Bitter Sweet (it's a long one!)

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:4-9


We were reminded of this verse as we read through our devotion on Proverbs 31 Ministries today.  Thank you Leah for introducing this site to me!  For the whole devo, click on this link:    http://devotions.proverbs31.org/2010/12/dont-overthink-it.html  It’s about worry.  When Todd read it he laughed because he thought I wrote it!  Haha


So, where do I start?  Sigh…it’s been a LONG and emotional two days.  I’m trying to think of where I left off…

Wednesday Night: 
12 hour train ride to Kherson.  We slept 2 hours and were exhausted when we arrived.  It was a hot ride but thank goodness we brought movies with us.  We both read quite a bit as well and prepared ourselves as much as we could for the orphanage visits.  One of the biggest problems on the train ride was my small bladder!!  GRRRR!  I’ve been so thirsty but that means lots of trips to the bathroom.  Thank goodness I packed lots of baby wipes and hand sanitizer!  I turn every handle with a baby wipe and I’m not kidding, I used ½ a package on the train line alone.  I only brought two packages so I’m getting worriedL  For anyone traveling overseas...prepare your bladders!  I haven’t been able to use one public restroom because of the stench and toilet in the floor!  OMG…sorry if that was too much information but I just had to get it out in the open…and for comic relief! J  Our poor interpreter. Oksana, has already noticed the pattern and can tell from my face what I’m searching for…

Thursday Morning: 
We went straight to an office building to pick up a psychologist then to the orphanage.  Our luggage did not fit all the way in the taxi so the trunk was left open.  We only brought two suitcases, two backpacks, and a computer bag.  Once at the orphanage, we waited nearly three hours to meet 3 year old Sasha.  Once he arrived we spent about 20 minutes with him and his caregiver.  It was the strangest situation…there were about 6 workers in this room, all working on paperwork or talking.  No one in this area was with the children.  There were many people walking around the orphanage with masks and we were all required to wear “booties” over our shoes.  To add to the strangeness, there were bookcases full of books and toys but none of them were out for play.  It was very strange…and sad.  We then met with the director and a Baptist pastor (he just happened to be there and she invited him since we go to a Baptist church) and had coffee for over an hour.  At this point, we were just fighting to stay awake.

After playing with Sasha we dropped off our luggage headed to the grocery store.  By the time we got home it was around 4 or 5pm.  We were exhausted, dirty, and had not eaten anything all day.  We then discovered our stove did not work to cook dinner.  We ate a sandwich and I finally slept for 13 hours…Praise God I was able to sleep! 

I can’t remember who told me this, I think another woman who adopted from Ukraine, but I was told, “Adoption is not for the weak of heart”.  I’ve thought about that so much lately.  I have always been the “weak” one…I mean, I cry at Hallmark commercials.  I try to make a joke out of everything so everyone thinks I’m this “carefree” person, but those who really know me, know I’m a ball of stress and wear my heart on my sleeve.  How on earth am I going to handle this adoption process?????  Well, the strength of Christ Himself, that’s how.  I’ve prayed over and over for the story I’m about to share, because the last words our coordinator, Natalia, told us was “Do not cry at the orphanage”.

I found this song when I was searching for worship songs:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPYaRJOWznk&feature=related
It’s about adoption called, “Everything to Me” by Mark Schultz

Friday: 
We left our apartment around 9:45am for a 10am visit with 3 year old Sasha, our second visit.  We spent nearly an hour with him and spent some time doing cognitive assessments on him.  Thank you Becca for the list you gave us!  See, Sasha can’t walk without assistance.  He has tetraparisis but I thought it looked more like Cerebral Palsy.  He recently had surgery and with some physical therapy and additional surgeries, we thought we could help him overcome these disabilities.  However, we had some cognitive concerns after we met him the first time.  After making a list of different skills to test, here is how our second meeting went:

First of all, they introduce us as “Mama and Papa”.  Thankfully we had been warned by another adoptive parent.  Second, they blow us kisses…so cute!  Third, they are precious, innocent, sweet children. 

We brought Sasha a cookie on the first visit and he devoured it!  On the second visit we brought him a banana.  We wanted to see if he could open and eat it.  Well, he grabbed for it and tried to eat it with the peel.  I tore open one side and our interpreter asked him to peel the rest…again he took a giant bite and started eating the peel ‘n all!  Well, needless to say, his face was priceless after tasting that bitter peel!  I tore the rest of the banana and he shoved it all the way in his mouth and began choking!  I grabbed it from him and we showed him how to take little bites.  This poor baby was starving!!  He couldn’t eat it fast enough…and he didn’t really know how to chew!  It seems all they eat is mushy foods and soups, therefore, he doesn’t really know how to chew food.  Later in the visit the ladies who work there are eating cookies and tea and he RUNS to their table and cries for a cookie.  He again, shoves the whole thing in his mouth and swallows it whole.  It was so sad.
We asked if we could use toys at the orphanage and they agreed.  We brought out some stacking cups and colorful blocks.  He tried to eat the blocks and he was unable to consistently stack the cups in the correct order.  Sasha was easily distracted and would dart from one activity to another.  He loved a “duck on a stick”.  He would push the duck and “quack, quack” with it…he really liked this toy and could walk with assistance.  Sasha’s favorite toy was the rocking horse.  Oh man, he loved it!  He would get on the horse and rock and rock and rock.  He would do the “clicking” noise made to tell a horse to giddy-up as he rode him.  Then, he would quickly stick his tongue in and out of his mouth and babble in the cutest way and made us all laugh!  Sasha also loved books.  He used his baby talk to ask for a book and would sit on Todd’s lap and open it.  However, he didn’t notice that it wasn’t right side up and would get distracted easily.  He also loved Todd’s beard.  They don’t usually see men in an orphanage so he loved to touch Todd’s stubbles.  Then, Anna, Sasha’s main caretaker came in and Sasha did not want to go to her.  She asked him why, and he told her he did not want to go to “groupa”.  He thought she was taking him away and we could tell he wanted to stay in the room with us and the toys.  Some other tasks we tried included hiding a ball under a cup…he was unable to find the ball.  Sasha also had difficulty sorting objects and his language was very delayed.  I heard him say words, but I didn’t hear him use phrases at all.  We expect that there will be delays with any child we adopt from an orphanage.  However, the delays we found seemed to be greater than a year behind.  Our estimates were nearly two years behind.  Some things that surprised us were his fine motor skills.  He was able to repair the handle on his duck and he then problem-solved the stacking cups.  Overall, we noticed he crawled a lot more than he did the day before and has difficulty walking on his own.  He is stiff all over his body and will occasionally shake when attending to tasks.  He was unable to pay attention to one task more for more than 15-30 seconds at a time and was most content on the rocking horse.  The scariest part was the "stares" he made and he didn't respond when spoken to during those short spurts of time.  Sasha gave us a hug and blew us a kiss good-bye and then we went to the hospital to get an evaluation from the doctor.  It was difficult to part.

My suspicions were correct, he does have Cerebral Palsy and microcephaly was confirmed.  After taking notes and getting into the “task oriented” mode, we were able to hold back the tears and ask questions.  After visiting with the doctor, she confirmed our initial decision to not adopt Sasha.  Although everyone at the orphanage and hospital have much hope for Sasha, it will require a lot of time, money, and surgeries, as well as mental, physical, and psychological rehabilitation that might not ultimately work.

After visiting Sasha and the hospital, we travel to buy cookies and candy to visit Sam.  We are warned…Sam is worse off than we anticipate and our translator is very, very worried about us.  We are told he is unable to walk, unable to talk, and unable to show emotion other than a permanent grin on his face. 

Once we arrive at the preschool orphanage, we wait about an hour before visiting Sam.  We are already weepy and I know this is going to be difficult.  We walk into his play room and are greeted with 5 children.  They of course love us…we have cookies and candy!  We see Sam, and he walks (yes, he walks without assistance!) to us for a cookie.  He is smiling the whole way up to us!!!  He is small, very small, about the size of a 1-2 year old child.  He eats his cookie and looks back and forth to both Todd and myself.  I then get a large truck in the corner and “beep beep” it to Sam.  He grabs the truck and pushes it away from him and me.  We chase it down and play with it for a while.  He never really pushed it back and forth to me though.  Another little boy, age 7, loved Sam and played with us.  We would push the truck between our legs and all the kids loved this!  We played, “Ring Around the Rosy” and Sam caught on when we “All fell down”!  We would say “boom!” and hit the floor and he thought that was fun-ny!  We also played “London Bridges” and “Duck, Duck, Goose” and he smiled the whole time.  Not once did Sam speak…and his expression never changed.  One arm was longer than the other and he walked kinda like FrankensteinJ  In my opinion, it looks like he has a form of dwarfism.  We are told he suffers from severe osteomyelitis and the infection has affected his mental development.  He was extremely difficult to potty train and the doctors have “no hope” for him developmentally.  The sweetest moment I had with Sam was when he looked up at me with his big eyes, dimples, and curly blonde hair…chocolate cookie all over his face, and smiled a huge grin while taking my hands in his.  He is a happy little boy and we feel very lucky to have had the chance to meet him. 

It’s so weird how this is unfolding.  When we met Sam, it was like seeing someone we hadn’t seen in a long time.  Until we met him, both of us have felt “trapped” and like “no one else will do”.  We haven’t really been “excited” about adopting because we always have had Sam in our minds.  Now, we have a huge sense of peace and freedom because God allowed us to meet him.  Wow, God orchestrated this meeting and has healed the heartache we’ve been feeling for so many months.

We were able to follow Natalia’s directions and we did not cry while at the orphanage.  In fact, we really haven’t cried until writing this post because we weren’t allowed.  However, God has answered our prayers in so many ways…now we know.  We are at peace in knowing that these two boys were not created for our family.  We know that they need prayer and love and to know God and we are so satisfied in finally having peace about these two little ones. 

Now, we wait some more.  We are going to be in Kherson until Sunday night.  We’ll take the overnight train to Kyiv to apply for our 2^nd appointment.  Then we wait in Kyiv.  Once we get our 2^nd appointment we will travel to wherever it is we will meet another little person.  Please pray that this is a quick appointment.  Also, please pray that we meet our child on this appointment.  For Ukraine adoptions, you are only allowed 3 visits to the SDA, then you go home.


PS--We chose not to take pictures or videos of our time for many reasons and wanted to protect the privacy of families that adopt these children because they are theirs.

Pictures!

Regret #1--Not bringing our good camera and only bringing our camcorder!  Grrrrr...video cameras weren't designed to take still shots, but you can kinda see what our world is like in airports and in Kyiv.  I apologize for them not being in order...we are running short on time and don't want to miss the train.  I've missed trains in both Ireland (well, a ferry) and in Poland!  ha

Alicia at KCI waiting for flight to be rescheduled.

Todd, Alicia, Marlene, and Mark at KCI.  Mark and Marlene gave us this cute little bear and a card before we left.



Todd and Alicia outside SDA office after telling Natalia about the two boys we would like to visit. 



Todd with "Flat Mrs. Bottorff" for my friend Ashlee and her 2nd grade class.  I have claws, red hair, and freckles, but I still resemble myself:)  She's sharing coffee with Todd in Germany!




This is a church next to the SDA office.  We don't know what it's called but it's pretty! 




Alicia outside the door of the adoption agency.  We were asked to wear a suit to our appointments and to our court date.   



This clock is on the hillside near a church in Kyiv.  So cool!



This picture was taken off a balcony in Kyiv.  So much traffic!





This was our kitchen in the apartment.  There was a very nice fridge, microwave, and stove.  There was not an oven but we didn't plan on doing much baking.  Todd made all our meals...lots of eggs, sandwiches, and potatoes. 

So, we ran out of toilet paper in our apartment.  We went to a nearby grocery store to add to our supply...it pays to speak Ukrainian so that you don't mistake TP for paper towels.  Oh well!

This is a very poor picture of our apartment bed in Kyiv.  It was a VERY nice place and the bed was huge!  The decor was Asian and very clean!

Unexpected twist

Another one of my favorite songs...Todd and I played this song at our wedding because it seemed every time we drove away or toward each other during or dating relationship, this song was playing.  God had answered our prayers when He brought us together!  I cherish this song and the promises it resonates. 


Neither of us slept more than two hours last night.  We were in a constant state of prayer...except from 2-4am when we watched, Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark.  It helped clear our minds:) ha  Thank you to many of you who were awakened at 1am this morning and began praying!  Thank you for your faithfulness and for letting us know.  We are so encouraged!  The scripture that kept running through my mind throughout the night was God's promise: 
"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you." Psalm 32:8 
Oh God, reveal your ways to us!!

Our appointment at the SDA office was, well, interesting.  The first 15 minutes was spent in Ukrainian "debate" over our paperwork.  We looked at 8 or so files of children in various orphanages and our coordinator specifically asked for a certain region because she is familiar with the caregivers there.  She had prepped us for this appointment the day before which increased our level of emotions.  Here is why...

For those of you following our story, you will recognize the name, "Sam".  He was the little guy that captivated our hearts last year at this time.  After we inquired about him and began making preparations to adopt, we were told he was mentally sick and severely brain deficient.  We were advised not to pursue.  This was very, very difficult for us as a couple and it has taken us a long time to accept this reality.  We have continued to mourn and pray for this little person in hopes that we would be blessed to know he was well taken care of and possibly adopted by someone else.

During our prep meeting, we saw a picture of Sam.  Shocked and overcome with emotion, Todd and I didn't know how to react.  In a sense, Sam had "come back from the dead".  We were confused and took a moment to gather ourselves together.  Our facilitator told us that someone at some point had mentioned he had an enlarged thyroid, which would lead them to believe he would be mentally and physically delayed.  Also, the fact that he was still in an orphanage at the age of 4 must mean something is "wrong".

According to the latest "off the record" information about him, he is walking, running, and talking.  He was also singing and dancing in some sort of play at the orphanage recently.  At this point, we don't know who or what to believe.  All we know is we have to see for ourselves.  We want to be very cautious as our hearts are already very much invested in this little life and don't want "what we want to believe" to cloud what reality is.  After the appointment we took time to pray outside together about the children we had seen.  Before we got through the prayer, we knew what to do.

In short, here is what came out of the appointment today...we are visiting two children.  Because our dossier states we can adopt two children, we have the option to visit two children if they are in the same orphanage or region.  Our situation is a bit more complicated but it's too much to explain right now.

Tomorrow we leave at 10pm on an 11 hour train ride.  We will arrive at 9am Thursday morning and will quickly go to an orphanage to visit a younger boy at the toddler orphanage, then Sam at the preschool orphanage.  This little boy recently had an orthopedic surgery that has enabled him to walk.  He has light brown hair and blue eyes and has a cute smile.  He appears to love playing with all the toys!  After we meet with him, we can choose to visit Sam or wait depending on our emotions and physical exhaustion.

 

We are anxious and excited all at the same time.  Please, please pray for us as we visit these two, precious boys.  I'm still in a state disbelief knowing that Sam's little, perfect face came up in the paperwork and that another little boy could fit right into our family.  Then again, God is bigger than any government, law, or policy.  We are seeking His wisdom and strength as we continue through this journey...  Also, please pray for these little boys.  This must be so scary for them as strangers who don't speak their language visit and play with them.  We pray for their hearts to be open and that they choose us if God has created us as a family.

Love you all and thank you for your prayers!

You Are God Alone

Bummer...this site is restricted from playing this song, but it gives you the link to Youtube...it's worth it!


I love this song...and I love that we have Internet access so we can listen to songs over YouTube.  If you've ever sat next to me at church when this song is sung, you've probably heard me sob.  It gets me every time.  God IS God alone...He is worthy, He is on His throne, He loves us.  Even when I feel lost, alone, angry, unloved...He is still God.  This line got me today:  "unchangeable, unshakable, unstoppable...that's what You are..."  God doesn't change.  He can not be stopped.  His will be done.  I think about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane..."not as my will but as you will".  I'm so afraid of "messing up" and adopting the "wrong" child...someone different than what God has chosen for me.  The thing is...I KNOW God has my story written...

After meeting with Natalia today, Todd and I desperately need to hear God speak to us and lead us to the child(ren) He created specifically for our family.
Today was a hard day and a sweet day all at once.  Thank you Jesus for small Bibles for traveling...thank you Mom for the "In Touch" magazines...thank you God for YouTube...thank you everyone for your prayers!  This had been an emotional day in many, many ways.  We both needed a good cry this afternoon so we don't have a meltdown tomorrow in the SDA office:)  I can't believe this day has finally arrived...here we go!

Oh yeah...one other thing to be thankful for...CURLY HAIR!  After three days of no shower (no conditioner for my hair because it's in our lost bag...) it still looks good...really!  Even Todd says so:) ha

We are here!!!

Thank you prayer warriors!  We have arrived and are finally in our apartment in Kiev...4:30am Ukraine time.  Here are some highlights of our journey...wish I could post pics but Todd is sleeping and I don't know how to add them from our camcorder:)  Tomorrow maybe...


We know God was protecting us throughout this first leg of the race.  I felt like I was on "Amazing Race"! ha:)  
"The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8

1.  Dad takes us to airport and we meet up with Todd's mom and step-dad (Mark and Marlene)


2. We check two bags and then visit with our parents until time to leave


3.  When going through security they stop both my bags and take out all 4 jars of peanut butter!!!:(  They are considered a "gel" so I couldn't bring them.  We were told Ukrainians love American peanut butter so we brought them as gifts. Bummer!  Was able to give them to Dad because he hadn't left.


4.  I kept telling everyone to leave, we would be fine, but PRAISE GOD they didn't listen to me!  Our plane was cancelled due to mechanical issues and we heard it was dents/holes in the wing!  Glad they cancelled the flight:)


5.  All flights had to be re-booked and while waiting I began chatting with a gentleman next to me (surprise...me, talking with a complete stranger:)  He was from Olathe and graduated from KU and we knew some of the same people.  He gave us a 1800 number that helped us get booked faster than the line:)  PRAISE GOD!


6.  Problem with the next flight:  
***  would take off 5 hours later, but this gave us time to eat lunch with our family, so that wasn't bad.  We at at On the Border and we decided not to order beans (hehe)
***  there would be a 12 hour layover in Frankfurt, Germany
***  wouldn't arrive to Kiev until 1:30am...turns out it was 2:30 am
          
7.  Once in Germany we attempted they had already sent one of our pieces of luggage...but to D.C.!  Have no idea why, but we are still waiting for it.  Thanks to our trip to Romania last summer and first hand experience from our friends, Mitch and Nicole, we split up our clothes into both bags.  However, I do not have conditioner or my black shoes I will need for Tuesday's meeting with the SDA.  Praying we will get the luggage tomorrow!!


8.  Answered prayer on flight from Chicago to Germany!!!  Our tickets were not together and we didn't even have our tickets until the last 15 or so people were boarding.  At this time my spirits were up but they suddenly dropped.  I felt tired, scared, and alone.  I felt tears welling up when I thought about not sitting next to Todd for the next 9 hours.  Emotions and nerves are on edge anyway and Satan is attacking.  I knew it was all up to the kindness and willingness of the people around us to move and I just thought, "Alicia, pull yourself together--don't be a baby--PRAY!"  So I did...I had been all morning and I knew there was a purpose if we were separated, I just didn't want to be:(  Fortunately, my ticket was an aisle ticket and Todd's was one in from the aisle seat.  I asked the gentleman to trade with me and he graciously agreed!  PRAISE GOD!  Oh, I almost cried tears of joy at that point...but held it together:)  


9.  ALSO...the woman next to me was assigned to a different seat so I had an empty seat to sprawl out in all the way to Germany!  PRAISE GOD!!  I got a few hours of sleep on the plane because of it:)  WOOHOO!


10.  We knew God had paved a way for our parents to stay with us, the man in line, the man to switch seats, and the open aisle seats.  We were greatly encouraged and thankful--thank you Jesus we were not traveling with a toddler during these tiring hours!


11.  Flight--movies, reading, sleeping, eating:)  Good times!


12.  Germany--international phone dead; one flight available at another far-away gate and no guaranteed seats PLUS we would have to pay for the extra tickets in addition to the one we already paid for; then none of our luggage would arrive for us.  We decided to wait the 12 hours.  PRAISE GOD we were able to contact our coordinator with the little bit of juice left on our phone.


13.  I was stopped through security AGAIN (I think I look like an innocent young lady, apparently others do not! ha:) They checked both laptops and the German man was SO FUNNY!  I was so tired I couldn't stop laughing...it was a much needed happy time:)


14.  God boarding passes, ate lunch, washed our faces, brushed our teeth, slept in the terminal a few hours.  PRAISE GOD for connecting chairs to lay down on:)


15.  Read some devotions and the prayer book Deb made me.  THANK YOU to all of you who contributed to our book.  It is a book I know I will continue to read and be encouraged by throughout this journey.  Thank you friends!


16.  Picked up from Kiev airport and brought to a beautiful, studio apartment.  Fridge, microwave, and washing machine!  WOW!  I wonder how much this place costs??  Too bad it's only for one night...:)


Time for bed...missing my puppies but I know my Daddyo is taking good care of them:)  Love to you all!


Please continue praying for the Lord to lead us as we have our meetings tomorrow and Tuesday.    
"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you." Psalms 32:8

What a BLESSED day!

This week has been busy!  We are packing, wrapping things up at work, fitting in visits with family and friends, and spending time with our puppies!  Of course I’m cleaning like a mad woman too!  I’ve spent hours communicating with others who have adopted from Ukraine via Facebook, email, and/or phone calls, as well as Ukrainian contacts and our agency.  I’ve thought many times I’m ready to leave so I can relax and sleep! ha

Amidst all the busyness I’ve lost sleep and precious time with God.  My quiet times are late at night reading a short devotion from a book or on-line at Proverbs 31 Ministries.  I spend much of my quiet times in the car listening to Christian radio.  God really speaks to me through His music.  I’ve posted one song that I’ve loved listening to for weeks now…I love the line, “He will never let you go”.  I forget how enormous God really is and that He has orchestrated all these events in our lives.  “For such a time as this” Ester 4:14.

Well, as I’ve prayed for encouragement, God has truly answered my prayer throughout these past weeks!  It's like He's saying, "Alicia, keep going, don't give up, there is a little person waiting for you!"  I wish I could capture them all in a jar or a movie and re-play it daily when we are in Ukraine.  Here are a few examples:

1.  My co-workers made a special lunch and dessert for me!  How awesome is that…I didn’t have to plan a lunch for three days because of the left-overs!  I love you girls…thank you!  Another example are the prayers that covered us in Sunday school with our closest friends and church family.

2.  My principal recognized me for being nominated for the "Excellence in Teaching" award.  He made me feel so special and that I really deserved this honor.

3.  Another co-worker is selling items at school and has given me 1/2 the profit!  Are you serious??  YES!  What a selfless act!

4.  A parent in my class donated 4 tubs of clothes, books, movies, shoes, toys, ect. to me and didn't ask for anything in return.  Another selfless act!

5.  Notes, gifts, donations, hugs, phone calls, emails, etc. continue to arrive at our feet.  God is working in so many lives and we are being directly impacted.  It's amazing and humbling.

Thursday was so special for me.  My friend, Becky, emailed the staff and planned a prayer meeting before school.  I was over-whelmed by the response!  There were at least 20+ people holding hands and lifting Todd and me in prayer!  The prayers were so special to me as God spoke to my heart about how richly blessed I am!  The entire school community has been so supportive and encouraging and God is working in the lives of many people there.  The cards, kind words, gifts, donations, and prayers are cherished by our family and will have a lasting legacy in our lives.

Another blessing came in the afternoon.  My 21 students have been keeping a secret from me for a while now…and they threw a surprise baby shower for me!!  In the middle of my read aloud, parents with arms of cupcakes walked in my room for a special time.  The students had been hiding their gifts in my co-worker’s room all week long and I had no idea!  I was showered with cards and books for “Little Bo”.  Tomorrow I’m going to have each student sign his/her name in their book and one piece of advice.  I will share those funny and beautiful pieces of advice laterJ  It is going to be tough good-bye tomorrow…tears were already flowing today. 

Then, my friend Deb, who has been such a faithful and true friend, created a book of prayers from co-workers, family, and friends.  Such a treasure for me to read through each page as many others are praying for us while we are away!  Thank you Deb!

As I’m typing this, I’m listening to Chris Tomlin’s song, “Forever”…”forever God is faithful, forever God is strong, forever God is with us, forever, forever…” 

Yes, today was a blessed day indeed!
 

NEWS!!!!

Well, we got a call that will change our life...we travel to Ukraine on Saturday, April 9th for our appointment date in Kiev on April 12th!!!!!   EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE:)  Here we go!

Many of you have asked how the process works...here it is:
1.  Meet with our coordinator/lawyer in Kiev and look through files that match our paperwork and criteria.  Our paperwork includes correctable special needs children under the age of six.
2.  If we agree to meet a child presented to us that day, we will get an appointment with the orphange and may travel that day to meet the child via train, car, or sometimes a small plane.
3.  If we do not feel a child will fit into our family, we have the option to decline meeting any children and wait up to two days to view different files.
4.  Once we meet the child, we are told we can spend several days before making a decision to adopt.  Our prayer is that we will recognize our child as soon as we meet him or her!
5.  Then, paper-pushing begins...it takes 14-15 days before we can get a court date. 
6.  During this time we can visit the orphanage two times a day...once in the morning and once in the afternoon. 
7.  After the court date, there is a 10 day waiting period before we can apply for the Visa.
8.  On rare occassions, the 10 day waiting period is waved.
9.  We apply for the Visa and it takes 1-4 days.
10.  We come home!

Thank you for all your support and prayers...we are so grateful for everyone's interest in this process and we look forward to sending you pictures and videos of this process!!!:) 

Love,
Todd and Alicia