"I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything,
but I can do something; I will not refuse to do something I can do."

~ Helen Keller

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

SDA Appointment

We just got back from the SDA. When we went in, there were two couples ahead of us. But after waiting only a couple of minutes, a lady called us, and we got to go ahead of everyone else. We went to a back room, showed the lady there our passports, and then she opened up Vova's file. The first thing I noticed was a photo of Vova, which confirmed that the SDA was giving us a referral for the right child! The next thing I noticed was our dossier was in that file. All those mounds of paperwork we had spent so much time preparing had finally found their home, in the file of the child we wanted to adopt.

After that, the lady began to read to us some things from his file:

- He was born on June 5, 1998 (we already knew that).

- Parental rights of both parents were terminated in 2007. So, he was 9 years old when he was placed in the orphanage (we did not know that). This fact made me sad, for our son, Jeffery, is 10 years old. So, Vova was just a little bit younger than Jeffery is now when he was placed in the orphanage. But that's such a beautiful, tender age when a child ought to have parents to lean on, learn from, and love. But that was torn away from him. But now, three years later, I am glad that Jeff and I can help Vova pick up the pieces of his broken life, and welcome him into our family.

- His last medical exam was in 2009. He is in good health, but his head is a bit larger than normal.

- He does not have any siblings (we did not know this for certain).

- He is well-mannered (we knew that).

That was about all we were told about Vova. After that, she asked us a few questions:

- "How did you find out about Vova?"
- "Why do you want to adopt him?"
- "Do you have any other children?"
- "What are their ages?"
- "You do know that Vova is 12, older than your oldest child?"
- "Do you still want to proceed with the adoption?" (That would be a big, YES).

That was it! Afterward, Jeff and I walked around for a while, then met Sasha and our driver, back at the van. As they drove us back to our apartment, Sasha said that he would help us find Vova's grandmother after the adoption was final. Then he made a comment that made us laugh. He said, "Why are you two so happy? Most people who go through this process are worried, upset, or constantly asking questions. But you just seem happy to be here!" He was right. We are happy to be here. Not only happy, but very peaceful about everything.

And, finally, Sasha said we should have our referral tomorrow after 4:00pm. Once we have that, we will hop on an overnight train, and head toward Jonkoi.

7 comments:

  1. oh twila -- i am so happy for you! i pray you and jeff can keep that peaceful feeling in your hearts for the rest of your visit . . . that is God's presence, for sure! love you guys!

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  2. we will keep you in our prayers, and ask all of our supporters to do the same! we are anxiously awaiting good news from you:)!!
    if you happen to see our Dasha at Jonkoi, would you please tell her that we love her & her turn is coming soon!! we can't wait to see her:)!!!

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  3. I can hardly wait to read about your adventures! Tell Sasha Hello! from the Briesemeister's and that Viktor is doing WONDERFULLY! We will never forget the great job he and his team did for us. I am confident you will have the same experience. God Bless!

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  4. It sounds like God is there in the midst of it all!! We are praying.
    We love you,
    Gena

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  5. Yea! So happy the appt. went well. I knew it would! Enjoy your time in Kyiv. There's so much to see there!

    Christa

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  6. So excited for you guys and Vova - praying up a storm here! Can't wait to hear Vova is in your arms...

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  7. Twila,
    We love you guys and are with you in Spirit and in prayer! God is so good! It brings me such joy to read your blogs and be able to see His glory in all that is happening and in the incredible peace He has granted you. Kevin the kids, and I are so excited right along with you.

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