And now... the beginning!

I can always tell when we are getting ready for a trip to Latvia...emotions begin running high, tempers get a little shorter, and the girls get a little irritated also!  LOL!  Seriously, you can see it in them, even at 14 and 16, the fear of the unknown, what one will say about the other, what if...  And our trip didn't start out all that great.  It was a very stormy Thursday as we headed to Jackson International Airport to board the 12:05 plane to Houston.  Before we ever left the driveway, we had a flat tire (that should have been an indication to pray a little harder!).  About half way, in the middle of a thunderstorm, the windshield wiper on the passenger side decides to flip upside down..we kept going until I realized the metal wiper was scraping against the glass and etching it severely.  We pulled into a gas station and our ingenuity would have made McGuyver proud!!!  Thanks to a piece of soldering wire (don't ask me why it was in the car), we once again had a functioning wiper blade and we made it to the airport with enough time to make a stop at Starbucks for a pre-flight coffee and mocha.  After take-off, they announced the weather in Houston was sunny and clear.  I was glad to hear this since a weather delay out of Houston would not be good for our 55 minute layover in Frankfurt!
Well, Houston had a problem.  First, we were a little delayed in boarding the plane.  As we were taxiing out to the runway, the pilot broke in with "We have a sick passenger.  Is there a doctor on board?"  My heart sank.  I knew what was coming.  But we continued on to the runway, and then continued on back to the terminal!  After offloading said passenger, who apparently was seriously sick, they had to find his luggage in among the other thousand or so bags in the cargo compartment...and after what seemed like 2 hours, and literally, it was, we again taxied to the runway, but this time, up, up and away!
I asked the stewardess the stupid question...is there any way we can make up the time?  She sweetly told me the gate crew would already have us booked on the next flight to Riga (along with our luggage), but she didn't know when that would be.  So, all that was left to do was sit back, relax and watch some inflight movies (sleep is not my companion on a 9 hour flight).  With emotions already running high, I didn't do myself any favors by watching Anna Karina, Les Mis and Life of Pi!  By the time we hit German soil, I was a total tear stained mess.  On arrival, we went to the nearest gate attendant to learn that we had in deed been scheduled on the next flight to Riga...in 10 hours.  But, I still maintain that Lufthansa is a very customer focused airline.  We each received meal vouchers for 2 meals each, they made calls to Liepaja for us, and sent us away with a smile.  Lera found a row of seats to stretch out on (after sleeping most of the flight) and got a little more sleep.  Rita and I walked up and down the airport terminal in search of food.  What we came across, besides the pretzels, was pretty much inedible.  But, we had fun looking.  (Has anyone tried the sushi place there?  I just kept thinking about the commercial that talks about unwise decisions and eating sushi from a gas station...).
After figuring out the internet machines, we were able to contact the foster family in Liepaja to stop Oscars from coming to Riga to pick us up at 1:00 pm.  And so you know who we are talking about, Oscars and Baiba are the foster parents and two of the most generous Latvians I know.  Oscars said he would still come pick us up even though our flight didn't get in until 11:00 pm.  We also made contact with the owners of the apartment we were staying in to let them know our arrival would be around 3 am Saturday...and they said the chambermaid would still meet us there to let us in and get us settled!  Wow!  I was half expecting them to suggest we stay in Riga!  We arrived in Riga and Oscars and his friend got us safely to Liepaja, where the chambermaid was waiting with a warm greeting at Ezera Maja.  We drifted off to sleep around 4 am with an early morning wake up ahead...
Saturday morning sunlight drifted into our little room which was warmed by several heaters.  I felt like I had slept a lot longer than I actually had, and there were more things we wanted to do than we had time for....so sleeping late was not on our agenda.  Saturday was Santa's birthday party.  Santa is the girls foster sister, and we had a hamster to purchase!  After a light breakfast, we headed to the Zoo (pet store) and found a cute little gray hamster, cage, food, bedding, house, etc!  (and that was the beginning of the vanishing Lats)!  We spent some time shopping, Lera ran into one of her teachers, we gathered up the hamster and headed to the party.  It was great to see everyone again.  There were lots of hugs and laughter that day, and yet you could see sadness in everyone's eyes.  The last time we would see this family for a long while...
Right on schedule, we got on our bus to Riga and were dropped off at ORIGO, 5 suitcases and all!  Gee, how uncomfortable that feels!  We managed to flag down a taxi and gave him the address to our newest American/Latvian friend, Jaycee.  She had offered to let us stay at her apartment since she would be taking a trip to the Mediterranean that week. We arrived at Jaycee's apartment, which is located about 5 minutes from Freedom Monument (or a 20 minute walk).  She has a beautiful apartment and was a gracious hostess.  We made a quick trip to Cili Pica and Rimi to pick up a few things to eat, then we came back and met another friend, Krista, who was staying at Jaycee's also to help us out and take care of Musha and Blakely, Jaycee's four-legged friends!  After going over the map, the bus schedules and tram stops, I felt fairly confident that we could always find our way home.  After a late night of laughter and getting to know our new friends, it was past time to hit the hay!
Monday morning, the sun was shining and the weather was crisp and cool.  We were being picked up by Daina around 11 am for our first appointment.  We had doctor appointments, new passports to register for, embassy visits, banking, and then documents to gather.  The girls each have a new Latvian Passport with their new American names.  The doctor did not find anything in their files that would be a concern.  The Embassy interview went smoothly, and in 4 short days, we were done!  In between the appointments, we were blessed to have the girls' friend, Devora, come to Riga to stay with us.  We went shopping (more disappearing Lats), made a trip to Jumala to the indoor water park.  We went to several different restaurants, and spent the evenings with Krista, Musha and Blakely.  One evening we went to one of the parks just down the street from the apartment.  There were lots of families out with their children enjoying the beautiful afternoon.  It was in the upper 60's, but there were still patches of snow and ice on the ground.  A lot of the streams also still had ice!    This was one of the first warm weeks in Latvia this year and everyone was out enjoying the arrival of Spring!

And so, it was with sad hearts that we waved goodbye to Devora at the Central Bus Station on Thursday afternoon.  Lera was not in a good mood, so she went back to the apartment.  Rita wanted to go to the movies, and I had an appointment with Charles Kelly for a walking tour of Riga!  It was definitely the highlight of my trip (besides finishing paperwork!).  Charles' knowledge of Latvia's history and architecture is amazing, and his and his family's impact on Christianity has definitely made an impact on the girls lives!  In fact, there are three people who's early work in Liepaja have touched the girls...Zanda, Dace, and Charles.  They were instrumental in working with the government to help establish the foster family programs.  They recognized the importance of family in a child's life.  Without their work, it is likely the girls would have remained in the orphanage, never to have been blessed by the love and guidance of Oscars and Baiba.  I will forever be thankful for what they have done to bless the children of Latvia!
Thursday evening, after meeting Daina to receive all of our documents, we returned for the last time to our home away from home.  We started packing and cleaning.  Lera left her artistic talents on Jaycee's bathroom walls.  Rita finally went to sleep, but by this time, it was after midnight and we had to leave the apartment by 4:00 to get to the airport, so Lera and I just stayed up all night.  At 3:45, I woke Rita up and told her the taxi would be here in 15 minutes...next thing I know, I hear the shower going.  About that time, Krista gets a call saying the taxi is downstairs.  So I go down to ask him to wait. I hurry Rita, we lug all of our luggage (oh, is that why it's called 'lug'gage?) downstairs, probably waking every neighbor as we go, and load the taxi.  We arrived at the airport, tried to navigate the kiosk, then was assisted by one of Lufthansa's wonderful employees, who actually remembered us from our trip in February (I guess a smile and thank you goes a long way!).  We had very easy flights back home...no delays, no running, no worries, no sleep!  On April 19th at approximately 2:00, we landed in Houston, Texas!  We had an almost 4 hour layover, and I think we got there just a little late.  We made our way to Passport Control/Immigration.  It took almost an hour just to get to the first desk.  The agent said he had never seen an IH-3 Visa before.  He checked some of the documents, took our sealed envelopes and asked us to wait.  In about 15 minute, we were escorted to a room with several other passengers who were being processed.  We sat there for another hour or so, then we were called up to the desk.  I don't remember them asking us much of anything...just congratulating the girls and telling us we would get our information in the mail.  By this time, we only had a few minutes to claim our bags, recheck them, cross two terminals, go back through security, and catch our flight.  Now we were running!  We made it to our gate about 5 minutes before our flight was supposed to board, but it was delayed.  So back into the terminal to get something to eat and drink, and then we almost missed the flight again!  But we made it!  A short 55 minute hop to Jackson, a hour drive to Vicksburg, and we were HOME!
April 19th- 3 years prior, at my Dad's 80th birthday party, a friend told me about a couple in our church who were hosting 4 orphans from Ukraine.  This was the start of our journey.  I gathered information, talked with them, called New Horizons For Children, and signed up for the summer photolisting.  That's when I saw Rita, a little girl who would eventually become my daughter!  Who would eventually lead us to Lera!  God had already been working in us- placing a desire in our hearts.. a hearts desire for 2!  Three years later, our hearts desire was finalized! 

Freeman Both Hands

3+2=Family!

The day finally came!  It was what we have been waiting for, fighting for, hoping for, for almost three years!  On that day in April 2010, when I opened up the New Horizons for Children photolisting page and saw our Rita, I in no way thought it would take this long to make her mine!!!  And as we looked over the photolisting in March and April 2011, and saw Valerija with her sister, I had no idea that one day she would be ours!!!  But God said "hold on!"  And little by little, He began revealing His plan for us.  One child at a time.  One who surprised us with heartbreak, one who surprised us with acceptance, and one who surprised us just because she could!!!!! 
It's been a long year and a half since we started our official adoption journey.  But as we stood in the cold wind over the Karosta Bridge, fixing our adoption lock to the steel girders, and throwing the keys in the icy waters (ok, maybe upon the frozen waters) below, it all just felt perfect!  Yes, I had engraved 2-6-2013 this time.  Although we arrived in Riga on Groundhog's Day, this trip would not be a repeat of October!  For this time, we knew what we had to do!  We knew the elephant must be killed!  And although there was a slight bobble at the start of court, the girls took up their weapons and fought!  Once recovered, there was no hesitation, there was no looking back!  They marched forward, committed to this new life and we moved on down the path!!!
We had a great visit with family and friends after court, and enjoyed a long, icy drive back to Riga that night with our translator.  I met several new friends on that trip who made such a difference in our girls lives.  If it had not been for these 3 people, our girls futures could have been significantly different, as well as ours! 
So now, as we wait for the 20 day waiting period to close, we plan for our fourth and final trip to Latvia, after which the girls will become American Citizens!  I don't know at which airport we will land upon arrival in the US on 4/19, but we will celebrate somewhere...New York, Atlanta, DC, Miami... April 19th- my Dad's 83rd birthday!  Our girls final arrival to America!  I remember it was at my Dad's 80th birthday party that the words "New Horizons for Children" first entered my life.  How fitting that on that day, 3 years later, those words will be fulfilled in our lives!  The girls want to go to New York.  I've never been there...so maybe New York!  Maybe celebrate with a cake from Carlos' Bakery in New Jersey?  All I know is that, just like on this entire journey, God will lead us HOME!

2B or not 2B...but what was the question?

January 7, 2013- Looking back to the last post (yes, it's been quite a while), I am amazed at how things have changed; disheartened that we are not where we were supposed to be; thankful that we are not where we could have been!  So, October 5th, the girls and I boarded United /Lufthansa for our 'easy' trip.  We planned a few extra days in Liepaja to see their foster family and friends.  We arrived in Riga on 10/6 and we were met by their foster dad, who drove us to Liepaja.  We went to church on Sunday and spent the afternoon with the family.  We had a wonderful time seeing everyone- almost like 'coming home for Christmas'!  Everyone had gifts and Grandma made some of the most delicious food for us!  I had my first experience on the ice and managed not to break a leg as I gingerly glided around the skating rink, never venturing more than a foot or two from the rail!  Lera got to spend some time with her friends at the Karosta Day Center, and a couple of sweet sisters hung out with us for a few days.  Then came the day before court. (Can you here the creepy music playing?  Da Da Duhhhhh!)
I could tell the girls were very troubled.  They began arguing and having heated discussion in Russian.  They wouldn't share what was going on until late that night.  They were trying to work out their differences and had listed 8 things they felt they needed to work on.  I was impressed that the girls were able to put their differences on paper....We discussed it a little, but the problem is, once Lera is angry, it's hard to get her to cooperate.  And if Lera doesn't communicate, Rita gets her feeling hurt- so it's a catch 22!  So, Daina picks us up for court, and she talks briefly to the girls.  Little did I know, but we walked in to a formal courtroom, with Judge, Court Reporter, Prosecutor, and our Attorney and Translator.  Not at all what I was expecting!  Everything was moving along ok until the judge called the girls to the stand.  Let's just say that we ended up with a lot of confusion and hurt feelings...So, the prosecutor recommended we have another 4 months to resolve these issues...and that's how we ended up here today...still waiting...now preparing for trip 2B (or 3 of 4 now!).  It was a hard return to the US, although I was so thankful the Judge didn't pull one or both girls from the adoption!  We met other families at LIDO's that night, but unfortunately I couldn't enjoy the food and I don't think I was good company.  So many families were dealing with heartache that night- not just us!  So, 2A was a flop...2B will hopefully be short and sweet- Limited contact with friends and family to cut down on confusion, no extended stay, just a quick trip to Liepaja and hopefully, a stop at the bridge on our way out of town so we can put our Adoption Lock on the rail and throw away the key to symbolize that we are family forever!!! (An interesting note...when I ordered the lock, I should have had them engrave it with not only our names, but it should have had 10/10/12...but, for some reason, I did not put the date...hmmmmm.  So now I will take the lock to our local jeweler and have them engrave our 'new' date! 
These months have been helpful and hurtful for our situation.  The additional time has helped them get over some of their anger towards each other, but they would have done that anyway, and probably even quicker without this uncertainty hanging over them.   It has added additional stress to all of us because we still face this giant elephant standing in front of us, trying to keep us from our purpose.  As we look down the path, fear of the elephant keeps emotions stirred up, uncertainty of our outcome causes short tempers, it takes a lot of money to feed the elephant.  There are blessings beyond the elephant, but it's hard to focus on them when we know we have an elephant to kill!  So how will it end?  I don't know, but in Jesus' name, we press on! 

A Mid-summer's Night Dream

9/20/12- 15 days and counting until we head back to Latvia for our 2nd of 3 trips!  In just 20 days, we will no longer be a family of 3; for in 20 days, we will stand before the Orphan Court and agree to be a family of 5!  In a mere 40 days, the adoption will be final in the court system as the 20 day period closes in which someone could contest the adoption.  Then we will return to Riga for a week of Embassy appointments to finalize the immigration of our girls.  Once we land, there will be 2 new Americans in the USA! 
This summer has been a mixed bag of emotions.  We have experienced a lot of new feelings, tested a lot of discipline methods, watched and evaluated attitudes, and I am happy to say that Mark and I have survived, grown and bonded better with them than I really thought we would.  Now, it hasn't been without it's bad days; but, they have been 'days', not weeks or months! 
It has been interesting to watch the relationship between Rita and Lera.  Since I've never seen a sister relationship up close, I've learned a lot about girls, and particularly, TEEN girls!  They are also discovering what it means to be sisters, even though they both have biological siblings!  I am beginning to know the different tones of their voices and what attitude will soon be displayed.  I'm seeing what brings true happiness, and what causes stress.  I am sometimes still surprised when Lera curls up in my lap in the rocking chair, but I love that opportunity to simply hold and rock her for as long as she lets me.  I've been so proud of how Rita has pressed into studying and reading books for school.   I've seen the two of them comfort each other, and then cause the other great pain (sometimes physical, but more often emotional).  I've heard the laughter of pure joy as they ride with their dogs in the back of the truck, as a million stars twinkle in the night sky above them, and they point with excitement as they identify some of the constellations!  I've fought their independent, rebellious streaks and gotten irritated at their neediness.  I've battled feelings of guilt while at work, knowing they are home, bored and missing me (and so thankful that they miss me!).  I've cried tears of joy and tears of desperation.  Both were healing!  I've prayed for them, about them, and in spite of them...and that also was healing!  I've been anxious to get to this day, yet hoping time would almost stand still so we don't miss a moment spent together.  They are the highlight of my day, and the reason I'm exhausted at night.  I love them with all my Momma heart (except for the part that belongs to my son) and I'm so happy to finally be able to say, "these are my daughters"!  They are my dream come true! :)

It's Where We Are...

So much has changed since my last post!  We were given a court date of May 15th in Liepaja Orphan Court.  That meant flying from Jackson, MS on May 13th...Mother's Day!  We had an early morning flight out of Jackson and Michael drove us to the airport.  We caught our flight to Charlotte, NC, then to Dulles in DC, Frankfurt, Germany, and final destination of Riga, Latvia.  Once we arrived in Riga, we waited (and waited, and waited) for our bags, but they never came!  The Lufthansa customer service was awesome!  They gave us emergency kits and began tracking our bags.  We took a taxi to Avalon Hotel in Old Riga.  After checkin, we were so exhausted so we laid down for a while before dinner.  By the time I woke up, the tummy was wreaking havoc and supper was a no-go!  One bag arrived late Monday night and Tuesday we started off with a wonderful breakfast downstairs.  We ventured out to exchange money for Daina and miscellaneous expenses as well as on a mission to find flowers for the girls.  Daina was set to meet us at 10:00 am at the hotel to drive us to Liepaja for court.  We found a great outdoor market not far from the hotel and bought 6 beautiful, purple tulips.  After packing, we headed downstairs to meet Daina. I had never seen a picture of her, nor her us; so when she walked in we didn't recognize each other for a while...then she walked over and I met one of the sweetest people in Latvia!!!  We were in the capable hands of her son as he drove us to Liepaja to reconnect with the girls!  There were so many emotions as we neared Liepaja and Daina kept us engaged in conversation.  As we approached the city, Daina told us about her first impressions of Liepaja, but then went on to tell us how much those impressions changed as she got to know the people and area. 
Liepaja is an amazing town!  It did not take long for us to fall in love with that place!  We went straight to court and followed Daina's lead as she worked the system.  We went into a modest but very functional court room with large windows looking over neighboring rooftops.  Not long after, the judge and assistants entered and court proceeded.  Daina explained all that was being said, we answered questions, and then the door opened and the girls came in with their foster dad!  It was so awesome to see them again!!!  We completed court and we were granted permission to keep the girls with us for the next 3 weeks while in Latvia.  With that, we gathered the girls suitcases, crammed them into Daina's car along with ours, and headed to Kaleja Maja, a converted attic apartment in a Blacksmith house that was built in the 1800's. 
Kaleja Maja was an amazing home away from home!  There was a kitchen with a small refrigerator, sink, and 2 burner propane cooktop.  The kitchen was also set up with two beds for additional sleeping space.  Two seperate bedrooms and a small bath completed the apartment!  But, at least we got to cook 2 meals a day in the apartment instead of having to eat out each meal.  The girls claimed their room, but after seeing a small bug in the original timber walls, they moved on to the kitchen sleeping space! 
For the next 3 weeks, we had the most amazing time in the girls hometown.  We rode bicycles all over town, played in the Baltic Sea, met their friends and family, and got to enjoy seeing where the girls grew up!  We completed all of our required visits with our social worker and court, and headed to Riga to secure the girls Visa's.  The US Embassy in Riga is a very secured compound near Spice Mall.  Our first trip there was with Daina; Our second trip was just me while Mark and the girls stayed at the mall to shop.  With Visa's in hand we prepared to fly home!  It was so exciting to be completing that leg of our jouney with our girls at our sides!  Even an overnight delay in DC was enjoyable with them with us!  So, off to Jackson on June 2, a day late, but all in God's time! 

Counting Down

On April 22nd, our updated documents arrived in Riga, Latvia and were delivered to our Latvian Lawyer.  We had already emailed our homestudy and it was due out of translation on April 23rd.  My gut feeling was that we would have our referral before the end of the month with travel in mid May.  I kept thinking how awesome it would be if we flew to Latvia on Mother's Day...well, on April 24th, we were given our court dates of May 15th and 29th, which means we fly out of Jackson on...Mother's Day!  Our official referral came on Friday the 27th and we immediately signed and returned, as well as emailed the Director of Children's Ministry to accept our referral.  So now, we have airline tickets booked, we have a room in Riga for our first night, an apartment in Liepaja for 14 days, and then an apartment for 3 nights back in Riga. 
Rita seems very happy with this change in her life.  I think Lera is happy.???  We are happy and excited to begin this journey.  We don't always understand 'why us'.  We are just glad we were chosen for this amazing opportunity!  The girls are such a blessing.  It is exciting to discover aspects of their hearts, to feed their hopes and dreams, to begin this life journey together with them.  Another adoptive mom wrote recently about feeling sad that she had missed so many of her adopted child's 'firsts'; but then she realized, even though the child was a teen, she still got to experience so many of the 'firsts' she enjoyed with her younger children, just with an older child!  I, too, look forward to many firsts!