We have assembled all the suitcases. Dan and I are taking 4 plus 1 more that has Christmas packets for kids at 2 orphanages in Ukraine. Erin and Jake are taking 1 each plus 2 more with items for the kids at orphanage 88 and missionaries in Odessa. It is great that we can bring some Christmas items and hard to find items like peanut butter:) How wonderful to be a bearer of gifts!!
Dan's mom stands in the doorway of Christina's room as we assemble the suitcases. She shakes her head wondering to herself and out loud, "how will it all fit".
I am packing for Dan, Christina, Kolya and myself for 6 weeks plus some kitchen items such as spices and some linens. Then I am packing the 2 extra suitcase that Erin and Jake will be bringing when they come. We have decided to not do presents but just Christmas stockings, so those must be packed. I, too, step back shaking my head.
By Wed we shall see if everything fits:)
Leslie
Monday, November 30, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Letter to Christina and Kolya
The kids now know that we are coming to adopt them! We sent a letter, translated into Russian, and some pictures of Dan, Jake and me. Below is part of that letter:
Dear Christina and Kolya,
We are a family from America who has prayed for you for a long time. We have visited with you in the orphanage several times over the past couple of years. You might not remember us, so we include our picture. Our names are Leslie, Dan and Jake. We are the Edwards family. We are writing to you to tell you that we want you to be a part of our family. We love you and want to adopt you so that you can live with us in America.
In December we will be coming back to the orphanage to see both of you again and to do everything to adopt you and bring you to your new home. When we get to you we will show you a lot of pictures and tell you all about our family and where you will live. We can not wait until you are in our family, we love you.
We hope you are excited, we are so happy that you will be in our family. You will have a momma and daddy, three brothers and one sister and a dog. You will have grandparents too. All of us love you and want you to come to live with us.
We will see you very soon. Until we come, we will continue to pray for you.
Dear Christina and Kolya,
We are a family from America who has prayed for you for a long time. We have visited with you in the orphanage several times over the past couple of years. You might not remember us, so we include our picture. Our names are Leslie, Dan and Jake. We are the Edwards family. We are writing to you to tell you that we want you to be a part of our family. We love you and want to adopt you so that you can live with us in America.
In December we will be coming back to the orphanage to see both of you again and to do everything to adopt you and bring you to your new home. When we get to you we will show you a lot of pictures and tell you all about our family and where you will live. We can not wait until you are in our family, we love you.
We hope you are excited, we are so happy that you will be in our family. You will have a momma and daddy, three brothers and one sister and a dog. You will have grandparents too. All of us love you and want you to come to live with us.
We will see you very soon. Until we come, we will continue to pray for you.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Thanksgiving!!
My mother and Dan's parents are spending Thanksgiving with us! What a blessing God has given us! Grandparents that first: love the Lord, second: love us, and third: are so excited to meet their new grandchildren, Kolya and Christina.
Sasha Taunton and her mom, Lauri, visited us on the day before Thanksgiving. Pop said "it was like the sun rising" when Sasha entered our house. Her love for her mama, her confidence and security in her family shines from her as she greets us with hugs. She immediately pointed to the grandparents naming them, Grandma, Grandma and Grandpa! She had already asked me if Christina and Kolya had grandparents! She was anxious to meet them! This picture is of Sasha, Erin and Jake.
We are THANKFUL for the testimony that Sasha is, her love for her family, her love for the Lord, and her love for friends, new and old!!
Sasha Taunton and her mom, Lauri, visited us on the day before Thanksgiving. Pop said "it was like the sun rising" when Sasha entered our house. Her love for her mama, her confidence and security in her family shines from her as she greets us with hugs. She immediately pointed to the grandparents naming them, Grandma, Grandma and Grandpa! She had already asked me if Christina and Kolya had grandparents! She was anxious to meet them! This picture is of Sasha, Erin and Jake.
We are THANKFUL for the testimony that Sasha is, her love for her family, her love for the Lord, and her love for friends, new and old!!
In Him Alone,
Leslie and Dan
Friday, November 20, 2009
God is providing our every need!
A shower was given for us to celebrate the adoption of Christina and Kolya! I never thought I would have another shower and I have to say it was one of the best. I looked around the room and saw the many faces of dear friends who were there to celebrate with us and support us through gifts for Christina and Kolya.
So many clothes, fun activities, pj's, bean bag chairs, fleece throws, fleeces, etc. One of my favorites is the Storybook Bible. Inside the 2 Bibles were the kid's names and the families who gave it to them. One day soon I will be reading the stories to Christina and Kolya. Next they will be reading themselves!
We will be in Ukraine in 2 WEEKS - Dec 3rd!! Yikes! and YEAH!! Yikes, because there are so many things to do and organize before we leave. YEAH, because the last leg of the beginning will start in Ukraine. We fly into Kiev, our appointment is 12/7 to start the ball rolling in Ukraine. Then we fly ,or if feeling adventurous, take the 10 hour train trip to Odessa. Then mid week we will see the kids. The beginning will be the actual new lives of Christina Joy and Nikolay Joseph Edwards!!
YES, we finally decided on their names. Joy for the joy Christina brings us and the joy that Jesus will give her, Joseph for Dan's middle name is Joseph and God brought Joseph in Genesis through many trials to be a man strong in God's love!
Please continue to pray that God will move Christina's and Kolya's hearts to want to be adopted so that when the judge asks them if they want to be adopted, they will say, "Yes!"
We will continue to keep you posted on this blog as we move to Ukraine for 6 weeks. Erin and Jake will be flying over 12/17-1/6 for the Christmas holidays. Please pray for good flights, smooth connections and lots of rest!
Thanks for caring and supporting us in prayer.
In Him Alone, Dan and Leslie
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
God's Timing for us and our family!
"Ah, Sovereign Lord, You have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched hand! Nothing is too hard for you." Jeremiah 32:17
Our church has been studying Jeremiah this fall. As we discovered that our travel date was postponed for at least 2 weeks, it helped me to read Jeremiah. Jeremiah was in the middle of an enemy invasion and was in prison when God tells him to buy a field. Jeremiah obeys. In the midst of unbelievable upheaval Jeremiah trusts that God is telling him to buy a field for when the people will return from exile. Jeremiah holds tightly to God promise and acts upon it.
"No plan of God's can be thwarted" has always encouraged me when "bad things" happen. How can I call them bad when the God of the universe has decreed them for my life. His plan cannot be thwarted therefore the "bad things" are not bad for me but His plan for me.
Soooo Dan and I regrouped trusted God and His plan and started telling people that we had no idea when we would leave for Ukraine. Today we received a message that our TRAVEL DATE IS DECEMBER 7th, that is the appointment date in Kiev. We will leave the States on December 4, 2009.
That's all I know right now but we are rejoicing!! We are rejoicing that God IS in control. We are right where we should be and WHAT AN ADVENTURE THIS IS!!
Continue to pray for us:
Papers need to be amended for processing.
Many meetings in Ukraine before the court date.
MOST OF ALL please pray for Christina and Kolya, that they will be safe and that they will want to be adopted.
Thanks so much for being our partners as we travel this road together, Leslie and Dan
Our church has been studying Jeremiah this fall. As we discovered that our travel date was postponed for at least 2 weeks, it helped me to read Jeremiah. Jeremiah was in the middle of an enemy invasion and was in prison when God tells him to buy a field. Jeremiah obeys. In the midst of unbelievable upheaval Jeremiah trusts that God is telling him to buy a field for when the people will return from exile. Jeremiah holds tightly to God promise and acts upon it.
"No plan of God's can be thwarted" has always encouraged me when "bad things" happen. How can I call them bad when the God of the universe has decreed them for my life. His plan cannot be thwarted therefore the "bad things" are not bad for me but His plan for me.
Soooo Dan and I regrouped trusted God and His plan and started telling people that we had no idea when we would leave for Ukraine. Today we received a message that our TRAVEL DATE IS DECEMBER 7th, that is the appointment date in Kiev. We will leave the States on December 4, 2009.
That's all I know right now but we are rejoicing!! We are rejoicing that God IS in control. We are right where we should be and WHAT AN ADVENTURE THIS IS!!
Continue to pray for us:
Papers need to be amended for processing.
Many meetings in Ukraine before the court date.
MOST OF ALL please pray for Christina and Kolya, that they will be safe and that they will want to be adopted.
Thanks so much for being our partners as we travel this road together, Leslie and Dan
Saturday, November 7, 2009
No Plan of God's Can Be Thwarted!!
Swine flu quaratine in Ukraine delays Edwards' travel plans!
That would be the headline if there was an Edwards' Gazette! There has been a panic in Ukraine over the swine flu, much like we had here when high school sporting events were canceled. In Ukraine the swine flu has reached into politics with the country voting in January for the presidential election, the prime minister versus the current president, one canidate is showing its muscle by shutting down all public events, i.e. schools. This has reached into the government office of SDA postponing any invitations to travel for at least 2 weeks.
The invitation with the travel date was to be given by yesterday to us with the possibility of leaving within 2 weeks, before Thanksgiving. Now the invitation will not come for another 2 weeks at least pushing back our travel into December and not leaving Ukraine til January, BRRRRRRR! That is the middle of winter!! We had been praying to have the kids out before winter but GOD'S PLAN CAN NOT BE THWARTED! Don't you just love the word, THWARTED! We believe that this is not catching God by surprise as it caught us. His perfect plan is being acted out so after regrouping our expectations we are back on line awaiting His perfect plan to unfold!
Please continue to pray for us, for our family, for Christina and Kolya in particular their safety from the evil one and from sickness. God has supplied our need...we are over the $40,000 goal and now just waiting.
Thanks,
Leslie and Dan
That would be the headline if there was an Edwards' Gazette! There has been a panic in Ukraine over the swine flu, much like we had here when high school sporting events were canceled. In Ukraine the swine flu has reached into politics with the country voting in January for the presidential election, the prime minister versus the current president, one canidate is showing its muscle by shutting down all public events, i.e. schools. This has reached into the government office of SDA postponing any invitations to travel for at least 2 weeks.
The invitation with the travel date was to be given by yesterday to us with the possibility of leaving within 2 weeks, before Thanksgiving. Now the invitation will not come for another 2 weeks at least pushing back our travel into December and not leaving Ukraine til January, BRRRRRRR! That is the middle of winter!! We had been praying to have the kids out before winter but GOD'S PLAN CAN NOT BE THWARTED! Don't you just love the word, THWARTED! We believe that this is not catching God by surprise as it caught us. His perfect plan is being acted out so after regrouping our expectations we are back on line awaiting His perfect plan to unfold!
Please continue to pray for us, for our family, for Christina and Kolya in particular their safety from the evil one and from sickness. God has supplied our need...we are over the $40,000 goal and now just waiting.
Thanks,
Leslie and Dan
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