A sweet laugh this morning......

Thought I would share a laugh......Well, I am picking Maiah up from school in a couple of hours and we have an appt at the International Travel Clinic to get some shots that are required for travel to Mongolia......this is Maiah wanting to know why we are going for shots today:

Do we have to get shots so that we don't bring our bugs on the plane, all the way to Mongolia and get Seth sick?? Mongolia is very, very far, I don't think the bugs will make it.

She is too cute and very excited!! She said she is not even going to cry today, that she is going to be a big girl for Seth, so that he can be part of our family:)

Hope we put a smile on your face for the day....
Stacy & Maiah

I171 on the way......prayer answered!!!

     For those of you who read my post from earlier today...thanks for praying!! I think God knew that my heart could not handle another last minute answer, not this week!!  So, I just received a phone call from the US Government.......really, they called to apologize for the delay ( she had to have emergency surgery) and to tell us that everything was looking good with our documents and that they were going to put the new original i171H in the mail to us in the morning as their mail had already been picked up today and that they were going to cable it to Mongolia (emergency status). This is the same lady (I swear she is our guardian angel) who helped us back in the fall with our  finger print appts and then again a month ago when we found the error.....what a blessing!!

So, it looks like we will have everything we need just in time!!No surprise there.......

Until the next prayer request,
Stacy & Derek

Prayer request for I171H!!

Well, this time next week, we will be in the air!!  So much left to do in such a short time. I am writing this post to ask for prayer.

To make a long story short, we found an error on one of Department of Homeland security documents about 6 weeks ago.  The error was actually made on their part and so we have done everything they have asked to help them get it fixed in the system and issue us the new form that we need.  We are supposed to hand carry an original with us to Mongolia.  However, I have waited daily for the mail lady and still nothing!  We need this document to arrive in the next 6 days.  Saturday will be our last mail day before we leave.  I know that God does not need 6 days so please pray with us for His pefect timing once again. We trust that HE alone is bigger than government errors and that this will be fixed in time for us to leave. 

Love & Thanks,

Stacy

We have a place to rest our heads!!

Well, not only do we have a place to rest our heads but we got an amazing deal.....a Mongolian friend of the family that we are traveling with went and spoke to a very nice hotel on our behalf.

We went from thinking we were going to pay 170$ a night X 17 nights (you do the math) in a hotel that really did not want us there to getting booked in a family suite with a kitchen for 70$ a night.  From big details like first committee approvals to a bed to rest our heads, God is in the details and He has the very best for us!! 

On to the next thing on the list.....

Thanks for praying......

Stacy

Tickets, Hotel, and Suitcases OH MY!!!

Well, it has been a crazy week since finding out we are really leaving!!  We feel like our list of things to get done is never ending.  Every time we seem to cross one thing off, one of us is adding 2 more to the bottom of the list......if we only had 36 hours in a day:)

Right now, we are praying that we will  get a hotel room booked somewhere!!  The nice hotel we stayed at last time has decided that they no longer want adopting families to stay there.  They have had too many complaints of crying children disturbing guests and would prefer not to deal with us.  I am sure that non-adopting families with infants have probably stayed there and that the infant may have cried during the night at some point.  It is not only adopted children that cry!!! Anyway, that is OK because I know that God has a plan for us and I am sure it includes a bed for us to sleep in for 3 weeks:) Anyway, we have spent the last 3 days searching online, looking at every hotel in the city,reading reviews and trying to come up with a place that is reasonable in price but also meets our needs.  Any good suggestions out there?  We have now recruited some friends on the ground there to help so hopefully, we will have a place booked by the end of the week. 

Also, many thanks to our family and friends that have offered to help with Nathan and Kaytlin as they are not coming with us:( We appreciate you guys going out of the way to accommodate and entertain them for such a long period of time. Thank you Mackleys, Sortinos, David and Erica, and both sets of our parents.  You guys are awesome and are such a blessing to us all.  We feel good about them being in such good hands:)

Well, everything is coming together, slowly but surely!!  I am going to get back to packing suitcases for both the Children's Place and Seth's orphanage. 150lbs of clothes, medicine, shoes, scarves, hats, blankets, socks, underwear,etc....this is a project in itself!!

Please keep Seth and Harrison (the other 6 year old boy being adopted at the same time) in your prayers....I just know that God is preparing them for their transition.

12 days a wake up,

Petrins

17 days and counting down!!

     17 days and counting..sounds like a reality show!! Oh,wait...it is reality....we really are leaving!!  After looking over 15 different itineraries for 2 days now, we just booked our tickets and so now we really feel like we are going somewhere.  We were actually having a hard time getting out of Norfolk as we leave at the start of Spring Break here.  Every flight to Atlanta was booked except a flight in the wee hours of the morning.  We took it:)

     As I have been thinking and praying today, here is my thought for the day.  In less than a month, Seth will no longer be called orphan, but instead son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin and friend!! He has no idea how many people already love and adore him.   How awesome is our God that he had a plan for a little six year old boy on the other side of the world, who was probably very close to giving up on ever getting a family to call his own, and that he would include us in that plan.  We are so very humbled by the way that God sets the lonely in families.  Ok, enough tears and back to singing....I have actually been humming the song.....

"We are leaving on a jet plane, don't know when we'll be back again".........all day today!!  Actually, that is the truth.....as we don't have a set interview date, we will be at the mercy of the Mongolian government when we arrive.  So please pray, pray, pray that they just cant wait to see our sweet faces once we arrive:) We don't get to meet Seth until after the interview and then a committee meeting to say that we are Approved!! It is very likely we will be in the country for a week or more before we get to meet him.  

We will post details of our  travel plans and any dates that we know of as we get them so you can keep praying Seth home!!!

 

Blessings to our faithful friends,

Petrins

The news we have been waiting and waiting and waiting for.....

It is with much joy that we finally share the good news with you today!!!  We are overwhelmed with excitement, joy, tears, fears, but are so thankful to God and to all of our family and friends that have walked with us.....through the ups and downs of this adoption journey.  

Yes, we received word last night that we will leave for Mongolia on April 6th and come home with our sweet son on or around April 25th. We are excited to be traveling with another family that is also adopting a sweet 6 year old boy too. I think our 2 boys are the oldest children to ever be adopted out of Mongolia thus far. How awesome is Gods plan, He never leaves us nor forsakes us!! 

Well, we have much to do in just 3 short weeks and I am starting today with making our travel arrangements, finishing up documents,etc......oh, and taking my final exam!!

Please continue to pray for the following:

Seth-for God to continue preparing him to leave the orphanage, for his heart and emotions and for protection and health.....also, it is never too soon to start sending up some "bonding prayers" 

Maiah - that she would  continue to know her place in the family and continue to feel secure...for health as she has been sick once a month for the last 4 months it seems.  The downside to school:(

Nate and Kate- are not coming with us:( Please pray for all the plans to come into place for them for the 3 weeks that we will be gone...they were such a blessing and a huge help last time, they will be missed this trip.....

Derek & I-please pray for health, sanity as we pack and prepare and take care of the long list of things that need to be done before we go!! 3 weeks....Yikes!!!

Also, if you could pray for our friends who are anxiously waiting to pick up their sweet children any day.....

The Mitchells adopting Sasha and Oleg from the Ukraine (they are there now:)

The Worthings adopting Isaac from Korea

The Taits adopting AJ from El Salvador

All our love and thanks,

Soon to be a party of 6

Maiah/Seths new room

Well, most of you know that we had a hard time coming up with a unisex room

idea...so we went with a Mongolian/horse theme and a few camels too.  Horses are a very important part of Mongolian 

culture and Maiah seems to have a love for horses in her blood.  Hoping Seth does too and that he will love his new room as much as Maiah does.....she is very anxious to share, we will see how long that lasts!! Here are a few pics.....

Stacy

Legacy and Thanks...

LEGACY OF AN ADOPTED CHILD

Once there were two women who never knew each other.
One you do not remember, the other you call mother.
Two different lives, shaped to make your one...
One became your guiding star, the other became your sun.
The first gave you life, and the second taught you to live it.
The first gave you a need for love, and the second was there to give it.
One gave you a nationality, the other gave you a name.
One gave you a seed of talent, the other gave you an aim.
One gave you emotions, the other calmed your fears.
One saw your first sweet smile, the other dried your tears.
One gave you up ... that's all she could do.
The other prayed for a child, and God led her straight to you.
And now you ask me, through your fears, the age old question unanswered throughout the years...
Heredity or environment... 
Which are you the product of ?
Neither, my darling ... neither...
just two different kinds of love.

-Author Unknown 

We are so thankful to Seth Batbilegs birthmom for choosing to give him life, we will help him live it!!

No News:(

I have received several emails and phone calls today inquiring about news......as we should have heard something by now.  Sadly the answer is no!!

Our agency was in training for several days this week and when she got back to the office today, there was nothing from Mongolia.  At least we know that they are working on adoptions as Maiah's friends adoption was complete this week.  

Please continue to pray for sweet Jargalmaa as she is having a rough time right now.  She is 5 years old and has lots to grieve. She went home with them last night (to the hotel)  and she has asked to go home (to the orphanage) and has done lots of crying and screaming.  Our hearts go out to her and her family as we know exactly what they are going through and all the feelings that come along with this situation!! We know it does get better and that right now only God can bring peace to her sweet little heart.  Please keep them lifted up in prayer. We are hoping a good nights sleep will bring some peace and security and we are hoping today will be a better day for them.  

As for us, maybe next week will be our week:)

Lots of love and thanks,

Petrins

Good news for one of Maiah's sweet friends!!

Yeah, she was officially adopted today!! The family has been in Mongolia for over a week and have been through a lot, however our God had a plan for Jargalmaa's life and He saw it through today!! They still have much paperwork/traveling to finish up but it is all coming together in His perfect timing! Please pray for the the transition which will take place in the wee hours of the morning our time!!  She will leave the orphanage forever, once abandoned but not forsaken and now chosen, loved and adored by a Mom, Dad and 2 very sweet brothers.  Our God is an awesome God!!

Praying for a date!!

Just believing for an official date this week....please pray with us!!

Getting Closer Everyday!!!

As Aunt Mame would say "Getting closer all the time!!"

Well, Seth's legal documents were released to our agency and the Us Embassy, another step closer to bringing him home. Looks like the police clearance issue is all cleared up too, at least we hope so!! We are soooooo close yet we still feel so far away. We are now just waiting on our official "fly" date and they are telling us any day now:) Please continue to pray for Seth, we know long term that this is the plan God has for him but it will probably take him a while to realize that. We know that he will grieve the loss of his friends/nannies there. Thanks for your prayers for him, they mean so much!! Will keep you posted.