Read A Father's Journey...

We will try to update the journal with special events and important times with Michael and our family. We will try to post a weekly summary. Please email Michael at michael@msproles.com he enjoys getting emails.

March - May Updates (5/28/07):

- The transition phase has had its ups and downs. There have been many "trying" times. However, this is normal for any family and this tells us that things are going well.

- Michael has not yet read through the entire Bible, he is still working on it.

- Michael has read his King Arthur (Russian) twice.

- Michael and Malachi are playing very well together and are starting to get into some mischief. It's good to see them play and work together as brothers.

- It feels like Michael has always been a part of our family and we can not image not having him as our son/brother.

- Victor's (Michael's brother) cell phone has been stolen and he hasn't spoken with him for about a month and a half. This has been hard for Michael.

- Michael's English continues to improve with leaps and bounds. He is a dedicated and fast learner.

- Michael's sister, Rachel, had graduated from high school and will be attending Grace College. His brother, Shawn, will be leaving for Trinidad on 6/8/07 for a mission trip.

- We have all been very blessed and thank you for your prayers.

February Updates:

-          Michael has read all of his Russian books that I purchased for him. He has started reading the Bible in Russian. His goal is to read the entire Bible from cover to cover.

-          His English has improved incredibly. He has no problem communicating at all.

-          He is enjoying chess club.

February 20, 2007: We attended a “Russian Mission Trip Reunion” at Wallen Baptist Church.

February 2, 2007: Michael’s Certificate of Citizenship arrived today with his letter from President Bush. Later in the evening we went to the Winter Jam 2007 concert where Michael was able to meet with Steven Curtis Chapman. This was a great evening.

February 1, 2007: Today Michael had his adenoids and tonsils removed.  Surgery went well and should be recovered in 2 weeks.

January 9, 2006: Last night we decided to try and call Victor. We think we figured out how to dial Victor's phone number. If you remember we put $100 in a birthday card for Victor to buy a cell phone. We told him not to open it until his birthday. Victor did have a cell phone card, but no phone. He gave me the phone number for it so we could at least text message. So we tried that number. We didn't quite know how to do it, so we tried different codes and combinations. Finally, we got it. But is just rang. Well it was 2 am in Russia, so we figured Victor was asleep. We got up early today and tried again. It was about 6 am here, so Victor would be awake. IT WORKED. Michael was able to talk to his brother and he was so happy.

January 7, 2007: Yesterday was Michael's brother, Victor's, birthday. I printed out a large photo of Victor and placed it by Michael's chair and we had cake for him. When we brought out the cake, I looked at Michael and he had a tear in his eye. I went over to give him a hug and he began to cry. I held him for a while and snuck him a tissue to dry his eyes (he didn't want anyone else to see). We sang happy birthday and ate the cake. When we left we put money in Victor's card for him to buy a cell phone to call Michael. Everytime the phone rang yesterday he thought it might be Victor. Michael is such a tenderhearted young man. This was a tough day for him with mixed emotions. I printed him an 8x10 color photo and put it in a frame for him (of Victor). He was so happy. I hope that somehow Victor can find a way to come visit Michael someday. Michael participated in communion at church today. We explained it to him and he told us that Jesus lives in his heart. We allowed him to participate because from what we understand he is a believer. He will learn more about this as he grows in his faith.

January 6, 2007: Today Malachi, Michael and Dad went to Fort Wayne for the day. We spent most of the time at the Glenbrook Mall. Michael and Malachi went to Build-a-Bear and made themselves stuffed bears. Well Michael made a Pooh Bear named Johnny and Malachi made a Cat named Scruffy.  We then ate lunch then rode on the two story carousel. After a day of shopping and fun, Michael said "This is a good day".

December 25, 2006: What a wonderful Christmas this was. I could ask for no better present than to have our family complete. Michael said it was a "good day". Thank you Lord for this wonderful gift.

December 18, 2006: Today was Michael’s first day of school and his first day away from Dad. He did very well at school. When I arrived home he jumped into my arms and then showed me his paper from school for the day.

December 17, 2006: Today Michael attended Merriam Christian Chapel for the first time. He met many new friends. There was a surprise birthday/welcome party for him with the kids his age. He introduced himself and made many new friends today. He was showered with welcoming words and gifts. He was so appreciative and thanked everyone. He fit in as if he had been a part of the church family forever.

December 16, 2006: We spent time at home this morning. Later in the evening we went to Wal-Mart again.

December 15, 2006:  We went to McDonald’s and had sandwiches and water. Michael discovered that he doesn’t like American water. He also enjoyed his first basketball game. His brother Shawn played and Michael rooted for him, very loudly. He also made some new friends at the game. We went to Wal-Mart again today after the game. Michael said that his Dad has too many friends and he is tired of introducing himself, but he continued to do so and was very polite.

December 14, 2006: Today we experienced Papa John’s Pizza and Wal-Mart. Michael enjoyed American pizza very much. Wal-Mart was a place of introduction to many of Mark’s friends. Michael politely introduced himself to over 15 people. Today his Grandmother gave him $20 to buy something at Wal-mart for his birthday. The first thing he purchased was a present for Malachi for Christmas and nothing for himself. He is a very loving and giving boy. Michael now has his own email address: Michael@msproles.com.

December 13, 2006: Mark and Michael have made it home on time (approx 11pm). All is well. No travel delays. Praise the LORD. The plane rides were very interesting. Michael thought he might get sick when we took off so I showed him the “barf bag” and he held it up to him mouth when we took off. After we finally made it off the ground he shouted with glee… “NO DADDY!” proclaiming that he didn’t get sick. So he brought the “barf bags” home to Shawn as a gift. He met several people during the trip, as he is certainly NOT SHY. In Germany, he met a young woman from Iowa that goes to school on the island of Cypress. He met a man from Italy that sat beside him on the flight long flight to Chicago. He also met a Russian man (from Illinois) on the same flight that offered him any assistance he may need in the states, as far as translation etc. He was able to obtain email addresses and other pertinent information from two of his new friends. He slept for only about 1 hour on the entire trip, proclaiming that he wasn’t tired. He drank a lot of juice and visited the restrooms frequently. When he finally realized, on the final leg of the flight to Fort Wayne, that were about to land, a big smile came about him and he said “Mommy, Rachel, Shawn, Malachi”. He couldn’t wait to get off the plane and to see his new family complete. When we saw them there was also, Kelly Huseman, Rachel Stampe, Dwayne (Steve) Berna, Ed and Nancy Pollock, his grandparents. He was so happy and gave out hugs as he introduced himself. On the way home we stopped at gas station and Dwayne introduced him to Dr. Pepper. We aren’t quite sure why Michael calls him Steve, but even after telling him his name is Dwayne, he still calls him Steve. We didn’t make it home until about 1 am. Michael gave his brothers and sister hugs and kisses. He explored the rooms of the house until about 2 am and then took his shower and went to bed.

December 12, 2006: Today we walked to the Moscow Zoo (http://www.moscowzoo.ru/defengl.htm). The cost for me was about $4 and Michael was free. The zoo is larger than it looks. We saw all the usual animals. After realizing we had many rubles left, we decided to walk to McDonalds once again (4^th time) and then to the Mall, where we played more games for tickets at the Arcade we went to yesterday. Michael had never done this before. It was a place much like Chuckee Cheeses. I was able to help him earn over 200 tickets and he was able to get some fireman toys to play with Malachi. We also received the paperwork showing that Michael is registered with the Russian Consulate.

December 11, 2006: We took a walk around Moscow today and on the way back to the hotel all the traffic was stopped. We figured out that this was because the President of Russia was coming through and we were right. We saw the President drive by in a limousine escorted by police.

We were able to get Michael's Visa today without any issues.  At the Embassy office we met several other families that were waiting for their Visa’s. They were from Michigan, South Carolina and Mississippi. Most of them had about 2 year old children. Michael was the oldest of them all.

We have eaten at McDonald's for the third day. He loves Happy Meals. We also went to a large mall and found an arcade. We raced cars and watched a 3D rollercoaster movie. Our plane leaved Wednesday for the USA.... we can't wait to get home.

December 10, 2006: This morning we waited for the Doctor. He arrived about 9 am. The doctor said that Michael was in good health and he was pleasantly surprised. Afterwards we went on a tour of Red Square. We went to the GYM (goom) a very expensive mall on one side of the square. This is the first year that they have put a hockey rink on the Square. We were invited in to watch a game on Red Square. We then toured inside the Kremlin and visited several cathedrals. We also saw the Hermitage Exhibit from St. Petersburg. We then went back to Arvat Street and ate at McDonald’s again and shopped. We revisited some stores, where Margaret and I previously met some ladies who wanted us to bring Michael back to visit. They were so happy to see him; they even gave us discounts on purchases for him. Then back to the hotel.

December 9, 2006: We arrived in Moscow this morning at about 2:30 am and checked into the Ukrainia hotel. This time it was much cheaper. We went to bed and then woke up at 9:45 am. We ate breakfast at the hotel buffet. Michael was quite impressed. We then walked around outside the hotel and then at 2:20 pm we went for Michael’s X-Ray and Visa Photos. Afterwards we were dropped of on Arvat Street and we went to McDonald’s and walk up and down the street. We headed back to the hotel and watched TV.

December 8, 2006: Today we met with Michael's brother Victor. I am so glad we did. He loves his brother very much. Michael gave him a photo of himself dressed up with a tie on. When his brother looked at it he began to cry. We played chess together and talked about Michael. He gave me some medical history and told me that he wants his brother to have a loving family that can nurture his loving nature and provide for him, as he can not. He is also bringing us pictures of his mother and of himself with his brother when they were little. He is a good man. I told him that he too is now a part of our family and we will keep in contact with him. I thank God for allowing us this time to meet with him. After the meeting we were able to pick up Michael's passport as planned and we leave tonight by car (instead of train) for Moscow. We have a lot of goodbyes to say today.

Misha (Raya’s son) helped us today to translate with Victor and to say goodbye. When he came he asked a favor of me. He gave me photo of a young man that is partially blind and in a wheel chair that attends church when he can. This man is in need of a new wheel chair, so he can attend. His current one does not work properly. He asked that I ask the our church to pray for this man and that if anyone could please send him a wheel chair so he can go to church. Misha is a very unselfish man. I told him I would be glad to bring this photo to my church and ask for prayer. Misha gave Victor a New Testament bible and invited him to their church. He also told him that Michael could send letters via email to him and he would translate them and make sure he gets them. When Victor left, he walked with Michael and they talked.

Vladimir, the pastor of the Church in Ivanovo, came by tonight to say goodbye and to give me a letter to bring back to the Antioch Collation. Misha and Julia came by as well to say goodbye to us, and to give Michael a gift.  Misha is the Music director at the church and Julia helps out at Michael’s orphanage.

Michael’s brother came by at about 8 pm tonight and brought pictures for us. Two are of him and Michael together, one of Michael when he was in first grade and one of Victor as a baby and his mother together. This is the only photo Michael has of his mother and the only younger picture of himself. They played chess together for the last time before we left. Michael gave his brother a birthday card and gift (January 7). His brother doesn’t have a cell phone of his own and borrows others to make calls of receive/send text messages, because he doesn’t have enough money for one. So I told Michael we could surprise Victor and put money in the card for him to buy one. We gave him $100 for the phone and to make calls. Michael was elated. He said “Thank you Daddy, Thank you!” He wrote Victor a note and put it in the card telling Victor to purchase a cell phone to call him. I also added a note telling Victor that he too is now part of our family and we will keep in touch with him. Michael told Victor to not open the card until his birthday. Michael tried as hard as he could to not tell Victor about the surprise, but he kept asking him how much a cell phone cost and I think Victor may have figured out what the “surprise” was. When we left Victor hugged Michael, gave him a kiss and whispered something to him. He went to shake my hand and we ended up in a firm hug. I said “Thank you” once again and he nodded and turned to walk away, as he was very emotional. As far as we are concerned, Victor is our son also. And we are proud of that fact.

December 7, 2006: DVDs: Ice Age 2 / LOR 1 … Mall

December 6, 2006: Today we did the usual routine of breakfast, internet and the mall. Misha (Raya’s son) came to our room and brought a DVD player and movies (some commercial titles and some Christian cartoons) Michael, Misha and I watched one about Daniel. He purchased the DVD player just for us to use. IT cost 100 rubles ($4.00!) Then we went to a Museum in Ivanovo and took a lot of pictures. We had a good time. At 5:15 pm we met Raya and went to her bible study at her friend’s home. It was an amazing experience. The lessons were in English and there were only four of us. We studied Genesis and about the choices we make. It referred to Abraham and Lot. They told me that I spoke beautiful English and they loved listening to me read the bible verses. I was flattered. The lady whose home we were in is an Orthodox believer. She participates in the lessons to learn better English. She asked an intriguing question: There is a lady who is not a believer and she has status and all the belongings she could want and is very happy. Another lady is a believer (Christian) who is not happy. Why is the believer not happy? I tried to explain that the first lady may look happy but is not truly happy, as she does not know God. The second lady may be truly happy and she only sees that she does not have the things of the first that make her appear to be happy…. It was an interesting discussion and she did not quite understand, but it was very thought provoking. We then had prayer and tea. I can not describe how great this experience was. It was awesome to be able to partake in this. Back at the Hotel we watched Narnia in Russian with English subtitles. What a great day! Thank you God for all of this!

December 5, 2006: Margaret made it home late last night. We called her from Ivanovo to make sure she made it safely. Michael also called Logan Keister, his new friend in America. He was so happy to talk to him. Today we went to see his Mother’s grave. We purchased flowers for her last night. We drove to an enormous cemetery. There were graves everywhere. Michael remembered where she was buried. We had to walk and walk and walk, what seemed like forever. As we walked I looked at the other graves. Almost all had headstones and some with benches to sit beside and remember the loved one. I prayed that when we found Michael’s Mother’s grave that she too would have a photo on her headstone. He has no pictures of his mother at all. When we approached the section where her grave was, there were no headstones and no photos. There were simple grave markers with the name and a lot number. The ground was uneven and there was mud all over. The graves were very close to each other. We walked in the mud, which was almost like quicksand in areas. Our shoes were covered with mud. We finally found her grave and he put her flowers upright in the mud. We took photos and we left. We had to wash the mud off our shoes in the nearby stream and in the snow. We were not able to get it all off. We walked back to the car and left.

Michael is learning a lot of new American words. We play a game where he memorizes a certain group of words and then I quiz him. If he gets one right he gets 10 Kopeks. If he is wrong I get 10. Once he has 100, then he gets 1 ruble and keeps it. He loves this game and considers it his new business. He has a good memory and I will be a poor man by the time I get home. We are not sure what we will do the rest of the day,. Michael is playing a racecar game right now. The one thing he wants for Christmas is a remote control car.

December 4, 2006:  Michael and I slept in today and played chess twice. He won again Of course for breakfast he wanted to go to the Café and I wanted to go to the restaurant. We went to the restaurant, but tomorrow we agreed on the Café. We will spend time walking around Ivanovo and shopping at the mall today. Tomorrow we are going to visit his Mother’s grave and later this week we will visit with his brother, Victor. We should be able to return home on 12/12/06, if all goes well.

December 3, 2006: Today we went to the church in Ivanovo once again. It was a wonderful experience. People were so happy to see Michael and to know that the adoption was official. After church we went with Michael to the Circus. This is one of the largest Circuses in Russia. It was spectacular. Michael had such a good time. This was his third time to the circus. At 10 PM we took Margaret to the train station and she left for Moscow. She will sign some documents and leave on her flight, hopefully, after a small tour of Moscow.

December 2, 2006: Visit apartment. Dinner with Raya.

December 1, 2006: We were able to get Michael’s new birth certificate and certificate of adoption today. We went to the passport office and had to go back again because the lady was going to lunch. When we came back, she interrogated me about not having the adoption visa. I passed her snooty interrogation. She said the passport would be ready next Friday. More time to spend with Michael in Ivanovo.

November 30, 2006: It's official. It's a BOY! He's part of our family now. Praise the LORD. Pray for the passport to be issued quickly! More Later…Before court we got Michael a haircut at the hotel for $3.00.  In court today they asked Margaret if she changed her mind. Of course she said that she had not and that she grew to love him even more. The judge then asked if we now thought that it was a good thing to delay court and we agreed. They brought Michael in and asked him about being adopted. He was adamant that he wanted to be adopted by our family and he knew we would be good parents. He then left the courtroom. The judge asked for the prosecutor’s recommendation and she said basically that we would be a good family for Michael and that she recommends that we be allowed to adopt him. As the official decision was read, an overwhelming feeling of joy and relief overcame me and tears ran down my checks. We thanked the court officials and greeted Michael in the hall with hugs and kisses. We are now officially a family. We waited to get the official paperwork and went to get his new birth certificates. The computer was down and was told we would have to come back tomorrow. We celebrated in the evening with ice cream.

November 29, 2006: Textile market. Evening with Vladimir and Maria.

November 28, 2006: Court was today. The proceedings were very draining emotionally; there were tears on both sides. Michael is a very loved young man. The Orphanage Director and the Social Worker both fought for us to be able to adopt Michael. They questioned everything. They thought we didn't have enough money to support our family. The big thing is that they thought Margaret had not spent enough time with Michael and did not know him well enough. So court has been continued until Thursday at 2 PM. They already gave us his school records and his belongings. He is with us now, so Margaret can decide if she wants to adopt him. They think she will change her mind? We told them that would not happen, but they insisted. So in summary, Michael is our son, praise the Lord. Our prayers have been answered. Now we just wait to tell them again that YES we are sure.

Margaret will be traveling back before Michael and Mark. Once the Passport has been issued (not sure how long that will take) Michael and Mark will go to Moscow for the Visa and return home. We believe Mark and Michael will be home by the December 8th? Please pray that things might move faster once they see that we belong together. Michael has informed us that his name is NOT Misha now. It is Michael Sproles. He says he is happy to be with his new family. He is such a joy and FULL of energy!

The church here in Ivanovo has been very supportive. They have offered to help with anything we need: drivers, apartments, meals, interpreters.... They truly show Christ's love and we are very blessed by this. We are truly in God's hands!

November 27, 2006: Today when we woke up it was SNOWING pretty heavy. Time to put on the hats. We met with the Orphanage Director, the Doctor and the Social worker at the orphanage. The meeting went very well. It does not appear that there will be any issue with the adoption itself, they are all much in favor and were coaching Misha on what to say. They coached us as well. Misha showed us his room and gave us small gifts. We brought his court clothes. Court will be at 10 am. This will be 2 am Indiana time. Keep on praying. The biggest hurdle now is getting his passport quicker than 10 days. More tomorrow.

November 26, 2006: We attended church with friends here in Ivanovo. It was a wonderful time of fellowship from 11 am -1:15 pm. We then met with Vladimir and his wife (who will be having a baby girl anytime now). We saw a lot of our friends from our first trip last December. Once older lady was so happy that we were going to adopt that she was in tears, as she herself had adopted and would have adopted more, if she had enough money. We were able to meet with Misha for only 5 minutes, as they said we could not legally be there without proper paperwork. Misha had small toy surprises for all of his new family. We went to the Silver City Mall once again.

November 25, 2006: We have made it to Russia. Arriving at about 5 am.  Moscow was a lot of fun, for the short time we were there. We are now in Ivanovo and have met with the lawyer. We plan on going to church tomorrow. We might be able to see Misha tomorrow as well. Please continue to pray that everything goes well and that we do not run into any issues. And if we do, that we are able to work through them smoothly. We were told we may have to wait 10 days for Misha’s visa. Please pray that we will not have to wait that long and that God will help us to get back on Dec 4 as a family. Otherwise, Margaret will have to travel back alone. Keep on praying, we trust that God will oversee everything and we will be back soon. We will continue to update as we can. We arrived. Our hotel room in Ivanovo is a lot larger than last time, thank goodness.  We went to the Silver City Mall to shop and eat.

November 24, 2006: Today we went for our physicals. Quick and painless. Afterwards we asked to be dropped off on Arvat Street. We ate at McDonald’s and then we walked up and down this famous street and did some souvenir shopping. This evening we will leave on the train for Ivanovo.  Our luggage is stored until we leave on the train. The train departed on at 10:30 PM. We somehow ended up with 4 meals (1 for each of the tickets we bought). They were rather simple but nice. There were some instant noodles and we needed a better fork to eat them with, rather than the small plastic one. So I looked up the word “FORK” and proceeded to ask for one. The lady laughed and motioned for me to return to our cabin, she would bring it to us. She brought us 2 cups of hot water. Now I know I said FORK correctly in Russian. I just gave up and used the small fork.  We then opened something that had a picture of a cow on it, thinking perhaps a cream cheese type of spread… NO! It was some kind of cow flavored baby food of sorts and smelled really really bad. We disposed of it. The ride was smooth, but not much sleep.

November 23, 2006: We arrived in Moscow on time. We had to be taken to meet with our people in Moscow. It was a short meeting at a gas station. We were then taken to the hotel Ukrainia (http://all-hotels.ru/h3596/hotel/index.en.html). This was one of the most expensive dates we could arrive. They were holding the Cup of Russia Skating Competition (http://www.goldenskate.com/articles/2006/112606_l.shtml). The room was $260. A regular night would cost $140. We were able to see a lot of famous skaters while in the lobby. 

November 22, 2006:

-          Three hours before we left we received a phone call that the Russian court needed more documents to prove that we could financially support another family member and a paper stating who owns our home. This would require going to get the paper from the bank and then getting both papers to Indianapolis to be apostilled and then to Russia. Thanks to Margaret’s mother and father, we were able to get this done and still leave on time. They did the footwork for us and we left.

-          Julie Zolman drove us to the airport.

Dear Friends and Family,

Today we beign our final journey to Russia to bring home our son. God has been with us throughout this process and continues to show himself in every aspect. We ask that you continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers while we are away. There are still obstacles to overcome, however, nothing is to big for God. We trust that God, after bringing us this far, will pave the way throughout. We ask for these prayers:

1. That our children will be ok without Mom and Dad.

2. For Rachel's (and the boys) safety while driving.

3. For our travel to be safe and uneventful.

4. For us to be able to have Misha with us again (inour hotel) prior to the courtdate.

5. For the court proceedings to go smooth and THAT THE 10 DAY WAITING PERIOD will be WAIVED.

6. That we will not have any issues or mjor delays in getting Misha's paperwork, passport and visa for him to come home.

7. That we will be under God's protection while we are in Moscow and Ivanovo.

8. That we will be able to return on December 4th as a family.

9. That God will use us in an awesome way while we are on this journey.

10. and anything else that you feel that might come in handy while we are away 8-)

Again, your prayers have been so valuable to us. God has listened to each one and is answering, so please continue. We can not wait to bring our boy home to meet you all.

We will have access to our email periodically.

November 21, 2006: We leave tomorrow! Crunch time. You never realize how may last minute things you have to do when you leave. We are very excited.

- We are having a "mini" Thanksgiving tomorrow with our children. We will miss them while we are traveling. Maybe the airlines will have a special Thanksgiving meal - could we be so lucky?

-Visas have arrived!

- The memorial service for our little Sarah (deceased at birth), in on December 3, 2006. This will be the first time we have not attended. This is very hard for us. We are thankful to the Gerver family who will attend in our place with our children.

November 20, 2006: We have to repack into larger suitcases to get all the orphanage clothing donations into our allowed luggage. An extra piece would cost $100 to take. It is much cheaper to buy 2 $20 rolling duffles.

- It's going to be rough hauling all this luggage arround in the SNOW!

November 19, 2006: We just learned that Misha's older brother, Victor, who has previously been in jail, would like to meet with us. This is a little concerning, since he really hasn't had anything to do with Misha. Many things are going through our head, as to why he would want to meet with us. We are not sure if we should or not. The adoption agency says absolutely not, it could be nothing but trouble.

November 17, 2006: Mark had his outpatient surgery and is doing well. We are almost done packing. Our money is exchanged. Visa(s) will be here Monday. PRAISE THE LORD!

November 15, 2006: We were notified that we have been awarded another grant from: Shaohannah's Hope, Inc. This will not be awareded until the end of the month and we don't know how much yet. This will help us with extra expenses and emergencies.

November 14, 2006: We were "officially" notified that we have been awarded the $5,000 grant from The Gift of Adoption for Misha's adoption. We also recieved a $100 donation from "God's Helper".  Our family has been so blessed. We praise the LORD for everything. He always keeps his promises. We must remeber that and know that the LETTER OF INVITATION will come soon. Please keep praying and praising the LORD!

November 14, 2006: Mark was released from the hospital today and went back to work at 1 pm. Please pray that the stone will pass within the next day. An appointment on Thursday will tell us if he has to have it removed.

November 13, 2006: Mark is still in the hospital, the pain is manageable.  The specialist will not be available until tomorrow. So that means another night in the hospital.

Margaret made a three way call to Moscow this morning about the LETTER OF INVITATION. They had no idea what she was talking about. How frustrating.... However, news from Moscow is that the facilitator is getting closer to obtaining this letter.

GOD is so awesome. He has provided for Misha's adoption once again. One less worry. The last hurdle will be the LETTER OF INVITATION. Continue to pray for this to come quickly.

November 12, 2006: Mark's pain got worse today and he went back to the ER. They admitted him to the hospital for observation.

November 11, 2006:  Mark is having pain from Kidney Stones. We spent the early morning hours in the ER.

November 10, 2006: We called as instructed at 5:30 AM and an angry Russian woman yelled at us and told us in "Russian" to call back on Mon or Thurs from 3 - 6 PM Moscow time. We were told we were to call as soon as possible from 10a - 4p, Moscow time.

We have forwarded our documents to the Embassy of the Russian Federation today. Our Visa provider sent them to the Russian Consulate in Washington DC to see if this would suffice. Please PRAY that they will accept these documents. I don't understand how, if we have a court date (which we do), why they are making it so hard to obtain this letter. We could hardly sleep last night waiting for the time we had to call in the morning.

November 9, 2006: We were emailed the documents from the Russian government in Ivanovo, giving us a court date to come to Russia. We are to use these to try to get the letter from Moscow (Letter of Invitation). We must call at 5:30 AM tomorrow morning. Thankfully, we have a friend in Chicago who is acting as translator for us. We are so thankful for this.

November 8, 2006: Today we were told that Moscow is not issuing letters of invitation for adoption to anyone. Our court date might be November 28th and we need this letter to secure visas for our entry into the country. We can travel under a tourist visa; however, we may run into trouble when we travel home with Misha. We may be detained for some period of time. We have decided that we will go regardless of the consequences. We have to trust in God. Please pray for us as we overcome this obstacle.

November 3, 2006: We have received news that November 28th is our possible court date. We do not have the final word yet. We also received a letter from Misha today!

From Misha...

Hello Mark, Margaret, Rachel, Shawn and Malachi!

I’ve received your letter. I’m looking forward to seeing you. I wish you came to Ivanovo ASAP. Is it a joke that you have written to Mr. Bush? Thank you very much for your money for a mobile phone. It hasn’t been bought yet. The jogging shoes burst, but breeches and jeans are OK. Thank you for pelmeny you’ve found for me. You call them ravioli in America, I remember you told me. Mark please put the date on your letters. I’ll also put the date at the end of my letter. I’ve been at hospital for 12 days. Before the hospital I had been at the camp. It’s situated in the village of Kletshevka, in Shuya rigion, not far from Ivanovo. Raya and her husband visited me on the 15th of October. It’s getting frosty in Russia. Mark and Margaret when will you arrive in Ivanovo? I’d like to meet you at the station. What’s the name of your friend who said during the picnic: Please tell Logan Kensrter I said hello’’. Tell him I can find a pen friend for him. Mark, would you write one more Margaret, Rachel, Shawn and Malachi and your birthdays? I love all of you greatly.

Michael Isaev

18.10.06

November 1, 2006: Waiting again. No word. No news. We are praying that God will speak again soon.

October 27, 2006: After a long day in Indianapolis and traveling the final paper has been scanned and emailed as needed. Now we wait for the court date. We made the most out of this trip. Margaret was able to get all the final documents notarized and apostilled.

October 26, 2006: Two of the three documents have been emailed as needed. Tomorrow Margaret has to go to Indianapolis to get the last paper from the State. Here is a little story about our dealings with the State Department of Child Services. (Coming Soon)

October 20, 2006: More delays. Russia wants 3 more documents. 1.) Letter that Gateway Woods can legally perform a home study on us 2.) Another application to the court to help waive the 10 waiting period 3.) Letter from our Doctor stating that Misha has an appointment on December 5, 2006 to help have the 10 days waived. Our court date should be in late November. This is all God’s timing, nor ours. We have to remember that, even though we are disappointed. God’s timing is perfect. We will know about the remaining grants the first week of November. The waiting is hard. Misha told us he was coming to Larwill, Indiana in November. He must know something we don’t. Please pray that this will be the last of the delays.  Margaret and I may be spending Thanksgiving in Russia away from our family. This will be hard, but will also give a new meaning to the holiday for us.

October 16, 2006: Raya (our dear friend in Ivanovo) went to the orphanage to visit with Misha yesterday. She taught him some more English and gave him our latest letter. She said he was so happy and excited, even more than to get sweets and fruit, to get the letter. He is doing well in school. They took him to see a doctor, which they do prior to the adoption. He is excited, as we are, to hear of the court date. Waiting is so hard. Please pray that we hear about the court date soon!

October 12, 2006: Our documents arrived in Russia today.

** Financial status updates are now auto calculated with Excel and are more accurate. There is a slight change in amounts. **

October 10, 2006: Life International has mailed check to Agency and closed our account, since we have accumulated enough funds for the matched grant.

October 9, 2006: Documents are off to Russia.

October 6, 2006: Documents are ready to go to Agency.

October 5, 2006: We have all of our documents notarized (again) and now Margaret has to drive all the way to Indy to have them apostilled tomorrow. Then we will send the documents off to the adoption agency, Dana will then send them to Russia.

October 5, 2006: We've heard back from another granting source. We will receive more details in the mail.

October 4, 2006: We now have the documents from the doctor.

October 1, 2006: Our Doctor has been on vacation, so he wasn't able to complete our physicals that needed to be on different letterhead. Hopefully, today he will be able to get them done so we can get them notarized and then Margaret can take all the documents personally to Indianapolis and make sure they get apostilled correctly. Then we can rush them to our Agency.

September 25, 2006: Slight setback. Russian courts need some documents changed. The State of Indiana messed up one when they apostilled it. They put the wrong one on it, with a different notary's name. We'll just have to rush to get what they need and get it back out to them ASAP.  This is disappointing. But the good news is that as soon as they get these documents, we get a court date.

September 22-24: The family campout for church was this weekend. We had a lot of fun. We can't wait to share this experience with Misha next year. While playing kickball, one of the men from our church said "Next year we'll have one more." I can't wait for Misha to meet all the wonderful people who are praying for him and helping to bring him home.

September 19, 2006: Last night as I was driving home from work, I prayed that God would show me that the funds to complete Misha's adoption would come soon. As I drove a full brilliant rainbow filled the sky, there was a partial next to it. I began to cry, knowing that this was a promise from God. When I got home the rainbow arched over our home. I called everyone out of the house to show them our promise. Then this morning when I was getting ready for work the phone rang and I answered it. The caller told me that they had been praying and wanted to donate $3,000 to Misha's adoption, I began to cry again. This was God working again to bring Misha home. When I told the caller about the rainbow, they said they too had seen it. I praise our AWESOME God. He keeps his promises. Misha WILL be home soon! Approx. $5,800 and we are there. Pray for the grants to come through as soon as possible, so we can bring him home. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

September 15, 2006: Tonight was the father/son campout. Shawn, Malachi and I went for a few hours. While I enjoyed spending time with both Malachi and Shawn, it was hard knowing that my other son, Misha, was still left in Russia and wasn't able to participate. Next year will be different.

September 14, 2006: Our final paperwork is on the way to Russia! We received an email from Dana...

"So, how are the grants going?  The reason I ask is I want to know if you are financially ready to return to Russia, right away, soon or a little later?"

Wow! Once we have the money we are on our way to go get Misha. Our goal is to leave around 10/03/06.  Please continue to pray:

• We will hear about the remaining grants SOON. 
• We will be able to raise additional support.
• We will be able to obtain a loan to cover the balance in the mean time.

The longer it takes the longer Misha will be without a family.

September 12, 2006: Final paperwork sent to Dana, to be forwarded to Russia.

September 11, 2006: Received final apostilled paperwork from Indianapolis.

September 6, 2006: Praise the LORD! (Once again) We have qualified for a $3000 matching grant from Life International. We are getting closer to our goal. I will update the totals later tonight.

September 2, 2006: We took Vladimir to the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum today. He asked if our family could take him while Natalie was being driven back to Chicago and we jumped at the opportunity to spend more time with our friend. What a wonderful time we had. The boys and Vladimir had a lot of fun together. We ate at Pizza Hut afterwards with some other friends and Vladimir.  Rachel went with Nick and Elaine to drop off Natalie.

August 31, 2006: Tonight we had Vladimir (Friend and Pastor from the church in Ivanovo), Natalie (Friend from Moscow and interpreter (SGA)) and our friends Nick and Elaine over for dinner. We had a wonderful time with them. We shared stories, photos and videos of our experiences with them. They are such wonderful people. We also celebrated Natalie's birthday. She translated messages that Misha had recorded for our family while she was here. In one message Misha said that when he first met Rachel and I, he knew that we would be back for him. This was even before we knew we would be adopting him. God spoke to all of us and we all knew that this was his will. He is so amazing. What blessings he has bestowed upon us. Vladimir offered to purchase Misha a used cell phone and sim card, so that he can instant message us from the orphanage. We are going to try this. We miss him so much and can't wait for him to be here in our home with us.

August 29, 2006: Still haven't heard from Life International. We can not get in contact with the person we need to. We will have to wait another week!

August 28, 2006:

• Getting final paperwork notarized and sent off to be apostilled. Once we send it to Moscow, we wait again to hear when our court date is.  Sent it off to Indy today.
• We should hear about the Life International Grant today.
• We will have a final tally from the very successful bake sale Wednesday of this week.

August 21, 2006: Indiana

• I went swimming with the boys before we checked out.
• Traveling back home today.

August 20, 2006: Indiana

• Train arrived at 5:31 am.
• We went with our guide to an American restaurant for breakfast. Where we had chocolate chip pancakes covered with hot fudge.
• He then took us to the airport where we waited for our flight.
• During our flight we were severed a small cup of Baskin Robbins ice cream and I broke down as I remembered Misha asking for “Baskin’s Mark?” It finally kicked in that we now have to wait to bring him home.
• We arrived back in Indiana at 10:20 pm after a small delay.
• We shared our memories and experiences with the rest of our family.
• We stayed at Comfort Inn in Indianapolis.

August 19, 2006: Ivanovo

• We awoke at 7 am. Misha opened his eyes and said MARK!
• At 8 am we ate breakfast in the dining room at the hotel with Kelley and Jay.  Jay and Misha played chess again and Misha won again.
• We then went to our room and watched some TV. He loves Tom and Jerry in Russian. He was laughing and laughing.
• We called Raya and made arrangements for her son to come to our room at about 1:30pm. He would stay with us until Misha left at 5 pm and then take us to their home for a visit.
• We went to the Mall again.
• On the way we found another internet café, where we could write home. It was 5 rubles for 15 minutes (about 19 cents). While there we met up with Kelley and Jay again. There was a computer store in the same building. I was able to get an English/Russian keyboard and a Spiderman II game for him.     
• We visited a Christian Bookstore and purchased a DVD. Misha saw the cover and knew it was about Moses.
• Misha took a lot more photos today. I guess his first 4-H project will be photography. He is very good at it.
• At about 1:30 pm big Misha came to our room and we sat to talk for a little while.
• We then went back to the mall. We ate at Broaster Chicken. Misha almost dumped his large orange pop on me.
• Misha and I went to get Shawn a baseball cap, which would be Misha’s gift to Shawn, while Rachel and big Misha waited for us. We went all around looking for a reasonably priced hat. Finally we found some in a sport clothing store. He told the lady helping us that it is for his new big brother Shawn in America and the lady smiled. Then all the other clerks started coming around us. Misha was so excited as he looked at all the hats that were up high on the pegs. They had to use a hook to get them down. He finally found one, which happened to be the same one that Shawn would have picked out if he were there. Misha was so excited that he said “Come on Mark!” and still had two other hats in his hand. I had to remind him of that and he gave them back to the clerk. We went to pay for the hat and they gave him a discount on the price and a sucker as they smiled at him.
• As we walked back to the hotel we asked Misha if he wanted to be called Misha or Michael (as he had been writing his name in English during our visit). He said he would think about it.
• We went back to the hotel where we played in the hall way. Big Misha flew little Misha around like superman and played a Star Wars finger game with him.
• We took some time to ask Misha some questions about himself (Big Misha acted as translator for us). Here are some things we learned:
  • In American 3 things that Misha would like to do:
    • Meet George Bush.
    • Ride in a Limousine.
    • Play Basketball and Soccer with his new brothers Shawn and Malachi.
  • Misha has a house. Evidently his mother owned a home and there are photos (of his mother) and other belongings there. It is being held in trust for him. We will need to find out more.
  • His favorite subjects at school are Math and Physical Education.
  • He likes to find mushrooms but he doesn’t like to eat them.
  • One of his favorite foods are Siberian Dumplings… we later learned that these are like our Raviolios.
  • He likes dogs and cats a lot.
  • He has traveled only around the Ivanovo and Vladimir regions and has been on a train.
  • Misha would like have training to be an electrician when he grows up.
  • He loves to read.
  • He gets good grades at school and has gotten into trouble. When I asked how he got into trouble he set up a demonstration. He used us as actors and showed us how he ran into one of the other boys and they hit their heads together pretty hard and fell over. Misha said he laughed and got into trouble.
• As it got closer to 5 pm he was worried about meeting the lawyer to go back to camp. So we had to call her. She said she would be there in a little bit.
• She called us when she was almost there and we went down to meet her. Sadness filled us all. Misha started to withdraw and become more somber as he knew he would be leaving us. He said “Thank you for everything” and told us that he loved us once again. We told him we would be back for him soon. After hugs and kissed he got in the van and they drove away.
• We then went to big Misha and Raya’s home. The van ride cost only 23 cents each.
• Raya’s home was beautiful. She has a large garden that fills her entire backyard and there are many fruit trees.
• She prepared a full meal for us of Chicken, potatoes, bread, rice, 3 different salad and home made gooseberry juice. We ended the meal with green tea.
• I had prepared a DVD of the music videos that we had made through the years and formatted it for Russia. I hoped it would work and it did. We watched several of them together.
• It was then time to return to the hotel. Raya and Misha went with us. We showered and packed for our long journey home. Then we left for the train station. We said our goodbyes to Raya and Misha and they left us on the train after then knew we were ok. They usually buy 4 tickets for us so we have a cabin to ourselves. This time there were only 3 available, so this meant we would have a stranger in the car with us. I prayed that this would be a nice female so we would be safe. God answered our prayers and this was the case. We felt secure and made it to Moscow.

August 18, 2006: Ivanovo

• We awoke at 7 am.
• Misha got up and took me (Mark) to the bathroom and proceeded to show me how to wash our faces. When he was done it was my turn.
• He then called for Rachel to join us and showed us how to do our exercises.
• We went to breakfast in the hotel café. Misha took a picture of the cook and told us that New York was on the TV.
• At 2:15 pm I had to meet to have my statement to take guardianship notarized. Rachel stayed with Misha at the hotel.
• Upon leaving the hotel, I met Kelley and Jay. They are from Florida and we met them on the Yahoo newsgroup. They were supposed to be on the same flight as us and sit in the seats next to us. Unfortunately they were delayed in making their flight. However, they had the room right next to ours in the Tourist hotel.
• After the Notary I was taken to get a phone card and to an internet café to email home. (We were not able to call home at all during the trip. Either no one was home or I was dialing incorrectly.)
• When I came back to the hotel we called Raya, our dear friend in Ivanovo, and she agreed to come meet us at our hotel.
• We then met with Kelley and Jay in the lobby. Misha brought his chess set and played Jay. Of course, Misha won.
• Raya arrived at the hotel and we talked a little in the hotel room. We then took her out to eat at the cafeteria in the mall. Misha, once again, chose a hot dog for his meal. I attempted to translate and did a literal translation of the words. Misha told us that he was losing his appetite as he laughed.
• We all went on a walk around Ivanovo. We went to the church where Rachel and I went for our winter mission trip. Misha was fascinated and enjoyed the visit.
• On the way back we saw a street carnival with rides. Misha wanted to ride on the bumper cars. He enjoyed it so much. I bought tickets for us all to ride the “Viking Ship” and Misha was very scared. So instead we rode the “Swan Ride” instead.
• We went back to the hotel and said our goodbyes to Raya for the day.
• After our shower time, we went over to visit with Kelley and Jay. Misha played Jay again at chess and won. 
• Again Misha did not want to go directly to sleep. He was so excited.
• He packed all his belongings up to get them ready to go the next day.
• Misha and I sat down about midnight trying to translate a question he had for me. He wrote it in Russian and then looked up the English words and wrote them below. Once he had all the words he then had me write it grammatically correct. He would then copy the Russian words below the English. When we were done (1/2 hour later). His question was: Can I pick up my dirty and clean clothes tomorrow? And of course he could 8-)
• We then went to sleep after I tucked him in and kissed him good night.

August 17, 2006: Ivanovo (more to come)

• Train arrived at 4:45 am.
• We were met and taken to the Tourist Hotel and we checked into our very small room, showered and rested until 9am when we met with our lawyer.
• She told us that the children are in the summer camp right now. She asked if we would mind having Misha in our hotel room for our entire stay. PRAISE THE LORD. Of course without question I said YES!
• We had to make 3 visits to official offices for approval.
  • Department of Education
  • State Department of Guardianship
  • Orphanage to meet with director
• All visits went very smooth and they all knew of Misha and that he was a very special young man. Approval was obtained. While with the orphanage director we were able to ask questions about Misha’s background and medical history. We learned many things to help us.
• We were taken back to the hotel, where we waited for them to go and pick up Misha.
• I (Mark) started to take a nap and thought I was dreaming when I heard his voice in the hallway. I got up and went to the door and Misha yelled out my name and jumped into my arms. I gave him the biggest hug ever.
• We were so happy to see each other. He was so happy to see Rachel as well.  He told us that he loved us and then said… Misha love Malachi, Shawn, Margaret, Rachel and Mark.
• He arrived in old tattered clothing. His belt was a shoestring. He had not bathed for a while.
• We gave him gifts and he was thrilled. We gave him a map of Indiana and he said “LARWILL” Mark. I opened the map to show him and he understood that this is the area where he would like.
• He kept saying “Thank you very much.”
• Misha can read English. He can sound out all the words very well and is very very smart.
• We told him we wanted to get him some new cloths and he asked if he could buy a book. He loved to read. I said of course he could.
• They asked us if we needed the interpreter to go to the mall with us. I looked at Misha and said “No, we’ll be ok.”
• They had me write out a Release of Responsibility for Misha’s health and safety, it was translated, I signed it and they left.
• Rachel, Misha and I went to the Silver City Mall, which was a 5 minute walk from our hotel.
• At the Mall
  • First we ate at the cafeteria. Misha picked a lot of different foods, including small pickles, beet salad, and fruit fluff dessert, French fries, hot dog and Diet Pepsi. He could not eat all of his food and he gave Mark his French fries. He was so excited.
  • We then went to the bookstore where he immediately found 2 books, a note book (address book), a pen, an eraser and a pencil sharpener (He kept asking for pencils, but we had pencils in the hotel for him.)
    • A fairy tale book
    • A book about a monkey and a crocodile
  • We found clothing store that was having a sale.  There he tried on jeans, a t-shirt and a belt. We were able to find his correct sizes without a problem.
  • He kept asking for a baseball cap. We looked and looked. The top floor of the Mall is like street market with several clothing vendors. It is here that we found his “Mercedes” baseball cap. We also found him a pair of tennis shoes.
  • We found him a 2 pairs of underwear and a pair of socks at a children’s clothing and toy store. The underwear we found that fit him was very small.
  • During our entire shopping trip we would look at the price tag and if it was too much he would not ask for it. If it was a lower price he would ask if it was ok. If I said “No” he would say “Ok, Mark” and we would look for something more reasonable. He was very polite, even in his excitement.
  • We ate at ice cream at Baskin Robbins. Whenever he wanted ice cream after that he would say…. “Baskin’s, Mark?”
  • Misha loves to take pictures and would see things he wanted to take picture of and say “Please Camera.”
  • Once we returned from the Mall, Misha took a shower and brushed his teeth with his new toothbrush and paste.
  • At 8:45 PM Misha wanted to play chess, but we had no chess set. The mall closed at 9 pm… we had 15 minutes to get there. It was a 5 minute walk. So we hurried and put on our shoes and headed to the mall. Misha kept yelling for me to run, but we ended up walking fast. Misha wanted to tell me things and wanted to use his book to look things up. He kept stopping along the way and I had to remind him that we were in a hurry. We arrived at the mall with 1 minute to spare. We hurried into the toy store and he asked them for a chess set. They had none, but told us where to get one. We rushed across the mall and found a reasonably priced one that we purchased. We then tried to leave the mall, but the doors we came in were locked and we had to rush to the front doors and then walk back to the hotel. He played Rachel a game and beat her then he played me and beat me in 5 moves. We later learned that not only was it his favorite game, but he was in the chess club.
  • Bedtime was at about 11 pm. Misha asked for my small flashlight. He made shadow puppets on the wall. He didn’t want to go to bed, he wanted to read. I insisted that he sleep and he did. However, I kept seeing light coming from his bed.
  • I woke up during the night and noticed that he was snoring and talking in his sleep. Of course, I couldn’t tell what he was saying. 

August 16, 2006: Moscow

• Arrival in Moscow at 11:15 am at the Sheremetyevo Airport. (8 hour time difference)
• Picked up and taken to the Novotel Hotel, since it was raining in Moscow. We showered and slept until it was time to leave for the train at 8 pm. This hotel cost $150 for 6 hours. Lunch was very expensive as well. Moscow is one of the most expensive cities in the world.
• We hand delivered the remaining court documents and photos.
• Left for train station at 8 pm or so.
• Train left for Ivanovo at 10:05 pm.

August 15, 2006: Mark and Rachel leave from Indianapolis at 12:50 pm for Russia. All flights on time. No problems with travel at all.

August 10, 2006: The President has put us on Red/Orange alert due to the terrorist attempt. Yes, we are still going. This is what God wants. Nothing will stop us from going. Misha is depending on us to give him a home and a family. We won't let him down.

August 9, 2006: Our VISAs have arrived. One step closer.

August 9, 2006: Our passports and visas are on the way to us. They will arrive via DHL by 5 pm. How exciting!

- Our dear friend Raya from Ivanovo has offered for us to stay at her apartment on our second trip. We are so delighted. Her help and hospitality are priceless. What a wonderful woman God has brought into our lives.

- The church in Ivanovo has offered to provide any extra transportation that we may need while we are there. God is so good and he does take care of the details, if we let him.

- The Pastor, Vladimir, of that church will be leaving to come to the USA while we are in Ivanovo. We will then be able to see him here in the USA when we return.

August 6, 2006: We have been informed that we now maybe required to do a physical in Moscow with 8 different doctors. The cost would be $600 per person to do this. That's another $1200 unexpected expense! Please pray that we will not have to do this.

August 5, 2006: Rachel and some friends baked some goodies and had a bake sale today. She was able to raise over $80 for the adoption! Every bit helps.

August 3, 2006: We have contacted local Christian radio stations in the hopes that they will help us spread the news of our cause. Pray that they will be able to help in some special way.

August 2, 2006: Three very special young people decided to donate their saved money to help Misha to have a "forever family".  This was not a small amount. Their money will be used to buy Misha's plane ticket to come to his new home. Misha has some great friends he doesn't even know yet. Praise the Lord for these young people.

August 2, 2006: The bake sale is now online as well.

July 30, 2006: A bake sale is being organized to help raise money for Misha's adoption expenses. This is a PRE-ORDER bake sale. Pray for its success. Email us if you would like more details.

July 29, 2006: The 171-H form from US Dept of Justice/ Immigration & Naturalization Service came today. This is the NOTICE OF FAVORABLE DETERMINATION concerning our application for advance processing of orphan petition. Basically we are approved to adopt (1-3 children) from Russia. The American Consulate or Embassy in Moscow has been notified. This completes the initial paperwork that is needed to go to court in Russia! We now need only to supply them with the specifics on Misha and have him approved specifically.

July 28, 2006: PRAISE THE LORD!!! (Yet again!) $3400 became available for the adoption from a most unlikely source; a door that had been closed was opened by God. Yet another sign that the Lord is working in this adoption and we are a part of his plan for Misha.

July 24, 2006: We received...

- Our E-Tickets for our plane trip to Russia!

- Our official State Certified Birth Certificates. Now they are off to be apostilled.

July 21, 2006: The plane tickets have been purchased!

- News from Raya, our friend in Russia, about Misha's history:

Misha’s mother was a good but perhaps not very happy woman. She wasn’t married. She had two boys from different fathers. The boys’ disparity in years is rather large. But Misha’s mother wasn’t drunkard (as almost all of mothers of orphanage children); she was a hard working woman. So they think his heredity is good. They don’t know anything about his elder brother. The boys’ fathers are different. The director says that he is in jail now. But the other woman who was with the director says that he has been set free.

July 18, 2006: Exciting news!! We have a date for our first trip to Russia. Our tentative dates are August 15 - August 19, 2006.

July 11, 2006: Today was our trip to Indianapolis (3.5 hours one-way) for FBI fingerprinting. It was quick and painless. Margaret's fingerprinting took about 4 times longer than mine. Now we wait for clearance.

- Our paperwork made it to Russia and is being translated.

July 7, 2006: We now have a bank account set up to accept donations at the First Source bank inside the Wal-Mart in Columbia City, Indiana. They are accepting CASH and CHECK donations for us. CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

July 7, 2006: We are completing our grant applications and should be done soon. We still have a lot of funds to raise, please pray the money will come soon.

July 5, 2006: Dana (Adoption Options) has sent the paperwork to Russia! She said it should be there in 4 days.

June 27, 2006: We have received our apostilled paperwork. Some needed more information and have to be resent. We have enough for the initial trip at this time. We have sent the papers to Adoption Options along with our photos.

June 26, 2006: We are continuing to apply for grants. Our fundraising continues. Please pray that we can raise the funds needed in time.

June 19, 2006: We have sent all of our paperwork to Indianapolis to be apostilled.

June 16, 2006: We have received our copies of the Home Study. Now we can apply for grants and complete our initial paperwork.

June 11, 2006: The Dept. of Home Land Security contacted us about our I-600A. They need copies of our social security cards (Mark & Margaret). Sending them in on Monday.

June 7, 2006: Our first draft of the home study is completed. It's almost ready to go. We also learned that our adoption physicals are not covered by insurance. This is an added expense.

June 1, 2006: We received notification that our I-600A was delivered.

May 26, 2006: We have sent our I-600A in today. This is another big step in the process. We are hoping this get's processed quickly. They will contact us with dates for FBI Fingerprinting.

Purpose of the I-600A ($545 + $140 Biometrics Fee): This form is used by USCIS to adjudicate the qualifications of the applicant(s) as prospective adoptive parents. Filing this form will generally speed up the part of the processing relating to the qualifications of the prospective adoptive parent petitioner(s).

May 24, 2006: We have received a $100 donation form a group of friend. We praise the Lord for the friends we have. They also want to help us raise more funds to make this happen.

May 19, 2006: The Home Study ($1000) was today and went very well. This is a very big step. Now we wait while the documents are being prepared. Once it is complete we will be able to apply for grants to help pay for the adoption. Keep praying!

May 16, 2006: We are learning that the 10 day waiting period is being enforced in Russia on the second visit. We are praying that Mark's work will be understanding and allow the time off needed to complete the adoption.

May 15, 2006: We are being asked when our basic paperwork will be done. The adoption process for Misha, since he knows us and wants to be part of our family. We need to raise the additional funds to make this happen. It is sad that money stands between a child and a home. 

May 11, 2006: Our Home Study is finally scheduled for May 19, 2006.

May 08, 2006: Praise the Lord! We have received a $5000 donation!! The Lord wants this to happen and will make it so.

May 08, 2006: Sent Adoptive Parents form to Gateway Woods to get home study scheduled.

May 08, 2006: Sent Rachel and Shawn's birth certificates back to Montana to be apostilled ($10 each).

May 06, 2006: Rachel's birth certificates have come. Now sending with Shawn's to Montana to be apostilled.

May 04, 2006: Today we heard from Dana at the adoption agency. Vladimir (contact with Dept of Education in Moscow) informed her that Misha is now available for us to adopt him. He also said he contacted the Orphanage Director and asked her to talk to Misha about being adopted. He told them that he remembers us and does want to be adopted into our family. We are so excited to hear this news. Dana wanted to know how fast we can get our paperwork together. We have to raise the funds faster now.

May 03, 2006: Received Email from Raya

-          No updates on the children at this time.

April 22, 2006: Adoption training at Gateway Woods

April 20, 2006: Margaret’s Passport arrives

April 17, 2006: Boys’ room finished

- To make more room for the new family members we moved out of the largest bedroom (upstairs) and moved into Malachi’s smaller room downstairs. We completely remodeled the room for the boys.

April 6, 2006: Initial meeting with Gateway Woods

April 1, 2006: Shawn’s birth certificates arrive

March 2006: Sent for Margaret’s passport

March 1, 2006: Second letter to Misha

February 16, 2006: Email from Raya

-          Raya went the orphanage #1 to see Misha for us. Misha did receive the letter and Raya translated a letter from him in the email.

-          Here is his letter…

Dear Mark,

I’ve received your letter on the 1st of February. I live at one of the orphanages in the city of Ivanovo.  I have a brother. He is 18 years old. He also lives in Russia. I am fond of playing chess and reading. I go to school it’s within 15 minutes walk from the orphanage. Sometimes I go to Church. I love Jesus Christ. He has saved you and me. My birthday is on the 19th of December. I like to make things of wood. I know English badly. I know much about Jesus Christ. I have got a little icon. It’s rather OK here. I am 12. I don’t have mother. I am also sure we’ll be able to be good friends. I have got pictures from you; I wonder who is next to you, at the bottom, on left. You have got a good house and nice children. Give my regards to your wife Margaret and your children. When you left I missed you badly. I look at your present and think of you. Please answer my questions, when are birth dates of your wife, yours and your children.

Your faithful friend,

Misha

February 9, 2006: HIH informational meeting

January 16, 2006: First letter to Misha

December 31, 2005: Met Ira at orphanage #5

 - This orphanage is known as the “baby” orphanage. These children are adorable. We asked one of the ladies to show us who “IRA” was and she did. She had these cute little pony tails and a purple dress. She was so cute and talkative. After the program we went with her to open her candy. She kept pulling on my arm and saying something in Russian. I asked the interpreter what she was saying. She laughed and said that Ira was saying that I have hairy arms. It was just adorable. We spent the rest of the time with her and her little friend wrapping up all the candy she was opening to look at and playing with her. She showed us where they kept the toys. We gave her a picture of Rachel and I and she ran around showing it to everyone. This is a very special little girl.

December 30, 2005: Met Misha at orphanage #1

- During our visit to the first orphanage (#1) Rachel and I met Misha. I (Mark) played a game with Misha and he was full of smiles. Later on we had a chance to speak with him. He asked questions and we learned he could speak a little English and a little German. I gave him an angel necklace that Malachi had made for us to give as gifts along with our photo and my business card. He was so excited and had me sign them.

December 30, 2005: Met Raya (Interpreter) in Ivanovo

- Raya is a wonderful friend. We are so blessed to have met this wonderful woman. She originally told us about Ira and told us to find her when we went to the orphanage. She has helped us by gathering information for us at the orphanages and has helped us to communicate with the children.

December 27th - January 5th: Mission trip to Russia

August 2005: Mission trip to Russia announced in church bulletin