Last Sunday we went to a pool party that our Va Beach adoption service hosted for families that have adopted in recent years. Most of the children were from Ukraine, but several were from Guatemala. At least five of the kids were from Katya's orphanage and are close friends of hers. We took pictures and will take them to Ukraine (which will be very soon, at least for Beverly). A team of 11 adults from our church leave this Friday for a two week service related mission trip at the orphanage in Uglegorsk. Beverly will have some time to spend with Katya. So this coming Saturday or Sunday she will be able to show Katya the pictures. I would post some of them, but don't have permission from the parents, so I won't just in case they might object.
I wish I was able to go this Friday, but I can't because I need to take off from work now and then again in August when we go for the adoption. I am really happy that Beverly can go, because at least one of us needs to spend some time with Katya. She seems somewhat reluctant to leave Ukraine, especially without her friend Anya. We would have adopted them both, but Anya is not registered (i.e. available for adoption). And she won't be for about 10 more months.
It has to be so very scary for a 14 year old girl to think about what her life would be like away from the country and friends she has known all her life, and move to a country with two essentially strange adults, where she doesn't speak the language. BUT..... Beverly is such a wonderful person and I know Katya will warm up to her right away.
Hopefully, seeing recent pictures of happy friends here will help relieve her fears of coming to the US. Her friends have their struggles with their new parents, but they are all happy and well cared for (loved and supported). It is amazing how quickly they are learning English. One of the young girls that arrived last November already speaks really well. We are hoping that Katya picks up the language quickly without a lot of frustration.
That brings me to school. That will a be huge adjustment for her since she hasn't even been to public school in her own country. All the children at Uglegorsk are taught in the orphanage. Katya will be going to a public school here in Va Beach. They will start her in an age appropriate class (9th grade), which means high school. Middle school would be scary enough, but HS will even be more scary. The cool thing is that we have a young girl that lives right next door that will be starting 9th grade also. She is a wonderfully sweet young lady, so I'm sure she will help Katya get acclimated and watch out for her. There are also kids from our church youth group that also go to the same high school.
Well, g2g and help Beverly get ready to leave on Friday.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Sad News While We Wait :o(
One of the joys we hoped for Katya was for her to meet our wonderful dog Alley. But sadly she contracted bone cancer and we had to have her put to sleep last Friday. We are extremely sad, and disappointed for Katya. Alley was absolutely the most wonderful dog in the world.
So now we just wait for our travel date. It seems like time is crawling by at a snail's pace.
So now we just wait for our travel date. It seems like time is crawling by at a snail's pace.
Friday, June 8, 2007
We Have an Appointment Date
We received a registration number and a date of July 31, and we confirmed it with a phone call today June 8.
Now we wait some more ! ! ! ! But this time it is a good kind of wait, because we feel more optimistic and hopeful now than ever before in this process.
Thanks everyone for your prayers ! ! ! Please keep praying, because Katya isn't here yet.
Beverly will be traveling again to Ukraine the end of June on another mission trip to the orphange where Katya lives. This will be a great opportunity for she and Katya to start building a relationship. I was supposed to go, but I can't take off two weeks from work in early July and then turn around the end of July and take off for another two and a half weeks. I am sad about that because I wanted to meet this young lady that has now become (in our hearts at least) part of our family.
Now we wait some more ! ! ! ! But this time it is a good kind of wait, because we feel more optimistic and hopeful now than ever before in this process.
Thanks everyone for your prayers ! ! ! Please keep praying, because Katya isn't here yet.
Beverly will be traveling again to Ukraine the end of June on another mission trip to the orphange where Katya lives. This will be a great opportunity for she and Katya to start building a relationship. I was supposed to go, but I can't take off two weeks from work in early July and then turn around the end of July and take off for another two and a half weeks. I am sad about that because I wanted to meet this young lady that has now become (in our hearts at least) part of our family.
"Elderly Foreigners"
Well, the adoption law that the Ukraine parliment had been trying to pass went through its second reading and was passed to the president for signing. This bill would make me (Michael) too old to adopt Katya or any other orphan in Ukraine.
We wouldn't have felt so bad about this, but our dossier had not been approved and we had not been given an appointment date at SDA. There were many rumors about if it had been signed and how it would be implemented.
SO......... we prayed and we asked our church family to pray.
We heard from our facilitator in Ukraine that they were expecting we would be given an appointment date May 31, but May 31 came and went and none was received.
BUT ! ! ! ! ! ! ! On June 5 we received an appointment date ! ! ! ! !
And even better news came two days later that the president HAD NOT signed the bill and wasn't going to sign it because he didn't recognize the parliament as being legitimate since he had fired them all on April 2.
We wouldn't have felt so bad about this, but our dossier had not been approved and we had not been given an appointment date at SDA. There were many rumors about if it had been signed and how it would be implemented.
SO......... we prayed and we asked our church family to pray.
We heard from our facilitator in Ukraine that they were expecting we would be given an appointment date May 31, but May 31 came and went and none was received.
BUT ! ! ! ! ! ! ! On June 5 we received an appointment date ! ! ! ! !
And even better news came two days later that the president HAD NOT signed the bill and wasn't going to sign it because he didn't recognize the parliament as being legitimate since he had fired them all on April 2.
Paper Work Complete
After months of filling out forms, obtaining birth certificates, personal references, etc. we finally had our paper work complete including homestudy. That was in March. Our paper work made it to Ukraine just in time for SDA to stop accepting dossiers, because of a loss in staff that was the result of political wrangling between the President and Prime Minister.
They finally began accepting dossiers again on April 16, but lines were long and SDA was only accepting about 5 per week and US applicants were only accepted on Mondays.
Surprise, surprise, we receieved a call from our US adoption services that our dossier was accepted on April 30 ! ! ! !
Now we wait some more..........
They finally began accepting dossiers again on April 16, but lines were long and SDA was only accepting about 5 per week and US applicants were only accepted on Mondays.
Surprise, surprise, we receieved a call from our US adoption services that our dossier was accepted on April 30 ! ! ! !
Now we wait some more..........
The Journey Began
[the short version]
Several years ago, thinking we were too old to adopt, we entertained the idea of trying to help a young man in an orphanage in Ukraine who was ready to "age out" when he turned 16. Even though we tried to help, it didn't work.
Beverly visited an orphanage in the eastern region of Ukraine on a mission trip our church organized. When she returned I expected her to say "I found this young person and want to adopt". She didn't even mention any such thing. So I told her I expected a pleading from her to adopt. She said she thought I wouldn't even entertain such an idea. I told he that I thought we could help an orphan and that I saw no reason why God wouldn't be pleased that we would. Well.......... that's where it started.
Unfortunately for us Ukraine shut down their international adoptions shortly after that decision. We then had to wait (one of the things international adoption is full of); wait, wait and more waiting ! ! !
Several years ago, thinking we were too old to adopt, we entertained the idea of trying to help a young man in an orphanage in Ukraine who was ready to "age out" when he turned 16. Even though we tried to help, it didn't work.
Beverly visited an orphanage in the eastern region of Ukraine on a mission trip our church organized. When she returned I expected her to say "I found this young person and want to adopt". She didn't even mention any such thing. So I told her I expected a pleading from her to adopt. She said she thought I wouldn't even entertain such an idea. I told he that I thought we could help an orphan and that I saw no reason why God wouldn't be pleased that we would. Well.......... that's where it started.
Unfortunately for us Ukraine shut down their international adoptions shortly after that decision. We then had to wait (one of the things international adoption is full of); wait, wait and more waiting ! ! !
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