Young and Married

Mr. & Mr. Beaver:

Three weeks ago we watched with a large crowd as our oldest daughter and our brand-new son exited the beautiful 100-old-church in which they'd been married through a flurry of bubbles.

The two of them honeymooned for a week on the shore of Lake Superior in nothern Minnesota. Since then they've been setting up their first home, a one-bedroom apartment in the suburbs of Cincinnati.

Tonight after a week of putting together furniture--nightstands, a chest of drawers and a couple of book shelves--they built something else: a blog. We invite you to visit Young and Married.

When you visit their blog you'll learn their purpose for adding to all the media choices available. You'll also learn our daughter's real name as she graduates from her family blog name to her own first name.

Aaron and ?,
We wish you God's richest blessing on your endeavor to make a positive impact on our culture.
We love you exceedingly,
Mom and Dad

I Miss My Baby

Mrs. Beaver:

Father in Heaven,

Thank You for giving us such a wonder to parent after all those bitter years of infertility. Thank You, Lord, for moving in the heart of her birthmother to choose us out of all the childless couples waiting and hoping and longing to be parents. You gave us so much more in our first child than we could have ever dared to hope or think (Eph. 3:20).

Thank You for launching our first "arrow" (Ps. 127:4) in the very way we dreamed from the first day we held her in her birthmother's hospital room, and then as she grew from a beautiful newborn to a full-of-life toddler to an exuberant little girl to an articulate teen giving her faith flight through her poetry. Most recently Tessa has grown into a mature young woman telling us she longed to be a wife and a mother. Lord, You gave us our dream when You gave us Tessa, and now You have given Tessa her dream. Thank You for the grace to release Your precious gift to our new son, Aaron. Thank You for the strength to adjust to her absence. Thank You for a Saviour into whose arms I can fall when I miss my baby...now such a dear friend.

No Longer All Bottled Up

Daria in the gown she wore in Tessa's wedding

Mrs. Beaver:

Tonight Mr. Beaver and I took Daria out. Just the three of us. We granted her this time alone with her parents because we knew she had a long list of important issues she longed to discuss with us. The week before Tessa and Aaron's wedding, while Mr. Beaver was in Los Angeles, Daria came to me late one evening with about 15 in-depth questions about what it means to be part of our family.

I knew this was a journey the three of us needed to take together. I knew we were too caught up in the details of the wedding to give her our full attention so I promised her we'd carve out the time after the big event.

So finally tonight over lightly-breaded walleye, she opened her spiral notebook and began the in-depth dig into the kind of questions that any teen joining a family in another culture, especially a home schooling family, would have. Daria asked us to help her understand when she will graduate from high school since she's doing some of her studies in Russian while pouring much of her scholastic energy into learning English.

She wanted to understand what our family's year-round school schedule, with breaks for out-of-town company and travel, was like. Daria wanted to understand if we would do anything out-of-the-ordinary this summer. In the orphanage the children got a break in routine by visiting a camp each summer. Daria was excited about our current travel plans and our hoped-for travel.

She told us about her many, many interests, which range from the care of animals to interior design to ballroom dancing. Scholastically, she's interested in science of all types, but especially biology. She asked about religious differences between the Christian and Muslim faiths, between the Bible and the Koran.

Many of these queries we had to put off until we can research some more (and pray some more). Thankfully, she's a wonderfully patient teen.

When we got home, Daria spent the next hour telling me about her grandmother's special knack with animals in general and snakes in particular. She described in vivid detail watching her babushka capture one of the reptiles by grabbing it from the back of the head, pry it's jaw open and drain the venom for later medicinal uses. Daria believes she was about six or seven at the time. She lived with her grandmother until she was about eleven.

I'm not sure my beloved Daria took a breath between 6 and 10 pm tonight. I'm an exhausted listener yearning for bed, but I'm also a joyful adoptive parent. My teenage daughter earnestly wants to talk to her parents. She wants to share her life with us. She wants to share her past, what's bottled up in her heart and her future dreams. An evening filled with many laughs, general understanding of her use of her new language on our part, and a ton of patience on her part just doesn't get any better than that for the new parents of a 16-year-old.

God is so good!

Tessa's Wedding: Greeting the "Greats"

As we were in the middle of having the wedding photos taken, Tessa suddenly jumped out of the pose she'd been told to hold and ran up the aisle toward the back of the church. I was startled, and turned from where I was standing in between a couple of the front pews to see what had caused the stir. As soon as I did, I understood Tessa's happy sprint--some of her beloved great aunts and uncles had just arrived from Madison and Kansas City.

As Tessa was growing up, we vacationed with these four wonderful people. They're just the kind you want to take on a vacation, always up for a game of cards or a hike. Tessa felt honored that they were willing to make the drive to attend her wedding. Her day was that much more delightful because the "greats" were there.

Running to hug Uncle Jerry

Poised to embrace Aunt Judy

Wrapped in Aunt Carol's arms

Clinging to Uncle John

Love is...

Mrs. Beaver:

Since our last post mentioned two newlywed couples, I thought it might be helpful to quote our favorite definition of love. These wise words by Paul David Tripp from his book on marriage, What'd You Expect??, are obviously derived from many Bible passages on love's meaning:

"Love is willing self-sacrifice for the good of another that does not require reciprocation or that the person being loved is deserving."

This definition of love suits the role of parent and adoptive parent perfectly also so I'm busy memorizing it.

Don't Mr. Tripp's words also etch a crystal-clear picture of what Christ did for us, while we were still His enemies (Rom. 5:8)???

Tessa's Wedding: A Special Moment with a Special Friend

Despite the craziness in the sanctuary the afternoon of Tessa and Aaron's wedding, the Lord gave Tessa the gift of a few special moments with some of those to whom she has been close.

Here she's pictured with Emily, a friend of eight years, as Emily adjusts a curl.

Emily is a new bride herself. She and Jon were just married in January. Like Aaron and Tessa, they also courted before marrying. Their strong love, blossoming romance and sweet friendship are a joy to watch (and photograph!).

Mr. Beaver and I know that the two sets of newlyweds will be an encouragement to each other as they learn to deny self (Luke (9:23) and love sacrificially in the framework of marriage.

So Blessed! WOWed by God's Ways

Mrs. Beaver:

Our oldest, Tessa, (now Mrs. Nix!) and our youngest, Oksana on Red Square
last Novemeber as our whole family traveled to bring Oksana, Daria and Nathaniel home.
Daria and Natasha on in the background on the right.

Tonight as we were driving home from church, the 13 of us were singing at the top of our lungs to Josh Wilson's popular song, "I Refuse," frequently played on KLOVE. Even our new Russians have learned the words. The group makes quite a choir!

I couldn't help but overflow with thanksgiving to our great Lord for the unusual way He has put our family together. May our army continue to grow and eternally glorify and honor the Great Creator!

Jesus, we love you!

Stunned by His Grace But Still Needing Prayer

Mrs. Beaver:

Adding an additional three children to our family in late November...

...and having our oldest daughter, Tessa, marry two weeks ago...

(I took this photo as Tessa picked out her dress)

...and having that daughter to whom we've all been incredibly close

 (each in our own special way) move 15 hours away...

...has seemed, well, a bit overwhelming this past week.
 (Although this photo was taken as Tessa was leaving the night of the wedding.)

We would be grateful for your prayers. Many tears have been shed as the reality of Tessa's move sinks in now that the two of them have come and gone following their honeymoon.

We'd love if you'd pray for each of us to love God wholeheartedly and out of that love to support and encourage each other. We could also use prayers that we would forgive each other readily and fully. We're finding it harder to love one another. We're a tired, worn adoptive family, and some of our "sunshine" now resides in Cincinnati.

Thank you for praying for us. By lifting us up and thereby helping to strengthen and protect our recent adoption, you are participating in orphan care, something God commands all Christians to do.

Again, thank you, friends!

Thirsty for More

O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied

me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious

of my need for further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of

desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long

to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still.

Show me thy glory, I pray Thee, so that I may know Thee

indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to

my soul, "Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away."

Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this

misty lowland where I have wandered so long.

As quoted by Francis Chan, Crazy Love, (pg. 99),

referencing A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God.