A Year Ago Today

A year ago today, I met my son. Wow! Jim and I were talking this weekend about that day in the orphanage. We were standing in the middle of this old, dingy, dark room that smelled like stewed fruit. Nervously we waited...Low voices spoke in a language we couldn't understand. I remember taking in the old couch, the weathered walls, looking around when ... with no preparation... down the hall walks one of the caregivers holding the hand of a small child. I can still picture his turquoise tights, Mickey Mouse shirt, mop of dark brown hair, and frightened expression. Oh my gosh, it was him!!!! The little boy from the picture. What a surreal moment.

Instinctively, I quickly dropped to my knees to be at eye level and offered him a warm (but nervous) smile. I held out one hand to him. I heard the caregiver introduce me. I knew enough Russian to recognize, "This is your mother." Jim and I looked at her, quite shocked. What if?... But she had told him I was his mother... Then she introduced Jim as "his papa." Jim and I exchanged a nervous glance.

So many feelings and emotions........It didn't seem quite real.

But it was. Thank you, Jesus, that it was.

A year later...my son, my son! Oh how I love my son! I call him my baby boy and he just beams. Whenever I leave, upon return he will say, "Mama, I missed you!"

This scared, malnourished, parasite-filled frightened little boy that would neither laugh or cry, now giggles with joy as his daddy tickles him. He cries when he falls, knowing that he has someone to comfort him. He calls to each sibling for a hug before he goes to bed.

It has been a fabulous year! A year that has drawn Jim and I together as a couple. A year that has drawn us to our knees before The Lord. A year in which we have had the privilege of seeing someone blossom right before our eyes.

It hasn't been easy. Christian David is stubborn, curious beyound belief, defiant, and messy. He is two!!! He is also teachable, kind, affectionate, bright and helpful. Just an all around wonderful Snyder kiddo.

We are oh so thankful to have been chosen as his family. We look forward expectantly to see how God manifest Himself in Christian David's life.

We appreciate your prayers!

It Happens so Fast

I have had a very precious week with my two youngest this week, as the older 4 attended day camp at a local church. Hence, I had a rare opportunity to do little kid things- sprinker park, the Children's Museum, extra time with mom pushing the kids on the swing, etc. This has been wonderful time to connect with my Bella and Christian David.

Taking Christian David to the Children's Museum for the first time and seeing him light up on the carousel....my eyes filled with tears as I thought of what could have been and what still remains for so many other orphans. I thought of those same walls... day after day... that same routine. No where to go.... no one to come see you.... no momma... no family.... no knowledge of a Savior...

You should have seen my smile as Bella took her brother's hand to introduce him to his play choices at Playscape...you should have seen my smile as his face lit up when the carousel music started... you should have seen my smile when he asked if we could ride the horse again and momma said, "oh yes!"... you should have seen my smile as I later opened the lunch box to give them thier lunches in the car in an effort to keep them awake before we got home for naps (ahhhh... memories of days with Caleb and Alecia)...you should have seen my smile as Jim and I took the kids to the Y and we took turns with each child as they jumped into our arms.


Good stuff... great stuff...how blessed are we?

And today, today ... today we dropped off the older 4 and then went back to the adoption agency. Not to turn in more paperwork and to write a check. We went back to say "Thank you!" Bella and Christian each held a bouquet of flowers as walked in the door to express our appreciation to the people who helped us find our son. So I introduced my sweeties to Heather and Inna and Steve. We gave flowers, a framed pic of Christian David, showed a pic of all 6 of the kids and all eight of us, took a picture of Christian David with these precious people and then we told stories and gave hugs!

Now, the little kids are sleeping and I am sorting adoption paperwork. I cry......

Oh the obstacles, the hurdles, the documents, the errands, the money, the hoops we jumped through... the growing we did. We grew as afamily and as individuals. We were blessed with family and friends that stood in the gap for us in amazing ways..

I came across a note someone shared with me. It was a small child's writing in marker that said, "I pray that the Snyder's little boy is safe." I also came across a preicosu song that Alecia wrote for her brother evern prior to receiving our referral. It is called "Our Little Sunshine". Then I found a picture of my crazy family, all dressed in tights , waiting at the airport for us (Because Christian always had tights on)

All this made me feel so many emotions...gratitude, joy, love...wow!

Great stuff!

Better than I Ever Expected- Just like God

It has been so long since I have written. We have been busy adjusting to life with 6 kids and just recovering from all the traveling and plans to travel...We are a busy little family ...sometimes I get a wee bit tired. :)

I think another reason that I haven't posted is that there is soo much to say. Wow! I have so many thoughts running through my head ... I don't know where to start ... I know that I will never do God justice!

But I will just start and do my best. Christian David is fabulous! Oh, I love that boy!!! It has been amazing to see the transformation in his eyes, his demeanor, his smile...Those sad little puppy dog eyes are full of sparkle, light, joy... and a mischievious twinkle. He is all boy- rough and tumble and exploring and testing and learning and growing and enjoying and laughing and climbing and running..... Did I make my point? He is alive and enjoying life and embracing it for all it is worth! When I go to get him each morning, he jumps up, runs to the edge of the crib and starts jumping up and down with his arms outstretched. What a great greeting for mom!

Can I tell you how crazy fun it is with he and Bella together? So cute and so busy! They have worked through some of their issues with sharing mom. They still vie for my lap but Christian David loves his other siblings too. He and Caleb, in particular, have a very special connection. The latest point of contention with the youngest is that Bella loves to kiss Christian David on the cheek. The boy wants nothing to do with that and highly values his personal space. :) But it was precious today when she got hurt and he went and gave her a hug and patted her back.

Christian David seems to have truly bonded well, tries to do most everything (quite adventurous) and is quite the parrot verbally. His verbal skills are amazing-he has surpassed the other Snyder kids at this age. Quite ironic!

I love to watch him experience daily life. I love to ask him if he wants to go outside (that little head just starts nodding). I love to give him good wholesome food (it is fun to watch him eat ice cream also). I love to watch him giggle on the swing and smile as all the siblings clamor to give him a hug when he wakes up. I can't help but want to burst with joy for him- at how his life has changed. To watch that...to participate in that transformation...what a privilege! The joy fills my heart and starts pouring out my eyes.

After the first difficult trip to Russia, I remember Jim and I feeling somewhat paralyzed. We both looked at each other, dumbfounded. We kept murmuring , "No, sorry. We can't do it. There is no way. We cannot do this 3 more times. We can't leave our 5 kids, find a place for our kids and dog, travel to this freezing, somewhat terrifying and uncomfortable place, pay these exorbinant fees... sorry- can't do this 3 more times!!!!!!!!!!"

But with God's help, we just kept going... only with His help did we continue to walk in faith..not fearless... but we walked... despite our fear.

AND LOOK AT US NOW!

Grateful.........Blessed....So glad we didn't miss it...so glad we didn't miss him

Lest I give a false impression. We are still battling uphill as a work in progress. Our little guy has some medical issues that we are working through (he'll be fine). And Christian David is a delightful handful. He is a busy 2 year old boy and all that comes with it.

Moreover, I firmly believe that when you take a stand to step out in faith and give The Lord the glory... a spiritual battle begins. When I get discouraged and frustrated with the demands on my time and energy, I have to remind myself of this battle. The Lord tells us not to look at our circumstances or we will definitely feel overwhelmed. Instead we are to look at Him and at His capabilities- He is more than able.

Thank your for sharing in our journey with Christian David. It's not over and I look forward to sharing more of it with you. Thank you for your support, your prayers, your encouragement and your love. Please celebrate with us the joyful homecoming of our son.

My prayer is that you are encouraged. If The Lord is challenging you to step out in faith in some way- He is trustworthy. He is Wise. He is loving. He can fill in the gaps. The result will be greater that you ever imagined!

How Sweet to Take My Baby to Church

Tonight, we took Christian David to church for the first time. Wow! As I started worshipping, the tears filled my eyes as I looked at my son in my arms. This place...church... so much of Christian David's journey into our family came from the Holy Spirit moving in this sanctuary. God prompted us in many settings. But there was a particular sermon series two years ago about the weak and the marginalized in the world and our responsibility as Christians- it was this series that God really used to lead us to adopt. I can still remember where we were sitting in church when the messages hit us week after week and my convictions grew stronger and stronger.

So being in church...holding this child that God lead us to... looking in his eyes... I just closed my eyes and wept silently. Sooo grateful for the call.

Then as I listened to the words of the worship songs... My Savior... My Jesus... Amazing Grace... I looked at Christian David's face. He was somber again. Watching and listening ever so intently as people around him lifted their voices in admiration to The Lord. And then The Lord reminded me, "This is so much why you adopted. So that this child could hear about me." And I looked in his beautiful little eyes and thought, "If we hadn't adopted him, would he have ever heard about the love of The Lord? Not in the orphanage... probably not in the streets of Russia..." I just hugged him tightly. This is why we brought you home. To hear the sweet message of Jesus. I kept caressing his face and rubbing his back and singing to him.

"Listen my son. This is everything...listen to hear about Jesus. This is what you need more than anything. "

And as the words of the songs washed over his soul and entered his mind...I'm speechless... I am sure he doesn't understand everything that they are saying right now. But one day he will. One day he will understand it all. And he will have an opportunity to know all about the Lord's love for him... His gift to him.

If we hadn't adopted him....

I am so glad that God is persistent.

Home as a Family

Sorry that I haven't posted since we arrived home. It has been a bit of a whirlwind. The first night home, I was up a good part of the night with my sweet Bella who had the stomach flu. Since then, 2 more kids have gotten ill. So amidst all of the transition home, illness has added a new component as well. But such is life. It hasn't been ths smoothest of homecomings but one thing The Lord has continued to teach me is that life rarely goes as you plan in your mind. :) So don't let circumstances dictate your emotions- let God.

As for the airport greeting- hilarious! Several of our family members actually donned tights and shorts in honor of our little guy who always wore them when we visited. So funny to see them in their shorts and tights. Thank you, family, for making us laugh!!!!!!!

Christian has done so well since we got home. Can I tell you how much I love that boy? My mommy heart is so attached to this little man!!!! He is doing great- he is enjoying getting to know our home (loves the piano), his siblings, the whole nine yards....

And the rest of the gang is doing beautifull with him. He and Bella will have their natural adjustment period- it's hard for a toddler to bring home a walking, talking, want momma 2 year old. Sometimes, Bella has woken Christian up and asked him to play with her. Other times, she struggles because they both want me and want to be held by me. So, at times, I have 2 little ones reaching their arms up and crying for me. I can carry them both for awhile but not indefinitely. So... normal transition stuff.

I will post pictures soon- thanks for your encouragement and prayers.

Coming Home at Last

Oh, my eyes filled with tears several times today- and not because we had a 10 ½ hour flight with an active 2 year old boy. As for the flight… it was LONG!!!!! Christian did great, really terrific. He slept about the first 2 hours .. and then was awake the next 8 plus. Not much sitting for mommy or daddy but I really have no complaints. We were in the back of the plane with 2 other adopting families (very fun) and we were close to the bathroom and the galley area where the stewards and stewardesses prepare meals. So we had plenty of room to walk Christian up and down the aisle occasionally or stand in the preparation area.

As for tears, I think the first time (today J) was when I was pacing the aisles on the plane singing “Jesus Loves me” and “You are my Sunshine.” In the latter song, part of it says, “You’ll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away.” So all of a sudden the emotions hit as I looked into his deep, trusting eyes, I just love him sooo much…he doesn’t know how much. Then the second phrase, “Please don’t take my sunshine away…” When I birthed my other children, I prayed for their health but I was never afraid that someone would try to take them away from me. This adoption journey has been long and faith stretching. I know that God is big enough to handle all the details. However, in my flesh, there were so many times that we wondered if something would happen or a judge would not allow us to adopt him or if some Russian police officer would take him from my arms (I never claimed to be fully rational- a bit skittish in Russia)… whatever….until all the paperwork was signed, the embassy visited, the plane landed… fears would try to creep up that made me uncomfortable. So my eyes filled with tears as I sang those 2 lines, gazing at my newly adopted child.

Then landing on American soil… realizing that Christian is now an American citizen (he has dual citizenship). Little misty here.

Then we had a great guy in passport control. With a smile, he grandly welcomed Christian to America and really tried to connect with him as he looked at our adoption papers. So as he stamped Christian’s visa and passport, Momma let out a whoop and hugged Christian close again. To be in America with him- I love this place!!!!!!!

So now we have a 5 hour layover in Washington DC. It is about 3 am in our bodies and our little guy is asleep on the floor by the gate- sleeping on a few coats and daddy’s shirt.

Can I tell you we have such wonderful family and friends???????? I called my mom and was able to speak with Bella. Oh, I miss her! Brent is taking several of the kids to church for the Multicultural night (adoption ministry event). Our children are safe and loved and …another huge thank you- everyone who has prayed for them and for us and have helped in so many ways. What a beautiful, humbling example of the Body of Christ!

We look forward to seeing you all in the coming weeks. May Christian’s life forever be a testimony to His goodness.

New arrival Time

FYI- Our flight arrival time has changed. We will be coming home on Friday night at midnight.

Can't wait!

Jim, Karen and Christian David

All 8 Snyders Appreciate Your Support!

We have been blessed by friends and family in so many ways throughout this journey. Though we are walking this path in love and service to God, we often feel like we are the ones being served. Many of you continue to ask what you can do or how you can help bring our boy home. The simple answer is prayer and support.
1. Prayer: Please pray that God will tenderly care for Christian now in Russia and soon at home as he bonds and adjust to life in our family. Pray for Caleb, Alecia, Sophia, Natalia and Isabella as they prepare for their new little brother. And pray that Christian will feel safe and loved by his family and sense the presence of The Lord in his life.
2. Support: We have experienced support of so many kinds and are thankful. Some have expressed an interest in supporting Christian’s homecoming financially, but aside from our family garage sale, we never really felt all that comfortable (pride) going there, and were clueless about how to get there anyway. We have recently discovered that there is a way for those who would like to offer financial support to do so in an anonymous and tax deductible manner. Lifesong (www.lifesongfororphans.org) has graciously established an account for us that will receive the support. Lifesong is a trusted organization administering the funds on Christian’s behalf, and the funds will be dispersed by them to directly cover adoption expenses.
Checks should be made payable to Lifesong. You can write “preference Christian Snyder Adoption” in the memo section of your check.
(*Note: In following IRS guidelines, your donation is to Lifesong which retains full discretion and control over its use.)
Mail checks to:
Lifesong for Orphans
Attn: Christian David Snyder Adoption
PO Box 40
Gridley, IL 61744

Going to the US Embassy

Jim got up about 5:30 am to deal with some flight concerns we have for tomorrow. There are still some oustanding issues with being on the same flight as Christian. (picky, picky), Jim needed to talk to a few people back in Indianapolis regarding this problem and that was the preferred time. We'd appreciate your continued prayers as it relates to our flights.

I believe Christian has realized that his eyes are bigger than his stomach. He still ate almost an entire omelette this morning, as well as a few more things. But nothing like yesterday!!

We tried to purchase a few souveniers this morning at a monastery that Jim and Kevin visited on the last trip. Moscow is so expensive and this monastery sold items Jim liked for 10% of the price in downtown Moscow. Our friend, Sasha, lent us his driver again for this excursion but the traffic was so bad that we had to turn around without reaching our destination. We were too concerned that we would be late for our appointment at the embassy. So, we aren't returning with too many souveniers ..but we have a great little boy so that is better than any old trinket! On another sweet note, our driver stopped and bought me flowers from someone on the street. Isn't that nice!

The US Embassy was a bit frightening- going through security with all the Russian police...just a bit intimidating. We were there for about an hour. The great part was being in the waiting room with about 20 other families who were adopting their children. It was fun to look around and see all the kids that are no longer orphans. They have families! Hallelujah! It was interesting to swap adoption stories and to see first hand the lives being changed.... beautiful. One particularly friendly couple was tthere for their 4th Russian adoption in about 8 years- all the kids were from different regions in Russia- wow! I can't imagine going through this process that many times. But they were so easy going, happy...quite the veterans. They spoke highly of the church support they experienced at home.

After that, we went outside and met with a secondary adoption agency that had rights in the region. That will be a story for off line discussion.

Christian then took a nap while I talked to the single mom in the process of adopting. Meanwhile, Jim hit more roadblocks trying to be souvenier/gifts- just too expensive here.

Now, Christian is helping us pack before his shower and bottle. We are packing up for the last time!!!!!!

We can't wait to come home, bond as a family, and just stay!!!!! We are due to fly in about 6:45 pm. We are so ready to see our children and introduce them to their little brother.

Settling In

Today was a much less structured day. The doctor arrived at our hotel room around 7:30 am. He checked Christian out and said that the only thing he could find wrong with him is rickets. Rickets are not a big surprise. He reassured us that with sunshine and vitamin D (through dietary sources such as milk) all signs of rickets will take care of themselves. He did a bit of scolding of me though. He stated that being in an orphanage is somewhat like being in the Marines. It makes you tough! (Great for my 2 year old…the Marines) He was concerned that when Christian cried while being examined, he kept looking at me. The doctor warned me not to be too soft on him or he wouldn’t remain tough. He also stated that he could tell from Christian’s behavior that he had been one of the favorites in the orphanage and had learned how to get what he wanted. (HMMMMMMMM..That is just what I had prayed for). I had prayed that he would be one of the caregiver’s favorites to that he could get his physical and emotional needs met in our absence. One of the caregiver’s gave us a flash drive with about 40 pictures she had taken of him while in her care. God definitely heard this mother’s prayers.

After the appointment, we went downstairs to the complimentary breakfast buffet and got this little guy some good food! He ate smoked salmon, an omelet with veggies, multi vitamin juice, fruit, a banana, pancakes and cornflakes. I kept looking at him to see if he was full. Wow! That little mouth kept opening for me- just like a baby bird.

After play time in the room and a nap, we headed out to explore Moscow. We wanted to take pictures with Christian in various locations like Red Square. You should see how bundled this little guy is- hilarious! The weather is really quite mild here (around 34 degrees) but we knew we were to be out for a while. He was so good... we just kept on going. Jim did great leading us around as we went sight seeing and souvenir shopping. I just loved seeing all that Christian was taking in. Oh I wish I knew what he was thinking!!!!!!!!

Finally, we came back to the hotel for a late dinner and ate with an English woman here on business. She and Jim are in the same industry and had quite a bit to talk about. One telling moment was when Christian toppled over in his booth seat and knocked his face against a wooden edge. It left a big red mark on his cheek that looked a bit painful. Bella definitely would have cried. Christian’s face puckered up as if to cry, then he rubbed on his own little cheek and pulled himself together without making a peep. It was so indicative of his past… Jim looked at him and reassured him, “Honey, it’s ok to cry.” Then I reached over and kissed the owie on his cheek. Boy, that doctor would have scolded me!

This evening we were able to Skype and see several of the children. Christian even waved to them on the screen. So precious! I am so proud of my children. They are truly rising to the occasion and managing so well. Good job, Snyder kids! It was also fun to talk to my mom and to talk to Jim’s parents. His folks hadn’t loaded Skype yet so Jim walked them through it. We let Christian stay up REALLY late so that they could see him. It was so worth it! What a thrill to share their new grandson with them… in action.

Well, that is the crux of our day here in Moscow. Great day of loving our little guy and getting to know him better and better. We are enjoying “unwrapping The Lord’s gift”.

Thanks again for all your prayers and support…don’t stop!

New Adventures

Karen Blog 3.2.10

Oh, I miss my sweet children at home. I was able to talk with them last night and hear their happy voices. I know they are safe and in good care. For that I am so grateful. But it is hard to be away from them yet another time.

I am ready to be united as a family now. I can see Christian fitting in so well. He is such a great little boy. He is just like them- full of life and enthusiasm! He and Bella together are going to have such fun …and wear me out. I can’t wait to see all 6 of the children together.

Christian slept great last night. The only reason that we were up with him was because he woke us up as his “diaper exploded”. I was drifting off to sleep, and well… I heard a loud…rumbling..from the crib. All the new foods and anxiety of leaving his friends at the orphanage took a toll on his little system. J

Today, Christian and I are hanging in the hotel room, playing with toys and walking up and down the hall. I brushed his teeth again this morning- he was not real excited as this is a foreign concept. We have taught him to drink out of a sippy and also introduced him to water (he is used to juice and sweetened tea). He continues to eat everything and sat in the bed enjoying a banana and cheerios this morning. Oh no, he just found stray cheerios under the bed- gotta go!

Later: After Jim was successful in settling some issues with Christian’s visa (huge relief), we headed to Moscow. I couldn’t help feeling a mixture of emotions for my son as we left his region. As we got into the van to travel to Moscow, a wave of sorrow swept over me as I looked at my sweet, bewildered looking son peeking out from under all his snow gear. This place…this gray, smoky place. This is where he is from. This is where his life began and where we first met him. I felt waves of sadness for him as I am not sure he will ever be back. Despite my feelings of apprehension here and despite the fact that I see such sadness and emptiness here… I will forever have a fondness and a love for this place because it is part of my son, whom I love. There is not hope here for him…no future…no life …but it was the beginning of his life so it is dear to me.

So I held my little guy on my lap and gave him an extra big squeeze. Then I looked out the dirt covered, dingy windows as we drove, trying to capture as much as I could in my mind so that one day, I could share my memories with him.

Upon arriving in Moscow, we went exploring! Yippee! Thanks to the last trip with Kevin, Jim is much more comfortable navigating around the city. We ended up at Hard Rock Café. Can you imagine the look on Christian’s face? Not only was he out soaking up the sights and sounds of a big city , but then he saw the videos and heard the music at Hard Rock. J

Well, Snyder kids, your brother is resilient. He sat in a high chair and colored (OK, so he really tried to eat crayons) and shared fajitas with mom and dad. Kids- he is going to LOVE you guys! I think that is one thing he misses from the orphanage- other kids! When we saw his bedroom at the orphanage, we were a bit surprised by the set up. There were a few cribs in there, but then the rest were these little wooden beds. I thought of the 7 dwarfs when I saw the beds. J Anyway, he misses his buddies at the orphanage (that was his family). So he is going to be thrilled to get home and find a houseful of kids! He is going to LOVE you!!!!!!!!

Well, we I am heading back to the room. The doctor will be at our room at 7:45 am to examine Christian. Love to all and a big thank you for your love, prayers and support with EVERYTHING!

Children: Mommy and daddy love you and miss you like crazy! This is the LAST trip and then we will just be a family. I can’t wait! I pray for you all the time and can’t wait to give you a big hug!!!!!!

Gotcha!

Karen’s Blog 3/1/10

Here we are! The day we have been waiting for! The day we are able to pick our son up at the orphanage and start his new life with us. Our son… our son…it still hits me at times and I get emotional and a bit dumbfounded. This journey, this wonderful, beautiful, difficult, faith-building journey, lead us to this precious child. I look at this beautiful little boy with big brown eyes and a mischievous, impish grin and think, “How lucky are we! What a gift!” I’d attempt a back flip, but I have no gymnastic ability whatsoever so I will just smile huge and thank The Lord.

I was trying to prepare myself that he might cry when he saw me at the orphanage. That wasn’t the reaction I wanted but one I needed to be prepared for. But no! His caregivers carried him out to me (he was wearing only a diaper and was wrapped in the big blue blanket we had given him on the first trip). So there is my little guy, swaddled in a blanket, stripped of all else, and handed to his momma. He went right into my arms without flinching. My momma heart was relieved that he didn’t start sobbing. J The moment he was in my arms, I just hugged and hugged and held on tight! This was it!!!!!!!! I held him on my lap and just sat there and kissed his little head. I put my cheek right next to his, closed my eyes, and thanked the Lord for this gift. Our son… (a few tears fell also but that’s just who I am J)

When I opened my eyes, I realized we had a small audience waiting for the moment in which I put on his new clothes- his new life. Very symbolic… The social worker, our coordinator, the translator and several caregivers all had gathered for Yarik’s special day. As I looked at them gathered around the room, they had beautiful smiles on their faces- they were so happy for our Yarik. So happy that he had a family. I’m sure it is always bitter sweet to see a child leave the orphanage but they know it represents hope for him. Then after he was dressed, the people at the orphanage said good bye to him and wished us well.

While we were preparing Yarik to leave the orphanage, another woman (a single mom) was meeting her son for the very first time. He is a precious little one year old (that looks just like her!) It was a privilege to see their first meeting as mother and son. She is affiliated with our agency back home and we knew she was traveling soon. Jim and I had hoped to travel with her as we knew she would be traveling alone. We are so glad that it worked out! After leaving the orphanage, we took her to lunch and have just served as a listening ear as she processes through all that is entailed. We answered questions for her to try to help prepare her and to clear up confusion/concern that can be all encompassing at this point.

Let me interject a side note: It is such a relief to be able to call our son by name and to use his name in our blog. For those who don’t know, his name is Christian David Snyder. J

Christian - means follower of Christ
David- means beloved

At the advice of others, we will call him Yarik Christian for awhile so that he realizes we are calling him by name. Then after awhile, we will drop “Yarik”.

Anyway, Yarik is doing fabulous!!!!!!!!! He just sat quietly in the van and looked out the windows. He looks like a total “Bob Gregory” guy, for those who remember the commercials from yesteryear. He has his tights (orphanage preference but the last time he will be wearing them J), undershirt, kackis (thank you mom), long sleeved shirt, snow pants (thank you Julie Egge), a heavy coat, hat, mittens, snow boots and a scarf. You can barely see the kid!!!!!!

I can’t believe how peaceful he is. It’s like he knows.. he understands… he feels safe. He is pretty solemn. Tatiana remarks that he is sad to leave the only family he knows, back at the orphanage. But he doesn’t cry. Not usre if that will last but I will enjoy it for now.

We went to the room because it was time for his nap. Nope! Busy, busy, busy!!!!! Too much to see and explore, mom. We gave him a little shortbread biscuit- whooeeeyy! He liked that. After he finished his biscuit, he just started carrying the box around. J

I accepted the fact that there was not way he was going to sleep, so we bundled him back up and took Linda (the adopting mom) to lunch. It was sooo fun to walk outside with Christian and watch his eyes take it all in. I am so happy to see my little boy getting some fresh air and some new sights! After we ordered, I walked Christian around inside the hotel because there was no way this busy 2 year old was going to sit quietly on my lap for long. Christian had already had lunch at the orphanage and a shortbread at the hotel so we just ordered him some bananas. Well, we quickly realized that he is going to have no trouble eating (we thought he might be so distraught with leaving the orphanage that he wouldn’t eat). He was downing the raisins (came with my tea) like they were m&m’s- he was grabbing them by the handful. (that may make for interesting diapers later). Then I introduced him to sliced bananas. At first, he wanted nothing to do with them. I insisted a bit and just got a taste in his mouth. He licked the sweetness off his lips, glanced up at me with a little grin and grabbed the fork. He then proceeded to use the fork to pierce and eat every last bite. When the banana was gone, he kept going…he scraped the fork around on the empty plate and licked the fork. Then he looked at me and patted the empty plate. Jim took pictures of the poor little guy pretending to continue to eat.

Guess I’m going to the grocery for bananas!!!!!!

We returned to the hotel room, Jim left for some errands at the orphanage, and it was my task to get Christian to sleep. It was now 2 hours past his routine nap and he didn’t look sleepy at all. But I knew he would soon fall apart if he didn’t rest. He just stood in the crib and cried (found out today that he sleeps in a toddler bed at the orphanage), so I laid down with him. I gave him his blue blanket and really forced him to lay next to me. Then I just rubbed his back, caressed his cheek, and sang “Jesus loves me.” Pretty soon, his thumb went to his mouth (I didn’t know he sucked his thumb) and he stopped squirming. By about the 4th chorus of “Jesus loves me”, Christian faded off to sleep.

HMMMMM… a full belly, a warm twin bed, momma rubbing his back and singing “Jesus loves me”….not a bad start. J

I’m so happy for my son.

I miss my big son and sweet daughters so much and can't wait to hug them. It is so hard being away from them, but we all know that this is it...we can now all be together. Thank you God.

We are Going!!!!!!!

It ended up that someone put our visa package on the wrong flight! For several hours, no one even knew where our visas and passports were- that was scary! That could have lead to a delay of a month or two. But The Lord worked it all out. :) My parents have a friend that works at a high level at the airport. He was able to track our package down and has it now in a locked cabinet waiting for us.

Flights have all been changed and we now leave tonight at about 7:30 pm.

Please pray for out flights back. We are hoping that we will still be able to complete all the necessary requirement in Moscow and still catch our flight home on Friday. If not, I guess we will just deal with it. There continue to be some outstanding issues as it relates to our return flights (due to changing flights today). I would cover your prayers for wisdom and Holy Intervention.

We will keep you posted as the adventure continues. God is on the Throne and that is all that matters! :)

Waiting...

It's after 1:00AM. It's snowing. I'm typing. I'm staring out the window waiting for welcome headlights. Can't possibly go to bed until the visas arrive. Waiting...and praying...

Starting to wonder when I start looking for alternate flights. God is here; I can tell because I'm not really worried, just ready to do what he says.

Jim

and waiting...

It's 2:30 AM...Just spoke with FedEx...they aren't sure how to track the package that supposedly left on a commercial (Delta) flight out of Memphis. I got a "I've never heard of anything like this before..." response. I just had to chuckle...apparently we haven't met:).

Any insomniacs out there? How long do I wait for this package? I'm going to get a sleeping bag and just sleep by the front door.

Jim

Back to Moving Mountains

Well, preparations for this trip were apparently going just too smoothly. We knew 2 weeks in advance when we were to travel (that's a first), the weather in Indy is fine, our itinerary is coming together, friends and family are helping in numerous ways... all great!

Well, all seemed pretty calm until about 1 pm today (we leave tomorrow at 10: 30 am). Then we received a call from our adoption agancy that there was a visa problem related back again to issues Jim dealt with 2 weeks ago on the last trip. We have been receiving advice on our visas from the appropriate personnel in New York. Apparently this advice doesn't line up with preferences in Russia. Go figure! Why should I be surprised? The bottomline is that becaue we have "the wrong kind of visa" we have to pay a penalty when we get to our region. In addition, we have to spend an extra day in our region before they will give us our son's passport (although it is already complete). HMMMMM! So my first prayer request is that we can complete all we need to in Russia and still make our scheduled flight home on Friday (due to the delay, it will be tight). As we were making phone calls and discussing options, I got a bit discouraged and frustrated. I feel as if we are just continuing to be yanked around. He is our son already. I am ready to not have those knots in my stomach anymore, wondering of there will be any more hoops to jump through- anymore "surprises".

But you know, when life is smooth and it is all going as planned, you don't have a chance to see God "do His thing". And I wouldn't trade that for anything. As the afternoon unfolded, we were going to have more opportunities to see God take charge.

First of all, I called my sister and asked her to pray for us. She reminded me of what a spiritual battle we are fighting. Bringing a lost and lonely orphan into a home, and a Christian one at that- Wow! That is something that the enemy will try to stop. Through tears, she stressed that anytime she pictures us going to get our son and bringing hime out of the orphanage, she hears the song, "My Deliverer is Coming." Tears filled my eyes as we talked about rescuing this child out of the very hands of death. God was saving him not only from a physical death (life expectancy for a Russian child that isn't adopted is about 21 years of age) but also a spiritual one. God is pulling our son out of this institution and placing him in a Christian home. So as I think of our son's testimony... "My Deliverer is Coming." Jesus is coming, sweetie. You are not forgotten. The Creator of the Universe has heard your cry and knows your heart and He will stop at nothing. What a plan! What a Savior!

But that's just the beginning.

About an hour later, we received a call that our visas (Jim and mine) were delayed due to poor weather in Newark. Delayed? In all 4 trips, these were the only visas that didn't have to be expedited. These were the only ones that we hadn't worried about. HMMM! Jim made several more calls but was told by all parties that our visas wouldn't be here in time for us to make our morning flights. Seriously? So I prayed. I called a few and asked them to pray. Then I received a call from a wonderful woman with Fed Ex. She had just received the package in Memphis and was calling to discuss the delay with me. I assumed she knew the details of our situation and I begged her to do anything possible to get it here on time. After a few more comments she asked as to the contents of the package. When I explained that it contained the visas for my husband and I to travel to Russia to bring home our son, she just let out a sigh, "You're killing me. You're killing me!" I gently explained that we had been to Russia 3 times to meet him and that finally we were going to be able to bring him home. She exclaimed, "oh my heart! My heart! Let me see what I can do. I am getting off soon but let me talk to my supervisor and see if there is anything we can do. I can't promise anything. But I will keep you posted!"

I went back to tasks with the kids, not knowing what was to happen. I continued to pray and thought. "Well, this is another opportunity for God to move some mountains. Either He will intervene and make this happen or our plans are going to change and we are going to get another lesson in flexibility."

Over the next few hours, we received several phone calls from different Fed Ex personnel. My sister reminded me of a verse that God can change the hearts of kings. Well, let me tell you, he penetrated the hearts of the people at Fed Ex. These people found out about our adoption- they wanted us to be able to get our little guy home as planned and they bent over backwards. At about 6:15 pm, we got a call from Sophia (love ya, Fed Ex Sophia) that they had found our package, located a commercial flight heading from Memphis to Indy, purchased a plane ticket for the package (yes, apparently it has a seat on a 6:50 pm flight), it will land in Indy and they are hiring a driver to drive it to our house! (all free) It is supposed to arrive at our house a little after midnight tonight. Can you believe it!!!? Isn't that crazy wonderful!!!!!

I can't wait to tell our son how personal God is and how much He loves this little guy! Wow! I am almost speechless.

I am tired of the emotional ups and downs of the rollercoaster called adoption. But it is a privilege and a faith builder to see God work. He is The Alpha and The Omega- Ruler of All !

Coming to get you, son!

Travel Plans

We would love your prayers for safety and for bonding as we prepare to leave to bring our little guy home! Many have asked for more specific information. This is what I know: we leave Saturday morning (2/27) and arrive in Russia on Sunday (2/28). We are able to get out little boy on Monday (3/1). We will spend a few days in Russia taking him for his medical exam, going to the US Embassy, etc. We are scheduled to arrive back home that Friday (3/5) at 6:45 pm.

Please pray not only for those of us traveling but also for those waiting at home. We have such special friends and family that are watching over our children, teaching our kids, taking them to their various activities.... huge stuff... huge gift to us. It takes so much pressure off to know that our children are safe and happy back at home. THANK YOU!!!!!!!

Bringing Our Son Home

OK, I can tell we are getting close to bringing our son home because I am getting more and more emotional. :) Watch out, I cry pretty easily these days. Now part of that is because I am snowed under with things I need to do this week. But I'm not really talking about that. I am talking about the good stuff- buying little boy pull ups, picking out his snacks for the plane, bringing Caleb's old dresser out of storage for our little guy, looking at all his cute little jeans and sweatshirts and socks.....that is the good stuff that tugs at my heart.

More than that, it is hitting me more and more each day that he will soon be part of "us". He will be sleeping upstairs, wearing his cutie pjs and running around with 4 sisters and a brother and an onery puppy. He'll be holding Snickerdoodle's leash and running around the circle with Bella. Can I tell you how excited I am for him!!!!!!!!! I am so excited for us.. for all of us... that we GET to have him in our family. But I look back at the pictures from our first trip. My heart is still pierced by the sadness and the fear that I saw in those big brown eyes. Each trip, I see a bit more life in those eyes. And that stoic face ... he still seems to fight smiling... but each time, it comes a bit easier.

So, gotta get my boy home! I want to see those eyes shine. I want to see a BIG smile and hear him giggle so hard his stomach hurts. I want to fill his belly with good, healthy food and fill his heart with the deep love of Jesus and a family that thinks he's precious. Jesus has such a heart for the weak, the marginalized and those without a voice.

We are priviledged to be able to watch The Lord give this little boy a whole new life- we get to see the trasformation in front of us . How cool is that! ? And may God be glorified every step of the way.

May our hearts forever beat differently and continue to help other orphans, just like our son.

Guess Who is Two Today?

Well, it is our son's second birthday today. It's weird. I am here in America at home without him. He is far, far away in such a distant land. I'm not sure if he even knows that it's his birhtday. The caregivers at his orphanage seem very kind and loving. But do they do anything for the children's birthay? Probably not.

Well, your family loves you buddy! So we are remembering. I made a cake and frosted it. The kids are going to decorate it today. Then we are going to videotape our family celebrating your birthday. We will sing happy birthday. I will probably cry a little (Sorry, buddy, that's just mom. Ask your siblings, Mommy cries over sentimental things so you better get used to it. ) Then one day when you are older, we can show you that we remembered. We were thinking of you on your birthday even though you weren't with us. Because you belong to a family now. That's what family's do. :)

In honor of his birthday, we also hope to start writing "his story" today. As a family, we want to write a book for our little guy of how God came to bring him into our family- when we first started feeling led to adopt, what the journey looked like, how we felt when we saw his referral picture, how glad we are that he is one of us... We will have the kids draw pictures, add some photos, etc. and have it laminated. Then the kids can read him his story when he is a bit older. I had a friend from our homeschool group tell me how often her 4 year old asks to hear "her story". So I got to thinking.... Hence, our birthday plan for today.

As for the rest of the week, so much to do before we leave on Saturday. We leave on Saturday!!!!!!! Our little guy's visa is to be completed 2/26. So we will leave here 2/27, arrive in Russia 2/28 and "Gotcha Day " is March 1st!!!!!!!!I can't believe we get to bring him home.

The picture that I come back to is that of holding our little guy up by the window.... and his looking and looking outside. I picture those big brown eyes with that sad gaze of longing. I want to reassuure that precious little boy , "Well, no more!!!! Mommy and Daddy are coming and we are getting you out into that big world that you are so desperate to explore. It's a beautiful world of adventure, opportunity, and love. It's also a world of change and confusion. But you will have a Mommy and a Daddy to love you..to hold you... to tickle you...to reassure you... to nurture you... and to introduce you to your gentle Savior that can meet your every need. And family...let me tell you about family. You have a wonderful big brother and 4 big sisters that can't wait to love on you. You are going to be playing soccer in the big open area in front of your house,;you are going to the park in a wagon; you are going to eat ice cream and listen to Mommy read; you are going to be in crazy shows put on by the Snyder kids; you are going to play with other kids at this place called "church"; you are going to LOTS of sporting events to see your siblings play; you are going to get messy making cookies or playing playdough....."

My eyes fill with tears as I think of all our son will now experience. He will live... and be loved ...and belong.

As a family, I have this visual of us scaling this towering, steep wall. We have been scaling it to reach our son. There has always been a harness, in case we'd start to slip. Guess, who that is? Yep, that's The Lord. But we have been climbing, grabbing with our fingers and toes and reaching and stretching higher and higher. I feel as if we are finally at the top, hoisting ourselves over the side. And there he will be.. our son. On March 1st, we will greet him with a smile and a kiss, and pick him up , strap him to our bodies, and start going back down the wall again.... together.

The Boy has Shoes...and a Few Other Things

OK, it is finally hitting me that we are actually going to bring our little guy home soon! So for the first time, I went shopping! Actually, Alecia, Caleb and I went shopping!!!!!!!!!

We didn't buy too much. It is tricky because of sizing. His tags at the orphange are usually about 18 months. But I am not sure how quickly he will grow when he comes home. So, I will keep the receipts but went ahead and bought some things. It was so fun! I have been so good in holding off this long. One of the highlights for me was watching the kids pick out clothes. Sales were good and well... we have been waiting a long time for this! Ally chose 2 outfits that she loved. Caleb's goal was to find matching clothes for he and his brother. Very precious! We spent a LONG time trying to match clothes for a 12 year old and a 2 year old, Not an easy task. And of course, what makes it even harder is to find things that Caleb will actually wear that match his brother. :) We were successful. Caeleb wanted to buy his brother every baseball shirt or pj he could find! I smiled, set a boundary, and reminded him that this won't be the last time he gets to pick out clothes for his brother.

We left with smiles on our faces in anticipation.

Today was a bit more preparation for our little guy. (quite a feat for this homeschooling mom) A dear friend and neighbor, Julie, gave us the clothes that her son had outgrown. What a huge gift! And her son is a beautiful boy from China- so the gift has extra meaning. So now, I have some stacks going of clothes- sorted by size. I don't have a dresser or a room ready for him yet, but I needed to know what clothes I needed prior to traveling next week.

Tonight, my folks babysat so that Jim and I could go out for Valentine's Day. We spent most of the time running errands for the homecoming and for upcoming family birthdays this week. We did purchase our little guy some shoes!! We took in his little footprints (outlined on notebook paper) and bought him 2 pair- certainly one of them will fit. (We purposed to go to Shoe Carnival for the price break on the 2nd pair) As were walking to the check out, I realized that I hadn't purchased any socks yet. I can't believe that I almost forgot a basic. So we grabbed a few packages of socks- we are getting set.

I am totally nesting!!!!!!!