We Have a Referral

Last week we received a photo of a sweet little girl in Kazakhstan who needs a family. While we wish we could share her photo with you, her information and photo are confidential. You can take our word for it though, she's a doll and completely adorable! She becomes available for adoption in January so we patiently (or impatiently) wait till then. We do know her birth name but can't share that information either so we'll have to continue calling her "little girl". So...this little girl is two years old and has a slight hearing impairment. After meeting with a specialist here in the US we feel very comfortable proceeding with adopting her. The doctor was confident that her condition would be correctable. Our agency's staff in Kaz spent time with her at the orphanage and reported that she is very happy, loving, and obedient. We are thankful that information.
Getting a picture of a waiting child is something that we'd been waiting for since the day we started this process. Now that it's happened it's been wonderful and difficult at the same time. It's wonderful because it makes the waiting seem more purposeful. Seeing her sweet little face reminds us that our Ava is worth the wait. It's difficult because it becomes so much more personal. We can picture her going through her days without us and we long to be with her now. Also, in Kazakhstan, there is no such thing as a true referral. The orphanage will not hold any child for any family. Until we are there in person, anyone could adopt this little girl. While this is unlikely, it's an inevitable fear. BUT, we know that if she is adopted by another family, that she was not meant to be our daughter. We don't believe that we are plan B for Ava's life. We believe that she was created to be our child. There's no way that "our daughter" will go to another family...it's impossible. That is a great comfort.
We will keep you updated as we learn more information about her and about our trip. Thanks for continued prayer.

Trip Delayed - Take Two

Hello All,
This will be quick because we are still hoping and praying to travel before our visa expires (which is in 10 days). Our travel was postponed because the Kazakhstan government did not properly register this little toddler and therefore she must be re-registered before she becomes available for adoption. She will be available in three months. Three months isn't a long wait but it does mean that our visa will be expired and we will have to re-apply for it.
PRAYER is what we are asking for right now. Here are some specific requests:
1) The KAZ government miraculously finds this child's file in the next few days allowing us to travel on our current visa.
2) That, if the child's file is not found, we get a referral before the end of the year and are able to obtain a new visa quickly.
3) That God gives us patience as we wait for this little girl to come off the registry in three months.
There is so much more on our minds and hearts but we will leave it for our next post. At this point, we are still hoping for good news before the end of the month. If that date comes and goes before we leave, I'll post a longer update.
Much Love,
Kari and James

We had a great time in Santa Cruz last weekend for Kari's cousin's wedding :-) Family is such a blessing and an encouragement in stressful times such as this.