WE HAD COURT!!!

We truly experienced a miracle. Just 9 days after our SDA appointment we had Court! It was very different than our previous experience, but we'll take it! Typically it can take a month or more for a court appointment. And we had ours on a Thursday, and adoption cases are only heard on Mon, Wed, & Fri. It was done in the Judge's office, not even in the court room! God is truly moving on our behalf! THANK YOU ALL FOR PRAYING and THANK YOU, LORD, FOR ANSWERING!!!

Now we wait the 10 days, but we will probably not pick Slava up immediately afterward because there is much paperwork to be processed after the 10 days. After the 10 days we pick up our Court decree and with this document we can preceed to obtain Slava's new birth certificate, do something which would be the equivalent of changing his social securtiy number, and then finally we can apply for his passport. The passport process is much different than last time too because now it's all done electronically and takes about 5 days (not what we wanted to hear)! Once we have his passport then we take him to the American Medical Center for a physical and then finally to the American Embassy which we just learned takes 2 days instead of 1 and the fees have gone up. It seems that no matter what phase of Ukrainian adoption we are in it is always a roller coaster ride. It does not seem likely that we will be able to fly home on the 18th with all this added stuff to do after the 10 days. It will most likely be the next week which is Thanksgiving week, and we're not too thrilled with flying the friendly skies at that time. But since we all really want to come home, we will do whatever it takes to get there!

We are rejoicing over our miracle. This huge obastacle has been moved and now we're beginning the 10 day wait phase, and then the down hill decent toward home. Please keep praying that all these things will get accomplished in a timely manner. We are enjoying walking in this miracle and we pray that God will continue to extend His hand of favor over us.

Tonight we meet Kelly & Vicki Hoodikoff and their children for dinner. I guess a new Dominoes Pizza just opened and that is where they're taking us! Jordan is looking forward to visiting with Stephen. He is really missing his siblings & friends. Anyone who knows him knows he's a people person, so this is a little challenging for him. He has however, made great friends with our driver, Slava. And I think Jordan is our passport to a quicker process. People just look at him and decide to help us. :) Hey, that works for me! We love & miss you all very much. And we appreciate all the prayers. We can not do this without you. So please keep praying us home!