Small steps forward

We didn't do much of anything all day.  It was rainy in the morning, turning to heavy mist as the day wore on.  By afternoon the rain had stopped, but remained heavy overcast and cool.  I emailed the embassy and copied the adoption staff, trying to develop a comprehensive list of all the documents I needed to send to immigration.  There were two I missed, so I called Andrew, and even though he was out of town, he called his parents to tell them to let me in.  I hiked down to his apartment, printed the two documents I needed, and hiked back.  We visited with the Foxes a little bit, then saw Julia for a couple of hours, and then finally caught up with Svetlana.  She had been to Sumy all day, still trying to break the log jam free.  She is hopeful that the final document will be ready at 9:00 am, so we are leaving here at 7:30 am to arrive in Sumy on time. We reviewed the package of documents, and realized that we were missing two english translations of documents.  So back on the phine, called Andrew, Libby and I hiked in the dark and wet back to the apartment, and I printed two more documents.  Women are amazing creatures.  Libby and Mrs. Andrew's mom sat on the side of the bed and looked at pictures and chatted like old friends, with hardly any comprehension at all, and yet they communicated just fine.  We hiked back home, but realized we had nothing for breakfast, so we stopped at one of the many small stores on the way, and found something to eat.  Back to our room, down to the cafe for supper finally, at 8:30 pm, and now almost to bed.  And of course, because this paperwork exercise has been snake-bit, one of the two documents I printed is the wrong document.  Svetlana said to get the translation of the new birth certificate, but I really needed the translation of the old birth certificate.  We will have to try and deal with this tomorrow.

One funny observation, at least to me.  Modern strollers in the United States are pretty fancy gizmos, but in Ukraine, they are Cadillac versions.  It seems to be a cultural thing that it is a healthy practice to make sure your kids get out in the fresh air, no matter the temperature, even from a young age.  So these strollers are built like winter fortresses.  Quilted sides and bottoms, cocoon enclosures with a warm top cover.  When it is chilly, all you see is a pudgy face peeking out with a stocking cap pulled down to the eyebrows.  Strollers and moms are everywhere, everyday.

(Libby)

Today was a day of rejoicing and choosing gratitude after a day of failure.  When we think of all the myriad ways God has blessed us it is shameful that we got so discouraged yesterday.  Many of you prayed for us, many of you emailed us, many of you are helping us in various ways.  We thank you and we thank our amazing God!  I finally had the privilege of meeting Andrew's parents.  His father was gracious and gentlemanly, like Andrew.  His mother welcomed me like an old friend even though conversation was impossible.  We were able to communicate in spite of everything.  It is humbling to receive so many kindnesses and not be able to even thank people adequately.  We certainly owe many debts of love.  When we left, Andrew's father brought a lovely plate of apples for us.  Then his mother brought a bag for us to take them in.  We also had a great visit with Julia today.  She used more English and we laughed and had fun together.  She is very affectionate and seems to be happy to have parents, even when we must set limits or tell her no about some things.  Today was a good day.  We also got a picture with the girls from the cafe who have endured our lack of Ukrainian language and have helped us order our food so many times.  We hope to be traveling to Kiev on Friday!  Prayers please!