What a Nail Biter...

So today was almost NOT court...

Court was at 10am, so we got up early and got ready. Our facilitator went ahead of us to the court house to drop off documents but was going to come back and get us at 9:15am so we should be ready to go by then. (In Ukraine EVERYONE is late and nothing starts on time so if someone tells you I'll be there at 7 you can prolly expect them at 7:30) It was 9:45 when we got a call that one of the jurors didn't show up and our facilitator had to track her down so she would come to get us a little after 10am. When 11am rolled around and still no facilitator I decided to make a call! I had a funny feeling I was going to be calling my Mom to tell her we did not have court today so when I asked Masha if everything was ok I cringed a little. She said yes she is just waiting for the judge to assign a new court time and it was taking longer than she thought but she would call us back when she heard something. At 11:45am (we had of course missed our morning visit by this time) we got a call that our appointment would be at 2pm and to ready by 1pm. Our facilitator came and told us because of the mix up the judge wanted to push us off until tomorrow but she had talked the judge into allowing us to still come today!!!! PRAISE GOD for MASHA!!!!!

We finally got picked up and picked up the tardy juror and headed to the court house. By this time I was exhausted, due to lack of sleep the night before, and hungry or nauseous not sure which but either way I was praying that this just go quick quick quick! But in keeping with the rest of this adoption of course we had to wait wait wait!!! We went into our court room to wait and then were asked to leave because there was an alimony case that was before us, we were told to wait 20mins... 30mins later we were brought back into the court room and the judge and the jurors came in shortly after us!!! Proceedings started and we thought yes we are on our way.... NO!!!! We had just stated our full names, birth dates, address and city of birth when the door opened and the judges boss interrupted us. He told the judge that she was need to preside over a murder case happening across the street. She tried to ask him to finish our case first but he said NO you must go immediately, so she turned to us and called a 30min recess and walked out. Masha turned to me and said in all her years of doing this that has never happened and if she didn't see it with her own eyes she would not have believed it. She went on to say wow nothing in your adoption has been smooth... nothing and then giggled! I said well God must not want you to forget us! She said Oh I won't and we both laughed!!!

An hour and a half later the judge and jurors returned and we started again. They asked a lot of questions and Fred did most of the talking although in retrospect I am not sure that was a GREAT idea but he did fine! Then they left again to deliberate and I was able to exhale for the moment. I remember when the judge asked the orphanage director if she gave her consent for our adoption I teared up at the nice things she was saying but I was successful in fighting them off, I would not be so luck when they came back in to read their verdict...

They came back in and read sooooo sloooowwwly all the boring things that you really don't care about; who was there, our names, the reasons we were there, blah blah blah... and then she said our decree finds you... 20min pause later (not really but that is what it felt like, I had enough time to go back to the very beginning of this adoption and relive everything, all the pain and heart break. All the joy and excitement and here in this moment I was going to find out if it was all going to pay off!!!)

I looked at Masha almost afraid and she translated they find you in favor.... they find me in favor... IN FAVOR!!!!!!! I couldn't hold my tears in I was looking all around the room, blinking like crazy and doing anything I could not to cry. Then the judge came down from her stand bearing gift and telling us she didn't have words to describe what joy she felt and when I looked into her eyes (also full of tears) the damn burst, I could hold them no more. The judge was crying the jurors were crying the orphanage director was crying.... FRED was crying although he claims his eyes were just sweating. The judge explained the meaning behind each gift and then pulled me close and kissed me!!! What a great day... we missed both our visits so I didn't get official pictures yet but I am officially a proud Mother of 5 children blessed with down syndrome!!!!!!!! I will post pics and formally introduce them tomorrow but I took pics of the gifts and I will explain them right now:

 

Each region of Ukraine has an official design and this is a hand made hanging plate from Krivoy Rog.

 

Each region also have a color that represents them, Red is the color of KR. This is a table runner but we learned tonight that there is a Ukrainian welcoming tradition where you put a loaf of bread in the middle of this cloth and hold it in your hands. In the middle of the bread you put salt and as people enter your home they tare off a piece of bread and dip it into the salt and eat it. Fred really wants to start this tradition at our house so you are all warned!

 

 

 

These are hand made bells for each of the children to keep and remember where they come from.

 

 

Oranges are a VERY special treat here; usually given as a gift or eaten at special occasions.

I can't begin to thank you all for praying for us every step of the way, it means so much and God is showing us so much in the time we have been here I just feel so much peace. I feel so blessed and I can't wait to see what God is going to do with the rest of this trip. Our 10 day wait officially starts tomorrow and we still have a lot to do so we ask for continued prayer not only for us but for our children, our care providers at home and here, our facilitator, our paperwork and Fred's dad John as he will be traveling next weekend to meet us here. Thank you and remember...

 

 

What a friend we have in JESUS,

All our sin and grief to bear,

What a privilege to carry EVERYTHING to GOD in PRAYER

Oh what peace we often forfeit

Oh what NEEDLESS pain we BEAR

All because we DO NOT carry EVERYTHIGN to GOD in PRAYER!!!!