Patience and Faith

Well, we have a slight change in our plans. We may not be home as soon as we thought we would. Today Tanya and Valari picked us up at 7:30. We drove 2 hours to the village where the girls were born in order to get the new birth certificates. Then Tanya talked to the women in the office for 2 more hours while Mark and I and Valari waited. Come to find out, 6 years ago, when the girls' birthparents' parental rights were terminated, and they were sent to the orphanage, birth certificates were issued for both girls. We don't know if they had birth certificates prior to this or not. Perhaps the mother gave birth at home and never registered their births. However, when the certificates were issued 6 years ago, the number on the certificates was written differently than the number the office recorded in their books. The person who recorded and wrote down these numbers no longer works there. So . . . . they wouldn't issue the birth certificates unless we get a court order allowing a change in the numbers. We drove 2 hours back to Mariupol, disappointed, but trusting in God.

When we arrived in Mariupol we drove to Arkadi's office (the social worker). He called the court and arranged for Tanya to go and meet someone there. We drove over to the court building. Tanya went in and Mark and I and Valari waited for a long time until she came out. When she came she said she was told we need to add an amendment to the court decree and the court authorities would sign it, in which it states that Mark and I are asking for the birth certificates to be issued, in spite of the concern about the difference in the numbers. The court would then approve it and would generate 16 copies to be notarized and attached to the 16 original court decrees. We then went back to Arkadi's office and waited and waited and waited while Tanya and Arkadi worked on doing everything necessary to get the document done. We have an appointment at the court at 8:30 tomorrow morning to petition the court to see if they will allow this document to be done immediately. If so, we might have it in another day or two. If NOT, we must wait 5 more days until the document is approved and issued. We could then return to the village for the birth certificates next week.

So, we can't go home until we go to Kiev. We can't go to Kiev until we have the passports. We can't get the passports until we get the birth certificates. We can't get the birth certificates until we get the special documents. We can't get the special documents until the court gives approval and tells us when. Good thing God is in control of all of this.

We finally got back to the TLC about 6:00 this evening, with no lunch and not much breakfast. Zhanna and Ella had stayed here all day with Alexandra and some of the kids. They played video games and "hung out." We were very proud of them. They took it upon themselves to wash their clothes and hang them out yesterday, and today while we were gone, they packed their suitcase and bags and got everything ready to go, thinking we were leaving tomorrow. We had to come home and explain that we are not leaving tomorrow, and may not leave until next week. They seemed fine with it. They are good girls, and seem to enjoy being here at the TLC. They are very relaxed here. We were also so pleased that they seemed genuinely happy to see us when we returned this evening, and have wanted to be with us since we returned. It is now after dinner and they are playing a "tag" game here in the basement with Mark. They keep running over to me, saying, "Save us, save us!" Then they giggle. Of course, I pretend to keep them safe, and then they go right back to running away from Mark! It's all so much fun! I think the tag game started when he offered them some chocolate, and then they came in and stole his "stash." They know how to get him to run!

I had intended for this to be my last blog from Mariupol. But it looks like God has more plans for us here. It's okay. It's amazing how differently we feel about additional waiting, now that we have the girls with us. It will just be for a little while longer and then we'll be home. Of course, we are anxious to be home as a complete family with Nathan and Annie and Zhanna and Ella and Mark and I. Our older kids have been wonderful through all this, and we miss them a lot. But, we will be home soon. We are just learning a little bit more about patience and faith. If we have patience and faith we will soon bring more hope and joy into our lives. Zhanna Hope and Evelina Joy, that is. God will see us through.

So, until we get home (even home in Heaven) we will experience Hardships and Blessings. We'll just wait on the Lord. I'll save this blog topic for another day.

Dasveedanyia from Mariupol,
Dawn and Mark