SOOOO, October 26, 2013 we arrived bright and early at the airport to start our adventure, thanks to dear ol' dad. However, our plane was running 20 minutes late, I only panicked stightly. (Roll eyes now) We were finally all aboard and taxing out when we slowed down....then stopped.....then TURNED AROUND! WHAT?????!!! Yep, we went BACK to the gate, a passenger was having a panic attack. So we all had to wait for the medic, then get off the plane and wait for there to be another security check before we could all board again. NOW I am panicking!!! But all in all we did arrive in Kiev on time. The best part was the babushka that sat next to me from New York to Istanbul that drank whiskey!
October 27th, we land in Kiev and we are greeted by our driver Stas. He takes us on a near death ride to the house where we are staying. (Seriously, I say near death because we drove the wrong way on a one-way road at a less than calm rate of speed) We are staying with a missionary couple that is ABSOLUTELY hospitable. They are so wonderful, I just can't even describe how wonderful they are. Also, staying with the missionaries is another adoptive family from our town on the end of their adoption journey. It was great to see a familiar face in a city of 5,000,000 people.
This is another reason why the rock...pumpkin cookies!!!!
October 28th, Monday, we are given a personal escort to our "dry run" into Kiev where our SDA appointment will be, by the missionaries. Seriously, these people are great. So this definitely helps calm J and my fears about getting lost when we have to do it for real the next day. While we are standing at the SDA, another adoptive family (I met on FB) came walking out of their appointment!! It was so exciting to finally meet them. We all had a very fruitful lunch together. We then got a call from our regional facilitator stating that she would meet us to help us buy our train tickets so we can leave on Wednesday to where K lives.
October 29th, Tuesday, our SDA appointment. Everything went very well. We saw K's file. The picture of her made both J and I cry. She looked to sad. We received personal information about her and we were sent on our way. We were told to come back the next day between 4-5 to pick-up the referral letter and our dossier.
October 30th, Wednesday, we packed our bags, met our driver and went to the SDA to get our referral letter. We then ate dinner and our driver drove us to the train station. He waited with us and made sure we got onto the correct car and into our cabin. He was such a sweet man, Ruslan. He even bought us chocolates. Such a doll.
The cabin slept 4 (we purchased all 4 beds). None of us had been on a train before so this was quite the experience. J and I talked, visited with each other and reflected on our journey so far. L just read and read and read.
October 31st, Thursday, we arrive at the train station in Simferopol. We are met by our facilitator and driver. We then make the several hour drive to the area K lives. Upon our arrive to her town, we are taken to the office of the director so we can finally meet K. She was waiting in the hall. As soon as she saw me she RAN to me and gave me such a huge hug!!! It was so precious. We went into the office, where hugs and kisses continued. She was asked if she wanted us to adopt her and she said "Da!!!"
From there it is a whorl wind. We were moved into an apartment, ate dinner, went to the notary, went to the market and finally back to the apartment to SLEEEEEP!!!
November 1st, Friday (The day our world came crashing down, so get ready). We met with the facilitator and K. We went to the children's hospital for the medicals to be done on K. While we were there, some children from her old orphanage (she is now at trade school) were there. It was so good to hug and kiss the faces I have seen these last 8 months in all of K's pictures to me.
After the medicals we went to her school where she officially wrote out that she wanted to be adopted by us. We were able to spend some time with her that afternoon.
Jump to later that evening. We receive "The Call," that she has changed her mind and said no to the adoption and we needed to come in for a meeting. The walk was as if my feet were moving but I couldn't feel a thing. I couldn't even cry because I couldn't process what was happening. My ears were ringing. My head was spinning. She said "No." Is this seriously happening????
She did in fact say "No."
J, L and I cried all night long. This was so devastating. We were so deep in our grief that we were not able to feel God's comfort and trust His plan. How were we supposed to trust God's plan when he brought us half-way around the world and away from our toddler at home for ...a ......NO!!! Seriously???!!! I wanted to pack my bags and get on the first plane to home. I was DONE!!!
One phone call we received was a friend to pray with us and remind us that God DOES have a greater plan, it just doesn't look like what we wanted. She reminded me that K is still our daughter, she will just be living in Ukraine while God prepares the daughter that will be living in our home. She shared her story with us, which is somewhat similar to ours. She got it, she knows our pain and she can share how God had a greater plan for her family too. So J and I prayed and prayed to make the path for us crystal clear, like so clear that its a plain as the nose on my face. So we decided to stay in Ukraine and ask for a second appointment with SDA so we could receive a referral on another girl, our daughter.
November 3rd, Sunday. All the trains to go back to Kiev were sold out. Seriously, SOLD OUT! Well, plane it is. We hopped on a plane and arrived back in Kiev (staying with the missionaries again) on Sunday night.
The next few days we signed more paperwork, filed our request for another appointment with SDA to receive a referral for another girl, J flew back home to work and now L and I are here......in Ukraine.......waiting.
Please keep us, and our unknown daughter, in your thoughts and prayers. Please pray for a smooth process and that she has an open heart to join our family and trust her future to us. Please continue to pray for K, she may have heartbreak one day when the reality of her decision reveals itself.
October 29th, Tuesday, our SDA appointment. Everything went very well. We saw K's file. The picture of her made both J and I cry. She looked to sad. We received personal information about her and we were sent on our way. We were told to come back the next day between 4-5 to pick-up the referral letter and our dossier.
October 30th, Wednesday, we packed our bags, met our driver and went to the SDA to get our referral letter. We then ate dinner and our driver drove us to the train station. He waited with us and made sure we got onto the correct car and into our cabin. He was such a sweet man, Ruslan. He even bought us chocolates. Such a doll.
The cabin slept 4 (we purchased all 4 beds). None of us had been on a train before so this was quite the experience. J and I talked, visited with each other and reflected on our journey so far. L just read and read and read.
October 31st, Thursday, we arrive at the train station in Simferopol. We are met by our facilitator and driver. We then make the several hour drive to the area K lives. Upon our arrive to her town, we are taken to the office of the director so we can finally meet K. She was waiting in the hall. As soon as she saw me she RAN to me and gave me such a huge hug!!! It was so precious. We went into the office, where hugs and kisses continued. She was asked if she wanted us to adopt her and she said "Da!!!"
From there it is a whorl wind. We were moved into an apartment, ate dinner, went to the notary, went to the market and finally back to the apartment to SLEEEEEP!!!
November 1st, Friday (The day our world came crashing down, so get ready). We met with the facilitator and K. We went to the children's hospital for the medicals to be done on K. While we were there, some children from her old orphanage (she is now at trade school) were there. It was so good to hug and kiss the faces I have seen these last 8 months in all of K's pictures to me.
After the medicals we went to her school where she officially wrote out that she wanted to be adopted by us. We were able to spend some time with her that afternoon.
Jump to later that evening. We receive "The Call," that she has changed her mind and said no to the adoption and we needed to come in for a meeting. The walk was as if my feet were moving but I couldn't feel a thing. I couldn't even cry because I couldn't process what was happening. My ears were ringing. My head was spinning. She said "No." Is this seriously happening????
She did in fact say "No."
J, L and I cried all night long. This was so devastating. We were so deep in our grief that we were not able to feel God's comfort and trust His plan. How were we supposed to trust God's plan when he brought us half-way around the world and away from our toddler at home for ...a ......NO!!! Seriously???!!! I wanted to pack my bags and get on the first plane to home. I was DONE!!!
One phone call we received was a friend to pray with us and remind us that God DOES have a greater plan, it just doesn't look like what we wanted. She reminded me that K is still our daughter, she will just be living in Ukraine while God prepares the daughter that will be living in our home. She shared her story with us, which is somewhat similar to ours. She got it, she knows our pain and she can share how God had a greater plan for her family too. So J and I prayed and prayed to make the path for us crystal clear, like so clear that its a plain as the nose on my face. So we decided to stay in Ukraine and ask for a second appointment with SDA so we could receive a referral on another girl, our daughter.
November 3rd, Sunday. All the trains to go back to Kiev were sold out. Seriously, SOLD OUT! Well, plane it is. We hopped on a plane and arrived back in Kiev (staying with the missionaries again) on Sunday night.
The next few days we signed more paperwork, filed our request for another appointment with SDA to receive a referral for another girl, J flew back home to work and now L and I are here......in Ukraine.......waiting.
Please keep us, and our unknown daughter, in your thoughts and prayers. Please pray for a smooth process and that she has an open heart to join our family and trust her future to us. Please continue to pray for K, she may have heartbreak one day when the reality of her decision reveals itself.
Just discovered your blog. We adopted our son from Ukraine. It is an exhausting and emotional time. Know that God is with you and He does have a plan for your family even when it doesn't appear so. Our family will now be praying for yours and that God will lead you to the child you are supposed to adopt.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your encouraging words! They are REALLY needed right now!!!!
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