Just a few more "sleeps"

That's the way we count down to big events for Mattie. "Just a few more sleeps and we're going to see Mimi," we'll tell him. Wish you could see the reaction those words get! Last night I gave him the update and he jumped up, gave the internationally-recognized fist gesture and accompanying "YES!", and then proceeded to run to both me and Vicki to give quite vigorous hugs. Haha! What a cutie.

What an odd thing to think about actually going home. I've been waiting for this day for some time now, most often thinking it would never come. I've had days when I've said, "I can't take this place anymore...I've got to get out of here...I've had enough...etc, etc." But now that I've got tickets in hand I realize how accustomed I am to life here in Poland. I was sitting in church last week, singing a few of my favorite praise songs in Polish, thinking how much I was going to miss that...not to mention my church family here which we said goodbye to for good since we're moving to Krakow when we return.

Interesting thoughts. This morning is the first in a few days when I have felt that I'm able to actually think. Sound strange? Yesterday and the day before I felt like my mind was complete mush...couldn't hardly make a decision...couldn't deal with the stress of driving even short distances. I've just been overloaded and in need of a few days to unwind the mental knots tied up through all of the craziness of the last week. I actually feel a bit rested this morning, even though I got up at 5:20am thanks to a certain little black dog. So, it's nice to just reflect on a few things.

I'm still in awe of everything that's happened. I didn't think to ask but we are guessing that we blazed through all of the post-hearing stuff in record time. Seriously, you can't imagine what we accomplished, together with the Whites, in one week. And everything HAD to work out perfectly or the timeline would have been hosed. Amazing. But then again, should it be amazing? God's hand is powerful, isn't it?! But I guess it's like this...we expect to see Him work wonders, but we never cease to be in awe when we witness them.

Just a few more sleeps and we'll join you all there soon! Man how I can't wait to introduce you all to my kids!

It's Done!

Do you have any idea what it's like to wake up and have nothing to deal with...nothing to get done...no one to think about screwing things up?! It's absolutely amazing!

Yesterday we got our passports returned to us from the passport office (that is, the kids' Polish passports) and then we headed off to the Embassy. It was a race against time. Traffic. Crazy roads that seemingly changed names every block. Got lost a few times. Ugh! But we made it a few minutes before 10am (the cut-off time we'd been given).

The visa interviews were no big deal. They took all of our documents, looked it all over, asked for about 50 signatures and a load of money (unreal how much it costs to bring adopted kids into the states...absolutely ridiculous!). After all of that they asked that we return at 3pm to pickup the visas!! That was pretty exciting to hear!

I have to admit that we still had a little anxiety. I guess that's because we've consistently had something to consider for the past year...why would it be different this time? We took off to a nearby mall, after sitting in about 30 minutes worth of traffic, had some lunch, looked around a bit, and headed back to the Embassy. Would you believe that God smiled on us so much that the visa window opened up 15 minutes early? It was something to see my wife (and Mark White) walking back to the car with those three envelopes...symbols that we had made it...symbols of God's hand having been on us the whole time.

This is an enormous victory that all of us share, collectively. We have all prayed for months, asking that God bring this day about...when it would all be done and when the new Shattuck family would be able to finally board a plane and join the rest of our family and friends in the states. And He answered, in the big things and in the small. I know there are parts that I will forget, unfortunately. But I wish you could know every detail...every wave of the Master's hand...every touch...every way He's smiled on us and our children. These are landmarks for our faith and I hope that they will be for you too.

We're going to spend the next few days resting in Warsaw and then sometime next week (we're keeping the date a secret) we'll head home. The kids will become U.S. citizens the moment they hit the ground in the states. How amazing. It's finished. It's done. Thank you, God! Thank all of you for fighting through this alongside us!

Goodbye to Poznan

Well, I'm in Warsaw...finally! Still pretty hard to believe. In fact, I'm wondering when I will actually begin believing it all. When I board the plane? When we fly into St. Louis? When I see my family? A few months after that??

It's been a pretty tough day. I'm exhausted. Everything went perfectly though...got our document translations (amazing how much it costs to have something translated!), got things at the house wrapped up and shipped off for storage, finished out everything with our landlord, and finally took the wonderful Berlin-Warsaw express train here to join my family.

Vicki touched base with Ewa from the U.S. Embassy this morning. We're so thankful that she said that we can have our visa interviews whenever we get the passports. So, if we get them Friday before 10am, we'll head over to the "Beautiful Street" (yeah, it's really called that) and try to get these kids ready to become Americans. If we get them Monday then we'll take care of it then. Either way, everything's working out perfectly. We continue to pray that that doesn't change!

Just wanted to write a quick note to let everyone know what's going on, where we all are, and how things are looking. So bizarre to see our empty apartment today...to say goodbye to a great friend...to take the train out of the city I've (we've) invested so much of ourselves in over the last 3 years 8 months. Hard stuff...really hard stuff. But thankfully there is a prize at the end of this long marathon...and it (or rather, they) will be waiting for us when we get off the plane back home.

Small complications in Warsaw

Newsflash...nothing's ever easy in Poland! I feel like I'm a character in my own version of the movie "The Never-Ending Story". I stand amazed at two things most often: (1) the power of God and (2) the difficulty involved in getting anything done in this country.

To bring you up to speed, we've gotten a ton done in the past couple of days. The movers have about got all of our stuff packed up and ready to be transported to Warsaw for storage, we have brand spankin' new birth certificates for all of our kids (what an amazing thing to see their real names in official print...my name listed as dad and Vicki's as mom!!)...and I've even gotten the majority of my family out of Poznan already! Not a bad few days of work!!

Vicki is in Warsaw right now with the kids. They left this morning at 6am so they could turn in our passport applications (for the kids). She drove the 4.5 hours to the capital, picked up our friends, the Whites, at the train station, and then began looking for the ministry office to which we'd be sent by the American Embassy.

To begin, they had big problems trying to find the place. Wrong turns, backtracking, etc. My poor wife, having already endured the stress of the long trip, began feeling sick although she had the task of taking care of our kids' passport applications as well as translating for the Whites. And then the complications began mounting.

In the end, Vicki worked with the lady at the ministry office for 1.5 hours, trying to do whatever she could to diffuse a potentially negative resolution. She was told that they never should have gone there...that the paperwork we had was all wrong...that the fee we paid was too little...on and on and on. But my wonderful wife, the peacemaker that she is, ended up making a friend with this woman. And after all was said and done we were told that we would have the passports by Friday, at the earliest, or Monday at the latest. Yeah...that's MY wife!

All that said, we continue to need your prayers. The U.S. Embassy generally wants people to have all of their documents, passports included, in hand in order to make the appointment for travel visas (for the kids) 3 DAYS IN ADVANCE. That means that if we were to get them Friday, we would need to make our interview for Tuesday or Wednesday. The bottom line is that we have got to have these interviews done and visas in hand on Tuesday. It's got to happen.

Vicki's calling the Embassy tomorrow to work this out. So, I'm asking for you to join us in praying that (1) the passports will come in on time and (2) we'll get our visa interviews on Monday or Tuesday. Please pray with us for those two things.

If you're wondering what's happening with the husband and father of the brave hearts in Warsaw, I've stayed behind to wrap things up here in Poznan. I'm picking up final document translations, closing out bills with our landlord, and overseeing our stuff being packed and hauled out of here. I'm hoping to catch a train tomorrow afternoon to regroup with the rest of the crew. Thanks to the hospitality of some good friends I've got a great place to sleep tonight that is not among a house full of boxes...don't know how comfortable a packed up bed would be!!

As always, thanks for continuing to pray with us. All of this excitement will make our "homecoming" all the more sweet!

Counting down the days...to "some day"

Another goodbye tonight. Doesn't get easier. We hugged and cried with our good friends Monika and Maciej tonight, after spending a few hours talking and snacking with them. There are just so many memories. We met those guys our first week in Poznan. Maciej helped us get all of our furniture ordered at IKEA, we invited him and his wife to our place for dinner (bizarre, but we felt "led"), and we become great friends. All this time later we've been through quite a lot together...quite a lot. So, it's tough to say goodbye.

We've got a pretty crazy week ahead. I keep looking forward to the moment when I sit down in the uncomfortable, cramped up plane seat and hear the announcement come over the loudspeaker to "prepare for takeoff". It's still a dream to think about that coming so quickly. Here's a run down of "coming attractions":

• Monday
• Movers come
• We got to Wolsztyn to pickup the final adoption decree
• Vicki and Nancy White go to pickup Ben, Anna, and David's new birth certificates
• Me and Mark White go to pickup Rachel and Mattie's new BCs
• Pay for the kids' Polish passports ($10/ea if you're curious)
• Turn in all of the exciting new documents to be translator
• Tuesday
• Vicki, the kids, and the Whites will head off to Warsaw, our base of operation for the remaining time in Poland.
• Turn in the applications for new PESEL numbers (like our SS numbers) for the kids
• Turn in the apps for the Polish passports
• Pray for super speedy service!!!
• Wednesday
• I finish up things with the movers and close up shop here in Poznan for good
• Have to pickup all of the finished, translated documents
• I take the train to Warsaw to meet up with the rest of our crew
• We continue to pray for speedy passport service
• "Some Day"
• Whenever we finally get the passports we'll be ready to schedule our visa interview. Getting the visas takes only one day, so it's cake if all of your documents are in order...which we pray ours are.
• After getting the visas we'll have the green light to board a plane and head home for the next 10 months!
  

Pretty hectic few days in front of us. Tomorrow we'll spend the morning and a bit of the afternoon with the folks from our church. It's a welcome home party for our pastor and his family...and my guess is a bit of a goodbye party for us (maybe). More goodbyes. Probably more tears. We'll miss so many of them. God has blessed us with family away from family through so many here and they've been through all of the tough times, and good times, with us over the last few years.

Also wanted to give you a heads up that we're sort of "going dark" for awhile and thus I won't be blogging. I'm anxious to get home and have some exciting stuff to write about. I'm going to be traveling to about one speaking "gig" a month which should be interesting. But I think the really good stuff will come from all of the "firsts" that we'll get to experience with the kiddos...root beer...Captain Crunch...Texas BBQ...real TexMex...Six Flags...big churches...American school system...etc. I get all excited just thinking about it all.

Thanks for continuing to pray with us for a quick and hassle-free exit in the next few weeks. We're not out of here yet...so don't stop now!! Please lift our friends, the Whites, up to as they are forming new relationships with their newly adopted kiddos. Pray that God would bless their communication (as the parents learn a bit of Polish and the kids learn a new heart language) and that those relationships would develop at such a pace that only God can be given the credit for it!

A little reflection

It's finally beginning to sink in...we are actually going to pack up our place, leave Poznan, board a plane, and be in the U-S-of-A in a few weeks. What a crazy thought! I still feel like I'm dreaming or something. Although there are "pinches" every now and then that help me realize I'm very much awake.

Last night I went with a good friend, also a missionary, to see Die Hard. Yes...I'm a Baptist missionary and I went to see Bruce Willis tear up a whole ring of terrorist pretty much single-handed. Not the most incredible plot line in the world but boy were the explosions and constant stream of bullets cool! My friend and I haven't had too many such out tings...but the ones we have had are always really well timed.

One of those "pinches" I mentioned came last night when we said "see ya" (sounds much more manly than "goodnight"...far less "datish"). He said, "guess this is our last movie night". I walked back in the house, feeling sad and remembering what my aunt (also a missionary) told me once about the missionary life...that it's one filled with goodbyes. That's a pretty tough reality, truth be known.

It's pretty weird to think about leaving Poznan. We've lived in this city longer than anywhere else at any given time. I guess we've put some tiny little roots down here, something that I don't think crossed my mind until last night. But the goodbyes are about to start up...again.

Next week we'll head off to Warsaw to wrap things up before our departure. We've still got quite a bit to do there. So, think about us over the course of the next few days, as we say goodbye to all of the good friends we've made in Poznan over the last few years. It never gets easier really. 9.5 years of marriage...lived in 8 different place (will be 10 when we return to Poland next year)...loads of goodbyes. Loads and loads of tears from both of us and many more to come when the three newest Shattucks get factored into the equation.

We're ecstatic about getting home, even though the road that gets us there is a tough one.

Just wanted to share a bit from the emotional side of life. Thanks for "listening".

Unreal use of light

Maybe some of you have seen this commercial already. If you haven't you're in for a real treat. Actually this video is sort of a "making of" that shows a bit of the background of how the Sprint spot was created. Having done a little light painting I am absolutely blown away at the complexity (not to mention creativity) of this....just incredible stuff!!

In case your browser has an issue with the embedded video, here's the link.

Email "newsletter"...vehicle help

I sent this out to the folks who are on our email list. I know some of our blog visitors aren't on the list (and really don't need to be since I really put much more here than I email out)...but (1) if you'd like to be added just send me an email and (2) since not everyone got this I wanted to add the text of the email here.

Greetings all,

As we've been working over the last few months to move most of our updates over to our blog instead of sending out frequent emails I haven't sent any updates out for awhile. Since I'm able to check the visitor stats on the blog I know that a large number of you have been coming by every now and then to see what's happening...awaiting the great news about the adoption that we got on the 6th!

Things are in full swing as we are make the preparations needed to go home...packing, moving, getting the kids' travel documents (Polish passports, U.S. visas, etc). We're hopeful that we'll be able to fly out in a couple of weeks or so and get to spend some much anticipated time with family and friends with our kiddos. For those who haven't heard the news, we received our final approval and the adoption is done! There are some great stories surrounding the end that you can read all about, if you like, on our blog. There's definitely way too much to put here.

It's somewhat surreal for us to know that the end is coming soon for us in Poznan. Another topic I've posted about recently is our move from here to Krakow where I will be transitioning into a new media position for our Baltic Field (Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland). We're really excited about what that transition entails and looking forward to serving our great friends and colleagues in coming years. But it is sad to say goodbye (at least for now) to the friends we have made here. God has blessed us with an incredible family here in Poznan...one which has ministered to us through everything we've been through in the last year+. Of course, we've already been told by many to expect a visit in Krakow...most Poles would say Krakow is the most beautiful city in Poland and thus they're already lining up to visit.

Along with letting you all know, generally, how things are winding down for us right now I also have a request of you. For some time we have been thinking that our vehicle situation was all taken care of for our time in the states. But this week we found out that something happened and we are currently without a vehicle for our family. I wanted to write you all to ask if you, or someone you might know, might be in a position to help us out. We're going to be in the states from early August through the beginning of June and just to be honest, I can't see how renting a vehicle for the 5 of us would be possible for that time. If you have an idea or a solution please let me know. We're not worrying about this because it's been absolutely obvious that God is in control and that He provides for our needs without fail. In short, I know the answer is out there...we're just not sure where yet.

We can't ever express enough how much we appreciate each of you...your prayers, encouragement, and generally, your support of us. We've been able to count on that since we left for Poland back in January of 2004. We're so excited to think about finally being able to get back home to share with you in person...to celebrate...what God has done over these past few years...and to introduce you to the rest of our family!!!

Many blessings,
Michael

Article from "Emergent" blog

I know it's a scary thing for some Southern Baptists to see the words "Emerging Church" these days. But I (now don't tell anyone) even go as far as to subscribe to the Emergent Village e-newsletter. In today's email there was a link to an article from a missionary in Australia who's been working to see new disciples of Christ made for over 10 years now. He's been working with a team now for 4 years in the same place and they have yet to see anyone come to Christ.

This is a great article to read because this guy has awesome perspective. He and his team don't want to cut their losses and run. They're ready to stick it out for the long haul and wait on God's hand to move. In short, they're committed.

Reading this, I think of ministry in Poland. People can work for years without seeing a single person commit to following Jesus. I know some folks like that...extremely faithful in sharing the Gospel as well as their time for relationships. Yet they just haven't seen anyone commit. It's a pretty common story for this region actually. But these missionaries, our good friends in colleagues in Poland and other countries in Central & Eastern Europe just keep going. They're awesome testimonies of the love, grace, and commitment that the Lord has toward the people with whom we work.

Check out the "Emergent" article here.

Becoming who we are...in Christ

Preparing for a message I'll be giving Sunday, I came across the following words from Jesus:

"Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you'll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you're content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty."
(Mt. 23:11-12 ~ MSG)

We find this thought everywhere in God's Word...blessing through service. I'll be speaking about it Sunday from the passage I talked about yesterday, Mt. 25:31-46 (the "least of these" passage). But the message here is the same: we can't go through lives focused only on ourselves.

Man has always had a desire to become "great". This is not a contemporary phenomenon. Just take a look back through the ages and you will find example after example of how man (or woman) has done everything they can...everything...to be seen as "great". We have got to learn to be different, though.

In I Peter 2, followers of Christ are referred to as "alien and strangers" (or "temporary residents" in the NLT) in this world. Think of that. We're really from elsewhere, just passing through. What this world calls its norms, its standard operating procedures differ from ours...or they should anyway. Where we're from everything gets turned upside down. Instead of fighting for acclaim and notoriety we work quietly and contently to lift up and encourage others. While in this world money and celebrity are frantically sought after, we are called to seek a life replete with the fruits of the Spirit.

All of these thoughts stem from what happened yesterday. I was laying in bed last night thinking about it again and remembered a crucial piece that I left out of my post. After the ambulance crew left, Vicki heard Waldemar say, "this is a picture of Poland". And he was absolutely right. This is a place where people are instructed in Catholicism (and to a much lessor extent Christianity) from preschool, yet even professional caregivers wouldn't do more than verify life. Show me the heart of the Gospel...show me Jesus in that.

We have got to be different. We have got to reflect the values given to us by our Savior and Master. If we don't, then we need to question what is happening at the core of our beings, if we are truly followers of Christ or not. This is a call to every single one of us, this writer included. Let us ingrain it in our hearts that only by putting others before us will we ever become anything.

Sitting here thinking...

It's been a long day. There's so much to do before we're able to get on a plane and waive goodbye to Poland for a few months. Even as I was writing this I had to stop and take care of about 20 minutes worth of "stuff" related to a couple of emails that just came in. Oh, it'll be a sweet sweet day when we're finally able to head off to the airport!

We started the process of weeding out trash and "give-a-ways" today. What a chore that is now with three extra junk collectors in the house! Seriously...it's amazing how much junk we're all able to collect. There's not even any place to put the stuff!! How do we do it? My office alone has enough computer-related junk in various drawers, bins, and shelves that I could open a small computer store out of here. :-)

Had an interesting thing happen this morning. I was about to head toward the bathroom to get ready and I notice a man across the street rolling around on the grass. Someone called while I was watching him and I've got to admit that I hardly concentrated on the phone call as I was so aghast at what I was seeing. As it turned out, a drunk man was flat out unable to walk anymore and he was collapsing on the grass by the building across the street. He'd try to pick himself back up again but each time he'd fall back down on his face. It's was heart-wrenching.

I sent Vicki out to talk to the owner of our flat (he was out front as this was happening), and after hanging up from my phone call I joined her. I immediately began asking the owner and the lady from the massage place downstairs how to call the police to have someone come and help the guy out. They both insisted that we shouldn't get involved because that would only lead to a 800-zloty fine being placed on the guy's family...which, according to them, would likely only lead to the man's wife suffering more than she already does. "So what? We do nothing," I asked. They both agreed that the best thing to do would be to do nothing at all.

I have to say that it was pretty tough for me to hear that. I even explained to them that while Poles are extremely opposed to interfering in other peoples' business (although that hasn't always been the case with us), it was pretty difficult for me to stomach that thought. I'm a man of action...and to see a guy passed out behind a bush just across the street from my place made me want to do something. So, I walked inside, still thinking about what to do. About that time an ambulance pulled up and the EMTs walked out, quite casually. After taking a look at the guy, they yelled to our flat owner that he's still alive...they got back into the ambulance...and they drove off. That was it. Leave the guy at his own mercy. Leave him to stumble into the street. We don't want to get involved. 800 zloty would evidently be too much of a burden...even if it meant the different between his life and death.

I sat down at the computer and watched the guy a bit more through my webcam window and the Holy Spirit blazed within me. The whole I'd been thinking about needing to do something but Jesus' words about "the least of these" rang out so clearly. I quickly ran to the kitchen, made some coffee and a sandwich, and took off outside. But the man had left.

Running into Waldemar (the flat owner), he asked what I was doing. He asked, "you're taking him coffee?" When I told him yes he asked "you guys come to Poland, you have a good life here, and you're going to do that for him?" Feeling the boldness of the Spirit raging in me, I told him that I have the bread of life in me and that I am called to share that with people. He responded, "he probably won't even remember it tomorrow." My only response was that it didn't matter...we're called to go...now...no matter what the circumstances.

Well, I went after the guy but when I finally found him he was all the way down a side street, apparently on his way home...or somewhere. So, I walked back across the street, headed for home, where Waldemar was standing watching me. I came up to him and told him that I thought I was supposed to give that copy of the Gospel of John to somebody...and maybe he was that somebody. He took it and we got into a wonderful conversation about the church, about Christians...about the Gospel. I'm still amazed at how that conversation was brought about.

Lots of things were brought up between the both of us but the thing that stands out to me is him saying that he has never met anyone like us before in Poland. What a testimony for Christ!! Speaking to him about the key to this life being our dual-sided relationship with Jesus Christ, as Lord and friend, I was honestly just in awe of all of the things that had to happen this morning to get me out on that sidewalk and into that conversation.

Incorrectly, some will want to know if he prayed some prayer or made a decision. That didn't happen. Actually after speaking with him for that time this morning I believe that he is already a follower of Christ...but that he needs to work some things out so that his whole life reflects to Truth of God's Word. He's an incredible guy...by far one of the nicest guys I've met in Poland. But like so many who have grown up believing in the perversions of the truth that come from the Catholic Church, there are some things that need to be corrected. And that can only happen by spending a lot of time in God's Word and by being open to the leadership and direction of the Holy Spirit (that goes for all of us!!).

I decided to tell you all that story not to pat myself on the back or anything. Shoot...I didn't know what I was going to do when I sat down next to that drunken man. I just knew I was supposed to go and that God would help me figure out the rest. And because of my willingness to get off my tush, God opened the door for an awesome conversation, the proclamation of truth (to say it in that great seminarian way), and to pass on God's Word (in the form of a newish translation of the Gospel of John) to Waldemar and his family.

It's easy...for me and all of us...to avoid "going". We can all come up with so many reasons to "not go". Hear me loud and clear...even though I work as a career missionary I'm no different. But we've got to do it in order to be used and thus make an impact for the Kingdom on this ugly, dying world.

Great interview transcript

Visiting my usual internet haunts, I came across a transcript of an interview between Gary Fong (multigazillionaire photog and blogger) and Bob Davis (the photog selected to shoot Eva Langoria and Tony Parker's celebrity wedding...here's his blog and website). Gary has made comments before about Bob's (and his wife's) humility...and the reason behind that came out in the interview...he's a believer!

This kind of thing is pretty interesting to me...to read about these "big dogs", see what kind of gear they use, hear about what it's like to be a player on that scene. I'm not obsessed a bit, not envious, nothing like it. It's just interesting. And to read that he attributes all of that success to the Lord is just awesome.

If you'd like to give the interview a read, hop over here. This is really the heart of our lives in Christ, isn't it? And with the following that Fong's blog has, hundreds of thousands of people are going to read that today. How cool that God has blessed Bob with great professional success and talent...and that He's using him to bless the Kingdom in such a big way too!

Day at Friends'

We spent the afternoon yesterday over at our friends, along with Mark and Nancy White (and their two newly-adopted kiddos, David and Anna). I took some pictures (actually Ben gets credit for the incredible picture of Vicki being herself above) and have a photo-only slideshow to share with you, if you're interested. Since we sometimes have problems with our pc-using friends (achem!), I'll just give the link...for some reason their browsers aren't intelligent enough to read the embedded files. Haha!

Here's the link to a few other pictures that I liked from those I took.

Now what?

I can't tell you how strange it is to open up Firefox, go to my blogger dashboard, open a new post window, and not have some urgent prayer need to talk about concerning the adoption. Wow! What a huge difference from just a few days ago. Really...you know, Thursday morning we were expecting a piece of news that the ministry had decided to give the "red light"...that we would need to begin the process of rebuilding our lives and praying that the kids would one day be able to heal. And just look at where we are today!!

I'm sure that many of you are curious as to the title question, "now what?". I thought I'd fill you in on the next steps. This is the skinny on it all...

• We've got to wait 14 days to get the official, legal adoption decree. That will happen on the 20th of this month.
• Decree in hand, we'll be able to get the kids' new birth certificates. I think it's interesting that we will be the parents listed on those certificates. No denying it...we're their parents. Certainly lends a closeup view to the biblical concept of adoption into God's family. We hope to be able to get those certs. within a day or so.
• After all of the Polish documents are translated, we'll be able to file the I-600 form with the U.S. immigration service in Warsaw. The jury's still out about how long that will take to process...but we're hoping it's just a few days.
• At the same time we have to work on getting the kids' Polish passports and PESEL numbers (kind of like our Social Security numbers).
• Once the I-600 is approved we can file our applications to get the kids entry visas for the U.S. Along with those apps we'll have to have complete physicals for the kids (along with immunization updates) and interviews for each of them...you know, to make sure they're not terrorists in training or something.
  
• Once all of those things are approved, stamped, signed, sealed, etc we'll be good to go!!

It really doesn't look like much as I write it all here...but boy does it feel like we're standing face-to-face with a mountain. I did tell Vicki this morning, though, that the stress from this paperwork is nothing in comparison to what I was feeling last week. Nothing! I'm convinced that God has strengthened us so much through the weakness we've felt over the last year...and that it's going to take so much more now to send us "over the edge".

We're going to some friends' place today for what we think is going to be a little party, although we're not completely sure. Just wanted to give a little more information and let you know that we're hoping to be home by August 3...and we are going to be serious ready for a welcome home party!!!!

Have a great rest of the weekend!

Drum roll please...

As of today our family is three members bigger!!! Yes, it's actually true. The decision has been made and signed...and will go into effect after 14 days!!!! The waiting is over and a true miracle has taken place!

Today was amazing. Last night we found out that the train schedule would not allow someone to go to Warsaw and get back to Poznan with enough time to get to the courthouse since the judge leaves at 3pm. So, it was decided that we would pack up the family truckster and head to Warsaw with someone from the lawyer's office...at 3:30AM!

We made the trip, 4.5 hours one way, with no problems. We found the two buildings we needed (the ministry to pickup our document and another adoption agency to pickup a document for our friends who got their final approval today in their adoption) and everything worked out perfectly. One building opened at 8am...bingo, got the document within 5 minutes. We drove to the other building which opened at 8:30am. Bam...got that document in 5 minutes and hit the road again headed back past Poznan and on to Wolsztyn. About 11 hours total (around 13 by the time we got back home)...but mission accomplished!

It was awesome at the court. When everything had been decided, the judge asked for all of us to come into the courtroom...kids included. He began to read the decision which included the new names of the kids. What a deep sense of joy to see the kids' faces as their names were read: Rachel Paulina Shattuck...Benjamin Peter Shattuck...and Matthew Jordan Shattuck. For them to know that they are ours...they have parents...they have a future! So incredible!!

This doesn't mean that everything is completely done. After the 14-day period is up and the final decree is received, we'll have to begin working on everything for the US side of things. Our friends, the Whites, told us tonight that they'd been told that the US part of the process could take as little as 5-7 days. That's pretty awesome news since we are all so ready to get home to our family and awaiting friends! We'll see how it all plays out.

What a surreal feeling. It's done. It's really done. No more frantic phone calls. No more freak out sessions, trying to figure out something to do to keep the ball rolling. No more thoughts about what would happen to the kids if this thing fell apart. They are ours. They are Shattucks.

We have not stopped thanking God for everything that has happened since yesterday. And to wrap things up here tonight (I'm beat) I'll just tell you how that has even infected the mind of a special little soon to be 5-year old. About 10 minutes out of Wolsztyn, on the way back home, Mattie (I guess that's how we're going to spell that?) got our attention. When we asked what was up he asked if it'd be ok if we all prayed together. He began to go around the van telling each of us it was our turn to thank God for everything...and he closed our prayer time himself. How amazing to witness God at work in everything from the Polish government and legal system all the way to the heart of a small child who felt compelled to call us all to pray and close by adding, "thank you for God and thank you for my family."

Has it all been worth it? You better believe it!

Thank you Lord!

APPROVED!!

We got our approval from the ministry today!!!!

I got a phone call a bit ago from Bogdan. He immediately asked if I was sitting down. As I responded yes, he says, "we got the approval!" He finally got in touch with the director from the ministry and she told him that although this is the exception of all exceptions they have decided to approve our adoption of the three kids.

Concerning tomorrow, the judge has already been notified about everything. Bogdan will be sending someone from his office to Warsaw tomorrow morning to personally pick the approval document up. When that person gets back to Poznan we will meet him/her at the train station and go directly to Wolsztyn, to the courthouse. The judge said that he will finalize the adoption as soon as he gets the document!

We have trusted God without fail through this whole thing, although admittedly we have been completely in the dark about how this could/would work out. As I've said before that trust has been in His care over us, no matter the circumstances. But as I've also said before, God has worked in such a way that there is literally no other explanation for this outcome except through Him. We have all prayed for that. And we are standing here, a day before this thing is finally approved by the judge, able to say that He has answered.

I know that this news will thrill so many of you! Let's turn our joy and thanks heavenward!!

Storming the castle

I'm not exactly sure if it fits but it's the only thing that sticks in my head when I think about what's coming on Friday. Interest peaked?

After writing my post this morning I closed the door to my office and had some alone time with God. I read some Psalms, did a keyword search throughout the Bible for "trust" and read those, and then sat and listened to some of my favorite songs about...well, about God (sounds like a Sunday School answer, huh?). It was a great time for me or refreshing and encouragement. As I reopened the door to the world (literally and figuratively) I found myself with a renewed perspective, ready for whatever would come today...ready because I knew/know that God's hand is all over this thing and all over us.

"So, what's happening," you're screaming. I've talked with Bogdan twice today...both times to tell me that he's been unable to reach the director at the ministry. He tried over and over this morning, sometimes even calling every 15-20 minutes. We're not sure if she's really as busy as it seems or if she is just avoiding him altogether. He was told to call back at 2pm. He did so quite punctually and was told that she'd gone to another meeting at the Sejm (Polish Parliament). But at that point he was reconnected with the lady that is "sub'ing" for Ms. Kowalczyk this week.

The conversation with the sub went pretty much the same as before with her..."I don't think the opinion should be positive"..."the children's home made a lot of mistakes"..."I don't know where the director is but you need to speak with her"...etc etc. Bogdan began pressing about the existence of a decision...if one had been made or not. She responded that she was unsure and that, again, he'd need to speak with the director (right...as if he hadn't already tried 1,564 times).

So, here's where the storming the castle bit comes in. He began getting fired up. I mean charismatic, pulpit-pounding, spit-flying fired up. If there was ever a time that we've questioned his personal, emotional involvement in this, it was all settled today. He is invested, for sure. Bogdan has come to the point where we've been waiting for some time now. He's got to have resolution...it's not an option any longer. Somebody has got to make a decision.

The final talking point with the sub was about how the judge does not need to wait for their opinion to make a decision...that he alone, in all of his judgey power, can make whatever decision he sees fit. So the idea came to Bogdan (and we're in complete agreement) that he is going to basically demand such a decision. And he/we realizes that it is likely far better to have no decision from the ministry than to have a negative one.

So, Bogdan will try again tomorrow (although not as desperately as today) to get in touch with the ministry director. But if no opinion is given out, we will proceed to the hearing Friday with the intent of receiving a decision -- for good or bad. Something has got to be done and none of us can go on like this any longer. See what I mean...I feel like we're storming the castle!!

Bogdan also mentioned that he does not think it's possible that any of these people would like the embarrassment that would come from a media blitz. So, it appears that he's ready for that if it is needed. And while it has been obvious over and over that the attention of all of the officials involved has been anywhere but on the good of the children, I am confident that media attention is the last thing that would be hoping for.

So, as it stands we are planning on being at the hearing Friday. We also know that quite often the thing that happens is the one thing we have not expected...which means this will be an interesting next couple of days. Stay tuned to hear how things go tomorrow and Friday. I know you're all in this with us and I will do what I can to keep you updated on it all.

Oh, what an adventure!

4th of July

No fireworks. No grill (looks to be raining all day). At one point we were thinking we were already going to be home with family today. No such luck. Do I sound down? Well, I guess I am.

Obviously there's no news to report. Doesn't mean that we don't still have some hope. We do. But it's just tough to continually stay "up"...you just get tired, you know? It seems like each day has been like this for so long now.

Today, though, is a new day. God's mercies are new every morning. He is faithful - we will make it. But will we make it through with our kids? I guess that's the million dollar question.

I don't know how people cope with huge, life-sized issues without God. Even as a follower of Christ it's so difficult. I find myself constantly asking the "why?" questions, trying to work out some reason behind everything that has happened...everything that is happening. And I simply can't figure it out. But even so, I know that there is a purpose. I know that we're not just some crummy pieces in some vast comic game. I know that my Father is intimately involved in my life...in the things seen as well as unseen. But it's still tough.

There's another couple heading over here to Poznan from the St. Louis area today that is also adopting from the same children's home. They have also had a "ginormous" roller coaster ride of an experience with this, yet it seems that they are days away from wrapping things up (we were to share car ride to our hearings on Friday and find sweet resolution together...but without the opinion from Warsaw that "happy ending" will again elude us). I can't tell you how thankful I am that things will be finished for them...that they will hopefully be able to get on a plane in another 4-5 weeks or so with their two adopted children and get on with the business of creating a family with them, dramatically changing those kids' lives forever. I do honestly rejoice in that. But I mourn the ongoing complications in our process.

We'll see what today brings. Maybe there will be some good news. Maybe more waiting. I was reading in Psalms yesterday that very familiar verse that has found it's way into song lyrics...some boast (or trust in NIV) in chariots and some in horses, but we will boast in the name of the Lord, our God. My/our hope is certainly not found in the possibility of a phone call. It is found squarely in the name of the Lord, our God. Through Him all things are possible. And yet, even as I write this, I know that sometimes His way is not ours at all. But is that wavering to say that?

Oh, I better stop now. I've gone more into diary-mode than "public blog-mode". As to continue on here in my general spirit of openness and honesty, though, I won't erase anything. So, I guess all that's left to do is say thanks for listening. Thanks.

Nothing yet...

Just heard from Bogdan and he's been so far unable to reach the director. He's supposed to try back again before 4pm. What we can't figure out is why she can't just return a stinkin' phone call! Post-communist bureaucracy at it's finest!

I'll give another quick update today for sure, even if we haven't heard a single shred of anything as I know many of you all are waiting with us to hear something.

Not wanting to write this

I've been dreading writing this post. I just don't want to deal with the topic right now...but I know that you will want to be praying with us about it.

Got a call today from the lawyer and after I say "hello" he says, "Michael, I've got bad news." I braced myself for any number of possibilities following that statement. Bogdan proceeded to explain to me how he'd called the ministry today to speak with Ms. Kowalczyk and found out that she is sick...out of work for the entire week. That was only the beginning.

It turns out that there is someone else taking her place...seemingly like a substitute or something. He asked her if she knew anything about the opinion we are waiting on and she began to tell him how according to her understanding of our case the ministry's answer should be no...meaning no adoption. He asked who was the ultimate "decision-maker" and she responded that it is the director, who evidently was not available. She told Bogdan that he could try back tomorrow to attempt to reach her. But, according to him, the does not seem to be a certainty.

What does all of this mean? Let me try to lay it out:

• The director has final say. If he is able to catch her tomorrow, she could still say yes...that the substitute just didn't know what's going on. If that happens then the hearing is a go and everything should be great...done this week.
• If the director says "no" then we've got serious issues. Bogdan said today that our only chance will be intervention from the media.
• If Bogdan cannot reach the director at all this week he will have to wait until next week to contact Ms. Kowalczyk to figure out what in the world has happened...why her positive attitude has somehow turned into what we saw today. At that point, though, the judge will already be gone on vacation. That means nothing will happen until late-July or early-August. This in turn means that we would not be ready to head back to the states until September.

We are actually doing ok. I told my mom today that I'm not sure if it's because we're just numb to all of these things anymore...if it's because of God's strength being manifested in us since we're about as weak as we can be...if we're just in some kind of denial...or whatever. We are just waiting patiently for tomorrow.

Our pray...and we'd ask that you pray in this way as well...is that Bogdan will reach the director tomorrow and that she will give good news. We pray that the lady today just didn't know what she was talking about. The alternative is horrendous and while we've known all along that it exists we cannot imagine it actually coming true.

Thanks for standing with us.

Cemetery Monument

Cemetery Monument, originally uploaded by Michael Shattuck.

I've been wanting to get some more pictures from around Poznan, so I went out today to see what I could find in the "nooks and crannies" I hadn't visited before (and some that I had). This "headless" monument was found in a really nice cemetery (if there is such a thing) where the graves of influential Poznanians are found. I remember being in the states and thinking that grave stones from the late 1800s were really old. There were a bunch in this cemetery from the mid-1700s!

Follow-up to yesterday's post

So, if you read yesterday's post to the end I told you that I was going to post again soon (this is soon) to give some more details to what God has done in our lives to bring a lot of the things I was talking about together.

Over the last year we have been praying consistently for wisdom concerning the decision of what comes next. While we haven't talked about it too often publicly, we knew that we were going to need to leave Poznan. There are already many missionaries here, four baptist churches, several other protestant churches, and many that could/should be taking up the leadership role with Polish nationals to advance the Gospel in this city and region. So, it had been decided by our leadership (mine and my supervisors) that it would be better for our ministry to find another city in our region to work/live in, move into a different assignment, or think about returning to the states to pursue different employment altogether.

Fast-forwarding extremely quickly through this past year, we began exploring an old topic that had been brought up by a good friend of ours that works on the media team in Prague. He's talked to me before about doing something in the area of media and advocacy but never anything concrete. Recently, though, we were able to meet and talk about what that would look like...how we might actually do something like that. And as we gabbed, Vicki and I both began to have this sense that this was the answer to the question what's next.

Again short-cutting the details, we are going to be moving to Krakow, Poland after we return from our stateside assignment (probably early-June). When we get back I'm going to begin working in a media/advocacy position for our field (Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland). This is a brand spankin' new position for the Baltic Field and one that we are extremely excited about. Why?

It's going to be my job to develop creative ways to communicate the stories of our missionaries...the stories of what God is doing in their areas...to you all back home in the states. That, in and of itself, fires me up. I have a desire to marry the thoughts I was writing about yesterday (of creating things of beauty) with this idea of "story-telling" and I believe the outcome can be professional-quality media pieces that vividly connect you there with what is happening here.

Telling the story of missionaries is something that is not easily done. Often, due to a lack of time and tools to complete the job extremely well, we're just not able to focus on that aspect of our jobs. It's tough when you've got a full schedule with family and ministry to set aside time to develop "media pieces" (be that for web, print, or video) to connect with people back home. Missionaries want to...but already stretched thin, it's typically just not the highest priority.

What's awesome is that this is going to be ministry priority numero uno for me. I'm pumped at the thought of working with my friends all over the Baltic to help them tell their stories as effectively as possible. I definitely don't have all of the answers...nor am I saying that I can do this better than they can. But as I'll have the time and hopefully the resources to focus on it, I'm confident that we'll be able to work together to produce some great stuff.

There are a lot of challenges inherent to this move. Professionally-speaking, since this is a new position there is a lot of equipment and software that needs to be purchased in order to do the work. No, I'm not asking for donations (am I?)...I'm just reporting the facts. Personally-speaking, this is a big move for our family and one that is going to take a lot of effort and energy to get through. But with both of these fronts in mind we're incredibly optimistic.

As I think about what I've written both today and yesterday, I'm hopeful that you all understand exactly what I'm saying and don't read anything into it that's not there. I'm just really excited to see how God has given me this passion that will be the main thing I'll be doing in my next assignment, to help my friends as they share what God is doing in and through them where they are serving. Again, I'd never say I can do it better...just that I'm glad to know that I'll be in a place where I can focus on doing it at the best of my ability with and for all of them.