They Picked Us

Yes, it’s true. We traveled half way around the world to find the children who would pick us to be their parents. As Bill’s colleague Sam said: “You have to be absolutely out of your minds to do this.” In retrospect, Sam was right. But we would do it again without hesitation.

One year ago today, October 3rd, 2007 at 9am Petro time neither they nor we knew anything about one another. After arriving in Kazakhstan on Friday September 28th, we spent the weekend in Petropavlovsk seeing the sights with Masha before traveling to Volodarskoye in search of our children, but they were not at the Airtauskiy orphanage so we returned to Petropavlovsk knowing that the two children God intended us to find were there somewhere. We just had to keep looking.

It’s absolutely amazing that we ended up where we did since it was such a long way from where we started. We first considered adopting an infant from China several years ago, but put that on hold due to an upcoming move from Illinois to Tennessee. Things were quiet for a little bit, then Cathe brought the subject up again and we started the process all over. Since Russia and Ukraine had suspended adoptions while they did complete process reviews, those countries were off the possibilities list. While we were waiting for them to re-open their adoption process, our former agency told us about Kazakhstan (Kaza-where?). After a little research and decided to press ahead with Kazakhstan. During the Home Study process we thought about adopting an infant, but decided that it would be better for us to adopt one (ONE) toddler in the 3-5 year range. As the process dragged out, that became two, a 3 and a 5. Then a 6 and an 8. Then 10 year old twins. Then we actually brought home a 10 and a 12. God walked us through many small steps in preparation for where we would end up. Had someone told us point blank that, no matter what we thought we wanted, we were going to bring home two older children, we would have pulled the plug on the entire process, especially after all the headaches and speed bumps we encountered along the way. Without a doubt, God’s intervention ensured that we found the two children we were supposed to bring home. Had we traveled as soon as our former agency led us to believe, we would have never met them.

Several years ago one of us read a quote (though we don’t remember which one of us) which essentially boiled down to something about an advantage that adopted children have in getting to pick their new parents instead of the pure luck (and in their case, misfortune) associated with birth parents. Although we went to Kazakhstan for the one and only purpose of adopting a child or children, it was more important to us that they a) wanted to be adopted, and b) wanted to be adopted by us. We would know when it was right.

After our flase start in Volodarskoye, we couldn’t sleep, so we stayed up all night talking. On the way to the RBS that Wednesday morning, Bill talked with Masha (in German so they could talk freely) about what we had stayed up all night long discussing. Sasha was driving, and the D.o.G. Lady (we still get a chuckle from that abbreviation for Dept. of Guardianship) was in the front passenger seat, while the two of us along with Masha were sandwiched in the back seat of Sasha’s Lada.

Soon we were in the Director’s office, starting over. Masha went into high gear and explained what we had discussed to the Director, Assistant Director, and RBS Social Worker. Without hesitation, the Director pulled his Big Book from the shelf and went to work to help us find our children. We only looked at one set of information cards and decided they were the ones we wanted to meet. A quick call from the Director brought the children to the office. Kate had come from Gym class and obviously had a little help getting a bow in her hair before coming. David, on the other hand, was in English class (how prophetic!), so he was ready to come running (although we learned later that he hoped our initial meeting wouldn’t take too long because it was almost time for his gym class).

We have since learned that David and Kate also had a false start once before we came. They met another American family who had come to Kazakhstan, but it wasn’t meant to be. That family ended up adopting another boy named Igor (congratulations and best wishes, wherever you are!). David tells us that it was hard for him since he wanted a family so much. They had both waited and wished for a family for so long that they thought it would never happen for them. At first Kate would often ask David if we were really their American family and had come to take them home. David wasn’t 100% sure, but told her not to ruin it because we seemed to be nice people.

So, here we are, one year later. In some ways it seems like yesterday, but in other ways it seems like another lifetime ago.

Happy Meeting Anniversary David and Kate! We love you and wouldn’t have it any other way.

Мы любим вас. Любовь, мама и папа.


Family Portrait #1.................Family Portrait #2