Our family has such exciting news to share with you. We are simply bursting with joy and excitement! We are currently in the process of adopting two precious children from Russia. The purpose of these newsletters are fivefold: to keep all of you updated on the status and progress of the adoption process, to let you know how the children are doing, to let you know of any specific prayer requests and needs that we may have, to give us something to have later as a testimony of God’s amazing work, and finally to simply give us something to do during this long waiting period.
First I would like to tell you a little about the children. Ella is four and a half years old; she will be five in May. She is cute and sweet and loves to run, play, and talk. She loves to play with other children and is quite outgoing and intelligent. Ella has some special needs. She was born with part of her bladder on the outside of her body and has had surgery in Moscow to repair it. She may need additional corrective surgeries once she comes home.
Jake is three years old and totally adorable. He also loves to run and play with other children. He is all boy. He also likes to play with cars and trucks. He is very friendly, intelligent, and loves to smile. He also has some special needs. Jake was burned 40% of his body when he was three months old on his abdomen, legs, and feet. All the little toes on his left foot had to be amputated. He will need further reconstructive surgeries as he grows. These two children are not related biologically and are not in the same orphanage, but are in the same region of Russia and only about an hour apart.
You know I recently heard a line in a movie that I think it so funny and so true. It was “If you want to hear God laugh, make plans.” Well, as some of you may know, we originally began this adoption journey in Korea, but God had His own plans. We were happily pursuing that route. Then God, in His gentle manner, made us aware of these two precious Russian children. We learned about Ella from a coworker of David’s at Ouachita Baptist University. As his coworker told him of a little girl in Russia who needed a family, certain details began to line up. For example, the little girl’s name was Ella. Ella’s is Karin’s grandmother’s name and the name we had chosen to name our next daughter. Our excitement grew.
David and I prayed about it and felt clearly and certainly that this was the direction God wanted us to go. That led us to the adoption agency run by an amazing couple in their retirement years who have incredible hearts for orphans. The agency is called International Guardian Angels Adoption, and they have been around for about ten years and have placed around 200 children with their forever families. You can check them out at www.igaa.org.
While trying to find out more information about Ella, a little boy was brought to our attention. His name was Artem. He was burned as an infant. Once we saw his coy smile, we were hooked. As we prayed, God showed us that Artem was in fact another one of our children. We renamed him Jake and began the quest to bring him home as well. Both of these children have places at our table and in our hearts. Ashleigh and Abbie cannot wait for their new sister and brother. God is so good, and we are thankful as well as humbled that He has chosen us to be Ella and Jake’s forever family.
Currently we are collecting all the necessary documents for 1) our home study and 2) our dossier which basically is a mountain of paperwork that goes over to Russia. Hopefully today we will be able to schedule our first initial home study visit. In Arkansas the home study consists of two visits, one in the agency’s office and the second in our home.
That brings me to some more news. We are, hopefully, moving in just a few weeks. We are moving out onto our own 45 acres of land into a metal building which will be our home for the next few years until we are able to build a home there. All these things together make for a lot going on at one time, and we ask you all to pray about all of this with us. These are many changes at once.
Our specific prayer needs at this time are:
- The finances to pay for the adoption. Our God is a big God and His timing is absolutely perfect. We absolutely KNOW that since He has called us to this, we can trust that He will provide all that is needed to make it happen. David and I have ever been comfortable asking for money, but for Ella and Jake’s sake, we can do it. Please prayerfully consider contributing to our adoption fund, either in a large way or a small way, and all will be incredible blessings to us and to the children.
- A smooth, uneventful process. Please pray with us that there will be no hiccups or holdups and that everything will happen timely, smoothly, and accurately.
- Completion and our move to our new home. Our new home completed on schedule and a smooth move, unpacking, and getting settled into our new home
- A timely and approved home study
- And last, but most definitely not least, for Ella and Jake needs. We pray every day that they have enough to eat, that they are warm enough, that somebody hugs them every day and shows them love and care, and that God somehow in their spirits lets them know that their family is coming to bring them home.
Thank you so much for going on this incredible journey of faith and love with us. We appreciate your prayers. Please pass this along to anyone you feel might pray with us through this journey.
In Christ’s love,
David, Karin, Ashleigh, & Abbie Owens
Any donations may be sent to:
David & Karin Owens
99 Middleton Rd.
Arkadelphia, AR 71923
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