It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad Chernivtsi

On Tuesday, while we waited for our meeting with the SDA our family spent some more time exploring Victory Square in Kiev. Rachel, Casey, and Rebecca noticed that almost every woman in Kiev wore high heeled black boots and long chic black coats. We didn’t exactly fit in.

When it was time, our drivers took us to the SDA (State Department of Adoption) to get our referral to see our little guy. In addition, we received a referral to see his older sister because of a Ukrainian government policy that siblings should be adopted together. They insisted on this obligation to see both children with the intent to adopt. Once we had these valuable pieces of paper we headed for the train station in Kiev. The traffic was crazy busy, but we made the train with a bit of time to spare. In order to get there our driver had to drive on the wrong side of the road, through gridlock traffic, on and sidewalks all while he talked on multiple cell phones and ignored his collision avoidance warning alarms.

The station was VERY busy and our Adoption host gave us specific instructions about how to keep our family and our luggage safe all the way to the train; we looked like a mama duck with her ducklings following all in a row with a bodyguard/driver bringing up the rear. We were quite the sight, I’m sure.

Just before we boarded the train we met our new adoption agency host and an interpreter who will be with us in Chernivsti. They are very kind and we are so thankful for them. The Train was old, the rooms were small and hot; but it had a certain charm too. We could have been on the Orient Express.

This is a picture of the hallway. Our rooms are along the wall behind Rachel.

After the bumpy fifteen hour overnight train ride to Chernivtsi we took only a few moments to settle into our apartment before we met up with the Croucher family from home. It was wonderful to see familiar faces! We also got to see a friend of ours who came with the children from Ukraine in the summer. It was great to see her too.

We then drove the forty-five minutes to the district to get permission to see our little guy. After hours of waiting for the bureaucratic process to unfold, we picked up a social worker. Finally, after five days and eight thousand miles of travel, we made our way to the orphanage.

It was wonderful to see our little boy again! When we first saw him he had just woken up from his nap and was a little sleepy; but he had no problem sitting with Patrick and looking at the photo album we brought of his trip to America. We spent some time taking turns sitting with him and he perked up as he woke up. He became the talkative, playful little boy we remembered. We also got to see one of the girls that we met in the summer from his orphanage. She joined our group and we all played cars and laughed together. Just before we left for the day he showed us his bedroom and his locker and we got to meet some more of his friends. We had to say goodbye after only an hour; the social worker had to get back to the office.

To cap off the day, we met up again with the Crouchers and another family from home, the Hegrebergs, for dinner along with our translator and guide. It was a wonderful time to share our experiences and just be together and support each other. We are all traveling a similar challenging path and it’s great to have someone who’s been there to vent to, talk with, and get encouragement from. As some families make progress, those of us a few more steps behind are encouraged and we have some hope.

This morning Bill and Rebecca had some frustrating meetings with Chernivtsi officials. While we have known for several months that the child we wish to adopt has a sister, at these meetings it became clear for the first time that the sister will play a significant role on whether or not we will be able to adopt him. She is much older but somehow still in the ‘System’; and in this region there is a decree that sibling children must be adopted together. We did not know this before we got here. We were under the impression that we would merely have some extra paperwork to do to dissolve the family relationship but that over all it would not be a big deal. It’s going to be a big deal.

Bill and Rebecca had a very short meeting with the sister; nothing was resolved and we decided to meet again later. Then the American families and our Adoption guides/translators went to the boarding school (where the older orphans live). The other families spent some time passing out snacks and bonding with their kids and received some paperwork to move their process along. We are glad for them and rejoice with them in the progress they are making. It’s wonderful to share in their joy.

While our family was at the boarding school we spoke with some of the staff who know our child’s family, including the sister. Based on the information we received from them, Bill and Rebecca do not plan to adopt the sister. We went back to meet the sister again. At this time her role in this process remains unresolved. This makes it very very difficult for us to adopt the child we wish to adopt. Our plan is to continue to talk with her until we have clarity on her intentions regarding our desire to adopt her brother.

It’s very cold here (in many ways) and the news we have gotten so far has not been encouraging or hopeful. Whenever we do get to take a step forward inevitably we take two or more steps back.

Our word for this situation since our family decided to host our little guy for the cultural camp in the summer has been “Miracle”. Every single step along the way, from deciding the host him to the medical work we got done while he was in the states, to the decision to adopt him- we have named all of these Miracles. It is so obvious to our family that God’s hand has been in this from day one. On days like today and yesterday where a lot of times (maybe even most of the time) the outlook is very bleak we do our best to remember that even here in this tiny region of Ukraine, literally, this little corner of the world, God is in charge. Even when we are not at home God hears our prayers. He knows our hearts, and he knows our desire. If it’s in His will for us to adopt this certain little boy He will make it happen.

It’s a habit of our family that before we begin a trip of any substantial length we gather around and pray in a circle. Minutes before we piled into the car to go to the airport for this trip we prayed together again. The word we used in that prayer was Miracle. We asked God for a Miracle. Since then, in our family prayers on this trip as the difficulties have become more and more apparent, we continue to ask God for a Miracle.

God is bigger than the cold, He is bigger than language barriers, He is bigger than district and regional officials who may try to stand in the way, He is bigger than a poorly written law that could keep us from bringing our little guy home.

So, please Dear Friends and Family pray for miracles to happen.

This is taking a toll on our family. We are scared and sad, and frustrated, confused, and yet, somehow still trying to be hopeful. Please pray for strength for our family too. This is no vacation and we won’t give up until we either have our new family member or there are literally no more options.

On a happier note, tomorrow morning our little guy’s orphanage is having their Saint Nicholas Day program. We were invited when we visited him yesterday and we look forward to that very much. We will take pictures and will show you when we get home.

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. –Hebrews 10: 23-24

A Square near our apartment in Chernivtsi

A picture of some of our apartment in Chernivtsi and Rachel and Patrick.

Rachel and Rebecca found a kitten who lives near our apartment. They call it Sneakers