August 22, 2009 Update!

This is Greg - sorry it has taken so long to update everybody. I got home last Saturday and promptly got sick for the next 3 days and have been trying to play catch up ever since . I can't remember where we left off so I'll just start. The funny of our trip back started at the airport in Orlando when the pilot came on the intercom and said this is CAPTAIN KIRK and I'll be your pilot today. Sheri and I got a big kick out of that, being the Star Trek fans that we are. Anyway, we made it back to Ukraine and had our court date, if you can call it that . It seemed more like an appointment with child trafficking official. Let me explain we had told everybody up front that we would not do bribes. At our first court date our agent told us it should take about 10 minutes - 2 1/2 hours later we finished. Our next appointment was on Thursday @11:00 and before we started the judge told us that we were missing the girls written consents so we had to send the girls back to child services to rewrite the consents and get them stamped officially. This was after he had already signed off on all the paperwork a week earlier. Then once we got the forms to him again, he would not come into the court room. He sent word to us that he would only hear our petition to adopt Vika and not Irras case because we didn’t have proof of her Ukrainian citizenship. Because her father was born in Russia, even though she was living in Ukraine when she was removed from her home, and Ukraine has been supporting her for the last 7 years, and if she were to stay an orphan for two more years she would be granted Ukrainian citizenship anyway. He came straight out and told us that unless we paid him five hundred American dollars that he would not hear her case. So to make a long story short we had to pay. I have to admit this made us very angry! What kind of a low life would take advantage of helpless children just to make a buck? What makes it even sicker is this man is supposed to protect these children.

It was amazing that the issue of her citizenship never came up again. However we had to sit through this joke of a court process for the next six and a half hours, and then after all that, he would not give us his decision until Friday morning. We tried to explain that I had to leave at 5am to be able to go back to Kiev to sign paper work at the embassy and catch my plane home so I could get back to work. His response was that whoever cared could be there in the morning to hear his decision. Needless to say I once again had to practice my anger management . How dare he accuse us of not caring after the over two years of effort we have put into this process. That is why I say he is nothing more than a child trafficker. He treated us and the girls rudely throughout the entire process. I guess his day will come when he will have to answer to God for his actions. I wish that there was something we could do to stop this kind of abuse. However through all this insanity God still saved his girls. To Him be all the glory.

I am extremely pleased to say that the girls held up and behaved very well throughout this whole ordeal. I have to say that we had some serious concerns about Vika, as many of you know. However, I am very pleased to say that she was like a totally different kid this trip. She and Irra have been just as sweet as can be and I can't wait until they all get home. I am sure we will have some rough spots but I know God's grace will get us through those times as well. I feel like a first time dad again. I have never had girls before, just our boys. I have to admit us guys are trying to figure out how to keep the balance of power in our favor, but I think that might be a losing battle. Just kidding, but there will have to be some major adjustments, so please continue to pray for us.

Sheri is still in Ukraine and our 10 day waiting period will be up this Tuesday the 25th. Then we can begin the process of getting them all home. Please continue to pray that we will be able to get Irra's birth certificate from Russia without problems. Our agent has talked with the people in Russia and so far we have been told that all we have to do is go over there and they will issue a new one. We are hopeful that all will go that simply. Please also pray for our finances as we have had many additional expenses that we did not expect. I know that God will be faithful to meet all the needs as He has been all along. Pray also for Sheri. I talk with her daily and she is having a great time with the kids and is staying at the camp with them. They are having nightly Uno games and finger and toe nail painting parties. She is getting to know many of the other kids as well, which is good and difficult at the same time because there are a lot of great kids that just need someone to care. I wish we could bring them all home. I know Sheri will have a hard time leaving them, but at the same time I know she is getting very homesick as well. I wish I could have stayed with her but I couldn't so please support her with your prayers. Please stay tuned as we will update again soon.

Sheri and I both would like to thank everyone for your support and encouragement. Thank you and to GOD be all the glory!

BLESSINGS,
Sheri and Greg