A Little Q & A

We've received a lot of questions as we've started this journey, so I thought today I'd take a minute to answer a few...

1. How did you 'find' Kirk?

Some very dear friends of ours, who live about 5 minutes from our house, are also adopting from Kirk's country- from the same orphanage, in fact. Through them, we learned about Reeces Rainbow, where we first saw Kirk's picture, and felt the Lord tugging at our hearts for him. We didn't realize at first that Kirk was in the same region and orphanage as our friends' children, but we are now very stoked about it, knowing that Kirk and the Carlin kids will share a language, a history, and a culture.

2. Do you have a travel date yet?

No. We have thought since we started this that we would be ready to travel in August. In my heart, I'm really thinking sooner than that. A few things have to happen first, before we can get our travel date, and we'll keep everyone informed.

3. Does Kirk speak English?

No. He speaks Russian.

4. Are you going to learn Russian?

Of course, he is going to learn English, but yes, we are working to learn Russian. We picked up a very handy tool: Russian Phrases for Children. It includes an audio CD and two pocket phrase books (one for each parent). This system was put together by an American Dad who has adopted Russian-speaking children, so the phrases are specific for adoptive parents.... things like "I am your Mama...." "This is our home..." "Are you thirsty?..." "It's almost time for bed..." "Do you need help?" "Show me where it hurts..." I am also looking into getting Rosetta Stone or Pimsleur from our library, if it's available. We feel learning to communicate with him in Russian in those first initial days and weeks will help him feel secure with us.

5. How old is Kirk?

He is 5 years old.

6. Is that his real name? / Will you re-name him?

No, Kirk is not his birth name. We do know his birth name, but cannot share it publicly. We will keep his birth name as part of his name, but we haven't yet decided what we will call him.

7. How are you paying for the adoption?

Fundraising. We are working on local fundraisers, as well as at least one more on-line fundraiser, which I'm really excited about and will blog about soon. Although we're opening ourselves up for criticism by 'asking' for donations from others, it's our prayer that God will burden certain individuals to give what He calls them to give. Ultimately, it is HE who provides, and we're confident in that.

One thing we haven't been asked is why? That's a question deserving a whole separate post.

Do you have any questions? Feel free to ask here in the comments or send me an email.

Blessings!

Shannon