Another Daughter To Love

We had court on Monday when Anastasia officially became an Allen!! We were so blessed by the Judge who granted our adoption petition! She asked us many questions individually. We were asked questions like" Why do you want to adopt this child when you already have 4 children? and What made you cross the ocean to adopt this particular child?" We answered that we believe every life is created by God, so she is valued and the thought of her living without the love and concern of parents was so unbearable we had to cross that ocean. Each time we answered, the judge would smile and gesture in amazement. One juror had tears flowing down her face. Then the moment came when she stated it was her pleasure to allow us to adopt Anastasia and give her a new middle and last name. After many thanks to the Judge and jurors. We were the proud parents of another daughter Anastasia Belle Allen. She weighs 35lbs and is 39in tall. She has brown hair and blue eyes and she was born on Jan. 4th 2007. Anastasia was the name given to her at birth, which means Resurrection. It is very fitting since she was born 5 weeks early and was very ill. Healthcare professionals diligently provided her the medical attention she needed and spared her life. We gave her the middle name Belle after her great grandmother Lula Belle Allen.Now, 4yrs. later after the Lord saved her life, He is saving her again and giving her a Hope and a Future Jer. 29:11. The Lord gets all the Glory!! We would not be here at this time in history without His help, and the help of those He used as tools of blessing to support us on this journey. My heart has been so full and overwhelmed of all that has taken place on behalf of one little girl I haven't been able to even write about it. What I found out today was even more confirmation that it was God's plan all along to bring Anastasia into our family. I learned of all the people esp. the director of the orphanage and my facilitator who worked hard on her behalf to keep her at the orphanage able to be adopted. In Feb., the decision was made to give us only 6 months to get here. If we weren't here by July, Anastasia would have been moved into foster care unable to be adopted or sent to the internat and traumatized. Do you see how Faithful God is? He made it possible for us to get here when we did because He knew what we did not. We were never given details,but we knew her situation was urgent,so we prayed. I can still hear my little 4yr old son praying and asking the Lord to hide Anastasia, so she would still be there when we arrived. WOW! God heard our prayers, and the prayers of those who have prayed for and helped an orphan in distress James 1:27.

May the Lord be Glorified for His marvelous works Psalm 139:14.

We Have A Court Date!

Our Annie and Papa exploring the snails she found.

We got the news that we will have court on Monday!! We are so thankful to finally know what to expect. We believe this date is an answer to prayer! We were told we could be here 3 weeks before court. Our court date is 2 weeks exactly from our SDA appt.!! Thank you Jesus and thank you to all those who have been praying for us. It means so much! We have also been praying and seeking the Lord on whether to stay here during the 10 day waiting period or to return home. We are so thankful as we are understanding that the Lord is there waiting to hear from us and guide our every decision. He is in the details of our lives.Psalm 37:23 I am realizing how many times we have missed Him by making decisions without even thinking of asking Him first, and operating out of our emotions or human reasoning. How insulting must that be to our Heavenly Father who is All-Knowing,and how ridiculous to think we know better than He. Lord,help us walk according the Spirit and not of the flesh.Rom 8:3-8

Anastasia is opening up to us more every day. She is beginning to smile and allow us to pick her up for hugs!!! I have started singing to her the same song I've sung to all my children during each visit. As I sing you can visibly see her being comforted and at peace. Then as we go back to playing or watching her explore every pocket of our backpack, you can hear her humming mama's song!!! It's music to our ears and joy in our hearts. You can see light beginning to shine in those big blue eyes. Adoption is such a miracle! We are allowed the privilege of watching a little person created by God flourish as it is watered with the love of Christ.

This is how she fixed our hair with Papa's help after she found her new headbands we brought for her.

Our 4th Day with Anastasia

Anastasia loves to see us coming. She gets very excited and comes running. She loves mama best right now. They said it's because there are no men around. She will let papa show her something,but then she wants mama to do it not papa.She loves stickers!She will sit with me along time putting stickers on the coloring book. She only wants mama to push her on the swing while saying 123! in Russian. She either wants to wear only this green dress or that's all they have because she has worn it every day we have been there except the 1st day.

She plays very intently with the things we brought her. She esp. loves the baby doll and mama's sunglasses!LOL

The ATV Giveaway

An update on the ATV giveaway fundraiser.

The drawing took place on Tuesday and a WINNER was drawn!!!The person has been notified and they were very excited to hear the news. Sorry for the delay in posting this information. I had not been involved in the postings of this giveaway, however, Shane asked me to let everyone know that there is a WINNER!!!!He has been unable to keep everyone updated due to an extended family crisis. Please be in prayer for this family!!

Thank you so much to everyone who gave toward the ATV giveaway, and those who donated to the "Addison is coming home" fund. Thank you Shane, Carolyn and Traci for making this all possible. We would not be here able to rescue our little girl from a life with no parents, no one to stand up for her, no one to protect her, no one to love her unconditionally,and no one to tell her how much Jesus loves her without your help.

We truly got here in the nick of time. Her name was on a list to be moved to a different orphanage called the internat. There she would be with kids up to the age of 16yrs. old. There are very little caregivers for over 200 children. They can't possibly keep up with what is going on. It's a place a 4yr. old baby girl should not be allowed to go, but with no one here to stand up and scream NOOOO you can't let this happen that was her fate. However, the Lord knew and He spoke to our hearts. He made a way for us to get here. He is so GOOD and so BIG. I pray more people will hear the Lord speak to their heart and say Yes, Lord send me for the other children in need of being rescued!

To learn more about the urgent needs of many children, please visit http://www.letitbetome.blogspot.com/ and read about what Traci from Project Hopeful is doing on her mission trip here.

Thank you so much and May the Lord Bless you all for caring for an orphan in distress. James 1:27

Anastasia!!

We met our girl!! See for yourself what a little doll she is!!


She loves her mama! She ran to me saying "Mama Mama". It is a beautiful sound because it is the only word she can speak due to her cleft palate. We did not hear her say any other words. What an extra kiss from the Lord!



After measuring Annie's height,head and foot size, she decided to take over measuring.

We Have Arrived!!

What we have been praying and believing God for has happened!! We arrived in Addison's(Anastasia is her real name) country on Saturday, Sunday we rested, and this morning while everyone back home was sleeping we went for our SDA appt.! Our appt. was very smooth. We got to see 2 pictures of her as a baby and toddler. Oh my, was she ever cute with her big blue eyes, long lashes and button nose!!
None of this would have been possible without the Lord working through those, who generously donated and helped us raise EXACTLY what we needed to arrive for our appt.!!! THANK YOU FOR THE SACRIFICES EVERYONE MADE AND THE PART EACH PERSON PLAYED" to defend the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of earth, may terrify no more." Psalm 10:18
MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU ALL FOR BEING USED AS TOOLS TO HELP CHANGE THE COURSE OF ANASTASIA'S LIFE!
In the past few months,we have watched the Lord provide everything we have needed. We could have missed this if we had said NO, Lord we have NO money. Because we have nothing to offer but filthy rags( Isaiah 64:6), GOD GETS THE GLORY FOR ALL OF THIS!! HE TOOK OUR" YES " AND HE HAS DONE THE REST!!! PRAISE THE LORD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW(James 1:17)!!!
We will have the referral tomorrow and then we will travel to her region. Hopefully, we will see that sweet little face on Wed!!.(depends on when we can get train tickets).



For those who participated in the ATV giveaway, the winner will be announced SOON. They are diligently working on it back home. Thank you for your patience.