LifeSong for Orphans

Dear Family and Friends,

It is with great joy that we write to you! After three and a half long years, we are bringing Asa Vladik home!!! We are thrilled and anxious and nervous and scared, all at the same time! And we are so incredibly thankful and blown away by the support and love all of you have shown and expressed on this long journey. We truly could not have walked this path alone. God has blessed us with many countless prayer warriors and encouragers. We love you more than you will ever know.

The government is finalizing the process to grant accreditation to adoption agencies. We will soon be able to submit our new dossier to the ministry overseeing adoptions and wait for an invitation to travel. We will travel for a mandatory 10 day bonding period and then a court date will be scheduled. Both parents are required to be in attendance at the court hearing. No one is sure if this will take place on the same trip as the bonding time or if we will return home and then go back for court. After the court decision, there is a 30 day waiting period before the decree becomes final. At that point….. WE GO GET OUR BOY!!!

As most of you know, this journey has been an expensive affair. We have already traveled two times, in September 2008 to meet Asa and then in January 2009 to meet with officials to beg them to let us have our son. We have renewed our home study several times, and immigration status two times, kept other clearances and paperwork current, and in April 2011, along with 32 other families, we hired an attorney to help us fight for our cases. And in light of the mounting expenses we have seen God provide over and over and over again.

God has been faithful to us in this journey. He has used: a church wide garage sale, a brisket dinner by our care group, Mike’s CPR income, adoption grants and loans, incredible financial gifts and blessings from friends, tax returns, a side job Karla has taken on, and Karla’s (former) teaching income to provide for all of these things. We have learned to live on less and depend on Him more. Countless people have helped us by lovingly caring for our children while we traveled, donating items for our garage sale, helping with our brisket dinner, donating facilities for Mike’s classes and these fundraisers, providing manual labor and sweating alongside us in all of these endeavors. The council, advice and accountability from our pastor, church elders and care group leaders have also been a tremendous blessing to us on this journey. And we simply cannot express with enough words the gratitude for all of the prayer support and words of encouragement spoken. We truly can say that the Lord has provided for every one of our needs: financial, emotional, and spiritual through our friends and family.
In 2008 we received a matching grant from LifeSong for Orphans for adoption expenses and many people contributed financially toward that grant. Those funds were directed to our agency to pay for all adoption agency fees towards Asa’s adoption. While we waited, God led our hearts to a tiny baby boy born with a cleft lip and palate. This little boy needed a family also. Not knowing if or when we would ever complete our adoption of Asa, and wanting desperately to heed God’s call to provide a home for a child, we pursued the adoption of Ezra. Our agency, also not knowing when or if our adoption of Asa would ever go through, allowed us to transfer those funds to pay for Ezra's adoption.

We have been told that minimal agency fees will be charged to complete Asa’s adoption, but between airfare, hotel, food, visas, drivers, document translations, and in-country court costs our remaining cost will still be about $20,000-$30,000 to get Asa home.

It was with difficulty that we shared this need with you several years ago when we sought to adopt Asa. As his adoption was deferred time and time again, we learned of Ezra's need for adoption and believed we should step forward to bring him into our home along with its associated costs. Now we find ourselves once again in the position of needing help to finalize Asa's adoption. We are humbled to present the following opportunities for your consideration:

1. Prayer-please pray that God would care for Asa, keep him healthy and strong and well cared for until we can bring him home. Pray for us to have faith that God will continue to provide for what He has called us to do. Pray for Bethany, Josiah, Judah and Ezra as they wait anxiously for their brother.
2. Financial Support: We would be most grateful if you would prayerfully consider coming alongside us in fulfilling James 1:27 and helping us bring Asa James home FOREVER!!!

Lifesong for Orphans (www.lifesongfororphans.org) has graciously given us a Matching Grant of $1,200 to help with the expenses to bring Asa home. For every dollar our friends and family contribute to our adoption, LifeSong for Orphans will match it, up to $1,200! This is a tremendous blessing. Every dime sent in towards this fund will go directly to help us bring Asa home.

If you would like to be a part of the miracle of adoption in a financial way, you can send your tax deductible gift to the address below. Lifesong for Orphans is a trusted organization administering the funds on Asa’s behalf, and will pay adoption expenses out of the funds received.

Please make checks payable to: Lifesong for Orphans.
Please indicate in the memo section Preference: Kahler Adoption #2398.

Note: In following IRS guidelines, your donation is to the named non-profit organization. This organization retains full discretion over its use, but intends to honor the donor’s suggested use.

Please Mail checks to:

Lifesong for Orphans
PO Box 40
Gridley, IL 61744

You can also use the link on the right side of this blog page to make a contribution via Paypal.

The goal date for financial contributions is March 1, 2012. If you choose to contribute, please do so by that date. However, they will accept donations for our adoption up until the time we bring Asa home.

Thank you for investing in the Kingdom of God through prayer and finances. We will be sending out updates on travel dates, court dates and home coming dates as soon as we have them.

With all of our love,
mike,karla,bethany,josiah,judah,ezra & ASA

Please feel free to copy and pass this letter on to anyone who may be interested in helping, whether through prayer or financial gifts.