Christmas Day at our House.....
Our Tree and gifts
Coby and his gift from Brandy
Brandy and her gift from her mom
Could it be?
Yup!! Tickle Me Elmo...and it's Coby's!!
Trot is ready to eat it!!!
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Christmas Morning at the Ginsberg's
Brandy and her gift from her mom
Could it be?
Yup!! Tickle Me Elmo...and it's Coby's!!
Trot is ready to eat it!!!
Friday, December 21, 2007
It's Official
We received word that Children's Hope is now accredited in Russia. Here is the statement from our agency....
Children's Hope International is pleased to announce that as of December 14, 2007 we received official order #355 from the Ministry of Education , signed on December 14, 2007. We have also received Accreditation certificate #31, issued on December 19, 2007 giving us authority to place children for adoption from within the territory of the Russian Federation. This accreditation will be non-expiring.
We don't have other news regarding our process. They are saying there's a slight chance we'll hear something either next Thursday or Friday. If not, we won't hear anything until after January 15th.
Children's Hope International is pleased to announce that as of December 14, 2007 we received official order #355 from the Ministry of Education , signed on December 14, 2007. We have also received Accreditation certificate #31, issued on December 19, 2007 giving us authority to place children for adoption from within the territory of the Russian Federation. This accreditation will be non-expiring.
We don't have other news regarding our process. They are saying there's a slight chance we'll hear something either next Thursday or Friday. If not, we won't hear anything until after January 15th.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
GREAT NEWS AND A LITTLE UPDATE
First...the little update. We talked to our agency today and they don't have any exact update for us on a new referral. They did tell us we could hear something by Friday so keep your fingers crossed. They also told us we would have some information tomorrow on how we can all help out little Andrey with medicine, etc. So we will update you when we know something.
Now the great news.....after a year and a half or so...our agency (CHI) has finally gotten accreditation in Russia. Here is the email we got from our agency.
Children's Hope International is happy to announce that our representative general is invited to the Ministry of Education to receive the accreditation this Friday, December 21, 2007! As soon as we receive the documents (order from the Ministry of Education and the Accreditation certificate) we will publish this on our website.
This is very exciting news and should make it a lot easier when we finally go back. We are doing pretty good. It's been hard the last two weeks not knowing what is next for us, but this is a glimmer of hope that we might know something real soon.
We'll keep you posted.
Coby and Brandy
Now the great news.....after a year and a half or so...our agency (CHI) has finally gotten accreditation in Russia. Here is the email we got from our agency.
Children's Hope International is happy to announce that our representative general is invited to the Ministry of Education to receive the accreditation this Friday, December 21, 2007! As soon as we receive the documents (order from the Ministry of Education and the Accreditation certificate) we will publish this on our website.
This is very exciting news and should make it a lot easier when we finally go back. We are doing pretty good. It's been hard the last two weeks not knowing what is next for us, but this is a glimmer of hope that we might know something real soon.
We'll keep you posted.
Coby and Brandy
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Bitter Sweet News.......
Well, it must be important when our social worker calls me while I am shopping at Walmart and asks Coby and I to come into their offices for a meeting. Coby and I were given some hart breaking news today that went beyond what we ever thought possible.
Let me back up....
After posting this morning, I called my mom and we spent sometime talking, praying and reading through Isaiah. I was encouraged by the words of my Lord that said that He will hold my right hand, He will never leave me, He is my Savior, He is with me through the roughest times, He calls me by my name....He is my Lord and He is my deliverer. God knew that I needed this morning with my mom and in His word to be prepared for the news that Coby and I were going to receive at 3:30 this afternoon.
While standing in the dog food aisle of Walmart, our social worker called me and told me that she could not give us any information over the phone and they had received info on our child. I called Coby to make sure he could be there at 3:30.....he said no problem. So after asking one more time if I could have any info. on the phone from our social worker, she said no and we would see her at 3:30.
So Coby and I met at the agency and sat on the same couch that many months ago we sat on and made the decision to adopt from Russia. So Coby and I thumb wrestled and played rock paper scissors waiting for our appointment. We know that the news was not going to be good, but trying to figure out what it was wouldn't help. It would just create more worries that we didn't need to have.
So basically, here it is, we were told that our little peanut is sick. He went into the hospital the other day and they ran some tests and basically one came back that was pretty serious. Serious enough, that we have decided at this point, to terminate our decision to adopt him. The illness that he has is so serious that it could (and probably might) take his life. We don't know when.....but basically, Coby and I are not equipped to take care of him. ( I don't know at this point if we can post his illness, but please know that Coby and I did not make this decision without a lot of thought and prayer about this)
So what is the 'sweet' in all of this? Our agency is diligently looking for another referral for us and trying to get that going as soon as possible. We also know that we won't travel before the Christmas holiday and we are fine with that.
Can I just say that God has protected us in this. I wish I could write out everything that I feel right now, but I can only say that I feel at peace with our decision. I know that God's grace is greater then anything and He showed it to Coby and I today. I also know that God holds the little one that we met in His hands. God calls us to come to Him as children. This little one has not been a mistake. He came into this world and at 5 months given to an orphanage and at 16 months old, met 2 people who showed him a little love. We showed him that he can be loved, and one day will be held by our heavenly father. And Coby and I were given 3 days of pure excitement of the thought of being parents. He brought smiles to Coby's face that I have never seen. He looked into our eyes and then fell into our hearts. I wouldn't give up all the memories of laughs, smiles, poopy dippers, throw up and falling asleep in our arms. It was something that showed Coby and I that we do want to be parents.
God knew that this child would never come home with us even when we thought he would. And we are OK with that. We are not sad at the fact that he is not coming home with us, we are sad that this illness has fallen on him. I feel that we met him so that at this time of his life, when he has no one, he has Coby and I praying for him. He has all of you praying for him!! God is the God of miracles, and God is the God of grace. Whatever happens to this little one, I believe that God's name will be glorified in one way or another.
So, Coby and I are doing OK. We know that we will be parents of a little one one day, it just won't be this little peanut that we met on a cold day in October. This little one is God's, and the one God has for us out there will come to us in God's perfect time. There it is.....God's perfect time keeps showing up! I will hold fast to God's timing and I will hold His right hand through this all and stay focused on His face that smiles back at me......God knows what adoption is all about, for I am His adopted daughter!
Let me back up....
After posting this morning, I called my mom and we spent sometime talking, praying and reading through Isaiah. I was encouraged by the words of my Lord that said that He will hold my right hand, He will never leave me, He is my Savior, He is with me through the roughest times, He calls me by my name....He is my Lord and He is my deliverer. God knew that I needed this morning with my mom and in His word to be prepared for the news that Coby and I were going to receive at 3:30 this afternoon.
While standing in the dog food aisle of Walmart, our social worker called me and told me that she could not give us any information over the phone and they had received info on our child. I called Coby to make sure he could be there at 3:30.....he said no problem. So after asking one more time if I could have any info. on the phone from our social worker, she said no and we would see her at 3:30.
So Coby and I met at the agency and sat on the same couch that many months ago we sat on and made the decision to adopt from Russia. So Coby and I thumb wrestled and played rock paper scissors waiting for our appointment. We know that the news was not going to be good, but trying to figure out what it was wouldn't help. It would just create more worries that we didn't need to have.
So basically, here it is, we were told that our little peanut is sick. He went into the hospital the other day and they ran some tests and basically one came back that was pretty serious. Serious enough, that we have decided at this point, to terminate our decision to adopt him. The illness that he has is so serious that it could (and probably might) take his life. We don't know when.....but basically, Coby and I are not equipped to take care of him. ( I don't know at this point if we can post his illness, but please know that Coby and I did not make this decision without a lot of thought and prayer about this)
So what is the 'sweet' in all of this? Our agency is diligently looking for another referral for us and trying to get that going as soon as possible. We also know that we won't travel before the Christmas holiday and we are fine with that.
Can I just say that God has protected us in this. I wish I could write out everything that I feel right now, but I can only say that I feel at peace with our decision. I know that God's grace is greater then anything and He showed it to Coby and I today. I also know that God holds the little one that we met in His hands. God calls us to come to Him as children. This little one has not been a mistake. He came into this world and at 5 months given to an orphanage and at 16 months old, met 2 people who showed him a little love. We showed him that he can be loved, and one day will be held by our heavenly father. And Coby and I were given 3 days of pure excitement of the thought of being parents. He brought smiles to Coby's face that I have never seen. He looked into our eyes and then fell into our hearts. I wouldn't give up all the memories of laughs, smiles, poopy dippers, throw up and falling asleep in our arms. It was something that showed Coby and I that we do want to be parents.
God knew that this child would never come home with us even when we thought he would. And we are OK with that. We are not sad at the fact that he is not coming home with us, we are sad that this illness has fallen on him. I feel that we met him so that at this time of his life, when he has no one, he has Coby and I praying for him. He has all of you praying for him!! God is the God of miracles, and God is the God of grace. Whatever happens to this little one, I believe that God's name will be glorified in one way or another.
So, Coby and I are doing OK. We know that we will be parents of a little one one day, it just won't be this little peanut that we met on a cold day in October. This little one is God's, and the one God has for us out there will come to us in God's perfect time. There it is.....God's perfect time keeps showing up! I will hold fast to God's timing and I will hold His right hand through this all and stay focused on His face that smiles back at me......God knows what adoption is all about, for I am His adopted daughter!
Waiting Difficulties
I just opened my entry from June 8th of this year and read it. (I titled it 'Content') I knew that when I wrote it I would need encouragement along the way, and this morning I needed it.
This last week has been tough. Maybe the toughest week through all of this adoption. I say that because I don't remember a time where I have felt so many emotions all at once and so strong. I am so grateful that if there was a time that I might have felt worse, God has erased it from my mind.
Coby and I were told by our agency earlier in the week that if we don't get a court date by this week, then we will not hear any more until after their Christmas Holiday of January 7th. So basically mid January before court dates are handed out again.....and that doesn't necessarily mean we will be handed one right away.
To be entering into 2008 without our little peanut seams so far from what we thought was going to happen. To possibly enter into the first few months of 2008 without him even hurts more. I look at where Coby and I are today and we truly thought that we would be done. I thought we would be decorating for Christmas with our little one. I thought we would be planing a trip to California to see our families and have all my nieces and nephews meet their little cousin. To sit back and think that is not going to happen this year, hurts....... and Coby will be working on Christmas day and plain tickets being as they are......this Christmas will be quiet, very quiet.
God says to give Him our worries and to rest in peace with Him. I was blessed this week from a friend who gave me a verse. Psalms 4:8- "I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." Also, to know that in my weakness....His strength is made perfect. I am someone who depends on my faith in the Lord and someone who lives my life based on the Word of God. With that being done, I do believe in God's timing to be far greater than anything I could ever think possible. I also feel that being a child of God means that He, as my Father, knows best for me. I have prayed these past few weeks in a way that Jesus told His disciples to pray. Matthew 7:7- "Ask and it will be given to you, Seek and you will find, Knock and the door will be opened to you."
I have prayed specifically to travel to Russia before Christmas to bring our child home. I also know that many of you have also been praying the same way for Coby and I and our child. But, am I to stop praying that way if God says, "I will give to you, but My time is not your time?" No...I can not stop, and this week, I have felt like stopping. I have seen my weakness and my inadequacies laid out before me. God works in His time and that is what has given me strength up till now, and I must hold onto it until His time is complete.
"I praise You God of Grace that after I have suffered a while, you will establish, strengthen, settle and esteem me." I will hold strong to that verse through my suffering of waiting.
This last week has been tough. Maybe the toughest week through all of this adoption. I say that because I don't remember a time where I have felt so many emotions all at once and so strong. I am so grateful that if there was a time that I might have felt worse, God has erased it from my mind.
Coby and I were told by our agency earlier in the week that if we don't get a court date by this week, then we will not hear any more until after their Christmas Holiday of January 7th. So basically mid January before court dates are handed out again.....and that doesn't necessarily mean we will be handed one right away.
To be entering into 2008 without our little peanut seams so far from what we thought was going to happen. To possibly enter into the first few months of 2008 without him even hurts more. I look at where Coby and I are today and we truly thought that we would be done. I thought we would be decorating for Christmas with our little one. I thought we would be planing a trip to California to see our families and have all my nieces and nephews meet their little cousin. To sit back and think that is not going to happen this year, hurts....... and Coby will be working on Christmas day and plain tickets being as they are......this Christmas will be quiet, very quiet.
God says to give Him our worries and to rest in peace with Him. I was blessed this week from a friend who gave me a verse. Psalms 4:8- "I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." Also, to know that in my weakness....His strength is made perfect. I am someone who depends on my faith in the Lord and someone who lives my life based on the Word of God. With that being done, I do believe in God's timing to be far greater than anything I could ever think possible. I also feel that being a child of God means that He, as my Father, knows best for me. I have prayed these past few weeks in a way that Jesus told His disciples to pray. Matthew 7:7- "Ask and it will be given to you, Seek and you will find, Knock and the door will be opened to you."
I have prayed specifically to travel to Russia before Christmas to bring our child home. I also know that many of you have also been praying the same way for Coby and I and our child. But, am I to stop praying that way if God says, "I will give to you, but My time is not your time?" No...I can not stop, and this week, I have felt like stopping. I have seen my weakness and my inadequacies laid out before me. God works in His time and that is what has given me strength up till now, and I must hold onto it until His time is complete.
"I praise You God of Grace that after I have suffered a while, you will establish, strengthen, settle and esteem me." I will hold strong to that verse through my suffering of waiting.
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