She's here!

I know I'm behind on this post, but we've been a bit overwhelmed lately. :)

Evija made it here safely! I will try to post a few photos next week. Some of you out there have rose colored glasses on in regards to orphan care. If you would like to continue with those on, please stop reading here and check back with me another time. Those of you who don't mind a tiny dose of edited reality, read on.

Things were off to a rough start. Evija greeted us with her arms crossed and quiet for the first few days. We quickly found out she understands little English and doesn't feel comfortable trying to speak it. Therefore she's had to endure our less than perfect Latvian grammar and our slowness in speech. It's been almost 12 years since we lived in Latvia, so Travis and I are more than a little rusty. And our kids don't speak Latvian at all. I feel for her. She had just traveled 4,500 miles to meet strangers, then have to stay in a hotel room with them. It's no wonder she was scared and less than happy to see us. Then her first impression of America was the New Jersey Turnpike. I don't care what Pat Mahoney says, that part of NJ is like the unshaved armpit of America. In addition to the smoking factory scenery and bumpy roads, her silence and unwillingness to communicate other than with body language (arms crossed and looking away) made for a VERY long first two days. We got home from our 7 hour miserable car ride and our thoughts were along the lines of, "What have we done?" and, "At this rate, this is going to be a looooong month."

Also, in the first few days, we had to deal with practical stuff, like introducing deodorant, toothbrushes, and American underwear sizes, and other feminine hygiene products. Yay me. The orphanage sent her with one and a half outfits for her month long stay (one pair of pants and 2 shirts.) Trying to navigate clothing purchases and some other female stuff within the first 2 days did not endear Miss Evija to liking me. I smiled a lot, tried very hard with the language, used my pocket translator, and my Latvian friend Marika translated some emails for me. We got through it. Introducing our household routines (like this is a dishwasher, these are the foods we eat, and here's how we do laundry, etc.) has been fairly smooth. She seems to catch on to our ways and she has an appreciation for how easy those things are here. (If only all American teens realized this!)

And I must point out the positive side: Evija is a trustworthy young lady! She's been respectful of our stuff, she's complied with bedtimes, basic rules, and such. After doing foster care, we're well aware of what we could be dealing with. I don't have to worry about her destroying things, wandering the house at night, or trying to hurt our kids. Compared to some kids who have lived with us over the years, Miss Evija's shyness and reluctance to bond right away is a cake walk (very easy) for us. So when it comes to obeying rules and being safe, Evija gets an all important A+.

So far, things are getting better each day in the shyness category. She opened up to Emily first and they have bonded. I'm so proud of how Emily relentlessly went after Evija and forged the first connection. My daughter is growing up to be a woman of breakthroughs someday!!! She's well on her path. Then Nathan showed her our rope swing and they became fast friends. Just yesterday, Evija bonded with Travis and initiated communication with him. Yes. He had to wait (and try) 5 days for that. I'm still waiting. It hasn't happened with me yet. Please understand, Travis has been at work, the kids at school, and me at home with Evija the whole time. She's not warmed to me very much and doesn't enjoy talking much with me yet. Maybe it's the language barrier? However, if you know me, you know I'm pretty good at communicating. That kind of rejection is hard to take on my heart, but I'm standing in faith that my day will come soon. Who knows what's behind her hesitancy, but I'm going to keep trying different things and bless her with Love.

This morning, Evija got to have a dose of all the Lontzes home! We have a Saturday morning brunch routine that we enjoy very much. In the past, our Saturday brunch cooking is one way we break in new foster kids and see how they react to the "real us". Well, we decided to try it today with Evija. We all broke into different jobs and cook together as we talk 90 miles an hour all squished in the kitchen at once, bumping into each other and laughing our heads off. I'm VERY happy to report that she did well with that! She helped set the table and assisted with Emily's job of scrambling eggs. And SMILED!! YAY!

We're seeing her beautiful smile more and more as this goes on. She enjoyed the Lighthouse (hilarious!) Christmas pageant last night and she delivered Angel Tree gifts with us this morning. We'll see how she does with Grace tomorrow. I discussed church a little 2 days ago because of the Trivett's nativity scene on route 3. There will be many many new things to discuss and do in the coming weeks. It should be fun to show her around and let her explore American museums and culture, etc. We hope she enjoys meeting our friends (and their kids) soon too.

So all in all, we're doing all right. Things were off to a less-than-hoped-for (quiet)start, but we're seeing the ice melt and slowly we're all bonding. We like her very much! Any prayers would be appreciated. Pray for safety, clear communication, and blessings! I may not be able to write as often as some would like, but I'm doing my best. And we DO APPRECIATE all of you who are encouraging us along the way! Thank you!

On the Cusp!

Evija is already traveling to America by now. It's absolutely crazy to think that she's in the air and headed our way. We are just now getting around to cleaning up and getting ready for her arrival ~ less than 24 hours away! Having done that trip many times in our lives, Travis and I are full of empathy for the jet lag that will ensue. Nonetheless, we look forward to meeting her and finally getting to the point where our lives and her life intersect. On the Cusp indeed!

With Travis being sooooo sick last week and me still recovering from the car accident, we are both moving slowly! Even though we've had AMAZING help from some WONDERFUL friends and family, things are not as perfect around here as I would like it to be for Evija's first impression of the Lontz clan and our life. But perhaps this is a good thing. She'll know right away that we're not perfect! There will be no elevated first impression. I don't always make my bed, have the house in order, or have everything organized or neat. But I do love my family fiercely. That I can do, and do well. She'll be a part of my family for a month, so hopefully she'll experience fierce love and bask in it. And I hope she'll enjoy our extended family, both the blood related side and the chosen friends-that-are-family side that are oh so important to us!

So pray for our transition, safety in travels, clear communications despite language barriers, and for SLEEP! We should be able to post photos in a few days. Thanks for joining in this adventure!

November~ good riddance!!

The Thanksgiving season has been a mixed up season for me. On the one hand, I'm glad to have built in reminders of thankfulness and excuses to get together with friends and family (we had FIVE, count 'em FIVE Thanksgiving feasts this year!~Yum!) However, in the past few years, it's been overshadowed by the memories of losses that occurred in my life this time of year. Thanksgiving week is the anniversary of several different deeply painful things. For example, the courts turned over custody of two of our foster kids to their relatives that week a few years ago. Another year Thanksgiving week is when we welcomed some other kids that we miss dearly now. I don't want to get into details, but there Thanksgiving week these past 5 years has been a complete contrast in joy and pain on oh so many levels.

This year, I was faced with all the above plus I was in yet another car wreck. I stopped at a red light and got rear ended a week before Thanksgiving. The car that hit me was totaled and the impact hurt my back quite a bit, so I ended up being evaluated. In the middle of Frank-the-firefighter checking me, my body started to shake uncontrollably head to toe. This frightened me and thus, added me freaking out to the scenario. And did I mention my back was hurt? Well, shaking just added to the pain too. Frank had his work cut out for him. God bless him~ He stuck with me and talked me through the episode until the shaking subsided. Any of you who've dealt with me when I'm hurt and scared, you know this is no easy task.

Travis finally got to the scene, but we agreed since my life wasn't in danger, he should stay and deal with the cops and getting the van released, then meet me later at the hospital. This sounded good in theory, until I shook again in the ambulance. Then they wheeled me into the hospital room and prepped me for X-rays. I had to remove any metal, so I had to be in a lovely gown. Frank stayed with me through the prep period, and kept talking to ensure I wouldn't spazz again. I was thankful for his help, but he said goodbye as I went into the X-ray room, saying he was still on duty and had to go.

After SEVEN painful positions for X-rays were over, I was once again in a dark hospital room. There were 3 wrecks in our city within an hour that night, so the State Trooper took much longer than expected to get to Travis.

So there I lay: cold, frightened, shaky, in pain, and completely alone. :(

Not exactly how I wanted to spend my Thursday night. Much to my surprise, after a few minutes, Frank walked back into my room. He said he found out Travis would be delayed and he knew I'd need someone, so he came back for me. He was a sight for sore eyes and balm to my soul. He could only stay with me an extra 10 minutes or so b/c we had a second set of X-rays to do, but that courtesy went miles in my mind that night.

So as I bid another November good riddance, I'm still as mixed up as ever. This season also added its contrasts to my experience. The car wreck on the con, but Frank definitely helped balance the scales. Here's to all those out there who go the extra mile to care for strangers. This season I'm thankful that there are people like you in the world!

25 days!

Time is flying! We can't believe in just 25 short days, we'll be meeting Evija for the first time. Things have been challenging over here with paperwork being more than we originally understood and, of course, several glitches along the way. There were even a few weeks when we thought we wouldn't be able to meet deadlines, but it finally looks like everything is in order. We just have one last 3.5 hour training this Sunday and we'll be good to proceed!

I just found out Evija's last name this morning. I can't share the name, but I can share the significance. As soon as I read it, I was floored. She's named after a type of tree that's federally protected in Latvia. It's strong and made to endure hardship, yet thrive and provide rest for others. I felt like God allowed me some insight into her life and personality through her name. Being an orphan, she's already endured so much, yet she's willing to take risks (coming to America to stay with us) that will broaden her future and she has already been a blessing to those around her in the orphanage. I like this girl already! Also, her first name means "reliable, and stable, yet wanting to know the heart of others." The orphanage director's description of her agrees with her names. I know it's dangerous to put expectations on a person, as we're all human; but I believe Miss Evija will be a good match for our family and we're all looking forward to meeting her.

However, 25 days is not a lot of time, especially when you add everything else into the mix. There is much to accomplish on our end in that short amount of time. I just got permission for some time off work with one job and I'll be meeting with my other employer asap to agree on a schedule. There are also a swirl of other details to be tackled and a few unknowns in the mix. Please pray for favor and direction as we continue to move forward! :) Thank you!!

Ode to Lisa Jones!

Well, today was an interesting day. My daughter went home sick from school (something that's never happened before.) She stayed with a neighbor b/c I don't have sick leave built in. At the end of the day, I was waiting for my son to get home from a field trip so I could then pick Emily up and attend to her properly. I was on the phone organizing some stuff for my job at the school when I overheard the owner of the school saying Nathan's bus had been in a wreck. I hung up on the person I was talking to and promptly picked up Travis and drove to the accident scene. We arrived at the intersection to see around 7 squad cars/fire trucks/ ambulances. There were 2 totaled vehicles and the damaged bus. We weaved our way through the chaos until we found Nathan. He was relatively calm and unharmed, watching his friends being taken by stretchers to the ambulances. MY SON WAS OKAY! But others were not. There was nothing I could do for the children on stretchers, but I could do something for the ones crying hysterically as they watched as bystanders. I know b/c someone once helped my children as they watched horrors around them.

This scene today reminded me oh so much of when the logging truck hit us in AL. That day, once upon a time, Travis and I were trapped in our car and our kids were taken by ambulance to the hospital without us. It was our second day in AL, so we knew no one. A wonderful stranger, Lisa Jones, did something that changed my life. She saw that it would take a while for them to "jaws of life" me out of the car, so she followed the ambulance with my children, who were bawling and begging not to be separated from us (and it didn't help that they saw us hurt and bloody.) She then spent much of her day walking from the children's wing of the hospital to us, updating our family members on how the others were doing. ~At the expense of missing her sons' baseball games. It touched me so much that someone would care enough to stop and help, taking such preemptive measures against fear that threatened to consume us. I decided right then that if it was in my power to do so, I'd help other families when the situation arose.

Well, today was my day. Even though my son was okay and I had every reason to go and attend to my sick daughter, I could not leave the scene. I spent the next hour letting kids sit on my lap, holding various hands and talking non stop with the kids, explaining what was happening and doing everything in my power to ease their fears until their parents came. I'm not normally a patient person. It was the workings of the Spirit and I'm pretty sure it was the growth of the seeds that Lisa Jones planted in all our hearts April 11th, 2009. So this is not a pat on my back. An hour was the least I could do. This is a deep bow to Lisa Jones and people like her in my life. Their witness and character make me want to be a better woman. And this is a deeper still bow to God. Even though it was AWFUL to go through, I can see fruit sprouting from our wreck oh so long ago. This isn't the first time I've seen fruit from that tremendous pain and suffering. Strange how that works. I still wouldn't choose to do it again, but I can see loving hands working all things to the good.

Yes, God is good. Amen!

And then there was one........

Change is always in the air when doing fostering of any type and you learn very quickly to be flexible or you'll snap. This round of orphan care is no exception. We originally signed up for 2 kids, a boy our son's age and a girl our daughter's age. Well, the day after we committed to those 2, the director left us a message saying, "We need to talk." Between the time Project 143 interviewed the children in Latvia and the time we committed, the boy assigned to us became in need of medical care and is no longer able to travel to the US. So he's off the list and we're only hosting Evija, the girl our daughter's age. We're still excited to have her come!!

I was just reading "Kisses From Katie" this week about Katie Davis, who is adopting 13 girls in Uganda. In the book, Katie had an incident where she felt prompted to ask an elderly lady to live with her. She prayed and wrestled with whether she could handle it or not. She finally decided in faith to offer her home and let God work it out. Immediately after she offered, the woman said, "No, thank you." Katie laughed to herself and realized sometimes God asks us to do stuff just to test us and build us up. I feel a little bit of empathy for that situation. We were told it would be easier to just host one child at a time. However, when we were trying to choose between the 2 kids, we just could not say no to either of them. Even though we knew it would be a bigger undertaking, we felt in our hearts that we should offer our home to both and let God work it out. Well, God did work it out, just differently than we expected. With the boy pulled from the program, we're down to one. But we feel guided, protected, and hopeful that this will be a good experience.

Thanks for tuning in. We should know a bit more in a few weeks. :)

Change is in the Air

Well, most of you know we've had a heart for caring for kids who have no one else for all of our married life. We did orphan work a little in Latvia, did foster care for close to 6 years here in the US, sponsored kids and some other avenues along the way etc. This is not for a pat on the back, just giving some background on us. We looked into hosting programs many years ago, but our children were so young at the time (2 and 4). We always said we'd look into it again when the kids got older. Well, they're now 10 and 11, so we thought we'd look into it again. We've been researching and praying about what avenue to take for about 5-6 months now. We're happy to say, we've been accepted in "Project 143"'s winter host program. Two Latvian orphans will be coming to stay with us for 4 weeks (approximately Dec. 15-Jan 15). (Email me if you want to see pictures!)

The idea is to bless them with some time in America, some time with a family, and some time to celebrate holidays here. I'm so glad we lived in Latvia for 2 years, so we can hopefully make this a very smooth transition for them~~ although we may be skyping with Marika (my BFF from my time in Latvia) quite a bit! Hopefully some of you will want to follow this journey with us. If not, that's okay too. One of the things I learned in AL was this: God will provide the friendships we need and prune the rest. And in other circumstances, he grafts people into our lives, whether temporarily or permanently to allow them to be a part of our family. All 4 of us are looking forward to these kids being a part of our family for a month. We'll see what comes of it! :)