This is my first attempt at a blog! I don't know how often I'll add to it, but I thought it would be really fun to have one. I miss having our old family website, the missyvoigts.net one, and maybe this will be a good substitute, until Mark can get a site set up for me that's a "real" one. ;op

I am the proud wife (for a year and a half) to my wonderful husband Mark, who is an accomplished concert French Hornist and pianist, and a computer programmer. He also has an amazing talent for puns! I am also the very proud mom to 3 kids: Natasha, 18, adopted from Russia at age 5 1/2 in 1996 who is gorgeous, athletic, social and really wonderful in so many ways (and headed to the Army this summer!); also to Nikolai, age 14, adopted from Russia in 2003 and is kind, thoughtful, polite and gentle; also to Ruslan, a.k.a. "Reese", who will be 14 tomorrow, also adopted from Russia in 1998, and is smart, funny, loving and ambitious! We have 3 dogs: 2 whippets named Ellie and Adam, and a Boston Terrier, Daisy, who is everyone's little darling (and quite the spitfire!!). We live in FL on the east coast and while Mark hates the heat and the bugs, I LOVE it here! I am a homecare physical therapist and Mark works from home doing computer programming and will soon begin teaching piano lessons.

Natasha turned 18 a few days ago, and that is a big deal for us, because now that she is 18, we are eligible to adopt again! I found out a couple of years ago when I was looking at a very special sibling set of 3 in Russia that I couldn't adopt. I'd gotten through the homestudy, preliminary classes that the agency required, the initial paperwork, etc. when the agency told me that because I had a child in State care, no matter the reason, no country would adopt to me! They said they understood that all evidence showed that I did everything I could to help Natasha and that it was her own issues that kept her from being home, but they said the courts overseas wouldn't care. I was crushed, but could do nothing. I had to turn down my sweet, wonderful sibling trio, and pray that they eventually found a family.

BUT! The good news is that because she is now 18, they don't have to take her into consideration, and we are eligible to adopt again!!!

I was not thinking about that at all, in fact, I was not really thinking about adopting (really I was, cause I'm always thinking of adopting!!) when I saw a link to www.reecesrainbow.com, which is a ministry whose ministry is fund raising for and getting the word out about orphans overseas with Down Syndrome who need to be adopted. That was interesting, because only a week or two before, I happened to be listening to Focus on the Family on the radio and there was a football coach being interviewed (sorry, I don't know who it was!!!) who was talking about his adult son who recently died from the heart complications that often accompany DS. The way the man was talking about his son really touched me, and the stories that he told really captivated me. When the man spoke of his son's genuine, unending, all-encompassing love for Jesus, and the moments surrounding his death, I really choked up (driving down I-95 between homecare patients!). They said how when parents have amniocenteses and find out that their child has DS, 90% of the mothers choose to have their babies aborted. He and Dr. Dobson talked about what a horrible tragedy this was, and how kids with Down's aren't to be destroyed, they are to be cherished as a very special person created by God! These people are pure, loving, and have an almost inability to comprehend evil. They are innocent, wonderful people who should be cherished, and not exterminated.

After that interview, God put it upon my heart that I should consider adopting a child with Down's. I didn't have any idea how Mark would take that idea, so I waited several days to bring it up with him! LOL Surprisingly, he took it really well, and listened patiently and intently to all that I had to say (he's the most wonderful man in the world). Well, nothing was done about it until I "happened" upon Reese's Rainbow! I spent a lot of time there, and decided that there were two little ones in the same orphanage that I liked a lot. Well, later, I caught Mark looking at it (what a sweet man!) and he mentioned that he liked a little boy named Simon. Yes, I thought I remembered Simon, and thought he was really cute. But I liked the two kids I had seen already (a boy and a girl) along with a dozen others. He stuck to his guns though, and didn't waver from Simon. I took another look at him. And another and another! The more I looked at him, the more I fell in love with him! We decided that we couldn't let him get transferred to a "special needs" orphanage where he would be warehoused in a bed until he died. I remembered the place where Nikolai was and couldn't bear it. We lived a comfortable life, with loads of extras, and he had NOTHING. NOT ONE THING. Not love, not comfort, not hope, not anyone who thought of him as special. We aren't rich, and we don't have a lot of time in the day, but for goodness' sakes, we have a million times more than this boy could ever hope to have, and no doubt God expects us to share those blessings to the fullest extent that we can. Some people worry that we have enough on our plates. Okay. YOU tell Simon that. YOU tell him that we may have to give up on a vacation or two if we adopt him cause we couldn't afford it. YOU tell him that we deserve more down time to enjoy our computers, Wii games, and Little League tournaments. YOU tell him that we don't need more stress of a home study, piles of international paperwork, etc. I just believe that sometimes as Americans we are so spoiled and so worried about our own pleasures and material things that we get possessive and don't want to give anything up or step out of our comfort zones. Someday, though, when we get to heaven, will God be pleased with how we used the extraordinary resources He gave us or will He be disappointed at our selfishness? So what if we have less money if we adopt again? So what if we get a little less sleep at night? So what if we have to count our pennies a little more carefully? If it means saving the life of one of God's most vulnerable children, I'll do whatever it takes. I can't take my money, stuff or time with me when I die, but I CAN take my children with me!! (If they accept Christ as well, of course.)

Reese has always expressed a desire for an older sister; I think because he misses his sister Natasha so much. He is somewhat disappointed in our decision to adopt a younger brother, but this has created a wonderful opportunity to teach him the importance of following what God lays in our hearts, and not always doing what we want to do because we simply want to do it. It is also a great opportunity to teach both boys compassion (which they are already good about).

We couldn't stand it. We wrote to Andrea Roberts, the director of Reece's Rainbow, and she sent us some information and more pictures of Simon. We were hooked. End of story.

So, now we begin the long process of paperwork, fund raising, and everything else that accompanies an international adoption!! Those who know me well would ask, "But I thought you wanted a daughter so badly?" Well, I do. I want a relationship with a daughter so badly I could spit. But I remember back to that time when I wanted the little girl Natalia and was choosing between her and Reese, and God actually audibly spoke to me Reese's name over and over in my ear, when I was trying to choose which one to take and choosing Reese over the little girl (that I wanted VERY badly) was the best decision I've ever made. Who am I to say what is right for me? God knows what's right for me, and even more, He knows what's right for whichever child He chooses for me!! After all, I'm not on this earth to please myself, right? I've been created to please my Father in heaven!!! I can only hope that I hear His voice correctly. :o)

I don't mean to say all of the above to pat myself on the back or act like I'm better than others because I'm certainly not!! When I was younger, I was extraordinarily self-centered and quite rebellious as a result of a lot of insecurity and anger, but through a series of very unfortunate events in my teenage-hood that worked together for good, God taught me the importance of charity, empathy, and gratitude. If my actions set an example for someone else, then nothing would please me more. This is why I say what I do.

So, this is the end of my first blog post. How'd I do??

Missy