Katya update - Would you join me in praying for a longshot?

[Cindy in C-ville]

As you may know, we're trying to adopt Katya, a little girl that we hosted last summer through Frontier Horizon. There has been a paperwork glitch and the adoption could be delayed, possibly as much as 14 months. I would LOVE it if you could join me in prayer. The blog link is in my sig line if you'd like more information, or just ask here. Thanks SO much!!!

[Jean in Newcastle]

Praying here. :grouphug:

[Brigitte]

Praying for you all, Cindy. Can you clarify why the 10 day wait would result in a 14 month delay? That is just unfathomable to me. Hugs for you.

[wagnfun]

As you may know, we're trying to adopt Katya, a little girl that we hosted last summer through Frontier Horizon. There has been a paperwork glitch and the adoption could be delayed, possibly as much as 14 months. I would LOVE it if you could join me in prayer. The blog link is in my sig line if you'd like more information, or just ask here. Thanks SO much!!!

 

 

I have been thinking of & praying for your family while following your blog for a while now. That little girls smile is beautiful & she belongs with your family!!!! Please share your info! More prayers going up....

 

Corb :grouphug:

[MamaT]

I will be praying for you. I know from personal experience that God can make a way to get that little girl to your family.:001_smile:

[specialmama]

:grouphug: Praying here, too!

[Cindy in C-ville]

Praying for you all, Cindy. Can you clarify why the 10 day wait would result in a 14 month delay? That is just unfathomable to me. Hugs for you.

 

Thanks, Brigitte. The 10-day wait won't result in a 14-month delay. Sorry, I didn't give enough information. If there's a 10-day wait, then it will be May 26 (b/c of weekends) before the court document can be picked up. Then it has to be taken to another office in Odessa, and then our facilitator delivers it to the SDA office in Kiev. If the 10-day wait is waived, we could potentially know by the end of next week if we will be invited to travel this summer, or if it will be 14 months from now. . If the 10-day wait isn't waived, it will take into June before we know and then we'll be two weeks later traveling, etc. It's not the end of the world if that happens. It's just hard to wait (not necessarily a bad thing) and the later in the summer we travel, the more difficult it is with the kids' school schedules. We'll be in Ukraine for a minimum of 5 weeks and my two "olders" start school on August 24.

 

Honestly, it's a bit confusing to me as well. It's hard to get a clear picture of timing. Planning anything definitively is out the window. I basically feel like I'm constantly flying stand-by. But, from everything I've read, this is par for the course. Sorry for so many metaphors!

 

So, I'm just taking it one step at a time and would LOVE it if this 10-day wait period could get waived and we would be 10 days closer to knowing whether we'll be able to bring Katya home this summer, of if we'll have to wait.

 

Does this sort of make sense?

[Cindy in C-ville]

Also, thanks Jean, Corb, Tammy, and Karyn for your prayers!

[Harrison_B]

Hi,

 

Many hugs to you and prayers. My dh and I adopted from the Ukraine in 2001 and we know exactly what you are going through with the paperwork. My younger ds came from the Mukachevo region (near the Carpathian Mountains). Luckily, you'll be traveling in the summer. We traveled in January and we hit a blizzard in Kiev and an ice storm in Warsaw. Be sure to do some historical sightseeing while you're in Kiev (we had a day before we were sent out to the orphanage). The culture is fascinating and we enjoyed our experience (except for the blizzard). You'll enjoy the trains (talk about going in a time warp) and the food (excellent Borsch, regional dishes, and wine).

[clarkacademy]

:grouphug:LOT"S OF PRAYERS!!!!!

[Cindy in C-ville]

Thanks clarkacademy and Terri! Terri, I'd love to hear your story sometime. So your son was 5yo when you adopted? How was the transition here? How quickly did he pick up English? Thanks again!

[Catwoman]

Praying that everything goes well for you and that Katya will soon be on her way to her forever home with you, Cindy!

 

Cat

[Avila]

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

 

Praying for a miracle for all of you!

[Cindy in C-ville]

Thanks Cat and Asenik! It's SO good to know that people are praying!

[mom4him]

Thanks, Brigitte. The 10-day wait won't result in a 14-month delay. Sorry, I didn't give enough information. If there's a 10-day wait, then it will be May 26 (b/c of weekends) before the court document can be picked up. Then it has to be taken to another office in Odessa, and then our facilitator delivers it to the SDA office in Kiev. If the 10-day wait is waived, we could potentially know by the end of next week if we will be invited to travel this summer, or if it will be 14 months from now. . If the 10-day wait isn't waived, it will take into June before we know and then we'll be two weeks later traveling, etc. It's not the end of the world if that happens. It's just hard to wait (not necessarily a bad thing) and the later in the summer we travel, the more difficult it is with the kids' school schedules. We'll be in Ukraine for a minimum of 5 weeks and my two "olders" start school on August 24.

 

Honestly, it's a bit confusing to me as well. It's hard to get a clear picture of timing. Planning anything definitively is out the window. I basically feel like I'm constantly flying stand-by. But, from everything I've read, this is par for the course. Sorry for so many metaphors!

 

So, I'm just taking it one step at a time and would LOVE it if this 10-day wait period could get waived and we would be 10 days closer to knowing whether we'll be able to bring Katya home this summer, of if we'll have to wait.

 

Does this sort of make sense?

Praying for you here.

There were so many things against us in getting our two and I never fought to adopt them. I simply let the social worker know that we would very much like to make them a permanent part of our family and did push for the decision to be made quickly so they could be with their forever family asap.

They are native American and we are not. At the time they were 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 and I was in my 50's and my dh was in his middle 60's. We are Christian and that was a biggy against us.

God preformed miracles in things that He directed us to do that were very pivotal in us getting them but that at the time we just looked at as things that would be good for them.

I believe God is a God of adoption. After all everyone of us that has believed in Him through His Son, He has adopted as His own.

[Cindy in C-ville]

Sandy, thanks so much for your prayers. Like you, we don't feel called to "fight" to adopt Katya, just to work as hard as we can trusting the folks that the Lord has brought to help us. We also feel a sense of solidarity with our Katya as we have also been adopted as kids of the King. Thanks again!

[TeacherZee]

Know that you and Katya are in my thoughts almost daily. I check your blog regularly to see if you have had any good news. I will continue keeping you and that beautiful girl in my thoughts!

 

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

[Cindy in C-ville]

TeacherZee! Thanks so much! :)

[Harrison_B]

Thanks clarkacademy and Terri! Terri, I'd love to hear your story sometime. So your son was 5yo when you adopted? How was the transition here? How quickly did he pick up English? Thanks again!

 

My ds was 5 going on 6 when he came here. The transition was rough in the beginning because of the language, but he was able to speak English fluently after six weeks. I give him credit! We spent three weeks in the Ukraine and I could only say 'Hello' and 'Goodbye' and 'Thank you'. His orphanage had only the basics so he was not used to the high tech life style of the US. He went into sensory overload for the first few months.

 

I don't know how old your dd will be, but my ds knew the Cyrillic language so he had a tough time with reading English because some of the letters has the same symbol but different sounds (i.e., P -> R). We also had some medical issues in the Ukraine with my ds (intestional polyps) and we had to get him to the states (ASAP) so it was a rough last week for us with the processing of paperwork as quickly as possible and the blizzard. I would HIGHLY recommend putting your dd on your insurance once the paperwork goes through and bring the information with you. We had to go to the Ukrainain hospital in Kiev and it was definitely an eye-opener. Thank God, for the American Medical Institute in Kiev - the doctor was wonderful!

 

I wouldn't trade the experience. I love my ds so much and he has become such a wonderful young man. He is pursuing his brown belt in Karate and wants to become an Eagle Scout. I started him two years behind his brother in his education and today, he is almost on par with him. You'll want to give your dd time. She will be overwhelmed at first but once she gets used to her surroundings, she will be okay.

 

Be sure to enjoy the experience!

[Tammyla]

:grouphug:You got it.

[Sweetpeach]

You have called Katya by name, given her a Mommy and a Daddy and a family of brothers and sisters to love her. You have loved Katya from the beginning, not accidentally planting a yearning for her in the hearts of Cindy and Bill. You have promised to prosper this Little Life . . . not personality, paperwork or government can hinder what You've already ordained.

Draw Closer, Even Closer, Holy Spirit.

Inspire Dima and Vimy with creative solutions;

Be Mighty in Bill;

Be Watchful over Cindy;

Your Peace and Comfort over Sara Marie, Grace, Adelyn, Josiah, Cameron and Piper;

Your Loving Embrace around Katya;

Your Gentle Spirit in the Four Corners of Bill & Cindy's Home;

More of You, Father.

Be Everything for this Family as they grow by Your Design.

 

 

 

I prayed this over email for our dear friends who are pleading with our provincial government to have their adoption pushed fwd . . . I think it's ok to share. Much love to all of you! Tricia

[Brigitte]

Cindy, you really have been put to the test with all this. I am praying for the shortest wait possible for you.

[Cindy in C-ville]

You all are precious and dear. Your care for me is such a blessing. My heart is overflowing. I should hear from Liliya tomorrow and will post as soon as I do.

[SnowWhite]

Praying here too!

[Cindy in C-ville]

Here's the email that I received from Liliya today:

 

Dear Cindy,

 

Hello! I had bad news. Today the judge decided that he needs two more documents to make his decision. He asked Tamara to bring for the next court hearing ( 19 of June) two documents, one from the retirement fund and another – from her doctor about her health. Tamara and I are very, very sad and disappointed but he is the judge and I hope he knows better and he does not want to make our life more difficult . He has not explained Tamara why he needs this documents, he has just said to get them.

She will get all this documents during this week and on Monday he has visitors day and maybe we can get an appointment just to speak to him and explain everything again.

 

I know that it is God’s plan and we should continue praying and everything will be fine.

 

Love,

Liliya

 

P.s say hello to your family. I am very, very sad today.

 

 

Needless to say, we're very sad too, but will keep on praying and working to bring Katya home. Thanks so much for all your prayers and encouragment!

[vettechmomof2]

Oh dear, I am so sorry for your struggles and for everyone involoved. Keeping prayers for all of you.

:grouphug:

[Catwoman]

I'm so sorry there's a delay, Cindy. :grouphug: Please keep us updated.

 

Cat

[Tammyla]

(((Cindy))) Hugs and prayers.

[Harrison_B]

Hi Cindy,

 

I can relate. When we were in the Ukraine, the judge wanted additional paperwork (hard to get when you're overseas). Unfortunately, the judges are not regulated and one district might want one certain document while the other district will waive it. We had to pay "extra" fees over there to get my ds in a timely manner. It was a nightmare trying to get a certified birth certificate, doctor visit, etc. What I remember is Odessa is a tough region to adopt from. Hang in there! Our prayers are with you!

[Cindy in C-ville]

Thanks, all. I really appreciate it. Terri, we did hear from our facilitator that it's possible that the judge might speed things up if given a "gift." We've authorized him to move forward on this when the court is open for "Visitors' Day" on Monday. Praying Luke 18!

[Mandy in TN]

Needless to say, we're very sad too, but will keep on praying and working to bring Katya home. Thanks so much for all your prayers and encouragment!

 

:grouphug: I read your blog. I am so sad for your family and poor little Katya. I hope a "gift" will speed things along.

Mandy

[Harrison_B]

Hi Cindy,

 

Same thing happened to us. We were willing to pay the "gift" because we knew it could have been bureaucratic nightmare. Our agency forwarned us and we paid many "gifts" to various governmental and orphanage officials. Luckily, our facilator knew alot of the ropes and was able to have our paperwork processed quickly. She did have some "moments" where she wanted to "punch" out the governmental personnel. She had to travel to various regions by train to gather my son's paperwork. She was worth her weight in gold. In the end, we stayed in the Ukraine three weeks. It was definitely an experience and a good one. All will be well. I'm confident that the judge needs the "gift" and once it is received, the paperwork will be processed quickly. Unfortunately, there are many links in this process and you don't know which link will fail. What I remember is Odessa is a tough region. Prayers do help - and the Lord will bless you in his time!

Edited May 13, 2009 by Harrison_B

[Cindy in C-ville]

Thank you Mandy and Harrison. I just received word that Tamara and Liliya will take a "gift" to the judge on Friday. Thank you for ALL your prayers!

[Cindy in C-ville]

The offer of a gift to expedite the court date was ineffective. They'll have court date of June 19, a 10-day waiting period, then documents will be taken to Kiev, and it will be at that point that we find out whether we are traveling soon, or in 14 months. I'm a bit wearied and need to put aside the tasks of adoption for a time. There really is nothing else I can do at this point, other than pray for my daughter who's on the other side of the ocean. :( Thanks for all your prayers and encouragement!

[melissel]

Oh Cindy, my mama's heart is just aching for you :( Why, WHY make it so difficult to get a child to a family who desperately wants and loves her? I just don't understand it. I'll be thinking about you often and checking for positive updates :grouphug:

[mom4him]

The offer of a gift to expedite the court date was ineffective. They'll have court date of June 19, a 10-day waiting period, then documents will be taken to Kiev, and it will be at that point that we find out whether we are traveling soon, or in 14 months. I'm a bit wearied and need to put aside the tasks of adoption for a time. There really is nothing else I can do at this point, other than pray for my daughter who's on the other side of the ocean. :( Thanks for all your prayers and encouragement!

I so understand the weary feeling. We got our two through state foster care and at one point we had allegations brought against us by two little girls we had cared for many months before. With the allegations our two were removed from our home asap. I had about 2 hrs to get them packed up and ready to be picked up. I felt as though someone had ripped my heart out. To make a long story short, after 5 1/2 months we were deamed safe and our children were brought back to us as foster children. We still did not know wheather we would be their forever parents or not. The only thing I really had was shortly after they had been removed I had felt the Lord speak to my heart that I was to not fear for they were ours. That and the fact that we did have a social worker that worked her f@nny off to keep them in our home.

6 1/2 months after they came back, 1 yr to the day we were standing in the court room making them ours. What a glorious day that was!

If the Lord has put this child in your heart, she is yours. Take the rest you need from all the red tape and anything else and prepare yourself and your family for the homecoming of your child.

[Cindy in C-ville]

Thanks, Melissa and Sandy! I just skyped with her - so bittersweet. I do believe she'll be with us. It's just so hard to have a pregnancy with no due date!

 

I appreciate your encouragement to rest from the red tape. We need that. We ALL need that. I need time to step away from the computer, connect with my husband and the children under my roof, to pray, worship, and rest. Perhaps the Lord is giving this time just to rest in Him and prepare.

[Brigitte]

The offer of a gift to expedite the court date was ineffective. They'll have court date of June 19, a 10-day waiting period, then documents will be taken to Kiev, and it will be at that point that we find out whether we are traveling soon, or in 14 months. I'm a bit wearied and need to put aside the tasks of adoption for a time. There really is nothing else I can do at this point, other than pray for my daughter who's on the other side of the ocean. :( Thanks for all your prayers and encouragement!

 

Cindy, my heart is breaking for you. :grouphug:

[Brigitte]

Perhaps the Lord is giving this time just to rest in Him and prepare.

 

What a beautiful way to view this, Cindy. I am praying for all of you.

[CalicoKat]

Thanks, Melissa and Sandy! I just skyped with her - so bittersweet. I do believe she'll be with us. It's just so hard to have a pregnancy with no due date!

 

I appreciate your encouragement to rest from the red tape. We need that. We ALL need that. I need time to step away from the computer, connect with my husband and the children under my roof, to pray, worship, and rest. Perhaps the Lord is giving this time just to rest in Him and prepare.

God is already using you to bless Katya. She has hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11. God's timing is perfect (although frustrating to us who don't understand it all). Praying for you as in this waiting period.

 

We have gone through the adoption process 5 times. :) 3 private adoptions and 2 through the foster care system. We fostered our 2nd son for 3 years and youngest dd for 2 years. Expecting without a due date is the most impatient place to be!

[Cindy in C-ville]

Brigitte and CalicoKat, thanks for your prayers and encouragement - means a ton.

 

Dh and I have talked and are glad to be "together" through this and although this time is going to be hard, we are hopeful that it will be a sweet season of investing in our marriage, the children under our roof, and preparing for Katya. So much has been on hold as we've had no idea of timing, but now that we know that we have at least 5 weeks where there is no chance of travelling to Ukraine, we can begin to make some plans that will be Sabbath rest for our family. I just left a message for my mom about our annual beach trip that's been on hold, so maybe we'll have a nice relaxing vacation.

 

Meanwhile dear friends of ours who have been adoption pregnant FOREVER are preparing to travel to Ethiopia to bring home their precious Eden and Caleb, so I'm excited for them.

 

Thanks again for all your encouragement, prayers, and support!

[Cindy in C-ville]

Thanks Tbog. Even though it hurts and it's hard, we're honored to be a thread in the tapestry of grace that the Lord is weaving as He demonstrates His Father's heart for the fatherless and His passion for adoption that demonstrates the great lengths He has gone to adopt us into His family. Thank you!