Please Pray

The talks between Russian and American authorities to try to come to an agreement to avoid suspending adoptions are scheduled to take place this Thursday. (Note Moscow time is 9 hours ahead of Central Standard Time.) Please pray they would come to an agreement quickly that would be best both for the children and for adoptive families. Thanks for praying!

Have Tickets, Hope to Travel

We have a rescheduled itinerary to go to Russia the second week of May, Lord willing. Flights in Russia and Europe have resumed after the disruption caused by the volcanic ash. And despite the media reports to the contrary, the U.S. Department of State issued a recent statement saying, "We have received no official notification that adoptions of Russian orphans by Americans have been suspended, but it is clear the recent controversy has slowed down adoptions in some parts of the country." The talks between U.S. and Russian officials to try to come to an agreement to avoid suspending adoptions have been delayed by the volcanic ash and are now rescheduled for April 29-30. Please pray they will come to an agreement quickly, but most importantly, an agreement that would be best for both the children and their adoptive families.

Excited to Gather!

Last April I flew to Dallas for the 5th annual Christian Alliance for Orphans Summit, a gathering of Christian adoption, foster care, and global orphan care ministries, church leaders and lay people, all with a heart to respond to God's call to care for the fatherless. It was heartbreaking to hear stories of some of the world's 143 million orphans, but also encouraging to hear how global orphan care ministries and church adoption and foster care ministries are responding and making a great difference. I was blessed by being there in so many ways, but one of the most significant for me was hearing Dr. Karyn Purvis share. (My friend Maridel recommended her very highly to me!) Dr. Purvis is considered one of the nation's foremost experts in helping kids "from hard places", such as those who have experienced abuse, neglect, institutionalization, or other early trauma. She, her colleagues, and adoptive parents have seen significant breakthroughs in hurting kids at their Hope Connection Camp.

This year I'm so excited that the Summit will be in Minneapolis April 29-30! And this year Andy plans to join me. We plan to attend sessions for adoptive parents on topics such as Acclimating to a New Family Member, Attachment and Trauma, and Grief and Loss. Again I look forward to learning from Dr. Purvis. And if that weren't enough, we'll get to hear from a powerful line-up of speakers and musicians, including a few of my favorites: John Piper,

the Desperation Band, and Steven Curtis Chapman. I also look forward to connecting with other adoptive parents there, including our friends Michael & Lia, coming from Milwaukee, who are parents of five precious adopted kids, as well as orphan advocates.

Want to join us (and more than 1000 others from North America & beyond) at the Christian Alliance for Orphans Summit VI? There's still time! Or consider volunteering for the two days and attending for free! Hope to see some of you there!

We don't expect it will be easy...

The recent news story of the adoptive mom who sent her adopted son back to Russia has people asking questions about how it could happen. Today I read this thoughtful blog post in which an adoptive mom who has adopted boys from both Russia and Ethiopia asks good questions and shares hope. Our senior pastor's wife, also an adoptive mom, also recently wrote a blog post on this topic.

Andy asked me recently, "Are you ready for the hardest year of your life?"

"I don't know," I replied, "but I'm trying to do what I can to prepare."

Oh, we expect there will be great joys, but also great challenges. My friends who are moms tell me parenting can be very difficult. Add to that the challenges of parenting little ones whose first years of life were traumatic or who most likely didn't get the love, affection, attention, stimulation, or nutrition needed for the kind of healthy development we would all hope for for our children. Things may be particularly challenging as our children grieve the loss of their current caregivers (in the orphanage) and all that is currently familiar to them and adjust to life with new parents who speak a new language in a new culture where everything is unfamiliar. And having been hurt by past relationships or losses, trusting may not come easily for them.

We've heard and read enough adoption stories of children more than a year old to expect there will be challenges as the children grieve their losses, attach to their new parents, and may need to heal from a traumatic past. The majority of adoption stories I've heard and read involve not only challenges, but over time, the family developing healthy attachments and the children overcoming past hurts. And we've heard A LOT of adoption stories. There are hundreds of adoptive families in our church. I'm also on a listserv for parents who have adopted or are adopting from Russia, as well as part of an adoptive parents' group led by a couple who adopted two girls from Russia.

I'm thankful for an adoption agency that offers lots of training opportunities, the overwhelming support of family, friends, and our church family, and the many resources available in the Twin Cities for adoptive parents.

I still have a long list of books I'd like to read before we adopt to help me continue to prepare. This delay in going to Russia gives me more time to prepare to become an adoptive mom, and that is a good thing.

I can't say the reason we're not in Russia right now. Can you?

Video: Name that Icelandic volcano

http://cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/offb...

Can you pronounce Eyjafjallajökull? Neither can the media.

Russian-U.S. Adoption Talks Delayed by Volcanic Ash Flight Chaos

Russian and American authorities were scheduled to meet this week to try to come to an agreement; otherwise, U.S. adoptions of Russian children could be suspended. But the same volcanic ash that prevented us from flying to Russia on Saturday is also preventing American authorities from flying to Russia for these meetings.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100419/158653321.html

No End in Sight to Volcanic Ash

I just read this in a CNN news article. It's amazing the impact a single volcano in Iceland can have, causing flights to be cancelled in 23 countries! This volcano's last major eruption back in 1821 lasted for two years! Here's a 3-minute video explaining more:

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2010/04/16/myers.com.volcano.update.cnn.html