Visa's are processed!

Our passports are back in our hands - that was fast service!
Our flights are confirmed!
Now we need plenty of prayers! Prayers for:

• a safe flight - 2 day flight & 6 hr. car ride (with no delays would be wonderful)
• our health
• our son accepting us as his new family
• the process moves along in a timely manner
• we all have joyful sprits and attitudes
• our kids enjoy visiting their hometown

Our trip to Petropavolsk, Kazakhstan in 2006 was wonderful and we met many kind and wonderful people. We are praying our trip is just as wonderful.

LOI RECEIVED 7-23-10

Letter of Invitation has been received! Whoohoo! We are so excited!
Now, we apply for our Visas! We are using "The Assistant Stork" for our Visa process. We overnight our passports to The Assistant Stork and they actually walk our passports into the Embassy and take care of everything for us. It is worth every penny. And their service is outstanding!

One day closer!

Well, we still don't have our LOI (letter of invitation), however, our coordinator did tell us that it now looks like mid-July. The way I understand it, is the coordinator in Kaz is on vacation till then so even if we get our LOI next week (still hoping to get it asap), we cannot travel till July. So, for me, if I can pinpoint a date (can't do that without an LOI), then we can make our flight arrangements, get our Visa's, pack, etc. AND........Larry can still do the fireworks on July 3 for Newburgh! The kids are getting so excited and can hardly wait!

Still waiting but one day closer

For those following along......we are still waiting for our LOI (letter of invitation). We know everything will work out according to God's plan so we wait patiently.

FBI fingerprints

January 22, 2010 - We sent (via Fed Ex) our fingerprints to the FBI for updating.
March 21, 2010 - We received (via Fed Ex w/our acct. number) our updated clearance from the FBI.

Dossier on it's way Kazakhstan

On March 16, we received word that our Dossier (adoption docs) was sent to Kazakhstan. Whoohoo!
Once received in Kazakhstan, the documents will be in route to:
1)Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2)Ministry of Education
3)Our specific region
4)Then we receive a LOI (letter of invitation) to travel
This process can take about 3 months so we hope to travel this summer!!
Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare for the trip and the process goes smooth.

Fundraiser

Many thanks to those who supported our children with their fundraiser. We are truly blessed to receive so much support, prayers, and encouragement. The fundraiser was held with hopes of our children being able to travel with us to meet their new sibling and to help cover expenses. They are both very talented and this fundraiser helped them raise funds and be a part of the planning and adoption. They worked very hard selling lithographic prints from original art work, scarves and pom pons for the hair. Posted are a couple prints that our son sold at the fundraiser and also scarves that may be ordered (in just about any color).

The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed. (Proverbs 11:25)

Dossier to the Embassy!

Our dossier (fancy word for adoption paperwork) has been submitted to the Kazakhstan Embassy in Washington D.C. on Thursday, February 25! This is good news! Once approved from the Embassy it will be sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in Astana, Kazakhstan. I'll keep everyone updated once this happens!

January 11, 2010

Our children are now 30, 29, 27, 17 and 14. We have also been blessed with 6 grandkids and 2 step grandkids. And yes......with encouragement from our two youngest, we are once again in the process of adopting from Kazakhstan. Our dossier has been submitted and we are waiting for our dossier to be submitted to the Embassy. We are excited about adding to our family.

God sent us on a journey we didn't fully understand.
We flew half way around the world to an unfamiliar land.

God said, "There you'll find the rest of your family.
"We said, "Lord, how will we know, will you tell it to me?"

God said, "Be still and listen and you will know."
Like an angel's halo, you will see My love glow.

We were nervous when they brought you in the room.
I felt like a mother in labor with a baby in the womb.

You both sit up straight and are very polite.
The tears in my eyes blur my sight.

Here are two kids sent from Heaven above.
Waiting patiently for our uncondtional love.

Thank you God for an answered prayer.
Thank you God for Your love and care.

written by Linda Wicker 2006

Wicker's Journey

Our desire to adopt began years ago. However, due to our limited resources on adoption and our financial situation we put our dream on hold. Fast forward 15-20 years and our three kids are now grown and in their 20's. We decide to visit an orphanage in SE Asia with our church. This trip inspired us to pick up our dream to adopt.
We signed our adoption papers in May 2005. Our desire was to adopt an older sibling group even though everyone thought we were crazy. Maybe so…but we felt it was right for us.
We decided on Kazkhstan.
In May 2006 we traveled to Kazakhstan. Our trip to Kazakhstan couldn’t have been coordinated any better. Our stay in Kazakhstan was wonderful. We met such wonderful people and we were taken care of very well.
On July 13, 2006 our son, age 13 and daughter, age 11 arrived in the U.S. to forever join our family.