The Schlaacks

Six Pack Schlaack Pack

2009-05-21T13:59:00.003-04:00

Jonathan, Vika, Sophia, Caleb, Gabi, Seth

Day 52/53 or Day 1087 - Their Coming HOME!!!

2009-04-02T11:53:00.000-04:00

Good News!!! All paperwork has been completed and Vika has received her passports!
Praise & Thanks to God for His favor toward us!

I decided to do the math to see how long it has been...
I checked some old emails, and my parents (John & Jane) & Judy Manna contacted us on April 11th, 2006 to consider adopting Vika (Vee kuh).

Yep, it has been almost 3 years coming to complete the process of adopting Victoria Grace Schlaack! Technically, tomorrow will be Day 1087.

The sacrifice is worth it! While this was a difficult journey, I know in heaven for all eternity we will never regret it.

THANKS FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT!!!

Lisa, Vika, Gabi, Jonathan, Sophia, & my parents are expected to land in the good old USA tomorrow around 4pm!

Day 47 - Vika Says Goodbye to Her Great Grandma

2009-03-28T20:02:00.003-04:00

Today, Vika, Lisa, & my Mom (Jane) traveled about 3 hours away to visit Vika's Great Grandmother. They also spent time visiting with friends in the village. Vika's Grandma desired to see Lisa, but she has gone blind. But they were able to spend time with each other and talk via of translation. They had a big meal and it was time of celebration and a sad time of departure for Vika and her Grandmother. Vika's Grandma said she had prayed for a Mom & Dad for Vika. Lisa expressed that Vika's Grandma was a special lady and very kind and gracious. May God pour His Grace & Mercy on her!

You can view more pictures here...
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=1116526106&k=46FXY4SX4YWMXFM1XGVYV

Day 44 & 45 - The Roller Coaster Ride Continues...

2009-03-26T21:22:00.003-04:00

Well, the Ukraine Schlaack adoption adventure continues to be the ride of our lives. The good news, as most of you know now, is that Lisa finally got the court papers, and was able to get Vika out of the orphanage yesterday (Wed.). They then had to travel further North to get her new birth certificate which they were able to accomplish. To say the least, it made for another long day, but we are thankful to God for another step completed.

Jonathan ended up being quite sick all day on Wednesday. He was not eating anything and experiencing a good deal of pain in his abdomen. By the time Lisa and Vika returned home, Jonathan was not doing well at all. So they thought they better call a doctor. They called Dr. Trish Brown here in the USA and an Ukrainian doctor. The symptoms seemed to indicate that he may have appendicitis. They decided that he should go to the hospital. Well, long story short, they ended up deciding not to go and watch him through the night. The hospitals in Ukraine tend to be a bit risky, especially when doing things like surgery. So that was a bit scary, but today Jonathan seemed to be doing much better. PTL!

So today, Lisa and Vika had to return to get her new Ukrainian passport. It was a 3 hour drive. Lisa brought the airline tickets that have a return date for Apr. 3rd in the hope that it would encourage them to complete the passport before then. Well, things got interesting because the passport lady decided that she needed some more money to process the passport. We would prefer to call it a $500 fee to expedite the passport. But most people in the world call it extortion. Lisa could have decided not to pay it, but there was a hint that if she didn't pay it would take 2 weeks and maybe longer to get the passport. After payment was made, the passport lady was much more accommodating. The good news was that she said the passport would be completed by next Wednesday. Of course that doesn't mean it will actually happen or that extortion will not occur again, but we're hoping for the best.

So here is the best case scenario at this point in time. If Lisa is able to get Vika's Ukrainian passport on Wed., we hope that she can make it back in time to apply for her U.S. passport. The U.S. Embassy can sometimes complete the passport the same day or the next day. If everything works out well, we hope they will all fly back to the USA on Friday Apr. 3rd.

P.S. They also got pulled over again today by the police. Lisa is not sure what the driver did wrong if anything, but it appeared that he got a ticket. You see, here is proof that I, Johnny, was not the problem. It was Lisa all along that was causing us to get pulled over by the police! (Ha HA!!!) :) LOL

Day 42 - Some Adoption Uncertainties??? Please Continue to Pray!!!

2009-03-23T15:23:00.001-04:00

You know, I've got to tell you that living in a sin-cursed world can make you more dependent on God (2 Cor. 1:8-9) and long for heaven all the more. While we don't understand specifically why things occur in this world, we do know that the Lord always wants to grow us in our relationship with Christ. (Someone has joking said, "I just wish God didn't want to grow me so much.") :)

Ok, you've heard or read previously that we were suppose to get Vika out of the orphanage today (Monday). In Lisa's conversations with the lawyer on Friday, he said that it was being bumped to Wednesday. Well, it was unclear exactly why it was being bumped and Lisa didn't understand why she couldn't go on Tuesday.

So Lisa contacted the lawyer again today to get some more clarity on the situation and she learned some NOT so encouraging things. The lawyer said that apparently the judge was reluctant to have us adopt Vika. (We are not sure when this took place or why we never heard about it until now.) So apparently, the judge has deliberately postponed the final approval of the adoption until Wednesday. The lawyer stated that he felt it would be best to simply do what he wants rather than fight it.

So we're a little uncertain again what is going on and a little concerned what the judge is going to do. This adoption will not be finalized until we receive those court papers with the decree saying they approve us to adopt Vika.

So we continue to ask you to pray and hopefully we will have some good news to report on Wednesday! While the judge certainly has power over this situation, his authority comes from God. Yet, we have to trust God's timing and His ultimate decision!

Proverbs 16:33 - The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.

Jeremiah 27:5 - “It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomever it seems right to me.

...Day 41 - GOD CAUSES ALL THINGS

2009-03-22T14:12:00.006-04:00

I (Lisa) am writing this as I am away from my husband, boys, family, church family, and dear friends. I am reminded by this precious truth from Romans 8:28 "And we know for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose". God is going to use this time away for my good and for my family's good. What a precious truth as we live life and face many things that are difficult, sad, or uncertain. I want to use this opportunity to encourage any of you who know and love God. Whatever trial you may be facing, whether it is a death of a loved one, an unhappy marriage, rebellious children, financial troubles, illness or any other thing, God will work it out for your good. How do I know this? God's word says it, so I must believe it. God is the giver of good gifts, "Do not be deceived , my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change" (James 1:16-17). May you trust today that God is going to cause your current circumstances to work out for your good and that He only gives good gifts, even if we do not see or understand at this time.

May I take one last moment ts express to those of you who may not see God's good gifts in your life or Him working things out for your good. Nothing in life could be more important than the next following verses I share. Please listen and ask God to help you understand and respond to His word. I Corinthians 15:3-4 "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures". When you place your trust in Christ, you can know that God is causes all things for good in your life, no matter how difficult life may be.

Thank you so very much for taking the time to read the blog. It is my prayer that it will be used by God to give Him glory and to stimulate you to live for Him.

Day 33, 34, & 35 - Johnny's Coming Home... - Extended Weekend Edition

2009-03-15T15:03:00.003-04:00

Well, friends & family, tonight is my last night in Ukraine. My heart is torn. I desire to be here to pick up Vika from the orphanage and help Lisa with final paper work. But I also desire to be with Caleb & Seth who have been without us for 5 weeks.

I'll continue to periodically give updates of what is happening in Ukraine through Lisa. I also hope to elaborate a bit more on the questions that were asked of us in court.

I'm sure Lisa will especially appreciate your prayers as she finishes things up her in Ukraine.

Paca(Bye) to Ukraine!

Johnny

Day 32 - The Judge Approved Us to Adopt Vika...

2009-03-13T16:14:00.007-04:00

Ivan, our lawyer, Marina, our translator, Lisa, I, and the driver departed at 9:30am and didn't get home until 9:00pm (Dima, our other lawyer could not come as planned).

It was a long and very interesting day. We arrived at the court house and the social worker forgot a necessary document. So Ivan had our driver take the social worker back to her office to get the document. Then, the orphanage director would not bring Vika because she was in school even though Ivan told her she had to be at court. But then the judge's secretary told her that Vika needed to be there, so she went and got her.

So we all entered into the court room along with a prosecuting attorney, the judge and two jurors. The judge explained our rights. It was a bit intimidating in the beginning. Everyone was real serious and came across as being ice cold. I, Johnny, was questioned first. The judge asked several questions like why do I want to adopt and why in Ukraine. Then, Lisa got asked similar questions. The jurors and prosecutor also asked us questions. (We'll have to tell you more about the questions later.)

The social worker and orphanage director were also asked questions about whether they supported us adopting Vika. They were both very positive in their comments. Then, the judge asked Vika if she wanted to be adopted and whether she had a good relationship with the rest of our children. Vika did quite well in her responses. The whole process took 2 hours.

The judge and jurors said they would meet privately to discuss and decide if they would approve the adoption. Vika went back to the orphanage and everyone left as well except for Lisa, I, Marina, and Ivan. We then waited 2 hours for the judge and jurors to decide and write up a 4 page document saying they approved the adoption. The judge then read the entire document which took about 15 minutes. We signed a paper saying we agree with the court decision and we were approved.

Now, according to Ukrainian law, we have to wait 10 days before the decision takes effect. Someone can appeal the decision in these 10 days, but it is unlikely. So this means that I will fly back to the USA on Monday morning. Lisa will remain with our 3 children until all the documents are completed which could be 3 more weeks from today. And then they will all fly back with my parents to USA!

WE ARE SO THANKFUL TO GOD FOR HIS GOODNESS TO US!

THANKS FOR YOUR PRAYERS, SUPPORT, & ENCOURAGEMENT!!! :)

Welcome VICTORIA GRACE SCHLAACK!!!

Day 31 - Tomorrow is the Big Court Day...

2009-03-12T14:19:00.002-04:00

Well, after almost 5 weeks in Ukraine, we are finally planning on our court appointment tomorrow. We depart at 9:20am with Dima and Ivan our lawyers. Dima will be driving us this time to Nizhyn. We will appear before the judge around 12:30pm.

We are not positive on exactly how it will all be handled. We understand that Vika is suppose to come with us. The judge will potentially ask us and Vika some questions. Vika will probably be asked directly if she wants to be adopted and we might be asked why we want to adopt. At this point, it appears that everything is set to go, but we need to be prepared that anything could change at the last moment.

What's that? How can you pray for us? I'm glad you asked! ;)

Pray that we will safely make it to court on time.
As we understand it, the social worker and orphanage director are to be present for court. So pray that everyone who needs to be there will show up.
It doesn't sound like that this particular judge has done many adoptions at all. So he apparently doesn't know the laws well as we have already experienced. So pray that he will see the process through.
Pray that our lawyers will have God's wisdom and grace to deal with judge and those in authority.
Lastly, pray that God would be glorified through this whole process!

Thanks for your support and encouragement!!!

Johnny, Lisa, & Family

Day 30 - Joni Eareckson Tada on Suffering...

2009-03-11T13:32:00.002-04:00

Not much going on here today. Just waiting for Friday's court date! :)

So on Day 30, how about 3o minutes with Joni Eareckson Tada on suffering! We really love the ministry of Joni & Friends who minister to those who have disabilities. She has truly experienced some difficult suffering throughout her life.

http://www.joniandfriends.org

This video is EXCELLENT if you've got the time to watch it! She'll teach you a lot about how to view and respond to suffering.

Her talk begins about 5 minutes in.

Day 29 - Completed some U.S. Embassy Documents & Reception Videos

2009-03-10T12:15:00.004-04:00

Lisa, my Dad, & I traveled about an hour away to the U.S. Embassy to complete some documents for departing from Ukraine. It was fairly simple and the people were friendly to deal with. These documents needed to be completed before I am able to leave for the USA. If court goes well, then I will probably depart to the USA on Monday or Tuesday. Lisa will likely have to stay around 3 more weeks to finalize the paperwork. And then my parents, Lisa, and the kids will return together to the USA. (By the way, we have grown in a new level of appreciation for the United States.)

We want you to know that we really MISS YOU ALL!!!

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Silas & Ruth's reception was a hoot. They had various people come up front and speak words of wisdom to Silas & Ruth. And they had a few performances as well. I've included some of them below. Wow! It was quite interesting.

Here are some pictures of the wedding if you are interested...
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=1116526106&k=5ZF5ZV6RTX3MXFM1XGVYV

Day 28 - The Nigerian Wedding - Weekend Edition Part 2

2009-03-09T13:34:00.007-04:00

Silas & Ruth invited us all to their wedding and reception yesterday. They are both from Nigeria and Silas' father is an Ambassador here in Ukraine. Silas and Ruth both attend the International church we've been attending here.

The wedding was actually a fairly typical American wedding. The pastor was originally from Dallas, Texas. The normal wedding vows were recited. It was all in English and then translated into Russian. The wedding march sounded like some kind of African praise song and it was quite good. You could definitely get into it.

Lisa and I had the priviledge of being asked to sit by Silas' mother and father in the front row.

Now, what was particularly interesting is that during the whole wedding ceremony there were several people walking all around taking pictures. You would have thought that they let in the paparazzi. I've included a picture below, but I couldn't capture everyone taking pictures.

The pastor announced that they are now man and wife!

I'm going to upload more pictures for your enjoyment and interest.

Tomorrow, I will tell you about the reception which was even more interesting along with some video. Stay tuned!

Day 26 & 27 - Johnny is NOT Sinless - Weekend Edition Part 1

2009-03-08T17:40:00.009-04:00

(Julia, our tour guide, & Daniel our friend from the International Church)

[Notice that this is part 1 and tomorrow I will tell you about part 2.]

On Saturday, my Dad and I were asked if we would help a Ukrainian woman, named Julia, with her English as she is practicing to be tour guide here in Kiev. We were asked to do this by one of the men, named Daniel, in the International church. (Daniel moved to Ukraine about 20 years ago from Angola, Africa. ) Now, I know some of you are already beginning to smirk. Johnny is helping with English, you are kidding right? Nope it is true! :) (Yes, Lisa thought it was funny as well.)

So we met Julia downtown Kiev and she gave us a tour of some of the monuments. Her English was quite good, and we only helped her with a few things. We actually learned several things about Kiev. So it was actually quite interesting.

One monument in particular had an interesting legend.

Ok, do you notice the little bronze spouts? Well, water use to come out of those spouts. The legend is that if you threw a coin and it stuck to the spout then it meant that you were sinless. What do you think would be the result of me throwing a coin in the fountain? Well, we didn't actually do it and I think we know exactly what the results would be. God seems to be quite clear about this already in His Word! Yet, we thought this was interesting that someone would create such a legend when we all know that there was only one sinless person. And that God-Man was Jesus Christ.

Eccles. 7:20 - "Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins."
1 Jn. 1:8 - "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."
2 Cor. 5:21 - "For our sake he made him(Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

[Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow as we share about the Nigerian wedding & reception we attended. Very Interesting!]

Day 25 - Fun Friday

2009-03-06T10:51:00.006-05:00

Ok, not much happening, just a whole lot of WAITING! :) One week from today, we are scheduled to go to court. We did work on some U.S. Embassy documents today that need to be completed to bring Vika to the USA.

So today, we simple give you some pictures for your viewing pleasure and maybe some will bring a little smile to your face. ENJOY!!!

Proverbs 17:22 says, "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."

These first photos give evidence of how long our kids have been here... ;)

Homemade Krispy Kreme's made by Grandma Schlaack

To view more of these type of pictures, you may click on this link...
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=1116526106&k=46L25WS4V64MXFM1XGVYV

Other Ukraine photos are here...
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=1116526106&k=5ZB6PW66Q6ZMXFM1XGVYV

Day 24 - Have You Ever Heard Lisa's Story?

2009-03-05T14:41:00.002-05:00

It's getting tougher and tougher to top yesterday's story. :) So how about a story from the past about Lisa. It's interesting connecting with old friends online to see where they are at in life and what has happened to them. Some of you knew Lisa from her younger years and some of you didn't. But here is the short story of what happened to her almost 20 years ago...

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.... (ooops wrong story). ;)

As a child I went to church nearly every week since my birth. This may sound very well, but it was merely a ritual that I performed. Jesus, God’s own Son was not a concept that was understood by me. I never really thought about Christ, my sin, and where I would end up eternally.

Growing up as a child I enjoyed playing, swimming, and all the things that normal children enjoy. In others eyes I would have been considered a good kid. Then I entered into my teenage years and landed head first into many problems. I looked for contentment in having nice clothes, boyfriends, and working towards a successful career. In the process of chasing after my dreams my school work lacked. When troubles arose during those years, I chose the route of bitterness. My goal was to show everyone that I could make it by myself and show them that I didn’t need anybody.

After graduating from high school, I attended college to follow after my dreams. During my first year of college I had a number of things that entered into my life that were hard for me to deal with. I moved out of my parents home taking on my own needs, which was scary to me. My grandfather, who was one of the most significant people in my life was diagnosed with cancer, passed away. The death of my grandfather was one of the most devastating things that happened to me up to that point in my life. He was everything to me, and stood by me, and believed in me. I was losing the strength that I thought I had. That summer was one of many challenges.

In the fall, after my grandfather had died, my boyfriend (John, the crazy guy I'm married to now :) ) asked me to go to a Bible study. I was totally opposed to the idea. He was transforming before my eyes. He longed to be a church and around others who loved this “Jesus” they all talked about. My relationship with my long time boyfriend was deteriorating before me. He was insisting that I attend this Bible study, only because of his pressure did I attend the study. I had no desire to listen to what was being taught. After attending the study for about two months, I started to listen and was convicted by the Word that was being taught.

In October of 1991, I met the Master, Jesus Christ who died that I might not live to myself any longer, but to Him. I realized that I was a sinner, Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”, that meant me. I saw that I needed Him to help me carry out my life. I had run out of strength and hope and knew I had been following the wrong path for quite some time. Isaiah 53:6 sums up my life to that point, “All we like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way...”. I placed my trust in His sacrifice that He gave when He died on the cross for my sins that I might not be punished for all the things that I had done. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.”

My life is no longer mine, but His. He took my old self which was filled with hostility, anger, unforgiveness, pride, and bitterness and removed it. He replaced it with peace, love, forgiveness, and humility. I am no longer a slave to my sin, I have been freed by the blood of Christ, as Romans 6:7 “for he who has died is freed from sin.” Virtually nothing has been the same. I am able to forgive others with the same love I’ve been forgiven. My goals are not mine any longer, I want what He wants for my life. My life is not self-centered now, but Christ centered. Second Corinthians 5:15 “And he died for all , that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.” My desires do not direct the sail on my ship, but His word directs my path. I am not independent, but dependent on Him who died for me. I am eternally indebted to serve my Savior and Master, I am His bond-servant.

I would lie if I said that I never sin and am perfect, I am not. I still sin against Him, but praise the Lord He has given me the power to overcome my sins. He is teaching me that He is all I need. He is my El-Shaddai, my all sufficient one. He wraps His loving arms around me when no else can or would want to. He is my Jahweh, the Great I AM, He is the God who is not dependent upon me or anyone else, He is. He is my Jehovah-Jihreh, He provides me with everything I need. As the hymn so eloquently rings “And I met the Master, He touched me and made me whole”, Jesus Christ has made me completely whole. Praise be to God the only One who can truly change anyone. The One who truly changed a sinner like me.

God has carried me through difficult times since I have come to know Him. He’s been there through financial struggles, rejection, the birth of my daughter born with Down Syndrome, and everything else I have encountered. He’s so good to me.

Day 23 - Lisa Got Mouth Surgery Today...

2009-03-04T11:21:00.003-05:00

The fun never ends here in Ukraine. Lisa wants to experience it all. :)

Are you having trouble figuring out what they are doing to her in the picture? Well, she is at the Ukrainian dentist and they are working on a broken tooth (molar to be exact). It's not quite surgery, but they did have to do some cutting of her gums. They put this little rubber like thing in her mouth to keep junk from getting in her mouth. The dentist then cuts a little hole in it to get at the tooth he is working on. My mom is outside the building taking the picture through the window and the dentist opened the window so she could get a good picture. :-)

The good news is that this would be far more expensive in the USA (probably saved us about $300 or more). Of course as you can imagine, Lisa is not exactly excited about the whole ordeal. Yet, she is being quite the trooper despite the circumstances. She'll have to return next week to do the finishing touches on the crown.

I actually get to have some fun tonight. I'm going with my Dad to a seminar at Kiev Seminary on the life of John Calvin the great reformer of the 1500's. [I think Lisa is mumbling something to me like... "Why do the wicked prosper and righteous suffer?" (Ha HA!!!] :)

Day 22 - Putting the Court Date in Perspective...

2009-03-03T10:39:00.004-05:00

It amazing how short sighted we are sometimes. :) It is also interesting how our greatest strength can also be our greatest weakness. For example, the USA as a culture seems more organized and efficient than the culture of Ukraine (at least from our experience). Yet, sometimes our weakness seems to be that we don't spend time with people because they take time and we are so busy getting things done. :) While efficiency is important, people are even more important. "Balance", of course, is the key to the whole thing.

On top of all that... It usually becomes quite apparent that when we, Americans, visit a foreign country, we realize how blessed we are (or negatively how spoiled we are). Well, you may be wondering, why am I saying all this?

I talked with our lawyer, Ivan, today. He put our court date in a different context which helped gain some perspective. He talked with others about how long it is currently taking to get a court date. He said that others are having to wait up to 3 months to get a court date or they are having to unofficially encourage(bribe) the judge to move up the court date. All the sudden, two extra weeks doesn't sound all that bad. :)

To top it off, I was reading 2 Corinthians 4 this morning which was quite encouraging. (Yet, I'm certain I don't have a clue the kind of hardships that Paul endured.) What I find ironic is verses 16-18...
"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." (2 Cor 4:16-18)

Our time here is momentary in light of eternity. May we look to the things which are unseen and may God squeeze out of us a heart of thankfulness (as opposed to the ugliness of being spoiled rotten)!

I'm thankful that HE who began a good work in me will bring it to perfection when Christ returns (Phili. 1:6)!

Day 21 - A Court Date Has Been Set, BUT...

2009-03-02T09:05:00.003-05:00

"The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord." (Prov. 16:1)
"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand." (Prov. 19:21)

Is God in control (sovereign) over every person, every decision, and absolutely everything no matter how big or small? YES! Is God in control of the evil and good? ABSOLUTELY!

Well, whether you personally believe that or not, for us it is the ultimate truth that gets us through the times in life when we don't get what we want or have to go through what we don't like. Does that mean we understand God's specific answer and purpose? No! Does that mean we like everything that comes our way? Not necessarily! Yet, our comfort and joy is in God and what He purposes.

Ivan met with the judge this morning. And the judge said he could only schedule us in as early at Friday March 13th. The judge had originally scheduled us for Mar. 19th, but Ivan appealed to him for an earlier date. Apparently, Mar. 13th was as early as he could do it. :-(

So we are not too excited about the date (actually kind of bummed :-( ), but we are thankful that the adoption process is still pressing forward. We're not sure how this will effect our return flight plans. But likely, I (Johnny), will return to Michigan shortly after the court date. Lisa will have to remain up to 3 weeks after court. And my Dad & Mom may end up returning with Lisa instead of waiting a month later. But who knows, this is Ukraine, anything could change!

Waiting, trusting, & hoping in the goodness of God!

Pray for Vika, as she is growing restless in the orphanage and longs to be out. May God use this to draw her to Christ! Pray for Caleb and Seth that God will enable them to continue to endure and persevere!

Day 19-20 - The Weekend Edition (maybe some concern)

2009-03-01T14:29:00.007-05:00

Lisa, Grandma, & Gabi made a trip to the orphanage to visit Vika on Saturday. They had a good time and Vika was happy to see Gabi for the first time since we've been here. It's around 3 hours by train each way, so we were not sure how Gabi would do on the trip. But she did quite well.Lisa and I went to the lawyers office to sign some more documents. It was simple & short. But Ivan did mentioned that court is requiring more documents than is required by law. He is getting all the extra documents that they are asking for, but it does raise our concerns. The concern is that Ivan will give them the documents and they'll ask for more documents. This does appear to be the Ukrainian way. It might not effect the outcome, but it could delay the process some more.

So please be in prayer for Ivan tomorrow(Monday), as he will travel to Nizhyn by himself to apply for a court date. We, of course, would love to have a court on Tuesday or Wednesday, but we are trusting God's timing! :)

P.S. The next time you talk with Lisa or Jane, you'll have to ask them about the drunk Ukrainian who was hasseling them as they were doing their morning run. Let's say that it was a little scary, but my Mom seems to know how to handle the drunks around here. Thank goodness for the guy in the white van stepping in to help. And you would think that would deter them from running? Nope! It must help them pick up the pace or they like living on the edge! :)

P.S. 2 - Maybe some of you could write to my mom and plead with her to at least carry a cell phone while they run for safety reasons.

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT & PRAYERS!!!

Day 18 - Child Department Accepted Our Papers! :)

2009-02-27T15:21:00.002-05:00

Today is a good day for documents! Our lawyer called and said the child department accepted our documents, so now we can apply for a court date. Yippee! :-)

Ivan, our lawyer, will be going to Nizhyn on Monday to talk to the judge to get us a court date. He is having us sign some papers on Sunday, so we don't have to go with him on Monday. He will handle it all. So Monday is another big day, as the judge's schedule and decision will determine how quickly we get a court date. The lawyer will be striving to get a court date early next week.

Again, we are praying Proverbs 21:1 which states, "The king’s (or judge's) heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will." May the Lord give us the best date according to His will & glory!

Day 17 - Why Adopt From Ukraine?

2009-02-26T14:44:00.004-05:00

Why adopt from Ukraine? I mean, why do a foreign adoption when you can adopt children from the USA?

First of all, whether you adopt from the USA or internationally, both are worthy things to do. Both kinds of adoption have their challenges. The costs for adoption vary greatly depending on the country, age, and condition of the child. The adoption of some children can be more costly & more difficult in America than in some foreign adoptions. And some foreign adoptions are more expensive & more challenging than American adoptions. When we adopted Seth, it ended up costing us virtually nothing, but that was in part due to him having Down Syndrome and our income. And while his adoption had some unique challenges, it was easier than the adoption of Vika.

Secondly, I’m not writing this to suggest that one kind of adoption is more worthy than another. I’m just giving some of our reasoning why we chose to adopt from Ukraine this time instead of adopting from the USA again.

Certainly, a significant part of the draw to Ukraine was because my parents were here and took us through some orphanages. They also ministered a little bit in a certain orphanage and made a connection with Vika. So they kind of made a deal with us. They would take Vika out of the orphanage to live with them, and then we would work on adopting her. Lisa and I agreed, not knowing of course what God would have in store for us and that it would be such an interesting adventure! :)

Beyond that, American orphans generally are in foster care and have opportunities and care that orphans from foreign countries usually don’t have. Also, in some foreign countries, orphans are in greater danger due to conditions and situations that orphans are subject to. So there can be a greater urgency to adopt internationally. The sheer number of orphans in foreign countries far exceeds that of the USA. I’ve read that the USA has approximately 125,000 in the foster care system where as there is an estimated 40 million orphans internationally. Sometimes the living conditions of orphanages in Ukraine are less than ideal. But even more concerning is the high percentage of children that end up living on the street after they have to leave the orphanage. In light of these factors, we were inclined to adopt from Ukraine.

Day 16- Guess Who Got Lost in Ukraine?

2009-02-25T17:25:00.003-05:00

Have we got quite the story for you? We had to go to our lawyers office tonight to sign some papers. We also invited us to stay for their small group Bible study. I had already been to their office last week, so I thought I could get us there and back without Dad or Mom. It was pretty simply directions, and we made it there in about 25 minutes with no problems.

When we arrived at the office, Dima, asked if I could preach a 40 minute sermon tonight. I thought he was joking with me. After a little while, he approached me again and said that he was half serious. I usually have notes when I preach and teach, and I only had my Bible. Yikes! :) He said maybe I could do a bit of a discussion time instead of a sermon. So I had been recently studying 1 Peter 1:13 and had preached on it recently. Dima and another girl translated into Ukrainian/Russian. We spent about 4 hours together. It was truly a wonderful time!!! We got to know one another, we ate food together(Lisa made & brought brownies), signed some documents, and discussed 1 Pet. 1:13.

We departed about 10pm. Evan and Marina? walked Lisa and I to the bus. Evan asked me what bus I needed to return. I told him bus 45. When the bus came, he said that is one we needed and I looked at the number and thought for sure I also saw the number 45. Well, it was actually bus 45D. Lisa and I were not able to sit by each other, so I sat in the back of the bus and she sat toward the front. The bus was packed in like sardines. I'm guessing we drove about 20 minutes and I happen to notice a familiar face get on the bus. It was Carl Kresge, who I've only saw a couple times and met once briefly in the USA. Carl and his wife Lori just arrived in Kiev yesterday and are here in Ukraine for a little over a week. Carl oversees the missionaries here in Ukraine that are with SEND International.

I wasn't for sure Carl was who I thought he was, but I decided I would ask. I don't think he recognized me until I told him who my parents were. We then proceeded to chat and noted that we would end up getting off at the same location because the bus 45 empties out at certain location that is close to our apartments. We were amazed that we happened to meet on the same bus together. Well, the bus stopped and emptied out, but we were not in right location and we really had no idea where we were at or how to get where we needed to be. Fortunately, I had a cell phone, so we are able to call my parents and another missionary, Steve Wooden who came and got us.

Ok, now think about this for a minute. There are many 45D buses in Kiev. This city has millions of people in it. What are the chances that we would run into Americans that we recognized and both get on the wrong bus at the same time. If that isn't the hand of God, I don't know what is. In addition, if we hadn't bumped into Carl & Lori, they might have been in some real trouble. They had no cell phone and hardly any money. They didn't have an address of where they needed to go nor a phone number. All of us could not stop laughing at the whole event. What an adventure! I think we got home after 12am.

Day 15 - So Why Adopt?

2009-02-24T09:55:00.002-05:00

What’s the thinking behind adopting children? I mean why not just have biological children?
Obviously, some people adopt because that can't have children naturally. Yet, we are not having a problem in that area as you can see. :) Some people think that we are like some who believe you should continue to have children and never stop unless God prevents you from having them. (Sometimes that thinking borders on testing God and being irresponsible.) Though, we do find it funny when some people stare at us because we have almost 3 times as many children as most people do in America.

What we do believe is that God cares very much for orphans! Psalm 68:5 says that God is the, "Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation." There are also several Old Testament laws about protecting and taking care of orphans. The New Testament teaches that true worship of God is measured by our care for orphans. James 1:27 - "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."

Now, this does not mean that everyone should adopt. There are many ways to care for orphans. Yet, we take joy in being able to care for orphans in this way. Certainly, we can't care for all the orphans, but we can do what we can do. We also hope to be example to others to do likewise.

Finally, one question that continues to motivate us about the things we do in this life is... “Will we regret this decision when we are in heaven?” This life is so short. What we do on earth either will be or not be an investment in heaven. We think investing in a life is a sacrifice worth making. And we certainly believe that God honors it, as already stated in His Word. We know that adoption will have its challenges and possibly some heartaches. But if we can impact a child's life for eternity than it is time well spent in our minds!

Jim Elliot said it like this, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."

And Jesus said it like this, "And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?" (Mk 8:34-36)

That's a little peak into our thinking and values! :)

What do you think? Got any questions?

Day 14 - Documents Have Been Accepted!

2009-02-23T14:03:00.001-05:00

Well, believe or not, the documents were accepted by the child department today. We had to go to a notary first, and then we went to the child department.

Now we wait until Friday I guess. Maybe they will call sooner, but there was no indication of that. So we will wait and see what the week holds.

As soon as they process the paperwork and approve everything, we can apply for a court date.

Stay Tuned! :)

In the meantime, I plan on posting some frequently asked questions about adoption this week. If you've got a question, ask away.

Thanks again for your prayers and support!

Day 12 & 13 - The Weekend Edition...

2009-02-22T12:28:00.004-05:00

Don't want to bore you with the minutiae of the weekend, so I'll keep this real short.

It's been a pretty quiet weekend which has been nice. We went to the international church again today. I, Johnny, was asked to preach and so I did. I had an interpreter that translated what I said into Ukrainian. So hopefully, they were able to make sense of it. :)

We also got to watch the Graham Church services live, so that was pretty neat to see everyone.
www.grahamchurch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=77&Itemid=95

I'm going to post a few pictures and we'll talk at you on Monday.

Thanks for your prayers and encouragement!

This is how Lisa is coping being in Ukraine!!! HA HA!!! (She is going to kill me when she finds out I posted this.) :)

Day 11 - Documents not quite right, need to return again on Monday...

2009-02-20T12:13:00.000-05:00

We went the child department this morning and were suppose to simply give them some documents for their final approval. Well, apparently the documents were not quite done the way they wanted them. But it doesn't appear to be too big of a deal. We'll have to go to a different building on Monday in Kiev and get the documents edited the way they want them. Then, we'll return to the child department on Monday. They said it will not effect the time frame as they won't process the documents until Friday. Yet, Dima, our lawyer, talked about asking them to process it sooner in the week. So we'll wait and see what Monday holds.

Something I left out yesterday that I think you'll find interesting. We had another encounter with the police in Nizhyn yesterday. Ivan had to find a place that had another document we needed. So he told our driver to park next to this taxi. Ivan gets out of the car to ask for directions and then walks somewhere else while we waited in the car with our driver. The police car drives up right in front of our car and the driver had to get out again to talk with the police officer. Our driver can't hear very well, so the police officer was having to yell. It was kind of comical, yet we wondered what was going on because, of course, we could not understand any of it. The driver did not appear to get a ticket, but he needed to move the car. Apparently, he was not suppose to be parked where he was. The police do appear to like to pull people over here and it appears to be common occurrence. We just find it funny that every time we have gone to Nizhyn we have an encounter with the police.

P.S. Lisa pointed out that in some of the posts, I have spelled our lawyer's name two different ways (Evan & Ivan). The correct spelling is "Ivan". You see the letter "I" is pronounced as a long "e" sound here in Ukraine. So I unintentionally tend to spell his name like is sounds. For example, some people in American have pronounced Vika like you would say "Vicka" (short 'i' sound). Instead, it is suppose to be pronounced "Veka" (long 'e' sound).

Lisa Throwing Snow Balls at Children

2009-02-20T11:13:00.000-05:00

Day 10 - Documents Are Complete, But...

2009-02-19T12:18:00.003-05:00

Today was good day for documents! We went to the court house first to apply to do the adoption. We went into a small room where some individual reviewed all our documents to make sure we had everything. They approved us and we also were able to meet with what would be the judge's secretary. Ivan, our lawyer, asked her if she would work with us to get a date for court quickly because we have children in the USA. And she was favorable toward us! As soon as the child department in Kiev does the final approval, she will work to get us a court date quickly. :)

From the court house, we went to social services to get the one document we had been waiting for. We got the document and signed a book and were done. Then, we left and purchased some chocolates & instant coffee. We returned to social services and just Lisa & I went in and gave it as a way of saying thank you (no this was in no way to be bribe, just an act of kindness). Then, we went to the orphanage and gave one of the ladies that worked on our documents some chocolates and coffee. We went to lunch and then went and got one more document (yes, the getting documents in Ukraine is never ending). :)

Tomorrow, we will go to the child department here in Kiev to get final approval so we can then proceed with getting a court date. It can apparently take up to a week to get approval, so now we wait some more.

Ok, so here is the BUT...
We inquired again to our lawyer about the time frame to complete the adoption. Here is what he told us.
1) It will take 1 week to get approval from child department.
2) Then, Ivan will work with secretary of judge to get court date. Don't know how long it will take.
3) We have to wait 10 days after court date before we can apply for Vika's passports (Ukraine & USA) & new birth certificate.
4) Then, it could take up to 10 days to receive her passports.

So if you do the math, it could easily be 30 more days from today. :(

Furthermore, if it does take that long, my vacation time will run out. I (Johnny) will need to stay until the court date. After the court date, I can leave, but Lisa would need to stay to complete the process and bring Vika home. Now, we are still hoping and praying that the time frame will be shorten. But again, we are trusting God's plan and we have to walk by faith not by sight.

Trusting God Has the Best in Mind for Us,
Johnny & Lisa

P.S. Facebook reactivated Lisa's account! Yippee!!!

P.S.2. Here is a picture of Ivan our lawyer in whom we are really enjoying to get to know better. Both of our lawyers are really great and are doing everything they can to help us out!

Day 9 - Maybe Tomorrow Again...

2009-02-18T14:47:00.001-05:00

Well, we were hoping to return to finish up paperwork today, but our lawyer called and said they are waiting for documents from Vika's city where she lived. So we are planning on leaving again tomorrow at 7:30am and we'll see what tomorrow holds.

We made the best of it today. We basically relaxed, did a little shopping, caught up on some correspondence, and had dinner with an Ukrainian who is friends with my parents.

If you don't mind, I would like to share with you something that Lord is using to encourage us. On Monday, I read part of Daniel chapter 1. Particularly, I focused in on Dan. 1:9 which says, "And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs..." And so I prayed that God would give us favor in the sight of those in authority over us. Thus far, every authority has been favorable toward us. I fully recognize that God doesn't owe us anything and that there are no guarantees that we won't run into problems with authority. But thus far we are encouraged and even if God doesn't give us favor with those in authority, we still trust that He is doing what is good for us (Rom. 8:28). Interesting enough, on Monday, Lisa had read Daniel chapter 4 about God's humbling the proud. As we drove to Nizhyn, we chatted about what we read that morning and were encouraged that we had been reading from the say book of the Bible and didn't even know it.

With that said, maybe we should also pray specifically that God will make sure that the authorities are present to complete the documents and the all the documents will be completed. :)

Thanks for Praying & Your Encouraging Notes!

Vika Saying Hi

2009-02-17T14:57:00.002-05:00

(Video quality is not good because it was dark.)

Day 8 - Maybe Tomorrow...

2009-02-17T13:15:00.002-05:00

Well... (pause)... we did NOT get all the documents today like we had hoped for. The social services director was not in the office again, so we could not complete all the documents. We did get some more documents completed at the orphanage, but it looks like we will have to return again tomorrow. This is a pretty normal process for Ukraine according to my parents who have had to complete various kinds of documents. But, of course, this will continue to delay the process.

We were able to visit with Vika again while our lawyer Ivan was working on some of the documents. We also got pulled over again by the police, but it appears that we escaped getting a ticket. We are not sure what the driver did wrong, maybe nothing.

Lastly, we ran out of gas on the way home. Fortunately, we were real close to a gas station. Ivan went and got 2 liters of gasoline that got us to the gas station.

We are learning to be content with God's timing and persevere!

Day 7 - Lisa Got Arrested by the Police...

2009-02-16T14:15:00.005-05:00

Do you see Lisa in the back seat? Well, she is in the back seat right next to me taking the picture. Our driver got pulled over in Nizhyn, the town we traveled to today, for unknowingly turning at a red light. (I had to give a spicy title so that you might be interested in reading the blog.) :) HA HA!!!

Well, it was interesting long day. We left a little after 7:30am and returned home almost 12 hours later. Our driver got us to Nizhyn in two hours, but it took almost three to get home. The reason in the time difference was that at times we were traveling 160 miles per hour (oops... kilometers per hour). But if you do the math, we were actually going around 100 miles per hour at times. We went a lot slower on the way back.

When we arrived in Nizhyn, we picked up the social worker and went to the orphanage. Ivan, our lawyer, Lisa, & I met with the orphanage director & social worker. They looked over our papers and filled out forms and asked us nothing. Vika came in for a little while and appeared a bit nervous. Ivan dialoged a little bit with the orphanage director and then the meeting ended. Lisa & I ended up staying with Vika for a couple of hours at the orphanage and Ivan left with the social worker to do some more paper work with social worker. Bottom line, it was a very good meeting because we got a lot more paper work than was anticipated! Ivan seemed to be pleasantly surprised by the good response! Yet, we could not complete all the paper work. So we have to go back tomorrow to complete some more documents. Hopefully, we will be able to get them all and maybe apply them at the child department in Kiev, which will need to happen next before we can get a court date.

One other interesting event occurred. We needed to stop at another place to get some more paperwork and sign some forms. Yet, we could not sign the forms without an interpreter. Ivan was not qualified to be an interpreter according to their rules. Yet, God obviously arranged a lady to be there who was qualified to be an interpreter. It turns out that the lady was signing some documents for the purchase of a house at the same time. So Ivan got her to interpret the form into English for us. On top of that, she was a believer who became a Christian through Calvary Chapel here in Ukraine. We continue to be awed by how God is faithful to orchestrate the people and events of our lives! God is good all the time!!!

Day 6 - Church & Met Vika's friends...

2009-02-15T13:06:00.004-05:00

(Artom, Lisa, & Deanna)

Today we went to a small international church that John & Jane attend. The songs & sermon were in English but the sermon was translated into Ukrainian. I think the neat part of the service is thinking about the different cultures that was represented. There were 3 people groups represented there. Believers from Ukraine, Nigeria, and America. Two children that Vika played with when she lived here were outside today. Lisa saw them and met them, and took there picture.

(Deanna & Artom)

Tomorrow we (Lisa, Johnny, Evan) leave around 7:30am via of car to a town called Nizhyn to be interviewed by a social worker, orphanage director, and to see Vika. It will probably be around a 3 hour drive. We're looking forward to what God has for us!

More pics here
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=1116526106&k=4WG324S5UV2M5ABEPG4XUU

Day 5 - The Knights Came to Visit Us...

2009-02-14T07:02:00.003-05:00

Reverend Pastor Brain (oops...Brian) & Amy Knight have come all the way from the U.P.(Michigan) to visit us here in Ukraine. (Ok the "Reverend" & "Brain" thing is a little inside joke & they didn't actually come to visit us.) But they are definitely here in Ukraine, & I've got a picture to prove it.

Brian use to pastor at Graham Community Church ( www.grahamchurch.org ). It's been almost 6 years ago since I had the privilege of the serving the Lord with Brian at Graham. Those of you who know Brian & Amy know that they now live and serve in the Houghton/Hancock area of the Upper Pennisula ( www.bbcinchrist.org ).

Brian & Amy came to Ukraine as Brian taught a group of Ukrainian Christians about 12 hours away (via of train) on the topic of spiritual gifts this week. It is common for pastors to come from USA to teach for a week in Ukraine usually to other pastors and leaders. They just returned to my parents apartment this morning. Isn't that just neat how God arranged that we could all be together at the same time in Ukraine!? They will be here until Tuesday.

This evening, we will be getting together with John & Leanne Paetkau. In August of 2007, Caleb & I went with a group from Graham Church to Sumy, Ukraine on a short-term mission trip. We primarily did some painting at camp for children that John & Leanne serve at. We look forward to seeing them.

We are anxiously waiting until Monday to visit Vika at the orphanage!

Day 4 - Got Paper at Child Department...

2009-02-13T16:52:00.002-05:00

Today was pretty straight forward and easy. Lisa, Johnny, & Dad(John) took the subway to the child department. We met up with Ivan our other lawyer. We simply needed to pick up a paper to take the orphanage and sign their book. The actual appointment took about 2 minutes though we had to wait around for a little bit.

We are now scheduled to go to the orphanage on Monday which will be an all day trip in a car. We will meet with the social worker, orphanage director, and with Vika. The lawyer says that he hopes they will approve us and give us the necessarily paper work to continue the process instead of waiting a few days. After that, we not sure exactly what we will have to do.

Thanks for your prayers!

Day 3 - Child Department Interview...

2009-02-12T08:16:00.001-05:00

Lisa & I traveled by ourselves via of taxi to the child department in downtown Ukraine this morning for our 10:00am interview. It was about an hour drive. Our lawyer, Dima, and our translator for the interview met us there. The interview was incredibly short. I think it only lasted about 10 minutes. The lawyer said that it is important in the interview to show that we have a good relationship with Vika. Lisa brought pictures of when Vika stayed with us in Michigan for 3 months. And the pictures were key to showing the child department that we have had a good relationship with Vika.

They asked only a few short questions like how met Vika and about how many children we have. They were really kind and friendly. One of ladies doing the interview did make one comment that was encouraging. She noted that with all our children, that they would try to hurry the process so we could get back to them. We, of course, don't know what exactly that means and we don't want to get our hopes up too much, but we were encouraged!

We have to return again tomorrow(Fri.) at 4pm to get some more paperwork and then possibly next week we will have to make an official visit to Vika's orphanage.

Day 2 - Visit to Vika & Adoption Lawyers...

2009-02-11T14:58:00.006-05:00

Well, its been an interesting day! :)

First, Mom (Jane), Lisa, & Jonathan left this morning around 8:30am to visit Vika at the orphanage. It was a 3 hour train ride & travel time to the train. They could only visit with Vika for about an hour due to orphanage rules. But it was a good visit! Vika was excited to see them and seems to be doing well. This orphanage is far better than the one she grew up in. They returned around 5:30pm.

Second, Dad (John) & Johnny stayed with Gabi & Sophia in the morning and then got a young girl from one of the team missionaries to babysit for the afternoon. Dad & Johnny had a meeting with the adoption lawyers. We submitted some documents and talked about the interview process with the child department that will occur tomorrow morning at 10am. Most of our conversation consisted of what we should communicate in the interview.

But we did inquire how long they thought it would take for the adoption process, and well... we were a little surprised. The lawyers said it may take a month before we can even get our court date, and then it could take another month before we could bring Vika home. Yikes!
Of course, there maybe ways to make it go faster and certainly we are trusting in God for his timing. We obviously need to simply take this day by day as things are always changing around here. We certainly appreciate your prayers!

Matt 6:34 - “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

For more pictures, go here...
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=1116526106&k=4WG324S5UV2M5ABEPG4XUU

We Made it To Ukraine...

2009-02-10T08:04:00.003-05:00

We're tired, but it was a good trip overall!

Leaving Town

2009-02-09T12:58:00.004-05:00

We're leaving town in a matter of minutes to catch of flight out of Detroit at 6:10pm with the destination of Kiev, Ukraine! Stay tuned to this blog as we seek to finalize the adoption and bring Vika home with us! :)

Oh yeah, pray for safe travels!!! :)
Feb. 9th

Great Story of Ukranian Adoption

2008-10-26T15:01:00.000-04:00

Johnny's Short Story...

2008-08-26T09:45:00.002-04:00

In The Midst of Life's Troubles

Sometimes in life, we have to face difficult situations. Some troubles are certainly more difficult than others, and these trials are either directly upon us or with someone we love. In the midst of life’s troubles, we may find ourselves looking up to heaven and asking the tough questions. God has a way about getting our attention. And the Bible says that God wants us to seek Him in the hope that we might find Him (Acts 17:27).

Well, here’s my story of how God got my attention. In the summer of 1990, some events happened that would change the course of my life. I had just graduated from high school, was working, and was heading off to the local college in the fall with my girlfriend. Life seemed fairly normal other than my Dad had been temporarily transferred to Mexico to work in one of his company’s factories. But then in the middle of summer, our family got the news that my Grandma had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Now, you need to understand that Grandma was a cornerstone to our family and she clearly loved her grandchildren. I use to spend countless summer days at her house with my cousins. We would swim and eat and swim some more. But more than that, Grandma lived a life before us that showed she had an intimate relationship with God. She would pray and read her Bible in the mornings. She would teach the Bible to children in her home, and played the piano and sang at church. It was also common for her to take us grandchildren with her to the local convalescent home and sing songs to the people who could not longer care for themselves. Grandma was certainly a godly woman who loved God and had given her life to serve the Lord Jesus Christ of the Bible.

So when she was diagnosed with terminal cancer in her mid-fifties, it came as a shock to the entire family. Well, the doctors performed the normal chemotherapy treatments, but it was certain that nothing was going to stop the cancer from killing her. In less than six months time, the cancer would lead to her death. I can still distinctly remember visiting her in the hospital. The cancer was very painful and required morphine to help ease the pain. But even though she was in pain with tears rolling down her cheeks, she still maintained a genuine smile of joy. Her response to this awful, painful cancer and ultimately her response to God greatly impacted me about where I stood in my relationship to God. To this day I have visited people in the hospital and very rarely do I see individuals responding the same way she did. What was different about Grandma? Was she just a good person and had a good heart? She would have said, “Absolutely No!” But she was clearly at peace with God and was certain she was going to heaven when she died (just like the Bible promises in 1 John 5:13).

Yet, even though I was raised going to church and had lived a fairly moral life (humanly speaking), I knew in my heart that I was not at peace with God like my grandmother was. But what was my problem? Sure I had engaged in activities that were against the law (alcohol, drugs, etc.), and had committed sins that were clearly condemned by the Bible (immorality, etc.) like many teenagers. Yet, in my mind I would rationalize and say, “Who hasn’t sinned... surely God will forgive me?” Even the Bible says, “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.” (Ecclesiastes 7:20) The problem with my thinking was that God demands perfection. Jesus said in Matthew 5:48, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Ok, you may be thinking well I really haven’t done anything that bad that would send me to hell. Yet, when you read the Bible, you can’t help but notice all of God’s commands to obey him. For example, just consider the ten commandments (Exodus 20). The 9th commandment tells us that we are not to lie not even “white lies”. Who can say that they have never lied? The 8th commandment tells us that we are never to steal. Who can say that they have never stolen anything? The 7th commandment tells us that we are not commit adultery, and Jesus said that if one looks at someone with lust in their heart they have committed adultery (Matthew 5:28). Who can say that they never had a lustful thought in their mind? Well, if we are honest with the Bible and ourselves, we are guilty of breaking all ten of the commandments (not to mention the rest of the commandments of Scripture). But even if I had only broken one of the commandments one time in my lifetime, I would still be condemned. James 2:10 states, “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.”

So my story goes on that I began attending a different church and then later the next year started attending a Bible study. As I began to study the Bible, God opened my eyes to my guilty standing before Him. I was not at peace with God, like my Grandmother. Sure, I fooled myself for years that I was “OK”, but I wasn’t. In fact, the Bible states that when some people meet God on judgement day, God is going to say, “Depart from Me, for I never knew you...” (Matt. 7:15-23). But thank God for the Good News! The Good News was that even though I was guilty and condemned, Jesus Christ came to this earth over 2000 years ago and died on my behalf and on the behalf of the whole world. 1 Peter 3:18 states, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God...” God used my Grandmother’s life and her dying of cancer to get my attention to seek Him and realize through the reading the Bible of my sinful standing before Him. By God’s grace, I repented of my sins and placed my faith alone in Christ alone which is the only way to heaven. I turned my back away from my life of sin, and came and followed Jesus. Now, as 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 teaches, the love that Christ showed by dying in my place controls me that I no longer want to live for myself, but for Him who died on my behalf.

I wanted to tell you my story of what God has done in my life because it is Good News. And this Good News of Jesus Christ dying, being resurrected, and offering forgiveness of sins to all will repent and believe is something that everyone should hear. So my prayer and hope is that you will consider your eternal destiny where ever you are at in life!

By Johnny Schlaack

Johnny in the News

2008-08-23T10:46:00.001-04:00

Facebook...

2008-06-20T16:46:00.001-04:00

If you are interested in keeping up with the Schlaacks, you might consider joining Facebook!

The Schlaack Brady Bunch

2008-05-16T13:47:00.002-04:00

More Pics of Sophia

2008-04-05T07:26:00.002-04:00

Click on Picture
or
copy and paste link below into your browser!

Sophia Elise

LINK

2008-04-05T07:13:00.002-04:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/schlaack2/SophiaElise

Sophia Elise

2008-04-04T20:08:00.003-04:00

Sophia Elise was born today at 4:36pm.
She was 8lbs 6oz and 21 inches.
Mom and her are doing well!

Can you believe it? Lisa made it on Fit Pregnancy!!!

2008-04-02T21:58:00.002-04:00

STAY TUNED AS LISA IS SCHEDULED TO HAVE SOPHIA ON FRIDAY!!! YIPPPEEE!!!

5 Belly's Getting Ready to Pop

2008-03-11T21:00:00.002-04:00

Guess who is going to deliver first?

Right to Left:
Lisa S.-Audrey W.-Teresa A.-Rachel N.-Amy G.-Rachel P.

Christmas Readings

2007-12-03T09:21:00.000-05:00

I've put together a list of Christmas readings that can be used for personal devotions or family devotions. I plan on working through them with my family. There are 5 readings per week and they will help you focus on Christ this holiday season. I challenge you read and enjoy them this Christmas season.

Week 4 – Dec. 2-8

Romans 15:4-13 -- Have hope because God fulfills his promises
John 1:1-5, 9-14 -- Christ Jesus - the eternal Word became flesh
Gen. 3:1-19 (*15) -- The first promise of the Christ
Deut. 18:15-19 & John 6:14; 7:40 -- The promise of the Prophet Jesus
Zech. 9:9; Is. 7:14, 9:6-7; Micah 5:2 -- The promise of King Jesus

Week 3 – Dec. 9-15

Isa. 40:1-11 (*5) – Preparing for the coming Messiah
Matt. 1:18-26 – Birth of Jesus foretold to Joseph
Luke 1:26-38 – Birth of Jesus foretold to Mary
Luke 1:39-56 – Mary visits Elizabeth
Gal. 4:3-6 (*4-5) – God sent forth his Son to redeem us

Week 2 – Dec. 16-22

Isaiah 53:1-12 (*2-3) – Jesus was born an ordinary man
Phili. 2:1-11 (6-8*) – God became the humble Man Jesus
Heb. 1:1-3; 2:14-18 – Jesus came as the promised High Priest
Luke 2:1-7 – The birth of Jesus Christ
Luke 2:8-21 – Shepherds & Angels at the birth of the Savior

Week 1 – Dec. 23-29

1 John 4:7-16 – God manifested his love by sending Jesus
Ps. 98:1-6 – Praise God for giving us our salvation (Christmas Day)
Matt. 2:1-15 – The wise men worshiped Jesus
John 8:12; 14:1-6 – Jesus is the way, the truth, & the life
Matt. 5:14-16; 28:19-20 – Go therefore & tell others about Jesus

Speed Bump Solution...

2007-12-01T14:30:00.000-05:00

The deacons at Graham Church have been working overtime for a reasonable solution to people running the stop sign. I think we have a solution here...

Can Vern build it, is the question?

Guess Who's Pregnant?

2007-11-05T20:11:00.000-05:00

YES! THE RUMOR IS TRUE!! LISA IS PREGNANT!!!
{Lord willing, we will have #5 in April 2008}

Here is crude but real cultural and modern view of the number of children a couple should have... It is generally quite acceptable to not have children at all. If you have one or maybe two children, you are considered fairly normal. If you have three children, you've made a mistake, and you should definitely stop. If you have four children than something is definitely wrong with you. If you have five children, you are practically being irresponsible. And if you have six or more children, you are simply messed up in the head and ought to be medicated and sterilized and possibly shipped off to some remote island. :-)

So I've been thinking it would be fun to create a top 10 list and push some people over the edge. :-)

TOP 10 REASONS WHY WE ARE HAVING ANOTHER CHILD
[Disclaimer: Some people don't know that I have a sick sense of humor, so please don't misunderstand these. They are meant to be FUNNY! (except #1)]

10. Because I had a vision one night that Lisa was pregnant
9. Because I am simply irresistible
8. Because Lisa is simply irresistible
7. Because Lisa has too much free time on her hands and needs more to do
6. Because we don't believe in birth control
5. Because most everyone plays it safe with 1.7 children, but we believe in taking risks
4. Because we have yet to figure out how babies are made
3. Because we think it is a waste of money and time to use the extra income to buy a cottage on the lake, a boat, etc.
2. Because we think it's funny when people stare and point at us like we're freaks
1. Because we love children and can't think of any better way to spend our time, energy, and money

P.S. Yes, we are still pursuing Vika (#6)! But as of right now, it doesn't look like we'll be able to get her until the Fall of 2008. Keep praying that it would go through and everything would fall into place.

Best Counseling I've ever seen...

2007-10-16T18:21:00.000-04:00

This is the funniest video I have ever seen on counseling! Enjoy!

We're Back from Ukraine...

2007-09-11T20:59:00.000-04:00

Ok, so we've been back for over 3 weeks now. Well, it was a great trip to say the least. As always, a lot occurred and there is not enough time to go over it all. But I've got a link below of a PDF file that gives a two page report. And if you would like more, I've linked to an audio file of the report that our team gave to our church. And I've got more pictures of the trip if you want to browse through them. ENJOY!

Click HERE for PDF report
Click HERE for audio report
Click HERE for more pictures

We thank you all for praying for us and for financially supporting us!

We're Going to Ukraine in August...

2007-06-29T11:32:00.000-04:00

Greetings All,

As some of you know, Caleb and I are heading to Ukraine in August. It will be a 12 day trip from Aug. 9-20. We are really looking forward it. There will be a team of 9 of us that will see the ministry of my Mom & Dad and we will work at children's camp in Sumy. We will primarily be doing maintenance work at the camp.

The trip is of course quite expensive and we wondered if we were going to be able to raise enough support to be able to go. Well, we found out this last week that our entire team has raised all the support that is needed and some extra. (The extra will likely go to the camp work project.)

You can read about more details by clicking on this link to a PDF file of the letter we sent out.

Aunt Carla Kicks Me Back into Blogging...

2007-06-12T10:21:00.000-04:00

Ok, I know it has been way too long since I posted to my Blog. You are right Aunt Carla!
Aunt Carla got after me (in a good way) in May that she would like to see some more postings with pictures on the blog. So I'm finally updating the pictures that were not showing up because Zoto photo is no longer free.

Hosted by eSnips

But now I use esnips.com and the links on the left now point to pictures that are actually there. Or you can use these links...

http://www.esnips.com/web/schlaacks

http://www.esnips.com/web/johnjanesPhotos

I'm going to try to stay more on top of this (famous last words)! :)

Enjoy!

Johnny

The Vika Story Part 2

2007-01-12T20:35:00.000-05:00

(Read Part 1 here)

Mom continues the story...
...They(Johnny & Lisa) were very interested (in adopting Vika) and then at the end of May we got a call asking if we would get Vika and bring her to Kiev to see a doctor. So we said we would be praying that maybe we could get custody during this month that the orphanage had given her to us. But at the end of May we got a call saying we had to bring Vika back for "Last Bell" (which is the last day of school). So we did but they would not let us keep her because we didn’t have legal custody of her and the orphanage didn't have a legal right to give her to us in the first place. We thought that this was the end of the whole thing because we were told that Vika's great grandmother had custody and had made a statement that no one would ever get Vika till she was dead.

A week or so later we received a call from the lawyer (Dima) we had been working with. Dima said he would pursue going to see Vika's great grandmother. So he went and we received a call saying that the great grandmother wanted to meet us when Vika got home from camp.

So we planned a trip as soon as Vika got to her grandmother's. When Vika saw us she ran to me and hugged me and was happy to see me. Her grandmother said, we could have her and that Johnny & Lisa could adopt her. The great grandmother cried much of the time as she talked and shared with us that Vika had told her that she called us, "Grandma and Grandpa" because we were going to be her grandparents because Johnny & Lisa were going to adopt her so she could have a Mama and Papa.

So we waited as Dima did the paper work for us to get custody to bring Vika to Kiev and start her in school. Dima had found a external school which would work with us. And Dima was working on getting Vika to be able to go to America to meet her new family.
We hired a tutor, Nadesda and she came 4 times a week to work with Vika and I worked with her on homework. The Lord did it all so that she would learn what she needed.

Many people had been praying for us and for getting Vika. On Monday August 21st, 2006 Dima called and said we could pick Vika up on Wednesday August 23, 2006 from her great grandmother's.

We continued to pray that the Lord would get all the paper work done with Vika's passport to take her to America in Sept. 29, 2006. After 2 trips to American embassy to get a visa the Lord provided through much prayer. We bought tickets and flew to the states with Vika. She was so excited as we flew and couldn’t' wait to meet her Mama and Papa as she told me many times on the plane. She dressed in traditional Ukrainian shirt and headdress (see here) and was excited for her mama and papa to see her and continued to asked what they would say.

Still more to come...

The Vika Story Part 1

2006-11-03T16:44:00.000-05:00

Ok, here it is... My Mom (Jane) has given us the details of how it all started.

She writes, "About 3 years ago, it all began with a prayer. We had visited some orphanages in Sumy, Ukraine and saw those kids who needed a home. I prayed first that maybe our kids would adopt some day from Ukraine, then in 2005 Lisa had mentioned that they were talking about adopting from Ukraine. I asked the Lord if He would have them adopt that I could be some part of it."

In May of 2005 we went to an orphanage with some friends in Kiev, so I could cut any kids hair who wanted to have their hair cut. Judy and Mike Manna took us as they had been doing ministry with this orphanage. I cut hair and Judy pointed out a little girl named Vika, and said we should adopt her. I said forget it as John would never want to raise kids again.

In March of 2006 Johnny and Lisa came to Ukraine to visit and wanted to visit orphanages to see what the Lord had for them and so we went to Sumy for one day and visited 4 orphanages with kids from babies to teens. Johnny and Lisa were both drawn to the older group of kids around 7 to 13 they told us.

Then in May 2006 Judy Manna called with an idea for us to take custody of Vika and keep her for the year waiting time and then for our kids to adopt her. I said of course we would pray about it and thought that would be the end of it. The Lord had different plans, as John and I talked about it and John said within a few days that we should see if Johnny and Lisa were interested in her as she was 9 and then make a decision. They were very interested and then...
(Stay tuned for Part 2)

Vika & Grandpa & Grandma Arrived

2006-10-10T23:51:00.000-04:00

Ok, I know this is late coming... but we've had computer problems.

Vika, Grandpa, & Grandma arrived Friday evening on Sept. 29th.

Vika seems to be adjusting quite well in our home. Yet, she has been a little overwhelmed with meeting everyone at church. But even there, she seems to be warming up to people. We are thankful to God for the opportunity to invest in this young girl's life. It seems so amazing what God has done with bringing Vika to us. God certainly has treated us far better than we deserve!

Hold tight as more of the story is coming! Also, you can see more pictures of Vika if you click on the side link "Our Photos".

Who is that Vika girl?

2006-09-14T22:25:00.000-04:00

Well, some of you may be wondering about the young Ukrainian girl that we are attempting to adopt. The full story is coming, but for now we want to show you a picture and tell you a couple of details.

Vika is her name and she is 9 years old. My parents, who are missionaries in Kiev, Ukraine (click on side link for more details) currently have custody of her and will be bringing her to the USA on Sept. 29th for their 3 month furlough.

Jane - Vika - John

Mark's Testimony after 9/11

2006-09-05T18:24:00.000-04:00

Mark is a good friend of mine, who also goes to my church. He spurs me on to share Christ with others. In fact, this very testimony is something he has written out, like a tract, that he hands out to people. Read what God has done in his life!

SEPTEMBER 11, 2001
Where were you when terrorists attacked America?

I had just arrived at a field work site and noticed people gathered around a TV set. I asked them what was going on. They told me that a plane had just crashed into one of the World Trade Center Towers. So I watched with them as the events of 9/11/01 unfolded. Shortly after I began watching a second plane crashed into the other Tower. I was stunned and left the work site early feeling angry and lost.

Since I couldn’t fight this new war (I was too old), I decided I would find out why they (the terrorists) hated us so much and why people were always fighting in the Middle East. After the terrorist attacks, there was talk about a "holy war". I remembered I had a Bible that a friend gave me years ago. In the archaeological supplement I found a reference to "a holy war." It included a description of one of the dead sea scrolls that was a military manual for the conduct of a "holy war" between the "Children of Light" and the foes foreseen as attempting to oppress the people of God in the last age.

About a week after 9/11/01, I stumbled onto a Christian radio station. A preacher was talking about Satan and how he is a deceiver and how he would like you to think he isn’t real (one of his greatest deceptions), and how he is a liar and the father of lies. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44) As I heard these words I began to see my sins as God saw them. That God sees lust as adultery. But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:28)

I realized that God even saw my thought life. "For I know the things that come into your mind". (Ezekiel 11:5) Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their highways. (Isaiah 59:7)

Then, God had mercy on me. Later that same day they played a song called "The Blood of Jesus." As I heard the chorus I wept, "It was the blood of Jesus, the blood of Jesus, that opened heaven’s door to let me in, It was the blood of Jesus, the blood Jesus, that washed away, the guilt of all my sin." I had been taught from childhood that Jesus died on the cross, but it never really made sense to me. But now, by the grace of God, for the first time in my life I began to understand why Jesus died on the cross. Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. (Hebrews 9:22)

I cried out to God in my heart, felt sorrow for my sins, having seen them for what they were. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight... (Psalm 51:4) I now realized I had sinned against God and had been deceived into thinking I was basically a "good" person. Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart. (Proverbs 21:2)) I had thought that as long as I went to church, believed in God and tried to live a good life, I would go to heaven when I died. I was wrong. There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. (Proverbs 14:12)

I now knew that if God judged me by the Ten Commandments on Judgement Day, I would be guilty, and go to hell. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:14)

It was only by the grace of God that I understood that Jesus died to take the punishment for my sins. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

From that moment on I began to turn away from my sins and turned toward God. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness..(Acts 17:30-31)

A few days later I bought a book that discussed the Jews return to Israel as a key end times prophecy being fulfilled. The very next day I watched a TV program called "On Wings of Eagles" that told of the Jews return to Israel. I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. (Ezekiel 36:24)

Several days later I came across a Christian TV program. A preacher was talking about salvation and the need to repent and come to the foot of the cross and receive Christ as Savior. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12) I remember for a moment being at the foot of the cross shrouded in darkness, the burden of guilt and shame for my sins being lifted, and being cleansed from my sins. He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. (Titus 3:5)

God miraculously opened my eyes and I could see and understand like never before. I absolutely knew that: (1) God had forgiven me, (2) Jesus died for me, (3) I was created to have a relationship with Him, to know Him, and to love and serve Him. I gave my life to Him that day and will never be the same again. God’s grace overwhelmed me. Words fail to describe the peace I experienced then and ever since. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

All of these events transpired between 9/11/01 and 9/28/01 (my birthday). I opened the Bible my friend gave me and started to read. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11) On 9/28/01 I came across a devotional reading that centered around the book of Luke chapter 9 verse 20 Then he said to them, "But who do you say that I am? And Peter answered, The Christ of God. By the grace of God, through the eyes of faith, I understood who Jesus truly was.

For thousands of people at the World Trade Center and in the Pentagon, the answer would have been simple: "At work." In a matter of moments-before anyone really understood what was going on-thousands of lives had been lost. Some of these people were ready; some of them were not. What about you? Are you ready today? If God judges you by the Ten Commandments on Judgment Day, would you be innocent or guilty? Where will you spend eternity, Heaven? Or Hell? The truth is that every one of us will one day die. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment. (Hebrews 9:27) Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. (1 John 3:4)

Have you lived a good life? Have you ever told a lie? If so, what does that make you? A LIAR Have you ever stolen something (its value is irrelevant)? If you have, then what does that make you? A THIEF Have you ever looked with lust? Then you have committed ADULTERY in your heart. The Bible also tells us, "Whoever hates his brother is a MURDERER." (1 John 3:15). Have you loved God above all else? Have you made a ‘god’ to suit yourself (having your own beliefs about God)? If so, that’s IDOLATRY. Have you used God’s name to curse, kept the Sabbath holy, honored your parents, or been greedy? Judge yourself-have you broken the Ten Commandments? Knowing that God has seen your thought-life, and every deed done in darkness, will you be innocent or guilty on Judgment Day? The only way you can be saved from His wrath, is to repent and put your faith in the Savior, Jesus Christ. When he died on the Cross, He took the punishment for our sins. He stepped into the Courtroom and paid the fine for us. Then he rose from the dead, defeating death. To find peace with God, pray something like this now: "God, please forgive my sins (name them). I turn from them and put my faith in Jesus Christ as my Lord and my Savior." Now read the Bible daily and obey what you read (see John 14:21)-God will never let you down.

Mark Scott

Recent Family Picture

2006-08-18T13:01:00.000-04:00

Here's a recent (casual) family photo! :)

Right to left: Gabi, Seth, Dad (Johnny), Caleb, Jonathan, Mom (Lisa)

2005-10-13T22:26:00.000-04:00

Welcome to The Schlaacks Blog!

I've decided to begin to transfer our old home page to this blog. My hope is that this will be easier to maintain and keep updated. No real plans to post blogs all the time, but hopefully fairly regulary so that family and friends might see what God is doing in our lives. We'll see how it goes. Of course, if anyone has any suggestions, let me know.

Thanks!

In Christ,
Johnny