Pete Frank Family Adoption

As we enter this Christmas season, it is a wonderful time of year as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ! God sent his only begotten Son into the world to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. He was born in a manger, lived a sinless life, and eventually went to the cross to pay our sin debt in full! It is our prayer that many will come to a saving knowledge of Jesus this Christmas by inviting Him personally into their lives to be Lord and Savior. If you would like to know more about the gift of salvation God purchased for you, please drop us an e-mail or visit the "Eternally Adopted" link on our homepage.

March 3, 2009	It's hard to believe that this summer will mark the three-year anniversary of when we went to Vietnam to get the girls. They are doing great and growing up fast! Their personalities are so different and they get along great playing together (most of the time!). They love to play dress-up, color and make artwork out of about anything they can get their hands on, and go to their brothers' basketball games with the family. Our oldest son, Taylor, is graduating from high school this year and will be attending Moody Bible Institute in Chicago in the fall. We are also excited that he will be able to play basketball there as well. We are saddened that adoptions from Vietnam are currently suspended. We are praying that Vietnam and the U.S. will come to a new adoption agreement and that adoptions will resume soon.
February 23, 2008	Boy, how time flies! Mikayla is 4 now, and Mikenzie just turned 2 on February 6th. (See Photos) The girls continue to grow, grow, grow! They are doing great and are enjoying some of their favorite hobbies, such as playing with dolls, looking at books, coloring, and eating! Not only do they get along great (most of the time) with our other 4 children, but they also love playing together with each other. We recently hosted a few other families at our home from the area who have also recently adopted from Vietnam. (See Photos) What a blessing it was to all!
September 26, 2007	Our family is doing fine. We can’t believe it has been over a year since we arrived home with the girls. Mikayla will be 4 on October 6. She is doing great! Some of her favorite hobbies include – swinging on the swings and playing outside, coloring pictures, putting puzzles together, and going to church to learn about Jesus with all her friends! Mikenzie is 1 1/2 and is growing so fast! She has a great personality and provides us all with lots of laughs. She is talking well and saying many new words. Her three favorite hobbies are – eating, eating, and eating! Sunnie is staying really busy with life, including homeschooling our four oldest children. She loves being a Mom and a teacher! Pete is looking forward to going back to Vietnam (October 22 –November 8) for a ministry survey trip. Our oldest son, Taylor, will accompany him.
July 26, 2007	We can't believe how fast the summer is going! Our family enjoyed a week together at Life Action Ministry's Family Camp in Niles, Michigan. Since Pete was gone to Africa for the month of June doing missions work, the camp provided a great opportunity for us to "re-connect" as a family. While at Family Camp, Pete was diagnosed with malaria. This was a result of his travels in Africa. Though he was quite sick for a few days, he is now doing much better. We are all so thankful for the grace of God in providing the medicine needed to fight off this deadly disease. Our family is doing great and the girls are enjoying summer-time fun with their siblings and friends. There is never a dull moment around our house!
May 11, 2007	CHANGES ON THE HORIZON! Our family is doing great and looking forward to the changes that lie ahead. I am in the process of transitioning from my pastoral position of the past eight years to full-time missions ministry with Gospelink Ministries. Sunnie and I have a great burden for everyone to have an opportunity to hear of the saving grace of Jesus Christ, including the poor and needy in third-world countries. Among my responsibilities, I will be doing extensive overseas ministry, helping train national pastors and further the work of Gospelink's national pastor sponsorship ministries. I will be in Africa June 3 - 24. Also, I will be traveling in the U.S. speaking in churches for the purpose of mobilizing believers to become active in world missions. If your church or group would like to have me come and speak, I would be grateful to do so. Please e-mail me or call 765-618-4431.
May 8, 2007	We are enjoying the warm, summer weather! We all enjoy playing outside, including Mikayla and Mikenzie. They love to swing on the swingset, go down the slide, and blow bubbles on the porch!
February 26, 2007	Our family is doing well and we are all ready for some warm spring weather! Mikenzie is still as outgoing as ever! She is beginning to walk now and recently celebrated her first birthday (see Photos). Many people have asked us about how Mikayla has bonded/attached to us as her parents and family. The Lord is so good and gracious. We feel like the bond between her and us could not be any stronger. From the first day we met her at the orphanage, we have tried to consistently show her our love through meeting her needs physically and emotionally. This has provided the security she was longing for and her natural response has been to bond with us and to love us in return! We have been encouraged by all the requests for our DVD we have received and how it has been used to inspire and encourage other adoptive families. Copies of the DVD may be ordered by simply sending us an e-mail request.
December 1, 2006	As we enter this Christmas season, it is a wonderful time of year as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ! God sent his only begotten Son into the world to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. He was born in a manger, lived a sinless life, and eventually went to the cross to pay our sin debt in full! It is our prayer that many will come to a saving knowledge of Jesus this Christmas by inviting Him personally into their lives to be Lord and Savior. If you would like to know more about the gift of salvation God purchased for you, please drop us an e-mail or visit the "Eternally Adopted" link on our homepage. One of our favorite family traditions each year is going to our local Christmas tree farm and cutting down our family tree. Yesterday we all bundled up and braved a cold, windy, Indiana day to find that "perfect tree"! (See Photos) Our kids all had a great time, including Mikayla and Mikenzie. Although we are sure they didn't quite understand what bringing a tree into our living room was all about, they seemed to join right in on enjoying the tradition! The girls continue to adjust well and love being part of our family. They have come such a long way, and we are thankful to the Lord for helping them beyond our expectations. Yes, Mikayla is speaking English quite a bit now (sometimes we can't get her to be quiet!), although every once in a while she will throw in some jibberish that we think must be Vietnamese! Lately she has even wanted to lead our family in prayer before meals and at bedtime. And, yes, Mikenzie is still very verbal and quite the go-getter! What a personality she has. It has been encouraging to hear from so many families who are adopting from Vietnam. If you are one of those families who are going to Vietnam, or are considering it, and haven't contacted us, please drop us an e-mail. We would love to hear from you and be able to pray for you. Merry Christmas!
October 7, 2006	Today we attended an Adoption Family picnic in Noblesville, Indiana, sponsored by our adoption attorney, Michele Jackson. It was awesome to meet so many other adoptive families and their children, as well as couples who are in the process of adopting. It was a special privilege to finally meet face-to-face with several families who followed our journey and e-mailed us while we were in Vietnam. It is good to know that many more Vietnamese orphans will soon be placed in loving, Christian homes right here in Indiana!
October 6, 2006	Our family celebrated Mikayla's 3rd birthday today! We also had a party for her a couple days ago and celebrated with some of her little friends from our church. She is learning English more everyday and loves to say, "I love you Mommy", and "I love you Dowie (Daddy)"! The girls are doing great!
September 1, 2006	We have been home nearly two weeks and we must admit that it is good to be enjoying life as a complete family now! Mikenzie has adjusted fine and is enjoying all the love and attention being given to her by her siblings and friends. Mikayla's adjustment has gone better than we ever expected. She loves playing with her siblings and can often be found running and giggling through the house or yard. The transformation the Lord has accomplished in her life has been truly amazing. Both girls have also enjoyed getting to know many of the people at our home church. We want to thank all the people who have followed our journey and prayed for us. If you live in our area, we invite you to stop by and meet the girls personally. Please e-mail us to schedule a convenient time. We are thankful to the Lord that our story has encouraged others to seriously consider adoption. If God has inspired you through the journey He put us on, please e-mail us and let us know, as we would love to hear from you! We plan on occasionally posting more pictures and updates in the months ahead.
August 19, 2006	We made it home! Our plane landed in Indianapolis around 4:00 PM. We were greeted by quite a group of friends and family members at the airport (See Photos!). Although the four of us are all a little fatigued, we are so excited to be back home and to finally all be together as a family. Many thanks to all of you for your support and prayers on our behalf throughout this entire journey! We hope our adoption journey, along with this website, will inspire many families to make adoption a reality for themselves. We are grateful to the Lord for allowing us the opportunity to adopt these two little ones and pray they will become all that God wants them to be. We are looking forward to posting pictures in the months ahead of our two new daughters enjoying a wonderful life with their family here in Indiana!
August 15, 2006	We are picking up the visas for the girls tomorrow and are flying out of Vietnam on Thursday. The journey is almost over and we will be home soon! We are scheduled to arrive in Indianapolis at 3:30 PM Saturday on United Airlines flight #7641 from Chicago. We are all getting really weary of hotel life and are ready to get home! Thank you all in advance for praying for our journey home.
August 13, 2006	We made it safely to Hanoi. Now we are hoping that our final meeting with the U.S. embassy will be either tomorrow or Tuesday. We are all doing fine and eager to get home!
August 10, 2006	We had our first interview with the U.S. Immigration office here in HCMC today. We are cleared to go to Hanoi for our final interview, so we are hoping to fly there at 2:00 PM this Saturday. We are praying we can get our 2nd and final interview there on Monday, or at least early in the week. After that we can get the U.S. visas for the girls! Mikayla is doing great and seems to feel real secure as a part of our " little family" here. Although we often catch her little voice whispering in Vietnamese to her baby doll, we had her a full week before she started talking to us. With some coaxing, she will repeat a few words back to us, such as "Mommy" and "Daddy". Today Sunnie was showing her our family picture and Mikayla repeated her 'siblings' names back to her! Last night Pete was reading an "ABC's" book to her and he got her to repeat (in a whisper) the ABC's one at a time. It didn't matter that they almost all sounded the same, it still made us really proud of her! There is nothing we are enjoying more right now than seeing that big sweet smile across her face, which now happens regularly. Mikayla has also warmed up to Mikenzie, and has been showing some affection on her own by giving her an occasional kiss or hug. Whenever Mikenzie is being fussy and crying, Mikayla will get one of Mikenzie's toys and take it to her to help "console" her!
August 8, 2006	The executive director of the Tam Binh orphanage was present at the Ceremony yesterday for "Gotcha Day". Of course, he has known Mikayla her whole life at the orphanage, but today he told us through a translator that he didn't even recognize her at first. He said she looked so beautiful and happy and that he could tell she was receiving a lot of love from us (and we know a lot of prayers from everyone at home!), which made him very happy.
August 7, 2006	Finally! After 3 1/2 weeks of waiting here in Ho Chi Minh City, Mikayla is finally officially our daughter! Today was our Giving and Receiving Ceremony! We were notified this morning that everything was in order at the Justice Department and that our Ceremony would be at 4:30 this afternoon. We were the only adoptive family at this ceremony, and it was much more informal than the one near Hanoi for Mikenzie. There aren't many feelings that can compare to walking out of the government building and knowing that the girl God chose for us from half way around the world is finally officially our daughter! We have been riding on enthusiasm all evening and Mikayla seems delighted to be a "Frank"! Tomorrow Pete is taking her early in the morning for her medical check up (which is required to obtain her U.S. visa), then it's directly on to the Immigration office to apply for her Vietnamese passport. The process is in gear again - Praise the Lord!
August 6, 2006	This morning we went to the Saigon Evangelical Church. It was a good service. The Senior Pastor was out of town on a trip to France, so one of the main leaders of the Church of Vietnam preached. We listened with the help of an interpreter and a pair of headsets. Mikenzie did fine in the nursery. It was Mikayla's first church service and we were happy to have her with us in the auditorium. She experienced some "social anxiety", though, as she cried a few times during the service. On the way back to the hotel we figured she was either sick, really tired, or didn't like being around so many people at once. It was the latter, because when we got back to our hotel, she was very happy to be "home" and had no trouble smiling for us. She had never been in a social setting like that and around so many people at once. It was a reminder to us that, although she has come such a long way with us, there are still many adjustments to be made that are going to take some time. In our "Photos" section, you will notice many pictures of the girls swimming at the hotel pool. This is typically one of the highlights of the day for us, as there isn't much for us to do while we wait on the government to get on with things. The pool is nice, and there is hardly ever anyone else using it, so it provides a fun time to get out and splash around a little! The girls are still doing fine. We are able to get many smiles out of Mikayla now! (see Photos) Today when we laid her down for her nap we could hear her whispering to her baby doll! It was the first time we have heard her speak. It must have been Vietnamese, because we couldn't understand what she was saying, but we were just glad to hear her little voice! It was really cute. Most of you know that Sunnie doesn't like to be away from our kids for long at all. So you may be wondering how she has been coping, having been away from them for over five weeks now. Other than an occasional "melt down" she has actually been able to enjoy being here in Vietnam and taking care of the girls. We know it is the grace of God, along with the prayers of His people. His faithfulness and mercies are "new every morning". Praise the Lord!
August 3, 2006	Mikayla is adjusting fine so far to everything. We took her swimming at the hotel pool yesterday and she and Mikenzie both enjoyed it. Then we went out to eat at the Texas Bar BQ (yes, here in Saigon!). It was Mikayla's first time to go out to a restaurant and she really enjoyed it! She came out of her "shell" more than we have seen. We think she kind of thought she was "hot stuff" in her high chair. She would even point to her food when she was ready for another bite. Little things like this are really interesting to us right now - seeing another side of her personality than what we have experienced so far. We still haven't heard her speak, not that we would understand what she said! It would be fun to hear her voice. This morning we did get a giggle out of her! Pete was playing with her in the room, holding her up in the air, dropping her, catching her, etc., and after about three times she broke out a big smile and let out a giggle. Our hearts are just filled with gratitude to the Lord that in His sovereignty He chose these two little girls to add to our family. In the meantime, we are still waiting for the Giving and Receiving Ceremony. We did go to the Justice Department yesterday, which we found out is a very busy place here in Saigon. We had to sign some custody papers for Mikayla. We saw the room where the ceremony will be done and thought, let's just get it done now! Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. The latest we have been told is that it will be tomorrow or the first of next week.
August 1, 2006	Yesterday we were told that today we would be able to take Mikayla with us. Needless to say, that after six visits to the orphanage, and six goodbyes to her, we were ready to get on with things! So today our hearts skipped a beat when the phone call finally came to our room at the hotel this afternoon. We were asked by the representative if it would be okay to get Mikayla tomorrow instead of today. Sunnie said, "No! We are getting her today!" So they called us back and said they would meet us in the lobby in five minutes to go to the orphanage to get her. When we got to the orphanage Mikayla was in the Director's office. She looked adorable, as they had prepared her for us to come and get her. As we loaded up in the taxi, it was hard for us to believe that we finally had custody of her! At the same time, it was sad knowing that we will never visit the orphanage again, and that there are many more orphans still waiting to be adopted into good homes. We are praying that our adoption journey will inspire other couples to consider adoption for themselves. Considering Mikayla had never been out of the orphanage, she did fine on the taxi ride to the hotel riding on Daddy's lap. Once we got her to the hotel, we gave her a bath (which she liked!) and fed her some traditional Vietnamese "Pho" (soup with noodles, chicken, vegetables, spices, etc.) for dinner in the room. Sunnie even used chopsticks to feed her! Although we still haven't heard her speak, she is definitely feeling more comfortable around both of us. It was so wonderful to us to know that we could spend "unhurried" time with her, display our love to her by meeting her needs, and not have to say our goodbyes! And it was just an awesome feeling for us to be able to lay her down for bed and pray to the Lord over her. This has certainly turned out to be one of the most gratifying days of this journey for us. Of course, Mikenzie is quite a "jabber-box", and makes up plenty for Mikayla's current silence! She is still doing well and seems to be bonding well with her new sister. We can't wait for us to all get home to our family and friends. Please pray that the Giving and Receiving Ceremony is soon! Everything hinges on this. One of our adoption representatives wrote a letter today to the Justice Department requesting that they expidite our adoption proceedings. We are hoping to hear something tomorrow.
July 31, 2006	We were able to go visit Mikayla again today at the orphanage. She was feeling much better than the last time we saw her. Although she is still very shy and quiet (we still haven't heard her speak), she is feeling more comfortable around us. She is a daddy's girl at this point, and Sunnie won't let Pete hear the end of it. But that's okay with Dad! We spent some good time with her, and were able to feed her lunch, then put her down in her crib for her nap (see pics). We had a real good visit with the doctor of the orphanage. He speaks English well and was also able to interpret some questions for us to the director of the orphanage. He told us there are 48 HIV children living in separate quarters at this orphanage. This is about 1/3 of the children there. Mikenzie is still enjoying being an "only child" here with Mom and Dad. Boy, will she be in for a shock when she has to share the attention with her new sister! Just wait till we get back home and she has to share with four more siblings! We have made several phone calls today, but still haven't heard when the Giving and Receiving Ceremony is going to be. We are still being told it will be this week. We have received e-mails from adopting couples from across the U.S. who have followed our website. One of these couples lives in Florida, and will be coming to Vietnam this fall to adopt a set of 9-month old twin boys from the same orphanage Mikayla is in! While at the orphanage today, we were able to take pictures and video footage of their boys for them. We are going to FedEx the DVD to them tomorrow. They are adorable! It's a blessing to us to be able to share in the excitement of other adoptive families. Thanks to all for e-mailing us to let us know you are praying for us. Your e-mails are our closest link to home right now! Please continue to pray for God's perfect timing for the Giving & Receiving Ceremony.
July 28, 2006	. . . another day waiting. We were told today that the authorities here are going to let us know on Monday when the Giving and Receiving date for Mikayla will be. We certainly hope and pray it is soon! We plan on going to the orphanage to visit Mikayla again on Monday. We sure do miss her! Mikenzie continues to adjust well. Many of you have commented via e-mail that she looks like she has a very outgoing personality. You are right! She can be a big ham at times, and it is never boring having her around! People here in Vietnam love babies. They will stop us to talk to us and tell us that Mikenzie is very lucky to be going to America. We tell them she isn't "lucky"--she is blessed to be chosen by the Lord. We know that we are the blessed ones, as well!
July 27, 2006	An afternoon monsoon-type rain just blew through Saigon. This is a common occurance that happens normally at least once a day. We are getting used to it, and it helps cool things off! We visited Mikayla again today at the orphanage. We could tell she was happy to see us! She had a faint smile when she saw us. However, she has a sore throat and cough, and wasn't feeling well at all, so our visit wasn't as productive as possible. We just spent time holding her and talking to her. Perhaps it is good for her to not feel well right now so that she understands we care about her and so that she has a better understanding of how we will take care of her. We asked them at the orphanage today (with the help of Pete's Vietnamese phrasebook) about how much they have communicated to Mikayla. They told us that she does know we are going to be taking her and that she is very happy about it! Thank you all for praying about our paperwork that was lost. Fortunately, we had another set of police clearances in our mail at home that arrived after we left for Vietnam. They have been faxed to us here, and this should be sufficient to at least get the Giving and Receiving Ceremony date set, while we wait on the originals to arrive. Thanks for your prayers and keep the e-mails coming! Even though we may not have time to respond to them all, they are a vital "connection" to things back home!
July 24, 2006	Yesterday (Sunday) we were able to attend the Saigon Evangelical Church. It is the largest church in Ho Chi Minh City. How encouraging to see so many believers worshiping the Lord together! Sunday evening was their "Outreach Service", geared primarily for unbelievers. There were several hundred people in attendance. Even though we couldn't understand anything the pastor preached or the words to the hymns they were singing (though the music was familiar), we were just so encouraged to sense the spirit of fellowship in the Lord! Several people went forward at the end of the message to receive Christ and acknowledge Him publicly. Following the service we were privileged to meet the pastor and his wife and family. We visited with them in their home for a while and were served tea and fresh fruit. He told us that the registered church in Saigon consists of around 40 churches, and that the "underground", unregistered church often receives harassment and persecution from the government, especially in the northern highlands and around Hanoi. The pastor has been at this church for 14 years and they average around 1,000 in attendance on Sunday morning. How exciting to talk with members of the church and see the joy on their faces that comes from knowing the Lord! God has His church everywhere! Praise the Lord. Today we were able to visit Mikayla for the 4th time at the orphanage. God is using the delays in the paperwork here as she is definitely feeling more comfortable around us. Today when they brought her out to us, we could tell she was somewhat excited to see us (after having not seen us over the weekend). She slowly approached Pete and wanted him to pick her up and hold her. (Grown men still do cry!) We visited with her for about 1 1/2 hours, and got a very slight smile out of her. We still have not heard her talk. She is such a sweetheart and we can't wait to be able to take her with us. Please continue to pray that the government will schedule our Giving and Receiving Ceremony. Now they tell us they can't find some of our notarized paperwork that we had presented in Hanoi. We have to have this in order for them to schedule our Giving and Receiving Ceremony. We have been in contact with our adoption representatives and they are working on the situation. In the meantime we continue to wait....
July 22, 2006	Yesterday (Friday) we were able to go to the orphanage and visit Mikayla for the 3rd time. We spent almost 2 hours with her and she warmed up a little more to us. Still no smiles, but hardly any tears! We were so excited about the progress made and couldn't help but think of all those who have e-mailed and told us they were praying for her. We will not be visiting her over the weekend as it is not allowed. As for Mikenzie, she is continuing to thrive on all the attention from Mom and Dad--although she is missing Grandma Doris quite a bit! As for us, we have some more "down time" this weekend while we await the Giving and Receiving Ceremony (which still has not been scheduled by the authorities here). Sunnie just finished reading her Karen Kingsbury books she brought with her, so we are fighting over our last book we have, Frank Peretti's "Monster" book. We are going a little stir crazy!
July 20, 2006	We got to go the orphanage for another visit with Mikayla this morning. Praise the Lord, it went much better today. We couldn't help but think of all the people who have let us know back home that they are praying! Sunnie was able to hold her as she sobbed a little, then calmed down, and almost fell asleep in her arms. (Sunnie ate that up!) Dr. Jesch examined her some, and we were able to feed her lunch, which was noodles and broth, then milk. Then Dr. Jesch was able to hold her for a few pictures. Then Pete was thrilled she let him hold her and didn't cry at all. We showed her pictures of her siblings back in the States, which was a little emotional for us. She looked at them as the interpreter was telling her who they were. It's hard to know how much she comprehends of what a home and family even are. She is so shy and sweet. Our hearts just melted again. We still haven't heard her speak or seen her smile. Daddy almost got her to smile when he pretended he was going to take a bite of her lunch. We can't wait to see her smile! We are going to visit her again in the morning, and are not allowed to see her over the weekend. Many have e-mailed us about when we are coming home. It all hinges on the Giving and Receiving Ceremony date for Mikayla. We are waiting for the government to let us know when that is. Dr. Jesch decided she should head on home, considering there is no definite return date at this point. She flew out from Saigon this afternoon. She regretted very much not to be able to travel home with us and the girls, knowing we could certainly use her help! It was a tearful goodbye at the airport. Please pray for her safe return. She was such a help to us here.
July 18, 2006	Well, today was finally the big day to meet Mikayla! We left the hotel around 9:00 AM local time. It was about an hour's drive to the orphanage outside of Saigon. Our hearts were pounding and we were filled with anticipation to finally meet her! They brought her around the corner to meet us in the waiting area and we couldn't believe the little girl in the picture had finally come to life! There was our daughter! Her response was what we were expecting. She was rather afraid of us and started crying. Sunnie handed her a baby doll, which she took and held. Sunnie then tried to pick her up and that just made her scream. She did calm down when we gave her the cookies we bought for her. She wanted to go back to her room and be in her crib, so we went there, and it helped having her in her "comfort zone." She did warm up to us a little, and finally made some eye contact with us. Our visit lasted about forty minutes. Thankfully Dr. Jesch was there to take care of Mikenzie, who was upset by all of Mikayla's crying! Mikayla is very shy and is a little sweetheart. Pete's heart melted like butter on a hot Hanoi summer day. Sunnie was a little emotionally drained by the whole experience. While this response from her is what we were expecting, it was still harder on Sunnie than she thought it would be. Dr. Jesch said Mikayla looks rather small for her age. But we are sure she will get a thorough examination as soon as we can get custody of her! One of the other little orphan boys was holding Dr. Jesch's hand when we were leaving. He wanted to go with us. Please pray that we can get custody of Miklayla soon. We are anxious to get her and begin with the adjusting that needs to take place. (Please see Photos)
July 17, 2006	Today we heard from our adoption representative here in Saigon. She called us at the hotel at 2:30 PM and said that she would be by in 30 minutes to pick us up and take us to meet Mikayla. As we were getting things ready and preparing to go, the phone rang again. We were then informed that we will NOT be seeing her today! Due to some logistical complications, it will have to be tomorrow. So we are planning on going to the orphanage at 9:00 AM Tuesday (10:00 PM Monday Indiana time) to finally get to meet Mikayla! We will not be taking her with us yet, as we are still waiting to hear when the Giving and receiving Ceremony will be. The government is working on finishing up the paperwork for her adoption. Hopefully tomorrow we will have some pictures of a very joyous meeting at the orphanage! (Pics posted later today!)
July 16, 2006	Still no news about when we get to meet Mikayla. We are hoping Monday we can see her. We spent some time today shopping and seeing part of the city. We better get back home soon, Pete is getting real tired of shopping!!
July 15, 2006	This morning we were planning on meeting Mikayla. We met our representative after breakfast in our hotel lobby and drove to the orphanage. However, after arriving, we were informed that Mikayla is not at that orphanage, she is at another one here in the area! The representative didn't receive the information concerning us, and mistakenly thought we were another adopting couple she is going to be assisting. She really felt bad about it all! And we were not allowed to go to Mikayla's orphanage yet, as they are not familiar with this representative. We were told to go back to the hotel and wait for the okay to go see Mikayla. It's twelve hours later and we are still waiting to hear! We are continuing to learn the two key words with all this - Flexibility and Patience! Sunnie says that today was like "false labor"! Our hearts were pounding, palms were sweating, and cameras rolling, as we were waiting for them to bring her out to meet us. Then we get word that she isn't even at this orphanage! Ugh! As we sat in the hotel this afternoon, it all seemed like it didn't happen and it was a bad dream. We did have a nice dinner with Dr. Jesch and Mikenzie and did some more shopping, which is always bound to lift the ladies' spirits! Hopefully we will have better news soon. Saigon is quite an interesting city. It is more modernized and less cultural than Hanoi. We were warned by the locals repeatedly as we shopped to hang on tightly to our bags and purses, as there are many thieves and pick-pockets running around. They said that motorbikes (which outnumber cars 100 to 1 here) are known for driving past pedestrians and grabbing their bags off their arms! We did have our own experience while shopping at a local mall. While riding down the escalator, Sunnie was being "crowded" by a Vietnamese teenager. It's a good thing she turned to notice him trying to get into Mikenzie's diaper bag. About the only thing he would have found would have been diapers and formula! Anyway, she told him to quit it! Pete promptly reported him to the security guard, who didn't seem very concerned. From then on Pete carried Dr. Jesch's purse around his neck. What a sight!
July 14, 2006	We made it to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) today after a smooth flight from Hanoi. Mikenzie did fine on the plane ride. She's already been in taxis, spent the night on a boat, flown on a plane, and ridden in a rickshaw. What a traveler! It is interesting being in Saigon--a city of around 7 million people. It is 1,000 miles south of Hanoi, and we can already tell the differences in the two cities are numerous. There is even a KFC here, so we are getting take out tonight to eat at the hotel! I will be using an internet cafe here in Saigon to correspond via e-mails and to update our site, as the hotel we are staying at charges very much to use the internet at the business center. So please be patient with us if we don't correspond to e-mails as quickly as we would like. We still enjoy so much hearing from all our friends and family back home! After we checked in to the hotel today, we called our ADOPPT representative and set up a meeting with her at the hotel for 10:00 AM tomorrow. She said we will be able to go to the orphanage and meet Mikayla tomorrow! We probably won't get to take her with us until the first of the week, but we are really excited about finally getting to meet our other daughter! Please keep us in your prayers. We appreciate them so much.
July 13, 2006	We returned to Hanoi from our trip to Halong Bay, known as Vietnam's most spectacular scenic area. We enjoyed a boat trip into the vast bay and through some of the 3,000 huge limestone islands that jet up out of the ocean. It was truly a spectacular trip to enjoy God's marvelous creative handiwork. While our boat docked at one of the islands we took Mikenzie for her first swim - in Halong Bay! She loved it. The cool water felt good to her after a long hot day. (Please see Photos) After dinner and a good night's rest on the boat, we came back to shore and made it to the hotel in Hanoi, which is 3 hours away, by mid-afternoon. We booked our flights to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and are flying tomorrow at 2:10 PM local time, or 3:10 AM Friday Indiana time. It is only a 2-hour flight. We are hoping to meet Mikayla by Monday. Please continue to pray that the Giving and Receiving Ceremony will be next week, and as soon as possible! This is when we are officially given custody of Mikayla by the Vietnamese government. The Ceremony has to take place before we can proceed with her Passport, U.S. Immigration Visa, etc. Signing out from Hanoi for now. God bless you all!
July 11, 2006	While we await Mikenzie's paperwork to be processed, we are going to take advantage of some down time with a 2-day trip to the famous Halong Bay (3 hour drive from Hanoi). We are hoping to post some beautiful pictures under the "Photos" section. Keep checking back! Mikenzie rolled over today and had her first bowl of cereal. What a big day for her! We continue to experience good health. Thanks for all your prayers. Please pray that the process to finalize the adoptions will be expedited!
July 10, 2006	After much shopping, Sunnie and Dr. Jesch finally found a stroller for Mikenzie. It is so hot and humid here that it makes it difficult to carry her around much in a Snuggli. So she enjoyed her first stroller ride today! We have had her for a week now, and she has already changed some! She is smiling and cooing more, and laughing some. And she is definitely holding her head up better. Please pray for our Giving and Receiving Ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City to be as soon as possible for Mikayla. And pray that she will also adjust well to her new family. They tell us that she has probably never been out of the orphanage and has never seen a man before. She is 2 1/2 years old, so this will all be quite an adjustment for her. There are 150 kids at her orphanage and 20 nannies.
July 9, 2006	Last night Mikenzie had a fever during the night, so she made a call to room 1107 (Dr. Jesch's room). After some expert care from Dr. Jesch, she is doing fine and has had a great day today. It has been a blessing to us and the other adoptive families to have Dr. Jesch here. She has been able to check out the children and give them attention when needed. Mikenzie seems to be fitting in well and has warmed up to us just fine as her new parents. We can't wait for everyone back home to be able to meet her. She has a realy sweet personality and loves to "coo"! Today Sunnie and Pete took a motorbike tour of Hanoi and some of the rural rice patties. (See the pictures under "Photos") It was a 3-hour tour with lots of stops for pictures. Our motorbike drivers, Hue (pronounced Hway) and her husband, were great tour guides, and were very careful drivers! Tomorrow we get our translated documents back and finish up the application for Mikenzie's health document, which is required for her U.S. visa. We will be in Hanoi at least a few more days to finish up some things here, then it is on to Ho Chi Minh City to meet Mikayla, hopefully by the end of this week. Thanks to all for your prayers and e-mails! We miss everyone back home!
July 8, 2006	Other than a brief meeting with a representative from the ADOPPT agency, today was a day of some much needed rest. The Hoa Lo Prison is just a couple blocks from our hotel. I (Pete) went over for a tour. It is an old prison where the American POW's were imprisoned during the Vietnam War. Senator John McCain was a prisoner there for several years. It was very interesting to see. Tonight we all went to dinner at the Press Club, a nice restaurant that features American food. Yea! On the way back to the hotel Mikenzie was very tired and was crying pretty loud in the cab. The cabbie pulled over along the street and opened Sunnie's door, asking them to get out. Considering the language barrier involved, we weren't sure what he wanted. We thought maybe he was upset at our "vocal" daughter and wanted us to walk the rest of the way to the hotel. We finally figured out he just was offering to pull over and let Sunnie walk her around to calm her down! Well, we made it to the hotel and are ready for a good night's rest.
July 6, 2006	We were excited to pick up Mikenzie's passport today. Tomorrow she gets her medical examination and approval from the Vietnamese hospital. Dr. Jesch is looking forward to seeing the hospital and medical staff. Monday we hope to get things started with the U.S. Immigration Department. Mikenzie is doing well and has really adjusted! She is a sweetheart and has a pleasant personality. We really appreciate all who have sent e-mails to us. It has been encouraging to hear from each of you!
July 4, 2006	Today was a very special day as we drove back to Mikenzie's home province for the official Giving and Receiving Ceremony. It was very interesting to be before the Communist government officials signing the necessary paperwork. Then she was officially declared to be ours! After some afternoon rest at the hotel, we went out to eat at a restaurant in Hanoi. Then we took a rickshaw back to the hotel. The weather is unbearably humid here. Happy 4th of July to all back home! Thank you all for your prayers. We have some down time now as Mikenzie's passport is processed, then we proceed with the paperwork for U.S. Immigrations.
July 3, 2006	We met the first of our 2 new daughters today! After a 1 1/2 hour ride from the hotel to a poor, rural town outside Hanoi, we made it to the orphanage and were handed our little bundle of Vietnamese joy! We couldn't believe we were finally to this point! After about an hour at the orphanage admiring our daughter, visiting with the nanny, and taking tons of pictures, we brought Mikenzie back to the hotel with us. She has slept quite a bit since being back here. She is a little worn out. Dr. Jesch checked her out and says all appears to be well. Tomorrow is the "Giving and Receiving Ceremony", as we will be going back to her village to the Justice Department office. We are having a little trouble getting pictures posted, but hope to work out the kinks soon. Thanks for your prayers!
July 3, 2006	July 3 - Today (Monday) at 11:30 AM (12:30 AM Indiana time) we are leaving the hotel with the other adopting families to meet our children at the orphanage. We are all excited about "Gotcha Day" at the orphanage, and can't wait to see Mikenzie! The big day is here! We have been able to spend some time checking out Hanoi, shopping, and visiting with the Vietnamese. They are very sweet, respectable, and gracious people, but they know very little about Jesus Christ.
July 1, 2006	We made it to Hanoi safely yesterday. This morning we had a meeting with the other adoptive families who are here and found out we will be going to the orphanage on Monday to meet Mikenzie! Sunnie was very disappointed that we have to wait two more days. Today we had time to check out the city and do some shopping in the street markets. It was very interesting and we had a good time with the other adoptive families. It is very warm and VERY humid! The people are very poor, but very friendly and gracious.
June 29, 2006	We are in Tokyo for a brief layover. It has been over 24 hours since we left home. We are getting a little travel weary, but are riding on adrenaline! We hope to see Mikenzie in 2 days. It's been a blessing having Dr. Jesch along. She is doing her job of keeping Sunnie calm!
June 26, 2006	Exciting news! We are going to be adopting TWO girls! We have a picture of Mikayla, our 2 1/2 year old daughter. We will not be receiving a picture of Mikenzie, our 4 month old daughter. Instead, we will be meeting her in person in just a few days! We leave for Vietnam this Wednesday, June 28, at 6:00 AM. Following stopovers in Chicago, Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Singapore, we are scheduled to arrive in Hanoi on Friday around noon. There will be five other U.S. couples going with us who are also adopting, along with our facilitator from Washington D.C.'s, International Families, Inc., Dr. Raman Rao. Also, it will be a privilege to have our good friend and pediatrician Dr. Doris Jesch traveling with us. Please pray for safety, good health, smooth adjustments for us and the girls, and for our children as we leave them behind in the States. Check back for further updates from Vietnam!
June 9, 2006	It has been exactly one year since we found out that we were going to adopt. Considering we are still hoping to travel within the next month, this has been a relatively short process compared to some other countries. It has certainly been a roller coaster ride of emotions! Since January we feel like we have been "on the edge of our seats" waiting for our referral. Vietnam just re-opened for adoptions this year, and the process is anything but smooth at this point. Up until now, adoption has been one of the most unique and exciting things we have ever experienced. And we don't even have our daughter yet! Praise the Lord the best is yet to come! Here are just a few things for which we are grateful: His matchless grace that has allowed us in on this - adoption is a God-thing! Also His sovereign control - we know that our daughter will be in our arms and in our home in His perfect timing! The concern and prayers of our friends and family. Nothing is more encouraging than when people ask us, "How are things going?" or "When are you going to get your referral?" Trust us, we don't get tired of hearing your concern. (Although at this point we are more than a little tired of answering, "Hopefully next week!") *The other couples from across the country that we have been able to meet and converse with through e-mail who are also adopting from Vietnam. It is really good to have a camaraderie of people who are leaning on the Lord and each other as we go through this together.
May 18, 2006	The wait continues! "Next week" - have we heard that before?? We did learn this week that our travel date has been pushed back to at least June 25.
May 10, 2006	We learned today from our adoption agency that there have been more delays in processing our referral. Now they are saying we should get pictures next week. UGH!
May 3, 2006	The adoption agency we are working with has us scheduled to travel at the end of May, or first week of June, to go to Vietnam and bring our daughter home.
April 12, 2006	We received news from Vietnam that we have been matched with a girl from an orphanage in southern Vietnam! Hopefully soon we will be sharing pictures of our new daughter with all our friends! Since Vietnam has re-opened for adoptions, there have been at least 20 children adopted to the U.S. in the past couple months. When will ours arrive home?! Currently we are among at least 300 other U.S. couples seeking to adopt from Vietnam. Please keep praying!
March 21, 2006	You guessed it - we are still waiting...........and trying our best to be patient!
March 14, 2006	Still waiting...........
March 7, 2006	Still waiting...........
January 4, 2006	We were notified that our paperwork is in Vietnam! We are waiting to be matched with an infant girl from one of the orphanges there, possibly in the capitol city of Hanoi. This is the hardest part of the process so far - WAITING!
December 2, 2005	Today we received our I-171H in the mail! This is the final step in completing our adoption dossier. Now the dossier will be authenticated, translated, and forwarded to the U.S. Embassy in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam! This completes our long trail of paperwork and approvals. Now comes the hard part - waiting on a referral from Vietnam!
November 18, 2005	We both went to Indianapolis to the Department of Homeland Security to be fingerprinted for our dossier. This is the final hurdle for us to clear in order to get our paperwork completed! While in Indianapolis, we took advantage of the opportunity to have another meeting (among many) with our adoption attorney, Michele Jackson. Michele informed us that just last week Vietnam sent out their first 15 adoption referrals to the U.S.! Our goal is to have our dossier in Vietnam by the end of December. Thanks to Michele for all of her hard work! She has been a God-send to us and has been so great to work with in facilitating this whole process.
November 15, 2005	Met with Pam Wilson, our website consultant, concerning getting this site put together and up and running. Thanks Pam for all your time and work so that we can share our story with all our friends!
November 8, 2005	We both went to our family Doctor for more physical examinations and blood work. This time it was for completion of our adoption dossier. We have been working diligently in recent days with all the paperwork and with fulfilling the necessary requirements to complete our dossier, which will be sent to Vietnam as soon as it is completed.
October 1, 2005	We declared our country for adoption today - VIETNAM! It has been very clear to us in recent days that the Lord is leading us to this country. Vietnam has been closed for adoptions for the past couple years, but its government has recently declared that it will be opening up again in the near future. This country is exactly what we feel led to. What a big decision off our minds! Praise the Lord for his leading.
September 13, 2005	Our adoption process is moving along fairly well. We are finishing up with our Home Study, thanks to the Miriam Project of Anderson, Indiana. Today was our final interview with them as they are completing this first phase of the process.
June 9, 2005	Today it was confirmed to us that the Lord has opened the door for us to adopt! How exciting to know that we are going to be parents again! Thank you, Lord, for allowing this great opportunity for our family to be blessed by the life of a precious little child.