Our Visas Came!!!

The doorbell rand today, and we were shocked and happily surprised to see the FedEx man at the door, delivering our visas! I would have hugged him had he not already been walking away. I'm sure FedEx workers meet a lot of either really happy or really angry people.

So now our biggest obstacle is packing. There's so much stuff you need for a baby- especially when you're factoring clothes for the next couple of years and she grows so fast! We found out today that even if there's an empty seat next to us on the plane we can't put a car seat there. And the car seat will cost $137 to check. Oh, brother. Basically we just need it for transporting between airports in Moscow, so we're looking into finding a taxi that comes with a car seat. I hope there is one because that'll be one less thing to carry.

Thank you for your prayers! We definitely feel surrounded!

It's So Hard To Say Goodbye

Today my Dad flew to Louisiana to visit my brother and so we had to say goodbye to him... for who knows how long. It's always so hard to say goodbye and to know we're taking Anneka away from her grandparents and so many others who love her so dearly. But I also am struck by the beauty and depth of time that we have with people simply because of this path we've chosen. I find that I'm much more intentional in getting time with family and sharing with them how much I love them. I'm thankful for this special gift. We also had a dessert time with other family members this evening. We are blessed with such a wonderful family!

Speaking of family, I realized that we've posted pictures of all the great grandparents except for Anneka's "Grandpa Great". So here they are together. =)

The Polar Plunge

Dad, Leif, Anneka, and I went on a walk today and at the other end of the lake came across a polar plunge. Different groups of people jumped from the ice into the freezing water as a fund raiser for the Special Olympics. We were happy to just be watching!

He Did It!!

Leif did it! He finished reading the Russian Bible before we head back next week. Hooray!! I am very proud of him, as this is a huge feat and is indicative of many, many hours of study.

Our letter of invitation came in the mail today at about 4:00. We just found out that Monday is a Russian holiday and the consulate will be closed... so we'll need to rush our visas to get them back by next Thursday. We're thankful that we found out about this holiday and would much rather pay a little more for rushed visas than a lot more for all new plane tickets. Please continue to pray for all of that!

Sew Fun

My mom and I have been in a Bible study on the book of Daniel since September. One of the blessings in our having to be in the States through February is that I get to be there until the last day of the study! Yesterday the women from the Bible study got together and made baby quilts for a crisis nursery in Spokane. It was really fun to have the time together. I'd never made a quilt before (except for one for my cat, Dorothy, when I was about 12). I felt quite proud of myself!

On another note, our letters of invitation are in route from Siberia to the States right now! If all goes smoothly, we should get them just in time to get our visas (hopefully with a day to spare!) We joke that no matter how much time you give, visas always come the day before (or the day of!) departure. Please pray that there will be no hangups with this. Also, as I write, Leif's mom is in the Seattle airport, waiting for her plane to be fixed before she comes to visit us one last time. I had forgotten about the reality of late flights until her call, and then I started thinking about how all 5 of our flights are back-to-back to get to Ulan Ude. So then I started worrying a little about that. I know, I'm not supposed to worry. But please pray, too, that we won't have any delays as we fly home. One delay could cause having to buy all new tickets and being stuck at any number of airports around the world for a day. No fun.

Our latest understanding of the visa situation

Acually the picture of the deer on the deck has nothing to do with this blog other than it has been fun to see these fearless deer around Medical Lake since we've been here.

Laws and rules can be tough to figure out some times. And it feels like we are often thinking that one thing will happen, and then realize that maybe it will be something else. Up until a couple of days ago we thought that we would be going to Russia on the 29th of February on a three month visitor visa and would begin the process of applying for residency. Actaully that part is still the same, but there is still new information. We thought that according to the rules we would need to return to the States for a full three months following that three months in Russia. Well as people have been visiting the registration office in Ulan-Ude for us to get our letter of invitation for that visa they found out that we would probably be able to get a second visa directly following the first without the three month wait and that we could probably process that in Mongolia (much closer to Ulan-Ude than the States). We may even be able to get our original visa extended because we will be in the process of getting our residency. That is good news as far as not having to endure that long travel and saving money, but it is a bit sad as we had thought we would see family and friends again soon and will miss some big events here in the States. We also have a bit more stuff (e.g. Anneka hand-me-downs for bigger sizes) that we will have to sort and pack that we thought we could put off until this summer. Of course this is the latest plan and understanding, and that is always subject to change. Please continue to pray for our visas to be processed and sent to us quickly and for the residency process in Ulan-Ude to go well when we arrive in Ulan-Ude.
-LG

She's not a criminal!

The other day my mom answered the phone, and I could tell the person on the other end was asking for Anneka because my mom started laughing and said, "Yes, she is, but she's a baby". The person calling was confused because she was running a criminal check on Anneka (for us to have to apply for temporary residency in Russia), and she thought the date of birth must be wrong. We've been in Russia long enough to know that when they have document requirements we need to have them- thus, a criminal record of our baby daughter. But the good news is that she came back clear! She's not a criminal!

Fun Pictures

When Anneka was a month old, our friend Angela took these pictures (and many more great ones) for us. She has such an eye for details and she set up a little studio here at our home. She has a website. You should check it out: www.stillpointphotography.net

Thanks, Angela!!!

Happy Birthday, Grandma, Mom, Leif, and Nora!

Yesterday we had a family birthday party to celebrate the birthdays of my grandma, mom, cousin Nora, and Leif. Their special days all fall within about a week of each other. We had a hotdog roast out in the snow, followed with s'mores later on. This is one of the things I miss most when we're in Siberia is celebrating times like this with the family. My family usually has some sort of "theme" for the parties (ex: ugly sweaters, dancing party, "whole hog", etc.). It's fun.