Son Adopted from Kazakhstan

The Tabolsky Family

We began discussing adoption with excitement, even before we were married. At the age of 23, I had found out that I might not be able to conceive a child due to a medical issue. My husband and I believed the Lord was guiding us down the path of adoption. Much to our surprise, we became pregnant with our daughter Kaylee in our second year of marriage. We became a family of four, including Alex, my husband’s son and my stepson. We were overjoyed with our family, but my heart still ached for a child who might be waiting for us. That aching grew and we finally decided to research international adoption. Our journey led us to Jim and Betty at God's Families.

Jim and Betty are amazing, and it gave us much peace to know that they were in control of this rather complex process. We initially desired to adopt a baby, but very soon opened our minds to the thought of an older child. Our referral came for a boy in Kazakhstan who was 3, which was younger than we anticipated- he was just 2 months older than Kaylee! As a family, we unanimously determined that this was the little boy God has been telling our hearts about.

We traveled in August of 2002 and our trip lasted 26 days. We enjoyed working with the God's Families staff in Kazakhstan, and found them to be very knowledgeable and on top of the many details. They have good relationships with the orphanage staff and the local and regional officials.

Our son, Gabriel Timur, was very passive and quiet when we met him. To see him blossom in the time we visited him and even more upon our arrival home has been a gift from God. Even the caregivers in the orphanage told us that they had noticed changes in him opening up more with the other children. The passive boy is now happy, playful, and very affectionate. He loves his Momma and Daddy, his brother, Alex, and his sister, Kaylee. I expected to have difficulties between my two 3-year olds, but that is not the case. They already have a very close bond and want to always be together. God has blessed us so greatly!

We have a personal adoption site that we kept updated with journaling and pictures while we traveled. If you would like to read more about our experience, you are welcome to stop by! http://geocities.com/tabolskys/home

The Tabolskys… Steve, Melissa, Alex, Gabriel, and Kaylee