I wasn't sure if I'd ever get to type those words…but it's true! Today I purchased two airline tickets for Jim and I to fly to Kiev, Ukraine on November 4th!! We have requested, and were granted, a second SDA appointment for November 6th. While we are elated and ecstatic about seeing Igor in two short weeks, there is still much up in the air regarding our adoption. Today we want to share with you praises for ways God has provided, urgent requests for prayer, and a way you can partner with us to provide for the children of the Pishana orphanage.
First, Thank you so much to those of you who were able to donate money to the Nasledie Heritage Foundation. Through our combined efforts, $2500 was donated to purchase supplies for Igor's orphanage!! Here is a link for you to see a picture of some of the items we purchased: nasledie blog You will need to scroll down that page to the posting from Friday, 10/17 to see an update on all the Nasledie ministry was able to purchase with your donations. School supplies, cleaning products, hygiene items, pajamas, socks, sweatshirts….The director at Pishana was very grateful! There is an ongoing need for supplies for these children so if you didn't get a chance to donate and still have a desire to do so you can go to this link: donate to Pishana. You will need to write "Slavik and Alyona Puzanov, supplies for Pishana orphanage" in the Program line in order for the money to be directed to the orphanage.
Because there are so many shortages in Ukraine right now due to the war, the Pishana orphanage will have very little heating oil this winter to run the heat. Last Christmas, the junior class from our youth group made no-sew fleece blankets for Jim and I to take with us and give to Igor's orphanage. Those blankets have been sitting in our attic as we waited on God's timing for our travel. Now it seems those blankets are the perfect gift for the children of Pishana. However, 12 blankets is not nearly enough to provide a blanket for all 110 children in the orphanage. Laura, from the Nasledie Foundation, connected me with a woman in Iowa who has set about to collect enough fleece blankets for all 110 children. Together, she and I are trying to recruit volunteers to make a fleece blanket so we can take these when we travel on November 4th. The airline we are flying with allows us to take 3 (50lb.) bags each, so Jim and I would like to fill up those extra bags with these blankets and other supplies for Pishana. I am asking you all to prayerfully consider making one of these blankets this next week. They are SO easy to make and it would be a fun family project. I would need to receive the blanket no later than November 3rd in order to take it with me. Here is a link with directions on making the "no-sew fleece blanket". You can also google "no-sew fleece blanket" and watch YouTube videos on how to make one. All the directions give different sizes and measurements, so for our blankets you should purchase 1 1/2 yards (60in. wide) of a generic print fleece (to be used for a boy or girl) and 1 1/2 yards of a coordinating plain fleece. Cut the corners at 4" squares and make the strips 4" by 1". JoAnn Fabric in Cary is having a sale on fleece through tomorrow if you live local. Please, please consider making one of these for the children! We need as much help as we can get on this project. If you work as a family, it will probably take an hour or less to tie together one of these blankets.
Most of all, we covet your prayers for us. As I said, much is still up in the air regarding our adoption. We do not have confirmation that Igor's paperwork has been moved. If we arrive for our appointment on November 6th and his paperwork has not been moved, the SDA officer will not present Igor's file to us. The director of his old orphanage in Irmino must transfer his paperwork for Igor to be eligible for adoption. However, our facilitator in Ukraine has not been able to get in touch with this director. Please pray that they will be able to make a connection in this next week. You may wonder why we would request a second SDA appointment if Igor's paperwork was not moved. Well, the documents in our dossier (large packet of documents we sent to Ukraine) begin to expire on December 20th. When that happens, we will need to redo the entire dossier with a different adoption agency. Because Ukraine recently adopted the Hague agreement, all adoptions from this point on will have to be done under a certified adoption agency. We have been using a private consultant. We have been grandfathered in, as long as the adoption is finished in December 2014. So our adoption coordinator suggested we request a date in November that would allow us to finish the adoption before our documents begin to expire, with the hopes that the paperwork would get transferred in time. So we are asking God to move this mountain. To do a miracle. If He doesn't, we are still grateful that we have this opportunity to visit our boy for a few days.
There are many logistics we need to take care of in the next week and a half. Here are more specifics on how you can pray:
- Praise God for all the supplies purchased for Pishana
- Praise God we are going to Ukraine!!!!!!!! And will soon be able to hug our sweet boy!!! (I'm crying already at the thought of that)
- Praise God for very reasonable flight costs which include 3 checked bags each.
- Praise God we were granted an SDA appointment for November 6th
- Pray for coverage for Jim's practice. It's very difficult to leave his practice during flu season. Pray for his staff to be able to handle all the issues that will arise in Jim's absence.
- Pray that God will move Igor's paperwork and that we would be given a referral for Igor on November 6th
- Pray that we would be an encouragement to the children at Pishana orphanage
- Pray that enough blankets would be donated for Pishana
-Pray for Nick and Joyce Rundlett who will be staying with Ashley and Daniel and for Mat and Jenni Taft who will take care of Josiah while we are gone.
- Pray for safety for us as we travel. Americans are not well liked in Ukraine. Please pray for our protection.
-Pray that we will accept God's plan, however it unfolds. Pray that we will know when to act….and when to wait and trust.
Our travel dates are Nov. 4-12. We do not get to bring Igor home on this trip. If we receive a referral for him, we will be assigned a court date 3-6 weeks later and we will travel back to Ukraine with the hopes of returning with our son.
May God get the glory, no matter what the "Glorious Unfolding" of His story may be….
