Making Friends with Patrick

More photos of Andrew - just click the link below: http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?&collid=75868082209



This morning the weather was a bit cooler than it's been since we got here. All of those that have been praying along with us for cooler weather our prayers have been answered. This past week the weather has been a dream. Almost feels like September is here already. That would be nice...then we could all come home. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. It helps make the time go by fast playing with Andrew for 5 hours out of the day and coming to the Internet cafe to read all of your emails that you send us. It is certainly a blessing to hear from all of you, while we are waiting to come home with Andrew.



Just to let you know and understand a bit better how all of our prayers have been answered and how the Supernatural Favor of God surrounds us everywhere we go and with all people, our adoption has sped along mightily with the paperwork compared to all of the other families that are here through their adoption agencies that they are using. All of 7 other adoptive families that arrived at the orphanage the same day as we did to meet their children only 3 other families besides us went to court already. There are many document and translator problems with their adoption process. Please pray for them as well for supernatural favor with their adoptions so they can move forward with the adoption of their children as well. We have been truely blessed that we have such a great translator, Alla. All of the other translators were asking her of advice on how to take care of the documents and even help translate to their clients for them.



Today Andrew made a new friend named Patrick. Patrick is a 6 year old Ukrainian adopted child of one of the Italian families that is adopting another son in our orphanage. Each day, Patrick comes over to say hello to Andrew. He loves Andrew and loves to touch his cheeks. He is very sweet and has really taken to Andrew. Earlier this morning, Daddy was showing Andrew how to throw and bounce the small little basketball to play catch with him. Well a bit later Patrick came over to say hello to Andrew and sat down near our blanket to play with Andrew. I told Andrew to throw Patrick the ball and he did. Patrick then rolled it back to him. Andrew kept throwing the ball back and forth to Patrick. I was amazed at how long the two of them kept playing ball. I think Andrew realized today that he has a new friend. In the afternoon, when Patrick would come over to say hello Andrew would crawl over to him to spend time with him.



We also met a new adoptive couple from Ireland that is adopting a girl in Andrew's groupa. They've been at the orphanage for a few days bonding with the little girl and has proceeded to go through with the adoption. We have also met families from Spain, Italy, Sweden, Michigan, Ohio, South Carolina and Harrisburg, PA. We are learining not only a bit of Russian but also a bit of Italian, and Spanish.



Andrew also got weighed today and he has gained a total of 2 lbs since we met him. He weighed close to 18 lbs on Aug. 2 and now he weighs 20lbs. For curiousity sake I also measured him to see if he grew in height and he grew a whole inch already. My how fast he is growing just in 2 weeks. Amazing!! I knew his cheeks were filling out but I'm surprised that he grew a whole inch in two weeks. God is so good!