More Mixed Nuts- Well Wishers and Naysayers

Well, we're home and settling in. Sasha has unpacked her things and put them away. She loves our dog Jazz and he is thrilled because she throws the ball to him more often than the rest of us combined. Beth loves having a little sister. She showed Sasha how to use the hair straightener and takes her out for ice cream.

Josiah loves having a little sister as well. He plays wii with her and tickles her until she nearly wets her pants. His face in this picture as he looks at her says it all.

Sasha loves that her two closest friends from Russia also live in the area. They were there to greet her at the airport. She has already spent several hours talking to them on the phone. We can already see that we will have to switch cell phone plans to one with more minutes. :)

Texas summers are definitely NOT Russian summers. We spent our second day at Grandma's house in their neighborhood pool. Sasha loves to swim, most likely because of the heat here. Grandma and Grandpa don't mind. Any excuse to have her over is good with them.

Our homecoming was a great experience. Thank you to everyone who made it so special. There was an army of well-wishers at the airport. A group of people from church came and cleaned our house and stocked our pantry. AMAZING! And thank you Courtney Horvath for taking the amazing photos of our homecoming at the airport. I will cherish them and I'm sure Sasha will also.

Our adoption agency, Buckner, asked our permission to have a television crew at the airport when we arrived. Channel 11 from Dallas was there to record our arrival and interview us. You can find the video at this link http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2011/05/27/wylie-family-brings-home-adopted-russian-teen/

On the Channel 11 website, there is an area below the video where people can leave comments about the stories. I guess I'm not completely surprised by the negative comments people made about us. International adoption is a touchy subject everywhere. When we are in Russia we hear angry Russians telling us that we shouldn't be taking Russian children from their culture. When we are in America we hear angry Americans telling us that we should adopt American children in the foster system instead of going overseas. There is a common factor in both groups. Those in Russia who do not like us would never dream of adopting a Russian orphan in an effort to keep them in their native culture. And those in America who think we should only adopt American children would never dream of adopting or fostering an American child themselves. The global orphan crisis is just that- global.

So, am I upset at the angry naysayers? Nope. Not in the least. I am actually quite excited about it. Nothing gives me a bigger high than to poke a stick into a hornets nest and then watch what happens. I figure that if the world is angry at what I am doing then I must be smack in the middle of God's will. Check it out.
1John 3:13- So don't be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.
1Peter 3:16-17- Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!

So let them rant, let them murmur, let them stare. I will joyfully keep doing what I know Christ would do.