Just a quick note for tonight to let you know that we KNOW that our documents got submitted to the authorities today for approval.  We know that we will be traveling soon...but soon is relative!  We are expecting to hear of our travel date sometime between now and about 6 weeks from now.  Of course, we are praying sooner rather than later...but the Lord knows the perfect time frame.  We have been otherwise distracted this week with some other things...which has been nice, actually.

Well, one of the distractions wasn't all that "nice" -- but it has allowed us to be focused on other things.  My sweet friend who was experiencing health issues got an almost positive report today.  They are waiting for the results of a test they did today to find out for certain that it's a good report!  We have had the joy of keeping one of their kids -- a VERY special boy to my heart...as he was adopted from Russia and I thought WE were supposed to adopt him...but Shane wasn't sure...but we both knew we needed to find him a home and it all worked out SO BEAUTIFULLY as he is with his amazing forever family IN OUR TOWN!!!!!!!  I am "Aunt Kim" and I LOVE it!!! I've tucked him into bed the past 2 nights -- just like I imagined that one day I would!!!  8-)

Another "distraction" was my foster daughter and her family who came for a visit this weekend.  What a wonderful woman she's turned out to be...and all because the Lord snatched her from a life that was hard and headed down a bad path and "redeemed" it and formed her into a wonderful wife, mother, boss, friend, daughter and a myriad of other roles she fills.  What a privilege I have had to watch her grow into a woman after God's heart as she seeks to be a godly wife & mother.  Funny side bar: one of Cammie's friends asked this weekend as Cammie was telling her about our company "Oh, is this your new exchange student?" "no"  "Oh, is this the one you're adopting?"  "no.  This one's my foster sister"  [puzzled]  "Well how many kids DO you all have???"  It's been such a joy to help raise my foster daughter (now 35) and see her raise her kids and blossom into the roles she's been called to.

One other "distraction" was a very emotional time in our Sunday School department (which, incidentally, is AMAZING!!!!) on Sunday.  After announcements/prayer time, they asked Shane and me to come to the front of the class -- which caught us both completely off guard (even though he's the teacher!!)!!  They told us that they wanted to be a part of bringing Sam/Yuri home and are paying for our plane tickets for our first trip over to EE and bought him his first Bible!!!  We were COMPLETELY overwhelmed, and for once in his life, Shane was speechless!!  8-)  It was a very special gift to us and we will cherish the memories of that time forever.  This group has walked with us and prayed for us and Sam/Yuri for several weeks (almost as long as we've known about him!) and we know that they already love him and are almost as anxious to get him here as we are!!!  8-)  It's a great feeling knowing that he will be so very loved from the beginning of his life here.

We also got to see some pictures of our boy from recent and also the distant past.  He looks happy and is laughing/smiling in most of them.  He is "out" places in the pictures and has been to movies, museums and McDonalds!! It does my "mommy heart" so much good to see that he has not had as difficult a childhood as he could have to this point.  Though he has had no mother or father, he has been well loved by those who have very attentively cared for him for all of his growing up years.  He is a blessed young man and that, in turn, blesses me.  I can't wait to hear all his memories of growing up and of the things he's done. 


I love that we have "family" all over the world -- and it just keeps getting bigger and better!!  I know the Lord has big plans for Sam/Yuri and that He's continuing to prepare the path He has for us all to go.  I'm just ready to get this show on the road!!