Our Adoption Story---The Phone Call

[For the beginning of this story, see earlier posts below...]

Our months of waiting were interrupted on February 16th, 2004 with the long-anticipated phone call from Inna. These words filled my heart with joy: "I think I have a possible referral for you." To our complete astonishment and delight, he had been born in the exact city we had once called home. Inna later explained that she had focused on that baby house once she learned that we had lived there.

Everything changed with that phone call. The "unknown" became "known." The "you need to adopt a son" became the reality that a seven-month old Kazakh baby boy was waiting for us in a baby house in a city and country we loved. His name was Bolat.

Having a name and a face in our minds only made the waiting more difficult. Our hearts began to engage and our prayers turned to asking God to comfort and protect this baby who would one day be our son. But other than thinking and praying, there was still very little to do except wait, and wait some more.

And so we began the agonizing wait for the phone call that our dossier (paperwork) had been released. We also waited to see how the Mountain-Mover would manage to get us back to Kazkahstan.

[In honor of our "Bolat's" upcoming 5th birthday, I will wrap up this story in the next few days. Thanks for following along. I won't leave you hanging much longer. Make sure to come back for the "exciting conclusion!"]