Adapting key for adopted Russian teen

CASCADE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) - It had to have been a long walk down the Gerald R. Ford Airport jetway.

Sixteen-year-old Elya Nauta had spent half of her life in a Russian orphanage. And she was about to meet her new siblings in person for the first time.

There was a moment of  hesitation followed by an embrace that seemed to dissolve the apprehension.

"We took it a day at a time. We had to," said her adoptive father, John Nauta. "Sometimes hours at a time. Somedays we didn't know if it was really going to happen."

The Wyoming firefighter and his wife Sheryl had just returned from Russia with Elya to the Ford International Airport Saturday night.
 
Their story is one of faith and determination.

They decided to adopt Elya over a year ago, and then met the challenges of a foreign adoption.
 
But just when all the i's were dotted and t's were crossed,  Russian President Vladimir Putin banned all American adoptions as of January 1, 2013.

Their worries continued all the way to the airport in Moscow.
 
"Were they gonna pull us aside and start going through every document we had? We had a real thick packet of documents," John Nauta said. "Were they gonna start looking for mistakes? You know, it's just that unknown."

But in the end, customs was a breeze, the long flight was uneventful and the welcome home was full of love.
 
But the journey is far from over.  

"We're gonna get her in school. She's gotta learn the English language. We're gonna start there," he told 24 Hour News 8. "Sticky notes around the house with English words on them. We're just gonna take it a day at a time."

The family knows getting Elya out of Russia was one challenge.

The couple credits their faith and the support from others with getting them through the journey.

"So many churches were involved," he said. "Mission Network News, WCSG, the faith community there that really helped us and got us through it, and there were churches across the world that were praying for this specific adoption. We really felt that strength  because there were days we were kind of low."

Helping Elya get adjusted to her new family, new home, and a different way of life is a much different challenge.

But they're going into it with an open mind. And no expectations.
 
"If you have these expectations, if they don't come to fruition, you might be disappointed, you might be angry," Nauta said.

"But we know one thing, is that even with our biological children you can never plan exactly what's going to happen in life. So, we're gonna take it a day at a time."