5 Days

The time of our departure for Ukraine is fast approaching. Basically, our remaining preps consist mostly of packing issues. We haven't started packing yet, but will shortly. I will be printing off a list that Eric and Michelle posted that they are taking, and will adjust it for us.

I want to thank those of you who are praying for us regarding the Valya situation. All we can do is wait for our SDA appointment. It promises to be an interesting day. It's completely out of our control, so there is no point worrying about it. Deb pointed out in one of her comments that she thought that they would consider splitting sibling groups of 5 or more. Not sure about that, but Oleg says that to split up siblings requires the approval of the siblings plus the local Inspector. Oleg also reassured us that if the siblings or the Inspector wouldn't agree to the split, that we would be able to get a 2nd appointment.

The day of our SDA appointment, Thu. Nov. 27, will be interesting for another reason. It is also the last day for dossier submissions for 2008. If we can get there early, I will take a picture for you and post it on the blog. I will be interested to see one of these legendary facilitator lines myself. I would expect tensions to be high since all of them will be anxious to get their clients submitted.

Our new furniture for the living room arrives tomorrow. It will be good to get that in order. The only furniture we have for Valya's room is mattresses. We've decided to order the rest online when we know when we, or Nancy, will be returning.

That's it for now.

Cast your cares on the LORD
and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous fall.

Ps. 55:12

My Kingdom for a Referral

There is an official process for picking a child to adopt in Ukraine and that is to visit the SDA offices in Kiev and view portfolios of kids that they provide to you, and then choose one.

That is, unless you already have a referral for one. It is a little mysterious to me how that works officially, since it is illegal for a third party to act as an agent or broker in the adoption process. How do you find out about a child other than the SDA? Word of mouth. Hosting. Prior visits to orphanages. Siblings. Providence. Good luck. We found out about Sergei and Valya in those ways.

This is on my mind today, because I was reading some of the adoption blogs that we have links to from ours, and found some cases of failed Ukrainian adoptions. Several families recently went to Kiev to adopt, and the only kids that the SDA would show the families had serious medical problems. They had gone to Ukraine without a specific child in mind beforehand. I will let you read about them if you wish, but it is just too sad.

Shirley and Steve
Dave and Gina
Drew and Rita
Jason and Erica

If you are looking to adopt from Ukraine, it's a good idea to have a child in mind before you go. I say all this as someone who hasn't actually completed an adoption yet. Take it for what it's worth.