To many, this will not be new news, but to others it will be. If you know Dawn and I even remotely, you know that the plight of the orphan is very near and dear to our hearts. While on our first trip to Vladivostok, Russia, we fell in love with the people and experienced one of those "God Things". Ever since that visit, we have felt a connection to that region and the people. Add to that the family connection we have there with three of our children. It has been nearly three years since we left and to this day I check the weather for that area.
For every year that has passed us, the tug on our heart has grown stronger. So much so, I even looked into immigration laws for Russia. If possible, I would sell our belongings and move tomorrow. Sadly, the Russian immigration law is not as open as ours here in the United States. We have now decided to spend our annual vacation time and resources on working for orphans in the Primorsky Krai region. The last week of this month, we interview with a mission agency. If approved, we will be allowed to do just that under their umbrella.
While on our first trip to Vladivostok, we met a missionary in the lobby of the hotel. Guess what he does? Works with orphans in that region. Coincidence - I think not!! For the past three years, we have kept in close contact with him and his family and even invited them to speak at our church.
The past 12 months have been interesting to say the least. Those of you close to us know what we have been through. For those of you we don't know, let me just say that the devil, yes - Satan himself will use every tool at his disposal to stop orphans from being adopted by loving parents. Try to do more than that and the fight gets a little rougher. We have been through things I would never, ever would have imagined in my wildest nightmare. However, at my side is The King of Kings. We walked through the fire with His help and we walk forward knowing His angels are with us. To God be the glory of all we are able to accomplish in His name.
So, please pray for us as we start this new journey. We will share more info in a few weeks.
God Bless -
Tony & Dawn
P.S.
Our final interview for our last post placement for Polina, Dima and Nastya is tomorrow. It is amazing to see how they have grown!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
God's Plan for Us -2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Casting Crowns & Toby Mac Concert
Last night we went to a Christian event in Birmingham - Stadium Fest. There we got to hear some great speakers and see a couple of great artist like Kevin Derryberry, Casting Crowns and Toby Mac. We had a ball!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Second Week Home
I finally figured out how to get the photos off my iPod - I e-mailed them to myself! I don't consider myself technically challenged but I have seen better instruction manuals translated from Portuguese (which can be quite amusing).
Alexander is learning about being in a family and we are learning a lot about him. Being deaf, he uses facial expressions to get his point across a lot of the time and at times he will leave you in stitches. I had to leave Monday for work in Mississippi and I did not return until this afternoon. I know he did not understand what was going on Monday when he saw me dressed and walking out with my suitcase. He waved goodbye and had a weak smile that turned to tears. I know the other three youngest had a hard time with me travelling for work. At least with them, I could call and talk over the telephone to them. I guess we will have to go with Skype video calls for him.
He is learning some ASL and his appetite has gotten much, much better. He is not as picky as he was last week. He is VERY proud of his clothes. He knows they are his and does not like to part with them - particularly his shoes. The only time he will let you take them off is when he climbs in bed. I know this is all part of his previous life and he will grow out of it.
Like any child with a past like his, he will definitely test you to see who has the strongest will. He likes buttons and switches - a lot (just like two other children used too). So he will turn every light on in the house and constantly mess with the television (volume or channels). After grabbing his hands, looking him in the eye and saying "no" (and signing), he will look up at you and slide the hand back to where the button or switch was.
The kids are doing pretty good with the transition. I know it has been difficult for all of them and I appreciate their patience. Last Saturday we took them ice skating as a treat.
Thanks for the prayers, we still have a long road to travel once we get a medical evaluation.
- Tony B.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
How Great is Our God!! Home with our Son.
We arrived home about 3:30AM Sunday. It was a great reunion with the entire family - our oldest son had driven home from college. We were up until about 4:30 or 5 hugging on one another and catching up on the past week's experiences. To be in church with all of our family home was such a huge blessing! Alexander blended right in like he had been with us forever- God is awesome! He wasn't afraid or overwhelmed by six brothers and sisters loving on him, he just giggled and smiled. I was afraid of a little jealousy developing with Nastya and Dima but that really only popped up briefly yesterday afternoon.
As I stated on our last post, the trip from Atlanta to Frankfurt was horrible. I have never flown and had such a large plane tossed around for sooo long. Dawn got sick and it took a few days for her to get over it. We picked up Alexander on Wednesday and as soon as he came up the stairs and saw us, he came running. We dressed him in his new clothes and he kept point to them and nodding with a big smile. I have some pictures, but I can't seem to get them off my iPod. As soon as I get them off, I'll post them.
After picking up Alexander we went to the passport office to pick up his passport. I was not surprised to learn that there was "a problem". There was an error on the passport but the office agreed to print a new one on the spot. With no stop for lunch (it was 1:30PM) we drove back to Moscow (3 hour trip). As soon as we got to the motel, we went next door to McDonald's. We got him a hamburger and he ate some of our fries. he did not finish off the hamburger until later that night. He was happy and content and only got upset for about 10-15 minutes at bedtime. He realized I guess that he was not going back to the detsky dom. We felt sorry for him, but due to the communication issue, we did not know what to do other that hold him and love on him. He was fine Thursday and did not cry one bit.
Thursday night I had the opportunity to read his entire file. It was very sad to read, but had all of it not happened, we would not have the opportunity to have him in our family. He is such a happy little boy and will put a smile on your face no matter how bad your day is.
The trip home was very hard. A 13 hour - yes 13 hour flight from Moscow to Dulles. The little man fell asleep the last 30 minutes of the flight. This was followed by a five hour lay over before we could fly to Atlanta and drive home. He fell asleep again just before boarding the Atlanta flight and slept until we arrived there.
He has taught us a few signs and we have been trying to introduce some new signs to him. We do believe he can hear a little bit - particularly high pitched sounds. He has perked up and dogs whining and some other noises. Soon we will schedule a doctor's appt to determine what is going on with his ears. By the way, the doctor in Russia that examined him for his visa told us that although he was four, he was the size of a small 3 year old. We knew he was small. Dr. Boris said he knew he would gain weight once we got him home. He also has a mild case of rickets that he said he would grow out of.
As soon as I get pictures off that iPod, I will post them. I just bought the thing a few days before we left. If you have any tips, I will gladly try them!
God Bless -
Tony & Dawn
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Passport Ordered
I returned about 3AM this morning from my third trip to Russia. The purpose of the trip was to order Alexander a Russian passport. It was a VERY rushed trip with a lot of travel. I arrived in Moscow Tuesday about 6PM. I then got in the car with a driver who took me to Vladimir - we arrived about 11PM due to heavy traffic. Wednesday started about 8AM and we drove to Murom (4 hour round trip) to sign some documents because that is listed his as his birthplace. We returned to Vladimir to drop off and sign his passport documents and eat lunch. After lunch I got to visit Alexander for about an hour (it was 4 PM by now).
It was good to see him and his smile! When he entered the room, he looked around and I could only assume he was looking for Dawn. After looking around the room, he came running to me and jumped into my arms. He is a clown and loves to laugh! We played for about an hour and then it was time for me to leave and go back to Moscow. It was hard to leave him and I know he is terribly confused. Being deaf, I could not explain that I would be back in just a few days to take him home. If he spoke Russian, I could at least struggle through that to get the point across to him that I would be returning soon. Anyway, he hugged my neck and kissed me on the cheek and waved "bye" to me. Very tough to say goodbye. I arrived back in Moscow about 10PM.
Thursday morning the driver picked me up at 7AM for the long journey home. Due to some delays in Chicago, I did not arrive in Atlanta until 12AM. I then had a 2.5 hour drive ahead of me.
God has been very good and not only taken care of Alexander, but also watching over us/me while travelling. Each trip has had some small surprises but God took care of it all. I am thanful for His love and grace.
