day, your life is truly on display, and we pray that we were a good example to them of life with Jesus, and that they can grow in their faith.  We asked them if they know any Christians at home, and they said that they did not.  So we told them that even though they may feel alone in their new faith, they are NOT.  The Lord is with them, and we are going to be praying for them!

Could this be why Frankie's back is sore??

Over this whole experience, I have been so grateful for the help God's sent our way through so many of you.  Dr. Hummers provided his dental care, and not only that but he patiently talked the kids through their anxiety, and his kindness and graciousness to us, as well as that of his wife and every single staff member there in his office, will never be forgotten!  The Chin family provided for us to attend a Keys Baseball game, complete with souvenirs, and have a very American experience.  Joanna Buppert provided a dream-come-true riding lesson, including grooming, saddling and washing the horse after the ride.  She is the sweetest most patient horsewoman you can imagine, and was absolutely perfect with Helena.  The DeChosa family showed their support by treating us to an very fun afternoon at Adventure Park, and a delightful evening of dinner and awe inspiring music in their home.  My sister Gail and family hosting us for boating, hot tubbing, and a fantastic meal was a delight and a great opportunity to share extended family life with E & H.  Thank you also to our own four children and all nine grandchildren, and the MANY ways they shared love with E & H just by being themselves, and sharing life with us during this time.  Frankie especially was such a sweet big brother to them, sharing his home and just being a kind, loving, patient, fun older brother to them, and a source of strength to me.  Joanna & Dan Hart and family hosted us for a fun family picnic along with the Runkles, the Lazos, and the Crows at their home.  So many others of you have expressed interest and support, and all of this adds up to us knowing that God is helping us along this road - we are not doing it in our own strength!  Thank you SO much for all of your prayers and words of encouragement.

Swallow Falls State Park

Now, what's next???
Stay tuned, we're not sure, but we'll keep trying to ride the wave God is moving . . .   ;-)

Home Stretch

Saying goodbye to our daughter Kathy & family on Sunday night.

Enjoying a nice dinner at Longhorn.

Bike ride to Harpers Ferry

Visiting at our daughter Annie's house.

     Well, we're down to our last week together with Eduards and Helena.  We are very comfortable with each other, and had a lot of fun laughing and teasing, as well as praying and reading the Bible together.  Eduards and Helena have been and continue to be very helpful, and willing to do whatever we ask them to.  We've had a great bike ride with Karen Lazo and Nikita, along with our Latvian chaperone Lana, dentist appointment for fillings, big family birthday party for our one-year-old grandson Trevor, a Frederick Keys baseball game (courtesy of Albert & Joannie Chin!), a fun building project at Stephanie Rittler's house (catapult and airplane), a visit to Jimmie Cone in Damascus, and a second visit to the Frederick Earth Space and Science Center.  Of course the weather's been super hot, so swimming in the pool has been a part of each day.  Our daughter Kathy & family were with us all weekend and we had lots of fun with them.  Today is the long-awaited trip to the National Zoo in Washington, DC, with our daughter Annie and her family.  The break from the hot weather will definitely be enjoyed there!  Then tonight we plan to attend the Mt. Airy Carnival.  This coming weekend we're headed up to Swallow Falls State Park in western Maryland for camping, and a visit to my sister Gail & family in Swanton.  In the midst of all of the activity, there is always a lot of time at home too, and just experiencing family life, which is good because that is one of the main ideas of the hosting program!

Helena likes to hold whatever critters she can!

Note to self:  Never order a large cone at Jimmie Cone!

That's all for now.   Again THANK YOU for your interest, and support.  Most of all we thank you for your prayers because God is definitely steering us through this!

Full Days

Hello All -

Well we sure have been very busy this week.  One highlight was a visit to the Frederick Earth & Space Science Center, where we saw a movie in the planetarium called Sea Monsters, and then got to explore the center and hold some REAL live monsters!  I personally was only interested in holding the turtles, but Helena was much more brave than I was.  :-)  A bit of time at Baker Park, and then early supper at Cici's Pizza filled out our day.  

We also enjoyed a fun time at home with the Runkles family for lunch and pool play time on Wednesday.  On Friday we made a visit to Lens Crafters, where Eduards and Helena were pronounced to have excellent eyesight by a very sweet Dr. Smith who even learned Latvian so she could better communicate with NHFC children!  On Saturday we had a brunch with other NHFC host families at the home of Bridget & Sandro Young, in Washington, DC.  They & their neighbors graciously gave us some of their parking spots, and we walked from there to see the national museums, etc.  We were happy for Helena to get to spend more time with Janna & Inese who are hosted by the Mullieri family of Alexandria, VA.  Their family even surprised us and visited at MVCC yesterday, because Jon happens to be friends with Darren DeWald, who was speaking in Pastor Guy's absence yesterday.  

     Today we're looking forward to spending time with the Henderson family who are MVCC's supported missionaries in Mozambique, Africa.  Phil & Elin visited church yesterday with their two children, Callie & Elias, who are 13 and 10, so we planned to spend the afternoon and evening together  here today.  It will be great to get to know them better, and have the kids play together.

Fun @ Frederick Earth & Space Science Ctr.

Air & Space Museum was the favorite!

Brunch gathering of other host families at Bridget & Sandro Young's home in Washington DC before exploring the museums. 

A beautiful day to see the sights!

Museum of Natural History - Girl Moose!

Phil & Karen Lazo with Nikita

Jon & Amber Mullieri with their hosted Janna & Inese and their own three children.

 Thank you again to everyone, we know God is giving us the strength and grace for this endeavor in great part because of your faithfulness to pray for us!!

Discoveries

First time in the ocean

Hello All!  We are home again from our trip to Bethany Beach and everyone had a great time.  It was so cool to see Eduards and Helena experiencing the ocean for the first time.  :-)  They loved swimming in the waves, and stayed out there so long they were wrinkly when they finally got out of the water.  Our daughter Kathy and her family joined us for the long weekend, and now E & H have met each of our children and grandchildren.  We are getting to know each other better and better, and learning how to play tricks and make each other laugh.  Dutch Blitz is definitely a favorite game now, and almost every family favorite recipe has been a hit.  Today was full of a dentist appointment, swimming, doing laundry, cooking, sewing, and hiking.
We can't say it enough - THANK YOU for praying for us.  We want to continue to pray for E & H to seek God, and not push Him away.  We are praying together with them each night, and thanking God for everything, and trying to point out how He's answering our prayers.  Sharing the blessings He's given us with E & H is our goal, so we pray most of all that they will begin to see God's hand, and seek after Him with their hearts.

Waiting for our turn in the restaurant

Viens, divi, tres - JUMP!

We are doing great, learning words (as best we can), and having fun - LOTS of fun!  On Friday night our daughter Annie and her family came for dinner and swim, and it was so wonderful to be able to introduce them to E & H.  On Saturday our son Pat & his family came for dinner and swim, and E & H did great meeting them too!  On Sunday we hosted a welcome to America Party for the other local host families and had a blast in the pool and sling shooting water balloons! Eduards and Helena really had fun having other Latvians around to play with and talk to.  I even saw some pretty big smiles on Eduards' face!  Both of them pitched in and helped us tremendously getting ready for the party, and cleaning up too!  I lost count of how many families were here.  Right now I can think of at least seven, all of whom were so great and friendly. We did make plans with one particular family to have another get together later on.  As each day goes by here at home we all become more and more comfortable with each other, and learn how to make each other laugh!  Helena & Eduards are so good with their English skills, and are patiently trying to teach us some Latvian!  We've enjoyed walks in the woods, lots of swims in the pool, and doing jobs around the house!  Both of the kids are always asking how they can help, and have mowed the lawn, washed and dried dishes, taken out trash, and even scrubbed down the camper!

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us!  Every night before bed we hold hands and pray together, and at first that seemed really uncomfortable for E & H, but now, it is much more relaxed, and the hug at the end of the day is really great!  We are finding more ways to show affection and love, and that is what we want!  Today we'll be busily getting ready for four days at the beach.  We'll tell you all about that when we return!  Looking forward to time with our daughter Kathy & her family there, and seeing Eduards' & Helena's first sight of the ocean!

Meeting at the airport

Well thank you so much everyone for you prayers!  We drove to the airport with Karen and Brett Lazo, meeting Phil Lazo there.  (He brought us Chick Filet!)  The Lazo's are hosting a boy (14) named Nikita.  We had a pretty long wait, but enjoyed meeting other host families, including Julie Martin (Of Martin's Potato Rolls!), who is hosting two brothers up in Chambersburg, PA., and her sister Jackie.   Erin Runkles was waiting with us too, as she is hosting one of the chaperones.  She has sure been a source of encouragement to us!  Meeting all those families, and some of whom have previously hosted, was so encouraging.  But the longer the wait, the more nervous I felt.  When we saw Eduards and Helena finally, they looked quite a bit different than their pictures, but WONDERFUL!!!
They are so handsome, and beautiful, and SWEET!!!!  And guess what - they speak and understand some English, which is GREAT!  So, I am going to bed very thankful, and praying that Eduards and Helena will have a peaceful night's sleep.  Thank you again for praying for us, God is hearing and answering your prayers!