SLAVA JOSEPH FLACH - It's Official!

And we have the court decree and the birth certificate to prove it!

We left our apt at 8am to go to the Judge at 8:30am. They don't open until 9am, but Irina wanted to be first. She went in while we sat in the car. She called our Judge on the phone and she came out and escorted Ira in even before they were open. She waited there 5 hours yesterday for us, I think she deserves to be first today too! We successfully got our signed court decree and headed off to the birth cert office in Borpka. For some reason even Ira does not understand we had to start there even though Slava was born in Vasylkiv and we had to go there. The woman in Borpka was very nice and Ira got her to fill out more of our paperwork so we'd have less to do in Vasylkiv. Ira does not like Vasylkiv, she says it is like they are their own country and make up their own rules. From here we headed to Vasykiv. While we waited for the birth certificate we enjoyed a nice Ukrainian lunch. Then Ira headed back to the birth cert office to pick up the birth cert. She even ended up entering all the information into the computer for the lady in the office to make it faster. We walked out of there with the new birth certificate with Slava's new name and our names as parents. We chose to keep his name "Slava" (actually his birth name was much longer with slava mixed in). But "Slava" means praise/glory in Ukrainian. We chose Joseph for his middle name because of Joseph in the Bible (he was taken from his homeland but God had a plan for his life) plus there's this missionary to Ukraine that we know who we're quite fond of!

We left Vasylkiv and headed back towards Borpka to go to some other government office to do something about changing Slava's name on his registration number (something like a social security #). As with this whole process it's 3 steps forward and 2 steps back. Apparently with the new computerized system this new step was added. We didn't have to do this step 4 years ago. And with their computers there is a little issue with the fact that his new name won't be understoon by the system??? They said it might take 5 days!!! Ira told them she wants it in 1 or 2 days. So we will see. After that, Ira took the subway to the tax office in Kiev and we headed back to the apartment. This tax office step is new also and it's all because the new passport system is all done electronically so everything has to be changed in order and electronically.

Tomorrow we go to the Notary at 9am to make the application for the passport and whatever else is needed. Our heads are spinning with all these steps in the process and all the days being added. We won't know our return date for sure until Ira goes to the passport office tomorrow and we also have to see about that registration number computer issue. Today we have to reschedule our return flights. Originally we were to return home on the 18th, but that will not happen. Ira thinks it's safe to say that it will only be 10 more days at the most and she's trying to get it done in less. But we just don't know. We've decided to send for Melissa. We know she really wants to come and it will bring us great joy to see her and have her here with us. Plus we can use all the extra hands once we take Slava out of the orphanage! We're not sure what day we will actually get him, prob by the end of the week I assume?

So please keep praying for us. It is possible that we could be home on Thanksgiving, for with God all things are possible. Please pray that this registration # issue will only take a day or 2 to resolve and that the passport will take less than 5 days. And then that's it...we're outa here! Well we'll still have to go to the medical clinic and the US Embassy, but that only takes a day or 2 all together.

We did not go to see our Slava today because of all the paperwork. Hopefully we will see him tomorrow, but there will still be alot of paperwork to do then too. So we'll see. We love & miss you all. Thank you for the prayers, we could feel them being answered today.