I am going to start by giving you exactly what you have tuned in today to know, but then I'm going to make another post to give a more detailed explanation of...well, everything. The details are for people like me, with currently too much time on their hands, or for people who want to understand the process we are going through.
Also, we have a lot of people emotionally and financially invested in what we are doing here and you deserve to know exactly what is going on and have hope that this will finally resolve...and soon.
What you want to know is whether or not the director signed the papers. She did not.
Thank you for your prayers in our behalf. The fact that we wanted that and prayed for it but didn't get it does not shake my faith in the Lord, prayer, or whether or not we should adopt these children. So, please don't let it shake yours.
The reality is, we all look at our lives with as much vision as we would receive by looking at the universe through a straw. There is vastness we are unaware of, so we can't let the small things make too much difference...however gigantic they may feel at the time.
Please know how much we LOVE and APPRECIATE all the prayers and thoughts. We feel you and know you are out there caring about us. We pray for you in return!
We will, hopefully, have our SDA appointment for Nastia's signed referral this coming Thursday the 21st. This is assuming the director finds a little time to put her John Hancock on a piece of paper. Sorry...I'm being rude.
We will be leaving tomorrow afternoon for the orphanage because we would like to spend that waiting time with the kids, rather than holed up in an apartment in Kiev when we don't need to be!
We will return home on the 23rd.
If all goes according to plan and she actually signs before Thursday, we should be able to see our return home as the 10 day wait for the court date. Our hope is to return in July when Marsh can do it and have our court appearance.
The rest of the process is a little iffy from there...in terms of our plans...so that is it up to that point.
If she doesn't sign before Thursday, well, it's not as beautiful a scenario so let's not even bother to go there. :)
Thank you again for all of your efforts in our behalf. Many people were asking me to tell them specifically what to pray for. In my limited view, I thought we needed the director's signature. Our prayers only need to be "Thy will be done." We are in mighty good company with that request!
OH! Alisa and family! OH my! I just wish I could give you a hug! My prayers are for your comfort and strength, and for your family's, and for those children. Good gracious! This race is not a sprint, is it? It is a loooong, cross country marathon. Please know that I am praying.. HARD .. for you, that you WILL feel the strength of our Father in Heaven. I know others might already be doing so.. but I am going to put your names in the temple, too. ((HUGS!)))
ReplyDeleteThank you, Brenda! We can use the prayers and the prayer roll. I do feel very much like the Lord is in charge and it will work out for the best, whatever that looks like! No, it's not a sprint. I've had friends compare it to a long, long labor. One said, "After all, you're getting TWO!" :)
DeleteAs far as the long, long labor and getting two I just have to say that full term for one is 40 weeks and full term for two is only 37. My little guys came at 39.4 weeks, weighing 6.4 and the other 7.8. With that said and still remembering just how long those days were, (I swear they were lengthened out somehow) I don't know which end of things I'd rather be on. Thank you so much for laying out the timeline. Even with as long as you've been going through this I have to say, "I wish I was in your shoes today." I felt like my heart had been torn apart when who I had felt was to be our little guy turned out to not be. Now once again I'm falling in love with young boy, about the same age as Ruslan. I'm finding myself putting up walls, I don't want to fall in love again if this one really isn't to be ours for eternity. I hope your kids are home close to the 1 year anniversary when you first held Ruslan. Your all in Gods hands. Love you lots - more and more each day. -Jill
ReplyDeleteAll I can think of is Joseph Smith's infamous quote: "I am wont to swim in deep waters." I must say that I truly love your comparison about looking at the universe through a straw - what a wonderful perspective! You never cease to amaze me dear Alisa!
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