Saturday, December 27, 2008

Not in Nottingham

In Disney's Robin Hood movie, there is a lowpoint where things are going bad, and the chicken minstrel sings a song called, Not in Nottingham. The chorus goes,

Sometimes ups, outnumber the downs,
But not in Nottingham.
This phrase is on my mind constantly the last couple of days.



We had good news on Christmas Day. Our facilitator told us that all of the documents we needed had been sent up to the SDA in Kiev for final approval for a court date. She had gone to the courthouse and reserved a date for either Mon. or Tue. of next week. So we were excited about being able to wrap things up for awhile here and come home. Nancy and Mark would stay home while I would come back after the holidays to finish the adoptions and bring the kids home.

But not in Nottingham.

We found out yesterday that the SDA has rejected our papers on technicalities. Under different circumstances that would not really be a problem. In fact, our facilitator has already received corrected documents from both orphanages, and the updated documents will be in Kiev tonight. The problem is, we will very likely not have approval from the SDA before they shut down for the New Year's and Christmas holidays. This means that we will not be able to have court until the 3rd week of January. There is a mandatory 10-day waiting period before the kids can be removed from the orphanages. Valya has some properties issues to deal with. There is a period where we have to get birth certificates and domestic passports. We can't do any of that without court. Another problem is that now Nancy will have to return to Ukraine also because she is required to be present at court. All because of some wording issues on the documents. The SDA is very capricious. The facilitators never know what they will complain about.

There is still room for a miracle, however. The documents will be submitted to the SDA on Monday. If they approve same-day, we might be able to get court on Tuesday. That is very unlikely, but not impossible.

Nancy and Mark both have colds, I've had stomach flu. We have been gone from home 5 weeks, still haven't had court, and the internet here does not work well, and I cannot work remotely. We're supposed to go up to see Valya today, with Sergey, but it is snowing, so I don't know if we'll make it.

People often say you bottom out after 40 days here. That's about where we're at.

We've had some ups here, including the miracle of approval of Valya's separation from her siblings. For that we are grateful. But we're ready to be done.

Please pray for a miracle with the SDA. Peace to you.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Father Lord God I pray right now for my brothers and sister in Christ that you will work a mighty miracle for your children. Lord you consistently remide us of your almight power and grace and we pray for a miracle today. That you will soften the hearts of the SDA, that you will make the rest of the paperwork process go smoothly and that you will bring the Pretre's home safely soon. Lord, all things happen in your time for your glory and I pray that the timing is right now.

Lord their vessels are weak right now and I pray that you will fill them with your Spirit, that you will lift them up and heal their hearts and minds. Give them the strength they need to continue.

Here our prayer oh Lord.

"Be still and know that I am." God be with you!

The Strainick's

Debora Hoffmann said...

Praying! For with God, nothing is impossible.

Anonymous said...

Pretres

I do pray that all works out in the best interest of your family and according to Gods will. I pray that you find the means and inner strength to stay strong during what must be frustating times, and pray that you all get your physical health back quickly. I do want to thank you again for posting the pictures of your family and friends during your journey as I find myself looking forward to hearing about your adventures each day and checking your blog for any updates. And can't help but to smile when I see the pictures of your new children and the absolute pure joy that just radiates from their pictures taken with you. And I continue to be jealous of your son Mark and what he is experiencing as a youth which most people will never experience as far as being so close to foreign cultures and learning from those adventures. Take care Pretres and God Bless.

Anonymous said...

We will pray for you, too. We're in the same boat - the SDA complained that our documents had a "period in the wrong place" and our replacement docs will be in Kiev Monday AM. We pray that you will have court before the holidays even MORE than we are praying for our own court date. We have enjoyed getting to know you during our adoption journey in Ukraine - God bless you!

Ashley said...

Praying for you, sweet Pretre's!

Anonymous said...

I really thought there would be a court date by now. Unbelievable! I am so sorry. I am praying and believing for you. Val

Brad & Mari said...

Alan & Nancy,

Sorry things are moving so slowly for you.

You have our thoughts and prayers for quick resolution and court date.

Our title verse has served us well in times of frustration... "Trust in the Lord with all your heart..."

Brad & Mari

Anonymous said...

The Lord bless you and keep you! May Immanuel be your stength.. when you are weak- he is strong. Praying for you

Rich for all the Iverson's